Marvel Super Heroes Deck Tech: Hit-Monkey

<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kibo, Uktabi Prince|j22|835" href="#" target="_blank">Kibo, Uktabi Prince</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by Filipe Pagliuso</span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week, we’re getting down and dirty. Damn dirty. Damn dirty apes, as Charleton Heston would say. This deck is about seriously smashing simulacrums. No monkey business here: we’re building Ape Typal!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Magic</em> has been going Ape since its inception, with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kird Ape" href="#" target="_blank">Kird Ape</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a staple of Zoo decks and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Uktabi Orangutan" href="#" target="_blank">Uktabi Orangutan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s famous for…other reasons. Even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gorilla Shaman" href="#" target="_blank">Gorilla Shaman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was nicknamed “Mox Monkey” for its penchant for chewing pendants (though it must be said: Gorillas are apes, not monkeys).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how do we go Ape in Commander? What do Apes do, and why are those things good?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kibo, Uktabi Prince"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Apes haven't always had a cohesive identity, and several of those in the deck are there simply to have a number of bodies, there are some through lines. The key to connecting these is the centerpiece of today’s Commander deck, who isn't an Ape at all, but a Monkey: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kibo, Uktabi Prince" href="#" target="_blank">Kibo, Uktabi Prince</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kibo, Uktabi Prince" href="#" target="_blank">Kibo, Uktabi Prince</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Uktabi Orangutan"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gorilla Shaman"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the through lines we can already see from the famous Apes is that both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Uktabi Orangutan" href="#" target="_blank">Uktabi Orangutan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gorilla Shaman" href="#" target="_blank">Gorilla Shaman</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> destroy artifacts. </span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gorilla Titan"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The ability that brings the Ape deck together is the middle one: Whenever an opponent’s artifact dies, each of our Apes and Monkeys gets a +1/+1 counter. These counters are the key to making our Apes go super simian, making them big and threatening damage greater than or equal to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gorilla Titan" href="#" target="_blank">Gorilla Titan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>’s banana.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking of bananas, Kibo gives each player a Banana token that they can sacrifice to add green or red mana and gain two life. These Bananas are artifacts, so, when they die, we get Kibo triggers. We don’t even have to blow them up!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And our commander certainly does love blowing artifacts up. Not only does he give opponents artifacts to blow up, not only does he grow our Apes when they do blow up, he makes whomever he’s attacking sacrifice an artifact on attack!</span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kibo, Uktabi Prince" href="#" target="_blank">Kibo, Uktabi Prince</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liquimetal Coating"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liquimetal Torque"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Artifacts have gotten increasingly powerful as time has gone on, and most decks will have juicy targets, from Voltron Equipment to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark-Clan Ironworks" href="#" target="_blank">Krark-Clan Ironworks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> combos to mana rocks, with or without upside. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some opponents won’t give us great targets, however, and some great targets won’t be artifacts. That’s where cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liquimetal Coating" href="#" target="_blank">Liquimetal Coating</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liquimetal Torque" href="#" target="_blank">Liquimetal Torque</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> come in, letting us blow up any problem permanent with our Apes.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pain Distributor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Magnetic Mine"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While growing our Apes with Kibo’s counters is a strong path to victory, Kibo won’t always be out, and the ability might not be enough, either. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pain Distributor" href="#" target="_blank">Pain Distributor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magnetic Mine" href="#" target="_blank">Magnetic Mine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provide direct damage and make opponents think twice about greedily using the tokens we give them.