You wait, you hope. You read one spoiler and get excited; another leaves you flat. These cards are neat, those cards are awful. You cheer and you rage.
Such is the life of the Commander player during spoiler season. Seeing cards one or two at a time will always do that to you. Now that we can take a
bigger-picture view, let’s look at the set, which will end up with some direct impact cards for the format.
Three mechanics stand out as being significant to the Commander player: exiling cards, returning cards from exile, and colorlessness/devoid. While I’ll
talk shortly about how these abilities instantiate in individual cards, the upshot is that exile is a powerful mechanic in a format which likes to reuse
the graveyard. Popular cards like Eternal Witness, Living Death, Sepulchral Primordial, and Rise of the Dark Realms make graveyards significant.
Side-stepping those gives you a level of power in neutering those strategies. If you engage in larger-scale exiling of libraries, you’re going to hit cards
that aren’t all that dangerous-which will then let you use the abilities which return cards from exile rather freely. It doesn’t much matter if you put two
Swamps back in someone’s graveyard (unless, I suppose, there’s some Life from the Loam action going on). Colorlessness means some cards got a little less
good (like Iona, Shield of Emeria). On the battlefield, it will affect creatures carrying the popular weapons like Sword of Fire and Ice and Sword of Light
and Shadow. Note that when it comes to color identity, cards with devoid still have the CI of what is in their mana cost and rules text. Benthic
Infiltrator may only go into a blue deck. While I suspect we might see some awaken get played, I highly doubt it will make a significant impact on the
format like it will in Limited.
As we hit individual cards, remember that this is a review for Commander only. There are many great cards which will end up as bombs in Standard or Draft
which won’t get a second look for inclusion in the hundred-card decks. I’m going to break the cards up into two groups: Probably and For Sure. Cards on the
Probably list are those which have a narrow appeal or I think someone might try to work into a deck but aren’t what we’d consider top-tier cards. The For
Sure list speaks for itself. We don’t really need to mention the cards that don’t go on either list. Because this is an Eldrazi set and because
colorlessness (without being an artifact) is a thing, I’m going to list it as a ‘color.’ Devoid cards will go, as they do in the Card Image Gallery, along
with the color(s) in their mana cost.
Probably
Colorless
Bane of Bala Ged: Colorless creatures with abilities that you want are a nice way to get around being short on a color of mana and as I mention above,
protection from colors. This one is big enough to have some impact, and can certainly be part of that exile the opponents’ decks strategy.
Blight Herder: This drops off the For Sure list because it’s not particularly good early. A 4/5 and three 1/1s for five mana is outstanding. It’s not that
good if you can’t put cards back from exile. The ability to create the Scions is a cast trigger, so normal blink and graveyard recursion tricks won’t be
all that valuable.
Breaker of Armies: Lure has rarely been an impactful mechanic in the format. Breaker of Armies is huge, so you actually want it dealing damage. I suppose
if you get it out early enough, you can use it to continually keep players creature-shy.
Endless One: Someone is going to make the “yeah, but with infinite mana…” argument (especially since infinite is in the flavor text), and it might
make it into +1/+1 counters matter decks.
Gruesome Slaughter: The slaughter will indeed be gruesome if you set up this by playing a deck full of colorless creatures-or finally make something out of
Thran Lens.
Oblivion Sower: Unlike Herald of Leshrac, you don’t eventually have to give back any of those land. Again, it’s a cast trigger, not an EtB, so it’s less
silly than it might otherwise get. I downgraded this at the last moment. It’s one or two mana away from being super-strong. As is, it fits a niche but
doesn’t define a strategy.
Titan’s Presence: It’s a one-for-one with a restriction, which is the type of card which needs to be pretty good to work its way into a slot of an
already-stuffed deck, so I suspect we’ll see a little of it, but only when planned for. Still, exiling a creature for three mana makes it worth trying to
work it out.
Ulamog’s Despoiler: I waffled on putting this here or there and settled here because of the return from exile restriction. It’s not a cast trigger, so it’s
a little more abuse-able, but you still only end up with a big creature with no other ability.
White
Angel of Renewal: Angel tribal decks will certainly give it a call. And it’s an Ally (although it doesn’t trigger on them).
Encircling Fissure: You know my recurrent message: “stay in school and play your Fogs.” Fogs that prevent only the damage from an opponent makes your
combats even better.
Felidar Cub: Adding to the previous message, I might add “eat your vegetables and play enchantment removal,” but you might start thinking that I’m stuck on
a trope.
Quarantine Field: The fixed, non-Fading Parallax Wave looks better than it is. It seems a little too expensive to have a strong impact.
