Core 2021 Set Review - Gold, Artifacts, and Lands

Commander 2020 Set Review - Symbiotic Swarm

60 to 100 - Korvold the Value-Cursed King

<h6 style="text-align:right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shadowspear" href="#" target="_blank">Shadowspear</a> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/fooyee">Yeong-Hao Han</a>)</h6>
<h1>Gear Up For the Twelve Labors of Hercules!</h1>
Greetings, everyone, and welcome back to the wrap-up of our preview week review season. In this article we're going to cover the artifacts and lands featured in Theros Beyond Death, and while there aren't that many, there are a few interesting picks worth going over. The set itself is a doozy through and through, so let's get to it!
<hr>
<h2>Rares</h2>
<hr>
<h3>Nyx Lotus</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nyx Lotus"></div></div> 
I think people are a little too worried about <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nyx Lotus" href="#" target="_blank">Nyx Lotus</a>. When first previewed, I remember hearing many people talk worriedly about how it can go infinite with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Filigree Sages" href="#" target="_blank">Filigree Sages</a>. While that certainly is true, it also requires a significant board state to fuel the required Devotion to make it happen. I’m not sold on how easy it is to have this reliably happen. Additionally, even if you pull it off, it just then becomes another two-card combo for infinite mana... one among many that blue already has access to. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Filigree Sages" href="#" target="_blank">Filigree Sages</a> is only in 233 decks right now, meaning if you’re trying to pull off that combo, you have to make two cuts to a deck rather than just one. 
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx" href="#" target="_blank">Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx</a> this is not. I prefer my mana rocks to help me get back into the game when my board was wiped, not to help me out most when I already have a lot of cards in play. Currently, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx" href="#" target="_blank">Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx</a> is in almost 25,000 decks, and I don’t expect the Lotus's numbers to flourish quite like that. There is lots of power here, but entering tapped, along with being closer to a “win-more” card, leads me to think this Lotus is a powerful-looking effect, but a bit overhyped. 
<hr>
<h3>Shadowspear</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shadowspear"></div></div> 
Goodness. This honestly might be a top five Equipment for Commander players. One mana to put this onto the battlefield is amazing. Two more and it's <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Loxodon Warhammer" href="#" target="_blank">Loxodon Warhammer</a> Lite. The Warhammer is already played in a very healthy 11,619 decks. Add in a random <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bonds of Mortality" href="#" target="_blank">Bonds of Mortality</a> ability and you have a recipe for a new staple Equipment. 
The important piece of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shadowspear" href="#" target="_blank">Shadowspear</a>’s ability to remember is it hits all of your opponents' permanents. Not just one opponent. All of them. Even better, it doesn't need to be equipped to activate this ability. 
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akiri, Line-Slinger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sram, Senior Edificer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Greven, Predator Captain"></div></div> 
Dedicated Equipment decks will love this, and folks who love a little lifegain will, too. Frankly, though, I don’t think you even need to be playing a deck that cares about combat too much to see some use for it. This should be the most-played artifact from the set (not that there are many). This is much better than <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glaring Spotlight" href="#" target="_blank">Glaring Spotlight</a> and other such effects. Anyone playing <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Uril, the Miststalker" href="#" target="_blank">Uril, the Miststalker</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigarda, Host of Herons" href="#" target="_blank">Sigarda, Host of Herons</a> might find it a herculean task to beat this card.
<hr>
<h2>Uncommons</h2>
<hr>
<h3>Mirror Shield</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mirror Shield"></div></div> 
Let me start this off by saying this: I don’t think this card is necessarily “good” by most criteria. It’s narrow, and four mana is a lot to get hexproof on a creature when <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a>, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Greaves" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Greaves</a>, and even <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Champion’s Helm" href="#" target="_blank">Champion’s Helm</a> are in the format to protect your important and legendary creatures. 
I do, however, think the flavor is awesome on this card and can be hilarious in certain situations, like if a friend of yours has a <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glissa, the Traitor" href="#" target="_blank">Glissa, the Traitor</a> deathtouch tribal deck. There aren’t many of those types out there, but if you see any out in the wild, this could be entertaining, at the very least. If you really wanted to dig deep, you could get all Rube Goldberg with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vial of Poison" href="#" target="_blank">Vial of Poison</a> and give opponents' creatures deathtouch for maximum blowouts, but it would take the Johnniest/Jenniest of Johnny/Jenny players to go that deep.
