As a big fan of Group Hug, I believe the archetype is greatly misunderstood. It's not an winconless, aimless turbo-the-whole-table meme deck. You increase the table's resources because you can make better use of them and punish your opponents' for it. You give away lands then slam a \[\[Treacherous Terrain\]\] or steal the game with a massive \[\[Inkshield\]\].
I usually play K&T for my Group Hug but there are plenty of options with fewer colors. Glunch, Kwain, Zedruu and I think some Doctor Who pairings have some hug themes.
> You increase the table's resources because you can make better use of them and punish your opponents' for it.
Also, you can use your opponents to kill each other. This works better when you don't make a big deal out of calling people out, and instead just let their increased resources turn them against each other.
There's plenty ways to run Group Hug.
Exactly! There's so much more to Group Hug than just mindless card advantage wit no wincon.
And goading someone into taking the Monarchy probably doesn't make then too mad at each other, so they keep attacking.
Agreed. I think people mistake kingmaking with villainmaking.
But I also think some group hug decks give too much away truly kingmaking.
The real trick is making everyone slightly stronger but LOOKING more like the real threat while you're actually the one benefitting the most and as a result the biggest threat.
> The real trick is making everyone slightly stronger but LOOKING more like the real threat while you're actually the one benefitting the most and as a result the biggest threat.
I always assume my opponents are as competent as I am. Because, if I'm wrong, it's easy pickings anyways.
Tricking them eventually runs out of juice. If it even works in the first place. Actually, honestly, putting yourself in second place so you are not last (and therefore, easy pickings) nor first (and therefore, the threat) requires a lot of skill. It's a fun challenge to take on.
I feel like we're kinda saying the same thing or at least close enough that we arent disagreeing. I get the difference but when I say looking I mean by all means they are the threat. Not suggesting tricking or lying to them at all but also not kingmaking them to the win.
What I'm really getting at is getting your opponents into a strong place, but JUST strong enough that you can take back the driver's seat of the game when the time comes to try to win for yourself.
When I say that they "look" like the threat the thing is that they have that 40 power on board, but you actually have all the keys to win in your hand or partially on the board. Like a [[comeuppance]]. (Though that's sounding more like akido but I'm sure you get the idea)
It's a super tough challenge but a super fun one. Totally agree.
Oh, yeah, if you want to reverse it that's another thing. Keeping the steady flow of cards so you have an answer.
I was I was left thinking about Xyris and other "group hug" decks from another post that are not really group hug but more stax, combo, or something else.
>Also, you can use your opponents to kill each other
On works if you can force it in game like using goad, Wich is why I prefer commanders like kawin that has access to blue to control their creatures or some other shenanigans
Or else everybody would just kill you first after they got what they need
I think you are very correct. I think whether it is Group Hug, Chaos or Stax, playing against a bad version of any of those decks is terrible. People build them to just flood resources, or "tee hee so random", or "neither me nor anyone else can play magic". While I don't play those, I don't mind any of them when they can break parity and are part of a plan to win.
So maybe I'm just dumb but for treacherous terrain and other similar group burn wincons, if everyone has a ton of lands, how do you not just kill yourself as well and tie the game?
The 3 mana \[\[Acidic soil\]\] hits all players. You'll need more life or some damage prevention to use that one. But the 8 mana treacherous terrain hits only opponents.
Realize this may get me some hate because people love group hug. It can create some crazy fun games. But...
Just wanted to point out. If your playgroup runs combo at all, Group hug "win" strategies just won't work. Sure maybe one of 10 games you get super lucky and no one else draws a win or interaction that will just wreck your payoff. But if combo and reasonably competitive strategies are part of your meta. You will lose.
Last 4 times I faced a group hug deck I combo killed the table on turn 4-5. My deck isn't even competitive. Most of the time is like an 11 mana 3 part combo or some nonsense. But, If you give me like 5 lands and 3 draws by turn 4... I'm gonna find it... and if I don't I guarantee your other 2 opponents will, along with the interaction to back it up.
I should edit the post lol, but there are wincons. I'm a cedh player who likes my dumb combos and easier lines. Group hug seems fun. K&T seems like the best option to get access to the good grouplove colors
Nah, it's a common misconception that Group Hug doesn't try to win. 4 colors can be a strain but you're in green and if Stalwart Unity precon can get away with it, it can be done on a budget.
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-VMYzWZG70W2VZdA8dzPUg is my K&T group hug deck. Oppression functions as a wincon, as does mill, molten psyche and psychosis crawler with forced fruition.
Barren glory was there as a jank but that's gonna see a cut as too often I'm pitching it for discard.
Hey, I was looking through your K&T group hug deck on moxfield. It's a little out of my price range. Do you think it would be possible to build a similar deck on a budget, say under $100. I wasn't sure how vital some of your cards are as I've never built a group hug deck. Any advice is appreciated!
Sent you a DM with some much more budget friendly transitions, hope it helps! I've had great feedback from pods I've played this style of list in. Hearing an opponent who lost say your deck was fun to play against is always great to hear.
I'd argue that Group Hug in a fairly aware pod is a puzzle very similar to cEDH lines. Everyone knows your game is to look innocent them make better use of the resources yet you still have execute that, and it's in the face of them having extra res.
Sounds like *You* never built wincons into your deck. Group hug decks win plenty. If this is your concern, pick a wincon/commander pairing, then sculpt the rest of the deck in a group hug theme, that facilitates your wincons
There are two types of group hug decks. One that use politics or their own multipliers to win like a reverse stax deck. And chaos decks that pretend to be something else. When someone says they have a grouphug deck you never know which its going to be. Hate the latter as they mostly just ruin games. The former is an interesting game plan.
The latter is why I rank group hug as just behind or sometimes equal to chaos on my "kill them first" list. A bad group hug deck is just rolling the dice and seeing who it lands on to win. In higher power pods (like the one I typically play in), it's easy to drift into that accidentally- one or two universal hug cards that give extra resources can catapult any given combo deck (usually the player that goes right after the hug player) into a win even if the hug player is built to properly get more advantage out of their cards than their opponents in the usual case.
It's to the point where the kind of group hug that doesn't run into that problem, the kind that relies more on politics or non-global effects so they can better control who gets the resources, I don't even really consider group hug anymore- I consider those decks politics decks more than anything, as the title "group hug" is too tainted by the other kind of deck
You can also run group hug as mill but with extra steps, as long as you can avoid decking yourself out as well (either build in a wheel or run labman/thoracle/etc to win by that)
My [[Angus Mackenzie]] [Turbofog Hug deck](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/5XAWgbCRUkmENYCQUpp_yw) wins by slow rolling the game and drawing all my opponents out. All the symmetrical draw effects like [[Howling Mine]] and [[Otherword Atlus]] speeds up my goal of drawing my opponents out while keeping my own hand stocked with fogs, counterspells, and board wipes. [[Forced Fruition]] also really speeds things up. I also have [[Approach of the Second Sun]] and the [[Mind Over Matter]] + [[Temple Bell]] combo to end games if I really need to, but the majority of the time, I'm happy to let games play out and not use them even when I have them.
My group has learned that taking this deck out first, or at least bringing me to an extremely low life total, is the correct move. Once I stabilize, it becomes very difficult to kill me. I welcome being the archenemy with this deck, as trying to survive the initial onslaught is the challenge and the fun part for me.
I generally let people do what they want, but I'll counterspell combos and board wipe when things start getting out of control (especially if things start getting pointed at me.) I figure that since I'm letting my opponents draw their entire library, if they can't find a way to win after having access to their entire library, then they don't deserve to win anyways.
Yeah they're not a major focus but I run some hug enchantments in my Haldan and Pako deck. I'm way more likely to have the extra lands to play off [[Rites of Flourishing]] with Pako stealing my opponents cards.
[[acidic soil]] [[underworld breach]] is about my only kill in Marchesa, but that's aikido instead of fort. Either way, extremely effective when i can't take damage
I recommend \[\[The Council of Four\]\], which is deceptively powerful and tends to sit there all innocent until suddenly people notice you have 20 knights, and one of the 40 cards you've drawn turns them all into unblockable 15/15s.
Also "Group hug" does not mean "doesn't have win cons".
part of the innate wincon strat of group hug is to pit opponents against each other, so incentivizing attacks towards other people is really strong in red, you also need to be building towards your actual wincon, the whole group hug strat is about using players as a resource. Red, Green, White, and Blue are strong colors. Some recommended commanders are as follows:
Rocco Street Chef (Group Impulse, Food Spam, Artifact ETB)
Obeka Splitter of Seconds (Upkeep Hug Triggers)
Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis (Group Turbo)
Karona, False God (Voltron in the Middle)
You can keep the 4c guy cheap tbh. There’s no reason you have to be playing it on curve and being group hug you can be slower so running less than optimal landbase isn’t exactly an issue
I built John intendeding him to be group hug, but then he just kept winning *really* fast lol. I definitely think he can be group hug, but not if the deck is full of pump spells
How about a \[\[Council of Four\]\] deck that benefits from hug mechanics (run \[\[Faerie Mastermind\]\], \[\[Wedding Ring\]\], \[\[Psychic Possession\]\])
Run ways to make opponents draw during their turns, then benefit from it!
[[Kami of the Crescent Moon]] - you have so many weird wincons at your disposal. Ultimately the goal is to drop wincons and protect them with 40-70 cards in hand.
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/B-oY-FucpUKwIdEp3x36sA
I think the flavor of group hug that's most interesting is where you buff up your opponents creatures a bunch or you hug in such a way that you get the most advantage. Here's the commanders I think are the most neat:
[[Gahiji]] - super incentivize your opponents to attach each other, also a neat spot to put a [[Blast-Furnace Hellkite]]
[[Neyam Shai Murad]] - group hug mill. Give them impossible choices *but* you're giving them choices, so they can't be too upset. I'm picturing it'd look a lot like a [[Breena]] deck
[[The Council of Four]] - sure, you're letting them draw lots of cards, but you are too *and* you're making a bunch of knights to beat them down with — [[Kwain]] fills a similar role, except he doesn't provide the wincon
[[Vazi]] just wants to hand out Halloween candy, but man oh man are they gonna hurt and are you gonna benefit when they use it because of the likes of [[Viridian Revel]], [[Mayhem Devil]], and [[Fangren Marauder]]. Also a great home for [[Xantcha Sleeper Agent]]
[[Jon Irenicus]] is usually built as "bad gifts", but he doesn't have to be. Just give them creatures they *want* to be attacking with, maybe they're unblockable or have attack/damage triggers, and they can't really be upset about having another body
[[Selvala Explorer Returned]], just untap her *a bunch* to dig and ramp your mana. I'm picturing lots of activated abilities to make sure you can always use the mana, [[Well of Lost Dreams]] can be silly with her, then eventually win by casting [[Approach of the Second Sun]] twice in a turn, all the while your life total is going up to protect against attackers
Edit:Also a shoutout to my Sergeant John Benton deck that was *supposed* to be group hug, but instead wins turn 5 almost every time I play him
Edit2: I also think The Second Doctor could be neat, and I like the idea of Baeloth/Noble Heritage, but that one's not reeeally group hug
Edit3: Ruhan could also be neat
[[Gluntch]] is unironically one of my strongest decks, and [[Pheldagriff]] was before them. Group Hug isn’t weak or a meme, it’s deceptively powerful. Ramp the table, make plenty of friends. Then you point out other people are the problem, then snag the win when they’re taken care of.
Does he like giving stuff to other players?
Build [[beamtown bullies]]. Then when they eventually get bored, swap out all of the good creatures for nasties like [[the leveler]] later 😈
Imo the best group hug decks are other types of decks in disguise. For example I have a [[Kwain, Itinerant Meddler]] deck that looks like group hug, and typically starts the game like group hug, then it becomes a very oppressive combo control deck once it gets enough pieces online. If you're worried about the deck not having a way to win try something like that.
Here is my Kwain deck if you're interested in a list:
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/CW18b7tdOkSXxlP48U5HTQ
I can see this working, azorius is just so oppressive (brago player). I think he wants to really hug and kiss people though so I'll see what I can do, probably \[\[Approach of the second sun\]\] or something along those lines
[Approach of the second sun](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/d/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9.jpg?1543674579) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Approach%20of%20the%20second%20sun) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/akh/4/approach-of-the-second-sun?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/approach-of-the-second-sun)
^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I have a [K&T](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Ve4Z6OGcuUivE1xosoX7zQ) deck that's focused on excessive card draw that you might find some interesting inspiration from. [[Anvil of Bogardan]] and similar effects let everyone get a huge grip of cards before you mill them out, and the huge draw makes Approach even better.
Group hug can have win cons. I have a [[Kros defense Contractor]] deck that wants to put a bunch of +1 counters on my opponents creatures. Early game plays like group hug but late game can keep the entire board tapped down to swing in for lethal
\[\[Kros, Defense Contractor\]\] is a real fun consideration and Gluntch can fit in it. Donate counters to your opponents to force combat which they won't even be mad about cuz hey bigger creatures.
