Innistrad: Crimson Vow Commander Decks and Decklists

We’re getting not only one, but two Innistrad sets in 2021. Alongside the second set, we’re also getting two Crimson Vow Commander decks. In this article, we’ll share everything you need to know about them, including:

  • both decklists
  • new Crimson Vow Commander cards
  • reviews of both main commanders
  • and more!

It certainly looks like it’s going to be a fun time for fans of tribal Commander decks. Anyway, we certainly have a lot to talk about, so let’s get right to it.

Crimson Vow Commander Decks

As we said, we’re getting two Crimson Vow Commander decks. The first deck is Vampiric Bloodline and the second one is Spirit Squadron. You can order both decks on Amazon.

Intro or Full Versions?

As you might know, Wizards released intro (or lite) Commander decks with Kaldheim, Zendikar Rising and Commander Legends. These deck had lower power level and lower price. For an example, you can take a look at Kaldheim Commander decks.

On the other hand, WotC also regularly release fully powered Commander decks. The most recent ones were Midnight Hunt Commander decks. They have higher power level, contain stronger reprints, and have the standard price for Commander precons.

So, the question is: Are Crimson Vow Commander decks intro decks or the full versions?

Crimson Vow Commander decks are fully powered. This means you can expect powerful decks with 15 exclusive new cards in each one and with exciting reprints. The new cards are thematically tied to Innistrad, but the reprints can be from anywhere.

Release Date

Crimson Vow Commander decks release on November 19, 2021. That’s the same day as the main set releases in paper.

Crimson Vow Commander Deck – Contents

Each Crimson Vow Commander deck contains:

  • 2 different foil commanders (the main commander, and a different commander to swap it, if you get bored with it)
  • 98 regular cards
  • 10 double-sided tokens
  • 1 cardboard deck box (not of the best quality, we’d recommend one of the better deck boxes)
  • 1 life counter

Besides the foil version, you also get the display version of the main commander. This card is slightly thicker, and isn’t meant for competitive play. You can use it in your command zone, so you don’t accidentally shuffle it into your deck.

Vampiric Bloodline

Vampiric Bloodline Crimson Vow Commander Deck Decklist

This is a Vampire tribal deck. Few years back there was a Commander precon build around Edgar Markov and it was a very popular one. Hopefully, this one will live up to the hype.

Let’s take a closer look at the decklist, and see if that’s likely.

Vampiric Bloodline Decklist

Commander (1)
Strefan, Maurer Progenitor

Creatures (27)
Anje’s Ravager
Anowon, the Ruin Sage
Blood Artist
Bloodline Necromancer
Bloodlord of Vaasgoth
Bloodsworn Steward
Bloodtithe Harvester
Bloodtracker
Butcher of Malakir
Champion of Dusk
Cordial Vampire
Crimson Honor Guard
Dark Impostor
Falkenrath Gorger
Falkenrath Noble
Indulgent Aristocrat
Malakir Bloodwitch
Necropolis Regent
Nirkana Revenant
Patron of the Vein
Rakish Heir
Sanctum Seeker
Stromkirk Captain
Stromkirk Condemned
Stromkirk Occultist
Vampire Nighthawk
Vampiric Dragon

Sorceries (8)
Ancient Craving
Avacyn’s Judgment
Blasphemous Act
Damnable Pact
Feed the Swarm
Mob Rule
Night’s Whisper
Vandalblast

Instants (2)
Rakdos Charm
Urge to Feed

Artifacts (8)
Arcane Signet
Charcoal Diamond
Commander’s Sphere
Fire Diamond
Rakdos Signet
Sol Ring
Swiftfoot Boots
Unstable Obelisk

Enchantments (3)
Molten Echoes
Stensia Masquerade
Underworld Connections
Lands (37)
Command Tower
Exotic Orchard
Foreboding Ruins
Myriad Landscape
Path of Ancestry
Rakdos Carnarium
Shadowblood Ridge
Smoldering Marsh
Tainted Peak
Temple of Malice
Temple of the False God
Unclaimed Territory
11 Mountain
14 Swamp

New Cards* (14)
Arterial Alchemy
Crossway Troublemakers
Glass-Cast Heart
Imposing Grandeur
Kamber, the Plunderer
Laurine, the Diversion
Markov Enforcer
Midnight Arsonist
Olivia’s Wrath
Predators’ Hour
Scion of Opulence
Shadowgrange Archfiend
Sinister Waltz
Timothar, Baron of Bats

*These are the brand-new cards. You can see all of them in the next section. The rest of the cards are reprints.

