Chronicle of VictoryChronicle of Victory | Art by Aldo Dominguez

Story Spotlight cards represent one of the coolest narrative decisions WOTC has made, putting the narrative-shaping events in players’ hands and providing a beautiful means of summarizing the story for those who can collect them all. One of the more contentious new cards from Lorwyn Eclipsed isn’t technically a Story Spotlight card, but it’s something even more beautiful: a card that reflects the way the Multiverse was affected by previous story events.

And just like the event depicted in the art, this card is very impactful, and it has a fitting name: Chronicle of VictoryChronicle of Victory.

But is it a new typal staple? And in just how many decks will this Chronicle a Victory? As the resident EDHREC typal master, I'm here to do a bit of analysis.

What Does Chronicle of VictoryChronicle of Victory Do?

Chronicle of VictoryChronicle of Victory is a six-mana legendary artifact. That, in and of itself, limits its usefulness, as Commander has been getting faster and faster as time has gone on. For such an expensive card to be playable, it usually needs to top the curve and win the game. Tapping out for a big spell is a risk. But is Chronicle worth it?

Chronicle does have an ability that is a powerful curve-topper: it gives creatures of a type of our choice +2/+2, first strike, and trample. The pump and trample can certainly break board stalls, and first strike can make sure that we have easy attacks and solid defenses. These abilities on a permanent as a static effect means that this card continues to affect the game in a way that most OverrunOverruns don’t. But is it worth six mana? 

That’s where the last ability comes in.

In addition to boosting and adding keywords to creatures of a given type, Chronicle draws its controller a card whenever they cast a spell of the chosen type - notably not just a creature spell, kindred spells work as well. Giving a card draw engine to any creature type in any color is nothing to sneeze at. But at six mana? Again, it limits the usefulness. The deck needs to be casting spells after it comes down, and expecting a six-mana mass pump artifact to survive a table rotation is wishful thinking.

If we can make a lot of mana, however, this just might work. But do we need to work that hard?

What Other Cards Do What Chronicle of VictoryChronicle of Victory Does?

When it comes to gamebreaking permanents, Chronicle has a bit of competition. The first comparison I saw on social media was Obelisk of UrdObelisk of Urd, which provides the same power/toughness boost for the same mana cost, but can be cast for free with convoke instead of providing abilities or card draw.

Akroma's MemorialAkroma's Memorial is a similar card, providing abilities that can end games in an expensive legendary artifact shell. Archetype of ImaginationArchetype of Imagination is another permanent that can be used in a similarly game-ending manner, effectively granting our entire board unblockable (unless opponents' creatures have reach).

What none of those cards do, however, is provide the card draw engine. Green has had access to this ability for a while, with Guardian ProjectGuardian Project, Primordial SagePrimordial Sage, Zendikar ResurgentZendikar Resurgent, and Beast WhispererBeast Whisperer highlighting the offerings.

Vanquisher's BannerVanquisher's Banner is a similarly universal draw engine for typal decks, and Hazoret's MonumentHazoret's Monument, despite having the word “red” on it, doesn’t have a red pip, so it can grant rummaging to any creature-based deck as well.

Pros of Chronicle of VictoryChronicle of Victory

While each piece of Chronicle has predecessors, combining them together is what makes it different. And the fact that Commander is a singleton format means that even the decks that use similar cards could still use more copies of those effects. And being colorless is another boon, as some colors and colorless typal strategies have difficulty finding card draw engines.

The cost may seem prohibitive, but it could also be a hidden boon.

Typal decks tend to struggle to rebuild after board wipes, especially at the lower Brackets. While other cards may share its role as a curve-topper, Chronicle also turns top-decked creatures, which could be dead draws in the late game, into a full hand and a fresh board.

Pulling double-duty as a card draw engine and a curve-topping finisher gives Chronicle flexibility, ensuring that it’s never a dead draw for decks that ramp or hit their land drops.

Cons of Chronicle of VictoryChronicle of Victory

The most prohibitive element of Chronicle is the cost. Unless it’s not being cast on-curve, it’s unlikely that it will draw any cards the turn it comes out. It also doesn’t help smooth draws, which some more-ambitious decks require.

Additionally, it wants us to cast multiple spells in a turn in order to draw more cards and gain more value, so the creatures of the type need to be relatively low-cost and the deck needs a solid volume of hits, so the type needs to have a lot of low-costing members.

The other major downside is that fusing a win-con to a card draw engine means that both are vulnerable. Engines and win-cons are red flags, as both tend to either run away with or end the game on the spot. As a result, they attract a ton of removal, and most decks have artifact destruction nowadays, even incidentally. Every creature type with green getting a Reclamation SageReclamation Sage doesn’t do Chronicle any favors. 

So where does Chronicle fit?

Which Commanders Want Chronicle of VictoryChronicle of Victory?

The cleanest fit for Chronicle is with creature types that provide bursts of mana but risk petering out. These decks need to cast multiple spells in a turn and have a low average mana value.

Elfball decks like Marwyn, the NurturerMarwyn, the Nurturer come to mind, as do Druid decks, like Seton, Krosan ProtectorSeton, Krosan Protector. Elfball decks tend to want both card draw and anthems, and Chronicle provides both. Seton lets new Druids tap for mana the same turn they enter, so Chronicle can churn through the deck.

Colorless commanders, such as Zhulodok, Void GorgerZhulodok, Void Gorger (cascaded spells are still cast, so big Eldrazi draw multiple cards) and Traxos, Scourge of KroogTraxos, Scourge of Kroog Constructs are hard-pressed for options and can make good use of both the pump and the draw aspects. Large Eldrazi occasionally lack the keywords to avoid getting chump-blocked, and Constructs can be too small to threaten large amounts of damage, both of which are ameliorated by the other abilities of Chronicle.

On a more personal note, since Chronicle rewards spells being cast, it works well with bounce spells. In particular, Cloudstone CurioCloudstone Curio is a fun combo piece and Intruder AlarmIntruder Alarm can untap the mana dorks, making Chronicle a form of combo exhaust, drawing deep into the deck, if not the whole thing!

Conclusion

Chronicle of VictoryChronicle of Victory is an intriguing card, and I am definitely a fan. It swings games as soon as it hits, synergizes well with already-powerful cards, and slots into a variety of existing decks. For six mana, it might be a little expensive, but there are plenty of times when it’s worth it!

Verdict: a strong card with a few homes, but certainly not the Sol RingSol Ring of typal decks.

But what are your thoughts on it? And what decks are you looking to slot it into?