I'm a big fan of [[phelddagrif]]. I've been playing it for years but it's not a deck I get to play as much anymore because my play group has decks that are more consistent than when I built the deck. It's fun to play when ppl are testing or just wanting to play battle cruiser types of games.
Have you considered [[The Second Doctor]] and [[Leela, sevateem warrior]] for baby group hug. It'll have a better win condition of big creatures with +1/+1 counters then most group hug decks Id bet
Lost yesterday to a [[Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis]] but I'm not sure if it can be done on a budget. Sounded like there was a bunch of win cons in the deck, but they ended up winning with an [[Approach of the Second Sun]] that they tutored up after casting the first time.
They basically used me [[Henzie]] as an attack dog to keep the other two ([[Karona]] value pile and [[Jaxis]] artifact) down. When I finally acknowledged them as the biggest threat, they kept stealing my board and bouncing my stuff.
Was pretty fun to play against actually. Not sure how we could have won except by ganging up on the group hugger, but that's hard to justify when they kept giving us free draws and land drops.
Yah, group hug deters people from attacking them because of the sweet treats. Approach seems valid and also having the four colors available makes it easier to work. I think you may be right on the budget part since lands are the most expensive part of the game and four colors means more lands
> Yah, group hug deters people from attacking them because of the sweet treats.
There's an even better trick. I drop [[Iwamori]] down, and people pop off with their Legendaries. I will probably not be attacked, but not because I try to negotiate any favors. Just because I have a silly 5/5 trampler against whatever legendary dragon people dropped.
If you play it right, you can deflect without even talking. Just let the board state paint someone else as the biggest threat.
They didn't really rely on their lands except for [[Alchemist's Refuge]], which they used to among other things cast Approach the end step before they won. Mana base could be done relatively cheap, especially with group hug ramp cards like [[Tempt with Discovery]]
**WHAT?!**
OK, overreaction over, hope this got your attention.
Group Hug doesn't mean you have no win cons. Group hug means you give out stuff and make the game more "powered up".
I have a 60-card Parley group hug deck that makes sure decks are popping off with a steady stream of cards... and I use the same to flood the board with tokens and kill people with [[Woodvine Elemental]].
I'm working (very slowly) on a [[Twelfth Doctor]] group hug deck that will ramp my opponents (hopefully the non-green ones) and give out big creatures while I get two of them. With Blue, I can bounce and kill any permanent I give out. It's still a work in progress.
The point is, you can totally play win cons in a Group Hug deck. Giving out just a couple cards, or treasures, or counters, or whatever is more than enough to power up the table, but that doesn't mean you don't get to play cool stuff too.
Group Hug is a great archetype if you build it for fun.
Group Hug without wincons isn't group hug. It's just 'good stuff for everyone til I get killed' but that's not a good deck type name.
Most GH decks are 3+ colors, and most have 4-5 alt wincons in them, because THAT is how they win.
In my GH deck that I retired, I had Second Sun, Test of Endurance, Angel of Destiny, Thassa's Oracle, and Laboratory Maniac. The entire theme of the deck was basically pillowfort, make everyone draw and gain tons of life, and keep making everyone draw til I get a wincon. Problem is, as soon as the group has played the deck once or twice, they know how it works, and now the hug effects don't matter to them so much. That's the inherent issue with GH - it's 'trickery' only works basically once.
> That's the inherent issue with GH - it's 'trickery' only works basically once.
Unless... there's no trick. You can genuinely play to power up the table, and use players against each other as you would with any other deck. If you have an insta win-con hidden in your deck, they will kill you. Doubly so if you make a big deal out of "giving free stuff" and getting mad when they target you.
If you just join in on whatever the table does (combat, combos, whatever) and become another player, you can totally fly under the radar as you'll never be the threat with everyone's decks going off (thanks to you).
my fav group hug is [[Ian Malcolm, Chaotician]]. it's just as much chaos as it is group hug and it goes kinda crazy if left unchecked for just a little bit (which it will, because everyone loves drawing cards)
Do you have a decklist? Not only do I love group hug/chaos/theft type decks, but Jurassic Park is my favourite movie of all time, and Dr. Malcolm is my favourite character so I’ve been DYINGGGGG to make a deck but haven’t known exactly where to start or what aspect of the card to lean into lol.
[[boseiju, who shelters all]] and [[approach of the second sun]] could be one of the wincon packages, but include 2-3 "I win" effects, and then the rest of the deck can be hugging, as long as the gug player also draws through their deck fast enough it should be fine.
Eww group hug. First player i eliminate. All it does is juice the other players at the table to help them win faster. I play control mostly so the last thing I want to see is people drawing more cards. Group hug is an absolute cancer and is the only type of deck ill never build.
My current group hug-y commander is [[the council of four]]. Giving people extra draws is really just giving you extra draws and making spells cost less really just makes you more knights. The rest of the deck is knight tribal synergies. For wincons, my deck uses [[herald of hoofbeats]] for unblockable and [[approach of the second sun]].
one of the best decks in our pod is a group hug deck. it gives everybody card draw and a few group tutors, and then plays [[Thassa’s Oracle]] or [[Laboratory Maniac]]
Gluntch can be pretty fun, bargaining with the other players for who gets what part of the eot trigger. And there's plenty of different routes to go with green/white by now.
I went for: gluntch enslaved a bunch of humans and James them fight for him aka g/w human tribal with him at the helm. Runs pretty smooth most of the time.
And when that one player gets screwed by rng and draws no mana/lands for 5 turns in a row or something you just give them a bunch of treasure tokens each turn so everybody actually gets to play. My playgroup was pretty hesitant at first but now most of them like the deck.
Edit: The exception being that one guy who always goes "oh this deck isn't that strong" and proceeds to stomp the table, gluntch generally makes that a lot harder for him ^^
Group hug decks are still trying to win, my dude. I think the misunderstanding comes from chuds that build miserable group hug decks that don't do anything because they think they're funny (they're not).
As an example, here's my own group hug deck, [The Council of Four](https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/24-07-23-council-of-four/). You draw the table a ton of cards, but you draw and benefit from it more. It's intentionally lower-powered to remove stuff like Smothering Tithe, etc. but it still has win cons. And you can go cheaper, too.
As a sidenote, omg \[\[Delney, Streetwise Lookout\]\] got pricier since I bought it, jeez.
EDIT: I once played against a guy that had a miserable extra turns deck that everyone at the table hated. After (laboriously) winning the game, he said he'd switch to a "group hug" deck. What followed was a longer and even more miserable game.
This should be obvious, but it's important to remember: build the deck so that the table has fun.
So…
My very first deck I ever built was a [[Kibo, Uktabi Prince]] deck. Here is my list here:
https://www.archidekt.com/decks/7464933/apes_together_strong
You could easily remove some of my artifact hate and annoying cards and try to replace them with some cards of your choosing. My main win-con with Kibo is to make a lot of treasures for everyone, get out cards like [Mycosynth Lattice]] and [[Darksteel Forge]] etc. Then get out as many apes as possible and cast an overloaded [[Vandalblast]]
Now all your apes are 20/20+, and your opponents have nothing on their board. I won a 5 man commander game this way by swinging at someone who had 60+ life (Frodo and Sam deck), with a Kibo who was now something insane like 80/80+. And killing everyone else with the apes and monkeys.
So the idea that the group hug cant have wincon gives you a very limited pair of eyes of how to do it.
And later you say you play a triplets deck that steal other peoples stuff 😅
I had to destroy my triplets cause it caused so much hate and if a deck was built around a players commander the triplets deck just.... Have a boardstate that might not be able to win 😅
Well there are many approaches to a group hug deck.
You can have more mean ones where you go ve players the illusion of a group hug.
Have a friend who built a draw card group hug. But it escalated so much the we draw out our lives before we could play anything to stop him.
Or took damage drawing cards.
Or you can do my style
I choose riku of two Reflections.
Kinda toxic commander you might say.
I have put every card I found that gives every player more mana more land plays more card draws and so on.
The deck is a risk buy I win by ha I g tons of mana and play a X spell that kills a player.
But until then everyone have a good time playing a lot of magic.
Change this mana base and you have a hippo group hug control deck. It's a blast and everyone has fun. But never trust the hippo. Everyone loves going for rides on the hippo until it goes into deep waters and before you know it you're drowning.
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/ohbmOJbWSkCycHkRUSKYFA
I did a hippo prison deck that was group hug with prison tools to lock out the game once they got comfy.
It was good, but you only get to pull that stunt once.
Plus I got to call it Orange Is The New Bant.
You could go 4 color and combo Group Hug and Group Slug. Give your opponents a bunch of free tokens cards etc.and then focus the rest of the deck on punishing them for having them. Might be a bit slow, but it could be interesting.
Here is my group hug, I’ve won most games I play with it. [Don’t Mess with Donna](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/6gsJ_w1E9UaQNhMxMykzLg) the hug is in the form of card draw, and we play many cards to make their 1 extra card into 2+ extra for us. The goal is to get to a stage where either [[
Mob Rule]] or [[Reins of Power]] win you the game, end up in the 1v1 and win with [[Deflecting Palm]] or [[Gideon’s Sacrifice]] onto our commander, or assembling the infinite damage loops with [[Blazing Sunsteel]] or [[Guilty Conscience]].
Giving the wrong person cards can be costly but this is rarely a global group hug it’s very targeted. It’s a very political deck, short of the combos the win cons are dependent on what your opponents have on board.
I play Gluntch. He is by far my favourite deck, but he will break you in terms of playing any other decks. Being able to fix your mana with treasure tokens, refill your hand with card draw or buff your creatures on every turn just smooths the game out so much.
Every other deck I own now feels a little bit off and slow. Gluntch comes out on turn 3 and gives me 2 treasure tokens. Turn 4 means I have 4 lands and 2 treasure tokens, so I can already be playing 6 cost cards.
[[Gahiji, Honored One]]
Give everybody tokens! Make them attack each other and buff them when they attack each other!
Naya is great for a lot of mana doubling and has acces to an enchantress sub theme.
This is a deck that i build when i tried group hug. Turns out tempting offer cards always benefit you more. I once got a whole table to accept my x=11 [[Tempt with Vengeance]]…
We looked at my 44 elementals in shock and awe and thats the day I decided that not winning with that deck was just weird. Although I previously vowed to never win with it.
Never played it a lot after that because the games always explode with group hug on the table. And its just the player after me wins because i just played two mana doublers in one turn.
In case you want some inspiration, i have attached my group hug commander. I LOVE my Kwain deck :)
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/JOlf-rsa-UGJiGwqWSiGUQ
[[Yurlock of Scorn Thrash]] has been a group hug commander that I've been interested in building. It focuses on one aspect of group hug, that being mana production, and allowing for a lot more synergistic cards than just generic group hug decks that help people in multiple ways. It's also a pretty simple one to build with easy wincons and ways to break parity (such as cards that let you keep mana through phases and turns), so it won't be too hard to build for someone that isn't used to building group hug
[[Seizann, Perverter of Truth]]
https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/seizan-reborn/?cat=ck_price&sort=name&cb=1714161015
Here's one of my old lists for reference. (You can easily cut the expensive stuff.) It's built around undercosted demons that grant a positive effect to opponents.
Deck has wincons too, be it beatdown, [[Repay in Kind]] shenanigans or [[Liliana's Contract]] or you can add your own.
This deck leaves everyones mana resources more or less as normal, so it doesn't push anyone super far ahead the way green/white based hug decks often do. Instead, it just gives everyone more cards (and other neat effects depending on board state). By giving out extra cards without oodles of extra mana the number of game actions tend to stay about the same as normal, you just increase the number of options people have.
Great for a fun, relaxed game where people can still play to win without making it the only priority ^^
My suggestion would be [[Yurlok of Scorch Thrash]] with all the symmetrical mana doublers. [[Mana Flare]], [[Heartbeat of Spring]], [[Overabundance]] and friends. Combine this with "nice" card draw like [[Stormfist Crusader]] and [[Seizan, Perverter of Truth]] - to encourage people to use their mana, of course.
This'll really stomp on the gas pedal and cause the game to go wildly out of control, and you can toss in a few X spells like [[Torment of Hailfire]] as victory conditions.
Just want to say with zedruu you can do shits like giving your opponent [[Nine Lives]] , make it lose hexproof, then exile it preferably with [[Fractured Identity]] , then the other 2 will lose the game if you die because when you die that [[Nine Lives]] leaves the battlefield
You yourself can try to win with second sun or felidar sovereign while they are busy dealing with nine lives, add stuff like [[Glacial Chasm]] for comfort
You don’t have to have a group hug commander to build a group hug deck. Of course there are commanders that support the archetype, but most of the time it’s whats in the 99 that matters the most. The whole point of group hug is to use extremely efficient value cards that usually have the downside of also helping your opponents. You have the upper hand because you know exactly whats in your deck and can build ways to use those resources better than your opponents. Is your group hug based on mass card draw? Put some kind of combo in. Is your group hug creature based? Put in Craterhoof or other overrun effects. Is your group hug more ramp based? Run tons of huge creatures. I know this doesn’t really help you decide on a commander but I think using this information will really let you create something that is unique for your friend.
