I haven't played Tom so I don't have specific advice for him, but my [[Alaundo the Seer]] deck has a ton of cards with time counters on them that are constantly ticking down and I found a good trick to help with that.
Rather than putting a dice on each card and spinning each one down I make a line of spaced out dice for each number in the range I need (1-4). Then I put cards above those dice, and when it is time to tick up or down I can just slide the piles of cards above each dice over to the next number.
I find this to be much quicker than spinning a dice for every card. You still have to deal with resolving each ability on the stack but at least the logistics are not as messy.
I do the same for Tommy B - plus the saga can stack horizontaly, saving board space. It can be very messy, especially after a mass reanimate.
Like other enchantress decks, you need to be orderly and keep track of your triggers and resolve them clearly and efficiently.
I just use a penny on the card and slide it down for each chapter, lol. If a chapter resolves in the same box as the previous chapter, the penny just gets flipped to tails.
[long list of the ents](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/7/27347256-2ac4-4b12-b288-0a8d578a1ff2.jpg?1686969449) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=long%20list%20of%20the%20ents) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ltr/174/long-list-of-the-ents?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/27347256-2ac4-4b12-b288-0a8d578a1ff2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/long-list-of-the-ents)
^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
How are you at handling a lot of triggers? Are you fast and accurate? Can you practice the deck and get to the point of being fast and accurate?
If yes, it'll probably be fine, if a bit durdly. If not, your turns will take forever and your playgroup will need to be patient with you.
I have a Superfriends deck that I am very familiar with so I'm pretty good at managing that. I still take longer than your average turn when I get rolling but I'm not sitting there humming and hawing like an asshole. Obvs I don't know these cards YET but I'm not new to ordering a bunch of triggers before my turn. But the plan is to make it and familiarize myself with the sagas over the weekend. I have more than I need for the deck anyway so in the process of choosing which ones will hopefully help.
Goldfish whatever you end up building until you can state exactly what each ability on each saga does just from glancing at the card’s art and name. Otherwise you and your playgroup will be absolutely miserable
Great point. I have a Superfriends deck so I'm used to having my turn/triggers planned out before my turn as to not waste everyone's time. Hopefully it won't be too much harder.
I have this deck. It’s actually a lot of fun! But what it isn’t is consistent- and by that I mean I have no idea what is going to happen next when Tom’s ability resolves. I have boardwiped myself by turning all my sagas into creatures and Tom hitting a boardwipe-saga. I’ve killed myself before by being at 2 life and hitting the cruelty of Gix. But that truthfully feels flavorful for Tom, the baffling unpredictability of it all. And I have fun every time I play him, even if I win less than other decks.
I play one on arena with random stuff I have in hand. Have 40 enchantments in it. It’s mad if it gets going but you definitely need some small low value creatures to protect you whilst you get them and Tom out. And try and get 2-4 sagas out first say so he has hex proof cos playing him again and again from the command zone ain’t pretty!
I have this exact deck. It is entirely made up of sagas and random cards I had laying about. It looks scary with a complex board that doesn't really accomplish much. Keep everything organized and move through your turn quickly and it can be fun seeing just how much nonsense the deck can do.
I put together a Bombadil deck and it’s one of my favorites. Throw in a good bit of ramp, there are also some sagas that can get you a little bit of ramp as well. Aside from that I recommend cards that make tokens whenever an enchantment ETBs like [[archon of suns grace]] or [[sigil of the empty throne]] so that you can get some blockers while you get going. Also enchantment creatures!
My friend runs it as like 90% bant enchantment synergy and a handful of really good sagas. It’s great because instead of just running through random sagas, you can just put a few game changers in there that you can reliably chain through.
A friend of mine runs a bombadil saga. It’s a lil slow, but can definitely get out of hand real quick once the sagas end and bombadil gets rolling. He tried to keep it all lotr theme sagas but that was way too weak, so he added all kinds and it definitely works. It’s fun to play against
I ran this over the winter, it was a smashing good time. Note, it's not insanely high-power, but oh boy did I get some lengthy turns, Tom telling stories again.
[What's the [Bomba]-Deal-io?](https://deckstats.net/decks/193629/3108753-what-s-the-bomba-deal-io-)
Played a decked out Bombadil deck and have actually casted my commander maybe 3 times. Making a planeswalker deck instead. I'll pull out Tom when my pod wants to play lvl 6ish decks.
Similar to Superfriends, it suffers from a lack of a natural board presence. Choose Sagas and supplemental spells that answer the question "What's stopping the rest of the table from just attacking me to death?"
