Promises to Keep - Oath of the Gatewatch Review

Hi, everyone! Welcome back!

We've got a new set on the horizon, and I've got you covered with my Commander picks from Oath of the Gatewatch!

Let's get to it. Avengers Gatewatch, ASSEMBLE!

White

Linvala, the Preserver

... At least the art is nice?

I have my doubts that Linvala will make an impact. A six mana 5/5 with flying is average. If you're behind, she can help, but compare her to Thragtusk. Being a 5/5 for 6 (and that's it) while you're ahead might not be enough to keep you there. And you only get the ETB triggers when you're behind, so blinking it (and you can't do that with Restoration Angel, even) only nets you value until you're caught up!

Linvala's more fair than Thragtusk, and offers flying, but why would you jump through all these hoops when Thragtusk saw print at a lower rarity, smaller colour commitment, and lower CMC? Old Linvala's where it's at.


Oath of Gideon

Stop right there, criminal scum!

Three mana gets you two 1/1s in a potentially relevant tribe. The real draw here is the utility in a Superfriends deck. Entering with an extra loyalty can be a big deal. It allows Garruk Wildspeaker to be a cheaper Overrun, Elspeth Tirel to be a cheaper (and arguably better) Hour of Reckoning, and Liliana of the Dark Realms to survive after pumping (or killing) a creature. It helps to add some resilience to your planeswalkers, and combos nicely with Doubling Season (everything does). Venser can blink it for additional value, to boot. The tokens are no hell, but they can chump for planeswalkers that tend to do a bad job at protecting themselves, or need to use another ability to forward your gameplan.

Not bad for three mana, but needs to be in a dedicated deck.


General Tazri

Needs more Eisenhower.

I debated filing this under "multicoloured," but I didn't. At long last, and after some handwaving by the Rules Committee regarding colour identity, we have a 5-Colour Ally Commander. A 3/4 for 5 is not awesome, but an ETB tutor effect is strong. Combined with Conspiracy, you can even tutor for your non-Ally utility creatures (Eternal Witness, Imperial Recruiter, etc.). Given that Allies offer a diverse pool of effects and abilities, Tazri is an always available tutor that enables a toolbox deck by herself. Her activated ability is okay, and should be easy enough to get online for maximum value. I'll be picking one up for sure; with enough Allies and a viable commander, I don't have to run Reaper King and Changelings anymore!


Call the Gatewatch

We ain't 'fraid of no ghost...

I love tutors, and I love planeswalkers. Naturally, I think this card is awesome. I wish it were an instant, like Eladamri's Call, but I'm still very pleased that we finally have a dedicated tutor for planeswalkers. I don't know about widespread play, given that Demonic Tutor exists, but like with the Oath cycle, in a dedicated deck, this will shine.


Blue


Sphinx of the Final Word

Last word: "Can't touch this."

Well, that's tough to answer. Sort of.

Seven mana is a lot, but I guess you could more-or-less comfortably tap out and reasonably expect this thing to survive until your next turn. Enables your instants and sorceries, too. Maybe it'll be good in a Melek or Mizzix deck? Offers more coverage than Boseiju, but it's hard to say whether or not this will be worth the cost.


Crush of Tentacles

Rollin' in the deeeeee-eeeeee-eeeeep!

A fairer Upheaval with an upside? This will almost always be cast for its surge cost. Having an 8/8 on an otherwise open field is a good position to be in. Helps combat token decks, and late enough in the game might force your opponents to discard at least a couple things. Likely worth the effort.


Oath of Jace

High five!

Meh. Just... meh.

Offering some way to filter cards and fill your graveyard is alright, but for three mana? It does offer scrying at your upkeep, but only if you control at least one planeswalker. Unlike Oath of Gideon, which is proactive in that it offers defense and added utility to your planeswalkers, Oath of Jace offers you limited utility if you can jump through his hoops and keep your friends alive. This is why no one likes you, Jace. Well, that and your haircut.

Black

Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet

Shortsighted leadership, indeed.

Unlike Anafenza, Kalitas doesn't exile creature cards sent to the graveyard from an opponent's hand or library. But a 3/4 for 4 with lifelink is good, and he grows easily enough. I don't know if he's quite good enough for hardcore competitive play, given that his ability cost three mana to activate, but he's another fun alternative for something like vampire tribal.


Red

Kozilek's Return

A more expensive Pyroclasm that's colourless? And that deals extra damage when you cast a big Eldrazi, simply by being in your graveyard? This seems alright, for three mana. Two damage isn't a lot, but it does deal with creatures like Geist of Saint Traft and utility creatures with protection from red. Could be worthwhile.


Chandra, Flamecaller

Fire, at will.

This is the card I'm most excited for from Oath of the Gatewatch. Chandra cards traditionally haven't been good Commander picks, but I think Flamecaller might be the Chandra to play over Chandra Nalaar and Chandra, Pyromaster. Her +1 puts two 3/1s onto the battlefield, which, apart from being six power, has the added benefit of being able to push damage through if they only have one blocker. This can help deal with planeswalkers that defend themselves, like Elspeth, Knight-Errant. Her 0 ability helps you fill your graveyard (useful in certain Grixis builds), nets you +1 card, and has a little added utility in Niv-Mizzet decks and Nekusar builds that use Psychosis Crawler. Her -X is symmetrical, as a blend of Chandra Nalaar's -X and -10, but you'll only use it when you're behind, anyway. This Chandra, like Pyromaster, helps you catch up when you're behind, and unlike Chandra Ablaze, seems well worth the six mana.


