<p style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chronicle of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Chronicle of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/eyari" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aldo Dominguez</a></span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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 <em>Lorwyn Eclipsed</em> 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. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And just like the event depicted in the art, this card is very impactful, and it has a fitting name: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chronicle of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Chronicle of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chronicle of Victory"></div></div>
<p>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.</p>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chronicle of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Chronicle of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chronicle of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Chronicle of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> 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?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Overrun" href="#" target="_blank">Overrun</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s don’t. But is it worth six mana? </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That’s where the last ability comes in.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If we can make a lot of mana, however, this just might work. But do we need to work that hard?</span></p>
<h2>What Other Cards Do What <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chronicle of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Chronicle of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Does?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Obelisk of Urd"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma&#039;s Memorial"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When it comes to gamebreaking permanents, Chronicle has a bit of competition. The first comparison I saw on social media was <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Obelisk of Urd" href="#" target="_blank">Obelisk of Urd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 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. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Memorial" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Memorial</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a similar card, providing abilities that can end games in an expensive legendary artifact shell. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archetype of Imagination" href="#" target="_blank">Archetype of Imagination</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another permanent that can be used in a similarly game-ending manner, effectively granting our entire board unblockable (unless opponents' creatures have reach).</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vanquisher&#039;s Banner"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hazoret&#039;s Monument"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What none of those cards do, however, is provide the card draw engine. Green has had access to this ability for a while, with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Guardian Project" href="#" target="_blank">Guardian Project</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primordial Sage" href="#" target="_blank">Primordial Sage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zendikar Resurgent" href="#" target="_blank">Zendikar Resurgent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beast Whisperer" href="#" target="_blank">Beast Whisperer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> highlighting the offerings. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vanquisher&#039;s Banner" href="#" target="_blank">Vanquisher&#039;s Banner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a similarly universal draw engine for typal decks, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hazoret&#039;s Monument" href="#" target="_blank">Hazoret&#039;s Monument</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, 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.</span></p>
<h2>Pros of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chronicle of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Chronicle of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The cost may seem prohibitive, but it could also be a hidden boon.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Typal decks tend to struggle to rebuild after board wipes, especially at the lower <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brackets</a>. 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. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p>
<h2>Cons of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chronicle of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Chronicle of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reclamation Sage" href="#" target="_blank">Reclamation Sage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn’t do Chronicle any favors. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So where does Chronicle fit?</span></p>
<h2>Which Commanders Want <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chronicle of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Chronicle of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marwyn, the Nurturer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seton, Krosan Protector"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Elfball decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marwyn, the Nurturer" href="#" target="_blank">Marwyn, the Nurturer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> come to mind, as do Druid decks, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seton, Krosan Protector" href="#" target="_blank">Seton, Krosan Protector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. 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.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zhulodok, Void Gorger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Traxos, Scourge of Kroog"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Colorless commanders, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zhulodok, Void Gorger" href="#" target="_blank">Zhulodok, Void Gorger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (cascaded spells are still cast, so big Eldrazi draw multiple cards) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Traxos, Scourge of Kroog" href="#" target="_blank">Traxos, Scourge of Kroog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> 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.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cloudstone Curio"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Intruder Alarm"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On a more personal note, since Chronicle rewards spells being cast, it works well with bounce spells. In particular, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cloudstone Curio" href="#" target="_blank">Cloudstone Curio</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fun combo piece and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intruder Alarm" href="#" target="_blank">Intruder Alarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can untap the mana dorks, making Chronicle a form of combo exhaust, drawing deep into the deck, if not the whole thing!</span></p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chronicle of Victory" href="#" target="_blank">Chronicle of Victory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> 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!</span></p>
<p>Verdict: a strong card with a few homes, but certainly not the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> of typal decks.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But what are your thoughts on it? And what decks are you looking to slot it into?</span></p>


best cards for typal decks

Is Chronicle of Victory a New Staple for Typal Commander Decks?