Commander 2020: Ikoria – Which Deck to Buy

Commander decks are coming earlier than expected this year. But that’s not all, they won’t be the only Commander product we’ll get this year. So today we’ll take a look at all available information about Commander 2020 (or Ikoria Commander).

We’ve also got some exciting teasers from Gavin Verhey and we’ll also discuss these. But first, let’s check which decks we’re getting this year.

Commander 2020 Deck Names and Colors

There are five decks in Commander 2020:

  • Ruthless Regiment (red-white-black)
  • Arcane Maelstrom (green-blue-red)
  • Symbiotic Swarm (white-black-green)
  • Timeless Wisdom (blue-red-white)
  • Enhanced Evolution (black-green-blue)

All of them are thematically tied to Ikoria: Liar of Behemoths. Together, they contain 71 brand new cards.

Ruthless Regiment

Jirina Kudro Commander 2020 Ikoria

Ruthless Regiment with Jirina Kudro focuses on Humans. She’s basically an army in one card, since she brings Human Soldiers with her. With her bonus they aren’t just a 1/1 dorks, but a reasonable 3/1 creatures. Of course, they can easily get even bigger – you’ll play lots of anthem effects in your Jirina deck.

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Planeswalker (1)
Nahiri, the Harbinger

Creature (24)
Bounty Agent
Dearly Departed
Frontline Medic
Knight of the White Orchid
Magus of the Disk
Odric, Master Tactician
Riders of Gavony
Thalia’s Lieutenant
Thraben Doomsayer
Disciple of Bolas
Xathrid Necromancer
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
Captivating Crew
Fumiko the Lowblood
Magus of the Wheel
Titan of Eternal Fire
Adriana, Captain of the Guard
General’s Enforcer
Banisher Priest
Cavalry Pegasus
Devout Chaplain
Zulaport Cutthroat
Humble Defector
Garna, the Bloodflame

Sorcery (5)
Citywide Bust
Cleansing Nova
Increasing Devotion
Painful Truths
Ambition’s Cost

Instant (4)
Unexpectedly Absent
Crackling Doom
Dire Tactics
Terminate

Enchantment (8)
Outpost Siege
Shared Animosity
Sanctuary Lockdown
Bastion of Remembrance
Martial Impetus
Parasitic Impetus
Shiny Impetus
Vigilante Justice

Land (36)
Battlefield Forge
Exotic Orchard
Shadowblood Ridge
Smoldering Marsh
Spinerock Knoll
Windbrisk Heights
Bojuka Bog
Boros Garrison
Command Tower
Myriad Landscape
Nomad Outpost
Orzhov Basilica
Path of Ancestry
Rakdos Carnarium
Temple of the False God
Unclaimed Territory
Bloodfell Caves
Evolving Wilds
Scoured Barrens
Wind-Scarred Crag
Mountain
Plains
Swamp

Artifact (9)
Bonder’s Ornament
Arcane Signet
Boros Signet
Commander’s Sphere
Heirloom Blade
Orzhov Signet
Rakdos Signet
Skullclamp
Sol Ring

New (13)
Jirina Kudro
Kelsien, the Plague
Trynn, Champion of Freedom
Silvar, Devourer of the Free
Call the Coppercoats
Flawless Maneuver
Verge Rangers
Species Specialist
Titan Hunter
Fireflux Squad
Frontier Warmonger
Molten Echoes
Sanctuary Blade

Arcane Maelstrom

Kalamax the Stormsire

Kalamax is an unusual Commander. It’s a great choice for players who like both instants and big creatures.

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Planeswalker (1)
Jace, Architect of Thought

Creature (14)
Lunar Mystic
Niblis of Frost
Talrand, Sky Summoner
Charmbreaker Devils
Dualcaster Mage
Etali, Primal Storm
Goblin Dark-Dwellers
Djinn Illuminatus
Melek, Izzet Paragon
Rashmi, Eternities Crafter
Wort, the Raidmother
Solemn Simulacrum
Murmuring Mystic
Crackling Drake

Sorcery (1)
Surreal Memoir

Instant (20)
Chaos Warp
Comet Storm
Commune with Lava
Starstorm
Strength of the Tajuru
Artifact Mutation
Prophetic Bolt
Chemister’s Insight
Frantic Search
Whiplash Trap
Crop Rotation
Evolution Charm
Harrow
Hunter’s Insight
Hunting Pack
Natural Connection
Slice in Twain
Tribute to the Wild
Growth Spiral
Temur Charm

