Arcades, the Strategist
Flying, vigilance Whenever a creature you control with defender enters, draw a card. Each creature you control with defender assigns combat damage equal to its toughness rather than its power and can attack as though it didn't have defender.
How Arcades decks play in EDH
Arcades, the Strategist is a Bant commander in white, blue and green costing 1GWU, and its legendary creature - elder dragon line shapes the whole deck around it. It draws extra cards, so the deck can afford a lower curve and lean on volume. Built-in evasion means damage gets through reliably, so effects that scale that damage are worth more than extra bodies. The cards below are the ones Arcades, the Strategist decks actually play most often, grouped by the job they do.
Most-played cards
20 cards · about $53.55Play rates from EDHREC. Prices from Scryfall, refreshed daily.
Ramp (3)
Card draw (2)
Creatures (12)
Synergy & payoffs (2)
Lands (1)
Build the full 100
Grimoire generates a complete, Commander-legal Arcades, the Strategist decklist with a written strategy, a full mana base and live prices — from the whole card pool, or only from cards you already own.
Start with ArcadesArcades deck questions
What colours can I use in a Arcades, the Strategist deck?
Arcades, the Strategist has a Bant colour identity, so every card in the deck must be white, blue and green or colourless. That includes mana symbols in rules text, not just casting cost.
What are the best cards for Arcades, the Strategist?
The cards played most often in Arcades, the Strategist decks include Ghalta the Immovable, Flickering Hound, Turbulent Shore. The full list of staples above is grouped by the job each card does, so you can see the deck's skeleton rather than just a pile of names.
How much does a Arcades, the Strategist deck cost?
The 20 most-played cards shown above come to roughly $53.55 at current market prices. A complete 100-card build costs more, and Grimoire can generate a budget version instead if you set a price ceiling.
Can I build a Arcades, the Strategist deck from cards I already own?
Yes. Import your collection into Grimoire and choose "my cards" when you build. The generator will only use cards you actually own, and the Missing Cards page shows what you would need to buy to finish any list.