Commander 2021

Commander 2021

 

Silverquill Statement

 

Prismari Performance

 

Witherbloom Witchcraft

 

Lorehold Legacies

 

Quantum Quandrix

 

Trivia

 

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Commander 2021
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description	A decorated shield
Design	Ethan Fleischer (lead) Taymoor Rehman Daniel Holt Ken Nagle Noah Millrod Sheldon Menery Ari Nieh Chris Mooney
Development	Corey Bowen (lead)
Release date	April 23, 2021
Plane	Arcavios Multiversal
Keywords/​ability words	Demonstrate
Set size	Five 100-card decks
Expansion code	C21
Commander series
Kaldheim Commander Decks Commander 2021 Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Commander Decks
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
Strixhaven: School of Mages Mystical Archive Commander 2021 Secret Lair Drop Series: Secretorium

Commander 2021, also referred to as Strixhaven Commander, officially styled as Commander (2021 Edition) and marketed as the Strixhaven: School of Mages Commander decks, is a product in the Commander series released by Wizards of the Coast. The set was released on the same day as Strixhaven: School of Mages, and was marketed as an integral part of that set. It was released on April 23, 2021.

Set details

Commander 2021 consists of five preconstructed theme decks, similar to Ikoria Commander, and features 10 playable premium foil commanders. The five enemy colored 100-card decks contain 357 different cards in total, though 28 of those (including the five basic lands) are reprints from Strixhaven, leaving 329 unique cards that bear the set symbol from Commander 2021. There are 81 new cards (#1-81) legal in Vintage and Legacy (1 commons, 70 rares, 10 mythic rares). These are set on the same plane as Strixhaven, though the reprints (#82-327 and #408-409) can be from anywhere.

The 70 new rares and 10 new mythic rares from the Commander 2021 decks are available in an extended-art version (#328-407). These may be found in a dedicated single slot of the Strixhaven: School of Mages Collector Booster. These extended-art cards are only available in non-foil. Of note, the rares and mythic rares that are reprints in the Commander 2021 decks aren't found in Strixhaven Collector Boosters.

Two cards found in Quantum Quandrix, Tranquil Thicket and Yavimaya Coast, have collector numbers #408 and #409, following the extended art cards.

Each package contains 1 foil-etched display commander card (replacing the oversized cards from previous Commander sets), a 100 card deck (including 2 regular foils), 10 double-sided tokens, 1 deck box and 1 life wheel. In addition, there are 9 punch-out counters and a divider which are part of the paper packaging. Each deck features 17 new cards, with one of them (Study Hall) appearing in each deck.

Each deck contains multiple legendary cards, including two mono-colored legendary creatures, but only the face card and the secondary commander are foiled.

Packaging

Retail packaging with reduced use of plastic.

Adam Styborski showing the punch-out counters in the new packaging. Note that the picture on the cardboard box is not a real card

As part of a larger push toward moving away from plastic packaging, this product features reduced plastic packaging. An additional "minimal packaging version" of the deck is introduced for sales online using even less material and space. This doesn't feature the design of the typical retail packaging, but uses a corrugated cardboard box to contain the product. The only difference between the minimal packaging and retail versions is that the insert tray holding the deck box does not offer punch-out counters and a divider—you'll still receive everything else (the deck and deck box, plus life wheel, display commander, and double-sided tokens).

Minimal packaging for online sales.

Themes and mechanics

Each deck focuses on the colors and themes of its associated college.

• Silverquill (): Politics and aggro
• Prismari (): Instants and sorceries with high mana value
• Witherbloom (): Lifegain
• Lorehold (): Artifacts and graveyard recursion
• Quandrix (): Tokens and +1/+1 counters

Commander 2021 introduces the keyword demonstrate, which allows players to copy a spell when they cast it by allowing an opponent to have a copy as well.

Preconstructed decks

Commander 2021 consists of five college-themed decks.

Theme deck name	Color Identity					Commander
Silverquill Statement	W	–	B	–	–	Breena, the Demagogue
Prismari Performance	–	U	–	R	–	Zaffai, Thunder Conductor
Witherbloom Witchcraft	–	–	B	–	G	Willowdusk, Essence Seer
Lorehold Legacies	W	–	–	R	–	Osgir, the Reconstructor
Quantum Quandrix	–	U	–	–	G	Adrix and Nev, Twincasters

Tokens

Each of the five Commander decks contains ten double-sided tokens. Of those, 22 are double-sided variations, with five having Strixhaven tokens on one side and Commander 2021 tokens on the other, and one featuring Strixhaven tokens on both sides. The 30 Commander 2021 tokens are:

1. 10/10 Eldrazi creature, for Desolation Twin and Idol of Oblivion.
2. 2/2 Drake creature with flying, for Talrand, Sky Summoner.
3. 3/3 Fish creature, for Reef Worm.
4. 9/9 Kraken creature, for Reef Worm and Spawning Kraken.
5. 6/6 Whale creature, for Reef Worm.
6. 4/4 Eternalized Champion of Wits.
7. */* Demon creature with flying, for Tivash, Gloom Summoner.
8. 4/4 Horror creature, for Hunted Lammasu.
9. 2/2 Zombie creature, for Curse of Disturbance.
10. 3/3 Beast creature, for Beast Within and Garruk, Primal Hunter.
11. 4/4 Beast creature, for Rampaging Baloths.
12. 2/2 Boar creature, for Curse of the Swine.
13. 3/3 Elephant creature, for Kazandu Tuskcaller and Terastodon.
14. 3/3 Frog Lizard creature, for Incubation // Incongruity and Rapid Hybridization.
15. 4/4 Fungus Beast creature with trample, for Trudge Garden.
16. */* Hydra creature, for Hydra Broodmaster.
17. 1/1 Insect creature with flying and deathtouch, for Hornet Nest and Hornet Queen.
18. 1/1 Saproling creature, for Druidic Satchel.
19. 6/6 Wurm creature, for Garruk, Primal Hunter.
20. 5/5 Elemental creature with flying, for Call the Skybreaker.
21. 1/1 Spirit creature with flying, for Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts.
22. */* Construct artifact creature, for Metallurgic Summonings.
23. 0/0 Construct artifact creature with "This creature gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control," for Digsite Engineer.
24. Food artifact, for Gingerbread Cabin, Gluttonous Troll, Gyome, Master Chef and Taste of Death.
25. 3/3 Golem artifact creature with flying, for Triplicate Titan.
26. 3/3 Golem artifact creature with trample, for Triplicate Titan.
27. 3/3 Golem artifact creature with vigilance, for Triplicate Titan.
28. 1/1 Myr artifact creature, for Myr Battlesphere.
29. 1/1 Thopter artifact creature with flying, for Pia Nalaar and Thopter Engineer.
30. Copy, for Esix, Fractal Bloom, Feldon of the Third Path, Osgir, the Reconstructor, Replication Technique, Rionya, Fire Dancer, Rite of Replication, Theoretical Duplication and Spitting Image.

The following tokens are created by cards in the decks and are thus included with the decks. However, they are not part of the Commander 2021 expansion. Instead, they retain their Strixhaven expansion symbol and collector number:

• 4/4 Elemental creature, for Zaffai, Thunder Conductor.
• 0/0 Fractal creature, for Deekah, Fractal Theorist, Fractal Harness, Geometric Nexus, Oversimplify, Paradox Zone and Sequence Engine.
• 2/1 Inkling creature with flying, for Combat Calligrapher, Fain, the Broker, Felisa, Fang of Silverquill, and Inkshield.
• 1/1 Pest creature with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life", for Blight Mound and Pest Infestation.
• Treasure artifact, for Brass’s Bounty, Excavation Technique, Fain, the Broker, Monologue Tax, and Tempting Contract.

Cycles

Commander 2021 has at least six cycles of new cards:

Cycle name
Techniques	Incarnation Technique	Creative Technique	Healing Technique	Excavation Technique	Replication Technique
	Five rare monocolored sorceries with demonstrate.
Rare colorless	Tempting Contract	Elementalist's Palette	Witch’s Clinic	Triplicate Titan	Geometric Nexus
	Five rare colorless artifacts (one is a land), each supporting a deck's theme.
Cycle name
Face commanders	Breena, the Demagogue	Zaffai, Thunder Conductor	Willowdusk, Essence Seer	Osgir, the Reconstructor	Adrix and Nev, Twincasters
	Five two-colored mythic rare legendary creatures, each teaching at one of the colleges of Strixhaven.
Alternate commanders	Felisa, Fang of Silverquill	Veyran, Voice of Duality	Gyome, Master Chef	Alibou, Ancient Witness	Esix, Fractal Bloom
	Five two-colored mythic rare legendary creatures, each supporting a deck's theme.
Gold rares	Inkshield	Reinterpret	Revival Experiment	Wake the Past	Oversimplify
	Five two-colored rare spells, each supporting a deck's theme.
Monocolored commanders	Nils, Discipline Enforcer ()	Octavia, Living Thesis ()	Tivash, Gloom Summoner ()	Laelia, the Blade Reforged ()	Ruxa, Patient Professor ()
	Fain, the Broker ()	Rionya, Fire Dancer ()	Yedora, Grave Gardener ()	Losheel, Clockwork Scholar ()	Deekah, Fractal Theorist ()
	Five pairs of monocolored rare legendary creatures, each supporting a deck's theme.

Pairs

Commander 2021 has two mirrored pairs.

Mirrored Pairs		Description
Inspiring Refrain ()	Rousing Refrain ()	Rare sorceries with suspend 3. Art depicts the same musical quartet with different members playing.
Angel of the Ruins ()	Ruin Grinder ()	Rare artifact creatures with a landcycling ability. Both have one keyword evasion ability, and a replacement effect upon (entering, resp. leaving) the battlefield.