Best / 100-CARD BUILD

Denzilore Fatehold

Azorius

See the future. Shape the board.

First counters, second card, more Faeries. “Best” is this version’s name, not a tested ranking.

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MEET YOUR COMMANDERDenzilore Fatehold

Denzilore Fatehold · Featured commander

STRATEGY · 3 PHASES

How this build plays

The supplied Best list replaces Cathars’ Crusade and several draw bodies with a second-draw Faerie engine and new counter payoffs. It retains scry-to-counters and token doubling, while Sage of Hours offers a conditional extra-turn outlet rather than a proven loop.

01SET THE STAGE
One look, one army-wide counter
Sigiled Starfish gives a repeatable scry activation once it can tap. Mystic Speculation can return to hand through buyback for another future scry. With Denzilore present, each scry event gives each of your creatures one counter; scry 3 is still one event, not three triggers.
- Denzilore Fatehold
- Sigiled Starfish
- Mystic Speculation
Rules text for these cards
Denzilore Fatehold
Flash Flying Whenever you scry or surveil, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
Sigiled Starfish
{T}: Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
Mystic Speculation
Buyback {2} (You may pay an additional {2} as you cast this spell. If you do, put this card into your hand as it resolves.) Scry 3. (Look at the top three cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom and the rest on top in any order.)
02BUILD THE ENGINE
First counters, second card, more Faeries
With Danny Pink present, Denzilore’s first counter placement on each creature that turn can draw cards. When you reach your second draw that turn, Data, Professor of Humanities makes two flying Faeries. Anointed Procession doubles those tokens; Data triggers at the second draw, not at every draw afterward.
- Denzilore Fatehold
- Danny Pink
- Data, Professor of Humanities
- Anointed Procession
Rules text for these cards
Denzilore Fatehold
Flash Flying Whenever you scry or surveil, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
Danny Pink
Mentor (Whenever this creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on target attacking creature with lesser power.) Creatures you control have "Whenever one or more counters are put on this creature for the first time each turn, draw a card."
Data, Professor of Humanities
Seek out — Whenever you draw your second card each turn, create two 1/1 blue Faerie creature tokens with flying.
Anointed Procession
If an effect would create one or more tokens under your control, it creates twice that many of those tokens instead.
03CARRY IT THROUGH
Spend counters only when the board can afford it
Sage of Hours can remove all its +1/+1 counters for an extra turn per five removed. Denzilore can build that reserve through repeated scry or surveil events, while La Forge can tap to make Faeries for permanents you put counters on that turn. These cards do not by themselves guarantee five new counters every turn.
- Denzilore Fatehold
- Sage of Hours
- La Forge, Thoughtful as Ever
Rules text for these cards
Denzilore Fatehold
Flash Flying Whenever you scry or surveil, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
Sage of Hours
Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets this creature, put a +1/+1 counter on it. Remove all +1/+1 counters from this creature: For each five counters removed this way, take an extra turn after this one.
La Forge, Thoughtful as Ever
{T}: For each permanent you control that you've put a counter on this turn, create a 1/1 blue Faerie creature token with flying.

Explore this build

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Denzilore Fatehold

Flash Flying Whenever you scry or surveil, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.

Adarkar Wastes

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add {W} or {U}. This land deals 1 damage to you.

Adeline, Resplendent Cathar

Vigilance Adeline's power is equal to the number of creatures you control. Whenever you attack, for each opponent, create a 1/1 white Human creature token that's tapped and attacking that player or a planeswalker they control.

Akroma's Will

Choose one. If you control a commander as you cast this spell, you may choose both instead. • Creatures you control gain flying, vigilance, and double strike until end of turn. • Creatures you control gain lifelink, indestructible, and protection from each color until end of turn.

Anointed Procession

If an effect would create one or more tokens under your control, it creates twice that many of those tokens instead.

Arcane Denial

Counter target spell. Its controller may draw up to two cards at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep. You draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.

Arcane Signet

{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.

Bennie Bracks, Zoologist

Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for {1} or one mana of that creature's color.) At the beginning of each end step, if you created a token this turn, draw a card.

Buried Ruin

{T}: Add {C}. {2}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Return target artifact card from your graveyard to your hand.

Captain America, Super-Soldier

First strike Captain America enters with a shield counter on him. (If he would be dealt damage or destroyed, remove a shield counter from him instead.) As long as Captain America has a shield counter on him, you and other Heroes you control have hexproof.

