Enchantress

Enchantress is an EDH deck archetype named after the Legacy Enchantress archetype. The name derives from an obsolete creature subtype featured originally on the Alpha card Verduran Enchantress. The term “Enchantress” is a slang term that refers to a creature or enchantment that lets its controller draw a card whenever they play enchantment.

The Enchantress ability is primary in green and secondary in white.

## **Popular Cards & Commanders**

**Examples of Enchantress cards include:**

* Enchantress’s Presence
* Argothian Enchantress
* Eidolon of Blossoms

**Popular Enchantress commanders include:**

* Estrid, the Masked
* Tuvasa the Sunlit
* Angus MacKenzie
* Daxos the Returned
* Kestia the Cultivator

## **Strategy**

### **Density of Enchantments**

Enchantress decks are known for a density of Enchantment cards so that they can reliably trigger effects that rely on enchantments entering the battlefield, and therefore if they have enough enchantress effects they can start a chain reaction of drawing enchantments to replace the one they just cast, to keep drawing.

While Enchantment recursion may be sufficient to keep generating triggers (*as with Ghen, Arcanum Weaver for instance*), it is only when a 'Critical Mass' of enchantments is reached that the result of Enchantress effects become self sustaining or exponential. As such, few Enchantress decks would want to run less than 20 enchantments and many would want to have 30+ in their deck. For example, as of 2021 the average deck for Sythis, Harvest's Hand has exactly 30 enchantments.

This results in as many different effects as possible being replicated with enchantments, from Ramp to Card Draw, Protection to Removal.

### **Card Draw**

Enchantress decks in Commander normally run a full complement of Enchantress spells such as Argothian Enchantress and Enchantress’s Presence to draw cards when they play enchantment spells. These cards are usually used instead of other sources of card draw and propel the deck forward by continually allowing the Enchantress player to cast more and more enchantments

### **Ramp and Removal**

Mana ramp used by Enchantress players is typically in the form of Wild Growth, Dawn's Reflection, and similar land-enchanting Auras that produce additional mana while also triggering Enchantress effects. Enchantress players are unlikely to use sorceries or creatures as sources of ramp, even if those cards are extremely popular in many other archetypes.
Enchantress decks will also typically opt for enchantment-based removal spells instead of instants and sorceries, as these too can keep the Enchantress train moving. Examples of this may include cards such as Song of the Dryads or Darksteel Mutation.

### **Winning the Game**

Enchantress deck normally use their enchantments to fuel a secondary archetype as a victory condition

* Enchantment triggers can be used to create a mass of tokens with cards like Sigil of the Empty Throne, see *Compatible Sub-themes Tokens*
* Auras are frequently used in Voltron strategies with commanders such as Uril, the Miststalker or Sigarda, Host of Herons, which add a lot of power to these commanders to deal lethal commander damage to their opponents, see *Compatible Sub-themes Voltron*
* Alternatively, some Enchantress decks may also draw so many cards that they choose to secure victory with cards such as Laboratory Maniac, or even convert their enchantment triggers and draw triggers into Mill, see *Compatible Sub-themes Mill*

## **Common Deck Categories**

* Card Draw
* Ramp
* Mass Protection
* Token Makers / Auras
* Pillowfort Effects / Token Makers
* Removal
* Mass Removal

**10 cards** will probably give you **2 cards in a given game** from that category, and a good chance to **start with 1** in your opening hand. Critical categories for your deck may require a similar or larger number than this, depending on expected levels of Counterspells or Removal.
**5 cards** will probably give you **1 card per game** of that category. Cards you don't want to overload on but still want access to (*board wipes in a tokens deck for instance*) may want a similar figure to this... Going smaller than this number makes receiving a card of this category very unlikely without Tutors or some other Toolbox approach.

## **Strengths and Weaknesses**

### **Strengths**

* Enchantress decks can draw a very large number of cards during gameplay, as a very high density of the spells in their deck will trigger Enchantress effects. With multiple Enchantresses in play, Enchantress players can easily outpace the card advantage engines of their opponents.

