Saruman of Many Colors Commander Deck Guide

Last updated on September 14, 2023

Saruman of Many Colors | Illustration by Alexander Morkhov

Sometimes I prefer to play a Commander deck that has a little more variety in the types of games it creates. Sure, piloting a perfectly optimized deck with a consistent game plan can be fun too in more competitive settings, but on occasion, it’s fun to play a deck that leans more heavily on chance. When I saw Saruman of Many Colors, I knew it would be a great option for the kind of deck that changes slightly every time you play.

Thanks to Saruman’s triggered ability, you aren’t limited to playing with just the cards in your own deck; you also have a chance to use some of your opponents’ cards as well. This means that your deck inherently changes some of the ways it plays each time you sit down at a table against a new set of decks. This forces you to have a slightly more reactive strategy, and think through each of your turns deliberately instead of steaming full-force toward whatever inevitable combo you know is guaranteed to win you the game.

While there are focused ways to build around this version of Saruman, I really wanted to embrace a more luck-based strategy that was more reliant on the cards my opponents were playing. I ended up playtesting this deck more than I usually do with my builds, just because I was having so much fun and each game felt very different. I would definitely recommend trying out this build if you’re interested in a Commander deck that keeps things fresh from game to game.

The Deck

Thief of Sanity | Illustration by Igor Kieryluk

I did my best to include a mixture of cheap and expensive spells in this deck. My goal was to create turns where I could play a 1- or 2-mana spell like Consider or Borne Upon a Wind, then follow it up with a 5+ mana spell. That way you’ll be able to choose from a wider range of cards in your opponents’ graveyards when Saruman of Many Colors triggers.

I also included a lot of ways to mill your opponents, which is another way to increase the options you have when selecting a spell from one of their graveyards. Being able to see what spells you might get to choose from ahead of time allows you to better strategize and lets you know when you may have to switch plans and rely on whatever Saruman mills.

I also added some cards like Sen Triplets and Mind's Dilation which give you other ways to play with some of your opponents’ cards. This was again in an effort to mix up the way games with this deck go, making it more about the types of cards your opponents have than the ones in your own deck.

The Commander

The triggered ability on Saruman of Many Colors was the main draw for me. This ability adds variance to the game and gives you a pretty clear way to construct your deck so that you can take advantage of it.

I also like that the commander is difficult to remove. The ward cost is very specific, but it fuels your own strategy when an opponent does pay it because they have to discard the exact type of cards you want in their graveyard.

Mill Cards

There are a variety of ways to mill your opponents in this deck, but I tried to prioritize cards like Ruin Crab and Psychic Corrosion which affect all of your opponents consistently over time.

That being said, cards like Maddening Cacophony and Traumatize are still good for a one-time payoff. Some of these like Mind Funeral also play into the more random aspect of this deck, as they’re either really good or somewhat underwhelming.

Some of the best mill cards in this deck are ones like Consuming Aberration and Memory Erosion because they will mill your opponents without you having to go out of your way to trigger them.

Bruvac the Grandiloquent makes all of your mill cards twice as effective even though it doesn’t mill your opponents on its own.

While Tasha's Hideous Laughter doesn’t fuel the graveyard for Saruman, I still included it in case you mill your opponents low enough that you might actually just be able to deck them for the win.

Mill Payoffs

Even without Saruman on the battlefield, you’ll still want other ways to benefit from milling your opponents so your turns don’t feel like a waste. For example, Syr Konrad, the Grim will deal damage to your opponents as you mill them, or Zellix, Sanity Flayer will create token creatures.

You also have cards like Memory Plunder and Reanimate that allow you to play cards from your opponents’ graveyards. The more you’ve milled them, the bigger selection you’ll have for these cards.

Apart from being a good mill source, Consuming Aberration can also get pretty powerful depending on how much you’ve milled your opponents. I’ve had a couple games where this creature was big enough to finish off one of my opponents with a single attack.

Stealing Spells

Saruman is pretty expensive, so you’ll want other ways to take some of your opponents’ cards for yourself while it’s still in the command zone. Gríma, Saruman's Footman is a good option and makes sense thematically in a Saruman-led deck.

Both Acquire and Bribery are really powerful ways to steal one of your opponents' cards. Not only are you getting to pick from a lot of options, you’re getting unique insight into how your opponents’ deck works. You can also grab a combo piece and keep your opponent from a quick victory.

Thief of Sanity can be hit or miss, but it has the added benefit of not showing your opponents what cards you’re stealing from them. They know their own decks and might psych themselves out thinking you got a really great card from them, even if you aren’t sitting on anything too powerful.

Sen Triplets is a popular commander to run in this type of deck, so it was an easy choice to throw in the 99. This is also a good way to keep your spells from being countered if you’re going up against an oppressive control deck. You may not end up casting any of the opponents’ spells, but you’ll at least give yourself the peace of mind knowing you can tap out for big plays.

Mind's Dilation is an interesting way to steal your opponents’ cards because it also forces them to consider how to play their turn. They may decide that it’s best not to cast any spells, and just play with what’s on their board because they’re afraid of what card you’ll take from them.

Card Draw

The first few builds of this deck didn’t include enough ways to draw cards and I quickly found out what a mistake that was. You really need to make sure you have good options in your hand so you’re able to trigger Saruman’s ability more consistently.

Cheap sources of card draw like Baleful Strix and Consider are helpful because they can help set up a good second cast that synergizes well with Saruman’s ability. Free sources of card draw like Faerie Mastermind and Esper Sentinel are also helpful ways to make sure you have enough cards and mana to cast multiple spells in a turn.

Both Archmage Emeritus and The Council of Four work well with Saruman specifically because they also give you benefits as you cast more spells.

