Energy made its debut in Kaladesh back in 2016, and for a long while we didn’t see very much of the mechanic outside of that Block. However, that’s changed a lot over the last year, when there has been a huge surge of energy cards, especially in Commander. In that time, there have been three energy-focused Commander precons. The first of these was Fallout’s “Science!”, which was followed by Modern Horizon 3’s “Creative Energy,” and with the release of Aetherdrift we’re getting “Living Energy.”
Thanks to this influx of energy, Commander decks with this theme are more viable than they have ever been, but because we’ve gotten so much energy in such a short time, it can be tough to suss out the best way to build an energy deck. In this article, I’m going to take a look at what the Energy precons have to offer, while also looking at the Energy mechanic in the format more broadly.
WHICH ENERGY COMMANDER IS BEST?
You can’t really go wrong with any of these Energy Commanders. Generally, Wizards of the Coast knows what they are doing when they face Commander in a precon, and all of these are powerful enough to win you the game with Energy. However, I don’t think all three of these are created equal.
Dr. Madison Li is definitely powerful, and the modality of her abilities means she often has something worth doing. Problem is, I don’t think any of her abilities are that powerful. Reanimating an artifact has the highest ceiling, but it requires significant set up that isn’t readily available in Jeskai.
When it comes to the best energy Commander, it comes down to the Avishkar natives – Satya and Saheeli. Making token copies of your stuff is a powerful thing. It gives you a route to abuse creatures with powerful enters triggers and powerful creatures more generally. Each of them has their pros and cons with regard to these effects.
Satya’s main disadvantage is that he can only make token copies when he attacks, while Saheeli lets you make a token copy at the beginning of combat. He can also only make token copies of creatures, while Saheeli lets you make copies of any permanent.
Saheeli’s main disadvantage is that she has to use substantial energy to make her tokens, and they are always temporary. Meanwhile, Satya doesn’t ask for any energy at all to make tokens, while giving you the option of paying energy to keep a token copy around. Satya’s trigger even generates energy all on its own
In the end I think Satya wins out. The ability to make permanent tokens is huge, and Menace and Haste make it pretty easy to get the triggered ability online.
Now let’s take a look at the most important precon-exclusive cards for Energy decks.
3 IMPORTANT ENERGY CARDS FROM THE FALLOUT PRECON
The “Science!” precon is lacking when it comes to powerful Energy win conditions apart from its Commander. However, it does contain some important support cards.
HELIOS One is the most important Energy card in this precon, especially because it can slot into any and all Energy decks. It’s a great utility land. Not only does it give you a land that can generate energy, it can also become a removal spell. That’s just not the kind of upside typical lands have.
Electrosiphon is a must-have counterspell for Energy decks that have the right identity to cast it. It’s like an Energy Mana Drain! I’m obviously exaggerating, but there are some legitimate parallels. Namely, that this lets you counter a spell outright, and then gives you a resource to use on something.
The deck’s best win condition is probably Liberty Prime, who is a way above-rate creature. He’s hungry for Energy, but if you’re an Energy deck you should be able to keep him full, especially because he lets you give up artifacts for more Energy.
3 IMPORTANT ENERGY CARDS FROM THE MODERN HORIZONS 3 PRECON
Conversion Apparatus gives you an artifact that can produce energy in a pinch, but the most exciting thing about it is its ability to be a much cheaper Gilded Lotus. You’re going to have great mana fixing and acceleration with the Apparatus in your deck.
Meanwhile, Localized Destruction gives Energy decks a very powerful Wrath. It’s not difficult to make it feel like a one-sided wrath, since you can use energy to make your creatures indestructible, so they don’t have to worry about getting destroyed. Any time you can make a Wrath one-sided, you’re going to come out very far ahead.
Aether Refinery is a very strong Energy enabler and win condition. Doubling your energy is a huge deal when you have a Commander and dozens of other cards that can generate energy, and turning that energy into huge creature tokens is a great way to take over games.
