At MagicCon: Amsterdam we got tons of information about the next year plus of Magic – including lots of new sets. Of these, the one that is the most exciting for Commander players has got to be Mystery Booster Commander Edition.

It’s set to release on November 9th, and like previous incarnations of Mystery Booster, this will be available at conventions and within the Festival in a Box. It was designed for Commander Draft and consists largely of reprints, but it also features 60 awesome new Commanders.

This set is not only exciting mechanically though, it is also filled to the brim with flavor. Many of the cards in the set are call backs to parts of Magic lore that we haven’t seen on a card before. In this article, I’m going to go over all 60 of the new Commanders and their lore.

FORGOTTEN PLANESWALKERS

While planeswalkers are part and parcel of the game we know and love today, they haven’t always been. They were only introduced in 2007’s Lorwyn. This means there are 14 years of stories featuring Planeswalkers who didn’t get cards. Mystery Booster: Commander Edition goes a long way towards remedying that.

WORZEL & THOMIL: THE FIRST PLANESWALKERS

These were the first two named Planeswalkers in all of Magic. They predate their being any sort of cohesive Magic story at all. They both appeared in the introduction of the Limited Edition Alpha rulebook where a story of a duel between these two was used to explain what a game of Magic represented – a duel between planeswalkers. Back then, players were supposed to be planeswalkers. It’s only right that these two receive cards that can make creatures from Alpha.

GREENSLEEVES: TRILOGY PROTAGONIST

In 1994, Magic: the Gathering novels began to be published and Greensleeves was one of the most notable characters in them with the second, third, and fourth novels often referred to as “The Greensleeves Trilogy.” She began life as a normal human, but accumulated lots of power throughout her life, ultimately becoming the avatar of nature on Dominaria and later a planeswalker.

You could get a promo card from these books if you filled out a form in the back and mailed it in. One of them was Giant Badger.

FEROZ: THE PROTECTOR OF ULGROTHA

Feroz made his debut in the Magic story in 1995, when he was one of the main characters in the Homelands story. While opposing the oppression of Baron Sengir on Ulgrotha, he met the like-minded planeswalker Serra, who he later married. The two of them ultimately settled on the plane and saw it as their duty to protect it. He created Feroz’s Ban, which kept other planeswalkers from visiting or exerting influence on Ulgrotha.

ARAZKON: COMPUTER GAME VILLAIN

In 1997, MicroProse released a computer game simply called Magic: the Gathering. It took place on the plane of Shandalar and that’s often how people refer to the game. In it you traveled around and played Magic against others while collecting new cards. Arazkon was the game’s villain. He wanted to take over the plane and harness its magical energies to become even more powerful. He had Lightning Bolt, Black Lotus, and Timetwister in his deck, and those cards have the same effect as his loyalty abilities.

DYFED: THE ACCIDENTAL RUINER OF THE MULTIVERSE

Dyfed was a Thran planeswalker from Dominaria that appeared in the Magic story in 1999. She met Yawgmoth, who was then a famous healer in the Thran Empire. He was fascinated by her powers and convinced her to show him a place where they could build a Thran utopia. She showed him an empty plane and built him a portal that connected the two planes.

She eventually realized her mistake and tried to stop him. But it was too late. Yawgmoth killed her and Phyrexia was born.

SIFA GRENT: COMIC BOOK VILLAIN

Unlike the other planeswalkers so far, Sifa Grent isn’t a planeswalker from the olden days. She made her debut in IDW Publish’s Magic comics in 2012. She’s a Grixis planeswalker and protagonist Dack Fayden’s archnemesis because she slaughtered everyone in his hometown. Known as “The Death Mage,” she is a violent, murderous planeswalker who wreaks havoc throughout the multiverse.

THE UNLUCKIEST PLANESWALKER: CURSE MAGNET

While the other planeswalkers in these Mystery Boosters are fairly serious figures from the lore, this one is mostly a joke. There was a cycle of new curses in Commander 2017 that all featured the same unlucky man suffering from them.

