MTG Salvation

So in the Dragons timeline, which is now the current one, Ugin is alive and corporeal? A full resurrection so to speak?

So with C18 checking some boxes, what do we want next for Commander? Either in a normal set or C19 or any other product? Personally i’m struggling with the mana bases of multicolor decks lately. I would love an enemy cycle of the mirage fetches as well as a cycle of enemy colored duals with basic types on them, either a new cycle, bfz lands or bicycles I don’t care. Both in order to have decent color fixing within the land base. I don’t mind the cipt part as it doesn’t matter that much in my groups but it sure matters a lot financially.

Also, a legend with trait doctoring as an activated ability.

Whatever it is, I think Azor was preserved on Useless Island for a reason. I think that the story will involve Azor being returned to Ravnica and taking over from Jace as living Guildpact (maybe by turning Tezzeret with the perspective of freedom from Bolas). Azor then wielding Ravnica's inherent hieromancy on a power level over 9000 will then probably play an important role in the eventual defeat of Bolas. Perhaps trapping and binding him in Agyrem? Where only Ugin, being a spirit and all, can visit him?

As to why Bolas actually fell for it, how about the much more simpler explanation: these non-planeswalker humans had knowledge of a specific other plane, in this case Ixalan. They could only know about it if another planeswalker - in this case Ugin - told them about it. I mean, what are the odds that someone who doesn't know other planes exist comes up not only with that fact but also the name of specific one that does indeed exist? The chance they knew what they knew because their story is true is much greater than it all being a bluff.

What I'm more curious about is what exactly Ugin is now. Apparently, the existence of his nexus preserves his spiritual presence, and we know from the BFZ storyline that he is able to manifest not only on Tarkir but also interplanar. What I wonder though, in the stories that chronologically followed since, was he able to interact with physical objects? Can he manifest not only his presence like a ghost/spirit but also in a corporeal state? And does that make the Nexus effectively his phylactery? Or did he bind his essence to Tarkir and thus as long as Tarkir exists, he will? (which in turn might explain his interest in containing the Eldrazi and Bolas: they are the only two forces we know of in the multiverse that would be able to destroy the plane and thus Ugin).

Also just to doublecheck: the story part where Ugin sealed away the Eldrazi for the first time with Sorin and Nahiri was before he was killed by Bolas right? During the off time where Bolas was fighting the Elder Dragon Wars?

And I also remember Sorin visiting Ugin's grave during the Tarkir storyline but now what he did there. Did Sorin do nothing to help Ugin? Or just found out he was dead?

My golden standard for lands is 36 + the average cmc of the cards in your deck -/- 1 for every 4 ramp cards. You seem to err on running less which is ok, but has often led to mana problems. Remember, you dot just want to make your 4th land drop on turn 4 but also the 6th on turn 6 in this format.

Exava, Blood Witch seems like a good build around. 4/4 First Strike and Haste from the command zone and a not seen often build around ability.

Maybe Bolas did kill Ugin in the meditation plane but Ugin now survives due to the hedron thing now serving as his phylactery of sorts? I don’t know it it all works out in the timeline but maybe his body is kept in stasis with the same kind of magic that imprisoned the Eldrazi Titans by the hedrons, and he added some Magic with his Nexus that allows his spirit to manifest anyway?

Seems like a good idea. I know I am sometimes struggling with finding cuts whereas if I could have run 101 or 102 cards I would just do that.

@JWK and Impossible: The notion that it would allow for more power is false: when building decks, if you play the best top X cards adding more cards means adding cards of equal or lesser quality: if they are better you should be running them instead of what you were running in the first place! There's a reason all the standard decks are always 60 cards even though more is allowed.

I see no real reason to be against it. If you don't want to run more than 100 you don't have too. But why deny others that option when it can't possibly hurt you? (I'm sure i'd much rather play against arrogantAxolotl altwin deck then a 100 card Derevi stax deck).

With so much top of library manipulation, wouldn’t Draco be a good inclusion? You’d never cast it but draining for 16 additional damage is nuts.

Yeah i see your point. I basically buy these for the new cards to build new decks with. Even though I always play these from stock a few times, I’ve never been impressed by the playability of any of the precon stuff, be it commander or anything else (all the precon stuff teaches a new player is that learning how to build your deck yourself is really important). You’d think with all the pro tour experienced people in play design they should be able to build decent functioning decks...

But as a person who builds decks myself, even this year is fine. But I too hope that next year’s release looks more like the previous years then this year.