Castle Vantress

This land enters tapped unless you control an Island. {T}: Add {U}. {2}{U}{U}, {T}: Scry 2.

Command Tower

{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.

Council's Deliberation

Draw a card. Whenever you scry, if you control an Island, you may exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, draw a card.

Court of Grace

When this enchantment enters, you become the monarch. At the beginning of your upkeep, create a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying. If you're the monarch, create a 4/4 white Angel creature token with flying instead.

Cryptic Annelid

When this creature enters, scry 1, then scry 2, then scry 3. (To scry X, look at the top X cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom and the rest on top in any order.)

Crystal Ball

{1}, {T}: Scry 2. (Look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom and the rest on top in any order.)

Damning Verdict

Destroy all creatures with no counters on them.

Danny Pink

Mentor (Whenever this creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on target attacking creature with lesser power.) Creatures you control have "Whenever one or more counters are put on this creature for the first time each turn, draw a card."

Data, Professor of Humanities

Seek out — Whenever you draw your second card each turn, create two 1/1 blue Faerie creature tokens with flying.

Deanna Troi, Psychic Counsel

Other creatures you control enter with an additional +1/+1 counter on them.

Demolition Field

{T}: Add {C}. {2}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Destroy target nonbasic land an opponent controls. That land's controller may search their library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. You may search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Dovin's Veto

This spell can't be countered. Counter target noncreature spell.

Elrond, Lord of Rivendell

Whenever Elrond or another creature you control enters, scry 1. If this is the second time this ability has resolved this turn, the Ring tempts you.

Elspeth, Sun's Champion

+1: Create three 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens. −3: Destroy all creatures with power 4 or greater. −7: You get an emblem with "Creatures you control get +2/+2 and have flying."

Emeria Angel

Flying Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, you may create a 1/1 white Bird creature token with flying.

Enlightened Tutor

Search your library for an artifact or enchantment card, reveal it, then shuffle and put that card on top.

Exotic Orchard

{T}: Add one mana of any color that a land an opponent controls could produce.

Felidar Retreat

Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, choose one — • Create a 2/2 white Cat Beast creature token. • Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control. Those creatures gain vigilance until end of turn.

Fellwar Stone

{T}: Add one mana of any color that a land an opponent controls could produce.

Field of Ruin

{T}: Add {C}. {2}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Destroy target nonbasic land an opponent controls. Each player searches their library for a basic land card, puts it onto the battlefield, then shuffles.

Generous Gift

Destroy target permanent. Its controller creates a 3/3 green Elephant creature token.

Glacial Fortress

This land enters tapped unless you control a Plains or an Island. {T}: Add {W} or {U}.

Gossip's Talent

(Gain the next level as a sorcery to add its ability.) Whenever a creature you control enters, surveil 1. {1}{U}: Level 2 Whenever you attack, target attacking creature with power 3 or less can't be blocked this turn. {3}{U}: Level 3 Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may exile it, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control.

Hall of Heliod's Generosity

{T}: Add {C}. {1}{W}, {T}: Put target enchantment card from your graveyard on top of your library.

Hallowed Fountain

({T}: Add {W} or {U}.) As this land enters, you may pay 2 life. If you don't, it enters tapped.

Herald of Secret Streams

Creatures you control with +1/+1 counters on them can't be blocked.

Hermes, Overseer of Elpis

Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, create a 1/1 blue Bird creature token with flying and vigilance. Whenever you attack with one or more Birds, scry 2.

Idol of Oblivion

{T}: Draw a card. Activate only if you created a token this turn. {8}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Create a 10/10 colorless Eldrazi creature token.

Invisible Woman, Sue Storm

Lifelink Whenever you put one or more +1/+1 counters on one or more other Heroes you control, you may create a 0/4 colorless Wall creature token with defender.

La Forge, Thoughtful as Ever

{T}: For each permanent you control that you've put a counter on this turn, create a 1/1 blue Faerie creature token with flying.

Lost Isle Calling

Whenever you scry, put a verse counter on this enchantment. {4}{U}{U}, Exile this enchantment: Draw a card for each verse counter on this enchantment. If it had seven or more verse counters on it, take an extra turn after this one. Activate only as a sorcery.

Mind Stone

{T}: Add {C}. {1}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.

Minn, Wily Illusionist

Whenever you draw your second card each turn, create a 1/1 blue Illusion creature token with "This token gets +1/+0 for each other Illusion you control." Whenever an Illusion you control dies, you may put a permanent card with mana value less than or equal to that creature's power from your hand onto the battlefield.

