Commander A to Z - Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor

Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor - Commander Deck Tech

Today, I'm excited to kick off a brand new series called Commander A-Z. Each week, I will be selecting one potentially powerful yet underused commander that begins with each letter of the alphabet to highlight. This series was born out of my love for commander as a format and a desire to see some exciting new synergies that I've never considered. These decks may not be top-tier for winning but I'm always looking to have the most fun playing EDH. Check out a deck tech and full list below.


The first instinct when looking at Aboshan is to put together a Cephalid tribal deck to abuse the ability to tap any permanent with any cephalid. However, it turns out that there's not nearly enough cephalids in Magic history to support a tribal theme and so it was important to construct a theme that support cephalids instead. When investigating the cephalids' abilities, it became apparent that they're obsessed with putting cards into your graveyard, probably a consequence of the majority of them appearing in Odyssey block which was primarily concerned with the graveyard shenanigans. Therefore, the deck began to take form with powerful self-mill and recursion options presenting themselves.

The game plan with this deck is to successfully mill yourself with cards such as Cephalid Vandal, Search for Azcanta, and Think Tank and then use various synergies to either recur them or utilize them in another way. Aside from the obvious Archaeomancer and Mnemonic Wall synergies, milling Wonder has terrific synergy with Aboshan's abilities or having a Time Stretch in the bin for when Living Lore enters the battlefield can be extremely fun and powerful. Hour of Devastation's new blue graveyard-matters cards fit perfectly into the mix with Hour of Eternity and God-Pharaoh's Gift becoming relevant win-cons in the long game. The numerous cephalids that make an appearance have a significant impact on any game, able to effortlessly tap down any big threat that's rearing it's head. Furthermore, Aboshan's ability to lockdown all creatures without flying made Archetype of Imagination and Mystic Decree instant includes. Finally, no blue deck would be complete without its fair share of jenky win-cons with Crystal Shard bouncing any creature that returns a spell from your graveyard and then recasting the aforementioned Time Stretch. Or, if you're going really spicy, cast Enter the Infinite and then use Psychic Spiral to mill someone out. Either way, this deck looks like it plays out like a bunch of fun shenanigans and allows you to really abuse the power of Aboshan. The full deck list is below and could always use a personal touch.

Commander:

Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor

Creatures

    1. Callous Oppressor
    2. Cephalid Broker
    3. Cephalid Constable
    4. Cephalid Pathmage
    5. Cephalid Retainer
    6. Llawan, Cephalid Empress
    7. Cephalid Looter
    8. Shapesharer
    9. Archetype of Imagination
    10. Thundercloud Elemental
    11. Willbreaker
    12. Cephalid Illusionist
    13. Cephalid Inkshrouder
    14. Cephalid Sage
    15. Cephalid Vandal
    16. Millikin
    17. Skaab Ruinator
    18. Kederekt Leviathan
    19. Clever Impersonator
    20. Champion of Wits
    21. Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
    22. Living Lore
    23. Archaeomancer
    24. Mnemonic Wall
    25. Wonder

Instants

    1. Cackling Counterpart
    2. Dig Through Time
    3. Pact of Negation
    4. Circular Logic
    5. Aetherize
    6. Cyclonic Rift
    7. Desertion
    8. Cryptic Command
    9. Visions of Beyond
    10. Mystical Tutor

Sorceries

    1. Hour of Eternity
    2. Spelltwine
    3. Pull from the Deep
    4. Blatant Thievery
    5. Bribery
    6. Rite of Replication
    7. Time Stretch
    8. Rise from the Tides
    9. Strategic Planning
    10. Enter the Infinite
    11. Temporal Trespass
    12. Psychic Spiral

Enchantments

    1. Mystic Decree
    2. Rhystic Study
    3. Metallurgic Summoning
    4. Mist of Stagnation
    5. Search for Azcanta
    6. Think Tank

Artifacts

    1. Sol Ring
    2. Hedron Archive
    3. God-Pharaoh's Gift
    4. Crystal Shard
    5. Extraplanar Lens
    6. Runechanter's Pike

Planeswalkers

    1. Jace, Memory Adept
    2. Jace, the Living Guildpact
    3. Teferi, Temporal Archmage

Lands

    1. Drownyard Temple
    2. Halimar Depths
    3. Tolaria West
    4. Minamo, School at Water's Edge
    5. Homeward Path
    6. Orobo, Palace in the Clouds
    7. Terrain Generator
    8. 30x Island



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