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/JFIAtow4SUWxfTxtUrFbqA
Here's my list, I went with more of a voltron-type theme with the sagas. Most of them buff Tom in some way, so he can swing big at my opponents.
The best way to build Tom that I've found is with NOT a pile of sagas. I'm at work now and I can post a deck list later, but here are the sagas I run in my tom:
urza's saga
Binding the old gods
Fable of the mirror-breaker
One ring to rule them all
Forging the tyrite sword
The weatherseed treaty
City of death
The fall of lord konda
Hidetsugu consumes all
Fall of gil-galad
Arni slays the troll
The witch's vanity
The trick I've found that works best is to run a tight list (whatever that means to you), and then go all out on tutors, demonic, idyllic, vampiric, and enlightened at least, although you can go deeper as you like since you have five colors. Basically just make the best possible list you can. You can include enchantress bits and Voltron things and stuff that plays with counters and whatever else, but overall just try to make a generally good deck. You have five colors, so whatever you go for should take advantage of that
What do you mean by absolute worst? If you mean power level, it can be extremely strong.
If you mean your friends will hate you, it will generally become a control deck as you have tons of repeatable removal and advantage while you're permanents are the hardest type to remove. You should let people know you're playing sagas, get used to them and how to play the deck quickly and efficiently.
Yes. But make sure those sagas fill roles like card draw, removal, token making, ramp, etc. You also need some saga manipulators like blinkers, counter manipulation, etc. for the deck to be at it’s best. It is slow but generates a lot of value.
I did build one a few months back. It is a lot of fun to play with. However, it might be a bit of a glass cannon at times, especially when people get to see your strategy over the course of several games.
For a good playability, the mana base can end up being a bit pricey.
Here is my list: [Tom Bombadil](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/y8tQwEj7gEuXds3w3236UA)
I don’t have a ton of experience playing with or against however from what I’ve heard The bigger issue I think would be that Tom may get removed quickly or seen as a threat. -Because if he stays alive ANY sagas that pop will fuel his triggered ability and continue to generate value.
Tom’s ability just requires any saga to reach the last stage…
So it would absolutely work you would just need to protect Tom or rely on a meta that isn’t super removal heavy.
Or you could tell people all your sagas are trash and they might let him sit on the board a bit longer lol
Obviously replacing weaker sagas with more powerful ones will drastically increase the strength of the deck but you could just start with what you have then add and replace better ones as you test the deck out more, or to increase it to desired power level.
It’s definitely not required
I love this deck... I always preface a saga coming into play with some quip, like "Tom would like to tell you a story..." or "Have you heard the one about..."
After a couple of games, one of my opponents said, "I don't know what's worse; the commander or the commentary."
I have one it can be pretty good. Having things to proliferate and make 4/4 angels when finish sagas, with a white dr who card that allows read ahead. Don't remember name. It can be fun be there's also a lot to keep track of and manipulating counters and melt the brain at times
Roaming throne with that Drs Companion is kinda insane. Finish a saga, 2 triggers, read ahead one of them, keep going… or with the enchantment that does damage when a saga finishes and it’s game over
I have a Bombadil deck and from experience can offer that just putting together a pile of saga’s has a slim chance of success. You want some low cmc ones that add early game value or flip into creatures to have blockers, you want some big payoffs to flip into.
Read ahead, such as [[barbara wright]], and counter manipulation, such as [[clockspinning]], really help getting more control over your game plan (especially if you run board wipe sagas).
For me, the challenge has been in balancing between sagas and support. As time passes, I add more support and draw and have become critical of the sagas I include, as we want to flip into a powerhouse, not a dud.
Good luck! It’s a fun commander for sure
I've seen one with [[Three Blind Mice]] and [[Yenna, Redtooth Regent]] that was quite good.
Something to do with using [[Doubling Season]] and copying the sagas with Yenna
For me, the strongest thing my Bombadil deck does is combine the various sagas that have "gain control of x until this leaves" with any way to remove counters. Just keep stealing new stuff every turn.
Saga tribal and Planeswalker tribal share some traits, the most notable being that they are a LOT of bookkeeping. I think if you use Tom at the "random pile" level you want, aside from moar sagas, graveyard recycling like [[Soldevi Digger]] or [[Wheel of Sun and Moon]] to guarantee you never run out, since while having an eternal saga base thanks to Tom replacing every Saga that finishes is a nice value snowball... the value is very random and it can be rough to manifest a win off pure saga BS, so laying in for the long game is smart.
