Arcades, the Strategist

Tags this commander plays far more than the average across the all commanders on EDH Tags. "20x" means 20 times the average. Only tags with at least 3 cards and a total inclusion of 1.0 or more are shown.

1. synergy-defender 521.7x 8.3 vs 0.02 avg

   All synergy-defender cards on Scryfall

   • Overgrown Battlement 94% of decks
   • Axebane Guardian 91% of decks
   • High Alert 81% of decks
   • Stalwart Shield-Bearers 80% of decks
   • The Pride of Hull Clade 77% of decks
   • Assault Formation 72% of decks
   • Perimeter Captain 65% of decks
   • Shield-Wall Sentinel 61% of decks
   • Rammas Echor, Ancient Shield 46% of decks
   • Wingmantle Chaplain 45% of decks
   • Walking Bulwark 44% of decks
   • Towering Titan 35% of decks
   • Rampart Architect 22% of decks
   • Portcullis Vine 12% of decks
   • Rolling Stones 9% of decks
2. turns off defender 325.7x 3.2 vs 0.01 avg

   Turn your defender into an attacker with this one weird trick! For defenders that can only turn themselves into attackers, see [turns off defender-self](turns-off-defender-self).

   All turns off defender cards on Scryfall

   • High Alert 81% of decks
   • The Pride of Hull Clade 77% of decks
   • Assault Formation 72% of decks
   • Walking Bulwark 44% of decks
   • Ghalta the Immovable 36% of decks
   • Rolling Stones 9% of decks
3. turns off defender-self 199.0x 1.8 vs 0.01 avg

   All turns off defender-self cards on Scryfall

   • The Pride of Hull Clade 77% of decks
   • Weathered Sentinels 58% of decks
   • Walking Bulwark 44% of decks
4. buttstrike 150.6x 3.1 vs 0.02 avg

   Creatures assign damage equal to their toughness.

   All buttstrike cards on Scryfall

   • High Alert 81% of decks
   • Assault Formation 72% of decks
   • Walking Bulwark 44% of decks
   • Ghalta the Immovable 36% of decks
   • Huatli, the Sun's Heart 28% of decks
   • Plagon, Lord of the Beach 25% of decks
   • Bedrock Tortoise 24% of decks
5. unique p/t 30.5x 1.6 vs 0.05 avg

   Cards with a power/toughness not seen on any other card.

   All unique p/t cards on Scryfall

   • The Pride of Hull Clade 77% of decks
   • The Walls of Ba Sing Se 64% of decks
   • Charix, the Raging Isle 16% of decks
6. synergy-blocker 29.4x 1.3 vs 0.04 avg

   All synergy-blocker cards on Scryfall

   • Perimeter Captain 65% of decks
   • Brave the Sands 57% of decks
   • Mirror Shield 6% of decks
7. synergy-blocker-self 28.1x 1.5 vs 0.05 avg

   All synergy-blocker-self cards on Scryfall

   • Wall of Frost 70% of decks
   • Wall of Glare 41% of decks
   • Wall of Tears 21% of decks
   • Wall of Nets 16% of decks
8. synergy-low-power 27.6x 4.4 vs 0.16 avg

   Effects that care about you having creatures with power below some boundary value.

   All synergy-low-power cards on Scryfall

   • Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive 83% of decks
   • Slaughter the Strong 70% of decks
   • Dusk // Dawn 64% of decks
   • Fell the Mighty 57% of decks
   • Meekstone 49% of decks
   • Expel the Interlopers 31% of decks
   • The Battle of Bywater 16% of decks
   • Rigo, Streetwise Mentor 15% of decks
   • Assemble the Players 14% of decks
   • Mentor of the Meek 11% of decks
   • Destined Confrontation 10% of decks
   • Smile at Death 7% of decks
   • Restricted Office // Lecture Hall 7% of decks
   • Retribution of the Meek 7% of decks
9. hate-high-pt 22.3x 3.1 vs 0.14 avg

   Cards that specifically hate on cards with high power or toughness, typically at least 3-4.

