TarfireTarfire | Art by Omar Rayyan 

Hey everyone! After a detour into the most played Commander cards from Avatar: The Last Airbender, today I'm back covering mechanics that debuted in the original Lorwyn set. I've written about persist and evoke so far, and today it's the kindred supertype's time to shine!

Except, well, kindred technically didn't actually appear for the first time in Lorwyn. It was first printed as "tribal" in the reminder text of TarmogoyfTarmogoyf, which also teased a second type that was about to be introduced. Can you guess which it is?

That's not the only bit of trivia about the supertype. For a long time, kindred was as good as retired until it made its return with a new name in Modern Horizons 3. And as you'll see, it came back with a big splash.... let's dive right in!

Honorable Mentions - Boggart ShenanigansBoggart Shenanigans (16,753 decks) and Notorious ThrongNotorious Throng (31,731 decks)

I'm bringing honorable mentions back because I wanted to make sure that every color had a kindred card on this list. What's interesting is that while you'll still be able to find kindred cards with the Goblin type in Lorwyn Eclipsed, you won't find any spells that riff off of Morningtide's class-based mechanics in the latest set.

It's understandable if Wizards of the Coast wanted to put the spotlight on the original typal synergies of Lorwyn/Shadowmoor and reduce complexity.

10. Thornbite StaffThornbite Staff - 49,075 decks

Featuring in almost 50K decks is this combo-tastic Equipment. It's most commonly found in decks playing the color red because of how easily it goes off with Krenko, Mob BossKrenko, Mob Boss. Looking through the Staff's Commander Spellbook page, you'll notice that it's prized not necessarily for its Shaman association but for its untap ability:

This is true even when it's paired with Shamans like Kiki-Jiki, Mirror BreakerKiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker or Atla Palani, Nest TenderAtla Palani, Nest Tender. That's okay though; there are a ton of things you can do with it and cards aren't always used how you'd expect! That's the beauty of Commander.

9. Crib SwapCrib Swap - 51,895 decks

A removal spell that triggers every creature-type matters ability in the game has a lot of potential, even when it leaves your opponent with a little bit of material.

Crib Swap looks great in decks that need a critical mass of typal synergies to snowball more effectively. You can make an extra token with Rin and Seri, InseparableRin and Seri, Inseparable or Urtet, Remnant of MemnarchUrtet, Remnant of Memnarch; you get more options to copy or recast as in Ulalek, Fused AtrocityUlalek, Fused Atrocity, Horde of NotionsHorde of Notions, or Edgar MarkovEdgar Markov; and you get discounts and other benefits from Killian, Ink DuelistKillian, Ink Duelist and Morophon, the BoundlessMorophon, the Boundless.

The same logic holds for Nameless InversionNameless Inversion, but an exile spell is much better than one that can only deal with creatures with toughness three or less.

8. Not of This WorldNot of This World - 52,875 decks

It might as well be called "Not on My Watch" for how effectively it protects your Zhulodok, Void GorgerZhulodok, Void Gorger, Ulalek, Ultima, Origin of OblivionUltima, Origin of Oblivion, Karn, Legacy ReforgedKarn, Legacy Reforged, or any other high-value colorless creature. The fact that it's effectively free while still triggering your things that care about big mana values makes it potentially even better than Fierce GuardianshipFierce Guardianship, Flawless ManeuverFlawless Maneuver, or hot new toy Redirect LightningRedirect Lightning.

7. Kozilek's CommandKozilek's Command - 53,724 decks

If each color and each color pair has its own command, then why shouldn't the colorless identity get one, too? Kozilek's CommandKozilek's Command also presents an interesting twist on the "choose two" formula, giving you an X cost to play with. For one or two mana plus the two colorless pips, you can get rid of a utility creature and get your card back in the process.

The spell also scales pretty well with your mana generation capabilities, potentially getting rid of everything useful in a graveyard, acting as an instant-speed tutor, or making enough Spawn tokens to let you cast Eldrazi-sized threats. Just don't call it K-Command, that seat's taken.

6. LignifyLignify - 59,108 decks

Green removal, eh? While not as uncommon as it was when Lignify debuted in Lorwyn, non-fight/bite answers are still at a premium because of how they deal with something without relying on you having a creature in play as well.

This is especially important in mono-green decks like Fangorn, Tree ShepherdFangorn, Tree Shepherd and Shroofus SproutsireShroofus Sproutsire, or controlling enchantments-matter builds like Sythis, Harvest's HandSythis, Harvest's Hand, who need critical mass of the card type.

Song of the DryadsSong of the Dryads and Kenrith's TransformationKenrith's Transformation see play in more decks, but LignifyLignify's two card types (kindred and enchantment) interact favorably with commanders like Rendmaw, Creaking NestRendmaw, Creaking Nest and Loot, the Key to EverythingLoot, the Key to Everything and with delirium payoffs like Winter, Misanthropic GuideWinter, Misanthropic Guide and more.

