General Ferrous RokiricGeneral Ferrous Rokiric | Art by Matthew Stewart

Greetings and salutations, my dear brewers, from a place the sun has decided to scorch this summer. I'm Arnaud and I'm thrilled to take you on a journey of blood and gold, of joy and suffering, of clanks and bolts.

Before heading towards this week's commander, let's take a look at the poll. Last time, I asked you what the best answer to this very question was. I'm happy to say you didn't disappoint. 35 of you (39%) considered that the best answer was 42. Fellow Hitchhikers, I salute you.

Then 29 people (32%) thought the best one was The Answer D. I'm assuming at least some of you have watched Qui veut gagner de l'argent en masse (let me know in the comments, I'm curious!). Good old Obi-Wan Kenobi got 14 votes (16%). Well played, General.

Finally, Banana earned 12 votes (13%), because BANANAAAAAAA!!!

Now that this essential issue is solved, let's turn to the less important matters. Namely, this week's commander, General Ferrous RokiricGeneral Ferrous Rokiric.

This is a fun and straightforward creature, that provides a slew of beefy bodies whenever you cast a multicolored spell. The "hexproof from monocolored" is a nice and unusual touch, turning off most of the best targeted removal spells.

Without further dilly-dallying, let's grab each and every card from the EDHREC page, both for the regular and budget suggestions and throw them all into Archidekt.

This yields 269 cards. Huh. That's rather low compared to the usual builds. Let's continue.

First Trim - Ferrous Is Related to Iron, not Gold

I apologize to all those of you who have been following this series for a while, as this is where I make my usual rant for newcomers.

First, welcome! Second, what's this about? Glad you asked. In Trims, I try to build a deck from all the cards available on the related EDHREC page, with one constraint: no card worth $1.11 or more may be used.

With this in mind, let's begin by axing everything above the $2 mark. This leaves 202 cards.

Before axing the rest of the bling, let's take a look at the best cards in the $1.11-$2 range. You know, just in case...

• Idol of OblivionIdol of Oblivion: Rhaaaaaaa, $1.11!!! Seriously! Look, I don't care. Play this card in any token decks you build. It's a no-brainer.
• Relic of LegendsRelic of Legends: This is a cute outlet, yet I question its use here...
• Aurelia, the Law AboveAurelia, the Law Above: Yet another great draw outlet gone.
• Tempered SteelTempered Steel: Excellent anthem, especially in here.
• Aegis of the LegionAegis of the Legion: Steep equip cost, but the evasion is nice, and the Shield counter even more so.
• Chance for GloryChance for Glory: No guts...no guts.

This leaves the following in the $1-$1.10 range:

• Fabled PassageFabled Passage: I'm so happy this excellent fetchland has dropped so low!
• Pillar of the ParunsPillar of the Paruns: Usually a very bad land, here it's a great fixer.
• VandalblastVandalblast: Classic artifact management tool.
• Fight to the DeathFight to the Death: Cheap removal that's both colors. Lovely. Fun fact, the Marvel version is almost six times cheaper than the one from Shards of Alara. 

Down to 193 cards. This will be a quick one.

Second Trim - Eat Your Veggies, Kids!

This is one of the rare cases where I jump ahead on the theme. As much as possible, I'm going to prioritize multicolored cards.

However, there's a caveat. You're in Boros, so you need all the help you can get to keep your hand full of stuff to cast.

To this end, you need a very solid draw package. I'm keeping at least 13-14 card advantage outlets. This deck needs several key pieces to function, and that can't be done if your hand is empty.

Protection is also going to be paramount. Your commander is key to your strategy. No Ferrous, no Golems, no Golems, no win. It's as simple as that. So protection pieces are going to be essential. I'm actually going to add a few that are sorely missing.

Ramp is rather straightforward. This deck should be on the lower end of the mana curve, so 10-ish pieces should be adequate.

Removal is going to undergo quite the scrutiny, as I will strive to keep only the best multicolored outlets therein.

As it stands, this is what the list contains:

Let's cut.

Regarding the additions, I'm choosing the following:

• Borrowed KnowledgeBorrowed Knowledge: The probability that someone around the table will have a high card count is high. Worst case scenario, you recycle your hand.
• Joined ResearchersJoined Researchers: This will make you everyone's best friend.
• Brave the ElementsBrave the Elements: It won't save from a board wipe, but it will negate a Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act, or allow you to block unexpectedly.

This leads to 147 cards. Let's get to the fun part.

Third Trim - No Clowning Around

As I hinted before, the general strategy is very straightforward: get Rokiric on the field, cast a bunch of cheap multicolored spells, make Golems, boop faces.

Now that all the administrative work has been dealt with, let's have a look at what's left.

