Sen TripletsSen Triplets | Art by Greg Staples

After breaking down the most played Jeskai and Sultai cards in previous articles, today we're looking at Esper ()!

This is my favorite among the ten three-color groups, because Esper's mechanical identity includes a lot of the things I love doing in Magic, regardless of the format: control, reanimator, card draw, and even more aggressive token builds.

Let's dive right in!

10. Marneus CalgarMarneus Calgar - 9,732 decks, 13,112 as commander

The Warhammer 40,000 stalwart is quite a bit more popular as a commander than in the 99, likely because he's just a slam dunk option to lead a tokens deck.

Marneus is an excellent payoff for the multitude of cards in Esper that generates tokens, including Nadir KrakenNadir Kraken (it's a combo!), Lotho, Corrupt ShirriffLotho, Corrupt Shirriff, and Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe.

Don't forget that the Warhammer set features the squad mechanic, letting you create a bunch of tokens of creatures you'd want to put in your deck anyway, like Ultramarines Honour GuardUltramarines Honour Guard and Space Marine DevastatorSpace Marine Devastator.

Drawing cards will help ensure you can continue generating a steady stream of material. He'll likely be a lightning rod for removal, but that isn't too worrying as spot removal can be bad against token decks anyway. And, if the game gets grindy, Marneus can get things done on his own, making tokens with a six-mana ability.

Aside from boasting all the enablers and token-makers, Esper is replete with payoffs, especially when you incorporate a little bit of a sacrifice subtheme: Kambal, Profiteering MayorKambal, Profiteering Mayor, Mirkwood BatsMirkwood Bats, and Pitiless PlundererPitiless Plunderer are all great options.

9. Raffine, Scheming SeerRaffine, Scheming Seer - 15,182 decks, 8,363 as commander

Next to Omnath, Locus of CreationOmnath, Locus of Creation, Raffine is both my favorite legend and favorite three-color card in Magic. I've had fun and success playing her presiding over a sleek, streamlined cEDH tempo/reanimator deck. And while she's great (and reasonably popular) as a commander because she's cheap and her attack trigger is one of the best in the format, those same characteristics make her valuable as a card in the 99 as well.

Remember that it triggers when you attack with anything; so in a way, she has haste!

Like how my Sultai article showed how synergistic that combination's color combinations are, looking at Raffine's top commanders will reveal just how much Esper loves both looting (drawing and discarding cards) and picking creatures out of the graveyard and returning them to play.

Raffine's attack trigger therefore has so many applications, including generating a ton of triggers for Hashaton, Scarab's FistHashaton, Scarab's Fist in a creature-heavy deck, supercharging Temmet, Naktamun's WillTemmet, Naktamun's Will's Zombie Glorious AnthemGlorious Anthem static ability, and helping Elenda and AzorElenda and Azor create a bunch of tokens.

Legends aren't the only cards overflowing with Raffine synergy, of course; Archfiend of IfnirArchfiend of Ifnir offers devastating Plague WindPlague Wind potential if you get a big enough attack off, while cheap effects like UnearthUnearth and ReanimateReanimate can turn a combat step into a deceptively game-winning move.

8. Alela, Artful ProvocateurAlela, Artful Provocateur - 10,822 decks, 13,878 as commander

This flexible flyer is a very popular commander, currently ranked #76 on EDHREC. This is probably because Alela can lead many different styles of deck. Yes, she generates Faerie tokens and buffs them, so you can build around that and put together a great Faerie deck with all the goodies from the planes of Eldraine and Lorwyn.

On the other hand, she's a perfect example of an "army in a can," or a permanent that can single-handedly produce a ton of creatures. You don't need other Faeries. All you need are a bunch of artifacts and/or enchantments, and preferably cheap trinkets, to trigger her repeatedly.

For artifacts, SkullclampSkullclamp is an ideal inclusion, as are mana generating "rocks" that a lot of EDH decks play anyway, like Sol RingSol Ring, Fellwar StoneFellwar Stone, and Arcane SignetArcane Signet.

