Blood for the Blood God!Blood for the Blood God! | Art by Artur Nakhodkin

Following last week's look at the top 10 most played cards from Lord of the Rings - Tales of Middle-earth (LTR) in Commander, today I'm bringing you the most played Universes Beyond (UB) cards not from that smash-hit set. I wanted to showcase the best of what the UB project from Wizards of the Coast has to offer, and that means a second list!

LTR was truly a blockbuster release for Magic, so it's no surprise that cards from that set dominate the rankings of most played UB cards. That doesn't mean we can't feature some goodies from other IPs, so let's dive in and see what made the cut from sets like Assassin's Creed, Fallout, Doctor Who, and the LOTR Commander precons.

Honorable Mention - Sceptre of Eternal GlorySceptre of Eternal Glory - 52,433 Decks

I wanted to make sure that at least one card from the Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K) set made the cut, because space marines and magical orks (or orks who believe they are magical? I'm not too familiar with the lore) are very cool.

Sceptre of Eternal GlorySceptre of Eternal Glory is a bit of an oddity, if not a rarity, in Commander as a card that works best in monocolor decks. And boy, does it work! This is highly effective in single color ramp lists that tend to play expensive cards, as Angels under Giada, Font of HopeGiada, Font of Hope does, and decks with expensive commanders like Valgavoth, Terror EaterValgavoth, Terror Eater.

DougY shouted the card out in a UB-themed Too-Specific Top 10 article, and he's another list-writer, so he must be right!

10. Sonic ScrewdriverSonic Screwdriver - 59,353 Decks

This incredibly flavorful card functions in a way not unlike Doctor Who's favorite tool does in that universe, unlocking doors (unblockability?) and doing scans (scrying?), among other things. But where do you play it?

Untapping artifacts cheaply is good for Shorikai, Genesis EngineShorikai, Genesis Engine and a bunch other artifacts, especially big mana generators like Gilded LotusGilded Lotus, Sol RingSol Ring, and Mana VaultMana Vault.

Preventing a creature from being blocked at three mana is pretty steep, but it can come in handy with big creatures, like you would run in the popular commander Zhulodok, Void GorgerZhulodok, Void Gorger, which also benefits from untapping mana generating artifacts. Synergy is great!

9. Relic of SauronRelic of Sauron - 60,359 Decks

This mana rock is tailor-made for commanders with Grixis (), of which there are a bunch of powerful, expensive ones.

Any deck built around Nekusar, the MindrazerNekusar, the Mindrazer, Sauron, the Dark LordSauron, the Dark Lord and his eight-mana incarnation Sauron, Lord of the RingsSauron, Lord of the Rings, or Be'lakor, the Dark MasterBe'lakor, the Dark Master would at least be interested in running this artifact, especially because you can also use it later in the game to find answers in your control deck or the win in your combo deck.

8. Arwen, Weaver of HopeArwen, Weaver of Hope - 63,449 Decks, 745 as Commander

This three-mana Noble slots into both +1/+1 counter themed decks and Elf kindred decks, where she can provide some extra oomph in the form of a bunch of power and toughness.

Voja, Jaws of the ConclaveVoja, Jaws of the Conclave is one of the best places for her, considering that the 5/5 synergizes with both archetypes. There are also a ton of ways to make her counters ability potentially overwhelming, including theme staples like Hardened ScalesHardened Scales and Kami of Whispered HopesKami of Whispered Hopes.

There are also a few, albeit uncommonly-played, combos with Arwen, including this one that generates infinite creature tokens:

7. Legolas's Quick ReflexesLegolas's Quick Reflexes - 66,555 Decks

A cheap, protective instant a la Heroic InterventionHeroic Intervention, Teferi's ProtectionTeferi's Protection, or Blossoming DefenseBlossoming Defense is already appealing in a format with creatures that would prefer to stick around and work their magic on the battlefield. Add to that Reflexes' split second ability that prevents further interaction and the upside of killing an opposing creature, and you might have an all-star on your hands.

This already protects commanders incredibly well, but works even better with creatures with tap abilities, because it also untaps the creature you target!

Based on EDHREC data, Commander players are using this with: Glarb, Calamity's AugurGlarb, Calamity's Augur, who has a tap ability and deathtouch; Marwyn, the NurturerMarwyn, the Nurturer, who can potentially tap for absurd amounts of mana twice; and Lathril, Blade of the ElvesLathril, Blade of the Elves, who in the not-too-unrealistic best-case scenario can tap 20 Elves to dome each opponent for 20!

6. Excalibur, Sword of EdenExcalibur, Sword of Eden - 74,115 Decks

Did you know that, with the printing of Final Fantasy, there are not one, but two cards named Excalibur in Magic? I think UB cards are very sweet, but EmbercleaveEmbercleave from Throne of Eldraine will always be the one, true MTG sword in the stone.

What does the Assassin's Creed version do, though? It costs 12 mana, for a start! Thankfully, much like Blackblade ReforgedBlackblade Reforged, you're building your deck around getting a steep discount on an otherwise prohibitive cost.

