A Guide to Your Magic: The Gathering Norin the Wary Commander Deck
There are commanders that scream power, like Atraxa or The Ur-Dragon, and then there’s Norin the Wary. The first time I saw this one-mana human warrior, I didn’t see power. I saw a guy who looked like he’d just seen a spider.
His flavor text says it all: “I have a bad feeling about this.” As it turns out, running for the hills is exactly what he does, and it’s brilliant.
For many, Norin is a joke, but for those of us who like our games a little weird, he’s one of the most unique commanders you can build around.
I’m going to walk you through how to build a truly memorable Norin the Wary Commander deck, from the core to the chaotic strategies that will make your playgroup talk about your deck for weeks.
An Introduction to Norin the Wary
To understand Norin, we have to look at his simple rules text, “When a player casts a spell or a creature attacks, exile Norin. Return it to the battlefield under its owner’s control at the beginning of the next end step.”
Norin runs away from everything. This means he can’t attack or block, as he exiles himself before he gets the chance. So why play him? Because he always comes back.
At the beginning of every end step, he pops right back onto the battlefield, ready to do it all over again.
He is the most consistent, repeatable enter the battlefield (ETB) trigger in the entire game, and that is where the fun begins.
Here’s the funny thing about Norin, the safer he is, the more danger you’re in. Norin’s ability makes him nearly impossible to kill with most removal. Since your opponents can’t get rid of your commander, they’re going to try to get rid of you.
This is made worse by the deck’s primary strategy of dealing small amounts of damage to everyone, every single turn. From the moment you play Norin, you have a target on your back.
Your Core Damage Package
In the immortal words of Danny DeVito as Frank Reynolds, “So anyways, I start blastin’.” This is the philosophy of the most common Norin the Wary Commander deck.
The goal is simple, get Norin on the battlefield on turn one, and then play permanents that turn his constant entering and leaving into direct damage.
This strategy relies on a suite of enchantments and creatures that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control. These are the core of your engine.
- Impact Tremors: This is the bread-and-butter of the deck. For two mana, this enchantment deals 1 damage to each opponent every time a creature enters under your control. With Norin, this is a guaranteed 1 damage to each opponent on every player’s turn.
- Purphoros, God of the Forge: This is the gold standard. He deals 2 damage instead of 1 and, as an indestructible god, is incredibly difficult to remove.
- Warstorm Surge & Terror of the Peaks: These heavy hitters deal damage equal to the entering creature’s power. Norin himself will trigger them for 2 damage.
A little damage each turn is good, but it can be slow. To turn this quirky engine into a legitimate threat, you need to accelerate that damage.
- Torbran, Thane of Red Fell: This Dwarf makes your red sources deal an additional 2 damage. Suddenly, your Impact Tremors is dealing 3 damage per trigger.
- Fiery Emancipation & Furnace of Rath: These enchantments triple or double all damage you deal. A Purphoros trigger with Fiery Emancipation on the board hits for a whopping 6 damage. This is how you go from being a minor annoyance to the biggest threat at the table.
How to Play
Piloting a Norin the Wary Commander deck is as much about managing the social dynamics of the game as it is about casting spells. First and foremost, play Norin on turn one. There’s no reason not to.
Your first few turns are about building your machine. Focus on getting your key pieces onto the battlefield, like Impact Tremors or Genesis Chamber.
Because you will be seen as a threat, you need to be careful. It can be tempting to slam down a Purphoros on turn four, but if you don’t have a way to protect it or win quickly, you’ll just be inviting the table to attack you.
Sometimes, the best play is to wait, build up resources, and let your opponents battle it out before you make your move.
It’s Time to Brew
Norin the Wary is not a top-tier powerhouse. He won’t win every game, and he will definitely make you the center of attention. But what he offers is a uniquely fun, challenging, and a deeply rewarding brewing experience.
He forces you to think outside the box and build a deck that plays by its own set of rules. So go ahead, sleeve up the most anxious man in the multiverse. Your opponents might have a bad feeling about it, but I guarantee you’ll have a blast.
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