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Herald&#039;s Horn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Guardian Project"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lifecrafter&#039;s Bestiary"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As with many of these aggro-esque typal decks, we need card draw. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herald&#039;s Horn" href="#" target="_blank">Herald&#039;s Horn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might not seem like the best example of velocity, but it is a solid cost reducer that can draw a few extra cards over the course of the game and works well with repeatable draw like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guardian Project" href="#" target="_blank">Guardian Project</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lifecrafter&#039;s Bestiary" href="#" target="_blank">Lifecrafter&#039;s Bestiary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> because those cards help to churn out cards when we chain creature spells.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rogue&#039;s Passage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kessig Wolf Run"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skarrg, the Rage Pits"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our nonbasic lands help to push through damage with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rogue&#039;s Passage" href="#" target="_blank">Rogue&#039;s Passage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kessig Wolf Run" href="#" target="_blank">Kessig Wolf Run</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skarrg, the Rage Pits" href="#" target="_blank">Skarrg, the Rage Pits</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all helping us bash in with our Apes adorned in layers of counters. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our opponents will be as buried as the Statue of Liberty at the end of Planet of the Apes.</span></p>
<h2>How Does This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kibo, Uktabi Prince" href="#" target="_blank">Kibo, Uktabi Prince</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander Deck Win?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our primary aim is to put Apes on the battlefield while disrupting key permanents, especially artifacts. We have the secondary plan of benefitting off of those artifacts blowing up, giving the deck reach.</span></p>
<h2>Kibo, Uktabi Prince Commander Deck List</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Kibo, Uktabi Prince Commander Deck TechKibo, Uktabi Prince" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Kibo, Uktabi Prince
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Ancient Silverback
*1 Bane of Progress
*1 Barbary Apes
*1 Bloodroot Apothecary
*1 Fangren Marauder
*1 Ferocious Tigorilla
*1 Gearbane Orangutan
*1 Generous Plunderer
*1 Goblin Engineer
*1 Gorilla Berserkers
*1 Gorilla Chieftain
*1 Gorilla Shaman
*1 Gorilla Titan
*1 Grunn, the Lonely King
*1 Hooting Mandrills
*1 Jolene, the Plunder Queen
*1 Karn, Silver Golem
*1 Kird Ape
*1 Kird Chieftain
*1 Kogla and Yidaro
*1 Kogla, the Titan Ape
*1 Kuldotha Forgemaster
*1 Myr Landshaper
*1 Pain Distributor
*1 Raging Gorilla
*1 Ravenous Baboons
*1 Sardian Avenger
*1 Scrounging Bandar
*1 Silverback Elder
*1 Silverback Shaman
*1 Simian Simulacrum
*1 Simian Sling
*1 Simian Spirit Guide
*1 Summit Apes
*1 Towering Gibbon
*1 Toymaker
*1 Tree Monkey
*1 Uktabi Orangutan
*1 Wily Bandar
*1 Yavimaya Steelcrusher
*1 Zodiac Monkey
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Herald&#039;s Horn
*1 Lifecrafter&#039;s Bestiary
*1 Liquimetal Coating
*1 Liquimetal Torque
*1 Magnetic Mine
*1 Mycosynth Lattice
*1 Transmutation Font
*1 Vanquisher&#039;s Banner
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Bestial Fury
*1 Cindervines
*1 Colossal Majesty
*1 Court of Garenbrig
*1 Garruk&#039;s Uprising
*1 Guardian Project
*1 Titania&#039;s Song
*1 Tribute to the World Tree
*1 Viridian Revel
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Vandalblast
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Arch of Orazca
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Boseiju, Who Endures
*1 Cavern of Souls
*1 Command Tower
*15 Forest
*1 Kessig Wolf Run
*1 Mosswort Bridge
*15 Mountain
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Skarrg, the Rage Pits
[/Lands]"></span></div></span></p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Apes are a fun puzzle to figure out, as they don’t have clear synergies or pushed support cards. Quite a lot of them destroy artifacts, however, which is an intriguing way to make Gruul smash surprisingly cerebral.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how would <em>you</em> build Apes? And do you think we captured their disdain for technology?</span></p>
<p><em>Editor's Note: Though many older </em>Magic <em>cards used the terms "ape" and "monkey" interchangeably - and incorrectly (see: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zodiac Monkey" href="#" target="_blank">Zodiac Monkey</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (typed as Ape) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Monkey Cage" href="#" target="_blank">Monkey Cage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which originally made Ape tokens) - "ape" and "monkey" are </em>not <em>interchangeable terms. Apes and monkeys are, in fact, different animals. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-monkeys-and-apes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more here</a>.</em></p>
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monkey

Marvel Super Heroes Deck Tech: Hit-Monkey

Building Ape Typal Commander With Kibo, Uktabi Prince