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    Edgar Markov
    Commander Guide

    Edgar Markov Commander Deck Guide

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    Edgar Markov makes a Vampire token whenever you cast another Vampire spell, then grows your Vampires when he attacks.

    Last updated: October 20262 min read

    What Edgar Markov does

    Edgar Markov makes a Vampire token whenever you cast another Vampire spell, then grows your Vampires when he attacks.

    Eminence works while he's in the command zone or on the battlefield, so you don't need to spend six mana on Edgar before your commander starts contributing. Each Vampire spell gives you an extra 1/1 black Vampire, building a board that can attack, block, or feed sacrifice effects. Once Edgar joins combat, his attack trigger puts a +1/+1 counter on every Vampire you control, including himself. First strike and haste let him contribute immediately.

    The appeal is having overlapping plans rather than relying entirely on combat. Goblin Bombardment turns spare creatures into damage, while Bastion of Remembrance rewards you when your creatures die. Maskwood Nexus expands the engine by making all your creature spells Vampires. You get meaningful choices about when to build your board, when to attack, and when to trade creatures for damage instead.

    How Edgar Markov plays

    Early on, develop your mana and cast Vampire spells to collect eminence tokens without casting Edgar. Sol Ring supplies colorless mana, while Arcane Signet helps cover your colors. Keep enough creatures back if attacking would leave you exposed.

    In the middle turns, choose between expanding your board and setting up sacrifice payoffs. Maskwood Nexus makes every creature spell you control a Vampire spell. Goblin Bombardment gives you control over when creatures die, and Bastion of Remembrance makes those deaths cost each opponent life.

    Win through repeated attacks with Edgar's counters, or convert creatures into damage and life loss when combat stalls. You don't have to commit Edgar before he's useful.

    Build Edgar Markov from your collection

    The builder starts with Edgar Markov as your commander and fills the 99 from cards you own.

    Build Edgar Markov from your collection

    Key staples

    Synergy pieces

    • Bastion of Remembrance

      Bastion of Remembrance

      Adds a Human Soldier body and turns each death among your creatures into life loss for every opponent and life gain for you.

    • Goblin Bombardment

      Goblin Bombardment

      Sacrifices spare creatures for 1 damage apiece to any target, letting your tokens contribute without attacking.

    • Accursed Marauder

      Accursed Marauder

      Makes each player sacrifice a nontoken creature; your Vampire tokens can't cover your own sacrifice.

    • Maskwood Nexus

      Maskwood Nexus

      Makes all your creature spells trigger eminence and all your creatures receive Edgar's attack counters, with an additional token-making ability.

    • Adeline, Resplendent Cathar

      Adeline, Resplendent Cathar

      Grows in power with your creature count and creates an attacking Human for each opponent whenever you attack.

    • Hedron Archive

      Hedron Archive

      Supplies two colorless mana toward Edgar or other costs, then can be sacrificed to draw two cards.

    • Marionette Apprentice

      Marionette Apprentice

      Offers a counter or Servo on entry, then drains each opponent when another creature or artifact you control goes to the graveyard.

    Staples in these colors

    • Feed the Swarm

      Feed the Swarm

      Destroys an opponent's creature or enchantment at a life cost equal to that permanent's mana value.

    • Sol Ring

      Sol Ring

      Provides two colorless mana to accelerate your setup, though it won't pay Edgar's colored requirements.

    • Arcane Signet

      Arcane Signet

      Produces red, white, or black mana to help cast Edgar and your other colored spells.

    • Swords to Plowshares

      Swords to Plowshares

      Exiles a troublesome creature or blocker, giving its controller life equal to its power.

    • Swiftfoot Boots

      Swiftfoot Boots

      Gives an equipped creature hexproof and haste; on Edgar, the added benefit is hexproof because he already has haste.

    Card images and card data courtesy of Scryfall. Magic: The Gathering is © Wizards of the Coast. ManaBuilder is unaffiliated with Wizards of the Coast.

    The numbers

    • 6 Draw
    • 13 Ramp
    • 36 Lands
    • 31 Theme
    • 1 Wipes
    • 12 Removal
    • 1 Commander

    Draw

    Count
    6

    Ramp

    Count
    13

    Lands

    Count
    36

    Theme

    Count
    31

    Wipes

    Count
    1

    Removal

    Count
    12

    Commander

    Count
    1

    Reference build for Edgar Markov: 100 cards including the commander.