5. Eldritch ImmunityEldritch Immunity - 59,197 decks

I love that many of the Eldrazi kindred cards from Modern Horizons 3 answer the question "What if we brought back this mechanic or riffed on this card cycle, but Eldrazi-flavored?" Here we have a colorless take on the overload mechanic and specifically Mizzium SkinMizzium Skin, a cool combat trick that I remember playing frequently in Return to Ravnica Limited, though Skin itself comes from a long line of cheap protection spells.

A lot of the time, it's going to protect your best threat in the same way that Not of This World does. Other times, it can blow out a combat phase where your opponents put all they can muster in front of your titanic horde of Eldrazi, lining up multi-blocks in the hope of turning the tide of battle.

It also comes in handy against Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act, one of the few cards that both deals damage and that can deal with the big backsides colorless or Eldrazi decks can offer up.

4. Echoes of EternityEchoes of Eternity - 77,141 decks

PanharmoniconPanharmonicon, but make it Eldrazi! This is why I wanted to shout out a blue card and a red card in the honorable mentions; this top 10 is dominated by colorless cards. It's not surprising MH3 came packed with goodies for the type, considering Eldrazi was a major theme of the set.

Echoes of EternityEchoes of Eternity sees a ton of play in colorless decks led by the usual suspects: Ulalek, Zhulodok, and Azlask, the Swelling ScourgeAzlask, the Swelling Scourge, the trio of legends that make you sound like you've got post-nasal drip. It's worth noting, though, that artifact and other colorless non-Eldrazi synergies work too, because Echoes is suggestive but ultimately not picky.

As, as with a lot of cards that copy or double triggers, this enchantment is a combo powerhouse, as you can see from its Commander Spellbook page. Here's the most popular one:

3. Eldrazi ConscriptionEldrazi Conscription - 77,142 decks

Conscription is great in more than just Eldrazi decks; in fact, it might be more powerful in decks built around Aura synergies with ways to fetch it out of your deck or discount, it like Sovereigns of Lost AlaraSovereigns of Lost Alara or Arcanum WingsArcanum Wings. Jesse Barker Plotkin uses these interactions in his Sun-Spider, Nimble WebberSun-Spider, Nimble Webber build you can read about here.

Rafiq of the ManyRafiq of the Many also combines with this to deal an almost-certainly lethal amount of commander damage.

Browsing Conscription's EDHREC page is a veritable treasure trove of inspiration for how to abuse it. If you get lucky enough (or tutor the Aura to the top of your deck), The Infamous CruelclawThe Infamous Cruelclaw casts it essentially for free. If it's already attached to Three Dog, Galaxy News DJThree Dog, Galaxy News DJ, you can pay just two mana to suit the rest of your team up (you still get the annihilator trigger!).

Rounding out this sample, Marvo, Deep OperativeMarvo, Deep Operative is another way to get a free eight-drop with a little deckbuilding effort, and by that I mean playing expensive cards.

2. All Is DustAll Is Dust - 124,423 decks

Sweepers are incredibly powerful in Commander. Plague WindPlague Wind effects even more so, which explains why the colorless version of the Wrath of GodWrath of God that spares your board is one of the most played kindred cards in the format. All Is DustAll Is Dust is as close to a "must play" as possible in the format, an idea borne out by EDHREC data, as it shows up in a whopping 97% of Zhulodok decks and 89% of Ulalek builds.

As with Echoes of Eternity, you should also play this in non-Eldrazi colorless decks like Ultima or artifacts, because it doesn't need your stuff to have the subtype.

Part of why it's so ubiquitous is that the other colorless sweeper options aren't that great, Ugin, the Spirit DragonUgin, the Spirit Dragon aside. Try saving all your stuff by activating Oblivion StoneOblivion Stone's fate counter ability for six turns. There's also the delicious one-two punch with Dust and It That BetraysIt That Betrays.

1. BitterblossomBitterblossom - 164,484 decks

The Eldrazi may have ravaged this list like they did Zendikar, but they couldn't do enough to dethrone one of the OG kindred cards, BitterblossomBitterblossom. This card is so iconic, the return to Lorwyn has given us Bitterbloom BearerBitterbloom Bearer, a lovely homage to a card that has shown up in multiple competitive Constructed formats.

For just two mana, it gives you sacrifice fodder in Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER, token fodder for Teysa KarlovTeysa Karlov or Chatterfang, Squirrel GeneralChatterfang, Squirrel General, and it snowballs Faerie synergies in Alela, Cunning ConquerorAlela, Cunning Conqueror.

It's been almost 20 years since the first Lorwyn set, but some cards age like fine wine.

When All Is Taken Away, All Are EqualWhen All Is Taken Away, All Are Equal

My word, Eldrazi synergies sure are powerful, aren't they? You could say that their kindred spells are over-represented on this, yet I'd call the return of the supertype a resounding success with how many of these cards are highly played. In my recap article on most played MH3 cards, I even chose to discuss the theme's new toys in one list item. I do think Commander is better when more strategies are viable and powerful, so Eldrazi getting a lot of love is a win in my book.

I'm looking forward to seeing if any kindred cards from Lorwyn Eclipse end up nudging some of these Eldrazi spells off the top 10 with enough time. What's your favorite kindred spell that didn't make the list? Let us know!