What Types of Players is Wizards Designing for in Commander?

Kristen GregoryCommander

Strixhaven features some of the best Commander designs we’ve seen in an official Magic product. But who are Wizards designing for? Today, I attempt to dig into Strixhaven and Commander 2021 to find the answers. Let’s Talk About the Precons Before we get into the nitty gritty of card design, it’s probably best to take a moment to savor the …

Commander 2021 Upgrade Guide: Lorehold Legacies

Kristen GregoryCommander

Boros Reanimator has been around for a while now as something of a cult archetype. Lorehold Legacies sees that archetype realized by Wizards — so how is the precon? And how can we upgrade it? Osgir, the Reconstructor First up, let’s have a look at the commander. Osgir has some relevant creature types, a decent-sized body, and two very relevant …

Commander 2021 Has Some Seriously Cool Cards

Kristen GregoryCommander

Earlier this week, we looked at the best cards from Strixhaven, the latest Magic expansion releasing on April 23. Well, the fun doesn’t stop there. Commander 2021 also releases that weekend, and it’s packed full of powerful and fun new cards to brew around. Let’s take a look at some of them, shall we? Alternate Pre-Con Commanders I love everything …

The Best Strixhaven Cards for Commander

Kristen GregoryCommander

Strixhaven is almost here, and we’re all itching to brew with the new cards. But what cards are the best Strixhaven card for Commander? Which are good in the 99? And what are my own personal picks? Grab your quill — school’s about to start.  The Best Commanders from Strixhaven Let’s kick things off with my picks for the best …

Strixhaven’s Secret Sauce is Red Mana

Kristen GregoryCommander, Design

Strixhaven looks to have a smorgasbord of powerful and exciting Magic cards. It seems to Kristen, though, that red is currently Magic’s Golden Child.  Looking through the previews for Strixhaven, it’s occurred to me that all of the most exciting designs involve red mana. It’s no secret that red has been the second-most maligned color from the players’ perspective in …

What’s Banned in Commander (And Why)

Kristen GregoryCommander

If you’ve found yourself on this page, chances are you’d like to know exactly what cards are banned in Commander. Below we have a rundown of what cards are banned in Commander, followed up by some explanations of why we think they’re banned. Latest Update, 9/23/24: Mana Crypt, Jeweled Lotus, Dockside Extortionist, and Nadu, Winged Wisdom Banned Cards Legal in …

Commander 2021’s New Legends

Kristen GregoryCommander

Strixhaven previews started last week, and we’ve already seen some super exciting cards. The main takeaway for me so far is just how fresh some of these designs feel — not just for their colors, but also for multiplayer. Let’s look at what has me hyped about the new commanders from Commander 2021.  Commander 2021: Strixhaven It looks to me …

How to Pick a Board Wipe in Commander

Kristen GregoryCommander

When it comes to picking a board wipe for your Commander deck, it can sometimes feel like there are too many options. There are 116 cards alone that have the words “destroy all creatures” on them, and that’s for starters. When you factor in damage wraths, exile wraths, bounce wraths, and the more niche cards too? That number increases by …

Learning from Limited in Commander: UW Flyers

Kristen GregoryCommander

We all have a favorite Limited archetype, and whether that’s Blue-Red Spellslinger, Five-Color Green, or Blue-White Flyers, there’s something satisfying about the gameplay that keeps us coming back for more. Today, I want to look at how to capture one of those archetypes in an EDH deck. We’ll look at how to “scale up” that archetype for Commander, what cards …