Puppeteer Clique: A Flying Threat with Graveyard Manipulation

Puppeteer Clique is a 3/2 flying creature with persist that allows you to put an opponent's creature from the graveyard onto the battlefield with haste. This effect can be used to create a board presence quickly, especially in conjunction with other cards like Liliana of the Veil or Doomsday.

Its persistence makes it difficult to remove permanently, as it will return to play if destroyed without -1/-1 counters on it. This can lead to a cascade of creatures entering the battlefield and applying pressure to opponents.

In Commander decks, Puppeteer Clique excels in graveyard-based strategies that take advantage of its ability to reanimate creatures. It pairs well with cards like Sylvan Caryatid or Golgari Findbroker, which can search out and put creatures into the graveyard for later use by Puppeteer Clique.

Key Uses:

• Reanimating powerful creatures from the graveyard
• Creating a flying threat to attack opponents quickly
• Interacting with cards that manipulate the graveyard, such as graveyard hate or exiling cards

Puppeteer Clique is a versatile Faerie Wizard creature that can manipulate the battlefield in intriguing ways. Let's break down its rules and abilities.

The card's mana cost is {3}{B}{B}, which means it requires three colorless and two black mana to play. Its type is Creature — Faerie Wizard, indicating it has both flying and potentially wizard-like effects. The Oracle Text simply confirms its ability to fly.

When Puppeteer Clique enters the battlefield, it triggers a powerful effect: "Put target creature card from an opponent's graveyard onto the battlefield under your control." This means you can choose any creature card in your opponent's graveyard (not theirs on the battlefield) and bring it back into play. The creature gains haste, allowing it to attack immediately.

At the beginning of your next end step, Puppeteer Clique exiles the brought-back creature. This is crucial for understanding its persist ability. When the creature dies (which will inevitably happen due to being exiled), the persist ability triggers if no -1/-1 counters were on it. If this condition is met, Puppeteer Clique returns to play with a -1/-1 counter on it.

Some key points to keep in mind:

• You can only bring back one creature at a time.
• The brought-back creature gains haste but loses its abilities and any attachments (e.g., equipment or Auras).
• At the beginning of your next end step, Puppeteer Clique will exile the brought-back creature regardless of whether it died naturally or from combat.

To illustrate this in practice, consider a scenario where you bring back Sarkhan, the Masterless with Puppeteer Clique. Sarkhan gains haste but loses its ability to deal 3 damage to any target and does not retain its +2/+0 boost. After your next end step, Puppeteer Clique exiles Sarkhan.

Puppeteer Clique's persist ability allows it to come back into play with a -1/-1 counter. This can lead to interesting interactions with cards like Estrid, the Masked or Garruk Wildspeaker. In a Commander game where Estrid is on the battlefield and you have multiple ways to exile creatures (e.g., with Puppeteer Clique's effect), you might be able to keep applying -1/-1 counters to Garruk, making it a formidable force.

Keep in mind that this card is best used when paired with other black removal spells or cards like Liliana of the Veil.

Puppeteer Clique is a versatile and formidable creature in Commander formats. Its ability to put a creature from an opponent's graveyard onto the battlefield under your control makes it an attractive addition to various archetypes.

One of the primary roles Puppeteer Clique plays on the battlefield is as a removal enabler. By allowing you to recur a creature that can generate card advantage or serve as a threat, it complements cards like Entomb and Anafenza, the Foremost. This makes it particularly well-suited for midrange and aggressive decks.

Puppeteer Clique also fits into more controlling archetypes. Its ability to exile a creature at the beginning of your next end step can be used to clear the board or disrupt an opponent's plans. In conjunction with cards like Phantasmal Conjur and Condemn, it enables you to maintain control over the battlefield.

When combined with tokens, Puppeteer Clique becomes even more formidable. Decks featuring token generation engines like Meren of Clan Nel Toth or Breya, Etherium Shaper can take full advantage of its abilities, creating a swarm of small creatures that are difficult for opponents to deal with.

Puppeteer Clique's persist ability also means it can be used as a repeatable removal spell, allowing you to recur it whenever the board state demands. This makes it a great fit for decks focused on card advantage and resource denial.

In terms of deck strategies, Puppeteer Clique benefits most in midrange and controlling lists that value card advantage and removal. Its ability to exile creatures also makes it a great addition to any deck featuring exiling effects or graveyard hate.

Here are some example configurations where Puppeteer Clique shines:

• A 1v1 game against an opponent playing Liliana, the Last Hope and Doom Blade. In this case, Puppeteer Clique can be used to recur a creature that can trade with Liliana while simultaneously clearing the board of Doom Blades.
• A multiplayer game where an opponent is using Estrid's Invocation to generate tokens. Puppeteer Clique can be used to exile one of these tokens and disrupt the opponent's plans.

Overall, Puppeteer Clique is a valuable addition to any Commander deck focused on midrange or controlling strategies.

