Anya - 1. Utter Trash indeed. Should have a 0 or negative option.
Arjun - 2. Meh. He's vaguely interesting I guess but I see no reason to use him. He's expensive, fragile, and provides little immediate value usually.
Daxos - 3. Average. Semi-cheap token maker. I'm not impressed but I wouldn't be surprised to see him played either.
Ezuri - 3. Probably worth a 4 but I just don't like him personally. +1/+1 counter guy. I'm not impressed here either but he does have combos.
Kalemne - 1. Dumb beater which Boros already has plenty of. Not as bad as Anya but there was no 0 option for Anya.
Karlov - 4. Very, very good. Could honestly be a 5. Strong, super cheap, good ability. This is a good beater, pay attention Boros.
Kaseto - 2. Meh. At least he's cheap and can be a mana sink. That puts him over the Boros options.
Mazirek - 5. Awesome. Will win games often and easily. Semi-expensive at 5 but should end games on the spot when played so who cares?
Meren - 5. Awesome. Great value for the cost. Plays the slower grindy game rather than the big finish.
Mizzix - 5. Awesome. Could be a 4 because you really need to untap with her to get the value. Still if you get to untap you should win.
So there you go, could move Karlov up and Mizzix down but otherwise I'm happy with those ratings.
Anya - 1. Utter Trash indeed. Should have a 0 or negative option.
Arjun - 2. Meh. He's vaguely interesting I guess but I see no reason to use him. He's expensive, fragile, and provides little immediate value usually.
Daxos - 3. Average. Semi-cheap token maker. I'm not impressed but I wouldn't be surprised to see him played either.
Ezuri - 3. Probably worth a 4 but I just don't like him personally. +1/+1 counter guy. I'm not impressed here either but he does have combos.
Kalemne - 1. Dumb beater which Boros already has plenty of. Not as bad as Anya but there was no 0 option for Anya.
Karlov - 4. Very, very good. Could honestly be a 5. Strong, super cheap, good ability. This is a good beater, pay attention Boros.
Kaseto - 2. Meh. At least he's cheap and can be a mana sink. That puts him over the Boros options.
Mazirek - 5. Awesome. Will win games often and easily. Semi-expensive at 5 but should end games on the spot when played so who cares?
Meren - 5. Awesome. Great value for the cost. Plays the slower grindy game rather than the big finish.
Mizzix - 5. Awesome. Could be a 4 because you really need to untap with her to get the value. Still if you get to untap you should win.
So there you go, could move Karlov up and Mizzix down but otherwise I'm happy with those ratings.
Think you are missing the combo potential of Ezuri...
It's also a bit hard to give many of these a 5 when comparing it to other commanders. I only gave 5 to Ezuri and Meren...but I question in the big picture if they are only worth a 4. These aren't Derevi power levels at a glance, but they are the only ones i see with potential to be after some musing.
Anya - 1. Pure and total steaming garbage. I can't.
Arjun - 2. So angry at this general. Why? just stop.
Daxos of Meletis - 4. I really like that they made a decent/good WB enchantment themed general. So VERY tired of the same shtick for the color pairs. Good job.
Ezuri, Renegade Leader - 4. Stupid good, but they corrupted my favorite elf so I'm sad. Tall or Wide, all shall be compleat.
Kalemne - 3. While it's the same boring crap for RW AGAIN, I like that she's aggressively costed and packs a whallop on her own. Boring as hell though.
Karlov - 2. We get it. WB likes to play with life. I don't care. I want something different. NEXT.
Kaseto - 2. Snake tribal? Really. GTFO.
Mazirek - 5. Insane. But again, the same boring GB creature death matters...ugh. I'm so over it.
Meren - 5. VERY cool. This is the same GB bs, but done well. I like her.
Mizzix - 5. After sleeping off my crankies for this goblin, I'm in love. Homerun.
[EDH] It's built to be a casual format and to a specific vision, and if you don't like the vision, there's nothing wrong with that, but it's not going to change to accommodate everyone. Big tent is not a goal.
I based it on how excited I was to play the card more than objective power. The UG cards are so unbelievably boring to me and Boros got a dry pinky in the ass again.
Ezuri - 3. Probably worth a 4 but I just don't like him personally. +1/+1 counter guy. I'm not impressed here either but he does have combos.
Think you are missing the combo potential of Ezuri...
Ummm... What? No I'm well aware of Ezuri's combo potential (I even list it in his description, I'll bold it for you), it's just not something that impresses me. Mazirek has far better combo potential and is certainly great outside of combos.
I mostly don't like Ezuri because he isn't interesting to me for a G/U commander. Momir is more along the lines of what I want G/U to do. Not put some counters on a single creature once a turn...
but did you think about morph potential or a fair deck with aluren?
Let's say I didn't. What are the combos here that aren't already elsewhere? I see synergy, but a combo worth getting excited about that doesn't just rinse and repeat other Simic decks.
Anya: 1. I can't even...this feels like a waste of a legend! She's so situational it's not funny! She's not practical in any sort of way.
Arjun: 2. Interesting ability but suffers the same as Anya. He's not practical. However, at least a little thought seemed to go into him. Yet, his high casting cost for what he does really lowers my opinion.
Daxos: 3. I can see him being played but he just doesn't strike me as anything exciting, which is why I don't rank him higher. He's not bad by any means, just not my cup of tea.
Ezuri: 4, maybe even a 5. Interesting ability that can be highly versatile. Has combo potential. Really cool art to boot!
Karlov: 5. Good ability, great casting cost! Can see this guy being used a lot. Nice flavor text.
Kaseto: 3. Again, simply not my cup of tea but good to see support for snakes.
Mazirek: 4. Great ability!
Meren: 5. Very good ability and awesome art.
Mizzix: 5. Nice ability especially but it's the colors that sell it!
Overall: 4. There's some bad eggs in there but also some really good or great cards that are begging to be added to a deck or being built around. I'm looking forward them.
Anya: 1. Just nope.
Arjun: 2. Outside of a couple specific combo decks, I cant see this card getting much play.
Daxos: 3. Interesting ability, and in a color that has good enchantment recursion. Very build around so I cant see him being slotted easily into other decks.
Ezuri: 4. Building his experience is very easy, and has great +1/+1 counter support in UG. Can be built in different, and can be slotted into decks that care about counters (ie Animar).
Kalemne: 2. Effective at attacking, but has the worst experience building mechanic.
Karlov: 4. An interesting voltron option of Orzhov. The spin on Teysa, Orzhov Scion is appreciated.
Kaseto: 2. Another interesting voltron option. Easier to slide into decks that want to make unblockable creatures, but the mana cost of doing so is limiting.
Mazirek: 5. A great card. Insane in decks that want to sacrifice things (Ghave, Prossh) or awesome as the general of its own deck. Lots of power and potential.
Meren: 5. The best of the 10. Can be put into nearly any BGx deck containing recursion, and can be the powerhouse leader of a Golgari deck.
Mizzix: 3. While I am not a fan, I know some people are very excited at the spellslinging potential.
I have a feeling that people consider Kaseto to be a snake tribal general, but his' ability, while benefit snakes the most, can be applied to any creature you want to get through, such as a equipped Cephalid Constable or infect creatures.
Voted based on creativity and the kind of decks that will be built with it. The lower the score means they can fit into more variety of decks which are tried and true.
Anya - 1. Utter Trash. Boring vanilla Boros beater.
Arjun - 5. Highly niche card. I really like it. Time to make a deck out of it.
Daxos - 3. Needs to build around enchantments, other than that nothing really special about this guy.
Ezuri - 2. Sighz, if only his ability is different I would have considered him in my 5c elves. Immaculate Magistrate is so much better than him.
Kalemne - 1. Utter Trash no.2. Another boring vanilla Boros beater.
Karlov - 4. Very good card. Demands good deck building around life gain to maximise his potential
Kaseto - 2. Another meh simic card, very vanilla.
Mazirek - 3. Golgari's answer to not having Cathar's Crusade in their colors. Another cog to the already common persist combos.
Meren - 2. Reanimators will love her, decks with her as a commander will probably run the same cards just like any other golgari reanimator deck.
Mizzix - 2. Finally a card that reduces spells cc like how Animar reduces creature cc... but how come I'm so bored by it.
I'm missing a spellslinger EDH... seems like Arjun will be helming it when Commander2015 releases.
Voted based on how cool or powerful I find each general.
Anya: 1. Boring, plus she becomes worse as the game progresses and players lose. Just a crap card all around. RW continues to get the short end of the EDH stick.
Arjun: 3. Excited to see how people break him, but not really interested in playing him myself. Mindmoil was already a cool card.
