Last Friday, Nov 1st for those not wanting to think, Wizards of the Coast released their latest supplemental product for Magic: the Gathering, Commander (2013 Edition). While I’d love to do a review on this for you, I can’t as my local store sold out before I had a chance to get any. I can however give you Wizards’ take on the product and a brief rundown of some of the cooler things I saw due to the new cards when I played in a Release-like event over the weekend. Check it out after the jump.
First, the information we got from Wizards directly.
Commander is one of the most popular multiplayer Magic: The Gathering formats and enthusiasts have been anxiously awaiting new cards and decks – and today, the wait is over! Magic: The Gathering – Commander releases today, and brings five brand new decks filled with cards designed and created just for the format.
Each of these new Commander offerings includes a 100-card preconstructed deck and three oversized, foil legendary commander cards (that also appear in the deck). The decks are filled with cards from throughout the history of Magic and feature 15 brand new Magic cards in every deck!
The five new Commander decks each contain two new three-color legendary creatures and 13 other never-before-printed cards, and there are 51 unique new cards spread across the five decks (some cards appear in multiple decks). These new cards will not only bring excitement to the Commander format but are also legal for use in Vintage and Legacy tournaments!
51 new cards is already pretty spectacular, and ten of those are new 3-color Legendary creatures. Of course, some of the reprints aren’t terrible either, as each deck comes with another copy of Command Tower (A Commander staple since the last printing), Sol Ring (A Commander staple since day one), and a number of interesting or hard-to-find cards from odd sets. And those are only the cards I find interesting, think of what a normal Magic player could find.
Of course, the sets are getting the most attention from the new cards, and I can clearly see why. Each of the ten new Commanders is rather formidable and provides some pretty obvious stepping stones to the type of deck they want to be. We get another land specifically for Commander, Opal Palace, and interesting mana fix that specifically enhances your Commander. The new cycle of Tempt cards, which are just straight politics. And, my favorite odd bit of newness, the return of what became my favorite part of Innistrad block, Curses, with a new one for eeach color.
Overall, the new decks look spiffy, and I have more than one idea for what to do with some of these cards. I’m definitely looking forward to my chance to get a hold of any of the five decks, though I think I like Grixis the best right now. Did you get a chance to play yet? What deck or card are you most excited about? Or are you one of those that are just plain tired of Commander? Let us know in the comments section below.
2 Comments
I was able to get a case and have them sleeved up. Haven’t had a chance to play too much, but they seem balanced out of the box. I’m going to keep as-is for awhile to introduce some friends into EDH/Commander. Also, if you are tired of Commander….add Planechase to the mix!!!
Extra randomness does not cure my issue with Commander.