Today, Wizards of the Coast announced that Commander 2020 will be released alongside Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, Magic: the Gathering’s Spring Standard set, on April 24, 2020.
Don’t miss our coverage of today’s other Commander announcements: Commander Legends, Commander Collection: Green, and the Zendikar Rising Commander decks.
There will be five Ikoria Commander decks in total with 71 brand-new cards spread throughout the decks, a record high for the Commander product. All of the new cards will feature spells, lands, and creatures set on Ikoria, while any reprints could potentially be from anywhere within Magic’s pantheon.
Those 71 new cards will not be found in Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths draft boosters, and we “can still expect the same power level [as Commander decks] of years past” with Wizards stating that they “didn’t have to be built with Standard in mind.” As such, they will feature a unique set symbol. This comes in contrast to how Throne of Eldraine Brawl decks were constructed, with the exclusive Brawl cards being legal in current Standard, and prompting minor concern about card availability for Standard players.
The Commander 2020 decks will replace the Planeswalker decks for Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths. Similarly, the two Commander that will be released with Zendikar Rising will also replace the Planeswalker decks for that set.
According to Wizards, the Commander 2020 decks will be available to “try out” at Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths prerelease from April 17–19. We have reached out to Wizards for comment on whether they will be available for purchase alongside Ikoria booster boxes at the prerelease event, and are awaiting comment, but previous prerelease events have allowed customers to purchase Planeswalker decks at the event.
With a Commander player base that is bigger than ever and quickly growing, combined with new events like like CommandFest and Command Zones at MagicFest events, plus tons of new Commander products, Wizards is clearly leaning into the format’s popularity.
Check out the announced contents of Ikoria Commander (previously Commander 2020) below:
