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Battle for Baldur’s Gate Commander Decks and Decklists

In this article, we’ll take a look at the four Baldur’s Gate Commander decks. Commander precons are always fun and exciting, and this time they’ll be even more flavorful, as they’re DND-themed. In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know about them, including the decklists and new cards.

Decks’ Names

As we said, there will be four different decks:

Deck nameColors
Party Time Baldur's Gate Commander Decks IconParty Time
  • White
  • Black
  • Mind Flayarrrs Baldur's Gate Commander Decks IconMind Flayarrs
  • Blue
  • Black
  • Drconic Dissent Baldur's Gate Commander Decks IconDraconic Dissent
  • Blue
  • Red
  • Exit From Exile Baldur's Gate Commander Decks IconExit from Exile
  • Red
  • Green
  • Release Date

    The Baldur’s Gate Commander decks will be released on June 10, 2022, that’s the same day as the set’s release. Nevertheless, you can already preorder the precons on Amazon.

    Intro or Full Versions?

    In the past, Wizards released two different types of Commander decks. One type are the intro (or lite) Commander decks. These decks had lower power level and lower price. The last such decks were Kaldheim Commander decks.

    The second type of the deck are the fully powered Commander decks. The most recent ones were Neon Dynasty Commander decks. These have higher power level, more powerful reprints, and have the standard price for Commander precons.

    So, are Baldur’s Gate Commander decks intro decks or the full versions?

    Well, Kaldheim was released over a year ago — back in February 2021. It doesn’t look that this trend is coming back. So all this points to the fact that the Battle for Baldur’s Gate Commander decks will be fully powered.

    This means that these are powerful decks with 10-15 exclusive new cards in each one and with exciting reprints. The new cards will be thematically tied to Battle for Baldur’s Gate, but the reprints can be from anywhere. There are 5 fewer new cards per deck than usually.

    With that said, let’s speculate on what we might see in the decks, based on their names and colors.

    Party Time

    Party Time Baldur's Gate Commander Decks

    This deck makes for the return of the party mechanic. That’s a mechanic that cares about the four creature types: Clerics, Rogues, Warriors, and Wizards. It rewards you for having a full party (all four creature types among at least 4 creatures), or if you’re close to it.

    The mechanic was introduced with Zendikar Rising, and it was quite surprising when it didn’t return in Adventure in the Forgotten Realms. It’s a perfect fit for a DND-themed set, after-all!

    It makes sense that it would return in Battle for Baldur’s Gate, which also mixes MTG with DND.. This was confirmed when we saw the main Commander, Nalia de’Arnise.

    Nalia de’Arnise Review

    Nalia de'Arnise Baldur's Gate Commander Decklists

    Before this set, the most popular commanders for party decks were: Tazri, Beacon of Unity, Zagras, Thief of Heartbeats and Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate. Thruth be told, these also were the only commanders that specifically referenced the party mechanic. So, does Nalia have what it takes to compete with them?

    There was no White-Black party commander yet, so Nalia’s got that going for her. The cost of three mana is also on the cheap side, as far as commanders go, so that’s another plus. It all comes down to the abilities.

    The first ability allows you to cast all party creatures from the top of your library. If your deck is built in a way to take advantage of it, this can provide some serious card advantage.

    The second one rewards you for having a full party. At the beginning of your combat, all your creatures get a +1/+1 counter and deathtouch until end of turn.

    As far as the party commanders go, Nalia looks like a very powerful choice. However, in a vacuum she’s probably a fine commander, although nothing spectacular, and might not be the best option if your play group is playing very competitive decks. On the flip side, you probably won’t be the biggest problem at the table, so you’ll probably have time to develop without other players ganging up on you.

    Don’t forget that Nalia could also be a very fine part of a 99 in a Cleric / Rogue / Warrior or Wizard deck, as it allows you to simply cast these types from the top of your library.