   All hate-high-pt cards on Scryfall

   • Slaughter the Strong 70% of decks
   • Dusk // Dawn 64% of decks
   • Fell the Mighty 57% of decks
   • Meekstone 49% of decks
   • Expel the Interlopers 31% of decks
   • The Battle of Bywater 16% of decks
   • Destined Confrontation 10% of decks
   • Restricted Office // Lecture Hall 7% of decks
   • Retribution of the Meek 7% of decks
10. block trigger 19.0x 2.8 vs 0.15 avg

    Effects that trigger on a creature blocking or becoming blocked.

    All block trigger cards on Scryfall

    • Wall of Frost 70% of decks
    • Perimeter Captain 65% of decks
    • Wall of Junk 58% of decks
    • Shield Sphere 42% of decks
    • Wall of Tears 21% of decks
    • Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa 18% of decks
    • Mirror Shield 6% of decks
11. french vanilla 13.7x 3.7 vs 0.27 avg

    These creatures, vehicles and spacecraft have only keyword abilities.

    All french vanilla cards on Scryfall

    • Wall of Denial 92% of decks
    • Hover Barrier 66% of decks
    • Angelic Wall 42% of decks
    • Drift of Phantasms 35% of decks
    • Fortified Rampart 34% of decks
    • Riptide Turtle 30% of decks
    • Steel Wall 25% of decks
    • Wall of Shards 24% of decks
    • Glacial Wall 22% of decks
12. drawback 13.2x 25.9 vs 1.96 avg

    Cards that have some kind of disadvantage.

    All drawback cards on Scryfall

    • Overgrown Battlement 94% of decks
    • Wall of Denial 92% of decks
    • Axebane Guardian 91% of decks
    • Wall of Blossoms 82% of decks
    • Wall of Omens 82% of decks
    • Stalwart Shield-Bearers 80% of decks
    • The Pride of Hull Clade 77% of decks
    • Sunscape Familiar 75% of decks
    • Crashing Drawbridge 74% of decks
    • Wall of Frost 70% of decks
    • Crystal Barricade 67% of decks
    • Sylvan Caryatid 66% of decks
    • Hover Barrier 66% of decks
    • Swords to Plowshares 65% of decks
    • Perimeter Captain 65% of decks
    • The Walls of Ba Sing Se 64% of decks
    • Shield-Wall Sentinel 61% of decks
    • Vine Trellis 59% of decks
    • Jeskai Barricade 59% of decks
    • Wall of Junk 58% of decks
    • Wall of Tanglecord 55% of decks
    • Tree of Redemption 54% of decks
    • Path to Exile 50% of decks
    • Wall of Runes 48% of decks
    • Wingmantle Chaplain 45% of decks
    • Walking Bulwark 44% of decks
    • Shield Sphere 42% of decks
    • Angelic Wall 42% of decks
    • Wall of Glare 41% of decks
    • Carven Caryatid 40% of decks
    • Wall of Roots 39% of decks
    • Flumph 35% of decks
    • Drift of Phantasms 35% of decks
    • Fortified Rampart 34% of decks
    • Fog Bank 32% of decks
    • Mnemonic Wall 30% of decks
    • Riptide Turtle 30% of decks
    • Resolute Watchdog 28% of decks
    • Wall of Mulch 27% of decks
    • Steel Wall 25% of decks
    • Wall of Shards 24% of decks
    • Jungle Barrier 23% of decks
    • Suspicious Bookcase 23% of decks
    • Gatecreeper Vine 23% of decks
    • Glacial Wall 22% of decks
    • Wall of Tears 21% of decks
    • Orator of Ojutai 20% of decks
    • Wall of Essence 17% of decks
    • Guard Gomazoa 16% of decks
    • Wall of Nets 16% of decks
    • Azorius Chancery 16% of decks
    • Towering Viewpoint 16% of decks
    • Amaranthine Wall 14% of decks
    • Selesnya Sanctuary 14% of decks
    • Geist of the Archives 13% of decks
    • Rune-Sealed Wall 13% of decks
    • An Offer You Can't Refuse 13% of decks
    • Sokrates, Athenian Teacher 13% of decks
    • Arcane Denial 13% of decks
    • Simic Growth Chamber 13% of decks
    • Portcullis Vine 12% of decks
    • Swan Song 11% of decks
13. damage prevention 8.1x 1.2 vs 0.14 avg