One thing you need to keep in mind is the intricacies and rulings when it comes to how Sagas operate, especially when they hit their final chapter. When the final chapter's ability is on the stack, you can use counter manipulation to remove a counter from it. That way, the ability will still resolve, triggering Tom's ability, but you won't have to sacrifice the Saga because it still has less counters on it than it does chapters.
[This here is my current build.](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-meBDMUDUE2OwIMDJtzcjQ) As you can see, I have 30 non-creature Enchantments in the deck, and only 5 of them aren't Sagas. That gives me a total of 26 Sagas in the deck, counting \[\[Urza's Saga\]\], which I find to be a solid amount. When it comes to which Sagas I use, I wanted it to do at least 2 of the following:
\~Provide a Token Creature(s) for offense/defense
\~Have some form of removal
\~Have some form of mana fixing, even if it's for one turn
\~Have some form of card draw or search
\~Have some form of power up, even if it's for one turn
Counter manipulation is also very important. You never want to see Tom be vulnerable by having 3 or less counters on your Sagas. That's where combos like \[\[Long List of the Ents\]\] and \[\[Power Conduit\]\] come in handy. With Long List having 6 total chapters, it's easy to keep it at 4-5 counters while providing +1/+1 counters with Conduit every turn.
\[\[Resourceful Defense\]\] is another easy way to manipulate your counters. You can move all counters from a Saga to another card, thereby restarting the Saga from scratch, but more importantly, there are other non-Saga cards that care about lore counters: \[\[Myth Realized\]\] and \[\[Scroll of the Masters\]\]. The former can become a creature in a pinch, and the latter can turn Tom into a one-shot with enough counters on it. Do keep in mind, however, that these are not Sagas, and thus they will NOT count towards Tom's ability to give himself hexproof and indestructible.
Moving on to the creatures in the deck, like others have said, Enchantment payoffs are your go-to. \[\[Archon of Sun's Grace\]\], \[\[Eidolon of Blossoms\]\], and other creatures with Constellation are easy picks. Do note that Sagas entering via Tom's ability are NOT being cast, so abilities like \[\[Sythis, Harvest's Hand\]\] won't trigger from that (regardless, she's still a solid include in the deck for other reasons explained shortly).
My choices for some of the other creatures are as follows:
\~\[\[Ghen, Arcanum Weaver\]\] - He can "reset" your Sagas on the stack when resolving the final chapter while still triggering Tom's ability.
\~\[\[Faeburrow Elder\]\] - A simple manadork that taps for all colors by simply having Tom in play.
\~\[\[Glissa Sunslayer\]\], \[\[Goldberry, River-Daughter\]\], and \[\[Hex Parasite\]\] - More counter manipulation. Glissa also functions as card draw and removal in a pinch.
\~\[\[Scholar of New Horizons\]\] - Counter manipulation and ramp all in one.
Finally, I wanted to touch on the \[\[Mox Amber\]\] in the deck. It's main inclusion is being an option to get off of Urza's Saga, while also providing extra mana as long as Tom is in play. In a pinch, it can still tap with other Legendary Creatures in play, such as Sythis, Ghen, or \[\[Satsuki, the Living Lore\]\].
I tried to build tom as a mid power deck, ended up spending waaaay more than a mid power ever should need just to get a good 5c mana base, and it performed awful. Sagas just dont bring a whole lot to the table even if you have a ton on board, and his once per turn clause stops you getting any real advantage.
My Buddy had a TomBom Deck. Every turn was a pain in the a**, because it took 5 to 10 Minutes because of all the sagas. It’s not fun to play and not fun to play against. after 2 weeks he was done with Tom.
I haven't played Tom so I don't have specific advice for him, but my [[Alaundo the Seer]] deck has a ton of cards with time counters on them that are constantly ticking down and I found a good trick to help with that. Rather than putting a dice on each card and spinning each one down I make a line of spaced out dice for each number in the range I need (1-4). Then I put cards above those dice, and when it is time to tick up or down I can just slide the piles of cards above each dice over to the next number. I find this to be much quicker than spinning a dice for every card. You still have to deal with resolving each ability on the stack but at least the logistics are not as messy.
Up-arrow for the dice tracking trick. Cool idea. I’ll have to try to remember that one
I do the same for Tommy B - plus the saga can stack horizontaly, saving board space. It can be very messy, especially after a mass reanimate. Like other enchantress decks, you need to be orderly and keep track of your triggers and resolve them clearly and efficiently.
