Teferi's ProtectionTeferi's Protection | Art by Chase Stone

Today we're trying to answer a rather difficult question: Which Commander precons were more impactful to the format, 2016 or 2017?

To try and find a solution to this debate, I'll take a look at cards originally printed in these products to see what they brought to the game and how these cards fared the test of time.

Before diving into this topic and analyzing various aspects of this matter, I want to remind you that these are my personal opinions and they're all up for debate. There isn't any true answer to this question, nor is my objective to reach a truth set in stone. The point of this article is to start a conversation about two extremely important turning points in the history of Commander as a format.

So, if you don't agree with something I wrote, you're more than welcome to write it in the comment section to keep the discussion going!

With all of this out of the way, let's start our trip down memory lane.

The Commanders

Starting from the roster of available commanders, trying to put one of the years on top is pretty difficult.

Let's start from 2017; this year gave us one of the strongest (to some even unfairly so) keywords in history: eminence.

2017 and Eminence

For those of you that don't know it, bless your sweet innocent soul. For those of you that do know it, I'm sorry for you but we're in this together.

Eminence refers to a static or triggered ability that is active both when the creature is on the battlefield and while it is in the command zone. To (in theory) balance it, it was only ever printed on typal commanders.

The true result was creating a group of powerhouse commanders that still terrorize casual tables to this day.

Out of the bunch, Arahbo, Roar of the WorldArahbo, Roar of the World is perhaps the least menacing of them. In fact, you need it one the battlefield to really get something meaningful out of it.

On the other hand, Edgar MarkovEdgar Markov and The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon quickly became the de facto commanders for their own typal strategy. Edgar provides so much pressure it's hard to ever keep up with it, whereas Ur-Dragon solves one of Dragons' biggest problems by reducing their mana cost.

Oh, and don't get me started on how good they are when they're on the battlefield.

Inalla, Archmage RitualistInalla, Archmage Ritualist falls somewhere in the middle of these two sub-groups. On one hand it's so powerful it was a good cEDH commander for a while (before it was power-crept out of the meta). On the other, it's hard to build a casual deck around it, because it'll most likely end up being either too powerful or too passive.

Nonetheless, any of these four commanders will have an advantage above many other competitors simply because of Eminence. Receiving a benefit simply because you chose to play a commander (that maybe you don't even ever cast) is so powerful you need to try it to fully understand it.

2016 and Partners

While everything described so far is nothing short of impressive, its competition is as fierce as it gets. If you thought eminence was a broken mechanic, allow me to introduce you to something even more game-warping: partner.

The rules for this keyword are pretty simple: you may have two commanders in your command zone as long as they both have partner.

On the surface, it can be hard to understand how powerful this possibility is. In the end, you're simply reducing your deck size by one; how good could it be? This isn't even comparable to eminence, right?

Well, no. It's so much more than this.

In fact, what partner brings to the game is an outrageously high level of personalization. And what's even more outstanding is how this changes Commander as a game overall.

First, in casual settings, this opens up a huge number of possibilities for new and original decks. While it's true that Ikra Shidiqi, the UsurperIkra Shidiqi, the Usurper is one singular card, each of the additional commanders you can pair it with will lead you in a different direction.

Then, if we go up in power level, the things change quit a bit. Because what's truly revolutionary about partner is that it opens up a lot more possibilities to build four-color Commander decks. And this means that, in a version of the format where you only want to play the strongest strategies possible, you can take your standard tri-color deck and splash a fourth color to play some specific pieces.

I won't go too much in depth about what makes partner an over-powered mechanic. Still, just looking at the pair of Thrasios, Triton HeroThrasios, Triton Hero and Tymna the WeaverTymna the Weaver can give you a feeling of it.

Imagine you're playing only the best cards, with winning being your only goal. Being able to pair two exceptional draw engines while also having access to four out of five colors in the game makes it very easy to build a strong deck.

Now, if this seems strong, just consider there are currently quite a few partner pairings that are considered stronger than this one. This should put into perspective how strong partners are as a whole.

Four-Color Commanders of 2016

While the partners open up a world of possibilities, especially when adding in the monocolored partner options from Commander Legends, it's the face commanders of these precons that truly put 2016 on top.

Remember how having access to four colors is extremely powerful? How about being able to play them without partners?

Just look at them. All five of them are iconic cards that changed Commander forever, including one of the strongest Artifact commanders ever in Breya, Etherium ShaperBreya, Etherium Shaper, and a cornerstone in the history of Group Hug decks with Kynaios and Tiro of MeletisKynaios and Tiro of Meletis.

