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housebeleren · 5 years ago

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Core Set 2020 New Commanders

Alright alright alright, it’s time again for a new set. Now that Core Set 2020 previews are officially done, it’s time to start evaluating cards for that very, very best of formats: Commander. I’ll run through the new Legendary creatures first, and see what looks like fun to build around.

With that in mind, I just want to say that this core set has knocked it out of the park on the EDH front. Seriously. There are so many goodies in this set for us. It’s clear they had some Commander fans in the design team, and for that I am thankful. With that, let’s get to it.

I could’ve started anywhere, so why not start here? Apparently Wizards has figured out that people like foil Legendary Creatures & Planeswalkers, and that by putting them as buy-a-box promos, people will buy boxes. Smart cookies.

As for Rienne, she’s pretty sweet. People have been asking for more variety on Angel commanders, and Naya angels is one of the ones that was missing. Her ability is pretty frickin cool, and will encourage some specific deckbuilding choices, which I am very much for. She’s definitely casual, but could end up being surprisingly effective too. Cards you’ll definitely want for her are Saffi Eriksdotter, Qasali Pridemage, and any other multicolored creatures you can sac for value. Also, she could be great friends with Brion Stoutarm, if that sort of thing interests you.

Now, on to the actual in-set cards. Just look at this beauty. Daarken is a master at illustrating creepy crawlies, as this piece fabulously demonstrates.

As if the art weren’t cool enough, Yarok is likely the best new commander in the set. Panharmonicon is a format staple, and having one in your command zone is epic. Not only is Yarok a Panharmonicon, he also triggers off of Enchantments & Lands. Landfall triggers get doubled! Constellation triggers get doubled! The potential value is immense, and I think there are probably dozens of viable builds for this... guy?

Yeah, we’ll go with that.

I’m sensing some flack out there about my old buddy Omnath, and I’m here to tell you that I won��t stand for it! Sure, he’s not inherently busted like Yarok, and Horde of Notions as a thing that is also Elemental tribal but with access to all colors. But no, I actually really like the design of new Omnath, Who Somewhere Acquired Blue in his Adventures.

This, like previous versions of Omnath, is still a base Green deck as you’ll want plenty of access to ramp. But adding Blue gives you some nice perks, such as being able to run Mulldrifter and Master of Waves, which not only makes a bunch of bodies for Omnath’s first ability, but also is a lord for a tribe that really doesn’t have many of those. Tempt With Vengeance looks a lot better when all your Elementals are bigger than everyone else’s. Also, Blue opens up the possibility of running Deadeye Navigator (not an Elemental), which plays nicely with a pile of mana and Omnath’s first ability. All told, I like him, and I think he’ll be a casual favorite from the set.

I love this design. It’s very Jeskai while still being something I haven’t exactly seen before. Kykar wants to be a spellslinger, and there is no doubt about that. She (I’m totally guessing here, so apologies if I got it wrong) plays sort of like a twist on The Locust God, only... without as easily abusable of a trigger, no self-recursion, and no... mandibles? BUT, you do get access to White mana (good for wraths & powerful removal) and a mana ramping ability to keep the cards flowing. And let’s be real, you’re going to play ol’ Bugeyes in this deck too. Also Skullclamp, because you’re not going to turn down that shit, are you?

In the end, I suspect Locust God is probably more competitive, but I would be surprised if Kykar didn’t have some fans that prefer her. Oh! And there’s Bird tribal, so that’s a thing if you’re a masochist.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the trouble with Kaalia is really herself. Her old card, Kaalia of the Vast, somewhat overshadows this new “fixed” version. And ultimately, they make basically the same deck. Sure, in this version, you might aim for a little lower CMC on average, since you can’t cheat things out as easily, and you’re also probably not going to dedicate so many slots to giving her Haste & generating extra combats. But besides that, the decks will be the same. So, maybe 80% identical? But honestly, probably the best use for new Kaalia is in the 99 of the build of old Kaalia to help replenish her hand (which was a problem sometimes, trust me, I know from experience).

Cute card, and honestly I kinda prefer this design for being less degenerate than her first incarnation, but I doubt she’ll get much play outside of OG Kaalia’s 99.

I don’t know who wanted this card, but whoever you are...here it is. (Seriously, was anyone clamoring for Abzan Legends?)

Mostly, my suspicion is that a Kethis deck will work something like a Karador, Ghost Chieftain deck, but with a greater emphasis on Legendaries. That said, I can’t shake the feeling that there’s some sort of bizarre combo in here. Paradox Engine and the newer Moxen are Legendary, and there are a bunch of Legendary creatures that tap for mana, such as Rishkar, Marwyn, and (of course) Rofellos. It shouldn’t be hard with some self-milling and a couple quick tutors to assemble a Paradox Engine fueled untappy-fest of awfulness from your graveyard.

To what end? I have no idea.

