by Johnny Cycles, July 11th, 2024
With Magic’s inevitable and inexorable power creep, more and more creatures are being printed with three or more keywords. What happens when we build a deck full of creatures with three or more keywords? Will we have enough? Will it be any good? Let’s find out!
Before I get to the decklist, I want to discuss what is meant by keyword in Magic and what my guiding principles are in choosing the noncreature cards in the deck.
What’s a Keyword?
If you’ve played Magic for any amount of time, this is probably an easy enough question. Flying, first strike, trample, lifelink…these are all examples of keywords. For a list of all the more than 150 keywords, click here. What is perhaps not so obvious, even to seasoned players, is that activated abilities are also considered keywords. Thus, surveil or scry are considered keywords. As discussed in the above link, we can differentiate between keyword abilities and keyword actions.
For the purposes of this deck, and because it stays most true to the original inspiration for this experiment (Questing Beast), I’ve only picked creatures with three keyword abilities. Things like flash, flying, and vigilance, as seen on our commander, are static abilities possessed by a creature. All the creatures I’ve chosen for this deck have at least three such keyword abilities.
What Creature was the First to Have Three Keyword Abilities?
Creatures with two keywords have been in existence since the beginning.
But what was the first creature to have three?
My search of Google has not given me much insight on this question. However, Vampire Nighthawk, printed in 2009, is one of the first I remember encountering when I started playing Magic again in 2011. But I’m almost certain there were cards printed before this uncommon from Zendikar that had three keywords. I mainly think this because surely there was some mythic that came before 2009 that features three keywords.
Mythic rares were first introduced in Shards of Alara in 2008. A quick look there shows that, sure enough, we have a mythic Dragon with three keywords. Let’s keep looking!
Onslaught was released in 2002. Mark Rosewater writes that with this set, “R&D has had a shift in philosophy concerning keywords.” This seems like a good set to peruse. A quick look through the rares reveals the following:
Aaannnndddd…that’s as far down this particular rabbit hole I’m willing to go. I’m curious, however, if any of you know of an earlier creature that has three keyword abilities.
Regardless of when the first creature with three keywords was printed, it’s safe to say that we are seeing more and more such creatures with every new set. Will jamming them all in a deck together make for an overpowered, CEDH-level brew?
What about Noncreature Spells?
After the above research on keywords, I realize that there are plenty of keywords on noncreature spells, as well. Convoke, storm, populate, and investigate are just a few of the common ones. Click here for the entire list. There may be some noncreature spells that have three keywords, but my instincts tell me they are few and far between. Let me know in the comments what they are!
Thus, for the noncreature portion of my Boros Triple Keyword deck, I’ve tried to stay true to the spirit of threes. Some cards fit more cleanly here than others. Eater of Virtue, for instance, grants its equipped creature the keywords of all previously equipped creatures that have died before it.
Other cards grant three things, some of which are keywords.
Still others fit the idea of three in their own unique way.
It’s been particularly fun finding cards like Lotus Ring, which seem like such perfect fits for the deck.
An Obvious Inclusion/Exclusion
Planeswalkers and Sagas are obvious cards that very often have three parts to them. Most all Planeswalkers have a +, a -, and an ultimate, while most Sagas have three chapters. These would be very easy inclusions that would fit the theme and increase the power level of the deck.
But we can do better!
Turning to these two obvious card types is just too easy, though I have included some Sagas, as you’ll see. I’ll explain why below.
No ETBs, Activated Abilities, or Triggered Abilities
As mentioned above, I’m only counting keyword abilities, not actions, in my creature choices. This is as much to make the deck more fun and unique, as it is to be practical. If we count ETBs, activated abilities, and triggered abilities in our count to three, the card pool widens to the point that we can just play all the best creatures in the colors of our choice and be done with it.
The fun of arbitrary deck building rules, as I discuss here, is that it forces us to be creative, which leads to playing cards we wouldn’t otherwise. And why would we always want to play the same cards again and again?
Now, on to the decklist!