    Sample decks

    Budget build (~$65)

    For the supplied budget build, lean on Edgar's command-zone trigger whenever you can cast a Vampire, then make those extra bodies matter with Bastion of Remembrance. Its death trigger reaches every opponent, so losing creatures can still advance your plan. Accursed Marauder demands a nontoken sacrifice from you too; don't expect an eminence token to pay that cost. Hedron Archive helps fund Edgar and can become two cards when mana is less important. Use Feed the Swarm on a creature or enchantment that's stopping your progress. This list has no Maskwood Nexus, so don't assume every creature spell will produce an extra Vampire.

    Decklist · 100 cards

    Commander (1)

    • 1 Edgar Markov

    Creatures (28)

    • 1 Vengeful Bloodwitch
    • 1 Vampire Nighthawk
    • 1 Midnight Reaper
    • 1 Nadier's Nightblade
    • 1 Falkenrath Noble
    • 1 Molten Gatekeeper
    • 1 Accursed Marauder
    • 1 Reassembling Skeleton
    • 1 Young Pyromancer
    • 1 Angel of the Ruins
    • 1 Firebrand Archer
    • 1 Grave Titan
    • 1 Zetalpa, Primal Dawn
    • 1 Meteor Golem
    • 1 Skirk Prospector
    • 1 Goblin Matron
    • 1 Containment Construct
    • 1 Bronze Guardian
    • 1 Vile Entomber
    • 1 Junk Diver
    • 1 Inspiring Overseer
    • 1 Lord of the Accursed
    • 1 Fleshbag Marauder
    • 1 Angel of Vitality
    • 1 Flickerwisp
    • 1 It That Heralds the End
    • 1 Cathar Commando
    • 1 Helpful Hunter

    Enchantments (4)

    • 1 Bastion of Remembrance
    • 1 Shiny Impetus
    • 1 Vampiric Rites
    • 1 Sticky Fingers

    Instants (12)

    • 1 Deadly Dispute
    • 1 Stroke of Midnight
    • 1 Bedevil
    • 1 Mortify
    • 1 Rootborn Defenses
    • 1 Temur Battle Rage
    • 1 Supernatural Stamina
    • 1 Murder
    • 1 Tragic Slip
    • 1 Fake Your Own Death
    • 1 Disenchant
    • 1 Fists of Flame

    Sorceries (10)

    • 1 Feed the Swarm
    • 1 Promise of Loyalty
    • 1 Syphon Mind
    • 1 Cathartic Reunion
    • 1 Dragon Fodder
    • 1 Painful Truths
    • 1 Glimpse the Impossible
    • 1 Wake the Past
    • 1 Krenko's Command
    • 1 Tormenting Voice

    Lands (36)

    • 1 Command Tower
    • 1 Exotic Orchard
    • 1 Caves of Koilos
    • 1 Furycalm Snarl
    • 1 Temple of Malice
    • 3 Plains
    • 9 Swamp
    • 2 Mountain
    • 1 Myriad Landscape
    • 1 Scavenger Grounds
    • 1 Boros Garrison
    • 1 Canyon Slough
    • 1 Castle Ardenvale
    • 1 Scoured Barrens
    • 1 Bloodfell Caves
    • 1 Wind-Scarred Crag
    • 1 Thriving Heath
    • 1 Thriving Bluff
    • 1 Thriving Moor
    • 1 Rustvale Bridge
    • 1 Boros Guildgate
    • 1 Orzhov Guildgate
    • 1 Rakdos Guildgate
    • 1 Hidden Grotto
    • 1 Shire Terrace

    Artifacts (9)

    • 1 Everflowing Chalice
    • 1 Fireshrieker
    • 1 Hedron Archive
    • 1 Marble Diamond
    • 1 Astral Cornucopia
    • 1 Goldvein Pick
    • 1 Hero's Blade
    • 1 Explorer's Scope
    • 1 Soul-Guide Lantern
    Build this from your collection

    Upgraded build (~$488)

    The upgraded build has a clear connection between Maskwood Nexus, Adeline, Resplendent Cathar, Goblin Bombardment, and Marionette Apprentice. Nexus makes every creature spell a Vampire spell for eminence, and it makes Adeline's Humans eligible for Edgar's counters. When both attack triggers occur, resolve Adeline's first so the new tokens receive counters too. If attacks aren't productive, Bombardment turns creatures into targeted damage while Apprentice adds life loss for each other creature that dies. Sol Ring and Arcane Signet develop your mana, and Swords to Plowshares clears a troublesome creature. Swiftfoot Boots can protect Edgar from opposing targeted spells and abilities once equipped.

