Art: Andrew Mar · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast
Unctus, Grand Metatect
ULegendary Artifact Creature — Phyrexian Vedalken · from $0.38
Other blue creatures you control have "Whenever this creature becomes tapped, draw a card, then discard a card."
Other artifact creatures you control get +1/+1.
{U/P}: Until end of turn, target creature you control becomes a blue artifact in addition to its other colors and types. Activate only as a sorcery. ({U/P} can be paid with either {U} or 2 life.)
A typical Commander deck
A starting template, not a rule — counts to fill in around the commander.
- Lands3736–38 for most decks; fewer with cheap curves
- Ramp10mana rocks, dorks, land ramp — mostly 2–3 mana
- Card draw10repeatable engines beat one-shot cantrips
- Targeted removal6answers for creatures AND artifacts/enchantments
- Board wipes3sweepers reset boards you've lost
- Synergy & win conditions33the deck's actual plan
Staples in these colors
The 100 cards that fit this color identity in the most EDHREC decklists (EDHREC rank via Scryfall).
Budget
53 of 100 at $5 or less · 31 at $1 or less
| # | Card | Type | MV | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sol Ring | Artifact | 1 | $1.07 |
| 2 | Command Tower | Land | 0 | $0.26 |
| 3 | Arcane Signet | Artifact | 2 | $0.34 |
| 4 | Exotic Orchard | Land | 0 | $0.19 |
| 5 | Reliquary Tower | Land | 0 | $4.28 |
| 6 | Swiftfoot Boots | Artifact | 2 | $1.43 |
| 7 | Lightning Greaves | Artifact | 2 | $3.86 |
| 8 | Path of Ancestry | Land | 0 | $0.16 |
| 9 | Counterspell | Instant | 2 | $1.33 |
| 10 | Fellwar Stone | Artifact | 2 | $0.47 |
| 11 | Rogue's Passage | Land | 0 | $0.31 |
| 12 | Evolving Wilds | Land | 0 | $0.09 |
| 13 | Thought Vessel | Artifact | 2 | $2.23 |
| 14 | Terramorphic Expanse | Land | 0 | $0.10 |
| 15 | Myriad Landscape | Land | 0 | $0.25 |
| 16 | Mind Stone | Artifact | 2 | $0.21 |
| 17 | An Offer You Can't Refuse | Instant | 1 | $3.01 |
| 18 | Polluted Delta | Land | 0 | $19.85 |
| 19 | Flooded Strand | Land | 0 | $12.78 |
| 20 | Skullclamp | Artifact | 1 | $4.85 |
| 21 | Solemn Simulacrum | Creature | 4 | $0.27 |
| 22 | Misty Rainforest | Land | 0 | $35.98 |
| 23 | Bloodstained Mire | Land | 0 | $14.54 |
| 24 | Fabled Passage | Land | 0 | $0.65 |
| 25 | Windswept Heath | Land | 0 | $11.19 |
| 26 | Rhystic Study | Enchantment | 3 | $61.06 |
| 27 | Wooded Foothills | Land | 0 | $17.96 |
| 28 | Verdant Catacombs | Land | 0 | $29.16 |
| 29 | Scalding Tarn | Land | 0 | $36.86 |
| 30 | Marsh Flats | Land | 0 | $32.04 |
| 31 | Arcane Denial | Instant | 2 | $1.88 |
| 32 | Commander's Sphere | Artifact | 3 | $0.19 |
| 33 | Negate | Instant | 2 | $0.12 |
| 34 | Arid Mesa | Land | 0 | $31.40 |
| 35 | Cyclonic Rift | Instant | 2 | $29.75 |
| 36 | Swan Song | Instant | 1 | $10.72 |
| 37 | Ancient Tomb | Land | 0 | $56.94 |
| 38 | Brainstorm | Instant | 1 | $0.56 |
| 39 | Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth | Land | 0 | $56.13 |
| 40 | Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth | Land | 0 | $16.76 |
| 41 | Fierce Guardianship | Instant | 3 | $59.21 |