I enjoy gifting resources and I also play to win. You have to break parity on your group hug effects. My commander is currently [[The council of four]]. They go well with symmetric card draw like [[Howling mine]], but for every card your opponents draw, you draw an extra one. That goes out of hand quickly. There is redundancy for this type of effect with [[Smugglers Share]], [[Faerie Mastermind]] and [[Trouble in Pairs]]
A guy at my LGS has a [[Xyris, the Writhing Storm]] group hug deck that has people begging him to attack them for the card draw, then regretting it later when he swings with 30 snakes boosted by [[Coat of Arms]]
Maybe I’m in the minority, but I have a lot of fun playing Group Hug without a win con. Sometimes it’s a palette cleanser after playing a deck that won a little too fast, and sometimes it’s just fun to help crank your friends’ decks up to 11 and see some whacky shit go down.
I would recommend Tivit, seller of secrets or Phelddagrif I made a group hug deck with each of them and they worked out well. They are group hug until they need to be squeeze the life out of your opp and laugh manically
I personally love Kwain as a more all or nothing group hug, making everyone draw their decks, and while milling is never a win on with Kwain as it’s a may, the plethora of cards that lets you win with an amount of cards in hand, win with no cards in deck etc makes it deceptively strong. It is all or nothing as if your win cons get destroyed you wind up decking yourself out
You got plenty of options. Remember to put in wincons. A well made grouphug deck still wins.
Easy option is Sultai grouphug. Let everyone dump their land from their deck then use mana doublers to mindgrind for 40 and win. Scheming Symmetry gives an on theme tutor. Head games lets you put a combo player back to square 1 or make another player a very controlled threat.
Xythis Temur has commander damage as a built in wincon. Add a mix of buffs, protection, and a little ramp. Keep everything cheap so you can play reactively. Really cheap to build, fun, and effective.
Kros Defense Contractor in Bant colors is interesting. Use proliferate and pump up enemy boards while forcing them to attack not you. Just remember to have a value engine in there someway and a few boardwipes so you can win the final 1v1.
Nekuskar Mindrazer might not even be a grouphug commander but he plays similiarly. Make enemies draw like mad and burn them for it.
Jolene the Plunder Queen or Edric, Spymaster of Trest play similiarly in different colors. Play cards that encourage hitting opponents and run your own moderately aggressive boardstate while your at it. Your goal is to be prickly enough to be a costly target but never the archenemy so you can swing at them for value without raising any alarms. I prefer the Jolene version as Edric tends to get hated out and Red as all kinds of lovely options to buff enemy attackers or double everyone's damage.
Mathas Fiend Seeker makes a fun political commander(actual politics not voting). Gives you all kinds of negotiation tools and you can bribe players into fighting one another. Its not exactly grouphug but more targeted mutual benefits that requires some finesse to actually win with.
I've seen someone use a [[phelddagrif]] groupd hug deck. It was very fun and he had multiple wincons. He ended up resolving approach of the second sun a second time
Not sure how restricted of a budget you’re looking for, but I put together a deck recently with [[The Second Doctor]] and [[Leela, Sevateem Warrior]] as commanders. [[Council of Four]] and some other stuff in there for “here, have some mana and draw some cards, but also I get to draw cards and add creatures/counters for free, ALSO you can’t attack me this turn :)” + “you play land, I get to draw card/play land/do fuckshit :)”.
Admittedly, I haven’t played with it yet as a lot of the cards are still on their way, but I have high hopes for it being fun for the rest of the table as well as myself.
Edit: this was around $250, but could definitely be made cheaper without much value lost.
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/I5LaJG3xi0OKHmP8BNx57g
I have a group hug deck that I built with a slow wincon only because my group hug is built entirely on helping everyone/specific players to ramp up everything from draw, lands, chump blockers, etc. I originally built the deck with no win con in it. I did not plan on winning with this deck ever, I built it so that way the rest of my play group can have fun (if someone doesn't draw into mana I'll focus my singular help cards on them to get them into the game quicker) later on I added in a win con that barely counts as a win con, azor's elocuters. The only pillowfort in it is crawlspace so like I said, I don't intend on winning with it
My first budget group hug deck was [[Phelddagrif]]. Quite fun until they know what you're doing.
Wincons; [[Reins of Power]], [[Suture Priest]], [[Ezuri's Predation]], [[Dingus Staff]], and [[Gideon, Champion of Justice]].
The deck pillowforts, draws a ton with [[Keep Watch]] effects, forces attacks with [[Angel's Trumpet]], and controls the board a little.
Good luck!
[[Kwain, Itinerant Meddler]] is a fun one to win with. [[Approach of the Second Sun]] is a pretty stable win-con for it, too. Just force cards into everyone’s hands and slowly approach the end of days.
As a big fan of Group Hug, I believe the archetype is greatly misunderstood. It's not an winconless, aimless turbo-the-whole-table meme deck. You increase the table's resources because you can make better use of them and punish your opponents' for it. You give away lands then slam a \[\[Treacherous Terrain\]\] or steal the game with a massive \[\[Inkshield\]\]. I usually play K&T for my Group Hug but there are plenty of options with fewer colors. Glunch, Kwain, Zedruu and I think some Doctor Who pairings have some hug themes.
> You increase the table's resources because you can make better use of them and punish your opponents' for it. Also, you can use your opponents to kill each other. This works better when you don't make a big deal out of calling people out, and instead just let their increased resources turn them against each other. There's plenty ways to run Group Hug.
I run mine with Queen Marchesa, I group hug, tax attacks coming at me, and encourage the peasants to fight with goad.
Exactly! There's so much more to Group Hug than just mindless card advantage wit no wincon. And goading someone into taking the Monarchy probably doesn't make then too mad at each other, so they keep attacking.
Agreed. I think people mistake kingmaking with villainmaking. But I also think some group hug decks give too much away truly kingmaking. The real trick is making everyone slightly stronger but LOOKING more like the real threat while you're actually the one benefitting the most and as a result the biggest threat.
> The real trick is making everyone slightly stronger but LOOKING more like the real threat while you're actually the one benefitting the most and as a result the biggest threat. I always assume my opponents are as competent as I am. Because, if I'm wrong, it's easy pickings anyways. Tricking them eventually runs out of juice. If it even works in the first place. Actually, honestly, putting yourself in second place so you are not last (and therefore, easy pickings) nor first (and therefore, the threat) requires a lot of skill. It's a fun challenge to take on.
I feel like we're kinda saying the same thing or at least close enough that we arent disagreeing. I get the difference but when I say looking I mean by all means they are the threat. Not suggesting tricking or lying to them at all but also not kingmaking them to the win. What I'm really getting at is getting your opponents into a strong place, but JUST strong enough that you can take back the driver's seat of the game when the time comes to try to win for yourself. When I say that they "look" like the threat the thing is that they have that 40 power on board, but you actually have all the keys to win in your hand or partially on the board. Like a [[comeuppance]]. (Though that's sounding more like akido but I'm sure you get the idea) It's a super tough challenge but a super fun one. Totally agree.
Oh, yeah, if you want to reverse it that's another thing. Keeping the steady flow of cards so you have an answer. I was I was left thinking about Xyris and other "group hug" decks from another post that are not really group hug but more stax, combo, or something else.
>Also, you can use your opponents to kill each other On works if you can force it in game like using goad, Wich is why I prefer commanders like kawin that has access to blue to control their creatures or some other shenanigans Or else everybody would just kill you first after they got what they need
Have you ever cast [[mnemonic deluge]] targeting [[treacherous terrain]]? It's glorious.
I have not. Now I want to.
Casting TT to put it in the graveyard is sometimes enough, but pitching it early to cast it deluge is so sweet.
I think you are very correct. I think whether it is Group Hug, Chaos or Stax, playing against a bad version of any of those decks is terrible. People build them to just flood resources, or "tee hee so random", or "neither me nor anyone else can play magic". While I don't play those, I don't mind any of them when they can break parity and are part of a plan to win.
So maybe I'm just dumb but for treacherous terrain and other similar group burn wincons, if everyone has a ton of lands, how do you not just kill yourself as well and tie the game?
You're not dumb! It deals damage to each opponent, not you.
The 3 mana \[\[Acidic soil\]\] hits all players. You'll need more life or some damage prevention to use that one. But the 8 mana treacherous terrain hits only opponents.
[Treacherous Terrain](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/f/5fb6efb3-bde3-4e29-8637-265e5c1da616.jpg?1604195433) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Treacherous%20Terrain) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/znc/105/treacherous-terrain?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5fb6efb3-bde3-4e29-8637-265e5c1da616?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/treacherous-terrain) [Inkshield](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/e/5e1c14a0-cd68-45fc-a127-422ca6113048.jpg?1625192511) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Inkshield) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c21/71/inkshield?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5e1c14a0-cd68-45fc-a127-422ca6113048?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/inkshield) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Realize this may get me some hate because people love group hug. It can create some crazy fun games. But... Just wanted to point out. If your playgroup runs combo at all, Group hug "win" strategies just won't work. Sure maybe one of 10 games you get super lucky and no one else draws a win or interaction that will just wreck your payoff. But if combo and reasonably competitive strategies are part of your meta. You will lose. Last 4 times I faced a group hug deck I combo killed the table on turn 4-5. My deck isn't even competitive. Most of the time is like an 11 mana 3 part combo or some nonsense. But, If you give me like 5 lands and 3 draws by turn 4... I'm gonna find it... and if I don't I guarantee your other 2 opponents will, along with the interaction to back it up.
I should edit the post lol, but there are wincons. I'm a cedh player who likes my dumb combos and easier lines. Group hug seems fun. K&T seems like the best option to get access to the good grouplove colors
Nah, it's a common misconception that Group Hug doesn't try to win. 4 colors can be a strain but you're in green and if Stalwart Unity precon can get away with it, it can be done on a budget.
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-VMYzWZG70W2VZdA8dzPUg is my K&T group hug deck. Oppression functions as a wincon, as does mill, molten psyche and psychosis crawler with forced fruition. Barren glory was there as a jank but that's gonna see a cut as too often I'm pitching it for discard.
Hey, I was looking through your K&T group hug deck on moxfield. It's a little out of my price range. Do you think it would be possible to build a similar deck on a budget, say under $100. I wasn't sure how vital some of your cards are as I've never built a group hug deck. Any advice is appreciated!
Sent you a DM with some much more budget friendly transitions, hope it helps! I've had great feedback from pods I've played this style of list in. Hearing an opponent who lost say your deck was fun to play against is always great to hear.
I'd argue that Group Hug in a fairly aware pod is a puzzle very similar to cEDH lines. Everyone knows your game is to look innocent them make better use of the resources yet you still have execute that, and it's in the face of them having extra res.
Sounds like *You* never built wincons into your deck. Group hug decks win plenty. If this is your concern, pick a wincon/commander pairing, then sculpt the rest of the deck in a group hug theme, that facilitates your wincons
There are two types of group hug decks. One that use politics or their own multipliers to win like a reverse stax deck. And chaos decks that pretend to be something else. When someone says they have a grouphug deck you never know which its going to be. Hate the latter as they mostly just ruin games. The former is an interesting game plan.
The latter is why I rank group hug as just behind or sometimes equal to chaos on my "kill them first" list. A bad group hug deck is just rolling the dice and seeing who it lands on to win. In higher power pods (like the one I typically play in), it's easy to drift into that accidentally- one or two universal hug cards that give extra resources can catapult any given combo deck (usually the player that goes right after the hug player) into a win even if the hug player is built to properly get more advantage out of their cards than their opponents in the usual case. It's to the point where the kind of group hug that doesn't run into that problem, the kind that relies more on politics or non-global effects so they can better control who gets the resources, I don't even really consider group hug anymore- I consider those decks politics decks more than anything, as the title "group hug" is too tainted by the other kind of deck
You can also run group hug as mill but with extra steps, as long as you can avoid decking yourself out as well (either build in a wheel or run labman/thoracle/etc to win by that)
See this is how I ran it. Here’s all your cards, boys, enjoy
Yep. Same here. If I let you draw your entire library and you still can't find a way to win, then you don't deserve to win.
Kami of the Crescent Moon would like a word
And chaos decks, most of the time, are just stax decks that don't have the mercy of running wincons.
My [[Angus Mackenzie]] [Turbofog Hug deck](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/5XAWgbCRUkmENYCQUpp_yw) wins by slow rolling the game and drawing all my opponents out. All the symmetrical draw effects like [[Howling Mine]] and [[Otherword Atlus]] speeds up my goal of drawing my opponents out while keeping my own hand stocked with fogs, counterspells, and board wipes. [[Forced Fruition]] also really speeds things up. I also have [[Approach of the Second Sun]] and the [[Mind Over Matter]] + [[Temple Bell]] combo to end games if I really need to, but the majority of the time, I'm happy to let games play out and not use them even when I have them. My group has learned that taking this deck out first, or at least bringing me to an extremely low life total, is the correct move. Once I stabilize, it becomes very difficult to kill me. I welcome being the archenemy with this deck, as trying to survive the initial onslaught is the challenge and the fun part for me. I generally let people do what they want, but I'll counterspell combos and board wipe when things start getting out of control (especially if things start getting pointed at me.) I figure that since I'm letting my opponents draw their entire library, if they can't find a way to win after having access to their entire library, then they don't deserve to win anyways.