    Decklist · 100 cards

    Commander (1)

    • 1 Edgar Markov

    Creatures (23)

    • 1 Viscera Seer
    • 1 Blood Artist
    • 1 Changeling Outcast
    • 1 Metallic Mimic
    • 1 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
    • 1 Cruel Celebrant
    • 1 Welcoming Vampire
    • 1 Taurean Mauler
    • 1 Mirror Entity
    • 1 Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
    • 1 Mayhem Devil
    • 1 Pitiless Plunderer
    • 1 Marionette Apprentice
    • 1 Ophiomancer
    • 1 Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
    • 1 Loyal Apprentice
    • 1 Imperial Recruiter
    • 1 Grand Abolisher
    • 1 Drannith Magistrate
    • 1 Morbid Opportunist
    • 1 Mirkwood Bats
    • 1 Zulaport Cutthroat
    • 1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel

    Artifacts (17)

    • 1 Sol Ring
    • 1 Arcane Signet
    • 1 Fellwar Stone
    • 1 Talisman of Indulgence
    • 1 Talisman of Hierarchy
    • 1 Talisman of Conviction
    • 1 Rakdos Signet
    • 1 Orzhov Signet
    • 1 Boros Signet
    • 1 Skullclamp
    • 1 Wishclaw Talisman
    • 1 Maskwood Nexus
    • 1 Swiftfoot Boots
    • 1 Lightning Greaves
    • 1 Thought Vessel
    • 1 Mind Stone
    • 1 Basilisk Collar

    Enchantments (7)

    • 1 Black Market Connections
    • 1 Impact Tremors
    • 1 Shared Animosity
    • 1 Reconnaissance
    • 1 Warleader's Call
    • 1 Goblin Bombardment
    • 1 Ghostly Prison

    Sorceries (7)

    • 1 Diabolic Intent
    • 1 Vandalblast
    • 1 Toxic Deluge
    • 1 Reanimate
    • 1 Victimize
    • 1 Feed the Swarm
    • 1 Faithless Looting

    Instants (9)

    • 1 Swords to Plowshares
    • 1 Path to Exile
    • 1 Anguished Unmaking
    • 1 Chaos Warp
    • 1 Flawless Maneuver
    • 1 Boros Charm
    • 1 Akroma's Will
    • 1 Generous Gift
    • 1 Abrade

    Lands (36)

    • 1 Command Tower
    • 1 City of Brass
    • 1 Exotic Orchard
    • 1 Reflecting Pool
    • 1 Path of Ancestry
    • 1 Godless Shrine
    • 1 Blood Crypt
    • 1 Sacred Foundry
    • 1 Luxury Suite
    • 1 Spectator Seating
    • 1 Vault of Champions
    • 1 Bloodstained Mire
    • 1 Flooded Strand
    • 1 Windswept Heath
    • 1 Wooded Foothills
    • 1 Fabled Passage
    • 1 Brightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway
    • 1 Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway
    • 1 Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway
    • 1 Fetid Heath
    • 1 Graven Cairns
    • 1 Rugged Prairie
    • 1 Bojuka Bog
    • 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
    • 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
    • 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
    • 1 Plains
    • 1 Reliquary Tower
    • 1 Rogue's Passage
    • 1 Evolving Wilds
    • 1 Terramorphic Expanse
    • 1 Myriad Landscape
    • 1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
    • 1 Clifftop Retreat
    • 1 Temple of the False God
    • 1 Dragonskull Summit
    Build this from your collection

    Edgar Markov FAQ

    Frequently Asked Questions

    No. His eminence ability works while he's in the command zone or on the battlefield. You can build your token board before spending mana on him.
    No. Eminence triggers when you cast another Vampire spell, not when a Vampire enters the battlefield. Casting Edgar himself doesn't trigger his own eminence either.
    Yes, every other creature spell you cast is a Vampire spell while you control Nexus. Edgar still needs to be in the command zone or on the battlefield for eminence to trigger.
    Yes. His attack trigger puts a +1/+1 counter on each Vampire you control, not just attacking Vampires. With Maskwood Nexus, that includes all your creatures.
    When you attack with Edgar while controlling Adeline, you control both triggers and choose their order. Resolve Adeline's token creation first. If you also control Maskwood Nexus, those new Humans are Vampires and receive counters when Edgar's trigger resolves. Without Nexus, the Human tokens don't receive his counters.

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