<hr>
<h3>Soul-Guide Lantern</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Soul-Guide Lantern"></div></div> 
In what is actually getting to be a kind of crowded field for cheap graveyard hate artifacts, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul-Guide Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Soul-Guide Lantern</a> does a pretty decent job at keeping up with the top dogs. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relic of Progenitus" href="#" target="_blank">Relic of Progenitus</a> is probably still at the very top, since it does everything at once despite the tradeoff of hitting your own graveyard. It’ll be interesting to see how many players will value Relic's cantrip effect over the Lantern's preservation of one's own yard. It could actually be a pretty decent amount. 
This is far and away better than <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sentinel Totem" href="#" target="_blank">Sentinel Totem</a> and some of the other second-tier grave-hate cards. The most interesting aspect of this card is that the first ability triggers upon entering the battlefield, allowing us to test how valuable a specific card is for the opponent and whether they want to save it. If they do make a move, you still can react with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul-Guide Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Soul-Guide Lantern</a> and nuke the whole graveyard, if you choose, or play the long game and wait until later. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soul-Guide Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Soul-Guide Lantern</a> is one of the “boring, have to eat my vegetables” cards you should be playing more of, so expect to see it at tables of all power levels soon.
<hr>
<h2>Commons</h2>
<hr>
<h3>Altar of the Pantheon</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Altar of the Pantheon"></div></div> 
Coming out of the gates on a strange note, a free Devotion is a nifty gift from a colorless artifact. There are a healthy 4,991 decks playing <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manalith" href="#" target="_blank">Manalith</a> currently, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Altar of the Pantheon" href="#" target="_blank">Altar of the Pantheon</a> is indeed a “strictly better” version of the often outclassed and overplayed <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manalith" href="#" target="_blank">Manalith</a>. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Ingot" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Ingot</a> has gotten some preconstructed deck boosts in the numbers, but also shows up in 33,525 decks total and 13% of all decks out there, which might be a better comparison. 
Having that many decks requires some of the aforementioned “precon effect,” but I think a cheap mana rock with upside for your <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gray Merchant of Asphodel" href="#" target="_blank">Gray Merchant of Asphodel</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx" href="#" target="_blank">Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx</a> as an incidental bonus won't be the worst thing you see at any given table. I know I won’t be running it, myself, though, especially if I'm playing one of the Gods as the commander, because I usually prefer for them to remain just an enchantment so they can't be hit by <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Path to Exile" href="#" target="_blank">Path to Exile</a>s. Still, I’m sure it will show up as a placeholder card as a funny supplement for decks that play 3-5 Devotion payoff cards.
<hr>
<h3>Wings of Hubris</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wings of Hubris"></div></div> 
Another card that I can’t envision myself running in many or even any of my decks, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Valduk, Keeper of the Flame</a> included. The flavor is amazing, though, and is another example of how the design team finds ways to shout out to the lore that inspired the different worlds we visit. If you play decks that only ever need one alpha strike with a big creature, this is fine, I guess. But really, you’re playing this because you’re running an Icarus deck and trying to touch the sun. I enjoy and appreciate this card, but I wouldn’t expect too many tuned decks to be including it. It will be included for fun and flavor, not to increase the win percentage.
<hr>
<h3>Labyrinth of Skophos</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Labyrinth of Skophos"></div></div> 
We saved the land for last! Because it's confusing! 
The immediate comparison here is <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maze of Ith" href="#" target="_blank">Maze of Ith</a>. There are a few key differences, though, the biggest being that <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maze of Ith" href="#" target="_blank">Maze of Ith</a> does not tap for mana where <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Labyrinth of Skophos" href="#" target="_blank">Labyrinth of Skophos</a> does. Is that worth paying effectively five mana to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fog" href="#" target="_blank">Fog</a> an attacking creature versus the one tap required for <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maze of Ith" href="#" target="_blank">Maze of Ith</a>? It’s hard to tell. Many people advocate for playing <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maze of Ith" href="#" target="_blank">Maze of Ith</a> in a spell slot and not counting it as a land, and it's currently showing up in over 12,000 decks. 
