Welcome to the brewing laboratory! This space gathers all the exciting, experimental, and untested Commander deck concepts featured on ThemEDH – our “Theory Brews.”
So, what exactly is a Theory Brew? It’s a decklist built entirely around the core principles of this blog: a strong **Thematic** concept and adherence to our **$50 Budget** constraint. These are decks that I’ve designed, researched, and am genuinely excited about, but crucially, they haven’t yet been purchased, built, and personally playtested by me in real games.
Think of these as blueprints, thought experiments, or creative starting points. I share these “Digestible Homebrews” in their theoretical stage because, honestly, my brain often cooks up more fun ideas than I can immediately build and test! It allows me to share more unique, budget-friendly, thematic concepts with you all more frequently.
Dive In and Share Your Thoughts!
Feel free to explore the brews listed below! Click through to any that catch your eye to see the full decklist, thematic breakdown, and strategic concept. Since these haven’t hit the table under my control yet, your feedback, suggestions, and insights in the comments section of each post are incredibly valuable!
Who knows – maybe your comment will spark a change, help refine the concept, or encourage me to prioritize it for actual playtesting. Decks featured here might eventually graduate to the “Battle Tested”section after they’ve faced the gauntlet of real gameplay!
Happy theoretical brewing!
![[Theory Brew] Strixhaven’s Shadow and The Accidental Blight](https://themedh.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1000013191-1.png?w=200&h=150&crop=1)
[Theory Brew] Strixhaven’s Shadow and The Accidental Blight
This ThemEDH brew explores the narrative of Dina and Killian, students at Strixhaven, whose conflicting magics accidentally create a monstrous swamp creature, The Necrobloom. The deck embodies their story through carefully selected cards within a $50 budget, emphasizing themes of ambition, forbidden magic, and the consequences of powerful spells, blending distinct magical philosophies creatively.
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![[Theory Brew] Yorion & Skysail’s Defense](https://themedh.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/image-6.png?w=200&h=150&crop=1)
[Theory Brew] Yorion & Skysail’s Defense
This post explores the creation of a budget-friendly EDH deck centered on Yorion, Sky Nomad, embodying the lore of Skysail, a flying city. It highlights Human card synergies, mobility, and strategic interactions for gameplay.
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![[Theory Brew] Drizzt’s Path in Selesnya Exile & Emergence Under $50](https://themedh.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/drizztdourden338__61935.jpg?w=800&h=600&crop=1)
[Theory Brew] Drizzt’s Path in Selesnya Exile & Emergence Under $50
This ThemEDH post discusses creating a Selesnya Commander deck inspired by Drizzt Do’Urden’s early life from R.A. Salvatore’s trilogy. The deck symbolizes Drizzt’s journey, focusing on themes of growth, companionship, and moral conviction while staying within a budget of $50. It blends flavorful gameplay with narrative elements from the series.
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![[Theory Brew] Kalain’s Grudge: Rakdos Rats & Relics in the Windmill](https://themedh.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/20250502_163942.jpg?w=1200&h=900&crop=1)
[Theory Brew] Kalain’s Grudge: Rakdos Rats & Relics in the Windmill
The ThemEDH brewing lab explores a unique Rat Tribal deck themed around Kalain, Reclusive Painter, focusing on budget synergy under $50. The deck integrates her lore, mechanics, and Treasures to create a flavorful and strategic gameplay experience with rats as powerful allies.
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Alirios’s Reflective Obsession: A ~$50 Narcissus Deck That Really Stares Back
This ThemEDH “Theory Brew” explores a budget ($50) Commander deck focused on Alirios, Enraptured, influenced by Narcissus’ myth. The strategy includes generating and duplicating powerful Reflection tokens using flicker and clone mechanics, emphasizing Alirios’s self-obsession through themed cards. The deck is unique, flavorful, and aims for competitive play while narrating a compelling story.
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Theory Brew: Bess, Soul Nourisher EDH Deck Tech – $50 Banquet of Tokens
The article discusses creating a budget-friendly EDH deck using Bess, Soul Nourisher as the commander. The deck focuses on community nourishment, leveraging 1/1 creatures and token generation, while adhering to a strict $50 budget.
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Theory Brew: Building a Budget Jorn Snow Deck
ThemEDH introduces a new “Theory Brew” exploring a $50 budget deck focusing on Jorn, God of Winter. The deck emphasizes snow permanents, synergy, and thematic elements from Kaldheim, aiming for mana advantage and recursion, while inviting feedback from the community.
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