Hello and welcome to Commander Bites!

Today we are going to be talking about Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief!

Ivy is a two mana 2/1 with flying and whenever a player casts a spell that target only a single creature other than Ivy, you may copy that spell and the copy targets Ivy with a copy of an Aura spell becomes a token.

Game Plan

Ivy, much like their epithet says, is looking to steal your opponents spells or get an additional use out of your own spells if you happen to target another creature.

There are plenty of interesting ways we can take use of this effect from being a pseudo-Voltron Commander to being a card that can make use of protective spells or combat tricks, Ivy can be much more sneaky that you would expect.

Support

The first thing we need are cards that we want to target, which would usually mean cards that threaten the board, but we have some other potential targets to consider.

Spellwild Ouphe is a card that I didn’t know existed and it has the ability that spells that target it cost two mana less to cast. This can be a great way to get some early Aura’s on a creature very cheaply while doubling up on Ivy.

Timber Paladin is also a solid target for your Auras since it gets bigger and better the more Auras are attached to them, gaining base power and toughness 3/3 when there is exactly one Aura attached, base power and toughness 5/5 and vigilance when there are two Auras attached, and base power and toughness 10/10, vigilance, and trample when they have three or more Auras attached to them.

We also have access to some pretty solid evasive creatures like Elusive Otter, which has prowess and creatures with power less than this creature’s power can’t block it, meaning that the more Aura’s we cast and the bigger we make it, then it becomes much harder to block. What’s more it also has Grove’s Bounty, which can distribute X +1/+1 counters among any number of target creatures we control, and if we only choose one copy for that spell, we can then also copy it for Ivy.

As far as what spells do we copy, while Auras will be a priority there are some instants and sorceries that work really well for us. For example Shadow Rift is a one mana way to give target creature shadow until end of turn and draw a card, which for one mana to give two creatures shadow and draw two cards, that’s pretty solid.

Enter the Enigma and Pym Particles work very much in a similar manner where they make target creature unable to be blocked, with Pym Particles also giving vigilance, and drawing us a card and both of them are at one mana.

Aura’s are definitely what Ivy works best with so something like Strong Back works amazingly well for us because it makes Equip abilities that target enchanted creature cost three less to activate as well as Aura spells being three mana less to cast that target the enchanted creature and it also happens to give the enchanted +2/+2 for each Aura and Equipment attached to it.

Traveler’s Cloak is a bit of a niche option but it can allow for some interesting evasive options in that we choose a land type and the enchanted creature has landwalk of the chosen type while also drawing us a card.

If we really want to win via a Voltron strategy, then we can always use Colossification, which does tap the enchanted creature when it enters but also gives the enchanted creature +20/+20, which will allow us to win the game through Commander damage in one swing.

Setbacks

Seeing as our strategy revolves so heavily on Ivy, it stands to reason that we would want to keep Ivy on the battlefield as long as possible.

One thing to consider is that we can actually have focused protection in this deck like Slip Out the Back because we can save two creatures and the Aura’s and counters that are on them because of Ivy, which may trigger another player to use their removal on Ivy which can mean we are in a less ideal place.

The thing about Ivy to remember is that it is a may trigger and not a mandatory trigger, which is to say that if a player insists you copy a Pacifism effect because of Ivy, you are not obligated to do so. What’s more, if you happen to steal another player’s useful Aura’s or protection spell, then they may target you as well.

Ivy lies on an interesting spectrum of being a theft Commander that is not actually stealing the targeted spells that your opponents are casting, but it feels like you are.

Ivy being able to copy your opponents beneficial spells keeps you in their sights, having to actually use multiple removal spells directly on Ivy, which can be a bit annoying if you have to cast them after they were removed several times.

It also doesn’t benefit Ivy if your opponent plays a spell that doesn’t target and forces you to sacrifice Ivy in some manner, whether that be an edict effect or even something like Pick Your Poison. Board wipes are also ways to get around Ivy’s ability, which we would hopefully have an answer for in some capacity.

Ivy being a two mana Commander and being able to become online so quickly can also be something that your opponents can be keenly aware of, meaning that they will be more likely to spend their removal spells on Ivy in order to keep them off the battlefield while Ivy may or may not be an active threat.

Cheap Commanders are the greatest double edged sword of the format, as in they are able to come into play early so you can start doing what you want, but they can easily be removed to pile on the Commander Tax.

Bracket Rating: 3

I think that Ivy can be a solidly lethal Commander that can take advantage of a lot of spells you cast in order to make them stronger, while also taking advantage of spells your opponents cast to boost them up as well.

Ivy works better proactively rather than reactively, and will likely be a target if you cast them early in the game and more of a target as you begin to pile on Aura’s, counters, and other things onto Ivy. Ivy also happens to work as well against combo decks because our deck is not as focused on interaction, which is what’s keeping me from putting Ivy higher then bracket three.

Ivy is a fun deck that can make your opponents play a little more carefully in order to not benefit you while you accrue more and more value.

Thank you for reading, see you all tomorrow!

Peace,

From, J.M. Casual