(Generous Patron | Art by Lucas Graciano)

Showing Your Support

Hello everyone, and welcome to another installment of Hidden Strings, the article series where we build decks whose commanders act as support cards for Support cards that act as commanders!

Last time, I showed you all the steps and tools involved in a successful swan hunt. What I didn't tell you, though, is that hunting is a practice I really only tolerate as way to obtain food. Therefore, if you happenend to read my previous article you're now legally obligated to attend a crash course on waterfowl cooking. And who better to learn from than one of the best chefs in the enitre Multiverse? No, today we're not trying to prepare a Pest soup or the scorpion cake; swan confit is a delicacy that requires the refined taste and gentle hands that only an Elf could have:

Unfortunately, though, my plan for setting up a masterclass in one of Chef Rocco's renowned restaurants had to be reconsidered. In fact, in catching up with the illustrious chef, some atonishing news were delivered to me: apparently, interplanar Phyrexian invasions can sometimes be responsible for a few temporary layoffs here and there, and Chef Rocco was among the few that got the short end of the stick. Even worse, in the absence of buildings that could realistically pass a health inspection, Chef Rocco had to completely reinvent their activity to be able to still cater for the citizens of new New Capenna:

Luckily for them, they didn't have to go through all of that alone: restoring and reshaping their activity into a food truck service was only made possible by the generous contributions of altruistic enthusiasts and kind-hearted supporters.

The Deck

To me, hearing about Chef Rocco's story and the initial success of this innovative business model was truly inspirational and heart-warming. So much so, that I decided to defer the waterfowl cooking masterclass in favor of a detailed explanation on how we can all do our part in helping Chef Rocco to continue providing healthy hot meals for the less fortunate creatures who find themselves in the dire cirumstance of having to rebuilding their beloved city. If you are also moved by the tragic fate of the citizens of old New Capenna and wish to give them a little contribution to ascend to park new heights, joining Chef Rocco's Patreon represents a wholesome way to do so.

Multiple membership levels come with proportional rewards offered by the Chef, and allow everyone to participate in the project regardless of their financial situation.

You Pick the Perk Park

A single mana is all you need to become an official supporter of Chef Rocco's initiative. This first tier is for pioneers that don't have a lot to contribute with, but are willing to stay in for the long run.

Some of the patrons in this tier

A smaller upfront contribution means delayed rewards, but this showing of trust and patience will be more than repaid during high season, when patrons in this tier will be able to participate in the "You Pick the Park" program, which will allow them to suggest new and previously unexplored locations where Chef Rocco's food truck should stop by.

Early Access

For as little as three mana, you'll obtain early access to the food truck service, which means you'll be able to make orders two turns before the general public!

Some of the patrons in this tier

This subscription level is particularly convenient for elderly creatures, as it allows to avoid waiting in line. Payment is accepted in the form of metal medals or powerful powerstones. Special thanks to Rishkar and a couple other patrons (who prefer to remain anonymous) for being the first to pledge at this level, showing a great deal of devotion and an adaptive mind throughout the initial stages of Chef Rocco's project.

Official Merch

Patrons at this tier are vectors for actual growth and their collective effort is what truly gives Chef Rocco the means to travel with their truck so that their business can really thrive.

Some of the patrons in this tier

Such a great deal of support is rewarded with access to official merch that patrons are encouraged to wear and show off so as to contaminate non-affiliated customers with their enthusiasm for the cause.

Merch Deals

If you're willing to go the extra mile, you're going to get something extra in return. Chef Rocco is really grateful to all of those who believe so fervently in the potential of their initiative; after all, it's thanks to these creatures if the food truck project managed to bloom from such modest roots.

Some of the patrons in this tier

This is why, with every new merch drop, supporters at this level will receive one item free of charge*. Additionally, as a token of the their appreciation, the Chef also rewards patrons in this tier with discount codes and random opportunities to win free stuff.

*You must have been pledged at the previous tier (or higher) for at least a month before you can receive these rewards.

Discord Benefits

That concludes the oveview of all the membership levels. Now, let's talk about something that all patrons get acces to!

When people are financially invested in a project, they'll often start to feel like kingmakers and might become very vocal (sometimes to the extent of aggression or even stalking) about their opinions on where the initiative should be headed. Unfortunately, Chef Rocco's supporters are no different, and while there can be merit in acknowledging reasonable external inputs, negative energy should never affect business. Discord then allows for conflicts and heated debates to happen away from the Chef's workplace, and under the attentive scrutiny of solicitous moderators that know how to deal with mob mentality.

Community Interaction

Finally, the Phyrexian invasion taught Chef Rocco that, at the end of the day, nothing lasts forever and success is ephemeral; luck can shift quickly and sometimes fate will suddenly reclaim what it had once bestowed. For this reason, the Chef always makes an effort to find positive ways to interact and give back to the community, whether through fun giveaways or generic acts of mercy that -- as they've told me -- come from within. All of this, in the hope that the bonds they've created won't just fade away alongside the motive that made those real in the first place.

Potential Upgrades

Alright, enough nonsense for today: allow me to revert to my usual style. At the time of writing, low prices for this list put it below the $45 mark; let's now see what are the rewards for choosing a $50 (or higher) subscription level going over that budget.

$2-5

I'm just now realizing that in this section of my articles I've never mentioned upgrading the mana base. That probably has to do with the fact that this is the first time we've built a true three-color deck. Besides, to be fair, that'd be pretty boring advice: "a better mana base will increase the consistency of your deck and allow it run more smoothly!"

Should we add it to our deck, Wirewood Symbiote would probably become the default first "target" for Rocco's ability: this little fella not only allows us to return our commander to our hand and recast them as many times as we please, but it also protects the Patron in a way that is akin to flickering it (and thus particularly advantageous). Steelbane Hydra, on the other hand, will never be profitably tutorable with Rocco, but its synergy with Proliferate makes it a valuable (if a little slow) piece of interaction. Lastly, Protector of the Crown is an additional way to introduce the Monarch mechanic into the game, while also erecting a temporary yet solid defense against the buffed creatures on our opponents' side of the field.

$5+

Now that I think about it, in this section I rarely talk about fast mana, too. This is more of a deliberate choice (you may have noticed I tend not to include Sol Ring in my decks), but this time there's also a specific reason why we might want to hold off on rocket-powered turbo starts: for our plans to unfold we need our opponents to have creatures on the field, which is something that won't often be true should we cast Rocco on turn two thanks to Birds of Paradise and Jeweled Lotus.

Turning our attention to the actual list, half of the cards in it are staples that need no introduction, as they merely provide improved versions of effects that are already present in the deck. As for the others, we'll want to play Staff of Compleation for its third ability, Marisi, Breaker of the Coil for his second, and Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor and Hungry Lynx for the whole package: giving our opponents creatures that we can safely grow knowing that they can't profitably interact with ours in combat just ticks all our boxes!

Final Parting

And there you have it! A flavorful Naya deck that wins by weaponizing (both literally and figuratively) our opponents' creatures.

Do you love it? Do you hate it? Let me know in the comments! And while you're at it, feel free to leave a suggestion for a card you'd want to see as a hidden commander: I'm always up for a deckbuilding challenge.

Until next time!