Doctor Who Commander Decks: Decklists & Spoilers

Magic the Gathering has done a lot of crossovers in recent years. Warhammer 40k, Transformers, and Lord of the Rings characters got depicted on Magic cards. Now, the popular British science fiction series from BBC is coming to MTG with four Doctor Who Commander decks. In this article, we’ll tell you everything we know about them so far.

Contents

There will be four different Commander Masters Commander decks. Each of them contains:

  • 2 rainbow foil cards (main and secondary commander)
  • 98 non-foil cards (with the previous two cards, this makes a 100-card ready-to-play deck)
  • 1 Collector Sample Pack with two cards (with alternate frame or in rainbow foil)
  • 1 foil-etched Display commander (a thicker card, not for tournament play)
  • 10 Planechase cards
  • 1 six-sided planar die
  • 10 double-sided tokens
  • 1 life tracker
  • 1 cardboard deck box
  • a strategy insert and a reference card
Tardis MTG Doctor Who Commander Deck

Out of the hundred cards in the deck, a whooping 50 will be brand-new cards, including the Tardis card you see above. This is quite a lot compared to other Commander precons. (For example, LotR Commander precons had 20 cards each, while Commander Masters featured 10 per deck.)

The rest of the cards will be reprints, but even they will be Doctor Who themed. The four decks are all already available for preorder on Amazon, and here’s their quick overview:

Deck nameColors
Blast From the Past IconBlast From the Past
  • White
  • Blue
  • Green
  • Timey-Wimey IconTimey-Wimey
  • White
  • Blue
  • Red
  • Paradox Power IconParadox Power
  • Blue
  • Red
  • Green
  • Masters of Evil IconMasters of Evil
  • Blue
  • Black
  • Red
  • Let’s take a closer look at each deck. Not everything is known yet. What we know for sure, are the deck’s colors and names, as well as some early spoilers, which can be seen in this article. While that’s not a lot to go about, there’s also the Good Morning Magic video, made by Gavin Verhey (MTG designer and a big Doctor Who fan). In it, he shares a bunch of additional info about the decks.

    Based on all of this, we already have a lot to talk about which each deck.

    Blast From the Past

    Blast From the Past Doctor Who Commander Decks
    • Theme: Historic spells
    • Colors: white, blue, green
    • Main commanders: The Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith
    • Doctors included: First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eight

    Wizards decided to split the decks based on different eras of the show. So, the first deck, Blast From the Past, focuses on the classic era of the show (1963-1996), with the first eight Doctors. So, on the cards in this deck you’ll find companions, items, and stories connected to them.

    There’s a lot of time travel in the show, so using history as a theme for this precon is quite flavorful. Magic already had a perfect term to use – historic. (With that we don’t mean the Arena-only format.) Historic is a term that refers to artifacts, Sagas, and everything with the legendary subtype. So, in this deck you can expect lots of cards with those types.

    The main commanders for this deck are The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith. Wait, there are two main commanders? Is the partner mechanic, making a return? It kinda is, in a form of…

    Doctor’s Companion

    This mechanic allows the Doctors’ decks to have two main commanders. As we’ve said, it’s a different take on the partner mechanic. The mechanic appears on all companions, and reads: “You can have two commanders, if the other commander is a Doctor.”

    All the doctors are two-colored, and the companions are mono-colored. When you use both as your commanders, you get the commander identity of three colors. For example, in the Blast From the Past deck, The Fourth Doctor is blue-green, and companion Sarah Jane Smith is white. When you combine them, you get the Bant (white-blue-green) color combination.

    Each deck has multiple companions and doctors, and you can mix and match them in any way you like. You could take a Doctor from this deck, and a companion from another, and potentially get some nice interactions, or different color combinations.

    The Fourth Doctor

    Sarah Jane Smith

    Blast from the Past Decklist

    Commanders (2)
    The Fourth Doctor
    Sarah Jane Smith

    Creatures (25)
    The First Doctor
    The Second Doctor
    The Third Doctor
    The Fifth Doctor
    The Sixth Doctor
    The Seventh Doctor
    The Eighth Doctor
    Ace, Fearless Rebel
    Adric, Mathematical Genius
    Alistair, the Brigadier
    Barbara Wright
    Displaced Dinosaurs
    Duggan, Private Detective
    Ian Chesterton
    Jamie McCrimmon
    Jo Grant
    K-9, Mark I
    Leela, Sevateem Warrior
    Nyssa of Traken
    Peri Brown
    Romana II
    Sergeant John Benton
    Susan Foreman
    Tegan Jovanka
    Vrestin, Menoptra Leader

