MTG: Masters of the Multiverse – Commander Masters Face Cards
It takes a special kind of hero (or villain) to become a Commander Master, but these four certainly earned their title.
MagicCon Minneapolis was quite the event this year. Between all the reveals and amazing play events, Magic players were treated to a Multiverse of excitement. Thankfully, even those of us who couldn’t make the trek to the frozen north got to get in on the action. We saw some timey-wimey goodies for the future, a few spoilers for the upcoming Lord of the Rings set, and confirmation that the Walking Dead cards will be coming in a more fantasy-friendly format. However, probably the most exciting piece of news from the convention was the reveal of the four face commanders for Commander Masters precons. The Masters sets have always been powerhouses, and it looks like this one won’t disappoint. Whether you like hordes of symbiotic creatures, massive eldritch horrors, friendly Planeswalkers, or celestial enhancements, there’s something for you in the new precons.
Zhulodok, Void Gorger
Fans of Zendikar and Innistrad will recognize the Eldrazi, the horrible monstrosities that nearly brought both planes to their knees. Well, Wizards decided to make them a lot deadlier and threw in a brand new commander for good measure. Zhulodok is already a great value as a 7/4 for 6 (one of which MUST be colorless). However, his real value is his ability to give all your expensive colorless spells double cascade. Eldrazi are already prohibitively expensive, so you’ll almost always snag this trigger. That means you’ll be catapulting even MORE eldritch monsters at your opponent in record time.
Anikthea, Hand of Erebos
This is the commander I was most excited for, as a huge fan of both the Abzan color wedge and enchantment creatures. Anikthea is a little expensive at five mana for a 4/4, especially since you need three different color pips. However, her abilities make her well worth the cost. She has menace, and hands it out to all other enchantment creatures, making your growing army even harder to stop. The coolest bit of all though is her ability to turn non-Aura enchantments into Zombie creatures. That can be anything from an enchantment creature to a Ghostly Prison or Oblivion Ring. She might require a little more finesse than her fellows, but she’ll reward a canny player.
Commodore Guff
Since their introduction back in the Lorwyn block, Planeswalkers have been a fan favorite. They function like extra players, have devastating abilities, and add a fun tactical element to the game (in most cases). With the return of proliferate, Planeswalkers have skyrocketed in power, so it stands to reason one of the Masters decks would focus on them. Commodore Guff, a Planeswalker himself, has a lot of great support for other walkers, and in his wedge, you have access to some of the nasty ones. His passive ability to uptick a Planeswalker you control can make characters with nasty ults, like Teferi or Elspeth, an onsite threat. Of course, with all the other abilities your deck will be able to generate, being targeted shouldn’t be a problem.
Sliver Gravemother
Ah Slivers…easily the most hated tribe in all of Magic history. There have been plenty of five-color Sliver legends out there, so Gravemother has to stand out to compete with her forebears. Thankfully, she succeeds with a nasty cannon-style ability. By making the legend rule not apply to Slivers, not only are copies and Clones opened up for these nasty critters, but the encore ability Gravemother hands out can trigger some effects. Imagine using encore to get three copies of Sliver Legion, giving all your Slivers +3/+3 for EVERY other Sliver you control. Even with just those four creatures, that’s 16 damage headed in every direction. But of course, you won’t have only those four, and Gravemother’s encore ability tripling all your nastiest Slivers is one heck of a trick. Just don’t be surprised if your friends don’t want to play with you anymore.
You can preorder all the precons here, and catch them in stores (if you can) in August.
Which one will you be picking up?
