Table of Contents
All Power to the People! We are back for the Wakanda Forever Commander deck. This is a Selesnya {W}{G}, or White and Green, Commander deck focused around Artifacts.
While the box does mention the Monarch, I will talk more about that at the end. The current deck construction is very much Artifact-focused. It also has a +1/+1 counter sub-theme, which is a classic Selesnya direction.
These guides are all about getting the most out of upgrades for the least amount of money. So, I have a budget of £10 to get 10 upgrades. You do need to move fast though, as these prices are only good at the time of writing.
I have seen some rapid spikes in the prices of these cards in the past. This tends to be more of an issue in the American market, but it does and can still affect the rest of the world. If a card does spike, I would suggest waiting, as prices usually settle back down. They just may not return to pre-spike prices.
Anyway, let’s get back to talking about the deck.
The Commanders
Obviously, the Commanders for this deck are the Black Panthers. But there have been many Black Panthers in the comics and the lore of Marvel.
We will be talking about the two in the deck, the first being [[T'Challa, the Black Panther]].
https://scryfall.com/card/msc/7/tchalla-the-black-panther
The Face Commander
[[T'Challa, the Black Panther]] is the face commander for the deck and the one I will be focusing the upgrades around.
He creates Vibranium tokens when he enters or attacks. These are Artifacts that can be tapped to pay for Artifact cards, making them the token version of a [[Powerstone]].
He also gets bigger whenever you cast an Artifact with mana value 4 or greater. So, you can soon have a large, angry Black Panther swinging in and taking out your opponents.
The Alt Commander
The alternative commander is [[Shuri, the Black Panther]].
https://scryfall.com/card/msc/95/shuri-the-black-panther
Shuri is T'Challa’s sister and is trained to be the next Black Panther after T'Challa is injured fighting [[Doctor Doom]] and Namor. So, this is why we see two Black Panther cards.
[[Shuri, the Black Panther]] does care about Artifacts, drawing cards if you control three or more. However, I think you really want her as a different deck, probably leaning more into tokens, especially Artifact tokens.
If you control six or more Artifacts when Shuri attacks, creatures you control get +2/+2. That is a decent buff if you have an army of creatures. This isn’t how the deck is built though, so it would need a lot more changes.
So, let’s get into the upgrades I have picked out for [[T'Challa, the Black Panther]] as the Commander.
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Budget Upgrades
Upgrade 1
IN: Steel Seraph
https://scryfall.com/card/bro/38/steel-seraph
My first upgrade is [[Steel Seraph]]. I was mostly looking for good cards that cheat the ability of [[T'Challa, the Black Panther]].
T’Challa doesn’t care about how much you pay, just that the card has a mana value of 4 or greater. [[Steel Seraph]] does this, as you only pay three for the Prototype side, but it still has a mana value of six. So, you will get the counters.
I went with [[Steel Seraph]] because it has actual text. There are other cards with Affinity for Artifacts, which can make a free creature, but the majority of them are just bodies.
One of the better ones is [[Sojourner's Companion]], as it has Artifact Landcycling. But it requires some more changes to work, as there currently aren’t any Artifact Lands in the deck.
[[Steel Seraph]] can give Flying, Vigilance or Lifelink to a creature. You are likely to target T’Challa, so Flying or Lifelink is probably going to be the choice. But having that flexibility is still good.
OUT: Fleecemane Lion
https://scryfall.com/card/msc/282/fleecemane-lion
I am taking out [[Fleecemane Lion]]. It does have a nice reskin as Wakandan War Panther, but outside of that, it doesn’t fit the theme of the deck.
It can become a 4/4 hexproof, indestructible creature, but that is a blocker at best. It can’t keep getting powered up by reactivating Monstrosity, so swapping it for [[Steel Seraph]] feels right.
Upgrade 2/3
IN: Jhoira's Familiar + Foundry Inspector
https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/265/jhoiras-familiar
https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/385/foundry-inspector
My next two are [[Jhoira's Familiar]] and [[Foundry Inspector]]. I have paired them together as they both give discounts to your spells.