    Sorceries (7)
    Crisis of Conscience
    Explore
    The Five Doctors
    Three Visits
    Time Wipe
    Traverse Eternity
    Twice Upon a Time

    Instants (6)
    Heroic Intervention
    Path to Exile
    Return to Dust
    Reverse the Polarity
    Swords to Plowshares
    Time Lord Regeneration

    Enchantments (11)
    An Unearthly Child
    Banish to Another Universe
    City of Death
    Day of Destiny
    Gallifrey Stands
    The Caves of Androzani
    The Curse of Fenric
    The Night of the Doctor
    The Sea Devils
    The War Games
    Trial of a Time Lord
    Lands (36)
    Ash Barrens
    Canopy Vista
    Celestial Colonnade
    Command Tower
    Deserted Beach
    Dreamroot Cascade
    Exotic Orchard
    Fortified Village
    Gallifrey Council Chamber
    Glacial Fortress
    Horizon Canopy
    Irrigated Farmland
    Overgrown Farmland
    Path of Ancestry
    Port Town
    Prairie Stream
    Scattered Groves
    Seaside Citadel
    Skycloud Expanse
    Sungrass Prairie
    Temple of Enlightenment
    Temple of Mystery
    Temple of Plenty
    Thriving Grove
    Thriving Heath
    Thriving Isle
    Trenzalore Clocktower
    Vineglimmer Snarl
    Waterlogged Grove
    Plains
    Island
    Forest

    Artifacts (13)
    Ace’s Baseball Bat
    Arcane Signet
    Bessie, the Doctor’s Roadster
    Five Hundred Year Diary
    Heroes’ Podium
    Hero’s Blade
    Mind Stone
    Sol Ring
    Sonic Screwdriver
    Talisman of Progress
    Talisman of Unity
    TARDIS
    Thought Vessel

    Planar Cards (10)
    Antarctic Research Base
    Caught in a Paralell Universe
    Coal Hill School
    Gardens of Tranquil Repose
    Spectrox Mines
    TARDIS Bay
    The Cave of Skulls
    The Cheetah Planet
    The Pyramid of Mars
    UNIT Headquarters

    Timey-Wimey

    Timey-Wimey Doctor Who Commander Decks
    • Theme: Time counters, suspend
    • Colors: white, blue, red
    • Main Commanders: The Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler

    The second deck, aptly named Timey-Wimey after the iconic line from the show, focuses on the relaunched show (2005-2013). In this time period, the Doctors Nine, Ten, and Eleven have appeared. The main commanders are The Tenth Doctor, which is blue-red, and mono white Rose Tyler.

    Based on The Tenth Doctor, the deck will focus on suspend mechanic. This is a mechanic that typically allows you to pay some mana and exile a card from your hand with some time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, you remove a time counter from it. When the last one is removed, you get to cast the card for free.

    Essentially, this mechanic allows you to pay lass mana that you’d otherwise pay, buy you get a card a few turns later. This provides some fun play patters, and it’s going to be fun to see how this deck takes advantage of it.

    The Tenth Doctor

    For five mana you get a 3/5. That’s quite a lot for a card without an enter-the-battlefield effect. However, if you can attack on the turn you play The Tenth Doctor, you can actually get some value out of it.

    You get to exile a nonland card from your hand, with three time counters. In three turns, you’ll be able to cast it for free. If you build your deck correctly, and by using some Brainstorm-like shenanigans, you can get a very expensive card into play for free. Effects that let you “cheat” on a card’s mana cost are always going to be powerful.

    Its second ability is, very flavorfully, called time-travel. When you time travel, you can remove (or add, if that for some weird reason better) a time counter from all of your suspended cards. You have to pay 7 mana in order to time travel three times. In a deck full of suspend cards, this is certainly a powerful effect.

    All in all, The Tenth Doctor looks like it will be able to carry some weight, if you build your deck around it properly.