    Party Time Decklist

    Commander (1)
    Nalia de’Arnise

    Creatures (39)
    Archpriest of Iona
    Bygone Bishop
    Eight-and-a-Half-Tails
    Frontline Medic
    Galepowder Mage
    Glorious Protector
    Jazal Goldmane
    Magus of the Balance
    Mikaeus, the Lunarch
    Mirror Entity
    Order of Whiteclay
    Selfless Spirit
    Solemn Recruit
    Squad Commander
    Bloodsoaked Champion
    Butcher of Malakir
    Calculating Lich
    Dire Fleet Ravager
    Gonti, Lord of Luxury
    Grim Haruspex
    Grim Hireling
    Mardu Strike Leader
    Mindblade Render
    Nighthawk Scavenger
    Pontiff of Blight
    Puppeteer Clique
    Felisa, Fang of Silverquill
    High Priest of Penance
    Aven Mindcensor
    Irregular Cohort
    Mage’s Attendant
    Mother of Runes
    Priest of Ancient Lore
    Rumor Gatherer
    Valiant Changeling
    Changeling Outcast
    Corpse Augur
    Malakir Blood-Priest
    Zulaport Cutthroat

    Sorceries (4)
    Austere Command
    Dusk // Dawn
    Sevinne’s Reclamation
    Thwart the Grave

    Instants (3)
    Unbreakable Formation
    Despark
    Crib Swap

    Enchantments (1)
    Firja’s Retribution
    Lands (37)
    Castle Locthwain
    Mutavault
    Shambling Vent
    Temple of Silence
    Vault of the Archangel
    War Room
    Windbrisk Heights
    Command Tower
    Ash Barrens
    Bojuka Bog
    Mortuary Mire
    Myriad Landscape
    Orzhov Basilica
    Path of Ancestry
    Snowfield Sinkhole
    Starlit Sanctum
    Tainted Field
    10 Plains
    10 Swamp

    Artifacts (6)
    Maskwood Nexus
    Arcane Signet
    Orzhov Signet
    Skullclamp
    Sol Ring
    Talisman of Hierarchy

    New Cards* (9)
    Burakos, Party Leader
    Folk Hero
    Deep Gnome Terramancer
    Harper Recruiter
    Seasoned Dungeoneer
    Stick Together
    Black Market Connections
    Solemn Doomguide
    Multiclass Baldric

    Baldur’s Gate Commander Decks New Cards – Party Time


    Best Reprints in Party Time

    As you might’ve seen from the decklist, there are quite a few good reprints in the Party Time precon. Here are some highlights:

    Mind Flayarrrs

    Mind Flayarrrs Baldur's Gate Commander Decks

    Here’s a very unusual name for a Commander deck. Wizards don’t usually use joke names, and even before the main commander was previewed, lots of players speculated that we’ll see N’Ghathrod, a mind flayer space pirate.

    The deck looks like it’ll have a tribal component with Horrors. Furthermore, if you like milling your opponents, you’ll probably enjoy this precon, although the deck doesn’t necessarily have to go all-in on the mill plan.

    Captain N’ghathrod Review

    Captain N'ghathrod Commander MTG

    Captain N’gathrod is a very exciting commander to say the least. 3/6 for five mana is acceptable, but as usual, the most interesting part is in the text box.

    In there you’ll find a lot of support for one of the not-so-supported tribes, Horrors. It makes them harder to block, and makes them mill cards, when they connect. Discovering tribal synergies for such tribes is always fun, as you can find some obscure cards, that wouldn’t work in many other shells, like Guiltfeeder.

    However, N’ghathrod isn’t just a straightforward commander, as it also cares about milling. Thankfully, there are already some cards that fit perfectly in that shell, such as Umbris, Fear Manifest.

    If all of that isn’t enough, you also get another payoff for milling. At the beginning of the end step you can choose an opponent’s artifact or creature that was milled this turn, and get it in play yourself – for free! That’s certainly a powerful effect.

    Just how strong N’gathrod will be, depends on your playgroup and the way you’ll build around it. Nevertheless, it certainly has a lot of things going for it, and should hold its own, while providing some very nice deckbuilding decisions.

