Lets speculate on the confirmed Commander 18 themes
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on July 13, 2018, 4:07 p.m. by RedUndead40
In case you missed it the decks are
-Izzet artificer
-Bant Enchanter
-Jund Lands Matter
-Esper "Top Deck Matters"
What could each of these decks bring to the table? What are some Izzet themes that can translate to this deck? How could it work? Who would the reprint commander be since this color isn't properly represented in artifact legends? Seems too early to reprint the only option I could think of, Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain.
Bant enchantress could be a pillow fort-y deck. Lot of directions they could go with this one.
Jund Lands Matter could obviously just be a landfall-y deck but I hope they make lands matter in a different way here. Perhaps some variation of The Gitrog Monster type effects since Jund is fond of sacrificing?
Esper top deck... this is the one I am most curious to see how it could work. Your top deck matters? Opponents top deck? Casting spells from top deck? Lantern control type shenanigans?
Let me know what you think!
JoeNathan37 says... #2
Tawnos looks interesting. He could work pretty well with Candelabra of Tawnos (as he should).
July 23, 2018 11:23 a.m.
theemptyquiver says... #3
I am terrified of that goblin the treasure nabber.
I just know that guy is going to ruin a day of mine at some point.
July 23, 2018 11:27 a.m.
I think I found my favorite legendary card in the set so far.
Only ever referenced once (Sarcomite Myr for reference), and it plays well with both Tawnos and Saheeli. I love this guy, and I might build my own version one day.
July 23, 2018 11:39 a.m.
LittleBlueHero says... #5
I wasn't excited for ANOTHER izzet artifacts matter deck... I guess im still not BUT Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer has got my attention... izzet tokens? Myr? Im in.
July 23, 2018 11:40 a.m.
RedUndead40 says... #6
Brudiclad seems sweet. Note that he doesn't specify you have to choose a creature token. Use things like Saheeli's Artistry to make a huge army of Gilded Lotuses or something like that. That's just my first spitball idea but you can see where this can lead.
July 23, 2018 12:31 p.m. Edited.
theemptyquiver says... #7
Everyone's going to want a Mechanized Production now.
July 23, 2018 12:33 p.m.
RedUndead40 says... #8
Outside of the obvious artifact synergies Mechanized Production doesn't fit very well with Brudiclad if that's what you mean. Since he triggers on combat, well after Production checks for the win con. But I guess it does make tokens at least, so another option similar to Saheeli's Artistry
July 23, 2018 12:38 p.m. Edited.
RedUndead40 says... #9
Some other spoilers not yet posted. That vedalken humiliator is hilarious. And that flavor text lol
July 23, 2018 12:55 p.m.
Also of note around Brudiclad, he doesn't say 'until end of turn' either.
July 23, 2018 1:07 p.m.
RedUndead40 says... #11
Holy crap I didn't notice that! Wow he has a lot of potential
July 23, 2018 1:23 p.m.
RedUndead40 says... #12
I wonder how MaRo feels about this... I guess it doesn't break the color pie but definitely bends it
July 23, 2018 1:49 p.m.
Woah, wasn't expecting them to do 'walker generals again. Are there going to be NEW alt generals, do we know?
July 23, 2018 4:40 p.m.
RedUndead40 says... #14
maxon yes they have already spoiled the two non-walker alt generals for the Izzet deck. So including walkers we can expect at least 12 new commanders (13 now counting Varchild). Probably more than that if they do more color restrictive options like Varchild.
July 23, 2018 5:03 p.m.
Why didn't I see this thread sooner!?
I'm gonna get the UR deck! Just to better my Jhoira's Vehicular Travels deck.
July 23, 2018 5:30 p.m.
theemptyquiver says... #16
I pre-ordered all 4. Then I can decide what I want to do later. I've waited too long to pull the trigger in years past and then places sell out and the secondary market for these decks can occasionally get bonkers
July 23, 2018 5:58 p.m.
I’m probably gonna get the jund one, and see if I can get Brudiclade. Both look super interesting, and with the precon, it won’t take as much to actually get it running.
July 23, 2018 6:41 p.m.
I preordered all four, even though I'm not the keenist on Bant and Esper.
The Izzet deck looks really strong imo. I can't wait to see the final list. Don't let me down, Wizards.
July 23, 2018 10:02 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #19
I shall predict now that treasure nabber will be insanely annoying, given how prevalent mana-generating artifacts are in this format. What was WotC thinking when they printed that card? 3 mana is far too low of a mana cost for an effect such as that; it definitely should have cost at least 4 mana, in my mind. The one positive aspect of it is that, inf a player summons it, they shall instantly make themselves a target, as every other player will seek to destroy it as swiftly as possible.
