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.