Chatterfang, Squirrel General - The Command Corner

Welcome to, what we hope to be the first in a series of many, focusing on awesome, playable Commanders in the MTG format. Today we are kicking it off with my (Dan) absolute favourite!

 

Some commanders are powerful. Some are funny. Some create memorable games.

Chatterfang, Squirrel General somehow manages to do all three at once.

At face value, Chatterfang looks like a quirky squirrel tribal commander from Modern Horizons 2. In reality, it’s one of the most efficient token engines ever printed for Commander. The card turns almost every token producing effect in the game into double value while also enabling sacrifice combos, aristocrat strategies, explosive mana generation, and overwhelming combat damage.

 

Whether you want to build casual squirrel tribal or a near-cEDH combo list, Chatterfang can scale to almost any table.

 

Understanding Chatterfang’s Ability

The first and most important thing to understand is that Chatterfang doesn’t just care about creature tokens. Oh no, ANY token creation tiggers his ability to unleash an army of Squirrels.

 

That includes: Treasure Tokens, Food tokens, Clue tokens, Blood tokens, Creature tokens, Saprolings, Insects, plants, the list goes on and on.

Just remember, the moment you create a token, Chatterfang will create a Squirrel (as long as he is in play, of course).

 

If a card creates five Treasures, Chatterfang also creates five squirrels.

 

This is what pushes the commander from “good token deck” into “completely absurd value engine.”

 

The second ability is equally important:

“Sacrifice X Squirrels: Target creature gets +X/-X until end of turn.”

 

This gives the deck built-in creature removal, combo potential and protection against problematic threats. It allows different play styles and win conditions, moving away from creating an army of squirrels, to creating a pile of sacrificial Squirrel ammunition.

 

Core Archetypes of Chatterfang

 

Most Chatterfang decks fall into one of four styles:

 

1. Token Swarm

The straightforward approach.

Create huge numbers of tokens and overwhelm opponents through combat.

This version focuses on: Token doublers, Anthem effects, Overrun finishers and Wide board states.

Cards like:

• Craterhoof Behemoth
• Beastmaster Ascension
• Triumph of the Hordes

can instantly end games once your squirrel population gets out of control.

This is usually the most casual-friendly version.

 

2. Aristocrats

Arguably the strongest and most common build.

Instead of attacking, you sacrifice creatures for value and drain opponents out of the game.

Key payoffs include: Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat, Bastion of Remembrance and Poison-Tip Archer.

 

Every squirrel becomes:

• Damage
• Mana
• Card draw
• Removal

This version grinds extremely well and recovers from wipes better than most creature decks.

 

3. Combo Chatterfang

This is where things become dangerous.

Because Chatterfang creates extra tokens from Treasures and sacrifice loops, many cards accidentally become infinite combos.

Common Combo Pieces

• Pitiless Plunderer
• Ashnod’s Altar
• Warren Soultrader
• Ivy Lane Denizen
• Scurry Oak

A few famous combos:

Chatterfang + Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod’s Altar

1. Sacrifice squirrels to Ashnod’s Altar
2. Pitiless Plunderer creates Treasure
3. Chatterfang creates more squirrels
4. Repeat loop

 

Chatterfang + Blood Artist + Warren Soultrader

1.      Activate Warren Soultrader by paying 1 life and sacrificing another creature

2.      When the creature dies, Blood Artist triggers, causing you to gain 1 life and an opponent to lose 1 life

3.      Resolve the Warren Soultrader ability, creating a Treasure token and a 1/1 Squirrel creature token

4.      Repeat

 

Scurry Oak + Ivy Lane Denizen

1.      Cast Scurry Oak by paying its casting cost

2.      Ivy Lane Denizen triggers, putting a +1/+1 Counter on Scurry Oak

3.      Scurray Oak’s ;ast ability triggers, allowing you to create a 1/1 Squirrel Token

4.      Repeat from step 2

 

Depending on the board state, these combos can generate:

• Infinite mana
• Infinite death triggers
• Infinite ETBs
• Infinite squirrels

At higher power tables, Chatterfang can become terrifying very quickly.

 

4. Squirrel Tribal

The most flavourful route.

Modern Magic has finally given squirrels enough support to function as a real tribe.

Cards like:

• Deep Forest Hermit
• Deranged Hermit
• Squirrel Mob
• Toski, Bearer of Secrets

make the deck feel thematic while still remaining surprisingly effective.

This version is usually lighter on combos and heavier on combat and table politics.

 

The Most Important Cards in the Deck

Token Doublers

These push Chatterfang into absurd territory.

Must-Consider Options

• Doubling Season
• Parallel Lives
• Primal Vigor

With even one doubler on the field, token production becomes exponential.

A single spell can suddenly produce 20+ bodies.

 

Sacrifice Outlets

A good Chatterfang deck always wants reliable sacrifice outlets.

Best Options

• Ashnod’s Altar
• Phyrexian Altar
• Altar of Dementia
• Viscera Seer
• Carrion Feeder

Free sacrifice outlets make your deck resilient against exile effects and board wipes.

 

Card Draw Engines

Since you create disposable creatures constantly, card draw becomes incredibly efficient.

Standouts

• Skullclamp
• Species Specialist
• Moldervine Reclamation
• Deadly Dispute
• Plumb the Forbidden

Skullclamp in particular becomes completely ridiculous in Chatterfang.

Pay 1 mana:

• Kill squirrel
• Draw 2 cards

Repeat.

 

Ramp

Green already ramps well, but treasure synergies become especially strong here.

Great Options

• Pitiless Plunderer
• Tireless Provisioner
  
• Bootleggers’ Stash

Treasure generation effectively becomes token generation twice over.

 

Weaknesses of the Deck

Despite being powerful, Chatterfang has weaknesses.

 

Graveyard Hate

Many aristocrat and recursion lines depend on the graveyard.

 

Board Wipes

Although the deck rebuilds well, repeated wipes can slow momentum.

 

Stax Effects

Cards that prevent sacrificing or token creation can completely shut down certain lines.

 

Threat Perception

Experienced tables know Chatterfang can combo out suddenly.

You often become the arch-enemy early.

 

Building on a Budget

The good news is that Chatterfang works brilliantly without expensive staples.

You can still build a very threatening version using:

• Token commons
• Sacrifice synergies
• Budget drain effects
• Low-cost ramp

Cards like:

• Nadier’s Nightblade
• Village Rites
• Bastion of Remembrance
• Mortuary Mire

still allow the deck to function smoothly without premium upgrades.

 

Final Thoughts

Chatterfang, Squirrel General is one of the most flexible and rewarding commanders Golgari has ever received.

The deck can be:

• Funny
• Competitive
• Combo-heavy
• Casual
• Swarm-focused
• Aristocrats-based
• Tribal-themed

and still feel uniquely powerful every time.

 

Personal insights and favourite cards

Instead of choosing from the above playstyles, I mixed and matched so my deck is incredibly varied with differing wincons, a jack of all trades master of none so to speak. I kept a good chunk of Squirrel Tribal, mixed a dash of Aristocrat and finished it off with token generators. This has created me a deck with the highest win percentage of my personal decks.

So whether you’re sacrificing 30 squirrels for lethal damage, drawing half your deck with Skullclamp, or creating an army large enough to crash the table, Chatterfang always feels like it’s doing something spectacular.

And somehow, despite all the chaos, it still manages to make squirrels look adorable.

Tune in next week for the next Commander in our line up…