Turning a Random Card into an EDH Deck (Volo, Guide to Monsters)

“The Best of the Worst”

Welcome to another edition of a random card being turned into an EDH Deck! Every Friday I create a budget (<$100) EDH Deck based entirely around a random card that I pull from [scryfall.com](http://scryfall.com/) (or that is suggested by someone else, either way it’s still random to me). I would love it if anyone has any suggestions for future random cards/decks or just wants to share their own experiences with any cards or decks discussed, I think this is a ton of fun.

[Random Card of the Week](https://cards.scryfall.io/png/front/c/9/c9ae01f9-7461-47b4-aa1e-93bd6ff1bf9e.png?1627709617) (Download Link)

[Random Card of the Week](https://scryfall.com/card/afr/238/volo-guide-to-monsters) (Scryfall Link)

[Deck List](https://scryfall.com/@13poynz/decks/9cd499dc-6856-4378-8a21-186e832df04a)

[Deck Tech/Gameplay Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP2Iz1dzUEE): (Queen Kayla bin-Kroog vs Erinis, Gloom Stalker & Street Urchin vs Eowyn, Shieldmaiden vs Volo, Guide to Monsters)

This week’s deck uses [[Volo, Guide to Monsters]] (which was suggested by u/MangoZoo) as our random card and also as the commander. Volo is frequently used to take advantage of the most powerful creatures that don't overlap in creature type, leading to the use of Beasts, Elves, Dragons, Hydras, etc. But, what happens if we restrict ourselves only to underrepresented creature types? Well, then we wind up with cards like [[Joven's Ferrets]], [[Basking Capybara]], and [[Rabid Wombat]]. Now, even though we're playing the worst creature types out there, we're making it our goal to find the best creature in each bad creature type. For example: Turtles=bad but [[Fecund Greenshell]]=pretty solid. The same can be said for Brushwaggs with [[Ornery Tumblewagg]] and Toys with [[Giggling Skitterspike]]. Obviously, we tried not to overlap on any creature types so that we could take advantage of Volo's ability to copy our creatures on cast. That also means that we did try to find relevant ETB abilities with cards like [[End-Raze Forerunners]], [[Myconid Spore Tender]], and [[Threefold Thunderhulk]].

Since we're planning to cast a bunch of creatures in relatively quick succession that means we're going to need to be able to play them. That means two things: ramp and card draw. [[Vastwood Surge]], [[Migration Path]], and [[Entish Restoration]] give us the ability to cast our larger creatures, furthering our game plan while still keeping pace with the rest of the table. Additionally, we have a few card draw engines like [[Guardian Project]], [[Keruga, the Macrosage]], and [[Thought Sponge]] to make sure we can continue to drop threats onto the battlefield. Finally, we need to make sure we actually have a way to win the game so our main win conditions revolve around our creatures like [[Scute Swarm]], [[Earthshaker Giant]], and [[Omnivorous Flytrap]]. By pumping up our creatures and overwhelming the board we can easily fight our way to a victory using only the best of the worst creature types.

In the end, this deck came in at $56.23 with [[Tribute to the World Tree]] being the most expensive card at $11.53. Tribute to the World Tree is one of the best cards in the entire deck because it rewards us every time a creature (not just nontoken creatures) enter the battlefield. Either we draw cards for our larger creatures or we make our smaller creatures into viable threats. I wouldn't recommend cutting this card but if you need to for budget purposes then you can replace it with another form of green card draw based on creatures (like [[Beast Whisperer]]) and it will be mostly the same.

On the other hand, if you want an out-of-budget upgrade for the deck, plus a card to take out for it, then I’ve got you covered. That’s why I’d recommend putting in [[Abhorrent Oculus]] ($23.85) and taking out [[Creeping Peeper]]. Abhorrent Oculus is, by far, the best representative for Eye creatures but, due to its massive price tag it had to be replaced by Creeping Peeper. If you're looking to really increase the power of the deck then this is an easy swap to make.

Thanks for checking out the deck and reading about it/watching the video! I hope you all like it and if you think there are improvements to be made, if you have suggestions, or just want to chat about it, then let me know. Also, a quick plug: if you want to guarantee that your suggestions get turned into decks or a variety of other benefits (including access to a discord channel to play in the games, help build the decks, getting the decklists a week early, and one of the random cards shipped to you every month) then check me out on [www.patreon.com/dungeonlearnersguide\](http://www.patreon.com/dungeonlearnersguide) or consider becoming a channel member over on YouTube: [www.YouTube.com/dungeonlearnersguide\](http://www.youtube.com/dungeonlearnersguide).