Now, I know that everyone and their dog has a Magic-related blog. I don't expect anything to come from this, except for some discussion, hopefully. I don't have any advertisers, none of that. I aim to update a couple times per week, share my opinions with all of you, and hopefully both learn and teach, when appropriate. That's it, that's all. Hopefully some of my perspectives and information is new to you, and I'll do everything I can to not post derivative content. I'll also aim to avoid clichés (the "spirit of EDH," etc.). It's been done before, it's boring, and it won't satisfy anyone. That said, I will remain open to suggestions, so please, feel free!
What are my credentials? Why listen to me?
I can't answer that. You might find that I have nothing useful to contribute. But I have been playing Commander since 2008, and have played all across Canada. I've played in competitive metagames, casual metagames, and in both English and in French. I've taught people to play, introduced them to the format, and have had small parts in building communities in the last few cities I've lived in. I've had the chance to play Magic with members of the USMC in Hawaii, and on board several RCN ships (Oriole (that was a nightmare), Yellowknife, Protecteur, and Algonquin, to name a couple).
I've been around, and I think that doing some writing might help me deal with a few things. I'm not a "financier," I don't consider myself a competitive player, and I'm not trying to sell you anything. I'll likely never write for a big site. Indie cred, yo. So, grab a beer, shuffle up, and let's play a few games?
As most of you are undoubtedly aware, Battle for Zendikar came out a few weeks ago, and I'm excited about the set's significant impact on Commander. From full-art basics for those that care about aesthetics, to "full-art" foil Expeditions (shocks, fetches, and the new "slow duals") for pimps, to the cards I've chosen to focus on below, this set seems to have a lot to offer. Let's have a look!
White:
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
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| Crack that whip! |
I know Standard players are hyping Gideon, as he mostly fills the Elspeth-shaped hole left in control decks post-rotation. He doesn't really do anything fresh, but the combination of his abilities and aggressive mana cost could convince me to play him in that 5-colour Ally deck I've been putting off for a few years now, as Ally ETB triggers every turn for no additional mana are pretty much exactly what the deck needs. Not too colour intensive, either.
The main drawback with our Mediterranean (but not) friend is the price tag. The price of some singles is still leveling out, and Gideon's a bit high as of this writing. If and when he comes down, I could see him being used in Ally decks, token decks, and possibly even control decks. Dude's versatile.
Quarantine Field
So, it would seem that the permanents remain exiled regardless of the number of counters that remain on Quarantine Field, unless removed in response to the ETB trigger. Still a pretty expensive O-Ring, but at least Vampire Hexmage and Hex Parasite can't ruin your day, right? Ugin wasn't kidding about failsafes.
Emeria Shepherd
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| Sweet! A foil picture! |
This card got some attention during spoiler season, and I'd say it was deserved. It costs a lot, but incidental reanimation is better card advantage than white usually gets. From reusing bombs like Iona to getting more mileage out of Burnished Hart, this might be worth playing in spite of its cost. Kind of a shame that Flagstones of Trokair and Vesuva don't work together as well as they did before the updated "Legend Rule."
As an aside, anyone kind of get a Mass Effect vibe here? Commander's the format, Shepherd's the card, and both Mass Effect and this stretch for observational comedy involve returning from the dead.
"Shepherd."
"Wrex(ial)."
And there's even a Conduit and some Archives on Zendikar.
I should go.
Blue:
Part the Waterveil
Pickings seemed slim on the Blue front. I liked this neat reference to Magosi, the Waterveil, from our first trip to Zendikar. As a Time Warp effect, this one is interesting due to the Awaken cost, but at nine mana, it might not make the cut in Commander. A deck like Narset might run it anyway, as she can cheat out the extra turn, at least, but when you can get two turns off of Time Stretch for one more mana, it almost doesn't matter how big the awoken land is. A 6/6 (if you want haste, the spell basically costs ten mana) isn't irrelevant, and it adds upside to the spell, but 6UUU can be a lot to ask.
