Last week we saw some really cool Commander Masters cards for players to enjoy, but now that the whole set is out for players to crawl over, let’s break down some more great cards which desperately needed a reprint.
There are a staggering 436 cards in Commander Masters, technically 1067 if we include all the profiles, etched, frame breaks, and more in the set. While there certainly are plenty of Pauper wins in the set, with cards like All That Glitters, Dread Return, and Murmuring Mystic, the real power of the set comes with the potential of cracking open a sorely-needed reprint not seen in packs for years.
Extraplanar Lens
Look, if you’re not playing mono-Green in Commander your ramp options can be a little limiting. Unless you jam a bunch of mana rocks or look for other, less elegant solutions, your choices are slim. This is why the reprinting of Extraplanar Lens is a great card for players.
First printed back in Mirrodin, the only other version of Extraplanar Lens is a Kaladesh Invention, which isn’t exactly an easy purchase for many players. Since Extraplanar Lens doubles the amount of mana lands with the same name as the one it exiled, you need to make sure you’re running a hefty number of basics to keep up the mana. Keep in mind that the Lens works on Wastes as well, since it only tracks the exiled card’s name, not basic land type. Players have long used snow-covered basics to break parity with the other decks at the table which play the same colors.
Spellseeker
Tutors are a vital part of Commander, giving you the chance to grab a game-winning combo piece or an opportunity to keep yourself out of danger. While a little narrow when compared to other tutor spells, Spellseeker can be a valuable asset when it comes to digging for a certain card.
When this Wizard enters the battlefield, you get to search your deck for an instant or sorcery with a mana value of two or less and put it directly into your hand. There are thousands of targets for Spellseeker, from removal like Swords to Plowshares to board clearing spells like Cyclonic Rift, counters like Counterspell, even finishers like Torment of Hailfire.
Steelshaper’s Gift
An unfortunate case of a card getting upshifted in rarity, Steelshaper’s Gift has gone from an uncommon up to a rare, but any sort of reprinting for this card is appreciated. This one-mana sorcery grabs any equipment from your deck and adds it to your hand, making it an incredibly powerful card as more unique equipment cards are introduced into Magic.
If you’re playing white and running any sort of equipment package, you’re going to want a copy of Steelshaper’s Gift. And if you’re not specifically playing a Voltron-style deck there is a valid argument for playing this card. Swiftfoot Boots, Embercleave, Sunforger, any of these equipment are valuable pieces and can swing a game in your favor.
Kindred Dominance
Did you know that Kindred Dominance had only one printing? I certainly didn’t which is why it was so surprising to see it on the list for Commander Masters. Back in the 2017 Commander preconstructed decks, Kindred Dominance became one of the best asymmetrical board wipes in Magic, letting you choose a creature type and destroying everything that isn’t that type.
Even though it sits at a staggeringly restrictive mana value of seven, it remains a popular boardwipe in any deck that can support it. Whether you’re playing Zombies, Spiders, or Slivers, a well times Kindred Dominance can swing the game in your favor, potentially giving you a completely open board across all your opponents to swing into.
Arachnogenesis
A strange and incredibly powerful card, Arachnogeneis is a cheap way to potentially produce tons of creatures while simultaneously saving you from a potentially lethal attack. For just three mana, this instant creates 1/2 Spider creature tokens with reach equal to the number of creatures attacking you. Arachnogeneis also prevents all combat damage from non-Spider creatures for the turn.
This double-duty spell means you can keep your opponents at bay while also preparing an army for your next attack. While Arachnogenesis might feel a little pigeon held into just Spider-themed decks, you can easily play it in any deck that supports it as an extra sort of protection from incoming attacks.
Cyclonic Rift
An overwhelmingly powerful spell, Cyclonic Rift is a sort of emergency button players can hit to temporarily remove any threats from the board, or permanently if an opponent is unfortunate enough to be all in on tokens. For just two mana you can bounce a nonland permanent an opponent controls back to their hand, which is fine in a pinch, but the real power comes from its overload ability.
If you pay the seven mana overload cost, you return all nonland permanents all opponents control back to their hand. While they can always cast those cards again, it will likely take a turn or two to reestablish their board, giving you plenty of time to sweep in and deal some significant damage.
Demonic Tutor
Easily the best tutor in the game, Demonic Tutor lets you dig through your deck for any answer or combo piece hiding away and put it directly into your hand. Part of what makes Demonic Tutor so powerful is that there is no downside to its effect, you don’t even have to show what card you grab to your opponents.
Tutors in a Commander deck can often make the deck feel somewhat linear. You wait until you draw a tutor, find whatever combo piece you’re missing, and then execute the combo, which is a fair criticism. But if you’re looking to win and your opponents are cool with combos, then why not run the best your deck has to offer?
Smothering Tithe
One of the most oppressive enchantments you can drop early in a game, Smothering Tithe lives up to its name by taxing your opponents into submission. If they’re not up for paying the two-mana tax, then they’re helping accelerate you ahead in mana with every card they draw.
Smothering Tithe falls under the category of unfortunately annoying cards in Commander. You need to keep track of every draw your opponent might get, not just the first one of their turn. If you don’t mind bugging your opponents for triggers, then Smothering Tithe can give you a serious advantage against your opponents.
The Great Henge
Have you ever cast a spell that just feels good? The Great Henge fits into this category based on the pure amount of value that it generates throughout a game. The initial nine mana casting cost is reduced by one for each power the highest power creature you control has.
Once it’s in play, The Great Henge can ramp you up in mana, adding two green at a time, while also helping you stabilize by gaining you two life. Every nontoken creature you have enter the battlefield then gets a +1/+1 counter on it when it comes into play, and then turns into a cantrip since The Great Henge lets you draw any time a creature comes into play under your control.
The Chain Veil
With only one printing back in Magic 2015, The Chain Veil is both iconic for its influence on the Magic plot and for how it can quickly help a player with plenty of planeswalkers out to dominate the battlefield.
For just four mana you get to reactivate any of your planeswalker’s loyalty abilities as if you haven’t activated them this turn. There are hundreds of possibilities with The Chain Veil acoss any number of planeswalkers, but if you’re building any sort of super friends list, The Chain Veil will be a vital piece to the deck.
Ryan Hay (he/him) has been writing about Magic: The Gathering and video games for years, and loves absolutely terrible games. Send him your bad game takes over on Twitter where he won’t stop talking about Lord of the Rings.