Aclazotz, Deepest BetrayalAclazotz, Deepest Betrayal | Art by Steve Prescott

Hey, everyone! If you've been reading my column for a while now, you may have seen my article on the top 10 most played double-faced commanders in the format. That was a fun one to do, because I absolutely adore double-faced cards and they're widely played in the format. So, this lull — pause? Slight breather? — before we really get into the swing of Secrets of Strixhaven spoilers gives me the opportunity to zoom out of commanders and look at which DFCs see the most play overall!

Now, there is a sub-type of DFC called the modal double-faced card (MDFC) that we need to talk about. This refers to the type of DFC that lets you choose which side to play it as, in contrast to DFCs that enter the battlefield in one form and transform into their back half. Think of the difference in play pattern between Treasure Map and Witch Enchanter!

Because a lot of MDFCs are partly lands, and therefore see a ton of play, I'll focus on the original type of DFC today and cover MDFCs in a separate list somewhere down the road. Enough intro, let's dive right in!

10. Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER - 59,195 decks, 22,028 as commander

Not content with being the 32nd most played commander on this site, Sephiroth is also a pretty darn popular part of the 99 in different types of decks: sacrifice with Teysa KarlovTeysa Karlov, tokens with Zurgo StormrenderZurgo Stormrender, and reanimator with Squall, SeeD MercenarySquall, SeeD Mercenary are just three examples.

He also boasts an interesting evolution of the DFC play pattern: transforming him gives you a permanent buff in the form of emblem. This means you're rewarded for flipping him multiple times, which in turn leads you down the path of playing tons of recursion to give you multiple bites at the apple. The fun corollary: it's great if he dies, so feel free to get into combat with him (preferably after the first transformation)!

9. Matzalantli, the Great DoorMatzalantli, the Great Door - 81,312 decks

Many DFCs set on the plane of Ixalan transform into lands that tend to either give you a lot of utility, like, say, Search for AzcantaSearch for Azcanta, or generate a lot of mana, like Matzalantli. While I'm not certain that cards like this should be replacing lands in your deck, an artifact that loots every turn is still an interesting addition to decks that like stocked graveyards, like Muldrotha, the GravetideMuldrotha, the Gravetide; lists that turn discard into value, like Hashaton, Scarab's FistHashaton, Scarab's Fist; or builds that just love having useful artifacts lying around, like The Capitoline TriadThe Capitoline Triad.

Do you even want to flip this when it helps you tear through your deck? Well, the great thing is, you don't have to transform the Great Door into a mana source; you get to. If you're playing this with a bunch of craft cards like Master's Guide-MuralMaster's Guide-Mural or Braided NetBraided Net in your Tetzin, Gnome ChampionTetzin, Gnome Champion deck, for example, every little bit of mana helps keep your engine going.

8. Fable of the Mirror-BreakerFable of the Mirror-Breaker - 81,723 decks

Omnath, Locus of CreationOmnath, Locus of Creation is my favorite card in Magic. Fable is my second favorite card, and if this outs me as a filthy midrange mage, then I own up to it. I love permanents that draw a card when they enter the battlefield and that... draw more cards, essentially, the longer they stay in play. Fable just does so much stuff, and all of it is fantastic while none of it is busted on its own. Like its predecessor, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror BreakerKiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Fable threatens to go infinite with a few things including Village Bell-RingerVillage Bell-Ringer:

And, because it cobbles together so many effects in one card — token generation, being a Saga, copying ETBs, being a Goblin, discarding cards, drawing cards, sacrificing game pieces — it slots into so many different types of decks. It is perhaps too versatile, a criticism that reflects it being played in basically every Standard deck when it was legal there. I didn't mind.

7. Brass's Tunnel-GrinderBrass's Tunnel-Grinder - 90,394 decks

Hey, look! It's a card that does what one of Fable's chapters does! It's played in more decks, though, and that could be because getting an extra land that draws a card and generates extra mana every turn is a much more powerful payoff in Commander than a Kiki-Jiki copycat. You're probably putting this in a deck that both wants cards in the graveyard or that wants to discard them and that is also good at doing either or both of those things with different cards. That means you're likely only waiting three turns before the mana and card boost from Tecutlan.

It's important to never underestimate the power of discarding as many cards as you want from your hand. Captain Howler, Sea ScourgeCaptain Howler, Sea Scourge pairs with this to turn an evasive creature into a beatstick, Lara Croft, Tomb RaiderLara Croft, Tomb Raider gets a big boost from having the right cards in your 'yard, and Clive, Ifrit's DominantClive, Ifrit's Dominant is a popular choice for a mono-red devotion deck that often plays around with a discard subtheme. It's not the most exciting card in the game, but you'd never call it boring either.

6. Westvale AbbeyWestvale Abbey - 92,159 decks

I'm pretty sure one of my first interactions with EDHREC was reading parts of Joseph Megill's series that ranked every land based on the number of decks they're played in. Westvale AbbeyWestvale Abbey finished 56th on the list, which is pretty impressive considering that the series started at #369 with Land Cap.

