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StrongBelieves Reviews Commander 2020 Commanders
Commander 2020 was fully spoiled and I'm sorry to say that WotC really didn't pull through this year on interesting commanders. Thankfully, there's a lot of decent cards in the 99 of each deck to offset the disappointment that comes with the headliners. Here's a sentence or two on each commander, replacement commander, and partners from each deck as a review on how fun they would be to play with or build around as commanders:
- Otrimi is a neat idea but super narrow. Mutate isn't good and there would need to be a few sets with it before I considered actually trying to build a real deck around it.
- Zaxara is super narrow and pretty weak. It also needs red instead of black. The only hydra with black in its cost is Polukranos Unchained and that isn't even an X spell.
- Cazur is ok but weak. Ukkima is not good. Even together they are unimpressive. For the most powerful three color combination in commander you would want a lot more than these two.
- Kathril is effectively a soulflayer. You can spread out the stuff and you don't have to delve it away so it's a decent soulflayer, but I have never wanted to have a three color soulflayer as my commander.
- Tayam is essentially irrelevant. It is worse than a bad sun titan. I can't really see putting it in a deck, let alone using it as a commander.
- Yannik and Nikara have the most interesting potential of this group. Together they nearly make one decent creature. Nearly.
- Gavi is ok, but red doesn't add much cycling punch, especially over black. The cat token thing seems like a flavor thing rather than something useful.
- Akim is perplexingly bad. Remember how much everyone loved Aven Wind Guide? No? Well, this is arguably worse than it... As a commander. This is Kykar's bitch.
- For Brallin and Skyshark we get to stick with the theme of one partner being meh and the other being ok. Skyshark is just a better Ishai and Brallin doesn't need to exist. Maybe put it in the 99 in a Nekusar deck so you can leverage the wheels.
- Kalamax is ok. It would be nice if he had a way to tap that way you could use his abilities first main or without hitting someone. It's bizarre that it only copies and cares about instants.
- Xyris could be a fun group hug or politics commander. No real complaints about it.
- Haldan and fetch dog are embarrassing. Haldan is literally nothing without the dog counters since nothing else in the game does that. The dog is a bit overcosted but whatever.
- Jirina is narrow and doesn't do what it does as well as many, many other tokens commanders. I guess if you really wanted specifically humans tribal in specifically mardu, it fits your needs.
- Kelsien is better than Blood Cultist, a card that didn't make the cut for my pingers deck.
- Silvar and Trynn are just not good. One token on your turn for being aggressive and a bad Yahenni? No thank you. 5 mana 4/2 with menace is what you expect to see in planeswalker decks.
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
As someone with a "Counters Cube" (primarily +1/+1 and charge) this and Ikora offer lots of new toys for me but I tend to agree on the narrowness here, especially on Mutate. It feels pretty early to be publishing a mutate-matters set of decks with so few cards that do it at all. It reminds me of the FtV: Tranform after just two or three sets with the mechanic. It would've been pretty cool later on I imagine.
Also, just because a product isn't for you doesn't mean it's bad. I agree that many of the new commanders are low-powered, but 'd hate to infringe on the happiness of those who are excited to build around them. Personally I'm making the best of the unique commanders and am enjoying the prospect of Otrimi Modular and Experience Tribal. I sincerely hope you find something enjoyable from Commander 2020. (Xyris Hot Wheels?)
For the sake of discussion, do you think there are enough cards that care about Mutate or Experience Counters to build a commander deck around? I worry for threshold more than for focus or interest.
Also, I think that despite Mutate's parasitic nature, there are some sweet applications that can be explored. One option is to view Mutate as Auras that can also be used as creatures if all else fails. For example, I'm planning to use Otrimi with cards like Plaxcaster Frogling, Reyhan, and Polukranos Unchained to power out a massive commander quickly. Alternatively if you're more of a Spike, Otrimi Infect sounds pretty good. I'm also planning out a 5c Golos Mutate deck featuring Volrath's Stronghold and all of the good Mutate cards. So far I think that's the best way to do a devoted Mutate deck.
I don't have anything against flavor, I just want my flavor to make sense with the card's function.
The reason this makes Dinorsaur Cat creature tokens is because the card is titled Nest Warden, not because that's what the cycling deck wants to do. The way it makes them is related to the first ability (though one of the key powers of cycling is to do it at instant speed) but otherwise we're looking at two abilities with totally different uses. This is a bad tokens commander and a mediocre cycling commander.
The flavor that it makes cute little animals is nice but the mechanics of the card aren't particularly interesting or good, and it really needs to be at least one of those.