Calix, Guided by FateCalix, Guided by Fate | Art by PINDURSKI

Welcome once again to Fire and Ice! This is the data-driven series where I go over cards that are becoming more or less popular for different Commander decks, and talk about why they may be gaining or losing popularity. 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. 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.

We'll be focusing today's article on Calix, Guided by FateCalix, Guided by Fate! He won last edition's poll with 47% of the vote. Sophia, Dogged DetectiveSophia, Dogged Detective came in second with 38% of the vote, and Vorinclex, Monstrous RaiderVorinclex, Monstrous Raider was last with 15% of the vote.

Calix, Guided by FateCalix, Guided by Fate

What's hot and what's not for Calix, Guided by Fate

Coming to us from March of the Machine: The Aftermath, Calix is a bright spot in an overall poorly received set. For , he's a 2/2 Human Druid enchantment creature. And, whenever an enchantment (including Calix) enters the battlefield, we get to put a +1/+1 counter on any creature.

Then, when Calix or any enchanted creature connects with an opponent in combat, we get to copy our best nonlegendary enchantment. This commander is absolutely busted, and sits at #700 on EDHREC. It would likely be much higher if the set it released in was more popular, too.

So, which cards pair with this super strong legendary creature? Sythis, Harvest's HandSythis, Harvest's Hand is in a whopping 87% of Calix decks, Sanctum WeaverSanctum Weaver isn't far behind in 85%, and Jukai NaturalistJukai Naturalist is in 81% of lists. Notably, each of these creatures is also an enchantment.

It's really remarkable what lists have access to these days.

What's Fiery for Calix Decks?

Ocelot PrideOcelot Pride (Fire Score of 4.32)

What can I say about Ocelot Pride? It's one of the best cards, if not the best card, from Modern Horizons 3. It's an auto-include in any token-based or lifegain-based deck, which is probably about half of all decks.

This deck makes a lot of tokens, as Calix can give us access to a ton of them every time we go to combat. That means that this overpowered Cat is a perfect fit here.

Kenrith's TransformationKenrith's Transformation (Fire Score of 3.04)

All decks need removal, and it's even better when that removal can be on-theme. Kenny's Transformation is a classic card for Commander players, and it's also a great fit for any Enchantress deck looking for more thematic, powerful gameplay.

This Aura is already super powerful, and it's even better when we can make multiple copies of it every single turn.

Glyph ElementalGlyph Elemental (Fire Score of 2.91)

While we don't see a ton of land-based ramp in the typical Calix deck, this two-mana bestow creature still puts in a ton of work. It'll grow larger and larger each turn, and can become a veritable threat in combat if we make a few copies of it. Just one land drop can represent three, four, or even more +1/+1 counters on our creatures if we make a few copies of this Elemental.

Unnatural GrowthUnnatural Growth (Fire Score of 2.69)

We've got a small sample size here, as this enchantment is only in 37 decks. But, it makes a lot of sense as an include in our 99. Calix adds a +1/+1 counter to a creature when it enters (assuming Calix is on the board), and that counter's effectiveness is doubled the moment we go to combat. And, as we make more and more copies of this enchantment, our board's strength grows exponentially.

This deck almost always wins through combat damage, so doubling our creatures' power a few times seems like a great way to close out games.

Herald of the PantheonHerald of the Pantheon (Fire Score of 2.34)

This Centaur Shaman can hit the battlefield a turn before Calix, meaning he casts one mana less to cast on turn three. Then, we can continue using that cost reduction to power out even more enchantments earlier than we otherwise could. The incidental lifegain the Herald provides us isn't bad, either.

Sadly, this creature isn't an enchantment like Jukai NaturalistJukai Naturalist. But, it's still a great include.

Rampant GrowthRampant Growth (Fire Score of 2.27)

This is a default inclusion for ramp in decks. Much like Herald of the Pantheon, this sorcery can be cast the turn before our commander to provide us with mana advantage throughout the game. While I'd rather cast a copy of Utopia SprawlUtopia Sprawl or Wild GrowthWild Growth, I certainly won't complain about seeing this spell in my opening hand.

Beast WithinBeast Within (Fire Score of 2.13)

Another Commander classic. It's hard to beat the flexibility this removal spell provides, even if and a 3/3 Beast token is an admittedly high price to pay. While I typically look elsewhere in higher power decks, this instant still has a place in more casual Bracket 3 lists.

What's Icy for Calix Decks?

Cast OutCast Out (Ice Score of -4.83)

A more expensive Oblivion RingOblivion Ring. Sure, it has flash and cycling for , but it's still a higher-costed version of a Commander staple. This O-Ring imitator is best left in cycling or flash theme decks. While the ability to cast it at instant speed is nice, we've got easy access to better versions of this effect in our format.

Eternal WitnessEternal Witness (Ice Score of -4.47)

Eternal Witness is hard to cut from most decks. It's a time-tested recursion piece that also gives us a 2/1 body to suit up with Auras. But, we've got cards like Hall of Heliod's GenerosityHall of Heliod's Generosity and Pre-War FormalwearPre-War Formalwear. This card's cost is beginning to show its age, sadly.

One with NatureOne with Nature (Ice Score of -2.19)

An oldie but a goodie, this enchantment was first printed in 2003. This is the rare Icy card that I actually disagree with the exclusion of. For just one mana, we get a Rampant GrowthRampant Growth every time one the enchanted creature hits an opponent. Plus, if we start making copies of this one-mana Aura, we'll probably run out of basics to fetch!

I think One with Nature is slept on, and encourage all Enchantress players to give it a second chance.

Sterling GroveSterling Grove (Ice Score of -2.17)

Sterling Grove's drop in popularity may be due to the fact that giving shroud to Calix prevents us from targeting him with Auras and +1/+1 counters. This deck can operate as a pretty efficient Voltron list, which means we really need the ability to put stuff on our commander. Sterling Grove sadly stops us from doing so, and that's likely the reason for its Iciness.

But, notably, this enchantment doesn't prevent us from copying stuff with Calix's ability, because he doesn't actually target the enchantments he wants to copy.

Sigarda, Font of BlessingsSigarda, Font of Blessings (Ice Score of -2.16)

The typical Calix deck has fewer than 10 Humans (and just a few Angels) in it. That's hardly a subtheme, meaning a lot of Sigarda's abilities are just flavor text. So, paying to give all our permanents hexproof isn't all that great.

I'd rather play Privileged Position[/ec], just because it's an enchantment and Sigarda isn't.

What's in a Calix, Guided by Fate Deck?

Conclusion

That's all for this week! Before you go, take a moment to respond to our poll to help us choose which commander we'll tackle next.

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