I was actually able to get some Magic in myself, for a change! Life had gotten away from me for a bit, there, and so I jumped at the chance to sit down and have a game with my wife.
While I didn't document the entire game, unfortunately, I do want to share one anecdote.
My wife was playing her Mayael the Anima deck, and I was on my Horde of Notions deck. I'll get to a deck tech on it eventually, but the deck looks more impressive than it really is. The matchup against my wife's Mayael deck is particularly poor; it's often explosive, and she runs cards I only have one niche answer for.
So here's how I managed to pull off the win last night.
I have Omnath, Locus of Rage and Sakashima the Imposter as a copy of Omnath. So, one land nets you two 5/5s, and each death nets you 6 damage to throw around, in multiples of three. I have Ashaya (Nissa's token), two Omnaths, and six 5/5s, and am staring down Avacyn, Angel of Hope and enough chump blockers that attcking doesn't seem profitable. I can't kill her guys anyway, so Avacyn would just eat one at a time. She's at 29, I'm at 30. Avacyn's systematically killed off Kiora, Master of the Depths, Dack Fayden, and Nissa, Woodland Sage.
So, I play Austere Command, that I "drew" off of Nissa, for all creatures. 9 Elementals die, for 54 damage to my poor wife.
Mad style points.
I'll try to get the next game either on video or at least a few pictures of board states; break it down for you guys. I was pleased by the interaction, and my wife was a good sport about it. Probably not how Omnath was hoping it'd go down, but hey.
Changing gears, and perhaps in memoriam of the three that died for me, I'd like to talk a bit about planeswalkers.
Planeswalkers in Magic's early lore were nearly gods; capable of creating and destroying worlds, of warping the very fabric of reality. They couldn't be policed, except by one another, and often did as they pleased as they became further and further removed from the mortals they once were. Morality and empathy were often abandoned.
As the Multiverse would learn, however, autonomy and nigh-limitless power can make for some pretty bad situations, up to and including huge tears in reality.
The plot of the Time Spiral novels surounded the last few "oldwalkers" repairing the Multiverse. Here, we were introduced to the first two "neowalkers," Venser of Urborg and Radha. While Radha's spark was extinguished by Jeska (who used the former as a sort of lens/power reservoir), Venser's spark would ignite and he would become the first of the new, more relatable planeswalkers (plot-wise, at least). Save for Karn, Nicol Bolas, and Teferi, who's no longer a planeswalker, all of the other oldwalkers from early Magic stories are dead.
This created a clean slate, as it were; while some new characters were written to have been "there the whole time," the vast majority of the planeswalkers alive today are characters that never experienced the unlimited power of their predecessors. This change makes planeswalkers more relatable than they were, with the added benefit of being acceptable for addition to Magic without ruining player perception of planeswalkers (seriously, there's no way a worthy Urza card would have ever seen print).
So, beginning with their introduction, planeswalkers have shown up in nearly every set since, with the exceptions of Morningtide, Shadowmoor, Eventide, and Alara Reborn. Many of them saw heavy competitive play, with one even being banned in Standard.
Given their impact on the lore, generally solid power level, and reasonable price (for most), many of them see play in Commander, for a variety of reasons. They tend to provide solid value for their mana costs, they're often desirable for thematic reasons, and there are ways to abuse them.
So, while the cards are powerful (usually), I'd argue that they have to make a significant impact in order to warrant inclusion in a given Commander deck. Some planeswalkers simply don't do enough, while others make deckbuilding demands on you that are either too stringent (Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas) or not worth the hoops you'd have to jump through (Chandra Ablaze). Some are outright bad, through no fault of their own (Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded).
For my top ten, then, I'll look at the planeswalkers that benefit their deck the most, make an impact, and must be answered. Physical cost will be a secondary factor here, given that you usually have to own the cards to play with them, and if I'm recommending them, it'd be nice to be able to pick them up (if you felt so inclined).
With this in mind, let's get started!
10. Garruk, Apex Predator
Seven mana is a lot, and while there are decks against which Garruk would struggle to come down in enough time to be relevant, I'd argue that he's still quite strong, and clocks in at number ten on my list. He protects himself, and the 3/3 Beast is a respectable size, on top of having deathtouch. He kills rival planeswalkers and sticks around at six loyalty, or kills problem creatures and hangs around at two (while gaining you some life, regardless of whether you kill the creature or not!). It's not usually worth pointing out planeswalker "ultimates," but Garruk's is fun and flavourful, but it doesn't close out the game on its own.