Depending on how deep you wanna go into this flavor of deck, you can run Etherium SculptorEtherium Sculptor and Foundry InspectorFoundry Inspector as well. Thought MonitorThought Monitor is one excellent payoff.

Alela loves enchantments as well, and Anthems like Favorable WindsFavorable Winds and Intangible VirtueIntangible Virtue contribute to multiple angles of attack. Anointed ProcessionAnointed Procession and MirrormadeMirrormade are also sweet inclusions. A BitterblossomBitterblossom can get out of hand pretty quickly! All That GlittersAll That Glitters cleans up any opponents left alive.

Finally, I'll point out that Marneus, Alela, and Raffine all also play into an Esper sub-theme that may be subtle, but is definitely powerful: aggro-tempo! Cheap counterspells and removal are great supporters for these creature-heavy plans.

7. Queza, Augur of AgoniesQueza, Augur of Agonies - 17,986 decks, 7,520 as commander

The Octopus Advisor from New Capenna is a very straightforward card; as a commander, she's a great option in a Wheels deck, or in decks that either look to play cheap cantrips or more expensive draw spells. Draw, draw, and draw some more — that's what Queza asks you to do!

She even offers strong combo potential, pairing with either Drogskol ReaverDrogskol Reaver, Lich's MasteryLich's Mastery, or Marina Vendrell's GrimoireMarina Vendrell's Grimoire (with some variants available) as two-card combos to cause near-infinite lifeloss. Reaver makes up the most popular Queza combo:

Notably, some of these combos can utilize options other than Queza; check out her Commander Spellbook page for all the combo configurations.

Where Queza can also shine is as a payoff for splashier commanders that also draw you more cards, including Oloro, Ageless AsceticOloro, Ageless Ascetic, Raffine, Varina, Lich QueenVarina, Lich Queen, and more. Here, she can still threaten a combo finish and provide a different angle of attack from, say, Raffine's aggressive or reanimation slants.

6. Urza, Chief ArtificerUrza, Chief Artificer - 12,217 decks, 15,415 as commander

Speaking of straightforward, the Esper Urza is a popular commander, ranked 61st, that demands you build around him in one way: lots of artifacts.

There are tons of ways to do this, whether you want to go the combo route, focus on Construct tokens, generate a lot of tokens in general, some combination of the three, or a different direction entirely!

Of course, there are some high-synergy cards that you probably want to make room for in your Urza deck: Etherium SculptorEtherium Sculptor and Foundry InspectorFoundry Inspector, Sai, Master ThopteristSai, Master Thopterist, Thought MonitorThought Monitor, the monocolor Urza, Lord High ArtificerUrza, Lord High Artificer, Urza's SagaUrza's Saga, and at least four artifact lands.

The latest Standard-legal set Edge of Eternities brought with it a bunch of artifact synergy goodies, some of which already see play in Urza decks, according to EDHREC data. These include Tolarian AcademyTolarian Academy understudy Uthros, Titanic GodcoreUthros, Titanic Godcore, Uthros Research CraftUthros Research Craft, and Tezzeret, Cruel CaptainTezzeret, Cruel Captain.

5. Aminatou, the FateshifterAminatou, the Fateshifter - 21,686 decks, 6,344 as commander

While not an incredibly popular commander, Aminatou does have a home leading a Blink theme deck. Paul Palmer shows off his flicker-heavy build here.

As part of the 99, Aminatou can do good work in a multicolor Legends-Matter deck. These are usually helmed by Sisay, Weatherlight CaptainSisay, Weatherlight Captain, Esika, God of the TreeEsika, God of the Tree, or Jodah, the UnifierJodah, the Unifier.

Omnath, Locus of AllOmnath, Locus of All is also reasonably popular, but I hate what they did to my Elemental, so I'm only going to mention the card. No gallery image for you!

Instead of taking advantage of her card types and/or color identity, you can also build around her abilities. Yennett, Cryptic SovereignYennett, Cryptic Sovereign enjoys having perfect info about your top deck, while Atraxa, Grand UnifierAtraxa, Grand Unifier is herself a nasty commander in a flicker deck.

