As of C18, Wizards is now following a trend where three of the decks follow an established theme, and another veers away from that theme to offer fans something different. We've seen tribal and we've seen card types, so next up could be planes! I like the idea of each of these decks getting another CPW as the face.
WUBRG Guildpact Dominion (Ravnica) - Multicolor, +1/+1 Counters, Spells
Face Card: Jace, Guildpact Sovereign
The Guildpact Council
Krenko, Goblin Ringleader
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Following WotC's "rule" about two old and two new for the face cards, I find it unlikely that we will get four known planeswalkers as the faces in the same set of Commander. I like the Plane idea though, and I think it likely as the theme eventually. Also, I find it highly unlikely that Jace will ever be five color. Nah, if we ever get a five color black-border walker it will be either Urza, Planeswalker or Taysir of Rabiah. That in turn gives us five possible planes to chose from: Dominaria (Urza), Rabiah (Taysir's home plane), and Ulgrotha (Taysir's adopted home). Of those three planes I think Rabiah is the most likely, which means Taysir, and a lot of art/cards inspired by the middle-east. I don't think we will see Urza any time soon in Commander, mostly because that would necessitate a heavy artifact focus (again), and that would feel weird in a five color deck (but far from impossible).
As for the other commanders in a Rabiah themed deck, there is Nailah, the Sorceress Queen and a legendary genie for the other (because obviously).
The second known plane/planeswalker we have a lot to chose from: Serra (Bant or Monowhite, Serra's Realm or Ulgrotha) as well as most of the Neowalkers. An Ajani (Alara) Naya deck could be immensely fun. Or as you suggested Sorin (BW Innistrad) or Sarkhan (Temur Dragons). But even Nissa (Zendikar, Green/Blue elementals), Kiora (Zendikar, Green/Blue Big Creatures), Nicol Bolas (Dominaria, Grixis domination), Liliana Vess (Dominaria, Orzhov or Esper zombies), Vraska (Ravnica, Golgari graveyard recursion), Domri Rade (Ravnica, Green/Red Stompy), Tamiyo (Kamigawa, Bant Spirits, would be a very popular choice among the Vorthos crowd).
That leaves us with two "new" planes, and when I say new, I mean we haven't visited. Of course, we don't know any planeswalkers from said planes, which gives WotC a chance to introduce a couple of new ones, here is a few ideas about the planes we could visit:
Kaldheim (Vikings and Norse mythology). Kaldheim is a perfectly fine name for a plane inspired by the Vikings and Norse mythology, it literally means "cold home". The deck should ideally be at least Gruul in color, but Jund or Temur would be more appropirate. Also, Snow, and lots of it.
Luvion. We know literally nothing about this plane except that one of its locations is called the "Celestine Reef". This gives WotC a "free" pass on what they want to do with the deck.
Muraganda (Prehistoric plane). This would be a popular choice. Think Dinosaurs and other primitive creatures. There are many ways to go with this deck, but one I think would be fun is if, not all, but a large number of the creatures are vanilla, but the deck is loaded with enchantments that either trigger when a creature comes into play as well as spells that produce tokens. Green is a given, but the other colors could be just about anything. Sultai perhaps?
Fabacin (Alternate casting costs/ enchantments). What little we know of Fabacin gives it an ethereal or dreamlike quality, and that should be reflected in the cards. Unfortunately Dream Halls is on the reserved list, or it would have been a perfect fit for this deck. Perhaps a "Magus of the Halls" instead. The Deck should be blue and green, and have a lot of alternate methods of casting your spells, kicker, buyback, "free spells", pitch spells, flashback, madness, and cycling should all be represented.
Valla (the eternal war plane). The Valla deck should be all about combat, and the deck should either be Boros or Mardu in color. Lots of cheap creatures, with a few that grow big. Lots of mechanics that encourage attacking and combat tricks. Should be a very aggressive deck.
