Eternal Bargain

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps, 

We have for you today part two of five separate articles we are doing on the new Commander 2013 decks just recently released by WotC to a very welcoming Magic: the Gathering fan base.  Each of these new Commander pre-constructed decks provides a ready to play stack of 100 cards including a choice of three legendary creatures to act as your general which may be also represented by an oversized foil card.  The card list is a solid foundation which you can easily adjust to taste - we'll likely throw a few of our nostalgic favourites we've picked up from MTG Mint Card into the original mix. 

The is the overview / review for Commander 2013's 'Evasive Maneuvers' deck and we've prepared a video with our good friend Jon from 'Command Tower' on Tumblr.  

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See the rest of the videos in this series:
• Evasive Maneuvers
• Eternal Bargain
• Mind Seize
• Power Hungry
• Nature of the Beast

 This Esper deck (white/ blue / black) has the following Commanders to choose from:

Oloro, Ageless Ascetic
This legendary Giant Soldier costing six mana (3 colorless and an 'esper' gives you a 4/5 body on the field and has a lifegain theme in each of the cards three abilities.  Ability one nets you two life, while the second one allows you to pay one coloress whenever you gain life to chip one life off your opponent.  To ensure the life train keeps going, you also add another two onto your total even if Oloro is in your command zone.
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Sydri, Galvanic Genius
This Human Artificer costs three (one 'esper') and provides a 2/2 onto the battlefield.  Both activated abilities are all about artifacts.  For one blue mana, you can turn a target noncreature artifact into an artifact with p/t equal to the cmc.  The second ability allows you to pay a white and black to give a target artifact lifelink / deathtouch until end of turn.
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Sharuum, the Hegemon
Here is the reprint - for six mana (three colorless and an 'esper') you get a 5/5 flying artifact Sphinx creature.  The enter the battlefield effect has the ability to return an artifact card from the 'yard back onto the battlefield, which can get really crazy if you develop a strategy to cheat huge fatties or other high costed artifacts onto the field.
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This is certainly not an 'all in' artifact deck and frankly the list developed by WotC is not meant to be that but rather yet another robust list able to adapt to the game situation and happens to have an artifact theme.  Having just said that, we are keen to develop a major artifact theme with this deck at it's base - we would want to consider both Tezzeret the Seeker and Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas in this mix along with similarily themed card choices.  One concern we have is that should you play Oloro in multiplayer, you could get hated on simply because of his lifegain potential.  
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Alara Art Spoiler 4

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More art, More flavour . . .

ALARA -
Another Plane, Another Time. In The Age Of Wonder. This Plane was multicoloured and good, Until it was rent assunder . . .

Where there was one, there are now five separate planes : the Shards. Each plane was all but severed from two of the five colours of mana. This mana imbalance caused the Shards to evolve in wildly distinct directions of the course of thousands of years. Now their environments and denizens could hardly differ more.

- BANT -

Primarily a white world that does have blue and green mana. The good citizens of Bant have never seen fire magic, and necromancy. A world cut off from red and black mana for hundreds of years has evolved to be a very orderly utopian society. This plane is populated by knights, angels, aven, and rocs. Should combat occur, it is very chivalrous, honorable and generally takes place between champions selected from each side.

- GRIXIS -

This plane is totally cut off from green or white mana. So there is no access to life mana there. What few humans that are left here, are constantly evading necromancers who intend steal their life energy to fuel their spells. It is a horrible world of decay populated by demons, vampires, goblins, and skeletons.

- JUNT -

Primarily red world, a world of chaos and fire. Humans here are barbaric. The apex predators of the food chain on this plane are the dragons. Sarkhan Vol is a denizen of Junt.

- NAYA -

Primarily green world, a bountiful world of growth and life. This plane are populated by elves, cat people, and humans, as well as very large beasts.

- ESPER -

Primarily blue world. Denizens here have organised themselves into a strict orderly society. The denizens here focused on measuring things, and preoccupied with knowledge and wisdom. Even the clouds are measured in Esper.








Until next time, Happy & Safe Gaming !
Don't forget to head out to FNM at your local gaming store tonight.
~ CopySix