"Eternal Might" Precon Transformation | EDH to Canadian Highlander

Temmet, Naktamun's Will | Illustrated by Douglas Shuler

Mana Base AddsHey nerds! In this article, we are going to take the Eternal Might EDH precon and transform it into a Canadian Highlander-ready deck to jam with your friends. 

My playgroup has recently gotten into Canadian Highlander. It scratches that competitive itch while still having the feel of Commander. Oh, and it costs $0 to get into! If you haven't heard of the format before, it is 100 card singleton with no ban list. Instead, it relies on a points system.

Certain cards have a point value and you can have a total of ten points in your deck. So cards like the original Mox are three points each, Ancestral Recall

With all of the explanations out of the way, let's get into it! 

The Adds

Pointed Cards

Let's start with the most exciting part, the point spread. Our points are Mox Jet

There is an argument to cut Mox Sapphire for Sol Ring, but the deck can be color-intensive, which is why I picked a third Mox. I also added Chrome Mox

Non-pointed Cards

For the non-pointed cards, I wanted to lean into the token theme and add more interaction. Staff of the Storyteller

As for the interaction, I added Fatal Push

The Cuts

Nonland Cuts

We know what to add, but what about cuts? Let's start with the easy ones: anything that mentions a commander. So Command Tower, Path of Ancestry, Commander's Sphere, and Arcane Signet. Next, I wanted to cut the less efficient ramp, Dimir Signet, Orzhov Signet, and Crowded Crypt. This cut hurt me, but Orzhov Basilica is just not good in 1v1. Finally, any expensive spells that were low impact. Angel of Sanctions, Timeless Dragon, Twisted Abomination, Rot Hulk, Dread Summons, and Commence the Endgame were all cut.

Mana Base Cuts

To get that real CanLander feel, I want to make some changes to the mana base. We are playing with the strongest cards, so let's make sure we can cast them on curve. I don't think there's an issue with the number of lands, but too many enter tapped or add only colorless.

The first cuts were the mono-colored desert lands. The cycling cost on them is too high, and they only add one color. Next were slow fetches. Again, we don't want tapped lands unless they provide a massive benefit. Arcane Sanctum can be replaced with Raffine's Tower since we are adding real fetch lands.

As much as I love the bicycle lands, Irrigated Farmland and Fetid Pools are still too slow for the deck. Yes, they have a land type, but it is better to replace these with surveil lands. The temples are just way worse surveil lands, so they can go too. Ash Barrens and Accursed Duneyard are untapped lands, but since they only produce colorless, I cut them.

Duneyard could be worth trying, but I don't think it is worth spending 3 mana to regenerate a zombie. Exotic Orchard is just not good enough when you only have 1 opponent. And finally, I cut 3 Islands, 3 Plains, and 3 Swamps.

Mana Base Adds

For the fetch lands, I added our on-color fetches: Flooded Strand, Polluted Delta, and Marsh Flats. For off-color I added the remaining black fetches, Verdant Catacombs and Bloodstained Mire since our deck is over 50% black. I also made room for Arid Mesa and Scalding Tarn. For fetchable dual lands, I added all of the on-color original duals and shocks. For the surveil lands I only added Undercity Sewers and Shadowy Backstreet. I don't think we want all three of them, so I prioritized the ones that tap for black.

I also added the new lands from Duskmourn and Aetherdrift, which are called unlucky lands according to the MTG wiki, but I like the name Verge lands. You could replace these with fast-lands, but I like new shiny things. I added the Kamigawa channel lands, Boseiju, Who Endures, Otawara, Soaring City, and Takenuma, Abandoned Mire. I also cut one basic swamp for Fell the Profane to add more removal. And finally, I added Karakas because it's good.