Fallen Empires is often considered one of the worst Magic sets of all time. The set has a famously low power level. This isn’t a situation where power creep is why the set is considered bad, either. People thought the set was bad when it came out back in 1994, too. Only a handful of cards saw play in 60-card formats back then, and it’s even harder to find cards that are still seeing play today.
When it comes to 60-card formats and Commander, there are only two cards in the set that see significant play – High Tide and Hymn to Tourach.
Admittedly, they are both multi-format powerhouses, but only having only two cards that are at all relevant to today’s players is a good reflection of how bad this set really is.
While I’m not here to tell you that Fallen Empires isn’t one of the worst sets of all time, I am here to tell you that there are a few useful cards that are being overlooked by Commander players.
GOBLIN WARRENS
Played in .015% of Red Decks on EDHRec
While Fallen Empires was a massive failure overall, it was a mistake that Wizards of the Coast learned a lot from. It was their first attempt at a typal set. While the execution left something to be desired, the things they learned from Fallen Empires helped to make sets like Onslaught and Lorwyn far better further down the road.
Goblin Warrens is an example of this theme, and one of the few cards with a typal theme that is actually good! It churns out Goblin creature tokens, but at the cost of giving up two every single time you use its ability. You net one token every time you activate it. While that can be really good all on its own, the Warrens also gives Goblin decks a pretty sweet combo.
When combined with Skirk Prospector and Mana Echoes, plus a couple of extra Goblins in play, you can make an infinite number of Goblin creature tokens. This is because the Echoes will give you mana every time a Goblin enters the battlefield, including all three times a Warren token enters the battlefield.
Goblin Warrens should be seriously considered for any Goblin deck in Commander because of the combo potential, but there are some specific commanders that can get lots of value out of it even when it’s entirely on its own.
If you want to go the Goblin route, Pashalik Mons is great with the Warrens because any time a Goblin you control dies, you get to ping something. Adding two pings to every Warren activation is great – and it also makes the combo lethal when you manage to assemble it.
Purphoros isn’t a Goblin, but he loves it when creatures enter the battlefield. Every Warren activation does 6 damage to the opponent. You definitely need to have a little bit of a Goblin theme to make the Warrens really go off, but that’s not a huge ask for Purphoros decks.
SACRIFICE LAND CYCLE
Played in .0079% Of White Decks on EDHRec
Fallen Empires has a cycle of lands that all enter the battlefield tapped, can tap for one color of mana, and can be tapped and sacrificed for two mana of that same color. While entering tapped can certainly be a problem, it’s nice to give it up for an important mana boost on a later turn.
This isn’t a land cycle that should be a staple or anything like that, but they should be played more than they are. For example, if you’re using a commander who likes it when lands go to the graveyard, you can get lots of value out of this cycle.
For example, The Gitrog Monster can draw you extra cards and Titania can give you a 5/3 any time you sacrifice one of these lands.
SOUL EXCHANGE
Played in .012% of Black Decks on EDHRec
Reanimation is a powerful thing. Dumping a huge creature in your graveyard and getting it back in the extreme early game can give your opponents all kinds of problems.
Soul Exchange is one of the cheaper ways to achieve this, with only Reanimate and Exhume being more efficient. It does require you to exile one of your own creatures, which is certainly a set-up cost, but it’s one worth paying. If you’ve got any kind of graveyard deck, especially one that specializes in reanimation, you should think about including Soul Exchange in your suite of reanimation spells.
While I do think Soul Exchange is a good reanimation spell, the fact it’s also a Thrull payoff is a good example of why Fallen Empires is a failure both in the short and the long-term. The set features payoffs for several creature types that really didn’t catch on in the long run – Thrull is one of them.
That said, this does get even better should you give up a Thrull. Getting a +2/+2 counter on the creature you reanimate is actually a pretty good payoff. This means that Soul Exchange can be particularly good in a deck using Magic’s only Thrull Commander – Endrek Sahr.
HOMARID SPAWNING BED
Played in .0018% of Blue Decks on EDHRec
Homarid Spawning Bed is super weird for a Blue card. After all, it’s a sacrifice outlet that gives you a whole bunch of tokens. Neither of those things are major parts of Blue’s slice of the color pie. But, back in 1994 the color pie wasn’t nearly as defined as it is today. This makes Homarid Spawning Bed incredibly unique.
While I think the Spawning Bed could have a home in any Blue sacrifice deck, there’s one deck in particular where it’s pretty spicy.
Esix lets you turn your tokens into copies of one of your other creatures, and Homarid Spawning Bed is one of the best ways to add a ton of tokens to the board. And if you’re making all those little 1/1s into huge, scary creatures, you’re going to win the game.
SEASINGER
Played in .005% of Blue Decks on EDHRec
Mind Control effects are among the most powerful things you can do in Magic. Stealing an opposing creature simultaneously gives you their best creature and takes away their best creature. It’s an effect that can utterly reshape the board.
Seasinger’s problem is that you can only use it to steal a creature from an opponent who controls an Island. Obviously that holds it back in a big way, but the recent printing of Eluge, the Shoreless Sea gives Seasinger a very clear home.
Eluge turns lands into Islands permanently, so Seasinger’s requirement will almost always be active. And when that’s true, you’re talking about a very efficiently costed Mind Control effect.
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Those are my picks for the most underrated Commander cards in Fallen Empires. What do you think? Did I leave any out? Am I overrating some of these cards? Let me know over on X!
Jacob has been playing Magic for the better part of 24 years, and he especially loves playing Magic’s Limited formats. He also holds a PhD in history from the University of Oklahoma. In 2015, he started his YouTube channel, “Nizzahon Magic,” where he combines his interests with many videos covering Magic’s competitive history. When he’s not playing Magic or making Magic content, he can be found teaching college-level history courses or caring for a menagerie of pets with his wife.