Defiler of VigorDefiler of Vigor | Art by Chase Stone

Hey, everyone! Last week, I took a break from flashback articles to cover the most played Secrets of Strixhaven cards and to make sure recent sets don't get away from me. I'm going to do the same with Marvel Super Heroes in a few weeks, so that the top 10 list has a bit more time to take shape. That means we can resume our long walk down memory lane, this time with Dominaria United!

Now, before we dive in, I wanted to update readers with a change in ranking methodology. Following some community feedback, I'm going to be ranking legendary creatures based only on their play rate in the 99, not as commanders. I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether this is a good change to make, so let us know!

10. Defiler of VigorDefiler of Vigor - 95,888 decks

I remember this being pretty unbeatable in Draft. It's awesome in Commander as well, generating mana and spraying about +1/+1 counters in a deck leaning heavily into , including those led by Baru, WurmspeakerBaru, Wurmspeaker, Vorinclex, Monstrous RaiderVorinclex, Monstrous Raider, and Ghalta, Primal HungerGhalta, Primal Hunger.

You can easily surprise opponents with a vigorously large amount of damage by stacking discount effects like Temur BattlecrierTemur Battlecrier and combining them with haste sources like Maelstrom WandererMaelstrom Wanderer and Temur AscendancyTemur Ascendancy.

9. Aether ChannelerAether Channeler - 97,749 decks

A Man-o'-WarMan-o'-War, a Wistful SelkieWistful Selkie, and an Aviation PioneerAviation Pioneer walk into a bar, because they were denied entry into the 99. A card that combines their three effects is actually pretty good, because versatility is one of the most important things in Commander. Getting to cram multiple spells into a single slot is basically busted, regardless of how conditional or marginal those spells' effects may be, as we can see from how much cards like Izzet CharmIzzet Charm are played.

It does help that Channeler's bounce ability is actually better than many of its predecessors, because it can return any nonland permanent to hand, enabling a combo with Displacer KittenDisplacer Kitten:

8. Tear AsunderTear Asunder - 156,134 decks

Golgari () has a great pedigree for versatile removal spells that have some sort of condition or drawback, like Assassin's TrophyAssassin's Trophy and Abrupt DecayAbrupt Decay. This attacks the color pair's constraints from a different angle, letting you get rid of anything for the right price. Four mana isn't even that much to exile something in Commander, and there are enough must-answer artifacts and enchantments that make its "fail case" of a NaturalizeNaturalize perfectly acceptable, if not downright desirable.

7. Elas il-Kor, Sadistic PilgrimElas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim - 199,042 decks

I love two-color cards that take one effect from each of their colors and mash them up into something cooler than the sum of their parts. Combining the utility of Zulaport CutthroatZulaport Cutthroat and Soul WardenSoul Warden makes Elas fantastic in decks that incorporate sacrifice themes, lifegain synergies, and some unholy alliance of both. You easily get to threaten both infinite life and sacrifice combos like Warren SoultraderWarren Soultrader and GravecrawlerGravecrawler.

That does tend to be how a lot of Orzhov () decks can play out, making this a very common inclusion in lists led by Teysa KarlovTeysa Karlov, Ratadrabik of UrborgRatadrabik of Urborg, and Kambal, Profiteering MayorKambal, Profiteering Mayor, among others.

6. The Reaver CleaverThe Reaver Cleaver - 220,516 decks

When a card lets you produce a lot of mana during your combat phase, especially when it's in , you can bet that it's going to swiftly make its way into decks looking to create infinite combat phases with cards like Aggravated AssaultAggravated Assault, Hellkite ChargerHellkite Charger, Time SieveTime Sieve, and more.

You do need to connect with your opponent's life total to make this happen, but thankfully the card's designers must have thought of this issue and slapped trample on this bad boy to make it as easy as possible to get into combat, and to stay in combat, forever. This Thunderdome-esque approach to games, coupled with Cleaver's card type, makes this perfectly suited to Equipment-themed builds like Cloud, Ex-SOLDIERCloud, Ex-SOLDIER, Captain America, First AvengerCaptain America, First Avenger, and Sonic the HedgehogSonic the Hedgehog.