Black:
Drana, Liberator of Malakir
Drana's back! The sequel to the biggest, most-game warping limited bomb in recent history doesn't seem to live up to the hype of the original. There might be a couple cool interactions you could run in an Ally deck, but then she can't really be the Commander, due to a shortage of black Allies in general (pun intended), to say nothing of playable ones. It's worth pointing out, however, that because she has first strike, she deals damage with anyone that also has first strike, then pumps your team before creatures without first strike deal their combat damage. It's a nuanced interaction, but one people should be aware of.
Ob Nixilis Reignited
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| "MAH HAND IS ON FIYAH!" |
Ob's back, too, with a name/title that sounds like a prog rock band. I like ol' Ob in this form. Comes down, blows up a threat, then hopefully hangs around to draw you cards? Hell, if he kills one guy and dies to another, that's two potentially dangerous creatures NOT punching your head in. Seems alright. I have one in Nekusar, and I'm running one in my 5-Colour deck in lieu of Vraska. I'll miss the assassin tokens, but both of the abilities on Ob Nixilis that I can reasonably expect to use are better than the -3 I'm realistically playing Vraska for. Her +1 isn't in the same league as Ob's, and so while Vraska's -3 beats Ob Nixilis's -3, I'd rather follow up with a bonus card the next turn than follow up with... nothing?
And for all the critics of Nissa (who would Ashaya up in this bitch), it had to have been satisfying for Ob to beat the crap out of her, before he was defeated by Nissa's impenetrable plot armour. Ob Nixilis: oldwalker, onetime demon, teamkilling bastard, interplanar warlord and one-man army... reduced to a Scooby-Doo villain by a slender elf woman with crippling anxiety. Curses! Foiled again!
Next time, Ob. If he comes back, of course; WotC tends to kill off interesting planeswalkers. But at least we'll still have Nissa.
And Jace.
:-/
Ruinous Path
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| Free falling! |
So... we have a Sorcery-speed Hero's Downfall that if you pay 5BB for rather than 1BB, you get a 4/4 with (potential) haste? This is one I'd probably consider running, though there are better catch-all options. Many of those are multi-coloured (Vindicate, Maelstrom Pulse, Utter End, etc.), however. Planeswalker removal is rare enough that Ruinous Path still seems fresh. Not the best follow-up to Hero's Downfall, but it's something.
Red:
Zada, Hedron Grinder
Having a goblin that snorts any kind of a powder might not be cool for thematic reasons, but Zada's pretty cool. An Ink-Treader Nephilim for your team, in only one colour, has some cool applications. Many of Red's spells that target tend to deal damage, but as a build-around Commander, she could be pretty cool! Titan's Strength on a team of Krenko goblins for an Overrun effect and to Scry a bunch? Could be alright!
Green:
Greenwarden of Murasa
So, we've got a giant Eternal Witness that can grab another card from your graveyard when it dies? And in a relevant tribe? Seems good enough for me; Eternal Witness is an extremely playable card in this format, and this guy is more than twice the size for double the cost. I don't know if he'll see play as widely as Witness, but I do expect him to show up.
From Beyond
I liked Awakening Zone from the first trip to Zendikar. Eldrazi Spawns/Scions have value even in Commander, if used properly. Their mana ramp capability is obvious, but we can't forget about Beastmaster Ascension and cards like Purphoros, either! From Beyond has the added benefit of being able to tutor up a finisher in a pinch, and leave you the means to help you cast it. Solid card; one to keep an eye on for sure!
Multicoloured:
Kiora, Master of the Depths
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| Those hips, tho. |
This is very likely my favourite card in the set. Two relevant abilities in her +1 and -2, and they tie into a number of strategies. Ramp? Her +1 can get you there, especially considering that Serra's Sanctum, Gaea's Cradle, Nykthos, and Priest of Titania are all legal. Kiora being multicoloured makes her a little less useful if a deck like Elves is your plan, but Edric is a thing. Kiora helps fuel The Mimeoplasm and Tasigur, too. And, of course, being the same colour as Doubling Season opens up her fun, flavourful ultimate, too. I'm running Kiora in every deck that can support casting her. I haven't been sad to draw her yet, even if she's just back-to-back Inspiration. She provides pseudo-vigilance, extra mileage out of utility creatures, and could help keep mana open for tricks and counter magic. Not overtly powerful, but I think veterans of the format will recognize her value.
