by Shawn Leonardo, CommanDollar

Commander is a format dedicated to the unusual,the wacky, the crazy, and the occasional rules question that make judges cry themselves to sleep.  The 100-card Highlander format was first geared towards multiplayer  and social play, though through the support of Wizards of the Coast (via creating products for the format and taking it into consideration when designing sets), the format has  taken a sharper edge. 

With the release of  Aether Revolt  comes Exquisite Archangel, a creature that many who enjoy the format are divided on-some think this to be an auto-include in their decks, while others believe it should be struck with the almighty ban-hammer. But why? 

At first, Exquisite Archangel looks bland-a  5/5 flyer for a total converted mana cost of 7 isn't all that exciting. The controversy comes from the small wall of text:
"If you would lose the game, instead exile Exquisite Archangel and your life total becomes your starting life total."

Put into layman's terms, if this card is on a player's field and  they take lethal damage, they simply remove this card from the game and start with a new buffer of life. In formats like standard, modern, etc. this may  be concerning-after battling  and slinging spells to eliminate your opponent from the lofty amount of twenty life, they simple reset to the start with all the board advantage intact. For commander players, however, this card is a much greater issue, as the format  has a starting life total of forty.  So what are the arguments for and against banning this card?

Why Exquisite Archangel should be banned in Commander
1) It negates all of  a player's hard work  in eliminating a single opponent
2) It is a single card that can change the outcome of an entire game
3) It can be splashed in any deck with white

Why Exquisite Archangel shouldn't be banned in Commander
1) It dies easily to removal
2)  Higher mana cost
3) Exiles, meaning it cannot be reused  multiple times
4) One-of in a 99-card deck

These arguments echo similar sentiment over the years, of cards players want banned from the game due to their degenerative nature. More often than not, however, cards become banned only  after   they have been tried in the format, and found guilty of warping the game around themselves (we're looking at you, Primeval Titan).

What are your thoughts on Exquisite Archangel? Should it be banned, or allowed to stay in the  format?

With  Aether Revolt     coming soon to  a kitchen table near you,  it's the perfect time to be both excited and prepared. The latest Magic: the Gathering set promises a whole new batch of fun, unique interactions that can potentially change a number of format's metagames. 

While it is sometimes difficult to get Commander players excited for a new set,  Aether Revolt seems to have delivered on that end of the bargain, especially with its set of Legendary Creatures.  Players both new to the format and experienced are bound to pick up these cards and want to  bring them to their maximum potential, and the ideas below  can give everyone a headstart on the process.

Sram, Senior Edificer and Batterskull

Draw in any mono-color besides blue makes everyone think twice , and after careful consideration it looks like Batterskull would be a Sram commander's best friend.  It doesn't take any kind of deep analysis  to see that  Batterskull can provide you with some much-needed card draw, as well as a potential threat. While somewhat expensive already, I can forsee the price rising just a hair due to the desire for commander players. Hopefully this has inspired you to  go to Gathereror some other card database and pour over the pages!

Baral, Chief of Compliance  and Arcane Denial

Counterspells were already pretty great before Baral was spoiled. Now, cards like Dissolve   are all Counterspells,  meaning two open blue mana will always signify a resounding "No" while this legend is out on the field, cancelling your plans entirely. Arcane Denial becomes merely one blue mana to outwit your opponents. This cryptic command will lock down the board state  as long as there is open mana, and is a wonderful option for the right control player. Foil your opponent's plans before they even get going with sheer force of will,  or wait for them to make a mental misstep before profiting  from your oppressive will.

Rishkar, Peema Renegade and Forgotten Ancient

Rishkar seemed underwhelming at first-until you notice that he turns your creatures with counters into Llanowar Elves. You could easily go into Elf tribal with this legend, however  you can go in almost any direction you want  with Rishkar's burst of strength.  Forgotten Ancient allows you to rapidly increase your mana sources, since everyone will be playing spells as much as they can to try and keep up. Note how this card's first ability is  triggered when  it enters the battlefield, meaning you can find ways to flicker it, adding to both your mana base as well as an increasing savagery during combat.  Once you've enjoyed the fruits of this card's natural panoply , casting as many cards as you have the mana for (which should be a lot, and quickly), the game should soon swing in your favor, and your opponents will find themselves in death's presence. A deck centered around  Rishkar will certainly be a triumph  of the hordes!