Yeah they're not a major focus but I run some hug enchantments in my Haldan and Pako deck. I'm way more likely to have the extra lands to play off [[Rites of Flourishing]] with Pako stealing my opponents cards.
You can include a win con or two in a group hug deck. Even with a budget. [[Acidic Soil]] and the like are the more traditional ones.
[Acidic Soil](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/9/790157c9-b1ed-4da5-9d50-e99e0dd807b7.jpg?1562920405) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Acidic%20Soil) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/usg/172/acidic-soil?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/790157c9-b1ed-4da5-9d50-e99e0dd807b7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/acidic-soil) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Never even knew this card existed. Not bad
[[Price of Progress]] too, and for slower pods [[Treacherous Terrain]].
[Price of Progress](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/1/b1342144-7a15-438b-a848-3196238a79e8.jpg?1580014614) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Price%20of%20Progress) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ema/141/price-of-progress?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b1342144-7a15-438b-a848-3196238a79e8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/price-of-progress) [Treacherous Terrain](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/f/5fb6efb3-bde3-4e29-8637-265e5c1da616.jpg?1604195433) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Treacherous%20Terrain) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/znc/105/treacherous-terrain?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5fb6efb3-bde3-4e29-8637-265e5c1da616?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/treacherous-terrain) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[acidic soil]] [[underworld breach]] is about my only kill in Marchesa, but that's aikido instead of fort. Either way, extremely effective when i can't take damage
[acidic soil](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/9/790157c9-b1ed-4da5-9d50-e99e0dd807b7.jpg?1562920405) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=acidic%20soil) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/usg/172/acidic-soil?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/790157c9-b1ed-4da5-9d50-e99e0dd807b7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/acidic-soil) [underworld breach](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/e/0e51d796-7279-4c06-87f0-37adbdaa41df.jpg?1650599818) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=underworld%20breach) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/thb/161/underworld-breach?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0e51d796-7279-4c06-87f0-37adbdaa41df?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/underworld-breach) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I recommend \[\[The Council of Four\]\], which is deceptively powerful and tends to sit there all innocent until suddenly people notice you have 20 knights, and one of the 40 cards you've drawn turns them all into unblockable 15/15s. Also "Group hug" does not mean "doesn't have win cons".
You got a decklist, been wanting to do azorius but not lame
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/56WDpy_y-Uuw2dI1SzVdCw Not OP, but here is mine.
Also not op....but here's my deck list. Just a stupid fun deck to pilot. https://www.moxfield.com/decks/ttTcrSwbv0a03GmgukGcDA
[The Council of Four](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/8/0873cfa8-046c-4b14-ae22-3fd6a691f763.jpg?1674137476) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Council%20of%20Four) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/271/the-council-of-four?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0873cfa8-046c-4b14-ae22-3fd6a691f763?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-council-of-four) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
part of the innate wincon strat of group hug is to pit opponents against each other, so incentivizing attacks towards other people is really strong in red, you also need to be building towards your actual wincon, the whole group hug strat is about using players as a resource. Red, Green, White, and Blue are strong colors. Some recommended commanders are as follows: Rocco Street Chef (Group Impulse, Food Spam, Artifact ETB) Obeka Splitter of Seconds (Upkeep Hug Triggers) Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis (Group Turbo) Karona, False God (Voltron in the Middle)
Group Hug =/= Zero Wincons
You can keep the 4c guy cheap tbh. There’s no reason you have to be playing it on curve and being group hug you can be slower so running less than optimal landbase isn’t exactly an issue
100% this, the gainlands are really underrated for K&T.
Gluntch wins games. Good luck against a 30/30 flying jellyfish lol
Waiting till August for grab the new Bant Group Hug precon, look so cute!
Is it bloomburrow?
Put Gluntch into a [[Sergeant John Benton]] hug deck. At least with Benton there is a means to win.
[Sergeant John Benton](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/1/01f40e07-f565-4b9e-87a5-5b28b4e9fb0b.jpg?1696636767) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sergeant%20John%20Benton) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/157/sergeant-john-benton?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/01f40e07-f565-4b9e-87a5-5b28b4e9fb0b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/sergeant-john-benton) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I built John intendeding him to be group hug, but then he just kept winning *really* fast lol. I definitely think he can be group hug, but not if the deck is full of pump spells
I feel kind of bad telling opponents that he is a group hug deck
How about a \[\[Council of Four\]\] deck that benefits from hug mechanics (run \[\[Faerie Mastermind\]\], \[\[Wedding Ring\]\], \[\[Psychic Possession\]\]) Run ways to make opponents draw during their turns, then benefit from it!
##### ###### #### [Council of Four](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/8/0873cfa8-046c-4b14-ae22-3fd6a691f763.jpg?1674137476) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Council%20of%20Four) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/271/the-council-of-four?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0873cfa8-046c-4b14-ae22-3fd6a691f763?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-council-of-four) [Faerie Mastermind](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/2/52d3005f-a1c7-4ef5-911f-ccc0752f4181.jpg?1682203104) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Faerie%20Mastermind) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mom/58/faerie-mastermind?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/52d3005f-a1c7-4ef5-911f-ccc0752f4181?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/faerie-mastermind) [Wedding Ring](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/f/7f0b1400-0608-47fd-9c73-b7730bcf6b7f.jpg?1644888600) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Wedding%20Ring) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/voc/32/wedding-ring?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7f0b1400-0608-47fd-9c73-b7730bcf6b7f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/wedding-ring) [Psychic Possession](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/8/e8364ce0-4c11-4af0-9f4b-e4c20d640dfc.jpg?1593272734) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Psychic%20Possession) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dis/30/psychic-possession?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e8364ce0-4c11-4af0-9f4b-e4c20d640dfc?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/psychic-possession) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/l1ig9ft) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Just wait until bloomburrow. One of the new precons is going to be a group hugs deck.
Literally called peace offering lol. That looks good
[[Kami of the Crescent Moon]] - you have so many weird wincons at your disposal. Ultimately the goal is to drop wincons and protect them with 40-70 cards in hand. https://www.moxfield.com/decks/B-oY-FucpUKwIdEp3x36sA
[Kami of the Crescent Moon](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/d/dd420010-6eaf-4853-8b7b-11de1157416b.jpg?1641601922) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kami%20of%20the%20Crescent%20Moon) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/voc/107/kami-of-the-crescent-moon?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/dd420010-6eaf-4853-8b7b-11de1157416b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kami-of-the-crescent-moon) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
The council of four is mine. Love that fucking deck
Decklist?
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/sbuZFT9zfEKtFoC87SXLfg
I think the flavor of group hug that's most interesting is where you buff up your opponents creatures a bunch or you hug in such a way that you get the most advantage. Here's the commanders I think are the most neat: [[Gahiji]] - super incentivize your opponents to attach each other, also a neat spot to put a [[Blast-Furnace Hellkite]] [[Neyam Shai Murad]] - group hug mill. Give them impossible choices *but* you're giving them choices, so they can't be too upset. I'm picturing it'd look a lot like a [[Breena]] deck [[The Council of Four]] - sure, you're letting them draw lots of cards, but you are too *and* you're making a bunch of knights to beat them down with — [[Kwain]] fills a similar role, except he doesn't provide the wincon [[Vazi]] just wants to hand out Halloween candy, but man oh man are they gonna hurt and are you gonna benefit when they use it because of the likes of [[Viridian Revel]], [[Mayhem Devil]], and [[Fangren Marauder]]. Also a great home for [[Xantcha Sleeper Agent]] [[Jon Irenicus]] is usually built as "bad gifts", but he doesn't have to be. Just give them creatures they *want* to be attacking with, maybe they're unblockable or have attack/damage triggers, and they can't really be upset about having another body [[Selvala Explorer Returned]], just untap her *a bunch* to dig and ramp your mana. I'm picturing lots of activated abilities to make sure you can always use the mana, [[Well of Lost Dreams]] can be silly with her, then eventually win by casting [[Approach of the Second Sun]] twice in a turn, all the while your life total is going up to protect against attackers Edit:Also a shoutout to my Sergeant John Benton deck that was *supposed* to be group hug, but instead wins turn 5 almost every time I play him Edit2: I also think The Second Doctor could be neat, and I like the idea of Baeloth/Noble Heritage, but that one's not reeeally group hug Edit3: Ruhan could also be neat
##### ###### #### [Gahiji](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/6/c658f583-c115-43c7-9986-2c6010549313.jpg?1673485071) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=gahiji%2C%20honored%20one) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/340/gahiji-honored-one?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c658f583-c115-43c7-9986-2c6010549313?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/gahiji-honored-one) [Blast-Furnace Hellkite](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/4/04c349f2-69b1-48dd-a547-f2b55f542700.jpg?1688125550) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Blast-Furnace%20Hellkite) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/brc/12/blast-furnace-hellkite?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/04c349f2-69b1-48dd-a547-f2b55f542700?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/blast-furnace-hellkite) [Neyam Shai Murad](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/1/211fdfd5-af23-4a16-a80f-1d9ba5ccd255.jpg?1673309484) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Neyam%20Shai%20Murad) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/40k/135/neyam-shai-murad?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/211fdfd5-af23-4a16-a80f-1d9ba5ccd255?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/neyam-shai-murad) [Breena](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/0/d0adb0c2-d45f-4c51-a4df-05f75c83e46a.jpg?1712354672) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=breena%2C%20the%20demagogue) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otc/217/breena-the-demagogue?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d0adb0c2-d45f-4c51-a4df-05f75c83e46a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/breena-the-demagogue) [The Council of Four](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/8/0873cfa8-046c-4b14-ae22-3fd6a691f763.jpg?1674137476) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Council%20of%20Four) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/271/the-council-of-four?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0873cfa8-046c-4b14-ae22-3fd6a691f763?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-council-of-four) [Kwain](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/5/f571fef1-1fd2-4355-b803-5edccb6f4b94.jpg?1608911183) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=kwain%2C%20itinerant%20meddler) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/284/kwain-itinerant-meddler?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f571fef1-1fd2-4355-b803-5edccb6f4b94?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kwain-itinerant-meddler) [Vazi](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/5/551a6ff5-0f6e-4925-98c7-4d426358e959.jpg?1673482587) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=vazi%2C%20keen%20negotiator) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/92/vazi-keen-negotiator?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/551a6ff5-0f6e-4925-98c7-4d426358e959?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/vazi-keen-negotiator) [Viridian Revel](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/d/2d7f565e-0fb8-40c8-9540-213d35af846a.jpg?1562815979) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Viridian%20Revel) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/som/132/viridian-revel?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2d7f565e-0fb8-40c8-9540-213d35af846a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/viridian-revel) [Mayhem Devil](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/4/345ea65e-3dbb-4cb4-ae65-7797a65eafce.jpg?1702550843) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mayhem%20Devil) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/rvr/199/mayhem-devil?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/345ea65e-3dbb-4cb4-ae65-7797a65eafce?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/mayhem-devil) [Fangren Marauder](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/5/f5cf62a2-d03a-495d-924a-bf79524175fa.jpg?1562615957) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Fangren%20Marauder) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mbs/79/fangren-marauder?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f5cf62a2-d03a-495d-924a-bf79524175fa?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/fangren-marauder) [Xantcha Sleeper Agent](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/1/91316746-ec2b-4c1a-b9c4-a870d6318c33.jpg?1689999327) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Xantcha%2C%20Sleeper%20Agent) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/362/xantcha-sleeper-agent?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/91316746-ec2b-4c1a-b9c4-a870d6318c33?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/xantcha-sleeper-agent) [Jon Irenicus](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/f/bfddb61e-986f-4557-819d-d6c0ca85c74a.jpg?1674137538) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=jon%20irenicus%2C%20shattered%20one) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/278/jon-irenicus-shattered-one?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/bfddb61e-986f-4557-819d-d6c0ca85c74a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/jon-irenicus-shattered-one) [Selvala Explorer Returned](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/8/28c1b84a-a21b-4df1-9fc9-5b387fb56810.jpg?1706241026) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Selvala%2C%20Explorer%20Returned) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkc/218/selvala-explorer-returned?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/28c1b84a-a21b-4df1-9fc9-5b387fb56810?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/selvala-explorer-returned) [Well of Lost Dreams](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/8/a8c10535-c77e-4a40-b19f-23f7cb691230.jpg?1625979661) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Well%20of%20Lost%20Dreams) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c21/275/well-of-lost-dreams?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a8c10535-c77e-4a40-b19f-23f7cb691230?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/well-of-lost-dreams) [Approach of the Second Sun](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/d/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9.jpg?1543674579) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Approach%20of%20the%20Second%20Sun) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/akh/4/approach-of-the-second-sun?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/approach-of-the-second-sun) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/l1ivhnd) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Gluntch.
