In the vast and complex world of Magic: The Gathering, few cards have sparked as much excitement in Commander and casual formats as Xenagos, God of Revels. Known for his explosive power boosts and aggressive synergy, Xenagos is a favorite among players who enjoy overwhelming opponents with massive creatures and high-impact plays. His mechanics revolve heavily around devotion, making devotion to red and green mana symbols a key element of his performance on the battlefield. Understanding how devotion works with Xenagos is essential to building a deck that unleashes his full potential.
Understanding Xenagos, God of Revels
Xenagos, God of Revels is a legendary enchantment creature god, from the Theros block. His mana cost is 3RG (three generic, one red, and one green), and he has indestructible, a hallmark of Theros gods. However, like all gods from this set, Xenagos is not always a creature. He only becomes a creature when your devotion to red and green is seven or more.
What Devotion Means
Devotion is a keyword mechanic that counts the number of mana symbols of a specific color in the mana costs of permanents you control. In Xenagos’s case, your devotion to red and green is calculated by counting the red (R) and green (G) mana symbols among the mana costs of your permanents.
For example, if you control aSteel Leaf Champion(GGG) and aGruul Spellbreaker(1RG), your devotion to green is four and to red is one. With Xenagos on the battlefield, you would have a total devotion of six (three green from Champion, one green and one red from Spellbreaker, and one red from Xenagos himself), which still wouldn’t be enough to make Xenagos a creature. You’d need to find at least one more red or green pip among your permanents.
The Importance of Devotion in Deck Building
To maximize Xenagos’s effectiveness, especially in Commander or casual formats, building with devotion in mind is crucial. Since Xenagos only becomes a creature with sufficient devotion, players aiming to use him offensively or as a blocker must ensure that their deck includes enough permanents with red and green mana symbols in their costs.
Strategies to Increase Devotion
- Play creatures with multiple red and green pipsCards likePolukranos, World Eater,Ghor-Clan Rampager, orDragonlord Atarkaadd substantial devotion while fitting the aggressive theme of Xenagos.
- Use enchantments and planeswalkersPermanent spells that stay on the battlefield help maintain a high devotion count.Domri, Anarch of BolasorRancorare examples that contribute mana symbols and synergize well with creature-based decks.
- Avoid colorless cards or too many artifactsWhile useful, these don’t contribute to devotion and might dilute the deck’s synergy with Xenagos.
It’s also worth noting that Xenagos’s ability doesn’t require him to be a creature. Even when devotion isn’t high enough, he remains a powerful enchantment that can double a creature’s power and grant haste at the beginning of combat on your turn.
Xenagos’s Combat-Boosting Ability
At the beginning of combat on your turn, Xenagos allows you to target another creature. That creature gains haste and its power is doubled until end of turn. This ability is central to how decks built around Xenagos function. The goal is to get out large creatures, then swing in with massive damage thanks to Xenagos’s blessing.
Best Creatures to Pair with Xenagos
- MalignusWith power equal to half the opponent’s life total, Xenagos can make it lethal in one strike.
- Hydra OmnivoreIts combat damage affects all opponents, making it a terror when its power is doubled.
- Inferno TitanCombines high power with burn damage for efficient board control.
- Pathbreaker IbexScales with your creatures and benefits from haste to end games quickly.
These creatures benefit immensely from haste and power doubling, often turning a single combat step into a decisive blow. Building around these kinds of threats helps ensure that Xenagos can close games rapidly once he hits the field.
Deck Archetypes and Synergies
Most Xenagos decks fall into the stompy or aggro categories, focusing on getting massive creatures onto the board and turning them sideways. However, there’s room for variation, especially when considering devotion.
Ramp and Devotion
Using ramp spells that are creature-based, likeSylvan CaryatidorSomberwald Sage, can provide mana acceleration and devotion at the same time. Creatures with mana pips that accelerate your plays help you get to your big threats faster while keeping Xenagos’s devotion meter ticking up.
Gruul Devotion Midrange
This version leans into value creatures and planeswalkers. Cards likeCourser of Kruphix,Domri Rade, andGlorybringerfill the curve and offer utility while contributing to devotion.
One-Hit KO Strategy
These decks aim to use Xenagos’s ability to create a lethal threat in one swing. Paired with cards likeGiant Growth,Fling, orChandra’s Ignition, a doubled-power creature can be used in creative, explosive ways.
Protecting Xenagos and Your Win Conditions
Though indestructible, Xenagos is vulnerable to exile, bounce, or enchantment destruction. It’s important to include ways to protect him and your key creatures.
Protection Options
- AsceticismGives all your creatures hexproof and regeneration.
- Lightning GreavesGrants haste and shroud to creatures that need to swing immediately.
- Heroic InterventionProtects your board from board wipes and targeted removal.
While Xenagos himself doesn’t need to attack to be useful, your deck still hinges on big creatures surviving long enough to hit hard. Protecting them ensures that your strategy doesn’t fizzle before reaching full momentum.
Card Draw and Utility
One common weakness in aggressive devotion decks is running out of cards. Ensuring you can reload or keep the threats coming is key. Green and red have a few options here.
Useful Card Draw Options
- Greater GoodSacrifice your massive creatures for draw, often drawing 10+ cards in a single turn.
- Rishkar’s ExpertiseDraw based on your biggest creature’s power, often refilling your hand completely.
- HarmonizeSimple, straightforward draw spell in green.
- Beast WhispererContinuous draw engine in a creature-heavy build.
Including card advantage ensures that even if your initial wave gets answered, you can bounce back and keep applying pressure. Without it, your deck may stall after a few big plays.
Xenagos Devotion Strategy
Building around Xenagos, God of Revels, and maximizing devotion is all about combining explosive power with smart deck construction. Focusing on creatures with strong colored mana requirements helps activate Xenagos as a creature while feeding his core ability. At the same time, including protection, ramp, and card draw keeps your game plan consistent.
Whether you’re assembling a Commander deck or a high-powered casual list, Xenagos devotion strategies can be both thrilling and competitive. Few things are as satisfying as watching a 20+ power creature slam into your opponent out of nowhere. With the right balance of devotion and synergy, Xenagos becomes the ultimate god of battle and celebration.