Commander series
The Commander series is a line of preconstructed products conceived for the Commander format.
Description
From 2013 on, a Commander product was released every year, each containing four or five 100-card decks.[1] This product is generally targeted at non-tournament play. While the audience is obviously Commander players, they are also interesting for other formats like free-for-all multiplayer or Cube Draft.[2] Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths and Zendikar Rising introduced Commander decks that are released as a regular part of a set's product line.[3][4]
New cards
On average, Commander sets feature 50-60 all-new cards. The new commons are available in all decks, uncommons are available in all decks of the card's color, rares are available in one deck only, and mythic rares are the new commanders themselves.
Packaging
For a long time, Commander series products were packaged in plastic with an oversized commander to mark the main commander of each deck (the "face card"). Starting with Commander 2021, plastic was reduced in the packaging and a foil-etched display commander replaced the oversized card.[5] At the same time an additional "minimal packaging version" of the deck was introduced for sales online. While it doesn't feature the design of the typical retail packaging, instead it uses a corrugated cardboard box to contain the product, it delivers almost everything the same way using even less material and space. 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).
Starting with Outlaws of Thunder Junction in 2024, the display commanders were exchanged for regular foil cards.[6]
Releases
Online release
- Commander Theme Decks — Two decks, Magic Online only (August 2009).
Yearly releases
- Commander — Five wedge colored decks (June 2011).
- Commander's Arsenal — 18 foil cards and other goodies (November 2012).
- Commander 2013 — Five shard colored decks, introducing commanders scaling with mana spent and interacting with the command zone. (November 2013).
- Commander 2014 — Five monocolored decks, introducing planeswalker commanders. (November 2014).
- Commander 2015 — Five enemy colored decks, introducing experience counters. (November 2015).
- Commander 2016 — Five 4-color decks (November 2016).
- Commander 2017 — Four tribal decks whose commanders had an eminence ability (August 2017).
- Commander 2018 — Three 3-color decks and one 2-color deck (August 2018).
- Commander 2019 — Three 3-color decks and one 2-color deck (August 2019).
Anthologies
- Commander Anthology — Four previous Commander decks together in one package (June 2017).
- Commander Anthology Volume II — Four previous Commander decks together in one package (June 2018).
Master Series
- Commander Masters — a release in the Masters series (August 2023).
Set Commander decks
Starting with Commander 2020, the Commander releases are all thematically connected to other sets. This allowed R&D to supplement themes from the main set with new cards to help it work better in Commander decks. It also ties into the excitement for the set, including drafting off of all the marketing for it, it provides the opportunity to flesh out creative elements of the current plane, and it differentiates the decks from one another. Always being a blend of everything previously made them feel too similar.[7] After 2021, the Commander [year] template was abandoned, because all sets featured Commander decks.[8]
Starter
| Date | Release | Alternate name | Expansion Code | Decks | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-12 | Starter Commander Decks | SCD | 5 | Designed for beginning players |
Commander Draft
| Date | Release | Alternate name | Expansion Code | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-11 | Commander Legends | CMR | ||
| 2022-06 | Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate | CLB | Dungeons & Dragons crossover | |
| 2023-08 | Commander Masters | CMM | Part of the Masters series |
Secret Lair
| Date | Release | Alternate name | Decks | Connected to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-11 | Heads I Win, Tails You Lose | 1 | Secret Lair Drop Series: Secretversary 2021 | |
| 2023-05 | From Cute to Brute | 1 | N/A | |
| 2023-08 | Angels: They're Just Like Us but Cooler and with Wings | 1 | N/A | |
| 2024-01 | Raining Cats & Dogs | 1 | N/A |
Universes Beyond
| Date | Release | Alternate name | Decks | Connected to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-10 | Warhammer 40,000 Commander Decks | 4 | N/A | |
| 2023-06 | The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Commander Decks | Lord of the Rings Commander | 4 | The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth |
| 2023-10 | Doctor Who Commander Decks | Doctor Who | 4 | N/A |
| 2024-03 | Fallout/Commander decks | Fallout | 4 | N/A |
Commander promos
- A special Sol Ring Commander promo (foil and non-foil) with new art by Mark Tedin was made available at Grand Prix Las Vegas, just before the release of Commander 2019.[9][10] It was throughout the year available through Commander events at MagicFests, and at select conventions.
- 2021 Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow (Chinese only)[11]
- 2021 Xantcha, Sleeper Agent (Chinese only)[11]
References
- ↑ David Leavitt. (25 October 2012.) 'Commander's Arsenal' is a 'treasure trove of Commander goodies' Examiner.com
- ↑ Gavin Verhey (January 18, 2018). "Know Your Audience". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Gavin Verhey (October 30, 2019). "Big Things Are Coming for Commander in 2020". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ The Future of Commander Preconstructed Decks! (Video). Good Morning Magic. YouTube (May 14, 2021).
- ↑ Adam Styborski (April 8, 2021). "Check Out The New Packaging for Commander (2021 Edition) and Beyond". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Max McCall (March 26, 2024). "Collecting Outlaws of Thunder Junction". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 24, 2022). "Let me explain why we’ve chosen to tie the Commander decks to the randomized booster sets". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 12, 2022). "Where is Commander 2022?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Gavin Verhey (July 1, 2019). "Did y'all see this sweet new Sol Ring promo". Twitter.
- ↑ Gavin Verhey (July 30, 2019). "The Sol of Commander". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Wurmageddon (May 10, 2021). "Commander Promo - Only in Chinese". MTG Salvation.
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