4. Zur, Eternal SchemerZur, Eternal Schemer - 23,457 decks, 4,990 as commander

Zur's second incarnation is an interesting one. Like the one you'll see a bit later, Dominaria United Zur is an enchantment-matters card through and through. I like that his ability is pretty open-ended in the format. You can play a bunch of expendable fodder to chip in with and then recur with Starfield of NyxStarfield of Nyx or Go-Shintai of Life's OriginGo-Shintai of Life's Origin in a dedicated Shrine deck with Sanctum of AllSanctum of All, too.

The newish Room enchantments can have pretty beefy mana costs and have access to Marina VendrellMarina Vendrell to tie... the Rooms together.

Sagas are another enchantment subtype that can also be built around easily and powerfully, guided by Terra, Magical AdeptTerra, Magical Adept, Tom BombadilTom Bombadil, and several other good options. If you want to skip the activated ability some of the time, you can make excellent use out of the Summon cards from Final Fantasy. Summon: TitanSummon: Titan and Summon: BahamutSummon: Bahamut are already pretty powerful, so why not give them lifelink and hexproof as well!

Any of these decks are going to have a very strong Plan A, so I like the idea of having Zur around as a way to attack a table differently, in combat! He can also threaten a lot of damage out of nowhere when you play him late with a lot of white mana on your side.

3. Tivit, Seller of SecretsTivit, Seller of Secrets - 16,159 decks, 12,352 decks as commander

Who needs politicking when you can just abolish term limits and declare yourself the autocrat at the table? Tivit's council's dilemma ability is absolutely supercharged with Time SieveTime Sieve, often with the addition of Academy ManufactorAcademy Manufactor or other cards to net you infinite terms:

No wonder he's in the top 100 most popular commanders, according to EDHREC data. Of course, you're not always playing with the combo, and that's where the politics come in. Playing a council's dilemma card opens up a whole Magic mini-game of voting, letting you play cards like Brago's RepresentativeBrago's Representative and Illusion of ChoiceIllusion of Choice that just don't do anything in a normal deck.

2. Zur the EnchanterZur the Enchanter - 29,796 decks, 12,899 as commander

Another one of Josh Nelson's attack trigger all-stars, the more popular (and older) Zur is one of the best commanders in any enchantment-based deck not playing green cards.

If you can protect the Enchanter long enough to get at least one attack in, you can do busted things, like assemble the combo of Phyrexian UnlifePhyrexian Unlife and SolemnitySolemnity over three turns (casting Zur and attacking twice):

Even without putting together a combo, Zur can fetch up Stax-style enchanties like Mystic RemoraMystic Remora, PropagandaPropaganda, Ghostly PrisonGhostly Prison, Blind ObedienceBlind Obedience, and many more.

Once you have your pillowfort assembled, or if you want to be more aggressive anyway, you can then move on to All That GlittersAll That Glitters and Daybreak CoronetDaybreak Coronet.

The key here is making sure your commander survives long enough, and that's what Force of WillForce of Will, Force of NegationForce of Negation, and Fierce GuardianshipFierce Guardianship are for!

1. Void RendVoid Rend - 114,061 decks

As sweet as all these legends are, loyal readers of my column will not be surprised that you often can't beat a great utility card, even a three-color one. Void RendVoid Rend is an almost-ineffable catch-all answer that most Esper decks should be happy to run. Yes, hexproof-granting effects like Tamiyo's SafekeepingTamiyo's Safekeeping and other weird cards like Teferi's ProtectionTeferi's Protection get around it, but it's great to be able to simply ignore a lot of what blue decks can do to protect their crucial permanents.

It's by far the most played Esper card in the format, and even more players should run it!

Your Dreams and Mine Will Soon AlignYour Dreams and Mine Will Soon Align

That's Esper for you: a versatile mix of value and aggression, with some wheels and reanimation spells thrown in. I already mentioned which Esper card is my favorite, but that won't stop me from shouting out the three wonderful "Charms" or three-cost instants that give you the pick of three modes: Esper CharmEsper Charm (of course!), Obscura CharmObscura Charm, and Dromar's CharmDromar's Charm.

What's your favorite Esper card? Let us know!

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