Spring League 2023 - Low Power
In 2023, we started an EDH league for the power levels Battlecruiser, Low Power, and Mid Power. It didn’t seem logistically doable to make a tournament with time constraints for these power levels—PlayMAX has a 70-minute round timer—due to the slower nature of the decks being played there, and we were looking for a replacement for our monthly ‘Patreon Game Day’ and landed on the idea of a league.
This league is divided into four seasons per year, with Spring League starting in February and ending in April. At the end of the season, players move to a top 16 within their power level and battle it out in a final match where one player per power level would be considered that season’s winner.
The winners of the league received a Commander Legends Extended Art Foil Sol Ring and Arcane Signet.
In addition, everyone who made it to the top 4 in each power level gets one of each Mystical Archive Swords to Plowshares, Counterspell, Dark Ritual, Chaos Warp and Krosan Grip!
I sat down with the winner of the Low Power Spring League—a long-time member of PlayEDH known as ultramonkeydude—to talk about the deck that he played and his experience during the Spring League.
Chief: Before we get started, let me congratulate you on winning the Spring Weekend League for Low Power. You were playing The Ur-Dragon during the event. Can you tell me about what made you decide to brew this deck and why you chose to play it during the event?
ultramonkeydude: Thank you for the congratulations. I made this deck quite a while back, around 2018. I decided to brew The Ur-Dragon as I have had a lot of fun playing dragons in the past. I first learned to play magic by playing Duel Decks: Knights vs. Dragons. I also played a lot of Limited and Standard when Tarkir was in rotation. I really like finding homes for janky dragons. I decided to play it during the event as it is my only Low Power deck.
Chief: What do you like the most about Low Power? Is there anything that stands out to you in comparison to the other curated power levels?
ultramonkeydude: The #1 thing that I love about Low Power is the variety of commanders I see. Each color combination seems to have a ton of different of commanders that are played. I love seeing the homebrews that people bring to the table. It seems like games are more lighthearted in Low Power as well. I seem to always have a good time.
Chief: What did you think of the Weekend League and the Invitational overall? Are you planning to try to run it back in the future?
ultramonkeydude: I thought it was great fun. It’s nice to be able to play. The Invitational was great I am definitely looking forward to the summer league I think that I’m switching power levels for this next season to keep it fresh.
Chief: I’m excited to see what you decide to play next, but I think that we’ll focus on the deck that you played during the Spring League from here on out. Can you tell me about what makes The Ur-Dragon an appealing commander for you?
ultramonkeydude: I like that it’s very conducive of very large flashy turns. It also draws the eyes and ire of the whole table. I enjoy the being the threat at the table and The Ur-Dragon lets me do that.
Chief: Can you tell me about some of your favorite cards and any hidden gems that you’re playing in the 99?
ultramonkeydude: Definitely the two cards I would like to highlight that always overperform for me when I play them are Kolaghan, the Storm’s Fury and Silumgar, the Drifting Death. Each time I play either of them they seem to have a huge impact on the game.
Chief: Did either of these cards come up during the Invitational matches?
ultramonkeydude: Yes, there was a game where Silumgar was a big factor. I had Scion of the Ur-Dragon out while an opponent had a very wide board with lots of 3/3 creatures. I was able to tutor for Silumgar with Scion’s ability allowing me to wipe a board that was a big threat to me at the time.
Chief: We love to see it. Well, I’d imagine that your opponent might have been less excited about it than we are. Can you tell me about some other things that your deck likes to do?
ultramonkeydude: My favorite line of play is when I have a cost reducer like Urza’s Incubator and Morophon, the Boundless out. If I happen to cast a card like Tiamat, I can usually cast three to five Dragons in a single turn. This can end up being a crazy turn, especially with all the haste enablers I have. It doesn’t happen often but it’s glorious whenever it does!
Chief: Yikes! That sounds pretty scary. I noticed that you run very few creatures that aren’t Dragons. Do you think that it’s hard to stay on-theme?
ultramonkeydude: I think that I prefer to stick to theme. While the deck can be more optimal by playing cards like Esper Sentinel and maybe some more mana dorks, I really don’t want to give up the identity or flavor of the deck to do so. The Ur-Dragon provides a cost reduction as-is so can accelerate plenty fast for Low Power. I do run a few cards like Dragonspeaker Shaman but they’re cards that work with my deck.
Chief: I can appreciate that. I’m actually in the process of building an Angel deck right now and I want to avoid running too many creatures that aren’t Angels. Are there any other cards in this deck that you want to highlight?
ultramonkeydude: I would say some of the other cards that are true MVPs are as follows: Dragonlord Dromoka is great when worried about interaction, plus the life gain can be really relevant when getting the attention of the table. Boros Charm can be so versatile as the double strike mode can often one-shot someone with The Ur-Dragon. It can also help dodge wipes or remove a creature or planeswalker in a pinch. Chromatic Orrery is great in any five-color deck and especially when casting big Dragons. Having Earthquake in the deck actually helped me win the final bouts of damage in one of the Invitational games and can also be a one-sided wipe.
Chief: I’m a big fan of Dromoka as well because I like stopping my opponents from stopping me. It definitely feels like you can get a lot of value out of all three modes on Boros Charm as well. Now that the Invitational is over, are there any new cards that you’re excited to try in the deck?
ultramonkeydude: I actually just picked up Last March of the Ents and I think this would be pretty cool in this deck because my commander is a 10/10. I also just learned about Cavern-Hoard Dragon, which looks like a sick card.
Chief: Both of those cards are awesome. In particular, I think that Cavern-Hoard Dragon is going to be extremely popular because people love to make Treasure tokens. Before we wrap things up, is there anything that you’d tell someone who isn’t sure about trying the Weekend League?
ultramonkeydude: If you’re reading this and not playing in the Weekend League, come join in the fun and maybe win some prizes. It’s a great time and you’re missing out by not giving it a chance!
Chief: Thank you so much for the kind words. I hope that we’ll have a chance to sit down again after the Summer Weekend League has concluded!
ultramonkeydude: Sounds good. It was great talking to you, Chief.
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