3 IMPORTANT ENERGY CARDS FROM THE AETHERDRIFT PRECON
Pia Nalaar is another potential energy Commander, although her extreme focus on artifact creatures limits how much Energy she can produce. However, her end step trigger does have the potential to churn out powerful Vehicles.
Territorial Aetherkite is one of the best energy cards in Commander. Even on its own it can come down and do 2 to the rest of the board, but you’ll often have even more energy. Because you get to choose the amount of Energy you pay, it’s really not difficult to make the Aetherkite decimate your opponents while leaving you relatively unscathed. Especially because no matter what you hang on to the massive dragon.
Lastly, Nissa, Worldsoul Speaker is a great way to produce energy. Paying 8 energy for permanents isn’t going to always come up, but it does mean she can occasionally do something really absurd.
OTHER IMPORTANT ENERGY STAPLES AND WIN CONDITIONS
Now that we’ve looked at the best precon-exclusive Energy cards, I also want to discuss some other Energy cards that are crucial for a good Energy deck. And the good news is, many of these have been reprinted in one of the precons we’ve discussed.
Aetherworks Marvel and Gonti’s Aether Heart are arguably the most powerful things you can do with Energy. They both generate energy at an impressive pace and then give you something amazing to spend that energy on.
Aetherworks Marvel lets you pay six energy to cast a free spell from your top six cards. Importantly, because you cast that spell, you’re even going to get cast triggers out of your Eldrazi. This isn’t a one-shot effect either, you can use Aetherworks Marvel multiple times.
The Aether Heart is a one-shot effect, but that effect is what might be the 7 most powerful worlds in Magic, “Take an extra turn after this one.” And just like the Marvel, it can sit around on the board for a while while generating energy, making using that effect far easier.
Both of these were reprinted in the Modern Horizons 3 precon, and the Marvel is in the Aetherdrift precon.
These two cars are far less exciting. They don’t let you cast a big spell for free or give you extra turns, but they do the dirty work that is necessary in Commander decks – they make your mana way better. The Transformer is a very powerful mana rock when you’ve got the energy to keep it going, and the Hub is basically a better Mana Confluence in most energy decks.
Both of these got reprinted in the Modern Horizons 3 and Aetherdrift precons.
These three cards haven’t been reprinted in Commander decks, but they are very strong cards you’re going to want to get your hands on. Volatile Stormdrake lets you exchange it for an opponent’s creature, which even means you can steal their commander!
Guide of Souls is very easy to generate energy with, and its attack trigger is enough to make virtually any creature into a threat.
Of these three, I think Wrath of the Skies is the most impressive, though. It’s an Energy-based board sweeper, and unlike Localized Destruction, it can also go after artifacts and enchantments.
SO, WHICH ENERGY PRECON IS BEST?
If you buy either the Modern Horizons 3 or Aetherdrift precon you’re going to be very happy. Both of those decks include a very powerful Commander and a nice assortment of deck-exclusive cards and reprints that form a great foundation for any Energy deck.
Between those two, I think the Modern Horizons 3 precon comes out on top. It features the best Commander and it contains all of the most important reprints (Aetherworks Marvel and Gonti’s Aether Heart most notably). Additionally, it has plenty of great deck-exclusive cards too – every Energy deck wants Aether Refinery, Conversion Apparatus, and Localized Destruction.
So if you’re buying only a single deck, that’s the one to go with. You’ll need to pick up the fewest singles to round your deck out.
THE FUTURE OF ENERGY IN COMMANDER
The power of Energy decks has increased exponentially over the last year. Right now, Energy decks aren’t a problem in Commander. However, one of the dangers with a mechanic like this one is that it inherently gets much stronger the more cards they print with it. If at some point there are so many Energy cards that all the nonlands in your deck can produce and use Energy, we might have a problem.
The good news is, I don’t think that’s going to happen. While it’s interesting we’ve gotten so much Energy in such a short time, I think it’s simply because we happened to have several sets where the mechanic was a good fit flavor-wise.
END STEP
So, those are my thoughts on Energy in Commander right now, and the best way to build an Energy deck. Which Energy precon do you think is the best? 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.