Naughty//Nice | Art by Greg Staples

Who's on the List?

I am not, in fact, Santa Claus. But this year, I'm pretending to be.

In my usual series, The Over/Under, I try to predict how popular new commanders will become one year after their release. But since I've covered every set from 2024 already, I thought this might be a fun opportunity for a retrospective. And so, we're getting naughty. And nice.

What were the biggest blunders of the year? What were the strongest successes? What gimmicks horribly backfired on me? Let's find out!

Naughty: Universes Beyond Takes Over

I haven't been as disappointed in the Universes Beyond products as most other players. I viewed them as fun ancillary products for fans of whatever crossover IP we might've visited. Honestly, I was even holding on hope that we might someday get an X-Files product. And then October rolled around.

On the 25th of that month, Aaron Forsythe announced all future Universes Beyond sets would be legal in all formats. Furthermore, we'll now have three of them per year, starting with Final Fantasy next June, Marvel's Spider-Man at an undisclosed later date, and an unnamed set after that.

The first half of that news isn't groundbreaking for us; UB cards have been running rampant in Commander for years. It's the other bit that's got me concerned. Forsythe lists several reasons for the change, but the cynical explanation is these licensed sets make massive profits. That makes corporate Hasbro happy, but it's concerning for the long term originality of the game.

Take a set like April's Outlaws of Thunder Junction. It's an original plane that unites villains from the game's history, including Oko, Vraska, Rakdos, and Tinybones. I didn't love the set, but even I couldn't deny that it was a triumph of concept and worldbuilding. Finding familiar characters in an unfamiliar world was a delight, and it was made possible from years of original storytelling.

You can find that same resonance in Universes Beyond, true, but it has to be built-in. Speaking from personal experience, it was pleasing to see my guy Aragorn as a Magic card in Tales of Middle-earth.

Yet that's only because I happened to have prior attachment to that world. This year's Assassin's Creed, by contrast, interested me not in the slightest.

If it had been an original set built around the theme of Assassin kindred, I would've given it more of a shot. I suspect many players feel the same.

We're only going to have more of that hit-and-miss feeling moving forward, and I think that's a shame. So for now, Universes Beyond products, you're on the Naughty List.

Nice: Duskmourn: House of Horror

From the flavor to the gameplay to the creepy killer clowns, this was my favorite set of the year. We got 27 new commanders (which I believe is the perfect amount), with some returning characters and many more fresh faces. Check that—creepy faces.

Rendmaw, Creaking Nest was my favorite, and though many were surprised I named it my Can't-Miss Pick, it's already gone far over 1,200. Thanks, Rendmaw. This class of commanders as a whole is tracking well, with 15 of the 27 already going Over.

I still maintain it's thematically and aesthetically similar enough to Innistrad that it probably shouldn't have become a new plane, but whatever—Duskmourn was still a hit in my book. But while we're on the subject...

Naughty: So-Called Original Planes That Nonetheless Seem Oddly Familiar

Maybe it was because they came back-to-back, but what was the deal with Bloomburrow and Duskmourn? I mean, Bloomburrow was an idyllic, whimsical world based around typal synergies. Sounds a lot like my favorite set ever, Lorwyn. And Duskmourn is a top-down horror-themed world featuring the Delirium mechanic. Sounds a lot like Innistrad to me.

Granted, both distinguished themselves in many ways, and I enjoyed both for what they were. Yet still, I couldn't help but think of them as reboots. And when half our future sets are now going to be IP crossovers, we need to cherish our originality.

Nice: Commander Masters

This one didn't technically release in 2024, but I did review my picks in August. That's when I earned an 88% correct prediction percentage, which was only three points short of my all-time best.

The other nice thing about this product was its restraint. There were only eight new commanders, which is far fewer than the usual metric crapton we get. (Granted, that's because Commander Masters wasn't a usual booster release, but still.)

It might sound contradictory to ask for less of something we love, but here I believe it applies. I mean, each of these eight earned far more decks and far more attention simply because there were so few of them.

Furthermore, with fewer to design, I think the design team had an easier task crafting interesting commanders. Anikthea, Hand of Erebos, for example, is an inspired card who generates unique and oftentimes zany game states.

Compare that to the 52 new commanders from 2024's Outlaws of Thunder Junction, which had some fun ones, but also featured some absolute stinkers like Vial Smasher, Gleeful Grenadier and Malcolm, the Eyes.

Overall, I wouldn't mind seeing a scaled back approach to commanders moving forward. I don't think it'll happen, but 'tis the season for some wishing.

Naughty: Doctor Who

I've already complained about Universes Beyond at length. It's not about that. It's just that, this year, I reviewed Doctor Who, only to discover it was my worst performance of all time.

For context, my lifetime correct prediction percentage is 75. My previous low was 50%. My Doctor Who percentage? 47.

It was a shameful performance, not unlike my guy Aaron Judge hitting .184 in this past year's postseason. Here's hoping we both do a little better next year.

Nice: Modern Horizons 3

While we're on the subject of 2024 sets, this was a close second on my personal list to Duskmourn: House of Horrors. Whether you enjoy Eldrazi, energy, or creating Tarmogoyf tokens, this set had something for everyone.

I mean, even the commons were juiced. Take Evolution Witness, for example, which is arguably better than its inspiration, Eternal Witness. I mean, does E-Wit have crazy synergy with proliferate? I think not.

Furthermore, WotC finally admitted that these sets are as much Commander Horizons as they are Modern Horizons, because they released four unique commander decks with it.