Daxos: 4. This is a very cool card. Were it not for the fact that my roommate has already detailed his planned Daxos deck to me, I'd build him myself.
Ezuri: 3. Good card, but it reminds me a lot of Edric in the sense that what this card probably wants to do is run a ton of small evasive creatures. I think it's a little overhyped.
Kalemne: 1. This card isn't as bad power-level-wise as everyone seems to think but she's still crap.
Karlov: 4. The cool lifegain general BW deserves. I'm a fan, though like Arjun I have no interest in running him myself.
Kaseto: 4. This is almost entirely on points for how cool a card this is, since he's very weak power-wise. Maybe if there were better snakes. He'd probably be a decent infect general.
Mazirek: 5. I can't decide if I like this guy or Meren more. Not exactly unexplored territory for GB, but he's clearly obsoleted Savra and is different enough from Jarad that I'm a fan.
Meren: 5. Everything I said about Mazirek applies here too. I like that Meren lends herself to a recursion-ETB/death-effects-until-reanimating-something-huge deck and Mazirek wants to go wide and play the attrition game. Good art, too.
Mizzix: 3. Not as cool as Melek or Arjun but more powerful than Arjun so they get the same rating. Clearly absurd with a Spell Burst soft-lock and after a few turn cycles of that you can finish the table off with a Comet Storm.
I rated based on its overall potential and play-making capabilities.
Anya - 1 Will I use it? Yes, in my Zurgo deck. Will others use it? nope.avi Does she do something new?NOPE.
The elephant in the room. Let's make one thing clear: she is the only general of these 10 that has an imposing presence in the Command Zone. She is also one of the only Commanders that can be played politically of these 10, another being Kaseto to grant unblockability to opponents creatures in means of "helping them out" if you choose that path. She has a good body for the cost and can be a potential threat given the situation.
But that's the problem: She's too situational. She's too static. She doesn't inspire a lot of innovation. She isn't really cut for any defined plan. And whatever you build, you can do better with Gisela. Even Basandra is a more attractive choice for a Boros Control general. She just isn't flat out impressive despite her potential to be big. She doesn't do enough.
If there is one positive thing I will say about her, it's this: She is one of the best Angels I've ever seen and I have to give the artist major props for creating such a beautiful angel. Shame it's wasted on a card like this.
Arjun - 4 Will I use it? Maybe in my Surrak Primal Surge deck. Will others use it? Yes. Most likely in "Drawing Matters" decks such as Niv-Mizzet v.1, Nin, and Nekusar. Does he do something new? Sort of.
Arjun does one thing I really wish Wizards would do a lot more often: he has an existing enchantment effect on a Legendary Creature. I've once has a "Draw Matters" deck a long time ago before Nekusar was a thing, and seeing this does make me want to tackle it again later on, but not in the immediate future. For now, I think I'll put him in the 99 for Surrak.
Daxos - 5 Will I use it? You bet I will. Will others use it? Positive that he'll have some devoted fans. Does he do something new? Yes.
I love Enchantments. I love off-the-wall things, and this is definitely one of such things. I'm unsure of the direction I want to go with him, but I do want to make him a deck very soon. I need to think over some possible buildpaths: Stax, Lifegain, Pillowfort, etc.
Ezuri - 5 Will I use it? Not for me, but golly is he interesting. Will others use it? OH YES. Does he do something new? For the most part, yes. While Edric is the "weenie" Simic deck, Ezuri at least encourges a lot more in-your-face style of play.
The most hyped general in my LGS, and for a good reason too. His EXP proc is surprisingly easy to accumulate and he can go pretty insane with a simple play like Avenger of Zendikar and the like. Multiple build-paths, powerful buffs, this guy is the real deal.
Kelemne - 3 Will I use it? Boros is my jam, so yes. Will others use it? Not seeing it, as Gisela and Aurelia are more attractive options. Does she do something new?Kind of.
Kelemne gave me mixed feelings at first. But the more I thought about it: I actually like her compared to my past attempts at a Boros Commander. When I first started playing EDH, Brion was my first general. I loved curving into him with a 5-mana play like a Sword or a big dude, but his problem was that he wasn't really the best Voltron commander. Enter Kelemne, who can power herself up just by playing dudes and plays well with saboteur effects. Double Strike and Vigilance is a dangerous combination, and a powerful one. I know she doesn't have the flashiest abilities, but she does have the means to an end.
Karlov - 3 Will I use it? On the fence about it. I like him but I like Daxos more. Will others use it? Won't be a popular choice, but he does have some attention. Goes well in Oloro decks. Does he do something new? Yes and No. He gives the incentive to play with Life-Matters cards, but he's really the first one to solidify that role. Others like Vish Kal and the two Ghost Dads had "life" but had more room to bend to other methods.
He gets big. The fact that you get a bonus for gaining life is a nice incentive to gain life since Commander Damage often makes it useless. You can use life as a resource as usual and gain it back again.
Kaseto - 3 Will I use it? Ehh, no. Will others use it? Fringe at best. Does he do something new? Yes, but how much it will make an impact is up in the air. I do admire the random tribe getting some attention.
However. I do wish Wizards would work with other under-represented tribes as well (Knights, cough). Anyway, the ability isn't that bad...just, it isn't as flashy as you'd hope for. As I mentioned before, he does offer some politics and he himself can be a potential threat thanks to his ability to be a mana-sink.
Mazirek - 4 Will I use it? Not in the immediate future, but I am considering it. Will others use it? Absolutely, in the helm or as a compliment to already powerful commanders like Ghave and Prossh. Does he do something new? Yes in the sense that he can combo out really well, no in that he follows the similar Golgari path of "Sac dudes for profit".
All about existing synergy. Persist dudes will make him go infinite with a sac outlet, it interacts with opponents sacrifice effects, it does plenty of things right. I will see him being more of a combo general, and who knows if that will make his deck-life last long.
Meren - 4 Will I use it? Maybe. Her ability is too good not to consider. Will others use it? Yes, though I wonder if she will be competing in the same spot as Karador and other Golgari Commanders. Does she do something new? Yes in the sense that she is amazing card advantage, and no since creatures wanna die.
She's just flat out amazing. Her experience counters don't actually have to matter since she's worded in the best way possible. You always get something out of it at the end of turn, and the EXP is just a bonus. Even without of the EXP counters, she's still a fantastic card. Goodstuff decks will love her.
Mizzix - 4 Will I use it? Burnt out from Izzet Spellslinging, so no. Will others use it? Without a doubt. Helm or part of the 99 with Riku or Melek. Does she do something new? Not the most original idea, but her card can flat out make the deck.
Mizzix is the souped up take on an "Instant/Sorceries Matter" general after Melek. She has a lot more impact than Melek will have 80% of the time, and that's partially thanks to her ability to come out earlier and her X-Spells gain a huge benefit. Kind of puts Rosheen Meanderer to shame. I expect her to find a home and make big plays with her spellslinging antics.
Love him, even if he does nothing broken, he creates weird incentives and he's a far more interesting commander than either of the Obzedats when it comes to BW lifegain generals.
Mazirek: 5
Less interesting, but arguably one of the most powerful. Bridges tokens and graveyard. There will be scarily powerful decks built around this guy.
Daxos: 4
Again, thank you Wizards for not doing the same ol', same ol' when it comes to Orzhov. Daxos isn't the strongest commander, but there are few enough "enchantments matter" commanders, and rarely ones with incentives this peculiar.
Meren: 4
A solid graveyard commander in GB. We have a lot, but the design was good here.
Mizzix: 4
This general is going to be appalling, that it all. With Mazirek one of the powerhouses.
Ezuri: 4
Initially I was a bit meh... but I keep coming up with synergy and synergy. I will honestly dread seeing him at the table, but in a good way.
Kaseto: 4
Casuals get snakes, which is fun; competitive folks get unblockable, which is highly relevant in more than one strategy. This makes a variety of people happy, and for that, I like it. Blight Mamba gives her a 5.
Arjun: 2
I still feel like I'm missing something with this one, as though some part of the text is missing where something happens whenever you draw a card. UR is a solid color pair, so he will be solid, but... meh.
Kalemne: 2
Boros aggro general that just wasn't needed. Not terrible, but... pass.
Anya-1. Not very exciting. My biggest complaint? She comes packaged with FRICKNG AURELIA, and instantly outclassed by another red white combat oriented general.f
Arjun-4. A very weird strategy. I am trying to wrap my head around his wacky shenanigans.
Daxos-4. I like him a lot. I like that he can be aggro or control.
