Though much maligned in Constructed, the companion mechanic from Ikoria offers Commander players a unique opportunity to both customize and empower their deckbuilding. In return for meeting the right deckbuilding restrictions, we can add a powerful extra card to our command zone – ranging from an extra ramp piece to potential win condition. We explored the Commander potential of the …
5 Underrated Commander Cards from Mirage
Mirage is an important set for Commander players. Impressively, it features 9 cards that appear in 5% or more of the EDHRec decks they are eligible for. Its most notable contributions to the format do one of two things that are highly desirable in the format – tutor, or ramp your mana. The powerful tutor trio of Enlightened, Mystical, and …
7 “Bad” Commander Cards That Are Secretly Underrated
Kristen has a selection of “bad” Commander cards that have gotten better with time. Trends come and go in Commander, and sometimes cards that were considered “unplayable” or “bad EV” get their moment in the spotlight once more. These cards are pretty underrated. When you’ve played Commander a while, it’s easy to follow time-honored heuristics when choosing cards for decks, …
Commander Archetype Inspection: Lands
Magic has been around for long enough to spin off hundreds of unique mechanics, each with its own unique advantages, dedicated support cards and memorable payoffs. But when you throw them all together in the grand melting pot that is Commander, a few mechanics clearly stand out from the pack. They offer versatile deck building options, consistent performance in different …
5 Underrated Commander Cards From Judgment
Last week, I took a look at 5 Underrated Commander Cards from Torment. As I discussed there, Torment is a strange set because of its huge emphasis on a single color – Black. The set also deemphasized Black’s enemy colors – Green and White. They did the opposite in the very next set. Judgment emphasizes Green and White, while deemphasizing …
Aggro is Really Good in Commander Right Now
Aggro is enjoying something of a renaissance in Commander right now. Thanks to numerous changes to how people build and play, and a myriad of new pushed cards, it’s never been a better time to turn creatures sideways. Kristen digs in to find out why – and whether the new Voja is a little too pushed. I’ve always been one …
Commander Archetype Inspection: Group Hug
Recently, I’ve used this blog to examine some of Commander’s most powerful and fearsome strategies. Building your deck around mechanics like treasure, cascade, or looting unlocks lines of play which are so good, they’re almost unfair. But isn’t that the natural conclusion of the multiplayer metagame? How do you win a fair fight when you effectively have to beat three …
The Boros Card Advantage & Ramp Engine
It’s easy to get jealous of colors like green when you’re playing white in Commander. But really, white is one of the best colors at ramping, and when added to red for Boros? You get access to some excellent advantage engines. Kristen takes us through the Boros Toolbox. Boros has long been maligned as one of the weakest color pairs …
5 Underrated Commander Cards From Torment
Torment has a really strange set gimmick – it is a set that emphasizes Black more than the other colors. They went pretty far in fulfilling this theme, too. There are more Black cards than normal, and fewer cards from Black’s enemy colors — White and Green. The set has 40 Black cards, 28 Blue cards, 28 Red cards, and …
Science! Fallout Commander Precon Upgrade Guide
Fallout is the newest Universes Beyond set, and it releases with four new Commander decks. Science! Is the Jeskai artifacts precon that focuses on the Energy mechanic. Energy was last supported in Kaladesh block, so how does the mechanic shape up with a dedicated Commander and new cards? Science! New Fallout Commanders The face Commander of Science! is Dr. Madison …