The Best Commander Cards From... Urza's Destiny
Welcome back to The Best Commander Cards From..., a series focusing on the most powerful EDH cards from across Magic: The Gathering's rich thirty-year-long history. Today's focus is Urza's Destiny, the seventeenth expansion set, which was released in June of 1999, and is the final set in Urza's block.
The Finish Line
The story of Urza's Destiny features some rather eugenics-y themes. (Author's note: Y'know, maybe this Urza fellow wasn't the nicest guy.) Story aside, this set certainly lives up to the power level precedent created by its in-block predecessors. This was also the first expansion set featuring the 6th Edition rules changes, and Mark Rosewater designed the set single-handedly. Even with those limits and complications, there's a ton of great Commander staples for us to go over, so we're jumping right in!
Thran Dynamo
You'll find Thran Dynamo in most of the colorless decks with high-cost Commanders. It doesn't shine too brightly in multicolor decks, but you'll feel pretty good if you can spend the full three-mana rebate in artifact-themed or single-color decks.
Repercussion
Your opponents will all be thinking the same thing as soon as Repercussion hits the battlefield: "Where's the Blasphemous Act?" As a bonus, if a bunch of creatures take damage at the same time (as with Blasphemous Act), you get to stack the triggers. This also makes combat a real chore for your opponents, since they're probably taking damage with or without blocking. Good hunting!
Academy Rector
This is one of those cards that only seems to get better over time, as they're probably not going to stop printing powerful enchantments any time soon. Combo pieces, removal, card draw, and more are right at your fingertips with Academy Rector, if you're willing to pay the hefty Reserved List price.
Treachery
Five mana might seem a steep cost, but a Control Magic that refunds itself can be quite potent. Treachery should probably see play in more decks, but it's held back by its steep price as a consequence of being on the Reserved List.
Compost
You can usually expect at least one player at the table to have black cards, which makes this least a bit more palatable than one might think. Even so, it's truly feast or famine with Compost. Either you'll be drawing a ton of extra cards at a steep discount, or you'll not even bother casting it.
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary (Banned, Unbanned, Rebanned!)
Having access to six mana on turn three every single game is a bit too powerful and consistent for the format. Removing him from play just once only pushes the problem down the line, and his presence on the Reserved List only makes the thought of an unbanning seem even more farfetched. In spite of all this power, though, Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary is one of the few cards to get banned, unbanned, and then banned again in any format!
Urza's Incubator
Kindred decks love Urza's Incubator. Dragons in particular have a field day getting cost reduction of any kind. It may feel a bit expensive when you first play it, but once you're double-spelling it'll really pay dividends on higher-cost creatures.
Yavimaya Elder
These days, Yavimaya Elder feels a lot less ubiquitous than I think it did five years ago. Perhaps eight years ago? Perhaps I'm the grandpa that needs to get helped back to bed. You do get a lot of material for your trouble, but I just can't help but think the Elder feels a bit clunky these days.
Replenish
While Replenish wears its power level right on its face, it requires a lot of setup. It's best used in enchantment-themed decks that tend to play the long game. Be cautious, though, as there's always going to be more removal around the corner.
Bubbling Muck
If you've played High Tide, you probably know where this is going. Bubbling Muck gets you a huge burst of mana for a low front price. It is a sorcery rather than an instant like its predecessor, but in black you'll often want the mana on your turn anyway.
Apprentice Necromancer
Just like Corpse Dance, Goryo's Vengeance, and Shallow Grave, Apprentice Necromancer can put cards like Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre onto the battlefield for almost no cost. Unlike those cards, Apprentice Necromancer doesn't exile its target. Combine this with any cheap way to recur creatures (including Meren of Clan Nel Toth) and you've got a recipe for pain.
Junk Diver
You'll find Junk Diver in many synergistic artifact-themed decks, especially alongside Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle. Combo potential aside, Junk Diver is just generally good. From protecting planeswalkers to taking the monarchy/initiative, you can always find something to do with the front half of this bird until you cash it in for something else.
Elvish Piper
The risk here is pretty big, as you're paying a lot of mana for a 1/1 that needs to untap before it does anything. The potential upside of Elvish Piper is that you get to dump huge creatures into play for cheap if it actually survives. If you enjoy casually placing Kozilek, Butcher of Truth into play on your opponent's end step, Elvish Piper might be for you.
Pattern of Rebirth
I'm sensing a theme of cheating on mana costs, and Pattern of Rebirth is no exception. For best results, you can put this on a creature that's already got one foot in the grave, like Sakura-Tribe Elder or Spore Frog.
Yavimaya Hollow
Mostly appearing in decks where protecting your commander is of the utmost importance, Yavimaya Hollow is a very strong utility land. Once you're constantly holding up the mana, your opponents will likely need to team up to deal with just one of your threats.
Sigil of Sleep
Most commonly played alongside ping effects, like Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar, Sigil of Sleep is templated perfectly for chaos on a table-wide scale. A lot of creatures do have great abilities when they enter the battlefield, but the tempo you gain on others will more than make up for it.
Carnival of Souls
If you saw Carnival of Souls and immediately started thinking about combos, you're on the right track. Most prominently featured alongside Acererak the Archlich, it can also be found in a variety of other mono-black and Orzhov decks. All the usual suspects make an appearance, including Blood Artist, Gravecrawler, and even Heartless Summoning.
Opposition
While Opposition still remains strangely powerful and versatile, it requires a lot more effort in Commander than it would in two-player formats like Cube. With just one creature you can stop the biggest attacker on the board or neutralize a Winter Orb. With some effort, you can effectively fog, tap the blue player out of counter mana, or clear the way for your own attacks. If you have an army, you decide if and when anything happens.
Donate
If you saw this card and immediately thought of Illusions of Grandeur, you're either a Magic history nerd, likely sporting gray hair, or both. These days, Donate is mostly relegated to giving away cards like Phyrexian Negator or Demonic Pact, but that wasn't always the case. Kai Budde played Illusions/Donate to a first place finish at Pro Tour New Orleans in 2001. This was his second PT win in a row, cementing him as one of the best to ever play Magic. If you remember hearing about that, I hope your knees are doing okay.
Attrition
If you have enough fuel, Attrition lives up to its name. Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder is one of the top commanders for it, and it's easy to see why. Whether it's machine-gunning down entire board states or trading in value creatures, like Solemn Simulacrum, for key combo pieces, Attrition looks clunky until your creatures are in the crosshairs.
Archery Training
Hmm, if only there was a very popular commander that cared about counters and had deathtouch. Yes, Atraxa, Praetors' Voice is one of the only decks where you'll find Archery Training, at least according to the data. Even without Atraxa, any deathtouch creature turns this into a repeatable Neck Snap.
Metalworker
As long as you have the requisite number of artifacts, Metalworker can produce a ton of mana. Although I'm personally a fan of "X spells", like Villainous Wealth, you can just as easily channel this mana into a card like Void Winnower. Just be warned that your mana production will quickly slow down without card draw to keep your hand stocked.
Yawgmoth's Bargain (Banned)
I've heard whispers that this was supposed to function as a "fixed" Necropotence. Well, one of those is legal in Commander, and it's not Yawgmoth's Bargain. Instead of having to wait until your end step for those sweet cards, you can basically draw half of your deck right there on the spot without worry. Now that's what I call a bargain.
That's all I've got for you today. Although I cut two cards from this list (commenters, do your thing!), Urza's Destiny had a lot to offer. With my retrospective of the entire block coming to a close, seeing how many format staples saw their original printing in it is awe-inspiring. I've been Luka "Robot" Sharaska, and I hope you'll come back next time when we look at Portal and its follow-ups.
