From Cute to Brute Decklist & Guide: Esika Precon

Overview

From Cute to Brute is a five-colour deck made of legends and double-faced cards. Esika, God of the Tree // The Prismatic Bridge has vigilance and taps for one mana of any colour, and your other legendary creatures gain vigilance and the same tap ability. The back face, The Prismatic Bridge, reveals cards at the beginning of your upkeep until it finds a creature or planeswalker and puts it onto the battlefield.

The 99 cards are 33 creatures, 3 planeswalkers, 11 artifacts, 5 enchantments, 6 instants, 6 sorceries and 35 lands. A large share of the creatures are legendary, including Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy, Emmara, Soul of the Accord, Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse, Sisay, Weatherlight Captain and Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen. Many of the other cards are double-faced, such as Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier, Bloodline Keeper // Lord of Lineage, Hagra Mauling // Hagra Broodpit and Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince, so a card can be a spell or a land as you need.

Key Cards

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Sisay, Weatherlight Captain

Legendary Payoff · Tutor

A 2/2 for {2}{W}. It gets +1/+1 for each colour among your other legendary permanents. For {W}{U}{B}{R}{G} it searches your library for a legendary permanent card with mana value less than its power and puts it onto the battlefield. With so many legends in five colours it gets big.

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Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier

Protection · Flash

A 4/4 for {3}{W}{W}. It has flash, flying and vigilance, and when it enters your creatures gain indestructible until end of turn. When a non-Angel creature you control dies, it transforms at the beginning of the next upkeep, and when it becomes Avacyn, the Purifier it deals 3 damage to each other creature and each opponent.

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Bloodline Keeper // Lord of Lineage

Token Maker · Flying

A 3/3 for {2}{B}{B}. It has flying, and for a tap it creates a 2/2 black Vampire creature token with flying. For {B} you can transform it if you control five or more Vampires, and Lord of Lineage gives other Vampires +2/+2.

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Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy

Mana · Ramp

A 2/2 for {G}{U}. Whenever you tap a nonland permanent for mana, you add one extra mana of a type that permanent produced. Legends tapped for mana with Esika produce mana that Kinnan can copy.

Playing the Deck

The early game is about mana. Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone, Commander's Sphere and Chromatic Lantern ramp you, Farseek fetches a Plains, Island, Swamp or Mountain card, and Tireless Provisioner makes Treasure tokens. The land base includes many Pathways, other dual lands and double-faced spells that can be played as lands, so the mana is smooth.

The middle of the game is about legends and card draw. Esika, God of the Tree // The Prismatic Bridge turns every legend into a mana source, Beast Whisperer and Guardian Project draw cards, Rhys the Redeemed and Emmara, Soul of the Accord make tokens, and planeswalkers such as Garruk Relentless // Garruk, the Veil-Cursed and the two Arlinn walkers add value. Kolvori, God of Kinship // The Ringhart Crest grows with three legendary creatures and finds more of them.

The late game is about huge threats. Zetalpa, Primal Dawn, Triplicate Titan, Sphinx of the Second Sun and Butcher of Malakir close the game, Diluvian Primordial casts instants and sorceries from an opponent's graveyard, Meteor Golem removes a permanent, and Time Wipe, Ondu Inversion // Ondu Skyruins and Urza's Ruinous Blast reset the board. Urza's Ruinous Blast exiles only nonlegendary permanents, so your legends stay.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths: The deck has excellent colour fixing, plenty of ramp and a huge variety of effects, so it can do something at every point in the game. It also has efficient removal and board resets, including Beast Within, Pongify, Putrefy, Utter End and Hagra Mauling // Hagra Broodpit.

Weaknesses: Five colours and many gold cards can make the early turns clumsy, and the deck has no single focused plan beyond making mana and casting legends. Esika is a 1/4, so it is vulnerable to removal, and the deck is full of double-faced cards that need careful tracking.

Verdict

From Cute to Brute is a flexible and unusual deck that rewards knowing your cards. It is a good choice for players who like a big pile of strange legendary creatures and the freedom to play any colour.