Later, when Innistrad: Midnight Hunt gave us Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor – a Commander who loves curses – she was depicted holding a voo doo-doll that resembles the same man. We don’t really know how or why, but this poor guy is often the object of curses. Ironically, his “Rulebreaker” effect can let him play all the curses in the game.

OLD SCHOOL HEROES & VILLAINS OF THE MAGIC STORY 

Planeswalkers aren’t the only old Magic characters to be getting cards. Mystery Booster: Commander Edition also has several legendary creatures that represent important characters from the Magic story, as well as new incarnations of others we’ve seen before. Let’s go through them in chronological order.

JANDOR: THE FIRST ARABIAN NIGHTS LEGEND

Arabian Nights was released before legendary permanents were created. As such, the set features several creatures that are unique individuals but they aren’t legendary – like Ali from Cairo. Jandor is a traveler on the plane of Rabiah who we know from his magical ring and saddlebags that also appear in the set.

ISTVAN: DARK AGE SERIAL KILLER

At the end of The Brothers’ War, Dominaria was plunged into darkness as a result of a cataclysmic outburst of energy from an artifact called the Sylex. Istvan was already a hermit living in the woods, but the addition of never-ending darkness drove him insane. He began murdering anyone who came into his woods.

HEROES & VILLAINS OF THE ICE AGE

Dominaria’s era of hardship didn’t end with The Dark Age. The residual damage of the Sylex blast also caused an Ice Age. 

During this era, the necromancer Lim-Dul sought dominance of the plane. Gustha Ebbasdotter was a royal mage for the Kjeldorans, who stood against Lim-Dul. She ultimately gave her life in the fight against him, helping her comrades defeat him.

The Lord of Tresserhorn was created by Lim-Dul’s right hand, Chaeska, as a replacement for the fallen necromancer. He ultimately ends up being defeated too. However, Tresserhorn’s Lord, Returned indicates that Chaeska or another acolyte of Lim-Dul’s may have brought him back better than ever.

HEROES & VILLAINS OF ULGROTHA

Feroz isn’t the only powerful protector of Ulgrotha to get a card. The plane’s Great Wood also has an avatar who will protect it at all costs – Autumn Willow. After Feroz dies, she continues the fight against Baron Sengir in his place.

Not everyone on Ulgrotha is involved in the struggle against Baron Sengir. Joven and Chandler are more concerned with making money. Joven is a master thief, and Chandler is a master con man, and they often work together to pull one over on people to make a quick buck. Most famously, Chandler conned Eron the Relentless out of his Ebony Rhino. That Rhino, along with Joven’s pet ferret, both appear on the art for this new card.

HEROES & VILLAINS OF THE WEATHERLIGHT SAGA

The Weatherlight Saga was Magic’s first long story arc, and it involved a crew of misfits traveling the multiverse and looking for powerful artifacts to be used against an impending Phyrexian invasion of Dominaria.

Davvol was the first ruler of Rath, a plane being used by the Phyrexians as a staging point for an invasion of Dominaria. His flavor text is a reference to the birthday joke on Carnival of Souls. Ultimately the number of birthdays he had was numbered, because Volrath kills him and takes his title.

During Davvol’s time as Evincar, he did a lot of tests of planeshifting, the method by which the plane of Rath would be overlaid over Dominaria, allowing for the Phyrexian invasion. Lyna was a victim of one of these tests. She’s a Soltari who got trapped in between the two planes. During the events of the Weatherlight Saga, Urza ends up trapped on Rath, and Lyna helps him escape.

Selenia was once a Dominarian guardian angel, but she was captured by the Phyrexians and brainwashed. She fought against the crew of the Weatherlight, and was slain by Crovax, who was cursed with vampirism as a result. The new Selenia’s death trigger is meant to represent that curse.

One of the planes the crew of the Weatherlight  visit is Mercadia, which has a capital city of the same name ruled by this Magistrate. He’s controlled by the goblins of the plane as well as Volrath. He causes all kinds of problems for the heroes but is ultimately killed by them.

Grizzlegom is one of the commanders of the Coalition Army that fights against the Phyrexian Invasion. He is a great warrior with many dead Phyrexians to his name. The art depicts his most epic moment. During a battle, he was devoured by a Phyrexian, but he tore his way out of it from the inside.

