General Musings: Commanding M14

Thus far, we've produced a number of Commander-based articles for the blog, but have not quite taken the time to describe exactly what Commander is. To remedy this, I will preface this article with an introduction to the Commander format.

Commander is a casual, constructed format with specific deck-construction regulations. The FIRST rule is a deck may only contain one copy of any one card (except basic lands and cards that specifically state no limit a la Relentless Rats). This increases the overall entropy of a deck and makes each game a unique experience, adding to the non-competitive nature of the format. Rule TWO states that a deck must have EXACTLY 100 cards, as opposed to other constructed formats that have a minimum of 60 cards. Enabling even further randomness, having 100 unique cards promotes deck-synergy over individual interactions, making sure games don't frequently end with 'the same 2-card combo.'

Rule THREE contrasts the trend of inconsistency by stating that your deck MUST contain a Legendary Creature; the deck's commander (or general). The commander is not shuffled into its owner's deck at the start of the match, but is instead set aside in the 'Commander Zone' where it can be summoned at any time as though it were an extension of its owner's hand (timing rules still apply). The commander is the solitary piece of consistency a deck has; it is always 'in the opening hand' and may be returned to the Commander Zone upon death or exile to be cast again. KEEP THIS IN MIND: many players choose to build their decks around their commanders, electing to focus on their legend's powerful abilities to gain great advantage early in the game, when opponents are prioritizing development over removal. Although powerful, this strategy is fragile as a single removal spell can set the player back several turns and even render cards in their hand useless until they recast their commander. Other players simply choose a commander for its colors, choosing to play it as just another card in the deck which is also fine. This strategy values overall synergy and often focuses on a powerful late-game, when resources are low and a single threat - possibly the commander - can take over a game.

Rule FOUR declares that a deck cannot contain cards that have a color identity (or colored mana symbol) that is not in its commander's color identity. For example, an Olivia Voldaren deck may contain Lightning Bolt, Doom Blade and Terminate, but cannot play Swords to Plowshares, Putrefy or Crystal Shard. A good rule of thumb is that a card cannot have a colored mana symbol opposed to your general anywhere on the card (with the exception of parenthetical 'reminder' text' as in the Extort mechanic). Cards without mana costs are subject to this rule as well, so a Rafiq of the Many deck cannot contain Slaughter Pact or Garruk Relentless (as the color identity of Garruk, Veil-Cursed is Black). Cards may reference opposing colors (ex: Red Elemental Blast) or basic land types (as in Farseek and Marsh Flats), but cannot contain the colored mana symbol on the card. The two primary exceptions to this rule are Bosh, Iron Golem and Memnarch (who have colorless identities, but activated abilities that require colored mana). The FINAL rule is to have fun. Commander is a social, usually multi-player focused format where anything is possible! Commaner has its own banlist that can be found HERE. 

Completing a commander deck can be a long and rewarding process, as cards are frequently added and removed to adapt to a specific playgroup or try new strategies. However, all you really need is a group of friends, a 99-card deck (plus one commander to rule them all) and an open mind to begin playing; the rest is up to you!

Fortunately, we have the sweet smell of a brand-spankin' new set that just dropped. And with every new set comes new goodies for Commander. Today, I'm going to present my Top 8 picks for best new Commander cards. Let's jump in!

8. Elvish Mystic

'Wait, isn't this exactly the same as Llanowar Elves?' Nope! I mean, yes it does the same thing, but it has a different name, which means we can run both in our EDH decks. I'm a big fan of the Elf-ball strategy, and seeing another one of these dudes is good for Edric, Spymaster of Trest and Ezuri, Renegade Leader. Redundancy is a good thing, especially when it's purposely limited. Having one more way to hit turn-two Elvish Archruid or one more 'free' draw off of Glimpse of Nature helps these decks relevantly. I don't know; I was pretty excited.

7. Dark Prophecy

Looks a bit like Phyrexian Arena, but with less predictability. The problem with Arena is most people kill it when they see it to deny you the draw. So we got Underworld Connections, which guarantees us at least one draw if we play it on turn-four. Unfortunately this one is prone to the same answers as Arena PLUS making us susceptible to land destruction. Enter Dark Prophecy. Though much more situational than its predecessors, Dark Prophecy has incredible synergy with sacrifice outlets such as Ghave, Ghuru of Spores and Grimgrim, Corpse-Born, adding half of a Sign in Blood to every activation. Just be careful not to die to its triggers after a board wipe (Dark Prophecy is mandatory). 

