The MimeoplasmThe Mimeoplasm | Art by Svetlin Velinov

Hey, everyone! I've been covering the most played cards from sets in reverse chronological order, starting with Lost Caverns of Ixalan. After last week's article on Commander Masters, it's the perfect time to take a detour into the first ever Commander-only set, Commander 2011, which came out almost 15 years ago!

Now, 51 new cards were released in five preconstructed decks, each led by legends that are beloved buildarounds to this day. Which of these pioneering printings have withstood the test of time? Let's dive right in!

10. Kaalia of the VastKaalia of the Vast - 6,605 decks, 37,146 as commander

Did you know that Kaalia was only the second legendary creature ever printed with a Mardu () color identity?

Since she debuted in 2011, 33 more of them have been printed, but today only Edgar MarkovEdgar Markov is played more as commander. Talk about staying power!

I love that her ability so flavorfully calls out the iconic creature types of her color identity and makes some of the most powerful and expensive Angels, Demons, and Dragons work so well in the same deck.

You might not appreciate it when you're being attacked with a hasty Kaalia and a Master of CrueltiesMaster of Cruelties on turn 3 with Deflecting SwatDeflecting Swat backup, but does that really happen often enough?

9. Edric, Spymaster of TrestEdric, Spymaster of Trest - 40,614 decks, 3,377 as commander

He's one of my favorite Vintage or Legacy Cube cards, though I'm sure he's found it difficult to keep up with all the cheap and powerful threats that have come after him.

Edric may likewise not be a popular commander, but he's an incredible draw engine and role-player in pretty much any creature-heavy deck touching and , like Gonti, Canny AcquisitorGonti, Canny Acquisitor, Maralen, Fae AscendantMaralen, Fae Ascendant, and Felix Five-BootsFelix Five-Boots.

It's important to know that your opponents in a multiplayer table also get to draw cards when they get into combat with each other, so he's also a great inclusion in group hug strategies, often led by Kynaios and Tiro of MeletisKynaios and Tiro of Meletis or Kenrith, the Returned KingKenrith, the Returned King. I hate it when my opponents draw cards, but at least Edric lets me break out the "girls are fighting meme" at the table.

8. Animar, Soul of ElementsAnimar, Soul of Elements - 40,087 decks, 22,156 as commander

The Commander 2011 decks did a lot for the format — including usher in an age of support from Wizards of the Coast — but what I'll appreciate the product for the most was making decks with wedge color identities, like Mardu and Temur () so much more viable.

And, like Kaalia, Animar is still a popular commander today; they're currently ranked 39th on EDHREC. They're a great choice for +1/+1 counter, Birthing Pod, and combo decks thanks to their discount ability making it pretty easy to flood the board with engine pieces and expensive cards.

Animar themself is a fantastic combo card, making Cooper Gottfried's recent list on top commanders with two-card combos.

One of the easiest ways to win is to just put infinite counters on Animar, which is easy enough to achieve with Ancestral StatueAncestral Statue, Hullbreaker HorrorHullbreaker Horror, and many other options:

7. Hornet QueenHornet Queen - 86,337 decks

I play a lot of 60-card Magic: The Gathering, and I was absolutely certain that this was first printed in a core set. It's just such a clean, elegant design that works with so many common effects! It's not the best creature to ReanimateReanimate, but it still gets the job done.

White or blue decks can get a ton of value out of blinking this. Its flying body and token generation clog up the board and make combat a nightmare. And these just the synergies I've thought about before bringing up specific decks or commanders!

I've had a look at its EDHREC page to see which commanders tend to run it the most in their 99. This Queen absolutely slays in Fynn, the FangbearerFynn, the Fangbearer, threatening to deal all 10 points of poison in one swing. Grist, the Hunger TideGrist, the Hunger Tide often wants critical mass of Insect creatures, and this is certainly one of the best creatures of that type.

Esix, Fractal BloomEsix, Fractal Bloom synergizes not with Queen's creature type or keywords, but its efficient token generation. You can use their ability to turn the four tokens into copies of Hornet QueenHornet Queen, which only goes bonkers with trigger doublers like PanharmoniconPanharmonicon. Throw in a BiovisionaryBiovisionary and you can win the game on your end step!

