Derfington’s Corner: Exalting the Hippo

[Editor’s Note: While some of you get excited that when you see this purple hippo, you may think this is a “Group Hug” deck. It’s not. – MtGCP]

I think people are sleeping on Phelddagrif. Don’t get me wrong, it’s priceless to see people’s reactions when I plop my happy purple general on the table. Phelddagrif’s hilarious artwork and “OMG-why-would-I-ever-play-this” abilities generate a good amount of laughter for everyone. Maybe the occasional EDH vet will nod in appreciation of Phelddagrif’s well-documented political potential. But beneath that creature’s timid exterior, behind its big, blue doe’s eyes and its clumsy purple hooves, there’s something I don’t think people really know.

Phelddagrif can wreck faces.

Phelddagrif is potential for a beatdown. If you let it go, it will chew you up and swallow you like so much hippo feed. You will never touch it: not with sacrifice effects, not with targeted removal, not with stealing abilities. You’ll be happy to draw cards, gain life and get 1/1 tokens, until you realize that he’s eaten everyone else at the table, that everything you played was already wiped off the board, and that he’s still a hungry hungry hippo.

Believe me when I say this: Do not sleep on Phelddagrif.

When people go for a Bant-coloured beatdown deck, they generally go for Rafiq of the Many or Jenara, Asura of War. And why not? They’re efficient. But they don’t play like Phelddagrif. I chose Phelddagrif for my beatdown general, despite (or especially because of) its reputation as a “Group Hug”-type general:

• Cost-efficient: Phelddagrif is 4 mana for a 4/4 body. This is not bad at all.
• Evasive: Phelddagrif tramples. Phelddagrif flies. All you need to do is pump its P/T, because it takes care of everything else. The bonuses an opponent will gain are almost insignificant in EDH, especially when the ‘Grif is shelling out General damage.
• Annoyingly resilient: Phelddagrif runs out later than turn 4. Why? Because you want blue mana open to keep him alive. So someone tries to wipe the board or kill your hippo? That’s fine, bounce him back to your hand. He will still cost 4 from your hand-having never accrued an additional cost for dying-and your opponent will have wasted a card. You have to let an opponent draw a card? That’s fine, because there are three opponents at this table instead of one. And letting someone draw a card (generally not the same person who hated on your hippo) inherently garners goodwill. You can’t fight generosity like that. Mind’s Eye also works wonderfully with this effect.

We’ll need to arm Phelddagrif with some serious teeth to get that general damage through:

Ancestral Vision used to be in the deck, but for the times I really needed cards, it was far too slow.

If you look at the decklist, you’ll see that many creatures have ETB abilities to work with recursion:

These creatures are very efficient in that they perform multiple roles simultaneously, saving you card slots and mana.

Mass removal is necessary to balance keep the threat level manageable:

Versatile spot removal is also a necessity:

Lockdown-style control is generally not fun to play against, so Phelddagrif has to avoid being oppressive in its management of the board. The deck plays defensively until it can send in the hippo.

I’ve had no reason to play aggressively with this build. It’s meant to neutralize critical threats and outlast the other players with card advantage, going in for kills when the path is clear. Having a smooth early game is necessary to set up the mana base, because the deck is pretty greedy.

Because Phelddagrif itself is so mana-hungry, I wanted the rest of the deck to be easy to cast. Many of his supporting characters are small creatures, and since many of them, like Acidic Slime or Mulldrifter, have ETB abilities, their job is usually done once they hit the field. Others, like Glen Elendra Archmage, have reusable activated abilities that give you continual utility. It’s just a matter of avoiding overextension with your weenies, as board wipes are inevitable in EDH. Even then, there’s a good amount of recursion to make sure you get the most out of your dudes.

The focus on card draw, answers and recursion means that Phelddagrif is rarely caught off guard. The deck’s main win condition is getting in with general damage, and the rest of the deck supports that strategy. Of course, it is also possible to win with a Loxodon Warhammer attached to a Mulldrifter (quite the humourous sight), but that’s not as flashy or impacting as a double-striking Phelddagrif.

Click here to see the decklist.