EDH Optimizer
The Council of Four
Legendary Creature — Human Noble · 3WU
Color identity: Blue · White · Azorius
The Council of Four is Azorius (blue and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Whenever a player draws their second card during their turn, you draw a card.
Whenever a player casts their second spell during their turn, you create a 2/2 white Knight creature token.
Reference price of the card: €1.29
Average lands in decks for The Council of Four: 35
WheelsTokensGroup HugControlCard DrawKnightsPillow FortCantrips
Build your The Council of Four deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for The Council of Four 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average The Council of Four 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 (70/100)
- Consistency79
- Speed59
- Interaction100
- Resilience73
- Closing50
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (24 nonbasic, 5 Plains, 6 Island)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Thought Vessel · Swords to Plowshares · Howling Mine · Path to Exile · Azorius Signet · Counterspell · Dictate of Kruphix · Talisman of Progress · Arcane Denial · Kami of the Crescent Moon · Mangara, the Diplomat · Propaganda · Decanter of Endless Water · Loran of the Third Path · Vodalian Wave-Knight · Ghostly Prison · Wizard Class · Generous Gift · Prince Imrahil the Fair · Dovin's Veto · Kwain, Itinerant Meddler · Psychosis Crawler · Faerie Mastermind · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Herald of Hoofbeats · Homunculus Horde · Knight Exemplar · Mind Stone · Approach of the Second Sun · Chasm Skulker · Monologue Tax · Ominous Seas · Teferi's Ageless Insight · Smothering Tithe · Intangible Virtue · Negate · Welcoming Vampire · Knight of the White Orchid · Fellwar Stone · Alandra, Sky Dreamer · Emrakul's Messenger · Mischievous Mystic · Dream Fracture · Cut a Deal · Haytham Kenway · Supreme Verdict · Your Temple Is Under Attack · Brainstorm · Marshal of Zhalfir · Scrawling Crawler · Triskaidekaphile · Aetherize · Smuggler's Share · Moonshaker Cavalry · Trouble in Pairs · Ephara, God of the Polis · Fell the Mighty · Minn, Wily Illusionist · Stroke of Midnight · The Unagi of Kyoshi Island · Esper Sentinel · Gleaming Splendor · Command Tower · Reliquary Tower · Prairie Stream · Glacial Fortress · Port Town · Hallowed Fountain · Deserted Beach · Adarkar Wastes · Azorius Chancery · Sea of Clouds · Temple of Enlightenment · Skycloud Expanse · Irrigated Farmland · Exotic Orchard · Flooded Strand · Mikokoro, Center of the Sea · Geier Reach Sanitarium · Floodfarm Verge · Mystic Gate · Nimbus Maze · Mystic Sanctuary · Myriad Landscape · Hengegate Pathway // Mistgate Pathway · Meticulous Archive
🃏 Recommended cards for The Council of Four
The highest-synergy cards in decks for The Council of Four, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Howling Mine | 64% | +58% |
| Dictate of Kruphix | 57% | +53% |
| Kami of the Crescent Moon | 53% | +48% |
| Vodalian Wave-Knight | 49% | +48% |
| Mangara, the Diplomat | 53% | +47% |
| Prince Imrahil the Fair | 46% | +42% |
| Herald of Hoofbeats | 41% | +40% |
| Wizard Class | 47% | +40% |
| Kwain, Itinerant Meddler | 45% | +39% |
| Knight Exemplar | 40% | +39% |
| Psychosis Crawler | 45% | +39% |
| Decanter of Endless Water | 49% | +39% |
| Homunculus Horde | 41% | +37% |
| Loran of the Third Path | 49% | +36% |
| Faerie Mastermind | 44% | +35% |
| Monologue Tax | 37% | +33% |
| Ominous Seas | 37% | +33% |
| Chasm Skulker | 37% | +32% |
| Thought Vessel | 74% | +32% |
| Welcoming Vampire | 35% | +32% |
| Arcane Denial | 56% | +30% |
| Teferi's Ageless Insight | 37% | +30% |
| Intangible Virtue | 35% | +29% |
| Mischievous Mystic | 31% | +29% |
💰 The best cards for your The Council of Four 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.
- Howling Mine
- Dictate of Kruphix
- Mangara, the Diplomat
- Prince Imrahil the Fair
- Wizard Class
- Kwain, Itinerant Meddler
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Kami of the Crescent Moon
- Vodalian Wave-Knight
- Herald of Hoofbeats
- Knight Exemplar
- Decanter of Endless Water
- Loran of the Third Path
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Faerie Mastermind
- Minn, Wily Illusionist
- Trouble in Pairs
- Gleaming Splendor
- Delney, Streetwise Lookout
- Smothering Tithe
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with The Council of Four
- 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
- Hullbreaker Horror + Mana Vault → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Walking Ballista → Infinite damage, Infinite lifegain, Infinite lifegain triggers
- Teferi, Time Raveler + Displacer Kitten + Sol Ring → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite colorless mana, Near-infinite storm count
- Narset's Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite turns, Lock
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is The Council of Four's color identity?
The Council of Four is Azorius (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 The Council of Four come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average The Council of Four deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.7 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 98 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 18 % of the time and floods 2 %. Deck health: B (70/100).
How many lands should a The Council of Four deck run?
Real The Council of Four 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 The Council of Four?
The three highest-synergy cards are Howling Mine, Dictate of Kruphix, Kami of the Crescent Moon. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in The Council of Four decks.
What combos does The Council of Four have?
The Council of Four 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 The Council of Four deck cost?
You can start cheap: Howling Mine, Dictate of Kruphix, Mangara, the Diplomat 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.