Lands that become creatures are pretty good in Commander, though the ones that produce multiple mana pips tend to get played more. What helps Abbey stand out is the fact that it makes creatures and sacrifices them, which makes it both an enabler and payoff for aristocrats-style decks led by the likes of Teysa, Sephiroth, The NecrobloomThe Necrobloom, and even Edgar MarkovEdgar Markov and his Vampires.

The sticky 9/7 creature you get when you cash out is pretty good, though I'd bet you'd rather be able to make more tokens and sacrifice more fodder. Can't have it all!

5. Ojer Axonil, Deepest MightOjer Axonil, Deepest Might - 83,060 decks, 10,450 as commander

There's no "might" about it, Ojer Axonil is a potent DFC that also offers up a twist on the genre by letting you transform back into the front side. He also made it to the list of top DFC commanders, surely in part because of combo potential:

It's absurdly easy to get your opponents to zero life; all you need are repeatable sources of damage ("pingers"). A lot of commander options fit the bill, from Nekusar, the MindrazerNekusar, the Mindrazer to Gev, Scaled ScorchGev, Scaled Scorch and Vivi OrnitierVivi Ornitier. Countless utility cards synergize well, too: Razorkin NeedleheadRazorkin Needlehead, Impact TremorsImpact Tremors, and Coruscation MageCoruscation Mage all turn into Lava AxeLava Axes. And that's before you pair this with damage-doublers, like Solphim, Mayhem DominusSolphim, Mayhem Dominus.

4. Invasion of IkoriaInvasion of Ikoria -107,902 decks

This is not a drill (Brass's Tunnel-Grinder is)! A battle has made one of my lists! This one is a neat riff off Commander darlings Green Sun's ZenithGreen Sun's Zenith, Finale of DevastationFinale of Devastation, Chord of CallingChord of Calling, but whereas Invasion's instant-or-sorcery predecessors offered upsides like flashback, OverrunOverruns, and mana discounts, this offers up an 8/8 that is also kind of an Overrun, come to think of it.

Being a battle is also slightly relevant for reasons other than its gigantic back side; it's an uncommon card type that can help with getting Delirium or with cards that count card types, like TarmogoyfTarmogoyf or Korvold, Gleeful GluttonKorvold, Gleeful Glutton and Baba Lysaga, Night WitchBaba Lysaga, Night Witch.

3. Ojer Taq, Deepest FoundationOjer Taq, Deepest Foundation - 149,483 decks, 1,886 as commander

The red Ikoria God, Ojer Axonil, works well with doublers; the white God triples! 150,000 decks is a ton of lists, especially for a six-mana card, showing just how much better getting three of something is better than getting one of that thing. Ojer Taq doesn't even need to feature in infinite combos to slam the door shut on a game. She supercharges Baylen, the HaymakerBaylen, the Haymaker, makes Hashaton, Scarab's FistHashaton, Scarab's Fist silly, and single-handedly sets up a Jurassic Park with Atla Palani, Nest TenderAtla Palani, Nest Tender.

Your opponents better have an exile effect handy, or else she'll just come back and do the same thing. Busted.

2. Etali, Primal ConquerorEtali, Primal Conqueror - 142,397 decks, 14,653 as commander

The Primal Conqueror may cost more and may be less resilient than Ojer Taq, but he gets his mana's worth off the top of each player's library. Okay, you might not be able to transform him without Three Tree CityThree Tree City or Treasonous OgreTreasonous Ogre, but the real fun is in bringing him back from the dead or otherwise retriggering his devastating ETB with spells like Malakir RebirthMalakir Rebirth, EphemerateEphemerate, and Saw in HalfSaw in Half.

Over at Fire and Ice, Julia Maddalena recently featured Etali, so check that out! I also love the fact that compleated Etali is basically Blightsteel ColossusBlightsteel Colossus.

1. Growing Rites of ItlimocGrowing Rites of Itlimoc - 203,050 decks

Hey, do you love Gaea's CradleGaea's Cradle? What if we printed a cheaper one that also drew you a creature? What's the catch? In Commander, it's basically nothing, unless your opponents find a way to keep you off four creatures forever or just win the game before it comes up. Growing Rites of ItlimocGrowing Rites of Itlimoc is an absolute powerhouse and a staple in the format for how it filters your draw while also threatening the same upside as a Game Changer. It's one of the best enchantments in the format, according to Harvey McGuinness. Play it in your green decks! It even triggers enchantment payoffs like Mesa EnchantressMesa Enchantress!

Half the Treasure is the Glory of Finding ItHalf the Treasure is the Glory of Finding It

Playing with DFCs is so fun because they often offer up a lot of inevitability or extra punch when they flip, so much so that you can play a sort of minigame with your opponents around transforming. Is anyone at the table going to deal with that Nicol Bolas, the RavagerNicol Bolas, the Ravager, even after it already got a 3-for-1? Or it going to flip and present a new kind of problem? Let us know which DFC is your favorite!