Hidden Gems #3 - Something Colorless This Way Comes
Hello again! And welcome to Hidden Gems, where we dig through the pool of Commander cards to find underappreciated treasures that might see a spike based on upcoming product. Commander Masters releases August 4th. With it, Wizards is finally giving us our first ever colorless precon deck, Eldrazi Unbound. Thanks Obama! (August 4th is his birthday—I can only assume these two things are connected.)
The pool for good colorless Commander staples is much shallower than for colored decks (duh), but there are still a few cards that seem a bit overlooked. One of the biggest strengths of going colorless is maxing out the utility of your lands without sacrificing mana consistency. The first two cards on today’s list both come into play untapped and give you a chance to make big swings during the game.
#1. Winding Canyons
There aren’t a lot of ways to cast Eldrazi at instant speed. We have a few fragile cards like
| Vedalken Orrery (Borderless) | ||
| Liberator, Urza's Battlethopter | ||
| Winding Canyons |
#2. Witch's Clinic
All my fellow Timmys who love playing big, dumb commanders know, sometimes you don’t get to set up your board state until after all your opponents. Witch’s Clinic helps recoup your life total if you’re falling behind. Like Winding Canyons, it’s harder to remove than most permanent types. And if I know anything about Cthulu-type Eldrazi monsters, it’s that they love stopping by a creepy little clinic in the woods for tea.
| Witch's Clinic | ||
|---|---|---|
| Commander 2021 | ||
| Commander 2021 | ||
#3. Belbe's Portal
Holding up a full hand and an untapped Belbe’s Portal is a great way to deter your opponents from attacking you. Once on the field, this is one mana cheaper than
| Thran Temporal Gateway | ||
| Quicksilver Amulet | ||
| Belbe's Portal |
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Adam started playing Magic on his 14th birthday, when Judgment just released and the game's first Gorgon was born (It's a girl!). Since then, he's delved deep into Commander, written for television and film, and learned how to drive. He's published two YA Fantasy novels, Rainbringer and The Broken Pantheon. His favorite card is Repay In Kind, which is really all you need to know.
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