As I said with [[Steel Seraph]], [[T'Challa, the Black Panther]] doesn’t care how much you pay for your spells. So having all your Artifacts cost less is better.
[[Foundry Inspector]] is the simpler of the two, giving a {1} discount to any Artifacts. [[Jhoira's Familiar]] is the better of the two. Firstly, it costs {4}. Normally, costing more is worse, but {4} is the magic number for T’Challa, so you get the trigger to add the counters.
The other part is that [[Jhoira's Familiar]] discounts Historic cards. A card is Historic if it is one of the following: an Artifact, Legendary or Saga.
While Wakanda Forever isn’t as full of Legendaries compared to Doom Prevails or Avengers Assemble, it still has enough, with [[Jhoira's Familiar]] discounting a total of 41 cards in the current build.
OUT: Forest + Plains
https://scryfall.com/card/msh/296/forest
https://scryfall.com/card/msc/868/plains
If you have read any of my other blogs, you might have thought I missed cutting a land. But I have saved them for now.
I’m dropping both a [[Forest]] and a [[Plains]], taking the deck down to 36 lands. This feels reasonable, especially as [[T'Challa, the Black Panther]] makes mana rocks.
While you can only cast Artifact spells with this mana, you can also use it for other purposes, like activating abilities. But I’m getting off topic.
These Vibranium tokens are upgraded [[Powerstone]]s, gaining indestructible, which fits lore-wise. As the deck is one-third Artifacts, they will help cast half of the non-land cards. On top of that, all of the high-cost cards are Artifacts, so these tokens will help cast them too.
Cutting two lands is reasonable, as we have other sources to supplement the reduced land count.
Upgrade 4
IN: Hedron Archive
https://scryfall.com/card/fdn/726/hedron-archive
Something else to help with being on a lower land count is [[Hedron Archive]]. There have been so many mana rocks printed over recent years, but I have chosen [[Hedron Archive]] as it hits the 4 mana requirement for [[T'Challa, the Black Panther]].
It also has a secondary ability. When you have enough other mana sources, you can sacrifice it to draw some cards.
I did consider its older and bigger brother, [[Dreamstone Hedron]], but thought having the cheaper mana cost was better.
One other card I considered for this spot was [[White Auracite]], as the removal part was great. However, it doesn’t accelerate as hard, only making one mana, and has double white in the casting cost, making it harder to cast. Although this isn’t as much of a problem in a two-colour deck.
OUT: Trading Post
https://scryfall.com/card/msc/224/trading-post
[[Trading Post]] was a harder cut for me. Normally, this is an easy cut as it sucks in most decks. Four mana, then tap to do something, is a lot.
Usually, it’s paying one life and making a token for a sacrifice deck. Although, with [[T'Challa, the Black Panther]] making Vibranium tokens, these can be turned into card draw for one mana.
If you want this effect, you can just play [[Idol of Oblivion]]. It is cheaper and doesn’t need you to pay into it to get the draw. While it won’t trigger T’Challa unlike [[Trading Post]], it has far less cost and can work with some of the other token generation.
[[Idol of Oblivion]] also doesn’t cost you resources, as you aren’t sacrificing Artifacts for the draw.
Upgrade 5
IN: Thousand Moons Smithy
https://scryfall.com/card/lci/39/thousand-moons-smithy-barracks-of-the-thousand
Speaking of token generation, my next upgrade is [[Thousand Moons Smithy]]. This creates a token with power and toughness equal to the number of Artifacts and creatures you control.
With [[T'Challa, the Black Panther]] making Vibranium tokens, this creature can get huge.
Even better, you can transform [[Thousand Moons Smithy]] into [[Barracks of the Thousand]]. You only need to tap five untapped creatures or Artifacts at the beginning of your first main phase.
Realistically, you only need four others, as you can tap [[Thousand Moons Smithy]] itself. But if you have five others, it’s better, as it will stay tapped otherwise when you transform.