I am very pleased that my prediction of Tawnos appearing in this set proved to be true; he is very nice, but I find him to be slightly underwhelming, considering that he is an important character in the story. Hopefully, there shall be a card of Ashnod in this set, as well, since it only makes sense to have Mishra's apprentice in addition to Urza's apprentice.
RedUndead40, I agree that enchanter's bane bends the color pie, but does not outright break it; however, both Bearer of the Heavens and Worldfire outright break it, due to their being able to affect enchantments, but this is not the thread for discussing that subject. Also, was there not a red instant or sorcery in the Kamigawa block that caused enchantments to deal damage to their controllers?
We know that Saheeli is from Kaladesh and that Lord Windgrace is from Dominaria, but is there anything to indicate the home planes of the other two planeswalker generals?
I am very pleased to see that the lieutenant mechanic is returning, but much less so about the reprint of Chaos Warp; Mark Rosewater himself admitted that making that card was a mistake, so why is it being reprinted?
Also, I really would like to see another reprint of Reflecting Pool in this set, as that card very much needs another reprint, especially considering that Exotic Orchard, which is very similar to it, has been reprinted numerous times. If not reflecting pool, Grand Coliseum and Meteor Crater would be very nice reprints, as well.
July 23, 2018 10:33 p.m.
TypicalTimmy,
Bwa ha ha ha!
(Evil laugh, in case you were wondering) :-D
July 24, 2018 6:04 a.m. Edited.
RedUndead40 says... #22
TypicalTimmy, the power level of Chaos Warp isn't the issue. First off, it makes you shuffle first so there is no reliable way to manipulate your top card. The issue is that it's a red card that deletes enchantments.
Mark Rosewater is very vocal about CW being a mistake due to this. Not because it is too strong.
July 24, 2018 9:26 a.m.
RedUndead40 says... #23
clayperce also I realize that her minus ability works very well after you swap boards. You could run other flicker effects like Vanish into Memory or Angel of Condemnation to get your permanents back
July 24, 2018 10:10 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #24
So after Core 19 draft weekend I decided to take a break from the game except for the occasional table top commander games. In response Wizards finally decide to make a Jund lands matter commander so I can live the dream of Omnath, Locus of Rage and The Gitrog Monster being in the same deck...why wizards? why?!
July 24, 2018 10:23 a.m.
RedUndead40 says... #25
Thantis the Warweaver 3BRG
Legendary Creature - Spider
Vigilance, reach
All creatures attack each combat if able.
Whenever a creature attacks you or planeswalker you control, put a +1/+1 counter on Thantis the Warweaver.
July 24, 2018 10:28 a.m. Edited.
LittleBlueHero says... #27
I really like THantiss, just like Brudiclad he gives the color scheme something it hasn't had as a theme before. Izzet tokens weren't really a thing and neither was political Jund that I know of (correct me if I am wrong)
I love that we are getting new ways to play what have been mostly stagnate color archetypes (izzet is spells or artifacts and Jund is Dragons/Tokens/Sacrifice)
July 24, 2018 10:45 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #28
After looking at Lord Windgrace more, I am curious to see if he can actually make Omnath, Locus of Rage and The Gitrog Monster play nicely with one another. Even though they both care about lands, their decks play out very differently. I like that his +1 lends to The Gitrog Monster strategy while his -2 lends to Omnath, Locus of Rage strategy, but I am skeptical that he will be able to bridge the gap.
Also, holy crap Brudiclad looks awesome.
July 24, 2018 11:29 a.m.
elgosu1337 says... #29
Windgrace perfectly bridges Gitrog and Omnath, since the discarded lands from the +1 become landfall with the +2. Also the extra card draw from Gitrog draws more lands which you can play with extra land plays and Burgeoning for Omnath.
July 24, 2018 11:51 a.m.
RedUndead40 says... #30
Seems... interesting, at least. Just glad to be seeing more color restrictive legends hidden in the decks. Looks like we may end up with 16+ new commanders this time.
July 24, 2018 12:38 p.m.
RedUndead40 says... #31
Not too bad, kind cool reanimator. Too bad its an unearth effect but you could focus on ETB creatures for value. At least it's just a free effect on attack
July 24, 2018 2:12 p.m.
Well, we got our Hydra general but...
...I'm cheesed. This was supposed to be a Lands deck, and only Windgrace is close to it in terms of general options. And I was hyped for it too. If the bandwagon ignores Windgrace, I won't mind using him but really Wizards? Is that the best you can do?
July 24, 2018 2:19 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #34
Phaetion totally agree. While we still have a few more cards to see, I think Wizards could've given us at least one additional lands-matter commander since it was supposed to be a "Lands" deck. At least my wallet can rest easy now. Unless some crazy reprints come along I don't think there is enough incentive to switch from my current lands matter decks. Though Xantcha is super cool and flavorful.
elgosu1337 Maybe he does, but I have had a lot of experience trying to mesh the two together with minimal success. It definitely warrants some testing though. Plus, he is a PW in commander. Very few of those card types are actually good/useful in the format.
