The Blight Curse Lorwyn Eclipsed Commander deck contains the following:

• 1 Ready-to-play 100-card Commander deck
• 1 Traditional foil face commander with borderless art
• 1 Traditional foil featured commander with borderless art
• 98 Non-foil cards, including 10 new-to-Magic cards
• 10 Double-sided tokens and 1 punch-out counter card
• 1 Deck box

Auntie Ool, CursewretchAuntie Ool, Cursewretch

The Reaper, King No MoreThe Reaper, King No More

Aberrant ReturnAberrant Return

Six mana for the three best creatures in all graveyards? That's a pretty solid rate, despite the minor debuff of -1/-1 counters on each. That precludes returning anything with one toughness, but it's likely there'll be plenty of better options anyway.

Aberrant Return is one of the better reanimation spells printed lately, and it'll probably be played outside of Blight Curse in short order.

Dread TillerDread Tiller

With Blight Curse comes the return of the Scarecrow creature type, highlighted by The Reaper, King No More and including Dread Tiller. This deck's all about the -1/-1 counters synergy, so it's no surprise Dread Tiller fits into that plan like a very creepy glove.

This will be a sneaky good inclusion in the -1/-1 counters strategy, as free ramp is never not welcome.

Eventide's ShadowEventide's Shadow

Eventide's Shadow has obvious utility here in Blight Curse, but it'll also be a great answer to planeswalkers, charge counters, and all manner of other things.

Five mana is a bit pricey for a sorcery that might be a dead draw a lot of the time, but when it works, it works. Also note that it doesn't target the things it removes counters from, so you can take counters from permanents with protection, hexproof, or shroud.

Ferrafor, Young YewFerrafor, Young Yew

Seven mana is a lot, especially if it can't be guaranteed that Ferrafor, Young YewFerrafor, Young Yew will appear in a board state that'll make any Saprolings, let alone a bunch of them.

Ferrafor's activated ability, doubling counters on any one creature that has some, is certainly powerful, though. However, Vorel of the Hull CladeVorel of the Hull Clade did it first, and arguably better.

Grave VenerationsGrave Venerations

The monarch mechanic is one of the most fun things to introduce into a game of Commander, so new cards that feature it are a pleasure to see. Especially when it's attached to a pretty excellent card.

Grave VenerationsGrave Venerations rewards players for retaining the crown by offering a free DisentombDisentomb every turn - a very powerful effect if there's a creature good at both entering the battlefield and leaving it via death.

Beyond that, the one life loss ping will make this card an immediate inclusion for a vast array of Aristocrats-style lists out there.

Oft-Nabbed GoatOft-Nabbed Goat

The poor kid on GoatnapperGoatnapper just can't catch a break, it seems.

It's designs like Oft-Nabbed GoatOft-Nabbed Goat that excite a certain subset of Commander players; it's unique, weird, and offers something never really seen before. As such, it's tough to predict just how popular it'll be, because those characteristics also might turn others away.

Still, in practice the Goat'll be charging up (or down, maybe) until it "goes off" to award the owner with a grip full of cards. And if that owner loses patience, those -1/-1 counters can be placed via more than just the built-in ability of the Goat itself in a deck like Blight Curse.

Puca's CovenantPuca's Covenant

Puca's CovenantPuca's Covenant is solid in Blight Curse, but it'll be excellent in decks built around it. Hydras, Modular, Proliferate-themed decks, Yuna, Grand SummonerYuna, Grand Summoner; you name it.

Note that it's a creature that has to die to trigger Puca's Covenant, but it doesn't have to be a creature that comes back, but rather any permanent. Maybe even Cheerios lists would want to take on the Covenant.

Sinister GnarlbarkSinister Gnarlbark

Sinister GnarlbarkSinister Gnarlbark isn't flashy, but it's certainly effective. In less focused lists, it'd be a liability, but here in Blight Curse the -1/-1 counters are just fuel.

