Commander 2015: the Thrilling Conclusion?

Hey, everyone! Welcome back!

Today, we wrap up our review of Commander 2015. Now, it's important to remember that on top of the 55 (out of 56, because Kalemne was spoiled much earlier) cards we've looked at, there are a number of high quality reprints to consider if you're looking at picking up one or more of the decks. Decklists can be found here; an informed shopper is a smart one.

And now, the last of the brand new cards!

White

Oreskos Explorer

So, kind of a Tithe attached to a reasonably-priced creature. This isn't bad at all. It's not likely to make a splash in the late game, but I'm a fan of cards like this this. Land Tax, Tithe, Weathered Wayfarer; all are good. White counts on effects like this to hit land drops, and I'm of the opinion that hitting every land drop is the surest form of mana ramp. People tend to be less willing to destroy lands en masse, at least in casual play. As such, you could argue that cards like our feline friend here are a little safer than artifact ramp. Count on seeing this in mono-white decks, and not just Raksha or Kemba.


Herald of the Host

Serra Angel doesn't even see widespread play in Kaalia lists. A Serra Angel that hits everyone is an improvement, sure, but I don't know if the Herald here makes enough of an impact in your average Commander game.


Blue

Synthetic Destiny



The biggest advantage of Synthetic Destiny is that it's an instant. Exiling your team seems bad, of course, but if you're controlling someone else's creatures, or a bunch of tokens you want to tag out for some value creatures or a beater, then it's certainly an option. I like Polymorph-esque effects, but I prefer the chance to reuse whatever I target, and that's easier with a 'destroy' than it is trying to get your creature back from exile.



Mirror Match

Worst part of Mortal Kombat.

This is a cool combat trick that could also score you some ETB triggers, if your opponent is swinging in with, say, a Titan of some non-Primeval kind. Worth some consideration, though it'll probably only work once.



Broodbirth Viper

Five mana is a lot. Unlike the other creatures with Myriad in this expansion, however, Broodbirth Viper offers a benefit in addition to the damage it would deal to each opponent. It might be cool with Venser, the Sojourner, whose -2 does apply to creatures that enter the battlefield after it resolves (Gatherer ruling). In that case, in a 4 player game, drawing three and dealing three to each opponent isn't bad. But a 5 mana do-nothing probably isn't worth it.


Illusory Ambusher

I like this quite a bit, actually. Big enough to kill a large number of threats, and nets you some number of cards. I wish it had one more point of toughness, but that's just my Blightsteel Colossus paranoia shining through. I expect this cat to see some play. It's not everyday a combat trick offers the potential to draw more than one card.


Black

Daxos's Torment

A four mana conditional 5/5 with flying and haste? Hard to say just how useful this will be, but there are decks that run enough enchantments to make this worthwhile. Kind of a nonbo with Zur, given that you get your enchantment after Zur attacks, and so this guy cannot. Even so, it's still seems good in a (new) Daxos deck, maybe alondside Heliod?



Thief of Blood

A flying threat that kills planeswalkers and hurts decks like Mimeoplasm and every Simic deck, ever. It's expensive, maybe, but unlike Aether Snap, this leaves a threat behind (at the cost of not hitting tokens). There are decks that'd want this, but I'd say it's more of a meta call.


Corpse Auger

With two toughness, it's a matter of when this guy will die, not if. He might not even kill/mill you outright, since you can choose anyone's graveyard. That said, I don't like cards without an immediate impact of some kind. With one toughness, you could clmap this guy for a huge amount of value. As he is, I'd pass. I prefer Disciple of Bolas in the same role, to be honest. The setup takes more effort, but at least then you can capitalize on the card draw immediately.


Red

Awaken the Sky Tyrant

It's a shame that this costs four. If it cost any less, it'd be a pretty good deterrent in a colour that doesn't get deterrents. In Commander, though? A 5/5 flier often isn't enough to make a splash. You want your rattlesnakes to really intimidate your opponents, like Defense of the Heart. Two mystery creatures is a lot scarier than one dragon for the same CMC. Could you consider this a budget version, as they fill similar roles? Maybe, but I'd still consider running something else.