Crimson Vow Commander Spoilers – Vampiric Bloodline

Strefan, Maurer Progenitor Crimson Vow Commander Decks Spoilers

Strefan, Maurer Progenitor Review

Strefan, Maurer Progenitor is certainly an interesting card. 3/2 flyer for four mana is quite weak, and an extra toughness or two would make the card better, but — it is what it is. Besides, when it comes to commanders we’re more focused on their effects, and not so much on the stats.

Strefan, Maurer Progenitor Crimson Vow Commander Decks Spoilers

For starters, you get to make a Blood token for each player who lost life that turn, at the beginning of your end step. Commanders that promote attacking are always fun, and it’ll play nicely in multiplayer. But wait, what’s a blood token? Well, it’s this little artifact:

Blood Token MTG

So essentially, you’re getting a one time effect that lets you discard a card to draw a card. Useful, but not particularly broken. Of course, you can pair it with madness cards, like Stensia Masquerade, which plays nicely in the Vampire tribal deck. You can learn more about Blood tokens here.

Speaking of Vampire tribal, that’s what Strefan’s second half focuses on. Plus, it gives you more use for Blood tokens. When Strefan attacks, you can sacrifice two Blood tokens, to get a Vampire from your hand onto the battlefield for free! It’s also indestructible for the turn, and it’s attacking.

All in all, Strefan, Maurer Progenitor looks like a build-around Kaalia of the Vast. It’s a great card for a Vampire tribal deck that looks to do something a bit special. There are plenty of ways to build around it, as you’ll surely see in our Upgrade article, which is releasing later in November.

More Considerations

Compared to the Edgar Markov deck, this deck loses White. That was to be expected, given how the Vampires looked like in the Midnight Hunt set. They were only in Black and Red, and rewarded you if an opponent lost life. Here are a couple of examples:

These two cards weren’t included in the deck, but they were early hints towards how Vampiric Bloodline decklist will look like. As you can see from the decklist, there are lots of tribal synergies, and to sneak in and deal damage to your opponent. All of this plays nicely with Strefan’s abilites.

If you’re excited about the deck, you can find some of the best Vampire tribal cards here.

Spirit Squadron

Spirit Squadron Crimson Vow Commander Deck Decklist

Hey, it’s another tribal deck. Of course, this one is centered around Spirits. The Spirit tribe is most often found in White and Blue, as was also the case in Midnight Hunt. There wasn’t a two-color dedicated Spirit tribal commander before, which makes a Millicent a nice breath of fresh air.

Spirit Squadron Decklist

Commander (1)
Millicent, Restless Revenant

Planeswalker (1)
Dovin, Grand Arbiter

Creatures (26)
Angel of Flight Alabaster
Boreas Charger
Bygone Bishop
Custodi Soulbinders
Custodi Squire
Drogskol Captain
Geist of Saint Traft
Ghostly Pilferer
Hallowed Spiritkeeper
Hanged Executioner
Kami of the Crescent Moon
Karmic Guide
Knight of the White Orchid
Mentor of the Meek
Mirror Entity
Nebelgast Herald
Oyobi, Who Split the Heavens
Rattlechains
Remorseful Cleric
Shacklegeist
Sire of the Storm
Spectral Sailor
Spectral Shepherd
Supreme Phantom
Twilight Drover
Windborn Muse