Drawing extra cards in a Jund-colored deck is never going to be that difficult, so Sinister Gnarlbark might be overshadowed frequently in the grand scheme of things, but it's a great and interesting design for a new mechanic, nonetheless.

Village PillagersVillage Pillagers

With Village Pillagers, the keyword wither returns, and it's immediately pushed to an extreme. That one damage tossed to every creature opponents control when Village Pillagers comes into play is actually a -1/-1 counter thanks to wither, which forwards the goals of Blight Curse considerably.

And there's a whole other paragraph of text that allows the card to feed its owner Treasure tokens for every dead creature on the opponents' side.

This'll be a good one.

Wickersmith's ToolsWickersmith's Tools

Speaking of charge counters, Wickersmith's ToolsWickersmith's Tools converts every -1/-1 counter into a charge counter to be used, eventually, to make a bunch of 2/2 Scarecrow tokens. The speed at which Blight Curse can toss out -1/-1 counters means Wickersmith's Tools will be an army in a can in no time - if only there were a way to fit in the original Reaper KingReaper King...

When it comes to Blight Curse, it's pretty clear what the game plan is.

Players want to put -1/-1 counters on creatures. Those things can be their own creatures, or their opponents' creatures. That's pretty much the long and short of it. The deck's face commander and alternate commander both drive players directly into that narrow lane, though in slightly different ways.

Where Auntie Ool provides a decision to make with each counter placement, the value of either choice is incremental. Neither option will win the game quickly, though if left unchecked, often Auntie Ool's the only engine needed to take over.

The Reaper, King No More, however, just wants to make friends. Any creature on the battlefield could be that new friend, as long as it dies with a -1/-1 counter on it. This will lean players more into the creature removal route, either by piling up those counters or by adding a single one then nuking it another way.

However, it's also worth noting that The Reaper can use those counters defensively by placing them on your own creatures to bring them back to life, should they die. Don't forget about the pesky "once per turn" caveat, although that can be on opponents' turns, as well.

But where do the -1/-1 counters come from in the first place?

• The Scorpion GodThe Scorpion God
• Carnifex DemonCarnifex Demon
• Midnight BansheeMidnight Banshee
• Black Sun's ZenithBlack Sun's Zenith
• Grim PoppetGrim Poppet
• Everlasting TormentEverlasting Torment

Outside of the two commanders, Blight Curse provides plenty of ways to capitalize on all the counters being tossed around.

• Dread TillerDread Tiller
• Dusk UrchinsDusk Urchins
• Hapatra, Vizier of PoisonsHapatra, Vizier of Poisons
• Flourishing DefensesFlourishing Defenses

Beyond the core strategy, Blight Curse comes with plenty of ways to remove anything that can't be melted with -1/-1 counters.

• Fire CovenantFire Covenant
• Chain ReactionChain Reaction
• TerminateTerminate
• Assassin's TrophyAssassin's Trophy

One interesting tidbit is that surprisingly, long-time precon staple Chaos WarpChaos Warp is not in this list.

Lastly, there's also a sizable collection of cards centered around keeping up with card advantage, an issue decks like this often encounter. It's good to see that built into a preconstructed deck.

• Painful TruthsPainful Truths
• HarmonizeHarmonize
• Night's WhisperNight's Whisper
• Eventide's ShadowEventide's Shadow

When scoping out Blight Curse over at Archidekt, it's interesting that the deck's listed as Bracket 4. Why?

Well, thanks to our friends at Commander Spellbook, we see that there's an infinite combo present, straight out of the box.

That's unusual for a precon, but not unprecedented.

As noted above, there are plenty of hoops one must jump through to fire off this infinite combo, but it's certainly doable. And there are payoffs already present in the list as well:

• Dread TillerDread Tiller
• Massacre Girl, Known KillerMassacre Girl, Known Killer
• The Scorpion GodThe Scorpion God
• Grave VenerationsGrave Venerations
• Flourishing DefensesFlourishing Defenses
• Wickersmith's ToolsWickersmith's Tools

All the above cards care in some way about creatures you control dying with a -1/-1 counter on it as it goes. Just make sure greed doesn't take over and you draw your entire deck with The Scorpion GodThe Scorpion God.

