Commander Deck Tech: Krang, Master Mind

Warrior creatures like Najeela, the Blade-Blossom, Champion of Lambholt, and Alesha, Who Smiles at Death are old friends to Commander players. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set gave us even more unexpected Warriors, though!

One that was quite unusual and unexpected was definitely the Utrom Warrior we'll discuss today: Krang, Master Mind.

Below, we'll show you two lists with this Alien Warlord: the first is full of cheap artifacts so that we can put Krang in play early and buff him. All these artifacts will also be quite helpful with our other cards that have artifact affinity.

The second list plays artifacts a bit differently. It leans on diverse ETB effects that make the game quite fun and are quite useful in many situations.

Let's start with our commander, Krang!

Krang is an Utrom alien supervillain, and his race is almost extinct. He was an important general on the Utrominion planet but eventually came to Earth through an interdimensional portal. His main goal is to save his people.

In this set, we got these Krangs:

We, in particular, will focus on:

At first, he may seem a bit too expensive, but don't be fooled: thanks to his artifact affinity and the many cheap artifacts we'll play, we can put Krang in play a lot earlier than turn 8.

Then, if you have less than four cards in hand when he enters play, you may draw until you have four. For instance, if you have two cards in hand, you'll draw two more.

Finally, Krang has +1/+0 for each artifact you control.

As Krang, Master Mind has artifact affinity and draws cards, and there are many artifacts that see play in MTG, we added many cards to this list so that we can cast Krang for as little mana as possible.

Monoblue lists centered around artifacts are nothing new in Commander. Urza, Lord High Artificer, for instance, is the poster boy for this sort of deck. However, with this Krang list, we're looking for something less competitive and more fun, casual.

So, let's start with some of our less popular artifacts that will actually make a difference throughout the game.

Cheap Artifacts

Do you have a Spellbook laying around? This list is the perfect home for this card and other common artifacts that nearly all players have.

Just like Sol Ring, the colorless mana Everflowing Chalice and Sol Talisman create will be a valuable resource.

Other mana rocks in this list are Thought Vessel, Mind Stone, Midnight Clock, and Arcane Signet. A few cards we added discount the cost of other cards as well, like Sapphire Medallion, Foundry Inspector, and Etherium Sculptor. Please note that, besides creating mana, these permanents also allow us to cast Krang for cheaper.

Unlike other artifacts, Commander's Plate is very popular in Commander. Besides protecting your commander, this armor also buffs it.

As this is a Monoblue list, if you spend one mana to cast this card and three to attach it to Krang, you'll protect it from non-blue spells and make it immune to Swords to Plowshares.

Considering this list centers around a Universes Beyond creature, why not add cards from other UB sets as well?

For one mana, Doc Ock's Tentacles enters play. You may then pay five mana to equip it or do it for free when a creature with a CMC of 5 or higher enters play under your control.

Just like Commander's Plate, this card is quite straightforward: it buffs Krang, Master Mind and goes into play early so that you can use it to cast him for cheaper.

K-9, Mark I is another addition, this time from the Doctor Who set.

With this one-mana Robot Dog in play, your other legendary cards will have Ward 1. You can also use its ability to make a creature unblockable for one turn (preferably your commander).

Discounted Cards

To go with our commander, we added to this list cards (particularly creatures) that take advantage of your artifacts in play and become quite cheap, either through affinity or even improvise.

Excalibur, Sword of Eden is also from a UB set. It gets cheaper based on how many historic permanents are on your side of the board.

Keep in mind that artifacts, Sagas, and legendary cards are historic permanents.

This is one of the most expensive cards in this list, mana-wise, and one of the most important. Mycosynth Golem has artifact affinity and gives it to all your artifact creatures.

With this Golem in play, creatures like Solemn Simulacrum, Giggling Skitterspike, Chrome Dome, and even Krang, Utrom Warlord can come into play for free (or nearly that).

Card Draw

This strategy centers around putting lots of artifacts on the board so that we can buff Krang, Master Mind and attack with him. It also plays equipment and buffs that grow our other creatures.

To make it consistent, we can't just rely on Krang's card draw. So, we added the following cards:

When you cast Traverse Eternity or One with the Machine with Krang, Master Mind in play, you'll wish you had a Reliquary Tower or Spellbook as well.

We also added some permanents that draw cards, like Vedalken Archmage, Thought Monitor, and Thopter Spy Network.

This commander triggers when he enters play, so we built a list with lots of blinks and artifact creatures with diverse ETB effects.

In this list, artifacts like Threefold Thunderhulk, Myr Battlesphere, and Meteor Golem are our best targets for blink effects. We also have Gogo, Master of Mimicry, Starfield Vocalist, and Panharmonicon to trigger ETB effects extra times.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles set unexpectedly brought us more fun legendary creatures, and Krang, Master Mind is definitely one of them.

While his ETB draws cards and his passive effect buffs him, this Utrom Warrior is a great option for anyone who enjoys Monoblue lists centered around artifacts and can't stand seeing Urza and similar anymore.

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

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!