EDH Optimizer
Ensign Pavel Chekov
Legendary Creature — Human Pilot · 3U
Color identity: Blue
Ensign Pavel Chekov is blue: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Strange new worlds — When Ensign Chekov enters, each opponent exiles the top X cards of their library, where X is the number of differently named lands you control. For each opponent, choose a land card that player owns exiled this way. You may play the chosen cards for as long as they remain exiled.
Average lands in decks for Ensign Pavel Chekov: 38
Build your Ensign Pavel Chekov deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Ensign Pavel Chekov 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Ensign Pavel Chekov deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play (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: D (45/100)
- Consistency65
- Speed39
- Interaction72
- Resilience77
- Closing15
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 38 lands (28 nonbasic, 10 Island)
Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs · Essence Flux · Starfield Vocalist · Conjurer's Closet · Ghostly Flicker · Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory · Planar Incision · Y'shtola Rhul · Arcane Signet · Deadeye Navigator · Glasspool Mimic // Glasspool Shore · Hide on the Ceiling · Panharmonicon · PuPu UFO · Rapid Hybridization · Spaceshift · Thassa, Deep-Dwelling · Walking Atlas · Oblivion Sower · Pongify · Sapphire Medallion · Sea Gate Restoration // Sea Gate, Reborn · Arcane Denial · Dour Port-Mage · Gogo, Master of Mimicry · Jwari Disruption // Jwari Ruins · Patron of the Moon · Propaganda · Relm's Sketching · Rite of Replication · Silundi Vision // Silundi Isle · Splash Portal · Tasha's Hideous Laughter · Teferi's Time Twist · The Regalia · Virtue of Knowledge // Vantress Visions · Aether Channeler · Agent of Treachery · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Anticausal Vestige · Copy Land · Displacer Kitten · Flesh Duplicate · H.E.R.B.I.E. Scout Unit · Irenicus's Vile Duplication · Meneldor, Swift Savior · Mirror Room // Fractured Realm · Phantasmal Image · Princess Yue · Roll-Roll-Roll-Roll · Season of Weaving · Seven of Nine, Unassimilated · Sol Ring · Starfleet Communicator · Swan Song · Wiccan, Rising Magician · Aetherize · Barrin, Tolarian Archmage · Blur · Candlekeep Sage · Clever Impersonator · Seat of the Synod · Command Tower · Agna Qel'a · Castle Vantress · Desert of the Mindful · Hall of Storm Giants · Jidoor, Aristocratic Capital // Overture · Rivendell · Theorist's Sanctum · War Room · Ipnu Rivulet · Lonely Sandbar · Remote Isle · Trenzalore Clocktower · Cephalid Coliseum · Exotic Orchard · Halimar Depths · Temple of the False God · Tolaria West · Field of the Dead · Horizon of Progress · Minamo, School at Water's Edge · Oboro, Palace in the Clouds · Otawara, Soaring City · Plaza of Heroes · Reliquary Tower · Cavern of Souls · Mystic Sanctuary
🃏 Recommended cards for Ensign Pavel Chekov
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Ensign Pavel Chekov, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Command Tower | 91% | +87% |
| Seat of the Synod | 100% | +81% |
| Starfield Vocalist | 82% | +79% |
| Essence Flux | 82% | +73% |
| Hall of Storm Giants | 73% | +71% |
| Y'shtola Rhul | 73% | +71% |
| Theorist's Sanctum | 73% | +70% |
| Desert of the Mindful | 73% | +70% |
| Jidoor, Aristocratic Capital | 73% | +68% |
| Conjurer's Closet | 73% | +68% |
| Planar Incision | 73% | +68% |
| Sink into Stupor | 91% | +68% |
| Agna Qel'a | 73% | +65% |
| Trenzalore Clocktower | 64% | +63% |
| Spaceshift | 64% | +63% |
| Rivendell | 73% | +63% |
| Ipnu Rivulet | 64% | +62% |
| Ghostly Flicker | 73% | +61% |
| Hide on the Ceiling | 64% | +61% |
| PuPu UFO | 64% | +60% |
| Walking Atlas | 64% | +60% |
| Panharmonicon | 64% | +60% |
| Deadeye Navigator | 64% | +59% |
| Thassa, Deep-Dwelling | 64% | +59% |
💰 The best cards for your Ensign Pavel Chekov 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.
- Command Tower
- Seat of the Synod
- Starfield Vocalist
- Essence Flux
- Hall of Storm Giants
- Theorist's Sanctum
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Y'shtola Rhul
- Conjurer's Closet
- Panharmonicon
- Plaza of Heroes
- Horizon of Progress
- Gogo, Master of Mimicry
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
- Field of the Dead
- Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
- Seven of Nine, Unassimilated
- Minamo, School at Water's Edge
- Cavern of Souls
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Ensign Pavel Chekov
- Palinchron + Deadeye Navigator → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite mana lands you control can produce, Infinite blinking, Infinite untap of lands you control
- Palinchron + Phantasmal Image → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite mana lands you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of lands you control
- Palinchron + Panharmonicon → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite mana lands you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of lands you control
- Urza, Lord High Artificer + Deadeye Navigator + Panharmonicon → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite tapped creature tokens
- Urza, Lord High Artificer + Deadeye Navigator + Starfield Vocalist → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite tapped creature tokens
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Ensign Pavel Chekov's color identity?
Ensign Pavel Chekov is blue: its deck can only run cards of that color 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 Ensign Pavel Chekov come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Ensign Pavel Chekov deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 38 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.8 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 21 % of the time and floods 28 %. Deck health: D (45/100).
How many lands should a Ensign Pavel Chekov deck run?
Real Ensign Pavel Chekov decks run 38 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 Ensign Pavel Chekov?
The three highest-synergy cards are Command Tower, Seat of the Synod, Starfield Vocalist. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Ensign Pavel Chekov decks.
What combos does Ensign Pavel Chekov have?
Ensign Pavel Chekov has 5 known combos. The most popular one is Palinchron + Deadeye Navigator. 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 Ensign Pavel Chekov deck cost?
You can start cheap: Command Tower, Seat of the Synod, Starfield Vocalist 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.