Aetherdrift precon guides continue! Today we’re racing to the finish line with Eternal Might, the white, blue, and black Commander preconstructed deck led by Temmet, Naktamun’s WillTemmet, Naktamun’s Will. Is this deck worth picking up? Let's find out.

Who Are the Commanders of Eternal Might?

Temmet is a 4/4 Zombie Wizard with vigilance and menace for five mana () that makes us draw a card and discard a card whenever we attack. And whenever we draw a card, our Zombies get +1/+1 until end of turn.

While Temmet’s text box has a lot fewer words than Saheeli, Radiant CreatorSaheeli, Radiant Creator, that doesn’t mean this commander isn’t powerful. It is. Giving all of our Zombies +1/+1 whenever we draw a card can overwhelm our opponents with just a few Zombies on the board. We have to keep in mind that the +1/+1 will happen at our draw step, and then trigger again when we draw on attack. So, at a minimum, our Zombies will have +2/+2 when we attack.

Our backup commander is Hashaton, Scarab’s FistHashaton, Scarab’s Fist, a 1/3 Zombie Wizard that lets us pay whenever we discard a creature card in order to make a tapped token that’s a 4/4 black Zombie copy of that creature.

The first thing that came to my mind was abusing this with madness effects. But I checked Scryfall and only found two Zombies with madness, so it doesn't look like that avenue is open to us.

Here’s the full deck list for Eternal Might:

What Are the New Cards in Eternal Might?

What’s the best part of Commander precons? The new cards, of course! This deck offers up eight new toys for Zombie enthusiasts, in addition to the two commanders.

We’ll start by looking at the creatures. First up is Lost Monarch of IfnirLost Monarch of Ifnir, a 4/4 Zombie Noble with afflict 3 that gives all of our Zombies the same. What’s afflict?

Whenever a creature with afflict is blocked, the blocking player loses life equal to the afflict value. So if all of our Zombies have afflict three, it’s nearly the same as them being unblockable - except our opponents can at least kill them by blocking. 

If this weren’t enough, Monarch also brings a Zombie back from our graveyard to hand in our second main phase if we dealt combat damage to an opponent with a Zombie this turn. I think it’s fair to say that most Zombie decks are gonna want this dude.

Priest of the CrossingPriest of the Crossing is a Zombie Bird Cleric that gives all our creatures +1/+1 counters at our end step for each of our creatures that died this turn. On the surface, it might seem a bit contradictory. After all, the more creatures that died, the fewer we have, right?

Thankfully, Zombies - and Zombie tokens - can be very plentiful. Also, there are plenty of combos that can accomplish infinite death, many of which revolve around GravecrawlerGravecrawler, who also happens to be in the precon.

Prophet of the ScarabProphet of the Scarab provides some sweet card advantage based on the number of Zombies we control or Zombie cards in our graveyard, depending on which number is greater.

This gets around the problem of being a dead card after a board wipe - or after we just sacrificed all of our Zombies for nefarious purposes.

It’s only an enters-the-battlefield trigger, but there are plenty of ways to abuse it, like Cleaver SkaabCleaver Skaab. Also, if you’ve got a board full of Zombies, you’ll draw a bunch of cards, which triggers Temmet, making all those Zombies massive.

Rhet-Tomb MysticRhet-Tomb Mystic gives all creature cards in our hand cycling (part of an informal, and incomplete, cycle including Tectonic ReformationTectonic Reformation and Jo GrantJo Grant). This works best with our backup commander, Hashaton, Scarab’s FistHashaton, Scarab’s Fist - assuming you’ve got five mana. It’ll also be great in creature-heavy blue decks that want to burn through their libraries quickly.

Our last new creature is Wizened MentorWizened Mentor, which pops out a 1/1 white Zombie whenever an opponent activates a non-mana ability, but only once each turn.

