Legendary Creature — Unicorn

Emiel the Blessed

Mana value4EDHREC#2,679

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The Commander

{3} : Exile another target creature you control, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control.

Whenever another creature you control enters, you may pay {G/W} . If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on it. If it's a Unicorn, put two +1/+1 counters on it instead. ( {G/W} can be paid with either {G} or {W} .)

Guide

Gameplan

Emiel turns repeatable blink into an engine: pay {3} to flicker your own creatures, exploiting enter-the-battlefield triggers for value while stacking +1/+1 counters off the second ability. You ramp into Emiel early, deploy a few high-impact ETB creatures, then loop them to grind card advantage, mana, or assemble an infinite combo that ends the game.

Strengths

Repeatable, instant-speed blink at any point with no summoning sickness restriction
Strong selection of GW ETB value creatures (ramp, draw, removal)
Multiple compact infinite combos that win on the spot
Can save creatures from removal and reset combat/aura effects
Free counters keep the board growing while you do everything else

Weaknesses

Blink costs per activation, so it's mana-hungry without ramp
Relies heavily on the commander; gets slow if Emiel is repeatedly removed
GW lacks card draw and interaction compared to other color pairs
Vulnerable to graveyard/exile hate and stax that taxes activated abilities
Combo lines can be telegraphed and disrupted by instant-speed removal

Key Cards

Felidar Guardian — Blinking a mana producer that nets + creates infinite blinks, the deck's premier combo piece.
Restoration Angel — Flexible flicker on a flash body that protects creatures and enables ETB loops.
Eternal Witness — Repeatedly recurs any card from your graveyard, giving GW relentless card advantage.
Avenger of Zendikar — Blinking it floods the board with Plant tokens that Emiel pumps into a lethal swing.
Sun Titan — Recursion engine that returns Emiel-fueled permanents and combo pieces each flicker.
Cloudstone Curio — Combined with cheap ETB creatures and mana dorks it enables free recursion loops.

Upgrade Path

Tighten the mana base with fast ramp (Sol Ring, Birds of Paradise, Llanowar Elves, Sakura-Tribe Elder) so you reach Emiel and pay activations earlier. Add tutors and combo enablers like Felidar Guardian, Cloudstone Curio, and mana-positive dorks (Priest of Titania, Karametra's Acolyte) to make blink loops infinite, plus protection like Heroic Intervention and Teferi's Protection. Round out with high-ceiling ETB payoffs (Avenger of Zendikar, Woodland Bellower, Reclamation Sage) and efficient interaction to defend the engine.

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

▸Infinite blink with Felidar Guardian + mana creatures to fuel a game-ending ETB like Avenger of Zendikar or Charging Cinderhorn-style drains
▸Infinite mana/tokens enabling a huge alpha strike buffed by Emiel's counters
▸Repeatable ETB removal/burn (e.g., loops with damage triggers) to drain all opponents
▸Grindy value beatdown: a wide, counter-pumped board that overwhelms after stabilizing

Archetypes

Blink/Flicker Value — Emiel is a repeatable on-command flicker outlet that abuses every ETB trigger you control.
Combo — Felidar Guardian and mana-positive creatures let Emiel generate infinite blinks for game-ending payoffs.
Tokens/+1/+1 Counters — The second ability rewards going wide and grows creatures into a beatdown threat.
Ramp Midrange — GW mana dorks and ETB ramp feed Emiel's expensive activations and big payoff creatures.