Doctor Who and Magic: The Gathering have collided, and the result is a treasure trove for Commander players. At the heart of this crossover for many is The Fourteenth Doctor Mtg, a card that perfectly encapsulates the ever-changing nature of the Doctor. This article dives deep into a Commander deck built around this exciting card, exploring the synergies, strategies, and card choices that make it tick. We aim to provide a more comprehensive and SEO-optimized guide than the original decklist, ensuring English-speaking players can fully grasp the potential of this unique deck.
The Fourteenth Doctor ready for action in a Doctor Who themed MTG deck, showcasing the excitement of Doctor regeneration and deck possibilities.
Delving into Doctor Synergies: More Than Just a Time Lord
The beauty of a “Doctor Tribal” deck lies in the diverse abilities and playstyles offered by the various Doctor cards. This deck isn’t just about jamming every Doctor you can find; it’s about strategic synergy. Let’s break down the key themes that make this deck cohesive and powerful:
Historic Matters: Echoes of the Past
Several Doctors thrive on Historic cards – Legendary spells, artifacts, and sagas. The Fourth Doctor, The Sixth Doctor, and The Eighth Doctor all benefit from or interact with Historic permanents.
- Synergy: This naturally pushes the deck towards including a high density of legendary lands. Lands like Eiganjo Castle, Minas Tirith, and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth become more than just mana sources; they fuel the abilities of these Doctors. This also makes cards like Primevals’ Glorious Rebirth incredibly potent reanimation spells, given the abundance of legendary permanents.
- Strategic Advantage: Utilizing Historic synergies provides a consistent advantage, rewarding you for playing on-theme and maximizing the potential of your Doctor cards.
Outside Hand Zones: Timey-Wimey Shenanigans
The Doctor is known for bending the rules of time and space, and some Doctors reflect this by allowing you to cast spells from outside your hand. The Twelfth Doctor and The Thirteenth Doctor directly reward you for this, while others like The First Doctor, The Fourth Doctor, The Eighth Doctor, The Tenth Doctor, and The Fugitive Doctor facilitate it.
- Synergy: This creates opportunities for card advantage and surprise plays. Cards that put cards into exile or allow you to cast from the graveyard become even more valuable. Consider cards like যেগুলো, যেগুলো, and even delve spells to further capitalize on this theme.
- Strategic Advantage: Casting spells from unexpected zones keeps opponents guessing and disrupts typical gameplay expectations, reflecting the unpredictable nature of the Doctor.
Untap Shenanigans: Extra Actions in Time
The Fifth Doctor and The Thirteenth Doctor grant the ability to untap creatures, opening up avenues for mana acceleration and repeated triggered abilities.
- Synergy: Creatures that tap for mana, like Birds of Paradise, Noble Hierarch, and Deathrite Shaman, become even more efficient. Land-searching creatures like Weathered Wayfarer and Elvish Reclaimer can be used multiple times per turn to fix your mana or find key utility lands.
- Strategic Advantage: Untapping creatures provides a subtle but significant advantage, allowing for faster development and more flexible plays.
Making Copies: Double the Doctors, Double the Fun
The Sixth Doctor and The Twelfth Doctor focus on creating copies of creatures. While The Twelfth Doctor might seem less synergistic with legendary cards initially, combining him with The Fourteenth Doctor creates explosive potential.
- Synergy: Imagine casting The Fourteenth Doctor with The Twelfth Doctor on the battlefield. If you mill multiple Doctors, you can create copies of them, quickly filling your board with Time Lords. This can be overwhelming for opponents and sets up powerful board states.
- Strategic Advantage: Copying Doctors amplifies their individual abilities and creates exponential value, leading to board dominance and game-winning scenarios.
Once Each Turn Limits: Playing Outside the Box (and Turn)
Several Doctors, including The Fourth Doctor, The Sixth Doctor, The Eighth Doctor, and The Twelfth Doctor, have abilities limited to “once each turn.” This encourages playing spells and activating abilities outside of your own turn.
- Synergy: Lands like Alchemist’s Refuge and Winding Canyons become crucial, allowing you to maximize the value from these Doctors during your opponents’ turns. Instant-speed interaction and flash creatures also become more important in this strategy.
