Into the Vault: Prossh, Skyraider of Kher Deck Tech

Written by Jeff Tan

        Prossh, the apex predator of the Kher region, hunter of trespassers, and lord of the Kobolds of Kher Keep. Prossh is the very definition of an aggressive combo commander with many angles. Since his introduction in the Commander 2013 Preconstructed deck, Prossh has made a name for himself as one of the most resilient combo decks in EDH. Today, we dive into what makes Prossh such a force to be reckoned with and how he remains the most feared dragon deck in EDH.

The Commander

        Prossh is one of those commanders who just has a TON of relevant abilities.

        Prossh’s stats don’t seem much at first glance. For 3 colorless, 1 black, 1 red, and 1 green mana, you have yourself a 5/5 dragon type creature with flying. Pretty standard for dragons in general. It is when you get to his other abilities that really set him apart from many commanders.

        Prossh’s first ability is a triggered ability that allows him to produce Kobolds equal to how much mana was used to cast him. His first cast would be 6 total mana, producing 6 0/1 Kobolds. The next time he would be cast from the command zone would be for 8 mana due to commander tax, making him produce 8, 0/1 kobold tokens and so on. Pretty straight forward. However, it is when you realize that his ability is a CAST TRIGGER that you would see the enormous potential for this commander. Why does cast trigger matter? You might think. Well, essentially, that would mean that countering Prossh alone will not stop the Kobolds from entering the battlefield. A bunch of 0/1 Kobolds don’t seem like much even laughable, but the synergies it has with other cards are the defining factor of his power.

Original Kobolds of Kher Keep Card from Legends Set

        His last ability is a sacrifice engine ability which simply lets his power grow by 1 point per creature sacrificed. Similar with his tiggered ability, this ability is simple and does not initially emit fear like other large dragon cards that have back breaking abilities. But the synergies it can create with his triggered ability will astound you as we go into the numerous ways Prossh can take over even the most massive of boards.

  
 

Synergies for Days

        Synergies are what Prossh does best. The deck in itself contains many different synergies from 2 card utility combos to 3 card infinite, game ending combos. His description as an AGGRESSIVE COMBO commander is derived from the many ways he attempts to rush the board with stuff and mercilessly overwhelms his prey either by combat or direct damage. Let’s start with the most basic of Prossh’s synergies.

        Prossh has the capability to fill the board with Kobolds and there is rarely anything his opponents can do about that. 0/1 Kobolds are nothing to be worried about, but with the right cards, you can turn these harmless creatures into live bullets or relentless sacrificial combatants.

Enter the Dragon

        First, the Enter the Battlefield Synergies. By having certain enchantments or creatures in play, Prossh can let his Kobolds already begin chipping at his enemies’ feet. Cards like Purphoros, Impact Tremors, and even Altar of the Brood all have certain effects that can effectively whittle down his opponent’s life total or deck total (in altar of the brood’s case).

  

Enter the Battlefield Mini-combos

        For each time you would cast Prossh, these things would wreak havoc on the board, particularly when Prossh gets more expensive from the command zone.

        There are also Combat oriented ETB cards such as Ogre Battledriver that just turns Prossh’s Kobolds into bloodthirsty attackers.

        To do the math, from Purphoros that would be seven triggers, dealing 14 damage to all of Prossh’s opponents. From Ogre Battledriver, Prossh and his minions would be swinging for 19 damage in total not including the Ogre himself. As we can see here, Prossh abuses these ETB combos by triggering them multiple times at once.

        And this is just the beginning.

Spare us oh Great Devouring One

        The next combo method would be the Sacrifice Combos. Given that Prossh and his minions have successfully entered the fray, they are not merely bodies for combat. A great number of Prossh’s combos come from his capability to abuse the sacrifice or death mechanics of other cards in play.

