Ranking Every Battlecruiser Card (8 CMC+) with EDHREC – Part 6: The Purge.

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chaos Confetti" href="#" target="_blank">Chaos Confetti</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.marktedin.com/">Mark Tedin</a>)</h6>
<h1>Turn That Smile Upside Down</h1>
<p>Welcome to <em>Too-Specific Top 10</em>, where if there isn't a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we'll just make one up! (Did you know the card to elicit the loudest groan from a table of <em>Storm</em> decks is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhystic Study" href="#" target="_blank">Rhystic Study</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>?)</p>
<p>This time through, we're flipping the script, taking a look at some of the <em>worst</em> cards in Commander. Since it's currently spoiler season for <em>Commander 2019, </em>let's make things more specific, and look at just the least-played cards that originated from Commander precons!</p>
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<h1>Top 10 Commander Flops</h1>
<p>As per usual, rankings are determined solely by the cards' EDHREC score, which is based on how many decks are playing the particular card. In this case, we're going to be judging cards exclusively printed for Commander, rather than looking at the cards that were just reprinted into the Commander product. (It is worth noting, however, that being reprinted after the fact is not only fine, it's probably a sign that the card is fairly decent after all!)</p>
<p>So without further ado, let's look at the least played Commander cards in Commander.<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37092" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hooded Horror"></div></div>
<p>Attack the archenemy they said. It'll be unblockable, they said. Only... is that enough for a five-mana 4/4 to be playable? Alas, much like my old friend <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Savannah Lions" href="#" target="_blank">Savannah Lions</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this one just can't keep up in today's power creep environment, especially when the unblockable ability isn't concrete, but rather fastened onto a large caveat. While it may be that you've built your deck so that you aren't going to be the player with the most creatures, that doesn't guarantee that the person you actually need to attack will be, either.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37093" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Awaken the Sky Tyrant"></div></div>
<p>Back in the day, I used to absolutely love the 'hidden' cycle from <em>Urza's Saga</em>. Tired of that opponent playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s? Try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hidden Gibbons" href="#" target="_blank">Hidden Gibbons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! Want to go faster than that guy playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grim Monolith" href="#" target="_blank">Grim Monolith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? Try <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hidden Guerrillas" href="#" target="_blank">Hidden Guerrillas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Awaken the Sky Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Awaken the Sky Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> fills much the same ultra-fast aggro reactionary role, but in Commander that role isn't very good. Even if there was a four-mana 5/5 flyer available without any additional requirements, it seems doubtful that it would see much play in this slower environment, so it's not too surprising that this would-be Dragon is sitting on the sidelines.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/3-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37094" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/3-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Naya Soulbeast"></div></div>
<p>In a similar vein, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Naya Soulbeast" href="#" target="_blank">Naya Soulbeast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might be a huge trampler for your board... and then again, it might not. In either case, however, for eight mana you're going to want a spell that wins the game, not a vanilla creature that will probably take a few turns to swing in and die incidentally in the meantime. Not having a relevant ability to the board is just not good enough these days, even at lower power levels. The fact that this particular Beast might just be an eight-mana 2/2 makes this card a terrible option for any deck.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/4-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37095" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/4-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fell Shepherd"></div></div>
<p>I'm more sympathetic to our number four card, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fell Shepherd" href="#" target="_blank">Fell Shepherd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In the older days of Commander, this card even saw decent amounts of play, having a relevant triggered ability that synergized with its sacrifice outlet. That and the fact that the sacrifice outlet powers removal to keep the Shepherd unblocked, and this thing should be knocking it out of the park. There's just one problem: it costs seven mana to get out, and then additional mana for each time you sacrifice a creature. There's a lot of possible upside here, but it's unfortunately locked up by needing a lot of resources to get there.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/5-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37096" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/5-resized.png" alt="" width="346" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Terra Ravager"></div></div>
<p>Four toughness isn't a lot in a game of EDH. Only counting commanders, much less other creature staples of the format, there are 377 legendary creatures who can block <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terra Ravager" href="#" target="_blank">Terra Ravager</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and kill it. Of those, about a tenth of them have some sort of indestructible or <em>Regenerate </em>ability, making the likelihood of an even trade much less than a guarantee. Perhaps if the boost the Ravager gets from your opponents' lands was around for blocking or for toughness as well, this might be a bit more of a threat. However, as is, without any sort of evasion and with a high likelihood that this will swing once and die for its trouble, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terra Ravager" href="#" target="_blank">Terra Ravager</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is yet another creature in a long line of fairly vanilla creatures that just aren't making the cut.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/6-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37097" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/6-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Widespread Panic"></div></div>