Karsus (spells and more spells). We don't know much about this plane either, but it seems to be all about spellslinging. It seems to lend itself well to a Izzet storm type deck, with a lot of spells that can be cast repeatedly (buyback), reused (retrace, flashback, rebound), or copied (replicate). Followed by a handful of storm spells that makes you come out ahead.
Wildfire (genies). A simple Izzet genie deck, filled with Wishgranting Djinn and chaotic Efreet. Nothing special, but could be a lot of fun.
Equilor (Pillowfort). An Azorius or Bant deck with a lot of walls, cards that hinder your opponents from attacking you or your planeswalkers, and encourages them to face their wrath elsewhere, while you slowly build up your power to take control of the game.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
It's about time for the reserved list to die, for the sake of Vintage and Legacy (And Commander).
"Two old, two new" huh? Well that makes picking themes a little trickier.
I haven't uploaded a custom card topic for the commanders I've listed yet, but the Jace I have in mind for Guildpact Sovereign is more like General Tazri or Najeela, the Blade-Blossom; he isn't WUBRG himself, he's still monocolor, but one of his abilities features WUBRG symbols in the text. Same deal with Krenko, Goblin Ringleader; monocolor legend, WUBRG ability. But like Jace, this particular Krenko cares about multicolor. Only The Guildpact Council is actually WUBRG in mana cost.
Hmm, the math indicates at least one of the featured planes would have to have a new PW, one that captures the best colors to represent that plane. The other new face would either get the off-theme deck or would represent an additional plane.
I was going to try a RGW Theros deck with a theme of Gods, Heroes, and Monsters, but since C18 has an enchantment-heavy deck I'm concerned that it would feel too similar. Same deal for, say, a URW Mirrodin deck; we just got a UR artifact deck, so a plane with a heavy artifact focus is off the table for now. We just got Esper, Grixis, Jund, and Bant decks within the past couple years too, so the only shard that doesn't feel a bit redundant is Naya. Wedges offer a little more wiggle room; we just got Mardu, but the rest are fair game. Of course, the prospective WB Innistrad deck may seem similar to C17's RWB Vampire deck at a glance, but the Innistrad deck doesn't focus on just Vampires; Humans, Spirits, Zombies, and even Angels and Demons all make a showing too. It's like how C18's UR Artifacts deck is distinct from C17's UBR Wizard deck.
When I decided not to go for Theros, I considered a RGW or GUR Zendikar deck since, truth be told, I would prefer to build around planes we've visited at least twice, like Ravnica, Innistrad, and Zendikar, as they have more material to work with. But then I remembered the BRG Lands matter deck we're getting in C18. Argh!
It's not a hard rule that the face PW of the deck be a native of the plane; I have Jace representing Ravnica after all, and we know he's from Vryn. But the FPW at least has to have a close association with the plane. Jace is the Living Guildpact, so that works for him.
At this point, these seem like the planes with the best potential for pendulum swinging:
Dominaria - A tricky choice; I guess you could have Teferi return, but he already got a CPW. Liliana or Jaya could also work, but it seems a waste to limit a Dominaria deck to one color. I guess there's always Nicol Bolas, but I think they'd want to wait another year or so before making another Grixis deck.
Kamigawa - Maybe a Mardu Samurai deck? Or even a WUBR Samurai/Ninja deck? A planeswalker descendant of Toshiro Umezawa could work. Of course there is Tamiyo, but chances are she wouldn't be full GWU at this time, more likely WU or GU.
Ravnica - Gotta have all ten guilds in there, so this would be WUBRG for sure, though if I had to pick just one it would probably be WU with an Azor PW as the face.
Lorwyn/Shadowmoor - Which tribe to focus on, though? Elves? I suppose a WBG Elf PW could be interesting, and WB happens to encapsulate every tribe in Lorwyn. Lorwyn is one of the few modern planes from which we haven't seen any native PWs, so this could be a good choice for a new face. This would also be a prime opportunity for a Colfenor legend.
Alara - Could be just one shard, most likely Naya at this point. Ajani's been RW and GW, so he could have a RGW card.
