Today, Wizards of the Coast has released the full decklists for the new supplemental pre-constructed Commander 2016 decks. These decks are for use in the Magic: The Gathering Commander/Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH) format, a multi-player format where players build one hundred card decks built around a legendary creature "commander." Players can only use cards that are in the same color identity as their commander, and with the exception of basic lands, can only use one copy of a card in their deck.
The focus of the Commander 2016 product line is four-color commanders, which have long been missing from Magic: The Gathering's vast library of cards. The "Nephilim" cycle from Guildpact are the only four-color creatures to have been printed until this product and are ineligible to be commanders as they are not legendary creatures.
The Nephilim are reprinted in each corresponding deck, alongside the new four-color commanders Wizards of the Coast has introduced (see below for the new commanders). The five decks and themes that each commander belongs to are as follows:
- Entropic Uprising: This blue/black/red/green decks commander is Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder, and the decks focus is "Chaos," embracing the natural variance of the game with coin flips and Cascade effects.
- Open Hostility: Saskia, the Unyielding commands this black/red/green/white deck, which plays around the ideals of "Aggression," striving to abandon the political multi-player mindgames and alliances, and just kill everyone as soon as possible.
- Stalwart Unity: Commander/EDH should be about having a good time, and this red/green/white/blue deck, with its theme of "Altruism" and Kynais and Tiro of Meletis as its commander, will guarantee that it happens.
- Breed Lethality: Proliferate and "Growth" are the name of the game when you play this green/white/blue/black deck, and cast Atraxa, Praetors' Voice onto the battlefield.
- Invent Superiority: Utilizing the best of the "artifact-matters" cards from white, blue, black, and red, this "Artifice" deck and its commander Breya, Etherium Shaper will have you constructing the most efficient machines possible.
In addition to these new commanders, Wizards of the Coast has also introduced a new mechanic called "Partner" in Commander 2016, which allows players the ability to have two commanders if both have the "Partner" mechanic, as seen below with two cards from the "Invent Superiority" deck. Having two commanders allows player to be very flexible when constructing their decks, as they can mix and match strategies to optimize their build.
The Commander 2016 decks will be released for sale by Wizards of the Coast on November 11, 2016 and will retail for $34.99 per deck.
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What are your thoughts the full decklists, and more importantly the new Partner mechanic? Are there any decks you would be interested in purchasing? Let us know in the comment section below.
