Flame of AnorFlame of Anor | Art by Yigit Koroglu

Welcome one and all to Fire and Ice, the data-driven series where I go over cards that are becoming more or less popular for different Commander decks. Today, I'll talk about why these cards may be gaining or losing popularity for one of EDHREC's top 300 commanders. I'm Julia, your Duchess of Data, and I'm super excited to jump into today's article!

EDHREC, of course, has a ton of data. We'll draw conclusions from that data about how certain commanders' decks have changed over time, give insight into how the format's players are thinking about new cards, and hopefully provide some tech for your favorite commander's list.

For the next few weeks, I'll be focusing this series on some of the most popular cards in Commander. Because so many people play with these cards, some very interesting patterns emerge in their data. Today, let's examine Kotis, the FangkeeperKotis, the Fangkeeper, a Sultai commander from Tarkir: Dragonstorm.

Kotis, the FangkeeperKotis, the Fangkeeper

What's Hot and What's Not for Kotis, the Fangkeeper

Ranked #106 on EDHREC, this Zombie Warrior is one of the most popular commanders released in 2025. For , he's an indestructible 2/1. That certainly doesn't pass the vanilla test. Luckily, there's more. Whenever Kotis deals combat damage to a player, we essentially get to cast a copy of Villainous WealthVillainous Wealth with an equal to the amount of combat damage he dealt.

That's a super strong ability, and I've even seen decks built around Kotis that include 65 power-boosting combat tricks and 35 lands!

To maximize Kotis' effectiveness, many of his most popular cards make him hit our opponents more easily and for more damage. To that end, RancorRancor is in 68% of lists and Blackblade ReforgedBlackblade Reforged is in 50% of lists. Ramp spells like FarseekFarseek (58% of lists) and ways to protect Kotis like Snakeskin VeilSnakeskin Veil (52% of lists) are popular too!

What's Fiery for Kotis Decks?

Villainous WrathVillainous Wrath - Fire Score of 7.81

This powerful board wipe is only in 30 Kotis decks as of the time of writing. I think that low deck count is due to its release in Marvel's Spider-Man, because this spell is bonkers. It's a cheaper, one-sided version of the classic Deadly TempestDeadly Tempest. This spell can hose a token player and wipe the board for just , a combination that we've not seen before!

I think this is one of the best casual-oriented sweepers printed recently.

Singularity RuptureSingularity Rupture - Fire Score of 3.49

Speaking of sweepers, Singularity RuptureSingularity Rupture is a great one. We'll be exiling a lot of cards from our opponents' libraries with Kotis, meaning that milling them out to win the game is certainly within the realm of possibility. It may cost more mana than traditional board wipes, but the extra we're paying compared to DamnationDamnation lets us tack a kicked copy of Maddening CacophonyMaddening Cacophony to the spell. This spell rocks!

Super StateSuper State - Fire Score of 3.23

First printed in a Secret Lair, this Aura provides a little bit of everything we want: It makes our commander very evasive, gives him haste, and makes him huge. We couldn't ask for more out of an Aura, and the fact that Super State also lets us whittle down everyone's life total when we hit one opponent is gravy.

Wrecking Ball ArmWrecking Ball Arm - Fire Score of 2.71

Much like Super State, this Equipment provides both evasion and a power/toughness bump to our commander. It's really nice that we can equip it to Kotis for just , as the 7/7 base power it permanently provides to an equipped creature is worth much more than that. I also really like that this artifact can hit the field before our commander, making for an easy curve-out.

Fae FlightFae Flight - Fire Score of 2.30

This is one of my pet cards! This Aura can blank an opposing removal spell while also making the enchanted creature very hard to block. For just , Fae Flight does so much. I think the fact that it was first printed in Murders at Karlov Manor may have turned some people off to the card initially, but I'm glad to see it winning over the hearts and minds of Commander players everywhere.

Dark RitualDark Ritual - Fire Score of 2.10

What can I say about Dark Ritual that hasn't already been said? It's one of the most powerful instants legal in Commander, from casual games all the way up to competitive ones. It can help us recast Kotis easily, help us cast spells to protect and buff him, and even to cast other ramp spells.

Dark Ritual is so useful in so many situations, and its popularity is certainly warranted.

