Siege RhinoSiege Rhino | Art by Volkan Baga

The Block Era

Earlier this month, players got a preview of what the next year of Magic has to offer — an even split of three sets within the Magic Multiverse and three yet-unannounced Universes Beyond sets.

But this ambitious pace of six sets per year hasn't always been the norm. In fact, when I started playing the game in 2005, Magic was in the middle of a different release pattern, focused on three-set blocks that all took place on the same plane. A large main set came out each fall, followed by a second, smaller set in late winter, and third, another small set in the spring. Each summer, a new Core Set supplemented this three-part exploration of a given place in the Magic Multiverse.

During this time, the Standard format was much smaller than it is today, usually containing two three-set blocks and one Core Set (for a total of seven sets). Compare this to the twenty-one sets that will be legal in this format at the end of 2026!

This series will be an homage to these three-set blocks while remembering the Standard formats of days gone by — and using this starting point to find cards from this era that have endured in Commander. We'll start with the newest three-set block (if you can call something "new" that is more than a decade old) and travel further back in time to see what cards we can uncover. Let's get into it!

Khans of Tarkir, Theros, and Magic 2015

This Standard format was marked by aggressive decks led by cards like Goblin RabblemasterGoblin Rabblemaster and Mantis RiderMantis Rider, midrange decks led by cards like Courser of KruphixCourser of Kruphix and Siege RhinoSiege Rhino, and control decks led by cards like Dragonlord OjutaiDragonlord Ojutai and Dig Through TimeDig Through Time.

But beyond obvious staples like Reclamation SageReclamation Sage, Swan SongSwan Song, and Reality ShiftReality Shift, what cards from this time period have endured to this day in Commander?

Counters Matter

The outlast mechanic on creatures connected to the Abzan Clan () meant that cards within this color identity often cared about +1/+1 counters. As a result, Abzan FalconerAbzan Falconer, Hardened ScalesHardened Scales, and Inspiring CallInspiring Call still see play in Commander decks with a +1/+1 counter theme, with the Scales in 459K decks. Common homes for this enchantment are The Wise MothmanThe Wise Mothman, Hakbal of the Surging SoulHakbal of the Surging Soul, and Tidus, Yuna's GuardianTidus, Yuna's Guardian.

Devotion

The devotion mechanic introduced in Theros is seen most prominently on Gray Merchant of AsphodelGray Merchant of Asphodel, while Whip of ErebosWhip of Erebos and Bident of ThassaBident of Thassa are other cards from devotion-themed Standard decks that have also made an impact on Commander. The Merchant, included in 400K decks, is a perfect fit in strategies led by symbol-heavy K'rrik, Son of YawgmothK'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth, Zombie-centric Wilhelt, the RotcleaverWilhelt, the Rotcleaver, and mass life-drain specialists Valgavoth, Harrower of SoulsValgavoth, Harrower of Souls and Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER.

Dragons

Starting in Fate Reforged, Dragons were introduced onto the plane of Tarkir. Dragons are also widely played in Commander, which makes a lot of sense — that's what the "D" in EDH stands for, after all! As of the writing of this article, The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon and Kaalia of the VastKaalia of the Vast are ranked #1 and #6 overall, respectively, in popularity.

As a result, Dragon TempestDragon Tempest and Dragonlord's ServantDragonlord's Servant both exceed 110K decks and see play in Dragon-themed builds that have access to , which is most of them.

Atarka, World RenderAtarka, World Render has had a decent showing as a commander itself, with over 5,500 decks currently to its name, but it's much more popular in the 99 of decks like the aforementioned The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon, Miirym, Sentinel WyrmMiirym, Sentinel Wyrm, and Ureni of the UnwrittenUreni of the Unwritten.

Finally, Crux of FateCrux of Fate is an awesome asymmetrical mass removal effect often included in Dragons decks. It has also made its way into the strategies of hipster brewers who challenge themselves to build Dragon-themed decks without , inspired by commanders like Sivitri, Dragon MasterSivitri, Dragon Master or Estinien VarlineauEstinien Varlineau.

Draw

Dig Through TimeDig Through Time and Treasure CruiseTreasure Cruise both showcased the power of the Sultai () Clan's delve ability. They showcased delve a little too well, resulting in both cards being banned in multiple 60-card formats.