Getting benefits for opponents doing things is usually white’s thing (Monologue TaxMonologue Tax, Charismatic ConquerorCharismatic Conqueror, Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe, etc.), but this is actually a callback to the red card Harsh MentorHarsh Mentor, which deals two damage to opponents for using activated abilities.

Although that one doesn’t have the once-each-turn clause that this new Mentor has. Can you still get a decent number of tokens despite only getting, at most, one each turn? Sure. But the drawback makes it a good card instead of a great card.

This next card, however, is definitely great. It’s On Wings of GoldOn Wings of Gold, a four-mana enchantment that gives our Zombies and creature tokens +1/+1 and flying. It also gives us a 1/1 Zombie whenever one or more cards leave our graveyard. Combine this with Tortured ExistenceTortured Existence and a few black mana, and you’ll have a swarm of flying Zombie tokens in no time.

The other new enchantment in the deck is Renewed SolidarityRenewed Solidarity, which is great for token decks and typal decks. And if your deck is both, as Eternal Might is, then this is a no-brainer addition for your deck. Throw in some token increasers like Mondrak, Glory DominusMondrak, Glory Dominus or Ojer Taq, Deepest FoundationOjer Taq, Deepest Foundation, and you’ve got a recipe for destruction.

Our last new card in this precon reminds us that you can’t kill what’s already dead. It’s Accursed DuneyardAccursed Duneyard, a land that taps for a colorless mana, and we can activate it with two mana to regenerate a Shade, Skeleton, Specter, Spirit, Vampire, Wraith, or Zombie. The most popular of these are obviously, Spirits, Vampires, and Zombies, and it could certainly see a lot of play in those typal decks.

What Are the Themes and Strategies of the Deck?

Eternal Might checks several boxes when it comes to themes. But most importantly, it’s all about the Zombies. Temmet, Naktamun’s WillTemmet, Naktamun’s Will wants us to have plenty of Zombies on the board so he can increase their power. But he’s not the only one.

Zombie MasterZombie Master gives our other Zombies swampwalk and the ability to save themselves for a black mana. Lord of the AccursedLord of the Accursed gives our Zombies +1/+1, and can give them menace for a small fee. And On Wings of GoldOn Wings of Gold gives our Zombies +1/+1 and flying.

But the Zombie strategies don’t stop there. We’re using them for life gain with Wayward ServantWayward Servant, and life drain with Plague BelcherPlague Belcher, Lost Monarch of IfnirLost Monarch of Ifnir, and Gempalm PolluterGempalm Polluter. They’ll also draw us cards with Prophet of the ScarabProphet of the Scarab and CryptbreakerCryptbreaker, and tap down threats with Binding MummyBinding Mummy.

The next biggest theme of this precon is tokens, and it does a pretty fantastic job of making a lot of them. These are some of the best token makers:

• Renewed SolidarityRenewed Solidarity
• Liliana, Death’s MajestyLiliana, Death’s Majesty
• Lazotep ChancellorLazotep Chancellor
• Grave TitanGrave Titan
• God-Eternal OketraGod-Eternal Oketra
• CryptbreakerCryptbreaker

And all of these Zombie tokens are getting buffed by cards like On Wings of GoldOn Wings of Gold, Gleaming OverseerGleaming Overseer, and Eternal SkylordEternal Skylord.

The deck also likes to discard a lot of cards for profit. Our best ways to benefit from this are the backup commander Hashaton, Scarab’s FistHashaton, Scarab’s Fist and Archfiend of IfnirArchfiend of Ifnir. And once we’ve got the cards in the grave, we want to benefit from those as well, with cards like God-Pharaoh’s GiftGod-Pharaoh’s Gift, The Scarab GodThe Scarab God, and Prophet of the ScarabProphet of the Scarab.