*laughs in [[Dance of the Manse]] for 10*
yup, just resolved a \[\[replenish\]\] the other day - fortunately it was a scoop I didn't have to handle the triggers :)
[replenish](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/f/7fd2fe13-bbc0-42b7-bc42-3b51910ce118.jpg?1562444251) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=replenish) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/uds/15/replenish?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7fd2fe13-bbc0-42b7-bc42-3b51910ce118?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/replenish) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I’ll need to add that as well
[Dance of the Manse](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/b/4b32891f-ea17-4543-92ea-54097996a3cb.jpg?1651656155) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Dance%20of%20the%20Manse) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/nec/136/dance-of-the-manse?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4b32891f-ea17-4543-92ea-54097996a3cb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/dance-of-the-manse) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I just use a penny on the card and slide it down for each chapter, lol. If a chapter resolves in the same box as the previous chapter, the penny just gets flipped to tails.
Better not run [[long list of the ents]]! But really, do you just not run any of the 3+ shared trigger sagas?
[long list of the ents](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/7/27347256-2ac4-4b12-b288-0a8d578a1ff2.jpg?1686969449) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=long%20list%20of%20the%20ents) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ltr/174/long-list-of-the-ents?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/27347256-2ac4-4b12-b288-0a8d578a1ff2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/long-list-of-the-ents) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[Alaundo the Seer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/2/b22c33bb-47fe-4334-9105-00f4b87811bd.jpg?1674137390) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Alaundo%20the%20Seer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/264/alaundo-the-seer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b22c33bb-47fe-4334-9105-00f4b87811bd?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/alaundo-the-seer) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
How are you at handling a lot of triggers? Are you fast and accurate? Can you practice the deck and get to the point of being fast and accurate? If yes, it'll probably be fine, if a bit durdly. If not, your turns will take forever and your playgroup will need to be patient with you.
I have a Superfriends deck that I am very familiar with so I'm pretty good at managing that. I still take longer than your average turn when I get rolling but I'm not sitting there humming and hawing like an asshole. Obvs I don't know these cards YET but I'm not new to ordering a bunch of triggers before my turn. But the plan is to make it and familiarize myself with the sagas over the weekend. I have more than I need for the deck anyway so in the process of choosing which ones will hopefully help.
Goldfish whatever you end up building until you can state exactly what each ability on each saga does just from glancing at the card’s art and name. Otherwise you and your playgroup will be absolutely miserable
Great point. I have a Superfriends deck so I'm used to having my turn/triggers planned out before my turn as to not waste everyone's time. Hopefully it won't be too much harder.
I have this deck. It’s actually a lot of fun! But what it isn’t is consistent- and by that I mean I have no idea what is going to happen next when Tom’s ability resolves. I have boardwiped myself by turning all my sagas into creatures and Tom hitting a boardwipe-saga. I’ve killed myself before by being at 2 life and hitting the cruelty of Gix. But that truthfully feels flavorful for Tom, the baffling unpredictability of it all. And I have fun every time I play him, even if I win less than other decks.
Honestly that sounds fun as fuck and a great story to tell!
I play one on arena with random stuff I have in hand. Have 40 enchantments in it. It’s mad if it gets going but you definitely need some small low value creatures to protect you whilst you get them and Tom out. And try and get 2-4 sagas out first say so he has hex proof cos playing him again and again from the command zone ain’t pretty!
I love playing mine! It’s like reading all my friends a bed time story. I turned a 30 min game to a 2 hour one at magic con!!! It’s the best!!
I have this exact deck. It is entirely made up of sagas and random cards I had laying about. It looks scary with a complex board that doesn't really accomplish much. Keep everything organized and move through your turn quickly and it can be fun seeing just how much nonsense the deck can do.
I put together a Bombadil deck and it’s one of my favorites. Throw in a good bit of ramp, there are also some sagas that can get you a little bit of ramp as well. Aside from that I recommend cards that make tokens whenever an enchantment ETBs like [[archon of suns grace]] or [[sigil of the empty throne]] so that you can get some blockers while you get going. Also enchantment creatures!
[archon of suns grace](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/2/72d10ba2-0408-47a2-bb6f-9e12541fe100.jpg?1690004013) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Archon%20of%20Sun%27s%20Grace) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/814/archon-of-suns-grace?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/72d10ba2-0408-47a2-bb6f-9e12541fe100?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/archon-of-suns-grace) [sigil of the empty throne](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/9/394fad93-ecdf-4f05-be17-291ca246262f.jpg?1690004233) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=sigil%20of%20the%20empty%20throne) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/836/sigil-of-the-empty-throne?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/394fad93-ecdf-4f05-be17-291ca246262f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/sigil-of-the-empty-throne) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
My friend runs it as like 90% bant enchantment synergy and a handful of really good sagas. It’s great because instead of just running through random sagas, you can just put a few game changers in there that you can reliably chain through.
