Samut, Tyrant of NaktamunSamut, Tyrant of Naktamun | Illustrated by Grzegorz Rutkowski

Full previews for Reality Fracture are here, and I haven't been more excited to sink my teeth into a new set in a long, long time. This set's offerings in the instant and sorcery department are actually pretty sparse compared to the other sets released so far this year, but it's still not without its bangers. In this review, I'll be taking a look at the best instants and sorceries from Reality Fracture.

White

Loyal TutorLoyal Tutor

First up is Loyal TutorLoyal Tutor, an extension of the Mirage cycle of top-deck tutors. Like nearly every card I'm going to highlight in this review, this a very polarizing card. Decks that have one or two planeswalkers of extreme strategic value will be overjoyed to include this tutor, and nearly every other deck will steer clear. The harsh reality is that many of the most played planeswalkers in Commander are role-players that I'm not generally happy to go down a card to find. But, if a deck were able to build out a varied toolbox of planeswalkers, that equation could change!

I'm primarily looking to put Loyal Tutor in my decks with combos involving planeswalkers. A great example would be Sisay, Weatherlight CaptainSisay, Weatherlight Captain. There are two common infinite combos that use planeswalkers, like Aminatou, the FateshifterAminatou, the Fateshifter and Nicol Bolas, Dragon-GodNicol Bolas, Dragon-God paired with Oath of TeferiOath of Teferi that could be sped up substantially with an early game Loyal Tutor. A Jeskai deck like my Aragorn, King of GondorAragorn, King of Gondor Splinter TwinSplinter Twin deck would even consider adding Saheeli RaiSaheeli Rai and Felidar GuardianFelidar Guardian and use Loyal Tutor both as a way to set up a combo or protect a win attempt by fetching Teferi, Time RavelerTeferi, Time Raveler.

Teferi's ReproachTeferi's Reproach

Teferi's ReproachTeferi's Reproach is the only card I read this preview season that made me laugh out loud. Where Teferi's ProtectionTeferi's Protection says "I'm going to step away while you all figure this out," Teferi's Reproach says "That guy's stuff is now on vacation!" This difference makes Teferi's Reproach much less desirable than the card it's inspired by. In most cases, it will merely be comparable to a FogFog effect that can't compete with either the mana efficiency of Fog or the raw power of InkshieldInkshield.

The best use for Teferi's Reproach on my radar is purely political. Imagine making a deal with someone that entails them casting a board wipe on their next turn, then using Teferi's Reproach to ensure they survive to cast said board wipe, or even using it to save someone's creatures from a board wipe so they can kill a problem player that's close to executing a noncombat win condition. It's a weird piece of interaction, but I could absolutely see this one popping up in miscellaneous draw-go control decks.

Blue

Sphinx's ApproachSphinx's Approach

Sphinx's ApproachSphinx's Approach is a blue mirror of Dragon's ApproachDragon's Approach. They're functionally the same, except Sphinx's Approach searches for a Sphinx and puts it into play. Unfortunately for Sphinx's Approach, the number of game-warping Dragons in Commander dwarfs the number of playable Sphinxes. Still, three mana for a bomb, like Consecrated SphinxConsecrated Sphinx, or a combo piece, like Tivit, Seller of SecretsTivit, Seller of Secrets, is nothing to sneeze at.

If I were to build a deck around Sphinx's Revelation, my commander of choice would be Raffine, Scheming SeerRaffine, Scheming Seer. Raffine's attack trigger can get multiple Sphinx's Approach into the graveyard at the same time and without having to waste the first half of the game exclusively slinging DivinationDivinations to make the strategy work. After looting enough copies of Sphinx's Approach into play, one could be cast to bring out a Consecrated SphinxConsecrated Sphinx or Dream TrawlerDream Trawler.

Black

Rise of the DeathbringerRise of the Deathbringer

Rise of the DeathbringerRise of the Deathbringer is a black version of Return of the WildspeakerReturn of the Wildspeaker. The card draw comes with a lot of pain, and instead of buffing your entire board, Rise of the Deathbringer gives -3/-3 to everything! This spell has a high floor and a high ceiling, albeit for a fairly high mana cost. When ahead, the first mode will draw a bunch of cards and solidify a preexisting advantage. In a game that's starting to spiral out of control, the second mode can stabilize the board and neutralize creature-based value engines that would be difficult to contend with otherwise.