  
 
  

Sacrifice/Death Trigger Cards

        These are but a few of the countless card synergies Prossh can do with his minions. Since Prossh himself is also a sacrifice engine, he can trigger these himself. If you notice, most of these are aristocrat abilities. Aristocrat is a term used for creatures that deal a meager amount of damage every time something is sent to the graveyard or exile. Why are these important to Prossh? Well, considering Prossh had previously damaged his opponents with the 12 ETB trigger damage, these sacrifice abilities would then aid in his continuing pressure to his enemies. He could sacrifice his minions and make himself stronger while dealing damage to his enemies. If he would be in need of card draw, he could skullclamp his minions for TWO cards PER MINION. Don’t get me started on the mana advantages he can get with Food Chain and Ashnod’s altar. Prossh isn’t just about a show of brute strength, as you can see here it also takes a certain finesse as to how he would like to decimate his opposition. Other Sacrifice utilities include: creature removal, tutoring, ability gain, and more.

  

        As you can see here, Prossh’s power extends to that of merely damage or combat. His library of spells also ensures that his strength is unchallenged.

Top of the Food Chain

        With all of these combos and synergies, you’d think that that would probably be the extent to his power. Not even close. With all of those powerful combinations, Prossh has several game ending combos that leave people hating the fact that he is legal to play.

        Of course, while he is incredibly resilient, he is not indestructible. I will showcase his game ending combos and show the Pros and Cons of each combo.

The Infamous Prossh Chain Combo

 

Explanation:

        Prossh can be cast for 6cc -> Creates 6 Kobolds -> Food Chain Exiles Prossh -> He gets 6 + 1 mana -> Food Chain Exiles 1 Kobold -> He gets 0 + 1 Mana -> Casts Prossh for 8 -> Creates 8 Kobolds -> Food chain Exiles Prossh and Kobolds ->  Infinite Mana & Infinite Death Triggers

        Pros: Instant Kill for everyone. Unlimited Mana. Difficult to stop without Enchantment Removal. Prossh can be replaced by Squee, the Immortal or Eternal Scourge since they are casted from exile for 3 but Food Chain turns them into 4 mana.

 

         Cons: Needs a third card to win (Aristocrat cards, Purphoros, Goblin Bushwhacker). Enchantment Removal can stop the chain.

The Prossh Ascension Smash

 

Explanation:

        Cast Prossh -> Get 6 Kobolds -> Prossh and Kobolds equal 7 creatures -> Give them haste or wait til the next turn -> Cast Beastmaster Ascension -> Swing for 40

        Pros: Sustainable combo since even if Prossh and Kobolds die, the quest counters stay so all succeeding creatures get the buff.

         Cons: Enchantment Hate will shut this plan completely. Combat reliant. Needs haste and 7 creatures or the counters need to be built up.

Any Persist/Undying related Combos

        This type of combo is not very popular in Prossh decks given the setup it needs. There are more efficient combos, but for budget decks, this is definitely a consideration.

 

Explanation:

        Needs Sacrifice engine -> Cast Melira -> Cast Murderous Redcap ->Sacrifice Murderous Redcap -> Pesist Trigger’s returning Redcap to the Battlefield -> Melira prevents the -1/-1 from being placed -> Rinse and Repeat

        Pros: Eliminates everyone. Redcap can be useful in other situations.

         Cons: Creature based combo that is easily disrupted by killing Melira. Needs a sacrifice engine.

The Wrap Up

        These are just some of the more relevant combos within Prossh’s shell, but by no means is he stuck to simply being a combo menace. The beauty of this monstrosity is that Prossh can adjust his play depending who he’s up against. Tactically Prossh would attempt to rush down foes without early defenses or disruptions while being more cautious against silver bullet toting blue mages. Prossh decks also dont have to be extremely expensive. Many decks just focus on his token generating ability and abuse sacrifice mechanics into grand results. Then we have CEDH versions of Prossh where his power cards could enable him to end the game as early as turn 2 or 3 consistently.

        Do not fear though. Prossh is powerful, but he is not indestructible. Just knowing his key threats already make him more manageable. Of course, one can also utilize threat assessments and politics to point the spear at the combo player.

        I myself am a Prossh player and loving it.

        That is all for now. Til next article.