If you’re looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for a friend or loved one who plays Magic: The Gathering, I’ve got a list for you. In the last piece, we talked about budget upgrades for Commander decks. Here, I’ll be going over some not-so-budget upgrades for your Commander bestie. Let’s dig right in!
Flashy, Full-Art, Foils
Commander players simply love to bling out their favorite decks. We know this to be true because of the secondary market on websites such as tcgplayer and cardmarket, where the price difference between foils and non-foils is substantial. The rarer the card, the prettier the art, the flashier the foiling shines, the more players and collectors are willing to pay for it. A prime example of this is the recent Final Fantasy set.
Now, without further ado, I give you the top 10 shiny cardboard gems to give away this Christmas!
10. Exploration
Exploration lets the player who owns it play two lands per turn, instead of just one. If played on early turns, this tiny one-green-mana enchantment will single-handedly outpace all your opponents. While everyone else is playing one land, you’re playing two, literally the double. This Double Masters, alternative, full-art, foil version of the card is just stunning. Green player or not, Exploration is worth having in your collection.
9. Shock Lands
There is a total of ten Shock Lands, one for each two-color pair. They’re land cards that are essential to the game, whether you’re playing Commander, Modern, or Standard. In recent years, Wizards of the Coast has done a great job at reprinting them to get their prices down. There are some really nice premium, old-border foils from Ravnica Remastered that are enchanting. If you and your friend don’t enjoy the old-school aesthetic and would prefer something more futuristic, the Edge of Eternity shock lands are also gorgeous.
8. The Great Henge
Rather than asking what this card does, you should ask yourself, what doesn’t this card do? It adds two green mana and two life. Then, whenever a nontoken create enters under your control, you put a +1/+1 counter on the creature. Oh, and you draw a card. And you can more often than not cast this legendary artifact for just two mana. It doesn’t really matter what kind of green deck you are running, or what your strategy is. This card fits into any deck that plays creatures, which is something green decks tend to do.
7. Teferi’s Protection
The color white may not be the most powerful in Commander, but it certainly is great in a supporting role. Teferi’s Protection lets the player casting it disappear until their next turn. They and the permanents they control are phased out, meaning they can’t be targeted, destroyed, or interfered with in any way. Cast at the right time, this card is game-changing, as other players at the table can’t strike to kill or combo out to win until the player is back in the game. While it is a nuisance for everyone else, Teferi’s Protection is often a game-winning instant spell for the player casting it.
6. Cyclonic Rift
Cyclonic Rift is one of the best one-sided boardwipes in MTG. Its alternative overload cost lets players cast it for far more mana, but with an incredibly devastating effect. As the art suggests, it blows away all enemy creatures back to their owners’ hands, giving you an open highway to attack. This card can be cast both offensively and defensively, and in both cases, it’s game-changing. It’s known among Commander players as a “staple”. Meaning, regardless of your commander and your overall strategy, this card is an auto-include in every blue deck. Due to its high demand, it also comes with a hefty price tag.
5. Jeska’s Will
It’s hard to overstate how powerful this card is. Jeska’s Will consistently overperforms no matter the deck. To truly understand why this card is so good, one needs to have a bit of a deeper understanding of Commander. I’ll try to simplify it by just saying, you make a ton of mana, then exile cards off the top of your deck, and then cast those cards with the bunch of free mana you just got. For the small cost of three mana, Jeska’s Will gets you ahead of everyone else, leading to some very explosive turns.
4. Fetch Lands
Similar to the Shock Lands, there are ten Fetch Lands, one for each pair of the five colors of Magic. The only difference is that Fetch Lands are significantly better than the Shock Lands in that they search through your deck for the color that you currently need. In a three-colored commander deck, for example, mana fixing is critical to casting spells. Any Magic player, whether they’re playing Commander or other formats, will want Fetch Lands. There are some enchanting representations, from Secret Lairs and Zendikar Expeditions, to full art foils. They’re all drop-dead gorgeous cards. And a bit pricey, depending on which variant you get.
3. Fierce Guardianship
What is better than countering your opponent’s spells? Well, countering them for free, of course! The best time to cast Fierce Guardianship is when you’ve tapped out all your mana, and your opponents least expect it. Cast Fierce Guardianship and gleefully watch your opponent’s dreams and hopes evaporate right in front of their eyes. But do so, with style and flair, with this alternative, full art, foil from Commander Masters.
2. Ancient Tomb
A land card as old as Tempest. It has, thanks to Commander, regained much of its popularity and skyrocketed in price over the last few years. Even the non-tournament-legal version is now up to forty dollars. Obviously, I recommend picking up versions of the card that are tournament legal, such as the Ultimate Masters reprint, the LotR version of Balin’s Tomb, the Zendikar Rising Expedition, or the more recent Edge of Eternity stellar sight version. Pick whichever, they’re all beautiful “skins” of the same card.
1. Vampiric Tutor
Tutors, as they are known among MTG players, are some of the most powerful cards in the game. Whether it’s Enlightened Tutor, Sylvan Tutor, Demonic Tutor, or, in this case, Vampiric Tutor, they all search for something in your deck. In the Commander format, players can only have one copy of a card in their deck. Being able to find a card you need is priceless. Vampiric Tutor does it at instant speed and for only one black mana. It’s peak, as the kids say.