How it plays
Gishath costs {5}{R}{G}{W} and has vigilance, trample and haste. When it deals combat damage to a player, you reveal as many cards from the top of your library as the damage dealt, put any number of Dinosaurs among them onto the battlefield, and the rest go to the bottom in a random order.
Because it has haste, it can attack the turn it enters. That is why the deck needs to balance three blocks: enough ramp to pay eight mana, a reasonable density of Dinosaurs and ways to get the attack through.
Mana curve: Plenty of mana development early, cost reducers and mid-cost threats up to turn six, and Gishath as the final piece at eight mana.
Game plan by phase
- Early game
Spells that fetch lands and mana rocks to reach eight mana without relying only on creatures.
- Mid game
Dinosaur cost reducers and threats that bring more than stats, plus answers for the blocker that would stop the attack.
- Late game
Attack with Gishath when you have a safe window: every point of damage that gets through becomes reveal depth.
Key cards
| Role | Cards |
|---|---|
| Ramp | Cultivate, Kodama’s Reach, Sol Ring, Arcane Signet |
| Cost reduction | Otepec Huntmaster |
| Threats | Ghalta, Primal Hunger, Etali, Primal Storm, Regisaur Alpha, Thundering Spineback |
| Card draw and value | Harmonize, Garruk’s Uprising, Return of the Wildspeaker |
| Interaction | Beast Within, Chaos Warp, Return to Nature |
Bracket and budget
Three colours and big creatures make the mana base pricier, but most of its pieces are simple cards. The Deck Lab list is Bracket 2; if you want another budget or more power, we will design it for you.
Weaknesses
The first weakness is depending on an expensive commander: if Gishath dies twice, the tax takes it to twelve mana, so the rest of the deck must be able to play without it. The second is the three-colour mana base, and the third is board wipes: do not play every creature in your hand.
How to upgrade the deck
- Naya sources that enter untapped when it matters, and two-mana ramp.
- Cheap protection for the commander, so you avoid paying its tax.
- More Dinosaur density to improve the reveal ability.
- Card-draw engines that work with few creatures on the board.
Frequently asked questions
How does Gishath, Sun's Avatar work?
When Gishath deals combat damage to a player, reveal that many cards from the top of your library and put any number of revealed Dinosaurs onto the battlefield. The rest go to the bottom in a random order.
How many colours does a Gishath deck use?
It has Naya colour identity: green, white and red. Green accelerates mana, white offers protection and answers, and red brings pressure and interaction.
Is Gishath a good commander to start with?
Its goal is easy to understand: produce eight mana, attack and turn damage into more Dinosaurs. It requires learning to build a three-colour mana base and to protect an expensive investment.