CommanderTestLabor DE
Price
€92.64of €100.00
Overall win rate
40%105 wins in 264 scored games
Games
270 (6)played in 27 tournaments, 6 not scored (time limit)
Rank
8in the rankings up to €100 · Elo 1673 (start 1500)
Cards
100incl. commander · 35 lands, 13 of them basic
Game Changer
0of at most 3 allowed
Combos
2complete in the deck
Rules check
Passed100 cards, colors, banlist

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

At most €100 including the commander. If prices rise above that, the shopping list is rebuilt automatically.

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 (12)

Instants (21)

Sorceries (9)

Artifacts (15)

Enchantments (7)

Lands (35)

Y'shtola, Night's Blessed
Card image: © Wizards of the Coast, via Scryfall

Combos in the deck (2)

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”.

  • 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
    2 versions, each with one of: Sol Ring
  • Bloodchief Ascension + Mindcrank → Infinite mill, Near-infinite lifegain, Near-infinite lifegain triggers

Commander Spellbook lists 3 entries because every version counts separately (for example with a different sacrifice outlet). Here each combo counts once.

Show all 3 entries
  • Bloodchief Ascension + Mindcrank → Infinite mill, Near-infinite lifegain, Near-infinite lifegain triggers
  • 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

Adjusted for the Forge AI

The list above is the best tested version, the way you would play it in real games. The Forge AI can't play a few cards – they were replaced in the tournament (the deck builder also rearranges other slots within the budget). The win rate comes from games with these replacements; the original cards themselves were not tested by the AI.

In the list (original cards)
  • Cancel: adjusted to make room for another replacement
  • Darkwater Catacombs: AI can't play it
  • Desolate Mire: AI can't play it
  • Fetid Heath: AI can't play it
  • Quick Study: adjusted to make room for another replacement
  • Retraction Helix: AI can't play it
  • Sephiroth's Intervention: adjusted to make room for another replacement
  • Skycloud Expanse: AI can't play it
  • Sunken Ruins: AI can't play it
  • Valley Floodcaller: adjusted to make room for another replacement
Played instead in the tournament
  • Demolition Field: replacement
  • Estinien Varlineau: replacement
  • Idyllic Beachfront: replacement
  • Kambal, Consul of Allocation: replacement
  • Lingering Souls: replacement
  • Rite of Replication: replacement
  • Shineshadow Snarl: replacement
  • Sublime Epiphany: replacement
  • Sunlit Marsh: replacement
  • Terramorphic Expanse: replacement

What the games show

From 264 analysed games in 27 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 21% is combat damage

Strengths

  • Applies a lot of pressure: avg 45 damage to opponents per game (all-deck avg: 31) logged (264 games)
  • Clears the table: eliminates 0.87 opponents per game on average (all-deck avg: 0.63) logged (264 games)
  • Rarely out first: eliminated first in only 17% of games (all-deck avg: 25%) logged (44 of 264 games)

Weaknesses

  • Attacks often get blocked: 30% of attackers blocked (all-deck avg: 19%) logged (1052 attackers in 217 games)
  • Depends on its commander: only 6% wins without it, 42% with it indication (17 games without, 247 with commander)
  • Slow to win: wins on average only on its 13th own turn (all-deck avg: 12th) logged (105 wins)

Damage per game all games

Total damage to opponents ÷ all 264 games – what the card contributes over the whole test

  1. Y'shtola, Night's Blessed avg 31.8hit in 226 of 264 games
  2. Wizard Token avg 6.3hit in 109 of 264 games
  3. Hero Token avg 1.2hit in 53 of 264 games

Damage when used when it hits

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

  1. Y'shtola, Night's Blessed avg 37.2hit in 226 of 264 games
  2. Wizard Token avg 15.2hit in 109 of 264 games
  3. Torrential Gearhulk avg 11.0hit in 11 of 264 games

Top finishers eliminates opponents

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

  1. Y'shtola, Night's Blessed 129×264 games in deck
  2. Wizard Token 36×264 games in deck
  3. Hero Token 13×264 games in deck

Best interaction answers threats

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

  1. Y'shtola, Night's Blessed 523×avg 2.0 per game · 264 games in deck
  2. Cleansing Nova 134×avg 0.5 per game · 264 games in deck
  3. Wizard Token 108×avg 0.4 per game · 264 games in deck

Biggest walls blocks the most

Opposing cards that blocked this deck's attackers most often – 30% of 1052 attackers blocked in total, 14% of those by flyers or reach

  1. Elephant Token 14×blocked in 13 games
  2. Vampire Token 9×blocked in 5 games
  3. Human Token 7×blocked in 6 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. Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare 0%cast in 0 of 126 games
  2. Murderous Rider // Swift End 0%cast in 0 of 264 games
  3. Observed Stasis 0%cast in 0 of 264 games

Wins by turn speed

On which own turn the 105 wins came

  • by turn 71%
  • turns 8–94%
  • turns 10–1129%
  • turns 12–1332%
  • turn 14+34%

Combos in play logged Bloodchief Ascension + Mindcrank: all pieces cast in 2 games, 2 won · Valley Floodcaller + Retraction Helix: all pieces cast in 0 games, 0 won · Valley Floodcaller + Retraction Helix + Sol Ring: all pieces cast in 0 games, 0 won

Mana curve without lands

Average 2.95

0
8
1
12
2
27
3
13
4
2
5
1
6
1
7+

Roles in the deck

Ramp
10 / 13
Card draw
12 / 12
Removal
22 / 13
Board wipe
2 / 2
Protection
0 / 2
Strategy
18 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. 64 non-land cards in total.

Card types

Creatures
12
Instants
21
Sorceries
9
Artifacts
15
Enchantments
7
Lands
35

Most expensive cards

Bloodchief Ascension
€15.14
Mindcrank
€7.83
Snuff Out
€7.60
Ophidian Eye
€6.42
Helm of the Ghastlord
€4.92
Valley Floodcaller
€4.42
Ghostly Prison
€4.06
An Offer You Can't Refuse
€3.03

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 Torrential Gearhulk instead of Hermes, Overseer of Elpis · win rate 36% with, 42% without (110 / 154 games) · from an earlier version, not in the deck now
  • no clear difference Waterlogged Teachings // Inundated Archive instead of Hermes, Overseer of Elpis · win rate 43% with, 39% without (60 / 204 games) · from an earlier version, not in the deck now
  • no clear difference Tandem Lookout instead of Phyrexian Arena · win rate 42% with, 38% without (130 / 134 games) · from an earlier version, not in the deck now
  • no clear difference Cornered by Black Mages instead of Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare · win rate 41% with, 38% without (134 / 130 games)
  • no clear difference Rite of Replication instead of Torrential Gearhulk · win rate 39% with, 40% without (108 / 156 games) · from an earlier version, not in the deck now
  • no clear difference Refute instead of Hypnotic Sprite // Mesmeric Glare · win rate 41% with, 40% without (59 / 205 games)

5 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 €92.64 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.

16163641110361435746766227139334324195525

Best place 1 · average place 16.5 · 6× top 3 · 14× top 10 out of 27 tournaments

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