Innistrad - Gotta be at least part black, and if not WB with Sorin as the face, then which colors and who?
Tarkir - Dragons, obviously, though I would also want to mix in a wedge. Sarkhan's the natural face for this plane, and he's most closely associated with the Temur, so...
Ixalan - This has some potential. We don't yet have a Pirate planeswalker native to Ixalan, however my concern is that Ixalan provides 99% of the existing Pirate support right now anyway. A Naya deck with Huatli as the face could work, but Dinosaurs are barely better off than Pirates. We already have a GU Merfolk and a WB Vampire running around, so those would feel redundant. Azor could work as his colors allow all four tribes to be played in a single deck, but he spent most of his time there as a non-PW. Vraska could also work for similar reasons, with Explore being the clear mechanical focus.
Amonkhet - Has a lot of potential. Samut's a confirmed Amonkhet native with a strong RG identity and a bit of white as well. However, I wonder if most would prefer a PW associated with mummies, ergo Zombies? Problem is, that would push into colors very similar to Innistrad, so they likely wouldn't both get to be in the same cycle. A WUB deck is right out as C18 already has WUB. A UBR Nicol Bolas deck could work, with Razaketh, the Eternals, and the corrupted Gods all getting cards.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
"Two old, two new" huh? Well that makes picking themes a little trickier.
I haven't uploaded a custom card topic for the commanders I've listed yet, but the Jace I have in mind for Guildpact Sovereign is more like General Tazri or Najeela, the Blade-Blossom; he isn't WUBRG himself, he's still monocolor, but one of his abilities features WUBRG symbols in the text. Same deal with Krenko, Goblin Ringleader; monocolor legend, WUBRG ability. But like Jace, this particular Krenko cares about multicolor. Only The Guildpact Council is actually WUBRG in mana cost.
Hmm, the math indicates at least one of the featured planes would have to have a new PW, one that captures the best colors to represent that plane. The other new face would either get the off-theme deck or would represent an additional plane.
I was going to try a RGW Theros deck with a theme of Gods, Heroes, and Monsters, but since C18 has an enchantment-heavy deck I'm concerned that it would feel too similar. Same deal for, say, a URW Mirrodin deck; we just got a UR artifact deck, so a plane with a heavy artifact focus is off the table for now. We just got Esper, Grixis, Jund, and Bant decks within the past couple years too, so the only shard that doesn't feel a bit redundant is Naya. Wedges offer a little more wiggle room; we just got Mardu, but the rest are fair game. Of course, the prospective WB Innistrad deck may seem similar to C17's RWB Vampire deck at a glance, but the Innistrad deck doesn't focus on just Vampires; Humans, Spirits, Zombies, and even Angels and Demons all make a showing too. It's like how C18's UR Artifacts deck is distinct from C17's UBR Wizard deck.
When I decided not to go for Theros, I considered a RGW or GUR Zendikar deck since, truth be told, I would prefer to build around planes we've visited at least twice, like Ravnica, Innistrad, and Zendikar, as they have more material to work with. But then I remembered the BRG Lands matter deck we're getting in C18. Argh!
It's not a hard rule that the face PW of the deck be a native of the plane; I have Jace representing Ravnica after all, and we know he's from Vryn. But the FPW at least has to have a close association with the plane. Jace is the Living Guildpact, so that works for him.
At this point, these seem like the planes with the best potential for pendulum swinging:
Dominaria - A tricky choice; I guess you could have Teferi return, but he already got a CPW. Liliana or Jaya could also work, but it seems a waste to limit a Dominaria deck to one color. I guess there's always Nicol Bolas, but I think they'd want to wait another year or so before making another Grixis deck.
Kamigawa - Maybe a Mardu Samurai deck? Or even a WUBR Samurai/Ninja deck? A planeswalker descendant of Toshiro Umezawa could work. Of course there is Tamiyo, but chances are she wouldn't be full GWU at this time, more likely WU or GU.
