MTG players have a new ‘big butt’ creature for Arcades Commander decks

Commander players have a new Legendary Magic: The Gathering creature to add to their Arcades, the Strategist decks, showcased through the Jan. 18 Murders at Karlov Manor spoilers. 

Creatures with high toughness in MTG are often referred to as having a “big butt,” which pays off in decks where creatures attack with their toughness value as opposed to their power value. These creatures can have the keyword Defender, or other keywords and abilities like Arcades, the Strategist from Time Spiral Remastered. Slotting into the Arcades Commander builds is a Murders at Karlov Manor (MKM) spoiler called The Pride of Hull Clade, previewed by the Daily Mirror. 

The Pride of Hull Clade, explained

Recent MTG sets have showcased new and unusual creature types. The Pride of Hull Clade slots into the unusual category with a creature type of Crocodile, Elk, and Turtle, which the art by Brent Hollowell showcases perfectly. Featuring a toughness of 15, the Legendary creature is a strong addition to Commander Arcades decks. 

• Mana cost: 10G
• Type: Legendary Creature—Crocodile Elk Turtle
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Stats: 2/15
• Keyword: Defender
• Passive ability: This spell costs “X” less to cast, where “X” is the total toughness of creatures you control.
• Activated ability: Pay 2UU—Until end of turn, target creature you control gets +1/+0, gains ‘whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, draw cards equal to its toughness,’ and can attack as though it didn’t have Defender. 

The Pride of Hull Clade can work as a commander as its casting cost will often get reduced significantly and it can have other “big butt” creatures with toughness attack as though it didn’t have Defender. But the new MKM card is a perfect fit in Commander decks with Arcades, the Strategist as the commander. 

Arcades draws a card anytime a creature with Defender enters the battlefield and has an ability that lets creatures with Defender attack using their toughness as power. The Commander deck is in the colors Green, White, and Blue and runs cards like Bedrock Tortoise, Wall of Denial, Hover Barrier, and Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive. 

The Pride of Hull Clade pairs well with MTG creatures like Ghalta, who has 12/12 stats and a mana cost reduction based on the total power of creatures you control. And can even fit into janky reanimation decks within formats like Standard. 

Test out The Pride of Hull Clade starting on Feb. 2 through MTG Prerelease events or when Murders at Karlov Manor drops into digital platforms on Feb. 6.