Polukranos, World Eater

Is Polukranos, World Eater the right commander for you?

Here are some pro's and con's of using Polukranos, World Eater as your commander. As well as a deck-building strategy to maximize his effectiveness. 

Lore: 

Polukranos, is a hydra native to the plane of Theros. He once lived as a celestial but fell from the sky during a battle between the gods. He was slain by Elspeth, the sun god's champion.

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Pro's

1. Efficient:

Polukranos provides a great value for the cost. At only a cost of 2GG, he provides you with a solid 5/5 body. 

2. Easy Mana Base

As with all mono-colored commander's, what you sacrifice in options you gain as consistency. While a multi-colored commander may provide you with more options, and therefore more power, you run the risk of being inconsistent. The more colors, the more inconsistent. Polukranos may only have one color, but that just means he's good at what he does...really good. 

3. He has an 'X' and he's Green.

So, what's the big deal with him having 'X' associated with his 'monstrous' ability? Well, in Polukranos's case 'X' is equal to a mana investment. Green has the ability to rapidly produce mana faster than any other color, and since Polukranos is a mono-green creature he has the ability to access this strength. If 'X' is high enough than Polukranos can effectively become a onesided board wipe. 

*though 'X' doesn't have to be very high in our deck strategy.

Cons

1. Mono Color

I know I know. This is becoming a habit of mine where I list the same attribute as a strength and a weakness. But it's true. While Polukranos is very consistent due to his mono-colored nature, he does leave you with limited options when dealing with various threats.

2. 'X' 'X'

So while I did say that having 'X' associated with his ability was a strength, the fact that its actually a double 'X' is a significant drawback. While everything I said earlier still applies, by doubling the variable cost you diminish the potential effectiveness by half. This means that to achieve the 'onesided board wipe' scenario I mentioned earlier requires an incredible amount of mana. 

3. No Evasion

As it is, Polukranos's only form of evasion is pumping an incredible amount of mana into him in order to eliminate the opposing board. If he managed to survive, then obviously he could swing in unopposed. This is a onetime form of evasion that could potentially kill Polukranos in the process. While obviously a strong option, it's the ace up Polukranos's sleeve. Without it, there's not much he can do to get through. 

Deckbuilding strategy 

Polukranos is currently my commander. This is the strategy I've used to great success. It revolves around one word...deathtouch. 

By giving Polukranos, World Eater deathtouch you make it possible to eliminate your opponent's board with a minimal mana investment. As long as Polukranos is able to deal at least one point of damage to an opponent's creature, that creature will die (provided he's not indestructible). 

Here are some cards to use in conjunction with Polukranos, World Eater:

Cards such as those above not only make Polukranos's ability particularly...deadly...but I've found that deathtouch can be an effective form of evasion, especially if your opponent values his board state.

So who else uses Polukranos?! What are your strategies?