Archetype Inspection: Ex Exilo

Over the years, Magic has invented a multitude of mechanics to build decks around, each with its own unique advantages, dedicated support cards, and memorable payoffs. But when all of those archetypes are thrown together into the grand melting pot of Commander, a few top-tier choices stand out. They offer versatile deck building options, consistent performance across different areas of the game and power ceilings which border on unbeatable.

This time, we’re looking at decks built around playing cards not in your hand. Most commonly, this means casting them ex exilo – out of exile – a trick which modern Magic offers us myriad opportunities for, and rewards quite handsomely.

BARRIERS TO RE-ENTRY

Playing cards from exile is part of Magic’s design space which has only recently been opened up. For much of the game’s history, it was just a rare mechanical convenience to make certain effects work as intended, and had no association with specific strategies or colors. So it’s reasonable to ask: why would we choose to make this the central theme of our deck?

If you look at when effects give you the option to play cards from exile, you’ll find it’s almost advantageous in terms of resources. Effects that exile cards for you to cast often compare favorably to actual draw spells, at least in terms of mana-spent-per-card-seen. 

The other most common reason to be playing cards from exile is through some alternative casting mechanic – most of which also discount or fully bypass the normal mana cost. Suspend, rebound, hideaway, cascade – all of these powerful mechanics allow for free-casting spells from exile. So if nothing else, a deck built out of these effects is going to be very resource efficient and have strong card selection – a great start for any Commander deck!

But what really gives this credibility as the actual theme of a deck is having specific payoffs for playing from exile (or anywhere other than the hand). If you consistently increase the net value of cards that are resource-positive, that’s a win condition unto itself – ask Storm players! This has been the really important development which has brought ex exilo decks along: the appearance of support cards which specifically refer to this kind of spellcasting and benefit it.

The only other factor to consider is density: are there enough good cards that fit this archetype to fill out a deck? Are there ex exilo-compatible spells to fill the different functions a good deck needs?

This is where having such a novel and unorthodox theme actually benefits us. If you’re building around a single creature type or card type, there are almost certain to be particular affects you just don’t have access to, at least not in quantities or qualities you’d like. But so many different mechanics allow playing spells from exile that we have an extremely wide variety of spells to draw on here.

More importantly, this theme is not one where we’re limited to just cards which were intentionally designed to be part of this synergy. After all, any card can potentially be played from exile if you hit it off effects like Rashmi and Ragavan. 

This ability to incorporate whatever cards we want while still cashing in on synergies is extremely powerful, and really blows open the possibilities of what an ex exilo deck can do!

THE RULER-IN-EXILE

Possibilities are exciting, but at some point we need to narrow down what our deck will actually look like, and that starts with knowing our Commander options. The most obvious choices for an ex exilo deck would be those which either help prime cards to be played from exile, rewards us for playing them from exile, or both.

Examples in this mold include well-explored precon Commanders such as Faldorn and Prosper, and booster set stars like Kellan, the Kid, Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival, and Mm’menon, the Right Hand. 

But we need not be so straightforward. Other commanders offer a synergy with our chosen theme that is no less rewarding for being indirect. For instance, we can do a lot with commanders which trigger upon multi-spelling, since at lot of ex exilo plays involve casting one spell to cast a second one during its effect.

Another useful effect to have in the command zone is anything which reveals or manipulates the top of our library, since that’s usually where we’re actually exiling cards from in preparation to cast them. Bonus points if any commander abilities scale with the mana value of our spells – as already discussed, casting ex exilo often bypasses normal costs.

Without doubt our nastiest options are commanders which interfere with the normal process of drawing and playing cards. In many cases, our unusual exile-based methods of drawing and casting cards create loopholes which dodge these negative effects, even when they theoretically apply to all players. Slowing every other player down is just another way to speed ourselves up (though you should be aware your friends might not see it that way).

Decks with this theme can theoretically be built in any color combination, though some options stand out above the rest. Red is the strongest base color for the archetype thanks to its glut of “impulse draw” effects. Blue is probably second-best, while white, green and black are all a bit limited by comparison. But you can still tweak your strategy to lean into the particular types of ex exilo card those colors have available – such as green’s consistent ability to cast creature cards from the top of your library!

OUTSIDE-CONTEXT PROBLEMS

I’ve been very focused on the positives of these ex exilo decks so far. But of course, the archetype is not without its flaws and potential weaknesses. It involves a greater-than-average element of luck – unless you invest heavily in topdeck manipulation and other ways to choose which cards are exiled. 

Exiling your cards before casting also means you’re telegraphing your moves to opponents ahead of time, since almost all of these effects make the exiled cards public information.

The value engine you can build with support cards is more vulnerable to disruption than other themes. There are all sorts of hatebears and other static effects which can slow down our play patterns, if not block them entirely. When that happens (or if you simply can’t get a steady supply of cards into exile to cast), our spells are often expensive or clunky to cast the normal way.

Is it possible to build the deck to overcome all of these weaknesses? Ultimately, yes – if you limit yourself to a far narrower pool of possible colors, commanders and card choices. That’s often the way of things in Commander – and since the point of the format is to enjoy your games, it deserves genuine consideration. 

For a lot of players, the whole point of playing this sort of deck is its exciting variance and potential for unpredictable, explosive turns. Diminishing those features can make the deck more consistent and less vulnerable to disruption from high-power-bracket opponents. But unless those are the opponents you’re trying to beat, I think it’s often more fun to maximize them, and simply accept the bad with the good.

ZONING OUT

After experimenting with ex exilo decks for a while, I think this archetype is a perfect expression of “the spirit of Commander”. They’re powerful enough to make exciting plays and be competitive at a range of tables, but their mechanics push them to take unique, unpredictable lines each game. The “use it or lose it” nature of their pseudo-draw effects is a great way to encourage improvisational play and means you’re always making decisions and taking risks, as opposed to simply accumulating resources.

Being able to heavily customize your deck is another highly desirable trait, and few archetypes are as wide open as this. Once you have enough play-from-exile engines, you can theoretically choose any spells to cast through them. The number and nature of support cards you include is also up to you – it’s quite viable to play a lean-and-mean deck that doesn’t bother investing in those value-adders if you find them clunky. I’ve barely even touched on the potential to broaden the “alternative cast zones” theme from exile to include graveyard or library synergies.

More cards with these effects are being added all the time, and it’s a great way for non-blue decks to get a taste of the powerful card draw they might otherwise lack. Give ex exilo a try if you haven’t, and see what new possibilities this unique perspective can unlock!