HEROES & VILLAINS OF ONSLAUGHT AND ODYSSEY BLOCK

The Odyssey and Onslaught Blocks are set on Dominaria in the wake of the Phyrexian invasion. While the attack was ultimately defeated, the plane was still devastated a century later. People are entertained by brutal pit fights between the plane’s greatest warriors.

One of the main characters in Odyssey Block is Kamahl. Matoc is his grandfather. He found Urza’s staff at the end of the Phyrexian Invasion, and it was turned into a sword that Kamahl would later use during his pit fights and other adventures.

Niva, Beloved Battlemage was Ixidor’s lover and the two of them were pit fighters. She could summon birds and other beings to fight for her, and Ixidor could make copies of them. Nivea’s eventual death during a pit fight drove Ixidor insane with grief, and he created Akroma, Angel of Wrath in her image.

Sash and Waistocat are also creations of Ixidor’s. They were living portals that were given physical form as cockroaches by the Cabal Patriarch, who tried to use them to kill Akroma.

During a pit fight, Kamal killed Phage as well as Akroma, and when he did Zagorka got caught in the crossfire. Akroma, Phage, and Zagorka each possessed the magic of powerful mages who opposed Dominaria’s Primeval Dragons millennia earlier, and their simultaneous deaths lead to them fusing into Karona, False God, a manifestation of Dominaria’s mana.

THE WEAVER KING & VENSER: TIME SPIRAL HERO AND VILLAIN

Time Spiral Block was yet another period of hardship on Dominaria. All of the plane’s cataclysmic events were leading to rifts in time and space on the plane.

The Weaver King was one of the story’s main villains. He was one of Volrath’s creations who had been lingering for centuries waiting to enact a plan, and the period of Planar Chaos gave him a great opportunity. He was incorporeal but could force people to do whatever he wanted, and Venser was one of his victims. Ultimately, Venser managed to defeat him with exploding powerstones.

BOSS URAMON: KAMIGAWA CRIME LORD

Uramon was a worshiper of the Myojin of Night’s Reach, who gave her a powerful artifact called the Shadow Gate that allowed her to travel between shadows. Toshiro Umezawa stole this from her and used it during his adventures.

A COUPLE OF NOT-SO-SCARY INNISTRAD LEGENDS

Miss Highwater is one of many demons to whom the planeswalker Davriel Cane is bound. However, as part of the terms she can only get Davriel’s soul if she manages to seduce him. So far, she hasn’t had any luck. He makes her do odd jobs for him, like accounting.

Olag was meant to be the Necro-alchemist Ludevic’s greatest ever creation. However, despite his fearsome appearance, when first ordered to go out into the world and kill, he refused. Ludevic imprisoned him but he is visited every day by an alley cat named Miau.

ASHAYA: FRAGMENT OF ZENDIKAR

Ashaya was the planeswalker Nissa’s companion, coming to her not long after her spark ignited. It’s part of the very worldsoul of Zendikar, and it taught Nissa a great deal about her magic. While Ashaya can’t follow Nissa off of the plane, the two do reunite from time to time on Zendikar, such as during the events of Zendikar Rising.

DRAGON’S SMILE: KARI ZEV’S FLAGSHIP

Kari Zev is a pirate on Avishkar who frequently raids consulate ships, making her something of a Robin Hood figure on the plane.

VALKO INDORIAN: PHYREXIAN TRANSLATOR

Valko Indorian was a Tolarian Academy Professor of Archaeology and Linguistics who is credited with translating the Phyrexian language ahead of the New Phyrexian Invasion during March of the Machine. You can find his language guide here. 

INDIVIDUAL CARD & CYCLE REFERENCES

While everything we’ve talked about so far has been related to characters who appear in the Magic story, the set also features a few cards that are even more niche.

Grakk the Pacifist is a reference to one of the best art and flavor text combinations of all time– Mirage’s Pacifism.

Blor the Impervious first appeared on Bloomburrow’s Overprotect.