Meren-5. If she lasts until the end of the turn, she gives you value. Her experience counters are not dependent on you casting other types of cards, unlike every other guy that has them, so she can get several experience counters very quickly, while the others may have to wait a turn or 2 before they can accumulate them.
Ezuri-3. I like Edric better as the b/g tiny creatures commander, but Ezuri can give boosts at the cost of card draw.
Mizzix-4.5. She is going to get really scary really quickly. My main drawback is that you have to delay putting her on the field since she requires some mana open to start up properly
Kaseto-2.5. Weird tribal and kamigawa fanboys/crybabies can finally rejoice that wizards does acknowledge them. Useable, but nothing impressive.
Karlov-5. He's my absolute favorite of the entire bunch. Strategy is simple. Gain life. Can beat face or play control. My favorite thing? He costs 2 mana.
Mazerik-4.5. A bit too pricey cmc wise, but I love that he wants you to build wide. A great commander or a supporting guy.
Anya, Merciless Angel - 2 (Boring commander, useful card in a few decks, most notably Gisela)
Arjun, the Shifting Flame - 4 (Solely based on how well it fits into my Niv-Mizzet deck.)
Daxos the Returned - 3 (Doesn't appeal at all to me personally, but I'm glad they printed something to support an untapped archetype)
Ezuri, Claw of Progress - 5 (Replacing Experiment Kraj as my Simic general. Looks like a lot of fun.)
Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas -3 (Solid voltron commander or "big-creatures matter" commander, but I have decks that fill both those archetypes already (Mirri, Kemba, and Mayael).
Karlov of the Ghost Council - 4 (Looks strong, but doesn't inspire a new deck, nor do any of my decks have space for him.
Kaseto, Orochi Archmage - 4 (Interesting idea with either snake tribal or voltron, but, as with Kalemne, my other decks fill the voltron role better (and I don't want another Simic deck)
Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest - 5 (Looks really strong, but I have no desire to build him yet.)
Meren of Clan Nel Toth - 5 (See Mazirek)
Mizzix of the Izmagnus - 5 (See Mazirek/Meren, though I might add her to Niv-Mizzet/Nekusar if it turns out I have enough Instants/Sorceries)
Anya, Merciless Angel -
Anya rewards a strategy of focusing all efforts to drop a single opponent's life total, then drop her when she is a 7/7 Indestructible Flyer that can start Commander-killing the other players. This actually plays a bit into one of RW's strengths of being able to control the board with sweepers and playing efficient, hasty threats. I think it's much better than people are giving it credit for, but since it doesn't have an ability that people can build around and abuse it will get overlooked for other options.
Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas -
Double-strike on a RW commander is strong based purely on the back of the equipment tutoring available, and this equipped with a Sword of X and Y is going to be very strong. I think the hoop you need to jump through to gain Experience counters is easy enough, its just that I don't know how many 5+ drops a RW deck is really going to run. I guess you have things like Sun Titan, Stonehewer Giant, and Reveillark in white, and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Godo, Bandit Warlord, and Siege-Gang Commander as a nice sample of creatures that people will want to play anyway.
Kaseto, Orochi Archmage -
I like the options available here. You can go Snake tribal, UG Infect, or play creatures with combat triggers (which may also include a fewsnakes). I like that the ability has several different ways to be built around depending on what suits your sensibilities.
Mizzix of the Izmagnus -
There is a lot of power here that was intentionally limited by how the Experience counter trigger works, but its still pretty bonkers given the right framework. Just getting 1 or 2 Experience with this in play will go a long way towards making all your counters cost 2 mana, and getting to 4 makes a Capsize with Buyback cost the same as a Boomerang... I think this will have a place in UR Storm decks, UR control, and combo/control hybrids across many different commanders.
Daxos the Returned -
I don't see this heading an Enchantress deck anytime soon, but I can see this playing a big part in an Abzan Enchantress deck as a win-con. If you did go with a WB enchantment deck of some sorts, my guess is that you'll be relying more on winning with Sigil of the Empty Throne, Replenish, Opalescence, etc. and use black card draw to fuel the engine. There is power here and a lot of flexibility, not to mention that there are a ton of enchantments you want to play in these colors anyway.
Karlov of the Ghost Council -
I really like this card for decks that are already life-gain based, especially decks based on Drain Life effects, Extort cards, or just bleeder effect in general. In those cases, it will give you a cheap creature to start beating down with early, trigger Extort cards cheaply, and add a bit of extra pinpoint creature removal (that exiles). I don't like this as a commander as I dislike commanders whose ability is only used as creature control.
Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest -
My favorite commander of the set, this guy will generating +1/+1 counters like they are going out of style. Whenever an opponent cracks a Fetchland, has to sac a creature to your Grave Pact, or Pharika-forbid you set off a Wave of Vitriol on a cluttered board, you are going to get a ton of value out of this, but where things start going nuts is that it triggers on all your sacrifices as well making this a shoe-in for deck like Prossh, Skyraider of Kher or Shattergang Brothers.
Meren of Clan Nel Toth -
Gaining experience is going to be easy, but this is a lot of hoops to jump though in order to get a Zombify every turn. I do like that at a minimum, it recurs a creature back to your hand so that even when you are gaining experience you can keep recurring cheaper stuff like Sakura-Tribe Elder and Yavimaya Elder to ramp mana and trigger Meren and build towards reanimating bigger and badder things. It feels a little on the durdley side to be great, but solid enough to see play and be good in most BG decks.
I'll grade them on three aspects: Power, Creativity and Appeal (to me).
Power: As this is Commander, I will generally assume it's in a deck with similar themes to the card itself. How useful it is in as a 99 of the deck instead of the Commander would also be a considering factor.
Creativity: This has two factors, firstly from the design (paper) perspective, as well as the diversity the card enables, a powerful but narrow build-around card doesn't usually score too well here.
Appeal: Yes, the above two are subject to my opinions, but this one is completely dependent on the current roster of EDH decks I have, of which Alesha, Animar, Karador and Horde have enemy color pairings in them (I won't comment much on Horde though, honestly none of the new Commanders are a fit for the deck). Since I don't have any Enemy Color Pair EDH decks, by default none of the Legends in this release can take over the helm and hence they're graded solely on their contribution in the 99.
Anya is overall a weak card, in the Command Zone, it provides incentive for your opponents to attack you instead in the earlier stages of the game. Even if you play a fast, aggressive deck to activate her bonuses, her presence gives away the plan - which usually doesn't survive enemy contact. It's probably better in the 99, but then it would just function as a huge flying beater without Commander Damage.
However, Anya gets an extra point in creativity because of those weaknesses, if she's in the Command Zone, you don't use the aggro plan that's obvious from the get-go, you set up defensive cards like Ghostly Prison and Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs, then cast cards like Fumiko the Lowblood or Warmonger Hellkite so that creatures have to attack, but its taxing to attack you, so the attacks will mostly likely just head elsewhere. Anya requires a more control-lish build to overcome her weakness. For that possibility, I'll say it's worth an extra point in creativity, although it still doesn't rate high because such plans are usually better in theory than in practice.
Anya has no synergy under Alesha, so I've no interest.
Arjun is definitely powerful in the correct build - it essentially is a consistent recycle wheel that triggers draw triggers. It doesn't have a trigger of it's own to the draws, but that problem is easily solved in many cards, so basically any deck that has them can consider Arjun at either the helm or the 99.
Unforunately, it's just Mindmoil on a body, which means as far as creativity goes, it falls flat - even the general deck ideas have more or less already been solved, and all Arjun does is add consistency.
Arjun can be considered in Animar, but it's fighting for the coveted 6-drop slot, which already has cards that provide card advantage instead. It doesn't provide enough incentive by itself to add other cards into the deck with draw triggers in Animar.
Daxos is an engine in the enchantment build - it strengthens when enchantments are cast and puts enchantment (creatures) into play, which also scales in power and toughness to the enchantments cast when Daxos was around. The only (fair) drawback is that it is rather mana-intensive to use him as an engine - Daxos has to be on the battlefield first, enchantments have to be cast and mana paid to get the tokens, which lowers its speed, although if it isn't interrupted, is definitely worth it.
Daxos is relatively creative - enchantments do include auras, so besides the typical enchantress builds, a Voltron/Defensive build revolving around auras and protecting/empowering Daxos himself is also a viable strategy. Daxos it probably the most flexible option in the realm of Enchantments, but also only in that realm, which is why it doesn't score that high in the creativity department either.
I could consider Daxos in both Alesha and Karador, as he can be reanimated for cheap, although that requires a revision to the enchantment count and may not be worth it after all.