Artifact (4)
Arcane Signet
Commander’s Sphere
Lightning Greaves
Sol Ring

Enchantment (2)
Swarm Intelligence
Wilderness Reclamation

Land (38)
Cinder Glade
Desolate Lighthouse
Exotic Orchard
Kessig Wolf Run
Mossfire Valley
Mosswort Bridge
Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
Scavenger Grounds
Yavimaya Coast
Command Tower
Frontier Bivouac
Gruul Turf
Halimar Depths
Izzet Boilerworks
Myriad Landscape
Rupture Spire
Simic Growth Chamber
Rugged Highlands
Swiftwater Cliffs
Thornwood Falls
Forest
Island
Mountain

New* (20)
Xyris, the Writhing Storm
Haldan, Avid Arcanist
Pako, Arcane Retriever
Decoy Gambit
Eon Frolicker
Nascent Metamorph
Deflecting Swat
Lavabrink Floodgates
Curious Herd
Glademuse
Ravenous Gigantotherium
Twinning Staff
Bonder’s Ornament
Clash of Titans
Channeled Force
Primal Empathy
Psychic Impetus
Shiny Impetus
Predatory Impetus
Kalamax, the Stormsire

Symbiotic Swarm

Kathril Aspect Warper Commander 2020 Ikoria

Did you enjoy playing with Soulflyer? It looks like Kathril is doing pretty much the same thing, except it can be your commander! You can expect a loot of creatures with abilities in Symbiotic Swarm deck.

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Planeswalker (1)
Ajani Unyielding

Creature (24)
Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Angel of Finality
Cataclysmic Gearhulk
Kalemne’s Captain
Odric, Lunarch Marshal
Reveillark
Solemn Recruit
Sunblast Angel
Zetalpa, Primal Dawn
Cairn Wanderer
Soul of Innistrad
Soulflayer
Hornet Queen
Majestic Myriarch
Splinterfright
Archon of Valor’s Reach
Karametra, God of Harvests
Aerial Responder
Vampire Nighthawk
Acidic Slime
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Satyr Wayfinder
Skullwinder
Nyx Weaver

Sorcery (5)
Ever After
Duneblast
Unburial Rites
Cultivate
Harmonize

Instant (4)
Abzan Charm
Deathsprout
Despark
Grisly Salvage

Artifact (5)
Mimic Vat
Arcane Signet
Commander’s Sphere
Sol Ring
Swiftfoot Boots

Enchantment (3)
Together Forever
Abzan Ascendancy
Deadbridge Chant

Land (37)
Canopy Vista
Caves of Koilos
Exotic Orchard
Gavony Township
Grim Backwoods
Sungrass Prairie
Blighted Woodland
Command Tower
Golgari Rot Farm
Krosan Verge
Memorial to Folly
Myriad Landscape
Orzhov Basilica
Sandsteppe Citadel
Selesnya Sanctuary
Blossoming Sands
Evolving Wilds
Jungle Hollow
Scoured Barrens
Plains
Swamp
Forest

New* (21)
Tayam, Luminous Enigma
Nikara, Lair Scavenger
Yannik, Scavenging Sentinel
Avenging Huntbonder
Cartographer’s Hawk
Vitality Hunter
Daring Fiendbonder
Netherborn Altar
Obscuring Haze
Selective Adaptation
Slippery Bogbonder
Nesting Grounds
Bonder’s Ornament
Blood Curdle
Unbreakable Bond
Void Beckoner
Titanoth Rex
Martial Impetus
Parasitic Impetus
Predatory Impetus
Kathril, Aspect Warper

Timeless Wisdom

Gavi Nest Warden Commander 2020 Ikoria Timeless Wisdom

If you’re a fan of cycling, you’re gonna love Gavi and Timeless Wisdom deck. You can play fair with regular cycling cards and enchantments like Astral Slide and Astral Drift.

On the other hand, Gavi also enables some broken stuff with cards like Decree of Silence – counter target spell and draw a card for zero mana? Yes, please. Or you can just blow all lands for free with Decree of Annihilation. Also you’ll draw a card on top of that.

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Planeswalker (1)
Chandra, Flamecaller

Creature (11)
Eternal Dragon
Sun Titan
Curator of Mysteries
Nimble Obstructionist
Portal Mage
Isperia, Supreme Judge
Mercurial Chemister
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
The Locust God
Psychosis Crawler
Vizier of Tumbling Sands

Sorcery (6)
Akroma’s Vengeance
Decree of Justice
Descend upon the Sinful
Windfall
Slice and Dice
Migratory Route

Instant (1)
Hieroglyphic Illumination

Artifact (8)
Abandoned Sarcophagus
Fluctuator
Arcane Signet
Azorius Signet
Boros Signet
Commander’s Sphere
Izzet Signet
Sol Ring

Enchantment (8)
Astral Drift
Hoofprints of the Stag
Drake Haven
New Perspectives
Tectonic Reformation
Cast Out
Spirit Cairn
Lightning Rift

