Achievement Unlocked - Building a Deck Using EVERY Magic Expansion - Part 1
March 27, 2023 by
Benjamin Nicol 
(Clockspinning | Art by Zoltan Boros and Gabor Szikszai)
A Deck For The Ages
Have you ever made a Commander bucket list? Welcome to Achievement Unlocked, where we take a look at the cool and unique things you can do in this format other than just winning.
Recently I had the idea to build a deck with a card from every Magic set. Unfortunately, with Core Sets and supplemental products, we are way past 100 sets at this point. However, we've had exactly 95 expansion sets as of Phyrexia: All Will Be One. The deck I am working on will have exactly one card that was originally printed in each of these 95 expansions plus one of each of the 5 basic lands.
The main rules here: it has to be the card's first printing, and no more than one card per set. Now, I have a lot of Scryfall searches to do, so without further ado, let's get started!
The Old Days
The average power of levels back then were lower, but there are some absolute bangers hiding behind the Homarids and Thrulls.
Arabian Nights
This set has some cards that still hold up great today. Oubliette is one of the best ways to strand a player's commander without letting them put it back to the command zone, but all decks need lands, and City of Brass is still one of the best mana-fixing lands in the format.
Antiquities
Ashnod's Altar is an all-star in the right deck, but Strip Mine is an important inclusion for any deck. With a continued influx of broken lands in recent sets, answers to these lands are becoming increasingly important.
Legends
An incredibly important set in the history of the format introducing the original Elder Dragon cycle. However, the Commander standout in this set is Land Tax, which still holds up today as one of the best catch-up cards in the game and one of white's best card advantage engines.
The Dark
The set that gave us Blood Moon, Tormod's Crypt, and Dust to Dust, which are all great answers to our opponents' strategies. However, Fellwar Stone is still one of the best mana rocks today, especially in a deck that uses all five colors.
Fallen Empires
Outside of High Tide (which really only works in mono-blue decks) this set is mostly tribal payoffs making it a tough set to pick cards from. Goblin Chirurgeon is way better in a tribal deck, but at least we can use it to protect our Commander. Maybe we can pick up a few more Goblins along the way to make it even stronger.
Ice Age
Ice Age includes Brainstorm, Demonic Consultation and Necropotence, as well as introducing snow lands and the pain lands cycle. However, how could I not pick Mystic Remora? This card is bonkers strong in just about any blue deck.
Homelands
From a strong set to the set that brought us Chandler and Joven. This set may be weak, but Memory Lapse is a perfectly serviceable counterspell early in the game, and it makes our opponents make a tough decision if we target their commander with it.
Alliances
This is where I might get controversial, because Force of Will is incredible, but this set gave us Storm Crow. Okay, I'm just kidding. However, I do think Force of Will is much stronger in a deck with fewer colors, and honestly, for a five-color deck, I might opt for Arcane Denial.
Let's Round Out the 90s
The late 90s saw creature spells catching up to the noncreatures, but it was still the noncreatures that ruled the day.
Mirage
The Charcoal Diamond cycle is introduced here, but there are better mana rocks. This set also gave us some of the best tutors we have in this format, including Enlightened Tutor, Worldly Tutor, and, my pick, Mystical Tutor.
Visions
The black introduction to Mirage's tutor cycle came a set later with Vampiric Tutor. This tutor is still one of the best in the format and is a great pick that can find us any card in our deck.
Weatherlight
Aura of Silence is still underrated, seeing play in just 4% of eligible decks. This is one of the best answers to artifacts and enchantments in the format. However, it's important to consider that our land base in this deck is going to be below average since we can not stick all the fetchlands in it. For that reason, I am going to pick Mind Stone here to continue to fill out my ramp slots.
Tempest
Reanimate is incredible in the right deck, but considering I haven't picked a single creature so far, I'm inclined to look elsewhere. Ancient Tomb is one of the best lands in the format, and we need more lands, but since it does not produce colors, my choice here is Harrow. Harrow can help us go find our few basics and make sure we have all the colors we need while also filling a ramp slot.
Stronghold
Stronghold is full of combo cards, such as Intruder Alarm or Spike Feeder, and it's home to one of my favorite cards, Constant Mists. That being said, I chose Mox Diamond as a way to clean up our mana-base and provide us some acceleration along with the mana fixing.
Exodus
I don't hate Hatred, and Reconnaissance is still criminally underrated in any deck that cares about attack triggers, but Survival of the Fittest is the most flexible card to pick. Once we fill out our deck with some creatures we can use this card to turn our deck into a toolbox, pulling out the creature we need most at any given moment.
Urza's Saga
Finally, creatures are getting stronger. This set introduced Morphling, which was once considered the strongest creature in the game. However, Gaea's Cradle is somehow still legal in the format, and while that remains true that has to be the pick here.
