Commander Legends might have been one of the most highly anticipated sets of the year, and it’s preview season recently came to a close! The set was designed for EDH, but it’s given Oathbreaker plenty of new toys as well, and I plan on covering the set’s highlights. To be more specific, I’ll be doing a Top 10 article for cards of each color, as well as one for multicolor cards. I’ll also being doing another Top 10 covering the remaining cards of the set along with the new cards exclusive to the Commander Legends preconstructed decks (plus my overall Top 10 cards from Commander Legends, of course). My Top 10s are based on 1) how strong I think a card will be in Oathbreaker, and 2) how many different types of Oathbreaker decks I expect the card to see play in. While I do try to be as objective as I can, these are ultimately just my own thoughts/opinions. With all that out of the way, let’s keep things moving with my Top 10 Blue cards from Commander Legends!
#10: Eligeth, Crossroads Augur
This big, blue flying fella turns card selection into straight card advantage, which is an effect you certainly don’t see every day. In addition to turning Preordains into Ancestral Recalls, Eligeth is a fairly efficient body at a 5/6 flyer for six mana. They’re definitely a fine threat to pressure your opponents with, but their real appeal is in that scry-to-draw ability. Unfortunately, at the moment there are actually only four Oathbreakers in blue with abilities that can take advantage of this particular effect. Even still, I’m curious to see how players find ways to make Eligeth work in Oathbreaker.
#9: Ghost of Ramirez DePietro
This spooky pirate pal might be one of the weirdest legendaries out of the entire set. I can’t recall ever having seen this type of triggered ability on a MTG card before, and I would love to hear how someone at WOTC came up with this oddly specific effect. I suppose it does technically have some political potential, but I suspect most players will be using it to get back a card of their own. As for Ramirez’s form of evasion, the nice thing about it is that it will force your opponents into blocking with creatures that will die to Ramirez (whenever they choose to block). Despite this card’s cool factors, I ended up ranking Ramirez this low on the list simply because I’m not sure exactly what decks want to play this card. I could see Ramirez slotting into some builds of The Royal Scions, but aside from that, I’m really at a loss as to where to play this card. Nonetheless, I look forward to seeing how players get creative with this spicy pirate spirit in Oathbreaker.
#8: Esior, Wardwing Familiar
This blue bird is no Kira, Great Glass-Spinner, but they’re still here to help protect your board from removal. A 1/3 flyer for two mana is a fine—if unexciting—rate on its own, but the real allure of this creature is in that static ability. Although not all decks are solely built around their Oathbreaker, lists that are particularly reliant on their Oathbreaker could certainly make use of this kind of effect. That being said, this form of fairly narrow protection is often going to be all that Esior is actually useful for. If nothing else, I’m sure this little friend will make a perfectly fine budget option for players looking to get into the format.
#7: Wrong Turn
Wrong Turn would be considered a pretty weird card in a 1v1 setting, but the potential hilarity of this card increases even more when put in a multiplayer format like Oathbreaker. I’m always a fan of political shenanigans, and an instant-speed lend effect offers a lot of interesting possibilities. Outside of the multiplayer mayhem that this card can cause, Wrong Turn is another way to Donate a harmful creature to an opponent for your own benefit. I could definitely see Wrong Turn popping up every now and again as a Signature Spell, though I’m sure it will also make a fine and funny addition to the 58 of some Oathbreaker lists.
#6: Sakashima of a Thousand Faces
Sakashima is definitely an example of a card that’s at its best in EDH, where it can be used to copy creature commanders. That being said, this card does still have its uses in a format like Oathbreaker. There are plenty of decks that like to run other self-clone effects like Mirror Image and Quasiduplicate, and Sakashima can fill a similar role. The extra “legend rule” work around is an interesting effect, and it could lead to some powerful plays in certain situations (copying a legendary “lord” in a tribal deck is one possibility that comes to mind). I’m not exactly sure how many Oathbreaker lists will be able to capitalize on that legendary clause, but I’ll never say no to another self-clone card.