| 42 | Temple of the False God | Land | 0 | $0.19 |
| 43 | Chromatic Lantern | Artifact | 3 | $0.38 |
| 44 | Otawara, Soaring City | Land | 0 | $26.57 |
| 45 | City of Brass | Land | 0 | $9.17 |
| 46 | The One Ring | Artifact | 4 | $109.88 |
| 47 | Frantic Search | Instant | 3 | $0.82 |
| 48 | Mystic Remora | Enchantment | 1 | $10.97 |
| 49 | Cavern of Souls | Land | 0 | $47.72 |
| 50 | Propaganda | Enchantment | 3 | $1.84 |
| 51 | Mana Confluence | Land | 0 | $34.75 |
| 52 | Urza's Saga | Enchantment | 0 | $34.67 |
| 53 | Mana Drain | Instant | 2 | $50.65 |
| 54 | Lotus Petal | Artifact | 0 | $35.11 |
| 55 | Wayfarer's Bauble | Artifact | 1 | $0.31 |
| 56 | Roaming Throne | Creature | 4 | $47.06 |
| 57 | Ashnod's Altar | Artifact | 3 | $8.15 |
| 58 | War Room | Land | 0 | $0.79 |
| 59 | Ponder | Sorcery | 1 | $1.82 |
| 60 | Herald's Horn | Artifact | 3 | $2.88 |
| 61 | Mana Vault | Artifact | 1 | $91.59 |
| 62 | Pongify | Instant | 1 | $2.21 |
| 63 | Chrome Mox | Artifact | 0 | $51.19 |
| 64 | Windfall | Sorcery | 3 | $4.78 |
| 65 | Mystical Tutor | Instant | 1 | $14.99 |
| 66 | Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx | Land | 0 | $45.68 |
| 67 | Reflecting Pool | Land | 0 | $5.50 |
| 68 | Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs | Instant | 3 | $9.68 |
| 69 | Mystic Sanctuary | Land | 0 | $1.01 |
| 70 | Three Tree City | Land | 0 | $29.09 |
| 71 | Gemstone Caverns | Land | 0 | $62.05 |
| 72 | Command Beacon | Land | 0 | $7.99 |
| 73 | Idol of Oblivion | Artifact | 2 | $2.40 |
| 74 | Prismatic Vista | Land | 0 | $28.10 |
| 75 | Buried Ruin | Land | 0 | $0.38 |
| 76 | Thran Dynamo | Artifact | 4 | $1.94 |
| 77 | Force of Will | Instant | 5 | $26.56 |
| 78 | Patchwork Banner | Artifact | 3 | $1.52 |
| 79 | Mox Amber | Artifact | 0 | $86.45 |
| 80 | Karn's Bastion | Land | 0 | $2.51 |
| 81 | Rapid Hybridization | Instant | 1 | $0.81 |
| 82 | Ash Barrens | Land | 0 | $0.15 |
| 83 | Preordain | Sorcery | 1 | $0.64 |
| 84 | Opt | Instant | 1 | $0.16 |
| 85 | Secluded Courtyard | Land | 0 | $0.31 |
| 86 | Ornithopter of Paradise | Creature | 2 | $0.35 |
| 87 | Sensei's Divining Top | Artifact | 1 | $36.48 |
| 88 | Sword of the Animist | Artifact | 2 | $2.79 |
| 89 | Mithril Coat | Artifact | 3 | $27.09 |
| 90 | Mox Opal | Artifact | 0 | $229.58 |
| 91 | Unclaimed Territory | Land | 0 | $0.30 |
| 92 | Mox Diamond | Artifact | 0 | $1108.66 |
| 93 | Foundry Inspector | Creature | 3 | $0.28 |
| 94 | Everflowing Chalice | Artifact | 0 | $0.28 |
| 95 | Basilisk Collar | Artifact | 1 | $2.73 |
| 96 | Archmage Emeritus | Creature | 4 | $0.60 |
| 97 | Academy Manufactor | Creature | 3 | $8.00 |
| 98 | Inventors' Fair | Land | 0 | $15.74 |
| 99 | Panharmonicon | Artifact | 4 | $4.98 |
| 100 | Force of Negation | Instant | 3 | $45.50 |
Curve of these staples
7
0
16
1
14
2
15
3
6
4
1
5
6
7+
Most played with Unctus, Grand Metatect
The 25 most-played cards in 5 settled top-16 lists running Unctus, Grand Metatect at 16+ player events since Apr 26, 2026, ranked by lists played — top-4 counts shown for context. Results from Topdeck.gg.