Serene Steward: This is stretching the Probably category a little bit. I’d feel a little more comfortable slotting it into “Maybe.” Still, it’s an Ally,
and we know the nonsense they can perform.
Blue
There’s so much going on with the card that somebody has to give it a whirl. The Scion token is almost an afterthought. A useful little afterthought.
Anticipate: The art isn’t as cool as the Dragons of Tarkir version, but still a solid, if unspectacular card.
Benthic Infiltrator: Another one that I might consider having a “Maybe” category for, unblockable being the significant factor.
Cryptic Cruiser: I’m coming around to the idea that there might be some consideration for putting good cards back into opponents’ graveyards. I’m not
completely sold yet, but it’s stewing back there.
Drowner of Hope: With blink shenanigans, it might end up not being too expensive. At Drowner’s mana cost, I’d be happier if sacrificing the token would
Sleep the creature.
Horribly Awry: There are loads of creatures at CMC 4 or less which lead to craziness when they’re recurred. Eternal Witness seems like a good target.
Incubator Drone: More mana-friendly at 4, a worthy blink target.
Murk Strider: I like that there are some interesting cards in this set at common. As mentioned earlier, one of the weaknesses of the ability is that it’s
conditional. You need opponents’ cards in exile to make it work.
Prism Array: Five-color decks will like it (especially since they’re the only ones that can play it).
Retreat to Coralhelm: Every time I see an ability that untaps a creature, I think that there has to be a crazy combo not too far away.
Ruination Guide: I’m telling you, buy up all those Thran Lens now.
Spell Shrivel: A better or worse Syncopate. Honestly, it’s worth playing it just to make your friends twitchy about spending max mana for Genesis Wave.
Ulamog’s Reclaimer: Again, conditionality is the problem, but getting back an instant or sorcery is always strong.
Windrider Patrol: Here mostly because it’s the biggest damn (non-Shapeshifter) Merfolk this side of Saprazzan Outrigger.
Black
Bloodbond Vampire: Gaining life is something that happens in Vampire decks. And it’s an Ally. Is there nothing Allies can’t do?
Grave Birthing: When you absolutely, positively have to get an opponent’s card into exile and draw a card, accept no other substitute.
Guul Draz Overseer: That land is going to be a Swamp pretty often.
Kalastria Healer: Are we eventually going to have people playing with Conspiracy set to Ally? That’d be cool. It’s no Blood Artist, but that’s hardly a
sin.
Ruinous Path: Is anyone playing Hero’s Downfall? If not, please disregard this line.
Transgress the Mind: No one would get near this if it was just a discard. Exile gives it a real shot of getting played.
Red
Nettle Drone: In addition to the colorless deck possibilities suggested by the set, we might see a few new iterations of Bosh, Iron Golem. Nettle Drone
goes right into that mess.
Ondu Champion: Once again, it’s nice to see playable cards at common. Trample helps you kill folks.
Retreat to Valakut: “Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle, Scapeshift, dome you for a bunch, no one can block, kill you?”
Serpentine Spike: As with a number of other cards in the set, the inclusion of the word “exile” is what gives this one a shot of getting played.
Tunneling Geopede: Worth a look since it damages each opponent.
Valakut Invoker: I don’t actually think it’ll get played, I just want to make fun of “but if you have infinite mana…”
Green
Natural Connection: While this is going to be more valuable in other formats, it has a reasonable chance of getting played in this one. In those other
formats, keeping up counterspell mana and then being able to ramp if you don’t will be huge. I suspect in this one, it will be another piece of ramp,
although it’s no Kodama’s Reach. It will probably show better in landfall decks in which you might want to keep up mana for combat tricks but then don’t
have to.
Nissa’s Renewal: Not the serious piece of ramp that Boundless Realms is at only one more mana, but it could make those landfall decks kind of crazy. I
suspect that people will start dusting off Ob Nixilis, the Fallen.
Plated Crusher: Beast tribal, baby!
Reclaiming Vines: Maybe in that one-in-a-million green deck that doesn’t want to play creatures. It’s no Acidic Slime-but it will certainly be the answer
to Humility.
Retreat to Kazandu: The “+1/+1 counters matter” decks will like it. It’s a little build-your-own Turbo Fog with Spike Weaver.
Swell of Growth: The only thing keeping this from being all that good is the fact that you must have the creature to target.
Tajuru Warcaller: This is one that will get some initial play, until people realize they’re paying five mana for a 2/1 and they can just wait a turn for
Overrun.
Multicolor
Angelic Captain: Red and white aren’t necessarily Ally colors as far as numbers go (although there are some quite spicy ones), but it doesn’t take much for
Angelic Captain to get rather large.