Ravnica - Gotta have all ten guilds in there, so this would be WUBRG for sure, though if I had to pick just one it would probably be WU with an Azor PW as the face.
Lorwyn/Shadowmoor - Which tribe to focus on, though? Elves? I suppose a WBG Elf PW could be interesting, and WB happens to encapsulate every tribe in Lorwyn. Lorwyn is one of the few modern planes from which we haven't seen any native PWs, so this could be a good choice for a new face. This would also be a prime opportunity for a Colfenor legend.
Alara - Could be just one shard, most likely Naya at this point. Ajani's been RW and GW, so he could have a RGW card.
Innistrad - Gotta be at least part black, and if not WB with Sorin as the face, then which colors and who?
Tarkir - Dragons, obviously, though I would also want to mix in a wedge. Sarkhan's the natural face for this plane, and he's most closely associated with the Temur, so...
Ixalan - This has some potential. We don't yet have a Pirate planeswalker native to Ixalan, however my concern is that Ixalan provides 99% of the existing Pirate support right now anyway. A Naya deck with Huatli as the face could work, but Dinosaurs are barely better off than Pirates. We already have a GU Merfolk and a WB Vampire running around, so those would feel redundant. Azor could work as his colors allow all four tribes to be played in a single deck, but he spent most of his time there as a non-PW. Vraska could also work for similar reasons, with Explore being the clear mechanical focus.
Amonkhet - Has a lot of potential. Samut's a confirmed Amonkhet native with a strong RG identity and a bit of white as well. However, I wonder if most would prefer a PW associated with mummies, ergo Zombies? Problem is, that would push into colors very similar to Innistrad, so they likely wouldn't both get to be in the same cycle. A WUB deck is right out as C18 already has WUB. A UBR Nicol Bolas deck could work, with Razaketh, the Eternals, and the corrupted Gods all getting cards.
These planes I generally need to avoid for now:
Mirrodin
Zendikar
Theros
Kaladesh
The WBG Lorwyn/Shadowmoor deck is growing on me, admittedly. If we use that option, it kicks WB Innistrad out, and Sorin with it. Thing is, they just did UR, so UR will either have to mix with another color here, or it simply won't get a deck this time (discounting the WUBRG deck which includes all color combinations). The Temur Tarkir deck could work, but Sarkhan pretty much has to be the face, meaning the new face has to be one of the other decks.
Way I see it, the off-theme deck will be the easiest to flex on, since it won't be tied to any particular plane specifically. So, we come up with a new WBG Elf PW from Lorwyn/Shadowmoor and another new PW for the off-theme deck, then let Ravnica and one other have returning faces. I like the Temur Tarkir deck with Sarkhan, so for now I'll try keeping that one.
WBG Sylvan Might (Lorwyn/Shadowmoor) - Tokens, -1/-1 counters, lifegain
Face Card: Abzan Elf PW WBG Colfenor, the Last Yew WBG Elf (G/W) Talara, Wilt-Leaf Safewright
Tarkir and Llorwyn/Shadowmoor seems like good choices, but that would throw Ravnica and other visited planes right out the window. That said, there are a number of established planeswalkers whose planes we have yet to visit: Garruk comes to mind, as does Elspeth and Ashiok. Not to mention our two new "ethnically Chinese" planeswalkers. We still don't know the name of the plane they are from, even though it is obviously based on ancient China.
I think phyrexia would be the fourth plane yawgmoth for a face commander
And face cards of colorless
They would use three new eldrazi titans that's not the old three
1. Yawgmoth is not a planeswalker, his attempt to aquire a spark was part of his motivation for becoming what he was.
2. Yawgmoth was most definitely not colorless. He was as black as midnight on a moonless night in the wilderness when the sky is covered in thick clouds and there is not a lightsource to be seen. Seriously. You could argue for the Lord of the Wastes being partially blue, as he was a doctor/scientist before he became who he became.
3. And since the deck would be mono-black (or black/blue), that kind of throws out anything Eldrazi related.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
It's about time for the reserved list to die, for the sake of Vintage and Legacy (And Commander).
