Welcome, Magic newcomers and curious Commanders! Today’s Deck of the Day puts the spotlight on an unlikely tag team: Abby, Merciless Soldier and Ellie, Vengeful Hunter. If your idea of fun is swinging in with creatures, grabbing value from the graveyard, and learning the ropes without any wild infinite combos, you’re in the right place.
The Commander
Let’s break down what Abby and Ellie bring to the table. In this partner pairing, Abby rewards aggression—she wants you attacking early and often, making her a natural fit for combat-focused decks. Her ability to pressure life totals and reward you for keeping up the offense is a lesson in tempo and board presence. Ellie complements this by keeping your graveyard active. When creatures die (yours or your opponents’), Ellie’s abilities let you pick up the pieces, often with a little extra value or reach.
Playing with this duo is a crash course in Magic fundamentals: attack, defend smartly, and keep an eye on your graveyard. Don’t worry about complex stack interactions or ten-turn combos—this deck is about learning the game’s essentials, with a few spicy interactions to keep things interesting.
Game Plan
Your main goal: flood the board with creatures and swing. Cards like Solemn Simulacrum, Blood Artist, and Reassembling Skeleton tie in beautifully with both commanders’ game plans. Abby wants you to keep attacking, so look for cards that generate value on attack or death. Blood Artist and similar effects (think Zulaport Cutthroat) help you turn every creature loss into a little life drain, making those inevitable blocks sting a bit less.
Meanwhile, Ellie’s strength is in squeezing value out of your graveyard. Recurring threats like Reassembling Skeleton or Tenacious Underdog give you endless fodder for attacking and blocking. Cards like Elven Cache or Eternal Witness let you buy back your best spells, while effects like Unearth can give a key creature a second chance.
Don’t overlook the importance of learning when to attack and when to hold back. Simple removal spells like Terminate or Putrefy let you handle big threats, but don’t expect a toolbox for every situation. Instead, focus on outvaluing opponents with repeatable triggers and smart combat choices. It’s a deck that rewards practice, not perfection.
Power & Bracket
This deck lands in Bracket 1 with a 0/10 power level, and that’s intentional. There are no degenerate combos or $50 staples warping the power curve. Instead, you’ll find basic lands, solid commons and uncommons, and straightforward removal. Cards like Cultivate and Rampant Growth smooth your mana, while Raise Dead effects reinforce the deck’s theme without breaking the game.
The lack of fast mana, tutors, and game-ending haymakers keeps this deck firmly in the beginner bracket. It’s designed for fun, not for optimized efficiency—making it ideal for learning, teaching, or playing with friends who are just starting out.
Should You Build It?
If you’re looking for a deck that’s easy to understand, rewarding to pilot, and brimming with Magic’s core lessons, Abby and Ellie have you covered. You’ll develop combat instincts, learn to use your graveyard as a resource, and see the payoff from smart creature play. It won’t win a cEDH pod, but it will win new players’ hearts—and that’s what matters.
Build this deck if you want to practice the basics, teach a friend, or enjoy a classic creature-based battle. Skip it if you’re chasing high-octane combos or want something tournament-ready. Sometimes, simple is the most satisfying.
