Aminatou control

This sets her apart from commanders like Tivit, Seller of Secrets, who can endure less careful management thanks to a powerful immediate effect once you hit 6 mana. Another example is Oloro, Ageless Ascetic, which, despite not having a built-in win condition, isn’t tied to a specific permanent-based strategy.

As the level of play continues to rise and game speeds increase, Aminatou, the Fateshifter can struggle to find the right timing and pace to build her board. However, when played correctly, this planeswalker can control the game and lead you to victory with her ability to manipulate permanents and leverage unique synergies.

Let’s take a look at what Aminatou, the Fateshifter can do:

• With her +1 ability, you draw a card from the top of your deck and then put a card from your hand on top of your library. While this ability is the least powerful of the commander’s options and carries some risk, especially with cards like Hullbreacher in play, it can become advantageous when combined with shuffle effects, such as those provided by fetch lands. A notable synergy exists with “Miracle” cards, allowing you to manipulate the top of your deck to set up decisive moves like casting Terminus at the perfect moment, thanks to a Brainstorm during your opponent’s turn.
• Her -1 ability allows you to “blink” (temporarily exile) one of your permanents, causing it to leave the battlefield and return. When it returns, it functions as a new object, triggering any Enter the Battlefield (ETB) effects. You can also blink your own permanents, which is particularly useful if you control cards like Gilded Drake, which you own but don’t control, or Wishclaw Talisman for a tutor + blink combo to regain control. Additionally, this ability isn’t limited to just creatures or artifacts; you can blink lands too, allowing you to tap a land for mana twice or to trigger effects like Mystic Sanctuary more than once.
• With her -6 ability, you exchange your non-land permanents, except for Aminatou, with those of your opponent. This can be particularly useful in certain situations and is an ability that opponents might overlook.

You can find the full deck list on Moxfield.

Deck structure

One of the most notable strengths of Aminatou, the Fateshifter is her ability to “blink” your permanents, allowing you to reuse Enter the Battlefield (ETB) effects and generate ongoing advantage. This aspect makes cards with powerful ETB effects particularly attractive. It’s no surprise that various builds have been explored around Aminatou, the Fateshifter, including one that focuses on discarding powerful creatures only to reanimate them later, such as Archon of Cruelty, whose ETB effect, when repeated, can create an overwhelming advantage.

In a control build, we can leverage this strength with permanents that have a low mana cost. Among the most potent are definitely planeswalkers, which, when activated twice in a turn, provide a massive advantage. In my list, I’ve included only those that I believe are the strongest to have: Teferi, Time Raveler, Jace, Wielder of Mysteries (for the combo), The Wandering Emperor, and Teferi, Hero of Dominaria.

If you prefer to follow the superfriends approach, there are definitely some good choices to include: Jace Reawakened, Liliana of the Veil, Narset, Parter of Veils, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Kaya, Ghost Assassin, and Serra the Benevolent.

Beyond planeswalkers, the most powerful permanents we can blink include:

• board control: Orcish Bowmasters, Ertai Resurrected, Solitude, Tithing Blade, Trial of Ambition, Oath of Kaya, Parallax Wave, Vendilion Clique
• drawing cards and gaining advantage: Baleful Strix, Snapcaster Mage, Wall of Omens, Spellseeker, Staff of the Storyteller, Wishclaw Talisman, Shorikai, Genesis Engine, The One Ring, Omen of the Sea

Gameplan

The Aminatou, the Fateshifter control deck, despite its numerous resources for board control and managing opponents’ resources, can face difficulties closing out games. However, there are several cards and combinations that we can use to secure victory. Let’s look at the main options.

Jace, Wielder of Mysteries + Tainted Pact
This is one of the deck’s primary win conditions. Here’s how the combo works: with Tainted Pact, exile cards from your library one at a time, potentially exiling your entire deck, since every card in Commander is unique (except basic lands, which you can avoid in deck construction). Once your library is empty, you activate one of Jace’s abilities (Jace, Wielder of Mysteries +1 or -8). Thanks to Jace’s static ability, you win the game instead of losing for drawing from an empty library. To facilitate finding the combo pieces, Spellseeker and Wishclaw Talisman are essential tools for tutoring what you need.

Shorikai, Genesis Engine
Shorikai is a versatile card that can start as a source of card advantage and control. Once you have board control, Shorikai can become a threat dealing 8 damage each turn, accelerating the endgame.

Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
Teferi offers continuous card advantage, board control, and, with his emblem, an inevitable win condition. Once the emblem is in play, each spell you cast exiles an opponent’s permanent, leading quickly to victory.

Consuming Sepulcher
I know, it seems like an outlandish solution, and indeed it is in our format. But it’s worth dreaming and hoping to close out games with damage each turn!

Let’s also consider combat
We have few creatures, but they can be protected by implementing a sort of “tempo” plan to deal lethal damage. The creatures that will assist us are: Orcish Bowmasters, Snapcaster Mage, and Hullbreacher

Synergies

Cryptic Command + Mystic Sanctuary
One of the most powerful synergies in the deck is between Cryptic Command and Mystic Sanctuary. This lock allows you to tap down opponents’ creatures or counter spells every turn, while repeatedly picking up Mystic Sanctuary to replay it and get back Cryptic Command. Maintaining this interaction can be devastating, giving you complete control of the game. With Aminatou, the Fateshifter’s ability, you can also initiate this synergy later by blinking Mystic Sanctuary to place Cryptic Command on top of your library.

