When you think of Commander staples, what comes to mind? Rhystic Study? Doubling Season? Craterhoof Behemoth? All good answers, no doubt. But what about the more competitive side of Commander? Unless you’re already dabbling with the upper-end of Commander power levels, I have a feeling that cards like Thassa's Oracle aren’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind when I say “staple.” That being said, if you do play competitive Commander (cEDH), then I have a feeling Thassa’s Oracle here is probably at the top of your list of staples, alongside the likes of Underworld Breach and Tainted Pact. So, why call them to our attention?
These cards aren’t just powerful, they’re also leading a movement - a sway in the market as cEDH becomes ever more popular, and its cards ever more expensive.
cEDH Background
High-power Commander has existed nearly as long as the format itself, with players increasingly pushing their decks to greater and greater heights as new cards came marching out. But make no mistake, high-power is very different from cEDH. cEDH, on the other hand, is comparatively new - 2016 is often credited with cEDH’s consolidation year, when the introduction of two-color Partners such as Tymna the Weaver and Kraum, Ludevic's Opus burst onto the scene and led to the first real competitive metagame. This metagame, coupled with decks being built for the purpose of tournament play - not just pushed casual play - is what sets cEDH apart to this day, and it's also the reason that the format demands some…less than traditional staples.
Fast forward eight years, and cEDH is more popular than ever. The 2020 pandemic didn’t stop this fledgling format’s growth. Rather, it helped to bolster it as webcam Magic led to more cEDH players connecting for worldwide tournament play, a format that continues into the present day (or very recent past) via the likes of the Mox Masters series, a webcam-based set of competitive tournaments that captivated cEDH players everywhere. The result? A rejuvenation of the format, with more and more players from high-power Commander jumping over to cEDH as the many-a-player’s introduction to the tournament circuit. With these new players, however, came new demand for both popular and obscure, but crucial, cards - the ramifications of which are trickling through the market right now.
cEDH Staples - Off the Reserved List
First, let’s look at some crucial cEDH cards that aren’t on the reserved list - the newer additions to the format with the potential for a reprint at any time that nonetheless continue to rise in price.
Laboratory Maniac’s much better cousin, Thassa’s Oracle is the current win condition of choice for just about every blue deck in cEDH. And that’s most of the decks out there. For two blue mana, Thassa’s Oracle is a creature that essentially reads “when this enters the battlefield, you win the game.” Sure, it takes a little bit of work to get to an empty library, but as we’ll see with these next two cards, that task is trivial in cEDH. If Thassa’s Oracle is on the stack, someone is trying to win.
The next two cards you should be aware of are Tainted Pact and Demonic Consultation. Since cEDH is a singleton format, both of these cards are readily capable of emptying their caster’s library (or just being an instant speed tutor, in case that wasn’t already good enough). Not all blue cEDH decks run black as well, but those that do will undoubtedly run at least one, if not both, of these two combo pieces. Tainted Pact/Demonic Consultation plus Thassa’s Oracle is one of cEDH’s most efficient, most compact win conditions, and it shows - as the format grows, so too have all three of these cards risen in price.
Finally, we can’t talk about non-reserved list staples without mentioning Underworld Breach. Unlike the other three cards above, Underworld Breach saw a reprint rather recently courtesy of the Special Guests component of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. Before that reprint, Underworld Breach was ramping up in price along with the rest of these staples, but for the moment its price has plateaued as supply has increased. Like Thassa’s Oracle, an Underworld Breach on the stack is usually a win attempt, as allowing for repeated casts of the bevy of tutors likely already in its controller’s graveyard turns this into a quasi-one-card win condition. Tutor once? That’s threatening. Tutor twice? That’s a win.
| Thassa's Oracle | | |
| Thassa's Oracle (Extended Art) | | |
| Thassa's Oracle | | |
| Tainted Pact | | |
| Tainted Pact | | |
| Demonic Consultation | | |
| Demonic Consultation | | |
| Underworld Breach | | |
| Underworld Breach (Extended Art) | | |
| Underworld Breach (Borderless) | | |
cEDH Staples - On the Reserved List
Moving to the reserved list section of cEDH, it can be a bit tricky to separate the price trends of these cards from the broader trends of the Magic market, given the reserved list’s status as a price benchmark. That being said, there are some key cards which are significantly outpacing the price movements of other reserved list powerhouses (such as the dual lands).
Our first cEDH staple on a price run right now is Lion's Eye Diamond. Just about any and every deck running Underworld Breach is also on Lion’s Eye Diamond, given that discarding your hand really doesn’t matter when you can cast spells from your graveyard. Sometimes it’s even a good thing, as pitching your hand with an Underworld Breach out gives you access to more exilable-cards for your various Escape costs. So, how is the market looking for Lion’s Eye Diamond right now? Strong. Very Strong. After reaching a recent market bottom in December of 2023, the momentum has turned and copies of Lion’s Eye Diamond have sold at higher and higher prices ever since. If you’re looking to pick up some of the pricier parts of a cEDH staples list, I’d encourage you to watch the sales roster for Lion’s Eye Diamond.
Our last card to watch is City of Traitors, an Ancient Tomb-esque land which adds two colorless and enters untapped, with the drawback of being sacrificed when you play your next land. Ancient Tomb has seen a handful of reprints and is still a near-$100 card, so it’s not completely wild to see City of Traitors comfortably resting around the $300+ mark. While it might not see the same ubiquity as Lion’s Eye Diamond, this card is nonetheless popular and playable just about anywhere in cEDH, with a price trend to match - bottom in December, upswing through to the present day. I’d probably pick up a Lion’s Eye Diamond before a City of Traitors, but as far as second-best options go, this one is certainly a solid pick.
| Lion's Eye Diamond | | |
| City of Traitors | | |
Wrap Up
I hope this article has served as a welcome introduction for many of you into the burgeoning world of cEDH. And for those of you already involved, I hope it’s given you an opportunity to double back and check your decklists for some things that might very well have spiked in the past couple months. Competitive Commander shows no sign of slowing in the coming months, so keep an eye out - this might just be a trend for the year.
Further Reading:
Are Assassins the Next Big Creature Type in Magic?
Speculating on the Commander Banlist
Shocklands and the Ramifications of Staple Reprints in Magic
