EDH Deckbuilding – Captain Rex Nebula

a space themed illustration

Hey Magical people! Somewhere in the flurry of recent products from Wizards/Hasbro was Unfinity, an ‘Acorn Set.’ Like all the Un-sets before it, it contains a number of cards that aren’t legal for any sanctioned play. Those kinds of cards used to be silver-bordered, but now they have a little acorn icon instead.

While there have been a few non-acorn or black-bordered cards in previous un-sets, mostly basic lands, that’s different in Unfinity. There are a lot of eternal-legal cards, and that means Commander! One of the Legendaries caught my eye, and while I was initially skeptical, I ultimately built the deck. It seems fun, and a little out there.

This is Captain Rex Nebula. He turns any old non-land permanent into a spaceship. Then there’s the possibility of a spectacular crash. Silly fun, especially because Cap’n Crunch can target himself, but can we actually make this a real deck? Here’s the list.

Captain Rex's Fleet Launcher

Commander (1)
Captain Rex Nebula

Crew (6)
Losheel, Clockwork Scholar
Verge Rangers
Captivating Crew
Emberwilde Captain
Treasonous Ogre
Zealous Conscripts

Main Ships (23)
Heliod, God of the Sun
Iroas, God of Victory
Oketra the True
Purphoros, God of the Forge
Selfless Squire
Tajic, Blade of the Legion
Brash Taunter
God-Eternal Oketra
Stuffy Doll
Coveted Jewel
Sunbird’s Invocation
True Conviction
Akroma’s Memorial
Emeria Shepherd
Kaldra Compleat
Konda, Lord of Eiganjo
Luminate Primordial
Necron Monolith
Sandstone Oracle
Tyrant’s Familiar
Avacyn’s Memorial
Parhelion II
Zetalpa, Primal Dawn

Captain’s Orders (8)
Rolling Earthquake
Generous Gift
Cleansing Nova
End Hostilities
Jabari’s Influence
Slash the Ranks
Star of Extinction
Blasphemous Act

The Other Stuff, which can also be Ships (24)
Sol Ring
Mind Stone
Righteous Aura
Strionic Resonator
Thought Vessel
Aura of Silence
Commander’s Sphere
Duelist’s Heritage
Furious Rise
General’s Regalia
Unstable Obelisk
Valakut Exploration
Blood Mist
Empowered Autogenerator
Hedron Archive
Outpost Siege
Power Matrix
Thran Dynamo
Thran Temporal Gateway
Assemble the Legion
Farsight Mask
Gilded Lotus
Mind’s Eye
Starfield of Nyx
Lands (37)
12 Plains
Mountain
Battlefield Forge
Cascading Cataracts
Castle Ardenvale
Castle Embereth
Clifftop Retreat
Command Tower
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Exotic Orchard
Idyllic Grange
Kjeldoran Outpost
Maze of Ith
Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
Mystifying Maze
Path of Ancestry
Rustvale Bridge
Scavenger Grounds
Sunbaked Canyon
Valakut Awakening

I could go into detail about the various sub-strategies in the deck, but honestly it should be fairly obvious, and if you’re anything like me, you want me to get to the breakdown of the ships. I’m such a sucker for sci-fi.

Ship it!

D-Tier Ships

C Tier Ships

B Tier Ships

  • Brash Taunter – 5/5 indestructible, reflects damage, can fight on demand
  • Selfless Squire – 4/4 + X/X in counters, possibly enormous, flash
  • Stuffy Doll – 5/5 indestructible, reflects damage, can hurt itself for value
  • True Conviction – 6/6 double strike and lifelink for the fleet

A Tier Ships

S Tier Ships

  • Akroma’s Memorial – 7/7 flying, first strike, vigilance, trample, haste, pro red/black (for the fleet), cannot be crashed by dice roll
  • Parhelion II – 8/8 flying, first strike, vigilance, makes crew, cannot be crashed by dice roll
  • Zetalpa, Primal Dawn – 8/8 indestructible, flying, double strike, vigilance, trample, cannot be crashed by dice roll

If I had a Darksteel Forge, I’d probably include it. If I’m missing a sweet ship, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Other cards that are in consideration are Alibou, Ancient Witness, Fountain Watch, Leonin Abunas, Rebbec, Architect of Ascension, Scourglass, Barbarian Class, and Wyll, Blade of Frontiers.

I’m aware of the ‘combo’ with Brazen Dwarf, and I’m not into it.

The deck could probably do with some more spot removal, but it’s definitely not a cEDH deck, and it’s not trying to be.

Hopefully I get to take Captain Rex Nebula and the whole fleet out for a sortie, or some maneuvers. Maybe a fly-by. It’ll be fun to see if I can keep my ships from crashing long enough to take out an opponent or two. Thanks for reading!

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