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!