If one combo isn't enough, there's always Devoted DruidDevoted Druid, too.

Combos with Devoted Druid aren't exactly hard to come by, as Commander Spellbook shows. For Blight Curse, all it would take is adding a few of Hazel's BrewmasterHazel's Brewmaster, Bristly Bill, Spine SowerBristly Bill, Spine Sower, Tyvar, the PummelerTyvar, the Pummeler, Luxior, Giada's GiftLuxior, Giada's Gift, QuillspikeQuillspike, and many, many more.

Blight Curse features a total of 39 lands, mostly there to provide the trio of colors. However, there are two lands included for the theme, which is appreciated.

While those aren't the greatest options, it's still a preconstructed deck at the end of the day. And as with most precons, the first place to start when upgrading is usually going to be the land base.

The deck's mana rocks are also largely forgettable. We've got the usual suspects in Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Commander's Sphere, and that's about it.

There are plenty of creatures, like Channeler InitiateChanneler Initiate, Devoted DruidDevoted Druid, or Ignoble HierarchIgnoble Hierarch, to help with mana costs, however.

Many of the cards people wanted to see in the Blight Curse list are already in there, but there's always room for improvement.

Starting with five cards, what can we add to further the deck's synergy? And how far can the power level be pushed?

First of all, cards can't be added before others are removed, so which five cards are on the chopping block?

We're cutting two cards - Liliana, Death WielderLiliana, Death Wielder and Chimil, the Inner SunChimil, the Inner Sun - that are among the top five most expensive reprints in the list. And that's okay. Both are expensive to cast and while good, aren't as focused or impactful as other cards in those spots might be.

The former of those two, Liliana, is a curious inclusion anyway when considering the deck didn't also come with Liliana's InfluenceLiliana's Influence.

Five Additions on a Budget

Five Additions With No Budget

The non-budget list could be multiple times longer than these five cards. Maha, Its Feathers NightMaha, Its Feathers Night, Persistent ConstrictorPersistent Constrictor, the new Hexing SquelcherHexing Squelcher - all of these would fit in just as nicely.

And for those wondering about The OzolithThe Ozolith - if creatures you control have -1/-1 counters on them when they die, those counters can be stored on The Ozolith for future use, even to be placed on opponents' creatures at the beginning of combat on your turn.

It's all about synergy at the end of the day, and despite never having a dedicated Jund-colored commander, there are still plenty of options in that trio of colors for -1/-1 shenanigans. One could even play a Harbinger of NightHarbinger of Night if one were so inclined.

Game Changers

If the goal is to stick to the synergistic game plan, Game Changers are obviously excellent but do detract from our theme. None of the cards currently considered Game Changers have much to do with -1/-1 counters, unless you count tutors, which by definition could be -1/-1 counters cards, in a pinch.

If there's one significant weakness to Blight Curse, it's that it'll be mana-hungry, so there's no fault in going after the Game Changers that accelerate mana, either.

For both Lorwyn Eclipsed Commander decks, the MSRP is listed at $49.99.

Blight Curse comes in at an estimated contained value of around $330. If we remove the 12 new cards, which are currently in prerelease pricing and are subject to change, the value of the reprints alone becomes around $160.

The most expensive reprints in Blight Curse are:

• NecroskitterNecroskitter
• Chimil, the Inner SunChimil, the Inner Sun
• Tree of PerditionTree of Perdition
• Flourishing DefensesFlourishing Defenses
• and Liliana, Death WielderLiliana, Death Wielder.

For certain players, Blight Curse is a deck that was a long time coming. This is the first time Jund colors () had dedicated -1/-1 counters synergy in the command zone, and the two options presented here certainly don't disappoint.

Couple that with the suite of reprints that had to be included for a preconstructed deck built on this theme to function well, and you get a strong precon, and an early contender for precon deck of the year.

Blight Curse gets an A.