The problem with trying to theme a deck after an unvisited plane is that you don't exactly have a lot of reprints to work with. That's why popular, revisited planes like Ravnica and Zendikar work well for this theme. And we all know that, if a plane theme is ever announced, Ravnica is going to be at the top of that list, with Zendikar and Innistrad following close behind.
This all said, chances are good that next year's Commander won't be plane-themed, because far too many of the more popular planes overlap with this year's themes. I could be wrong, but it would be awfully hard to do a Zendikar-themed deck without making it land-centric. Same deal with Mirrodin and artifacts, or Theros and enchantments.
Although, reading over Wizard's article on Lord Windgrace, it looks like the "two old, two new" thing was just something they did for this year's Commander; I didn't read any statements that "two old, two new" was going to be the rule from now on. So, maybe there's a chance the four decks I suggested in the OP could happen?
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
The problem with trying to theme a deck after an unvisited plane is that you don't exactly have a lot of reprints to work with. That's why popular, revisited planes like Ravnica and Zendikar work well for this theme. And we all know that, if a plane theme is ever announced, Ravnica is going to be at the top of that list, with Zendikar and Innistrad following close behind.
This all said, chances are good that next year's Commander won't be plane-themed, because far too many of the more popular planes overlap with this year's themes. I could be wrong, but it would be awfully hard to do a Zendikar-themed deck without making it land-centric. Same deal with Mirrodin and artifacts, or Theros and enchantments.
Although, reading over Wizard's article on Lord Windgrace, it looks like the "two old, two new" thing was just something they did for this year's Commander; I didn't read any statements that "two old, two new" was going to be the rule from now on. So, maybe there's a chance the four decks I suggested in the OP could happen?
It was the same last year: Two old (Ur-Dragon, Edgar Markov), two New (Arahbo, Inalla).
And several of the above "new" planes have been visited on cards. Dreampod Druid for example, is from Fabacin, and pretty much every red and/or blue genie in Mirage block is from Wildfire originally (which is also the current location of the City of Brass). Many of the above mentioned planes have been shown on cards in supplemental products and core sets, not to mention Future Sight. The original art for Horizon Canopy, for example, shows Pyrulea. The Fomori giants (including a certain Jeskai colored legendary creature) are from Ir. Imperiosaur is from Muraganda, and so on. Remember not every card in the deck has to be on theme, and several cards will have their art changed. Not to mention some cards are generic enough that they can be used for any plane.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
It's about time for the reserved list to die, for the sake of Vintage and Legacy (And Commander).
---
Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
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WUBRG Guildpact Dominion (Ravnica) - Multicolor, +1/+1 Counters, Spells
Face Card: Jace, Guildpact Sovereign
The Guildpact Council
Krenko, Goblin Ringleader
2 Goblin Electromancer
3 Nivix Cyclops
3 Vorel of the Hull Clade
4 Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch
4 Mizzix of the Izmagnus
4 Corpsejack Menace
4 Fathom Mage
4 Master Biomancer
5 Lavinia of the Tenth
6 Treasury Thrull
6 Isperia, Supreme Judge
6 Prime Speaker Zegana
7 Pontiff of Blight
7 Borborygmos
Artifacts
3 Chromatic Lantern
5 Seal of the Guildpact
Enchantments
3 Bred for the Hunt
5 Assemble the Legion
