All articles tagged with #commander
Wizards released three early Secrets of Strixhaven spoilers: Together as One looks like the best of the bunch but may only see play in Limited or Commander rather than Standard; Heated Argument and Banishing Betrayal are draft fodder with limited competitive value; more spoilers arrive with tomorrow’s debut livestream, including Emeritus of Ideation, as the set looms large.
An Ice Age artifact called Jester’s Cap can exile cards from an opponent’s library; with recursion or reanimation (e.g., via Toph, the First Metalbender or other artifact-reanimators) it can repeatedly remove threats, potentially crippling a Commander deck. The piece compares it to other exile options (Extract, Sadistic Sacrament, Grinning Totem) and notes that in Commander the payoff is often limited by redundancy in decks. Despite its age and a low price (~$0.39), it’s rarely played (EDHREC shows under 5,000 decks), making it a surprising but risky tactic.
Secret Lair x Brain Dead: New Earth Mentality Chaos Vault dropped, featuring 10 cards priced at $29.99–$39.99; in an unusual turn, two missing designs—Miren, the Moaning Well and Master of the Feast—show up as bonus cards on some sheets. Miren’s reprint could carry a high premium, though Secret Lair prints typically maintain value. Additional bonuses include Tidal Barracuda and Invasion Plans, but pull rates and final market prices for these extras are still unknown, and the overall value of the drop remains uncertain.
A TMNT crossover spoiler centers on Donatello’s Technique, a one-mana common that draws two cards and could enable new infinite combos. While not fitting every deck, it shines in Standard (e.g., Esper Pixie, Dimir Midrange) and looks like an easy upgrade for Commander (Yuriko ninjutsu, Blink decks), making it a strong candidate for the set’s best card.
Magic designer Melissa DeTora explains Turtle Power!, a five-color TMNT Commander deck built around +1/+1 counters to emulate leveling up. The team scrapped an initial character-select mechanic in favor of a partner system to give the deck a five-color identity, while incorporating TMNT arcade-game tropes and featuring characters like Irma and Bebop & Rocksteady. The article walks through the design process, thematic choices, and the resulting flavor that goes beyond the main set.
Lorwyn Eclipsed has ignited demand for Treebeard, Gracious Host (a Treefolk engine used in Commander), pushing prices up from a budget $0.57 to around $6–$7 for near‑mint copies, with market prices hitting higher highs due to dwindling supply. The surge reflects its rising role in Lorwyn Eclipsed‑themed builds (notably Doran and Food/lifegain shells) and broader Treefolk play, though volatility remains as more sets release and demand shifts.
Magic Presents: Pride returns June 5–14, 2026, inviting local game stores to host a Pride-themed Commander event where players pair two legal commanders with partner, build a deck that expresses their Pride, and receive a foil Gilded Lotus promo illustrated by Merlin G.G. featuring the Gruulfriends Chandra and Nissa, plus an enamel pin; registration closes March 27 and the event will run in many regions worldwide.
February 9’s MTG Banned and Restricted update unbans Biorhythm (added to Game Changers), unbans Lutri the Spellchaser with a restriction that it cannot be a companion, and upgrades Farewell to a Game Changer. Historic Eldrazi Temple is banned; several other cards (Ajani, Nacatl Pariah; Crop Rotation; Scholar of the Lost Trove) are banned, while Magus of the Moon, Harbinger of the Seas, Force of Vigor, Force of Negation, Endurance, Wilderness Reclamation, and Agent of Treachery are unbanned. Timeless Necropotence is restricted. Arena format sees rebalances, and Commander experiences only modest changes with no sweeping B&R overhauls.
The Commander Format Panel outlines 2026 plans: the hybrid mana rule discussion is shelved for now due to divided feedback, bracket tweaks are paused until at least one MagicCon to avoid confusion, and Game Changers updates include Farewell joining at Bracket 3+ and Biorhythm joining the list, with Lutri excluded. A potential additional ban update remains possible later in the year, with updates likely around May/June after events this year.
Wizards of the Coast announced a Roll for Initiative Superdrop featuring seven new Secret Lair drops themed around D&D, set to launch February 9 and fully spoiled in advance. The lineup includes Shadowheart’s Devotion, Gale’s Ambition, Black Lights & Dark Dungeons, Shadows Over Baldur’s Gate, Strahd’s Descent, Whispers in Candlekeep, and Lands of the Forgotten Realms—each offering a mix of new cards and valuable reprints (from Ancient Bronze Dragon and Personal Tutor to Counterspell and Prosper). Total value varies by drop, with several high-value reprints and staples that could appeal to both collectors and Commander players. The rollout follows community backlash to a prior Chaos Vault release, and Wizards appears to be aiming to rebuild goodwill with strong, value-forward drops.
The piece spotlights Equilibrium, a cheap one-mana enchantment that makes each creature you cast bounce back to hand, enabling powerful value plays and near-infinite combos in Commander when paired with cards like Urza, Chulaine, Sen Triplets, and other support. It outlines several combo paths—turning Equilibrium into removal via Warped Devotion or Horobi, Death’s Wail, or using Sen Triplets to play cards from opponents’ hands—along with practical, lower-risk lines that recur creatures for value. Despite its potential, Equilibrium remains underplayed (about 0.21% on EDHREC) and affordable (a Future Sight reprint variant can be found for under $1).
The article discusses the resurgence of the Magic: The Gathering card Whir of Invention, a powerful artifact tutor that allows players to put artifacts directly into play, especially effective in artifact-based decks and cEDH strategies, and highlights its applications across various formats.
Wizards of the Coast is considering changing the rules for Hybrid Mana cards in Commander from an 'and' to an 'or', which could significantly expand deckbuilding options and increase the playability of nearly 500 cards, though the proposal is still under feedback and not finalized.
Wizards of the Coast is considering banning two iconic Commander cards, Rhystic Study and Thassa’s Oracle, due to their powerful and game-altering effects, though community feedback and Rule Zero discussions will influence the final decision, which is expected to be made in 2026.
At MagicCon Atlanta, a new Commander card, Edea, Possessed Sorceress, was revealed, offering a unique strategy of stealing and sacrificing opposing creatures to draw cards and generate value, with various tech options to maximize its potential and mitigate drawbacks, making it a compelling choice for Commander players.