
## Sokka Vs. Narset

There are many questions intrinsic to the human experience: “Why are we here?” “What happens once we die?” “Is it morally dubious to regularly bribe my friend with dog food to get him to investigate potentially dangerous, active crime scenes?” These are all questions that we as people are confronted with at one time or another in our lives, and although we may never truly find answers to some of these questions within our lifetimes, there is perhaps one universally pondered question that we can attempt to answer today.

“Which card is stronger: <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MAT-173" title="Narset, Enlightened Exile" /> or <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-TLA-242" title="Sokka, Tenacious Tactician" />?” we ask ourselves late at night as we gaze out the window at a full moon. The moon sighs and gives no reply. But if it were to give a reply, lets take a look at what it would likely say:

<BlogCards cardIds="MTG-TLA-242,MTG-MAT-173" />

<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-TLA-242" title="Sokka, Tenacious Tactician" listItem="T" />
<BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-MAT-173" title="Narset, Enlightened Exile" listItem="T" />

## Sokka Deck List

Here is a budget Sokka deck list for reference:

<BlogDeckList deckListIndex="0" />

## Narset Deck List

And also a budget Narset deck list (Narset herself is 1/3rd of the budget):

<BlogDeckList deckListIndex="1" />

## Prowess for all vs. Prowess for some

The fact that Narset gives prowess to every creature while Sokka only gives it to Allies initially seems like a clear win for Narset. This would be true if we didn’t take into account that Sokka 3D prints his own friends. This simple fact allows a Sokka deck to not have a single creature card in the 99. You can, of course, add some of the stronger Ally kindred creatures if you want, but it seems more on theme with this style of card to build without creatures. Narset can, of course, take better advantage of token-producing noncreature spells, but even then, there are a few niche cards like <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-OGW-30" title="Oath of Gideon" />, <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-ZNC-20" title="Retreat to Emeria" />, and <BlogCardLink cardId="MTG-BFZ-53" title="Unified Front" /> that produce Ally tokens. As the moon (the arbiter of truth in all things magic-adjacent), this is a close but clear victory for Sokka.

## Recursion

The most obvious strength Narset has over Sokka is she can double-dip into the graveyard. Even better than that, Narset can recast your opponent’s noncreature spells by simply attacking. The fact that Narset recurs spells for free and Sokka does not is a solid reason to choose Narset over Sokka for your commander.

## Evasion

One of the saddest things that can happen in Magic is when you swing out with your 62/62 creature and someone chump blocks it with a 1/1 token. Although menace isn’t the greatest keyword to have on a creature, it is a highly underrated one. In a go-wide strategy, it can even be devastating. One shouldn’t only rely on menace to get through, but every creature having menace can make or break a combat step. This extra keyword gives another point to Sokka.

## Final considerations

Beyond that which has already been covered, the final difference between Sokka and Narset is that Narset has a slightly better stat line. Four toughness vs. three toughness can be important, and there might be some occasions where the extra toughness is beneficial, but since everything has prowess, that additional toughness isn’t as hard for Sokka to find in his time of need. At most, I’d be willing to give Narset half a point over this tiny detail, but this is only being considered in the name of thoroughness. Thus, the final tally is Sokka overtakes Narset at 2 points to 1½, making him objectively a slightly better commander. Let me (the moon, the arbiter of truth in all things magic) know what you think of this assessment in the comments below.


Sokka Vs. Narset

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