Maelstrom MuseMaelstrom Muse | Art by Michele Parisi

Welcome, welcome, welcome to Fire and Ice! This is a data-driven series where I go over cards that are becoming more or less popular for different Commander decks, and discuss why they may be gaining or losing popularity. I'm Julia, EDHREC's Duchess of Data, and I'm excited to jump into today's article!

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

Last time, you got to choose which commanders we'd take a look at for this article. From more than 200 responses, our winners are Omnath, Locus of AllOmnath, Locus of All and Aragorn, the UniterAragorn, the Uniter. So today's article will have lots of colors in it!

With all that said, let's jump into today's edition of Fire and Ice and see what our lucky winners have in store!

Omnath, Locus of AllOmnath, Locus of All

What's Hot and What's Not for Omnath, Locus of All

The fifth, and certainly the most interesting Omnath, Omnath, Locus of All is a unique take on a five-color deck. It encourages us to play cards with lots of colored mana pips in our deck, and even lets us keep our excess mana around as . While it may not be the most powerful commander out there, I appreciate the oft-underutilized cards that find a home here.

Magic's many CharmsCharms, for example, see a lot of play in Omnath, Locus of All decks.

Looking at Omnath's EDHREC page, we see that Atraxa, Grand UnifierAtraxa, Grand Unifier is in 28% of decks as a nice curve topper, Void RendVoid Rend is in 39% of decks as a powerful removal spell, and Leyline of the GuildpactLeyline of the Guildpact is in 30% of decks as a mana fixer.

What's Fiery for Omnath Decks?

Surprisingly, there are just four hot cards for Omnath. First up is Infinite Guideline StationInfinite Guideline Station, with an impressive Fire Score of 7.09. In a multicolor theme deck like this one, Edge of Eternities' most colorful Spacecraft is a natural fit. It'll make us a good few blockers when it enters, and can even become a supercharged card advantage engine the next turn.

We've got another card from the Edge on our list: Archenemy's CharmArchenemy's Charm, with a Fire Score of 4.96. Unfortunately, I think this card is the weakest among the Charm cycle (Archmage's CharmArchmage's Charm and Archdruid's CharmArchdruid's Charm are far better). But, in a deck that makes as much as this one, Archenemy's Charm has a great home.

Our final Fiery cards come to us from Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Inevitable DefeatInevitable Defeat and Temur BattlecrierTemur Battlecrier have Fire Scores of 2.61 and 2.52, respectively, and are both awesome includes here. Inevitable Defeat is like Utter EndUtter End and Sovereign's BiteSovereign's Bite combined. This removal spell is a slam dunk in any casual deck that can run it. Same goes for Temur Battlecrier, which will frequently save us or more on each of our turns!

What's Icy for Omnath Decks?

There's a full 13 Icy cards for Omnath, ranging from EDH staples to niche includes. We'll talk about them in groups, so we can try to parse some patterns from the noise.

First up, we're seeing some ramp pieces decline in popularity. Kodama's ReachKodama's Reach and Rampant GrowthRampant Growth have Ice Scores of -2.04 and -2.07, respectively, likely because of their color identity. This five-color deck is often played at more casual tables, where Omnath pilots are likely looking to play more multicolor cards. These classic ramp spells are easy cuts for deckbuilders leaning harder into that theme.

Same goes for the four-mana dorks that are seeing less play: Noble HierarchNoble Hierarch (Ice Score of -3.36), Ignoble HierarchIgnoble Hierarch (Ice Score of -3.51), Bloom TenderBloom Tender (Ice Score of -2.18), and Birds of ParadiseBirds of Paradise (Ice Score of -2.71).

These are all, of course, extremely powerful cards. The mana fixing they provide is nearly unmatched. But, for lower Bracket Omnath lists, theme trumps effectiveness.

We also see big mana spells declining in popularity. Villainous WealthVillainous Wealth has an Ice Score of -4.03, while Cruel UltimatumCruel Ultimatum's is -2.61. And Rocco, Cabaretti CatererRocco, Cabaretti Caterer comes in at -2.84. All three of these cards fit our theme, and are made significantly easier to cast with our commander's abilities.

But they often require us to spend an entire turn doing just one thing. That's not something that many modern-day Commander players are willing to do. If we want to steal our opponents' cards, wipe the board, or tutor a creature onto the battlefield, there's usually a cheaper option available for us to do so - even if it's not as splashy.

We even see some Charms, typically quite popular in Omnath lists, falling out of favor. Brokers CharmBrokers Charm, with an Ice Score of -2.17. has three useful modes, but the spell is over-costed considering the fact that we just get to choose one of them. We can usually punch an opponent's creature for one or two mana, destroy an enchantment for one or two mana, and draw two cards for three mana with fewer pip requirements.

Sultai CharmSultai Charm, with an Ice Score of -2.85, has a similar problem. Even though all three of its modes are useful, the spell is over-costed. As much as I love the Tarkir charms, this one is sadly showing its age.

Furthering my theory that Omnath pilots are looking to play more casual Commander games, we see Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe (Ice Score of -2.03) and Seedborn MuseSeedborn Muse (Ice Score of -2.78) on our list of cold cards for Omnath. These are super powerful, and natural fits in a multicolor, big-mana deck like this one. However, including them in our 99 precludes us from sitting at the sort of tables where Omnath can shine.

What's in an Omnath, Locus of All Deck?