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Maze of Ith"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thaumatic Compass"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mystifying Maze"></div></div> 
For me, the mana ability on <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Labyrinth of Skophos" href="#" target="_blank">Labyrinth of Skophos</a> is probably worth the slot and might be situationally better than <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thaumatic Compass" href="#" target="_blank">Thaumatic Compass</a> is, in that is has to flip over, which isn't always a sure thing. Compass has found its way into over 9,000 decks, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Labyrinth of Skophos" href="#" target="_blank">Labyrinth of Skophos</a> is probably somewhere in between it and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maze of Ith" href="#" target="_blank">Maze of Ith</a>. Of course, this could also end up in the <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mystifying Maze" href="#" target="_blank">Mystifying Maze</a> category, which is getting played in under half the number of decks as Compass. I don’t think <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Labyrinth of Skophos" href="#" target="_blank">Labyrinth of Skophos</a> is that bad since <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mystifying Maze" href="#" target="_blank">Mystifying Maze</a> can backfire if you target a creature with an ETB ability that would be detrimental to you, but that seems like the absolute floor here. Better than one Maze, worse than another.
<hr>
<h2>I Think We'll Skip Cleaning the Stables</h2>
That will wrap us up here for this portion of the set review of Theros Beyond Death! There wasn’t much in terms of artifacts or lands this time around, which is actually fine because the rest of the set happens to be absolutely loaded with goodies. I don’t mind one bit if we have a certain area that lacks when the overall set is as abundant with treasures as this one is.
What cards are you excited for from Theros Beyond Death? Let me know in the comments below, and watch out for Shadowspears!

Theros Beyond Death Set Review - Artifacts and Lands

<h1>Foresight is 2020</h1>
Welcome back to the news desk, everyone! I am your news anchor Matt Morgan, coming to you live with a breaking EDHREC Commander News Update! Yesterday, we had a massive new update delivered to us by none other than Josh Lee Kwai and Jimmy Wong from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLsiaNUb42gRAP7ewbJ0ecQ">The Command Zone Podcast</a>, along with Wizards of the Coast's gracious Gavin Verhey. This announcement not only covered the next few months of Commander news, but an entire year of upcoming products designed specifically for Commander!
In case you missed the announcement, you can <a href="https://t.co/8FIHl3r87X?amp=1">find it here</a>. Wizards of the Coast also has summarized the video in an <a href="https://t.co/p1ura9hChL?amp=1">article on the mothership</a> clarifying any details that might have been left out. Let's break down some of the details and try to provide some commentary on what this announcement means for the format.
<hr />
<h2>Commander 2020 - Ikoria Commander</h2>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJFzofXkAEqPa4.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40722" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJFzofXkAEqPa4.jpeg" alt="" width="680" height="383" /></a>
Gavin was quick to discuss how much the format has grown since the initial Commander product, and how much has changed since 2011 when the first Commander preconstructed decks were released. As a result, the release schedule will be going through some new changes. Commander 2020 is now going to be tied to the release of Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, a regular set release in mid-April. The set will also shift back to a series of five preconstructed decks, rather than the four decks we've received ever since Commander 2017. 
Best of all, these preconstructed decks will contain an unprecedented 71 new cards.
This is the first time a Commander set will be tied in directly with a regular expansion set release, which means we can expect the themes of Ikoria to heavily influence how the preconstructed decks play and feel. Remember that these decks will be thematically tied to the set; we are unlikely to receive long-lost lore characters like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord Windgrace" href="#" target="_blank">Lord Windgrace</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Greven, Predator Captain" href="#" target="_blank">Greven, Predator Captain</a>, and will instead encounter legends unique to the new plane.
More importantly, Wizards is specifically highlighting these decks as a way to build proper Commander decks around themes from the set. Often, new mechanics require a fair amount of support for a 100-card singleton deck, which occasionally makes them less-than-viable in Commander. Gavin specifically mentions Energy as an example in the announcement, though other mechanics like Adventure or Investigate also suffered from lack of substantial Commander support. This part of the announcement is particularly encouraging to folks who enjoy specific new themes and mechanics, as their favorite new entries from Ikoria should be viable in a new deck from day one.