    Mind Flayarrrs Decklist

    Commander (1)
    Captain N’ghathrod

    Creatures (26)
    Chasm Skulker
    Forgotten Creation
    Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar
    Hullbreaker Horror
    Mind Flayer
    Overcharged Amalgam
    Sludge Monster
    Wharf Infiltrator
    Dark Hatchling
    Dross Harvester
    Guiltfeeder
    Hunted Horror
    Nighthowler
    Nihilith
    Sewer Nemesis
    Woe Strider
    Consuming Aberration
    Nemesis of Reason
    Phyrexian Revoker
    Psychosis Crawler
    Spellskite
    Dauthi Horror
    Dusk Mangler
    Phyrexian Rager
    Plague Spitter
    Ravenous Chupacabra

    Sorceries (7)
    Fractured Sanity
    Crippling Fear
    Hex
    In Garruk’s Wake
    Feed the Swarm
    Syphon Mind
    Extract from Darkness

    Instants (5)
    Pull from Tomorrow
    Curtains’ Call
    Memory Plunder
    Fact or Fiction
    Drown in the Loch

    Enchantments (3)
    Leyline of Anticipation
    Reflections of Littjara
    Black Market
    Lands (38)
    Choked Estuary
    Creeping Tar Pit
    Darkwater Catacombs
    Drownyard Temple
    Exotic Orchard
    Nephalia Drownyard
    River of Tears
    Sunken Hollow
    Temple of Deceit
    Command Tower
    Ash Barrens
    Dimir Aqueduct
    Myriad Landscape
    Path of Ancestry
    Port of Karfell
    Rogue’s Passage
    Tainted Isle
    Temple of the False God
    Island
    11 Swamp

    Artifacts (11)
    Arcane Signet
    Mind Stone
    Dimir Keyrune
    Dimir Signet
    Everflowing Chalice
    Herald’s Horn
    Lightning Greaves
    Mindcrank
    Sol Ring
    Talisman of Dominance
    Thought Vessel

    New Cards* (9)
    Zellix, Sanity Flayer
    Haunted One
    Aboleth Spawn
    Endless Evil
    Grell Philosopher
    Psionic Ritual
    Brainstealer Dragon
    From the Catacombs
    Uchuulon

    *You might notice that some card previews aren’t working. These are the new cards, you can find cards exclusive to the deck below.

    Baldur’s Gate Commander Decks New Cards – Mind Flayarrrs


    Best Reprints in Mind Flayarrrs

    Mind Flayarrrs precon also has some useful reprints, such as:

    Draconic Dissent

    Draconic Dissent Baldur's Gate Commander Decks

    The franchise is called Dungeons and Dragons, so a Dragon-themed deck fits naturally among the Baldur’s Gate Commmander decks. Dragon tribal precons, are always very popular, and there’s no reason for this one to be any different.

    One problem with recurring themes in Commander precons is that they might feel the same, as the ones that came before. Wizards could easily go with classic Dragon tribal themes, or even with something spell based, as this is the Izzet color combination (but we already saw that with Niv-Mizzet Parun). Instead, they decided to go for something fresh, by focusing on both Dragon tribal and the goad mechanic.

    This mechanic allows you to force creatures to attack – preferably someone other than you, which is great in multiplayer games. One problem that multiplayer games sometimes have is that they sometimes take too much time, as nobody wants to attack of the fear of that player attacking them back.

    Goad takes care of that by forcing the players to attack. This gives more focus to combat, which sometimes feels a bit neglected, compared to other phases. So, it’s certainly going to be exciting to see just how this deck combines both goad and Dragon tribal. We can already draw some conclusions from the face commander.

    Firkraag, Cunning Instigator Review

    Firkraag, Cunning Instigator Baldur's Gate Commander Precons

    Five mana for a 3/3 flyer is a bit underwhelming, but Firkraag does come with haste which is a very relevant keyword, as it works very nicely with both its abilities.

    The first ability triggers whenever one or more Dragons attack an opponent. If you attack an opponent, you’ll get to goad one of their creatures. That’s a pretty nice ability, and you can make it even better by including something like War’s Toll in your deck.

