Grand Arbiter Augustin IV deck
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV · Colorless · 100 cards · 37 lands
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Strategy
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV is a hard-control 'stax' deck that makes your own white and blue spells cheaper while taxing your opponents' spells by {1}. The strategy is to stack cost-increasers and restrictions until opponents can barely function, then grind out the game with efficient removal, countermagic, and a small set of resilient win conditions. Every tax effect compounds with the commander's own, so opponents pay steeply for every spell while you operate at a discount.
Early: Prioritize mana acceleration and getting the commander down. Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Azorius Signet, Talisman of Progress, Fellwar Stone, Mind Stone, Marble Diamond, and Sky Diamond ramp you toward Grand Arbiter Augustin IV. Wayfarer's Bauble helps fix and thin. Deploy early taxers like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Vryn Wingmare, Tithe Taker, and Lavinia, Azorius Renegade to slow opponents before they establish. Hold up cheap interaction such as Spell Pierce, Opt, Ponder, Preordain, and Brainstorm to smooth draws and answer early threats.
Mid: Layer restrictions to lock the table down. Archon of Emeria and Eidolon of Rhetoric limit each player to one spell per turn, while Ethersworn Canonist punishes multi-spell turns. Thalia, Heretic Cathar and Archon of Emeria make opponents' nonbasic lands enter tapped, and Dovin, Hand of Control plus Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Vryn Wingmare stack noncreature-spell taxes on top of the commander. Narset, Parter of Veils shuts off extra draws while its −2 digs for answers. Use removal like Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Pongify, Generous Gift, and Stroke of Midnight on real threats, and protect your board with Counterspell, Dovin's Veto, Absorb, No More Lies, and Mana Leak. Sweep overextended boards with Wrath of God, Time Wipe, or Austere Command as needed.
Late: By now opponents are paying heavy taxes from stacked effects like God-Pharaoh's Statue (+{2}) and Reidane, God of the Worthy on top of the commander. Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir restricts opponents to sorcery-speed casting and gives your creatures flash. Isperia, Supreme Judge and The Council of Four refill your hand, and Sphinx's Revelation or Fact or Fiction bury opponents in card advantage. Sun Titan recurs Signets, small taxers, and other permanents with mana value 3 or less. Defensive walls like Windborn Muse, Baird, Steward of Argive, Archon of Absolution, and Isperia keep you safe while your engines grind opponents out.
Win conditions: The deck wins slowly and inevitably. Azor's Elocutors wins the game outright once it accumulates five filibuster counters, aided by your defensive taxers preventing damage that would remove counters. God-Pharaoh's Statue drains each opponent 1 life every end step. Otherwise, chip away with evasive fliers like Gold-Forged Thopteryx (lifelink), Isperia, Supreme Judge, and the various Archons and Sphinxes while opponents are locked out of meaningfully responding.
- Azor's Elocutors - Primary alternate win condition, winning at five filibuster counters
- God-Pharaoh's Statue - Adds {2} to opponents' spells and drains each opponent 1 life every end step
- Archon of Emeria - Limits each player to one spell per turn and taxes opponents' nonbasic lands into tapped
- Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir - Locks opponents to sorcery-speed casting and gives your creatures flash
- Lavinia, Azorius Renegade - Restricts opponents' noncreature spells by land count and counters free spells
- Sun Titan - Recurs Signets and cheap taxers with mana value 3 or less for grinding value
- Narset, Parter of Veils - Caps opponents at one draw per turn and digs for answers
- Swords to Plowshares - Cheap, efficient exile removal for problem creatures
- Sol Ring - Explosive early ramp toward the commander and taxers
Commander (1)
Creatures (21)
Instants (22)
Sorceries (5)
Artifacts (12)
Planeswalkers (2)
Lands (37)
