Coin of MasteryCoin of Mastery | Art by Madeline Boni

Coin of MasteryCoin of Mastery was recently spoiled on the Command Zone Deck Reveal for the Turtle Power! Commander precon. This four-mana artifact says each of our creatures enter with an additional +1/+1 counter on it for each mana from an artifact that was spent to cast it. And it can tap to create a Treasure token, enabling its first ability.

While sifting through all the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cards coming out and trying to decide which cards I should add to my decks, I read Coin of Mastery and thought it was a variation of Kalain, Reclusive PainterKalain, Reclusive Painter. I glossed over it because I didn't think much of a four-mana version of her effect. But then I realized that it's not limited to just mana from Treasures. It can be mana from any artifact source.

Kalain, Reclusive PainterKalain, Reclusive Painter is the closest card that functions similarly to Coin of Mastery. However, Kalain only puts counters on creatures for each mana spent from Treasure sources. This could include mana from Glittering StockpileGlittering Stockpile or GoldhoundGoldhound, but there aren't many Treasure artifacts that don't sacrifice.

Not only that, Kalain can only be used in Rakdos () decks. Coin of Mastery, being a colorless artifact, means this card has a much higher potential to end up in many of your Commander decks.

Artifact Mana Sources

Before we look into what commanders will want Coin of MasteryCoin of Mastery, let's break down the scope of what artifacts can give us +1/+1 counters. Let's start with the one card that's in everyone's deck.

And would you look at that. We finally broke Sol RingSol Ring!

In all seriousness, an opening hand with Sol Ring + Coin of Mastery will be a very strong start in Commander games. Cast Coin of Master on T2, tap to create a Treasure token, then on T3, you can tap the coin again to have seven mana available. Allowing you to cast your commanders and have them enter with up to four +1/+1 counters.

Truly bonkers.

Mana rocks that produce more than one mana will be way more valuable in decks that run Coin of Mastery. It could even have you reexamine your suite of rocks. For example, SignetsSignets produce two mana, meaning you'll get one more +1/+1 counter on creatures you cast with it than you would with a TalismanTalisman.

Which is all the more reason to run mana rocks like Worn PowerstoneWorn Powerstone.

This doesn't stop at mana rocks either; artifact lands like Darksteel CitadelDarksteel Citadel and Darkmoss BridgeDarkmoss Bridge will add counters as well when you cast a creature with them. Artifact mana dorks, such as Palladium MyrPalladium Myr, will be more valuable in decks that want to add counters to their creatures.

And effects like Night of the Sweets' RevengeNight of the Sweets' Revenge, which allows artifacts to produce mana, should also be taken into account.

Commanders That Like Coins (Counters)

Now let's look at some Commander decks that will want Coin of MasteryCoin of Mastery.

Anim Pakal, Thousandth MoonAnim Pakal, Thousandth Moon will love having additional ways to put counters on her. Being in Boros (), there wouldn't need to be many changes to the ramp package, as most of Boros' ramp is usually mana rocks. Coin of Mastery even makes the downside of the commander tax better since you'll get to add on those additional counters from spending that mana.

This will accelerate Anim Pakal's plan by putting counters on her right away and letting you make Gnomes on the turn she's cast.

Coin of Mastery would also be a huge enabler to Shalai and HallarShalai and Hallar, as you can have them deal damage to opponents as soon as the creatures enter. The recently spoiled Casey Jones, Back Alley BruteCasey Jones, Back Alley Brute is another example of a commander who would love to put counters on creatures so he could deal damage to opponents. Commanders that care about putting counters on their creatures will want Coin of Mastery, as it turns your mana rocks into enablers for your deck.

Commanders who want to remove counters will also benefit from Coin of Mastery. Iron Spider, Stark UpgradeIron Spider, Stark Upgrade's second ability says you can pay two mana to remove two counters and draw a card. Coin of Mastery would be an excellent inclusion in Iron Spider decks as it'll enable all of the artifact ramp and artifact mana dorks in that deck to add counters to any creatures you cast.

Many commanders also care about the power of their creatures. Leinore, Autumn SovereignLeinore, Autumn Sovereign cares about having at least three different powers of creatures on board. It's easier to manipulate a creature's power when you can choose how many counters you want to put on them through mana spent from artifacts.

Agatha of the Vile CauldronAgatha of the Vile Cauldron is a powerful commander that reduces the cost of activated abilities of creatures you control equal to her power. And since her initial cost is , a simple Gruul SignetGruul Signet is all that's needed to make her a 3/3 to get the ball rolling.

Juri, Master of the RevueJuri, Master of the Revue is one of those commanders that you need to deal with quickly before he gets too big, meaning he's usually removed before getting to do much work. But with Coin of Mastery out, he'll enter with those counters on him. Meaning that Juri will get stronger each time he's recast. Unlike using Kalain in your Juri deck, you can just use mana rocks to cast him, so you can save your Treasures for putting counters on him when he's on the battlefield.

Alesha, Who Laughs at FateAlesha, Who Laughs at Fate can reanimate a creature in our graveyard so long as that creature's mana valve is less than or equal to Alesha's power. While she can put counters on herself through attacking, cards that give out counters, like Coin of Mastery, will allow us to bring back bigger creatures faster.

The Verdict on Coin of Mastery

Mana rocks are so ubiquitous in the Commander format that Coin of Mastery could really fit into many decks without much issue. I'm not as keen to put this in any deck just because it has a handful of mana rocks, but if your deck is running 10+ mana rocks/mana-producing artifacts or other ways to produce Treasure tokens, it's worth considering.

Even if the deck doesn't care about counters, increasing the power of your creatures and swinging with them is one of the most common ways Commander games end. So Coin of Mastery doesn't even need to be synergistic in order to succeed.

What do you think of Coin of MasteryCoin of Mastery? Is this a card you're excited to add to your Commander decks? Let me know in the comments below!