The main reason to have it untapped is that [[Barracks of the Thousand]] produces mana. Importantly, when this mana is used to cast a creature or Artifact, it makes another Gnome Soldier. This is the same one it makes when it enters, so you can build an army of massive creatures.
OUT: Coveted Jewel
https://scryfall.com/card/msc/196/coveted-jewel
[[Coveted Jewel]] is my cut for this. I really want Wizards to stop adding this to decks. It is such a risk.
Sure, the upside is great. The six mana isn’t that hard to get in Wakanda Forever due to the Vibranium tokens, and drawing three cards is perfect. It also acts as a [[Gilded Lotus]], tapping for three mana of any colour.
The downside is what happens when you get attacked. If any creature isn’t blocked, the attacker gets [[Coveted Jewel]], untaps it, and draws three cards. So they get all the benefits and none of the cost to cast it.
If Wakanda Forever was a token deck, then sure, it could be better, as you would have a way to protect it. But even then, you are likely sacrificing tokens just to deny your opponents.
It is better to just not have [[Coveted Jewel]] in the deck.
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Upgrade 6
IN: Surge Conductor
https://scryfall.com/card/eoc/19/surge-conductor
[[Surge Conductor]] is my next upgrade. I did look at some other cards for this slot, namely [[Yotian Dissident]], [[Contagion Clasp]] and [[Contagion Engine]].
[[Contagion Engine]] was the first one out due to being way over budget. [[Contagion Clasp]] is the smaller version and is in budget. I only didn’t add it due to the activation cost, but that isn’t too hard to pay, so it can easily fit into the deck if you want to make another cut.
[[Yotian Dissident]] was really close as well, as it does something similar.
For me, it was the toss-up between working with the Vibranium tokens, using [[Yotian Dissident]], or working with the +1/+1 counters sub-theme. That is why I went with [[Surge Conductor]].
While it only works with non-token Artifacts, so it won’t trigger off the Vibranium tokens, it does Proliferate instead. This means you can add counters to any number of permanents or players that already have them.
With cards like [[Loyal Guardian]] adding counters to your team, I thought [[Surge Conductor]] was the better choice.
OUT: T'Chaka, Venerable King
https://scryfall.com/card/msc/98/tchaka-venerable-king
[[T'Chaka, Venerable King]] is the cut. This one feels a little weird.
He has pseudo card draw by milling and returning a card, but he only brings back Artifacts or lands. So, if you miss, then it’s not card draw. That by itself wouldn’t be bad, but it is just not worth the slot.
The activated ability doesn’t make me want to keep it either. You can exile [[T'Chaka, Venerable King]] from your graveyard and become the Monarch, but only if you control your commander.
Flavour-wise, this is excellent. It represents passing down the crown to the next ruler of Wakanda. Mechanically, I don’t want the Monarch.
Again, if Wakanda Forever was a token deck, then maybe. Or if [[T'Challa, the Black Panther]] had built-in evasion, then defending or taking back the Monarch would be easier. But it has neither.
I can see situations where someone manages to take the Monarch and then defends it for the rest of the game, just getting all the card advantage from it.
Personally, I always think the Monarch and Initiative are a trap in multiplayer. They are too easy to lose and never gain back.
Upgrade 7
IN: Ironsoul Enforcer
https://scryfall.com/card/nec/7/ironsoul-enforcer
[[Ironsoul Enforcer]] is my next upgrade. This is super recursion, allowing you to return a key Artifact back.
It could be used to loop cards like [[Meteor Golem]], if you have a way to sacrifice it.
The cost is only attacking with [[Ironsoul Enforcer]] or your commander alone. But it isn’t a forced cost. So, if you don’t want to bring anything back, you don’t have to do a solo attack.
OUT: Shuri's Fabricator
https://scryfall.com/card/msc/114/shuris-fabricator
My cut is [[Shuri's Fabricator]]. Initially, I did read this wrong. I thought the final ability was to return itself, which would be very poor, as this only makes Vibranium tokens when it enters.