Urza's Legacy
Mom, or Mother of Runes, still holds up today as a staple in just about any format she's legal in, even seeing play in 8% of white Commander decks. This card protects your commander and even can protect itself. Protection also means you can use this card to sneak in a big attacker to deal lethal damage. This card performs at every stage in the game.
Urza's Destiny
Urza's Destiny is full of treats if you like playing with enchantments. Opalescence and Replenish are both great end-game strategies in an enchantress deck, but Pattern of Rebirth is an enchantment that is strong both within and without enchantment-focused strategies.
Mercadian Masques
Food Chain is a classic combo card, but unfortunately its favorite pair, Prossh, Skyraider of Kher, is not an option for this deck. Thieves' Auction is an option if you have a few hours and hate your friends. However, Bribery is powerful, and while it is still salt-inducing, probably won't get you as much hate as if you cast Thieves' Auction.
A New Century
The early 2000s saw some of the best land cycles since the original ABU dual lands. This era finally gave me some lands that are worth slotting into the deck, along with some powerful role-players.
Nemesis
Seal of Doom and Seal of Cleansing both have a place in certain decks, but without a way to take advantage of them multiple times, I'm leaning towards Skyshroud Claim. I'm not a huge fan of four-mana ramp, but this can also fix our colors if we pick up some dual lands down the line.
Prophecy
There is not a ton of competition here. I already raved about Mystic Remora as a stellar card draw spell, and Rhystic Study is even better.
Invasion
This one is so tough for me because Fact or Fiction is an all-time favorite of mine. However, we already have a few great card draw spells, and after I passed on Aura of Silence earlier, I feel that Aura Shards is the pick here. It doesn't see quite as much play as it used to, but I would argue it is still more than good enough to warrant being in at least the 12% of decks it sees play in.
Planeshift
Eladamri's Call is great, but we already have quite a few tutors and are lacking in the removal department. Terminate doesn't hit everything, but it still holds up today as a solid and efficient instant-speed removal spell.
Apocalypse
It took everything in me to not pick Cromat as a Commander for this deck, but I think there are too many other great options for this deck. Guided Passage is a personal favorite, and Vindicate is perfectly serviceable, but this set also gave us enemy pain lands, and it's high time I start establishing a mana base. Let's start with Llanowar Wastes as a Golgari land.
Odyssey
Entomb and Moment's Peace are both extremely strong, but this set also gave us some underrated lands. Cabal Pit and Cephalid Coliseum both see play in less than 5% of decks despite being untapped lands that can tap for a color with upside. These lands are underrated, but we also get the filter lands, which are a great option for fixing our mana, so let's take Skycloud Expanse.
Torment
We all know how strong Cabal Coffers is, but it's significantly weaker in a five-color deck. Deep Analysis is one of my favorite card draw engines in Pauper, and it's serviceable in Commander as well. You can even discard or mill it and still get value.
Judgment
The Anger cycle is awesome, but it's hard to pull off with a sub-par land base. Mirari's Wake, on the other hand, is almost always a powerhouse. However, Krosan Verge is a staple in any deck with white and green. Ramp on a land is hard to come by and definitely invaluable.
Onslaught
Blatant Thievery still holds up as a win condition in Commander, especially as creatures get better. We also get a relatively strong land cycle with the cycle lands like Tranquil Thicket. As strong as that cycle is, it is far from the strongest in the set. Allied fetchlands were introduced here, so we'll take Bloodstained Mire and wish we could have them all.
Legions
I love the Morph mechanic. Everyone knows Willbender is strong, but I love Nantuko Husk in part because when you drop down a Morph most people will expect Willbender and you can catch someone by surprise. However, neither of those come close in power level to Seedborn Muse, which lets us play on everyone's turn, and if you squint you might just see Prophet of Kruphix.
Scourge
Brain Freeze has recently become a popular combo card with Underworld Breach. The Storm mechanic may be broken, but this set also gave us the Decree cycle. Despite its expense, Decree of Pain remains one of the most explosive board wipes in the format, and you can even cycle it to blow out token decks.
Modern Magic
Mirrodin block is the start of the “Modern” era of Magic. Many of these sets are very parasitic, with mechanics designed to flourish within the specific block. However, sometimes the power level was so high that some cards broke through and were just generically good.
Mirrodin
This entire block is a tough one. There are broken cards everywhere, but everything is focused on artifacts and our deck doesn't have a ton yet. Ancient Den and the other artifact lands are powerful but only in multiples and less so if I can only pick one. Solemn Simulacrum stands apart as an artifact that's generically powerful and a Commander staple for a reason. We need some creatures, so I'll pick this and regrettably pass on the Talisman of Dominance cycle.
