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Ensign Pavel Chekov
Legendary Creature — Human Pilot
Strange new worlds — When Ensign Chekov enters, each opponent exiles the top X cards of their library, where X is the number of differently named lands you control. For each opponent, choose a land card that player owns exiled this way. You may play the chosen cards for as long as they remain exiled.
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“Land diversity theft engine that exiles opponents' best plays.”
Midrange
Intermediate
Combat damage, Card advantage
Landfall, Ramp, Control
Strategy
Ensign Chekov rewards you for playing a diverse suite of nonbasic lands—the more differently named lands you control, the more cards each opponent exiles when he enters. The core gameplan is to ramp into a land-heavy mana base featuring Planets (like Bajor and Andoria) and utility lands, then use Chekov's exile effect to steal opposing lands and impactful cards. You're essentially playing a tempo-friendly theft deck that synergizes with the Strange new worlds ability word.
The deck wins through a combination of land acceleration (letting you play stolen cards ahead of curve) and creature evasion. Chekov's 1/5 body is defensive, making him a solid anchor while you build out your mana base and exile pile. With enough differently named lands, you'll consistently hit multiple threats from opponents' libraries—ramp spells, creatures, even planeswalkers—all at no cost. This generates a significant mana and card advantage that lets you outpace the table.
Strategy generated by Tapped Decks AI. Not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.
Key Synergies
Budget Build
Skip expensive dual lands like Scalding Tarn; use Evolving Wilds and the new Planet lands from the Star Trek set as budget fixing that also reward Chekov's ability.
Signature Cards
Inclusion = % of Ensign Pavel Chekov decks running this card. +lift = percentage-point boost over the format average.
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