Commander - cEDH Deck Tech: Leonardo and Michelangelo

This deck is not weird or revolutionary. On the contrary.

It's a very standard 5c turbo Ad Nauseam list, but with two extremely efficient commanders: Leonardo, the Balance and Michelangelo, the Heart.

Before we go into it, please note that we found this list at a Boil 3 tournament in the hands of "dameGPT", who got 3rd place with it. We'll be exploring it today because we believe it deserves a few paragraphs. Not because of its foundation, which is already quite popular, but because of its commanders and how they change how it works.

Let's see it!

Decklist cEDH

Here's why this list plays Leonardo, the Balance and Michelangelo, the Heart:

Essentially, instead of a commander with its own game plan, this list is more consistent and fast and has access to free spells like Deflecting Swat and Fierce Guardianship. It also still has access to five colors and has a backup plan to put pressure in long matches.

A Low CMC Matters More Than It Seems

Playing two cheap commanders changes a lot at once. Mox Amber will work more often, Springleaf Drum becomes a real way to speed up the game, and you'll nearly always have a creature available to turn into mana with Culling the Weak.

This means that cards that would be inconsistent in other decks are an active part of this list's game plan, so your opening hands are, on average, better.

Synergies

These two commanders are not the main stars in this list, but they're still important.

Michelangelo, the Heart creates food, gives you counters, and also enables Leonardo, the Balance quite easily. The value it creates adds up throughout the game.

Leonardo, the Balance turns these tokens into real pressure. Creatures like Esper Sentinel or even the resources Smothering Tithe creates will scale the board naturally.

Cards like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer and Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff create value and resources for you throughout the game, and pieces like The Cabbage Merchant will give you even more tokens. Eventually, you'll have a "parallel" engine that isn't exactly part of your main game plan but also can't be ignored.

5c Turbo Naus

There's nothing unusual in this section, and we won't waste too much time explaining this already quite famous archetype.

This list plays the classic card draw engine with Rhystic Study and Mystic Remora, which will give you an advantage constantly, and Necropotence, which works both as a way to set up and as an "indirect" win condition depending on the case.

This foundation is already quite iconic. What sets it apart is how consistently you'll access these cards.

Rituals and Acceleration

These cards will give you a lot with your two commanders.

Culling the Weak will rarely be dead in your hand because you'll have creatures like Esper Sentinel and Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer. Meanwhile, Mox Amber is one of the best acceleration pieces in this list.

Furthermore, Gemstone Caverns will be quite helpful, and Ancient Tomb will let you put spells like Ad Nauseam or Rhystic Study in play earlier than usual.

All of this means you'll get explosive hands a lot more often.

Tutors

You'll find what you need quite easily, whether that's Ad Nauseam, Thassa's Oracle, or Underworld Breach, with tutors like Demonic Tutor and Vampiric Tutor. Gamble, in turn, is more of an aggressive option that fits this list's game plan.

Beseech the Mirror and Enlightened Tutor will also give you more options. You'll be able to find both combo pieces and protection or value tools with these cards.

Oracle

This is the most straightforward way to win with this deck.

With Thassa's Oracle and Tainted Pact or Demonic Consultation, you can end the game quite fast, often ignoring most conventional interactions and even Stax pieces, depending on the case.

Breach

The Underworld Breach game plan is more flexible.

With Brain Freeze, you can create loops. Intuition, in turn, creates stacks that are extremely consistent in five colors.

Mnemonic Betrayal is an absurd tool in "grindy" matches. It lets you reuse resources in enemy graveyards and get an advantage out of "locked" game states straight away.

Necropotence + Borne

Many players love this line.

With Necropotence in play, you can set up a huge hand in the end step, and, with a Borne Upon a Wind, you'll turn this into an explosive turn straight away. You'll basically turn Necro into an "instant" version of Ad Nauseam.

Ad Nauseam

Ad Nauseam is still the main way to win with this list.

You don't need to push it into play early because this deck can play a bit more slowly with Rhystic Study and Mystic Remora. But, when it resolves, it usually ends the game on the spot.

Free Spells

Your commanders will shine with these cards.

Fierce Guardianship and Deflecting Swat are extremely consistent. They'll protect your combo for no mana at all, whereas Force of Will and Pact of Negation will make sure you can fight for the stack even on critical turns.

Protecting Your Turn

Cards like Silence and Grand Abolisher are critical, particularly when you need to make sure your turn plays out as it should. Meanwhile, Ranger-Captain of Eos lets you get your pieces and locks the board at the right time.

Voice of Victory is another way to put pressure on the board and also protects your turns. It's hard to answer and fits this game plan really well.

Weaknesses

This deck struggles against Stax pieces like Rule of Law, which prevent you from linking spells, and graveyard hate, which disrupts lines with Underworld Breach.

You'll also need to play your cards at the right time and right order, and you might struggle with Ad Nauseam's drawback effect, particularly in long matches.

This deck didn't revolutionize 5c Turbo Naus, but it optimized it.

These commanders made it into this list because of "math". Cards like Mox Amber, Deflecting Swat, and Fierce Guardianship work better in this list than in many other shells, and this makes it more consistent. The result is a deck solid enough to rank 3rd at a competitive tournament.

More importantly, this is a great example of how small deckbuilding decisions can make a huge difference.

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

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!