Mockingbird

Flying You may have this creature enter as a copy of any creature on the battlefield with mana value less than or equal to the amount of mana spent to cast this creature, except it's a Bird in addition to its other types and it has flying.

Myrel, Shield of Argive

During your turn, your opponents can't cast spells or activate abilities of artifacts, creatures, or enchantments. Whenever Myrel attacks, create X 1/1 colorless Soldier artifact creature tokens, where X is the number of Soldiers you control.

Mystic Gate

{T}: Add {C}. {W/U}, {T}: Add {W}{W}, {W}{U}, or {U}{U}.

Mystic Speculation

Buyback {2} (You may pay an additional {2} as you cast this spell. If you do, put this card into your hand as it resolves.) Scry 3. (Look at the top three cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom and the rest on top in any order.)

Mystical Tutor

Search your library for an instant or sorcery card, reveal it, then shuffle and put that card on top.

Nadir Kraken

Whenever you draw a card, you may pay {1}. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature and create a 1/1 blue Tentacle creature token.

Panharmonicon

If an artifact or creature entering causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.

Political Triumph

Whenever a creature you control enters, scry 1 and put a plan counter on this enchantment. When the fourth plan counter is put on this enchantment, sacrifice it, draw a card, and put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.

Port Town

As this land enters, you may reveal a Plains or Island card from your hand. If you don't, this land enters tapped. {T}: Add {W} or {U}.

Prairie Stream

({T}: Add {W} or {U}.) This land enters tapped unless you control two or more basic lands.

Proctor of Potential

Whenever this creature or another creature you control enters, surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put it into your graveyard.) {W}{U}: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield with a finality counter on it. Activate only if you've scried or surveilled this turn. (If a creature with a finality counter on it would die, exile it instead.)

Proft, Consulting Detective

Whenever you scry or surveil, you may pay {2}. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on Proft and draw a card. (Draw after you scry or surveil.)

Reconnaissance Mission

Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card. Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

Recruiter of the Guard

When this creature enters, you may search your library for a creature card with toughness 2 or less, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.

Retreat to Coralhelm

Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, choose one — • You may tap or untap target creature. • Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)

Ripples of Potential

Proliferate, then choose any number of permanents you control that had a counter put on them this way. Those permanents phase out. (To proliferate, choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there. Treat phased-out permanents and anything attached to them as though they don't exist until their controller's next turn.)

Rootborn Defenses

Populate. Creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn. (To populate, create a token that's a copy of a creature token you control.)

Rosie Cotton of South Lane

When Rosie Cotton enters, create a Food token. (It's an artifact with "{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.") Whenever you create a token, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control other than Rosie Cotton.

Rumor Gatherer

Alliance — Whenever another creature you control enters, scry 1. If this is the second time this ability has resolved this turn, draw a card instead.

Sage of Hours

Heroic — Whenever you cast a spell that targets this creature, put a +1/+1 counter on it. Remove all +1/+1 counters from this creature: For each five counters removed this way, take an extra turn after this one.

Scavenger Grounds

{T}: Add {C}. {2}, {T}, Sacrifice a Desert: Exile all graveyards.

Seachrome Coast

This land enters tapped unless you control two or fewer other lands. {T}: Add {W} or {U}.

Secure the Wastes

Create X 1/1 white Warrior creature tokens.

Semester's End

Exile any number of target creatures and/or planeswalkers you control. At the beginning of the next end step, return each of them to the battlefield under its owner's control. Each of them enters with an additional +1/+1 counter on it if it's a creature and an additional loyalty counter on it if it's a planeswalker.

Sigiled Starfish

{T}: Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)

Skullclamp

Equipped creature gets +1/-1. Whenever equipped creature dies, draw two cards. Equip {1}

Skycloud Expanse

{1}, {T}: Add {W}{U}.

Sol Ring

{T}: Add {C}{C}.

Sonic Screwdriver

{T}: Add one mana of any color. {1}, {T}: Untap another target artifact. {2}, {T}: Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.) {3}, {T}: Target creature can't be blocked this turn.

Sphinx of Foresight

You may reveal this card from your opening hand. If you do, scry 3 at the beginning of your first upkeep. Flying At the beginning of your upkeep, scry 1.

Swords to Plowshares

Exile target creature. Its controller gains life equal to its power.

