Overview

Forces of the Imperium is a go-wide deck led by a tapper. Inquisitor Greyfax has vigilance, gives your other creatures +1/+0 and vigilance, and for {1} and a tap taps target creature an opponent controls and investigates. She is a way to get through blockers while keeping your own creatures untapped.

The 99 cards are 30 creatures, 14 artifacts, 4 enchantments, 6 instants, 8 sorceries and 37 lands. 13 of the creatures are Astartes (Space Marines), and several of them have squad, which lets you pay extra mana when you cast them to make token copies. The deck also makes Soldier and Astartes Warrior tokens with cards such as Company Commander, Defenders of Humanity and Thunderhawk Gunship, and has three Vehicles that deal damage or make tokens.

Key Cards

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Marneus Calgar
Card Draw · Token Maker
A 3/5 for {2}{W}{U}{B}. It has double strike, and whenever one or more tokens you control enter, you draw a card. For {6} you create two 2/2 white Astartes Warrior creature tokens with vigilance, so it draws cards for every token maker in the deck.
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Celestine, the Living Saint
Lifelink · Recursion
A 3/4 for {4}{W}. It has flying and lifelink. At the beginning of your end step, return target creature card with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.
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Ultramarines Honour Guard
Anthem · Squad
A 2/2 for {3}{W}. It has squad {2}, so you can pay extra when you cast it to create more copies. Other creatures you control get +1/+1, so each squad copy makes your whole team bigger.
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Thunderhawk Gunship
Vehicle · Token Maker
A vehicle for {6}. It has flying and crew 2. When it enters you create two 2/2 white Astartes Warrior creature tokens with vigilance, and whenever it attacks, attacking creatures you control gain flying until end of turn.

Playing the Deck

The early game is about mana and cheap creatures. Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Mind Stone, Talisman of Dominance, Talisman of Hierarchy and Talisman of Progress ramp you, and Space Marine Scout, Sicarian Infiltrator and Company Commander come down early. Skullclamp and Inquisitorial Rosette, which creates a 2/2 attacking Astartes Warrior whenever the equipped creature attacks, add value to small creatures.

The middle of the game is about squad and anthems. Ultramarines Honour Guard, Space Marine Devastator, Zephyrim and Vanguard Suppressor can all be cast with extra squad mana, and Primaris Chaplain has battle cry. Marneus Calgar and Belisarius Cawl make tokens and draw cards, Birth of the Imperium makes Astartes and later forces an opponent to sacrifice, and The Flesh Is Weak puts a +1/+1 counter on each of your creatures and gives all nonartifact creatures -1/-1.

The late game is about a big attack or a reset. Knight Paladin deals 4 damage to each opponent when it enters, Reaver Titan has protection from low-cost permanents, Deploy to the Front makes a Soldier for each creature on the battlefield, and For the Emperor! gives the team +2/+2, vigilance and lifelink until end of turn. Exterminatus, Hour of Reckoning and Martial Coup reset the board, and The Golden Throne saves you from losing the game once.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths: The deck has a lot of ways to make bodies, plenty of anthem effects, and good interaction, including Swords to Plowshares, Mortify, Utter End, Grey Knight Paragon and Sister of Silence. It also has strong protection: Vexilus Praetor gives your commander protection from everything and Bastion Protector gives commander creatures +2/+2 and indestructible.

Weaknesses: Many of the best cards are expensive, and the deck has three colours, which can make its mana awkward. The deck relies on a lot of small creatures and tokens, so sweepers and damage-based removal are a problem, and some cards such as The Flesh Is Weak can hurt your own board.

Want to improve it? See the Forces of the Imperium upgrade guide: eleven swaps with the data behind each one.

Verdict
Forces of the Imperium is a flavourful go-wide deck with plenty of tokens, big anthems and strong protection for its commander. It is an easy deck to understand and a great way to play with Astartes, squad creatures and Vehicles.

Want to see what a fully optimised Inquisitor Greyfax build looks like? Try the Oracle.

✦ Build with The Oracle

Frequently Asked Questions

What cards are in the Forces of the Imperium decklist?
The Forces of the Imperium precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Inquisitor Greyfax. The full Forces of the Imperium decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.

When was Forces of the Imperium released?
Forces of the Imperium was released on October 7, 2022 as part of Warhammer 40,000 Commander.

Who is the commander of Forces of the Imperium?
Forces of the Imperium is led by Inquisitor Greyfax, a Esper (W/U/B) legendary creature.

How many creatures are in Forces of the Imperium?
The 99 cards besides Inquisitor Greyfax include 30 creatures.

How many lands does Forces of the Imperium have?
Forces of the Imperium has 37 lands in the 99 cards besides Inquisitor Greyfax, including basic lands.

Full Decklist

All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Forces of the Imperium precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.

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