Ezuri is definitely powerful - +1/+1 counters triggers many other abilities of other cards. By using experience counters, it means Ezuri's effect will never diminish. While the accumulation process can be slow, all Ezuri does it provide an additional benefit at almost no cost (other than having to cast Ezuri). Even the slow process can be fixed since blue is the color of bouncing and card draw, while green has the ability to ramp using the very creatures that add experience counters.
Honestly, it feels like a mesh between Master Biomancer and Xenagos, God of Revels, pretty much its creativity comes from the resilience of experience counters combined with the flexibility of +1/+1 counters, which is why it's doesn't score so well here, since +1/+1 counters while flexible, isn't that creative either.
Animar, with the Biomancer and Forgotten Ancient gladly welcome Ezuri.
I personally think Kalemne is more powerful than Anya because it is by default still a 3/3 with Double Strike and Vigilance, which means any power increase from any source makes it a lot more deadlier. Basically it's the lack of "requirement/drawback" like Anya makes it more powerful it's default abilities. It's experience mechanic is the weakest though.
Well, on top of being the weakest experience mechanic, it's also arguably the most uninspiring one. While Anya's requirements can lead to some interesting developments on paper, the same can't be said for Kalemne.
Like with Anya, Alesha simply has no synergy with Kalemne.
Uncle Karlov is definitely powerful in the correct build and situation, but still has weaknesses. Most of the time Karlov still doesn't grow as fast as imagined, as lifegain probably only happens once or twice in a turn in decks not entirely tuned to just boost him all the way. In decks that do, he's still vulnerable to removal himself.
I'll say Karlov is interesting creatively as he has one thinking about the different avenues of lifegain. But outside of that realm, he's rather narrow.
Like with Daxos, Alesha and Karador can consider him, but tuning still needs to be done with regards to lifegain, although he'll make a better rattlesnake than Daxos would, I think.
Kasteo can make anything unblockable, but ultimately if that's his only purpose, it's still not particularly powerful. In Snake tribal he's definitely more powerful, but even than he may be hindered by mana.
Well, despite all it being the typical narrow tribal type, but adding an additional color to a lesser-played tribe would open more possibilities than one might think. Passable.
There's a long queue to fight for in the slot allotment in Animar, so even if it can grant unblockability, it's just another contender at best.
Definitely powerful, in fact it's around Thraximundar levels. Lower cost, but more fragile body at the start. Unable to force sacrifices on its own, but has a greater effect.
Like Thraximundar, Mazirek is open many, many different kind of builds. Unforunately, even that diversity has more or less been explored already, so it's not exactly new diversity.
Karador would appreciate Mazirek, although I might need to tune the sacrifice outlets.
Meren triggers at the end of turn, so barring instant-speed removal, it's going to provide an advantage the turn it enters the battlefield. Meren doesn't require experience counters to have her ability relevant and grows progressively more powerful when the counters get involved.
Meren is the direct reanimation Commander BG has been waiting for, but seriously, creative-wise, it doesn't inspire much more unique deckbuilding choices than cards that revolve around sacrifice and death like Mazirek. In a way, Meren is like Kresh the Bloodbraided.
Karador cares not about the weaknesses of Meren, as any reanimation engine is welcome to the endless cycle of life and death.
Mizzix in the correct build is pretty much the spellslinger version of Animar. Experience counters stay on forever, so Mizzix doesn't have to worry about removal that much, but is also more fragile than Animar as a result. But I think the Animar comparison should be pretty relevant to its power.
Melek exists, but Mizzix takes it in a different direction, so it's a pretty unique design.
Well, Animar is the polar opposite when it comes to the type of narrowness so I have no interest in Mizzix at all.
I got quite impatient as I was typing the post, so the later reviews might be more concise and blunt.
Anya: 1 - A dumb beater, which the colour combination was not exactly short of, and not a very good dumb beater at that. The art raises her to a 1.
Arjun: 2 - Mindmoil is a good card, putting it on a solid body with wings is a decent deal. But another creature that supports the "cast lots of spells" archetype is not what Izzet needed. And Mizzix got spoiled first, so to me, Arjun is the one that should've been cut
Kaseto: 3 - Snake tribal is more of a gimmick than anything, but giving unblockable is a nice effect, and he can self pump to be a solid voltron choice
Kalemne: 3 - Another dumb beater, but a pretty good one this time round. Carries swords like a champ, and there's some interesting mass pump creatures at CMC 5 to consider
Mazirek: 3 - Saccing stuff for +1/+1 counters is never a bad thing in these colours. So many ways to trigger him and so many interactions with the counters. But at the same time, I just don't find him very interesting.
Daxos: 4 - I'm not convinced he's hugely powerful, but he opens up completely new options for the colour combination, so he gets big props from me for that.
Mizzix: 4 - Nothing new here, she casts lots of spells. But damn does she do it well
Ezuri: 4 - Play small dudes, get loads of counters. Plenty of shenanigans to see with him, from infect, to Sage of Hours, to squirrel tribal
Karlov: 5 - Voltron and/or removal, based on a lifegain strategy? Now this I really like. As with Daxos, he really opens up what WB can do
Meren: 5 - Pretty much my perfect BG general. The more stuff dies, the better stuff you get back. And being able to use her to some effect even without experience is just the icing on the cake
* * * * *Arjun, the Shifting Flame
Trash. Mindmoil on a commander could have created an interesting deck, but heavily overcosted. UR also desperately needs an artifact-focused commander, whose slot this took.
* * * * *Daxos the Returned
A decent card, and while not the strongest, probably the best overall design. I do not like it, but still good to see.
Why is so much of the Arjun hate seemingly focused on the idea that he would have been the artifact commander? If Mizzix was revealed last, would she get the same complaints?
Also, between all of the UR commanders, he would make a great UR artifact commander. Play the best artifact in your hand, ability triggers, repeat as desired. Dig through your deck fast to get to your prime targets.
That is one of the reasons that I like him so much; there is no non-whatever spell rider on his ability. Everything but lands triggers, so you really have a lot of options in which way his deck can go.
Anya - 1. Utter Trash. Will never play it.
Arjun - 2. mindmoil is good, this is not. Uninspired.
Daxos - 3. I really like what they did here. Cheap, new dimension for WB.
Ezuri - 3. Strong card, but boring as hell. Next.
Kalemne - 2. A little better than Anya. But just so generic. Won't play this ever.
Karlov - 3. Cheap and has some appeal. But still a little on the uninspired side.
Kaseto - 3. Pretty good enabler general. Has a lot of potential. But I'll stick to my Edric deck.
Mazirek - 4. Great card, with tons of combo, stax and control. Plus, it can lead the insect tribal deck. Will play this when I can.
Meren - 5. Amazing general. Great one of. Love this card. Will play this everywhere. Now, I play a nath stax deck with Deathcloud. I'm tempted to use her as the general...
Mizzix - 4. Nice card, and very very powerful. Can you say TEPS in EDH? Will be putting this to work.
Why is so much of the Arjun hate seemingly focused on the idea that he would have been the artifact commander? If Mizzix was revealed last, would she get the same complaints?
Also, between all of the UR commanders, he would make a great UR artifact commander. Play the best artifact in your hand, ability triggers, repeat as desired. Dig through your deck fast to get to your prime targets.
That is one of the reasons that I like him so much; there is no non-whatever spell rider on his ability. Everything but lands triggers, so you really have a lot of options in which way his deck can go.
This is true. Yatsufusa is one of the few users here fairly judging him on power level but even he unfairly judges him in other categories.
Overall, I'm both disappointed and excited. The Spike in me is disappointed that only the Izzet and Simic commanders are really even close to top tier potential (and mostly just because of the colors). As a whole they are much weaker than many of the older commander set legends.
The Timmy in me is excited about all the crazy play potential some of these legends have in more average groups. The Orzhov commanders and Gruul commanders in particular. But also Arjun. People just don't know how crazy fun Mindmoil can be.
I like that for the most part they kept the power levels of these options closer. Other than the trash Boros legends. There is no Daretti or Teferi. There is no Derevi, Prossh or Oloro. There is no Riku or Damia. All the legends are competitive with each other for the most part. Though I think Ezuri and Arjun could run away from the others with the right builds. Their combo potential combined with the control their colors can combine might give them a significant edge over the others in power. It shouldn't be hard to build either into a deck with decently consistent t4-t5 win potential against average decks.
5 = awesome, 1 = utter trash
For reference:
...weird, no one has a name that starts with the back half of the alphabet. How unusual.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
Arjun - 2. Meh. He's vaguely interesting I guess but I see no reason to use him. He's expensive, fragile, and provides little immediate value usually.
Daxos - 3. Average. Semi-cheap token maker. I'm not impressed but I wouldn't be surprised to see him played either.
