Commander Mondays: Rally the Allies in an Alley

Next to Slivers, Allies has got to be one of the most popular casual tribal decks, especially in Commander. The issue was, until the release of Oath of the Gatewatch there was no proper Ally commander, so many people just used Karona, False God. Now we have General Tazri and boy is she a load of fun. Tazri gave two highly wanted things in one: a legendary five-colour (technically) Ally and an Ally tutor.

Allies in EDH

Unlike Slivers, Allies doesn't lean towards being a deck where you just drop everything immediately and go auto-pilot. There tends to be a restriction to which ones you play when, and you need to be choosey with your tutor targets. Also, unlike Slivers, Allies don't provide themselves with every possible piece of utility on sticks, so a few more instants and sorceries are needed.

Typically, the first Ally you are going to tutor for off Tazri's ability is Sea Gate Loremaster, because who doesn't want to draw eight billion cards per turn? Allies do have a tendency to fizzle out easier than Slivers or other tribes, so it's not wise to just assemble a large board and alpha strike one player in a multiplayer game. Because odds are you're not going to easily recover from a Wrath of God. Although the deck lacks a reliable way to acquire it, Deadeye Navigator is your best friend. Using this wonderfully broken spirit, you can trigger Rally effects pretty much any time you need to. Most notably, abusing Hero of Goma Fada to keep your creatures indefinitely indestructible, or using Bala Ged Thief to erase your opponents' hands.

In a one-on-one environment, feel completely free to just smash your opponent's face in, because if you can swarm the battlefield with our five-colour friends, you can end the game quite effectively and quickly.

Anyway, without further ado, here is the Ally Commander deck list that I may end up slinging in the future.

The List

Rally the Allies in an Alley

()

Commander (1)

1 General Tazri

Creatures (33)

1 Akoum Battlesinger

1 Angel of Renewal

1 Bala Ged Thief

1 Beastcaller Savant

1 Chasm Guide

1 Deadeye Navigator

1 Drana, Liberator of Malakir

1 Firemantle Mage

1 Grave Sifter

1 Hagra Diabolist

1 Halimar Excavator

1 Harabaz Druid

1 Hero of Goma Fada

1 Jwari Shapeshifter

1 Kabira Evangel

1 Kalastria Healer

1 Kazuul Warlord

1 Lantern Scout

1 Mina and Denn, Wildborn

1 Mirror Entity

1 Munda, Ambush Leader

1 Munda's Vanguard

1 Murasa Pyromancer

1 Ondu Champion

1 Ondu Cleric

1 Resolute Blademaster

1 Sea Gate Loremaster

1 Seascape Aerialist

1 Tajuru Warcaller

1 Tuktuk Scrapper

1 Turntimber Ranger

1 Veteran Warleader

1 Zulaport Cutthroat

Spells (10)

1 Hero's Downfall

1 Join the Ranks

1 Krosan Grip

1 Path to Exile

1 Return to Dust

1 Utter End

1 Distant Melody

1 March from the Tomb

1 Patriarch's Bidding

1 Vindicate

Artifacts (10)

1 Akroma's Memorial

1 Belbe's Portal

1 Captain's Claws

1 Chromatic Lantern

1 Coat of Arms

1 Conjurer's Closet

1 Cryptic Gateway

1 Legacy Weapon

1 Oblivion Stone

1 Sol Ring

Enchantments (4)

1 Call to the Kindred

1 Descendants' Path

1 Maelstrom Nexus

1 Retreat to Emeria

Planeswalkers (4)

1 Domri Rade

1 Garruk, Caller of Beasts

1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

1 Venser, the Sojourner

Lands (38)

1 Ally Encampment

1 Blood Crypt

1 Bloodstained Mire

1 Breeding Pool

1 Canopy Vista

1 Cavern of Souls

1 Cinder Glade

1 City of Brass

1 Command Tower

1 Flooded Strand

2 Forest

1 Godless Shrine

1 Hallowed Fountain

2 Island

1 Mana Confluence

2 Mountain

1 Overgrown Tomb

2 Plains

1 Polluted Delta

1 Prairie Stream

1 Reflecting Pool

1 Sacred Foundry

1 Smoldering Marsh

1 Steam Vents

1 Stomping Ground

1 Sunken Hollow

2 Swamp

1 Tarnished Citadel

1 Temple Garden

1 Thran Quarry

1 Watery Grave

1 Windswept Heath

1 Wooded Foothills

And now you've got both of your five-colour tribal deck lists. For my last article in the five-colour series, fellow contributor Pierre Dupont has requested that I do a "building on a budget" segment, and make a budget friendly five-colour good stuff deck. I hope all of you enjoy what I have in store.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!