RedLegendary Artifact Creature — RobotThe Motherlode, Excavator
Mana value5Rank#7,509
The Commander
When The Motherlode enters, choose target opponent. You get an amount of 
(energy counters) equal to the number of nonbasic lands that player controls.
Whenever The Motherlode attacks, you may pay . When you do, destroy target nonbasic land defending player controls, and creatures that player controls without flying can't block this turn.
Guide
Gameplan
Drop The Motherlode and swing in as a 5-mana evasive beater that strips opponents of their best nonbasic lands while their team can't block. You generate energy off enemy nonbasic counts, then dump four energy per combat to blow up a land and push damage through, slowly choking ramp/utility-land decks out of the game.
Strengths
- Repeatable, mana-free nonbasic land destruction that punishes greedy manabases and utility-land piles
- Built-in evasion enabler (non-flyers can't block) makes it a credible Voltron threat
- Cheap to cast for its impact and refunds itself as an artifact with token/treasure synergies
- Mono-red keeps the manabase consistent and lets you lean on red's strong artifact/aggro support
Weaknesses
- Energy income is matchup-dependent—decks running mostly basics give you nothing on ETB
- Single-target land destruction is too slow to stop combo or go-wide token decks alone
- Mono-red lacks card advantage and removal flexibility, so a single board wipe sets you way back
- Needs energy fuel beyond the commander, and red's energy pool is thin
Key Cards
- Aetherworks Marvel — Banks energy and converts a surplus into free spells, turning your land-hate engine into card advantage.
- Aether Hub — Cheap energy fixing that tops off your pool to reliably hit the attack trigger.
- Embercleave — Cheap with an evasive attacker who clears blockers, letting The Motherlode end games fast.
- Hellkite Tyrant — Doubles down on the artifact/land-pressure plan and offers an alternate win when opponents are starved.
- Inkmoth Nexus — Cheap energy source via Voltaic-style payoffs and a flyer that dodges the can't-block clause itself.
- Sword of the Animist — Ramps you while attacking, fueling more big swings and keeping pace despite mono-red's mana ceiling.
Upgrade Path
Lean harder into energy generators (Voltaic Servant, Whirler Virtuoso effects, Aether Hub, Inkmoth Nexus) so you can fire the destroy trigger every turn, and add equipment like Embercleave, Sword of Feast and Famine, and Hexproof/protection (Robe of Stars, Lightning Greaves) to make it a reliable Voltron threat. Round out with red artifact ramp (Mana Crypt, Treasure makers) and a couple of mass nonbasic-hate pieces like Armageddon-adjacent effects only if your group tolerates them; otherwise prioritize card draw such as Wheel effects to offset mono-red's grind.
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
- ▸Voltron commander damage off The Motherlode with Embercleave or swords while blockers are locked
- ▸Mana-denial grind that strands opponents off their nonbasics until they can't function
- ▸Big-mana red payoffs (Hellkite Tyrant, large dragons/eldrazi) closing once opponents are crippled
Archetypes
- Land Destruction / Stax — Repeatable nonbasic destruction with no mana cost can grind opponents off their key lands and ramp.
- Voltron Aggro — Its evasion clause and artifact-creature body let you suit it up and connect for lethal commander damage.
- Energy Synergy — It generates energy on entry, supporting a Kaladesh-block energy shell with payoffs like Aetherworks Marvel.
- Artifacts / Treasure — As an artifact creature it slots into red artifact decks that exploit treasures and cheap equipment.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (R), by popularity.
