On the heels of my deep analysis of the regional meta for DC, we were given the complete spoiler for Commander 2013. Naturally, Legacy enthusiasts were eagerly awaiting the full spoiler, as the kind folks at WotC gave us some high impact cards the last go-around in Flusterstorm and Scavenging Ooze, as well as giving us the core of Shardless BUG in the last Planechase set. With these special releases acting as a way to introduce high-complexity, high-power cards into the Eternal cardpool while bypassing Standard, everyone figured that WotC would have to throw a couple nuggets our way; after all, it’s a lot easier to move product when you’re selling to casual players and tournament grinders, alike, rather than just one group or the other. I know I’m a little late to the party (that’s what happens when the full spoiler is released when I’ve already written more than half my article for the week), but I think that it’s worth discussing these new cards and their potential impact on the format with Commander hitting the streets just two weeks before DC. For those planning to play in Legacy Champs in Philly, you get ONE day to assimilate these new cards into your decks (or brew something totally new!) and track them down.
This guy has generated quite a buzz. People have been calling him a mini-Progenitus. Lots of people also immediately want to jam him into fish, but I think you’re better off just playing more lords. The places where I really expect him to shine are UWx Blade variants and UWR/BUG/BURG Delver. He makes an excellent sword-carrier, and the ability to power him out on turn two via Deathrite seems like a pretty good start. I could also see RUG/4-Color Cascade adopting him, as well. While he also is a pretty nice blocker, I’m not so sure I want him in Miracles. Even though Clique is a mere mortal, I think it’s better suited for my deck, because of the combination of disruption, Karakas, and most importantly, flash. It might be an interesting sideboard choice for pressuring opposing Planeswalkers, but I think we’re getting a better answer for dealing with those…
And that’s what you call a segue! This is the new card that I most want to experiment with in UWr Miracles. As many have already noted, this is straight-up removal if you use it in response to a fetch activation. It also functions as removal in conjunction with Jace, and serves as a great trump in a Jace war.. I’ll make your Jace go Unexpectedly Absent; fateseal you, bottom. In desperate times, you can even use this on your own permanents to score a hit with Counterbalance. A nice added bonus is that it is a two-drop, which fills a converted mana cost that my current list is a bit light on. The only big downside that I anticipate is the double white. I would definitely need to do some testing before committing to this card in time for DC, as it may force me to alter my mana base a bit.
Rounding out the list of the likely Legacy-impact cards from Commander 2013 is Toxic Deluge. As it stands, black has several similar cards. For one extra black mana and no payment of life, Damnation does almost the same thing. In some matchups, paying the extra mana will be a bigger deal, while in others, paying the extra life will be a big deal. Then we have Virtue’s Ruin and Perish. Against Elves, Toxic Deluge is Perish, but with the payment of one to two life. Against Death and Taxes, Toxic Deluge is Virtue’s Ruin, but with the payment of one to two life. Is the added versatility, and thus, conservation of sideboard space worth the payment of life? Some decks will definitely want this card. Perhaps, there is even an Underground Sea-based CounterTop deck that wants several of these in the main as their version of Terminus. Perhaps it would be a natural fit in some Ashiok-based control deck.
WWTD?
I’m not doing anything terribly drastic, here. The final impact of Commander 1.0 on my deck was somewhere between one and three copies of Flusterstorm in my 75 (though it seems the final number has settled at two). I anticipate a similar outcome, here. While the idea of jamming a couple Nemeses in my list for pressuring opposing ‘walkers, protecting Jace, and potentially forcing some overextension into my sweepers is appealing, Clique, in spite of it’s frailty, is the correct fit for my deck for the reasons I mentioned above. I am going to test with an Unexpected Absent in my main, and possibly one extra copy in my board. Here’s a rough sketch of what I’d probably play if I decided to integrate the Absences.
Green/White Aggro-ish
Coming next week, by popular demand, I will apply the methodology I used last week to determine the regional meta, to the national data and do some comparisons to the regional meta! Get psyched, Grand Prix DC is rapidly approaching!
“Evil” Tim Akpinar is one of Brooklyn’s finest durdlers. If there’s a top-tier control deck in the meta, you can bet he’s spent a minute taking it apart to see what makes it tick. If it wraths and draws cards, “Evil” Tim Akpinar approves. You can find Tim on Twitter/Twitch @efil4zaknupome or on MODO under the username ziggy_stardust.