Ezuri - 3. Probably worth a 4 but I just don't like him personally. +1/+1 counter guy. I'm not impressed here either but he does have combos.
Kalemne - 1. Dumb beater which Boros already has plenty of. Not as bad as Anya but there was no 0 option for Anya.
Karlov - 4. Very, very good. Could honestly be a 5. Strong, super cheap, good ability. This is a good beater, pay attention Boros.
Kaseto - 2. Meh. At least he's cheap and can be a mana sink. That puts him over the Boros options.
Mazirek - 5. Awesome. Will win games often and easily. Semi-expensive at 5 but should end games on the spot when played so who cares?
Meren - 5. Awesome. Great value for the cost. Plays the slower grindy game rather than the big finish.
Mizzix - 5. Awesome. Could be a 4 because you really need to untap with her to get the value. Still if you get to untap you should win.
So there you go, could move Karlov up and Mizzix down but otherwise I'm happy with those ratings.
It's also a bit hard to give many of these a 5 when comparing it to other commanders. I only gave 5 to Ezuri and Meren...but I question in the big picture if they are only worth a 4. These aren't Derevi power levels at a glance, but they are the only ones i see with potential to be after some musing.
Arjun - 2. So angry at this general. Why? just stop.
Daxos of Meletis - 4. I really like that they made a decent/good WB enchantment themed general. So VERY tired of the same shtick for the color pairs. Good job.
Ezuri, Renegade Leader - 4. Stupid good, but they corrupted my favorite elf so I'm sad. Tall or Wide, all shall be compleat.
Kalemne - 3. While it's the same boring crap for RW AGAIN, I like that she's aggressively costed and packs a whallop on her own. Boring as hell though.
Karlov - 2. We get it. WB likes to play with life. I don't care. I want something different. NEXT.
Kaseto - 2. Snake tribal? Really. GTFO.
Mazirek - 5. Insane. But again, the same boring GB creature death matters...ugh. I'm so over it.
Meren - 5. VERY cool. This is the same GB bs, but done well. I like her.
Mizzix - 5. After sleeping off my crankies for this goblin, I'm in love. Homerun.
:symr::symb: I hate your deck(Kaervek the Merciless)
Wait, how do I even hide it as a name title?
Ka...Oh god that's not a good alliteration.Wait, how do I even hide it as a name title?
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
I mostly don't like Ezuri because he isn't interesting to me for a G/U commander. Momir is more along the lines of what I want G/U to do. Not put some counters on a single creature once a turn...
[center][color=Blue]
Edric Spy and die
Azami the lady of the draw
Naya Zoo
Past decks
Orloro
sharuum the hegemond
Mono black control
splinter twin
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
Overall: 4. There's some bad eggs in there but also some really good or great cards that are begging to be added to a deck or being built around. I'm looking forward them.
Arjun: 2. Outside of a couple specific combo decks, I cant see this card getting much play.
Daxos: 3. Interesting ability, and in a color that has good enchantment recursion. Very build around so I cant see him being slotted easily into other decks.
Ezuri: 4. Building his experience is very easy, and has great +1/+1 counter support in UG. Can be built in different, and can be slotted into decks that care about counters (ie Animar).
Kalemne: 2. Effective at attacking, but has the worst experience building mechanic.
Karlov: 4. An interesting voltron option of Orzhov. The spin on Teysa, Orzhov Scion is appreciated.
Kaseto: 2. Another interesting voltron option. Easier to slide into decks that want to make unblockable creatures, but the mana cost of doing so is limiting.
Mazirek: 5. A great card. Insane in decks that want to sacrifice things (Ghave, Prossh) or awesome as the general of its own deck. Lots of power and potential.
Meren: 5. The best of the 10. Can be put into nearly any BGx deck containing recursion, and can be the powerhouse leader of a Golgari deck.
Mizzix: 3. While I am not a fan, I know some people are very excited at the spellslinging potential.
The Mimeoplasm || Karador, Ghost Chieftain
Prossh, Skyraider of Kher || Vial Smasher/Tymna Group Slug
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief || Talrand, Sky Summoner
Yidris - Unblockable Saboteurs || Kiki-Jiki, ETB breaker
Kess, Dissident Mage
I have a feeling that people consider Kaseto to be a snake tribal general, but his' ability, while benefit snakes the most, can be applied to any creature you want to get through, such as a equipped Cephalid Constable or infect creatures.
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs
Anya - 1. Utter Trash. Boring vanilla Boros beater.
Arjun - 5. Highly niche card. I really like it. Time to make a deck out of it.
Daxos - 3. Needs to build around enchantments, other than that nothing really special about this guy.
Ezuri - 2. Sighz, if only his ability is different I would have considered him in my 5c elves. Immaculate Magistrate is so much better than him.
Kalemne - 1. Utter Trash no.2. Another boring vanilla Boros beater.
Karlov - 4. Very good card. Demands good deck building around life gain to maximise his potential
Kaseto - 2. Another meh simic card, very vanilla.
Mazirek - 3. Golgari's answer to not having Cathar's Crusade in their colors. Another cog to the already common persist combos.
Meren - 2. Reanimators will love her, decks with her as a commander will probably run the same cards just like any other golgari reanimator deck.
Mizzix - 2. Finally a card that reduces spells cc like how Animar reduces creature cc... but how come I'm so bored by it.
I'm missing a spellslinger EDH... seems like Arjun will be helming it when Commander2015 releases.
WUBRG Reaper King - Elf Tribal WUBRG | Tribal Fun
WRG Gishath, Sun's Avatar - Dinosaur Tribal WRG | Rawr!!!
WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician - Enchantress Tactics WUG | Enchantments Focused
GBG The Gitrog Monster - Land Shenanigans GBG | Lands/Mill Focused
WBW Kambal, Consul of Life Allocation Matters WBW | Life Gain/Loss focused
UBR Kess, Dissident Mage of the Lotus UBR | Spellslinger
BGB Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons - Counters & Tokens BGB | -1/-1 counters focused
Anya: 1. Boring, plus she becomes worse as the game progresses and players lose. Just a crap card all around. RW continues to get the short end of the EDH stick.
Arjun: 3. Excited to see how people break him, but not really interested in playing him myself. Mindmoil was already a cool card.
Daxos: 4. This is a very cool card. Were it not for the fact that my roommate has already detailed his planned Daxos deck to me, I'd build him myself.
Ezuri: 3. Good card, but it reminds me a lot of Edric in the sense that what this card probably wants to do is run a ton of small evasive creatures. I think it's a little overhyped.
Kalemne: 1. This card isn't as bad power-level-wise as everyone seems to think but she's still crap.
Karlov: 4. The cool lifegain general BW deserves. I'm a fan, though like Arjun I have no interest in running him myself.
Kaseto: 4. This is almost entirely on points for how cool a card this is, since he's very weak power-wise. Maybe if there were better snakes. He'd probably be a decent infect general.
Mazirek: 5. I can't decide if I like this guy or Meren more. Not exactly unexplored territory for GB, but he's clearly obsoleted Savra and is different enough from Jarad that I'm a fan.
Meren: 5. Everything I said about Mazirek applies here too. I like that Meren lends herself to a recursion-ETB/death-effects-until-reanimating-something-huge deck and Mazirek wants to go wide and play the attrition game. Good art, too.
Mizzix: 3. Not as cool as Melek or Arjun but more powerful than Arjun so they get the same rating. Clearly absurd with a Spell Burst soft-lock and after a few turn cycles of that you can finish the table off with a Comet Storm.
| Omnath | Zada | Alesha | Scion |
| Mazirek | Animar |
Modern
UR Storm RU
UBRG Dredge GRBU
Standard
UR Thermo-Thing RU
Anya - 1
Will I use it? Yes, in my Zurgo deck.
Will others use it? nope.avi
Does she do something new? NOPE.
The elephant in the room. Let's make one thing clear: she is the only general of these 10 that has an imposing presence in the Command Zone. She is also one of the only Commanders that can be played politically of these 10, another being Kaseto to grant unblockability to opponents creatures in means of "helping them out" if you choose that path. She has a good body for the cost and can be a potential threat given the situation.
But that's the problem: She's too situational. She's too static. She doesn't inspire a lot of innovation. She isn't really cut for any defined plan. And whatever you build, you can do better with Gisela. Even Basandra is a more attractive choice for a Boros Control general. She just isn't flat out impressive despite her potential to be big. She doesn't do enough.
If there is one positive thing I will say about her, it's this: She is one of the best Angels I've ever seen and I have to give the artist major props for creating such a beautiful angel. Shame it's wasted on a card like this.
