CommanderTestLabor DE
Price
€499.08of €500.00
Overall win rate
14%32 wins in 234 scored games
Games
260 (26)played in 26 tournaments, 26 not scored (time limit)
Rank
49in the rankings up to €500 · Elo 1382 (start 1500)
Cards
100incl. commander · 32 lands, 15 of them basic
Game Changer
3of at most 3 allowed
Combos
4complete in the deck
Rules check
Passed100 cards, colors, banlist

AI note: the Forge AI can't play 16 cards of this deck (replaced with similar cards in the Forge games) and plays 6 more only partially well. This result is therefore much less meaningful – the deck probably plays stronger in human hands. Affected cards

At most €500 including the commander. If prices rise above that, the shopping list is rebuilt automatically.

The shopping list was rebuilt with current prices on Oct 26, 2026: the tested version had risen to €500.36, above €500.00. Win rate and placement come from the tested version.

grey: role in the deckGame Changer counts for the bracketCombo part of a comboAI can't play replaced in tournamentsAI limited played weakly by the AI

Commander (1)

Creatures (13)

Instants (28)

Sorceries (11)

Artifacts (11)

Enchantments (4)

Lands (32)

Vivi Ornitier
Card image: © Wizards of the Coast, via Scryfall

Combos in the deck (4)

Detected from the decklist (Commander Spellbook): theoretically possible, see Spellbook for requirements. Whether a combo actually came together in games is shown above under “What the games show”.

  • Curiosity + Niv-Mizzet, Parun → Infinite draw triggers, Infinite card draw, Near-infinite damage
    Example – 8 versions with these cards: Niv-Mizzet, Parun · Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind · Curiosity · Niv-Mizzet, Visionary · Ophidian Eye · Tandem Lookout
  • Valley Floodcaller + … → Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of some creatures you control, Infinite power and toughness for certain creatures until end of turn
    4 versions, each with one of: Retraction Helix · Sol Ring · Banishing Knack
  • Hullbreaker Horror + … → Infinite storm count, Infinite colorless mana, Infinite creature LTB
    2 versions, each with one of: Sol Ring
  • Vivi Ornitier + Quicksilver Elemental → Infinite red mana, Infinite blue mana, Infinite colored mana that can only be spent to activate abilities

Commander Spellbook lists 15 entries because every version counts separately (for example with a different sacrifice outlet). Here each combo counts once.

Show all 15 entries
  • Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
  • Curiosity + Niv-Mizzet, Parun → Infinite draw triggers, Infinite card draw, Near-infinite damage
  • Niv-Mizzet, Parun + Niv-Mizzet, Visionary → Near-infinite damage, Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers
  • Niv-Mizzet, Parun + Ophidian Eye → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite damage
  • Tandem Lookout + Niv-Mizzet, Parun → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite damage
  • Valley Floodcaller + Retraction Helix → Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of some creatures you control, Infinite power and toughness for certain creatures until end of turn
  • Valley Floodcaller + Retraction Helix + Sol Ring → Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of some creatures you control, Infinite power and toughness for certain creatures until end of turn
  • Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Curiosity → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite damage
  • Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Niv-Mizzet, Visionary → Near-infinite damage, Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers
  • Vivi Ornitier + Quicksilver Elemental → Infinite red mana, Infinite blue mana, Infinite colored mana that can only be spent to activate abilities
  • Valley Floodcaller + Banishing Knack → Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of some creatures you control, Infinite power and toughness for certain creatures until end of turn
  • Valley Floodcaller + Banishing Knack + Sol Ring → Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of some creatures you control, Infinite power and toughness for certain creatures until end of turn
  • Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Ophidian Eye → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite damage
  • Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Tandem Lookout → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite damage
  • Hullbreaker Horror → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite storm count

What the games show

From 234 analysed games in 26 tournaments (tournament lists as played by Forge). Games that hit the time limit don't count, just like in the rankings. Values in brackets: average of all decks in the same price class. “logged”: recorded in the game log. “indication”: recurring pattern, but no proof of cause and effect.

