The Best Commander Cards From... Alliances

Card | Illustrated by Name

Welcome back to The Best Commander Cards From..., a series focusing on the most powerful EDH cards from across Magic: the Gathering's thirty-year history. Today's focus is Alliances, the eighth expansion set in Magic, which was released a staggering eight months after the previous set in June of 1996.

Mind The Gap

After Homelands was considered something of a dud, it took eight long months for the next Magic expansion set to see release, which was and still is the largest gap between expansion sets in the game's history, and I don't see that record ever being broken at the rate Magic is going today. Alliances was sold in twelve-card booster packs and was somehow considered under-printed due to high demand after the lackluster previous set and long gap between releases.

Pitching & Gorillas

Somehow, this set introduced no new mechanics. Furthermore, although it was technically considered an expansion to Ice Age, the snow mechanic was largely ignored in Alliances, and the direction of both sets was even more divergent before a handful of mechanical tie-ins were added during development. Additionally, at one point the team in charge of storylines decided there was going to be a sentient race of gorillas prominently featured in the set. Say what you will about this idea, I personally love it, but the design team protested by renaming all of the cards in the set to include "Gorilla." But enough about apes and snow, let's just get into some cards.

Arcane Denial

Although for some reason there's an ongoing debate on whether or not it's a good card, Arcane Denial is a true Commander classic. I won't bury the lede on this one, it's still a very good card, and should probably be played over any three-mana counter or two-mana conditional one. Any two-mana Counterspell that doesn't leave you down a card is at least worth considering.

Elvish Spirit Guide

Free mana sources tend to work best in more competitive decks, but I'd consider Elvish Spirit Guide for almost any deck where your commander is very important. Bonus points if your commander draws cards, as card disadvantage is the price you'll pay for this acceleration. Before its Dominaria Remastered reprint, this card hit a price peak of almost $20!

Soldevi Adnate

Although many know this effect from the somewhat recent Illuminor Szeras, Soldevi Adnate is older and cheaper. Despite having more restrictions than its successor, Soldevi Adnate is very good at getting you extra value out of expendable creatures. It's a standout performer in decks looking to have their creatures die for value, like Braids, Arisen Nightmare.

Storm Cauldron

While the effect is undeniably powerful, I've always struggled to find the right deck for this card. It almost certainly only fits into prison-style strategies where you're already playing other lock pieces, like Zo-Zu the Punisher. All told, I wish it cost one less mana.

Helm of Obedience

Considering how often I have to see Leyline of the Void, Dauthi Voidwalker, and Rest in Peace, I'm surprised this card isn't more popular. If you aren't aware, you completely exile an opponent's library with Helm of Obedience and any one of those, which is certainly potent. The card does surprisingly little otherwise, although spiking a nice hit off of an opposing Worldly Tutor isn't impossible.

Lim-Dûl's Vault

If you're a fan of searching for your best card in any given situation, consider Lim-Dûl's Vault. When I first played the card, I didn't think of it as a tutor, but it operates just like one. Considering the current price of Mystical Tutor, Demonic Tutor, and even Vampiric Tutor, it's hard to argue against this budget-friendly banger.

Shield Sphere

It might not look like much, but that sort of innocuous feel is exactly why it flies under the radar. While most decks want nothing to do with this card, it performs well in a few specific situations, particularly in the 99 of Arcades, the Strategist, Dargo, the Shipwrecker, and a few others. It's also surprisingly expensive, largely due to having no reprints.

Lake of the Dead

This Reserved List card would be an auto-include in most of my mono-black decks if not for the price tag, which was somehow $5 as recently as 2016, although it has since risen quite dramatically since then. Considering how good some decks are at drawing extra cards, I think this is both high-risk and high-reward.

Pyrokinesis

Long before Fury, there was Pyrokinesis. It's a pretty steep downgrade, but it has certain advantages. While you'll never get a 4/4 with double strike for your trouble, it can be a free spell, and you can cast it on opposing turns. If mana is your biggest bottleneck, which it often is, this will perform pretty well.

Burnout

This may be one of the more friendly meta cards against counterspell decks you can play, but Burnout is still a bit reliant on your opponents playing blue instants to do literally anything. That being said, it's exceptional in those situations, and you'll be happy to have your spells resolve through whatever shenanigans your opponents have planned.

Ritual of the Machine

There aren't too many clean ways to take control of a creature in mono-black, as you're usually relegated to getting something back from an opposing graveyard. However, Ritual of the Machine does a great job in this regard, removing problematic creature commanders and powerful value creatures quite well. Keep in mind it is a Reserved List card, though.

Phelddagrif

Widely considered the original group hug commander, Phelddagrif has fallen out of favor in the modern day as the archetype has more efficient support in the command zone, but it's hard to argue against the classics. Even today it's surprisingly fun as a political tool in pitched games.

Nature's Chosen

While this isn't one of the Alliances cards from the Reserved List, Nature's Chosen is only ever growing in potential. Alaundo the Seer is only one of the premier commanders that sees a huge benefit from Nature's Chosen. Although it costs only one mana, you should probably only play it if it greatly improves the play patterns of your commander.

Force of Will

What's there to say about this Legacy staple that hasn't been said? This is a remarkably inefficient card from a card-advantage perspective, but being able to counter spells for free is so valuable that Force of Will remains a consideration for many who just don't have mana laying around. It's a very iconic Magic card, and I think it's surprisingly fair in the format by today's standards.

I may have overstated how powerful Alliances was in comparison to Homelands in my last set review, but I generally just like the flavor and play patterns of the cards in this set over the one prior. I also apologize if I missed anything you like, but I'm sure you'll let me know in the comments. There're cards from Alliances that seem to be here to stay, and quite a few under-the-radar hits worth considering. Next time, however, we'll be diving into Mirage, a 350 card set that kicks off Magic's first official block structure. I've been Luka "Robot" Sharaska, and I hope to see you again soon.