    Rose Tyler

    Timey-Wimey Decklist

    Commanders (2)
    The Tenth Doctor
    Rose Tyler

    Creatures (22)
    Adipose Offspring
    Amy Pond
    Astrid Peth
    Atraxi Warden
    Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
    Donna Noble
    Flesh Duplicate
    Idris, Soul of the TARDIS
    Jenny, Generated Anomaly
    Judoon Enforcers
    Kate Stewart
    Martha Jones
    Rory Williams
    Sally Sparrow
    Sibylline Soothsayer
    Star Whale
    The Eleventh Doctor
    The Face of Boe
    The Ninth Doctor
    The War Doctor
    Time Beetle
    Wilfred Mott

    Sorceries (10)
    All of History, All at Once
    Coward // Killer
    Ecstatic Beauty
    Everything Comes to Dust
    Farewell
    Fractured Identity
    Inspiring Refrain
    Nanogene Conversion
    The Wedding of River Song
    Wibbly-wobbly, Timey-wimey

    Instants (4)
    Clockspinning
    Everybody Lives!
    Gallifrey Falls // No More
    Run for Your Life

    Enchantments (10)
    As Foretold
    Crack in Time
    Four Knocks
    Grasp of Fate
    Out of Time
    Regenerations Restored
    The Day of the Doctor
    The Eleventh Hour
    The Girl in the Fireplace
    The Parting of the Ways
    Lands (37)
    Command Tower
    Deserted Beach
    Evolving Wilds
    Exotic Orchard
    Fiery Islet
    Frostboil Snarl
    Furycalm Snarl
    Glacial Fortress
    Irrigated Farmland
    Myriad Landscape
    Mystic Monastery
    Ominous Cemetery
    Path of Ancestry
    Port Town
    Prairie Stream
    Rogue’s Passage
    Skycloud Expanse
    Stormcarved Coast
    Sunbaked Canyon
    Sundown Pass
    Temple of Enlightenment
    Temple of Epiphany
    Temple of the False God
    Temple of Triumph
    Thespian’s Stage
    Thriving Bluff
    Trenzalore Clocktower
    War Room
    Plains
    Island
    Mountain

    Artifacts (15)
    Arcane Signet
    Lightning Greaves
    Mind Stone
    Psychic Paper
    RMS Titanic
    Rotating Fireplace
    Sol Ring
    Sonic Screwdriver
    Talisman of Conviction
    Talisman of Creativity
    TARDIS
    The Moment
    The Pandorica
    Thought Vessel
    Wedding Ring

    Planar Cards (10)
    Amy’s Home
    Bad Wolf Bay
    Human-Time Lord Meta-Crisis
    Lake Silencio
    New New York
    Ood Sphere
    Pompeii
    Prime Minister’s Cabinet Room
    The Lux Foundation Library
    Two Streams Facility

    Paradox Power

    Paradox Power Doctor Who Commander Precons
    • Theme: Casting spells, but not from hand
    • Colors: blue, red, green
    • Main Commanders: The Thirteenth Doctor, Yasmin Khan

    The third deck focuses on the newest era of the show (2014-2023). The deck is led by a blue-green The Thirteenth Doctor and red Yasmin Khan.

    The interesting thing here is that although the deck specifically states that it contains Doctors Twelve and Thirteen, Gavin has confirmed that they didn’t forget about the new Doctor, so that’s something to look forward to.

    The Thirteenth Doctor

    Yasmin Khan

    Paradox Power Decklist

    Commanders (2)
    The Thirteenth Doctor
    Yasmin Khan

    Creatures (24)
    Bill Potts
    Clara Oswald
    Dan Lewis
    Danny Pink
    Flaming Tyrannosaurus
    Frost Fair Lure Fish
    Graham O’Brien
    Iraxxa, Empress of Mars
    Jenny Flint
    Karvanista, Loyal Lupari
    Lunar Hatchling
    Madame Vastra
    Me, the Immortal
    Memory Worm
    Nardole, Resourceful Cyborg
    Osgood, Operation Double
    River Song
    Ryan Sinclair
    Sisterhood of Karn
    Strax, Sontaran Nurse
    The Foretold Soldier
    The Fugitive Doctor
    The Twelfth Doctor
    Thijarian Witness

    Sorceries (14)
    Cultivate
    Farseek
    Impending Flux
    Into the Time Vortex
    Last Night Together
    Ponder
    Preordain
    Quantum Misalignment
    Search for Tomorrow
    Start the TARDIS
    Throes of Chaos
    Truth or Consequences
    Twice Upon a Time
    Wreck and Rebuild

    Instants (7)
    Beast Within
    Chaos Warp
    Decaying Time Loop
    Flatline
    Growth Spiral
    Surge of Brilliance
    Think Twice

