Legendary Creature — Leviathan

Slinn Voda, the Rising Deep

Mana value8EDHREC#4,525

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The Commander

Kicker {1} {U} (You may pay an additional {1} {U} as you cast this spell.)

When Slinn Voda enters, if it was kicked, return all creatures to their owners' hands except for Merfolk, Krakens, Leviathans, Octopuses, and Serpents.

Guide

Gameplan

Ramp into big blue sea monsters while stalling the board, then drop Slinn Voda kicked to bounce every non-aquatic creature on the battlefield, leaving only your Krakens, Leviathans, Octopuses, Serpents, and Merfolk standing. From that tempo blowout you swing with hexproof-ish behemoths or recast Slinn Voda repeatedly via blink/bounce to keep wiping opponents' boards turn after turn.

Strengths

Repeatable mass bounce that wipes opposing boards while leaving your sea creatures intact
Mono-blue gives access to the best counterspells, card draw, and protection in the format
Strong tribal payoffs for Merfolk and sea monsters create a focused, synergistic deck
Bounce dodges indestructible, totem armor, and regeneration where wraths fail

Weaknesses

Eight mana (or ten kicked) makes Slinn Voda slow and ramp-dependent
Mono-blue lacks removal for enchantments and struggles with resolved artifacts/planeswalkers
Bounce is temporary tempo, not permanent answers—opponents simply recast threats
No built-in evasion or protection on the body itself, so it can be chump-blocked or killed in response

Key Cards

Quietus Spike — Turns your unblocked Leviathans into one-shot kill machines via halve-their-life on combat damage.
Deadeye Navigator — Soulbonds to Slinn Voda for repeatable blink, letting you bounce all opposing creatures every turn for cheap.
Cloudstone Curio — Bounce-loop enabler that lets you recast Slinn Voda or chain sea creatures for repeated board resets.
Quest for Ula's Temple — Cheats huge Leviathans, Krakens, and Serpents into play for free, bypassing their massive costs.
Lord of Atlantis — Anchors a Merfolk subtheme, pumping and giving evasion to your surviving creatures after the bounce.
Whelming Wave — A budget mini-Slinn Voda effect that bounces all non-sea-monster creatures, reinforcing the strategy.

Upgrade Path

Add fast ramp like Sol Ring, Mana Vault, and the signets/Hedron Archive to deploy Slinn Voda kicked ahead of curve, plus cheat cards like Quest for Ula's Temple and Show and Tell. Lean into blink/bounce engines (Deadeye Navigator, Cloudstone Curio, Equilibrium) to abuse the kicked ETB every turn, and protect your investment with counters like Swan Song, Counterspell, and Mana Drain. Cap it with Quietus Spike, Rogue's Passage, or Tetsuko Umezawa for guaranteed evasive kills.

Core Cards

The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.

Win Conditions

▸Beat down with surviving Krakens and Leviathans after a Slinn Voda board wipe
▸Quietus Spike or commander damage from an evasive sea monster
▸Repeated Slinn Voda bounce-locks that prevent opponents from ever establishing a board
▸Stax-style tempo denial finished by overwhelming creature advantage

Archetypes

Sea Creature Tribal — Krakens, Leviathans, Octopuses, and Serpents survive Slinn Voda's bounce and act as resilient beaters.
Tempo/Control — Counterspells plus repeatable board bounce let you grind opponents out of resources.
Blink/Bounce Value — Flickering or returning Slinn Voda recurs its kicked ETB to lock the board down repeatedly.
Merfolk Tribal — Merfolk are exempt from the bounce and offer lords and evasion for an aggressive aquatic build.