It is better than that, as it can return any Artifact, but it puts a Finality counter on it. So, if it goes back to the graveyard, it is exiled instead.
I much prefer [[Ironsoul Enforcer]]. You only have to pay the initial cost once, and you can keep recurring for free. It also doesn’t put a Finality counter on the Artifact, so if it gets destroyed again, you can just bring it back.
Upgrade 8
IN: Clock of Omens
https://scryfall.com/card/m13/202/clock-of-omens
Something better for the deck is [[Clock of Omens]]. While it isn’t as broken here as it can be with more upgrades, I think there is still enough for [[Clock of Omens]] to warrant a place.
It looks pretty simple on the surface. Tap two Artifacts to untap one Artifact.
The floor is tapping two Vibranium tokens to untap a [[Sol Ring]]. This allows the {2} to be used on any spell instead of being limited to Artifacts.
If you untap [[Thran Dynamo]], then you are generating mana. This starts to get nuts when you untap cards like [[Barracks of the Thousand]].
It doesn’t just have to be the Vibranium tokens either. There are plenty of Artifacts that don’t have their own tap ability that can be used. [[Clock of Omens]] itself can be tapped and still work.
Equipment is another great example. Equipment doesn’t stop working just because it is tapped. You can still equip it fine, or it can stay attached if it is already equipped.
One other mistake I see from players is that they will sometimes tap Equipment and/or Auras that are attached to a creature when it attacks. This is wrong. Only the creature gets tapped.
While this doesn’t make a difference normally, it does matter if you have [[Clock of Omens]]. You can attack with the creature and still tap the Equipment later with [[Clock of Omens]].
OUT: Gilded Lotus
https://scryfall.com/card/msc/199/gilded-lotus
I am cutting [[Gilded Lotus]]. As I said when cutting the lands, this deck doesn’t have the highest curve. So, when we get to five mana, we are pretty set.
While this can be artificially accelerated with the Vibranium tokens, most of the top end is still Artifacts anyway.
Wakanda Forever is also a two-colour deck, so the additional coloured mana is less relevant. I would rather have another [[Thran Dynamo]] clone, as it still triggers [[T'Challa, the Black Panther]] but costs less mana.
The deck is pretty evenly split between White, Green and Colourless.
Upgrade 9
IN: Sarinth Steelseeker
https://scryfall.com/card/bro/189/sarinth-steelseeker
[[Sarinth Steelseeker]] was a draft all-star for me in The Brothers’ War, and I think it has a home in this deck too.
It triggers off any Artifact, token or otherwise, so you get to filter the top card of your library. You can remove lands from the top by drawing them, although they only go into your hand.
It would be a bit busted if they went to the battlefield, especially on a two-mana card.
If it’s a non-land, you get to choose whether to leave it on top or move it to the graveyard. This is why I said it is card selection. If the card on top is good, you can leave it. If it isn’t the right time for it, you can put it into the graveyard and draw a fresh card.
[[Sarinth Steelseeker]] also fits nicely on curve. Being two mana, you play this before [[T'Challa, the Black Panther]], then get the trigger when T’Challa enters, as he makes a Vibranium token.
OUT: M'Baku, Jabari Chieftain
https://scryfall.com/card/msc/67/mbaku-jabari-chieftain
[[M'Baku, Jabari Chieftain]] is being cut. This is for similar reasons to [[T'Chaka, Venerable King]]. I don’t want to introduce the Monarch to the game.
This is even worse though, as you have to give the Monarch to someone else first. It also only triggers at your end step, so you don’t get combat to try and take it for yourself.
Again, flavour-wise, this is on point. But mechanically, this sucks.
Everyone else gets a shot to take the Monarch first and get the benefits. [[M'Baku, Jabari Chieftain]] does help you take the Monarch, but it also works for your opponents taking it from each other too, giving +1/+1 and Trample.