Decklist – Boros Triple Keywords with Archangel Avacyn
| Archangel Avacyn |
Creatures (32)
| Swiftblade Vindicator | |
| Aerial Responder | |
| Danitha Capashen, Paragon | |
| Detective’s Phoenix | |
| Faithbound Judge | |
| Fiendslayer Paladin | |
| Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr | |
| Metropolis Reformer | |
| Mirran Crusader |
| Akroma, Angel of Wrath | |
| Avacyn, Angel of Hope | |
| Blast-Furnace Hellkite |
Artifacts (9)
| Eater of Virtue | |
| Collector’s Cage | |
| Lotus Ring | |
| Skyclave Relic | |
| Sword of Fire and Ice | |
| Sword of Light and Shadow | |
| Sword of Feast and Famine | |
| Wand of Wonder | |
| Gilded Lotus |
Enchantments (7)
| Legion’s Initiative | |
| Path of Mettle | |
| Planar Disruption | |
| Fable of the Mirror-Breaker | |
| Experimental Frenzy | |
| Outlaws’ Merriment | |
| Elspeth Conquers Death |
Instants (4)
| Final Showdown | |
| Great Train Heist | |
| Lightning Helix | |
| Starstorm |
Sorceries (6)
| Rip Apart | |
| Anger of the Gods | |
| Collective Defiance | |
| Collective Effort | |
| Sweltering Suns | |
| Akroma’s Vengeance |
Lands (41)
Arid Mesa
Battlefield Forge
Castle Ardenvale
Castle Embereth
Clifftop Retreat
Command Tower
Elegant Parlor
Field of Ruin
Flagstones of Trokair
Forgotten Cave
Mines of Moria
Needleverge Pathway
Rugged Prairie
Sacred Foundry
Secluded Steppe
Spectator Seating
Sunbaked Canyon
Mountain (12)
Plains (12)
Deck Tech
Primary Game Plan
To have as much fun playing janky, powerful cards as possible!
And, I’m not even joking. Usually I like to summarize my vision for the synergies of the deck and its game play goals. However, when you create a limitation such as our own, there’s less of a grand vision for how the cards work in harmony with one another on a path to victory. Rather, we are primarily hoping that creatures with three or more keywords will simply overpower whatever our opponent is trying to do.
Perhaps now is the time to state what I hope is obvious: this is not meant to be an ultra-competitive deck. It is surprisingly competitive, but, if the casual nature of our deck-building restrictions didn’t clue you in, this is meant to be casual and fun. This is as good as deck as any to play your pet favorites that never make the cut in your more competitive decks…as long as they fit the theme of three!
I have put some thought into the kinds of cards I’ve selected that fit with our theme, particularly regarding noncreature spells. We have some ramp, some card draw, and some removal, just like any Commander deck would want. We also have some cards that are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the inherent power that comes with the kinds of creatures we’re playing.
As should also come as no surprise, for a long time Wizards only put three keywords on very powerful creatures. If we can live to the late game, these bombs will often outclass whatever our opponent is up to.
However, as power creep has continued, we now have access to more and more powerful creatures with three keywords much earlier than the above cards.
Thus, we can play up the curve with increasingly powerful creatures. Oftentimes, this is enough to win us the game. At the very least, we will strain our opponent’s resources and make things competitive against all but the most unfair decks.
Early Game Creatures
We play a total of 10 3-drops (plus 1 2-drop), which give us some much-needed early game pressure or defense. These are also powerful early targets for one of our swords or Eater of Virtue. Some decks will have a very hard time dealing with a card like Mirran Crusader suited up with Sword of Fire and Ice. If we have this kind of early aggression, we can sit back, make our land drops, and commit as much or as little to the board as necessary until our opponent finds an answer. Similarly, a card with evasion (typically flying) with one of our swords can put us far enough ahead to not care if and when our opponent finally deals with it.
A drawback of our deck-building requirement is that sometimes our cards aren’t very impactful. Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr will often be a 3-mana 1/1. Of course, even she has the upside of giving us extra value from the graveyard. Meanwhile, Velomachus Lorehold won’t find anything truly backbreaking with its attack trigger, if it finds anything at all.
Midgame Creatures
We play nine 4- and 5-drop creatures that can win us games or stabilize us until we can stick a finisher. Many of these are legitimate threats on their own, while a card like Lyra Dawnbringer synergizes with all the Angels we play in a way that can both put us out of death’s range and put our opponent well within it.
