Cheap Cards to Pick Up Before Avatar Releases
August 12th was a big day for
It’s safe to say that in the wake of the massive success of
With this in mind, I’ve gone ahead and laid out some archetypes and playstyles we’ll be seeing come November, in addition to some cheap (as of this moment) pickups to look out for if you plan on utilizing any of them in Commander.
Shrines
There are lots of new mechanics being introduced in this set, but the newfound inclusion of an older permanent subtype caught my attention first and foremost: Shrines, an enchantment subtype that produces more and more value depending on the number of them you control.
These have maintained a bit of relevance since their inclusion in
So what cards take advantage of Shrines? Well first and foremost, the big daddy of all Shrines,
Yes it requires some fixing, but if you can get there it’s a slam dunk in any Shrines deck, and can absolutely warp the game in your favor. We’ve seen this one reach as high as nearly $5 when Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty was released, so we know it has the potential to reach those heights at least; and with all the new players Final Fantasy has attracted to the game, who’s to say even more people aren’t going to want to explore this archetype? The demand is definitely there, so I think $5 is a reasonable price for this one to sit at again, given how popular Avatar will be - might as well pick up a copy for a fraction of that cost while you can.
Also, if you’re going to be running a Shrines deck, that means you’ll ideally be dropping a lot of enchantments, if not outright running straight-up Enchantress synergy, so it’s important to think of what other cards can capitalize on all these enchantments entering the battlefield.
This Satyr Bard can help ramp you off your Shrines entering, assuming you have lands in hand, and can give you huge value mid to late game if you can keep dropping them into play. For $5 you could do much worse, and I think this is another great snag if you see yourself playing any sort of enchantment-based strategies at all.
| Go-Shintai of Life's Origin | ||
| Go-Shintai of Life's Origin (Extended Art) | ||
| Go-Shintai of Life's Origin (Rainbow Foil) | ||
| Sanctum of All | ||
| Sanctum of All (Extended Art) | ||
| Composer of Spring | ||
| Composer of Spring (Extended Art) |
Firebending
One of the coolest aspects of the Avatar previews on August 12th was the revelation that the bending abilities are vastly different between each type. While all are unique and powerful in their own ways, I found myself most excited by firebending. This ability gives you red mana to use during your combat step and only during your combat step, which is great for firebreathing-type effects or casting spells at instant speed. But imagine if you could use that mana whenever you wanted and not just on your combat. Well, with two specific cards you can accomplish just that, giving you a unique effect in mono-red that can help ramp you like there’s no tomorrow.
These cards are
In addition to this effect, Leyline Tyrant can deal damage on death equal to the mana you haven’t yet spent, and Ashling provides different bonuses based on how many times you cast or copy instants or sorceries. Each has very different use cases, so depending on the general strategy behind your firebending you can choose which one to helm your deck.
I’ve had my eye on these cards for awhile, being a huge fan of
Beyond these two cards, it’s worth mentioning that perhaps the most powerful firebending card revealed so far,
| Ashling, Flame Dancer | ||
| Ashling, Flame Dancer (Borderless) | ||
| Ashling, Flame Dancer (Foil Etched) | ||
| Ashling, Flame Dancer (Retro Frame) | ||
| Leyline Tyrant | ||
| Leyline Tyrant (Extended Art) | ||
| Charred Foyer // Warped Space | ||
| Charred Foyer // Warped Space (Borderless) |
Dour Port-Mage
There’s so much room for brewing and finding cool plays with all the different bending abilities, that trying to touch on all of them in detail in one article would be a huge undertaking. That being said, one card that stuck out to me as a potential sleeper pick with waterbending is Dour Port-Mage. This $2 Frog Wizard is surprisingly strong, giving blink strategies a solid draw source since its release in Bloomburrow, but it may receive new life with waterbending allowing you to place your creatures into exile.
Indeed, this seemingly innocuous 1/3 can be a more-than-consistent way to fill your hand, and can even unsummon a creature you control in a tight spot when needed. For the mentioned price, this seems like an easy pickup if you’re thinking of going down the airbending route, or plan on throwing your creatures into exile any time soon.
| Dour Port-Mage | ||
| Dour Port-Mage (Showcase) |
In Conclusion
These are just a handful of potential pickups one might be interested in checking out in the wake of the August 12th Avatar reveals, but there are so many more. Earthbending seems incredibly strong with
All this to say there will be massive potential for fun deckbuilding archetypes in Commander when this set drops in November, and these are but a few of the cards I’d keep an eye out for between now and then.
Read More:
Edge of Eternities Cards You Should Get NOW for Commander
Jason Cominetto
Jason is a longtime lover of Magic, falling in love with the game at Seventh Edition, as well as an EDH enthusiast for both casual and competitive metas alike. He's also a screenwriter with a produced feature and plans to proceed with many more creative projects in and out of film. His favorite card is Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary, but he firmly believes that Mana Drain is the best card.