The Commander
: Exile another target creature you control, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control.
Whenever another creature you control enters, you may pay 
. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on it. If it's a Unicorn, put two +1/+1 counters on it instead. ( can be paid with either 
or 
.)
Guide
Gameplan
Emiel turns repeatable blink into an engine: pay to flicker your own creatures, exploiting enter-the-battlefield triggers for value while stacking +1/+1 counters off the second ability. You ramp into Emiel early, deploy a few high-impact ETB creatures, then loop them to grind card advantage, mana, or assemble an infinite combo that ends the game.
Strengths
- Repeatable, instant-speed blink at any point with no summoning sickness restriction
- Strong selection of GW ETB value creatures (ramp, draw, removal)
- Multiple compact infinite combos that win on the spot
- Can save creatures from removal and reset combat/aura effects
- Free counters keep the board growing while you do everything else
Weaknesses
- Blink costs per activation, so it's mana-hungry without ramp
- Relies heavily on the commander; gets slow if Emiel is repeatedly removed
- GW lacks card draw and interaction compared to other color pairs
- Vulnerable to graveyard/exile hate and stax that taxes activated abilities
- Combo lines can be telegraphed and disrupted by instant-speed removal
Key Cards
- Felidar Guardian — Blinking a mana producer that nets + creates infinite blinks, the deck's premier combo piece.
- Restoration Angel — Flexible flicker on a flash body that protects creatures and enables ETB loops.
- Eternal Witness — Repeatedly recurs any card from your graveyard, giving GW relentless card advantage.
- Avenger of Zendikar — Blinking it floods the board with Plant tokens that Emiel pumps into a lethal swing.
- Sun Titan — Recursion engine that returns Emiel-fueled permanents and combo pieces each flicker.
- Cloudstone Curio — Combined with cheap ETB creatures and mana dorks it enables free recursion loops.
Upgrade Path
Tighten the mana base with fast ramp (Sol Ring, Birds of Paradise, Llanowar Elves, Sakura-Tribe Elder) so you reach Emiel and pay activations earlier. Add tutors and combo enablers like Felidar Guardian, Cloudstone Curio, and mana-positive dorks (Priest of Titania, Karametra's Acolyte) to make blink loops infinite, plus protection like Heroic Intervention and Teferi's Protection. Round out with high-ceiling ETB payoffs (Avenger of Zendikar, Woodland Bellower, Reclamation Sage) and efficient interaction to defend the engine.
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
- ▸Infinite blink with Felidar Guardian + mana creatures to fuel a game-ending ETB like Avenger of Zendikar or Charging Cinderhorn-style drains
- ▸Infinite mana/tokens enabling a huge alpha strike buffed by Emiel's counters
- ▸Repeatable ETB removal/burn (e.g., loops with damage triggers) to drain all opponents
- ▸Grindy value beatdown: a wide, counter-pumped board that overwhelms after stabilizing
Archetypes
- Blink/Flicker Value — Emiel is a repeatable on-command flicker outlet that abuses every ETB trigger you control.
- Combo — Felidar Guardian and mana-positive creatures let Emiel generate infinite blinks for game-ending payoffs.
- Tokens/+1/+1 Counters — The second ability rewards going wide and grows creatures into a beatdown threat.
- Ramp Midrange — GW mana dorks and ETB ramp feed Emiel's expensive activations and big payoff creatures.
Combos
- Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Emiel the Blessed + Gaea's Cradle
→ Infinite blinking, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB
- Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Emiel the Blessed + Bloom Tender
→ Infinite LTB, Infinite ETB, Infinite blinking
- Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Emiel the Blessed + Mana Vault
→ Infinite LTB, Infinite ETB
- Emiel the Blessed + Enduring Vitality
→ Infinite ETB, Infinite colored mana, Infinite creature tokens with haste
- Derevi, Empyrial Tactician + Emiel the Blessed + Faeburrow Elder
→ Infinite LTB, Infinite ETB, Infinite blinking
Combos via Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (GW), by popularity.