6. Burning Earth

Red decks traditionally do damage as fast as they can. Burning Earth makes it so even spells your opponents cast attack their own life totals. Given how popular multi-colored decks are and how often players rely on non-basic lands (my Kaalia of the Vast deck has about 9 Basic lands, yikes!), this Enchantment can very easily deal twenty or more damage before you untap. Especially useful in aggressive mono-colored decks like Krenko, Mob Boss and Urabrask, the Unseen, where the effect is mitigated by the owner's use of Basic lands, Burning Earth is a somewhat innocuous, yet very consistent source of damage. 

5. Colossal Whale

Honestly, I'm a little unimpressed by Blue in this Core Set. Elite Arcanist feels like a mediocre Isochron Scepter, Jace's Mindseeker is a bad Diluvian Primordial, and Dismiss into Dream doesn't quite feel powerful enough (needs a targeting engine like Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor to be great). Colossal Whale; however, is a pretty sweet creature. Seven mana 5/5 is standard fare for big dudes with effects, but Colossal Whale can be a finisher with enough protection. Inhaling blockers with each swing, Colossal Whale acts like a Blue Admonition Angel (only without any 'trigger on the stack' shenanigans). Riding with Stormtide Leviathan, Colossal Whale will quickly drown enemies and with effects like Crystal Shard, you can turn a Wrath on its head by leaving behind the regurgitated creatures and rescuing your Whale before the effect resolves. Also, the 'Jonah and the Whale' reference tickles me, if you couldn't tell.

4. Angelic Accord

The more I looked at this card, the more intrigued I became by its effect. 4/4 Flying Angel tokens close out a game quickly and this Enchantment creates one at the end of each end step. Wait, so this triggers at my opponents' end steps too!? Although we can't make instant-speed angels, life gain decks will enjoy passively creating a flying army while sticking to their primary objective (similar to Sigil of the Empty Throne in Krond/Bruna decks). A few easy ways to gain 4 lie include: attacking with Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter, flinging an Angel with Brion Stoutarm, Populating an Angel with Trostani, Selesnya's Voice, discarding a card to Trading Post, having Celestial Force trig - oops, off by one.

3. Primeval Bounty

Everybody loves free stuff. Primeval Bounty turns ALL of your actions into 2-or-1s. All of your creature spells bring a date to the party, all of your non-creature spells power up the aforementioned party, and all of your lands are Glimmerposts 'in addition to their other types.' Left unchecked, this enchantment generates massive card advantage out of every single draw that will usually win the game in just a few turns. And at a modest price of 5G, this Enchantment can begin its work as early as Turn 4 with good ramp, allowing you to put early pressure on opponents while they are still setting up. 

2. Rise of the DarkRealms

Can’t decide what to Animate Dead? Big fan of Liliana Vess? Got 9 mana to spare? Then Rise of the Dark Realms is for you! Similar to Insurrection and Enter theInfinite, Rise will probably win you the game on the spot if played correctly. Setting up a huge Rise is easy enough; cards like Buried Alive and Faithless Looting set up our own graveyards while Traumatize and Life’s Finale work on our opponents. Or, you know, just wait until the end of the game when Wraths and combat have done the dirty work for you. Especially effective against those GB reanimator decks who love to jam fatties into their decks with the hope of getting some extra mileage out of them late-game.

1. Strionic Resonator

Uh… (Rune-Scarred Demon)

Uhhhh… (Sylvan Primordial)

UHHHHH… (Kaalia of the Vast)

Wow. Is anybody else incredibly excited to play with this card?! If you haven’t noticed by now, I am a big fan of incremental advantage, which this card goes a long way to produce. Most people enjoy their value creatures (creatures with “Enter the battlefield” effects) because they generate card advantage. When a creature produces an effect upon resolution and leaves behind its own body, you get value out of the creature even if it dies immediately. Strionic Resonator gives you even MORE bang for your buck on spells and abilities if you are willing to pay a slight premium. Although not as repeatable as Rings of Brighthearth, Resonator presents a subtle, yet powerful threat that makes every triggered ability you own even more daunting to opponents. Special shout-outs to Invasion and Planar Chaos dragons for taking advantage of this effect with gusto.

Honorable Mentions:

Ring of Three Wishes – heard you like Planar Portal. Here’s a cheaper one with limited uses. Proliferate or recursion might make this better.

Encroaching Wastes – heard you like LD. Somewhere between Wasteland and Tectonic Edge. More of these doesn't hurt; there are too many Cabal Coffers and Mazes of Ith running around anyway.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Perhaps not the most popular cards in the set, these are the cards that struck me as having the most relevant potential influence on the Commander scene. I hope you enjoyed this quick look at the new set and good luck, fellow Commanders!

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-Javier Remy