Two things. First, I “generally” hate 5 color generals. (Apologies for that one.) Second, I love this one. I think Golos may be my favorite new Commander from the set, and the one I’m the most likely to build. What I like about him is that he doesn’t fall into the trap that so many 5 color generals fall into, which is the trap of just being generally superior to other options. Why would you run any Warrior tribal other than Najeela? For that matter, why use the existing options for any tribe when Morophon is a thing? Like Legendary things? Who doesn’t? But why would you ever build a Kethis, the Hidden Hand deck when Sisay just does it better? No need for creativity anymore, Wizards has taken all restrictions away so you can fill any deck with the best every color has to offer.

Sorry, should’ve warned about the rant. So what I’m saying is, I love Golos because he is NOT that. There are better options out there, so if you’re going to build a Golos deck, you’re going to do it because something about this weird little golem speaks to you. Yes, I’m aware that there are likely plenty of ways to break this. Yes, I’m aware most of those ways involve Paraox Engine (quelle suprise). But mostly, he looks fun. He goes around finding lands, and then uses those lands to make some random shit happen. I like.

Okay, we’re done with the multicolor Legends, now it’s time for the apparently obligatory monocolor Cycle. First things first: who the hell named this card? Drakuseth? What, was Dragobob not quite good enough? I don’t think I’ll be able to say this card’s name without rolling my eyes. It’s like a bad 90s shareware fantasy RPG character name.

In any case, Wyverjohn, Mouth of Burns is as ineffective at doing anything as his name implies. He’s big, he’s dumb, and he’s not worth including in any of your decks. Sorry Drakaphil.

Well, this one is named slightly better. (In the same way that getting kicked in the face is slightly better than getting punched in the dick.) But the real good news is that as a Commander potential, he’s waaaaaay better. Yes, Hydras are a massively derpy tribe, so we’re just going to keep that as a given.

But he’s an enormous 8/7 for 6 mana, can attack and block well, and he helps ramp out your other Hydras. Not only that, but he offers some level of protection against spot removal, since he’ll eat something else off the board any time one of your creatures gets targeted. Honestly, this might be the best Hydra tribal commander we’ve ever seen. That’s not saying much, but it is saying something. And if for some reason you’ve decided to build a different hydra general (for... reasons?), he’ll go in the 99 for sure.

Okay, Miss Sephara here isn’t half bad. She’s crazy expensive for 7 mana, but she’s huge, and granting Indestructible to a whole pile of other Angels is no small thing. But the real fire is casting her for her alternate cost. Tapping 4 creatures with flying isn’t nothing, but there are plenty of decks that can make that happen fairly easily with Spirit or Bird tokens or some other such nonsense.

Honestly, I think the place she’ll see play is in Angel tribal decks, where she offers some additional Avacyn redundancy to protect your flight. I’ll probably find her a spot in my Angel deck once the set comes out.

Atemsis is a weird design, but pretty damn cute design too. Let’s just say, casting her for 6 and then trying to loot your way to her win con one card at a time probably isn’t going to get you anywhere. No, what you’ll want to do here is draw your entire deck or some ungodly amount of cards, at which point you should easily have 6 different CMCs present. Then, all you have to do is deal some damage to your opponents. Attacking is so... uncertain. I’d rather find a way to have Atemsis deal damage safely from my side of the board, thank you very much. There are some janky equipments out there that can have her tap to deal damage, plus Livewire Lash, which only requires that she be targeted by something. In any case, I think there is a build in here somewhere, and she’ll also do fine as an inclusion in Sphinx tribal decks as well. Or other random decks that are just looking for weird alternate win conditions. That too.

Again with the names. Vilis sounds so much like Phyllis, so every time i read this card I can’t help but think that this demon is a trans great-aunt of some sort. So that’s a thing. Well, when evaluating this card, there’s an obvious comparison that has to be made. Razaketh, the Foulblooded is also an 8/8 Demon for 8 mana that has a card advantage ability. Vilis has the leg up of coming with built-in removal, as well as naturally synergizing with tons of other Black cards that will incidentally also cause you to draw cards. Plus, he naturally deters attackers because every point of damage taken will cause you to draw more gas. However, Razaketh is a repeatable tutor on a stick, provided you have enough bodies to chuck at him. And at the end of the day, why are you drawing a mess of cards if not to get to the specific ones you need to win?

So, my hunch is that Razaketh will remain the more competitive option, but Vilis may very well be the more “fun” of the two. And in decks that can handle the mana, there’s no reason you can’t run both. I’m considering adding Vilis to my Rakdos, the Showstopper deck as another Demon & source of card advantage. (Also, I don’t have unlimited copies of Razaketh, so Vilis may do in a pinch.) All told, I think there’s space in EDH for both of them.

Oh, just whatever you do, don’t bring this guy out against a Nekusar player. K?

So that’s it. All the new Legendary creatures from Core Set 2020. Honestly, despite my griping, this is a really solid crop of Commanders, and I think nearly all of them have homes in EDH somewhere. (Drakuseth excluded. He knows what he did.)

#MtG #core set 2020

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