Indestructible AuraIndestructible Aura | Mark Poole

Hello hello! Welcome once again to Fire and Ice, the data-driven series where I go over some cards that are gaining and losing popularity in different Commander decks. I'm Julia, EDHREC's Duchess of Data, and I'm super excited to jump into today's article!

EDHREC, of course, has a ton of data. Using that data, we'll draw conclusions about how certain commanders' decks have changed over time, give some insight into how the format's players are thinking about new cards, and hopefully give you some cool tech for your favorite commander's list.

Last week, you spoke and we listened. As per our poll in the most recent Fire and Ice, we'll be taking a look at Nelly Borca, Impulsive AccuserNelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser and Galazeth PrismariGalazeth Prismari. If you'd like to help us choose some commanders to talk about next week, stick around to the end of this article and respond to our new poll! With all that said, let's get right into the action.

For information on how we calculate the Fire and Ice Scores used in this article, check out this writeup.

Nelly Borca, Impulsive AccuserNelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser

Hot and cold cards for Nelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser

Nelly Borca was at the helm of the Blame Game precon, one of my favorites in recent memory. It's cool to see Wizards print a Commander deck that breaks the mold of its color identity. decks tend to focus on Equipment and/or creature tokens, so being focused on combat control is a welcome change. Nelly's no slouch herself, letting us goad creatures every turn and letting us draw cards whenever those creatures deal combat damage.

Because this commander led a precon, many of its most popular cards were part of that deck. Disrupt DecorumDisrupt Decorum, a nice way to goad all of our opponents' creatures, is in 92% of Nelly decks. Vengeful AncestorVengeful Ancestor was part of Nelly's original deck too, and it's a sweet payoff that's in 88% of decks. Lastly, a new card printed originally in Blame Game, Take the BaitTake the Bait, is in 85% of Nelly decks.

What's Fiery for Nelly Borca Decks?

The hottest card for Nelly Borca, by far, is Windcrag SiegeWindcrag Siege with a Fire Score of 4.20. The Mardu mode of this enchantment works perfectly with our commander, letting us goad an additional creature each turn. Plus, this means we'll get double triggers off of our forced combat payoffs like the aforementioned Vengeful AncestorVengeful Ancestor.

Final Fantasy's Lightning, Army of OneLightning, Army of One is popular too, with a Fire Score of 3.88. Lightning doubles all damage that would be dealt to one of our opponents, meaning that the creatures we goad will be handing out even more pain to our opponents. This creature is one of the best cards from the whole Final Fantasy release, which is actually a pretty high bar to clear.

InsurrectionInsurrection is a great card, and certain to end games if it resolves. This eight-mana sorcery has a Fire Score of 3.05, and was one of EDHREC's recommended additions to Blame Game! Casual deckbuilders love big, splashy spells like Insurrection, and the combat-themed win works well with the deck's plan.

ReconnaissanceReconnaissance's got a Fire Score of 2.62, and was also one of our recommended cards to add to the precon. Reconnaissance can protect our commander from our opponents' blockers, letting us get her attack trigger without any risk. Plus, it costs just and is free to activate, making it an easy inclusion here.

And, the ever-popular Swiftfoot BootsSwiftfoot Boots has a Fire Score of 2.57. I'm surprised that this Equipment is seeing any movement, given how ubiquitous it is in EDH. I'd have expected pilots who upgraded their precons to have added this one when the deck was released over a year ago, but I suppose I'm wrong. I love writing this series for fun facts like this, it's always interesting to see what cards are on Commander players' minds!

What's Icy for Nelly Borca Decks?

Castle ArdenvaleCastle Ardenvale and Slayers' StrongholdSlayers' Stronghold are both leaving Nelly Borca decks, with Ice Scores of -3.70 and -2.22 specifically. Both of these nonbasic lands were part of the original preconstructed deck, and they are admittedly great cards. But, as pilots look to upgrade their decks with more consistent mana bases, these lands seem to be among the first to go.

The last Icy card for Nelly is Baeloth Barrityl, EntertainerBaeloth Barrityl, Entertainer with an Ice Score of -2.36. This card is highly impactful, goading every small creature on the board and creating a ton of TreasureTreasure tokens as the game progresses. But, without any consistent ways to grow Baeloth Barrityl's power, the creature's effectiveness is severely limited.

What's in a Nelly Deck?