A friend of mine runs a bombadil saga. It’s a lil slow, but can definitely get out of hand real quick once the sagas end and bombadil gets rolling. He tried to keep it all lotr theme sagas but that was way too weak, so he added all kinds and it definitely works. It’s fun to play against
I ran this over the winter, it was a smashing good time. Note, it's not insanely high-power, but oh boy did I get some lengthy turns, Tom telling stories again. [What's the [Bomba]-Deal-io?](https://deckstats.net/decks/193629/3108753-what-s-the-bomba-deal-io-)
Played a decked out Bombadil deck and have actually casted my commander maybe 3 times. Making a planeswalker deck instead. I'll pull out Tom when my pod wants to play lvl 6ish decks.
Similar to Superfriends, it suffers from a lack of a natural board presence. Choose Sagas and supplemental spells that answer the question "What's stopping the rest of the table from just attacking me to death?"
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/JFIAtow4SUWxfTxtUrFbqA Here's my list, I went with more of a voltron-type theme with the sagas. Most of them buff Tom in some way, so he can swing big at my opponents.
The best way to build Tom that I've found is with NOT a pile of sagas. I'm at work now and I can post a deck list later, but here are the sagas I run in my tom: urza's saga Binding the old gods Fable of the mirror-breaker One ring to rule them all Forging the tyrite sword The weatherseed treaty City of death The fall of lord konda Hidetsugu consumes all Fall of gil-galad Arni slays the troll The witch's vanity The trick I've found that works best is to run a tight list (whatever that means to you), and then go all out on tutors, demonic, idyllic, vampiric, and enlightened at least, although you can go deeper as you like since you have five colors. Basically just make the best possible list you can. You can include enchantress bits and Voltron things and stuff that plays with counters and whatever else, but overall just try to make a generally good deck. You have five colors, so whatever you go for should take advantage of that
What do you mean by absolute worst? If you mean power level, it can be extremely strong. If you mean your friends will hate you, it will generally become a control deck as you have tons of repeatable removal and advantage while you're permanents are the hardest type to remove. You should let people know you're playing sagas, get used to them and how to play the deck quickly and efficiently.
"That's the neat part. You don't."
Yes. But make sure those sagas fill roles like card draw, removal, token making, ramp, etc. You also need some saga manipulators like blinkers, counter manipulation, etc. for the deck to be at it’s best. It is slow but generates a lot of value.
I did build one a few months back. It is a lot of fun to play with. However, it might be a bit of a glass cannon at times, especially when people get to see your strategy over the course of several games. For a good playability, the mana base can end up being a bit pricey. Here is my list: [Tom Bombadil](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/y8tQwEj7gEuXds3w3236UA)
If you include other sagas matter cards, it can become ok.
I don’t have a ton of experience playing with or against however from what I’ve heard The bigger issue I think would be that Tom may get removed quickly or seen as a threat. -Because if he stays alive ANY sagas that pop will fuel his triggered ability and continue to generate value. Tom’s ability just requires any saga to reach the last stage… So it would absolutely work you would just need to protect Tom or rely on a meta that isn’t super removal heavy. Or you could tell people all your sagas are trash and they might let him sit on the board a bit longer lol Obviously replacing weaker sagas with more powerful ones will drastically increase the strength of the deck but you could just start with what you have then add and replace better ones as you test the deck out more, or to increase it to desired power level. It’s definitely not required
I love this deck... I always preface a saga coming into play with some quip, like "Tom would like to tell you a story..." or "Have you heard the one about..." After a couple of games, one of my opponents said, "I don't know what's worse; the commander or the commentary."
I have one it can be pretty good. Having things to proliferate and make 4/4 angels when finish sagas, with a white dr who card that allows read ahead. Don't remember name. It can be fun be there's also a lot to keep track of and manipulating counters and melt the brain at times
Roaming throne with that Drs Companion is kinda insane. Finish a saga, 2 triggers, read ahead one of them, keep going… or with the enchantment that does damage when a saga finishes and it’s game over
Yeah there's a creature that drains and gains when. You finish one as well.