    Enchantments (7)
    Become the Pilot
    Bigger on the Inside
    Carpet of Flowers
    Fugitive of the Judoon
    Heaven Sent
    Return the Past
    The Flux
    Lands (36)
    Cinder Glade
    Command Tower
    Desolate Lighthouse
    Dreamroot Cascade
    Exotic Orchard
    Fiery Islet
    Frontier Bivouac
    Frostboil Snarl
    Gallifrey Council Chamber
    Game Trail
    Myriad Landscape
    Ominous Cemetery
    Path of Ancestry
    Reliquary Tower
    Rockfall Vale
    Rogue’s Passage
    Rootbound Crag
    Sheltered Thicket
    Stormcarved Coast
    Temple of Abandon
    Temple of Epiphany
    Temple of Mystery
    Temple of the False God
    Vineglimmer Snarl
    Waterlogged Grove
    Island
    Mountain
    Forest

    Artifacts (10)
    Arcane Signet
    Confession Dial
    Cursed Mirror
    Psychic Paper
    River Song’s Diary
    Sol Ring
    Sonic Screwdriver
    Talisman of Curiosity
    Talisman of Impulse
    TARDIS

    Planar Cards (10)
    Besieged Viking Village
    Fixed Point in Time
    Kerblam! Warehouse
    North Pole Research Base
    Singing Towers of Darillium
    Stormcage Containment Facility
    Temple of Atropos
    The Dining Car
    The Doctor’s Childhood Barn
    The Drum, Mining Facility

    Masters of Evil

    Masters of Evil Doctor Who Commander Decks Decklists
    • Theme: Giving opponents bad choices, artifacts
    • Colors: blue, black, red
    • Main Commander: Davros, Dalek Creator

    So, now we’ve run out of Doctors, but there’s still one precon left. This one focuses on the “bad guys” team, with Doctor’s greatest and most notorious villains.

    The main commander of this deck is a single creature, but you can bet it’s a powerful one. The Masters of Evil precon is commanded by no other than Davros, the creator of Dalek. Will he challenge Nicol Bolas for the title of the most powerful Grixis villain? We shall see soon.

    Davros, Dalek Creator

    Masters of Evil Decklist

    Commander (1)
    Davros, Dalek Creator

    Creatures (30)
    Ashad, the Lone Cyberman
    Auton Soldier
    Clockwork Droid
    Cult of Skaro
    Cyberman Patrol
    Cybermat
    Cybermen Squadron
    Dalek Drone
    Dalek Squadron
    Missy
    Rassilon, the War President
    Renegade Silent
    Solemn Simulacrum
    Sontaran General
    Sycorax Commander
    The Beast, Deathless Prince
    The Cyber-Controller
    The Dalek Emperor
    The Flood of Mars
    The Master, Formed Anew
    The Master, Gallifrey's End
    The Master, Mesmerist
    The Master, Multiplied
    The Rani
    The Valeyard
    Time Reaper
    Vashta Nerada
    Vislor Turlough
    Weeping Angel
    Zygon Infiltrator

    Sorceries (8)
    Blasphemous Act
    Delete
    Doomsday Confluence
    Ensnared by the Mara
    Exterminate!
    Feed the Swarm
    Great Intelligence's Plan
    Hunted by The Family

    Instants (4)
    Cyber Conversion
    Don't Blink
    Snuff Out
    This Is How It Ends

    Enchantments (8)
    Blink
    Death in Heaven
    Day of the Moon
    Genesis of the Daleks
    Propaganda
    The Sound of Drums
    The Toymaker’s Trap
    Wound Reflection
    Lands (37)
    Canyon Slough
    Choked Estuary
    Command Tower
    Creeping Tar Pit
    Crumbling Necropolis
    Darkwater Catacombs
    Dragonskull Summit
    Drowned Catacomb
    Exotic Orchard
    Fetid Pools
    Fiery Islet
    Foreboding Ruins
    Frostboil Snarl
    Gallifrey Council Chamber
    Haunted Ridge
    Lavaclaw Reaches
    Ominous Cemetery
    Path of Ancestry
    Reliquary Tower
    River of Tears
    Shadowblood Ridge
    Shipwreck Marsh
    Smoldering Marsh
    Stormcarved Coast
    Sunken Hollow
    Temple of Deceit
    Temple of Epiphany
    Temple of Malice
    Temple of the False God
    Terramorphic Expanse
    Thriving Moor
    Island
    Swamp
    Mountain

    Artifacts (12)
    Arcane Signet
    Commander’s Sphere
    Cybership
    Laser Screwdriver
    Lightning Greaves
    Midnight Crusader Shuttle
    Mind Stone
    Sol Ring
    Talisman of Dominance
    Talisman of Indulgence
    Thought Vessel
    Wayfarer’s Bauble

    Planar Cards (10)
    Aplan Mortarium
    Bowie Base One
    City of the Daleks
    Dalek Intensive Care
    Hotel of Fears
    Mondassian Colony Ship
    The Doctor’s Tomb
    The Matrix of Time
    The Moonbase
    Unleash the Flux

    Additional Tidbits

    Before we wrap things up, here are some other interesting things about the Doctor Who Commander decks.