First, there's a hefty Anthems package. And while it looks cute on paper, it's also rather intensive, mana-wise. So a lot of these will simply go away.

Second, I'm seeing a lot of token-makers. It's not a bad idea per se, but since the good General is already providing, I'm not sure these are that necessary here, save maybe for a couple of really good (and cheap) outlets.

Third, some recursion. I'm not 100% convinced the overall strategy really needs those.

Fourth, a pump, that leaves me rather perplexed. Most of these spells are either expensive, situational, or downright bad. I might keep a couple, but most will go.

Fifth, a slew of cheap creatures. I'm going to keep all of these, as they are the meat and bones of the deck.

Finally, some weird and unclassifiable stuff that will be promptly swept away.

Let's cut some more.

And with no special effort, the list is already down to 108 cards. Time to finish this.

Final Trim - Where Every Bit Counts

With eight cards left to cut, there's no definite decision. Each and every one that has made it this far is here for a reason.

So don't get mad if I remove your favorite outlet. At this point, it's down to arbitrary decisions.

This is what I'm removing:

• Arrows of JusticeArrows of Justice: Cute, but a tad expensive for my taste.
• Bell Borca, Spectral SergeantBell Borca, Spectral Sergeant: Very fun ability, but I want to lower the curve.
• Alibou, Ancient WitnessAlibou, Ancient Witness: This may come as a surprise. But I doubt the board will ever have more than four or five tapped artifacts at any given time. And it's five mana.
• Outlaws' MerrimentOutlaws' Merriment: Quite expensive spell with no immediate effect.
• Skyknight LegionnaireSkyknight Legionnaire: Not impactful enough for the cost.
• Skyknight VanguardSkyknight Vanguard: Same.
• Deafening ClarionDeafening Clarion: Three damage is not really strong enough, and giving lifelink is cute, but nothing more.
• Sami, Wildcat CaptainSami, Wildcat Captain: Don't get me wrong. This is an exceptional card. But most of the relevant spells have a lot of colored pips and little else. So I fear she won't be that effective.
• Symmetry MatrixSymmetry Matrix: Nice effect, but too expensive, as well as mana intensive in the long run.

Wait, that's nine cards cut?

That's right. I'm adding SpitemareSpitemare to the mix. Boros ReckonerBoros Reckoner is already an excellent deterrent, so you might as well double up.

And with this, I give you...

The Deck List

Additional Trim - A Look Into the Past

Much as I love devising new budget decks every two weeks, I can't help but feel it's an ephemeral work. So far, I have yet to build a deck that can truly stand the test of time and contain no card worth more than $1.10, even after a year and a half.

Sadly, for good old Graaz, this isn't meant to be. See for yourself:

• Idol of OblivionIdol of Oblivion: $1.11
• Karn, Living LegacyKarn, Living Legacy: $1.13
• Selective ObliterationSelective Obliteration: $1.28
• Skyclave RelicSkyclave Relic: $1.37
• Geier Reach SanitariumGeier Reach Sanitarium: $1.44
• Scrap TrawlerScrap Trawler: $1.45
• Ugin, the IneffableUgin, the Ineffable: $1.59
• Mystic ForgeMystic Forge: $2.40 (!)
• Inquisitorial RosetteInquisitorial Rosette: $2.43 (!)
• NettlecystNettlecyst: $2.93 (!)
• Eldrazi ConfluenceEldrazi Confluence: $12.12 (seriously what???)

So. 11 cards to replace. I've known easier ordeals, especially in a colorless deck.

• Rogue's PassageRogue's Passage: Will make do for the lost land.
• Solemn SimulacrumSolemn Simulacrum: Ramp never hurts, especially here.
• Worn PowerstoneWorn Powerstone: Same.
• MirrexMirrex: Not the best land, but can create creatures in a pinch.
• Gruesome SlaughterGruesome Slaughter: With Graaz out and a few creatures, can be very effective.
• Automated ArtificerAutomated Artificer: I'll never scoff at a two mana rock.
• Idol of False GodsIdol of False Gods: Make more creatures, and ramp if need be.
• Nuisance EngineNuisance Engine: Same, but worse.
• Thopter AssemblyThopter Assembly: Yes it's clunky. But it's also a massive array of bodies for Graaz.
• Spatial ContortionSpatial Contortion: In colorless, you can't be picky about removal.
• Introduction to AnnihilationIntroduction to Annihilation: Same as above.

You can find the updated list here.

Conclusion

It's already the end. Congratulations if you made it this far. I hope you enjoyed this journey.

Do you play Rokiric? Plan to build him? Did I make any blatant mistakes or omissions?

Let me know in the comments below, and I'll see you, as always, in two weeks for the next Trim!

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