Rite of the Raging Storm

This is a cool political card! You've got opponents Lava Axing each other while you get to sit tight. Add in a few helpful reminders ("I'm giving you creatures! What's he done for you lately?"), and watch things escalate. Play your cards right (ha!) and you'll be calling the shots soon enough.


Warchief Giant

I mean, I guess it's sorta similar to the outcome of casting Rite of the Raging Storm. And at least Red's Myriad card has haste, for a little immeidate benefit, but I think I'd probably just build my own Myriad with Blade of Selves (which might explain the demand for it).


Dream Pillager

One phrase short. "Without paying their mana costs." That's all he needed to be awesome. As he is, if you've got seven mana available, you could probably follow it up with any number of things, having dug ~4 cards deeper. He's not bad, but he costs a lot and doesn't let you have your spells for free. Most people will pass this guy by. It's a shame, too; the art is striking, very cool!


 Meteor Blast

Meteor Blast is the latest riff on the variable burn spell. Triple R is harsh, and hinders your ability to splash it, but 4 damage is a respectable amount. Comet Storm is more expensive, but offers a lot more flexibility. And it's been reprinted in a Commander product before.


Green

Skullwinder

It's a political Eternal Witness that can trade with much larger creatures. Run. It. In any deck you can.


Bloodspore Thrinax

Neat with Modular, Graft, and Persist. He'd be pretty good in any deck that employs those strategies. Also makes your big guys bigger, and your utility creatures able to hold their own in the mid/late game.



Ezuri's Predation

A conditional green wrath? That could leave you with a few Beasts? Might be worth considering, given that green doesn't get this kind of ability very often. The mana cost isn't that relevant, in this case, because, you know, green. The GGG in the mana cost does make this hard to splash, though.


Caller of the Pack

Eight power and trample make Caller of the Pack a force to be reckoned with, especially since it can hit everyone, but at seven mana with no ETB ability, I don't know if he's better than something like Regal Force for the same cost. Cards that "just" do damage, even lots of damage, need to be spectacular to see to play. And Caller... isn't.


Pathbreaker Ibex

Our backup for Craterhoof Behemoth is... a goat. You laugh, but I've seen people run Goatnapper, "just in case." It's worthwhile, yes. Token decks will want this. But be careful against Krenko decks. A stolen goat in a Krenko deck will kill you. And no one wants to die that way.


Great Oak Guardian

Here, we've got a six mana 4/5 with reach and flash. Seems alright, if unimpressive. The main draw of our wooden friend here is the ETB ability. Pumps your team and untaps them, which could be a cool followup to a botched alpha strike. With Kiki-Jiki, you'll notice that you can create an arbitrarily large team. Triple R into a green spell can be rough, but "infinite" combos in two colours without blue are almost worth it for the surprise factor on their own. I could see this guy being run in a Xenagos deck alongside Kiki-Jiki, for sure.



Colourless

Sandstone Oracle

Colourless card draw, you say? On a decently sized flying body? For a reasonable price? More options for Kozilek decks are always good. Most of the colours have better options, of course, but for white and red decks, this sphinx could be worth the inclusion.


Thought Vessel

A Reliquary Tower that costs mana, huh? It is one of the cheaper mana rocks that could see play; its static ability is pretty useful. In a deck like Nekusar, maybe, something like this could be good. I wanted to avoid Reliquary Tower in my Nekusar deck, because of things like Forced Fruition (UUU) and other spells with a heavy colour requirement. Having the same effect on a cheap mana rock is a potentially worthwhile alternative. I'll do some testing.


Fin
And that's all for today! Has your experience differed? Have tips or suggestions? Let me know! And, as always, thank you for reading!

