The prevailing topic these days is power creep, and if we’re not talking about that, we’re talking Universes Beyond. These 10 In-Universe Commander cards from old Precons prove that some Commander designs have aged really well. It’s time to dig them out of the bulk and give them another shot.
10 OLD PRECON CARDS THAT HAVE AGED REALLY WELL
ACT OF AUTHORITY
The first card to cover today is Act of Authority. It’s a straight up three mana exile for an artifact or enchantment, and even if they remove the enchantment, they won’t get it back. If you want to, you can get rid of another target in your upkeep for as long as you control Act of Authority. Pretty sweet, right? Well, sure, except the downside is the controller of whatever you exiled gets the Act of Authority, and therefore the same trigger on their upkeep.
What makes this card so good these days is all the ways we have to make copies of it. You’ve got Calix, Guided by Fate, who can make a copy when he deals combat damage. You have Ondu Spiritdancer, who can give you a second copy when it enters play. You can copy it with Replication Technique, Adagia, Windswept Bastion, Court of Vantress, Yenna, Redtooth Regent… copy the trigger with Weaver of Harmony. All of that is before considering ways to flicker permanents or otherwise sacrifice and recur them.
Act of Authority is easier than ever to double-dip on.
FAERIE ARTISANS
Speaking of double-dipping, what about getting to put your fingers in everyone else’s pies?
Faerie Artisans triggers whenever a nontoken creature enters play under an opponent’s control, meaning you’re potentially getting multiple copies of creatures each turn cycle. Faerie Artisans has always been good, sure, but when so much of modern Commander revolves around creatures with strong EtB effects, you’re likely to start amassing value.
What’s more, we have more token doublers than ever, in multiple colors, including a bunch of artifact support that keeps getting added to year on year. It’s highly likely that just having this in play along with one other synergistic permanent can lead to you getting unpredicted levels of value while stopping an opponent from popping off out of fear that your triggers will end up throwing a spanner in the works.
MALICIOUS AFFLICTION
Two mana to destroy a creature is asking a lot, especially at double black and only nonblack creatures. That said, when that two mana can nix two creatures, you’re suddenly a lot more interested. Malicious Affliciton, in the right deck, can be a great removal option. If you’re already sacrificing creatures or tokens, or have a gameplan that involves creatures dying a lot – on your side or theirs – then it’s quite easy to turn on Morbid.
And when you do? Two mana to get rid of two Commanders or two engine pieces is pretty decent.
DARKSTEEL MUTATION
Speaking of removal, let’s sing the praises, oncemore, for Darksteel Mutation. Getting rid of an annoying Commander more permanently is underrated, and this enchantment ensures that you can have their Commander survive boardwipes will being stuck on the board like a cockroach.
It’s mean, but it’s effective. With so many good enchantment tutors like Sterling Grove and Enlightened Tutor, and popular Aura tutors like Open the Armory, Darksteel Mutation continues to be a strong toolbox card. So many decks rely wholly on their Commanders now that making them into a bug for a while can slow them right down.
MAZIREK, KRAUL DEATH PRIEST
Mazirek is a known quantity, sure. And yeah, he’s at the heart of a bunch of combos. Chances are if you’ve played him in the past, you already know when and where to deploy him. If you haven’t, though, then it’s time to check out this Golgari Insect.
Players are sacrificing permanents constantly these days. Treasure. Clues. Food. Maps. Landers… and that’s just token permanents.
Considering its never been easier to draw cards off of putting counters on your creatures, Mazirek is a safe and powerful option for counters decks.
IMPACT RESONANCE
This is a bit of a weird one, but stick with me. Impact Resonance is something of an “Aikido” card, as on the face of things, it doesn’t actually do anything. When you consider the average gameplay in Bracket 3 and below, though, you have to admit – things are predicated predominantly on combat damage. Whether it’s generating value or winning the game, that’s what things are about nowadays.
As such, a cheeky Impact Resonance can end up being one of red’s best removal spells – especially if you’re set up to be doing big chunks of damage yourself. If a player takes 5-10 damage from a source you control, you can wipe out a good amount of creatures for just two mana. If Voltron is big in your local meta, this card is stonks.
SONG OF THE DRYADS
Song of the Dryads just continues to get better every year. It’s a way to take any permanents out of commission. In mono-green? This is basically your best removal option.
The fact it can also cantrip off of Enchantress effects and be copied in much the same way the aforementioned Act of Authority can means it’s high on my list any time I build a green deck.
KINDRED SUMMONS
A few years ago now, I had a Shalai GW Angels deck. To give that deck the explosiveness that a lot of other decks enjoy, I ended up playing both Selvala’s Stampede and Kindred Summons. The latter, from C17, is an incredible spell for typal decks. At instant speed you can bust a board out of nowhere, provided you have some mana dorks, tokens or other utility creatures ready to dial up their mates.
Explosiveness like this is what wins games.
CURSE OF OPULENCE
Curse of Opulence is such a low opportunity cost for mana generation in red. If you get two Gold tokens off of this, you’re already up on mana – and it’s easy to get much more. Tagging this on the player who is least likely to play blockers (or who is likely to be attacked by merit of being the archenemy) will pay dividends – literally. It gets even better alongside Wulfgar or Isshin or Windcrag Siege, or with token doublers, available in white and green decks.
MASTERWORK OF INGENUITY
The first card I reach for in Equipment decks nowadays, Masterwork of Ingenuity has probably benefitted the most from the way Commander has changed since it was first printed.
Back in 2014, playing a sorcery speed niche copy effect was rough. Multiple players would have removal in response, playing Qasali Pridemage or Krosan Grip, and you’d struggle to hit a critical mass of Equipment in a deck to always have one to copy, owing to the rest of the deck needing a lot more ramp and draw to function.
A decade later, and this one mana copy effect is insane value. Getting a second Hearth and Home or Feast and Famine is intoxicatingly good, and you generally have way more equipment in your 99 to copy.
END STEP
Commander designs may have skyrocketed in recent years – both in quantity and power – but some designs of yesteryear are aging pretty well. Which are your favorites?
Kristen is Card Kingdom’s Head Writer and a member of the Commander Format Panel. Formerly a competitive Pokémon TCG grinder, she has been playing Magic since Shadows Over Innistrad, which in her opinion, was a great set to start with. When she’s not taking names with Equipment and Aggro strategies in Commander, she loves to play any form of Limited.