That being said, hello there new interesting creature that fits really nicely into the curve of landfall creatures:
July 24, 2018 2:49 p.m.
Yeah...sigh
Anyway, I got my preliminary list up for Windgrace. I need to fix that mana curve somehow, but it looks sweet on paper as far as I can see.
July 24, 2018 2:59 p.m.
RedUndead40 says... #36
Yeah this definitely feels more like an "attacking matters" deck than anything else.
Here's to hoping that the Esper deck is tomorrow so we can see if the alt generals are useful.
July 24, 2018 3:15 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #37
I am very pleased that Xantcha finally has a card, making that two of the five characters whom I hoped to see in this set; hopefully, there shall be cards of Ashnod and Gix.
In today's article, Gavin Verhey said, regarding treasure nabber: "mana rocks are everywhere in Commander. People wanted an answer to them, but also not one that blew all of them up. This is somewhere between: if you're going to load up on mana rocks, I'm going to take advantage of it too!"
I am not certain to what players WotC was speaking, but they were likely a small yet very vocal minority, because, for as long as EDH has existed as a format, not a single player to whom I have spoken has ever complained about the prevalence of mana-generating artifacts, given how prevalent they are in the format. Hopefully, treasure nabber will be banned after it proves to be supremely annoying; if Prophet of Kruphix is worthy of being banned, so is the nabber.
July 24, 2018 9:50 p.m.
theemptyquiver says... #38
Seriously? I think the card is hilarious and not scary at all. I'd much rather someone steal my rocks for a bit then blow them up or even worse exile them.
July 24, 2018 10:02 p.m.
Yeah, I'm not seeing the bannedness of the treasure nabber. I love this enabling & sharing concept they are pushing. If you have a bunch of rocks then I want in on that too. Seems to push parity more than anything.
July 24, 2018 10:12 p.m.
Yeah nabber isn't powerful enough to actually be banned. Like it might help you do some big instants once in a while, but it's not gonna give you the power that Prophet of Kruphix did. Especially considering that Prophet gave stuff flash AND produces the Mana to combo off on others turns.
July 24, 2018 11:34 p.m.
Homura_Akemi says... #41
Based off of the art Wizards released and the spoilers so far, what will be featured on the C18 playmats? Each of the poster commanders?
Also a bit disappointed that today’s spoilers are for enchantments and not esper top deck. One more day!
July 25, 2018 7:19 a.m.
I kind of knew Esper was going to be last. They're going in the order in which they revealed the themes (so Izzet first, Esper last).
And now we get to the two decks I'm not big on, and after the disaster that was Jund, I can only expect the worst.
July 25, 2018 8:29 a.m.
RedUndead40 says... #43
Yeah I was pretty disappointed with the Jund commanders. Izzet was decent but I'm not interested in an another artifact deck.
As for Treasure Nabber he doesn't seem overpowered at all, but he will definitely shine in my Daretti, Scrap Savant deck since I can just sac your stuff to salvage artifacts in my own yard :D
July 25, 2018 10:29 a.m.
Oh, I loved Izzet. I just have to hope the bandwagon doesn't ruin my fun. They can have their Edgar Markovs for all I care. Problem is, that's already a problem with Tawnos.
July 25, 2018 10:34 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #45
All the Nabber will do will be to stop artifact based infinite mana combos. Definitely not ban worthy as I think it is more of a meta type card. I don't really see it fitting into many decks outside of red punisher/prison decks (i.e. Zo-Zu the Punisher), Goblins, and maybe a red cEDH deck (do those even exist?) .
Phaetion you can have the Tawnos if I can have just the Brudiclad :P
Now this is what I am talking about for lands matters cards:
July 25, 2018 10:59 a.m.
RedUndead40 says... #46
Man. Interesting mechanic on Arixmethes but I am once again disappointed in the legends for this deck. Oh man I really hope Esper has something amazing up its sleeve
July 25, 2018 11:08 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor: Other way round, then we have a deal.
And about bloody time with the lands matter cards. Straight into Windgrace you go.
EDIT: DIBS!!!
July 25, 2018 11:15 a.m. Edited.
I don't know that Arximethes is powerful but I love it anyway.
July 25, 2018 11:16 a.m.
RedUndead40 says... #49
EDIT: Ooops, beat me to it.
Well this is probably the best commander for the Bant deck for sure. Expect to see lots of Tuvasa builds soon.
clayperce says... #1
Yay, Saheeli's been officially spoiled (source):
July 23, 2018 11:19 a.m.