The Commander 2015 Review Continues!

Hi, everyone; welcome back!

So... how about those new Commander cards?

It looks like they've done a hell of a job with the cards in this set. Many aren't overtly powerful, but I feel that there's more wheat than chaff here. Let's have a look in Part 2 of the Commander 2015 breakdown.

White

Righteous Confluence

"Yuna! Send him!"

Not the most thrilling offering, but 6 power for five mana (spread over three bodies) isn't too bad. Lifegain can be relevant in the format; I've won games with the lonegevity granted by Ajani, Mentor of Heroes. While this isn't on the same scale, 15 life for 5 mana isn't awful. Exiling enchantments might come up; following a turn 4 Enchanted Evening with this on turn five could be a lot of fun. Overall, I wish this could hit artifacts as well, but this offers a few niche effects bundled together nicely for a reasonable cost. Hard to argue with that.


Bastion Protector

Alright, so we've got a efficient creature that keeps your Commander around. Kind of a redundant effect in something like a Rafiq deck (if they run Knight Exemplar). Plus, I could see this being called Arya Stark, given the resemblance to Maisie Williams. If your Commander is the engine that drives your deck, is white (no Tumblr hate, pls), and is not Avacyn (the good one), Arya here is probably worth running.


Dawnbreak Reclaimer

Get it? Because the ability scales!

I don't usually like giving my opponents a choice, with two exceptions. One, if I can politically strongarm them into doing what I want, and the other exception is if they don't have much of a choice at all. Dawnbreak Reclaimer is the second kind of card. It's kind of reminiscent of Guided Passage, a favourite of mine, in that they can't "fail to find," unless a card that meets the criteria doesn't exist. On top of netting some benefit (even something as innocuous as Burnished Hart), you can use this politically, choosing an opponent with no graveyard, or one with the power to repay you in some way. I like this, and it's a fairly efficient creature to boot.


Grasp of Fate

Man, do I ever wish they still used the templating for Oblivion Ring. As is, Grasp of Fate is potentially high reward for substantial risk. Many high-value targets in the format have some kind of ETB ability, meaning you're offering them extra mileage for the low, low price of taking revenge on you anyway. See the problem? That's not to say that this is terrible, but if you're the kind of person that watched John Wick and thought, "Man they shouldn't have killed that dog," then this card might not be for you.


Shielded by Faith

Shielded by Faith is somewhat evocative of Gift of Immortality, with a dash of Prison Term thrown in. I think this card is great; there are a lot of Commanders that will want Indestructible for cheap, and you can cast it anytime you have a creature in the early game, and attach it to the boss when he shows up. Probably going to straight into Zur, Uril, and Bruna decks 'round the world now.


Blue

Mystic Confluence

This is probably the breakout card for the set. Magic "financiers" have already indicated an interest in speculating on this, given its ability to roughly mimic Cryptic Command. I don't forsee the demand on this card pushing demand of Seize Control to the level of Mind Seize in 2013, which was sought after because of the inclusion of True-Name Nemesis. Mystic Confluence offers nothing but value. It's a soft counter that can be hard, plus a bounce or a draw. I can't think of too many blue decks that won't want this. Hopefully, demand doesn't make the deck this comes in impossible to obtain for MSRP.


Aethersnatch

This is kind of an upgrade to Commandeer. No alternate cost, but this can target creature spells and clocks in at one mana cheaper to hardcast. Any deck that plays Commandeer or the like will probably want to run this as well.


Gigantoplasm

It's rare that I throw the term "strictly better" around, but this appears to be a strictly better Clone. In the time before the most recent update to the "legend rule," I fought for a long time to get Clone onto various lists of "staples." I'm older and wiser now, and Clone's ability to act as Commander removal that got around hexproof is a thing of the past. Even so, I've seen Sakashima the Imposter decks that basically operate as Clone-tribal, so this might be a fun inclusion there. The modified Mirror Entity ability the copy gets is useful, too, allowing you to copy a utility creature, get an ETB trigger, and then be able to beat an opponent with your copy. Pretty cool!


