Volo, Guide to Monsters is a unique Commander in Magic: The Gathering, rewarding players for showcasing a diverse collection of creature types. Building a successful Volo deck means diving deep into the vast world of MTG creatures and understanding which types truly shine when you’re aiming to populate your board with unique and powerful beings. This guide, inspired by the spirit of Volo himself, will delve into various creature types, offering insights and recommendations to elevate your Volo, Guide to Monsters deck to its full potential.
Decoding Creature Types for Volo: From Hags to Hyenas
Let’s embark on a journey through the creature type encyclopedia, starting our exploration with types from ‘Hag’ through ‘Hyena’ to identify hidden gems and understand type-based synergies within the context of Volo’s unique ability.
Hags: Witches with a Twist
Hags in Magic: The Gathering often lean towards black mana, which presents an initial challenge for Simic (Green/Blue) Volo decks. However, a closer look reveals a couple of intriguing options that bypass this color restriction. Brine Hag and Scarwood Hag emerge as the eligible candidates.
Brine Hag stands out as a particularly flavorful choice. As a 2/2 for four mana, it might seem unassuming, but its death trigger transforms creatures that deal lethal damage to it into 0/2s. While this effect is triggered by death from damage, making it somewhat conditional, it offers a unique form of disruption. Imagine tutoring Brine Hag with Volo, presenting a surprise blocker that punishes attackers. While perhaps not a top-tier powerhouse, Brine Hag offers a quirky and thematic addition for players looking for offbeat Volo inclusions. If you’re seeking pure efficiency in creature-based control, there are arguably stronger contenders, but for novelty and surprise factor, Brine Hag has its niche.
Halflings: Cozy Additions from the Forgotten Realms
The introduction of the Forgotten Realms to Magic brought Halflings into the fold, and these small folk offer some surprisingly impactful options for Volo. While legendary Halflings like Gretchen Titchwillow, Alora, Merry Thief, and Erinis, Gloom Stalker aren’t ideal for Volo’s copy ability, Prosperous Innkeeper shines as a stellar inclusion.
Prosperous Innkeeper is essentially a Soul Warden effect on a Halfling body, a creature type that typically faces minimal competition in Volo decks. This unassuming two-mana creature not only provides lifegain whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control but also offers a burst of mana ramp upon entering. This ramp can be crucial for accelerating into Volo or deploying larger threats. Prosperous Innkeeper isn’t an auto-include in every Volo build, but its consistent lifegain and occasional ramp make it a valuable and “cozy” addition, enhancing the overall resilience and mana efficiency of your deck.
Hamsters, Harpies, Hellions: Color Restrictions and Missed Opportunities
Unfortunately, some creature types, despite their thematic appeal, fall short for Volo due to color identity restrictions. Hamsters, sadly, are out of the Simic color range, meaning boo and his ilk cannot join Volo’s menagerie. Harpies, another classic D&D creature type, are largely black-aligned, hindering their inclusion. And Hellions, being exclusively red, are also off-limits for a typical Simic Volo deck. While these types might be flavorful and powerful in other contexts, they simply don’t align with Volo’s color identity.
Hippos: Surprisingly Spicy or Just Meh?
Hippos present an interesting dilemma for Volo players. Keruga, the Macrosage, a popular choice, has been previously assessed as “meh” by some players. However, Pygmy Hippo emerges as a potentially “spicy” alternative.
Pygmy Hippo offers a unique mana-denial effect. For three mana, it can tap to essentially “steal” a mana from a target player. This mana can then be used to ramp into larger spells or even to cast Volo himself. While not a powerhouse, Pygmy Hippo provides a disruptive element and a potential mana advantage. Overall, while Hippos might not be the most essential creature type for Volo, Pygmy Hippo offers a niche strategy worth considering for players seeking unconventional approaches.
Hippogriffs: Diet Griffins or Acceptable Cantrips?
Hippogriffs often suffer from being overshadowed by Griffins and Chimeras in terms of creature type classification in Magic. For Volo, the options within this type are limited and somewhat underwhelming. Galedrifter is easily dismissed as limited filler. However, Wretched Gryff stands out as the “winner by default”.
Wretched Gryff, despite its Eldrazi lineage which might compete with other Eldrazi creatures in your Volo deck, serves as an acceptable cantrip creature. As a 3/2 flyer for four mana with a “draw a card” effect upon entering, it provides card selection and a body on the board. If you’re not overly concerned about Eldrazi type competition, Wretched Gryff can function as a serviceable, if not particularly exciting, inclusion for card draw in your Volo menagerie.
Homarids: Lobster Folk and Questionable Gems
Homarids, the weird lobster-like creatures of Magic’s past, present a challenging case for Volo. Deep Spawn is suggested, perhaps ironically, as an “underplayed gem.” However, comparing it to a more expensive and less efficient Colossal Dreadmaw highlights its shortcomings. The forced mill effect, while potentially beneficial in niche strategies, is generally a drawback, especially at eight mana.
Among Homarids, Homarid Explorer, the most recent addition to the type, is arguably the closest to being playable. As a Hill Giant variant that can fill your graveyard, it’s still not particularly exciting, but it’s a step up from the truly unplayable options within this type. Overall, Homarids are generally not a prime target for Volo decks, unless you’re aiming for deep cuts and niche graveyard strategies.
