(Inching closer to being able to actually play, now that I've found a game store that definitely hosts regular Commander play. Now if only we weren't on opposite sides of Cape Cod...{sigh})

While toying with Abzan ideas, I recalled my +1/+1 counter Jenara setup. Having been inspired by the outlast mentors from KTK, I realized that Ghave was also perfect--and didn't need me to leave out Mer-Ek Nightblade. Main thing I'm worried about is focus--do I want to vector in a saproling/token theme, or stick to counters and ability conduction?

Now if only turning counters into cards weren't stuck in blue (Novijen Sages, Sage of Fables, Zameck Guildmage)...

COMMANDER

Ghave, Guru of Spores

CREATURES (36)

Abzan Battle Priest
Abzan Falconer
Ainok Bond-Kin
Archangel of Thune
Armorcraft Judge
Battlefront Krushok
Bellowing Aegisaur
Bloodcrazed Paladin
Bloodtracker
Catacomb Sifter
Corpsejack Menace
Elite Scaleguard
Fertilid
Forgotten Ancient
Harvester of Souls
High Sentinels of Arashin
Ivorytusk Fortress
Knight of Autumn
Korozda Gorgon
Korozda Guildmage
Longshot Squad
Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest
Mer-Ek Nightblade
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Mindwarper
Poison-Tip Archer
Psychotrope Thallid
Puppeteer Clique
Rishkar, Peema Renegade
Shalai, Voice of Plenty
Shinewend
Sigil Captain
Slimefoot, the Stowaway
Tendershoot Dryad
Thelonite Hermit
Tuskguard Captain

ENCHANTMENTS (11)

Abzan Ascendancy
Brave the Sands
Cathars' Crusade
Dictate of Erebos
Fanatical Devotion
Fungal Plots
Grave Betrayal
Hardened Scales
Intangible Virtue
Necrogenesis
Retribution of the Ancients

ARTIFACTS (3)

Cauldron of Souls
Commander's Sphere
Sol Ring

PLANESWALKERS (1)

Ajani Goldmane

SORCERIES (6)

Camaraderie
Collective Effort
Cultivate
Find // Finality
Map the Wastes
Mutilate

INSTANTS (5)

Abzan Charm
Anguished Unmaking
Inspiring Call
Miraculous Recovery
Mortify

LANDS (37)

6*Forest
6*Swamp
6*Plains
Command Tower
Exotic Orchard
Fetid Heath
Gavony Township
Godless Shrine
Hissing Quagmire
Isolated Chapel
Overgrown Tomb
Sandsteppe Citadel
Sunpetal Grove
Temple Garden
Temple of Malady
Temple of Plenty
Temple of Silence
Temple of the False God
Thran Quarry
Twilight Mire
Wooded Bastion
Woodland Cemetery

In addition to the usual concerns about ramp and draw, there are a few cards I'd like to try to vector in. Sunscorch Regent and Twilight Drover (better exchange rate than Ghave, although the spirits won't get all the benefits the saprolings will), as well as possibly one or two other board wipes (Wrath of God/Damnation, Nevinyrral's Disk).

If you missed having blue, you could run Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker and Reyhan, Last of the Abzan as parter commanders. They've got synergy with each other, plus they curve together at 3- and 4-mana.

Playing them would also make it easier to resist the saproling's siren song and just focus on your +1/+1 counter theme. Not to mention Ghave gets a bad rap at a lot of tables for the infinite loops it makes; no one can reasonably get annoyed over Reyhan + Ishai.

^^^

What they said.

That's my next deck. Will have to look over your choices and see what tech I've missed

Reyhan and Ishai have a nice side benefit: if you have both of them out and can make Ishai indestructible somehow during a board wipe, Ishai gets all your +1/+1 counters. It can probably swing for lethal against someone now.

I tried to make a Reyhan/Ishai Voltron deck made specifically around this combo, but couldn't figure out a way to make it work, so it may be best as just something that might be available to happen. (Or let normal death feed Ishai to make him dangerous.)

Ha, I was just a little annoyed that for all of its card draw, black can't seem to turn +1/+1 counters into cards (although Mindwarper can use counters to rob opponents of cards). Going four-color is probably more than I can wrap my head around.

Humorous thing is, after feeling a bit downcast after learning that Ghave is potentially kill-on-sight (I can see how Hardened Scales et al. can result in a sudden horde of saprolings, but infinite? Where's the mana coming from?), I decided to combine the precepts of both this and my combat manipulator Shu Yun chart, with Marath at the helm. Feeling good, I cobbled together a chart, then visited EDHRec to see what green cards I could make use of that I hadn't found yet.

It took me a little while to realize what Skullclamp and Anointed Procession were doing in the Signature Cards section.

{grumble} Just once, I'd like to find a high-end commander that doesn't lend theirself to abuse...

Black has Bloodtracker and Thought Gorger (more risky) to turn +1/+1 counters into cards. Also Disciple of Bolas can turn a big +1/+1 guy into cards.

You could focus on Abzan Stax with Ghave, Guru of Spores as a means of locking down your opponents' hand, board state, and graveyard. Once you have your Commander out with Grave Pact / Dictate of Erebos, Martyr's Bond, and Mindcrank with a field of Saproling tokens you can then cast Natural Affinity to "destroy" all your opponents' lands by sacrificing your own Saprolings to Ghave, Guru of Spores which by then you want to have stuff like Blood Artist and Zulaport Cutthroat on the battlefield to help trigger Mindcrank.

Abyssal Persecutor and Identity Crisis ensures that your opponents won't be able to do anything for the rest of the game unless they concede. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite also works well with Natural Affinity for land locking opponents as it's a key combo piece in the deck. One of my friends who used to play EDH / Commander managed to pull this off against me while I was running Uril, the Miststalker and it was brutal with the only time locking Ghave, Guru of Spores down was with Gaddock Teeg.

Definitely not a fun deck to play against once it goes off but certainly not unbeatable either depending on who you're running as your Commander. Unfortunately there's not very many cards that help get around being forced to sacrifice permanents with Sigarda, Host of Herons, Tajuru Preserver, and Angel of Jubilation being the only options though. One thing I forgot to mention is that Ghave, Guru of Spores also runs Bloodchief Ascension as a wincon with Mindcrank which is pretty obvious.

Let me know If you'd like me to brew up a decklist for Ghave, Guru of Spores to help give you more ideas.

This being so unfun (and on top of that requiring specific niche cards to combat) probably suggests this strategy should not be pursued. From the EDH philosophy document: “Create games that everyone will love to remember, not the ones you'd like to forget.”

The deck was so unfun to the point where my friend claimed that he broke the format and felt bad enough to buy me a drink which was nice of him. Sadly his build for Ghave, Guru of Spores before quitting Magic entirely was the only advice I could think of for this thread.

Oh well, lesson learned.