6 Gleam of Battle
2 Cyclonic Rift
2 Wear // Tear
2 Signal the Clans
3 Turn // Burn
3 Ready // Willing
3 Catch // Release
5 Prophetic Bolt
3 Sphinx's Revelation
Sorceries
2 Mizzium Mortars
2 Breaking // Entering
2 Beck // Call
5 Flesh // Blood
2 Rakdos's Return
2 Clan Defiance
2 Death Grasp
4 Brightflame
Land
1 Azorius Guildgate
1 Boros Guildgate
1 Command Tower
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Golgari Guildgate
1 Gruul Guildgate
1 Izzet Guildgate
1 Maze's End
1 Orzhov Guildgate
1 Pillar of the Paruns
1 Rakdos Guildgate
1 Selesnya Guildgate
1 Simic Guildgate
1 Transguild Promenade
4 Plains
4 Island
4 Swamp
4 Mountain
4 Forest
WB Twilight Terror (Innistrad) - Tokens, Sacrifice, Graveyard
Face Card: Sorin, Markov Outcast
The Fourth Sister
NAME, Relentless Cathar
1 Doomed Traveler
2 Disciple of Griselbrand
2 Skirsdag High Priest
3 Bygone Bishop
3 Elder Cathar
3 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
3 Twilight Drover
4 Mausoleum Guard
4 Odric, Master Tactician
5 Ghoulcaller Gisa
5 Priest of the Blood Rite
6 Requiem Angel
6 Dearly Departed
6 Reaper from the Abyss
6 Deathpact Angel
7 Angel of Despair
1 Avacyn's Collar
3 Slayer's Plate
4 Moonsilver Spear
Enchantments
3 Behind the Scenes
4 Endless Ranks of the Dead
5 Campaign of Vengeance
Sorceries
3 Lingering Souls
5 Increasing Ambition
5 Unburial Rites
5 Increasing Devotion
8 Army of the Damned
1 Command Tower
1 Forsaken Sanctuary
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Scoured Barrens
10 Plains
10 Swamp
GUR Draconic Destiny (Tarkir) - Dragons, Power Matters, Morph
Face Card: Sarkhan
Nitula, the Hunt Caller
Arel, Unseen Whisperer
2 Den Protector
2 Rattleclaw Mystic
2 Qarsi Deceiver
2 Stratus Dancer
2 Dragonlord's Servant
2 Ire Shaman
2 Icefeather Aven
3 Yasova Dragonclaw
3 Dragonspeaker Shaman
4 Shaman of the Great Hunt
4 Circle of Elders
4 Surrak, the Hunt Caller
4 Thunderbreak Regent
5 Harbinger of the Hunt
5 Surrak Dragonclaw
6 Herdchaser Dragon
6 Belltoll Dragon
6 Stormwing Dragon
6 Temur War Shaman
6 Savage Ventmaw
7 Foe-Razer Regent
7 Atarka, World Render
7 Dragonlord Atarka
3 Atarka Monument
3 Temur Banner
Enchantments
2 Trail of Mystery
2 Dragon Tempest
2 Secret Plans
3 Monastery Siege
3 Temur Ascendancy
4 Frontier Siege
Instants
3 Sarkhan's Triumph
Sorceries
5 Shamanic Revelation
5 Master the Way
6 See the Unwritten
Land
1 Command Tower
1 Crucible of the Spirit Dragon
1 Frontier Bivouac
1 Highland Lake
1 Rugged Highlands
1 Swiftwater Cliffs
1 Thornwood Falls
1 Timber Gorge
1 Woodland Stream
7 Forest
5 Island
5 Mountain
C ??? (Colorless) - Artifacts, Eldrazi, counters
Face Card: Ugin, Ghostfire Master
Karn, Urza's Legacy
NAME, Buried Guardian
3 Matter Reshaper
5 Blight Herder
5 Kozilek's Channeler
6 Conduit of Ruin
6 Kozilek's Pathfinder
7 Bane of Bala Ged
7 Deceiver of Form
8 Ulamog's Crusher
9 Artisan of Kozilek
10 Desolation Twin
10 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
10 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
12 It That Betrays
13 Emrakul, the Promised End
0 Everflowing Chalice
1 Ghostfire Blade
2 Mind Stone
3 Pristine Talisman
4 Hedron Archive
6 Dreamstone Hedron
Enchantments
8 Eldrazi Conscription
Instants
3 Titan's Presence
7 Not of This World
7 Scour From Existence
Sorceries
7 All Is Dust
Land
1 Blasted Landscape
1 Command Tower
1 Dread Statuary
1 Drownyard Temple
1 Eldrazi Temple
1 Eye of Ugin
1 Gargoyle Castle
1 Mirrorpool
1 Sanctum of Ugin
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
1 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
1 Temple of the False God
1 Tomb of the Spirit Dragon
20 Wastes
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
As for the other commanders in a Rabiah themed deck, there is Nailah, the Sorceress Queen and a legendary genie for the other (because obviously).
