Fallen Empires Strikes Back

This is Hidden Gems, where we dig through Magic’s past to find undervalued, overlooked, and/or oddball cards that can spice up your Commander decks. 

For today’s article, I combed through one of Magic’s worst sets, Fallen Empires. I barely made it out alive. Reading a novel on a card made me need to get a new glasses prescription. Seeing cards that require seven hoops to jump through for a +1/+2 counter made me need a new lobotomy. But don’t let my sacrifice be in vain. 

I’ve selected four cards (which was a stretch - yikes! This set was bad) that you might want to test out because being the last man standing isn’t the only way to win. If you can pull off dumb shenanigans with cards from Fallen Empires, then you deserve a trophy. 

1. Farrel's Mantle

I see this card finding a home in enchantment/aura decks like Bruna, Light of Alabaster, Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice, or Isshin, Two Heavens as One. If you want to lean heavily into your theme, replace a one-shot removal spell with this card that can act as repeatable removal - and life gain if the enchanted creature has lifelink.

$1.02 $1.49

$0.51 $1.49

The best use for the aura is attacking a player who can’t block the enchanted creature, and then using the aura to switch the damage to a creature on another opponent’s battlefield. Remember: the card doesn't say it deals damage to a creature defending player controls. 

#2. Goblin Warrens

Goblin is a popular enough creature type to have ten billion options for your 99. This, obviously, leans into the sacrifice or swarming route for the deck. It plays friendly with Pashalik Mons, Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician, Purphoros, God of the Forge, Krenko, Mob Boss, and I’m sure many more.

$0.73 $0.79

$3.82 $4.99

If you want to go infinite, pull out your Mana Echoes with a way to turn colorless mana into red. These goblin tokens can also be a good way to play defensively, letting you block with tokens and then sacrificing them to make even more. 

#3. Thelonite Monk

Mass land destruction is pretty frowned upon in the Commander format, but not being able to deal with opponents’ troublesome lands can spell your defeat. Someone tell Commissioner Gordon to put up the Thelonite Monk signal!

$20.49 $21.99

$29.30 $37.99

He can turn your extra green creatures (tokens, probably) into solutions for any number of lands: Cabal Coffers, Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, etc. You can even turn a Forest into a Forest - just as a power move. 

#4. Fungal Bloom

I’ll admit, finding a fourth card for this list was difficult. So sure, I have no idea how to properly abuse this card - but I’m sure there’s got to be something. Two mana for a counter seems like an okay rate, and The Lost Caverns of Ixalan brought us some new Fungi. So, I don’t know - throw it in with a Luxior, Giada's Gift and introduce it to The Ozolith. 

I’ve been playing Magic for 21 years now and something in my bones tells me that Fungal Bloom is just waiting for the perfect combo card to be printed that will be its soulmate. Any day now, right? Right?! 

That’s all for this edition of Hidden Gems. Don’t forget to check out our Premium Membership for more market insights and entertainment.

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