Budget Commander Staples: Dimir

Continue this month's theme of two-color allied combos [adjacent color pairs], today I look at budget Commander staples in Dimir colors (blue/black). I focus on four categories: ramp, card draw, targeted removal, and board wipe. And this is budget, so cards cost under $2.

Ramp

Ramp is about accelerating land deployment and/or mana access. Dimir really has no options here (in exactly two colors).

Card draw

Blue likes card draw, but black adds an element of pain. In Dimir, two good options are Notion Rain and Baleful Strix, the latter of which replaces itself and is a nice blocker with flying and deathtouch.

Targeted removal

This is where Dimir shines. Discard, counterspells, destroying permanents . . . this is a powerful color combo. Ertai Resurrected and Drown in the Loch both offer a choice between two valuable effects. Recoil and Thought Erasure are fun discard spells. Hostage Taker and Thief of Sanity are nice exile spells that not only take an opponent's stuff, they let you cast it, too. And Silumgar's Command is expensive to play but gives a host of useful options.

Board wipe 

There are no board wipes in exactly Dimir colors. 

Combos

Dimir Guildmage is both a card draw and removal (through discard) option, valuable for many types of decks. 

Conclusion

The 10 cards shown above are easy 'includes' in any Dimir Commander deck.

Budget Commander Staples: Azorius

A few months ago, I looked at mono-colored Commander staples (see this post for an introduction). This month, I'll continue that theme, but look at two-color allied combos [adjacent color pairs]. Today I look at budget Commander staples in Azorius colors (white/blue), focusing on four categories: ramp, card draw, targeted removal, and board wipe. And this is budget, so most cards cost under $2.

Ramp

Ramp is about accelerating land deployment and/or mana access. Azorius really has no options here (in exactly two colors).

Card draw

White likes life gain, and blue excels at card draw. It's not surprising that Azorius has many options that give you both, be they creatures (Cloudblazer, Elite Guardmage) or instants (Sphinx's Revelation).

Targeted removal

White likes permanents that exile creatures while they remain on the battlefield; blue likes countering spells. Azorius has options in both. Absorb and Dovin's Veto are nice counterspells; Lawmage's Binding and Deputy of Detention are useful exile permanents.

Board wipe 

White likes wiping the board; blue likes returning creatures. Time Wipe does a little of both, and Supreme Verdict is a nice way to get creatures off the board. 

Combos

Hindering Light is both a counterspell and a card draw aid. Azorius Charm can help you draw a card or remove an attacking/blocking creature. 

Conclusion

The 11 cards shown above are easy 'includes' in any Azorius Commander deck.

Magic Goes (Back) to MSRP . . . Sorta

Treasure token card art

In the beginning [of Magic], there were MSRPs ("Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price"). This price was printed on the pack or starter deck directly, so it was clear to consumers what Wizards expected vendors to charge. Of course, a given store didn't have to follow that, but if one was marking things up, people would know immediately.

In 2019, Wizards stopped offering MSRP for the reasons they listed in this article. That led, not surprisingly, to price variation and frustrated customers.

In 2024, Wizards announced a return to listing MSRP for Magic products. That article lists suggested prices for Foundations, Innistrad Remastered, and Aetherdrift. And subsequent releases get their own "Collecting _____" articles that include MSRP. Three other examples of recent and upcoming sets:

Final Fantasy:

MSRPs for Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY will be set as follows:

• Play Booster: $6.99
• Collector Booster: $37.99
• Commander Deck: $69.99
• Collector's Edition Commander Deck: $149.99
• Bundle: $69.99
• Gift Bundle: $89.99
• Starter Kit: $19.99

Edge of Eternities:

MSRPs for Edge of Eternities will be set as follows:

• Play Booster: $5.49
• Collector Booster: $24.99
• Commander Deck: $44.99
• Bundle: $53.99

Marvel's Spider-man:

MSRPs for Magic: The Gathering | Marvel's Spider-Man will be set as follows:

• Play Booster: $6.99
• Collector Booster: $37.99
• Bundle: $69.99
• Scene Box: $41.99

A few observations:

- Intellectual Property sets (called "Universes Beyond") cost much more; one pack is 27% more than a 'in-world' Magic release; Bundles are 32% more. As I've said previously, there is an upward trend in Magic doing IP-based sets; perhaps profit margin is one reason why.

- Though MSRPs are back, that has not stopped vendors from upcharging from the outset. Or scalpers from buying up stock from [say] Target and upcharging online. (In one local game store, I saw Final Fantasy Commander Decks selling for $90 today.) It is exasperating.