Black

Wretched Confluence

Here, we have a pricier Ambition's Cost/ Ancient Craving that can trade the card draw amd life loss for a Recover or the removal of a small utility creature. As with the other Confluence cards in the expansion, I expect this will see play due to its flexibility.


Deadly Tempest

It's not Damnation, so it's unplayable jank, right? In reality, this is useful against a variety of decks. Yeah, six mana can be a lot, and this doesn't offer the flexibility that Austere Command does for the same price, but this also pisses all over token decks in a way that relatively few other cards can pull off. This will be good.


Scourge of Nel Toth

Normally, French Vanilla (or creatures that are essentially French Vanilla) aren't that interesting. Scourge offers some flexibility in its casting, and based on the Uncharted Realms article he's in, his abilities are a flavour win, but I'd probably pass on this one. At seven mana, he's not what you'd be happy hardcasting in the mid-to-late game, and even if you get him out early, he's going to either make you a target or die. Setting yourself back two potential blockers to cheat out a flying 6/6 just isn't worth it.


Dread Summons

Contrary to popular belief, mill is a viable Plan A in Commander. Normally, it'd be Phenax or Oona, but something like The Mimeoplasm is something of a mill strategy, too. I think Dread Summons has a place in a Mimeoplasm deck, or some Sidisi, Brood Tyrant builds. The access to green ramp could help make the value of X in Dread Summons's casting cost more significant that it's be in UB Phenax or Oona, while either doubling down of creatures in Sidisi, or filling the graveyard for Mimeoplasm.


Red

Magus of the Wheel

Man, I wish this had been part of a Sorcery-based cycle. Ah, well. As it stands, the obvious application is Nekusar. Mono-red isn't usually a winning game plan, but I expect we'll see our new Magus fairly often in red decks, given the increase in the cost of Wheel of Fortune.




Mizzix's Mastery

This feels like Past in Flames to me. The RRR in the Overload cost is harsh, but if played appropriately, could easily close out the game. This card could be dangerous; one to keep an eye on, for sure.


Green

Verdant Confluence

The last of the Confluences! Verdant Confluence has a couple flaws, in my opinion, likely caused by an attempt for some balance. As it is, it's a triple Rampant Growth, or a triple almost-Regrowth, or a pile of counters, for a fair price. The ability to put counters does require you to have a creature, for maximum benefit, but you can help out an ally, or two, or three. If it seems underpowered, then I'd argue that the restrictions on the first two abilities are balanced by the third. Ramp is seldom a bad thing in a game of Commander, and getting three lands from your library for one card is pretty solid.


Arachnogenesis

So, a Fog, token producer, and combat trick all in one? This seems pretty cool. It can be used offensively, and though you won't get any bonus spiders for attacking, at least yours will come home. Spider support is growing, hopefully when we head back to Innistrad we'll get a legendary spider.


Centaur Vinecrasher

Okay, so this looks like a Knight of the Reliquary/ Vengevine mashup. I don't know if I'd play it. I play Knight of the Reliquary and ten fetchlands. Realistically, I might have 2-5 lands in the mid game. So, I'd be paying 4 mana for around a 5/5 with trample. That I can recur (slowly) if I bin another land. Meh.


Multicoloured

Karlov of the Ghost Council

Repeatable removal on a small, cheap potential Commander, that incrementally grows when you gain life? Yes, you have to jump through a couple hoops. But lifegain isn't necessarily bad in a meta where Commander damage isn't a concern (for whatever reason). Hell, Oloro could run this for significant profit. And the Orzhov are all about profit.


