EDH Optimizer
Elder Arthur Maxson
Legendary Creature — Human Knight · 1WB
Color identity: Black · White · Orzhov
Elder Arthur Maxson is Orzhov (black and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Creature tokens you control have training. (Whenever a creature token you control attacks with another creature with greater power, put a +1/+1 counter on that token.)
Blind Betrayal — Sacrifice another creature: Elder Arthur Maxson gains indestructible until end of turn.
Reference price of the card: €0.24
Comes in the precon Hail, Caesar
Average lands in decks for Elder Arthur Maxson: 34
TokensAristocrats+1/+1 CountersHumansSacrificeAggroLifegainPopulate
Build your Elder Arthur Maxson deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Elder Arthur Maxson 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Elder Arthur Maxson 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: C+ (64/100)
- Consistency37
- Speed65
- Interaction37
- Resilience67
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 34 lands (23 nonbasic, 7 Plains, 4 Swamp)
Arcane Signet · Sol Ring · Bastion of Remembrance · Morbid Opportunist · Martial Coup · Skullclamp · Secure the Wastes · Intangible Virtue · Swords to Plowshares · Path to Exile · Pitiless Plunderer · Talisman of Hierarchy · Hour of Reckoning · Teysa Karlov · Anguished Unmaking · Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim · Zulaport Cutthroat · Mirkwood Bats · Adeline, Resplendent Cathar · Entrapment Maneuver · Call the Coppercoats · Orzhov Signet · Company Commander · Elenda, the Dusk Rose · Deadly Dispute · Keeper of the Accord · Securitron Squadron · Kambal, Profiteering Mayor · Inkshield · Cruel Celebrant · Thalisse, Reverent Medium · Basri's Lieutenant · Afterlife Insurance · Colonel Autumn · General's Enforcer · Idol of Oblivion · Rabble Rousing · Blood Artist · Denethor, Ruling Steward · Battle of Hoover Dam · Horn of Gondor · Despark · Elspeth, Sun's Champion · Grand Crescendo · Village Rites · Black Market · MacCready, Lamplight Mayor · Overseer of Vault 76 · Commissar Severina Raine · Increasing Devotion · Welcoming Vampire · Austere Command · Mondrak, Glory Dominus · Captain of the Watch · Ophiomancer · V.A.T.S. · Lethal Scheme · Mind Stone · Teysa, Orzhov Scion · Anointed Procession · Corpse Knight · Mentor of the Meek · Bitterblossom · Hero of Bladehold · Oketra's Monument · Command Tower · Isolated Chapel · Tainted Field · Caves of Koilos · Temple of Silence · Desolate Mire · Fetid Heath · Orzhov Basilica · Godless Shrine · Bojuka Bog · Shineshadow Snarl · Vault of the Archangel · Exotic Orchard · Path of Ancestry · Windbrisk Heights · Shattered Sanctum · Vault of Champions · Castle Ardenvale · Myriad Landscape · Brightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway · Evolving Wilds · Rogue's Passage · Shadowy Backstreet
🃏 Recommended cards for Elder Arthur Maxson
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Elder Arthur Maxson, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Martial Coup | 64% | +61% |
| Secure the Wastes | 61% | +57% |
| Intangible Virtue | 59% | +54% |
| Morbid Opportunist | 66% | +54% |
| Bastion of Remembrance | 69% | +51% |
| Hour of Reckoning | 54% | +51% |
| Entrapment Maneuver | 48% | +47% |
| Company Commander | 46% | +44% |
| Call the Coppercoats | 47% | +44% |
| Adeline, Resplendent Cathar | 48% | +42% |
| Keeper of the Accord | 45% | +42% |
| Securitron Squadron | 42% | +41% |
| Pitiless Plunderer | 56% | +40% |
| Teysa Karlov | 54% | +39% |
| Skullclamp | 62% | +35% |
| Basri's Lieutenant | 36% | +35% |
| Mirkwood Bats | 49% | +35% |
| Colonel Autumn | 35% | +34% |
| General's Enforcer | 35% | +33% |
| Rabble Rousing | 34% | +33% |
| Horn of Gondor | 32% | +31% |
| Battle of Hoover Dam | 32% | +31% |
| Afterlife Insurance | 35% | +31% |
| Thalisse, Reverent Medium | 37% | +30% |
💰 The best cards for your Elder Arthur Maxson 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.
- Martial Coup
- Secure the Wastes
- Intangible Virtue
- Morbid Opportunist
- Bastion of Remembrance
- Hour of Reckoning
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Company Commander
- Call the Coppercoats
- Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
- Pitiless Plunderer
- Skullclamp
- Afterlife Insurance
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Commissar Severina Raine
- Mondrak, Glory Dominus
- Anointed Procession
- Bitterblossom
- Elspeth, Storm Slayer
- Myrel, Shield of Argive
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Elder Arthur Maxson
- Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Gravecrawler + Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Luminous Broodmoth + Ashnod's Altar → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite colorless mana
- Nim Deathmantle + Ashnod's Altar → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers
- Ashnod's Altar + Cathars' Crusade → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite +1/+1 counters on most creatures you control, Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Elder Arthur Maxson's color identity?
Elder Arthur Maxson is Orzhov (black 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 Elder Arthur Maxson come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Elder Arthur Maxson deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 34 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.2 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 100 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 38 % of the time and floods 15 %. Deck health: C+ (64/100).
How many lands should a Elder Arthur Maxson deck run?
Real Elder Arthur Maxson decks run 34 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 Elder Arthur Maxson?
The three highest-synergy cards are Martial Coup, Secure the Wastes, Intangible Virtue. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Elder Arthur Maxson decks.
What combos does Elder Arthur Maxson have?
Elder Arthur Maxson has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar. 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 Elder Arthur Maxson deck cost?
You can start cheap: Martial Coup, Secure the Wastes, Intangible Virtue 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.