I’ve been watching a ton of Magic the Gathering - Commander content but haven’t had a change to play yet. That’s about to change as a friend invited me to join their new playing group focused on casual Commander and drafting.
To get started, I picked up a Bloomburrow pre-con: Family Matters that features Zinnia, Valley’s Voice as its commander:
When I bought it, I thought Zinnia was a green card so I obviously bought colour matching green sleeves and a green deckbox, only to realise it’s a blue-red-white deck… Maybe that will throw my opponents off. I was planning to modify it to have a bit more Elves in it which I obviously can’t do anymore.
I like the idea of creating a ton of small creatures to swarm the battlefield and then the beautiful Bird Bard will hit hard.
Command Zone’s upgrade ideas
The Command Zone podcast made an upgrade video about it and at some point I’m looking to make some upgrades but I’ll start with the pre-con as it is to get a feel of how it runs. Here’s 10 cards they suggest to add and cut:
Add to upgrade
Scheming Fence, a 2/3 Human Citizen for {W}{U}.
As this creature enters, you may choose a nonland permanent.
Activated abilities of the chosen permanent can’t be activated.
This creature has all activated abilities of the chosen permanent except for loyalty abilities. You may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to activate those abilities.
Rumor Gatherer, a 2/1 Elf Wizard for (1){W}{W}
Alliance — Whenever another creature you control enters, scry 1. If this is the second time this ability has resolved this turn, draw a card instead.
Welcoming Vampire, a 2/3 Vampire for (2){W}
Flying
Whenever one or more other creatures you control with power 2 or less enter, draw a card. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Delney, Streetwise Lookout, a 2/2 Human Scout for (2){W}
Creatures you control with power 2 or less can’t be blocked by creatures with power 3 or greater.
If an ability of a creature you control with power 2 or less triggers, that ability triggers an additional time.
Soulherder, a 1/1 Spirit for (1){W}{U}
Whenever a creature is exiled from the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
At the beginning of your end step, you may exile another target creature you control, then return that card to the battlefield under its owner’s control.
Oltec Matterweaver, a 2/4 Human Artificer for (2){W}
Whenever you cast a creature spell, choose one —
• Create a 1/1 colorless Gnome artifact creature token.
• Create a token that’s a copy of target artifact token you control.
Cayth, Famed Mechanist, a 3/3 Dwarf Artificer for (1){U}{R}{W}
Fabricate 1 (When this creature enters, put a +1/+1 counter on it or create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token.)
Other nontoken creatures you control have fabricate 1.
Nesting Dovehawk, a 2/2 Bird for (3){W}
Flying
At the beginning of combat on your turn, populate. (Create a token that’s a copy of a creature token you control.)
Whenever a creature token you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
Molten Gatekeeper, a 2/3 Golem for (2){R}
Whenever another creature you control enters, this creature deals 1 damage to each opponent.
Unearth {R} ({R}: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. It gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step or if it would leave the battlefield. Unearth only as a sorcery.)
Illustrious Wanderglyph, a 2/2 Golem for (4){W}
Ascend (If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city’s blessing for the rest of the game.)
Other artifact creatures you control get +2/+2 as long as you have the city’s blessing.
At the beginning of each upkeep, create a 1/1 colorless Gnome artifact creature token.
Cut to upgrade
- Combat Celebrant, better in decks with haste
- Cloudblazer, too expensive to be good
- Boss’s Chauffeur
- Illusory Ambusher, card sounds good but doesn’t usually work like that in practice
- Martial Coup, expensive board wipe but destroys your own small creatures too
- Time Wipe, not great
- Helm of the Host, too expensive
- Junk Winder, the deck doesn’t make tokens fast enough
- Murmuration, this deck casts less spells thanks to offspring, not more
- Plumecreed Escort, doesn’t synergise with the deck
DeckTechsForDecks’ upgrade ideas
DeckTechsForDecks also has an upgrade video adding and cutting 20 cards
Add to upgrade
Ashnod’s Altar, a mana ramp artifact for {3}
Sacrifice a creature: Add {C}{C}.
Dour Port-Mage, a 1/3 Frog Wizard for {1}{U}
Whenever one or more other creatures you control leave the battlefield without dying, draw a card.
{1}{U}, {T}: Return another target creature you control to its owner’s hand.
Mulldrifter, a 2/2 Elemental for {4}{U}
Flying
When this creature enters, draw two cards.
Evoke {2}{U} (You may cast this spell for its evoke cost. If you do, it’s sacrificed when it enters.)
Myr Battlesphere, a 4/7 Myr Construct
When this creature enters, create four 1/1 colorless Myr artifact creature tokens.
Whenever this creature attacks, you may tap X untapped Myr you control. If you do, this creature gets +X/+0 until end of turn and deals X damage to the player or planeswalker it’s attacking.
Stalking Leonin, a 3/3 Cat Archer
When this creature enters, secretly choose an opponent.
Reveal the player you chose: Exile target creature that’s attacking you if it’s controlled by the chosen player. Activate only once.
Peregrine Drake, a 2/3 Drake
Flying
When this creature enters, untap up to five lands.
Aerial Extortionist, a 4/3 Bird Soldier for {3}{W}{W}
Flying
Whenever this creature enters or deals combat damage to a player, exile up to one target nonland permanent. For as long as that card remains exiled, its owner may cast it.
Whenever another player casts a spell from anywhere other than their hand, draw a card.
Palladium Myr, a 2/2 Myr
{T}: Add {C}{C}
Saheeli, the Sun’s Brilliance, a 2/2 Human Artificer for {U}{R}
{U}{R}, {T}: Create a token that’s a copy of another target creature or artifact you control, except it’s an artifact in addition to its other types. It gains haste. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.
Golden Argosy, a 3/6 Vehicle for {4}
Whenever Golden Argosy attacks, exile each creature that crewed it this turn. Return them to the battlefield tapped under their owner’s control at the beginning of the next end step.
Crew 1 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 1 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
Meneldor, Swift Savior, a 3/3 Bird Soldier for {3}{U}
Flying
Whenever Meneldor deals combat damage to a player, exile up to one target creature you own, then return it to the battlefield under your control.
Eldrazi Displacer, a 3/3 Eldrazi
Devoid (This card has no color.)
{2}{C}: Exile another target creature, then return it to the battlefield tapped under its owner’s control. ({C} represents colorless mana.)