But in Commander, their power level is just rightjust right — and their high mana value is an important asset in decks led by popular commanders like Yuriko, the Tiger's ShadowYuriko, the Tiger's Shadow and Y'shtola, Night's BlessedY'shtola, Night's Blessed. Getting a little more into hipster territory, ElminsterElminster, Rootha, Mastering the MomentRootha, Mastering the Moment, Ovika, Enigma GoliathOvika, Enigma Goliath, and Saruman, the White HandSaruman, the White Hand can turn these spells into either a single fearsome 8/8 token or an army of eight 1/1 tokens. And we can't leave out Marvo, Deep OperativeMarvo, Deep Operative, which has "mana value 8" printed right on the card!

Even over a decade ago, quality card draw wasn't limited to . Eidolon of BlossomsEidolon of Blossoms appeared in Standard in a midrange deck showcasing the constellation ability from Journey into Nyx alongside cards like Doomwake GiantDoomwake Giant and Courser of KruphixCourser of Kruphix. In Commander, the Eidolon is in 159K decks, making it the most popular card with this ability. It fits well into Enchantress strategies helmed by commanders like Anikthea, Hand of ErebosAnikthea, Hand of Erebos, Sythis, Harvest's HandSythis, Harvest's Hand, Ellivere of the Wild CourtEllivere of the Wild Court, and Wildsear, Scouring MawWildsear, Scouring Maw.

This creature is also a frequent inclusion in decks that care about specific types of enchantments, whether SagasSagas, RoomsRooms, or ShrinesShrines.

For go-big decks, Shamanic RevelationShamanic Revelation and Temur AscendancyTemur Ascendancy are cards that originally showcased the Temur () Clan's formidable theme. The Revelation is included in 298K decks and is at its most popular in go-wide strategies led by commanders like Hazel of the RootbloomHazel of the Rootbloom, Witherbloom, the BalancerWitherbloom, the Balancer, and Shroofus SproutsireShroofus Sproutsire.

Tokens/Go Wide

Impact TremorsImpact Tremors and Purphoros, God of the ForgePurphoros, God of the Forge are both at home in strategies focused on making an army of small tokens. Some of the most popular commanders that do this are Krenko, Mob BossKrenko, Mob Boss, Baylen, the HaymakerBaylen, the Haymaker, Caesar, Legion's EmperorCaesar, Legion's Emperor, and Xyris, the Writhing StormXyris, the Writhing Storm.

They're both a perfect fit for Norin the WaryNorin the Wary as well, as this apprehensive Warrior needs a critical mass of this type of effect with only access to color identity. Between this enchantment and enchantment creature, the Tremors is both cheaper to cast and to purchase, and has made it into a staggering 452K decks.

Speaking of going wide, Elspeth, Sun's ChampionElspeth, Sun's Champion and Secure the WastesSecure the Wastes are both cards from this era that make lots of 1/1 white tokens. Both cards are prevalent in decks led by Zinnia, Valley's VoiceZinnia, Valley's Voice, Arabella, Abandoned DollArabella, Abandoned Doll, and Kasla, the Broken HaloKasla, the Broken Halo.

There are some slight differences between these two, though. As a planeswalker, Elspeth is welcome in Commodore Guff and Superfriends builds of Atraxa, Praetors' VoiceAtraxa, Praetors' Voice — and creating Soldier tokens means it's a great fit for Myrel, Shield of ArgiveMyrel, Shield of Argive and Commander MustardCommander Mustard decks. (Side note: does anyone have experience building/playing with Commander Mustard? I feel like vigilance is really underrated in Commander and it looks really fun.)

Meanwhile, Secure the WastesSecure the Wastes is an instant that works well with Silverquill, the DisputantSilverquill, the Disputant and creates WarriorWarrior tokens perfect for many Najeela, the Blade-BlossomNajeela, the Blade-Blossom decks (20% of them, in fact).

Combining and go-wide strategies is Iroas, God of VictoryIroas, God of Victory, which has a decent showing as a commander but is most popular in the 99 of decks focused on attacking, like Isshin, Two Heavens as OneIsshin, Two Heavens as One, Lightning, Army of OneLightning, Army of One, Tifa, Martial ArtistTifa, Martial Artist, and Saskia the UnyieldingSaskia the Unyielding. It's also in a whopping 93% of Atreus, Impulsive SonAtreus, Impulsive Son/Kratos, Stoic FatherKratos, Stoic Father decks, which are trying to max out the number of Gods from a very limited pool.

Conclusion

Who knew that so many cards that were in Standard over a decade ago could still have such an influence on Commander? What cards do you think are most emblematic of this era, and are there any cards from then that you have specific memories of? What about more niche cards from around this time that didn't make the list?

Thanks for reading, and see you next time as we delve deeper into Magic history!