Building Shiko, Paragon of the Way on a Budget - Fourteen Cards Under $14

If you're like me, you want to make every deck on the planet! If you're like me, you also don't have all the money to do that... Don't fret, because I'm Tyler 'Savesya' Bucks, and my job is to make your deckbuilding dreams a reality, without breaking the bank: introducing the new series Fourteen Cards Under $14 to help get you started on a deck without feeling like you need to buy a full 99!

You might be asking yourself "why fourteen cards?" You should be! I started this concept on my YouTube channel, The Pillow Fort, where I call this 'The Pillow Fort-Teen". Not only is it a punny name, it's also a way to get a solid base for a deck, and it has some statistics to back it up.

You have a 67% chance to draw at least one of these fourteen cards in your opening hand, which are great odds to get your deck's plan up and running at the start of the game! Another benefit to a list like this is that it gives you direction for the deck, which can guide you to more cards with similar effects, upping the synergy of your plan! So, without further ado, let's take a look at today's commander!

THE COMMANDER 

Hailing from the upcoming set Tarkir: Dragonstorm, we have the new Spirit DragonShiko, Paragon of the Way

So, in this list you'll see several strong blink cards, but I'm not just going to list fourteen budget blink effects. There will also be spells that get cards into your graveyard, since that's the fuel to Shiko's engine. Within each category there are some other useful effects, so let's take a look at those now!

DISCARD

In this section, I'll cover one of the first steps to getting this deck off the ground: early game draw and discard that can fill up your hand as well as the graveyard!

Any deck that's looking to sling spells in these colors needs a Jeskai Ascendancy

This Human Rogue helps the deck in several different ways, making it the perfect turn two play. If you need more cards in your bin to recast later, you can choose that rummaging effects when it enters. Or, if you need a little bit of ramp, go ahead and make that treasure! Plus, your commander can bring it back later!

This is one of my all-time favorite blue cards: it allows you to play it fairly by rearranging your hand and uptapping those lands. It can also be abused, like when you cast it for free with Shiko, you'll be able to loot those cards, then untap three lands to use for another spell (basically like ramp!)

Next up, we have a certified Commander staple! In this deck, discarding your whole hand is a benefit, as well as possible disruption for the rest of the table. If you do this on turn three, it could set you up for a wild few turns once you cast Shiko and get that plan rolling!

This next inclusion is interesting, since, when you cast it, you get that draw and discard. Then you have the ability to sacrifice it and give your creatures haste for the turn. Which is always useful, but when you recast it with your commander, you can also reuse that haste ability!

Coming in hot from Aetherdrift, we have a removal spell that's great to cast in the early game to pick something off. After it's in your graveyard, you can wait for the right moment to blink Shiko and get this right back out of nowhere!

Modal spells are helpful in this deck, since you can cast one of the modes when you need it, then it's sitting in your graveyard just waiting for you to use the other effect. Now that you have a counter in your bin that turns any blink spell you cast into possible protection! Speaking of blink, let's move on to the next section.

BLINK

Now it's time to showcase some great spells that will allow you to trigger your commander's ability over and over again! 

First up, we have a must have for any blink deck in these colors! Soulherder

Sometimes the best of the best is a necessity! Blinking something for one mana is already strong, but the fact that you get to do it again on your next upkeep is what makes this card outstanding. One thing to note: rebound only works when you cast this from your hand, so if you recast this from your graveyard, it won't rebound; it's almost like they knew we wanted to use this over and over again!

This next card has "blink" right in the name. Sure, it's one more mana than the last card on the list, but the fact it has flashback is why it's here. We can't always assume that we will have Shiko on the board, so looting this away in the early game and still having the ability to cast it later on shouldn't be overlooked.

This enchantment is another form of repeatable blink, but it also helps your commander punch through some damage! Exiling it until your next upkeep and then giving it haste to beat down your opponents is great on all accounts. Also, since Shiko will be a lightening rod for removal, keeping it off the board can protect it from your opponent's malice! 

Taking a look at your commander's creature types, you'll see that the "Spirit" is relevant for this next card. Essence Flux

This spell helps your deck on two fronts, since it can blink your commander and bring it back with a counter. Also, if you gift a tapped Fish, you can just exile an opponent's creature, turning this into removal! Note: if you cast a copy of this from your graveyard, you can still gift that tapped Fish, giving you extra utility to play with later in the game.

Closing things out with a damage-based sweeper. This spell blinks something until your end step, and then deals 4 damage to each creature. Shiko is luckily a 4/5, so if you want, you can keep it on the board and save something like your Charming Scoundrel

In Closing

So, there you have it: Fourteen cards for under $14 that will give you a solid base for a Shiko deck! If you want more suggestions and see the cards I didn't add to the main list, check out my Archidekt here.

Let me know in the comments or on any of my socials what you thought of this list, and if I missed anything crazy! Should I have included Standstill