While this can help you, I also see it where everyone else becomes the Monarch for their turn, then you try to get it back. So, it gets passed around group hug-style, but you’re the one left holding the bill, as you had to play [[M'Baku, Jabari Chieftain]] first.
Upgrade 10
IN: Inspiring Statuary
https://scryfall.com/card/mkc/230/inspiring-statuary
My last addition is a big one: [[Inspiring Statuary]]. This feels like a cheat.
It gives all your non-Artifact cards Improvise, allowing you to tap any Artifact to pay for {1} of the casting cost.
So now all the Vibranium tokens can help pay for any spell. The downside to [[Inspiring Statuary]] is that it only works for non-Artifact cards. That sort of sucks, as you want it in an Artifact-central deck so you can use the Artifacts to tap.
But Vibranium tokens can already tap to pay for Artifact cards. So, you can tap the Vibranium tokens either way now. For Artifacts, you tap them regularly to make mana. For non-Artifact cards, you tap them through Improvise, still “making mana”.
OUT: Vibranium Mining Mech
https://scryfall.com/card/msc/117/vibranium-mining-mech
I am taking out [[Vibranium Mining Mech]]. It just feels mid.
It’s not a bad card, but when I’m looking at any card in the deck, I check if it is helping the game plan. If it isn’t, why is it in the deck? If it is, are there better cards? How much is the cost compared to the benefit I’m gaining?
While [[Vibranium Mining Mech]] does sort of fit the theme, as you gain the Vibranium tokens, I don’t think this is necessary. [[T'Challa, the Black Panther]] already does a good enough job of this, and we only need so many of them.
They are mostly there as additional mana to help cast the Artifacts. After that, it is just a force amplifier for a smaller creature, making a 2/2 into a 6/6 with Trample.
This is why I don’t think it’s a bad card. I just think we can do better.
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Non-budget Upgrades
For anyone wanting to take the deck further, these are some of the non-budget cards I looked at for Wakanda Forever:
https://scryfall.com/card/eoe/210/terrasymbiosis
https://scryfall.com/card/dft/191/brightglass-gearhulk
https://scryfall.com/card/kld/247/inventors-fair
https://scryfall.com/card/soc/281/ozolith-the-shattered-spire
https://scryfall.com/card/ecc/137/chimil-the-inner-sun
https://scryfall.com/card/fin/184/the-earth-crystal
https://scryfall.com/card/iko/237/the-ozolith
https://scryfall.com/card/mat/49/karn-legacy-reforged
https://scryfall.com/card/lci/258/roaming-throne
https://scryfall.com/card/who/13/banish-to-another-universe
Final Thoughts
I do like how this deck effectively has five commanders you can play with, as it is a two-colour deck. Although, it is clearly built with either Black Panther in mind, being very Artifact-focused.
[[Okoye, Mighty and Adored]] isn’t a bad choice if you want to lean into the Monarch gameplay. Although I feel like I have made my personal opinion about this clear.
But that is my opinion and how I like to play. It doesn’t make it right or correct. That’s one of the beauties of Magic, and especially Commander. You get to play it how you want to.
If you do go down this route, it’s going to take some serious changes to power it up, as there hasn’t been much support for this in the deck other than the creatures that introduce it into the game.
This is a shame, as it is meant to be one of the main mechanics of the deck. There have been enough cards with Monarch as a main mechanic, including a whole set in Conspiracy: Take the Crown, as well as it being used on other cards.
I think Wizards could have either made some new cards or reprinted some others to support this.
One final point: I did look at other cards like [[Divine Visitation]], as I love the idea of replacing the Vibranium tokens with creatures. Unfortunately, [[Divine Visitation]] is quite unique in that aspect.
We have plenty of token doublers, as well as cards that give you the token plus some other token. But there is nothing that will directly replace the initial ones, especially not with good creatures.
Thanks for staying with me until the end. Remember that you can support us by shopping booster boxes, commander decks and all things Magic: The Gathering right here at Gathering Games.
PS. All the card prices were under budget at the time of writing, but the dynamic price might have changed since.
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