Oath of Chandra

Stop right now, thank you very much....

This is a flavourful card, at least. Half-assed oath, half-assed card. I'm reviewing every planeswalker support card they've printed out of principle, but I really don't think I want this. If it triggered for each planeswalker that entered under your control, then it might see play in a Narset Superfriends build, where you get free planeswalkers from the top of your library, but the payoff's too small to justify it as-is. At least, unlike Jace's oath, the planeswalkers don't even have to survive to your end step to get the token payoff. Yay.

Edit: A reader has pointed out that when combined with Venser, the Sojourner, Oath of Chandra offers incidental damage should you choose to 'reset' your planeswalkers by targeting them with Venser's +2. While not a gamebreaking interaction, it's still very cool, and was worth mentioning.


Green

Nissa, Voice of Zendikar

Land, ho!

Nissa doesn't do anything new. She makes small tokens, like Elspeth. Puts counters on your team, like Ajani. Draws you cards, like Freyalise. Three mana is intriguing, with Sun Titan in the format, and token builds should seriously consider Nissa for the same reason they run Ajani Goldmane. She's nothing new, but a welcome addition to decks that want what she's got. Redundancy has value.


World Breaker

It's not easy, being green.

A seven mana 5/7 is pretty bad. A seven mana 5/7 that exiles an artifact, enchantment, or land when you cast it is pretty good. Has built in recursion, too, for when he dies. This kind of ability is a rattlesnake in its own right, since your opponents aren't going to want you to exile something else, even if it's going to cost you ten more mana. Protection from green isn't that common, especially for noncreature permanents, so World Breaker being colourless won't be that relevant, but worth remembering. Can block a creature with Sword of Feast and Famine, if your opponent doesn't RTFC.

Oath of Nissa

Getting really hard to shake this Vulcan vibe, Nissa...

One mana, you say?

This is the oath we need. Cheap, offers a good chance at a land or a threat, and then fixes your mana if your aim is to cast planeswalkers. This will make it easier to cast planeswalkers with awkward mana costs (looking at you, Bolas) in five colour decks. Bouncing this will net you value, as with all of them, and limits your selection (unlike Jace's oath, which also fills your graveyard). Limitations aside, I expect this one to see play.


Multicoloured

Jori En, Ruin Diver

Now in Predator-vision!

A three mana 2/3 that maxes out at drawing you one extra card per turn. She sort of reminds me of Sygg, River Cutthroat. Both are merfolk, both only draw you one extra card per player turn, and only after you jump through a hoop. I guess it'd come down to whether or not you prefer red or black as your support colour. The full art promo for gameday, as an aside, looks amazing.

Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim

Aayyyylimao (I tried).

Well, that's aggressively costed. I expect Ayli to become a very popular BW Commander. Life gain, wins fights against much larger creatures, and can eventually exile things for the price of a Vindicate. She needs a little work to reach that last part, but gaining ten life shouldn't be too difficult. A few token producers, a pile of removal, and Ayli, here, and you'll get the pseudo-Legacy Weapon online in no time.

Mina and Denn, Wildborn

Denn can dance if he wants to, apparently. Look at that kick!

I don't know if I'd run Mina and Denn in their own deck, but in an Omnath, Locus of Rage deck... So. Many. Elementals. You can also bounce utility lands for extra mileage, offering trample to your guys in a Stonebrow deck. Mina and Denn will find a home, no problem.


Colourless

Kozilek, the Great Distortion

For the sake of my appetite, I will keep watch.

I expect Kozilek to become a fairly popular commander. Colourless card draw and countermagic on top of being difficult to block make him a well-rounded package, offering things not often found in colourless decks for a fair price.

Reality Smasher

Reality: fragile.

An efficient beater that punishes your opponent for trying to remove it. If you're ahead, this will help you run away with the game. I don't usually like "win-more" cards, but this is enough of an anomaly that I'd say it could be worth including in a number of decks. Rafiq of the Many could make good use of this, for example.

Captain's Claws

To be fair, I'd be more wary of some claw-wielding lunatic than another guy with a sword.

Cheap, offers an extra attacker that sticks around (if he makes it back alive), and doesn't require mana every time it triggers, like Militia's Pride does. I wish the token were also soldiers, but an extra Ally ETB trigger could be worth the inclusion, especially during combat.

Stoneforge Masterwork

Armour: Now a necessity!

Elves, saprolings, soldiers, allies... lots of places for this thing to go. Added bonus if your Commander shares a type with the tokens you're making (Rhys, Nath, Darien, etc.). On top of the added benefit, the Masterwork's cheap. Worth consideration, if a token deck of some kind is your thing.

Lands

Mirrorpool

Riku, the land. Entering tapped is a downer, and the restriction of only being able to target spells or creatures you control limits the usefulness of Mirrorpool, but the mana costs aren't oppressive, and it's a colourless source if you're looking to cast one of the new Eldrazi.

Sea Gate Wreckage

What am I even looking at?

Enters untapped, and offers asymmetrical card draw? I totally expect this to see play. I know there are comparisons to Library of Alexandria, but I was reminded more of Mikokoro, Center of the Sea, which I really like in Commander. It might be too narrow, but if you need a colourless source, you could do much worse.

Fin

Those are my picks from Oath of the Gatewatch! Did I miss anything awesome? Let me know!

Thanks for reading!