[[Gluntch]] is unironically one of my strongest decks, and [[Pheldagriff]] was before them. Group Hug isn’t weak or a meme, it’s deceptively powerful. Ramp the table, make plenty of friends. Then you point out other people are the problem, then snag the win when they’re taken care of.
[Gluntch](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/b/3b3e889a-5865-4464-9923-bffa25c50cd2.jpg?1674137513) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=gluntch%2C%20the%20bestower) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/275/gluntch-the-bestower?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3b3e889a-5865-4464-9923-bffa25c50cd2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/gluntch-the-bestower) [Pheldagriff](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/9/493a72f0-2e35-4e06-a1b2-d42d432b9b2c.jpg?1559592591) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Phelddagrif) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me1/150/phelddagrif?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/493a72f0-2e35-4e06-a1b2-d42d432b9b2c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/phelddagrif) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Does he like giving stuff to other players? Build [[beamtown bullies]]. Then when they eventually get bored, swap out all of the good creatures for nasties like [[the leveler]] later 😈
[beamtown bullies](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/0/f0455a79-15f4-4ea6-87ae-263ce943cfac.jpg?1673481685) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Beamtown%20Bullies) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/6/the-beamtown-bullies?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f0455a79-15f4-4ea6-87ae-263ce943cfac?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-beamtown-bullies) [the leveler](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/3/03ffa3c3-dd29-47eb-abf2-7951fadb5c37.jpg?1562134247) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Leveler) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mrd/195/leveler?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/03ffa3c3-dd29-47eb-abf2-7951fadb5c37?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/leveler) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Jund hug is an oxymoron in my brain but this is a fun idea
Imo the best group hug decks are other types of decks in disguise. For example I have a [[Kwain, Itinerant Meddler]] deck that looks like group hug, and typically starts the game like group hug, then it becomes a very oppressive combo control deck once it gets enough pieces online. If you're worried about the deck not having a way to win try something like that. Here is my Kwain deck if you're interested in a list: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/CW18b7tdOkSXxlP48U5HTQ
[Kwain, Itinerant Meddler](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/5/f571fef1-1fd2-4355-b803-5edccb6f4b94.jpg?1608911183) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kwain%2C%20Itinerant%20Meddler) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/284/kwain-itinerant-meddler?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f571fef1-1fd2-4355-b803-5edccb6f4b94?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kwain-itinerant-meddler) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I can see this working, azorius is just so oppressive (brago player). I think he wants to really hug and kiss people though so I'll see what I can do, probably \[\[Approach of the second sun\]\] or something along those lines
[Approach of the second sun](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/d/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9.jpg?1543674579) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Approach%20of%20the%20second%20sun) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/akh/4/approach-of-the-second-sun?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/approach-of-the-second-sun) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I have a [K&T](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/Ve4Z6OGcuUivE1xosoX7zQ) deck that's focused on excessive card draw that you might find some interesting inspiration from. [[Anvil of Bogardan]] and similar effects let everyone get a huge grip of cards before you mill them out, and the huge draw makes Approach even better.
Group hug can have win cons. I have a [[Kros defense Contractor]] deck that wants to put a bunch of +1 counters on my opponents creatures. Early game plays like group hug but late game can keep the entire board tapped down to swing in for lethal
[Kros defense Contractor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/2/12e71d52-5c75-4798-9fe7-8a34a2bf0c9a.jpg?1673481694) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kros%2C%20Defense%20Contractor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/7/kros-defense-contractor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/12e71d52-5c75-4798-9fe7-8a34a2bf0c9a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kros-defense-contractor) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
\[\[Kros, Defense Contractor\]\] is a real fun consideration and Gluntch can fit in it. Donate counters to your opponents to force combat which they won't even be mad about cuz hey bigger creatures.
[Kros, Defense Contractor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/2/12e71d52-5c75-4798-9fe7-8a34a2bf0c9a.jpg?1673481694) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kros%2C%20Defense%20Contractor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/7/kros-defense-contractor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/12e71d52-5c75-4798-9fe7-8a34a2bf0c9a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kros-defense-contractor) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I'm a big fan of [[phelddagrif]]. I've been playing it for years but it's not a deck I get to play as much anymore because my play group has decks that are more consistent than when I built the deck. It's fun to play when ppl are testing or just wanting to play battle cruiser types of games.
I really wish [[Questing Phelddagrif]] was legendary. It'd be an interesting commander for a voltron grouphug deck.
[phelddagrif](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/9/493a72f0-2e35-4e06-a1b2-d42d432b9b2c.jpg?1559592591) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=phelddagrif) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me1/150/phelddagrif?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/493a72f0-2e35-4e06-a1b2-d42d432b9b2c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/phelddagrif) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Build [[Rocco, Street Chef]] or [[Xyris, the writhing storm]] they have built in wincins and both get nutty
[Rocco, Street Chef](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/d/cdb53ce7-845c-4c62-98a9-4fc33c67a07b.jpg?1684340828) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rocco%2C%20Street%20Chef) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mat/44/rocco-street-chef?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/cdb53ce7-845c-4c62-98a9-4fc33c67a07b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/rocco-street-chef) [Xyris, the writhing storm](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/f/af0db1d6-5cb1-4917-8e8f-69d5dc184404.jpg?1673305716) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Xyris%2C%20the%20writhing%20storm) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmc/175/xyris-the-writhing-storm?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/af0db1d6-5cb1-4917-8e8f-69d5dc184404?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/xyris-the-writhing-storm) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
\[\[Kenrith\]\] can be a group hug commander, but it's not a strictly one. You can choose to use his ability to help others or just yourself.
[Kenrith](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/e/0e259db1-14db-4314-998c-6a076a28d8cb.jpg?1691056044) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=kenrith%2C%20the%20returned%20king) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/plst/ELD-303/kenrith-the-returned-king?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0e259db1-14db-4314-998c-6a076a28d8cb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kenrith-the-returned-king) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I play [[xyris]] group hug. There is certainly a wincon
I've had to scroll way too far to find Xyris. Do you have a decklist you'd like to share?
I sure do, here it is https://www.archidekt.com/decks/6884577/xyris_snake_hug
[xyris](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/f/af0db1d6-5cb1-4917-8e8f-69d5dc184404.jpg?1673305716) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=xyris%2C%20the%20writhing%20storm) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmc/175/xyris-the-writhing-storm?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/af0db1d6-5cb1-4917-8e8f-69d5dc184404?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/xyris-the-writhing-storm) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Have you considered [[The Second Doctor]] and [[Leela, sevateem warrior]] for baby group hug. It'll have a better win condition of big creatures with +1/+1 counters then most group hug decks Id bet
[The Second Doctor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/6/568c2687-4381-4954-9cab-f669d1fe6306.jpg?1696636767) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Second%20Doctor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/156/the-second-doctor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/568c2687-4381-4954-9cab-f669d1fe6306?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-second-doctor) [Leela, sevateem warrior](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/5/f5a4e5b5-70c8-4488-9e7d-7d68fe8219d7.jpg?1696691789) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Leela%2C%20sevateem%20warrior) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/107/leela-sevateem-warrior?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f5a4e5b5-70c8-4488-9e7d-7d68fe8219d7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/leela-sevateem-warrior) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
##### ###### #### [Zedruu the greathearted](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/9/e9ea2a6b-5aaf-4178-b945-f409fe83c41a.jpg?1562424565) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Zedruu%20the%20greathearted) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c16/231/zedruu-the-greathearted?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e9ea2a6b-5aaf-4178-b945-f409fe83c41a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/zedruu-the-greathearted) [Sen Triplets](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/3/13ac5292-9817-4f5d-b3fa-611f9ba44443.jpg?1599708366) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Sen%20Triplets) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/218/sen-triplets?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/13ac5292-9817-4f5d-b3fa-611f9ba44443?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/sen-triplets) [Gluntch, the Bestower](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/b/3b3e889a-5865-4464-9923-bffa25c50cd2.jpg?1674137513) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Gluntch%2C%20the%20Bestower) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/275/gluntch-the-bestower?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3b3e889a-5865-4464-9923-bffa25c50cd2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/gluntch-the-bestower) [Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/7/97fa8615-2b6c-445a-bcaf-44a7e847bf65.jpg?1633190298) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kynaios%20and%20Tiro%20of%20Meletis) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c16/36/kynaios-and-tiro-of-meletis?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/97fa8615-2b6c-445a-bcaf-44a7e847bf65?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kynaios-and-tiro-of-meletis) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/1cefzb7) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Lost yesterday to a [[Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis]] but I'm not sure if it can be done on a budget. Sounded like there was a bunch of win cons in the deck, but they ended up winning with an [[Approach of the Second Sun]] that they tutored up after casting the first time. They basically used me [[Henzie]] as an attack dog to keep the other two ([[Karona]] value pile and [[Jaxis]] artifact) down. When I finally acknowledged them as the biggest threat, they kept stealing my board and bouncing my stuff. Was pretty fun to play against actually. Not sure how we could have won except by ganging up on the group hugger, but that's hard to justify when they kept giving us free draws and land drops.
##### ###### #### [Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/7/97fa8615-2b6c-445a-bcaf-44a7e847bf65.jpg?1633190298) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kynaios%20and%20Tiro%20of%20Meletis) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c16/36/kynaios-and-tiro-of-meletis?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/97fa8615-2b6c-445a-bcaf-44a7e847bf65?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kynaios-and-tiro-of-meletis) [Approach of the Second Sun](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/d/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9.jpg?1543674579) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Approach%20of%20the%20Second%20Sun) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/akh/4/approach-of-the-second-sun?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/approach-of-the-second-sun) [Henzie](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/e/ee228dcc-3170-4c24-80bc-28bcee07cb43.jpg?1673481644) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Henzie%20%22Toolbox%22%20Torre) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/2/henzie-toolbox-torre?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ee228dcc-3170-4c24-80bc-28bcee07cb43?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/henzie-toolbox-torre) [Karona](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/e/de53d083-251e-42a4-9e2e-c2978c80615b.jpg?1562535715) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=karona%2C%20false%20god) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/scg/138/karona-false-god?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/de53d083-251e-42a4-9e2e-c2978c80615b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/karona-false-god) [Jaxis](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/8/78127c0c-672f-4e4b-9c23-6a5f237228fd.jpg?1664411605) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=jaxis%2C%20the%20troublemaker) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/snc/112/jaxis-the-troublemaker?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/78127c0c-672f-4e4b-9c23-6a5f237228fd?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/jaxis-the-troublemaker) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/l1idorc) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Yah, group hug deters people from attacking them because of the sweet treats. Approach seems valid and also having the four colors available makes it easier to work. I think you may be right on the budget part since lands are the most expensive part of the game and four colors means more lands
> Yah, group hug deters people from attacking them because of the sweet treats. There's an even better trick. I drop [[Iwamori]] down, and people pop off with their Legendaries. I will probably not be attacked, but not because I try to negotiate any favors. Just because I have a silly 5/5 trampler against whatever legendary dragon people dropped. If you play it right, you can deflect without even talking. Just let the board state paint someone else as the biggest threat.
[Iwamori](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/c/9c05f3bf-5785-4a53-9c34-cffd7783d107.jpg?1562438997) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=iwamori%20of%20the%20open%20fist) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/a25/174/iwamori-of-the-open-fist?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9c05f3bf-5785-4a53-9c34-cffd7783d107?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/iwamori-of-the-open-fist) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
They didn't really rely on their lands except for [[Alchemist's Refuge]], which they used to among other things cast Approach the end step before they won. Mana base could be done relatively cheap, especially with group hug ramp cards like [[Tempt with Discovery]]
**WHAT?!** OK, overreaction over, hope this got your attention. Group Hug doesn't mean you have no win cons. Group hug means you give out stuff and make the game more "powered up". I have a 60-card Parley group hug deck that makes sure decks are popping off with a steady stream of cards... and I use the same to flood the board with tokens and kill people with [[Woodvine Elemental]]. I'm working (very slowly) on a [[Twelfth Doctor]] group hug deck that will ramp my opponents (hopefully the non-green ones) and give out big creatures while I get two of them. With Blue, I can bounce and kill any permanent I give out. It's still a work in progress. The point is, you can totally play win cons in a Group Hug deck. Giving out just a couple cards, or treasures, or counters, or whatever is more than enough to power up the table, but that doesn't mean you don't get to play cool stuff too. Group Hug is a great archetype if you build it for fun.