Kari Zev, Skyship Raider and Confusion in the Ranks

Red has a fatal attraction when it comes to...well, pretty much anything. As far as legends go, Kari may be the  weakest amongst the  Aether Revolt  when it comes to being a Commander.  Acting on impulse and reflexes alone won't get you far in the multiplayer format,  and fortunately this article can become a useful chasm guide for you. Kari likes to work with cards like Confusion in the Ranks, swapping a tapped Ragavan for your opponent's best creature, then watching the pandemonium that ensues when they lose Ragavan and their best creature after combat ends. Use these arcane teachings to cause impact tremors in the game, and you'll have a good chance of  avoiding where ancients tread.

Yahenni, Undying Partisan and Dictate of Erebos

Yahenni was made with some small measure of diabolic intent. With cards like Dictate of Erebos and Grave Pact,  this commander becomes an abhorrent overlord, making everyone  barter in blood. If your deck is not centered around creatures, you have a stronger chance; if not, the game becomes one of attrition, and you will soon eliminate the competition. There is no such thing as innocent blood in a game Commander , but with the right cards on the field this new legend becomes a merciless executioner, and one sinister concoction of a deck.

Hope of Ghirapur and Whispersilk Cloak

Wow! A new colorless Legendary! What a godsend! Now, what do we do with it? Attack, of course! Whispersilk Cloak is perfect for this creature, ensuring the ultimate evasion to get damage through in combat. This creature should be cast every first turn if it is your commander, to carry a blazing torch  to your  opponent's field. You may not be delivering any hot soup, however this card will certainly give you an infiltration lens on what your opponent's strategy is. It may not be  a power house, and it may earn a glaring spotlight from your opponent(s) who are locked down,  but if all your opponent can cast is creatures (locking out instants, sorceries, planeswalkers, artifacts, and enchantments), there will be more than just hope for victory.

These legendary creatures all have a  lot of potential for the Commander format, and players around the world are excited to get their hands on them and weild them with deadly efficiency.  

Prerelease for Aether Revolt   is this weekend, January 14-15, and releases in stores on January 20th, 2017!

Most Magic the Gathering players expected that some cards would be added to the Banned & Restricted List update scheduled for January 16, 2017. What would actually end up banned, however, was quite a bit more than some may have expected. It also came a week early on January 9, on account of community feedback based on the health of the Standard format, in particular.

Here is the full explanation of the banlist changes from Wizards of the Coast. The changes go into effect on January 20th in “paper” Magic and after the January 11th scheduled downtime on Magic Online.

First, we’ll take a look at the Standard bans. The last time we had a card banned in Standard were the bans of Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Stoneforge Mystic! So it's been awhile!

Emrakul, the Promised End

Here’s the official statement by Wizards on the banning of Emrakul 2.0:

“Created to be scarily powerful, Emrakul, the Promised End delivered on that promise too well. Emrakul faced too little resistance and ended games too easily. She was the world-ending, all-powerful monster she was in the story, which was too much for Standard.”

Yeah, she was a bit too good, wasn’t she? To be fair, the only decks that really played her in Standard were Aetherworks Marvel and Black/Green Delirium. But with Aether Revolt on the way, it’s very likely she would have become even more dominant in the format.

Some players believe that the card Aetherworks Marvel is really to blame and not Emrakul herself. But with Aether Revolt on the way, Wizards wanted to be sure that the new cards didn't make her better.

 Smuggler’s Copter

Wizards finally realized that having four “Looter Scooters” in like every top deck in Standard was pretty stupid. Here’s the official reason for banning the Copter in Standard:

“Simply put, Smuggler's Copter is too efficient and shows up in too many decks, diminishing the format's diversity. We want Planeswalkers, sorcery-speed removal, and a variety of vehicles to be viable options, and believe removing Smuggler's Copter will allow them to flourish again. Of the top archetypes in Standard, very few didn't play four copies of Smuggler's Copter, stifling many creative, fun options. Smuggler's Copter was the result of a new card type pushed too far, and, as such, is now banned.”

Pushed over the edge for sure. Can’t put it any better myself! A lot of people are upset and believe that the Copter actually helped some decks be more competitive than they would have been otherwise. While this might be true, the Copter became too much a part of the format.

Reflector Mage

I was a bit surprised to see the Mage get the ban-hammer. But perhaps I shouldn’t have been. The official reasoning makes a lot of sense.

