Commander Legends

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Commander Legends
 
Commander decks
 
Trivia
 
Not to be confused with Commander or Legends.
Commander Legends
[[File:{{#setmainimage:CMR logo.jpg}}|250px]]
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description A shield, with elements of the original Legends symbol and the legendary card frame.
Design Gavin Verhey (lead)
Shawn Main (contributions)
Ethan Fleischer
Robert Schuster
Andrew Veen
Noah Millrod
Development Jules Robins (lead)
Hugo Anquier
Dave Humpherys
Brandon Kreines
Ken Nagle
Adam Prosak
Paul Cheon
Sam Stoddard
Art direction Andrew Vallas
Release date November 20, 2020
Plane Multiversal
Themes and mechanics Legendary
Keywords/​ability words Encore, partner, cascade, monarch
Set size 361 cards
(141 commons, 120 uncommons, 77 rares, 22 mythic rares, 1 special)
+6 Commander Deck exclusives
+144 Commander Deck reprints
+2 borderless planeswalkers
+101 foil-etched legends
+102 extended art cards
+1 Buy-a-Box promo
+1 prerelease promo
Expansion code CMR[1]
Development codename Chevron[2]
Commander series
Zendikar Rising
Commander Decks		 Commander Legends Commander Legends
Commander Decks
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
Kaladesh Remastered Commander Legends Commander Legends
Commander Decks
Expansion symbol
CMR draft booster

Commander Legends is the first-ever Magic: The Gathering Commander set that is designed to be drafted. It was the Innovation product for 2020, and was released on November 20, 2020.[1][3][4][5] Due to production delays, the planned release date of this set was pushed back from November 6 to November 20.[6][7]

Set details

“  Booster Draft meets Commander  ”

Commander Legends is larger than a normal set, with both oft-asked-for Commander reprints and new cards. There are 165 new cards, including 71 legendary creatures and planeswalkers.[8] The cards are legal in Eternal formats like Legacy, Pauper, Vintage and Commander. The set contains 361 regular cards (141 commons, 120 uncommons, 77 rares, 22 mythic rares, 1 special) and includes randomly inserted premium versions of all these cards. There are no basic lands in the main set. The six new Commander deck cards are numbered #362-367, and the Commander Deck reprints are numbered #368-504. Basic lands are #504-511. Cards with alternate card frames have another collector number than the original version.[9] The two borderless planeswalkers are #512 and #513, foil-etched cards are numbered #514-614 and extended artwork cards are numbered #615-716. Both regular and foil versions of the borderless and extended art cards may be found in the Collector Boosters (there are no variants for the foil-etched cards). The cards with numbers #717-720 do not exist; these were going to be extended-art versions of the new Commander deck cards, but they were cut from the set (at too late a point for renumbering to occur).[10] The Buy-a-Box is #721 and the prerelease promo is #722.

The set is designed to play Limited Commander: you can play Draft or Sealed with it. It will also be available and draftable on Magic Online.

Drafting rules

Commander Legends draft uses three draft boosters per player. For every pick, players take two cards at a time.[11] This is to ensure coherency of decks, as players will need to conform to the color identities of their eventual commanders, and for speed.

After the draft, players build a 60-card deck — much like how a traditional deck of Magic is 60 cards and a traditional draft is 40, here it's 60 to Commander's 100. All other Commander rules apply with one exception: the Singleton rule does not apply. You may play as many copies of a card as you draft of it, though given the set size compared to how many cards players get, it's not very likely to get more than 1 copy of a card.[12] Players may always use one or more The Prismatic Pipers as a commander, even if they didn't draft one.

Storyline

The set features many known planes and characters as well as new ones. These cards can be from anywhere in space and time in the Multiverse: from Lorwyn to Alara, from the tales of the original Weatherlight Crew to present day.[5]

Marketing

Advertisement card

Commander Legends was sold in 20-card Draft booster packs. Each booster pack contains a non-legendary rare or mythic rare, a foil and two legendary creatures (which may also be rare or higher).[13] A 21st card is a Marketing card.[14] The set is available in English, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. The set is also sold in 15-card Collector Boosters. Both of these types of boosters' booster boxes contain 24 booster packs. The Draft Boosters feature Jeska key art; the Collector Boosters feature art from Prossh, Skyraider of Kher.

