New Horizons - Phyrexia: All Will Be Commander

Welcome back to New Horizons. This week's article will cover the new Commander product, Commander: Phyrexia: All Will Be One, looking at both the reprints and the new cards.

Released as an accompanying product to Phyrexia: All Will Be One, the set has two preconstructed decks: Rebellion Rising and Corrupting Influence. These represent a good entry point for any player just getting started, and an opportunity in the singles market. There are several cards currently maintaining a healthy price point both within the decks, and in the supplemental cards available in Set and Collector boosters. With these prices settling into a comfortable average trend, they are ready to begin climbing back up as more time passes.

The initial reaction surrounding the set focused on the return of Poison counters and their support cards, the use of which, in Commander, created a conversation about potential rule changes associated with the max poison total. The new mechanic Corrupted provides a new lease on life for the Poison game plan with alternatives to the commonly seen Triumph of the Hordes and Tainted Strike. However, the cards concerning the mechanic are unlikely to be reprinted in the foreseeable future due to how tightly they interact with Toxic creatures.

 

Flawless Maneuver

 

Flawless Maneuver is a reprint with a dual purpose. Firstly, the original printing from Commander 2020 has seen a steady increase in price over the last two years, settling at a low of $7.65 and climbing its way back up to the $25 mark. Currently the card is crashing in price closer to the $15-$18 range due to the reprint. The new print has now ironed out at the $10 price point after its initial evaluation at $22.

Its printing in this set opens up the possibility of the rest of the cycle of free spells from Commander 2020 to be reprinted. Deadly Rollick and Fierce Guardianship are both universally favorable in the format matching the color identity of the commanders. More importantly, the pair is presently climbing up in price at $42 and $69, respectively. Considering the release schedule of Commander products and the quantity of the prints, it wouldn't surprise me if the rest of the cycle will also see a second print soon enough.

Flawless Maneuver
Commander 2020	CardKingdom $18.99	TCGPlayer $17.17
Commander: Phyrexia: All Will Be One	CardKingdom $10.99	TCGPlayer $11.61

 

Clever Concealment

 

At first read, Clever Concealment struck me as a cheaper copy of Teferi's Protection. Phasing out any number of our nonland permanents is a valuable form of protection. As one could normally get around indestructibility or hexproof, this card provides a strong baseline with no downsides or ways to encompass it. In terms of preservation of the permanents, Clever Concealment is as strong, if not stronger than, Teferi's Protection due to the selection it enables. Of course, there are clear differences here as the card doesn't protect your life total or grant you protection from everything. But there are two upsides that it does provide. To begin, the card doesn't contain the exile clause in it. Due to this, we can recur it from the graveyard if needed with any number of cards. The card also has Convoke which means that as long as we have four untapped creatures (at least two of them being white), we can cast Clever Concealment for free or with fewer creatures for a discounted cost. The modularity of the casting cost is a great upside that shouldn't be underestimated. Looking over the available graph data, Teferi's Protection has settled around the $22 mark for its cheapest copies. While Clever Concealment is currently going for $9.5, it holds an immense opportunity to increase in value as the card becomes more circulated.

Clever Concealment
Commander: Phyrexia: All Will Be One	CardKingdom $9.99	TCGPlayer $9.46
Commander: Phyrexia: All Will Be One: Extras	CardKingdom $9.99	TCGPlayer $14.00

 

 

Urtet, Remnant of Memnarch

 

Perhaps the most impactful card from the set will have to go to Urtet, Remnant of Memnarch. Not available in either of the two decks, this card is only accessible through Set and Collectors boosters. Currently priced at $10-$20 depending on the print, it has decreased from its initial price point of $38. Multiple factors were responsible for inflating the price of this card, starting with the accessibility issue of not being mass printed in the actual decks due to the color identity restriction in the format. From there we also need to consider that the Myr creature type has been underrepresented in Commander. However, since the preview, the card has seen a sharp decrease in overall price which will continue to be the trend as more copies become available.

An interesting talking point surrounding Urtet is the effect it had on other synergistic cards. Myr tribal pieces have skyrocketed in price with the anticipation of the Commander becoming more popular and increased demand for old cards. Myr Turbine and Myr Matrix have only been printed once before. With the buyouts, these have jumped to an all-time high of $30 from an average of $3.

 

  It might not be a bad guess that other cards that have only seen a single printing before may be targets of buyouts due to new synergistic pieces being printed. As to which ones will be targeted next is a guessing game until the next speculation reignites the trend.

Urtet, Remnant of Memnarch		TCGPlayer $16.05
Urtet, Remnant of Memnarch (Extended Art)		TCGPlayer $9.36
Myr Turbine	CardKingdom $14.99	TCGPlayer $10.42
Myr Matrix	CardKingdom $22.99	TCGPlayer $29.99

 

Conclusion

The impact of the new Commander set brings both new playable cards for participants while also creating a window for much-needed reprints in the future. This set has inspired conversations regarding the Poison counters and how they perform in the larger metagame and drawn attention to how new Commanders can have a warping effect on older sought-after cards. While the deck may not appeal to everyone to acquire, there are enough valuable single prints here to entice players.

Join me again in two weeks, where we will analyze the last of Phyrexia: All Will Be One, with its Jumpstart product!