    The second ability has an interesting trigger. It triggers whenever a creature deals combat damage to one of your opponents, but only if it was forced to attack. When that happens, you get to put a +1/+1 counter on Firkraag, and you draw a card.

    All in all, this Firkraag looks like a pretty interesting card, even if it’s not the strongest out there. It can certainly change the direction of the game, but you’ll really want to use it in multiplayer games, as that’s where this Dragon will feel the most at home.

    Draconic Dissent Decklist

    Commander (1)
    Firkraag, Cunning Instigator

    Creatures (23)
    Solemn Simulacrum
    Thunder Dragon
    Ryusei, the Falling Star
    Keiga, the Tide Star
    Stuffy Doll
    Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs
    Steel Hellkite
    Avatar of Slaughter
    Burnished Hart
    Warmonger Hellkite
    Goblin Spymaster
    Territorial Hellkite
    Niv-Mizzet, Parun
    Angler Turtle
    Drakuseth, Maw of Flames
    Sprite Dragon
    Agitator Ant
    Pursued Whale
    Brash Taunter
    Geode Rager
    Sly Instigator
    Chaos Dragon
    Vengeful Ancestor

    Planeswalkers (2)
    Rowan Kenrith
    Will Kenrith

    Sorceries (6)
    Compulsive Research
    Chain Reaction
    Blasphemous Act
    Curse of the Swine
    Aether Gale
    Disrupt Decorum

    Instants (3)
    Reins of Power
    Chaos Warp
    Domineering Will

    Enchantments (7)
    Propaganda
    Dissipation Field
    Curse of Verbosity
    Curse of Opulence
    The Akroan War
    Shiny Impetus
    Psychic Impetus
    Lands (38)
    12 Mountain
    12 Island
    Temple of the False God
    Terrain Generator
    Izzet Boilerworks
    Kher Keep
    Reliquary Tower
    Command Tower
    Desolate Lighthouse
    Temple of Epiphany
    Myriad Landscape
    Wandering Fumarole
    Ash Barrens
    Path of Ancestry
    Castle Vantress
    Prismari Campus

    Artifacts (11)
    Sol Ring
    Fellwar Stone
    Wayfarer’s Bauble
    Mind Stone
    Izzet Signet
    Hedron Archive
    Dragon’s Hoard
    Talisman of Creativity
    Arcane Signet
    Bloodthirsty Blade
    Midnight Clock

    New Cards* (9)
    Baeloth Barrityl, Entertainer
    Death Kiss
    Bothersome Quasit
    Astral Dragon
    Mocking Doppelganger
    Clan Crafter
    Loot Dispute
    Artificer Class
    Spectacular Showdown

    *You might notice that some card previews aren’t working. These are the new cards, you can find cards exclusive to the deck below.

    Baldur’s Gate Commander Decks New Cards – Draconic Dissent


    Best Reprints in Draconic Dissent

    Besides the new cards, Draconic Dissent also contains some powerful reprints, like:

    Exit From Exile

    Exit from Exile Baldur's Gate Commander Decks

    The last deck undoubtedly provides a fresh take on the Red-Green color pair. It rewards you for playing spells or lands from exile. This is an interesting deckbuilding proposition, as you have to decide which cards to include carefully.

    You’ll want the Red’s impulse draw with cards like Abbot of Keral Keep. Of course, Escape to the Wilds will also be amazing, but you also have other options, such as cards with foretell, and so on. Anyway, it’s fun to see Red-Green do something new.

    Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald Review

    Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald Baldur's Gate Commander Decks

    Faldorn is cheap to cast, and if you manage to build your deck in a way that you’ll play a lot of your spells and lands from exile, you’ll get rewarded with an army of Wolves. It’s also cool that the second ability combines nicely with the first one.

    However, Faldorn is perhaps more than any other commander here, dependent on how you build around it. You can make it either quite competitive or very casual, depending on which cards you’ll decide to include.