Brood Butcher: The enters-the-battlefield trigger will generate a little interest, as will the sacrifice ability. Together, they might add up to a playable
card.
Drana’s Emissary: The black/white color combination makes this one a little tricky for Vampire tribal, but it certainly can go into an Ally build.
Fathom Feeder: How many other two-mana creatures have four abilities? The card draw is the best of them. It makes a nice rattlesnake as well because of
deathtouch.
Grovetender Druids: When I see Plant tokens, all I can think of is Avenger of Zendikar.
Herald of Kozilek: It’s not a build-around card, but when you build around the theme, you’ll be likely to include it.
March from the Tomb: Seems great, but it’s merely good. A total of 8 CMC isn’t much.
Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper: Another card that some folks will build around, then realize that their lands go away, letting an opponent draw even more cards
from Decree of Pain.
Resolute Blademaster: Double strike can be very dangerous, especially with commanders in these colors. It’s a little pricey, but you’re probably playing it
with things that also trigger off of Soldiers, too.
Ulamog’s Nullifier: There are probably too many unconditional counterspells available in the format for this to see broad play, but creature-based
counterspells, like Draining Whelk and Mystic Snake, are reusable.
Veteran Warleader: I’d give it a better chance of getting played if you could also give it lifelink.
Artifact
Aligned Hedron Network: Having trouble with people stealing your fatties? Play Aligned Hedron Network and get them back. It’s not an answer to other folks’
giant creatures, it’s only a delaying tactic. Eventually they’ll get them back, unless they were tokens.
Pilgrim’s Eye: Sees a little play now; it’s no Wayfarer’s Bauble.
Land
Blighted Cataract, Blighted Fen, Blighted Gorge, Blighted Steppe, Blighted Woodland: While they might find a niche home, my assessment is that people are
going to find them too expensive for what they do. Blighted Woodland is probably the one that stands the chance of seeing the greatest amount of play
because of landfall.
Fertile Thicket: Do you keep this in a land-light but otherwise strong hand? I fear it might lead me to make bad keep decisions.
Lumbering Falls and Shambling Vent: Creature-lands have less impact in this format than others. Players are excited to see these, but they’ll be
less excited to play them.
Mortuary Mire: Just like Barren Moor, this doesn’t do much for you in your opener, but you won’t mind having it enter the battlefield tapped later on in
order to get its effect.
Sanctum of Ugin: The condition is a little narrow to make this a must-play card.
Skyline Cascade: I was about to get excited about the card until I realized that it doesn’t actually tap the creature.
Spawning Bed: The activation cost is a too high for regular play, although I can see it making an appearance in decks that feature Life from the Loam.
For Sure
Colorless
Conduit of Ruin: Immediate impact card. I’d play this without the first ability. Casting creatures for less mana is always good. Couple this with Seedborn
Muse or Prophet of Kruphix and you have something going. Remember when using the first ability, artifact creatures are for the most part colorless. Go get
your Colossus of Sardia! Oh, who am I kidding? Get your Kozilek and move on.
Desolation Twin: Two 10/10s for the low cost of ten mana? Sign me up. Especially in decks which cast this for less-like Animar, Soul of Elements-this is
all upside. Then start bouncing it back to your hand to rinse, lather, and repeat.
Scour from Existence: It’s expensive (compared to Utter End at four mana), but it’s colorless and it can get a land if you need it to. It puts some removal
into decks which have some holes, like enchantment removal in red/black. The good news is that at common, the foils will be relatively inexpensive.
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger: The End Days are Here! The Eldrazi are going to eat everything! Kids, you better have your Riftsweepers handy. Three
devastatingly-strong abilities on one card is insane. Easily the most powerful card in the set, UCH is an “answer me now or be doomed” card.
Void Winnower: I don’t even know what to say. The Eldrazi really are coming to destroy your worlds. Fortunately, people are already playing Rout. They
might also have to start packing Winds of Wrath. I’m going back to see how many of my commanders this shuts off (I suspect it’s more than half). The good
news is that Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile both cost 1. This may end up as a format-defining card (although the 9-mana cost may prevent that).
White
Emeria Shepherd: Whoa! I can see this becoming a staple in any white-heavy deck. Certainly tribal Angels will play it, as will most mono-white and
two-color decks. If fetchlands could become any more valuable (strategically), this might be the way.
Felidar Sovereign: People play it now; there’s no reason to think they’ll stop. I mention it mostly to remind folks that we’re not going to do format-level
errata for cards. If we think they’re that bad for the format, we’ll ban them. It’s way cleaner.