Want to see what a fully optimised Esika, God of the Tree build looks like? Try the Oracle.

✦ Build with The Oracle

Frequently Asked Questions

What cards are in the From Cute to Brute decklist?
The From Cute to Brute precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Esika, God of the Tree. The full From Cute to Brute decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.

When was From Cute to Brute released?
From Cute to Brute was released on May 8, 2023 as part of Secret Lair Commander Decks 2023.

Who is the commander of From Cute to Brute?
From Cute to Brute is led by Esika, God of the Tree, a Five-colour (W/U/B/R/G) legendary creature.

How many creatures are in From Cute to Brute?
The 99 cards besides Esika, God of the Tree include 33 creatures.

How many lands does From Cute to Brute have?
From Cute to Brute has 35 lands in the 99 cards besides Esika, God of the Tree, including basic lands.

Full Decklist

All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box From Cute to Brute precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.

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Esika, God of the Tree // The Prismatic Bridge (commander), Barkchannel Pathway // Tidechannel Pathway, Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway, Branchloft Pathway // Boulderloft Pathway, Brightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway, Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway, Command Tower, Cragcrown Pathway // Timbercrown Pathway, Darkbore Pathway // Slitherbore Pathway, Evolving Wilds, Exotic Orchard, 3 Forest, Frontier Bivouac, Hengegate Pathway // Mistgate Pathway, Island, Jungle Shrine, Mountain, Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway, Opulent Palace, Path of Ancestry, Plains, Rimewood Falls, Riverglide Pathway // Lavaglide Pathway, Sandsteppe Citadel, Savage Lands, Scattered Groves, Seaside Citadel, Sheltered Thicket, Swamp, Terramorphic Expanse, The World Tree, Vivid Grove, Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince, Woodland Chasm, Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary, Farseek, Harmonize, Ondu Inversion // Ondu Skyruins, Time Wipe, Urza's Ruinous Blast, Beast Within, Hagra Mauling // Hagra Broodpit, Pongify, Putrefy, Utter End, Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge, Altar of the Pantheon, Arcane Signet, Azor's Gateway // Sanctum of the Sun, Chromatic Lantern, Commander's Sphere, Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale, Elbrus, the Binding Blade // Withengar Unbound, Fellwar Stone, Sol Ring, Thaumatic Compass // Spires of Orazca, Treasure Map // Treasure Cove, Arlinn Kord // Arlinn, Embraced by the Moon, Arlinn, the Pack's Hope // Arlinn, the Moon's Fury, Garruk Relentless // Garruk, the Veil-Cursed, Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier, Beast Whisperer, Bloodline Keeper // Lord of Lineage, Butcher of Malakir, Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh // Chandra, Roaring Flame, Cosima, God of the Voyage // The Omenkeel, Dennick, Pious Apprentice // Dennick, Pious Apparition, Diluvian Primordial, Emmara, Soul of the Accord, Jace, Vryn's Prodigy // Jace, Telepath Unbound, Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse, Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy, Kolvori, God of Kinship // The Ringhart Crest, Kytheon, Hero of Akros // Gideon, Battle-Forged, Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Ludevic, Necrogenius // Olag, Ludevic's Hubris, Meteor Golem, Mila, Crafty Companion // Lukka, Wayward Bonder, Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen, Nissa, Vastwood Seer // Nissa, Sage Animist, Plargg, Dean of Chaos // Augusta, Dean of Order, Rhys the Redeemed, Sandstone Oracle, Shaile, Dean of Radiance // Embrose, Dean of Shadow, Sisay, Weatherlight Captain, Sphinx of the Second Sun, Tireless Provisioner, Tovolar's Huntmaster // Tovolar's Packleader, Triplicate Titan, Valentin, Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root, Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor, Voldaren Pariah // Abolisher of Bloodlines, Zetalpa, Primal Dawn, Guardian Project, Hadana's Climb // Winged Temple of Orazca, Journey to Eternity // Atzal, Cave of Eternity, Legion's Landing // Adanto, the First Fort, Search for Azcanta // Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin.