Official Commander 2015 Spoiler Thread
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Oct. 15, 2015, 5:43 a.m. by ChiefBell
This can be a centralised place where most of the discussion around Commander 2015 spoilers takes place.
The Wizards announcement with the release date and more details is here
So here we go:
Another year of commander precons and another year of excitement. What are you looking forward to? What do you hope for? What would you really dislike?
That one of the most interesting Wrath-esq effects I've seen in awhile. Suck it cards that are 0/0's that enter with counters. I have to wonder how many times the Vampire is actually going to be able to attack though, looks like some primo removal bait.
November 5, 2015 4:12 p.m. Edited.
canterlotguardian says... #3
Thing is, it's an uncommon. That's a super powerful effect for an uncommon, especially one you're guaranteed to get in whatever deck it'll be in. AEther Snap was a rare, and granted it hit tokens too, but it didn't take all those counters and put them on a creature either. That's kind of interesting.
November 5, 2015 4:14 p.m.
So thief of blood kills all planeswalkers and is a hexmage.
Dark Depths, anyone?
November 5, 2015 4:29 p.m.
So in legacy:
4x Dark Depths.
4x Dark Ritual.
4x Vampire Hexmage.
4x Vesuva.
4x Thief of blood.
Make it happen!
November 5, 2015 4:33 p.m.
elpokitolama says... #7
Omfg. A 10/10 and a 20/20 for 6 mana? Better value than Desolation Twin!
November 5, 2015 4:34 p.m.
Jimmy_Chinchila says... #8
More like Thief of Fun. Loyalty counters, experience counters, +1/+1 counters, -1/-1 counters, vanishing counters,..how many archetypes does this wreck? How many viable commanders are now worthless? I have no countermagic in my Skullbriar, the Walking Grave deck, nor my Anafenza, the Foremost deck, just to name a couple. Pair this with Bojuka Bog and you've destroyed Mizzix as well. Not thrilled they made this, purely from a brewing standpoint. It doesn't target and is incredibly difficult for any non-blue deck to handle. There aren't many ways to prepare for this. At least against other forms of hate you have answers, like Elixir of Immortality or Cranial Archive for graveyard hate. Are there any cards that prevent counters from being removed? I'm not aware of any.
November 5, 2015 4:36 p.m.
canterlotguardian says... #9
Not that I know of either. Just counter him before he can hit the board. That's really it. Though AEther Snap combos just as well with Bojuka Bog as you mentioned.
November 5, 2015 4:45 p.m.
Jimmy_Chinchila YOU are not a permanent. Experience counters are safe from this vampire.
November 5, 2015 4:52 p.m.
canterlotguardian says... #11
xcn I am very much permanent, thank you very much. Especially at my local bar. :P
November 5, 2015 4:57 p.m. Edited.
RedUndead40 says... #12
I don't think he's as powerful as Jimmy_Chinchila is making him out to be. He's situational at best. Sure he screws over a few very specific generals, but what general can't be destroyed by a certain card?
If there arent a lot of counters on the board he is either a dead card in your hand or something like a 3/3 flyer for 
November 5, 2015 5:14 p.m.
So serous question, will Thief of Blood let the Legacy Reanimator decks sideboard into a Dark Depths kill? B/c here's a T3 kill.
T1: Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, cast Entomb putting Thief of Blood into the bin.
T2: Dark Depths, cast Reanimate, get a Marit Lage token and an 11/11 Thief of Blood.
T3: Attack!
Even if they Bounce/Swords to Plowshares your Marit Lage, you still have a huge creature they have to deal with!
November 5, 2015 5:28 p.m.
Jimmy_Chinchila says... #15
RedUndead40 she doesn't just screw the general but the whole theme. It may be a particular theme, but in a Hardened Scales, Doubling Season, Drana, Liberator of Malakir, Avatar of the Resolute style deck commanded by Skullbriar, the Walking Grave or the new Golgari insect shaman, what you are doing every turn is worthless when she hits, and without countermagic you can't stop her. I mean, Varolz, the Scar-Striped, Prime Speaker Zegana, basically many Simic, Golgari, Abzan strategies get shat on by a single card. I don't know any other archetypes that A) can be wrecked by one card or B) have no way to specifically combat that card. Like I said, every other form of hate has anti-hate. What anti-hate is there for getting your counters stripped? Countermagic doesn't count as its not specific. Of course AEther Snap does the same thing, but off the top of my head I can already think of one card that deals with it: Narset Transcendent's ultimate. What card says player can't play creature spells?
November 5, 2015 5:36 p.m.
canterlotguardian says... #16
Narset Transcendent is U/W though. Let's list off all the color combinations that can run her: 5-color, W/U/B/G, W/U/R/G, W/U/R/B, U/W/R, U/W/G, U/W/B, U/W. That's 8 color combinations, 3 of which aren't even valid outside house-ruled Commanders. So five legitimate ones. This, out of how many possible color combinations? And NT is just one of a possible 99 in a deck, as she can't be a Commander. Which further limits your chances of getting her when you need her.
As for your "which card" question, Grid Monitor is the only one I can think of, and that only affects you. There's one more I think that does the same thing; I just can't remember it offhand. Void Winnower does it half-assedly.
November 5, 2015 5:49 p.m. Edited.
GoldGhost012 says... #17
AEther Storm does too... though it's a really crappy card in general.
November 5, 2015 6:01 p.m.
canterlotguardian says... #18
Yeah I mean who's not going to pay the 4 life? Back when 20 life was a thing yeah, but Commander has 40 life, so 4 life is meh. I mean if you'll take 5 willingly off Ashes to Ashes, you'll take 4 willingly off AEther Storm even quicker.
