Wizards of the Coast is promoting one of its most popular formats, Commander, with five Magic: The Gathering preconstructed decks attached to the release of Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths.
Commander is a multiplayer unsanctioned format within Magic that continues to win over the hearts of players due to its versatility and gameplay experience. Players use 100-card decks that contain only one copy of each card.
Cards within each deck can only contain colors of its primary commander that’s either a Legendary creature or a Planeswalker. The preconstructed Magic decks are designed for new players seeking to join the Commander fun.
Five preconstructed Commander 2020 decks that contain 322 different cards in total are launching on May 15 with the release of IKO. The set was originally scheduled for April 16 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each deck contains two commanders, a primary and secondary.
Ruthless Regiment
The Ruthless Regiment deck focuses on Humans and is a Mardu build that contains the colors Red, White, and Black. Its primary commander is Jirina Kudro.
Jirina Kudro
- Legendary Human
- CMC: Four
- 3/3
- When Jirina Kudro enters the battlefield, create a 1/1 white Human Soldier creature token for each time you’ve cast a commander from the command zone this game.
- Other Humans you control get +2/+0.
Secondary commander: Kelsien, the Plague
- Legendary Human
- CMC: Three
- 2/2
- Vigilance and Haste
- Kelsien, the Plague gets +1/+1 for each experience counter you have.
- Tap: Kelsien deals one damage to target creature you don’t control. When that creature dies this turn, you get an experience counter.
Arcane Maelstrom
Arcane Maelstrom is a Temur deck featuring the colors Green, Blue, and Red. The primary commander in Arcane Maelstrom is Kalamax, the Stormsire.
Kalamax, the Stormsire
- Legendary Elemental Dinosaur
- CMC: Four
- 4/4
- Whenever you cast your first instant spell each turn, if Kalamax, the Stormsire is tapped, copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.
- Whenever you copy an instant spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Kalamax, the Stormsire.
Secondary commander: Rashmi, Eternities Crafter
- Legendary Elf Druid
- CMC: Four
- 2/3
- Whenever you cast your first spell each turn, reveal the top card of your library. If it’s a nonland card with converted mana cost less than that spell’s, you may cast it without paying its mana cost. If you don’t cast the revealed card, put it into your hand.
Symbiotic Swarm
Symbiotic Swarm features Kathril, Aspect Warper as its primary commander and has a Counter theme. It’s an Abzan deck in the colors White, Black, and Green.
Kathril, Aspect Warper
- Legendary Nightmare Insect
- CMC: Five
- 3/3
- When Kathril, Aspect Warper enters the battlefield, put a flying counter on any creature you control if a creature card in your graveyard has flying. Repeat this process for first strike, double strike, deathtouch, hexproof, indestructible, lifelink, menace, reach, trample, and vigilance. Then put a +1/+1 counter on Kathril for each counter put on a creature this way.
Secondary commander: Tayam, Luminous Enigma
- Legendary Nightmare beast
- CMC: Four
- 3/3
- Each other creature you control enters the battlefield with an additional vigilance counter on it.
- Pay 3, Remove three counters from among creatures you control: Put the top three cards of your library into your graveyard, then return a permanent with converted mana cost 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Timeless Wisdom
Timeless Wisdom has a Cycling theme, a returning mechanic in IKO. Its primary commander is Gavi, Nest Warden and it’s a Jeskai build in the colors Blue, Red, and White.
Gavi, Nest Warden
- Legendary Human Shaman
- CMC: Five
- 2/5
- You may pay zero rather than pay the cycling cost of the first card you cycle each turn.
- Whenever you draw your second card each turn, create a 2/2 red and white Dinosaur Cat creature token.
Timeless Wisdom has two secondary commanders who partner with one another: Brallin, Skyshark Rider and Shabraz, the Skyshark.
Brallin, Skyshark Rider
- Legendary Human
- CMC: Four
- 3/3
- Partner with Shabraz, the Skyshark (When this creature enters the battlefield, target player may put Shabraz into their hand from their library, then shuffle.)
- Whenever you discard a card, put a +1/+1 counter on Brallin, Skyshark Rider and it deals 1 damage to each opponent.
- Pay one Red: Target Shark gains trample until end of turn.
Shabraz, the Skyshark
- Legendary Shark-Bird
- CMC: Five
- 3/3
- Partner with Brallin, Skyshark Rider
- Flying
- Whenever you draw a card, put a +1/+1 counter on Shabraz, the Skyshark and you gain one life.
- Pay either Blue or White: Target Human gains flying until end of turn.
Enhanced Evolution
Enhanced Evolution features a new Magic mechanic introduced in IKO, Mutate. The primary commander is Otrimi, the Ever-Playful and it’s a Sultai build in the colors Black, Green, and Blue.
Otrimi, the Ever-Playful
- Legendary Nightmare Beast
- CMC: Six
- 6/6
- Mutate for Black, Green, Blue, and any color mana (If you cast this spell for its mutate cost, put it over or under target non-Human creature you own. They mutate into the creature on top plus all abilities from under it)
- Trample
- Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, return target creature card with Mutate from your graveyard to your hand.
Secondary commander: Zaxara, the Exemplary
- Legendary Nightmare Hydra
- CMC: four
- 2/3
- Deathtouch
- Tap: Add two mana of any one color
- Whenever you cast a spell with “X” in its mana cost, create a 0/0 green Hydra creature token, then put X +1/+1 counters on it.