6. Scavenging OozeScavenging Ooze - 94,831 decks

Here's another creature that debuted in Commander but that went on to make waves in 60-card Constructed formats. Ooze is an incredibly efficient graveyard hate card that also turns into a threat later in the game.

It's made both main decks and sideboards of midrange decks in Standard, Modern, and Pioneer. In Commander, it's useful in all kinds of effects thanks to its creature type and multi-faceted ability.

Dina, Soul SteeperDina, Soul Steeper plays it for lifegain triggers, Aeve, Progenitor OozeAeve, Progenitor Ooze likes having other Oozes around to scale, and it's a 2/2 for Duskana, the Rage MotherDuskana, the Rage Mother.

Since 2011, a lot of creatures with incidental graveyard exile abilities have been printed, like Lion SashLion Sash, Deathrite ShamanDeathrite Shaman, and Cemetery ProwlerCemetery Prowler. While Shaman and EnduranceEndurance are played more than Ooze, this has definitely stood the test of time.

5. Homeward PathHomeward Path - 118,248 decks

This is a deceptively powerful utility land in Commander, where Mind ControlMind Control shenanigans are fairly common. You might run it in decks where your commander is crucial to your game plan, like Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyKinnan, Bonder Prodigy.

It's also commonly played in decks that give opponents control of permanents in exchange for a benefit, like Jon Irenicus, Shattered OneJon Irenicus, Shattered One, Zedruu the GreatheartedZedruu the Greathearted, and Alexios, Deimos of KosmosAlexios, Deimos of Kosmos. It may not be in the spirit of the group hug ethos, but you gotta do what you gotta do to win the game.

You'll also see it often in Eldrazi decks, because you can pretty much play any utility land you want, and it's nice to have insurance against opponents gaining control of your giant monsters.

4. Champion's HelmChampion's Helm - 155,085 decks

There are a lot of decks that want additional copies of Lightning GreavesLightning Greaves and Swiftfoot BootsSwiftfoot Boots, like equipment synergy decks led by Cloud, Ex-SOLDIERCloud, Ex-SOLDIER or Dogmeat, Ever LoyalDogmeat, Ever Loyal.

Helm also provides much needed redundancy in decks that win off their commander doing work, like voltron decks running Kotis, the FangkeeperKotis, the Fangkeeper or burn decks looking to take advantage of Ojer Axonil, Deepest MightOjer Axonil, Deepest Might's damage amplification ability.

3. FlusterstormFlusterstorm - 319,009 decks

While this has probably had a bigger effect on competitive 60-card formats like Legacy overall, it's still one of the best one-mana counterspells you can play in Commander, making DougY's 2022 list covering this very topic.

Stacks can get pretty complicated late in a multiplayer game, and this is often the ultimate trump card, ensuring that everything you want resolved will, and everything you don't won't.

It does have a notable drawback of not answering creatures and other pesky permanents, but it's so cheap, versatile, and powerful that you'll never regret running it in your 99.

2. Chaos WarpChaos Warp - 1,295,884 decks

The importance of having access to unconditional removal in Commander has come up many times in this column. I've extolled the virtues of Beast WithinBeast Within, Generous GiftGenerous Gift, and PongifyPongify, because not every color has it as good as in this department.

And, while has the easiest time dealing with utility creatures, higher toughness numbers and other permanent types can really be a pain.

That's why Chaos WarpChaos Warp is in over 1.3 million EDHREC decks. Commander decks have a lot of lands in them, so even with this scary drawback your opponents are bound to turn their crucial permanent into a land around 40% of the time.

It doesn't even let opponents cast instants or sorceries they may flip off it, so just run this in your red deck and don't worry about the rare times you upgrade the thing you want gone.

1. Command TowerCommand Tower - 6,563,632 decks

This is the second most played card in Commander, behind only Sol Ring, and I imagine that's only because this is worse than a basic land in monocolor decks. You're also probably skipping this in your Zhulodok, Void GorgerZhulodok, Void Gorger deck.

But for all the rest of them, it costs nothing but a land slot, enters untapped, and produces every color of mana you care about. It's also easily accessible, especially for newer players, having been stuffed into so many Commander products.

Ask Your Query and be on Your WayAsk Your Query and be on Your Way