Puppeteer Clique's ability to resurrect a creature from the graveyard is reminiscent of Cairn of Wrath. However, its persistent nature allows it to come back even more frequently. When paired with cards like Liliana, Death Haunter or Dauth Ixolus, Puppeteer Clique becomes a formidable opponent on the battlefield.

One possible strategy involves using Puppeteer Clique as a removal tool. By targeting an opponent's creature and putting it onto the battlefield under your control, you can then immediately sacrifice it to destroy another target of your choice with a card like Eidolon of the Great Revel. This allows for a more efficient use of your resources while maintaining pressure on your opponent.

Another way to leverage Puppeteer Clique is by using its haste ability in conjunction with Goblin Rabblemaster or Rabid Wombat. By putting a targeted creature onto the battlefield and giving it haste, you can create a strong early-game presence that can deal significant damage quickly. This synergy enables a more aggressive playstyle while still maintaining some level of protection.

Puppeteer Clique's interaction with cards like Dauth Ixolus or Cairn of Wrath creates an interesting dynamic, as it allows for the repeated resurrection of a single creature. By repeatedly putting the same card back onto the battlefield, you can create a formidable force that becomes increasingly difficult to deal with.

In terms of more advanced strategies, Puppeteer Clique pairs well with cards like Liliana, Death Haunter and [Gilded Light. The combination of these two creatures allows for the repeated resurrection of a powerful creature, enabling a significant advantage in terms of board presence. Additionally, Puppeteer Clique's ability to exile a creature at the beginning of your next end step can be used to remove an opponent's threat while simultaneously creating an opening for your own creature to shine.

One last consideration is using Puppeteer Clique as part of a larger control strategy that involves Wicked Witchfinder and Thassa, God of the Sea. By targeting and reanimating creatures with Puppeteer Clique, you can create a robust defense against opponents' threats while simultaneously building up your own board presence.

In general, Puppeteer Clique serves as a versatile tool for managing an opponent's graveyard and creating aggressive plays.

Puppeteer Clique: Common Mistakes

In Commander, players often overlook the potential of Puppeteer Clique, mistaking its abilities for a straightforward graveyard reanimator.

• Misunderstanding Persist: One common mistake is interpreting Persist as a way to return creatures to the battlefield with their original power and toughness. In reality, when Puppeteer Clique dies without having -1/-1 counters on it, it returns under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter, effectively resetting its power and toughness.
• Ignoring Haste: The haste granted by Puppeteer Clique's ability can be easily overlooked, leading to missed opportunities for early aggression. Consider pairing it with creatures that benefit from haste, such as Burning Hands or Vandalblast.
• Underestimating Lifelink Synergies: When a creature brought back by Puppeteer Clique gains haste, its lifelink ability can trigger on the same turn, generating additional life gain. This synergy is often underutilized and can be exploited with creatures like Sylvan Caryatid or Doom Whisperer.
• Timing Issues: Players may wait too long to activate Puppeteer Clique's ability, missing opportunities for graveyard reanimation. Consider using it in response to an opponent's removal spell or when they're about to lose a creature.
• Poor Synergies with Other Cards: Some players fail to recognize that Puppeteer Clique doesn't work well with cards like Necrotic Ooze or Golgari Findbroker, which don't benefit from its haste-granting ability.

Puppeteer Clique is a solid addition to any Commander deck that can afford its five-mana cost. Its ability to put a creature from the opponent's graveyard onto the battlefield with haste is incredibly powerful in multiplayer games, where opponents often have creatures in their graveyards that are ripe for reanimation.

The card's persist ability allows it to be returned to play after it dies, making it a decent threat in its own right. However, its relatively low power and toughness (3/2) make it more of a tempo swing than a long-term threat. This is mitigated somewhat by its flying ability, which makes it harder for opponents to block.

One potential issue with Puppeteer Clique is that it's not particularly well-suited to decks that don't have access to a lot of creatures in the graveyard. If you're playing a more control-oriented deck or one that focuses on artifacts, this card may not be as effective as others.

That being said, if you're looking for a way to add some extra tempo and unpredictability to your Commander deck, Puppeteer Clique is definitely worth considering. It pairs well with cards like Bolas's Citadel and Chandra, Torch of Defiance, which can help you generate the creatures in the graveyard that this card needs to be effective.

In terms of specific game situations, consider playing Puppeteer Clique when an opponent has a creature in their graveyard that they're unlikely to need for the rest of the game. This could be a big creature that died early on or a smaller creature that's not particularly relevant anymore. By putting this creature onto the battlefield with haste, you can catch your opponents off guard and gain a significant advantage.

Ultimately, whether or not Puppeteer Clique is worth including in your Commander deck depends on your playstyle and the specific cards in your collection. If you have access to a lot of creatures in the graveyard and are looking for a way to add some extra tempo to your games, this card is definitely worth considering.