- Strategic Advantage: Playing reactively and utilizing abilities outside your turn maximizes efficiency and keeps your opponents off balance, forcing them to play around potential interruptions.
Graveyard Matters: Reincarnation and Reanimation
The Eighth Doctor and The Fugitive Doctor interact with the graveyard, and crucially, The Fourteenth Doctor himself can fill your graveyard with Doctors. This opens up a significant reanimation theme.
- Synergy: Reanimation spells like Living End, Living Death, Patriarch’s Bidding, Primevals’ Glorious Rebirth, and Eerie Ultimatum become incredibly powerful, allowing you to bring back a board full of Doctors from the graveyard. Cards like Entomb, Buried Alive, and Intuition become targeted Doctor tutors that also fuel your graveyard strategy.
- Strategic Advantage: Reanimation provides resilience and a powerful late-game plan. Even if your Doctors are removed, you can bring them back en masse, overwhelming opponents who have used their removal.
Essential Support: Weaving the Narrative Together
Beyond the Doctors themselves, the deck relies on a suite of support cards to function smoothly and maximize its potential:
- Tutors: Consistent access to specific Doctors is crucial. Tutors like Vampiric Tutor, Imperial Seal, Sylvan Tutor, and Worldly Tutor allow you to find the right Doctor for any situation. Entomb and Buried Alive also function as tutors that directly synergize with the reanimation theme.
- Top-of-Library Manipulation: To consistently trigger The Fourteenth Doctor‘s ability and set up draws, cards like Sensei’s Divining Top, Scroll Rack, Brainstorm, and Sylvan Library are invaluable. Surveil cards like Search for Azcanta and Doom Whisperer also contribute to this strategy.
- Ramp and Mana Fixing: With a multi-colored deck and a desire to cast multiple spells per turn, mana ramp is essential. Cards like Sol Ring, Birds of Paradise, and the various mana-producing creatures ensure you can cast your Doctors and support spells on curve.
- Interaction and Control: While the deck focuses on synergy, some interaction is necessary to survive in Commander. Swords to Plowshares, Nature’s Claim, and Chain of Vapor provide versatile removal options to protect your board and disrupt opponents’ plans.
Mana Base: A Legendary Landscape
The mana base is intentionally built around legendary lands to maximize the Historic synergies. Including a significant number of legendary lands not only supports the Historic-matters Doctors but also increases the effectiveness of cards like Primevals’ Glorious Rebirth. Utility lands like Alchemist’s Refuge, Winding Canyons, and Volrath’s Stronghold further enhance the deck’s flexibility and strategic options.
Playing The Fourteenth Doctor: Time-Traveling Tactics
Piloting this deck effectively involves understanding the strengths of each Doctor and knowing when to deploy them. Here are some key tactical considerations:
- Early Game: Focus on mana ramp and setting up your top-of-library manipulation or graveyard tutors. Getting The Fourteenth Doctor out early can start filling your graveyard and providing card selection.
- Mid Game: Begin deploying Doctors strategically, focusing on synergies relevant to the current board state. If you have Historic-matters Doctors, prioritize playing legendary permanents. If you have The Twelfth Doctor, consider setting up for a big turn with The Fourteenth Doctor to create multiple Doctors.
- Late Game: Utilize reanimation spells to bring back a wave of Doctors and overwhelm your opponents. Use tutors and top-of-library manipulation to find the right Doctor for the final push.
- Adaptability: The strength of this deck lies in its adaptability. With a diverse cast of Doctors and versatile support cards, you can adjust your strategy based on your opponents and the game state.
Conclusion: A Timeless Commander Experience
The Fourteenth Doctor Commander deck offers a unique and flavorful gameplay experience. By weaving together Doctor synergies, graveyard recursion, and top-of-library manipulation, this deck provides strategic depth and exciting gameplay. For fans of Doctor Who and MTG alike, this deck is a fantastic way to celebrate both universes in a fun and competitive Commander setting. Embrace the chaos of time and space, and step into the TARDIS with The Fourteenth Doctor at the helm!