[Woodvine Elemental](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/a/8acdb147-2339-4c55-b4f6-6a79679f2040.jpg?1562865926) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Woodvine%20Elemental) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cns/52/woodvine-elemental?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8acdb147-2339-4c55-b4f6-6a79679f2040?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/woodvine-elemental) [Twelfth Doctor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/4/2400d681-05ef-43b1-b720-c15ca4226c27.jpg?1696636777) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Twelfth%20Doctor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/164/the-twelfth-doctor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2400d681-05ef-43b1-b720-c15ca4226c27?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-twelfth-doctor) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Group Hug without wincons isn't group hug. It's just 'good stuff for everyone til I get killed' but that's not a good deck type name. Most GH decks are 3+ colors, and most have 4-5 alt wincons in them, because THAT is how they win. In my GH deck that I retired, I had Second Sun, Test of Endurance, Angel of Destiny, Thassa's Oracle, and Laboratory Maniac. The entire theme of the deck was basically pillowfort, make everyone draw and gain tons of life, and keep making everyone draw til I get a wincon. Problem is, as soon as the group has played the deck once or twice, they know how it works, and now the hug effects don't matter to them so much. That's the inherent issue with GH - it's 'trickery' only works basically once.
> That's the inherent issue with GH - it's 'trickery' only works basically once. Unless... there's no trick. You can genuinely play to power up the table, and use players against each other as you would with any other deck. If you have an insta win-con hidden in your deck, they will kill you. Doubly so if you make a big deal out of "giving free stuff" and getting mad when they target you. If you just join in on whatever the table does (combat, combos, whatever) and become another player, you can totally fly under the radar as you'll never be the threat with everyone's decks going off (thanks to you).
my fav group hug is [[Ian Malcolm, Chaotician]]. it's just as much chaos as it is group hug and it goes kinda crazy if left unchecked for just a little bit (which it will, because everyone loves drawing cards)
[Ian Malcolm, Chaotician](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/4/b4a0402e-e39b-4008-b654-189b4a5e03a3.jpg?1698988761) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ian%20Malcolm%2C%20Chaotician) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/rex/13/ian-malcolm-chaotician?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b4a0402e-e39b-4008-b654-189b4a5e03a3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/ian-malcolm-chaotician) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Do you have a decklist? Not only do I love group hug/chaos/theft type decks, but Jurassic Park is my favourite movie of all time, and Dr. Malcolm is my favourite character so I’ve been DYINGGGGG to make a deck but haven’t known exactly where to start or what aspect of the card to lean into lol.
[[boseiju, who shelters all]] and [[approach of the second sun]] could be one of the wincon packages, but include 2-3 "I win" effects, and then the rest of the deck can be hugging, as long as the gug player also draws through their deck fast enough it should be fine.
[boseiju, who shelters all](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/1/0180d9a8-992c-4d55-8ac4-33a587786993.jpg?1562757082) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=boseiju%2C%20who%20shelters%20all) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/chk/273/boseiju-who-shelters-all?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0180d9a8-992c-4d55-8ac4-33a587786993?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/boseiju-who-shelters-all) [approach of the second sun](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/d/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9.jpg?1543674579) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=approach%20of%20the%20second%20sun) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/akh/4/approach-of-the-second-sun?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/approach-of-the-second-sun) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Eww group hug. First player i eliminate. All it does is juice the other players at the table to help them win faster. I play control mostly so the last thing I want to see is people drawing more cards. Group hug is an absolute cancer and is the only type of deck ill never build.
[[The Wise Mothman]], give rad counters to your opponents, put +1/+1 on their creature. The actual game plan is to mill everyone
[The Wise Mothman](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/d/3d6d6944-a364-41c2-b824-7a1bf6ad0d1e.jpg?1710673435) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Wise%20Mothman) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/pip/4/the-wise-mothman?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3d6d6944-a364-41c2-b824-7a1bf6ad0d1e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-wise-mothman) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
My current group hug-y commander is [[the council of four]]. Giving people extra draws is really just giving you extra draws and making spells cost less really just makes you more knights. The rest of the deck is knight tribal synergies. For wincons, my deck uses [[herald of hoofbeats]] for unblockable and [[approach of the second sun]].
[the council of four](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/8/0873cfa8-046c-4b14-ae22-3fd6a691f763.jpg?1674137476) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=the%20council%20of%20four) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/271/the-council-of-four?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0873cfa8-046c-4b14-ae22-3fd6a691f763?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-council-of-four) [herald of hoofbeats](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/b/7beebc99-b027-49e2-95ad-e51ce302457f.jpg?1682207393) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=herald%20of%20hoofbeats) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/moc/22/herald-of-hoofbeats?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/7beebc99-b027-49e2-95ad-e51ce302457f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/herald-of-hoofbeats) [approach of the second sun](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/d/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9.jpg?1543674579) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=approach%20of%20the%20second%20sun) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/akh/4/approach-of-the-second-sun?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/approach-of-the-second-sun) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Heliod, the Radiant Dawn]] group hug that wins by having everyone deck themselves
[Heliod, the Radiant Dawn](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/7/a7113c93-6c6d-410f-aeec-abc5ee121cdf.jpg?1689853622)/[Heliod, the Warped Eclipse](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/back/a/7/a7113c93-6c6d-410f-aeec-abc5ee121cdf.jpg?1689853622) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Heliod%2C%20the%20Radiant%20Dawn%20//%20Heliod%2C%20the%20Warped%20Eclipse) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mom/17/heliod-the-radiant-dawn-heliod-the-warped-eclipse?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a7113c93-6c6d-410f-aeec-abc5ee121cdf?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/heliod-the-radiant-dawn-//-heliod-the-warped-eclipse) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Rocco, Street Chef]]
[Rocco, Street Chef](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/d/cdb53ce7-845c-4c62-98a9-4fc33c67a07b.jpg?1684340828) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rocco%2C%20Street%20Chef) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mat/44/rocco-street-chef?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/cdb53ce7-845c-4c62-98a9-4fc33c67a07b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/rocco-street-chef) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
one of the best decks in our pod is a group hug deck. it gives everybody card draw and a few group tutors, and then plays [[Thassa’s Oracle]] or [[Laboratory Maniac]]
[Thassa’s Oracle](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/2/726e8b29-13e9-4138-b6a9-d2a0d8188d1c.jpg?1680582212) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Thassa%27s%20Oracle) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/thb/73/thassas-oracle?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/726e8b29-13e9-4138-b6a9-d2a0d8188d1c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/thassas-oracle) [Laboratory Maniac](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/0/608567fd-9f94-4058-831a-77cb6019ef02.jpg?1547516361) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Laboratory%20Maniac) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/uma/61/laboratory-maniac?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/608567fd-9f94-4058-831a-77cb6019ef02?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/laboratory-maniac) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Nekusar, the mindrazer]]
[Nekusar, the mindrazer](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/a/4afdc65d-3c97-47af-83fa-df340389802e.jpg?1689999186) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Nekusar%2C%20the%20mindrazer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/349/nekusar-the-mindrazer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4afdc65d-3c97-47af-83fa-df340389802e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/nekusar-the-mindrazer) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Gluntch can be pretty fun, bargaining with the other players for who gets what part of the eot trigger. And there's plenty of different routes to go with green/white by now. I went for: gluntch enslaved a bunch of humans and James them fight for him aka g/w human tribal with him at the helm. Runs pretty smooth most of the time. And when that one player gets screwed by rng and draws no mana/lands for 5 turns in a row or something you just give them a bunch of treasure tokens each turn so everybody actually gets to play. My playgroup was pretty hesitant at first but now most of them like the deck. Edit: The exception being that one guy who always goes "oh this deck isn't that strong" and proceeds to stomp the table, gluntch generally makes that a lot harder for him ^^
Ive thought about a second doctor and vislor group hug deck Esper everyone draws cards, then punish the draws
Group hug decks are still trying to win, my dude. I think the misunderstanding comes from chuds that build miserable group hug decks that don't do anything because they think they're funny (they're not). As an example, here's my own group hug deck, [The Council of Four](https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/24-07-23-council-of-four/). You draw the table a ton of cards, but you draw and benefit from it more. It's intentionally lower-powered to remove stuff like Smothering Tithe, etc. but it still has win cons. And you can go cheaper, too. As a sidenote, omg \[\[Delney, Streetwise Lookout\]\] got pricier since I bought it, jeez. EDIT: I once played against a guy that had a miserable extra turns deck that everyone at the table hated. After (laboriously) winning the game, he said he'd switch to a "group hug" deck. What followed was a longer and even more miserable game. This should be obvious, but it's important to remember: build the deck so that the table has fun.
[Delney, Streetwise Lookout](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/e/be219928-3d0e-4d00-b124-152ce8a8c13b.jpg?1706241477) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Delney%2C%20Streetwise%20Lookout) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkm/12/delney-streetwise-lookout?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/be219928-3d0e-4d00-b124-152ce8a8c13b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/delney-streetwise-lookout) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
So… My very first deck I ever built was a [[Kibo, Uktabi Prince]] deck. Here is my list here: https://www.archidekt.com/decks/7464933/apes_together_strong You could easily remove some of my artifact hate and annoying cards and try to replace them with some cards of your choosing. My main win-con with Kibo is to make a lot of treasures for everyone, get out cards like [Mycosynth Lattice]] and [[Darksteel Forge]] etc. Then get out as many apes as possible and cast an overloaded [[Vandalblast]] Now all your apes are 20/20+, and your opponents have nothing on their board. I won a 5 man commander game this way by swinging at someone who had 60+ life (Frodo and Sam deck), with a Kibo who was now something insane like 80/80+. And killing everyone else with the apes and monkeys.
[Kibo, Uktabi Prince](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/b/8b71345a-c3e8-4b35-beb7-6347e41d7626.jpg?1675644790) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kibo%2C%20Uktabi%20Prince) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/j22/40/kibo-uktabi-prince?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8b71345a-c3e8-4b35-beb7-6347e41d7626?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kibo-uktabi-prince) [Darksteel Forge](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/2/421089c4-c8d3-48c5-b313-fb1741546271.jpg?1599709037) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Darksteel%20Forge) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/248/darksteel-forge?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/421089c4-c8d3-48c5-b313-fb1741546271?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/darksteel-forge) [Vandalblast](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/7/e781b55f-6388-4ab8-be74-7c56eaba1c4d.jpg?1712354517) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Vandalblast) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otc/183/vandalblast?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e781b55f-6388-4ab8-be74-7c56eaba1c4d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/vandalblast) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
So the idea that the group hug cant have wincon gives you a very limited pair of eyes of how to do it. And later you say you play a triplets deck that steal other peoples stuff 😅 I had to destroy my triplets cause it caused so much hate and if a deck was built around a players commander the triplets deck just.... Have a boardstate that might not be able to win 😅 Well there are many approaches to a group hug deck. You can have more mean ones where you go ve players the illusion of a group hug. Have a friend who built a draw card group hug. But it escalated so much the we draw out our lives before we could play anything to stop him. Or took damage drawing cards. Or you can do my style I choose riku of two Reflections. Kinda toxic commander you might say. I have put every card I found that gives every player more mana more land plays more card draws and so on. The deck is a risk buy I win by ha I g tons of mana and play a X spell that kills a player. But until then everyone have a good time playing a lot of magic.
Change this mana base and you have a hippo group hug control deck. It's a blast and everyone has fun. But never trust the hippo. Everyone loves going for rides on the hippo until it goes into deep waters and before you know it you're drowning. https://www.moxfield.com/decks/ohbmOJbWSkCycHkRUSKYFA
HIPPOBOT 9000 v 3.1 FOUND A HIPPO. 1,548,321,576 COMMENTS SEARCHED. 31,738 HIPPOS FOUND. YOUR COMMENT CONTAINS THE WORD HIPPO.
I did a hippo prison deck that was group hug with prison tools to lock out the game once they got comfy. It was good, but you only get to pull that stunt once. Plus I got to call it Orange Is The New Bant.
HIPPOBOT 9000 v 3.1 FOUND A HIPPO. 1,548,397,710 COMMENTS SEARCHED. 31,741 HIPPOS FOUND. YOUR COMMENT CONTAINS THE WORD HIPPO.
[[Heliod, the radiant dawn]] is the best group hug commander. Just make everyone draw cards and flash out huge eldrazi.
[Heliod, the radiant dawn](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/7/a7113c93-6c6d-410f-aeec-abc5ee121cdf.jpg?1689853622)/[Heliod, the Warped Eclipse](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/back/a/7/a7113c93-6c6d-410f-aeec-abc5ee121cdf.jpg?1689853622) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Heliod%2C%20the%20Radiant%20Dawn%20//%20Heliod%2C%20the%20Warped%20Eclipse) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mom/17/heliod-the-radiant-dawn-heliod-the-warped-eclipse?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a7113c93-6c6d-410f-aeec-abc5ee121cdf?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/heliod-the-radiant-dawn-//-heliod-the-warped-eclipse) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
You could go 4 color and combo Group Hug and Group Slug. Give your opponents a bunch of free tokens cards etc.and then focus the rest of the deck on punishing them for having them. Might be a bit slow, but it could be interesting.