Ancient CellarspawnAncient Cellarspawn - Fire Score of 2.06

When we're casting our opponents' spells for free, this Horror will also ping them for a ton of damage. Each spell we cast off of Kotis' combat damage trigger will let us throw an amount of damage equal to that spell's mana cost at an opponent, making this enchantment creature a pretty effective win condition.

It's amazing that a card that costs just can have such an outsized effect on the game, but Ancient Cellarspawn pairs extremely well with Kotis.

What's Icy for Kotis Decks?

Gonti, Night MinisterGonti, Night Minister - Ice Score of -3.51

While this version of Gonti does work very well with our commander, it also provides some benefit to our opponents when they go to combat against each other. As much as I love this creature, and any card that Gonti appears on, I don't love helping my opponents advance their board states in Commander.

Kotis pilots have probably done that same calculus in their heads, which has led to a decline in popularity for everyone's favorite Aetherborn Rogue.

Loxodon WarhammerLoxodon Warhammer - Ice Score of -2.90

This Equipment provides a power boost and some evasion to our commander, even giving it lifelink. Each of these abilities is strong, but they're not good enough as a collective to warrant its mana cost to cast and equip.

Villainous WealthVillainous Wealth - Ice Score of -2.67

Many Kotis pilots probably put this card in their 99 to get extra Villainous Wealth with their Villainous Wealth-style Commander. But, this isn't really a big mana deck. It'll be rare for us to cast this sorcery with an value of higher than five, limiting its effectiveness severely.

Inquisitor's FlailInquisitor's Flail - Ice Score of -2.36

Given Kotis' indestructibility, this Equipment has basically no drawbacks! It just doubles the damage he deals to our opponents if we pay to cost and equip. That seems like a pretty good rate to me! I don't really know why this card's popularity is faltering, so let me know your insights in the comments.

Hunter's InsightHunter's Insight - Ice Score of -2.17

This is a fantastic spell for most combat trick-focused decks, but we don't really care about drawing cards from our deck. We're much more focused on stealing our opponents' spells and casting them for free. It would likely be more effective to spend that mana on a copy of Choose Your WeaponChoose Your Weapon.

Elvish MysticElvish Mystic - Ice Score of -2.05

We've got access to some better mana dorks in these colors, like Elves of Deep ShadowElves of Deep Shadow and Birds of ParadiseBirds of Paradise. While Elvish Mystic is far from a bad card, it doesn't provide the same mana fixing that some other one-mana dorks do.

InvigorateInvigorate - Ice Score of -2.06

Being a three-color deck, I imagine that some Kotis pilots may not have tons of basic lands in their mana base. It's possible that Bracket 3 decks are built around mana-fixing lands like Llanowar WastesLlanowar Wastes instead of Overgrown TombOvergrown Tombs, meaning this spell won't be free as often as we'd like it to be.

Ohran FrostfangOhran Frostfang - Ice Score of -2.09

While deathtouch does disincentivize blocking, it doesn't fully prevent it. Many opponents would rather lose a creature than let Kotis hit them in combat. So, paying to give Kotis deathtouch and occasionally draw a card feels pretty bad.

This snow Snake is much stronger in decks that go wide, not tall.

Eternal WitnessEternal Witness - Ice Score of -2.03

Another Commander classic, Eternal Witness has been bringing cards back from the 'yard since 2004. But, it's beginning to show its age. This color combination, , has gotten a ton of strong recursion tools recently that may be pushing Eternal Witness to the sidelines. We don't care too much about the 2/1 body it's got, so this creature appears to be on the outs for Kotis pilots.

OverprotectOverprotect - Ice Score of -2.04

This combat trick is pretty efficient, giving Kotis +3/+3, trample, hexproof, and indestructible for just . Despite the strength of this card, it's somewhat redundant when cast on our commander. Extra protection isn't fully necessary, because Kotis is already so resilient. Players may be swapping this card for the cheaper Giant GrowthGiant Growth instead.

What's in a Kotis, The Fangkeeper Commander Deck?

Here's a Kotis decklist with all of his hot cards included and all of his cold cards excluded.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading, y'all. Were you surprised at the popularity of any cards? Personally, I'm thrilled to see Fae FlightFae Flight moving into the Commander mainstream. That said, I'll see you next week for more Fire and Ice action!