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar: This card will surely be a major player in Standard. The more you read his first ability, the better he becomes. That he makes
Ally tokens simply ups the power. The emblem is almost secondary. Almost. Combo with Emeria Shepherd for good times.
Hero of Goma Fada: Indestructible is a good ability, especially when you have instant ways of making Ally tokens (Join the Ranks? Riptide Replicator?).
Planar Outburst: This might be one of the few awaken cards that gets used in the format, although 5WWW might be a little much. Five-mana Wrath effects seem
to be becoming the new benchmark, so this will definitely get played as an addition to the old-school ones. Plus, the mana cost is odd.
Stasis Snare: Because it has flash, it’s going to be an impact card. At the same converted mana cost as Oblivion Ring, Flash will allow it to significantly
change the combat math (even if can only take out a creature).
Blue
Guardian of Tazeem: Islands. They get played. There has to be somebody willing to do Sphinx tribal.
Ugin’s Insight: Drawing three for five mana isn’t all that bad. Getting your pick of three from who knows how many is strictly better (note that strictly
better is used in its most ironic sense).
Black
Complete Disregard: A pretty saucy answer to Karmic Guide. In the running for best card name.
Defiant Bloodlord: You can’t drain everyone at one time with it, unless you combo it with Exquisite Blood for pretty much killing everyone.
Drana, Liberator of Malakir: There is so much going one with Drana. She’s a Vampire. She’s an Ally. She’s inexpensive to cast and she has an evasion
ability. She makes the whole team bigger.
Grip of Desolation: A six mana instant is not too expensive in this format, especially if it can exile any targetable creature and a problematic land (take
that, Dredge decks!). I predict this isn’t a card that people might initially balk at putting into their decks but will eventually be quite pleased that
they did.
Ob Nixils Reignited: The ultimate is silly. You’re not going to get there that often (which we can say about every planeswalker, since folks know how
dangerous they can be), but using the +1 to get there will be fun.
Smothering Abomination: This goes right into a bunch of decks in the format. Karador, Ghost Chieftain is the obvious one, but there are many others where
sacrificing creatures is good and good for you. Plus, I’m on a little bit of a “screw you, Karmic Guide” kick, so there’s that. But who attacks with Karmic
Guide anyway?
Vampiric Rites: I prefer my creature sacrifice to be mana-free, but the card draw is too good to pass up.
Zulaport Cutthroat: Even non-Ally creature decks will love the Cutthroat. Even if someone wipes out your team, you gain life and everyone gets salty at
whoever wiped the board because they lost life, too. Combo with Vampiric Rites to mitigate the life loss right away. Very strong in an inexpensive little
package.
Red
Akoum Hellkite: People love Dragons. They love Dragons that can Shock people even more.
Barrage Tyrant: You won’t sacrifice that many creatures to Barrage Tyrant, but when you do, you’ll probably dome someone for twelve and shuffle your
graveyard into your library.
Dragonmaster Outcast: If you’re not playing it already, hopefully this printing of it will remind you that you should. Speaking of Dragonmasters, congrats
to Brian Kibler for recently getting married to the awesome Natalie Warren.
Turn Against: It doesn’t matter whether you’re paying two more than Threaten because it’s an instant, or one for being an instant and one for having
devoid, Turn Against (or the threat of Turn Against) will do what you want-make people twitchy about attacking you.
Zada, Hedron Grinder: It’s a Goblin with an ability that can deal some serious damage (Temur Battle Rage, yo). You bet it will get played.
Green
Brood Monitor: Maybe a little pricey at 4GG, but it creates six power worth of creatures, some of which can be used to fuel other insanity. It’s also an
enters-the-battlefield trigger, which means putting it those decks which either recur or blink it.
Eyeless Watcher: The same, in a slightly less expensive package. Its lower cost might actually make it more playable.
From Beyond: Okay, let me get this straight: From Beyond will allow me to search up an Eldrazi and give me the fuel to cast it? Sign me up.
Greenwarden of Murasa: The bigger brother of Eternal Witness will do more than just regrow something from your graveyard. It will also smash face.
Oran-Rief Hydra: It has trample, it gets bigger and bigger just by doing the thing you were going to do anyway. Win win.
Undergrowth Champion: I loved Phantom Centaur. This is Phantom Centaur’s cooler cousin. It should have a leather jacket and a muscle car.
Unnatural Aggression: There’s that exile word again. You’re playing green, so your creatures are generally bigger anyway. Time to get rid of someone else’s
annoying thing for good.
Multicolor
Bring to Light: Friend of the show and friend in general Brian David-Marshal, whose devotion to blue/green is well known, absolutely loves this card.
That’s good enough for me. You obviously always have to spend at least two colors of mana on it. To me, it seems like a tutor for a tutor.