Homunculus: Boring but Functional Role Players
Homunculi, despite their unassuming nature, offer surprising utility for Volo decks. For players seeking a non-Elf Elvish Visionary, Fblthp, the Lost and Oculus provide similar card draw effects on a different creature type.
Beyond card draw, Homunculi offer niche synergies. Doorkeeper and Riddlekeeper provide mill strategies, particularly potent in multiples. For artifact-focused Volo decks, Filigree Attendant scales with artifacts. And Bonded Fetch offers hasty looting, a valuable effect in a type with minimal competition. While Homunculi might not be flashy, they provide solid, functional role players, filling out your Volo menagerie with consistent utility and type diversity.
Horror: A Shockingly Powerful Type
Horrors, despite their name, are not to be feared in a Volo deck – quite the opposite! This type boasts a surprising number of powerful and versatile options. Murkfiend Liege is a standout, becoming even more potent when multiplied by Volo. Its ability to untap your creatures during each upkeep, combined with its +2/+2 buff to blue and green creatures, makes it a force multiplier. Paired with flash enablers or creatures with tap abilities, Murkfiend Liege can create devastating board states. Combined with Opposition, it can even lock down opponents entirely.
Monoblue Horrors like Mindflayer and Sludge Monster offer powerful removal options on a creature body. Mindflayer provides “control magic on a stick,” stealing opposing creatures. Sludge Monster weakens opposing boards by distributing slime counters. This trio – Murkfiend Liege, Mindflayer, and Sludge Monster – are clear frontrunners among Horrors for Volo. Their power is amplified by the relative lack of type competition within the Horror category. While other Horrors exist, these three stand out as top-tier choices for any serious Volo, Guide to Monsters deck. Don’t overlook the Horrors when building your monstrous menagerie!
Horse: Not Always Amazing, But Worth a Look
Horses in Magic: The Gathering often come with secondary creature types, which can complicate their inclusion in Volo decks focused on unique types. Pure “Horse” power is somewhat limited, but Workhorse emerges as a notable exception.
Workhorse, especially in +1/+1 counter strategies, functions as a “free” creature and a ritual when Volo is in play. Its ability to generate mana upon entering and leaving the battlefield makes it a valuable source of ramp and potentially card advantage with Volo’s copy ability. For multi-typed Horses, Wavebreak Hippocamp remains an interesting “Fish Horse” for Flash or Enchantress-themed Volo builds. And Phantom Steed offers potential for populate or sacrifice strategies. While Horses might not be the most dominant creature type for Volo, Workhorse and the multi-typed options offer intriguing synergies for specific deck archetypes.
Hydra: Hail Hydras! A Menagerie Staple
Hydras are iconic creatures in green, mythology, and D&D, making them almost mandatory inclusions in any self-respecting Volo menagerie. Apex Devastator, previously discussed in the Chimera section, is a popular choice. While undeniably powerful with its cascade ability, some argue it’s overplayed. While Volo doubling the cascaded creatures is potent, consistently achieving eight cascades is unrealistic. Apex Devastator shines as a “Primal Surge #2” for dedicated Primal Surge Volo decks, but it’s not necessarily a universally essential inclusion.
Managorger Hydra, a humble yet powerful beater, is favored by many Volo enthusiasts and is the only other Hydra that consistently appears on EDHRec. However, Ulvenwald Hydra is a strong contender, particularly in landfall-focused Volo decks. Doubling Ulvenwald Hydra and tutoring for a land provides significant ramp and board presence. Kalonian Hydra becomes incredibly potent in multiples. Two Kalonian Hydras attacking together quickly escalate to enormous sizes. Voracious Hydra offers removal on a stick, often preferred over Hydroid Krasis (due to type overlap) and Steelbane Hydra (deemed less efficient). Budget-friendly options like Thunderous Snapper (a weaker Beast Whisperer effect) and Nessian Wilds Ravager (a strong fight creature with a tribute option) round out the Hydra options. Hydras offer a diverse range of powerful and synergistic creatures, making them a cornerstone of many successful Volo, Guide to Monsters decks.
Hyena: A Laughing Matter?
Hyenas sadly offer little in the Simic color identity for Volo. Gibbering Hyenas, the only black-bordered Simic Hyena, is considered weak draft fodder. Laughing Hyena, from Unsets, introduces the “Gotcha!” mechanic, which is generally unfun and counter to the spirit of what Hyenas should represent. Unless you’re playing in an unset-friendly environment and enjoy unconventional mechanics, Hyenas are best left out of your Volo menagerie.
Crafting Your Volo Menagerie: Type Diversity is Key
This exploration from Hags to Hyenas reveals the nuances of creature type selection for Volo, Guide to Monsters. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each type, considering color restrictions, and identifying synergistic cards are crucial steps in building a powerful and unique Volo deck. Remember, the key to Volo’s ability is type diversity. By carefully curating your creature types, you can unlock the full potential of Volo, Guide to Monsters and unleash a truly monstrous menagerie upon your opponents.