Our creatures don’t have to stay in the grave, though. We’ve got plenty of recursion in the deck too:

• Dusk // DawnDusk // Dawn
• Liliana, Death’s MajestyLiliana, Death’s Majesty
• Lost Monarch of IfnirLost Monarch of Ifnir
• Rot HulkRot Hulk
• Unholy GrottoUnholy Grotto 

With lots of creatures entering the battlefield, from the hand, graveyard, or as tokens, the deck also benefits from a lot of enter-the-battlefield effects:

• Rot HulkRot Hulk
• Angel of SanctionsAngel of Sanctions
• Binding MummyBinding Mummy
• Champion of WitsChampion of Wits
• Corpse KnightCorpse Knight
• Eternal SkylordEternal Skylord
• Grave TitanGrave Titan
• Fleshbag MarauderFleshbag Marauder
• Prophet of the ScarabProphet of the Scarab
• Wayward ServantWayward Servant

How Do You Play Eternal Might?

This deck is all about going wide with a vast, and enhanced, army of the undead. It’s an aggro deck, as evidenced by our commander’s draw ability boosting our Zombies’ power and toughness. So if we’re not attacking each turn, we’re not playing the deck right.

The trick with Eternal Might is in trying to keep a full hand. With so many of our cards getting discarded, in addition to the ones we’re playing, it’s easy to run out of fuel.

Cards like Corpse AugurCorpse Augur, Prophet of the ScarabProphet of the Scarab, and Undead AugurUndead Augur, which can all draw you multiple cards, are at a premium. So make sure to use them wisely.

When you’re not beating opponents’ faces, you’ll want to mess with their life totals in other ways, with cards like:

• Wayward ServantWayward Servant
• The Scarab godThe Scarab god
• Plague BelcherPlague Belcher
• Corpse KnightCorpse Knight
• Bontu’s MonumentBontu’s Monument

The deck is a little low on ramp, at just nine pieces, but makes up for it in extra lands with 39. But the problem with many of the lands is that they have cycling, which means they have the drawback of entering tapped.

Of the 39 lands, 12 of them enter tapped no matter what, with another five needing to meet some kind of requirement to enter untapped (e.g., control two basic lands, control an island or swamp).

While having cycling on lands is beneficial for all of the discarding the deck wants to do, it hinders your ability to play on curve. This problem is anything but new for a Commander precon, but something you should keep in mind if you buy the deck.

All that said, just swing, and keep swinging. Keep pushing those Zombies through without letting up. There’s always more in the deck, and plenty of ways to get them back from the grave.

Is Eternal Might Worth Buying?

Here’s my grade for this precon:

B+

Did we need another Zombie precon? Absolutely not. Undead Unleashed had the creature type more than covered. Still, this deck adds enough new tools to the Esper Zombie arsenal to make it worthwhile, and certainly gives new players enough to chew on to get them interested in Zombies.

The commanders of the deck, Temmet, Naktamun’s WillTemmet, Naktamun’s Will and Hashaton, Scarab’s FistHashaton, Scarab’s Fist, are both exceptional commanders, with some serious potential to lead incredibly powerful decks. I’m even hearing rumblings that Hashaton may be cEDH playable.

The offering of new cards is fantastic, with new staples for both Zombies and token decks, like On Wings of GoldOn Wings of Gold, Prophet of the ScarabProphet of the Scarab, and Lost Monarch of IfnirLost Monarch of Ifnir.

The biggest dent to the score comes from the deck’s tendency to run out of fuel. It’s easy to run out of cards and be left praying to top-deck something like Pull from TomorrowPull from Tomorrow to get back into the game.

The reprint value here is great, with standouts including Rot HulkRot Hulk, The Scarab GodThe Scarab God, and Unholy GrottoUnholy Grotto.

Can we make this Zombie deck into a true Night of the Living Dead? Find out in our Upgrade Guide. And check back again soon for more precon guides, right here on EDHREC.

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Andy Zupke

Andy's been playing Magic on and off since Fallen Empires. He loves to travel, drink, eat, and spend time with family and friends.