And all of this without even mentioning the four-color commander: Atraxa, Praetors' VoiceAtraxa, Praetors' Voice. This legend redefined the format, opening up a new era of the game. A pretty generic effect that can be abused in many different ways; access to the vast majority of the legal cards; an immediate benefit that gets stronger and stronger as the game progresses.

All of this gathered to create the perfect storm: a commander so powerful many just refuse to play against it. Although, I swear, "It's not that Atraxa, Praetors' VoiceAtraxa, Praetors' Voice deck."

The Backup Legends of 2017

On the flip side, 2017 is not weak by any means, but it's difficult to be on the same level as game-defining cards.

Mirri, Weatherlight DuelistMirri, Weatherlight Duelist and Balan, Wandering KnightBalan, Wandering Knight are both strong and beloved Voltron commanders that are still more than playable today.

Ramos, Dragon EngineRamos, Dragon Engine and O-Kagachi, Vengeful KamiO-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami were some interesting five-colored commanders to mess around with, although they didn't really pass the test of time.

The one outstanding piece is Kess, Dissident MageKess, Dissident Mage. Its design isn't complicated at all, but that's what makes it powerful. It was a cEDH commander for a while, but has fallen out of favor.

The Cards for the 99

You might think 2016 has this in the bag. But here's where the tables turn.

The 2016 precons gave us some good and iconic cards.

Ash BarrensAsh Barrens is a good budget option for consistency and color fixing, which is as cheap as it gets (in all senses). Conqueror's FlailConqueror's Flail is an interesting piece, somewhat cEDH playble, that protects Voltron decks from blowouts.

Lastly, Deepglow SkateDeepglow Skate is the most powerful of the group, with an effect that's as powerful as it is exploitable.

But while 2016 was a good year for the 99, 2017 was something else.

First of all, I have to say that, being typal-centric decks, they had a bit of an easier time when we're talking about good cards for the 99.

Starting with Path of AncestryPath of Ancestry, one of the best budget lands for commander. Five colors and it occasionally provides a timely scry 1. Simple, to the point. and extremely effective.

Next, Teferi's ProtectionTeferi's Protection. The protection card of the format, a generational card that still wins game almost 10 years after its release. Need I say more?

And then, Herald's HornHerald's Horn. I can hardly mention any typal strategy that isn't interested in this card. And if they aren't, they're probably wrong.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

There's the cycle of "Kindred" cards, with Kindred DiscoveryKindred Discovery and Kindred DominanceKindred Dominance leading the way. There are Hammer of NazahnHammer of Nazahn and Bloodforged Battle-AxeBloodforged Battle-Axe for Voltron strategies.

And then there are typal payoffs of any kind, like Patron of the VeinPatron of the Vein for Vampires, Bloodline NecromancerBloodline Necromancer for Wizards (and Vampires), and Scalelord ReckonerScalelord Reckoner for Dragons.

The pool of cards is simply as deep as it gets, truly functioning as a turning point in the format and the power level of decks.

Conclusion

It's extremely difficult to get to a proper conclusion, but I've made my decision. I've looked at both pools of cards for quite a long time and I'm quite happy with my choice.

In my opinion, 2016 takes the crown.

That's because, considering how both precon sets introduced huge cornerstones for the format, it's Commander 2016 who truly revolutionized the game. The access to four colors in the command zone and partner redefined what a Commander game looks like. The possibility of having two playable legends in the command zone alongside 98 cards pulled from four different colors is inexplicably better than playing a placeholder five-colored card.

Eminence had a similar impact on the format, but it ended up being correctly limited by its design. While it's true this mechanic made Dragons, Cats, Wizards and Vampires extremely powerful by default, it only affected these specific creature types.

The true divider was the longevity of their impact on the game. In a sense, Commander 2016 set the scene for everything that came after. It opened the game to possibilities that weren't even conceivable before it was published. In a sense, the eminence commanders are the spiritual successors of this shift, demonstrating that it was possible to bend the borders of the format even more.

But it's impossible to deny the cardinal importance of the double innovation introduced by 2016. Every powerful or unfair card printed after these decks was sure to find a home because there will always be a four-colored deck ready to host them.

The cards for the 99 nearly pushed the argument in favor of 2017, because they're simply miles better than the 2016 ones. But there's a reason why the format is called Commander.

Now it's on to you! Agree or disagree, let me know what you think in the comments below!