Darksteel
Skullclamp is generally seen as an aristocrat strategy staple. It certainly is, but I think it is more broadly includable in any deck with an excess of 1/1 creatures. For our deck, however, I'm more inclined to take the generically powerful Equipment, Sword of Fire and Ice.
Fifth Dawn
All Suns' Dawn is a great option for a five-color deck, but we have access to more efficient card draw already. Cranial Plating is powerful in artifact decks, but we don't have enough. Crucible of Worlds is strong with fetchlands, but we're limited in how many we can have. Night's Whisper and Wayfarer's Bauble are both generically strong. However, I'm going to go against what I mentioned earlier and take a card with two of the same color pips. There's a reason Eternal Witness is the most played creature of the past two years in the entire format.
Champions of Kamigawa
Ghostly Prison is strong, but I largely feel that this type of effect is overrated. Kodama's Reach is also a staple, but with an untapped colored land cycle available, this feels like the time to take a land. Sorry, Sensei's Divining Top. Minamo, School at Water's Edge is strong, but Forbidden Orchard is stronger, and the downside is irrelevant in Commander.
Betrayers of Kamigawa
I love this set, but there's not a lot going on in it for Commander. Let's take Final Judgment so that we don't have to take a Wrath later, even though I'm not thrilled about it. At least it exiles, which is becoming increasingly important in the format.
Saviors of Kamigawa
Sakura-Tribe Scout is generically good, but most the cards in this set are closer to One with Nothing for Commander. It does, however, give us another untapped colored land cycle. Oboro, Palace in the Clouds at its worst is like an Island with marginal upside.
Ravnica: City of Guilds
This set is awesome and gives us staples such as Farseek. I apologize for how boring I am going to be. Of course, shocklands are crazy powerful untapped lands with two types. I'm going to take as many as I can. My pick here is Watery Grave.
Guildpact
I am so sorry, but I'm going to do it again: unfortunately, decks need lands. I am going to pick Stomping Ground here over cards I would love to include, such as Orzhov Signet and the rest of that cycle.
Dissension
Protean Hulk is great. Utopia Sprawl is plenty powerful. Being able to cast your spells is the most important part of the game. I am sure you know what is coming at this point. I am taking Breeding Pool.
The Second Half of the Decade
Cold Snap
Coldsnap cares a lot about snow and our deck does not. However, there are some snow ramp spells that can get the job done. Boreal Druid and Into the North are both solid picks, but Coldsteel Heart is the strongest of the three.
Time Spiral
Krosan Grip and Return to Dust were once upon a time staples, but now they have been outclassed, and there are other cards on our list that accomplish the same effect. Flagstones of Trokair and Terramorphic Expanse are both excellent lands, but Vesuva can copy whatever our best land is when we play it.
Planar Chaos
Damnation and Harmonize are fine, but we already have quite a few card draw effects and a few Wraths. Pongify lets us destroy the scariest creatures. We pass up on Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, but without Cabal Coffers in our deck I feel that's the correct choice.
Future Sight
Edge of Autumn is not my pick, but I wanted to mention it as it is very underrated. This set is full of powerful and wacky cards, and the correct pick may be Pact of Negation. However, this set also introduced us to Horizon Canopy, the first in a cycle of cards that would make a splash in Modern. These cards are also excellent in Commander to trade in the late game for cards.
Lorwyn
Austere Command is excellent, but we already have a six-mana board wipe and do not have room for another. Cryptic Command loses a lot of its zest in a multiplayer format and is extremely restrictive to cast. The Hideaway lands, such as Mosswort Bridge, are interesting, and Lignify is an excellent Magic card, but I love Mulldrifter.
Morningtide
Bitterblossom is a fine pick, but another card that doesn't have quite the same legs in multiplayer. Deglamer is a nice way to deal with a problematic artifact and enchantment while making it harder to recur, but in this case I'm going to go with a simple pick and that is Negate.
Shadowmoor
Woodfall Primus is a way to end the game, but I think at this point there are better we can hope for. Farhaven Elf is fine ramp, but this set also gives us a cycle of filter lands and Mystic Gate gives us the ability to make Azorius colors of mana.
Eventide
We have more filter lands and the underrated Batwing Brume. However, in a five-color deck it's almost impossible to ask for more from a mana dork than Bloom Tender provides.
The Halfway Point!
That's halfway through Magic's 95 expansions, and we have half a deck! What do you think of the picks so far? What would you have picked differently? What cards should I look out for in part two, to round out the rest of this deck? We're still on the lookout for a commander, so which legendary creature do you think should take the lead? Let me know in the comments below!
The Deck So Far
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Benjamin Nicol
Ben is a Michigan native who fell in love with Magic just a few years ago in 2019. He loves making big splashy plays in Commander as well as crunching the number to optimize his decks. Outside of Magic, he works in marketing and loves a great cup of coffee to start each morning… maybe with a splash of hot chocolate for his sweet tooth.
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