New Staples for Commander From Karlov Manor
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. And today we're looking at
The more I dig into this set, the more possible staples I uncover. The set approaches the color pie from a number of different angles to offer alternate or enhanced takes on previous effects. No amount of Charlie Day gifs in front of a conspiracy board on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia can throw us off the trail…
Conspiracy Unraveler
Unlike Omniscience, it’s a bit more difficult to immediately refund the mana spent on Conspiracy Unraveler, and creatures are quite vulnerable to hate in Commander. Plus, outside of black spells, it’s difficult to cheat Conspiracy Unraveler into play. But you can’t beat the price: only $1 as compared to $6 for Omniscience, a price largely due to a recent reprint that’s firmly in the rearview mirror at this point. I fully expect Conspiracy Unraveler to climb in price over time, so grab one now before someone breaks it in other formats.
STATUS: new big-mana staple
| Conspiracy Unraveler | ||
| Conspiracy Unraveler (Showcase) |
Case of the Uneaten Feast
The card also holds merely a bulk rare price. Soul Sisters run at least a few bucks and
Few new cards are as clear cut…
STATUS: new white staple
| Case of the Uneaten Feast |
Connecting the Dots
If you squint hard enough, Connecting the Dots looks like a decent card draw option that can be cashed in as a burst or after accumulating value over the course of a few turns. It’s an enchantment that doesn’t paint itself as a target either, so while it may get swept up in mass hate, I can’t see many situations in which someone targets Connecting the Dots specifically, barring corner case scenarios. Most importantly, the card is pretty cheap—less than, or equivalent to, most red impulse draw staples.
Yes, there is a slim chance you cast this card, exile a few off the top and pass the turn only to lose those cards forever to an
STATUS: new red staple
| Connecting the Dots | ||
| Connecting the Dots (Extended Art) |
Immortal Obligation
Most cards that offer your opponents benefits have few uses outside of dedicated, on-theme decks. Outside of those, they range from actively bad (
Immortal Obligation looks like one of the better options, set aside by being castable at instant speed and for placing numerous restrictions on what the reanimated creature can accomplish while on the field—most notably that it’s unable to block your creatures but is perfectly capable of taking down any your opponents send their way.
I’m willing to give this one a shot at $0.25 and hope it breaks the previous streak of stinkers.
STATUS: not a staple, but potentially not NOT a staple
| Immortal Obligation | ||
| Immortal Obligation (Extended Art) |
Take a Stab
Of all the cards mentioned above, I’m most skeptical about Immortal Obligation for the reasons outlined above. Any cards that are seemingly “group hug” that you’ve found good uses for in Commander? My luck with them is, unfortunately, quite poor. Why help your opponents when you can help yourself? Truly an unsolvable mystery.
Further Reading:
Steve Heisler
Steve Heisler is a writer and pop culture journalist covering comedy, games, television, film and the tech industry. His work has been published in Rolling Stone, GQ, Variety, The AV Club, Fast Company and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began collecting Magic cards during Fourth Edition and plays Commander and Modern primarily. He also enjoys tennis, the Dark Souls family of video games and supporting live comedy. He lives in Chicago with his cat, Rosie.