Exiling spells off the top of every player’s library with an ever-growing beatstick while casting opponents‘ best spells turns Temur aggro-control into a premier Commander archetype. On Moxfield’s high-power and competitive charts, pairing Haldan, Avid Arcanist with Pako, Arcane Retriever stands out as the undisputed king of Temur () impulse theft and Voltron pressure.
As a 1/4 Human Wizard legend costing three mana (), Haldan allows you to play lands and cast non-creature spells from exile that have fetch counters on them—using mana of any color. Partnered with Pako (), a 1/1 Elemental Hound with Haste that gets +1/+1 counters and exiles non-creature cards from all four players whenever he attacks, this dynamic duo creates an unblockable beatstick while filling an exile „second hand“ loaded with extra lands, ramp, and opponents‘ best spells.
Here is the strategic operational blueprint of Moxfield’s premier Haldan & Pako list, detailing how to turn aggressive attacks into massive resource theft and lethal Voltron damage.
1. Core Mechanics & Strategic Phases
Succeeding with Haldan & Pako requires fast Temur ramp, extra land play triggers, powerful non-creature interaction, and evasion or protection for Pako.
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Early Game (Turns 1–2): Accelerate your mana base using fast ramp like Exploration, Birds of Paradise, and Sol Ring to drop Pako as early as Turn 2 or 3.
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Mid Game (Turns 3–4): Attack immediately with Pako to exile up to four non-creature cards per combat step, growing him into a massive threat, then cast Haldan () to gain access to all exiled cards.
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Late Game (Turns 5+): Play extra lands exiled by Pako using Azusa, Lost but Seeking / Dryad of the Ilysian Grove and cast opponents‘ counter-magic or extra-turn spells like Time Warp to close out the game with lethal commander damage.
2. Moxfield Highlights: Temur Theft & Voltron Engines
The highest-rated community lists on Moxfield optimize Haldan by surrounding Pako with non-creature interaction and extra-land effects that maximize every single fetch counter trigger.
Exploration / Azusa, Lost but Seeking
Extra land drop enablers. Since Pako routinely exiles 1–3 lands every attack step, running extra land cards lets Haldan play all stolen lands from exile to out-ramp the entire table effortlessly.
Seize the Day / Time Warp
Extra combat and turn spells. Additional attack phases allow Pako to grow exponentially in a single turn cycle while doubling the number of exiled cards Haldan can cast.
Stubborn Denial / Fierce Guardianship
Zero or low-cost protection suite. Because Pako easily exceeds 4 power on his very first attack, ferocious spells like Stubborn Denial provide 1-mana hard counters to protect both commanders.
Sylvan Library / Brainstorm
Top-deck manipulation. Stacking your own top-deck ensures Pako exiles high-value instants, sorceries, or extra turn spells every combat phase.
3. Copy & Paste Haldan & Pako 100-Card Decklist
Use the text box below to copy the complete highly-optimized community list. It contains exactly 2 Partner Commanders and 98 mainboard cards, calibrated perfectly for an error-free import into Moxfield.
1 Haldan, Avid Arcanist
1 Pako, Arcane Retriever
1 An Offer You Can't Refuse
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Arcane Signet
1 Arid Mesa
1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Boseiju, Who Endures
1 Brainstorm
1 Breeding Pool
1 Carpet of Flowers
1 Chrome Mox
1 City of Brass
1 Command Tower
1 Crop Rotation
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Deflecting Swat
1 Delay
1 Delighted Halfling
1 Dispel
1 Dockside Extortionist
1 Exploration
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Fabled Passage
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Fierce Guardianship
1 Flusterstorm
1 Force of Negation
1 Force of Will
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Heroic Intervention
1 Jeska's Will
1 Jeweled Lotus
1 Kediss, Emberclaw Scourge
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Confluence
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Drain
1 Mana Vault
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Mox Amber
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Opal
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Mystic Remora
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Nature's Claim
1 Noxious Revival
1 Otawara, Soaring City
1 Pact of Negation
1 Polluted Delta
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Pyroblast
1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Rhystic Study
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Seize the Day
1 Silence
1 Sol Ring
1 Steam Vents
1 Stubborn Denial
1 Stomping Ground
1 Strike It Rich
1 Submerge
1 Swan Song
1 Sylvan Library
1 Taiga
1 Talisman of Creativity
1 Talisman of Impulse
1 Time Warp
1 Training Center
1 Tropical Island
1 Veil of Summer
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Volcanic Island
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Wheel of Misfortune
1 Wilderness Reclamation
1 Windfall
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Worldly Tutor
8 Island
5 Forest
5 Mountain
Summary: Unleash the Arcane Hound
Moxfield’s top deck builders prioritize Haldan, Avid Arcanist paired with Pako, Arcane Retriever because they fuse aggressive combat pressure with unstoppable impulse card advantage. By swinging with Pako and opening the vault with Haldan, you strip opponents of their key spells while beating them down with Commander damage. Copy the flawless 100-card decklist above, fetch your opponents‘ libraries, and dominate your next Commander pod.
