mtg edh cards Wizard Commander Deck - Mono Blue - - 100 Card - Custom Magic The Gathering Deck Underrated Commander Cards From Planeshift

This card lets you do essentially that: amass a huge army of rats and making them harder to block

This means it has all the same benefits without one of the downsides

(6/6/2025) If an effect allows you to cast a spell with tiered "without paying its mana cost," you must still choose exactly one mode and pay the associated additional cost.

Multicolor Boros Charm Unflinching Courage Aurelia, the Warleader Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim Drogskol Reaver Halana and Alena, Partners Immersturm Predator Maelstrom Pulse Ovika, Enigma Goliath Prime Speaker Zegana Wilt-Leaf Liege Dreadwing Scavenger Fiendish Panda Perforating Artist Wardens of the Cycle Empyrean Eagle Heroic Reinforcements Ruby, Daring Tracker Tatyova, Benthic Druid Cloudblazer Deadly Brew Dryad Militant Enigma Drake Garna, Bloodfist of Keld Mortify Savage Ventmaw Teach by Example Trygon Predator Consuming Aberration Boros Charm and Unflinching Courage are in traditional foil

(See the aforementioned Ghostway for ideas of other ways to keep people safe.) The only issue I have (other than a mana investment) is that it's harder to build around with things like Darksteel Forge or Bloodghast (tricks you could use with an Oblivion Stone to make things unfair)

Add in some straight-up theft of other players cards and it really does have an answer for just about anything