Magic: The Gathering - Sergeant John Benton Commander Deck Guide

There's something special about a group of friends sitting down to a nice, breezy game of Magic: The Gathering's Commander format. Even better when the table agrees not immediately to go for the throat to make the game last. The best is when the table communicates. Alliances are forms, truces declared and broken, and negotiations on who deserves to have their commander killed.

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Sergeant John Benton thrives at such a table. With the good Sergeant at the helm, you'll be everyone's best friend until it's time to stab them all in the back to win the game. If you're a devious Magic player, then Sergeant John Benton is your new favorite commander.

The Commander: Sergeant John Benton

From the Doctor Who Universes Beyond Commander deck Blast from the Past, at first glance, Sergeant John Benton looks like a helpful Selesnya group-hugger, sort of like Selvala, Explorer Returned. But looks can be deceiving.

While John does allow both you and your victim to draw cards—sometimes a lot of cards—it's only your opponent who's taking damage. This makes John less of a Selvala and more like a roaming Necropotence, allowing opponents to exchange their life points for cards.

Most Magic players (and certainly those who specialize in black magic) would take that exchange, and that's precisely the incentive you can exploit. At first, John roams the table, gently needling players in exchange for cards all around.

But later in the game, after that commander damage has had time to build up, you surprise your unfortunate victim with a bunch of pump spells that turn John from a soldier to an assassin. John's trample keyword ensures the damage gets through, while protective spells keep him from harm.

Most multiplayer Commander decks can't afford to waste a whole card on a temporary effect, but since John is constantly drawing cards, you'll always have a full hand of spells to wield. Many of those spells will be pump spells you can bank to eventually kill your opponents, while others will be answer cards.

John is a very political commander. Play passively and communicate with other players to see who is willing to trade some life for cards in order to stay on everyone's good side.

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Building Your Sergeant John Benton Commander Deck

Sergeant John Benton is not a competitive commander. You can have a lot of fun with John, but it's the kind of fun you have in a casual multiplayer game. As such, we're going to limit the price point of the deck and keep a multiplayer focus in mind.

That out of the way, the first step to building John out is to get an arsenal of instant-speed buff spells. These are the cards you'll use to surprise opponents and eventually kill them. You'll also want to keep John alive once your opponents catch on to your game plan, so protective spells are also a priority.

Beyond that, you'll want the usual assortment of green/white ramp spells, some removal spells, and a few board sweepers. You're not going to be too focused on building an army, so you'll want to have a reset button available if someone else creates one and starts eyeing your life total.

Finally, some supportive enchantments and artifacts, as well as a few cards to expand your hand size, give you a Sergeant John Benton deck.

Buff Spells

The gold standard here is Giant Growth, followed by Titanic Growth and then Might of Oaks. Stonewood Invocation is a really good buff for coming with the split-second keyword, and both Exponential Growth and Tyvar’s Stand provide X-spells to get as big as you have mana.

Protective Spells

Eventually, your opponents are going to get wise and start aiming their removal spells at John. To keep him safe, run cards that give him indestructible and/or hexproof. Blossoming Defense, Snakeskin Veil, and Royal Treatment provide the latter, while Crumb and Get It, Flare of Faith, and Take Up the Shield provide the former. Tamiyo's Safekeeping provides both!

A lot of these spells also provide smaller buffs, so feel free to use them as part of a kill plan and not just to keep John alive.

Removal And Board Sweepers

It's vitally important for any Commander deck, casual or not, to respond to threats as they arise. Swords to Plowshares, Valorous Stance (which also doubles as a protective spell), and Stroke of Midnight are excellent removal in white, while green provides Broken Bond and the Wax side of Wax / Wane.

For sweepers, Austere Command is the usual gold standard. Divine Reckoning lets you retain John (at the cost of letting everyone else retain something potentially more threatening), and Sublime Exhalation is potentially cheaper than Wrath of God with four opponents at the table.

Ramp

John is going to draw a lot of cards, so you're going to want a lot of mana to play those cards. Green provides the bulk of the ramp here with the likes of Elvish Mystic, Avacyn's Pilgrim, and Birds of Paradise. You've also got Sakura-Tribe Elder and Cultivate in the usual spots.

Sol Ring and Arcane Signet are staples for any Commander deck, but Thought Vessel and Decanter of Endless Water provide something very useful: unlimited hand size. John draws a lot of cards, and not having to toss them at the end of your turn is going to be a huge boon.

Drawing lots of cards means drawing lots of land, so being able to play more than one land per turn can also help keep your hand manageable. Sakura-Tribe Scout, Explore, Summer Bloom, and Swell of Growth all help you play more lands to keep from discarding them.

Alternate Wins And Support Cards

A few more cards worth mentioning. Bastion Protector and Guardian Augmenter both keep John safe and provide a useful buff. Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar mostly ensures that you're the only one playing combat tricks on your turn since you really don't need the extra card draw.