Quote from Teysa_Karlov »

Quote from Ertai Planeswalker »

At first I agreed with you guys fully. But over the week, as I started to think about it more and more, the set kind of grew on me. It delivers a lot of the stuff that people on this forum have been asking for for years. Izzet artifact legend(s)? Check. Jund spider legend? Check. Bant merfolk legend? Check. Return of mechanics introduced in previous Commander products? (PW commanders) Check. Old characters returning? (Xantcha, Varchild, Windgrace) check.

There are some decent cards among the new cards as well. The commanderstorm cycle makes for excellent late game powerplays, Estrid’s Invocation is a very flexible and powerful card and there’s more I can’t remember right now.

So yeah it’s not as powerfull as some of previous year’s decks but if you look at what is really there instead of judging it against your own hopes and expectations it’s still a pretty decent set.

It really isn't. There are 9 reprints in the set currently valued at $3 or higher. That's a record low for EDH Products. Last year? 23. Year before? 30.

Where is the Wurmcoil Engine, Path to Exile, or other decent value reprint? The Jund deck is currently valued at $76 with the pre-order prices. That's 30 dollars less than the lowest valued deck from last year, and 80 lower than the Atraxa deck from two years ago.

Maybe if you only look at it from a financial perspective. But in terms of new stuff and deckbuilding options it’s really nice. So far I am on 2 new decks to build (Bant echantress, Jund Hydra’s) and i will be seriously revising two other decks with these cards (Jhoira artifacts, and Ruhan multiplayer will become Najeela multiplayer adding Thantis, Varchild, Xantcha and that draw a card propaganda). There’s that new Angel that can go straight into my Nazahn equipments deck. If i translate the “lost value” from my money to an hourly rate the joy I have had already pre-brewing was dirt cheap.

At first I agreed with you guys fully. But over the week, as I started to think about it more and more, the set kind of grew on me. It delivers a lot of the stuff that people on this forum have been asking for for years. Izzet artifact legend(s)? Check. Jund spider legend? Check. Bant merfolk legend? Check. Return of mechanics introduced in previous Commander products? (PW commanders) Check. Old characters returning? (Xantcha, Varchild, Windgrace) check.

There are some decent cards among the new cards as well. The commanderstorm cycle makes for excellent late game powerplays, Estrid’s Invocation is a very flexible and powerful card and there’s more I can’t remember right now.

So yeah it’s not as powerfull as some of previous year’s decks but if you look at what is really there instead of judging it against your own hopes and expectations it’s still a pretty decent set.

As for the players without creatures part, Charging Cinderhorn and Crimson Honor Guard can punish them for not playing ball. Rite of the Raging Storm makes them play ball. Shaman of Forgotten Ways is decent ramp and pretty punishing for people who do not run creatures.

I had been toying around in my head with the idea of combining must attack effects with Propaganda effects, forcing my opponents to attack each other. I was going Jeskai, but with her and the Jund Spider spoiled, i think i will go 5 color with Najeela, the Blade Blossom as commander. Xantcha fits perfectly in what the deck wants to do along with Varchild, Tahiji, Honored One (Combo!), Edric, Queen Marchesa, that new blue draw a card Propaganda thingy. Croen of Doom for further shenanigans. Rite of the Raging Storm: anyone who ever ran this in multiplayer knows there’s no card that does so much damage for so little mana. Add in some of the best removal and draw the format has to offer and you have a genuine MULTIPLAYER commander deck.

I will be building him as the head of a hydra deck with a land subtheme. By running cabal coffers, urborg tomb of Yawgmoth and Cabal Stronghold as my (almost) only nonbasics they will quickly produce lots of mana which will enable big X’s for the hydra’s. Add Traverse the Outlands and Boundless Realms for big time basic ramp.

Additionaly, you could run those basics as snow basics in conjunction with Glacial Crevasses and/or Sunstone for some additional protection (depending on how much land recursion you run).

While i will be sticking to almost only hydra’s, one option you could go is to run creatures with p/t based on the amount of lands you control like Multani, Yavimaya’s Avatar, Molimo, Maro Sorcerer, Ulvenwald Hydra and Allosaurus Rider. Their p/t will always be lower than Gyrus’s and 1 Protean Hulk fetches them all.

I will definitly be running Altar of Dementia, both as a Sacrifice outlet and as a potential win condition. Further inclusions will be Blanket of Night (Urborg #2) and Nightmare Incursion to hammer home the mill subtheme. Reyhan, Last of the Abzan and Death’s Presence work well as well.

I’m still brainstorming some +1/+1 counter synergy for the deck (Doubling Season, Primal Vigor etc. ) but those 3 three themes (Hydra’s, +1/+1 counters and mill/power matters (Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord, Rite of Consumption, Fling effects?) have enough overlap to build a deck from.