From a Vorthos perspective, I've been digging her character, too. She's the most complete character since Elspeth. Kiora feels organic; her fuck-tha-police attitude, her wit, her sense of humour; they all feel natural. And she has living family! That's she's on good terms with and not estranged from! It's sad that that's pretty much a first among the neowalkers, really. In eight years, there's one? All things considered, I find Kiora to be very well-written so far; I have high hopes for the lore of BfZ.
I do have an issue with her name, though. Minor nitpick, but why not Mistress of the Depths? Twist that knife in Thassa's side, score points for feminism (read: equality), and it sounds cooler. Missed opportunity, though it's not the end of the world.
Omnath, Locus of Rage
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| Rage > Green mana, apparently. |
I like cards that reward you for doing things you were going to do anyway. I appreciate cards cards that punish your opponent for doing what they have to do. I'm always looking for big, useful Elementals for my Horde of Notions deck. I find all of these in Omnath. His casting cost is a little restrictive, but my plan is to play/fetch lands such that I have 2 mana of each colour as quick as possible anyway, and I don't have any problems casting Prime Speaker Zegana, so I'm not too worried. Can't wait to run him out after Titania, and start doubling down on 5-power Elementals for playing fetchlands. Gotta have dreams.
And if your opponents shatter those dreams, well, that'll be three damage for each elemental. Note that this gets around Anafenza, as tokens are NOT cards, and so hit the graveyard. Worth mentioning, as at least locally, Anafenza, the Foremost is becoming a very popular Commander and hate card.
Bring to Light
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| "New shit has come to light, man!" |
So, we've got a two-coloured card that works best in a 5-colour deck. I've heard people complain that it doesn't cheat out some of the more broken things, but it does let you play these totally fair and balanced cards:
Demonic Tutor
Bribery
Acquire
Wrath of God
Damnation
Timetwister
Armageddon
Time Warp
Clever Impersonator
Primal Command
from your deck (basically), for free. And this isn't even the most broken nonsense you can pull. This card will see play in Commander, I'm sure of it.
Sire of Stagnation
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Yes, I'm counting this as multicoloured.
This guy is tough to evaluate. A 5/7 for six is no hell, obviously, so let's look at why he made this list. Sire punishes people for playing lands, and punishes them HARD. They exile two and you draw two? More often than not, Sire will just eat removal and then your opponent will play their land. But if they don't...
Probably fine as a random hate card in most decks, but in something like Phenax mill (can actually be a very powerful deck. Seriously.), the Sire could be a staple. There's a super narrow interaction with Yavimaya Dryad, where you give them a Forest, exile their top two, and draw two. It's janky and narrow, but funny as hell. Add some repeated bounce and/or some Clone effects (for either the Dryad or the Sire; doesn't matter)...
Totally going to try this. I run Yavimaya Dryad and Venser, the Sojourner in the same deck, so adding Sire for the hell of it is all too easy.
Colourless:
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
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| Do not feed the Eldrazi. |
Ten mana exiles two permanents? Considering that Scour from Existence is in the same set and does half the job for 70% of the cost, and doesn't even leave this lumbering fatass behind says a lot about Ulamog's power level. He'd be playable without his uber-mill attack trigger; as he is, he should see play in pretty much any deck that can make ten mana.
Oblivion Sower
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Well, that shits all over delve.
