Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor

Aboshan is a tempo-control commander that locks down the board through selective tapping. Your core gameplan is to build a critical mass of Octopus tokens or other blue creatures, then use Aboshan's activated abilities to neutralize threats while you chip in with evasive damage. The first ability turns each Octopus into a repeatable removal spell, letting you tap down their blockers or key threats turn after turn. Once you've got multiple Octopuses in play, you're essentially controlling the entire game state.

You win through a mix of commander damage and evasive creatures like flyers that slip past any remaining threats. The deck is blue-based ramp into token generators (Reef Worm, Tentacle tokens from various sources) and control elements. Your secondary win is just grinding them out with a tap-lock strategy—if you can keep their key permanents perpetually tapped, you have all the time in the world to damage them safely. This is a tempo deck that rewards patient, methodical play.

Strategy generated by Tapped Decks AI. Not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.