“Our data showed the White-Blue Flash deck was too powerful against the field, and Reflector Mage has been on players' lists of most-disliked cards since the days of Collected Company. Other cards were discussed to check White-Blue Flash, but Reflector Mage came up time and time again as both frustrating and a targeted way to diminish the White-Blue Flash deck.”

White/Blue Flash is one of my favorite decks ever, but yeah, the Mage makes the deck a bit too consistent. I’m also really glad that Wizards made this decision based on real community feedback. Also, Felidar Guardian is a bit too good with him around, and we already have the infinite Saheeli Rai "Copy Cat" combo in Standard. We’ll see what they do about that!

Some players have said that Reflector Mage is past its prime. Perhaps, that's the case. But Emanuel Sator at MTG Card Market brought up a good point that Reflector Mage's ability has probably kept quite a few creatures from seeing play. He mentions creatures such as Woodland Wanderer and The Gitrog Monster that may have otherwise seen play without the Mage hanging around. The huge tempo shifts that the Mage can cause was warping the format a bit.

My take on the Standard bans? Overall, I’m very happy about the Copter ban, because that card is simply way too good. I’m fine with him in Modern. Reflector Mage was a bit of a surprise to me, but made sense based on the data and feedback. Emrakul was also a surprise, but she was just a bit too good for Standard. All three of these bans should greatly increase the diversity of the format.


Now, in Modern:

Quietus Spike is a Magic card from Shards of Alara quietly enjoyed a rise in price from around $2 to $4 over a couple of years. However, with a reprint in Commander 2017 and later in Planechase Anthology, the original printing fell under $2. Quietly, it's been a very solid Equipment for quite a long time.

Appearing first in Shards of Alara, and also included in a Planechase pre-constructed deck, Quietus Spike is a 3-drop Equipment that gives a creature deathtouch. Also, whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, that players loses half of his or her life, rounded up.

Voltron strategies, those that involve loading up one creature with a bunch of Equipments and/or Auras, are extremely popular in Commander. This would explain why a great many Kemba, Kha Regent decks have included this equipment. A card like Quietus Spike is especially good on a Commander like Rafiq of the Many, who much of the time has double strike. That means the effect of Quietus Spike activates twice, which means a ton of life lost.

Quietus Spike is also fun on any creature that has trample or otherwise gains trample. This is because when you assign damage on a trampling creature, only 1 of that damage has to be dealt to a defending creature. Now, not only can you deal more damage, but greatly sap your opponent's overall total, as well.

Sadly, the Spike's ability doesn't trigger Gisela, Blade of Goldnight's double damage dealing ability. This is since the Spike's ability is life loss, not damage. The Spike also doesn't grant you additional combat damage when totaling the 21 Commander damage (also known as general damage) necessary for an invididual Commander to take out a player. It also doesn't double infect damage, which is a good thing, because 10 Poison Counters to kill a player is a low enough total to begin with.

The Spike was also quite good in the short-lived but massively popular Tiny Leaders format, the 50-card Commander variant in which you can only play cards with converted mana cost 3 or less. With how prevalent Voltron strategies are in that format, and the lack of lethal Commander damage, having an Equipment like this can end games quickly. Your opponent only starts with 25 life in Tiny Leaders, so it won't take much for any creature equipped with this to land a heavy blow.

The Tiny Leaders format didn't last all that long, but a lot of people bought Quietus Spike that didn't have use for them before. The price has been on an even steadier rise since then. It took a big jump from $3 to almost $4 between February and April of 2016 and the price has been wavering between $3 and $4 since then.

Even without Tiny Leaders, Quietus Spike sees play in a wide variety of Commander decks. Interestingly, the Commander who utilizes it the most is not one with Double Strike. It's actually Olivia Voldaren. Olivia is usually a Vampire Tribal Commander who is definitely focused on life loss, so you could see the Spike fitting into that strategy quite well. Another Commander bent on life loss is Vela the Night-Clad, so it's little surprise that the Quietus Spike shows up in some of her decks, as well.

Also, both of these decks have access to an Enchantment called Wound Reflection. This card has a player-killing combo with Quietus Spike, since it causes each opponent to lose  life equal to the amount of life lost that turn at the end of each turn. It's probably the best combo available with Quietus Spike.

Quietus Spike is a fairly valuable equipment in a wide range of Commander decks. While it hasn't become a staple in the format, it's widely played. You can't really go wrong picking this card up if you're fond of Equipment-based decks.

