commander · Hazel of the Rootbloom
Squirreled Away (BLC).
A Golgari token-aristocrats deck led by Hazel of the Rootbloom — generate endless Squirrel tokens, sacrifice them for value, and drain the table through death triggers and aristocrats effects.
The Commanders
Squirreled Away is a Golgari token-aristocrats deck from Bloomburrow. Hazel of the Rootbloom generates Squirrel tokens and rewards you for having a full board of them, then the deck sacrifices those tokens for maximum value through Zulaport Cutthroat, Bastion of Remembrance, and Chatterfang. It plays like a classic aristocrats list with Squirrel tribal layered on top — build a massive army, then drain opponents with death triggers.
Hazel of the Rootbloom is the Squirrel queen. She creates tokens, grows your Squirrel count, and generates value as you sacrifice and recur them. The combination of constant token generation and Golgari's sacrifice synergies means the deck rarely runs low on resources — when one Squirrel dies, three more take its place.
Key Cards
Chatterfang, Squirrel General
The Squirrel lord. Whenever one or more tokens enter the battlefield under your control, Chatterfang creates that many additional Squirrel tokens. Every token you make becomes two — a batch of three becomes six. With Hazel and Chatterfang both in play, token production doubles every turn. Chatterfang also has a sacrifice outlet built in — sacrifice any number of Squirrels to give a target creature +X/-X, enabling combat kills or answers to indestructible threats. He's the reason the board state becomes unmanageable within three turns of setup.
Zulaport Cutthroat
The deck's most efficient drain piece. Whenever a creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. In a deck that sacrifices Squirrels constantly — to Ashnod's Altar, to Chatterfang's ability, to blocking — Zulaport triggers on every single death. With 20-30 Squirrel deaths per game, that's 20-30 damage to each opponent just from Zulaport alone. Bastion of Remembrance is a redundant version of the same effect, giving the deck two copies of this win condition.
Ashnod's Altar
A sacrifice outlet that generates colorless mana. Sacrifice a creature to add two colorless mana. In a deck generating Squirrels by the dozen, this converts your token army into ramp. Sacrifice five Squirrels on your main phase, float ten mana, play your payoffs. With Zulaport Cutthroat watching every sacrifice, Ashnod's Altar simultaneously drains opponents and builds your mana. It's also a free sacrifice outlet enabling Hazel to trigger her recursion abilities on demand.
Skullclamp
The best equipment in token decks. Equip Skullclamp onto a 1/1 Squirrel — it becomes 1/0 and immediately dies, drawing you two cards. For one mana and one Squirrel you draw two cards. Do this multiple times per turn and you've converted your token flood into an enormous hand. With Chatterfang replacing the sacrificed Squirrels, you can sustain Skullclamp draws indefinitely. In any aristocrats shell, this is the most reliable card advantage engine available.
Academy Manufactor
Multiplies all token production. Whenever you create a Food, Clue, or Treasure token, Academy Manufactor also creates one of each of the other two types. If the deck creates Food tokens through Hazel, this automatically generates Clues and Treasures alongside them — drawing cards and making mana from every token trigger. The explosive mana and card advantage from Academy Manufactor accelerates the deck dramatically in the mid-game.
Altar of Dementia
A free sacrifice outlet that mills opponents. Sacrifice a creature — target player mills that many cards. With an army of Squirrels, you can mill an opponent's entire library in a single turn. Combine with Chatterfang: create 30 Squirrels, sacrifice them one by one, mill an opponent for 30 cards. This is the deck's alternate mill win condition, viable in games where life drain isn't closing fast enough. Against decks with graveyard recursion it's less effective, but against most pods it's a legitimate path to victory.
How to Play
Start with green ramp and black card draw in the early turns. Get Hazel into play on turn three and immediately begin building a Squirrel board. Turn four or five, establish one drain payoff — Zulaport Cutthroat or Bastion of Remembrance — and one free sacrifice outlet (Ashnod's Altar or Woe Strider). Skullclamp goes down as soon as you have 1/1 tokens to cycle through.
The mid-game is about building an unstoppable board. Chatterfang doubles your token production; Hazel generates more Squirrels; Skullclamp keeps your hand full. By turn seven or eight, the drain triggers from Zulaport across a game with dozens of Squirrel deaths have accumulated 20-30 damage per opponent. Close with a final burst of sacrifices — drain everyone remaining, or use Altar of Dementia to mill the last opponent out. The deck rewards grinding and patience over explosive combo turns.