Now that we know what's hot and what's not, let's take a look at a modernized Nelly Borca list. I'll be sure to include all of our hot cards, and exclude all of our cold cards.

Galazeth PrismariGalazeth Prismari

Hot and cold cards for Galazeth Prismari

Galazeth is a super cool commander, bridging the gap between spellsinger and artifact token strategies. This deck is almost constantly improving, because most sets will have at least a few good cards for either strategy. Most Galazeth decks lean hard into those instant, sorcery, and artifact synergies, but a few focus on Dragon's ApproachDragon's Approach. We'll be ignoring that non-singleton sort of deck today, so we can examine all the interesting hot and cold cards for this Elder Dragon!

There's actually quite a few cards that deal with all three of those aforementioned card types, like Trail of EvidenceTrail of Evidence (which has a slot in 62% of Galazeth decks). Same goes for Unexpected WindfallUnexpected Windfall and Brass's BountyBrass's Bounty, which find themselves in 65% and 50% of decks, respectively.

What's Fiery for Galazeth Prismari Decks?

Most of the hot cards for this deck actually have to do with artifact tokens! Spell SwindleSpell Swindle is already one of the most popular cards for Galazeth pilots, and it's got a Fire Score of 2.40 here. This spell, like Unexpected WindfallUnexpected Windfall before it, spans the gap between spellslinging and artifact synergies beautifully. Its popularity is anything but unexpected. Same goes for Strike It RichStrike It Rich (and its Fire Score of 2.17). This sorcery is functionally a TreasureTreasure token on a spell. It can even be recast from the graveyard later, if we're desperate for game actions to take.

Then, there's a few cards that are more laser-focused on artifacts. Treasure VaultTreasure Vault is a super cool utility pick with a Fire Score of 2.34. These decks are always hungry for more ways to make artifact tokens, and that love holding up mana for possible instant speed interaction. Combined, those facts make Treasure Vault a great fit. Worldwalker HelmWorldwalker Helm with its Fire Score of 2.24 and Stridehangar AutomatonStridehangar Automaton with its Fire Score of 2.13 both work well with our focus on Treasure tokens. Plus, both of these three-drops hit the battlefield right before our commander does, meaning we can immediately start generating value off of them!

There's two more hot cards, and I think their recent release dates are playing a big role in their rises. Mistrise VillageMistrise Village seems to be the hottest card in nearly every deck these days, and it's not hard to see why. This land has a Fire Score of 2.45, and is easy protection against countermagic for almost no deckbuilding cost.

Our last Fiery card is Archmage of RunesArchmage of Runes, one of my favorite cards from Foundations. This card's got a Fire Score of 2.10, and also fits well into our curve-out. This Giant Wizard can be cast the turn after Galazeth, and let us cast a two-mana instant or sorcery using the Treasure our commander makes on ETB. That's a lot of words to say that this is a strong card, and one that I hope to see in more decks moving forward.

What's Icy for Galazeth Prismari Decks?

There's three main groups of cold cards for Galazeth, and two of those groups combine to tell an interesting story. The first group is tutors, with Solve the EquationSolve the Equation at an Ice Score of -2.03, FabricateFabricate at an Ice Score of -2.02, and Mystical TutorMystical Tutor at an Ice Score of -2.25. The fact that three tutors are on the Icy card list for this commander tells me that pilots are likely trying to play in a lower Bracket, and taking these powerful cards out to allow for that.

The second group, Game Changers, reinforces that assumption. Jeska's WillJeska's Will has an Ice Score of -2.83 and Rhystic StudyRhystic Study has an Ice Score of -2.42. There's only one other Game Changer in the average Galazeth list, so it holds that most deckbuilders are likely hoping to play this Dragon in Bracket 2 or 3, instead of Bracket 3 or 4!

Our last cold card doesn't have much to do with either of the first two groups. WindfallWindfall's got an Ice Score of -2.40, and it's likely because of the huge amount of card advantage that decks have access to. Windfall is a great card, but Galazeth pilots are likely looking towards more synergistic includes in place of one-time card advantage pieces.

What's in a Galazeth Deck?

So, let's take a look at a Galazeth list that includes all of our Fiery cards and none of our Icy cards!

In Conclusion...

Thanks for reading this week's Fire and Ice! Please take a minute to answer this poll and help us determine the focus of next week's article.