<hr />
<h2>Zendikar Rising Commander Decks</h2>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJGMTsXkAAuaex.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40723" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJGMTsXkAAuaex.jpeg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" /></a>
One of the most exciting revelations from this announcement is that there won't just be one set of Commander decks! A second batch of Commander preconstructed decks will be be tied to the release of Zendikar Rising, outside of the traditional one-per-year release of Commander products. These decks will replace the Planeswalker Decks that previously accompany new full-size sets. 

Notably, these decks will contain only three new cards per deck - almost certainly the legendary creatures that helm them - while the rest of the cards in the deck will be reprints. Though some may initially hear that line and think, "Only three new cards?", many of us are delighted at the prospect of increasing the avenues for reprints of exciting format staples! Even the Ikoria Commander's return from four decks to five will increase the number of reprintable cards! Though the commanders will be plane-specific, the reprints could come from any set, which leaves us in a sea of possibility.
With the popularity of the Commander preconstructed decks in recent years, the availability of the decks has been an issue for some players and stores. An injection of another round of preconstructed decks later on in the year will surely be a welcome addition for those looking to enter the EDH format, as well as checking a lot of boxes that both new and enfranchised players look for.
<hr />
<h2>Commander Collection - Green</h2>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJHDGrX4AAayiT.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40724" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJHDGrX4AAayiT.jpeg" alt="" width="1908" height="1080" /></a>
Commander Collection: Green is the next brand-new product from yesterday's announcement. This themed box set will feature only eight cards, each with new artwork. This product is described to resemble the Signature Spellbook product, though directed specifically towards the Commander format. Commander Collection seems to have some hints of the old From the Vault series, potentially offering some reprints of cards that have not yet received a foil version. 
We've received two pieces of artwork from Commander Collection, though we don't know yet which cards they will belong to:
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Chord-of-Calling.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-40735" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Chord-of-Calling.png" alt="" width="351" height="232" /></a> <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/unknown-art.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-40736" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/unknown-art.png" alt="" width="320" height="232" /></a>
Wizards will be sure to tease us with more info as we get closer to the product's release, but for now, which cards do you think belong to these awesome new pieces of artwork? The EDHREC team has voted <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chord of Calling" href="#" target="_blank">Chord of Calling</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seedborn Muse" href="#" target="_blank">Seedborn Muse</a> as the most likely candidates (both of which appear on the <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/g">Top Green Cards</a> page of EDHREC) but what do you think?
<hr />
<h2>Commander Legends</h2>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJHrRbWsAQb4vX.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40725" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJHrRbWsAQb4vX.jpeg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" /></a>
The biggest part of the announcement is dedicated to what could easily be one of the biggest and most impactful products for the format ever: Commander Legends. 
Commander Legends is a brand new set for Commander players. Not a preconstructed product, but a full-on booster set designed to answer the question, "What if you could draft Commander?" The set will contain not only a ton of reprints, but also a ton of new cards, including a whopping 70 new legends. 
70. New. Legends. Most sets have like 8 legendary creatures! Even <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/dom">Dominaria</a> only had 44! This set will have 70!
Unlike the decks tied to Ikoria and Zendikar Rising, the new commanders from this set will not be bound to a specific time or setting, falling more in line with the traditional Commander sets, full of new characters and old beloved favorites who haven't yet received cards or who are hungry for new and exciting versions.
Speaking of which...
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/baron-sengir.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-40737" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/baron-sengir.png" alt="" width="422" height="304" /></a> <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/jeska-planeswalker.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-40738" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/jeska-planeswalker.png" alt="" width="225" height="304" /></a>
Gavin was excited to confirm one of the legends will be a newer iteration of the infamous <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baron Sengir" href="#" target="_blank">Baron Sengir</a>, with truly sick new artwork. We also got a sneak peek at the new art for a planeswalker in the set, largely theorized to be a new version of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jeska, Warrior Adept" href="#" target="_blank">Jeska, Warrior Adept</a>.