Meren of Clan Nel Toth

Wow. Meren is... abusable (stand down, Tumblr). There are at least a few creatures that can sacrifice for cheap (if not for free) that would then net you an experience counter. Sakura-Tribe Elder, Fleshbag Marauder, Awakening Zone, From Beyond, and Birthing Pod are all powerful ways to sacrifice creatures, and that's just scratching the surface. And Meren offers utility even if you don't have "enough" experience counters, letting you recycle your creatures. An extremely powerful Commander.


Ezuri, Claw of Progress

Ezuri seems good alongside token producers. From Beyond, Awakening Zone, Avenger of Zendikar, Elvish Promenade, all of these are solid. And then you go to combat, dump a pile of counters on a creature, and go to town. Doubling Season, Parallel Lives, and ways to make your creatures unblockable are all great with Ezuri.


Anya, Merciless Angel

First of all, gorgeous art. I'm not 100% sure yet on where Anya fits in, lore-wise, but I guess we could safely assume that she's another of Razia's clones, like Aurelia? Anyway, Anya, Late to the Party, is an acceptable body for a reasonable cost that just... attacks. She's at lease evasive, I suppose, but I'd run Gisela over her, if I had to play RW.


Arjun, the Shifting Flame

A six mana 5/5 Mindmoil. It's... different, I guess? It doesn't really read that well. Tough to plan ahead when you get a different hand every time you attempt to do something. In a "chaos" themed deck,


Colourless

Seal of the Guildpact

Shoutout time! This card was spoiled by Tolarian Community College's Professor; if you're unfamiliar with his Youtube Channel, I recommend you check it out.

Not much to say about this card. It's a fine card, I guess; a big Medallion. Five mana feels like a lot to me, given that Gilded Lotus is the same price and provides more flexibility, in that you can use the mana on activated abilities and the like. I'm not interested in this card so much.


Command Beacon

Most people are excited that this helps enable Haakon and Phage as Commanders, though the former will still require some effort. It's a shame it's only in one of the new decks, because it helps overcome the Commander tax for Commanders that are big targets, and I'd hate to see demand for this drive up the cost for the deck it's in. Time will tell, but I like this card, and expect it to see play in any deck that can afford to play a land that doesn't tap for coloured mana.



That's all for today! Join me next time for the thrilling conclusion!

As always, let me know if you've got feedback or criticism. Thanks for reading!

Spoiler Alert!

Hi, everyone. Welcome back; I appreciate you stopping by!

Some of you may have noticed that the website went the way of the Titanic; launched, ran into some issues, and then sank. Hundreds died, Leonardo DiCaprio was there. There was totally enough room on the damn door, Rose! James Cameron will be diving on the wreck soon.

You know.

In truth, I was sold a website package that was ultimately incompatible with my vision for the site. I intend to relaunch another unsinkable ship soon, one that will scale better for mobile users, and not have to link to Blogspot. This might seem like old hat to many of you, but I'm not a web developer by trade (or by education), so...

Anyway, the thing that's most important to me is that you're here, reading the barely coherent nonsense I write. And for that, you've my gratitude.

As for today, I'd like to talk about the BRAND NEW COMMANDER SPOILERS!

White

Kalemne's Captain

Huh.

So, we've got a 5/5 for 5, which is fine, with at least one relevant tribe. The Monstrosity ability is why you'd play this guy, and its cost is roughly on par with Merciless Eviction or Austere Command. Your opponent will see it coming, unless you've got twelve mana, but you do get to threaten instant speed mass removal. Maybe fun with Mycosynth Lattice?

Too bad about the art, though. The proportions on the giant seem... off. That's a huge head for such small arms.

Black

Banshee of the Dread Choir



"Blinded by the light..."



 That's a big Spectre.

This looks alright, to be honest. Spoiled to showcase the new Myriad ability, which evokes memories of Nacatl War-Pride or Hydra Omnivore. The neat thing is that you can throw the copy at a planeswalker or an opponent, offering a little flexibility if you're okay with losing, in this case, the ability to force the discard. I'm hoping Banshee is part of a cycle; the blue one drawing cards, the green one ramping... likely too strong, but a man can dream, right?