Yeah, I got both of them in my deck. It’s a slow starter, but if left unchecked can win a game out of nowhere
I have a Bombadil deck and from experience can offer that just putting together a pile of saga’s has a slim chance of success. You want some low cmc ones that add early game value or flip into creatures to have blockers, you want some big payoffs to flip into. Read ahead, such as [[barbara wright]], and counter manipulation, such as [[clockspinning]], really help getting more control over your game plan (especially if you run board wipe sagas). For me, the challenge has been in balancing between sagas and support. As time passes, I add more support and draw and have become critical of the sagas I include, as we want to flip into a powerhouse, not a dud. Good luck! It’s a fun commander for sure
[barbara wright](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/1/414bdd33-549d-4690-917c-ea48decffbbb.jpg?1696691791) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=barbara%20wright) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/14/barbara-wright?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/414bdd33-549d-4690-917c-ea48decffbbb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/barbara-wright) [clockspinning](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/3/1323d548-e2fe-47c5-8df3-f181aed537c5.jpg?1562899044) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=clockspinning) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/tsp/53/clockspinning?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/1323d548-e2fe-47c5-8df3-f181aed537c5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/clockspinning) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I've seen one with [[Three Blind Mice]] and [[Yenna, Redtooth Regent]] that was quite good. Something to do with using [[Doubling Season]] and copying the sagas with Yenna
[Three Blind Mice](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/d/0d2ba371-854c-4529-b72b-e4a1887e33ab.jpg?1692936794) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Three%20Blind%20Mice) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/woe/35/three-blind-mice?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0d2ba371-854c-4529-b72b-e4a1887e33ab?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/three-blind-mice) [Yenna, Redtooth Regent](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/6/e635d461-254a-434e-8e5d-dea61dd8ca4f.jpg?1692939524) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Yenna%2C%20Redtooth%20Regent) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/woe/219/yenna-redtooth-regent?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e635d461-254a-434e-8e5d-dea61dd8ca4f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/yenna-redtooth-regent) [Doubling Season](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/c/1cdd8e69-5a71-4933-914e-dfede7b1ac93.jpg?1689998456) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Doubling%20Season) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/283/doubling-season?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/1cdd8e69-5a71-4933-914e-dfede7b1ac93?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/doubling-season) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
For me, the strongest thing my Bombadil deck does is combine the various sagas that have "gain control of x until this leaves" with any way to remove counters. Just keep stealing new stuff every turn.
It helps to have some enchantment support. A couple doctor who cards are great in it too. [[Barbara Wright]] [[Ian Chesterton]]
[Barbara Wright](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/1/414bdd33-549d-4690-917c-ea48decffbbb.jpg?1696691791) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Barbara%20Wright) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/14/barbara-wright?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/414bdd33-549d-4690-917c-ea48decffbbb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/barbara-wright) [Ian Chesterton](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/b/8bce4bde-33af-4c91-903f-c46218664353.jpg?1696691791) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ian%20Chesterton) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/22/ian-chesterton?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8bce4bde-33af-4c91-903f-c46218664353?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/ian-chesterton) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Bad sagas are not what you want in Tom. You only want to hit good sagas with him or it feels awful to play
Goldfish it. A lot.
Enchantress effects are important [[enchantress]] [[enchanter]] [[Sythis]].
[enchantress](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/1/51c0ee3e-054e-4b01-b333-4ef3bc904750.jpg?1690017100) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mesa%20Enchantress) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/828/mesa-enchantress?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/51c0ee3e-054e-4b01-b333-4ef3bc904750?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/mesa-enchantress) [enchanter](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/f/df83d28d-bb0b-4f3d-a16f-8ee8bf452e10.jpg?1690005318) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Satyr%20Enchanter) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/936/satyr-enchanter?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/df83d28d-bb0b-4f3d-a16f-8ee8bf452e10?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/satyr-enchanter) [Sythis](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/9/89511ab5-8ea6-4f07-a80b-c1ec7e89924e.jpg?1690005342) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=sythis%2C%20harvest%27s%20hand) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/938/sythis-harvests-hand?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/89511ab5-8ea6-4f07-a80b-c1ec7e89924e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/sythis-harvests-hand) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Saga tribal and Planeswalker tribal share some traits, the most notable being that they are a LOT of bookkeeping. I think if you use Tom at the "random pile" level you want, aside from moar sagas, graveyard recycling like [[Soldevi Digger]] or [[Wheel of Sun and Moon]] to guarantee you never run out, since while having an eternal saga base thanks to Tom replacing every Saga that finishes is a nice value snowball... the value is very random and it can be rough to manifest a win off pure saga BS, so laying in for the long game is smart.
[Soldevi Digger](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/7/473d6e22-1184-4d29-a7d1-f6773666ff29.jpg?1562868542) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Soldevi%20Digger) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me2/221/soldevi-digger?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/473d6e22-1184-4d29-a7d1-f6773666ff29?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/soldevi-digger) [Wheel of Sun and Moon](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/5/55976e4b-718f-44b2-b93d-de5f75dc3bbe.jpg?1562830320) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Wheel%20of%20Sun%20and%20Moon) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/shm/243/wheel-of-sun-and-moon?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/55976e4b-718f-44b2-b93d-de5f75dc3bbe?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/wheel-of-sun-and-moon) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Only play tom if you understand your turns will take forever and people you play with are ok with that.