Of all the commanders that would benefit from Rise of the Deathbringer, Sheoldred, the ApocalypseSheoldred, the Apocalypse is my favorite. Her life gain trigger will be more than enough to offset the damage the first mode will inflict, and she's got enough toughness to survive the board wipe mode. My one caveat is that Rise of the Deathbringer is a card I would expect to see more as a table's power level goes down and Sheoldred is not known for her popularity at those tables.

Red

Face YourselfFace Yourself

There is no shortage of seven-mana spells that almost win the game on the spot in Reality Fracture. At first, I wasn't really sure what to do with Face YourselfFace Yourself. On one hand, getting a huge burst of damage from copying one player's board creates the potential for seriously explosive turns. On the other, those creatures aren't sticking around forever most of the time, and there's a huge prerequisite: there must be an opponent with a board of creatures I can use to win the game and I must have survived those circumstances long enough to cast this spell.

I'm excited to play this card on flavor alone, but where is it going? Big mana Spellslinger decks, particularly the ones that are good at copying spells, are the way to go. That means it'll be at home with commanders like Cormela, Glamour ThiefCormela, Glamour Thief and Galazeth PrismariGalazeth Prismari. The key to making Face Yourself good in those decks is that they don't tend to build wide boards of their own creatures and they are typically running cards like Ral, Storm ConduitRal, Storm Conduit or Cursed RecordingCursed Recording that can elevate Face Yourself to a card that wins the game outright when copied.

Green

Something Worth SavingSomething Worth Saving

Green was pretty underserved as far as instants and sorceries go in Reality Fracture. Ironically, Something Worth SavingSomething Worth Saving isn't anything worth writing at home about. However, for the graveyard decks that run a high density of these "mill X, put a card from among them into your hand" spells, Something Worth SavingSomething Worth Saving is strictly better than Midnight TillingMidnight Tilling and arguably better than Cache GrabCache Grab.

Multicolor

Vindictive TriumphVindictive Triumph

Vindictive TriumphVindictive Triumph is easily the most exciting instant or sorcery in the set. A three-mana removal spell that steals the creature or planeswalker it dealt with, then exiles it again feels tailor-made for Ketramose, the New DawnKetramose, the New Dawn. The bar for a creature to be viable in Commander just keeps getting higher and higher, with creatures that do something immediately when they come into play being overrepresented as a result. Casting Vindictive Triumph to remove a creature with a powerful enters trigger, like FuryFury or Loran of the Third PathLoran of the Third Path, will often be an instantaneous two- or three-for-one before factoring in other synergies, like triggering Ketramose twice.

Entrust the SparkEntrust the Spark

Natural OrderNatural Order is one of the most powerful tutors in Commander, so what if they made Natural Order for planeswalkers? That's exactly what Entrust the SparkEntrust the Spark is. Recreating the moment that Jace's planeswalker spark transfers to Tam, Entrust the Spark sacrifices a planeswalker to tutor any planeswalker onto the battlefield. What holds this card back is that I'd need a really high number of planeswalkers in my deck to feel comfortable including it. Furthermore, the planeswalker that I search for needs to be really powerful and more than five mana to ensure I'm getting a good deal. My ideal tutor targets are game-ending threats, like Ugin, Eye of the StormsUgin, Eye of the Storms or Ugin, the Spirit DragonUgin, the Spirit Dragon.

The first commanders to look at with a card that requires a planeswalker to be in play are the commanders that are planeswalkers! Unfortunately, only six of them include Simic () in their color identity, and none of them look too well-positioned to use this tutor. Thankfully, there are two new Simic commanders that care about planeswalkers enough to warrant Entrust the Spark's inclusion: Tam, the PossibilityTam, the Possibility and Kiora of Salt and SandKiora of Salt and Sand.

Honorable Mention

The Charms

Unlike in Secrets of Strixhaven, the cycle of school-aligned charms are fairly unimpressive. Where each of Secrets of Strixhaven's offerings had generically useful modes, the charms from Hexhaven go for really weird and niche options that simply aren't going to be useful in most games. Just compare Prismari CharmPrismari Charm to its counterpart, Konstrari CharmKonstrari Charm!

The best of the five are Theorix CharmTheorix Charm and Vigorbloom CharmVigorbloom Charm by far. Theorix Charm is a passable piece of interaction with a third mode that a graveyard matters deck would be interested in, like the Uldaros TheorixUldaros Theorix dredge deck I wrote about recently. Meanwhile, Vigorbloom Charm is a versatile protection spell that would be right at home in any deck in its colors. I'll be picking one up for Rafiq of the ManyRafiq of the Many.

Conclusion

That's it for my review of Reality Fracture's instants and sorceries. What did I miss? Were any of my evaluations dead wrong? Let me know in the comments!