Here's an Omnath list that includes all of its Fiery cards and none of its Icy cards:

Aragorn, the UniterAragorn, the Uniter

What's Hot and What's Not for Aragorn, the Uniter

Similarly, this is the one of five Magic cards that depicts Aragorn. Sitting as Ink-Treader's () most popular commander ever, Aragorn is powerful, flavorful, and fun. I've built this deck with a Spellslinger theme, a Saga theme, and I have a friend with a mono- version. I think this card is neat, and I'm excited to talk about it today.

Looking at Aragorn's EDHREC page, we see a ton of Lord of the Rings cards, indicating that players are leaning into the flavorful side of things quite heavily. Éowyn, ShieldmaidenÉowyn, Shieldmaiden, for example, is in 56% of decks. We also see interesting multicolored cards here, like Fallaji WayfarerFallaji Wayfarer in 34% of decks and Inga and EsikaInga and Esika in 32% of decks.

What's Fiery for Aragorn Decks?

Unlike Omnath, Aragorn's got a ton of Fiery cards. Again, we'll be breaking them up into broad categories to create a better understanding of the data.

We see three ramp spells - FarseekFarseek, Rampant GrowthRampant Growth, and Growth SpiralGrowth Spiral - on our list of hot cards, with Fire Scores of 2.00, 2.18, and 3.36, respectively. Aragorn staples a Monstrous GrowthMonstrous Growth to all green spells, meaning that they're effective in the early game and beyond (a rarity for low-cost mana acceleration).

Growth Spiral can even be cast at instant speed, letting it act as a combat trick, a ramp spell, and a card selection tool, thanks to its color identity.

We also see three Lord of the Rings cards here: Merry, Esquire of RohanMerry, Esquire of Rohan, Pippin, Guard of the CitadelPippin, Guard of the Citadel, and Great Hall of the CitadelGreat Hall of the Citadel, with Fire Scores of 2.00, 2.28, and 3.07, respectively. These cards are both flavorful and thematic; aside from being from the same universe as Aragorn, they're low-cost, high-impact multicolored cards.

Merry's a cheap way to draw an extra card every turn, Pippin's a cool Mother of RunesMother of Runes-style effect, and the Great Hall is one of the best mana fixing lands in this deck.

Next up is are two Naya () cards. Tifa, Martial ArtistTifa, Martial Artist has a Fire Score of 2.14 and works extremely well with our -centric deck. We'll be giving lots of our creatures +4/+4, meaning that we can expect to trigger her extra combat ability quite frequently.

Annie Joins UpAnnie Joins Up has a Fire Score of 2.21, and effectively acts as a second copy of Aragorn (and the 18 other legendary creatures in our deck with relevant triggered abilities). It should be in every Aragorn deck that can run it.

Because so many of the cards in this deck are multicolored and legendary, we need some payoffs to round out our 99. Faeburrow ElderFaeburrow Elder is a perfect way to capitalize on our colorful theme, and it's got a Fire Score of 2.56.

General Ferrous RokiricGeneral Ferrous Rokiric provides us with a board full of beefy tokens when we carry out our game plan, netting himself a Fire Score of 2.71. And Serah FarronSerah Farron, with a Fire Score of 5.15, is a two-color legend that'll discount about 20 of our creature spells.

Finally, let's talk about Charms: Naya CharmNaya Charm (Fire Score of 2.11), Jeskai Charm (2.18), Bant Charm (2.19), Brokers Charm (2.75), Boros Charm (2.97). Out of all of these modal spells, only Boros Charm is playable on its own. The rest of them are over-costed, underpowered, or both. But, when paired with a commander like Aragorn to supercharge their effectiveness, these cards become extremely strong.

Naya Charm, for example, now creates a 1/1 Human Soldier creature token, hits an opponent in the face with a Lightning BoltLightning Bolt, and gives a creature +4/+4 alongside an effect of your choosing. That's a lot of value off of one spell, so it's not hard to see why the Charms are popular with Aragorn's deckbuilders.

What's Icy for Aragorn Decks?

Aragorn's iciest cards are powerful card advantage engines that work best in high power games. Esper SentinelEsper Sentinel and Rhystic StudyRhystic Study have Ice Scores of -2.49 and -2.52, respectively. I don't need to explain why these cards are good, but it is of note that they're both being taken out of decks at similar rates. It seems many players are looking to sit in Bracket 3 instead of Bracket 4, or Bracket 2 instead of Bracket 3.

Although they're not Game Changers, The Great HengeThe Great Henge (Ice Score of -2.05) and Myrel, Shield of ArgiveMyrel, Shield of Argive (-2.16) are both powerful legends that are more at home in high-power versions of this deck too. Their decline is indicative of the same gradual powering-down that Esper Sentinel and Rhystic Study's decline is.

Reliquary TowerReliquary Tower is not good in decks that need access to three or more colors consistently. It's got an Ice Score of -2.15, likely because many Aragorn pilots are seeing that it's more important to have the mana that they need when they need it than it is to have access to an extra card or two in their hand. I won't include this card in any deck that's three or more colors, and even hesitate to include it in decks that run two colors.

Noble HierarchNoble Hierarch has an Ice Score of -2.05, likely because Aragorn sees it as just a card. Even though it provides extremely valuable ramp and mana fixing, it doesn't fit our multicolor-matters scheme. Again, in lower brackets, pilots tend to lean harder into themes than they do into card quality.

What's in a Aragorn, the Uniter Deck?

Here's an Aragorn list with all of his hot cards included and all of his cold cards excluded:

Conclusion

That's it for this week, folks! If you'd like to vote on our commanders for next week, take a moment and respond to this poll:

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