Looking at the Planets in Edge of Eternities
Lands are one of the most powerful card types in Magic: the Gathering, ranging from basic lands needed to play MTG even in the simplest forms, to win conditions and format defining staples. Lands can be difficult to evaluate, especially with new mechanics.
Today I’m looking into the Planet cycle of mythic lands from
Uthros, Titanic Godcore
We’ve been given a Commander-playable copy in Uthros, Titanic Godcore.
Uthros doesn't goes in every blue or artifact Commander deck, but I do believe that its effect is highly desirable in a slew of commanders, and that will likely be the driving force for this card in the future.
The ability of Uthros, Titanic Godcore can clearly be abused, especially alongside cards like
| Uthros, Titanic Godcore | ||
| Uthros, Titanic Godcore (Borderless) |
Evendo, Waking Haven
Here we have a functional reprint of a high power Commander staple,
Cradle, like Tolarian Academy, is also a part of the Urza’s cycle of legendary lands and on the Reserved List. It isn’t banned in Commander or Legacy, and its price point reflects that. A staple in multiple Legacy archetypes, and one of the most rewarding payoff lands in Commander. Cradle’s price point alone is a detractor for many players, sitting at roughly $1000.
An accessible copy of this effect for casual players is significant. Unlike
The list of commanders that benefit from this land are too numerous to count; creature token and swarm decks can easily station, or even Eldrazi decks can look to station with a few large creatures. I would expect Evendo to stabilize and retain value.
| Evendo, Waking Haven | ||
| Evendo, Waking Haven (Borderless) |
Susur Secundi, Void Altar
This is a land without a direct counterpart, making it harder to initially evaluate.
The station for 12 makes it ideal for Zombies, or other decks that can station with graveyard recursion, or alternative avenues like decks looking to create a Marit Lage token via
While this isn’t the splashiest or most exciting of the cycle, I can easily see it stealing a few games in the near future, causing players to reevaluate.
| Susur Secundi, Void Altar | ||
| Susur Secundi, Void Altar (Borderless) |
Adagia, Windswept Bastion
Adagia is an exciting and potentially game changing land, although the decks it will inevitably end up in may not be as obvious.
Making token copies of artifacts and enchantments is a strong payoff, but many decks that rely heavily on artifacts and enchantments may not have a plethora of creatures to use to station their land. This is not to say that Adagia won’t have a home, but that it’s harder to understand how this land will play in general because it occupies such a specific niche.
Enchantress decks could use this effect, assuming that they’re playing large creatures or Auras, as opposed to stax or control decks where it isn’t easy to activate.
Adagia could easily end up in decks looking to copy
| Adagia, Windswept Bastion | ||
| Adagia, Windswept Bastion (Borderless) |
Kavaron, Memorial World
Kavaron has a somewhat unique ability to sacrifice lands and make tokens, while also granting haste. It’s important to note all of these things because some decks want to sacrifice lands, and some decks want haste, and this offers both.
Currently Kavaron sits as the cheapest of the cycle by a significant margin, and understandably so. The others in this cycle have either offered high payoffs or synergies with creature strategies that you can use to station. Here we have to station for 12 in order to sacrifice lands, make Robots, and give all of our creatures haste. It’s an outlier in this cycle, but it will still have a home.
Immediately two commanders come to mind for Kavaron:
This is likely the weakest land in the cycle, but still undervalued as it currently sits at $2.
| Kavaron, Memorial World | ||
| Kavaron, Memorial world (Borderless) |
Why Write About This Cycle in the Context of Commander?
This is a mythic land cycle that has generated a lot of talk in the community - and for good reason. We have at least the resemblance of very powerful lands that are inaccessible to many players, and we have new powerful lands that will likely become staples in many casual archetypes.
I decided to write in the context of Commander exclusively because I believe this format to be the market that will drive the value of these lands in the long term. There will likely be spotted appearances in other formats, but the station mechanic is too resource-dependent on a tapped land for me to reasonably say that their value will be driven by any other format.
I think this cycle is remarkably balanced. Entering the battlefield tapped and producing only one color of mana keeps the Planets from being oppressive, while still allowing them to be very powerful.
Conclusion
Mythic land cycles aren’t very prevalent, and that may end up factoring into the price point on this cycle long-term. There is definite demand for each of these lands, and currently the supply is high, but this is likely to change.
This land cycle by design doesn’t change any competitive format, but it does give casual and Commander players access to powerful tools. That alone will likely be the driver as the cycle looks to stabilize and trend upward.
Read More:
Shoot the Sheriff, and Other Cards Picking Up Steam
Bill Bingham
Bill Bingham has spent the past decade in the throws of competitive play, travelling, and managing a collection. With expansive knowledge and deep ties to the community, he looks to share this insight. In his time away from the game, he is utilizing these problem solving skills, learning, creating, or cooking.