The set introduced "foil-etched" cards, which use a brand-new foiling process that looks different from previous foils and have a special card frame.[5] 32 popular legendary creatures reprints exclusively appear into this frame. Foil-etched cards appeared in both Draft and Collector Boosters, with a greater frequency in Collector Boosters.

The set was not a fixed print run,[15] and thus was printed on demand. Boosters were more expensive than normal booster products but less expensive than Masters series boosters. Booster boxes are being sold for around $125 USD.

Events

Promotional cards

Tokens and markers

The Monarch marker

Commander Legends comes with fourteen tokens and markers.[19] Tokens and markers appear in the marketing card slot.

  1. {W} 4/4 Angel creature with flying, for Seraphic Greatsword and Court of Grace.
  2. {W} 1/1 Soldier creature, for Raise the Alarm, Captain's Call, First Response, Keeper of the Accord and Prava of the Steel Legion.
  3. {W} 1/1 Spirit creature with flying, for Alharu, Solemn Ritualist, Court of Grace, Doomed Traveler, and Thalisse, Reverent Medium.
  4. {U} 4/3 Salamander Warrior creature, for Amphin Mutineer and Gor Muldrak, Amphinologist.
  5. {B} 0/1 Thrull creature, for Szat's Will and Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools.
  6. {B} 2/2 Zombie creature, for Maalfeld Twins, Necrotic Hex, Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant, Null Caller and Tormod, the Desecrator.
  7. {R} 2/2 Dragon creature with flying and "{R}: This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn." for Dragon Egg.
  8. {G} 1/1 Elf Warrior creature, for Exquisite Huntmaster, Eyeblight Cullers, Imperious Perfect and Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel.
  9. {C} 3/3 Golem artifact creature, for Ich-Tekik, Salvage Splicer and Phyrexian Triniform.
  10. {C} */* Horror artifact creature, for Profane Transfusion.
  11. {C} Treasure, for Brazen Freebooter, Hullbreacher, Impulsive Pilferer, Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator, Prosperous Pirates, and Sailor of Means.
  12. {C} Equipment artifact named Rock, with "Equipped creature has '{1}, {T}, Sacrifice Rock: This creature deals 2 damage to any target,'" and equip {1}, for Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith.
  13. Copy, for Biowaste Blob.
  14. The Monarch marker, for cards with monarch.

Themes and mechanics

The set of course features many legendary creatures and planeswalkers to use as commanders, many of which are uncommon. There is also one legendary creature (The Prismatic Piper) that is printed at the new "special" rarity, replacing a common in about 1 in 6 draft packs.[5]

In addition, Commander Legends has three returning non-evergreen mechanics and one new mechanic.[5]

  • Encore is the new mechanic, appearing only on creatures.[20] You can pay a creature's encore cost and exile it from your graveyard to create a number of token copies of it for each opponent. Each of those tokens has haste, must attack that opponent, and is sacrificed during the end step.
  • Partner, originally from Commander 2016. To facilitate deckbuilding, the set features 40 monocolor legendary creatures with partner (and one colorless partner). A player may have two commanders if each of them has the partner keyword, with the two partners together combining their color identities for the deck. The Prismatic Piper is intended to be used as a failsafe, providing an additional color for a deck when the player isn't able to draft the right commanders.
  • Monarch, returning from Conspiracy: Take the Crown, specifically to facilitate multiplayer play.[21] Only one player at a time can be designated the monarch. At the beginning of the monarch's end step, they draw a card; and whenever someone deals combat damage to the monarch, they become the new monarch.
  • Cascade, originally from Alara Reborn. When a spell with cascade is cast, its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a nonland card that costs less, and may then cast it without paying its mana cost.

Commander Legends features the following limited archetypes:

Card types

Commander Legends introduces the Szat and Jeska planeswalker types.

Counter types

The set introduces Aegis counters.

Cycles

Commander Legends has seventeen cycles.