Note the careful wording of the announcement, by the way: these aren't necessarily 70 new legendary creatures, but 70 new legends, which, as we all know, includes the planeswalker card type. While Dominaria had 44 possible legendary creatures to become commanders, it technically had 64 total legendary cards, though most of those include cards like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Amber" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Amber</a> or <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="On Serra&#039;s Wings" href="#" target="_blank">On Serra&#039;s Wings</a>. Commander Legends doesn't seem primed to use those '70 new legends' as enchantments and artifacts, though; those seem like actual leader-of-your-deck card slots. Might some of those legends include planeswalkers that can be your commanders? Only time will tell, but if <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Will Kenrith" href="#" target="_blank">Will Kenrith</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rowan Kenrith" href="#" target="_blank">Rowan Kenrith</a> could pull it off in Battlebond, it seems like a very compelling case for Commander Legends indeed!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
More details on how the drafting for Commander Legends works will be put out closer to the date. Let me just say it took a bit to get this one right. 🙂<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wotcstaff?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wotcstaff</a> <a href="https://t.co/bnJzvdplPa">https://t.co/bnJzvdplPa</a>
&mdash; Gavin Verhey (@GavinVerhey) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinVerhey/status/1189673390954762240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Gavin has already clarified that the draft rules for Commander Legends will be announced closer to the product's release in late 2020, but we do know the packs themselves will contain 20 cards instead of a normal booster pack's 15, that each pack will contain a foil card, and that there will be two legends in every pack. Might we take two cards per pack, as we did in Battlebond draft? Might we draft more than just the typical three packs per player? We can only speculate!
It will be fascinating to see how this set impacts the Commander format, but one important detail sticks out among what we know about it so far. A Commander set that is designed to be drafted will be forced to use color identity as an additional deckbuilding constraint that is not experienced in normal drafts. It's therefore likely that a degree of flexibility will be required to grease the wheels of the drafting experience. It becomes difficult to imagine fitting that many legends into one set without adding something like the Partner mechanic or some variant of it. Other draft-innovation sets like Conspiracy and Battlebond have played around in these areas, and had enormous ripple effects in EDH, which makes it even more exciting to see what Commander Legends has in store.
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJH8RNXkAAkAze.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40726" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJH8RNXkAAkAze.jpeg" alt="" width="680" height="383" /></a>
Commander Legends isn't done yet! It will follow suit with Ikoria and Zendikar Rising by having two more preconstructed decks to accompany the set! Like the Zendikar Rising precons, these will also have three new cards, and even more reprints from outside the main set. This means we have a total of NINE preconstructed Commander decks coming into the fold in 2020, more than the past two years combined. Imagine if we'd gotten Commander 2016 and Commander 2017 in the same year. That's about where we're at in the year 2020.
<hr />
<h2>2020 is Legendary</h2>
<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJILvvX4AAYqUy.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40727" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EIJILvvX4AAYqUy.jpeg" alt="" width="680" height="383" /></a>
A recurring phrase came up often during the announcement video: "It is a great time to be a Commander player." This couldn't be more true; Gavin's excitement is matched only by the sheer number of upcoming products coming in 2020.
It is hard to narrow down what to be the most excited for, especially as there seems to be a product for all levels of players. Ikoria Commander takes the usual precon deck formula and gives it an exciting new twist. Zendikar Rising and Commander Legends preconstructed decks appear to be designed as a readily available, constant gateway into the format, so new players always have starting points year-round. Commander Legends is ready to appease even the most advanced players with their deckbuilding skills as they construct decks on the fly. Even Commander Collections brings a fresh spin to the premium product line. One thing is for sure: 2020 is going to be a very busy year for us EDH players!
Those are the products - now what do you think? Are you excited by the prospect of all the new cards, or is it the potential for reprints that most piques your interest? I know I'm personally excited to see what the design teams have cooked up for the new draft-able Commander set, especially since they've gotten so skilled at creating fun effects for multiplayer formats, like Conspiracy. Which product are you most excited for in the upcoming year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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EDHREC News Update - 2020 Commander Products

60 to 100 - Kykar, the Heir to Shu Yun's Token Throne

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> | Art by <a href="http://www.jasonchanart.com/">Jason Chan</a>)</h6>
<h1>The Ban Hammer Has Fallen</h1>
Yesterday we got a whopper of an announcement from the EDH Rules Committee. Before we even begin, please feel free to check out the <a href="http://mtgcommander.net/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&amp;t=19171">full announcement here</a>, because there is a great deal to process. Today I’ll try to break it down for you and what it could mean for your playgroups.