Thought Scour can be a nice way to lead into a Saruman trigger because it looks at two extra cards that might be helpful when you’re searching your opponents’ graveyards for answers.

Wheels are a great form of card draw in this deck because they allow you to ditch a bum hand and also give you more resources to use from your opponents’ graveyards. Windfall is helpful because it can catch you up to an opponent who is drawing more cards than you, and Jace's Archivist has a repeatable activated ability that’s effectively the same thing.

The Mana Base

As a three-color deck, you’ll want a good number of nonbasic lands that can tap for multiple colors. Lands such as Command Tower and City of Brass enter the battlefield untapped and tap for any color of mana. I also included bond lands like Morphic Pool and Vault of Champions that almost always come in untapped.

Multicolor lands with basic land types are also helpful because you can use fetch lands like Marsh Flats and Flooded Strand to go find them. Raffine's Tower is great for mana fixing because it gives you access to all your colors, or you can grab a shock land like Godless Shrine or Watery Grave if you need faster mana.

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth works well in any multi-color deck that includes black. If you’re including Urborg, you may also want to include Cabal Coffers which synergizes very well with it.

There are also a few utility lands that work well either with your strategy or are just helpful for a deck in this color combination. Myriad Landscape gives you the option to trade one land in for two others, giving you ramp that only green decks normally have. It can be activated with any color of mana and finds one of the colors you might be missing.

Because you have a lot of card draw in this deck, Reliquary Tower will allow you to keep all of your resources in your hand instead of having to make hard decisions about what to discard.

Nephalia Drownyard works well with your mill theme, and can serve as a nice mana sink on turns where you didn’t have enough spells to cast.

This deck also runs some good mana rocks that fit in with your goal of casting multiple spells a turn. Sol Ring and Mana Crypt both provide a positive mana boost when you play them, so it’s easy to cast a second spell during the same turn. Jeweled Lotus can also be a good card to just drop for free before casting a second spell, and it’s very handy when it comes to casting your expensive commander.

The Strategy

You’ll likely have a few turns before you can get Saruman on the field unless you just get a very lucky opening hand. Early hands with a source of mill in them are a good way to set yourself up for when your commander hits the board later in the game. Ruin Crab and Psychic Corrosion are good early-game plays that can start filling your opponents’ graveyards over time. As Foretold is another good early gameplay, as the longer it’s out the more powerful it becomes.

When you’re close to casting Saruman of Many Colors it might be worth holding onto a cheap spell like Consider or Brainstorm, as they’ll make it easier to cast two spells in a turn.

Again, this deck’s strategy is going to be somewhat dependent on what decks you’re facing and what cards are available for you to use in your opponents’ graveyards. Your main focus should be milling your opponents and then trying to trigger Saruman with the highest mana value spell possible.

When your opponents target Saruman, allow the ward ability to resolve first before casting any instant-speed protection. That forces your opponent to discard a card you could use later. Then, you can use protection like Ephemerate or Mithril Coat to keep Saruman on the board.

Combos and Interactions

There are no infinite combos in this deck that will automatically win you the game.

That being said, Duskmantle Guildmage and Maddening Cacophony could potentially win you the game if used together. Start by activating Duskmantle Guildmage’s first ability, then kick Maddening Cacophony. Each opponent who mills a number of cards greater than their life total loses the game. You can also use Traumatize to potentially take out a single opponent.

Rule 0 Violations Check

I would advise against having this as your only deck option when going to play Commander, especially if you aren’t playing with a regular group. Some players don’t like playing against decks that steal their cards, either because of how the game plays out, or simply because they don’t like other people handling their expensive cards.

You’ll want to have another deck on hand in case this one rubs someone the wrong way. I will say that this has been a rare instance in my own experience, but it has happened and it’s nice to be prepared so nobody has to sit out of a game.

Budget Options

This deck has a pretty high price tag for a more casual build. That means you’ll probably want to make some substitutions if you don’t already own a copy of some of the more expensive cards.

Jeweled Lotus and Mana Crypt are both worth over $100, and are the easiest first cuts to make. You can replace them with different mana rocks like Gilded Lotus if you want more sources of ramp. Alternatively, you can add other 0-mana cards like Mishra's Bauble which will make it easier to cast two spells on your turn.

Cyclonic Rift is another expensive card that you don’t necessarily need. You could always put in another cheap board wipe like Wrath of God or Settle the Wreckage if you still want one that’s more one-sided. There’s also In Garruk's Wake which could be easier to cast if you have your Urborg-Coffers synergy going.

Other Builds

If you wanted to build this deck in a way that’s able to trigger Saruman even more often, you may want to lean towards a cantrip-heavy build. Cantrips in Magic are cards like Thought Scour that immediately replace themselves by letting you draw another card. While you won’t have as many options in your opponents’ graveyards as you would in a mill build, you will get more chances to trigger Saruman and may get lucky.

You may want more ways to keep Saruman safe in this type of build, as your strategy will be even more dependent on keeping them on the board. You can use Mirran swords or cards like Darksteel Plate. These combined with Saruman’s own ward ability will make them difficult to get rid of.

Alternatively, you can move toward a more combo-heavy version of the deck I built. Include Mindcrank which can create a combo with Duskmantle Guildmage and add some tutors to make it come together more consistently.

Commanding Conclusion

Thought Scour | Illustration by Julie Dillon

Saruman of Many Colors offers you the chance to build an interesting deck that can change dramatically from game to game. While that isn’t something that all players are into, this is a very fun deck if you want to give that type of strategy a try.

What direction would you take a Saruman deck? Do you enjoy decks that introduce an element of chaos into the game? Let me know in the comments or on Draftsim’s Twitter.

Thank you for reading and I look forward to seeing you on the next article!