Running a Legends-Matter deck led by Jodah, the UnifierJodah, the Unifier will help with that. But, because historic is a pretty broad grouping of cards, there are a ton of other cool ways to get this down cheaply.

Artifacts are historic, so playing an Equipment deck gets you there. Captain America, First AvengerCaptain America, First Avenger is an especially juicy commander to pair this with, because paying three to deal 12 damage to up to three targets is an absurd deal. More expensive Equipment commanders like Syr Gwyn, Hero of AshvaleSyr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale and Nahiri, Forged in FuryNahiri, Forged in Fury work well, too.

Using Ghalta, Primal HungerGhalta, Primal Hunger, herself discounted by a bunch of creatures, to play this for free and make a 22/22 vigilant trampler appeals to me greatly, as does doing funky colorless things with expensive creatures like Eldrazi and The Capitoline TriadThe Capitoline Triad.

5. Cavern-Hoard DragonCavern-Hoard Dragon - 74,602 Decks

This is another expensive card, but with a more difficult cost reduction ability to take advantage of. Of course, this is EDH, so many decks will be running at least a few artifact staples like Sol Ring, Greaves, and SkullclampSkullclamp. A lot of decks also like generating one or more from among Clue, Food, or Treasure tokens. Artifact-themed decks are also pretty popular.

All in all, there are enough ways for Cavern-Hoard DragonCavern-Hoard Dragon to be significantly cheaper that it's worth running in a Dragon kindred deck, perhaps under The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon or Miirym, Sentinel WyrmMiirym, Sentinel Wyrm.

It helps that this Dragon combines with Aggravated AssaultAggravated Assault, as long as an opponent controls five or more artifacts:

4. Raise the PalisadeRaise the Palisade - 88,766 Decks

Blue loves a finicky "mass removal" spell in the style of Cyclonic RiftCyclonic Rift and Wash OutWash Out that potentially spares your own board, so Raise the PalisadeRaise the Palisade slots right into kindred creature decks running blue.

Which creature types fit into this category, you might ask? Hakbal of the Surging SoulHakbal of the Surging Soul and Merfolk, Galadriel, Light of ValinorGaladriel, Light of Valinor and Elves, Éowyn, ShieldmaidenÉowyn, Shieldmaiden and Humans, and Kastral, the WindcrestedKastral, the Windcrested and Birds are just a few decks that would benefit from having access to this spell.

You don't even need to be running a kindred deck for this to be good. Lord of the NazgûlLord of the Nazgûl is a popular commander that generates tokens, so you can incorporate Raise the Palisade and similar effects into a controlling Cantrip or Spellslinger theme deck that's more focused on going off with your commander in play.

3. The Black GateThe Black Gate - 91,243 Decks

This utility land has amazing cross-universe synergy with Nine-Fingers KeeneNine-Fingers Keene, helping ensure that this saboteur (Magic parlance for a creature that does something when it deals combat damage to an opponent) commander keeps the Gates flowing, potentially setting up a win with Maze's EndMaze's End or Basilisk GateBasilisk Gate if you're feeling feisty.

There are also a ton of commanders that love connecting for damage that also have black in their color identity, like Obeka, Splitter of SecondsObeka, Splitter of Seconds and Kotis, the FangkeeperKotis, the Fangkeeper. Others, like Kaalia of the VastKaalia of the Vast, do something great when they attack and would also really like to stick around for more turns and not get eaten up by a bigger blocker.

2. Fallout Filter lands

Even while looking at all the flavorful, sometimes-wacky cards from UB sets representing lore and mechanics from other IPs, we still can't escape the importance of good, accessible mana in the format.

Compared to the classic "filter land" format, seen on Flooded GroveFlooded Grove, these cards do have a downside in that you can't use them for mana if they're your first land of the game, or if your second land enters tapped. Still, you're allowed to mulligan in EDH and you can keep a hand that ensures you can actually cast spells.

What you get in return for exercising a little more prudence with keeps is a land that is pretty good at fixing your colors, including in a three-color deck.

1. Brotherhood RegaliaBrotherhood Regalia - 106,404 Decks

This Equipment is the most played UB card not from LTR for a couple of reasons: It's colorless, which means you can play it in every deck; cheap clothes that make it harder for opponents to kill your stuff have a long pedigree in EDH.

Of course, Brotherhood RegaliaBrotherhood Regalia isn't nearly as effective as Greaves or Boots at protecting your creatures, but it does offer significant upside: unblockability!

I named some commanders that work well with The Black Gate. Regalia offers the same synergy while also being playable in decks without black, like more Equipment-focused red decks.

Obey or You Will Be DestroyedObey or You Will Be Destroyed

20 list items later, that's all for UB cards. Or, that's all until we see exactly what kind of impact Final Fantasy will have on the format. What's your favorite UB card for EDH? If you hate them and everything they stand for, you can tell us about that too!