Year after year, the Commander set released by Wizards of the Coast becomes a big deal. The set always has a large impact on the EDH format, as well as Legacy. Each year, there are 4 decks released with different themes and color combinations. Well, the 4 themes for Commander 2019 have now leaked, so let’s talk about them!
Populate
Our first mechanic, populate, lets you put a copy of a token you control onto the battlefield. The keyword is often seen in Selesnya colors, so it’s highly likely the first deck will be Green White Tokens. The tokens theme has always been popular as a strategy, so people playing decks with those colors should expect support. Also, expect a reprint of Rhys the Redeemed.
Flashback
Flashback is pretty straightforward: pay the flashback cost of a spell and you cast it from your graveyard (exiling it afterward). It’s generally very balanced but lends itself to shenanigans when you can give all cards in your graveyard flashback à la Past in Flames. The mechanic is generally focused on the Red and Blue colors, so I expect a deck that’s at least Izzet to show up. It will probably be a Spellslinger-type deck featuring lots of card draw and powerful sorceries.
Morph
Morph is a very creature-focused mechanic that centers on playing creatures face-down, then turning them face-up later for bonus effects. The mechanic struggles in Commander, where the only optimal Commander for it right now is Animar, Soul of Elements. New support for the mechanic would be fantastic. Expect exciting morph payoffs, as well as reprints of classic morph creatures — such as Ainok Survivalist — in the Temur colors.
Madness
Our final mechanic is madness. When you discard a card with madness, if you pay the madness cost, you can cast that card. Red and Black are the more popular madness colors we tend to see in EDH, so a Commander that rewards you for casting cards for madness would be fantastic. It could possibly allow you to immediately retrieve the cards you discard or force your opponents to discard with you.
Conclusion
Commander 2019 is already shaping up to be an exciting set to support popular strategies in EDH. There’s a lot that’s still unknown, but this leak gives us a small insight into what’s to come. What do you think will be included in the set? Are there any reprints you’d like to see? Let us know down in the comments below!
