Athreos, Shroud-Veiled
CommanderAthreos, Shroud-Veiled is an Orzhov grind engine that turns your end-step coin counters plus removal into repeatable theft and inevitability.
Public decks: 3Bracket: Varies
Card text
Legendary Enchantment Creature — God
Indestructible
As long as your devotion to white and black is less than seven, Athreos isn't a creature.
At the beginning of your end step, put a coin counter on another target creature.
Whenever a creature with a coin counter on it dies or is put into exile, return that card to the battlefield under your control.
Building around this commander?
Use MTG Master to build or analyze a Commander deck around this card, check consistency, and find weak spots before your next game.
Overview
- Deploy mana and stabilizers, then land Athreos and start placing coin counters on the best creature on the table each end step.
- Convert spot removal, sweepers, and exile effects into value by reclaiming coin-countered creatures under your control.
- Often plays a slower, controlling midrange game: answer key threats, accumulate stolen bodies, and snowball board presence.
- Athreos being indestructible and sometimes not a creature makes it hard to cleanly remove, letting you keep the engine online.
- Games typically end by overwhelming the table with commandeered creatures and/or leveraging big mana to take over the late game.
Common lines
- Ramp early, cast Athreos, then immediately start marking the most impactful creature you can target.
- Put a coin counter on an opposing threat, then answer it with removal so it returns on your side.
- Mark multiple creatures across turns, then fire off a sweeper to convert the whole board into your battlefield.
- Use flexible interaction to keep combo turns in check while your end-step trigger quietly builds advantage.
Strengths
- Strong inevitability in creature-centric games: every removal spell can also be a permanent swing.
- Resilient commander presence thanks to indestructible and the devotion clause sometimes dodging creature-only hate.
- Naturally rewards playing lots of interaction and sweepers, keeping the board manageable while you scale.
- Can pivot between defense and offense quickly once you start returning opponents' creatures under your control.
Weaknesses
- Six-mana commander that wants to untap and see end steps; fast pods can pressure you before the engine turns on.
- Needs good targets: creature-light or spellslinger tables can reduce the payoff of coin counters.
- Well-timed commander removal or exile can interrupt the engine and set you back a full turn cycle.
- Can draw table aggro once opponents realize coin counters represent future theft, even if you are currently behind.
Rule zero notes
- Athreos can function like a theft commander; disclose if your plan is to repeatedly take opponents' creatures.
- If you are running lots of sweepers (e.g., Austere Command, Cleansing Nova), give the table a heads-up about board-wipe density.
- If you include slowdown pieces (e.g., Blind Obedience), clarify whether this is light tax or a bigger stax angle.
- If you are playing cards that can enable combo finishes (e.g., Exquisite Blood alongside other pieces), mention that up front.
- Expect your commander to be targeted; clarify your deck's pace and whether you're aiming for a long grind or quicker closes.
Matchups
Best into
- Creature-heavy midrange pods where bodies matter and trades happen often
- Voltron and big-threat decks that rely on sticking a single marquee creature
- Boards that develop wide enough for sweepers to be high leverage
Struggles against
- Low-creature spell-combo pods where there are few profitable coin-counter targets
- Decks packed with instant-speed interaction that can remove Athreos before your end step
- Strategies that win mostly through noncreature permanents or stack-based lines
Recent public decks
Staples
Browse all public decksFAQ
Do coin counters work if the creature gets exiled instead of dying?
Yes—Athreos returns a creature with a coin counter on it if it dies or is put into exile, so exile-based removal can still turn into a steal if the target was marked.
Can I put the coin counter on my own creature?
Yes—Athreos targets another creature, not just opponents' creatures, so you can mark your own value creature to make it harder for opponents to answer cleanly.
Is Athreos hard to remove?
Indestructible helps a lot, and the devotion clause sometimes keeps it from being a creature, but exile and certain non-destruction answers can still deal with it.
How does this deck usually win?
Most games end by converting interaction into material advantage, then turning the corner with a board of stolen/reanimated creatures and closing through combat.
What should I target with the end-step coin counter?
Typically the creature that will matter most if it ends up on your side—either the table's biggest threat or a high-value engine creature you expect to remove soon.