Cycle name {W} {U} {B} {R} {G}
Mythic partners Akroma, Vision of Ixidor Sakashima of a Thousand Faces Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools Jeska, Thrice Reborn Kamahl, Heart of Krosa
Five mythic rare legendary creatures or planeswalkers with partner.
Mythic sorceries Triumphant Reckoning Mnemonic Deluge Profane Transfusion Soulfire Eruption Reshape the Earth
Five powerful mythic rare sorceries, each costing {6} and three mana of one color.
Rare partners Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel Eligeth, Crossroads Augur Sengir, the Dark Baron Krark, the Thumbless Kodama of the East Tree
Five rare legendary creatures with partner.
Courts Court of Grace Court of Cunning Court of Ambition Court of Ire Court of Bounty
Five rare enchantments. Each makes you the monarch when they enter the battlefield, and has a triggered ability on your upkeep that gets more powerful if you're the monarch.
Wills Akroma's Will Sakashima's Will Szat's Will Jeska's Will Kamahl's Will
Five rare modal spells, each having two modes and letting you pick both if you control a commander. Each one is named after the mythic partner of their respective color.
Familiars Keleth, Sunmane Familiar Esior, Wardwing Familiar Falthis, Shadowcat Familiar Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar Anara, Wolvid Familiar
Five uncommon legendary creatures with partner. Each has an ability that affects commanders you control.[22]
Artifact partners Rebbec, Architect of Ascension Glacian, Powerstone Engineer Armix, Filigree Thrasher Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith Ich-Tekik, Salvage Splicer
Five uncommon legendary creatures with partner that each synergize with artifacts, as to account for the higher as-fan of artifacts in draft.
Vows Vow of Duty Vow of Flight Vow of Torment Vow of Lightning Vow of Wildness
Five uncommon auras that give a creature a power/toughness bonus, an evergreen keyword, and stops it from attacking the controller of the aura or a planeswalker that player controls. Four were first printed in Commander: the last from the cycle, Vow of Malice, used the now-obsolete keyword intimidate and thus wouldn't be reprinted.[23]
Diamonds Marble Diamond Sky Diamond Charcoal Diamond Fire Diamond Moss Diamond
Five common artifacts that each cost {2} to cast, enters the battlefield tapped, and produces one mana of the appropriate color when tapped. First printed in Mirage.
Cycle name {W}{B} {U}{R} {B}{G} {R}{W} {G}{U}
Crowd lands Vault of Champions Training Center Undergrowth Stadium Spectator Seating Rejuvenating Springs
Five rare dual lands that enter the battlefield tapped unless you have two or more opponents, completing a cycle started in Battlebond.

Six card cycles

Cycle name {W} {U} {B} {R} {G} {C}
Monarch creatures Palace Sentinels Azure Fleet Admiral Thorn of the Black Rose Crimson Fleet Commodore Entourage of Trest Staunch Throneguard
Six common creatures that, on entering the battlefield, make their controller the monarch. Three were first printed in Conspiracy: Take the Crown.

Double cycles

Cycle name {W}{U} {U}{B} {B}{R} {R}{G} {G}{W} {W}{B} {U}{R} {B}{G} {R}{W} {G}{U}
Gold rares Kwain, Itinerant Meddler Nymris, Oona's Trickster Blim, Comedic Genius Hans Eriksson Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn Liesa, Shroud of Dusk Zara, Renegade Recruiter Belbe, Corrupted Observer Bell Borca, Spectral Sergeant Gor Muldrak, Amphinologist
Ten rare dual-colored legendary creatures.
Gold signposts Kangee, Sky Warden Araumi of the Dead Tide Juri, Master of the Revue Tuya Bearclaw Hamza, Guardian of Arashin Thalisse, Reverent Medium Captain Vargus Wrath Abomination of Llanowar Reyav, Master Smith Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty
Ten uncommon dual-colored legendary creatures, each a signpost for a draft archetype.
Uncommon pairs Radiant, Serra Archangel Ghost of Ramirez DePietro Keskit, the Flesh Sculptor Alena, Kessig Trapper Slurrk, All-Ingesting Prava of the Steel Legion Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator Miara, Thorn of the Glade Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood
Siani, Eye of the Storm Tormod, the Desecrator Dargo, the Shipwrecker Halana, Kessig Ranger Alharu, Solemn Ritualist Nadier, Agent of the Duskenel Breeches, Brazen Plunderer Numa, Joraga Chieftain Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist Brinelin, the Moon Kraken
Ten pairs of uncommon monocolored legendary creatures with partner, each together making a signpost for a draft archetype.
Cycle name {G}{W}{U} {W}{U}{B} {U}{B}{R} {B}{R}{G} {R}{G}{W} {R}{W}{B} {G}{U}{R} {W}{B}{G} {U}{R}{W} {B}{G}{U}
Tricolor legends Amareth, the Lustrous Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant Obeka, Brute Chronologist Yurlok of Scorch Thrash Jared Carthalion, True Heir Ghen, Arcanum Weaver Averna, the Chaos Bloom Colfenor, the Last Yew Gnostro, Voice of the Crags Archelos, Lagoon Mystic
Ten rare tri-colored legendary creatures.

