War of the Spark is the latest set for Wizard of the Coast’s card game, Magic: The Gathering. Boasting a massive roster of cards, this set offers a ton of potential for a variety of formats including Standard, Modern, Pauper, and the ever-popular Commander. We will be focusing on the latter format, as the plethora of Planeswalkers and big, flashy spells feels perfect for this multiplayer mode.
When deciding our list of the best War of the Spark cards for Commander, we decided not to focus on the hyper-competitive side of the game. This format is much faster and typically ends within the first few turns. Instead, we are seeking cards that can fit a variety of different Commander decks, embody the spirit of the format, and will certainly make a splash at your local game store.
Here are our picks for the top 10 War of the Spark Commander cards:
(This list is in no particular order.)
1. Command the Dreadhorde
Reanimation has always been a popular Commander strategy, as it allows users to a variety of different avenues to victory. Command the Dreadhorde is an especially powerful card that enables you to bring back a ton of creatures and Planeswalkers. At the cost of 6 mana, you can pick some of the best cards out of both you and your opponent’s graveyard.
The cost of life per each card isn’t that big of an issue since your starting total is so high and regaining life isn’t difficult. Whether you’re reanimating an entire combo, powerful Planeswalkers, or just need to flood the board with blockers, Command the Dreadhorde is a perfect fit for a variety of EDH decks.
2. Time Wipe
There are a ton of wrath effects in Magic: The Gathering, but Time Wipe might be one of my favorites. For five mana, you can clear the entire board of creatures and bounce a creature you control to your hand. This is exceptionally powerful, as it lets you saved your best monster while completely devastating your opponent’s field.
Given how many Blue/White decks revolve around controlling the board, this is a perfect option for those running Commanders such as Taigam, Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, and Geist of Saint Taft.
3. Evolution Sage
Proliferate is one of the most powerful mechanics in the entire game, as it enhances the effects of a variety of decks that use counters. Typically proliferating is quite tricky or mana intensive, which is why Evolution Sage is such an insane card. For three mana you get a creature that Proliferates every time a land comes into play.
This allows you to quickly stack on counters with little effort, allowing you to quickly get ahead of your opponents. Fetch Lands are especially nasty with Evolution Sage as you’ll get two activations of its ability. We expect this card to become a staple in Atraxa, Lord Windgrace, and Ezuri decks.
4. Viven’s Arkbow
Despite being all about creatures, green has some remarkably powerful draw and search spells. Viven’s Arkbow allows the user to quickly dig through their deck, find a creature card, and immediately put it onto the battlefield. Even though you have to pay mana for “X,” this isn’t that big of a deal since you are in green and have access to a ton of ramp.
What makes Viven’s Arkbow so good is it works in virtually any kind of deck that has green mana. The creature you dig for doesn’t need to be green, plus the discard effect can be fantastic for any graveyard focused strategy.
5. Ilharg, Raze Boar
For those wanting something more aggressive, Ilharg, Raze Boar will fill that bloodthirsty hole in your heart. Costing five mana, when Ilharg attacks you may put any creature card in your hand tapped and attacking. This means you can drop anything from an Etali, Primal Storm to Kozilek, the Great Distortion absolutely free. This opens up a ton of potential as a Commander, allowing you to constantly surprise your foes with what comes out of your hand.
Additionally, Ilharg is great for just being apart of the 99 cards in your Commander deck. It is extremely difficult to kill and provides a lot of utility for aggro decks. We love this card for Commander decks such as Feldon of the Third Path and Maelstrom Wanderer.
6. Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge
There are a lot of Planeswalkers in War of the Spark, but Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge is one of the best. Boasting three loyalty abilities and one static, Tezzeret is fantastic in any deck running a lot of artifacts. Being able to give all of your creatures and Planeswalkers the Affinity, this drastically reducing the mana cost of artifacts is exceptionally powerful.
This passive alone would make Tezzeret a contender for one of the best cards in War of the Spark, but his additional abilities are just icing on the cake. The first one damages your opponents and buffers your life which is always nice. You can also return an artifact from your graveyard which is solid recursion. Finally, his ultimate lets the user exile the top ten cards of your library and play all the artifacts exiled this way.
7. Bolas’ Citadel
A black version of Magus of the Future, Bolas’ Citadel is a potent artifact that allows users to gain a lot of advantage over their opponents. Being able to play the top card of your library is always strong, but switching the mana cost for life drastically pushes this card’s power level. It’s simply solid card advantage in a format where gaining and spending life points is not uncommon. However, the last ability on this card is largely irrelevant since the idea of sacrificing ten permanents to drain your opponents isn’t that appealing.
8. Feather, the Redeemed
Feather, the Redeemed has the potential to be an exceptionally strong commander that can do things typical Boros decks cannot. Her ability to consistently return cards to your hand is fantastic recursion, especially when you combine it with draw spells like Expedite and Defiant Strike.
What we love about Feather, is she works with both “Voltron” strategies or as an engine for combos. She is also quite cheap to cast and as pseudo evasion via flying. This makes her an ideal commander and easily one of, if not the best Boros general. Expect to see a lot of Feather in the near future.
9. Karn, the Great Creator
Karn has always been a powerful Planeswalker in Commander since he can typically fit into any deck. War of the Spark’s iteration is fantastic for a variety of decks such as Stax, control, or artifact combo. Being able to turn off your opponent’s mana rocks is a great static ability. You can also temporarily turn an artifact in a massive creature, but it’s the second loyalty ability that gets Karn onto this list.
There are only a few cards in Magic’s history that allow you to pull from your sideboard and they’ve always been quite powerful. Stacking your sideboard with a variety of niche artifacts allows you to pick and choose what you need in that exact moment. Plus, if Karn survives a turn you can do it again. This is wonderful for protecting combo pieces or just catching your foes off guard.
10. Blast Zone
Utility lands have always been useful in Commander, so one that can act as a board wipe is exceptionally unique. While it may take some time to put counters on it, Blast Zone has the potential to completely devastate your foes. Additionally, Blast Zone also works with Proliferate, so ramping up your number of charge counters isn’t difficult. This card also dodges a ton of removal since it’s a land and can’t be countered by traditional means. If you are running any kind of counter-strategy, make sure to add Blast Zone to your deck.