Will of the JeskaiWill of the Jeskai | by Jessica Fong

Howdy folks, and happy Precon Month from EDHREC. This month, we're focusing on all things precon across the site. For cEDH, that means sitting back and taking a look at the top ten best cards that started their journeys in a preconstructed Commander (or Brawl) deck.

Importantly, this list won't take into account commanders - instead, we'll be looking at the cards most common in the 99s (or 98s) of cEDH decks.

Honorable Mention - Dockside ExtortionistDockside Extortionist

Kicking things off, there's no way this list could possibly be complete without talking about Dockside Extortionist.

For , this Goblin Pirate enabled infinite mana combos with ease, turbo charged mana production even when it was played fairly - to the extent that you can even call Dockside Extortionist fair in the first place, and centralized deck building across the meta.

Play Dockside, clone Dockside, that's how games went. The only reason Dockside Extortionist is stuck as our honorable mention is that it's banned - otherwise, this card would be much, much higher.

#10 - Command TowerCommand Tower

A card as old as preconstructed Commander itself, Command Tower may not be winning games a la Ad NauseamAd Nauseam or Thassa's OracleThassa's Oracle, but it is absolutely a staple of the format.

If you're playing a multicolor deck - any multicolor deck - then Command Tower is always going to be among the first cards making up your mana base.

An untapped land that taps to add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity, Command Tower is in a class all of its own. Not broken, but necessary - that's Command Tower.

#9 - Will of the JeskaiWill of the Jeskai

The newest contender on our list, Will of the Jeskai is a powerful example of the many ways Commander-specific card design has bolstered the format, as this modal spell lets you choose between two options or choose both if and only if you control your commander.

For , those two options are: each player may discard their hand and draw five cards, and each instant and sorcery card in your graveyard gains flashback until end of turn. The flashback cost is equal to that card's mana cost.

When these two effects are applied together, that means that you can discard a hand full of instants and sorceries and continue to play them this turn thanks to the flashback. That's an incredibly valuable amount of card advantage, exactly the kind the turbo decks are clamoring for.

#8 - Sevinne's ReclamationSevinne's Reclamation

Printed alongside Dockside Extortionist was Sevinne's ReclamationSevinne's Reclamation, a card that has slowly gained steam across white decks throughout cEDH. For , this sorcery returns any permanent with mana value three or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Importantly, however, it also has flashback cost that scales with the game - for , you can cast it from your graveyard. When it's cast this way, you get to copy it and choose another card to bring back.

Nowadays, Sevinne's Reclamation has a split life: in any deck that also plays blue, it turns Gifts UngivenGifts Ungiven and IntuitionIntuition into guaranteed packages, as the flashback cost ensures that you'll have access to whatever cards your opponents choose for you to have as well as whatever cards they choose to put into your graveyard.

In nonblue decks, Sevinne's Reclamation is a bit fairer but no less prevalent, missing only the complimentary package-enablers of Gifts and Intuition.

#7 - Talon Gates of MadaraTalon Gates of Madara

The only other land on our list, Talon Gates of Madara is simultaneously ramp, interaction, and a combo enabler.

This land enters untapped, phases out up to one target creature when it enters, has ": Add ," and ", : Add one mana of any color." Lastly, you can pay to put Talon Gates of Madara from your hand onto the battlefield.

Talon Gates may not do any one thing terribly efficiently, but the flexibility and utility it provides across the game has proven invaluable for plenty of decks. For one, the ability to phase something out is just that - an ability, not a spell, meaning it's incredibly difficult to interact with.

Second, the ability to be put into play without counting as your land drop means that it can be deployed not just on your turn, but on any player's turn - ramping you ahead and providing timing flexibility for the enters-trigger.

#5 - Deflecting SwatDeflecting Swat

Turning to the roster of free spells that debuted in the Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths preconstructed Commander decks, our fifth pick is the red staple Deflecting Swat. For - or for free, if you control your commander - this spell lets you change the targets of target spell or ability.

That means fizzling a counterspell by changing its target to Deflecting Swat, or redirecting a removal spell, or changing the phase-out target for our earlier pick, Talon Gates of Madara. The list of important uses goes on, which is why Deflecting Swat sees as much play as it does.

#4 - Fierce GuardianshipFierce Guardianship

Next up, out last free spell of the list - Fierce Guardianship. For - or, say it with me now, free (if you control your commander - this instant counters target noncreature spell.

Interaction's always at its best when it's free, and Fierce Guardianship's near complete lack of restrictions (noncreature spells cover nearly all threats in cEDH) makes it a premier piece of interaction.

#3 - FlusterstormFlusterstorm

Did you know that Flusterstorm was originally printed in a preconstructed deck? Yes, all the way back in 2011, this card debuted in the deck Political Puppets. It wouldn't be until Iconic Masters in 2017 that it first got released in a standalone set.

Alrighty, with the introduction out of the way, let's talk about the card. For , this instant with storm lets you counter target instant or sorcery unless its controller pays .

With stacks as big as they are and mana budgets as tight as they are, that is often enough to get the job done...especially because storm tracks the number of spells cast by all players, which means you'll always get at least one storm-copy of Flusterstorm.

Your Flusterstorm's storm trigger will create a copy due to your opponent having contributed to the storm count that turn by casting, at a minimum, whatever spell you're trying to counter).

Besides just shooting down instants and sorceries, Flusterstorm's storm trigger is particularly unique because it means that this spell can counter multiple spells at once.

Hold back until the stack gets messy, cast Flusterstorm, then watch as a million and one copies get created - all pointing at any and every target you wish to deal with.

#2 - Jeska's WillJeska's Will

Most our list so far have been cards that help save you from losing the game, or refresh some of your lost resources. Jeska's Will, meanwhile, is the opposite of that - this card is the threat.

For , this sorcery either provides you with an amount of red mana equal to the number of cards in target opponent's hand, or exiles the top three cards of your library and lets you play them this turn. Additionally, and most importantly, you get to do both of these effects if you control your commander.

Each of Jeska's Will's effects are pretty reasonable in their own right, but the flexibility to choose between a ritual and card advantage, as well as the opportunity to have both if you control your commander, is enough to push this card's power level into the stratosphere. If you're in red, you're playing Jeska's Will.

#1 - Arcane SignetArcane Signet

Last but not least, the most ubiquitous card on our list, it's Arcane Signet. Now, this may be far from the most powerful card on our list, but it is an absolute staple of the format in a way that very few other cards can claim to be.

Sol RingSol Ring, Command TowerCommand Tower, and, of course, Arcane Signet together comprise the very limited roster of cards that pretty much every deck is playing.

As for Arcane Signet itself, two-mana mana rocks see plenty of play across cEDH, and Arcane Signet is by far the best one of them. No life loss, no color restrictions (beyond the color identity of your Commander), just superb ramp and color fixing.

Wrap Up

There you have it folks, the most important cEDH cards from preconstructed Commander decks. From ramp to wheels and plenty of interaction, this list covers pretty much everything - even a banned card.