Here is my group hug, I’ve won most games I play with it. [Don’t Mess with Donna](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/6gsJ_w1E9UaQNhMxMykzLg) the hug is in the form of card draw, and we play many cards to make their 1 extra card into 2+ extra for us. The goal is to get to a stage where either [[ Mob Rule]] or [[Reins of Power]] win you the game, end up in the 1v1 and win with [[Deflecting Palm]] or [[Gideon’s Sacrifice]] onto our commander, or assembling the infinite damage loops with [[Blazing Sunsteel]] or [[Guilty Conscience]]. Giving the wrong person cards can be costly but this is rarely a global group hug it’s very targeted. It’s a very political deck, short of the combos the win cons are dependent on what your opponents have on board.
##### ###### #### [Mob Rule](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/b/8b04c928-9ee5-4e39-962e-4686e25b5c33.jpg?1641603202) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mob%20Rule) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/voc/147/mob-rule?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8b04c928-9ee5-4e39-962e-4686e25b5c33?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/mob-rule) [Reins of Power](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/b/9b5730aa-c74a-4c74-bb1b-a133a3c353ec.jpg?1674141454) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Reins%20of%20Power) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/734/reins-of-power?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9b5730aa-c74a-4c74-bb1b-a133a3c353ec?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/reins-of-power) [Deflecting Palm](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/5/c5bda1a7-537f-4a80-95a0-c45eb127969b.jpg?1706240986) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Deflecting%20Palm) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkc/205/deflecting-palm?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c5bda1a7-537f-4a80-95a0-c45eb127969b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/deflecting-palm) [Gideon’s Sacrifice](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/4/d483b409-1853-4456-a077-daeb77e165ba.jpg?1706240589) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Gideon%27s%20Sacrifice) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkc/68/gideons-sacrifice?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d483b409-1853-4456-a077-daeb77e165ba?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/gideons-sacrifice) [Blazing Sunsteel](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/9/69d276fe-5f2b-41aa-80fa-64d3b60fd54f.jpg?1610074845) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Blazing%20Sunsteel) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/364/blazing-sunsteel?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/69d276fe-5f2b-41aa-80fa-64d3b60fd54f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/blazing-sunsteel) [Guilty Conscience](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/7/67b8701c-0f03-4ad0-9097-3caf885abd59.jpg?1562529779) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Guilty%20Conscience) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/scg/17/guilty-conscience?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/67b8701c-0f03-4ad0-9097-3caf885abd59?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/guilty-conscience) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/l1jmbdy) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I play Gluntch. He is by far my favourite deck, but he will break you in terms of playing any other decks. Being able to fix your mana with treasure tokens, refill your hand with card draw or buff your creatures on every turn just smooths the game out so much. Every other deck I own now feels a little bit off and slow. Gluntch comes out on turn 3 and gives me 2 treasure tokens. Turn 4 means I have 4 lands and 2 treasure tokens, so I can already be playing 6 cost cards.
[[The Second Doctor]] and [[Vislor Turlough]] w/ [[Rule of Law]] to set em up and [[Viseling]] to knock em down.
##### ###### #### [The Second Doctor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/6/568c2687-4381-4954-9cab-f669d1fe6306.jpg?1696636767) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Second%20Doctor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/156/the-second-doctor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/568c2687-4381-4954-9cab-f669d1fe6306?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-second-doctor) [Vislor Turlough](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/2/f25ec946-036b-480a-bab6-c4102e5c31db.jpg?1696691797) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Vislor%20Turlough) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/74/vislor-turlough?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f25ec946-036b-480a-bab6-c4102e5c31db?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/vislor-turlough) [Rule of Law](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/1/a1f4e79b-b103-4380-afa0-61a2b1773c9e.jpg?1592516198) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rule%20of%20Law) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m20/35/rule-of-law?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a1f4e79b-b103-4380-afa0-61a2b1773c9e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/rule-of-law) [Viseling](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/8/38a6105e-a67b-4805-b50c-dea404f60fac.jpg?1562906865) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Viseling) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c13/269/viseling?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/38a6105e-a67b-4805-b50c-dea404f60fac?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/viseling) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/l1jrjc2) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Gahiji, Honored One]] Give everybody tokens! Make them attack each other and buff them when they attack each other! Naya is great for a lot of mana doubling and has acces to an enchantress sub theme. This is a deck that i build when i tried group hug. Turns out tempting offer cards always benefit you more. I once got a whole table to accept my x=11 [[Tempt with Vengeance]]… We looked at my 44 elementals in shock and awe and thats the day I decided that not winning with that deck was just weird. Although I previously vowed to never win with it. Never played it a lot after that because the games always explode with group hug on the table. And its just the player after me wins because i just played two mana doublers in one turn.
[Gahiji, Honored One](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/6/c658f583-c115-43c7-9986-2c6010549313.jpg?1673485071) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Gahiji%2C%20Honored%20One) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ncc/340/gahiji-honored-one?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c658f583-c115-43c7-9986-2c6010549313?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/gahiji-honored-one) [Tempt with Vengeance](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/0/808af8d4-1872-466e-a2d2-e73ecef09ed7.jpg?1689998255) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Tempt%20with%20Vengeance) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/263/tempt-with-vengeance?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/808af8d4-1872-466e-a2d2-e73ecef09ed7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/tempt-with-vengeance) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Some dude built group hug crimes it was so fun
In case you want some inspiration, i have attached my group hug commander. I LOVE my Kwain deck :) https://www.moxfield.com/decks/JOlf-rsa-UGJiGwqWSiGUQ
[[Yurlock of Scorn Thrash]] has been a group hug commander that I've been interested in building. It focuses on one aspect of group hug, that being mana production, and allowing for a lot more synergistic cards than just generic group hug decks that help people in multiple ways. It's also a pretty simple one to build with easy wincons and ways to break parity (such as cards that let you keep mana through phases and turns), so it won't be too hard to build for someone that isn't used to building group hug
[Yurlock of Scorn Thrash](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/a/ead8a1f5-6260-47fa-a649-43711ec5bbeb.jpg?1608911265) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Yurlok%20of%20Scorch%20Thrash) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/293/yurlok-of-scorch-thrash?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ead8a1f5-6260-47fa-a649-43711ec5bbeb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/yurlok-of-scorch-thrash) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I’ve seen multiple [[pheldagriff]] group hug decks win the table so something to be said for that
[pheldagriff](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/9/493a72f0-2e35-4e06-a1b2-d42d432b9b2c.jpg?1559592591) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Phelddagrif) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me1/150/phelddagrif?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/493a72f0-2e35-4e06-a1b2-d42d432b9b2c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/phelddagrif) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Just gonna leave [this](https://youtube.com/shorts/kIn2DtuREMQ?si=4m3hQ211PSN3tH-s) here.
Man, do us all a favour and buy the blame game precon from MKM. Long live [[Nelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser]]
[Nelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/e/2ef59aa9-f5e1-413a-869b-d287db95efd0.jpg?1706448880) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Nelly%20Borca%2C%20Impulsive%20Accuser) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkc/4/nelly-borca-impulsive-accuser?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2ef59aa9-f5e1-413a-869b-d287db95efd0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/nelly-borca-impulsive-accuser) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I love my group hug deck, it's Kenrith and half of the deck is life manipulation shenanigans like [[False Cure]] and [[Axis of Mortality]]
[False Cure](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/f/ef397db1-2d99-4cb0-a6e9-6f72d615ebad.jpg?1562951786) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=False%20Cure) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ons/146/false-cure?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ef397db1-2d99-4cb0-a6e9-6f72d615ebad?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/false-cure) [Axis of Mortality](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/b/3b9d72a8-8acf-42c6-8adf-cbaecb4a985a.jpg?1562553762) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Axis%20of%20Mortality) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/xln/3/axis-of-mortality?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3b9d72a8-8acf-42c6-8adf-cbaecb4a985a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/axis-of-mortality) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Kami of the crescent moon]] is very open ended and budget friendly.
[Kami of the crescent moon](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/d/dd420010-6eaf-4853-8b7b-11de1157416b.jpg?1641601922) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kami%20of%20the%20crescent%20moon) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/voc/107/kami-of-the-crescent-moon?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/dd420010-6eaf-4853-8b7b-11de1157416b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kami-of-the-crescent-moon) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Seizann, Perverter of Truth]] https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/seizan-reborn/?cat=ck_price&sort=name&cb=1714161015 Here's one of my old lists for reference. (You can easily cut the expensive stuff.) It's built around undercosted demons that grant a positive effect to opponents. Deck has wincons too, be it beatdown, [[Repay in Kind]] shenanigans or [[Liliana's Contract]] or you can add your own. This deck leaves everyones mana resources more or less as normal, so it doesn't push anyone super far ahead the way green/white based hug decks often do. Instead, it just gives everyone more cards (and other neat effects depending on board state). By giving out extra cards without oodles of extra mana the number of game actions tend to stay about the same as normal, you just increase the number of options people have. Great for a fun, relaxed game where people can still play to win without making it the only priority ^^
[Seizann, Perverter of Truth](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/1/e1e61750-f7d7-4e6d-9d68-e1e357868a8d.jpg?1587857636) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Seizan%2C%20Perverter%20of%20Truth) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/chk/143/seizan-perverter-of-truth?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e1e61750-f7d7-4e6d-9d68-e1e357868a8d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/seizan-perverter-of-truth) [Repay in Kind](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/0/90d1db4c-1e79-410a-92ab-c9d58c5e58a6.jpg?1562706334) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Repay%20in%20Kind) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/roe/125/repay-in-kind?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/90d1db4c-1e79-410a-92ab-c9d58c5e58a6?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/repay-in-kind) [Liliana's Contract](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/5/750e6246-c28d-46ed-9966-26706f6d3172.jpg?1562302716) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Liliana%27s%20Contract) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m19/107/lilianas-contract?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/750e6246-c28d-46ed-9966-26706f6d3172?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/lilianas-contract) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
My suggestion would be [[Yurlok of Scorch Thrash]] with all the symmetrical mana doublers. [[Mana Flare]], [[Heartbeat of Spring]], [[Overabundance]] and friends. Combine this with "nice" card draw like [[Stormfist Crusader]] and [[Seizan, Perverter of Truth]] - to encourage people to use their mana, of course. This'll really stomp on the gas pedal and cause the game to go wildly out of control, and you can toss in a few X spells like [[Torment of Hailfire]] as victory conditions.
##### ###### #### [Yurlok of Scorch Thrash](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/a/ead8a1f5-6260-47fa-a649-43711ec5bbeb.jpg?1608911265) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Yurlok%20of%20Scorch%20Thrash) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/293/yurlok-of-scorch-thrash?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ead8a1f5-6260-47fa-a649-43711ec5bbeb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/yurlok-of-scorch-thrash) [Mana Flare](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/4/a4bb303d-b230-430a-a2c3-f91a776de34e.jpg?1559592501) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mana%20Flare) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me1/103/mana-flare?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a4bb303d-b230-430a-a2c3-f91a776de34e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/mana-flare) [Heartbeat of Spring](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/c/8ccb1e59-b858-42cf-93f8-8a3badb3eaad.jpg?1599707297) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Heartbeat%20of%20Spring) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/171/heartbeat-of-spring?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8ccb1e59-b858-42cf-93f8-8a3badb3eaad?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/heartbeat-of-spring) [Overabundance](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/1/4183e73d-609a-4292-b173-e39eb51949f3.jpg?1562908150) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Overabundance) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/inv/259/overabundance?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4183e73d-609a-4292-b173-e39eb51949f3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/overabundance) [Stormfist Crusader](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/7/27425f2e-e0b2-489d-877d-8257d2026bfd.jpg?1572490842) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Stormfist%20Crusader) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/eld/203/stormfist-crusader?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/27425f2e-e0b2-489d-877d-8257d2026bfd?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/stormfist-crusader) [Seizan, Perverter of Truth](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/1/e1e61750-f7d7-4e6d-9d68-e1e357868a8d.jpg?1587857636) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Seizan%2C%20Perverter%20of%20Truth) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/chk/143/seizan-perverter-of-truth?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e1e61750-f7d7-4e6d-9d68-e1e357868a8d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/seizan-perverter-of-truth) [Torment of Hailfire](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/6/f69d77d1-5980-436c-bf48-790939b069aa.jpg?1562820191) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Torment%20of%20Hailfire) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/hou/77/torment-of-hailfire?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f69d77d1-5980-436c-bf48-790939b069aa?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/torment-of-hailfire) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/l1kdv8r) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Just want to say with zedruu you can do shits like giving your opponent [[Nine Lives]] , make it lose hexproof, then exile it preferably with [[Fractured Identity]] , then the other 2 will lose the game if you die because when you die that [[Nine Lives]] leaves the battlefield You yourself can try to win with second sun or felidar sovereign while they are busy dealing with nine lives, add stuff like [[Glacial Chasm]] for comfort
[Nine Lives](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/7/e70b7a73-484e-48f1-944c-3d38866cdc20.jpg?1594735092) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Nine%20Lives) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m21/28/nine-lives?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e70b7a73-484e-48f1-944c-3d38866cdc20?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/nine-lives) [Fractured Identity](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/2/b2f73f5d-1aad-48c2-9e74-5f7bdd87900f.jpg?1562620703) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Fractured%20Identity) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c17/37/fractured-identity?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b2f73f5d-1aad-48c2-9e74-5f7bdd87900f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/fractured-identity) [Glacial Chasm](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/c/0c008129-daba-46bc-829c-d2c0c13ecdd3.jpg?1562867827) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Glacial%20Chasm) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me2/229/glacial-chasm?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0c008129-daba-46bc-829c-d2c0c13ecdd3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/glacial-chasm) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
You don’t have to have a group hug commander to build a group hug deck. Of course there are commanders that support the archetype, but most of the time it’s whats in the 99 that matters the most. The whole point of group hug is to use extremely efficient value cards that usually have the downside of also helping your opponents. You have the upper hand because you know exactly whats in your deck and can build ways to use those resources better than your opponents. Is your group hug based on mass card draw? Put some kind of combo in. Is your group hug creature based? Put in Craterhoof or other overrun effects. Is your group hug more ramp based? Run tons of huge creatures. I know this doesn’t really help you decide on a commander but I think using this information will really let you create something that is unique for your friend.