5. Relic of LegendsRelic of Legends - 224,093 decks

This may look like an innocuous mana rock at first glance. After all, Coalition RelicCoalition Relic has been around for ages and sits below 50,000 decks on EDHREC. But, look a little closer at its second ability and you'll realize that this is a combo engine waiting to happen. For example, with Kilo, Apogee MindKilo, Apogee Mind and Freed from the RealFreed from the Real, you get infinite proliferate triggers:

Relic can do a ton more than that, so head on over to Commander Spellbook to see how to produce a legendary amount of mana with this artifact, among other things.

4. Plaza of HeroesPlaza of Heroes - 239,069 decks

Lands that produce multiple colors of mana tend to be great in Commander. Can I, then, interest you in an untapped land that produces all five colors, and that can be cashed in later in the game to trade with a removal spell? Yes, please! Plaza doesn't always do all of that, but you'll likely get the most out of it when you need it in rainbow decks like Jodah, the UnifierJodah, the Unifier, Esika, God of the TreeEsika, God of the Tree, and Sisay, Weatherlight CaptainSisay, Weatherlight Captain.

It's also just been reprinted in Marvel Super Heroes. Aside from being a flavor home run, this also allows a whole new generation of Commander players to get their hands on this fantastic card. As if Dominaria United didn't come in 2022. Feel old yet?

3. Sheoldred, the ApocalypseSheoldred, the Apocalypse - 244,006 decks

She dies to targeted removal — let's get that out of the way. The thing is, if she doesn't, because you can protect your queen, then your opponents die instead. Even in a format where life totals start at 40, decks tend to be rigged to draw so many cards that they won't have much wiggle room with Sheoldred in play.

You can also help the process along by running her in Nekusar, the MindrazerNekusar, the Mindrazer or Winter, Misanthropic GuideWinter, Misanthropic Guide, but she really doesn't need that much help, as evidenced by her play rates across various commanders touching .

2. Braids, Arisen NightmareBraids, Arisen Nightmare - 336,606 decks

I wasn't expecting Braids to beat Sheoldred at the top of this list, but here we are. I definitely underestimated how well she scales with the number of players at the table, even though her competition does as well. She's also incredibly versatile: you can use her to whittle down the board of creatures, triggering sacrifice payoffs in the process; or, you can rack up card advantage by binning something your opponents don't have on their side, like an enchantment or planeswalker.

She can also go SmallpoxSmallpox on them and restrict their mana! She even synergizes really well with commanders like Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIERSephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER, whom she can help flip immediately, and Meren of Clan Nel TothMeren of Clan Nel Toth, whose experience counters can go brrrr. I need to remember what I wrote about versatility at the start of this list!

1. Common Dual Lands

Speaking of changes in ranking methodology, I think there are some great arguments to leaving dual land cycles out of my lists. Having good mana is so crucial to deckbuilding that these are going to feature in most lists about sets that include them. That also means that I'll end up featuring one fewer unique card each set (in this case it would have been Shore UpShore Up).

I think that's a cost worth paying, however, because I think it's important for Commander players, and especially new ones, to understand just how important mana fixing is to the format. Featuring Haunted MireHaunted Mire and company also lets me rave about how great it is to see commons perform well in these rankings!

Are rare duals better, usually because they don't enter the battlefield tapped? Certainly, but commons are more accessible and therefore let more people enjoy this wonderful format.

Ideas Don't Have to Be Big to Be GreatIdeas Don't Have to Be Big to Be Great

I'm pretty satisfied with how many solid role-players and enablers made this list, versus splashy legends and payoff cards. It's a nice illustration of how diverse Commander is and how good mana, removal, and card advantage matter as much as win conditions. What's your favorite card from Dominaria United that didn't make the list?