Brutal Expulsion: One of my favorite cards of the set. At first, I thought it was just a Jilt variant. Then I realized it’s so much more. Finishing off
(for good) a creature or planeswalker that’s been damaged already and bouncing a creature or making someone recast that spell is huge. Players in this
format love to tap out for the huge spell. Here’s your chance to make them do it a second time.
Catacomb Sifter: Quietly a great card. Low mana cost, excellent effect. Whether you’re sacrificing an Eldrazi Scion to scry one at a time or when someone
wipes the board getting to look through the top X cards until you find one you like, Catacomb Sifter will do some heavy lifting for you.
Kiora, Master of the Depths: The -2 ability seems good, but I fear that I’d spend all my time using the +1 ability in order to get to the ultimate. This
card is so good that I might consider changing my Ruric Thar and his Beastly Fight Club deck to include blue. So, um, another Temur deck. There are some
pretty cool blue Beasts, like Chromeshell Crab and Mischievous Quanar. Ooh, and River Kelpie.
Omnath, Locus of Rage: Fabio can’t believe it’s not butter, but he sure can believe that this
Omnath is death on a stick. It’s an Elemental, it makes Elementals, and it deals damage when Elementals die. A potentially savage commander, look forward
to seeing it with Boundless Realms.
Sire of Stagnation: Holy Anti-landfall! In other formats, players might be able to stop at six lands. In this one, you can feed off their addiction to
mana. Maybe people paying attention to this one will take the heat off of Consecrated Sphinx.
Artifact
Hedron Archive: The card that Dreamstone Hedron wanted to be. It’s one of those cards that you’ll want to pick up multiple copies of, because you’re going
to love it that much.
Land
Ally Encampment: The downside to the card is that it doesn’t provide colored mana to cast the spells which make Ally tribal truly dangerous, like Living
Death.
Canopy Vista, Cinder Glade, Prairie Stream, Smoldering Marsh, Sunken Hollow: I don’t care what you call these new dual lands, they’ll be the set’s chase
cards. I like playing lots of basic lands, so I’m happy with them.
Evolving Wilds: Even with new art, it’s an old favorite.
Shrine of the Forsaken Gods: The criticism I’ve heard about this has been too harsh. It’s coming online just when you want it to cast those immense
Eldrazi. It doesn’t replace Temple of the False God, but it’s a good supplement to it.
While the total number of cards from Battle for Zendikar that will get a chance is about what it has been from recent sets, most of them are of a
more niche value. The number of absolutely cards from the set is modest compared to recent sets. Still, the ones that are sure to get played are like those
Eldrazi which are invading Zendikar: what they lack in sheer numbers, they make up for in raw power. Look for them to invade a plane near you.
Decks Without Comment will return after Release week.
Check out our awesome Deck List Database for the last versions of all my decks:
ADUN’S TOOLBOX;
ANIMAR’S SWARM;
AURELIA GOES TO WAR;
CHILDREN of a LESSER GOD;
DEMONS OF KAALIA;
EREBOS and the HALLS OF THE DEAD;
GLISSA, GLISSA;
HELIOD, GOD OF ENCHANTMENTS;
DREAMING OF INTET;
FORGE OF PURPHOROS;
KARN, BEATDOWN GOLEM;
HALLOWEEN WITH KARADOR;
KARRTHUS, WHO RAINS FIRE FROM THE SKY;
KRESH INTO THE RED ZONE;
LAVINIA BLINKS;
LAZAV, SHAPESHIFTING MASTERMIND;
ZOMBIES OF TRESSERHORN;
MELEK’S MOLTEN MIND GRIND;
MERIEKE’S ESPER CONTROL;
THE MILL-MEOPLASM;
MIMEOPLASM DO-OVER;
NATH of the VALUE LEAF;
NYLEA OF THE WOODLAND REALM;
OBZEDAT, GHOST KILLER;
PURPLE HIPPOS and MARO SORCERERS;
ZEGANA and a DICE BAG;
RITH’S TOKENS;
YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF;
RURIC THAR AND HIS BEASTLY FIGHT CLUB;
THASSA, GOD OF MERFOLK;
THE ALTAR of THRAXIMUNDAR;
TROSTANI and HER ANGELS;
THE THREAT OF YASOVA;
RUHAN DO-OVER;
KARADOR DO-OVER;
KARRTHUS DO-OVER
If you’d like to follow the adventures of my Monday Night RPG group (in a campaign that’s been alive since 1987 and is just now getting started with a new saga called “The Lost Cities of Nevinor”), ask for an invitation to the Facebook group “Sheldon Menery’s Monday Night Gamers.”