This is one of the best Volo deck techs out there that doesn't fall into the common mistakes like Guardian Project while explaining clearly why they don't work. Great job!

I highly recommend Sphinx of the Second Sun as a budget (or fun) replacement for Consecrated Sphinx. Getting two of them with Volo means 2 additional beginning phases, which can get super out of control. Also, not hard to ramp into 8 mana to cast in simic.

This is by far may favorite magic series on KZfaq. Really digging both the upgrades and budget sections.

Two suggestions! Evacuation is particularly good because of the instant speed, but I also really enjoy Flood of Tears. Played it in Yarok, which has a similar strategy. Lets you boardwipe while immediately "replaying" your commander so that you can get right back to recasting all your value creatures for tons of value! Also, the mutate mechanic is particularly fun with Volo. It probably requires a more dedicated build than just throwing one or two in (though that might work for some cards), but that's something fun to consider.

Great reminder about those advanced filters

I revamped my entire orvar deck when I found out about sharding sphynx. It's such an awesome card!

Im only just now creating a Volo deck and there were some really good suggestions here- thanks

These videos are insanely helpful. I’ve used them to upgrade my decks on multiple occasions. Keep it up my man! P.S. I need you to make a Toshiro Umezawa “Uping the Average”. 💯🤣💀

wow. i love the interaction lesson also.

I feel like Tishana is always overlooked for Volo. Tishana being a Merfolk Shaman is rarely an issue. Tishana just rewards you so much for getting all those creatures

I chose to have the same creature type overlap that he addressed in this video but also chose to add some graveyard hate not only for meta reasons but also to Exile the overlapping creatures from the yard. I will definitely consider this list though

Love how the base deck has guardian project which does NOT even WORK!! Surprised you didn’t cover any of the mutate heavy interactions. I think that is partly why scute swarm is so popular

+courser of kruphix, dryad of ilysian grove -cultivate, kadoma's reach Both are enchantment/creatures which synergize with eidolon of blossoms and also greatly improves your ability to landfall. Should be a safe enough replacement since these creatures sit in the same mana slot and can provide a similar acceleration. This dryad is also a dryad, so you want to be careful about it colliding with tendershoot.

If you want to include a more budget friendly hydra in your list, might I recommend Ulvenwald Hydra? Speaking from experience having played Gargos in EDH since he came out in core 2020 (confusingly released in 2019), it does some work, fetching your best land (admittedly tapped) on etb, which is doubled by Volo, and then getting bigger and bigger the more lands you have makes it a huge threat. It may not have trample, but it does have reach to deal with pesky fliers.

I'd like to throw in First Responder. Giving your cards with nice ETB's back to your hand, while becoming ever more powerful and a threat on its own

I found this out while in Arena but mutate creatures are really sweet with Volo. While it can be clunkier getting copies of those mutate triggers is really strong and can grow out of control very fast.

i use a volo multiple token / +1+1 deck build that i made custom what was binkers was 5 hydras with a combine power of a bit over 51k dmg all with trample ( each hydra was at 10,246 +1+1 counter ) dubbled by each one on the atk triger and agen with Doubling seasion

I feel like every deck you choose is one I've brewed up or am considering. I was thinking of changing my Pir & Toothy (which is a Lorescale Coatl tribal) deck into Volo since the deck is so light on threats, and heavy on non-tribal, and doubling even one of them seems like it would end the game. But it seems like he might just be better in the 99.

I know its late to comment, but if you coild.make budget versions more, I'd really love that

I want to see Wulfgar of Icewind Dale and Drizzt on upping the average!

Isn't the big benefit of Man O War the ability to bounce itself and another permanent such as Peregrine Drake?

Glad someone else spotted the Troll

I personally like running Man-o-War in Volo on the grounds that the creatures you bounce can be your own. With MoW in hand, you gain the option of chump blocking with a couple of your token copies, then bringing their originals back to your hand to get doubled up again. I run cards like Split the Party for the same reason, and if you can find ways to reliably bounce Man-o-War you can be more aggressive with your token copies, because you can always just make more as long as you protect the card that they were copied from.

brain fart: if you were to go out of your way and added a vedalken orrery to the deck you could possibly flash in tanazir quandrix as a response to the attack trigger of kalonian hydra, essentially multiplying all +1/+1 counters on your board by 16

I found Echoing Equation and was surprised I’d never seen it before especially since I’ve been looking for more legend clone effects outside sakashimas double major and spark double

Man o War and Peregrine drake a an infinite mana combo too

Intersting choice with the Primordial over the Archeic. Primordrial is a one time hit, unless you make more copies further down the line. Whereas the Archeic's effect and its detterance stays on the board, especially if there are two. A one-sided boardwipe is incoming? Sure, pay 4 or I'll also wipe. Removal? Sure, pay 4 or I'mma remove two of you things. Cultivate? Sure, pay 4 or I'll ramp myself to oblivion. With the Primordial, it could be a wiff if the yards are not stacked with good spells.

