Commander: Araumi of the Dead Tide

araumi the dead tide art

Araumi of the Dead Tide is among our top-tier favorite creatures from Commander Legends to build around. Encore is an amazing multiplayer mechanic and we can abuse a ton of cool graveyard and enters-the-battlefield abilities.

Araumi of the Dead Tide - Foil Etched

Let's start by taking a look at some of our favorite creatures to target with Araumi. There seem to be an abundance of options.

Cloud of FaeriesCavalier of NightGyruda, Doom of Depths

1 Demon's Disciple
1 Rakshasa Debaser
1 Plaguecrafter
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Mulldrifter
1 Ravenous Chupacabra
1 Floating-Dream Zubera
1 Agent of Treachery
1 Sepulchral Primordial
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Gyruda, Doom of Depths
1 Baleful Strix
1 Peregrine Drake
1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
1 Grave Titan
1 Archaeomancer
1 Diluvian Primordial
1 Priest of Gix
1 Cloud of Faeries
1 Keiga, the Tide Star
1 Cavalier of Night
1 Impaler Shrike
1 Body Double
1 Kokusho, the Evening Star
1 Meteor Golem
1 Watcher for Tomorrow
1 Noxious Gearhulk
1 Shriekmaw
1 Merciless Executioner
1 Broodbirth Viper
1 Reef Worm
1 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
1 Ashen-Skin Zubera
1 Burglar Rat

The next important category to consider is graveyard enablers, since Araumi asks us to fill our graveyard more than just a normal game would generate. The best options are creatures that fit into both the prior category and this one, but we'll need to supplement a bit to get ourselves off the ground.

Atris, Oracle of Half-TruthsCorpse ConnoisseurStitcher's Supplier

1 Stitcher's Supplier
1 Deranged Assistant
1 Frantic Search
1 Windfall
1 Altar of Dementia
1 Millikin
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Corpse Connoisseur
1 Gravebreaker Lamia
1 Dream Eater
1 Mire Triton
1 Champion of Wits
1 Jace's Archivist
1 Atris, Oracle of Half-Truths
1 Crow of Dark Tidings
1 Ancient Excavation
1 Forbidden Alchemy
1 Thought Scour
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Careful Study
1 Whispering Madness
1 Ransack the Lab
1 Dark Deal
1 Discovery/Dispersal
1 Mesmeric Orb
1 Embalmer's Tools

Now that we've established our engine and payoffs, let's look for some options to give Araumi haste and repeated uses:

Thousand-Year ElixirFatestitcherFreed from the Real

1 Lightning Greaves
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Vizier of Tumbling Sands
1 Fatestitcher
1 Aphetto Alchemist
1 Corridor Monitor
1 Thousand-Year Elixir
1 Magewright's Stone
1 Freed from the Real
1 Intruder Alarm

Finally, here are a couple of cards with cool additional synergy that we found:

Teferi's VeilSundial of the InfiniteDesecrated Tomb

1 Dread Return
1 Sundial of the Infinite
1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
1 Pitiless Plunderer
1 Discontinuity
1 Village Rites
1 Victimize
1 Deep Analysis
1 Teferi's Veil
1 Dictate of Erebos
1 Desecrated  Tomb

Below is our list of notable lands to include. It's worth noting that any lands that help fill your graveyard (e.g. fetchlands) are even more desirable than normal.

Minamo, School at Water's EdgeNephalia DrownyardGeier Reach Sanitarium

1 Ash Barrens
1 Barren Moor
1 Castle Locthwain
1 Castle Vantress
1 Cephalid Coliseum
1 Choked Estuary
1 Command Tower
1 Dakmor Salvage
1 Darkslick Shores
1 Darkwater Catacombs
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Dismal Backwater
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Fetid Pools
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
1 Ipnu Rivulet
1 Jwar Isle Refuge
1 Lonely Sandbar
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge

There really are far more options for this strategy than you can fit even in a 100 card deck, which is part of why Araumi is such a fun Commander to play with! This deck is sure to be one of our favorites to bring to the table for years to come. We've built a custom version of this deck which we have for sale if you want to jump right in to playing with Araumi! Check it out here:

Araumi custom deck

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Michael Schuller