The second known plane/planeswalker we have a lot to chose from: Serra (Bant or Monowhite, Serra's Realm or Ulgrotha) as well as most of the Neowalkers. An Ajani (Alara) Naya deck could be immensely fun. Or as you suggested Sorin (BW Innistrad) or Sarkhan (Temur Dragons). But even Nissa (Zendikar, Green/Blue elementals), Kiora (Zendikar, Green/Blue Big Creatures), Nicol Bolas (Dominaria, Grixis domination), Liliana Vess (Dominaria, Orzhov or Esper zombies), Vraska (Ravnica, Golgari graveyard recursion), Domri Rade (Ravnica, Green/Red Stompy), Tamiyo (Kamigawa, Bant Spirits, would be a very popular choice among the Vorthos crowd).
That leaves us with two "new" planes, and when I say new, I mean we haven't visited. Of course, we don't know any planeswalkers from said planes, which gives WotC a chance to introduce a couple of new ones, here is a few ideas about the planes we could visit:
Kaldheim (Vikings and Norse mythology). Kaldheim is a perfectly fine name for a plane inspired by the Vikings and Norse mythology, it literally means "cold home". The deck should ideally be at least Gruul in color, but Jund or Temur would be more appropirate. Also, Snow, and lots of it.
Luvion. We know literally nothing about this plane except that one of its locations is called the "Celestine Reef". This gives WotC a "free" pass on what they want to do with the deck.
Muraganda (Prehistoric plane). This would be a popular choice. Think Dinosaurs and other primitive creatures. There are many ways to go with this deck, but one I think would be fun is if, not all, but a large number of the creatures are vanilla, but the deck is loaded with enchantments that either trigger when a creature comes into play as well as spells that produce tokens. Green is a given, but the other colors could be just about anything. Sultai perhaps?
Fabacin (Alternate casting costs/ enchantments). What little we know of Fabacin gives it an ethereal or dreamlike quality, and that should be reflected in the cards. Unfortunately Dream Halls is on the reserved list, or it would have been a perfect fit for this deck. Perhaps a "Magus of the Halls" instead. The Deck should be blue and green, and have a lot of alternate methods of casting your spells, kicker, buyback, "free spells", pitch spells, flashback, madness, and cycling should all be represented.
Valla (the eternal war plane). The Valla deck should be all about combat, and the deck should either be Boros or Mardu in color. Lots of cheap creatures, with a few that grow big. Lots of mechanics that encourage attacking and combat tricks. Should be a very aggressive deck.
Karsus (spells and more spells). We don't know much about this plane either, but it seems to be all about spellslinging. It seems to lend itself well to a Izzet storm type deck, with a lot of spells that can be cast repeatedly (buyback), reused (retrace, flashback, rebound), or copied (replicate). Followed by a handful of storm spells that makes you come out ahead.
Wildfire (genies). A simple Izzet genie deck, filled with Wishgranting Djinn and chaotic Efreet. Nothing special, but could be a lot of fun.
Equilor (Pillowfort). An Azorius or Bant deck with a lot of walls, cards that hinder your opponents from attacking you or your planeswalkers, and encourages them to face their wrath elsewhere, while you slowly build up your power to take control of the game.
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Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
I haven't uploaded a custom card topic for the commanders I've listed yet, but the Jace I have in mind for Guildpact Sovereign is more like General Tazri or Najeela, the Blade-Blossom; he isn't WUBRG himself, he's still monocolor, but one of his abilities features WUBRG symbols in the text. Same deal with Krenko, Goblin Ringleader; monocolor legend, WUBRG ability. But like Jace, this particular Krenko cares about multicolor. Only The Guildpact Council is actually WUBRG in mana cost.