    We’d recommend Faldorn, if you like to dive deep into the deckbuilding process to find fun and exciting interactions.

    Exit From Exile Decklist

    Commander (1)
    Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald

    Planeswalkers (2)
    Vivien, Champion of the Wilds
    Xenagos, the Reveler

    Creatures (22)
    Aurora Phoenix
    Bonecrusher Giant
    Dire Fleet Daredevil
    Dream Pillager
    Etali, Primal Storm
    Greater Gargadon
    Izzet Chemister
    Laelia, the Blade Reforged
    Tectonic Giant
    Urabrask the Hidden
    Wild-Magic Sorcerer
    Arasta of the Endless Web
    Battle Mammoth
    End-Raze Forerunners
    Hornet Queen
    Lovestruck Beast
    Managorger Hydra
    Sweet-Gum Recluse
    Embereth Shieldbreaker
    Sakura-Tribe Elder
    Bloodbraid Elf
    Grumgully, the Generous

    Sorceries (15)
    Ignite the Future
    Jeska’s Will
    Mizzium Mortars
    Ezuri’s Predation
    Escape to the Wilds
    Nature’s Lore
    Light Up the Stage
    Beanstalk Giant
    Cultivate
    Explore
    Kodama’s Reach
    Search for Tomorrow
    Terramorph
    Three Visits
    Volcanic Torrent

    Instants (4)
    Return of the Wildspeaker
    Demon Bolt
    Beast Within
    Natural Reclamation

    Enchantments (5)
    Outpost Siege
    Stolen Strategy
    Warstorm Surge
    Primeval Bounty
    Sandwurm Convergence
    Lands (39)
    Castle Embereth
    Cinder Glade
    Game Trail
    Kessig Wolf Run
    Mossfire Valley
    Mosswort Bridge
    Raging Ravine
    Spinerock Knoll
    Temple of Abandon
    Command Tower
    Ash Barrens
    Blighted Woodland
    Gruul Turf
    Highland Forest
    Myriad Landscape
    Temple of the False God
    11 Mountain
    12 Forest

    Artifacts (3)
    Chaos Wand
    Arcane Signet
    Sol Ring

    New Cards* (9)
    Durnan of the Yawning Portal
    Passionate Archaeologist
    Delayed Blast Fireball
    Nalfeshnee
    Green Slime
    Journey to the Lost City
    Tlincalli Hunter
    Venture Forth
    Sarevok’s Tome

    Baldur’s Gate Commander Decks New Cards – Exit From Exile

    Best Reprints in Exit From Exile

    Let’s take a look at the best reprints in Exit From Exile precon:

    Baldur’s Gate Commander Decks – FAQ

    Before we wrap up, here are some questions that you might have about Commander Legends 2 precons. If you have a question that we didn’t answer, you can leave a comment below, and we’ll get back to you.

    Are the Baldur’s Gate Commander decks balanced against each other?

    Yes, they are. Whenever Wizards release a bunch of decks together, they always try to balance them against one another. Even when they don’t reach their goal completely, due to the variance of Commander and multiplayer games, it’s possible to win with any of them.

    Which is the best Baldur’s Gate Commander deck?

    It’s hard to say, as each deck has its pros and cons. Most of the decks are pretty close in value, as they all have good reprints and good new cards. It looks like, it’s probably best to just go with your favorite colors. If you can’t decide you can simply get all four Commander decks.

    Can Baldur’s Gate Commander decks function as a self-contained game?

    Yes, they can. You can get all four Commander decks, and use them as a board game for 2-4 players.

    Do Baldur’s Gate Commander decks come with a booster?

    Yes, they do. Each Baldur’s Gate precon comes with a Sample Collector Booster, which contains two cards.

    When will the Baldur’s Gate Commander decklists get previewed?

    All four decklists have already been previewed.

    Conclusion

    There’s still a lot of information that we have to unveil about Baldur’s Gate Commander decks, including the decklists. Once it becomes available, we’ll update the article, so make sure to check back now and then.

    But for now, you can take a look at the following articles:

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