If sparkdouble is in i would also recommend sakashima of thousand faces. so more vololooooo fun :) btw how many would it be if you cast them after the others are in? xD

May I suggest a shapeshifter that is not really well known? (Well imo since my play group hasn't heard of it really) It's Vesuvan Doppelganger (honestly I play it over clone or cleaver impersonator ( but that's just me)... sure it's 5 mana but the flexibility it has to change into ANY creature during your upkeep.... and especially having 2 of them with Volo is insane... I know it's on the more expensive side since it hasn't been printed since 3rd edition. but MAN it's soooo good. Your opponents have to be mindful of what creatures they are playing every turn. One of my absolute favorite cards of all time :)

Can we get a Jhoira weatherlight captain upping the average?

Is the average deck list running recycle effects? Quandrix Command could serve multiple functions in a Volo.

What's your take on Cemetery Illuminator, Cemetery Prowler and Tidal Barracuda? Both Cemetery's have build in graveyard hate or allow you to have some overlapping creature types and both effects seem extremely good for this kind of deck, especially considering their low mana cost, non-legendary status and relatively rare creature type. Tidal Barracuda just seems fun for a multiplayer game :)

Can you do ruric thar next?

Please Krenko next !!!!

Does master biomancer and volo work together or no??

Im pretty sure bogbeast will only trigger for +4 because it's and on attack not an ETB

I need to ask as it don't seem to make sense to me but why would Blossoming Bogbeast get +6 and not +4. Ive read to card a few times and it seems to only give +4.

random question, would you add support to pauper commander? i wanna make an Arvad The Cursed deck

13:07 Really raggin on Man-o-War huh :(

Scute Swarm is stronger than Hornet Queen, but I prefer the Queen for Volo. It’s a Panharmonicon deck, I gotta have my etbs. Some other creatures I really like that generate good value for Volo are Cloud of Faeries (Faerie), Loyal Guardian (Rhino), Ice-Fang Coatl (Snake), and Pyknite (Ouphe). I like Thrashing Brontodon (Dinosaur) and Uktabi Kong (Ape) for some removal as well. I also like Lithoform Engine as well for an extra, albeit more expensive Panharmonicon effect.

My chest dropped when het cut Man-o-war, that's a combo machine especially in volo

The jellyfish can bounce your own stuff, the clone can bounce something and the original Itself. Did some really good work when I played it

Is there anyway to contact you to ask you to do a Upping the Average on a deck? I was looking for construct commander and I found "Urza, Lord High Artificer " and was wondering if you could do a video on it for me! Cause you know WAY more then I do and it really helps! Thanks a bunch! Have a good//Day//Night//Evening lol

That budget section was long. Magic is really getting more expensive all the time, especially for these very playable staples. Every time I thought Joey was done, he just kept going.

How would you attack with two kalonian hydras when they are legendary?

While you don't get double Cascade triggers off of Apex Devastator the four cascades can still lead to some blowout turns depending on what you flip. I decided to lean into a Cascade subtheme in my Volo list because I love spinning the wheel. Sweet-Gum Recluse is amazing for this. Modal Counterspell cards have helped smooth out the experience in this list too, You Find the Villains' Lair has been great because if I cascade into it I can still use it. I also like mutate (Gemrazer and Sawtusk Demolisher) and you can do cheeky things with putting the the mutate under the creature to preserve creature types.

2:02 biogenic ooze is better

First!

Desolation twin: You're welcome whoever you are.

Try Barishi for a unique add. 🙃

Resculpt is better than reality shift imo. Def deserves a slot in the removal suite.

I love this series, but I honestly think you should give the commanders some time before doing the video on them. Also, there are a lot of popular commanders that are more established that you can do the videos for

I don't think "upping the average" makes sense for Commanders that recently came out. I'd like this series better if you focused on older Commanders that have a big data set and have had more time for that date to coalesce. How does that sound?

Man-'o-War isn't just removal: You can bounce your OWN creature back to your hand, to get another ETB and/or token copy of it. I love Man-'o-War in ETB decks/decks that make token copies of entering creatures (Riku too, for example) and it's well worth a second chance in this deck!

I think the point of the Man-o'-War is to bounce your own creatures, re-cast them, and end up with the original plus 2 copies.

Eh ngl, Your commander actually makes the Drake combo more complicated, And adds the extra step of needing to bounce the token copy of the Drake too. IMO Better off just playing deadeye navigator and more creature tutors

2:57 why are you bounceing the token just make infinite drakes

I really dont like this commander. In theory it's nice but in practice everything costs to much to play, it's slow to build, and a single board wipe puts you back so far you can't recover. It's fun jank but expect to lose, alot.

I'm already SO SICK of Volo. I refuse to play against him in Arena Brawl (unless I'm playing my removal-heavy Killian) and if I see him across the table in an EDH game, that is the ONLY player I'm targeting until they have an insane commander tax or are dead. He creates WAY too much value.