All Will Be OneAll Will Be One | Art by Chris Rahn

Hey, everyone! After last week's foray into multiversal madness with March of the Machine, we're traveling back in time — only slightly though — to the set and plane where the invasion began: Phyrexia: All Will Be One! MOM was a doozy for Commander, so let's see if ONE came in second in this head-to-head race!

10. Sheoldred's EdictSheoldred's Edict - 120,157 decks

Is this the best edict in Commander? There are been two big problems with Diabolic EdictDiabolic Edict and its ilk that have kept this spin on targeted removal from seeing play in the format.

First, most of them only target one player, which, to be fair, is what Doom BladeDoom Blade does too.

This issue is simply compounded by the fact that your opponent can just sacrifice a token or whatever their worst creature on board is.

More recent variants like Liliana's TriumphLiliana's Triumph have solved for the first issue, while Soul ShatterSoul Shatter came out in Zendikar Rising and eliminated the second.

Both Shatter and Sheoldred's EdictSheoldred's Edict see play in over 100K decks, and while the three-mana spell makes it much more likely that only good creatures go into the bin, this spell costs only two and grants you more flexibility in the face of specific tokens and planeswalkers. So, which one would you rather play, if you had to choose?

9. Zopandrel, Hunger DominusZopandrel, Hunger Dominus - 120,673 decks, 896 as commander

Hunger Dominus sounds like the Ancient Rome-themed mascot for a pizza chain, but Zopandral advertises only pain on the battlefield.

Alongside stat multipliers like Unnatural GrowthUnnatural Growth, God-Eternal RhonasGod-Eternal Rhonas, and Pathbreaker IbexPathbreaker Ibex, this makes combat an absolute nightmare for opponents and even boasts a protection effect that only exile and more niche answers can get around.

Predictably, Zopandrel is most at home in decks with big creatures; after all, doubling stats only really matters when what you're doubling is already decent.

This makes Dinosaurs, Dragons, and whatever the heck Xenagos, God of RevelsXenagos, God of Revels wants to run well-suited to win the turn the 4/6 enters the battlefield.

8. Skrelv, Defector MiteSkrelv, Defector Mite - 122,150 decks, 2,047 as commander

We're jumping from a seven-drop haymaker to a one-drop Phyrexian Mother of RunesMother of Runes. It really talks all kinds to make up a multiversal invasion force!

Skrelv is one of my favorite one-drops in the game because of their outsized impact in the Esper Heroes deck in Standard that run a bunch of under-costed, over-statted legendary creatures and beat opponents into submission with profitable attacks and disruptive enters abilities.

The 1/1 was a powerhouse, entering play on turn 1 and acting as a lightning rod for removal, lest they be allowed to protect your next threat, and the next one, and... you get the picture

In Commander, Skrelv does much of the same thing, protecting valuable legends in decks like Jodah, the UnifierJodah, the Unifier and acting as the advance guard to trigger Winota, Joiner of ForcesWinota, Joiner of Forces with an inhuman attack.

Perhaps they can even help you win the game by getting your opponent their first poison counter for Atraxa, Praetors' VoiceAtraxa, Praetors' Voice to proliferate.

7. Elesh Norn, Mother of MachinesElesh Norn, Mother of Machines - 130,907 decks, 7,465 as commander

I'm sure someone in the community at one point asked themselves: what if PanharmoniconPanharmonicon was also a Torpor OrbTorpor Orb, but only for opponents?

I don't know what kind of a monster wanted to manifest that into existence, but it happened in 2023 and they've probably been griefing tables since.

The Mother of Machines slots into a whole swathe of value-oriented decks from landfall strategies with Omnath, Locus of CreationOmnath, Locus of Creation and The NecrobloomThe Necrobloom to Brago, King EternalBrago, King Eternal and Atraxa, Grand UnifierAtraxa, Grand Unifier blink decks.

And, while she generates you enormous advantages, she also shuts down some of the most powerful and frequently played cards in the game for your opponents, like The One RingThe One Ring, Eternal WitnessEternal Witness, Garruk's UprisingGarruk's Uprising, Impact TremorsImpact Tremors, Sun TitanSun Titan, and more. Not bad for a five-drop!

6. The Mycosynth GardensThe Mycosynth Gardens - 151,052 decks

The primal pattern recognizing part of my brain really enjoys it when these lists feature both a utility or removal spell, like Sheoldred's EdictSheoldred's Edict, and a nonbasic land like this.

It's kind of a weird effect to put on a land, but I've seen it do incredible work in 60-card formats, copying Monument to EnduranceMonument to Endurance in Pioneer Greasefang, Okiba BossGreasefang, Okiba Boss to drown opponents in cards and life loss.

In Commander, it's a coveted second copy of whatever artifact you need to win the game, from Mystic ForgeMystic Forge to Simulacrum SynthesizerSimulacrum Synthesizer to Portal to PhyrexiaPortal to Phyrexia.