Here’s the quick summary provided from the announcement:
<hr />
Commander Banned List Update, 8 July 2019
&nbsp;
ADMIN
Philosophy Document Update
&nbsp;
CARDS
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> is banned
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> is banned
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> is unbanned
&nbsp;
RULES
No changes.
<hr />
<h2>Philosophy Document Updates</h2>
Let's start in order. The Philosophy Document is a very detailed document, and not something that will be covered here in its entirety. In the announcement, the Rules Committee does clarify the goals and purpose of the Philosophy Document, which is worth reading even for those already familiar with it.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-36011 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Scroll-of-the-Masters-Fate-Reforged-MtG-Art.jpg" alt="" width="479" height="348" />
Worth noting in the updated document is the emphasis put on two main ideas: the separation from tournament play and the shared experiences between players. The Rules Committee have often cited Commander as a 'social' format as opposed to a 'casual' format, putting the emphasis on the gameplay and communication between players. Understanding the goal of the Philosophy Document helps to provide some clarity on the bannings, rule updates, and any other changes in the format. Per the updated Philosophy Document:
<blockquote>Commander is for fun. It’s a socially interactive, multiplayer Magic: the Gathering format full of wild interactions and epic plays, specifically designed as an alternative to tournament Magic.... Each game is a journey the players share, relying on a social contract in which each player is considerate of the experiences of everyone involved--this promotes player interaction, inter-game variance, a variety of play styles, and a positive communal atmosphere.</blockquote>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-36012 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/rule-of-law.jpg" alt="" width="425" height="239" />
<blockquote>The goal of the ban list is similar; it does not seek to regulate competitive play or power level, which are decisions best left to individual play groups. The ban list seeks to demonstrate which cards threaten the positive player experience at the core of the format or prevent players from reasonable self-expression. The primary focus of the list is on cards which are problematic because of their extreme consistency, ubiquity, and/or ability to restrict others’ opportunities.</blockquote>
The full document clarifies the emphasis on the atmosphere and experiences that all players in the game share, and provides insight on what players can expect moving forward. The social contract, interaction and separation from a competitive tournament atmosphere will be what the format is guided from. When examining the ban updates, this can be useful to help contextualize changes.
Speaking of which, let's get to the changes themselves.
<hr />
<h2>Banned List Update</h2>
The banned list update revolves around three impressively powerful cards, with two bannings and one unbanning. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> are leaving the format, and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> is being re-introduced. This is sure to have decks in nearly every playgroup shaken up to some degree.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Paradox Engine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Iona, Shield of Emeria"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Painter’s Servant"></div></div>
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a>'s banning is almost assuredly tied to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a>'s release in Modern Horizons. While <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> has been a powerful card on its own since it was first printed, the new legendary Artificer may have pushed the card over the edge. <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> was seeing play in an incredibly high 68% of <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a> decks in the short time the two have been legal together. Ultimately, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> is one of the single most powerful enablers in the format regardless of who the commander is.
To hear the Rules Committee tell it:
<blockquote><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> is a card that has proven to be intensely problematic. Not only does it provide easy wins seemingly out of nowhere, it has demonstrated the potential to unintentionally wreck games. Easily inserted into any deck, it combines with cards which players already have heavy incentives to play, generating a great deal of mana with virtually no deck building cost. While we don’t ban cards which are only problematic if you build around them, Paradox Engine has clearly demonstrated that it doesn’t need to be built around to be broken.</blockquote>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza, Lord High Artificer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Paradox Engine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Isochron Scepter"></div></div>
The problem with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> was the ease in which players were able to end the game. The obvious synergy with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Isochron Scepter" href="#" target="_blank">Isochron Scepter</a> and efficient mana rocks made for almost accidental infinite combos, ending games without warning or much setup. As the announcement points out, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> does not require building around for a deck to be able to exploit its obvious power; people already run efficient mana rocks, from Signets and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a>s to <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thran Dynamo" href="#" target="_blank">Thran Dynamo</a>s and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worn Powerstone" href="#" target="_blank">Worn Powerstone</a>s, all of which are untapped over and over by the Engine. The potential powerful interactions with <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a> only grow with every set, leading to its removal from the format.