Almost every commander in those decks has been a hit, with only Jyoti, Moag Ancient lingering under 1,200 decks as of now. I can't speak for Modern players, but at this point, I'd happily take an MH4 whenever it's ready.

Naughty: Nadu, Winged Wisdom

Though Horizons sets are awesome, they often bring with them some utterly busted cards. In MH1 it was Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis. In MH2, it was Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar (it's been three years and some scholars are still split on how to pronounce the name). And in MH3, it was Nadu, Winged Wisdom.

This card was so stupidly busted that the "only twice each turn" text reads as a laughable limitation. Only twice, huh? That hardly matters when you're equipping Shuko to everything in sight, while subconsciously reaffirming that yes, it was indeed worth buying this otherwise useless bulk uncommon just for this specific and ridiculous purpose.

And don't forget, it triggers when your opponents target your stuff as well, meaning they basically always get two-for-oned, if not worse.

As someone who enjoys watching Pro Tour coverage, Nadu became doubly annoying. I'm pretty sure it popped up in the Draft portion at least once, then took five of the Top 8 spots, finally winning the whole thing in the hands of pleasant Dane Simon Nielsen. I've had enough of Nadu, so I'm glad it got banned. Welcome to the Naughty List, pal.

Nice: The Wise Mothman

And it's not just because I'm an amateur cryptozoologist. Fallout's The Wise Mothman earns a spot on the Nice List because it's the highest ranked commander of 2024, sitting pretty at Rank 48 with 13111 decks as I write this.

The deck looks super fun and versatile, with Mill, Mutant kindred, +1/+1 counters, Rad counters, and Proliferate all viable themes. Look, I know I've been hard on Universes Beyond in this article, but this one worked for me.

Naughty: Me

Calling oneself naughty carries a slightly sexual connotation, but I swear I'm not trying to seduce you. Rather, I'm putting myself on the list for some of this year's worst predictions. A few examples:

• I predicted Eluge, the Shoreless Sea would earn fewer than 1,200 decks. It already leads more than 4,000.
• I predicted Emrakul, the World Anew would earn more than 1,200 decks. It has less than 200.
• I discovered the return to my favorite plane, Lorwyn, would be delayed another year, and I still haven't gotten over it.

That last one was more a personal crisis than a prediction, but I wanted to slip it in somewhere. Bottom line: When you make upwards of 30 predictions for every set every year, you're bound to have some bad ones.

Nice: Also Me

That said, you can have some good ones, too. If I may pat myself on the back for a moment, I was happy with many of my Fallout picks going Over, including Agent Frank Horrigan and Three Dog, Galaxy News DJ, since these Universes Beyond sets are proving to be volatile. Gotta savor the victories when you have them.

Naughty: The Commander Advisory Group Debacle

This is a fun article, so we won't get too far into the weeds on this one. Suffice it to say that online bullying is not in keeping with the Christmas spirit, let alone the human spirit.

It's a shame that it led to the dissolution of the Commander Advisory Group. Here's wishing success to the newly formed Commander Format Panel. And if they happen to unban Primeval Titan, I wouldn't mind.

Nice: Play Boosters

I know there was some trepidation with these at first, mainly due to the extra few dollars per pack. However, it's hard not to feel like you're getting your value's worth when you can open up to four rares in a single pack. Sure, the graphics explaining the contents of said packs are absolutely ludicrous. But the product itself? Not bad at all.

Naughty: Breaking News, The Big Score, and Special Guests

We've already touched on Outlaws of Thunder Junction, but while we're on the subject, let's talk about this set's bonus sheets. Some would say one bonus sheet is too many. So how about three?

Seriously, the Breaking News cards are hard enough to read. Don't get me wrong—I appreciate the ambition of the art style. However, the colors are so washed out it's difficult to differentiate one from others, and the newspaper title at the top gets confused with the card names.

Then there's The Big Score, which didn't seem to have any cohesion mechanically, thematically, or artistically.

And then there were the Special Guests, which I've never really enjoyed. I know they're essentially free reprint slots, but they're so rare that they don't provide any real value to the sets, and if they were any less rare, they'd be distracting.

Fortunately, the whole Big Score thing was a unique scenario I doubt we'll ever encounter again. The Special Guests, on the other hand, appear to be a mainstay moving forward. I wouldn't mind if they weren't, but we'll see.

Nice: Facedown 2/2s

Between the disguise mechanic in Murders at Karlov Manor and Assassin's Creed, manifest on MH3's Kozilek, the Broken Reality, and manifest dread from Duskmourn, it felt like facedown 2/2s were having a moment. This was not good for my winning percentage, because my powers of deduction are not exactly Sherlock Holmes level.

Naughty: The Set Designers Who Drove a Dagger Through the Hearts of Colossal Dreadmaw Fans Everywhere

I'm sure the people at Wizards are lovely. I'm sure they want what's best for the game. But when I saw this card, a little part of me died...

The meme value of Colossal Dreadmaw was that there was only one Colossal Dreadmaw, yet he kept showing up in every set. Now, thanks to the Dreadmask, literally any creature can be a Dreadmaw, so long as you pay the equip cost.

It's not right! It's not fair! There's only one true Colossal Dreadmaw, and he appears in Core Sets, Jumpstarts, Ixalan blocks, and occasionally Mystery Boosters. Leave my boy alone!

Nice: All You Readers Out There

Thanks to everyone out there who visits EDHREC and keeps this fine site going. You've had a great year, and here's hoping the one coming up is even better!