| # | Card | Played in | Top 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aphetto Alchemist | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 2 | Borne Upon a Wind | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 3 | Crashing Drawbridge | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 4 | Daze | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 5 | Fatestitcher | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 6 | Forensic Researcher | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 7 | Gush | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 8 | Ioreth of the Healing House | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 9 | Island | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 10 | Kelpie Guide | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 11 | Lotus Petal | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 12 | North Pole Patrol | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 13 | Second Wind | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 14 | Sol Ring | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 15 | Step Through | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 16 | Thassa's Oracle | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 17 | Vizier of Tumbling Sands | 100% · 5 of 5 | 3 |
| 18 | An Offer You Can't Refuse | 80% · 4 of 5 | 2 |
| 19 | Ancient Tomb | 80% · 4 of 5 | 2 |
| 20 | Chrome Mox | 80% · 4 of 5 | 2 |
| 21 | Clever Conjurer | 80% · 4 of 5 | 2 |
| 22 | Containment Construct | 80% · 4 of 5 | 2 |
| 23 | Faerie Mastermind | 80% · 4 of 5 | 2 |
| 24 | Fierce Guardianship | 80% · 4 of 5 | 2 |
| 25 | Flare of Denial | 80% · 4 of 5 | 2 |
Combos with Unctus, Grand Metatect
The 10 most popular of 55 combos (by EDHREC decklist count) using this commander that fit its color identity, from Commander Spellbook.
Freed from the Real + Unctus, Grand Metatect
Infinite draw triggers · Infinite looting · Infinite self-discard triggers
Aphetto Alchemist + Unctus, Grand Metatect
Infinite draw triggers · Infinite looting · Infinite self-discard triggers
Pemmin's Aura + Unctus, Grand Metatect
Infinite draw triggers · Infinite looting · Infinite self-discard triggers
Ioreth of the Healing House + Unctus, Grand Metatect + Vizier of Tumbling Sands
Infinite self-discard triggers · Infinite draw triggers · Infinite looting
Kelpie Guide + Unctus, Grand Metatect + Vizier of Tumbling Sands
Infinite self-discard triggers · Infinite draw triggers · Infinite looting
Ioreth of the Healing House + Kelpie Guide + Unctus, Grand Metatect
Infinite self-discard triggers · Infinite draw triggers · Infinite looting
Freed from the Real + Paradise Mantle + Unctus, Grand Metatect
Infinite draw triggers · Infinite looting · Infinite self-discard triggers
Forensic Researcher + Unctus, Grand Metatect + Vizier of Tumbling Sands
Infinite self-discard triggers · Infinite draw triggers · Infinite looting
Forensic Researcher + Ioreth of the Healing House + Unctus, Grand Metatect
Infinite self-discard triggers · Infinite draw triggers · Infinite looting
Fatestitcher + Unctus, Grand Metatect + Vizier of Tumbling Sands
Infinite self-discard triggers · Infinite draw triggers · Infinite looting
Top finishes
5 finishes placing top 16 at 16+ player events with this commander. Results from Topdeck.gg.
- 9th of 39 — The Singapore Invitational on Topdeck.ggSep 12, 2026 · 1–2–2 · by Krugz
- 15th of 19 — Ascendancy: A CEDH Tournament on Topdeck.ggAug 23, 2026 · 0–3–1 · by Krugz
- 4th of 29 — James Stratton presents: The first ever "we fight for our wins" cedh tournament hosted by Saferoom Games on Topdeck.ggAug 15, 2026 · 2–3–0 · by Michael Ritchey
- 4th of 16 — Bcedh Tarragona - Magic Event on Topdeck.ggJun 20, 2026 · 1–1–2 · by Jorge Corigliano
- 3rd of 40 — Ascendancy: A CEDH Tournament on Topdeck.ggApr 26, 2026 · 3–2–2 · by Krugz
Card data and images courtesy of Scryfall; popularity ranking from EDHREC decklist data included in Scryfall bulk. Combo data courtesy of Commander Spellbook. Tournament results courtesy of Topdeck.gg. Deckwarden is unofficial Fan Content and is not endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.