Personal Tutor
[Personal Tutor lets you place a key sorcery on top of your library, which you can then draw with Aminatou, the Fateshifter’s +1 ability. This can be used to have Terminus ready to go on top of your deck in the early turns.

Lórien Revealed
This card helps shuffle your deck after placing a card you don’t need on top of it with Aminatou, the Fateshifter. It can be used later to fetch Mystic Sanctuary to retrieve a needed card or even another Lórien Revealed. Often, you’ll fetch Mystic Sanctuary to put Tainted Pact on top for a combo when needed. This option also lets you play Jace, Wielder of Mysteries and mill your own deck to find useful cards for Snapcaster Mage, Cling to Dust, and Mystic Sanctuary.

Soul Partition
Soul Partition is a versatile temporary removal that can be used in various ways: as a response to opponents’ threats or to reuse ETB effects of your own permanents. It can temporarily exile a card, which you can then replay, perhaps to save a planeswalker from removal or lethal attack.

Parallax Wave
In combination with Aminatou, the Fateshifter, Parallax Wave becomes an extremely effective board control tool. By resetting the counters on the enchantment, you can keep opponents’ creatures exiled. An interesting interaction is with Tale’s End, which can counter the final trigger of Parallax Wave, leaving the creatures exiled permanently.

Hullbreacher + Vendilion Clique / Ertai Resurrected
Hullbreacher can be used to deny draws from Vendilion Clique or Ertai Resurrected, creating a one-sided advantage. This combination can effectively block your opponent’s resources while you build your own.

Wishclaw Talisman
With Aminatou, the Fateshifter, you can blink Wishclaw Talisman after using it, maintaining control and repeating the tutoring. If combined with Opposition Agent, you can also use the Talisman in response to an opponent’s activation, taking control of their search.

Spellseeker
Spellseeker is one of the most flexible cards in the deck, capable of tutoring for almost any needed response: from board wipes like Damn, to graveyard hate like Cling to Dust, to specific removals like Prismatic Ending. With Enlightened Tutor, you can also search for key artifacts and enchantments to complete your game plan.

Possible additions

If you’re looking to tailor your Aminatou, the Fateshifter deck, here are some additional insights.

Entreat the Angels
This can be a potential win condition; it’s strong in a control mirror at the top of your deck but quite slow in most situations.

Firja’s Retribution
While also a win condition, it’s slow and may not consistently close out games. Of course, if you manage to blink it a couple of times and your opponent doesn’t have answers, it could win you the game—but how often do we play without an opponent?

Cards that can be played for a lower cost and then blinked:
Blackbloom Rogue, Boggart Trawler, Glasspool Mimic, Hydroelectric Specimen, Skyclave Cleric, Umara Wizard, Phyrexian Fleshgorger, Arcane Proxy, Autonomous Assembler, Combat Thresher, Depth Charge Colossus, Goring Warplow, Hulking Metamorph, Spotter Thopter, Steel Seraph, Cosima, God of the Voyage, Alrund, God of the Cosmos, Scroll of Fate

Altar of the Brood / Dour Port-Mage / Corpse Knight + Felidar Guardian + Aminatou, the Fateshifter / Phyrexian Metamorph / Restoration Angel / Clever Impersonator / Glasspool Mimic (and others)
These combos can be complex to set up and are easily disrupted.

Altar of the Brood (and others) + Spark Double + Aminatou, the Fateshifter
The same issues as above apply.

Parallax Wave + Felidar Guardian
If you want to incorporate these combos, this is also worth mentioning. Targeting Parallax Wave with Felidar Guardian will cause Parallax Wave to leave the battlefield, which also causes Felidar Guardian to exit. This creates a loop where, by removing more counters from the enchantment, you can repeatedly use ETB effects of your creatures to close out games with Orcish Bowmasters or draw cards with Baleful Strix.

Teferi, Time Raveler + Displacer Kitten + Mox Amber
A less effective combo for drawing your entire deck, requiring a specific build. Generally not recommended.

The initiative
White Plume Adventurer, Seasoned Dungeoneer, and similar cards have been excluded because they can complicate your games significantly. While we have some creatures that can help regain initiative when things go awry, managing them is not straightforward.

Additional cards to consider
Bandit’s Talent, Cryptic Coat, Detention Sphere, Flesh Duplicate, Gilded Drake, Halo Forager, Hopeless Nightmare, Invasion of Amonkhet, Invasion of Gobakhan, Kutzil’s Flanker, Night Clubber, Nowhere to Run, Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd, Reality Acid, Sicarian Infiltrator, Skyclave Apparition, Spring-Loaded Sawblades, Tax Collector, Temporal Mastery, Temporary Lockdown, Triumph of Saint Katherine, Virtue of Knowledge, Volatile Stormdrake

Conclusion

In summary, Aminatou, the Fateshifter is a commander that demands patience and strategy but can offer powerful control and unique synergies when played correctly. Although she is more fragile compared to other Esper commanders, her ability to manipulate the battlefield through blinking permanents and interactions with support cards can turn the tide in challenging games. If you’re looking for a challenge and want to explore a control deck that rewards creativity and attention to detail, Aminatou could be the right choice for you. With the right combinations and management, you can master this commander and craft a deck that can outmaneuver even the toughest opponents.

Written by
Valentino Manicone