Land (39)
Exotic Orchard
Hostile Desert
Irrigated Farmland
Prairie Stream
Shivan Reef
Skycloud Expanse
Ash Barrens
Azorius Chancery
Boros Garrison
Command Tower
Desert of the Fervent
Desert of the Mindful
Desert of the True
Drifting Meadow
Forgotten Cave
Izzet Boilerworks
Lonely Sandbar
Myriad Landscape
Mystic Monastery
Reliquary Tower
Remote Isle
Secluded Steppe
Smoldering Crater
Temple of the False God
Island
Mountain
Plains

New* (26)
Akim, the Soaring Wind
Brallin, Skyshark Rider
Shabraz, the Skyshark
Cryptic Trilobite
Dismantling Wave
Herald of the Forgotten
Crystalline Resonance
Ethereal Forager
Fierce Guardianship
Agitator Ant
Spellpyre Phoenix
Surly Badgersaur
Bonder’s Ornament
Raugrin Crystal
Valiant Rescuer
Boon of the Wish-Giver
Neutralize
Ominous Seas
Reconnaissance Mission
Rooting Moloch
Savai Thundermane
Zenith Flare
Martial Impetus
Psychic Impetus
Shiny Impetus
Gavi, Nest Warden

Enhanced Evolution

Otrimi the Ever-Playful Commander 2020 Ikoria

Do you really like the new Mutate mechanic? If so, then this playful Otrimi is the perfect Commander with you.

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Planeswalker (1)
Nissa, Steward of Elements

Creature (18)
Beast Whisperer
Genesis Hydra
Hungering Hydra
Masked Admirers
Predator Ooze
Vastwood Hydra
Vorapede
Cold-Eyed Selkie
Wydwen, the Biting Gale
Silent Arbiter
Fertilid
Illusory Ambusher
Mulldrifter
Shriekmaw
Heroes’ Bane
Reclamation Sage
Yavimaya Dryad
Trygon Predator

Sorcery (8)
Mind Spring
Deadly Tempest
Profane Command
Animist’s Awakening
Find // Finality
Gaze of Granite
Villainous Wealth
Kodama’s Reach

Instant (3)
Beast Within
Krosan Grip
Putrefy

Artifact (3)
Lifecrafter’s Bestiary
Arcane Signet
Sol Ring

Enchantment (1)
Propaganda

Land (37)
Darkwater Catacombs
Endless Sands
Exotic Orchard
Llanowar Wastes
Sunken Hollow
Blighted Woodland
Command Tower
Dimir Aqueduct
Golgari Rot Farm
Mortuary Mire
Myriad Landscape
Opulent Palace
Rogue’s Passage
Simic Growth Chamber
Soaring Seacliff
Temple of the False God
Dismal Backwater
Jungle Hollow
Thornwood Falls
Swamp
11 Forest
Island

New* (29)
Zaxara, the Exemplary
Cazur, Ruthless Stalker
Ukkima, Stalking Shadow
Souvenir Snatcher
Tidal Barracuda
Boneyard Mycodrax
Deadly Rollick
Dredge the Mire
Mindleecher
Capricopian
Sawtusk Demolisher
Manascape Refractor
Bonder’s Ornament
Archipelagore
Dreamtail Heron
Pouncing Shoreshark
Cavern Whisperer
Chittering Harvester
Insatiable Hemophage
Auspicious Starrix
Glowstone Recluse
Migration Path
Migratory Greathorn
Boneyard Lurker
Trumpeting Gnarr
Psychic Impetus
Parasitic Impetus
Predatory Impetus
Otrimi, the Ever-Playful

Commander 2020 – Which Deck to Buy?

We ranked Commander 2020 decks based by different factors. This ways it’ll be easier to pick the best deck for you, depending on what you value the most.

Most Valuable Commander 2020 Deck

Maybe you want to get the most value out of your Commander deck. We ranked the decks based on how much valuable cards they contain. Five of the most pricey cards are also mentioned for each deck.

#1 by Value: Enchanced Evolution

#2 by Value: Timeless Wisdom

#3 by Value: Ruthless Regiment

#4 by Value: Arcane Maelstorm

#5 by Value: Symbiotic Swarm

All of the decks are pretty close together in value, so there is really no stinkers here. Even Symbiotic Swarm has some nice value in there.

Also, don’t forget that besides cards mentioned above each deck also includes Sol Ring and Arcane Signet, which are also worth some money.

Commander 2020 Spoilers Teaser From Gavin

Gavin Verhey, Senior MTG Designer has posted two videos on his Instagram, talking about exciting Commander 2020 teasers. All teasers refer to the new cards in the Commander decks. Let’s check them out.

Some Strange Creatures…

It looks like Ikoria is full of strange creatures. Here are five unusual creature types we’ll get:

  • Goat Hydra
  • Cat Nightmare
  • Badger Dinosaur
  • Whale Wolf
  • Dinosaur Cat (tokens)

Besides all that, we’ll also get Magic’s fourth Trilobite. With first three being Electryte, Scuttling Sliver and Shore Keeper. So get excited or something?

