Commander Deck Tech: Michelangelo, Improviser

If you enjoy commanders like Oviya, Automech Artisan and Loot, Exuberant Explorer, then you need to meet Michelangelo, Improviser.

This funny ninja is a Monogreen creature that interacts with two main green mechanics: extra lands and giant creatures!

In this article, you'll find two lists for Michelangelo, Improviser: the first one centers around landfall, and the second focuses on creatures that will trample the opponents and finish the game after just a few attacks.

This card comes with an ability only Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cards have: Sneak, which is very similar to an old friend, Ninjutsu. With Sneak, you can cast a creature if you also return an attacker that wasn't blocked to your hand when you declare blockers or in the damage step. Once you do this, Michelangelo will come into play tapped and attacking.

When this turtle deals combat damage to a player, you can put a land or creature from your hand into play.

This list takes advantage of Michelangelo's ability to "improvise" and put more lands and creatures into play.

It's quite convenient for us that the best landfall creatures can come into play through this commander.

Creating Tokens

The more lands you have, the more tokens you can create by just putting them in play.

We added to this list some of the most classic cards that create tokens in landfall lists.

The scary Scute Swarm is known for attracting removals, but, before the opponents can find answers in their decks, you can scare them with this Swarm.

Greensleeves, Maro-Sorcerer, Rampaging Baloths, and Avenger of Zendikar are great creatures to put into play with Michelangelo, Improviser. If you do this, you'll have mana to cast Awaken the Woods or Staff of Titania and get even more tokens.

Ramp

Michelangelo will speed up your mana base, but we can't rely solely on him to do this.

Furthermore, at times his effect will be more useful to put into play a creature that costs a lot of mana instead of an extra land.

To make this deck work, you'll need ramp.

While some decks dream of starting the game with a land, Sol Ring, and Arcane Signet, this one wants a forest and Burgeoning or Exploration. A Druid Class at the beginning of the game is also decent.

Archdruid's Charm does a few things in this list. You can use it as ramp in emergencies or as a tutor to get creatures from your deck.

Archdruid's Charm also buffs a creature and uses it to deal damage to a creature you don't control without forcing it to fight.

Finally, it can act as a removal. You can use it to exile a problematic artifact or enchantment.

Card Draw

When you have a lot of mana, you usually run out of cards. We added some spells to this list to prevent that:

Abundance and Cultivator Colossus are great together. When used properly, these two cards will put all the lands in your deck into play. Just make sure your next card is a land, and there you go! You'll be able to play lands with Cultivator Colossus as often as you'd like (or until you run out of them).

This card's effect doesn't exactly draw cards, but it helps you look in your deck for an Elf or Elemental and put it directly in your hand. Luckily, you'll be able to put this creature into play with Michelangelo.

Furthermore, when a land enters your side of the board, you'll get a mana of any color. It is quite similar to Lotus Cobra.

Evasion

To use Michelangelo, Improviser's ability, he needs to deal combat damage to a player. Luckily, we added a few artifacts to this list to do this:

Non-basic lands see a lot of play in Commander, so we had to add Trailblazer's Boots to this deck. We also added Brotherhood Regalia, which gives the creature it is equipped to Ward 2 and makes it unblockable.

Just like Dryad's Favor, Excavator gives forestwalk to a creature (as this list only has forests to sacrifice). But don't be fooled! With the right ramp (or a bit of luck), you'll already have put into play Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth and turned all lands in play into forests so that you can attack whoever you want.

Bellowing Tanglewurm's intimidate will turn your entire board into a big problem for your opponents. Nonetheless, it isn't as problematic as Siege Behemoth's ability, which makes two creatures deal combat damage as if they weren't blocked.

As usual, trample is a classic, efficient option to deal combat damage.

By the way, Oviya, Automech Artisan is a way to play heavy creatures from your hand, just like your commander.

As for Surrak and Goreclaw, it will give +1/+1 counters and haste to the non-token creatures that enter play under your control. Obviously, we can't forget the best part: this duo is an excellent target for Michelangelo's ability!

Now that we've seen our landfall list, it's time to see what Michelangelo, Improviser can do in a deck centered around terrifyingly big creatures.

As this list plays powerful creatures, spells that interact with that, like The Great Henge, Return of the Wildspeaker, and Momentous Fall, can put you quite ahead of your opponents relatively easily.

Obviously we had to highlight the most fun part about this list: casting big creatures for absolutely nothing.

It's easy to build a fun list with Michelangelo, Improviser in the command zone. This funny ninja will be a lot of fun in your Commander pods.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!