The next two banned list changes can be linked together. Per the announcement:
<blockquote><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> creates a negative experience for many players without the benefit of a positive application. We had previously considered its high mana cost sufficient to keep it from getting played, but deeper investigation demonstrated many ways of getting it onto the battlefield without paying that cost. Iona, Shield of Emeria is also an exemplar as the type of card which creates an experience we wish to discourage, namely shutting players out of games.
<a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> is a card that’s been discussed for a long time and it’s time to take off the shackles. We feel as though there are now more weird and fun uses for the card than there are dangerous ones. The card will provide deck builders with some additional paths to explore in expressing their creativity.</blockquote>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Iona, Shield of Emeria"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Painter&#039;s Servant"></div></div>
These two cards exchanging status in legality is a form of give-and-take from the Rules Committee. As the announcement points out, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> could often be put onto the battlefield with no regard for its mana cost, sometimes even as early as turn three. Played in about 4,400 decks, Iona’s ability to shut down entire decks - especially those playing a single color - can create very lopsided games. The Rules Committee has made it clear that part of their mission is to encourage more interaction within the format, so it is understandable why they'd elect to ban a card that discourages that interaction. 
In an inverse action, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> has become unbanned after sitting in exile from the format for many years. The relationship between <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> and <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> is particularly interesting, since decks that would play <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a> would almost certainly play <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> as well, considering the color hate that <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a> can enable. Since the announcement has gone live, <a href="https://twitter.com/SheldonMenery/status/1148259562841149441">Sheldon has clarified</a> that the cards were evaluated as separate entities and not lumped together.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-36002 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/sheldon-iona.png" alt="" width="528" height="231" />
The obvious combination of the newly-unbanned Scarecrow and its favorite friend <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grindstone" href="#" target="_blank">Grindstone</a> is of course famous for knocking players out of the game one at a time.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grindstone"></div></div>
The argument, though, is that this combo is not all that different from other two-card auto-victory combinations (Mike &amp; Trike comes to mind, for instance). That, along with the artifact hate nearly every deck has access to, still provides some defenses against a ubiquitous pair of tutor-able cards. As mentioned in the announcement, Painter's Servant has apparently been discussed as a candidate for unbanning for some time, which should reassure players that the Rules Committee does not foresee too many problems with the doors the card opens in the format. Thus, it is available to players once again.
<hr />
<h2>I Own a Pair o' Docks in Gin</h2>
The release of the updated Philosophy Document at the time of the ban announcement should help give guidance and illustrate what we may be able to expect from the format's direction moving forward. Iona was not necessarily a prolific card - only in 4,400 decks to the Engine's 13,572 - but some bans, such as <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paradox Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Paradox Engine</a>, can be chosen because of their power level, ubiquity, or the ease with which they can become oppressive, and some, like <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a>, are chosen for the interactivity they restrict. The more transparency we get behind big decisions, the better!
As with every banning, we can expect the changes to take some time to be felt in any playgroup. Players may now search and find some replacements for some cards, or can brew new decks entirely around the newly-legal <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Painter’s Servant" href="#" target="_blank">Painter’s Servant</a>, fixing up <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grindstone" href="#" target="_blank">Grindstone</a> combos, <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eight-and-a-Half-Tails" href="#" target="_blank">Eight-and-a-Half-Tails</a> decks, or wacky <a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rith, the Awakener" href="#" target="_blank">Rith, the Awakener</a> craziness. Some doors closed, and some others opened.
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eight-and-a-Half-Tails"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rith, the Awakener"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Llawan, Cephalid Empress"></div></div>
Many members of the Commander Advisory Group and the Rules Committee have also been active in responding to questions since the announcement went live, helping to provide additional feedback and clarity to yesterday's update. We would love to hear from you as well in the comments - what do you think about the banned list update? What do the Philosophy Document changes mean to you and your playgroup?
Happy brewing!

Matt Morgan

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