… and Interesting Text

Although no actual cards were previewed by Gavin, we got some snippets of card text. So there are new cards in Commander 2020 that include the following:

  • “You and Planeswalkers you control gain protection from that player.”
  • “You may pay zero rather than…”
  • “Whenever you cast a spell with X in its mana cost…”
  • “… spend this mana only to activate abilities.” (written on a creature)
White Ramp in Commander 2020 Spoilers Plains

There’s also a certain card that might help white in Commander! It’s a mono white card that let’s you repeatedly ramp Plains from your library onto the battlefield. Hopefully it turns out great – white definitely needs it.

Mechanics and Counters

Mechanics

Is there an old mechanic you like? Well, maybe you’ll get it in this year’s Commander deck, since we’re getting 8 non-evergreen returning mechanics. What could these be? If you have any ideas – let us know in the comments bellow.

Counters

Out of 71 new cards in Ikoria Commander, there are 41 cards, which mention counter(s) in their rules text or in reminder text. That’s a whooping 57.7% of new cards!

Gavin also gave an fun example of a specific counter we’ll get. There’s a Hound that makes Fetch counters! Get it? Because you play fetch with a dog… Okay we’ll stop.

Experience counters are confirmed to return. There’ll be exactly one legendary card that uses them. This is in addition to the eight returning mechanics mentioned before.

But Wait, There’s More!

One particularly interesting teaser we got is about a new cycle of cards. It’s a re-imagining of an old popular multiplayer cycle. Which cycle could this be? Maybe a cycle of Primordials (the one with Sylvan Primordial).

Another “Maro”

Do you know the story about Maro? It’s a Magic card that got named after the MTG head designer Mark Rosewater.

MTG Maro

Gavin told us that there’s a card named after him this time! The initials of the card name will spell GAVIN. At this place we’d like to thank Gavin for all the work he puts in Magic (a lot of it goes specifically to Commander). Congratulations on getting your own card, well deserved!

That’s all about the teasers. You can find both Gavin’s videos here – Part One an Part Two.

Commander 2020 Release Date

As we previously mentioned, all decks have share themes with the main Standard set Ikoria: Liar of Behemoths. They also share same release date – April, 24th 2020.

Some stores will also have decks available at their Prerelease events. These are happening on April 17-19, 2020. If you’re interested in this event, check for stores near you in Wizard’s Store Locator. You can find their contact info there, so you can ask whether they’ll have the Commander decks available or not.

Where to Buy Commander 2020 Decks?

Besides you’re local game stores, you can also get them on Amazon. You can already preorder all five of them, for a reasonable price. This way you’ll get them as fast as possible.

Commander Legends Baron Sengir

More Commander Products in 2020!

That’s far from the only product Commander players will be getting in 2020. Today we’ll only touch on the upcoming products, but you can expect a special article for each one of them – once we get more information.

Zendikar Rising Commander Decks

Zendikar Rising will bring us two Commander decks. Each of them will contain 3 brand new cards, the rest will be reprints.

Zendikar Rising

These two decks will be a bit different from your regular Commander decks. They will be more beginner friendly. However, you can still expect some great reprints in them. More information about Zendikar Rising Commander decks here.

Commander Collection: Green

This is a brand new product. It contains eight specific cards – reprints of green Commander staples. Each of them has a new art, depicting a legendary character casting a spell. As you can see, one of those characters is Yisan, the Wanderer Bard.

This product releases in autumn 2020. Other colors will probably get their own Commander Collections in the future.

Commander Legends

Are you a fan of both Draft and Commander? Then this is a product for you. It’s a draftable Commander set!

Here’s what we know about Commander Legends so far:

  • 20-card boosters
  • 70+ new legendary creatures
  • cards from all planes

Two more Commander decks will be released alongside it, similar to the ones in Zendikar Rising – beginner friendly and containing 3 new cards each.

More News

If you don’t want to miss any more Magic the Gathering news, give us a follow on Facebook or Instagram. We’ll keep you updated with Magic spoilers, new products and some other fun stuff.

If you’re looking for more information about upcoming Magic products, you can read about Jumpstart Booster or about Cube Sealed on Arena. Of course, there are also Ikoria Spoilers available.

Anyways, that’s all about Commander 2020. Until next time, may you play a ton of fun Commander games.

2 thoughts on “Commander 2020: Ikoria – Which Deck to Buy”

  1. You can’t get them for a reasonable price anymore. The price is going up and up and up, and the product hadn’t even been released yet. Honestly feels like Wizards is punishing lower-income people who couldn’t afford to preorder the decks earlier due to covid-19.

    Reply

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