Commander Deck Tech: Super Shredder

In today's article, let's explore a list with Super Shredder, a Monoblack commander that seems simple but grows enough throughout the game to become quite a problem later on.

I wanted to talk about it specifically because this character is played by Kevin Nash in the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies, and Nash is a famous wrestler, known for his work in a WWE group called nWO. Like so, I'm writing about a commander that has an extremely cryptic connection to pop culture, and whoever reads this gets a great deck tech. Win-win.

Super Shredder is a 1/1 legendary creature that costs 2 mana, has menace and a pretty simple ability: whenever another permanent leaves the battlefield, this card gets a +1/+1 counter. The first important thing to note is that this effect doesn't only interact with creatures. Any lands that are sacrificed, artifacts, enchantments, enemy permanents, tokens of all kinds, and even pieces that leave play through "bounce effects" will give this commander a counter. Like so, Super Shredder will grow naturally throughout each Commander match, particularly if it's in a Monoblack list.

You don't have to build a Voltron list for it, though it will get big enough to win through combat damage. It actually works better in a "board-focused" Aristocrat list that sacrifices cards, plays Edicts, activates effects constantly, and gets something out of each permanent that leaves play.

This is a Monoblack list centered around sacrifice and counters. The idea is to put Super Shredder in play early, feed it as permanents leave play, and use black cards to turn all of this into more cards, mana, and removals. You'll also force your opponents to lose some life as well.

This deck plays some Voltron elements, like equipment and evasion, so that you can take advantage of how big your commander will get. You don't really want to rely on this alone, but Super Shredder will often get big enough to become an archenemy.

Here it is:

Bodies to Sacrifice

This popular creature kit is always welcome in sacrifice lists. Bloodghast comes back into play with landfall, you can cast Gravecrawler from your graveyard if you control a Zombie, Reassembling Skeleton returns into play for some mana, and Cauldron Familiar can kickstart a small cycle with Witch's Oven.

These cards are critical because this deck needs constant targets to sacrifice. You don't want to use relevant creatures whenever you play Village Rites, Deadly Dispute, or Attrition. Creatures that come back from the graveyard will make all of these strategies a lot more comfortable.

The second part of the kit features tokens. Bitterblossom and Bitterbloom Bearer create one Faerie per turn, Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia creates a Zombie with Decayed when you're out of creatures with Decayed, and Ophiomancer gives you a Snake every turn or so.

Because of these cards, this list doesn't have to rely on drawing a single creature every turn. All you have to do is leave one of these engines in play to get fuel, draw more cards, create mana, or even force your opponents to sacrifice something.

Sacrifice As A Way To Get Ahead

Black is excellent at turning small creatures into cards. Skullclamp might be the best example of that because any 1/1 token will give you a card back and also grow your commander when it leaves play.

Village Rites and Corrupted Conviction do something similar at instant speed, whereas Deadly Dispute also gives you a Treasure. This type of card advantage doesn't seem that flashy in lists that weren't built for it, but it keeps builds like this one working. This deck wants to trade cards constantly, and each card you draw will help you find your next line.

Morbid Opportunist will get something out of any losses you'd already have naturally, as it will give you cards as your creatures die. Braids, Arisen Nightmare is one of the most interesting cards in this list because it turns sacrificed permanents into card draw, and you can use it for board politics. Oftentimes, your opponents won't be too keen on sacrificing the same type of permanent, and, as such, Braids will give you cards very often.

Black Market Connections and Phyrexian Arena are stable ways to draw cards. They don't interact that much with your commander directly, but they'll give you cards throughout the match.

Sacrifice and Punishing Opponents

This entire block is a great fit for Super Shredder. Accursed Marauder, Fleshbag Marauder, Merciless Executioner, and Plaguecrafter make each player sacrifice creatures, which will already remove important enemy creatures but will also give your commander multiple counters.

These cards also work really well with reanimation. If one of these effects comes in, leaves play, and then gets back in with Victimize or Reanimate, many other creatures will have to leave play, and Super Shredder will grow.

Grave Pact and Dictate of Erebos make the game annoying and terrible for your opponents. With these cards in play, whenever you sacrifice something, the other side of the board will sacrifice something too. You'll do this often, so they'll have to sacrifice their pieces a lot. With Super Shredder in play, this will result in many permanents leaving play in the same turn. As well as a lot of counters.

Attrition is similar, as it turns small creatures into spot removals. Sheoldred's Edict complements this kit because it deals with difficult threats, including big creatures and planeswalkers.

Protection and Evasion

Because Super Shredder starts out small, it will need protection. Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots are the most classic ways to do that. They'll protect it from removals and allow you to attack with it early on. Mithril Coat is particularly important because it gives something indestructible at instant speed, whereas Commander's Plate can turn the commander into a very resilient threat. It will be difficult to block and remove.

This is why we said this deck plays some Voltron elements. You don't need to play everything on Shredder all the time, but sometimes all it needs is an opening to deal lethal damage.

Shadowspear is excellent because it gives you trample and lifelink, two abilities that do a lot on creatures that grow with counters. Lifelink makes up for how expensive cards like Black Market Connections, Bitterblossom, and Phyrexian Arena are, while trample will go over small blockers, no problem.

Rogue's Passage and Shizo, Death's Storehouse will help you deal damage with important attacks. The Ozolith will protect your investment in counters and let you keep most of what you invested in your commander if it is removed.

The TMNT and... Sonic Kits

I really like how some Universes Beyond lists can play some cards from their own sets and still remain coherent. The Ooze really fits the idea of +1/+1 counters, as it creates Mutagen tokens when creatures with counters leave play. This goes great with the fact that this commander is a version of Shredder that mutated and the fact that you'll be sacrificing permanents and recycling their value afterward.

Shredder, Shadow Master and Shredder's Technique fit this deck's main theme, but they're also practical. Technique is a useful removal against creatures or enchantments, a type of answer that black has always struggled with, and it's pretty great in Commander.

Super State is the type of card that seems a bit too much, but it makes sense in this case, particularly as your commander is Super Shredder. Making it a 9/9 threat with flying, first strike, trample, and haste and spreading the damage it deals to other opponents is just incredible. It might just end the game when Shredder is already too big to be ignored.

The first way to win is through commander damage. Super Shredder grows quite easily, particularly when you start playing sac outlets and all sorts of effects that push things off the board. With its menace, the trample from Shadowspear, or Rogue's Passage's evasion, it is a pretty obvious way to end the game.

The second way to win is by dealing damage through sacrifice. Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat, Cauldron Familiar, Witch's Oven, and your other creatures will force the rest of the board to lose life as you do what this deck already wanted to do. You won't win right away this way, but it's consistent.

Finally, you can end the game with the Black "value-based" win conditions, like Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, and Grave Pact or Dictate of Erebos locking down the board. In these cases, you'll win after exhausting or limiting the opponent's resources and keeping these engines working.

In the end, this Kevin Nash/Super Shredder list proved to be quite fun. Super Shredder, besides everything, is really fun because it is so simple it is actually versatile. You can build Voltron lists for it, Aristocrat lists, another board control Monoblack list, whatever you want. Whatever you do, though, it will be your list!

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

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!