Arcane Foundry › Commanders › The Archimandrite
The Archimandrite
Legendary Creature — Human Advisor · {2}{U}{R}{W} · Red/Blue/White commander
What The Archimandrite actually does
Read off the card by the same engine the Forge and Analyzer use — this is the mechanical classification, not a summary.
- Triggered ability · upkeepAt the beginning of your upkeep, you gain X life, where X is the number of cards in your hand minus 4.
- Triggered ability · lifegainWhenever you gain life, each Advisor, Artificer, and Monk you control gains vigilance and gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the amount of life you gained.
- AbilityTap three untapped Advisors, Artificers, and/or Monks you control: Draw a card.
What a The Archimandrite deck needs
Plays as advisor typal. What the commander asks of the other 99 — read from the card and checked by hand.
- repeatable lifegain — lifelink, gain-life triggers and Food (every life gained is its trigger)
- advisor/artificer/monk creatures (its text counts them)
The The Archimandrite deck plan
The roles the Forge fills for this commander, and how many cards of each.
- 26× A body of the exact type the commander's trigger requires — the wrong type is worthless here regardless of quality
- 16× Gain life repeatedly — for a commander that converts life gained into drain, the gain IS the damage
- 5× Actually remove one problem permanent — preventing its damage is not removing it
- 9× Find the exact card the plan needs
- 2× Answer a spell or ability before it resolves
- 1× Answer a whole board at once
- 7× Refill your hand
- 2× Keep a permanent you control alive through removal
- 11× Get ahead on mana
Best cards for The Archimandrite
Ranked by an engine that reads what each card does — its real cost, its delay and how reliably it works — rather than counting how often other people play it.
A body of the exact type the commander's trigger requires — the wrong type is worthless here regardless of quality
- Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer1 mana
- Serra Ascendant1 mana
- Goblin Welder1 mana
- Etherium Sculptor2 mana
- Ledger Shredder2 mana
- Loyal Apprentice2 mana
- Reckless Fireweaver2 mana
- Sram, Senior Edificer2 mana
Gain life repeatedly — for a commander that converts life gained into drain, the gain IS the damage
- Basilisk Collar1 mana
- High Market0 mana
- Zuran Orb0 mana
- Authority of the Consuls1 mana
- Serra Ascendant1 mana
- Shadowspear1 mana
- Soul Warden1 mana
- Soul's Attendant1 mana
Actually remove one problem permanent — preventing its damage is not removing it
- Path to Exile1 mana
- Swords to Plowshares1 mana
- Reality Shift2 mana
- Wild Magic Surge2 mana
- Pongify1 mana
- Rapid Hybridization1 mana
- Resculpt2 mana
- March of Otherworldly Light1 mana
Find the exact card the plan needs
- Reshape2 mana
- Mask of the Mimic1 mana
- Long-Term Plans3 mana
- Open the Armory2 mana
- Whir of Invention3 mana
- Merchant Scroll2 mana
- Enlightened Tutor1 mana
- Mystical Tutor1 mana
Answer a spell or ability before it resolves
- Mindbreak Trap4 mana
- Fierce Guardianship3 mana
- Force of Negation3 mana
- Force of Will5 mana
- Flare of Denial3 mana
- Pact of Negation0 mana
- An Offer You Can't Refuse1 mana
- Arcane Denial2 mana
Answer a whole board at once
- Vanquish the Horde8 mana
- Supreme Verdict4 mana
- Wrath of God4 mana
- Blasphemous Act9 mana
- Chain Reaction4 mana
- Day of Judgment4 mana
- Street Spasm1 mana
- Shatter the Sky4 mana
Refill your hand
- Esper Sentinel1 mana
- Mystic Remora1 mana
- Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer1 mana
- Skullclamp1 mana
- Curiosity1 mana
- Wizard Class1 mana
- Herald's Horn3 mana
- Professional Face-Breaker3 mana
Keep a permanent you control alive through removal
- Flowering of the White Tree2 mana
- Hexing Squelcher2 mana
- Bastion Protector3 mana
- Gold-Forged Thopteryx2 mana
- Codsworth, Handy Helper3 mana
- Avacyn, Angel of Hope8 mana
- Coppercoat Vanguard2 mana
- Lost in the Maze2 mana
Get ahead on mana
- Sol Ring1 mana
- Azorius Signet2 mana
- Boros Signet2 mana
- Izzet Signet2 mana
- Palladium Myr3 mana
- Worn Powerstone3 mana
- Chrome Mox0 mana
- Everflowing Chalice0 mana
Combos with The Archimandrite
Known combos from Commander Spellbook that The Archimandrite is a piece of, and how many decks list them.
- The Archimandrite + Beacon Of Immortality922 decks
- The Archimandrite + Illusions Of Grandeur426 decks
- The Archimandrite + True Conviction + Delusions Of Mediocrity121 decks
- The Archimandrite + Intruder Alarm + The Locust God9 decks
Build this deck in the Arcane Forge →
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