Balefang the Unslayable is the Demon Dragon answer to Baneslayer Angel. It even gives your opponent a goaded Baneslayer Angel token to rub in just how useless that card is against it.

Chira, All In represents a character who originally made her debut on the Judge Gift Card version of Gamble.

Sahir, Visitor in Darkness is a callback to Juzam Djinn. It pays you off for taking one damage from the Djinn, and he is a “Visitor in Darkness,” which is referred to in the Djinn’s flavor text. They also have a similar appearance.

Jabs is a Rakdos performer who uses puppets. The flavor text implies that her performance is what the characters on Captive Audience are watching.

Meatsqueak is the same carnivorous squirrel that appeared on Odyssey’s Squirrel Nest. 

The Madcap Jester appears to be a man wearing Jester’s Cap, Jester’s Mask, and Jester’s Scepter. He also works quite well with all three of those cards.

Nephilim Epochal is a callback to the often-forgotten cycle of 4-color Nephilim from Guildpact. Nephilim Epochal is the first Nephilim printed since the original 5. 

Rikala is the king of the Homarids, a little-used creature type that received almost all of its support way back in Fallen Empires. Rikala’s use of tide counters and his mana-doubling effect are references to the Homarids and High Tide respectively. Notably, Rikala only has the Lobster type, indicating we’ll be transitioning away from the Homarid type.

BRAND NEW CHARACTERS: A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE?

Mystery Booster: Commander Edition isn’t only looking backwards at the game’s history. This set also introduced several new characters that we may or may not see more of in the future.

The Muckslinger Gang are a a group of Ravnicans who tried to create an eleventh guild on Ravnica, but Niv-Mizzet was having none of that. 

Ekthi is a Phyrexian who infuses equipment with “sacred infection,” turning them into living weapons.

Flitwing is an Azorius detective on Ravnica, who is likely a member of the Ravnican Agency of Magicological Investigations. 

Olinda is a skunk on Bloomburrow who is completely unaware of her odor.

Seluma is an angel associated with Aysen Abbey on Ulgrotha. This is an Abbey that was founded by Serra.

Tolabow is a mischievous otter who lives in one of Eldraine’s many lochs. 

Whtz is an Innistrad homunculus who loves reading so much that he steals books.

The Everforger is a construct from an unknown plane that is made of metal weapons and tools, with an anvil for a head.

Yume is a Kamigawan on Kylem, a plane where the people are obsessed with competition and especially combat sports. She entertains people in between rounds with stories of heroics.

Grandmother Goby is a Merfolk elder who takes care of the young Merfolk in a nursery. It features old unused art by DiTerilizzi. 

Kuroki is a Kamigawan kami who has the ability to steal the traits of others and make them his own.

Glava is perhaps the most mysterious of the new characters. She references things we’ve never seen before like “Five-Advents” and the “Path of the Pentarch.” Between her art and her effect, I think she’s a Wizard who id bonded with a hydra.

Maular is a two-headed dinosaur that rules the wild and little-seen plane of Muraganda. However, what causes his mutation is unclear.

Elda is a stage magician on Capenna, based on the art deco door behind her.

Homer is a gigantic hermit crab on an unknown plane. Based on the fact that he keys off of invertebrate sea creatures, there’s a good chance he’s a resident of the entirely underwater plane of Nauctis which we’ll see in 2027.

Itazura is a Kamigawan kami that resembles a candle. “Itazura” means “mischief” or “prank” in Japanese. That, and Itazura’s complex mini-game indicate that he’s a kami of mischief.

Based on the stone arch behind her, Massimo is on Arcavios – the plane that is home to Strixhaven. She’s a bit unusual as a three-color card on a plane obsessed with two-color combinations. Perhaps she has gotten degrees from both Lorehold and Prismari.

Uuguu is an Ooze that appears to be largely stationary. This is because it’s the source of all oozes on its plane, which eventually return to it. Oozes are the most common on Muraganda, but its plane is unclear. 

END STEP

And that does it – that’s all 60 new Commanders in Mystery Booster: Commander Edition. There are a lot of really cool cards and flavor designs. Which one is your favorite? Let me know on X or Bluesky.