It even features in a somewhat niche infinite damage combo alongside Blazing SunsteelBlazing Sunsteel:

5. Solphim, Mayhem DominusSolphim, Mayhem Dominus - 145,845 decks, 5,225 as commander

As commander, Solphim is a must-answer threat in burn decks that look to pair her with Heartless HidetsuguHeartless Hidetsugu for the one-hit-KO.

These decks have access to more one-two-punches, like Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act + RepercussionRepercussion or Toralf, God of FuryToralf, God of Fury, which presents just a few hoops to jump through.

She's similarly threatening in the 99, amplifying recurring damage dealt by the likes of Kuja, Genome SorcererKuja, Genome Sorcerer, Nekusar, the MindrazerNekusar, the Mindrazer, and Imodane, the PyrohammerImodane, the Pyrohammer.

Norin the WaryNorin the Wary is also a popular home for her, as she works so well with popular red cards like Impact TremorsImpact Tremors, Sulfuric VortexSulfuric Vortex, and ManabarbsManabarbs. Good luck removing her without exile or tuck effects!

4. Tyvar's StandTyvar's Stand - 165,427 decks

Like charm-style modal spells, Not Dead After AllNot Dead After All variants, Green Sun's ZenithGreen Sun's Zenith scions, and the heirs of Heroic Intervention, descendants of Vines of VastwoodVines of Vastwood or Snakeskin VeilSnakeskin Veil tend to do well in Commander.

There are a ton of creatures that are worth protecting from removal spells, especially for the low, low cost of a single mana.

Stand offers an attractive twist on the formula with a scaling buff that can do anything from helping a creature win a combat to surprising a nemesis with lethal damage. Not bad for an uncommon!

3. CankerbloomCankerbloom - 171,448 decks

That logic also holds true for efficient spins on NaturalizeNaturalize, because you absolutely must get rid of PanharmoniconPanharmonicons and Mirari's WakeMirari's Wakes.

Most of the time, CankerbloomCankerbloom is probably worse than Reclamation SageReclamation Sage, but getting to proliferate can give this the edge in decks where counters matter, like Atraxa, Praetors' VoiceAtraxa, Praetors' Voice, Meren of Clan Nel TothMeren of Clan Nel Toth, and Fynn, the FangbearerFynn, the Fangbearer.

Saying one card is "strictly better" than a similar effect is pretty rare in Magic: The Gathering, and Commander takes this to the extreme by making you evaluate similar wildly differently depending on their specific upsides and your decks.

Michael Celani breaks down this thought process well here. Of course, you may just be running both Sage and this in the same deck!

2. Conduit of WorldsConduit of Worlds - 224,505 decks

If I were to put together a syllabus for Commander 101, shifting card evaluation would be one of the most important lectures.

Another crucial lesson would be the importance of redundancy in the format. When you can't play four of the same card that is crucial to your game plan, you start to look at variants to help you reach critical mass.

That's why Conduit, though it's expensive and it locks you into G mana, sees play in a large proportion of decks alongside Ramunap ExcavatorRamunap Excavator and Crucible of WorldsCrucible of Worlds.

In many ways, it's probably even better than these two land recurring stalwarts. The extra doesn't matter too much in multiplayer Commander, where speed may not be the biggest consideration, and its second ability can you help you get ahead by letting you cast an expensive spell when you may have had nothing to do otherwise.

The numbers don't lie: it's in around half of EDHREC decks led by Teval, the Balanced ScaleTeval, the Balanced Scale, Hearthhull, the WorldseedHearthhull, the Worldseed, or The NecrobloomThe Necrobloom, three commanders that use the graveyard like a second hand, and maybe even their first.

1. Mondrak, Glory DominusMondrak, Glory Dominus - 262,634 decks, 2,870 as commander

Y'all really like multiplying tokens, huh? After Ojer Taq, Deepest FoundationOjer Taq, Deepest Foundation ranked 4th in my Lost Caverns of Ixalan top 10 list, Mondrak does them one better and takes home the trophy.

Tripling is mathematically more powerful than doubling, but four mana is mathematically less than six, so it make sense why Glory wins.

As with Zopandrel and Solphim, the indestructible counter she can get makes her very resilient and therefore a huge problem for opponents.

It's so easy to run away with the game by tapping your vast army to Baylen, the HaymakerBaylen, the Haymaker or draining the table with Arabella, Abandoned DollArabella, Abandoned Doll. Mondrak offers effortless power, and that's worth top spot.

Eat. Sort. Eat. Sort. Eat.Eat. Sort. Eat. Sort. Eat.

I can't complain; I love writing lists, especially when they're about sets that bring back fond memories of turn 5 wins in Limited and big turns with Solphim or Mondrak. What's your favorite card that didn't make the list. Go ahead, pick ONE!