Arjun - 4
Will I use it? Maybe in my Surrak Primal Surge deck.
Will others use it? Yes. Most likely in "Drawing Matters" decks such as Niv-Mizzet v.1, Nin, and Nekusar.
Does he do something new? Sort of.
Arjun does one thing I really wish Wizards would do a lot more often: he has an existing enchantment effect on a Legendary Creature. I've once has a "Draw Matters" deck a long time ago before Nekusar was a thing, and seeing this does make me want to tackle it again later on, but not in the immediate future. For now, I think I'll put him in the 99 for Surrak.
Daxos - 5
Will I use it? You bet I will.
Will others use it? Positive that he'll have some devoted fans.
Does he do something new? Yes.
I love Enchantments. I love off-the-wall things, and this is definitely one of such things. I'm unsure of the direction I want to go with him, but I do want to make him a deck very soon. I need to think over some possible buildpaths: Stax, Lifegain, Pillowfort, etc.
Ezuri - 5
Will I use it? Not for me, but golly is he interesting.
Will others use it? OH YES.
Does he do something new? For the most part, yes. While Edric is the "weenie" Simic deck, Ezuri at least encourges a lot more in-your-face style of play.
The most hyped general in my LGS, and for a good reason too. His EXP proc is surprisingly easy to accumulate and he can go pretty insane with a simple play like Avenger of Zendikar and the like. Multiple build-paths, powerful buffs, this guy is the real deal.
Kelemne - 3
Will I use it? Boros is my jam, so yes.
Will others use it? Not seeing it, as Gisela and Aurelia are more attractive options.
Does she do something new? Kind of.
Kelemne gave me mixed feelings at first. But the more I thought about it: I actually like her compared to my past attempts at a Boros Commander. When I first started playing EDH, Brion was my first general. I loved curving into him with a 5-mana play like a Sword or a big dude, but his problem was that he wasn't really the best Voltron commander. Enter Kelemne, who can power herself up just by playing dudes and plays well with saboteur effects. Double Strike and Vigilance is a dangerous combination, and a powerful one. I know she doesn't have the flashiest abilities, but she does have the means to an end.
Karlov - 3
Will I use it? On the fence about it. I like him but I like Daxos more.
Will others use it? Won't be a popular choice, but he does have some attention. Goes well in Oloro decks.
Does he do something new? Yes and No. He gives the incentive to play with Life-Matters cards, but he's really the first one to solidify that role. Others like Vish Kal and the two Ghost Dads had "life" but had more room to bend to other methods.
He gets big. The fact that you get a bonus for gaining life is a nice incentive to gain life since Commander Damage often makes it useless. You can use life as a resource as usual and gain it back again.
Kaseto - 3
Will I use it? Ehh, no.
Will others use it? Fringe at best.
Does he do something new? Yes, but how much it will make an impact is up in the air. I do admire the random tribe getting some attention.
However. I do wish Wizards would work with other under-represented tribes as well (Knights, cough). Anyway, the ability isn't that bad...just, it isn't as flashy as you'd hope for. As I mentioned before, he does offer some politics and he himself can be a potential threat thanks to his ability to be a mana-sink.
Mazirek - 4
Will I use it? Not in the immediate future, but I am considering it.
Will others use it? Absolutely, in the helm or as a compliment to already powerful commanders like Ghave and Prossh.
Does he do something new? Yes in the sense that he can combo out really well, no in that he follows the similar Golgari path of "Sac dudes for profit".
All about existing synergy. Persist dudes will make him go infinite with a sac outlet, it interacts with opponents sacrifice effects, it does plenty of things right. I will see him being more of a combo general, and who knows if that will make his deck-life last long.
Meren - 4
Will I use it? Maybe. Her ability is too good not to consider.
Will others use it? Yes, though I wonder if she will be competing in the same spot as Karador and other Golgari Commanders.
Does she do something new? Yes in the sense that she is amazing card advantage, and no since creatures wanna die.
She's just flat out amazing. Her experience counters don't actually have to matter since she's worded in the best way possible. You always get something out of it at the end of turn, and the EXP is just a bonus. Even without of the EXP counters, she's still a fantastic card. Goodstuff decks will love her.
Mizzix - 4
Will I use it? Burnt out from Izzet Spellslinging, so no.
Will others use it? Without a doubt. Helm or part of the 99 with Riku or Melek.
Does she do something new? Not the most original idea, but her card can flat out make the deck.
Mizzix is the souped up take on an "Instant/Sorceries Matter" general after Melek. She has a lot more impact than Melek will have 80% of the time, and that's partially thanks to her ability to come out earlier and her X-Spells gain a huge benefit. Kind of puts Rosheen Meanderer to shame. I expect her to find a home and make big plays with her spellslinging antics.
From best to worst:
Karlov: 5
Love him, even if he does nothing broken, he creates weird incentives and he's a far more interesting commander than either of the Obzedats when it comes to BW lifegain generals.
Mazirek: 5
Less interesting, but arguably one of the most powerful. Bridges tokens and graveyard. There will be scarily powerful decks built around this guy.
Daxos: 4
Again, thank you Wizards for not doing the same ol', same ol' when it comes to Orzhov. Daxos isn't the strongest commander, but there are few enough "enchantments matter" commanders, and rarely ones with incentives this peculiar.
Meren: 4
A solid graveyard commander in GB. We have a lot, but the design was good here.
Mizzix: 4
This general is going to be appalling, that it all. With Mazirek one of the powerhouses.
Ezuri: 4
Initially I was a bit meh... but I keep coming up with synergy and synergy. I will honestly dread seeing him at the table, but in a good way.
Kaseto: 4
Casuals get snakes, which is fun; competitive folks get unblockable, which is highly relevant in more than one strategy. This makes a variety of people happy, and for that, I like it. Blight Mamba gives her a 5.
Arjun: 2
I still feel like I'm missing something with this one, as though some part of the text is missing where something happens whenever you draw a card. UR is a solid color pair, so he will be solid, but... meh.
Kalemne: 2
Boros aggro general that just wasn't needed. Not terrible, but... pass.
Anya: 1
The Stitcher Geralf of C15. Boros, you was robbed.
UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU's prison: blue is the new orange is the new black.
BSidisi, Undead VizierB: Bis zum Erbrechen
GTitiania, Protector Of ArgothG: Protecting Argoth, by blowing it up!
GYisan, The Wanderer BardG: Gradus Ad Elfball.
Duel EDH: Yisan & Titania.
In Progress: Grand Arbiter Augustin IV duel; Grenzo, Dungeon Warden Doomsday.
Arjun-4. A very weird strategy. I am trying to wrap my head around his wacky shenanigans.
Daxos-4. I like him a lot. I like that he can be aggro or control.
Meren-5. If she lasts until the end of the turn, she gives you value. Her experience counters are not dependent on you casting other types of cards, unlike every other guy that has them, so she can get several experience counters very quickly, while the others may have to wait a turn or 2 before they can accumulate them.
Ezuri-3. I like Edric better as the b/g tiny creatures commander, but Ezuri can give boosts at the cost of card draw.
Mizzix-4.5. She is going to get really scary really quickly. My main drawback is that you have to delay putting her on the field since she requires some mana open to start up properly
Kaseto-2.5. Weird tribal and kamigawa fanboys/crybabies can finally rejoice that wizards does acknowledge them. Useable, but nothing impressive.
Karlov-5. He's my absolute favorite of the entire bunch. Strategy is simple. Gain life. Can beat face or play control. My favorite thing? He costs 2 mana.
Mazerik-4.5. A bit too pricey cmc wise, but I love that he wants you to build wide. A great commander or a supporting guy.
Kalemne-1. Yawn.
Arjun, the Shifting Flame - 4 (Solely based on how well it fits into my Niv-Mizzet deck.)
Daxos the Returned - 3 (Doesn't appeal at all to me personally, but I'm glad they printed something to support an untapped archetype)
Ezuri, Claw of Progress - 5 (Replacing Experiment Kraj as my Simic general. Looks like a lot of fun.)
Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas -3 (Solid voltron commander or "big-creatures matter" commander, but I have decks that fill both those archetypes already (Mirri, Kemba, and Mayael).
Karlov of the Ghost Council - 4 (Looks strong, but doesn't inspire a new deck, nor do any of my decks have space for him.
Kaseto, Orochi Archmage - 4 (Interesting idea with either snake tribal or voltron, but, as with Kalemne, my other decks fill the voltron role better (and I don't want another Simic deck)
Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest - 5 (Looks really strong, but I have no desire to build him yet.)
