EDH Optimizer
Arcades, the Strategist
Legendary Creature — Elder Dragon · 1GWU
Color identity: Green · Blue · White · Bant
Arcades, the Strategist is Bant (green, blue and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying, vigilance
Whenever a creature you control with defender enters, draw a card.
Each creature you control with defender assigns combat damage equal to its toughness rather than its power and can attack as though it didn't have defender.
Reference price of the card: €2.23
Average lands in decks for Arcades, the Strategist: 35
Toughness MattersDefendersAggroCard DrawPillow FortMidrangeControlBlink
Build your Arcades, the Strategist deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Arcades, the Strategist 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Arcades, the Strategist deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: B (68/100)
- Consistency81
- Speed39
- Interaction59
- Resilience71
- Closing93
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (25 nonbasic, 5 Plains, 2 Island, 3 Forest)
Overgrown Battlement · Wall of Denial · Axebane Guardian · Sol Ring · Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive · High Alert · Wall of Blossoms · Wall of Omens · Stalwart Shield-Bearers · Arcane Signet · The Pride of Hull Clade · Sunscape Familiar · Crashing Drawbridge · Assault Formation · Tower Defense · Slaughter the Strong · Wall of Frost · Crystal Barricade · Hover Barrier · Dusk // Dawn · Perimeter Captain · Sylvan Caryatid · Swords to Plowshares · The Walls of Ba Sing Se · Shield-Wall Sentinel · Jeskai Barricade · Vine Trellis · Wall of Junk · Weathered Sentinels · Brave the Sands · Fell the Mighty · Counterspell · Wall of Tanglecord · Tree of Redemption · Wall of Stolen Identity · Meekstone · Path to Exile · Wall of Runes · Cultivate · Farseek · Rammas Echor, Ancient Shield · Stoneskin · Wingmantle Chaplain · Walking Bulwark · Rampant Growth · Angelic Wall · Corrupted Shapeshifter · Shield Sphere · Wall of Glare · Carven Caryatid · Heroic Intervention · Lightning Greaves · Swiftfoot Boots · Wall of Roots · Beast Within · Flumph · Drift of Phantasms · Fortified Rampart · Towering Titan · Eerie Interlude · Expel the Interlopers · Fog Bank · Mnemonic Wall · Bar the Door · Command Tower · Seaside Citadel · Reliquary Tower · Glacial Fortress · Hinterland Harbor · Exotic Orchard · Prairie Stream · Sunpetal Grove · Canopy Vista · Hallowed Fountain · Temple Garden · Breeding Pool · Spara's Headquarters · Rejuvenating Springs · Access Tunnel · Bountiful Promenade · Sea of Clouds · Evolving Wilds · Overgrown Farmland · Dreamroot Cascade · Flooded Strand · Windswept Heath · Yavimaya Coast · Deserted Beach · Misty Rainforest
🃏 Recommended cards for Arcades, the Strategist
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Arcades, the Strategist, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Overgrown Battlement | 94% | +87% |
| Wall of Denial | 93% | +86% |
| Axebane Guardian | 91% | +84% |
| Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive | 83% | +77% |
| High Alert | 82% | +76% |
| Wall of Blossoms | 82% | +75% |
| Stalwart Shield-Bearers | 80% | +74% |
| Wall of Omens | 82% | +74% |
| The Pride of Hull Clade | 77% | +71% |
| Sunscape Familiar | 75% | +69% |
| Crashing Drawbridge | 74% | +68% |
| Tower Defense | 72% | +67% |
| Assault Formation | 72% | +67% |
| Wall of Frost | 71% | +66% |
| Slaughter the Strong | 71% | +65% |
| Hover Barrier | 67% | +62% |
| Crystal Barricade | 67% | +61% |
| Sylvan Caryatid | 65% | +60% |
| Perimeter Captain | 65% | +60% |
| Dusk // Dawn | 65% | +59% |
| The Walls of Ba Sing Se | 64% | +59% |
| Shield-Wall Sentinel | 62% | +57% |
| Jeskai Barricade | 60% | +55% |
| Vine Trellis | 60% | +55% |
💰 The best cards for your Arcades, the Strategist deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Overgrown Battlement
- Wall of Denial
- Axebane Guardian
- Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive
- High Alert
- Wall of Blossoms
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Stalwart Shield-Bearers
- Brave the Sands
- Wall of Stolen Identity
- Meekstone
- Rammas Echor, Ancient Shield
- Stoneskin
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- The Walls of Ba Sing Se
- Akroma's Will
- Last March of the Ents
- Aura Shards
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Arcades, the Strategist
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Walking Ballista → Infinite damage, Infinite lifegain, Infinite lifegain triggers
- Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy + Basalt Monolith → Infinite colorless mana
- Teferi, Time Raveler + Displacer Kitten + Sol Ring → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite colorless mana, Near-infinite storm count
- Approach of the Second Sun + Mystical Tutor → Win the game
👥 Community decks with Arcades, the Strategist
Full decklists published by players on EDH Optimizer, with their analysis, bracket and health. Clone them to your account and optimize them for free.
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Arcades, the Strategist's color identity?
Arcades, the Strategist is Bant (green, blue and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Arcades, the Strategist come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Arcades, the Strategist deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.2 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 94 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 26 % of the time and floods 3 %. Deck health: B (68/100).
How many lands should a Arcades, the Strategist deck run?
Real Arcades, the Strategist decks run 35 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Arcades, the Strategist?
The three highest-synergy cards are Overgrown Battlement, Wall of Denial, Axebane Guardian. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Arcades, the Strategist decks.
What combos does Arcades, the Strategist have?
Arcades, the Strategist has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Arcades, the Strategist deck cost?
You can start cheap: Overgrown Battlement, Wall of Denial, Axebane Guardian are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.