Sorceries (4)
Distant Melody
Fell the Mighty
Flood of Tears
Kirtar’s Wrath

Instants (4)
Arcane Denial
Benevolent Offering
Crush Contraband
Swords to Plowshares

Artifacts (8)
Arcane Signet
Azorius Locket
Azorius Signet
Commander’s Sphere
Marble Diamond
Midnight Clock
Sky Diamond
Sol Ring

Enchantments (7)
Darksteel Mutation
Field of Souls
Ghostly Prison
Imprisoned in the Moon
Promise of Bunrei
Reconnaissance Mission
Verity Circle
Lands (35)
Azorius Chancery
Command Tower
Exotic Orchard
Moorland Haunt
Myriad Landscape
Path of Ancestry
Port Town
Prairie Stream
Skycloud Expanse
Temple of Enlightenment
Temple of the False God
Unclaimed Territory
11 Island
12 Plains

New Cards* (14)
Breath of the Sleepless
Disorder in the Court
Donal, Herald of Wings
Drogskol Reinforcements
Ethereal Investigator
Haunted Library
Haunting Imitation
Occult Epiphany
Priest of the Blessed Graf
Rhoda, Geist Avenger
Spectral Arcanist
Storm of Souls
Sudden Salvation
Timin, Youthful Geist

*These are the brand-new cards. You can see all of them in the next section. The rest of the cards are reprints.

Crimson Vow Commander Spoilers – Spirit Squadron

Millicent, Restless Revenant Crimson Vow Commander Decks Spoilers

Millicent, Restless Revenant Review

Seven mana is a lot for a 4/4 flyer. Millicent has to do something fantastic, in order to be worth the investment. Thankfully, its first ability helps you already. It costs 1 mana less for each Spirit you control. So, you will have to build heavily in the Spirit tribal theme. If you do, you’ll be able to cast Millicent for cheap, and it also helps you with the Commander tax.

Millicent, Restless Revenant Crimson Vow Commander Decks Spoilers

The second ability is also very useful. You make a 1/1 white Spirit token whenever a nontoken Spirit creature dies. That includes Millicent, which is great, as the token will already count towards its cost reduction.

But that’s not all — you also get a 1/1 Spirit token, whenever Millicent or another nontoken Spirit token deals combat damage to a player. Now that’s some serious token generation. The ability also rewards you for going for an aristocrat type of deck. (That’s a deck that has a bunch of sacrifice outlets and payoffs.)

All things considered, Millicent looks not necessarily weaker, but certainly different from Strefan. It can hold its own, and be a really fun Commander to build around, as it lets you explore a not-so-common tribe.

Conclusion

That’s all about the Crimson Vow Commander decks! If you have any predictions of your own, make sure to let us know in the comments below.

If you can’t decide which deck is your favorite, you can simply get both of them on Amazon. Usually the decks that come in pairs are balanced around each other out-of-the-box. This way they also make a fine game for two players without the need to add any additional cards.

Furthermore, if you’re looking for the next Commander precons, check our article about Kamigawa Commander decks.

If you’ll buy a new deck and don’t want to take your old one apart, you might want to get a new box for your deck. In that case, check our picks for best MTG Deck Boxes for Commander.

If none of the decks we’ve talked about aren’t to your liking, maybe you’ll prefer Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Commander decks or some other Commander precon. Additionally, you can find all Crimson Vow spoilers here.

Until next time, have fun, and may your commander survive a long time on the battlefield.

9 thoughts on “Innistrad: Crimson Vow Commander Decks and Decklists”

  1. Millicent’s second ability triggers on combat damage as well as death! So if you’re connecting with your spirits every turn you’re doubling the amount every turn! This makes it much better than you assumed.

    Reply
  2. Milicent’s second abillity triggers when non-token Spirit dies or deals combat damage to opponent. So this thing makes her as a strong commander if we look at many of Spirits and their main power – flying (my oppinion)

    Reply
    • Nope, it isn’t included in these Commander decks. Instead it’s one of the Commander-focused cards that can appear in Set and Collector Boosters.

      Reply

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