Talisman of Progress

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add {W} or {U}. This artifact deals 1 damage to you.

Teferi's Protection

Until your next turn, your life total can't change and you gain protection from everything. All permanents you control phase out. (While they're phased out, they're treated as though they don't exist. They phase in before you untap during your untap step.) Exile Teferi's Protection.

Thassa, God of the Sea

Indestructible As long as your devotion to blue is less than five, Thassa isn't a creature. (Each {U} in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to blue.) At the beginning of your upkeep, scry 1. {1}{U}: Target creature you control can't be blocked this turn.

The Grey Havens

When The Grey Havens enters, scry 1. {T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add one mana of any color among legendary creature cards in your graveyard.

Tocasia's Welcome

Whenever one or more creatures you control with mana value 3 or less enter, draw a card. This ability triggers only once each turn.

Treasure Vault

{T}: Add {C}. {X}{X}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Create X Treasure tokens.

War Room

{T}: Add {C}. {3}, {T}, Pay life equal to the number of colors in your commanders' color identity: Draw a card.

Welcoming Vampire

Flying Whenever one or more other creatures you control with power 2 or less enter, draw a card. This ability triggers only once each turn.

Island

({T}: Add {U}.)

Plains

({T}: Add {W}.)

Commander

1 card

1×Denzilore FateholdLegendary Creature — Elder Sphinx · Printing not specified

Land

37 cards

Creature

27 cards

Instant

13 cards

Enchantment

9 cards

Artifact

10 cards

Sorcery

2 cards

1×Damning VerdictSorcery · Printing not specified 1×Mystic SpeculationSorcery · Printing not specified

Planeswalker

1 card

1×Elspeth, Sun's ChampionLegendary Planeswalker — Elspeth · Printing not specified

PREGAME CONVERSATION · Planned

Commander Bracket Assessment

Rules-Based Bracket: 3 minimumEstimated Power Bracket: High 3–Low 4

Based on the 100-card main deck; sideboard excluded. The Rules-Based Bracket is the lowest bracket this card list allows under Commander bracket rules. The Estimated Power Bracket is a personal estimate of how strongly the deck plays. It is not an official rating.

Evidence and limitations

Rules-Based Bracket · minimum

3 Game Changers: excluded from ordinary Brackets 1 and 2.
Your extra-turn cards exclude ordinary Exhibition play; their presence alone does not prove a chain.

Exact Game Changers: 1× Enlightened Tutor · 1× Mystical Tutor · 1× Teferi's Protection.

Mass land denial registry: None identified in the checked registry. Modal or repeated-land targeting still requires a pregame discussion.

Your extra-turn cards: Sage of Hours · Lost Isle Calling. Opponent turns from Emrakul or gifts are not counted as your own chain.

Confirmed early two-card lethal or turn-chain flags are not inferred from keywords. This is a lower bound, not a complete combo solver or permission to delay a consistently early line until turn seven. Agreed Rule Zero / Exhibition exceptions are outside this ordinary-restriction check.

Estimated Power Bracket · High 3–Low 4

Estimated from the card list alone, not from tracked win rates or game results.

Second-draw Faeries and counter-to-token effects replace Crusade-style growth. Sage can spend five counters for a turn, but repeated five-counter production is an additional requirement.

Assembly and timing: Sage plus the commander alone does not guarantee recurring turns: Denzilore grants one counter per scry/surveil event. A turn-chain plan needs more setup; no consistent early loop is verified.

Recovery and constraints: Tutors, draw and protection help find and preserve pieces, while removing counter enablers can stop the turn outlet.

Curve: 2.86 average nonland mana value. Cheap mana/land-search text: Arcane Signet · Fellwar Stone · Mind Stone · Sol Ring · Talisman of Progress. This text-derived reading aid is not an official score.

Search-library evidence: Demolition Field · Enlightened Tutor · Mystical Tutor · Recruiter of the Guard. This includes restricted and land searches; efficient tutor overlap is reviewed separately above. There is no official tutor-count cap.

Fast mana indicators: Sol Ring. Conditional free interaction: None identified in the checked registry. Conditions and resource costs still apply.

Key cards: Sage of Hours · Danny Pink · Data, Professor of Humanities · La Forge, Thoughtful as Ever · Mystical Tutor.

Official sources checked 2026-10-31; criteria update 2025-10-21, Game Changers update 2026-02-09. Method and official source links. Brackets 4 and 5 share structural freedom; competitive intent cannot be inferred from these counts.