When Rhys enters, another target creature you control gains persist until end of turn. (When it dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
, : Remove any number of counters from target creature you control. Activate only as a sorcery.
Rhys is a 2-mana mono-white engine that hands out temporary persist and then erases the -1/-1 counters, effectively giving a creature a free extra life or enabling repeatable death-trigger loops. You flash him in to protect a key creature, sacrifice/blink for value, then strip counters at sorcery speed to reset the loop. The deck grinds incremental advantage through sacrifice payoffs, ETB creatures, and counter shenanigans before closing with a wide board or a combo.
Cheap, flashable commander that protects your best creature at instant speed
Built-in counter removal turns persist into infinite-loop fuel with sac outlets
Strong synergy with aristocrats and ETB/death triggers in mono-white
Counter-removal ability also clears stun, age, and other harmful counters
Mono-white means weak card draw and limited ramp
Counter-removal is sorcery-speed and only one Rhys, so loops are fragile to interaction
No built-in evasion or finisher—relies heavily on support pieces
Persist only lasts until end of turn, limiting the protection window