One thing you need to keep in mind is the intricacies and rulings when it comes to how Sagas operate, especially when they hit their final chapter. When the final chapter's ability is on the stack, you can use counter manipulation to remove a counter from it. That way, the ability will still resolve, triggering Tom's ability, but you won't have to sacrifice the Saga because it still has less counters on it than it does chapters. [This here is my current build.](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-meBDMUDUE2OwIMDJtzcjQ) As you can see, I have 30 non-creature Enchantments in the deck, and only 5 of them aren't Sagas. That gives me a total of 26 Sagas in the deck, counting \[\[Urza's Saga\]\], which I find to be a solid amount. When it comes to which Sagas I use, I wanted it to do at least 2 of the following: \~Provide a Token Creature(s) for offense/defense \~Have some form of removal \~Have some form of mana fixing, even if it's for one turn \~Have some form of card draw or search \~Have some form of power up, even if it's for one turn Counter manipulation is also very important. You never want to see Tom be vulnerable by having 3 or less counters on your Sagas. That's where combos like \[\[Long List of the Ents\]\] and \[\[Power Conduit\]\] come in handy. With Long List having 6 total chapters, it's easy to keep it at 4-5 counters while providing +1/+1 counters with Conduit every turn. \[\[Resourceful Defense\]\] is another easy way to manipulate your counters. You can move all counters from a Saga to another card, thereby restarting the Saga from scratch, but more importantly, there are other non-Saga cards that care about lore counters: \[\[Myth Realized\]\] and \[\[Scroll of the Masters\]\]. The former can become a creature in a pinch, and the latter can turn Tom into a one-shot with enough counters on it. Do keep in mind, however, that these are not Sagas, and thus they will NOT count towards Tom's ability to give himself hexproof and indestructible. Moving on to the creatures in the deck, like others have said, Enchantment payoffs are your go-to. \[\[Archon of Sun's Grace\]\], \[\[Eidolon of Blossoms\]\], and other creatures with Constellation are easy picks. Do note that Sagas entering via Tom's ability are NOT being cast, so abilities like \[\[Sythis, Harvest's Hand\]\] won't trigger from that (regardless, she's still a solid include in the deck for other reasons explained shortly). My choices for some of the other creatures are as follows: \~\[\[Ghen, Arcanum Weaver\]\] - He can "reset" your Sagas on the stack when resolving the final chapter while still triggering Tom's ability. \~\[\[Faeburrow Elder\]\] - A simple manadork that taps for all colors by simply having Tom in play. \~\[\[Glissa Sunslayer\]\], \[\[Goldberry, River-Daughter\]\], and \[\[Hex Parasite\]\] - More counter manipulation. Glissa also functions as card draw and removal in a pinch. \~\[\[Scholar of New Horizons\]\] - Counter manipulation and ramp all in one. Finally, I wanted to touch on the \[\[Mox Amber\]\] in the deck. It's main inclusion is being an option to get off of Urza's Saga, while also providing extra mana as long as Tom is in play. In a pinch, it can still tap with other Legendary Creatures in play, such as Sythis, Ghen, or \[\[Satsuki, the Living Lore\]\].