<p>At number six on the list, this is the first in our Top 10 to actually have me a bit confused by its presence. Don't get me wrong, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Widespread Panic" href="#" target="_blank">Widespread Panic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a weird card that doesn't quite fit in discard or chaos decks, but it doesn't quite <em>not</em> fit either. Add in that it hoses tutors that put cards on top of the deck and acts as an unending <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Plow Under" href="#" target="_blank">Plow Under</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for a deck built around on-board abilities rather than new spells, and it really seems like a place should have been found for this enchantment. In particular, for those decks that thrive on self-mill or exiling the top card of the library, this seems like a unique weapon that could be deadly with the right setup. Honestly, I think that some red commanders that care about the top of the library need to step up and start playing this card. Looking at you, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Melek, Izzet Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Melek, Izzet Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Borborygmos Enraged" href="#" target="_blank">Borborygmos Enraged</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire" href="#" target="_blank">Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Maybe throw some <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soldier of Fortune" href="#" target="_blank">Soldier of Fortune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in there too.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Melek, Izzet Paragon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Borborygmos Enraged"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vaevictis Asmadi, the Dire"></div></div>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/7-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37098" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/7-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Empyrial Storm"></div></div>
<p>One of the nice things about a "worst of" list is that the cards get better as you go. Now, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Empyrial Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Empyrial Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is far from a slam dunk, but it is still a decent card. One 4/4 Angel for six mana is a terrible deal. Two is probably all right, but not exactly ideal. Once you start getting three or more, however, this could actually pack quite the punch. So the question is, what cheap commander cares about tokens and gets cast repeatedly? Might I introduce you to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Saffi Eriksdotter" href="#" target="_blank">Saffi Eriksdotter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? How about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhys the Redeemed" href="#" target="_blank">Rhys the Redeemed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thalia, Guardian of Thraben" href="#" target="_blank">Thalia, Guardian of Thraben</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? (PS: if you have <em>Partner </em>commanders, this triggers for each of them!)</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/8-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37099" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/8-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eye of Doom"></div></div>
<p>While the price could be better, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eye of Doom" href="#" target="_blank">Eye of Doom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s effect can actually be a real boon for the table. Being able to destroy the four best permanents on the board can really level the playing field; the only question is whether it will change it in your favor. Especially if you are doing well, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eye of Doom" href="#" target="_blank">Eye of Doom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might backfire and one or more of <em>your</em> nonland permanents as opposed to your opponents'. Still, in the right political deck, it could just work out.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/9-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37100" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/9-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="228" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shared Trauma"></div></div>
<p>Initially it would appear that we're in another slump here, but it's worth pointing out that the worst version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shared Trauma" href="#" target="_blank">Shared Trauma</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> says "pay X+1 mana to have each player mill the top X cards of their library." That effect alone isn't unplayable for the mill strategy, and might even be playable in several decks that are just interested in filling their graveyard. Unfortunately, there are probably better options for both the mill and self-mill decks, namely <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mind Grind" href="#" target="_blank">Mind Grind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dread Summons" href="#" target="_blank">Dread Summons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.<a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10-resized.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37101" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/10-resized.png" alt="" width="350" height="278" /></a></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Acorn Catapult"></div></div>
<p>You probably play this if you're in the Squirrel deck, because as we've gone over before here on <em>Too-Specific Top 10</em>, there are only 14 cards relating to Squirrels total in the history of <em>Magic</em>. That said, it's still going to be rather underwhelming for you, as you'll probably just be using it to make one Squirrel a turn, sometimes also losing a life in the process, all for much more mana than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Squirrel Nest" href="#" target="_blank">Squirrel Nest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
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<h2>What Do You Think?</h2>
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<p>And finally, which cards do you remember from the Commander products that really just underwhelmed you? What kinds of cards used to make the cut for your decks but aren't pulling their own weight anymore?</p>
<p>Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the Bad Rare Blackjack table soon!</p>


naya soulbeast

Ranking Every Battlecruiser Card (8 CMC+) with EDHREC – Part 6: The Purge.

Too-Specific Top 10 - Commander Flops