Meren of Clan Nel Toth - 5 (See Mazirek)
Mizzix of the Izmagnus - 5 (See Mazirek/Meren, though I might add her to Niv-Mizzet/Nekusar if it turns out I have enough Instants/Sorceries)
,
- UG Ezuri, Claw of Progress The Artist Formerly Known as Kraj,
- R Heartless Hidetsugu Burn it all down .
- G Kamahl, Fist of Krosa/Jolrael, Empress of Beasts Nacatl War-Pride shenanigans.
- WBR Zurgo Helmsmasher Wrath.dec
Anya rewards a strategy of focusing all efforts to drop a single opponent's life total, then drop her when she is a 7/7 Indestructible Flyer that can start Commander-killing the other players. This actually plays a bit into one of RW's strengths of being able to control the board with sweepers and playing efficient, hasty threats. I think it's much better than people are giving it credit for, but since it doesn't have an ability that people can build around and abuse it will get overlooked for other options.
Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas -
Double-strike on a RW commander is strong based purely on the back of the equipment tutoring available, and this equipped with a Sword of X and Y is going to be very strong. I think the hoop you need to jump through to gain Experience counters is easy enough, its just that I don't know how many 5+ drops a RW deck is really going to run. I guess you have things like Sun Titan, Stonehewer Giant, and Reveillark in white, and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Godo, Bandit Warlord, and Siege-Gang Commander as a nice sample of creatures that people will want to play anyway.
Ezuri, Claw of Progress -
Ezuri 2.0 reminds me a lot of Edric, Spymaster of Trest in that it rewards you for playing a lot of smaller creatures. I love that it plays so well with mass token creation cards like Avenger of Zendikar or Deranged Hermit that ratchet up the Experience counters quickly. I think this will also go into existing UG decks that are counter-based like Vorel of the Hull Clade or Prime Speaker Zegana.
Kaseto, Orochi Archmage -
I like the options available here. You can go Snake tribal, UG Infect, or play creatures with combat triggers (which may also include a few snakes). I like that the ability has several different ways to be built around depending on what suits your sensibilities.
Arjun, the Shifting Flame -
It's a nice "dragon" that will slot well into Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind decks that like their hand-cycling effects, not to mention this gets sick with cards like Alhammarret's Archive, Psychosis Crawler, and Thought Reflection. I'm skeptical of it as a commander in that UR strikes me as a color combination that like to play a more controlled and methodical game.
Mizzix of the Izmagnus -
There is a lot of power here that was intentionally limited by how the Experience counter trigger works, but its still pretty bonkers given the right framework. Just getting 1 or 2 Experience with this in play will go a long way towards making all your counters cost 2 mana, and getting to 4 makes a Capsize with Buyback cost the same as a Boomerang... I think this will have a place in UR Storm decks, UR control, and combo/control hybrids across many different commanders.
Daxos the Returned -
I don't see this heading an Enchantress deck anytime soon, but I can see this playing a big part in an Abzan Enchantress deck as a win-con. If you did go with a WB enchantment deck of some sorts, my guess is that you'll be relying more on winning with Sigil of the Empty Throne, Replenish, Opalescence, etc. and use black card draw to fuel the engine. There is power here and a lot of flexibility, not to mention that there are a ton of enchantments you want to play in these colors anyway.
Karlov of the Ghost Council -
I really like this card for decks that are already life-gain based, especially decks based on Drain Life effects, Extort cards, or just bleeder effect in general. In those cases, it will give you a cheap creature to start beating down with early, trigger Extort cards cheaply, and add a bit of extra pinpoint creature removal (that exiles). I don't like this as a commander as I dislike commanders whose ability is only used as creature control.
Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest -
My favorite commander of the set, this guy will generating +1/+1 counters like they are going out of style. Whenever an opponent cracks a Fetchland, has to sac a creature to your Grave Pact, or Pharika-forbid you set off a Wave of Vitriol on a cluttered board, you are going to get a ton of value out of this, but where things start going nuts is that it triggers on all your sacrifices as well making this a shoe-in for deck like Prossh, Skyraider of Kher or Shattergang Brothers.
Meren of Clan Nel Toth -
Gaining experience is going to be easy, but this is a lot of hoops to jump though in order to get a Zombify every turn. I do like that at a minimum, it recurs a creature back to your hand so that even when you are gaining experience you can keep recurring cheaper stuff like Sakura-Tribe Elder and Yavimaya Elder to ramp mana and trigger Meren and build towards reanimating bigger and badder things. It feels a little on the durdley side to be great, but solid enough to see play and be good in most BG decks.
Power: As this is Commander, I will generally assume it's in a deck with similar themes to the card itself. How useful it is in as a 99 of the deck instead of the Commander would also be a considering factor.
Creativity: This has two factors, firstly from the design (paper) perspective, as well as the diversity the card enables, a powerful but narrow build-around card doesn't usually score too well here.
Appeal: Yes, the above two are subject to my opinions, but this one is completely dependent on the current roster of EDH decks I have, of which Alesha, Animar, Karador and Horde have enemy color pairings in them (I won't comment much on Horde though, honestly none of the new Commanders are a fit for the deck). Since I don't have any Enemy Color Pair EDH decks, by default none of the Legends in this release can take over the helm and hence they're graded solely on their contribution in the 99.
Anya, Merciless Angel: Power 1, Creativity 2, Appeal 1 (Total 4/15)
Anya is overall a weak card, in the Command Zone, it provides incentive for your opponents to attack you instead in the earlier stages of the game. Even if you play a fast, aggressive deck to activate her bonuses, her presence gives away the plan - which usually doesn't survive enemy contact. It's probably better in the 99, but then it would just function as a huge flying beater without Commander Damage.
However, Anya gets an extra point in creativity because of those weaknesses, if she's in the Command Zone, you don't use the aggro plan that's obvious from the get-go, you set up defensive cards like Ghostly Prison and Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs, then cast cards like Fumiko the Lowblood or Warmonger Hellkite so that creatures have to attack, but its taxing to attack you, so the attacks will mostly likely just head elsewhere. Anya requires a more control-lish build to overcome her weakness. For that possibility, I'll say it's worth an extra point in creativity, although it still doesn't rate high because such plans are usually better in theory than in practice.
Anya has no synergy under Alesha, so I've no interest.
Arjun, the Shifting Flame: Power 4, Creativity 1, Appeal 1 (Total 6/15)
Arjun is definitely powerful in the correct build - it essentially is a consistent recycle wheel that triggers draw triggers. It doesn't have a trigger of it's own to the draws, but that problem is easily solved in many cards, so basically any deck that has them can consider Arjun at either the helm or the 99.
Unforunately, it's just Mindmoil on a body, which means as far as creativity goes, it falls flat - even the general deck ideas have more or less already been solved, and all Arjun does is add consistency.
Arjun can be considered in Animar, but it's fighting for the coveted 6-drop slot, which already has cards that provide card advantage instead. It doesn't provide enough incentive by itself to add other cards into the deck with draw triggers in Animar.
Daxos the Returned: Power 4, Creativity 3, Appeal: 2 (Total 9/15)
Daxos is an engine in the enchantment build - it strengthens when enchantments are cast and puts enchantment (creatures) into play, which also scales in power and toughness to the enchantments cast when Daxos was around. The only (fair) drawback is that it is rather mana-intensive to use him as an engine - Daxos has to be on the battlefield first, enchantments have to be cast and mana paid to get the tokens, which lowers its speed, although if it isn't interrupted, is definitely worth it.
Daxos is relatively creative - enchantments do include auras, so besides the typical enchantress builds, a Voltron/Defensive build revolving around auras and protecting/empowering Daxos himself is also a viable strategy. Daxos it probably the most flexible option in the realm of Enchantments, but also only in that realm, which is why it doesn't score that high in the creativity department either.
I could consider Daxos in both Alesha and Karador, as he can be reanimated for cheap, although that requires a revision to the enchantment count and may not be worth it after all.
Ezuri, Claw of Progress: Power 5, Creativity 2, Appeal 5 (Total 12/15)
Ezuri is definitely powerful - +1/+1 counters triggers many other abilities of other cards. By using experience counters, it means Ezuri's effect will never diminish. While the accumulation process can be slow, all Ezuri does it provide an additional benefit at almost no cost (other than having to cast Ezuri). Even the slow process can be fixed since blue is the color of bouncing and card draw, while green has the ability to ramp using the very creatures that add experience counters.
Honestly, it feels like a mesh between Master Biomancer and Xenagos, God of Revels, pretty much its creativity comes from the resilience of experience counters combined with the flexibility of +1/+1 counters, which is why it's doesn't score so well here, since +1/+1 counters while flexible, isn't that creative either.