    All damage prevention cards on Scryfall

    • Crystal Barricade 67% of decks
    • Fog Bank 32% of decks
    • Guard Gomazoa 16% of decks
14. type errata 7.6x 2.0 vs 0.27 avg

    Cards that were printed with a type-line that has since been updated. For cards whose token generation has changed, see [Token Errata](token-errata).

    All type errata cards on Scryfall

    • Wall of Blossoms 82% of decks
    • Vine Trellis 59% of decks
    • Wall of Roots 39% of decks
    • Jungle Barrier 23% of decks
15. creature count matters 6.4x 2.7 vs 0.42 avg

    All creature count matters cards on Scryfall

    • Overgrown Battlement 94% of decks
    • Axebane Guardian 91% of decks
    • Wingmantle Chaplain 45% of decks
    • Plagon, Lord of the Beach 25% of decks
    • The Battle of Bywater 16% of decks
    • Omnipresence 0% of decks
16. virtual french vanilla 6.0x 5.1 vs 0.85 avg

    Creatures and vehicles that are french vanilla (having only keyword abilities) after entering the battlefield. They may have "enters the battlefield" or "on cast" trigger.

    All virtual french vanilla cards on Scryfall

    • Wall of Blossoms 82% of decks
    • Wall of Omens 82% of decks
    • Shield-Wall Sentinel 61% of decks
    • Jeskai Barricade 59% of decks
    • Wall of Runes 48% of decks
    • Corrupted Shapeshifter 42% of decks
    • Carven Caryatid 40% of decks
    • Mnemonic Wall 30% of decks
    • Jungle Barrier 23% of decks
    • Gatecreeper Vine 23% of decks
    • Orator of Ojutai 20% of decks
17. protects-permanent 4.6x 1.1 vs 0.24 avg

    All protects-permanent cards on Scryfall

    • The Walls of Ba Sing Se 64% of decks
    • Heroic Intervention 39% of decks
    • Restricted Office // Lecture Hall 7% of decks
18. bottomless mana sink 3.9x 2.3 vs 0.59 avg

    Repeatable effects that, if an arbitrary amount of mana is dumped into them, will probably win you the game—for example, by drawing your whole deck, creating an arbitrarily large attacker, making an endless army of tokens, gaining infinite life, etc.

    All bottomless mana sink cards on Scryfall

    • High Alert 81% of decks
    • The Pride of Hull Clade 77% of decks
    • Assault Formation 72% of decks
19. gives vigilance 3.1x 1.3 vs 0.41 avg

    See also [untapper-creature](untapper-creature).

    All gives vigilance cards on Scryfall

    • Brave the Sands 57% of decks
    • Akroma's Will 29% of decks
    • Captain America's Shield 16% of decks
    • Unbreakable Formation 10% of decks
    • Sight of the Scalelords 7% of decks
    • Serra's Blessing 7% of decks
20. protects-all 3.0x 3.2 vs 1.06 avg

    Effects that give a form of protection to all permanents of a kind. (That may be hexproof, indestructible, protection, etc.)

    All protects-all cards on Scryfall

    • Crystal Barricade 67% of decks
    • The Walls of Ba Sing Se 64% of decks
    • Heroic Intervention 39% of decks
    • Eerie Interlude 32% of decks
    • Akroma's Will 29% of decks
    • Bedrock Tortoise 24% of decks
    • Teferi's Protection 16% of decks
    • Flawless Maneuver 14% of decks
    • Ghostway 13% of decks
    • Unbreakable Formation 10% of decks
    • Restricted Office // Lecture Hall 7% of decks