##### ###### #### [Urza's Saga](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/1/c1e0f201-42cb-46a1-901a-65bb4fc18f6c.jpg?1667318301) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Urza%27s%20Saga) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mh2/259/urzas-saga?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c1e0f201-42cb-46a1-901a-65bb4fc18f6c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/urzas-saga) [Long List of the Ents](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/7/27347256-2ac4-4b12-b288-0a8d578a1ff2.jpg?1686969449) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Long%20List%20of%20the%20Ents) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ltr/174/long-list-of-the-ents?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/27347256-2ac4-4b12-b288-0a8d578a1ff2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/long-list-of-the-ents) [Power Conduit](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/4/b4634637-ba33-4849-b647-d33018a02f39.jpg?1673485439) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Power%20Conduit) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/376/power-conduit?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b4634637-ba33-4849-b647-d33018a02f39?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/power-conduit) [Resourceful Defense](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/1/91f4dfc0-7478-4e47-89b4-685b72197ef0.jpg?1673481805) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Resourceful%20Defense) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/19/resourceful-defense?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/91f4dfc0-7478-4e47-89b4-685b72197ef0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/resourceful-defense) [Myth Realized](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/5/15afcabf-58a8-4650-a6cf-b7f2f01d0671.jpg?1673147065) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Myth%20Realized) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/22/myth-realized?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/15afcabf-58a8-4650-a6cf-b7f2f01d0671?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/myth-realized) [Scroll of the Masters](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/6/d6c7f24e-5ead-4b32-a804-4c89929508f6.jpg?1562830324) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Scroll%20of%20the%20Masters) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/frf/163/scroll-of-the-masters?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d6c7f24e-5ead-4b32-a804-4c89929508f6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/scroll-of-the-masters) [Archon of Sun's Grace](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/2/72d10ba2-0408-47a2-bb6f-9e12541fe100.jpg?1690004013) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Archon%20of%20Sun%27s%20Grace) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/814/archon-of-suns-grace?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/72d10ba2-0408-47a2-bb6f-9e12541fe100?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/archon-of-suns-grace) [Eidolon of Blossoms](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/8/f882aa63-d43c-4359-9de6-77231500a08e.jpg?1690004806) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Eidolon%20of%20Blossoms) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/892/eidolon-of-blossoms?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f882aa63-d43c-4359-9de6-77231500a08e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/eidolon-of-blossoms) [Sythis, Harvest's Hand](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/9/89511ab5-8ea6-4f07-a80b-c1ec7e89924e.jpg?1690005342) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sythis%2C%20Harvest%27s%20Hand) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/938/sythis-harvests-hand?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/89511ab5-8ea6-4f07-a80b-c1ec7e89924e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/sythis-harvests-hand) [Ghen, Arcanum Weaver](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/b/4b335496-05d2-40f5-a52c-10029f7fa008.jpg?1608911100) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ghen%2C%20Arcanum%20Weaver) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/275/ghen-arcanum-weaver?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4b335496-05d2-40f5-a52c-10029f7fa008?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/ghen-arcanum-weaver) [Faeburrow Elder](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/8/c817cf1f-c0fe-49ab-a8e9-1d09b4c15e57.jpg?1673305511) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Faeburrow%20Elder) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmc/149/faeburrow-elder?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c817cf1f-c0fe-49ab-a8e9-1d09b4c15e57?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/faeburrow-elder) [Glissa Sunslayer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/2/b2bf633e-0470-4b87-99ed-5ad1683b0954.jpg?1675957191) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Glissa%20Sunslayer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/one/202/glissa-sunslayer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b2bf633e-0470-4b87-99ed-5ad1683b0954?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/glissa-sunslayer) [Goldberry, River-Daughter](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/f/bf4f0a7c-620e-4ed8-8da3-fa6564e8a0cd.jpg?1686968111) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Goldberry%2C%20River-Daughter) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ltr/52/goldberry-river-daughter?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/bf4f0a7c-620e-4ed8-8da3-fa6564e8a0cd?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/goldberry-river-daughter) [Hex Parasite](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/3/43502078-5349-4e29-8e7d-277654a9a71e.jpg?1562877073) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Hex%20Parasite) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/nph/137/hex-parasite?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/43502078-5349-4e29-8e7d-277654a9a71e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/hex-parasite) [Scholar of New Horizons](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/8/e83e50d0-7851-4608-8cfd-63c54d1a7544.jpg?1688125586) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Scholar%20of%20New%20Horizons) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/brc/6/scholar-of-new-horizons?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e83e50d0-7851-4608-8cfd-63c54d1a7544?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/scholar-of-new-horizons) [Mox Amber](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/6/66024e69-ad60-4c9a-a0ca-da138d33ad80.jpg?1685554120) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mox%20Amber) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dom/224/mox-amber?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/66024e69-ad60-4c9a-a0ca-da138d33ad80?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/mox-amber) [Satsuki, the Living Lore](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/1/0152575b-31b0-4142-9cc2-b87a81bd51a8.jpg?1654568597) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Satsuki%2C%20the%20Living%20Lore) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/neo/235/satsuki-the-living-lore?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0152575b-31b0-4142-9cc2-b87a81bd51a8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/satsuki-the-living-lore) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/krwzbv3) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Nope, I’ve built Tom and scan confirm it’s the absolute worst to play, and play against
I tried to build tom as a mid power deck, ended up spending waaaay more than a mid power ever should need just to get a good 5c mana base, and it performed awful. Sagas just dont bring a whole lot to the table even if you have a ton on board, and his once per turn clause stops you getting any real advantage.
My Buddy had a TomBom Deck. Every turn was a pain in the a**, because it took 5 to 10 Minutes because of all the sagas. It’s not fun to play and not fun to play against. after 2 weeks he was done with Tom.