The Commander
Menace (This creature can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.)
Spells you cast that target a creature cost 
less to cast.
Guide
Gameplan
Killian is a Voltron/spellslinger commander that makes your targeted removal, auras, and combat tricks dramatically cheaper, letting you protect and pump him while attacking with lifelink and menace. You curve out cheap interaction, build him into an evasive threat, and grind value with discounted spells until you deal lethal commander damage or out-attrit the table.
Strengths
- Built-in evasion (menace) and lifegain (lifelink) make him a fast, resilient attacker
- The discount makes targeted auras, removal, and pump spells absurdly efficient
- Two-mana commander recasts cheaply, hard to keep down for good
- Cheap interaction means you can answer threats while advancing your own plan
Weaknesses
- Aura/Voltron strategies are vulnerable to a single removal spell (two-for-one blowouts)
- The discount only applies to targeted spells, not creatures or noncreature permanents broadly
- Color identity lacks ramp and card advantage compared to other pairs
- Removal-heavy or go-wide tables can race or chump-block around him
Key Cards
- Ethereal Armor — Cheap aura that scales hard with your enchantment count and grants first strike for safe attacks.
- Snake Umbra — Totem armor protects Killian from removal while drawing cards on combat damage.
- All That Glitters — Discounted aura that gives a massive buff based on artifacts and enchantments.
- Shadowspear — Trample plus the ability to strip hexproof/indestructible from blockers makes lethal swings reliable.
- Sram, Senior Edificer — Refills your hand every time you cast an aura or equipment, fixing card advantage.
- Sun Titan — Recurs fallen auras and cheap permanents to rebuild after removal.
Upgrade Path
Add resilience and protection—Flickerwisp-style saves, Greaves/Boots, and totem armors (Snake/Bear Umbra) to dodge removal, plus more cheap card draw (Sram, On Serra's Wings, Light-Paws). Tighten the curve with the most efficient discounted removal (Swords to Plowshares, Anguished Unmaking, Murderous Cut) and add fast mana like Sol Ring and Arcane Signet to deploy Killian and protection in the same turn. Lean into recursion (Sun Titan, Open the Graves, Hall of Heliod's Generosity) so two-for-ones on your auras don't end the game.
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
- ▸Lethal commander damage via buffed menace attacks
- ▸Grinding the table down with cheap removal and lifelink advantage
- ▸Aura/equipment voltron one-shots with trample from Shadowspear
Archetypes
- Voltron — Cheap discounted auras and equipment turn an evasive lifelinker into a fast commander-damage threat.
- Spellslinger — Every targeted removal spell, buff, and trick costs less, enabling an aggressive interactive build.
- Control — Discounted single-target removal lets you efficiently police the table while chipping in damage.
- Lifegain — Lifelink plus extort and lifegain payoffs can pivot into a value/drain shell.
Combos
- Killian, Ink Duelist + Fallen Ideal + Monastery Mentor + Pitiless Plunderer
→ Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB
- Killian, Ink Duelist + Ghostly Flicker + Archaeomancer
→ Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite magecraft triggers
- Killian, Ink Duelist + Enduring Renewal + Phyrexian Altar + Cubwarden
→ Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB
- Killian, Ink Duelist + Ghostly Flicker + Scholar of the Ages
→ Return all instant and sorcery cards from your graveyard to your hand, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB
- Killian, Ink Duelist + Ghostly Flicker + Salvager of Secrets
→ Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite magecraft triggers
Combos via Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (BW), by popularity.
