Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor

Gameplan

Build a mono-blue tempo/control board around tapping down opponents' permanents, then leverage Aboshan's mass-tap to lock out non-flyers while you stabilize with counters and card draw. You grind value with tappers and Cephalid synergies, untap your team repeatedly, and eventually pivot to a flyer-based or mill/combo finish since your own creatures stay safe by flying.

Key Cards

• Intruder Alarm — Untaps your tappers every time a creature enters, turning Aboshan and Octopuses into a repeatable lockdown engine.
• Seedborn Muse — Untaps all your permanents each turn so you can tap down threats and hold up interaction every opponent's turn.
• Opposition — Pairs perfectly with Aboshan's tappers and tokens to lock opponents out of attacking, blocking, and tapping mana.
• Cryptolith Rite — Lets all your creatures tap for mana, but more importantly fuels token-based tapper armies and Opposition-style locks.
• Kindred Discovery — Naming Octopus or your token type turns each ETB into massive card advantage to refuel the control plan.
• Followed Footsteps — Copies a token-making body or key flyer each turn to build an evasive board that wins under your tap lock.

Upgrade Path

Lean harder into the Opposition + Intruder Alarm + token-generator engine, which is the deck's most powerful soft lock, and add untap enablers like Seedborn Muse and Kiora's Follower. Improve interaction density with premium counters (Swan Song, Fierce Guardianship, Mana Drain) and fast mana rocks (Sol Ring, Mana Vault) so you reach Aboshan and your lock pieces earlier. To raise the ceiling, include a clean combo finish such as a mill outlet plus untap loop, since Aboshan's grind alone is slow against optimized tables.