Commander Staples From Fallout

New Commander Staples from Universes Beyond: Fallout

Welcome back for another History, Restapled, a Commander-focused column that attempts to validate a newer card’s status as a staple by looking at how cards that are similar, synergistic, or competing have fared in the past financially.

The days before Thunder Junction releases are dwindling, so this may be our last chance to discuss cards from Universes Beyond: Fallout while anyone is still paying attention. Join me as we tour the vault and pick out a few of the bestest, pippiest boys…

Wild Wasteland

WOTC’s latest iteration on impulse draw is now the strongest repeatable option available. It’s deceptively simple, too: replace your draw for turn with two exiled cards you have to play this turn. Admittedly, the words “skip your draw step” don't instill much confidence. Aside from Vandalblast-ing someone’s T1 Sol Ring, drawing cards is the most satisfying thing one can do in Magic. Mercifully, this card doesn’t replace future draw effects or impose any additional restrictions on the exiled cards other than being playable until end of turn.

I understand why most people wouldn’t like this arrangement, and to be fair, players with access to other colors will likely opt to run straight card draw instead. But mono-red loves Wild Wasteland, and I’d argue there are benefits to the limited window of playability on cards exiled to Wild Wasteland. First off, there’s a decent chance one of those cards will be a land (at the very least, one card every two turns), which is an easy way to get immediate value. Anything else, be it removal or a dominating creature, you can cast without incurring political wrath by shrugging and reminding everyone that your hands are tied—variance strikes again! Given how many players will roll dice to determine which players to attack, or hold onto a good play for fear of being too much of a Bolas, forcing someone’s hand can lead to more dynamic games and get players out of their comfort zones. 

Wild Wasteland presents a lot of upside for the mere mana investment of Valakut Exploration and the low price of $1. Grab a copy while it’s cheap; if the Universes Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 decks are any indication, supply dips exponentially a few months after release and prices start creeping upwards right away.

STATUS: New mono-red staple

Wild Wasteland	CardKingdom $4.49	TCGPlayer $1.25
Wild Wasteland (Extended Art)	CardKingdom $5.49	TCGPlayer $3.03

Battle of Hoover Dam

Always nice to see the return of this mechanic from the Tarkir block as a way to balance modal options with committing to a plan of attack. Battle of Hoover Dam contains two strong options, though one is quite a bit more appealing than the other. Four mana gets you a Sevinne's Reclamation almost immediately (the finality counter hurdle is a pretty minimal one in a color with no shortage of ETB effects) with another following each turn; or, in the right deck, you can beef up a creature immensely in one fell swoop—tokens count for the ability, as well—for an alpha swing. Battle of Hoover Dam does very little early in the game but excels when players are at parity, trying to eke out a mid-game lead or looking to shut things down.

For the same mana investment, Felidar Retreat is probably better, as it can potentially trigger multiple times in a turn and produces bodies even if none are in your graveyard. In lower power decks, however, Battle of Hoover Dam can pull every ounce of its weight and earns every penny of its $0.20 price tag.

STATUS: Secondary low-power white staple

Battle of Hoover Dam	CardKingdom $0.49	TCGPlayer $0.25
Battle of Hoover Dam (Extended Art)	CardKingdom	TCGPlayer $0.74

Contaminated Drink

Rad counters aren’t inherently a bad thing to pick up. Sure, they deal damage to players, but they also offer free mill effects that synergize with a large number of Dimir and Sultai commanders in rotation—Sidisi, Brood Tyrant, Muldrotha, the Gravetide and Captain N'ghathrod are the first ones that jump into my head. If Contaminated Drink read, “Draw X cards, then lose half X life, rounded up,” it would still be playable, especially at instant speed. Given the card distributes Rad counters instead, its ceiling is quite high.

Other options exist but most require players to have established some board state before paying off, or sacrificing a big creature to draw cards. Even fewer of these effects are instants, and those that are often require a significant investment in blue mana. Contaminated Drink asks little of players and includes a mechanic we’re not likely to see again anytime soon. Best $0.25 you’ll spend.

STATUS: Supporting Dimir and Sultai staple

Contaminated Drink

CardKingdom $0.35

TCGPlayer $0.25

Pick Your Poison

As cliche as this sounds, I entirely forgot about these Fallout precons with so much being announced and MagicCon dominating my time a few weeks ago. Don’t make the mistake I almost did—many of the cards are novel and inspire new deck ideas. Any others you’re psyched to see? Personally, I’m happy that the Energy mechanic returned with a vengeance.

Further Reading:

Five Standard Magic Sets on the Upswing