Among these creatures we have some removal, graveyard recursion, a whole lot of lifegain, and even two anthem effects.
Our Finishers
In case our 4- and 5-drops can’t get the job down, we have a top end creature package to rival any in the game. I don’t think I need to take up any space here explaining why these cards are so good. I will say this, in case you’re unconvinced of the power and the fun of this deck: we get to play three Akromas, two Aurelias, and two Avacyns, plus several Dragons.
Noncreature Spells
As discussed above, I’ve tried to stick to the spirit of threes when choosing these cards. Rather than discuss the power or synergies of these cards, I’ll just point out how they fit our theme.
Artifacts
Eater of Virtue – an equipment that grants keywords? It’s like it was designed for our deck!
Collector’s Cage – a recent addition that allows us to cheat out a big fatty if we control three creatures with different powers.
Lotus Ring – there are three 3s as part of this equipment.
Skyclave Relic – for 3 mana plus another 3 mana we get three total copies of this mana rock.
Sword of Fire and Ice – gives the enchanted creature a total of five new attributes, three of which are in the first line and include two keywords. If only it did 3 damage to any target instead of 2…
Sword of Light and Shadow – ditto…except we also gain 3 life when combat damage is dealt.
Sword of Feast and Famine – ditto ditto.
Wand of Wonder – I won’t lie, I’m stupidly happy about playing this card in this deck. There are a number of cards from the Dungeons & Dragons sets that have a similar set up of three different payoffs. I like this one. If only it cost 3 mana to cast and 3 mana to activate…
Gilded Lotus – a mana rock that makes 3 mana.
Enchantments
I’ve taken a few liberties here that one could rightfully question. In the spirit of the three keywords being static abilities, I’ve tried to pick enchantments that have three static abilities. I’ve not always succeeded.
Legion’s Initiative – this card technically only has two static abilities, with the third being an activated one, but I just really like the card. It speaks to my teenage self’s dislike of Control and sweepers. It was also one of the first cards printed after I started playing Magic again that gave us a way to protect our entire team from a boardwipe.
Path of Mettle – another card seemingly designed for our theme, Path of Mettle is also one of those cards that should see more play. The upside is so high. The problem, of course, is that it’s front side can often be unimpactful, while getting to its backside impossible. Ours is the deck, though, that can get it done consistently. And once we get to Metzali, Tower of Triumph, we have three different things to do with it. The synergy!
Planar Disruption – every deck needs some removal, and Planar Disruption targets three different card types and nerfs three different things. That’s a triple win!
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker – one of our Sagas, Fable can bridge the gap between the early- and late-game in Commander as well as it does in every other format it’s legal in.
Experimental Frenzy – another guilty pleasure, I do actually think the card is great in our deck. I don’t think we want to play this early. Rather, we want to force our opponent to answer what we’re doing while we make our land drops so that when we resolve this on turns 6 or later, we can play what we find on top of our library, while refilling our hand.
Outlaws’ Merriment – another card I’m unreasonably excited about finding a home for. The decks I’ve tried to play this in usually want something different and more powerful at the 4-drop slot. Here, though, it just feels right.
Elspeth Conquers Death – maybe we should play a third Saga so that we keep to the theme of threes, but I’ve kept this one here largely for its first chapter, which can deal with noncreature, nonland permanents that could cause us problems otherwise. Exiling our opponent’s biggest creature is also acceptable.
Instants and Sorceries
Given the lack of instants and sorceries that have three keywords, I’ve had to take some liberties here. I’ve done my best and am mostly happy with what I’ve chosen, both based on theme and functionality.
Final Showdown – Outlaws of Thunder Junction gave the deck some new options with the spree mechanic. Choose one, two, or THREE! I honestly don’t know how good this and the next card will be in our deck, but flexibility is typically good enough to make cards playable in Commander.
Great Train Heist – its first mode is the most appealing, of course. The rest is gravy.
Lightning Helix – some early game removal for some must-answer commanders.