I was going to try a RGW Theros deck with a theme of Gods, Heroes, and Monsters, but since C18 has an enchantment-heavy deck I'm concerned that it would feel too similar. Same deal for, say, a URW Mirrodin deck; we just got a UR artifact deck, so a plane with a heavy artifact focus is off the table for now. We just got Esper, Grixis, Jund, and Bant decks within the past couple years too, so the only shard that doesn't feel a bit redundant is Naya. Wedges offer a little more wiggle room; we just got Mardu, but the rest are fair game. Of course, the prospective WB Innistrad deck may seem similar to C17's RWB Vampire deck at a glance, but the Innistrad deck doesn't focus on just Vampires; Humans, Spirits, Zombies, and even Angels and Demons all make a showing too. It's like how C18's UR Artifacts deck is distinct from C17's UBR Wizard deck.
When I decided not to go for Theros, I considered a RGW or GUR Zendikar deck since, truth be told, I would prefer to build around planes we've visited at least twice, like Ravnica, Innistrad, and Zendikar, as they have more material to work with. But then I remembered the BRG Lands matter deck we're getting in C18. Argh!
It's not a hard rule that the face PW of the deck be a native of the plane; I have Jace representing Ravnica after all, and we know he's from Vryn. But the FPW at least has to have a close association with the plane. Jace is the Living Guildpact, so that works for him.
At this point, these seem like the planes with the best potential for pendulum swinging:
These planes I generally need to avoid for now:
Mirrodin
Zendikar
Theros
Kaladesh
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
And face cards of colorless
They would use three new eldrazi titans that's not the old three
Tarkir and Llorwyn/Shadowmoor seems like good choices, but that would throw Ravnica and other visited planes right out the window. That said, there are a number of established planeswalkers whose planes we have yet to visit: Garruk comes to mind, as does Elspeth and Ashiok. Not to mention our two new "ethnically Chinese" planeswalkers. We still don't know the name of the plane they are from, even though it is obviously based on ancient China.
1. Yawgmoth is not a planeswalker, his attempt to aquire a spark was part of his motivation for becoming what he was.
2. Yawgmoth was most definitely not colorless. He was as black as midnight on a moonless night in the wilderness when the sky is covered in thick clouds and there is not a lightsource to be seen. Seriously. You could argue for the Lord of the Wastes being partially blue, as he was a doctor/scientist before he became who he became.
3. And since the deck would be mono-black (or black/blue), that kind of throws out anything Eldrazi related.
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Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
This all said, chances are good that next year's Commander won't be plane-themed, because far too many of the more popular planes overlap with this year's themes. I could be wrong, but it would be awfully hard to do a Zendikar-themed deck without making it land-centric. Same deal with Mirrodin and artifacts, or Theros and enchantments.
Although, reading over Wizard's article on Lord Windgrace, it looks like the "two old, two new" thing was just something they did for this year's Commander; I didn't read any statements that "two old, two new" was going to be the rule from now on. So, maybe there's a chance the four decks I suggested in the OP could happen?
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
It was the same last year: Two old (Ur-Dragon, Edgar Markov), two New (Arahbo, Inalla).
And several of the above "new" planes have been visited on cards. Dreampod Druid for example, is from Fabacin, and pretty much every red and/or blue genie in Mirage block is from Wildfire originally (which is also the current location of the City of Brass). Many of the above mentioned planes have been shown on cards in supplemental products and core sets, not to mention Future Sight. The original art for Horizon Canopy, for example, shows Pyrulea. The Fomori giants (including a certain Jeskai colored legendary creature) are from Ir. Imperiosaur is from Muraganda, and so on. Remember not every card in the deck has to be on theme, and several cards will have their art changed. Not to mention some cards are generic enough that they can be used for any plane.
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Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.