   The concept of a New Year's resolution is that a person takes the opportunity of a fresh start,  often changing an undesired trait or behavior, or attempting to grow as an individual.  It is a time honored tradition that often sees people looking to lose weight, eat healthier,  and spend more time with loved ones. But how does Magic: the Gathering fit into this tradition?

In truth, Magic has so much room to grow and change, both as a game and as a community of players. The formats aren't perfect, the community isn't perfect, and that means we can make many resolutions together, and hold each other to them as well-after all, a major part of  making a change permanent is having accountability. With this, I present to you: A Magic: the Gathering Player's 2017 Resolutions!

Resolution #1: Be bold in your builds
We all know what works, what's consistent, what's valuable,  and what wins.  There are staples for each format that make the game run smoother, from fetch lands to Command Tower , and  while they don't ruin formats, they do stabilize it-or stagnate it, as some would believe.  Think of your local meta-what decks are there to always meet/beat?  Do they ever change?  Why not take the steps to change yourself? Be bold-build a jank deck, something with budget cards that might never work, but is fun and new and different.  Shake up your local meta with something out of nowhere, and inject some new life into it; there are over 16,000 cards in the game-be daring, be different, and be creative!

Resolution #2: Try a new format
This may be the most challenging resolution for some. They have seen and tested a number of formats, but have settled for the one(s) they enjoy the most. Fortunately, most Magic players like to make multiple decks in the formats they love for the very reason this resolution may become the easiest for you to tackle. Ask that one friend who plays Modern, or Standard, or EDH/Commander, Legacy, Vintage, Frontier, etc. to borrow a deck and learn the format. You never know what you'll discover-though your wallet may cry for the  results.

Resolution #3: Keep the community diverse
Wizards of the Coast has made great strides in diversifying its cast within the last year or so, and it is a warming sight to see the company power forward in making sure everyone has a character they can identify with, whether it be Saheeli Rai,  Narset, Alesha (my favorite EDH/Commander deck!),  and others. Yet when we go to card shops to play, trade or...well, talk shop, we find the population far less diverse than our cast of characters.  This may not be malicious intent on many of our part, however there are a few quick tips to keep in mind when someone new shows up to the LGS you frequent:

• Invite them over, greet them in a friendly manner, and ask if they want to play a game. They probably do, but are looking for someone to invite them first!
• Remember that people are here to play, and have a good time. Treat your LGS like neutral ground-no trying to hook up with anyone, start an argument , or any other behavior that would drive someone away.
• Treat any/everyone with the level of respect you would want others to treat you with if you were new. 
• Understand that people play for different kinds of fun, and that their deck  may be set up for just that.  Feel free to give advice, but only if you ask permission to give it first.

Resolution #4: Present your best self
Magic: the Gathering is a medium between two or more people, a language in as of itself that people can speak and find friendship in.  When you speak the language, you represent all those who speak the same lingo, so being a shining role model at all times is critical. Remember that when you go to your LGS, compose yourself in the way you'd like to be seen by others, and that you'll be in close quarters with these people for the majority of the night. Our community has been the target of the internet's unrelenting barrage due to concerns of hygiene and appearance, and while one can argue that they should feel entirely comfortable in their LGS, others would argue the same for everyone.   Know that if you come presenting your best self, nobody stands to  lose. 

This doesn't only apply to appearance, however. Attitude and behavior are just as critical of components to having a fun experience as dress and hygiene. Many players can recall facing someone who was a sore loser-or a sore winner-souring the mood and even at times deterring  players from returning, at threat of a repeated incident. Keep in mind that you're playing a game, and that it is only the medium to the person or people across the table; they will remember some plays, for sure, but they will remember more your behavior and actions throughout it. If you see someone who is being subjected to any negative behavior, from attitude to harassment to worse, have someone inform go get a store management  and separate the persons involved while bringing a few more level-headed individuals to ease tensions . It takes only one negative experience for a player to give up an otherwise wonderful game, and as  Edmund Burke once stated: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.". This applies to all of us as a community-have fun, and do good by ourselves and others.  

And there you have it! Four resolutions  to ring in the New Year, making it all the better with your influence. Keep to these resolutions,  and hold others to these standards, and watch the community you love grow to something even greater than it is now. Draw well, and Happy New Year everyone!