Play style: wins mostly through direct damage – only 25% is combat damage

Strengths

  • Applies a lot of pressure: avg 36 damage to opponents per game (all-deck avg: 29) logged (234 games)
  • Often wins by combo: in 16 of 32 wins all pieces of a combo were in play indication
  • Resilient: even in losses it lasts until its 10th own turn on average (all-deck avg: 10th) logged (202 losses)

Weaknesses

  • Vulnerable to attacks: 69% of losses to combat damage (all-deck avg: 59%) trend – not yet certain (139 of 202 losses)

Damage per game all games

Total damage to opponents ÷ all 234 games – what the card contributes over the whole test

  1. Vivi Ornitier avg 22.6hit in 210 of 234 games
  2. Guttersnipe avg 3.4hit in 39 of 234 games
  3. Coruscation Mage avg 3.1hit in 48 of 234 games

Damage when used when it hits

Total damage ÷ games in which the card dealt damage – its strength when used

  1. Niv-Mizzet, Parun avg 25.7hit in 26 of 234 games
  2. Vivi Ornitier avg 25.2hit in 210 of 234 games
  3. Guttersnipe avg 20.7hit in 39 of 234 games

Top finishers eliminates opponents

Cards that most often knocked an opposing commander out of the game

  1. Vivi Ornitier 47×234 games in deck
  2. Niv-Mizzet, Parun 20×234 games in deck
  3. Coruscation Mage 13×234 games in deck

Best interaction answers threats

Opposing cards destroyed, exiled, bounced or countered when this card resolved (tokens excluded)

  1. Mystic Remora 83×avg 0.4 per game · 234 games in deck
  2. Rhystic Study 66×avg 0.3 per game · 234 games in deck
  3. Vandalblast 40×avg 0.2 per game · 234 games in deck

Biggest walls blocks the most

Opposing cards that blocked this deck's attackers most often – 15% of 645 attackers blocked in total, 11% of those by flyers or reach

  1. Ape Token 3×blocked in 3 games

Rarely cast candidates to cut

Cards in this list that were cast least often in their games – often too expensive or too slow (lands excluded)

  1. Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty 0%cast in 0 of 234 games
  2. Borne Upon a Wind 0%cast in 0 of 234 games
  3. Chain of Vapor 0%cast in 0 of 234 games

Wins by turn speed

On which own turn the 32 wins came

  • by turn 73%
  • turns 8–931%
  • turns 10–1125%
  • turns 12–1319%
  • turn 14+22%

Combos in play logged Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring: all pieces cast in 8 games, 3 won · Curiosity + Niv-Mizzet, Parun: all pieces cast in 8 games, 6 won · Niv-Mizzet, Parun + Niv-Mizzet, Visionary: all pieces cast in 5 games, 3 won · Niv-Mizzet, Parun + Ophidian Eye: all pieces cast in 8 games, 5 won

Mana curve without lands

Average 2.01

4
0
30
1
13
2
11
3
4
4
1
5
3
6
1
7+

Roles in the deck

Ramp
12 / 12
Card draw
22 / 16
Removal
18 / 12
Board wipe
2 / 2
Protection
2 / 2
Strategy
11 cards no target

Count / target from the EDHREC average deck (the line), red means clearly below. Strategy: the remaining cards without one of these roles, such as the creatures and effects the deck is built around. 67 non-land cards in total.

Card types

Creatures
13
Instants
28
Sorceries
11
Artifacts
11
Enchantments
4
Lands
32

Most expensive cards

Rhystic Study
€36.66
Jeska's Will
€31.27
Scalding Tarn
€28.11
Lotus Petal
€25.96
Otawara, Soaring City
€25.32
Birgi, God of Storytelling
€25.18
Polluted Delta
€19.12
Training Center
€16.75

What the program has learned

Each tournament the deck tests one card. A verdict needs at least 40 games with and without the card. Since the deck is rebuilt every tournament with current prices and data, tested cards can drop out again later.

  • no clear difference Dramatic Reversal instead of Expressive Iteration · win rate 9% with, 15% without (46 / 188 games) · from an earlier version, not in the deck now
  • no clear difference Negate instead of Syncopate · win rate 12% with, 18% without (179 / 55 games) · from an earlier version, not in the deck now
  • no clear difference Valley Floodcaller instead of Gut Shot · win rate 13% with, 14% without (47 / 187 games)

13 more tested cards are still collecting games.

Shopping list for Cardmarket

Copy the list, create a new list under “Wants” on Cardmarket and paste it.

Total €499.08 Cardmarket average as of Oct 27, 2026

Open Cardmarket Wants

Prices without shipping. Individual cards may have become cheaper or more expensive on Cardmarket.

Placement in every tournament

Oldest on the left. Green: top 3, blue: top 10.

4864214051505224194239466140446252394758492164526241

Best place 19 · average place 45.7 · 0× top 3 · 0× top 10 out of 26 tournaments

Played by the Forge AI, four players per game. An average deck wins 25%. How are decks tested?