Weaponizing creature enter-the-battlefield (ETB) triggers into mass Clue token generation makes Lonis, Cryptozoologist from Modern Horizons 2 one of the most explosive Simic commanders in Magic: The Gathering.
As a 1/2 Snake Elf Scout costing just two mana (), Lonis investigates whenever another nontoken creature enters the battlefield under your control. By tapping Lonis and sacrificing X Clue tokens, you reveal the top X cards of an opponent’s library and put a nonland permanent card with mana value X or less directly onto your battlefield. Paired with self-bouncing creatures, token multipliers like Academy Manufactor, and untap engines, Lonis generates infinite tokens and steals entire opposing battlefields.
Here is the strategic operational blueprint of Moxfield’s premier Lonis list, detailing how to loop creature ETBs, stack hundreds of Clue tokens, and steal your opponents‘ win conditions.
1. Core Mechanics & Strategic Phases
Succeeding with Lonis requires low-cost ETB creatures, bounce loop enablers, token multipliers, and instant untap tools.
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Early Game (Turns 1–2): Cast Lonis on turn two. Deploy low-cost dorks like Birds of Paradise or ETB creatures like Shrieking Drake to start accumulating Clues immediately.
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Mid Game (Turns 3–4): Deploy token engines like Academy Manufactor or Tireless Provisioner. Loop self-bouncing creatures to turn single mana into dozens of Clue, Treasure, and Food tokens.
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Late Game (Turns 4+): Execute infinite ETB bounce loops using Intruder Alarm or Cloudstone Curio. Sacrifice infinite Clues to tap Lonis, stealing every nonland permanent directly out of your opponents‘ libraries.
2. Moxfield Highlights: Clue Multipliers & Infinite ETB Loops
The highest-rated community lists on Moxfield optimize Lonis by prioritizing low-mana creature bounce loops and artifact token synergy pieces that scale exponentially.
Academy Manufactor / Cyberdrive Awakener
The ultimate artifact engine package. Academy Manufactor turns every Lonis Investigate trigger into a Clue, a Treasure, and a Food token, providing infinite mana and card draw. Cyberdrive Awakener turns your massive Clue hoard into 4/4 flying constructs to finish games in combat.
Shrieking Drake / Whitemane Lion / Cloudstone Curio
Bounce loop enablers. Shrieking Drake returns itself to your hand for , creating a repeatable ETB engine that generates endless Clue tokens with Lonis on the field.
Intruder Alarm / Earthcraft
Untap engines. Intruder Alarm untaps Lonis every time a creature enters the battlefield, allowing you to activate Lonis’s library-stealing ability multiple times per turn cycle.
Fierce Guardianship / Force of Will / Heroic Intervention
Simic protection suite. Shields Lonis and your artifact token hoard from targeted removal and mass board wipes.
3. Copy & Paste Lonis, Cryptozoologist 100-Card Decklist
Use the text box below to copy the complete highly-optimized community list. It contains exactly 1 Commander and 99 mainboard cards, calibrated for an error-free import into Moxfield.
1 Lonis, Cryptozoologist
1 Academy Manufactor
1 An Offer You Can't Refuse
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Arcane Signet
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Boseiju, Who Endures
1 Breeding Pool
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Chrome Mox
1 Cloudstone Curio
1 Command Tower
1 Counterspell
1 Cyberdrive Awakener
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Delighted Halfling
1 Earthcraft
1 Elvish Mystic
1 Eternal Witness
1 Faerie Seer
1 Fierce Guardianship
1 Finale of Devastation
1 Flusterstorm
1 Force of Negation
1 Force of Will
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Haywire Mite
1 Heroic Intervention
1 Intruder Alarm
1 Jeweled Lotus
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Drain
1 Mana Vault
1 Mental Misstep
1 Misdirection
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Mox Amber
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Opal
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Nature's Claim
1 Otawara, Soaring City
1 Pact of Negation
1 Peregrine Drake
1 Rejuvenating Springs
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Shrieking Drake
1 Sol Ring
1 Spell Pierce
1 Submerge
1 Swan Song
1 Sylvan Library
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
1 Thassa's Oracle
1 Tidespout Tyrant
1 Time Warp
1 Tireless Provisioner
1 Tropical Island
1 Tyvar's Stand
1 Veil of Summer
1 Waterlogged Grove
1 Whitemane Lion
1 Wirewood Symbiote
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Yavimaya Coast
15 Island
15 Forest
Summary: Investigate, Loop, Steal Everything
Moxfield’s top deck builders prioritize Lonis, Cryptozoologist because his low mana cost and continuous Clue generation enable rapid token acceleration and unanswerable library theft. By combining creature ETB loops with artifact token multipliers like Academy Manufactor, Lonis drains enemy decks and deploys their best permanents onto your field. Copy the flawless 100-card decklist above, generate infinite Clues, and dominate your next Commander pod.