November 5, 2015 6:22 p.m.
RoarMaster says... #19
Other than maybe Skullbriar, a simple Wrath of God will probably have as much and usually far more of an effect on the board. And for that matter skullbriar is straight fucked if some one casts Grim Affliction in response to him hitting the field the first time.
If you are worried about this card 'wrecking your deck', welcome to MtG. Every deck has weaknesses that just shut them right down. Armageddon or the dozen others for ramp decks, Shatterstorm or a hald dozen others for artifacts, Wrath of God for tokens/tribal/aggro, ect ect ect. So QQ some more about one of the 2 cards in the entirety of magic that resets your field...
November 5, 2015 6:44 p.m.
RedUndead40 says... #20
Everyone seems to forget that black has all kinds of preemptive answers in the form of targeted / random discard, or ways to search decks and exile named cards.
White has Nevermore if you know that Thief of Blood hangs around your playgroup.
And BW has plenty of ways to search for both.
November 5, 2015 6:50 p.m.
canterlotguardian says... #21
Hey guys I heard there's this really cool new guy on the block. He's called Torpor Orb and he fits into literally every single archetype imaginable. Tokens? Got ya covered. Ramp? Hells yeah. 5-color Bringer tribal? Snuggle on up, buddy boy!
November 5, 2015 7:13 p.m.
canterlotguardian - that doesn't stop Thief of Blood because it's not strictly an ETB, but an "As this creature ETBs...". From Torpor Orb's Gatherer entry: Abilities that apply "as [this creature] enters the battlefield," such as choosing a creature to copy with Clone, are unaffected.
November 5, 2015 7:15 p.m.
canterlotguardian says... #23
Oh what, really? Well that makes sense but still. That just further proves my point- there is literally no way to stop this thing other than by countering it. Which is kind of bullshit.
November 5, 2015 7:16 p.m.
SaniTheCat says... #24
canterlotguardian Also, torpor orb pretty much shuts off my decks hard. Karmic guide+ reivellark combo?? Well, sorry. Your karmic guide is now useless. Avenger of zendikar/craterhoof?? You didn't need those anyway. It's a very niche card most of the time.
November 5, 2015 7:59 p.m. Edited.
canterlotguardian says... #25
Also Brago, King Eternal blink decks (won't shut off Brago but he runs pretty much exclusively creatures with ETB effects if the deck builder is smart), reanimator strategies... There are more than just KG/RE and AZ/CB combos.
November 5, 2015 8:03 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #26
Wow, that is one seriously awesome vampire! I hope that she is in both black decks!
November 5, 2015 9:02 p.m.
wakawakawaka says... #27
arjun the shifting flame is my favorite commander.
I've been looking for a ur commander and I think arjun fits the bill quite nicely! :)
the closest ur commander that fits my playstyle is melek but his combos aren't fun enough (sensei's divining top, scroll rack, brainstorm, and proteus staff come to mind).
November 5, 2015 9:11 p.m.
RedUndead40 says... #28
Something tells me it will only be in the BW deck since it's a nombo with the GB alt commander
November 5, 2015 9:13 p.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #29
It does't exactly play well with the alternate BW Commander either.
November 5, 2015 9:18 p.m.
For the reanimate depths combo I am looking for a Fling in black, so you don't need to wait till turn 3.
Unfortunatelly, Blood-Chin Fanatic does not do the job.
Since you would have 1 black mana open, you'd need to cast dark ritual, and then some black fling, throwing dat 20 damage in the face turn2.
November 6, 2015 7:51 a.m.
Ah well screw that, I'm just gonna add a playset of Simian Spirit Guide for the lols of Fling.
November 6, 2015 7:54 a.m.
GeminiSpartanX says... #34
You know what would be a good reprint for the simic deck? Slippery Bogle. Hope that one is spoiled so I can get a set on the cheap.
November 6, 2015 8:32 a.m.
I've been secretly holding out hope for a Serum Visions reprint... Seems unlikely, but it'd be nice.
November 6, 2015 9:19 a.m.
When are they posting these lists? I'm spazzing out over here.
November 6, 2015 10:03 a.m.
CastleSiege says... #38
------, Essence Harvest is the closest thing to a black Fling that I know of.
November 6, 2015 10:16 a.m.
MindAblaze says... #39
There is a black Fling. It's called Rite of Consumption
Downside is it's a sorcery.
November 6, 2015 10:45 a.m. Edited.
Wretched Confluence 3BB
Choose three, you may choose the same mode more than once.
- target player draws a card and loses 1 life
- target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn
- Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand
November 6, 2015 10:50 a.m.
So...Phyrexian Arena in Daxos's deck and Lightning Greaves in all of them.
Fuck the hell yes.
November 6, 2015 10:54 a.m.
AngryKitten says... #47
Wow, Izzet deck got ripped off, no Lightning Greaves in there. :(
November 6, 2015 11:17 a.m.
Excuse me. Magus of the Wheel is in the boros not the izzet.
Wizards, why? The izzet one is also full of looting effects.
November 6, 2015 11:25 a.m.
Some of these card placements are kinda hilarious. Like, why does the Simic deck need a Sword of Vengeance? Or why does the Izzet need a Spinerock Knoll?
November 6, 2015 11:30 a.m.
Want to talk about reprints?
And these are just the ones I think are notable.
greyninja says... #1
JWiley129, neither does Animar, Soul of Elements
November 5, 2015 4:10 p.m.