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AuthorSheldon Menery

Magic Judge Hall of Famer Sheldon Menery was one of the most influential judges in the history of the game. He pioneered Commander and was a founding member of the Commander Rules Committee. After a seven-year battle with cancer, Sheldon passed away in 2023, leaving behind a legacy of kindness and respect, turning acquaintances into friends, and friends into family. “I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul remembering my good friends.” - William Shakespeare, Richard II

Exclusive Commander Interview: Yasova Dragonclaw

Sheldon Menery is extremely excited to be appearing at Grand Prix Atlanta’s Commander Celebration! But before he can make the journey, he needs you to decide which underrepresented deck he should bring. One of his commanders has some ideas about which you should choose….

Finding Priceless Treasures In Commander

The Battle for Zendikar has everyone salivating over the amazing new treasures that await us! But what about the treasures that are already out there? Sheldon shows you how to uncover new and amazing things in Commander, a format that still holds infinite possibilities for discovery!

Mechanics Under The Commander Hood: Board Wipes, Part Three

Killing off creatures is a big part of what Commander is about, people play mass removal there the way Standard players play spot removal. Sheldon Menery concludes his comprehensive look at how to wipe the board with today’s look at mass removal spells that hit all of the things!

Mechanics Under The Commander Hood: Board Wipes, Part Two

Killing off creatures is a big part of what Commander is about, people play mass removal there the way Standard players play spot removal. Sheldon Menery continues his comprehensive look at how to wipe the board with today’s look at damage- and toughness-based removal spells.

Mechanics Under The Commander Hood: Board Wipes, Part One

Wrath effects are the bread and butter of Commander, you’re either playing them or you’re building your deck to work around them – possibly both. Today, Sheldon Menery examines all the ones you can find in print, ready to use your next Commander deck!

The Prossh Experiment

It’s a common question – “how does the Commander Rules Council make its decisions about contentious cards?” Today Sheldon shows a peek inside that process as he tests Prossh, Skyraider of Kher to see how it impacts games as a Commander.

Riku Play-By-Play

Today Sheldon Menery well and truly Embraces the Chaos with an astounding play-by-play of a game with truly epic proportions.

My Magic The Gathering Hall Of Fame 2015 Ballot

What makes a player worthy for the Magic: the Gathering Hall of Fame? Sheldon explores what he looked at this year as he casts his ballot, and expands his view beyond the Pro Players to ask whether non-players should also be inducted into the Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame.

Magic Origins Deck Changes

With Magic Origins coming out tomorrow, Sheldon pores through the new set and updates his host of decks with the Origins cards that best Embrace the Chaos!

Magic Origins Set Review For Commander

For the 300th edition of Embracing The Chaos, Sheldon takes an in-depth look at Magic Origins with his quarterly set review. This set is pretty chock-full of awesome Commander cards!

Yasova Dragonclaw Play-By-Play

It’s time for another play-by-play, and today’s action features Sheldon’s latest go-to Commander, Yasova Dragonclaw, who excels at shifting the dynamic of the table by literally Threatening to take your stuff and hit you with it.

Other Peoples’ Decks: Anthony’s Mishra, Artificer Prodigy

So many people took interest in the Mishra, Artificier Prodigy deck Sheldon played against last week that it just had to present itself here. Commander is a puzzle, and solving for a way to make use of a commander whose ability sounds “bad” in a singleton format is awesome.

Karador Play-By-Play

Sheldon pulls out his trusty Karador deck for this week’s play-by-play, wading through a massive five-player game full of chaos and oddities.

Do-Over Project: The Anti-Hug

Everyone knows Phelddagrif is the “hug” commander, but Sheldon’s version of hugging hurts. His new Hippo deck focuses on stopping the love, not spreading it.