Leela, Sevateem Warrior and Psychosis Crawler are potential game-ending threats. Both can become stupendously large thanks to John's card draw, but be careful with Psychosis Crawler as it'll be sure to anger the table and paint a target on you.

Ajani and Duelist's Heritage provide double strike to John (although Ajani can also do a few other useful things). Wild Defiance pairs well with all the buff spells you'll be playing, and Indomitable Might can be both a buff spell and a path to victory in the face of large blockers.

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Sergeant John Benton Commander Deck List

With all that in mind, here's a sample decklist of what a Sergeant John Benton Commander deck might look like.

Sergeant John Benton Commander Deck List

Commander (1)

Sergeant John Benton

Creatures (14)

Arboreal Grazer

Elvish Mystic

Avacyn's Pilgrim

Birds of Paradise

Sakura-Tribe Scout

Sakura-Tribe Elder

Bastion Protector

Guardian Augmenter

Witch Enchanter

Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar

Alms Collector

Leela, Sevateem Warrior

Trostani, Three Whispers

Psychosis Crawler

Planeswalkers (1)

Ajani, Caller of the Pride

Sorcery (12)

Scale Up

Broken Bond

Explore

Summer Bloom

Phytoburst

Cultivate

Bala Ged Recovery

Bridgeworks Battle

Sublime Exhalation

Divine Reckoning

Austere Command

Exponential Growth

Instants (27)

Swords to Plowshares

Giant Growth

Embiggen

Blossoming Defense

Royal Treatment

Groundswell

Blossoming Defense

Rustler Rampage

Snakeskin Veil

Tamiyo’s Safekeeping

Crumb and Get It

Wax / Wane

Tyvar’s Stand

Vines of Vastwood

Flare of Faith

Swell of Growth

Titanic Growth

Take Up the Shield

Ram Through

Overprotect

Sejiri Shelter

Invigorate

Valorous Stance

Stroke of Midnight

Might of Oaks

Stonewood Invocation

Become Immense

Enchantments (4)

Utopia Sprawl

Wild Defiance

Indomitable Might

Duelist’s Heritage

Artifacts (6)

Sol Ring

Arcane Signet

Thought Vessel

Decanter of Endless Water

Empyrial Plate

Belt of Giant Strength

Lands (35)

Reliquary Tower

Rogue’s Passage

Command Tower

Ghost Quarter

Canopy Vista

Sungrass Prairie

Fortified Village

Sunpetal Grove

Branchloft Pathway / Boulderloft Pathway

Temple of Plenty

Scattered Groves

Razorverge Thicket

Selesnya Sanctuary

Brushland

Thornglint Bridge

Hushwood Verge

Graypelt Refuge

Forest (12)

Plains (6)

Non-Budget Upgrades

The above decklist assumes that you're either playing on a budget and/or trying to avoid attention. But if the gloves are off and your table spends a lot of cash on Magic, consider these expensive upgrades.

• Mother of Runes and Giver of Runes can provide a layer of protection to John. Consider instead of Arborial Grazer.
• Azusa, Lost but Seeking is an excellent creature for playing additional lands instead of Sakura-Tribe Scout.
• There are a few expensive artifacts that are beneficial. Mithril Coat, Silver Shroud Costume, and Sword of War and Peace can be really great additions. Replace Belt of Giant Streignth or Indomitable Might if you have access to any of these.
• Smothering Tithe and Exploration are two enchantments that can produce a ton of mana. Toss Utopia Srpawl if you've got either of these.
• Feel free to add Bountiful Promenade, Wooded Bastion, Windswept Heath, or Temple Garden if you have any of these expensive lands.

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Tips For Playing Sergeant John Benton In Commander

• Communication is key to John. Talk to the table, ask who wants to get attacked to draw a few cards. As much as possible, try to adhere to the wishes of the table.
• Play passively. Don’t stand out, don’t put a target on your head. Remember: you’re an ambush predator. Try not to show your hand until it’s too late for your opponents to do anything.
• Swords to Plowshares can be a huge life swing for you if you use it on John after you buff him to the moon. Just do it when you have a lot of mana to spare to recast him.
• Alms Collector is a funny trick to play on someone to prevent them from drawing nearly as many cards as they were expecting from John, but remember that it'll likely anger whoever you bamboozle.
• Depending on your opponents, sometimes it's not the disruption of John that kills you but something more direct. If you find yourself dying to a Drain Life or a massive Fireball, sub in Reprieve and Dawn Charm in place of a few pump spells.
• You might also find your opponents love ending games with giant swarms of creatures. Throw in Single Combat, Vanquish the Horde, Hour of Revelation, and Promise of Loyalty if that happens.

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