- From my prior point, do your research before buying. TCGPlayer is a good place to check for market value of a given product, regardless of MSRP. Sometimes product value swings in consumers' favor. If you know where to look.

There are two points to remember as you navigate this world:

- Buying singles is always the cheapest way to collect.

- A given product is only worth the value people are willing to pay to get it. Be patient, shop around, and don't give into the hysteria. Or scalpers.

Magic Goes to Space

This month, I'll post somewhat random reflections on Magic. Today: Magic in space.

Ten days ago, the latest Magic set, Edge of Eternities (EOE), was released. This is the first time Wizards released a futuristic sci-fi set [I don't count Doctor Who], and as you'd expect, this one focuses on space. I won't do a full set review here, but will highlight some new card subtypes or abilities featured.

Spacecraft

A new type of artifact, spacecraft require 'charging' (the game ability word is "station"), whereby you tap creatures to put counters on the artifact, and once it has a certain number, it becomes an artifact creature (enabling it to attack/etc.). Some spacecraft have abilities that benefit your side before they become creatures (see Lumen-Class Frigate below). There are 22 spacecraft in this set.

Planets

A new type of land, planets enter tapped. They have basic mana-producing capabilities, but like spacecraft, they can be 'charged' to trigger a better ability. There are five planets in this set.

Warp

Warp is an ability. It offers a different casting cost to cast the card from your hand; if you do, it goes into exile during the end step, and can be cast later from exile for its normal cost. Warp is away to temporarily benefit from an ability earlier in the game, but have it as an option to return later.

Ignoring the mechanics themselves for a moment, my mind immediately goes to the future of the game. Introducing spacecraft and planets sets up Wizards for more forays into other Intellectual Properties. Will we see a Star Wars Magic set at some point? Or Star Trek, or Babylon 5, or [pick your sci-fi show of choice]? 

Coming back to the mechanics, does the flavor or spirit of the mechanics introduced here lend itself to such forays into other IPs? In other words, would playing a Star Destroyer but then having to charge it before it can attack fit with the Star Wars theme? I'm not sure. But I think/hope Wizards does plan such things in advance, because once you introduce a card subtype, it is very hard to alter it. As they have made pushing boundaries and exploring more IPs a stated goal, my mind immediately reads into new abilities and sees if they hint at what is to come.

Farewell, March of the Machine: The Aftermath

 Rounding out standard rotation month, today I look at March of the Machine: The Aftermath.

Released in May 2023, March of the Machines:the Aftermath (MAT) is exactly what the name indicates: the conclusion of the battle started in ONE and continued in MOM. This micro-set has only 50 cards and came in smaller booster packs (called 'epilogue' boosters, they had only 5 cards), though each card had various versions (frames) which swelled the total set to 230.

With such a small card base, there weren't any real themes other than 'legendary matters'; this was considered an extension of the March of the Machines set.

Favorites

Most are multi-colored legendary characters that either saw use in my legendary deck or are fun commanders.

Good Riddance

Here, only Nissa annoyed me, and she heralded landfall shenanigans that got out of hand fast if you didn't deal with her promptly.

General rule: when Wizards releases a micro-set, don't bother buying packs. Buy the singles you want. There is nothing here of sizable value that warrants the blind buy.

Farewell, Phyrexia: All Will Be One

Continuing rotation month, today I look at Phyrexia: All Will Be One.

I knew something was off . . . I skipped this one and went right to March of the Machines last time (which foreshadows how I felt about this set). Anyway . . .

Released in February 2023, Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE) is the invasion by everyone's favorite bad guys . . . told from their point of view.

The mechanics in this set revolve around the bad guys:

- poison counters, which is an alternate win/lose condition (you lose the game if you get 10 poison counters)

- proliferate, a returning mechanic, where you add a counter to a creature (or opponent/etc.) of a type they already have on them (here, usually poison or oil counters)

- toxic, which is related to poison counters

- corrupted, which heralds an ability that triggers based on an opponent's number of poison counters

Favorites

I don't care for the Phyrexians, which is why I forgot about this set. And yet, there are a handful of cards I used and will miss. Vanish into Eternity is a nice removal spell. Karumonix is a cool rat. I used Phyrexian Arena, Phyrexian Obliterator, and Sheoldred's Edict in a fun black tempo deck I ran. Cacophony Scamp is great in red burn decks. Glissa was good in my legendary deck, and Darkslick Shores is an example of the useful non-basic lands featured in this set.

Good Riddance

All of the cards I will not miss all center around control decks that lengthened games.

I don't mind poison counters, but for whatever reason, this set is (yet another) that didn't do it for me.