Auras seem to be getting better all the time, and it’s largely due to the lack of boardwipes at many Commander tables. When tables begin to look more battlecruiser style, Auras can pack a punch for their low investment. Here are some of the better options worth considering.
I love a good Aura in Commander, and just recently, I’ve been watching a fair bit of EDH content (and playing against some really cool decks). One thing I’ve noticed recently is just how decisive a well-placed Aura can be.
When I caught up with the latest Game Knights and saw how a certain goading Aura did some work, I felt like it was time to talk about some great Auras.
AURAS IN COMMANDER
Auras have really come into their own in recent years. When the Vow cycle of Commander Auras got upgraded into the Impetus cycle, it marked a shift in how playable they were – and what they needed to be to be playable in the first place.
Auras in Commander have to do some heavy lifting. To play them is to accept that multiple opponents might have interaction, and that multiple opponents might wrath, leaving your mana investment in ruins. Unlike Equipment, most Auras don’t stay around, so losing them can be quite the feel bad.
One of the best Auras in the format is Bear Umbra. It’s so good because it has a mana doubling effect, and a buff, and it also has Totem Armor – meaning the creature is shielded from one instance of being destroyed.
Some of the other “all stars” in the format are removal options that take a key creature or permanent out of action for the time being. Song of the Dryads and Imprisoned in the Moon get better every year, but why is that exactly? Well, it’s because outside of Farewell or sometimes Austere Command, people don’t tend to nuke enchantments very often.
For Aura-enchantments to be good in Commander, they need to be something worth the risk, and something with a low enough mana investment to feel great. One with Nature and Mark of Sakiko are favorites of mine in green because they give effects that are usually way more expensive for such a low investment.
What else can we do with Auras, and what effects are stronger when there’s fewer wraths?
ROUGH ‘EM & BUFF ‘EM
The first effect is temporary removal. Oblivion Ring and Grasp of Fate are very playable these days, but one recent card that seems cracked is Sheltered by Ghosts. Lifelink wins games, and getting to enjoy some bonus lifelink when you play some cheap removal is a really nice bonus. Oh, and that creature is also harder to remove because of Ward {2}.
One that I don’t see others play that I’ve enjoyed playing a lot is Prison Term. Because board wipes happen less often, you get to move this thing around a lot more, and with people opting to curve out with creatures a lot more in Casual games, it can really throw a spanner in the works. Buying time is always risky, but when the exchange rate improves – and you get more time than ever to enjoy an Aura – why not dip in?
Speaking of which, if you’re at all in GW or BW, I think these MDFCs are fantastic, and definitely worth playing. It’s just a free win condition whichever way you cut it; big damage buff, or jumping a fatty or Commander in for a big lifepoint swing.
Big buffs are so good and so swingy that I even run Mantle of the Ancients in decks that otherwise only run Equipment cards. While it isn’t as tutorable, and it cantrips off of fewer things (Hi Sram!), the advantage to running it over, say, Refurbish, Recommission or even Unfinished Business in some decks can really be worth it. You’ll want mass reanimation anyways, so add a buff to it.
MESSING WITH THE BOARD
The Vow cycle was always pretty medium because people didn’t have to attack with them. Upgrading them to Goad meant they were more playabled, but even still, it’s taken a while for the Impetus cycle to really perform at a decent rate.
Nowadays, they are actually pretty interesting adds. Sending big chunks of damage elsewhere can buy you time.
There’s even some new and interesting cards in the “cycle.” Ghoulish Impetus is very “sticky,” coming back for more, and The Sound of Drums is similarly sticky, while also giving a real power buff to the creature it enchants for some dangerous splash damage.
We can’t talk about this effect without spotlighting a card that continues to put the work in – Public Enemy. Another reason for Indestructible to lose points – beyond Toxic Deluge and exile removal – is that Public Enemy makes you a real target.
WHAT’S YOURS IS MINE
Borrowing from others can be extremely powerful, and especially so when it’s for a cheap rate and gives continuous value.
Spirt Link and Vampiric Link are two such examples. While you can suit up your own attacker to reap the benefits, you can also tag this onto an opponent’s creature, putting them in a real bind. Is it worth them attacking? They might give you a lot of life. When I played against Lenny’s new Boros Auras deck recently, a Spirit Link gained him so much life that it became a real roleplayer card.
A classic that might just have aged well is Frenzied Fugue. Frenzied Fugue lets you borrow a creature from an opponent every time you take a turn, which can be quite hilarious, especially when you borrow something like Etali, Primal Storm, or a chunky flying creature, or something else that gives a lot of value. With fewer wraths, this card could put in some work.
TIME TO INVEST
When you have more reason to believe your creature might stick around, it’s safer to invest in it, just a little bit.
Hydra’s Growth and Light of Promise are two such examples. In their respective archetypes, they can really increase the speed of the clock, and are generally worth an include just for the games where they’ll overperform. The games they’ll underperform are fewer than ever.
One I really like is Alpha Authority. Rather than having to hold interaction, you can just slap this on your Commander and be happy that it’s very hard to deal with. It’ll still die in a wrath, but in the meantime, it can dodge single-target removal like a champ. Continuous protection is sweet, and even sweeter when it gives that “can’t be blocked by more than one creature” rider.
That means if you have trample you can easily get Commander Damage through, and you can’t be multi-blocked to trade. And if you have Menace? You’re just unblockable.
COMBAT TRICKS PERSEVERING
Some of the better equipment lately have been “combat tricks” that leave something behind: Mithril Coat, Celestial Armor, etc. Auras can do something similar, though it happens less often.
Alexi’s Cloak does something similar to Alpha Authority, except as an instant. It has the downside of giving your creature Shroud, but I want this more for Commanders like Koma – either iteration – than anything I’m suiting up for Voltron. It’s secretly really good.
Other tricks I enjoy are the surprise untap of Triclopean Sight (which gives +1/+1 and Vigilance thereafter), and Indomitable Might, which can help you to push that last bit of damage through on someone who thought they had things covered with a token army worth of blockers.
END STEP
Auras are more fragile than equipment, it’s true. But when you can pick strong effects for a low mana value, or use them as combat tricks? Well, they get really good, really quick. The current Commander metagame that runs light on wraths means it’s never been a better time to play around with them. Have any you want to recommend? Let us know on BlueSky.
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.