Silverquill Command by Bryan Sola

More Commander 2021 Reviews

Lorehold Legacies | Prismari Performance | Quantum Quandrix | Witherbloom Witchcraft

You can find all five Commander 2021 decklists here.

Commander 2021 - Silverquill Statement

It's time for some brand-spanking new cards! I'm not going to waste your time up here. Know going forward that white-black is one of my favorite color pairings and I am so excited to be covering Commander 2021's Silverquill Statement for our review! I'll only be focusing on the new cards to this deck. There are some cards from the Strixhaven set and from other Commander 2021 decks in here that you've already seen covered so I won't be tackling them (Secret Rendezvous, Fracture, Silverquill Campus, and Study Hall).

The Mythic Leaders

Breena, the Demagogue

Kicking things off with the Silverquill Statement face commander! Breena, the Demagogue means that as long as people at the table are punching up (and not you), they'll be rewarded with a card, but no matter what, you'll get two +1/+1 counters for a creature of yours. Encouraging combat, drawing cards, and pointing attention elsewhere? Ouhhhh, this is a political deck. Hot damn! It's cool to have a deck that is so unabashedly political for the first time since the Zedruu, the Greathearted precon, Political Puppets. This commander will get some discussions going at the table. "But if I attack you, I'll get a card." "Yeah, but then Breena puts counters on Dreamstealer!"

I love this design and it's got my gears turning a lot. Want +1/+1 counter theme with Basri's Lieutenant and Bloodtracker? Go for it. Want a forced encouraged combat deck with stuff like Duelist's Heritage and Ghostly Prison? Enjoy!

With white loving rules setting and being in control, black exploiting everything and putting themselves first, it's fun to have a deck built around the theme of making a deal with a demon...but you're the demon 😈.

Felisa, Fang of Silverquill

An evasive general that can give smaller creatures a +1/+1 counter on attack definitely feels more Boros than anything. But when combined with that 3rd ability, now you've got a brew going. Cathars' Crusade anyone? Of course, you need nontoken creatures with counters on them to die to get the Inkling token, but...wait a sec any kind of counters? Soul Snuffers and Dusk Urchins come to mind. Urchins goes away, you draw some cards and get a flying 2/1? Not bad. Snuffers turns your board of Doomed Traveler and Hunted Witness creatures into more bodies for an aristocrats swing with Cruel Celebrant out. I think there's something here.

Felisa is also a vampire and Edgar Markov slaps counters on all vampires when he attacks. With a deck that low to the ground, a board wipe with Felisa out might not be as much of a reset as your opponents think!

New White Goodies

Combat Calligrapher

This is the juice for me. I've got a Thalisse, Reverent Medium deck that will love this guy. Anybody attacking an opponent gets an Inkling token in the air also attacking, but those tokens can't attack me while Calligrapher is out? Playing this like you're doing the table a favor is going to be fun. Incentivize away from you while you build your army and making opponents ping each other for an extra two a combat. This is sneaky! Also, Bird Cleric? Perfect for my Cleric tribal deck.

Guardian Archon

The return of "secretly choose an opponent!" I've never been pulled to these cards. I like the idea of protecting a permanent from someone I deem most likely to hit my stuff, but it feels like there are other ways to do this. You can only do it once, but blink and reanimate decks say hello. I like the idea of having this down right before somebody can pull the trigger on an Aetherflux Reservoir.

Nils, Discipline Enforcer

Loving the legends in this deck. As with Breena and Felisa, Nils gets the gears turning. Combat Calligrapher plays nice with him. This precon is really fun so far. The beefier their creatures get, the harder it is for them to hit you with Nils out. Imagine playing against the Quandrix deck and they've got a 70/70 Fractal token ready to smack somebody, but you windmill slam Nils into play. That's game for somebody else, but not you, buddy. Take a breather. Hopefully you secretly picked the right player with Guardian Archon because Nils is definitely worth protecting. Also, Cleeerriiiiiiiiiiic!

Promise of Loyalty

Ah, I see. A reference to the Vow cycle (ie. Vow of Duty). Those auras buff up a creature, but they can't hit you. This could have been the inspiration for the theme behind the deck. Promise of Loyalty is Divine Reckoning with important distinctions that could make a world of difference. Promise makes everybody choose one creature and then sacrifice their other ones rather than destroy. Sure, there's not flashback, but Promise putting vow counters means that the beaters your opponents choose to keep around can't come at you or your Superfriends anymore.

