In the Commander format of Magic: The Gathering, not every deck needs to be three or more colors like Sedris the Traitor King or The Ur-Dragon. Purphoros, God of the Forge is a mono-red God from the Theros block, and it is a potent commander.
Purphoros can attack as an indestructible 6/5, but more often, it will damage each opponent with its creature-based ETB ability. Anytime a friendly creature enters the battlefield, Purphoros deals two damage to each opponent, and that is going to add up fast. How will this deck shape up?
Creating Tokens
This deck wants to make a lot of tokens, as it wants more friendly creatures to enter the battlefield. Conveniently, many of this deck's token generators are creatures themselves, adding even more Purphoros triggers. Overall, Purphoros is not a tribal deck, but given the mono-red color and the need for cheap tokens, the Goblin tribe has heavy emphasis here. For many years, Goblins have been cheap and aggressive creatures, and they're known to make tokens. A good start is Kreno, Mob Boss, which is famed for tapping to exponentially create more and more 1/1 red Goblin tokens. Left alone, Krenko can take over the entire game by itself.
Even if Kreno doesn't reach that point, cards such as Goblin Marshal, Beetleback Chief, Hangarback Walker, Young Pyromancer, Goblin Rabblemaster, Siege-Gang Commander, Myr Battlesphere and many more colorless or red cards can crank out tokens of all types, from Goblins to Myrs to Thopters. Noncreature sources include Empty the Warrens, Hammer of Purphoros, Goblin Rally, Thatcher Revolt, Molten Rebirth , which can also create cheap tokens.
Finishers and Synergy
This deck is mono-red, and true to its color, it wants to win fast or not at all. Given the slow nature of Commander, it is possible for this deck to get grindy, but grindy games will favor other color combinations, such as Abzan decks or Sultai decks. The Purphoros deck should focus not only on creating tokens, but on accelerating the damage-dealing process. Several cards in this deck can boost the damage Purphoros deals with each of its triggers, and to begin with, Furnace of Rath and Dictate of the Twin Gods will double all damage that sources deal. This means that Purphoros will deal four damage per trigger, which adds up incredibly fast. Torban,
Thane of Red Fell is a 2/4 Dwarf that adds two damage for all friendly red sources. Although it's vulnerable to removal, its effect is 0ne-sided. If that weren't enough, Fiery Emancipation can triple all damage that its controller would deal, but it's somewhat expensive, too. This is not a card for the Purphoros player to cast while they are behind. Meanwhile, Impact Tremors is a cheap red enchantment that acts as a miniature Purphoros, dealing one damage to each opponent per trigger instead of two.
Creating all these tokens can be useful in other ways. Descent of the Dragons is a game-changer, converting all those little 1/1 Goblins, Myrs and Thopters into massive 4/4 flying Dragons. As a bonus, this card can destroy problematic enemy creatures and replace them with 4/4 dragons, such as enemy Commanders or other threats. Mana Echoes, recently reprinted in the Double Master set, allows the player to get a lot of colorless mana when they put creatures onto the battlefield, helping to fuel expensive spells (or recast Purphoros for the third or fourth time).
Ofcourse, let's not forget Purphoros himself, which has internal synergy. Purphoros' triggered ability is the centerpiece of this deck, but its activated ability is also effective. For {2}R, it can give all friendly creatures +1/+0, a potent mana sink. Spending a handful of mana can create a field of 3/1 or 4/1 attackers, which can overwhelm most opponents and push enough damage to finish them off. You could also make those 4/4 Dragons become 7/4 attackers.
Other Support Cards
Most cards in a Purphoros deck will focus on creating tokens and dealing damage, though there is still room for some much-needed support cards. Like any Commander deck, Purphoros needs mana rocks, from Thran Dynamo and Commander's Sphere to Sol Ring and Ruby Medallion. Additionally, this deck can exhaust its hand fairly quickly or end up with dead-draw Mountains in the hand. Use a number of Wheel and looting effects, from Magus of the Wheel and Reforge the Soul to Tormenting Voice and Cathartic Reunion.
Some artifacts can be useful here, such as Trading Post. It can help out in nearly any situation, from sacrificing a cheap Thopter to draw a card to retrieving destroyed artifacts or gaining life in a pinch. Swiftfoot Boots can protect Purphoros or all-stars like Krenko, and Ashnod's Altar is a fine way to sacrifice tokens for extra mana for those costly curve-toppers.
This deck's manabase is fairly straightforward, consisting mostly of basic Mountains. But it can also include Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle for extra damage and Expedition Map to find Valakut on demand. Spawning Bed can be sacrificed to create three 1/1 Eldrazi Scion tokens, and Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin can destroy problematic enemy lands. Buried Ruin, meanwhile, can be sacrificed to bring back artifact cards from the graveyard to the hand.