Animar, with the Biomancer and Forgotten Ancient gladly welcome Ezuri.
Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas: Power 2, Creativity 1, Appeal 1 (Total 4/15)
I personally think Kalemne is more powerful than Anya because it is by default still a 3/3 with Double Strike and Vigilance, which means any power increase from any source makes it a lot more deadlier. Basically it's the lack of "requirement/drawback" like Anya makes it more powerful it's default abilities. It's experience mechanic is the weakest though.
Well, on top of being the weakest experience mechanic, it's also arguably the most uninspiring one. While Anya's requirements can lead to some interesting developments on paper, the same can't be said for Kalemne.
Like with Anya, Alesha simply has no synergy with Kalemne.
Karlov of the Ghost Council: Power 4, Creativity 3, Appeal 3 (Total 10/15)
Uncle Karlov is definitely powerful in the correct build and situation, but still has weaknesses. Most of the time Karlov still doesn't grow as fast as imagined, as lifegain probably only happens once or twice in a turn in decks not entirely tuned to just boost him all the way. In decks that do, he's still vulnerable to removal himself.
I'll say Karlov is interesting creatively as he has one thinking about the different avenues of lifegain. But outside of that realm, he's rather narrow.
Like with Daxos, Alesha and Karador can consider him, but tuning still needs to be done with regards to lifegain, although he'll make a better rattlesnake than Daxos would, I think.
Kaseto, Orochi Archmage: Power 2, Creativity 3, Appeal 2 (Total 7/15)
Kasteo can make anything unblockable, but ultimately if that's his only purpose, it's still not particularly powerful. In Snake tribal he's definitely more powerful, but even than he may be hindered by mana.
Well, despite all it being the typical narrow tribal type, but adding an additional color to a lesser-played tribe would open more possibilities than one might think. Passable.
There's a long queue to fight for in the slot allotment in Animar, so even if it can grant unblockability, it's just another contender at best.
Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest Power 4, Creativity 3, Appeal 4 (Total 11/15)
Definitely powerful, in fact it's around Thraximundar levels. Lower cost, but more fragile body at the start. Unable to force sacrifices on its own, but has a greater effect.
Like Thraximundar, Mazirek is open many, many different kind of builds. Unforunately, even that diversity has more or less been explored already, so it's not exactly new diversity.
Karador would appreciate Mazirek, although I might need to tune the sacrifice outlets.
Meren of Clan Nel Toth Power 5, Creativity 3, Appeal 5 (Total 13/15)
Meren triggers at the end of turn, so barring instant-speed removal, it's going to provide an advantage the turn it enters the battlefield. Meren doesn't require experience counters to have her ability relevant and grows progressively more powerful when the counters get involved.
Meren is the direct reanimation Commander BG has been waiting for, but seriously, creative-wise, it doesn't inspire much more unique deckbuilding choices than cards that revolve around sacrifice and death like Mazirek. In a way, Meren is like Kresh the Bloodbraided.
Karador cares not about the weaknesses of Meren, as any reanimation engine is welcome to the endless cycle of life and death.
Mizzix of the Izmagnus: Power 5, Creativity 4, Appeal 1 (Total 10/15)
Mizzix in the correct build is pretty much the spellslinger version of Animar. Experience counters stay on forever, so Mizzix doesn't have to worry about removal that much, but is also more fragile than Animar as a result. But I think the Animar comparison should be pretty relevant to its power.
Melek exists, but Mizzix takes it in a different direction, so it's a pretty unique design.
Well, Animar is the polar opposite when it comes to the type of narrowness so I have no interest in Mizzix at all.
I got quite impatient as I was typing the post, so the later reviews might be more concise and blunt.
Arjun: 2 - Mindmoil is a good card, putting it on a solid body with wings is a decent deal. But another creature that supports the "cast lots of spells" archetype is not what Izzet needed. And Mizzix got spoiled first, so to me, Arjun is the one that should've been cut
Kaseto: 3 - Snake tribal is more of a gimmick than anything, but giving unblockable is a nice effect, and he can self pump to be a solid voltron choice
Kalemne: 3 - Another dumb beater, but a pretty good one this time round. Carries swords like a champ, and there's some interesting mass pump creatures at CMC 5 to consider
Mazirek: 3 - Saccing stuff for +1/+1 counters is never a bad thing in these colours. So many ways to trigger him and so many interactions with the counters. But at the same time, I just don't find him very interesting.
Daxos: 4 - I'm not convinced he's hugely powerful, but he opens up completely new options for the colour combination, so he gets big props from me for that.
Mizzix: 4 - Nothing new here, she casts lots of spells. But damn does she do it well
Ezuri: 4 - Play small dudes, get loads of counters. Plenty of shenanigans to see with him, from infect, to Sage of Hours, to squirrel tribal
Karlov: 5 - Voltron and/or removal, based on a lifegain strategy? Now this I really like. As with Daxos, he really opens up what WB can do
Meren: 5 - Pretty much my perfect BG general. The more stuff dies, the better stuff you get back. And being able to use her to some effect even without experience is just the icing on the cake
Trash
* * * * * Arjun, the Shifting Flame
Trash. Mindmoil on a commander could have created an interesting deck, but heavily overcosted. UR also desperately needs an artifact-focused commander, whose slot this took.
* * * * * Daxos the Returned
A decent card, and while not the strongest, probably the best overall design. I do not like it, but still good to see.
* * * * * Ezuri, Claw of Progress
Strong, but only mildly interesting.
* * * * * Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas
WR finally gets a commander with doublestrike, and it is crap.
* * * * * Karlov of the Ghost Council
Decent, but not impressive. Feels like a bad Teysa, Orzhov Scion variant.
* * * * * Kaseto, Orochi Archmage
Meh
* * * * * Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest
Good, but uninteresting
* * * * * Meren of Clan Nel Toth
Decent, but unimpressive and dissapointing - I was hoping for something both strong and new for BG.
* * * * * Mizzix of the Izmagnus
Strong, likely the best of the ten.
A Dying Wish
To Rise Again
Chainer, Dementia Master
Muldrotha, the Gravetide
Atraxa, Praetors' Voice
Also, between all of the UR commanders, he would make a great UR artifact commander. Play the best artifact in your hand, ability triggers, repeat as desired. Dig through your deck fast to get to your prime targets.
That is one of the reasons that I like him so much; there is no non-whatever spell rider on his ability. Everything but lands triggers, so you really have a lot of options in which way his deck can go.
URArjun, the Shifting FlameRU
Arjun - 2. mindmoil is good, this is not. Uninspired.
Daxos - 3. I really like what they did here. Cheap, new dimension for WB.
Ezuri - 3. Strong card, but boring as hell. Next.
Kalemne - 2. A little better than Anya. But just so generic. Won't play this ever.
Karlov - 3. Cheap and has some appeal. But still a little on the uninspired side.
Kaseto - 3. Pretty good enabler general. Has a lot of potential. But I'll stick to my Edric deck.
Mazirek - 4. Great card, with tons of combo, stax and control. Plus, it can lead the insect tribal deck. Will play this when I can.
Meren - 5. Amazing general. Great one of. Love this card. Will play this everywhere. Now, I play a nath stax deck with Deathcloud. I'm tempted to use her as the general...
Mizzix - 4. Nice card, and very very powerful. Can you say TEPS in EDH? Will be putting this to work.
This is true. Yatsufusa is one of the few users here fairly judging him on power level but even he unfairly judges him in other categories.
Overall, I'm both disappointed and excited. The Spike in me is disappointed that only the Izzet and Simic commanders are really even close to top tier potential (and mostly just because of the colors). As a whole they are much weaker than many of the older commander set legends.
The Timmy in me is excited about all the crazy play potential some of these legends have in more average groups. The Orzhov commanders and Gruul commanders in particular. But also Arjun. People just don't know how crazy fun Mindmoil can be.
I like that for the most part they kept the power levels of these options closer. Other than the trash Boros legends. There is no Daretti or Teferi. There is no Derevi, Prossh or Oloro. There is no Riku or Damia. All the legends are competitive with each other for the most part. Though I think Ezuri and Arjun could run away from the others with the right builds. Their combo potential combined with the control their colors can combine might give them a significant edge over the others in power. It shouldn't be hard to build either into a deck with decently consistent t4-t5 win potential against average decks.
EDH Decks:
WUBOloro, Combo ControlWUB
UBOona Reanimator ComboUB
BRGProssh, Eater of the Blue MageBRG
UBRGrixis StormUBR
Rebuilding Jenara (stealyourstuff.dec)
Pauper Deck:
UBInspired SirenUB