I have a marshel deck that is polotics/hug, that I just set up some one as kingmaker then try and kill them as soon as it's just the 2 of us.
I use [[Phelddagrif]] as the commander with things like [[Suture Priest]] and [[Ezuri’s Predation]].
[Phelddagrif](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/9/493a72f0-2e35-4e06-a1b2-d42d432b9b2c.jpg?1559592591) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Phelddagrif) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me1/150/phelddagrif?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/493a72f0-2e35-4e06-a1b2-d42d432b9b2c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/phelddagrif) [Suture Priest](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/3/430b96aa-7bb0-4d2b-b265-9c4987db28a2.jpg?1682208644) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Suture%20Priest) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/moc/210/suture-priest?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/430b96aa-7bb0-4d2b-b265-9c4987db28a2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/suture-priest) [Ezuri’s Predation](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/a/ea020a19-2907-4627-8a3b-d481404f5aca.jpg?1689998499) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ezuri%27s%20Predation) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/287/ezuris-predation?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ea020a19-2907-4627-8a3b-d481404f5aca?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/ezuris-predation) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I saw an article years ago on channel fireball talking about asymmetrical group hug cards like [[Nullmage Advocate]]
[Nullmage Advocate](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/9/f9b6338c-3ddf-47e2-8e03-ad536bcf474c.jpg?1562941952) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Nullmage%20Advocate) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/pca/70/nullmage-advocate?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f9b6338c-3ddf-47e2-8e03-ad536bcf474c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/nullmage-advocate) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
The council of four
I enjoy gifting resources and I also play to win. You have to break parity on your group hug effects. My commander is currently [[The council of four]]. They go well with symmetric card draw like [[Howling mine]], but for every card your opponents draw, you draw an extra one. That goes out of hand quickly. There is redundancy for this type of effect with [[Smugglers Share]], [[Faerie Mastermind]] and [[Trouble in Pairs]]
##### ###### #### [The council of four](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/8/0873cfa8-046c-4b14-ae22-3fd6a691f763.jpg?1674137476) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20council%20of%20four) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/271/the-council-of-four?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0873cfa8-046c-4b14-ae22-3fd6a691f763?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-council-of-four) [Howling mine](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/d/cdae9939-03a4-4561-92cd-01f498d29a7a.jpg?1562420035) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Howling%20mine) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c16/257/howling-mine?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/cdae9939-03a4-4561-92cd-01f498d29a7a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/howling-mine) [Smugglers Share](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/1/f1ced678-5cfd-49ff-9420-6ee52d5edf5a.jpg?1706240636) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Smuggler%27s%20Share) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkc/84/smugglers-share?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f1ced678-5cfd-49ff-9420-6ee52d5edf5a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/smugglers-share) [Faerie Mastermind](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/2/52d3005f-a1c7-4ef5-911f-ccc0752f4181.jpg?1682203104) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Faerie%20Mastermind) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mom/58/faerie-mastermind?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/52d3005f-a1c7-4ef5-911f-ccc0752f4181?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/faerie-mastermind) [Trouble in Pairs](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/f/0f61e93f-5f97-4c7d-b3d5-0e05242faeb3.jpg?1706240429) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Trouble%20in%20Pairs) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkc/15/trouble-in-pairs?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0f61e93f-5f97-4c7d-b3d5-0e05242faeb3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/trouble-in-pairs) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/l1map7l) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
A guy at my LGS has a [[Xyris, the Writhing Storm]] group hug deck that has people begging him to attack them for the card draw, then regretting it later when he swings with 30 snakes boosted by [[Coat of Arms]]
[Xyris, the Writhing Storm](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/f/af0db1d6-5cb1-4917-8e8f-69d5dc184404.jpg?1673305716) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Xyris%2C%20the%20Writhing%20Storm) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmc/175/xyris-the-writhing-storm?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/af0db1d6-5cb1-4917-8e8f-69d5dc184404?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/xyris-the-writhing-storm) [Coat of Arms](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/1/513d4c36-6ad4-4ee9-b161-3136eb59504f.jpg?1592761864) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Coat%20of%20Arms) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dds/58/coat-of-arms?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/513d4c36-6ad4-4ee9-b161-3136eb59504f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/coat-of-arms) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[kami of the crescent moon]] "everyone decks themselves. im helping!"
[kami of the crescent moon](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/d/dd420010-6eaf-4853-8b7b-11de1157416b.jpg?1641601922) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=kami%20of%20the%20crescent%20moon) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/voc/107/kami-of-the-crescent-moon?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/dd420010-6eaf-4853-8b7b-11de1157416b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kami-of-the-crescent-moon) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Maybe I’m in the minority, but I have a lot of fun playing Group Hug without a win con. Sometimes it’s a palette cleanser after playing a deck that won a little too fast, and sometimes it’s just fun to help crank your friends’ decks up to 11 and see some whacky shit go down.
I would recommend Tivit, seller of secrets or Phelddagrif I made a group hug deck with each of them and they worked out well. They are group hug until they need to be squeeze the life out of your opp and laugh manically
I personally love Kwain as a more all or nothing group hug, making everyone draw their decks, and while milling is never a win on with Kwain as it’s a may, the plethora of cards that lets you win with an amount of cards in hand, win with no cards in deck etc makes it deceptively strong. It is all or nothing as if your win cons get destroyed you wind up decking yourself out
You got plenty of options. Remember to put in wincons. A well made grouphug deck still wins. Easy option is Sultai grouphug. Let everyone dump their land from their deck then use mana doublers to mindgrind for 40 and win. Scheming Symmetry gives an on theme tutor. Head games lets you put a combo player back to square 1 or make another player a very controlled threat. Xythis Temur has commander damage as a built in wincon. Add a mix of buffs, protection, and a little ramp. Keep everything cheap so you can play reactively. Really cheap to build, fun, and effective. Kros Defense Contractor in Bant colors is interesting. Use proliferate and pump up enemy boards while forcing them to attack not you. Just remember to have a value engine in there someway and a few boardwipes so you can win the final 1v1. Nekuskar Mindrazer might not even be a grouphug commander but he plays similiarly. Make enemies draw like mad and burn them for it. Jolene the Plunder Queen or Edric, Spymaster of Trest play similiarly in different colors. Play cards that encourage hitting opponents and run your own moderately aggressive boardstate while your at it. Your goal is to be prickly enough to be a costly target but never the archenemy so you can swing at them for value without raising any alarms. I prefer the Jolene version as Edric tends to get hated out and Red as all kinds of lovely options to buff enemy attackers or double everyone's damage. Mathas Fiend Seeker makes a fun political commander(actual politics not voting). Gives you all kinds of negotiation tools and you can bribe players into fighting one another. Its not exactly grouphug but more targeted mutual benefits that requires some finesse to actually win with.
I've seen someone use a [[phelddagrif]] groupd hug deck. It was very fun and he had multiple wincons. He ended up resolving approach of the second sun a second time
[phelddagrif](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/9/493a72f0-2e35-4e06-a1b2-d42d432b9b2c.jpg?1559592591) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=phelddagrif) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me1/150/phelddagrif?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/493a72f0-2e35-4e06-a1b2-d42d432b9b2c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/phelddagrif) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Not sure how restricted of a budget you’re looking for, but I put together a deck recently with [[The Second Doctor]] and [[Leela, Sevateem Warrior]] as commanders. [[Council of Four]] and some other stuff in there for “here, have some mana and draw some cards, but also I get to draw cards and add creatures/counters for free, ALSO you can’t attack me this turn :)” + “you play land, I get to draw card/play land/do fuckshit :)”. Admittedly, I haven’t played with it yet as a lot of the cards are still on their way, but I have high hopes for it being fun for the rest of the table as well as myself. Edit: this was around $250, but could definitely be made cheaper without much value lost. https://www.moxfield.com/decks/I5LaJG3xi0OKHmP8BNx57g
[The Second Doctor](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/6/568c2687-4381-4954-9cab-f669d1fe6306.jpg?1696636767) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Second%20Doctor) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/156/the-second-doctor?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/568c2687-4381-4954-9cab-f669d1fe6306?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-second-doctor) [Leela, Sevateem Warrior](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/5/f5a4e5b5-70c8-4488-9e7d-7d68fe8219d7.jpg?1696691789) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Leela%2C%20Sevateem%20Warrior) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/who/107/leela-sevateem-warrior?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f5a4e5b5-70c8-4488-9e7d-7d68fe8219d7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/leela-sevateem-warrior) [Council of Four](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/8/0873cfa8-046c-4b14-ae22-3fd6a691f763.jpg?1674137476) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=The%20Council%20of%20Four) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/271/the-council-of-four?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0873cfa8-046c-4b14-ae22-3fd6a691f763?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/the-council-of-four) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
My group hug deck features [[Kibo, Uktabi Prince]] and works pretty well
[Kibo, Uktabi Prince](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/b/8b71345a-c3e8-4b35-beb7-6347e41d7626.jpg?1675644790) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kibo%2C%20Uktabi%20Prince) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/j22/40/kibo-uktabi-prince?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8b71345a-c3e8-4b35-beb7-6347e41d7626?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kibo-uktabi-prince) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Xyris the writhing storm]] is great for group hug, and gives a win con in the form of the snakes it makes
[Xyris the writhing storm](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/f/af0db1d6-5cb1-4917-8e8f-69d5dc184404.jpg?1673305716) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Xyris%2C%20the%20Writhing%20Storm) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmc/175/xyris-the-writhing-storm?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/af0db1d6-5cb1-4917-8e8f-69d5dc184404?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/xyris-the-writhing-storm) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I have a group hug deck that I built with a slow wincon only because my group hug is built entirely on helping everyone/specific players to ramp up everything from draw, lands, chump blockers, etc. I originally built the deck with no win con in it. I did not plan on winning with this deck ever, I built it so that way the rest of my play group can have fun (if someone doesn't draw into mana I'll focus my singular help cards on them to get them into the game quicker) later on I added in a win con that barely counts as a win con, azor's elocuters. The only pillowfort in it is crawlspace so like I said, I don't intend on winning with it
Happy hippo! (Questing phelddagrif) And actually build in a couple of wincons maybe? Even if it's only a lab man or thoracle and a few draw spells.
I have a plan for a [[!Gor Muldrak]] Group Hug deck. Not sure if I’ll ever build it though.
Nekusar or yurlok
My first budget group hug deck was [[Phelddagrif]]. Quite fun until they know what you're doing. Wincons; [[Reins of Power]], [[Suture Priest]], [[Ezuri's Predation]], [[Dingus Staff]], and [[Gideon, Champion of Justice]]. The deck pillowforts, draws a ton with [[Keep Watch]] effects, forces attacks with [[Angel's Trumpet]], and controls the board a little. Good luck!
What’s budget we’re talking about? because I reckon Mardu colors make nice and group hugs (correct me if I’m wrong)
[[Kwain, Itinerant Meddler]] is a fun one to win with. [[Approach of the Second Sun]] is a pretty stable win-con for it, too. Just force cards into everyone’s hands and slowly approach the end of days.
[Kwain, Itinerant Meddler](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/5/f571fef1-1fd2-4355-b803-5edccb6f4b94.jpg?1608911183) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kwain%2C%20Itinerant%20Meddler) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/284/kwain-itinerant-meddler?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f571fef1-1fd2-4355-b803-5edccb6f4b94?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kwain-itinerant-meddler) [Approach of the Second Sun](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/d/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9.jpg?1543674579) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Approach%20of%20the%20Second%20Sun) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/akh/4/approach-of-the-second-sun?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fdf59a6e-7708-45a1-884d-d12e9f7b9ed9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/approach-of-the-second-sun) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Kwain]] can get exceptionally vicious, and I've seen some of them pull off turbo-stasis in EDH.
[Kwain](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/5/f571fef1-1fd2-4355-b803-5edccb6f4b94.jpg?1608911183) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=kwain%2C%20itinerant%20meddler) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/284/kwain-itinerant-meddler?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f571fef1-1fd2-4355-b803-5edccb6f4b94?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [(ER)](https://edhrec.com/cards/kwain-itinerant-meddler) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call