* Many enchantments help defend other enchantments, making them difficult to obstruct. For instance, cards like Sterling Grove and Privileged Position make other enchantments impossible to target, and Greater Auramancy can protect enchanted creatures. These cards are difficult to pick apart individually, nullifying many opponents' removal spells.

* Enchantress decks can be difficult to defeat via combat damage due to the popularity of cards such as Ghostly Prison and Sphere of Safety, often resulting in an incidental Pillowfort for the Enchantress player.

### **Weaknesses**

* Enchantress decks are extremely susceptible to enchantment-specific board wipes such as Austere Command, Merciless Eviction, or Bane of Progress, which can set their entire strategy back to square one.

* If an Enchantress player isn't able to find an Enchantress effect or keep them in play, they may not be able to get their card advantage engine started, and will struggle to gain momentum or keep pace with their opponents.

* Even if they have drawn lots of card, Enchantress players may 'stall out' if they do not draw enough enchantment spells to cast and trigger their draw abilities. A low density of enchantments can halt an Enchantress player's momentum.

## *Enchantress in various colors*

EDH is known for unusual deckbrewing, and since all colors can care about enchantments and have them, Enchantress is a possibility in any color, but with each color playing differently.
Enchantress in this case can mean cards that care about you casting enchantments or auras, or being targeted by them or caring how many you have or doing something to them when they enter the battlefield.
See below for a brief primer and some Scryfall searches indicating what that color can do:

 **White has ~85 cards caring about Auras or Enchantments**. It can Tutor enchantments and Auras, Draw cards (*normally from auras*), and recur them from the graveyard. It also has *<36 cards with aura triggers*
 **Green has ~54 cards caring about Auras or Enchantments**. It can Draw cards based on Enchantments, Tutor creatures that care about enchantments, and recur any card type from the graveyard (*including enchantments*). It also has *< 20 cards with aura triggers*
 **Blue has ~26 cards caring about Auras or Enchantments**. It also has Enchantments that can draw you cards, can convert enchantment triggers and card draw into Mill and has *~29 cards with aura triggers*
 **Black has ~13 cards caring about Auras or Enchantments**. It can tutor for any card type (*including enchantments and creatures that care about them*), has Enchantments that can draw you cards and *~9 cards with aura triggers*
 **Red has ~10 cards caring about Auras or Enchantments** and *~19 cards with aura triggers*
 **Colorless has ~8 cards caring about Auras or Enchantments** and *~6 cards with aura triggers*
### **Tokens**

Enchantment triggers can be used to create a mass of tokens
**Example Cards:**Sigil of the Empty Throne, Ajani's Chosen, Alela, Artful Provocateur, Archon of Sun's Grace, Daxos the Returned
### **Voltron**

Auras are frequently used to power up their commander or other creatures in Voltron strategies with commanders such as Uril, the Miststalker or Sigarda, Host of Herons, which add a lot of power to these commanders to deal lethal commander damage to their opponents.
**Example Cards:**Sage's Reverie, Kor Spiritdancer, Ancestral Mask, Auramancer's Guise, Ethereal Armor, All That Glitters, Helm of the Gods, Nettlecyst
### **Mill**

Some Enchantress decks may also draw so many cards that they can convert their enchantment triggers and draw triggers into Mill on their opponents, or Self-Mill to secure victory with cards such as Laboratory Maniac
**Example Cards:**Teferi's Tutelage, Sage of Mysteries, Sphinx's Tutleage, Psychic Corrosion, Thassa's Devourer, Court of Cunning
### **Pillowfort**

Many pillowfort enchantments provide major protection while still rewarding you for casting enchantments
**Example Cards:**Sphere of Safety, Ghostly Prison, Solitary Confinement
**References:**

* EDHREC Enchantment theme
* EDHREC Aura theme
* Auras and Aura tagged articles on EDHRec
* Enchantress tagged articles on EDHRec
* Enchantment tagged articles on EDHRec