Scholarship Sponsor

Whiiiiiiite RAAAAAAAAMP! And the lands go TO THE BATTLEFIELD!

An ETB trigger that is on par with White's catchup approach to ramp in the past, but this time, it's closing the gap! Note that it says each player with the least amount of lands can tutor the difference into play, but it does say basic lands. With this guy in your deck, I'm sure you'll make the deckbuilding decision to include more basics especially if you've got a green player at the table. Plenty of landfall decks out and about. Sure, this means some of your opponents will benefit too, but maybe they don't have enough basics, or better yet, you can politic it into a favor!

Note that the search is not a "may" ability. Ob Nixilis, Unshackled and Opposition Agent can be a nasty group of pals with the Sponsor.

Of course, it's four mana value (I'm trying here, folks) and I don't see myself cutting Smothering Tithe for this, but I'm very happy to try this out in my decks.

New Black Goodies

Author of Shadows

An unconditional ETB effect that is not only grave-hate but it lets you cherry-pick the best card in all your opponents' graveyards to cast for as long as it's exiled? Sign me up. Lots of graveyard decks out there and as a player who gets reeeeeally salty when my graveyard goes away, I can tell you it is absolutely worth it including more grave-hate in your deckbuilding. This card seems like a slam dunk. Pop it into blink decks where Author snags a powerful instant or sorcery, blink it after you've played the spell, get it again. Ugh. Chef's kiss.

Bold Plagiarist

Hey look, viral Twitter accounts got a card! Folks!

Seriously though, there might be something I'm missing here. Vampire and Rogue are great types. Flash is always good. I think where Orzhov Advokist and the like are around, this can get beefy. A big beater can be a finisher, but without any evasion, I'm not sold. What other counters are good with this? Somebody please tell me what I'm missing!

Cunning Rhetoric

This is black's Propaganda and I love it. It'd be upsettingly broken if it was for each creature attacking, but this should definitely disincentivize people from swinging your way. And if it doesn't? Maybe you snag a Beast Within from their top deck and...teach 'em a lesson.

I love this card, can't wait to buy too many and not regret it!

Fain, the Broker

Y'all like Trading Post? All of these abilities and their requirements tell me this card is begging to be broken. I really don't want to say anything that would make me look stupid, but I'm excited to see how this card can "accidentally" become the gear in the machine that sends it into overdrive. Look out for Fain, folks. I think this could be a P O W E R H O U S E.

Incarnation Technique

This deck's Demonstrate card is a self-mill reanimation card that you can copy and let someone else have a go?  Hot damn. Araumi of the Dead Tide might want this bad boy. Graveyard decks rejoice, please nobody play Author of Shadows!

Keen Duelist

This is interesting. A Dark Confidant for buddies! Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow is the first commander to come to mind. It's a risk for sure, but you get to pick a new opponent every upkeep. Maybe you'll have people making deals, maybe you know somebody's got a land on top of their deck because of Courser of Kruphix.

Stinging Study

I'd like to make sure my commander is at least four mana value (folks!) to ensure I've got four cards in hand if I'm paying five mana. It's cool that it takes your commander into account wherever they may be (aside from exile or graveyard, but how often does that happen?) so I can see this being a stepping stone to something else. Big commanders like K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth and Vilis, Broker of Blood can definitely get gaga-eyed over this. At instant speed, this is crazy strong.

BLACK & WHITE TOGETHER!

Inkshield

A Fog that turns whatever was coming your way into a meeeean crackback. Thalisse, Reverent Medium has a new tool. Again, the flavor of this deck appeals to me big time. I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

The Art in Artifact

Tempting Contract

This will either be the best or the worst. The lowest you'll feel is when you play this and get nothing out of it all game...but the second somebody bites, the whole table's going to be looking at it like the seal's been broken. I really hope this makes a splash. Again, unabashedly political, but could mean three extra mana for you every upkeep if your opponents are greedy. Make 'em greedy!

Don't want to say too much, so I'll just say this: Grand Arbiter Augustin IV.

That's all, folks!

A lot of really fun cards in this deck. A little narrow, but they feel full of potential. I am THRILLED with this offering. Home run.