Great art, too.

Red

Fiery Confluence

Here's another one that I'm hoping exists as part of a cycle.

We haven't had a modal spell yet wherein you could choose the same thing twice, which makes this interesting. It's kind of an Into the Core that can Pyroclasm or Flame Javelin an opponent. At a fair four mana, I fully expect this to see play.

Multicoloured

Daxos the Returned



Elspeth is going to be pissed. I mean, she killed a god. Why would any of the others dick her around like this? I can just imagine Ajani/Nietzsche saying, "God is dead. And she killed him."

That aside, Daxos remains aggressively costed, at least? He's pretty efficient at making his tokens, which flavorfully don't play nice with Starfield of Nyx, but requires some commitment to enchantments to make work, if you want to keep the tokens around. At no expereince, it's three mana to trigger an ETB effect (like Purphoros) and an immediate "dies" effect. He could be valuable just for that.

Kaseto, Orochi Archmage

Kamigawa hype!

...nobody? Alright.

Kaseto is another cheap UG Commander that seems to go hand-in-hand with Edric, Spymaster of Trest. If your army of cheap creatures just happen to be snakes, any amount of ramp means an unblockable team that draws you a ton of cards. I like cards like our new friend here, in that I like cards that offer of decent utility on their own, with just a little extra mileage for being willing to jump through their hoops.

Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest

Wow.

Ravnica can be a scary place.

For example, off the top of my head, some popular sacrifice effects in Commander:

- Liliana of the Veil

- fetchlands

- Wasteland/ Strip Mine

- Sakura-Tribe Elder

- Loyal Retainers

These are just of the top of my head; there are lots more. Combine this guy with Pharika, which makes Snake tokens for exiling things from a graveyard, and there might be the core of deck here somewhere. Sacrifice a creature (Fleshbag Marauder, for instance?), and with Mazirek's trigger on the stack, exile the creature with Pharika to get the token before the counters get placed on your team? Kinda janky, but this guy might be worth looking at. Thanks to Redditor /u/Whapow for pointing out an error I made, wherein I said that Pharika nets you the token.

Mizzix of the Izmagus

I honestly wasn't sure if this was the name of a hip-hop album when I heard about this guy.

I like the ability, and it seems like it'd be a lot of fun in a Melek deck, which is to say that I don't know that I'd make this creature the Commander of such a deck, but it could be good! As with the other experience counters, that the work you put in is truly cumulative. Killing your Commander doesn't undo all of the spells you've cast to make things cheaper, and recasting it brings back all of the benefit. I really feel like they've created a balanced way of rewarding certain Commander strategies without making more Oloro-style cards. I'm interested in seeing what the other three do (we've seen the RW one).

Colourless

Blade of Selves



Here we see Myriad again, this time on whatever you want!

Pro tip: Don't use this on your Commander, unless it's a three player game, and your Commander is Brothers Yamazaki.

Or, you know. Mirror Gallery.

Honestly, this thing could make big, splashy ETB effects even more backbreaking. Imagine this on any of the titans, Grave Titan or Sun Titan in particular. Or Angel of Despair/Ashen Rider. Even small utility creatures can net you huge benefit when copied 3 times (in a five player game).; look at Eternal Witness.

The Blade is win-more, perhaps, but's relatively inexpensive, and there are ways to avoid the equip cost if you really want to.

Scytheclaw



I don't know if this will make a huge splash. I don't recall ever seeing Quietus Spike come up, and while this might not be bad value, coming down with a creature for less than the cost of playing and equipping a Quietus Spike, but it's a 1/1 that they'll block all day, everyday. If they can't, then you're ahead anyway. A Voltron deck will probably just use Grafted Exoskelton to get there faster.


That's all for today! Tune in Wednesday, where I'll break down the next batch of spoilers. For those of you still with me, I thank you again.

A bientot!