After a string of massive Commander companion releases, Wilds of Eldraine will only have two Commander decks: Fae Dominion and Virtue and Valor. Information is a little light since it is still early in the preview season, but we do know a bit of what to expect from these two decks.
Don’t miss our coverage of the mechanics and previews from Wilds of Eldraine, plus Universes Within versions of The Walking Dead cards and six cards from the Enchanting Tales bonus sheet will be banned in Historic.
Wilds of Eldraine Commander Deck: Fae Dominion
The first of the two decks is Fae Dominion, a Farie-themed Blue-Black deck. Leading the deck is Tegwyll, Duke of Splendor, a Faerie Noble and thus a natural pick to lead the deck. Tegwyll is a fairly aggressively-costed commander at only three mana and has both flying and deathtouch, making it a deadly creature to contend with. He then gives your other Faerie creatures +1/+1 and as well as drawing you a card (and costing you a life) when another of your Faeries dies.
With Tegwyll out, you’ll always be rewarded for the noble sacrifice your Faeries make in your honor. While you won’t want to lose any of your creatures, Tegwyll makes for a fantastic draw engine with token makers like Bitterblossom, which constantly produces 1/1 tokens that make for excellent sacrifice fodder. Tegweyll works particularly well with the alternate commander from the box, Alela, Cunning Conqueror.
This flying 2/4 for four mana creates a 1/1 black Faerie Rogue token with flying when you cast your first spell during an opponent’s turn. With all sorts of instant spells and creatures with flash, Alela could swarm the board with tokens very quickly.
Alela isn’t done there though, with a second ability that triggers when one or more of your Faeries deal combat damage to a player, after which you get to goad a creature that player controls. Goad forces that creature to attack if able, but Alela won’t allow that creature to attack you, thus forcing combat between your opponents and sowing chaos on the battlefield.
Wilds of Eldraine Commander Deck: Virtue and Valor
Competing against the fair folk of the woods is the Virtue and Valor deck, a Green-White enchantress deck that seems to put the new Roles mechanic to good use. The main commander of the set is Ellivere of the Wild Court, a Human Knight that creates a Virtuous Role token attached to another creature you control when it comes into play. The Virtuous Role gives the enchanted creature +1/+1 for each enchantment you control, quickly causing your creatures to spiral out of control.
Then, when an enchanted creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you get to draw a card. While additional card draw power in Enchantress-style decks might feel a little redundant, it is a powerful ability to have sitting right in the Command Zone.
If Ellivere isn’t your speed, you can always swap in Gylwain, Casting Director. This Shakespearean Bard triggers when it or another non-token creature enters the battlefield under your control, letting you pick one of three Roles to attach to that creature. Your choices are either a Royal, Sorcerer, or Monster role, each one coming providing a unique effect.
Of the two, Ellivere is the more impressive commander, being able to toss out a free Ethereal Armor each turn, especially if you’re flickering Ellivere with any number of spells to keep triggering her enter the battlefield effect.
Don’t miss our coverage of the mechanics and previews from Wilds of Eldraine.