9. Dack Fayden
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| Stealing hearts. And wallets. |
One of only a few planeswalkers printed outside of a Standard-legal set, to say that Dack feels a bit... pushed is an understatement. I run Dack in five different decks, and his abilities are versatile enough that he's nearly always relevant. Politically, you can target anyone with his +1, offering them card selection while filling their graveyard. In Nekusar, that's an extra two damage. In a Grixis reanimator deck, he can fill your graveyard. And his -2 is extremely useful, when you consider how many utility artifacts see play in this format. In the game I referenced above, in fact, I stole my wife's Birthing Pod, and sacrificed Imperial Recruiter to find Sakashima, which set up the win for me. I've stolen things like Akroma's Memorial, Mana Crypt, even Sol Rings aren't safe with Dack around. At only three mana, Dack is, somewhat ironically, a steal; it's his price tag that earns him a spot way up here.
8. Tezzeret the Seeker
I've mentioned Tezzeret before, when talking about inexpensive "staples." Given the popularity of Commanders like Muzzio and Arcum Dagsson, and of cards like Sol Ring, Mana Crypt/Vault, and the artifact lands, Tezzeret often finds a home somewhere in a given meta. He's as good as Garruk Wildspeaker in the right deck, and his tutor-to-battlefield ability is unbelievably powerful. He's somewhat more of a niche player in that you can't really jam him in any deck and expect results, but it takes little effort to make him well worth your while.
7. Sorin Markov
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| You can tell he's a Blood- check the gang signs! |
Players either love or hate Sorin. I've heard him called overpowered because of his -3, and early on in my Commander "career," I'd have probably agreed. Yeah, he's not always skill intensive, but he keeps decks like Oloro honest. Showing up on turn six, making someone's life total 10, and then maybe eating a utility creature might not be worth his mana cost, but he's a fine metagame call. Triple B is harsh, though, even in a two colour deck.
6. Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
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| I like to imagine his voice is like Tim Curry's. |
He's eight mana in three colours, but man, does he make an impact. Stealing an Avacyn, blowing up a key land, generally just being a dick until someone can muster an answer. And if they can't, then he basically Cruel Ultimatum's somebody. Bolas comes in at number six almost solely because of his extremely awkward mana cost. Grixis isn't known for its ramp, but Bolas deserves consideration if these are your colours.
5. Jace Beleren
We've talked about Party Jace before. Cheap (in both physical cost and CMC), easy to use politically, and not as huge of a target as Jace, the Mind Sculptor (who's mostly a target out of reflex from his old Standard days).
4. Elspeth, Sun's Champion
Elspeth does it all. She defends herself (and you), generates significant card advantage, and can handle a board of huge creatures. Her mana cost isn't prohibitive, she's readily available, and she can run away with the game. The decks that want her the most will tend to run small enough creatures that you'll be in the best position when she nukes the board. With one anthem effect out, she becomes 6 power and a planeswalker for a mere six mana, and becomes really difficult to remove through combat. If you can pull off her ultimate, her tokens become 3/3s with no other cards in play. The synergy between her abilities is not to be overlooked, and it's entirely possible she'll run away with the game on her own, just as she did in Standard if left unanswered.
3. Karn Liberated
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| Ironically, not free. |
Karn goes into any deck, where he shows up, exiles someone's best thing, and then invariably dies. Scour from Existence and a Fog(ish) effect for the same price? Probably worth it. The only downer is his pricetag; only two printings, with one being ~4 years ago and the other being somewhat limited make Karn a little more scarce than I wish he was. He really can (and probably should) go into most decks, though, but you're competing with Modern Tron players, who are the primary source of demand on our silver friend, here.
2. Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
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As Sarkhan will tell you, Ugin takes some effort to make work. He can exile things en masse, which is a useful political manoeuvre, and shines with colourless artifacts and the new Devoid Eldrazi. Gaining loyalty while removing utility creatures or damaging opponents and rival planeswalkers is a benefit, as well. His ultimate is absolutely hilarious, and it's more likely to happen than those of other planeswalkers, given Ugin's talent for destruction. It might not win you the game outright, but anyone who claims it's not backbreaking is either crazy or lying.
1. Liliana Vess
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| Can't mess with perfection. |
Wizards got it right early on, at least from a Commander point of view. The Vampiric Tutor is what really makes Liliana appealing from a mechanical standpoint. Even if she dies right away, a tutor for five mana isn't horrible, especially if she baits a removal spell or eats an attack. She comes down fairly early, sets up your next draw, and she can even keep a struggling opponent in topdeck mode. Given that you're primarily playing Liliana for her -2, her -8 isn't really worth mentioning, but it's fun and flavourful, and I've seen it happen. She's a fun kinda gal, and you can pick her up easily (not a sexist double entendre!).
That's all for today! I hope you enjoyed today's entry; please let me know how you like the new site! I've tapped two friends of mine with things to say, and their features should be online soon.
And, as always, I appreciate your feedback and thank you for reading!
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