    Sagas

    Sagas are a great card type to depict various stories – both mechanically, and with art. For example, here a saga called The Parting of Ways, which refers to the final episode of the Ninth Doctor.

    Doctor Who Commander Decks Saga Bad Wolf

    In all four deck, there will be 19 sagas total. Each doctor has a saga with an iconic moment from their run. Of course, that would only bring us to 15 sagas, so what are the other four? Well, the villains also had their moments, and these four will focus on that.

    Planechase Cards

    The Lux Foundation Library

    With all the time travel shenanigans, the Planechase cards make a lot of sense. Each deck comes with 10 of them, and with a Planar die, so you can play the Planchase variant of Commander if you want to.

    Tardis Basic Lands

    The basic lands will also be on theme. There will be two different sets of the five basic lands. We already know how the first cycle will look like. Take a look at this Plains, for example:

    Doctor Who Tardis Basic Lands Plains

    You can see Tardis depicted on the land. It will appear on five lands, and each land will feature a place where they actually traveled to in the show. With these, fans of the show will be able to pimp any of their decks.

    Tokens

    There were also four tokens previewed, and the fans of the show will probably enjoy them greatly:

    Alien Insect Doctor Who Commander Precons
    Dalek Token MTG
    Clue Doctor Who MTG Token
    Food Token Doctor Who Commander Decks

    Collector Boosters

    Finally, there are also the Collector boosters. While we do get these with every set, this is the first time that we get one without a regular set, but just as an addition to Commander precons.

    These boosters will contain cards that appear in the four decks. However, all the cards will either be in foil or have an alternate art treatment. So, if you want to bling your deck, you might want to get some of these.

    Here are just a couple examples of what kind of cards you can expect:

    Tenth Doctor Alternate Art MTG
    Tardis Collector Version MTG

    As you can see both cards have different art as compared to their regular counterparts that you saw above. The frame is also different, as is the font, which really pops out and makes the card feel special.

    You can find more detailed information about Doctor Who Collector booster contents here.

    Doctor Who Commander Decks – FAQ

    In this section, you’ll find answers to some commonly asked questions about the Doctor Who Commander decks. As always, if you won’t find the answer to your question, leave a comment below, and we’ll get back to you.

    How many Doctor Who Commander decks are there?

    There will be four different decks.

    Do Doctor Who Commander precons contain a booster?

    Yes, each deck comes with a 2-card Sample Collector booster pack.

    What’s inside the Doctor Who Sample Collector booster?

    There are two cards that also appear in the Doctor Who decks. However, they’ll have the rainbow foil treatment, or will have an alternate art / frame. One of the cards will be rare or mythic, and the other cards will be a common or uncommon. You might get a TARDIS Showcase card.

    Which colors are in the Doctor Who Commander decks?

    There are four 3-color decks (Blast From the Past: Bant/WUG, Timey-Wimey: Jeskai/WUR, Paradox Power: Temur/URG, Masters of Evil: Grixis/UBR).

    Are the Doctor Who Commander decks balanced against one another?

    While it’s too to say for sure, they’ll likely be close in power level. Typically, when Wizards release a bunch of decks together, they try to make them fun to play against one another. Most of the time they succeed, but even when they don’t completely, the randomness from a 100-card singleton deck, and a multiplayer setting helps with that.

    Do you need to play with Planechase cards with Doctor Who precons?

    While the Planechase cards do increase the flavor of the decks, if that variant isn’t your thing, you can safely remove the Planechase cards and play as you would with any regular Commander deck.

    When will Doctor Who precons release?

    The release date for Doctor Who products is October 13th, 2023.

    Conclusion

    Anyway, that’s all about the Doctor Who Commander decks. Which one are you the most excited about? Let us, and our readers know, in the comments below.

    If these aren’t exactly your cup of tea, or if you just want to check some other options, you can find all Commander precons here. There are quite a lot of them (around 100), so there will certainly be something perfect for you.

    Until next time, have fun, and whatever you do, don’t blink.

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