Rip Apart – the card I’m most on the fence about. Technically, between the two choices, we have three choices, but it feels a bit like cheating. However, being able to destroy problematic artifacts or enchantments like Ensnaring Bridge and Blind Obedience, or kill Krenko, Mob Boss is why it gets the nod over a more thematic card like Fury Charm.
Starstorm – another card that doesn’t fit as neatly into our theme as I’d like, we do have to pay to cycle it… I like the conditional sweeper aspect of the card. We have a lot of big threats that can survive a boardwipe that clears away many go-wide strategies’ threats.
Anger of the Gods – ditto the conditional sweeper text from above, this time we deal 3 damage for three mana.
Collective Defiance – spree’s older brother, escalate lets us pick up to three modes.
Collective Effort – ditto above…
Sweltering Suns – three damage for three mana, or we can cycle it for . Now that’s a sorcery made for this deck!
Akroma’s Vengeance – with all the Akromas we’re playing, we don’t need any more reason to play this sweeper. However, it also happens to destroy three things along with cycling .
All missed the cut for one reason or another…
Flex Spots
I’m sure there are some creatures with triple keywords I’m missing. Some may be strictly better than the ones here. Let me know what they are in the comments! I will say that there are several artifact creatures that fit our requirements that I’ve purposefully left out of the deck.
Even a card like Kaldra Compleat fits our thematic requirements. I won’t fault anyone for playing these in whatever Triple Keywords deck they want to build. However, I already feel kind of like I’m cheating by including the three swords in the deck. I want to keep it as Boros as possible.
Here’s a list of cards that either were in earlier iterations of the deck or just missed making the cut:
Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh
Fury Charm
Rune of Speed
Rune of Sustenance
Haunted Cloak – a great fit, but I’ll save it for a deck that is short on triple keyword creatures.
Maul of the Skyclaves – cut to make room for a sword.
Odric, Lunarch Marshal
Showdown of the Skalds – the third Saga that I only recently cut. Too unimpactful and unpredictable for its mana investment.
The Circle of Loyalty – I may find room for this Legendary Artifact again simply because I like it. It has little to no Knight synergies with our current build, but it’s the kind of card that can take over a long game if unanswered. And it makes me happy.
Parhelion II – cut to find room for less expensive cards.
Dragon Tyrant – 10 mana is just so much…
Ideal Hand and Game Play
Despite what I said above about not really having a game plan, I have built the deck to have early game interaction to reset the board against aggressive, low-to-the-ground strategies. Ideally, we follow this up with some of our top-end threats of the 5-mana or greater variety and turn the corner. So, depending on the match-up, having lands, a conditional sweeper, and a 4- or 5-drop threat in our opening 7 is great.
Alternatively, we can have our own semi-aggressive start if we have a hand of 3-drops and a sword or two. Even an Eater of Virtue equipped to Swiftblade Vindicator can put a lot of pressure on an opponent early.
Weaknesses
In a deck without powerful synergies that make great cards even more impactful, we can have draws that just pale in comparison to what our opponent is doing. We also play 10 creatures that cost 6 or more mana, and more that cost 5. Without more mana rocks, there will be games where we don’t draw any of our cheaper creatures or interaction and die before we can really get going. There are lots of 3-mana mana rocks that we could technically claim fit our theme to help with this problem, but it feels too much like cheating. Finally, we are a fair deck looking to win via combat with overpowered creatures. Control will prove difficult, as will any deck looking to combo off or win on a different axis.
Conclusion
I’ve made it all the way to the end of the article without even really talking about our commander. Archangel Avacyn obviously synergizes with our triple keyword theme, but she is also a powerful card in her own right. Furthermore, she is one of my all-time favorite cards from when I played Standard. There will always be a special place in my heart for her.
Overall, this deck is super fun. It has some jank and some spice, but it also plays some of Commander’s best creatures. If you don’t have an Angel or Dragon Tribal deck and you like the idea of building around an arbitrary restriction, then give this deck a try! Let me know in the comments how you would change the deck! What creatures have I overlooked? Are there any instants or sorceries with three keywords? Thanks for reading and watching!
And, be on the lookout for my first triple keyword deck helmed by, you guessed it, my favorite Green creature, Questing Beast!
