The Commander
Bartel Runeaxe can't be the target of Aura spells.
Guide
Gameplan
Bartel Runeaxe is a vanilla-ish Jund beater (a 7/7 with vigilance) whose only real text is that Auras can't target it, so he functions as a colorless-style identity hook for any Black-Green-Red strategy you want. Lean on the Jund color pie for ramp, removal, and recursion, then use Bartel as a reliable attacker that holds back on defense thanks to vigilance, or build the deck entirely around themes and treat him as a freebie body. Most games you ramp into him early, equip or buff with non-Aura effects, and grind value while the deck's real engine takes over.
Strengths
- Access to the full Jund (BGR) color pie: best-in-class removal, ramp, recursion, and card advantage
- Vigilance lets him attack and still block, making him a stable defensive piece
- Cheap to recast relative to many 7/7 bodies and immune to Aura-based removal/theft
- Total flexibility—no abilities means you can build any Jund archetype around him
Weaknesses
- No inherent ability means he provides zero engine value on his own
- Six mana for a body that doesn't advance a game plan is slow
- The anti-Aura clause blocks Voltron via enchantments, narrowing buff options
- Easily chump-blocked or removed by non-targeted sweepers, offering little board presence
Key Cards
- Korvold, Fae-Cursed King — A far stronger Jund value engine you can run in the 99 to actually generate card advantage.
- Sword of Feast and Famine — Equipment (not an Aura) turns Bartel into a real threat with protection and ramp.
- Cultivate — Reliable Jund ramp to hit Bartel's six-mana cost ahead of curve.
- Meren of Clan Nel Toth — Recursion backbone that keeps your value creatures coming back in a grindy Jund shell.
- Skullclamp — Premier card draw for any Jund creature deck, fueling refills cheaply.
Upgrade Path
Decide on one focused engine—Aristocrats, Equipment Voltron, or Reanimator—since Bartel himself does nothing to guide the build. Add fast Jund ramp (Sol Ring, Signets, Cultivate) and premium interaction (Assassin's Trophy, Deadly Rollick, Bojuka Bog) so the body arrives early and survives. Replace filler with proactive payoffs like Sword of Feast and Famine, Skullclamp, and a tutor package to reach your win conditions consistently.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Equipment-fueled commander damage from a buffed, vigilant Bartel
- ▸Grinding opponents out with Jund value and incremental card advantage
- ▸Aristocrat drain loops via sacrifice and recursion payoffs
- ▸Reanimating oversized threats to overwhelm the table
Archetypes
- Jund Goodstuff/Midrange — His blank text invites a pile of the best BGR removal, ramp, and value creatures.
- Voltron (Equipment) — Auras can't touch him, so equipment-based Voltron is the natural buff route on a vigilant body.
- Aristocrats — BGR offers sacrifice outlets, recursion, and drain payoffs to win without combat.
- Reanimator — Black-green graveyard recursion lets you cheat out big threats while Bartel anchors the board.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (BGR), by popularity.