Mini-cycles

Cycle name {U} {R} {G}
Rare cascade creatures Sakashima's Protege Aurora Phoenix Sweet-Gum Recluse
Three rare 4MM creatures with cascade. They have powerful abilities that add more worth to playing the costly creatures with cascade.

Mega cycle

Cycle name {W} {U} {B} {R} {G}
Sorcery magi Magus of the Balance (Commander 2018)
(Balance) 		Magus of the Mind (Commander 2017)
(Mind's Desire) 		Magus of the Will (Commander 2016)
(Yawgmoth's Will) 		Magus of the Wheel (Commander 2015)
(Wheel of Fortune) 		Magus of the Order (Commander Legends)
(Natural Order)[24]
Rare Wizards with the converted mana cost and abilities of iconic sorceries from Magic's past.

Pairs

Mirrored pair Description
Soul of Eternity ({W}) Body of Knowledge ({U}) Two rare Avatars with a characteristic-defining ability that sets their power and toughness each to another value (life total and cards in hand, respectively).
Sweet-Gum Recluse ({G}) Sakashima's Protege ({U}) Two rare creatures with flash and cascade that cost {4}MM.
Hullbreacher ({U}) Opposition Agent ({B}) Two rare 3/2 creatures with flash for {2}M that both punish the opponent for trying to get card advantage.
Elvish Doomsayer ({B}) Elvish Visionary ({G}) Two common 1/1 Elf Shamans for {1}M with similar art but opposite effects (dies and discard vs. enters the battlefield and draw).
Azure Fleet Admiral ({U}) Crimson Fleet Commodore ({R}) Two common Pirates for {3}M. Both make the player the monarch and have an evasion ability to regain the title.
Lore pair Description
Archelos, Lagoon Mystic ({B}{G}{U}) Kwain, Itinerant Meddler ({W}{U}) Archelos and Kwain representing the fable of "The Tortoise and the Hare".
Rebbec, Architect of Ascension ({W}) Glacian, Powerstone Engineer ({U}) Glacian and Rebbec were married to each other and both part of the 28 leaders of the Thran Empire.
Alena, Kessig Trapper ({R}) Halana, Kessig Ranger ({G}) Alena and Halana are partners (in both work and life), who live in the depths of the dark Ulvenwald.
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator ({U}) Breeches, Brazen Plunderer ({R}) Breeches and Malcolm are both part of the Brazen Coalition and of Captain Vraska's crew.

Preconstructed decks

Commander Legends also features two preconstructed Commander decks that are released as a regular part of a set's product line.[1] These are meant to be on-ramps to Commander, with a few new cards (three per deck) and the rest reprints. The new cards can't be found in Draft Boosters.

Theme
deck name 		Color Identity Commander
{W} {U} {B} {R} {G}
Arm for Battle W R Wyleth, Soul of Steel
Reap the Tides U G Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait

Changes in rarity

Rare to mythic rare

Rare to uncommon

Rare to common

Uncommon to common

The following are all new to Pauper.