#5: Amphin Mutineer
“Salamander Pirate” was not a creature type I expected to come across in Commander Legends (or ever, for that matter), but I for one welcome our new scaly, swashbuckling overlords. On the surface, Amphin Mutineer vaguely resembles a creature version of cards like Rapid Hybridization or Pongify, and this card can certainly be used for similar purposes; however, I think it’s also worth noting that this slippery pirate can target one of your own creatures if you so choose, which could be an appealing option for decks that generate a plethora of tiny tokens. After all, seven power and six toughness across two bodies sounds like a great deal for only four mana. Amphin Mutineer can also be blinked for additional value, and you can always have it strike back from the grave by paying its encore cost. Overall, I think this card is deceivingly good, and I look forward to trying out in a variety of Oathbreaker brews.
#4: Court of Cunning
WOTC has been on a bit of a hot streak lately when it’s come to printing new mill cards for multiplayer formats, and Court of Cunning is the latest example. At its absolute worst, this three-drop enchantment will draw you one card and go on to selectively mill players for two on each of your turns. The fact that this card is worded “any number of target players” also means that this enchantment can fit well in both “offensive” mill decks and self-mill strategies, and if you manage to keep the monarchy then your opponents better look out. Ten cards may not sound like too much in EDH, but in Oathbreaker that is a whopping 1/6 of your starting deck size. I’d daresay that Court of Cunning will likely go on to become a new blue mill staple in Oathbreaker, though those fairly narrow applications has kept it from reaching a higher spot on the list.
#3: Sakashima’s Will
This card may seem like a surprising inclusion to see this high on the list, and I originally didn’t expect to be ranking it this highly either; however, the more I think about Sakashima’s Will, the more wonky applications I’ve come up with for it. This card reminds me a little of Reins of Power, another blue spell that can enable two players to temporarily “team up” to take down a greater threat. In addition to all the potential political applications of this card, you can also just always use Sakashima’s Will to temporarily polymorph your whole board into your most powerful creature. Between all of that build-around potential and the card’s commander-based condition, Sakashima’s Will would make a perfectly fine Signature Spell for a variety of lists, and I look forward to making some sweet Oathbreaker brews with this spicy sorcery.
#2: Sphinx of the Second Sun
This chonky sphinx is packing some serious power. At its base value, this card’s triggered ability will 1) untap all of your permanents (that would normally untap at the start of your turn), and 2) draw you a card after each of your postcombat main phases. In other words, Sphinx of the Second Sun is a mana doubler that draws you cards and gives your entire board pseudo-vigilance. Normally I wouldn’t bother spending much time talking about an eight-drop, but there are plenty of ways to work around mana costs in Oathbreaker. Dedicated blue-green ramp decks are also fairly popular already thanks to Oathbreakers like Nissa, Steward of Elements and Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner. This sphinx will quickly become a removal magnet at most tables, so I’m not too worried about the sheer strength of this card. Even still, I expect to be seeing Sphinx of the Second Sun show up in plenty of reanimator lists, ramp strategies, and other decks looking to cheat in some giant threats.
#1: Hullbreacher
“Notion Thief, meet Smothering Tithe.” That’s how imagine the conversation in R&D went when this card was designed. Unlike Smothering Tithe, however, Hullbreacher simultaneously creates treasure tokens for you and denies your opponents of any extra card draw. That triggered ability on its own likely would have been enough for this card to earn its #1 spot here, but to top it all off, it has flash too! Your opponents will likely play around Hullbreacher’s ability whenever possible after it hits the board, but the fact that this card has flash almost guarantees that you’ll be able to steal some amount of value from one of your opponents. Ramp isn’t quite as key of a resource in Oathbreaker as it is in EDH, but denying your opponents card draw has always been powerful in this format (I’m looking at you, Narset, Parter of Veils). Some decks will certainly be better equipped to capitalize on this card than others, but I suspect most blue Oathbreaker decks could be considered better off for running Hullbreacher.
What are your favorite blue cards from Commander Legends? Are there any blue cards you’re particularly excited to try out in Oathbreaker? Make sure to tell me in the comments or on Twitter! My goal is to have my Top 10 Black cards from Commander Legends out tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that!
About the author: My name is Alex Enders. I am a college student that’s been playing MTG for almost eight years, though I only recently began experimenting with writing content. My personal formats of choice are Oathbreaker, EDH, and draft. My other interests include music, education, and most things nerdy. You can find me on Twitter (@AAAEnders) or email me at aenders2112@gmail.com