Honestly, I see this guy seeing play. Easy to obtain via the recent duel deck, and most decks run some kind of graveyard hate, including Tormod's Crypt-like effects. So it's not implausible to cast this guy and be able to score at least one land. If your turn zero is Leyline of the Void, then any mill or removal is going to increase the likelihood of this guy snagging you lands. Competitive players might turn up their noses, but this guy just really seems viable to me. I mean, assuming that by the time you play him (turn 8), your opponent has gone from 92 cards in his library, to 84. Now, assume he runs 36 land (it's usually about this). If he hits every land drop, he'll have 28 lands in 84 cards, or one in three. Mathematically, and this is simple math that doesn't factor in additional card draw or ramp, you'll see about one land, assuming an even distribution. Even that's not terrible, all things considered. You have a 5/8 Farhaven Elf for six mana, and you've exiled 3 threats/answers. Now, it could wind up being worse, you still have a 5/8 for six, and you've exiled 4 of their cards. Tough to recover, unless you process them back. I'd say that's still pretty good.
Anecdotal evidence isn't always useful data, but how has he worked out for you? Let me know!
Void Winnower
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| Gonna pumpkin spice up in this bitch. |
There've been a lot of jokes. Mostly about this guy being a white girl, because it can't even. Pumpkin spice, ugg boots, etc. I haven't come across this guy in Commander yet, but having stared it down in limited, I was surprised about how often the restrictions he imposes came up. Wasn't much fun. I expect he'll see some play, mainly colourless Commander decks, given that they don't get many hate cards. Even ironically odd ones, like this guy.
Conduit of Ruin
So, this is cool! Tutor up a big Eldrazi or a Colossus to close out the game, or a Platinum creature to stay alive, and shave 2 mana off its cost next turn? I'm tempted to play this, actually. He'll do some heavy lifting in my wife's Jhoira deck, which tends to suspend/ramp out big artifacts and Eldrazi. Red and Blue aren't great at tutoring up creatures (unless Gambling or the creature is an artifact), and if the deck is running Mycosynth Lattice anyway, there's a chance you could just grab whatever big creature you wanted! And he's easy on the wallet. I think this guy is my budget pick of the set.
Scour from Existence
This card is important. Not because it's common removal that handles Iona, but because we finally have a catch-all removal card that any deck can play. The price is steep at seven mana, but it's a common instant. If it cost any less, we'd have to bump up the rarity to have it not destroy limited. Not every Commander deck will want this. But many, if not most, will.
The Slow Duals
I hate the term "tangolands." I use slow duals to refer to Cinder Glade, Prarie Stream, Sunken Hollow, Smoldering Marsh, and Canopy Vista. If it's not apparent, these are relevant due to them having two basic land types each. This means that fetchlands can grab them, as can any card (Gift of Estates, Nature's Lore, Liliana of the Dark Realms) that can search for a specific basic land type. As such, they're useful for fixing your mana. To make the most of them, you have to play a number of basic lands to have them enter untapped, but if you have the two basics these require, their drawback is nil, beyond them being nonbasic. Zero. Better than shocks, at that point. I don't know if I'd go far out of my way to obtain these, but having opened one of each, I'm happy to hang on to them. I'm not made of ABUR duals, and these are another budget alternative to shocklands. I intend to avoid these Expeditions, however. I just don't see them as being worth the price tag, unlike...
Expedition Fetches and Shocks
Initially, I wasn't going to collect these. But when the opportunity to trade for a Verdant Catacombs presented itself, I took it. I'm at 5 out of the 20 I want, including a couple of the most valuable. They'll increase the least, but that's only because they're starting higher than the rest. I don't intend to trade away my Onslaught/Zendikar foil fetches, or my OG Ravnica shocks, so it'll be a gradual process to collect the Expeditions, but collecting is half the fun of this game. I wish they weren't marketed as "full-art," though. You get a bonus 1/8" of art, plus whatever you can make out through the text box. Why they didn't use the Game Day promo frame is beyond me.
So, these are my picks from Battle for Zendikar! I'd be happy to read your comments, critiques, and thoughts. Agree? Disagree? Let me know on here or on Reddit.
Thanks for reading!
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