Common to uncommon

Notable cards

First time foil

Extended-art commons and uncommons

For the first time, 33 commons and uncommons in Collector Boosters, namely format staples, are given extended-art frames. They are all either in the set proper, or in the associated preconstructed theme decks.[9]

^† The regular printing of this card only appears in the precon decks, and not in draft boosters.

Foil-etched reprints

The following 32 legendary creature reprints are available in the new foil-etched treatment.[21] All are upshifted to mythic rare and do not appear in the regular card frame.

References

  1. ↑ a b c Gavin Verhey (October 30, 2019). "Big Things Are Coming for Commander in 2020". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ Gavin Verhey (April 22, 2020). "Can you match these 12 Magic products correctly with the codename?". Twitter.
  3. ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 30, 2019). "Is it the "innovation product" for Magic in 2020?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  4. ↑ a b c d WPN (August 17, 2020). "Double Your Commander Legends Prerelease Promos". Wizards Play Network.
  5. ↑ a b c d e Gavin Verhey (August 22, 2020). "A Sneak Peek at Commander Legends". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September 9, 2020). "Production Updates". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (October 2, 2020). "Commander Legends Global Release Date Moved to November 20, 2020". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Gavin Verhey (August 22, 2020). "Immediately realized I wanted to share one more thing that's been a popular ask.". Twitter.
  9. ↑ a b Gavin Verhey (October 26, 2020). "Collecting Commander Legends". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. ↑ (1/2) With the full card image gallery for #CMRLegends live, some eagle-eyed folks have noticed cards with collector numbers 717-720 are missing. That's not an error!. Twitter (November 6, 2020).
  11. ↑ Eli Shiffrin (November 6, 2020). "Commander Legends Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ Gavin Verhey (August 22, 2020). "When drafting, it's a big mental tax on an already complicated format to keep in mind the off-chance you might grab an illegal duplicate.". Twitter.
  13. ↑ Gavin Verhey (October 22, 2020). "To clarify: the 2 guaranteed legends do *not* replace your rare!". Twitter.
  14. ↑ Gavin Verhey (October 26, 2020). "And as a reminder: the legends drop in their own slot, independent of your regular rare.". Twitter.
  15. ↑ Gavin Verhey (August 22, 2020). "Like Modern Horizons, Commander Legends is NOT a fixed print run!". Twitter.
  16. ↑ Alli Steele (November 11, 2020). "Commander Legends Magic Online Edition". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. ↑ a b WPN (August 24, 2020). "Commander Legends: Common Questions & 1st Preview Cards". Wizards Play Network.
  18. ↑ Bill Stark (November 9, 2020). "Commander Legends and Companion". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  19. ↑ Kendall Pepple (November 4, 2020). "The Tokens of Commander Legends". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  20. ↑ Matt Tabak (October 26, 2020). "Commander Legends Mechanics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  21. ↑ a b New Commander Legends spoilers from an eBay listing. Reddit.
  22. ↑ Gavin Verhey (October 16, 2020). "Six New Hints About Commander Legends!". Reddit.
  23. ↑ Preview Cards: A Returning Cycle in Commander Legends! (Video). Good Morning Magic. YouTube (October 30, 2020).
  24. ↑ Gavin Verhey (August 7, 2019). "To steel everybody appropriately: the 5th Magus is absent from MTGC19.". Twitter.
  25. ↑ A Card You'll Find in Commander Legends (And Answering More Questions!) (Video). Good Morning Magic. YouTube (May 22, 2020).
  26. ↑ Gavin Verhey (August 22, 2020). "Prismatic Piper for Pauper Variant!". Twitter.
  27. ↑ Gavin Verhey (August 22, 2020). "The Prismatic Piper is a essentially a "basic" Commander.". Twitter.
  28. ↑ sjkeith (November 2, 2020). "CMR Collector’s Number Irregularity". Reddit.
  29. ↑ Yut0kun (November 7, 2020). "Breaking Down Three Visits". Reddit.
  30. ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 6, 2020). "Can you tell us what all artifacts are hidden in the picture of Ingenuity Engine?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  31. ↑ Salsicha007 (November 12, 2020). "All artifacts from Ingenuity Engine's Art (Yet another Update)". Reddit.

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