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 Red cards from Commander Legends!
Honorable Mention
This little friend is the only honorable mention on any of these lists, solely for its fun factor. I love everything about Rograkh—from his design, to his art, to his flavor text—but I just couldn’t justify including him on the actual Top 10. That being said, I do plan on finding excuses to play him in Oathbreaker whenever possible (probably starting with my personal Domri, Anarch of Bolas stompy deck).
#10: Wheel of Misfortune
I’m going to be totally honest here; I have read Wheel of Misfortune several times, and I still can’t figure out exactly how good it is. Red doesn’t get too much in the way of wheel effects nowadays, especially when it comes to ones that can completely refill your hand; however, most wheel cards don’t involve this kind of secret number selection. This mechanic makes the outcomes of casting this card much more difficult to predict, which seems right up red’s alley. I’m not exactly sure what types of decks Wheel of Misfortune will be most effective in, or how much damage it will deal to your opponents on average. Still, never underestimate the lengths some players will go to in order to draw more cards.
#9: Frenzied Saddlebrute
I’m always a fan of political shenanigans that leads to your opponents attacking each other. Frenzied Saddlebrute is no Disrupt Decorum, but it is a way to give your opponents more opportunities to attack one another. Perhaps best of all, this haste only specifically applies to attacking, meaning that you won’t accidentally be giving your opponents early access to any tap abilities. The fact that this fella costs a whopping five mana has kept it this low on the list, but it is certainly a spicy new option for stompy and/or political decks.
#8: Court of Ire
I’m a fan of the “court” cycle in this set in general, though Court of Ire doesn’t excite me quite as much as the rest. Obviously each court is at its best when you’re able to keep the monarchy, but for Court of Ire you really need to keep the monarchy in order to get your mana’s worth out of it. Getting a shock every turn isn’t terrible—especially in a format built around planeswalkers—but seven free damage every turn becomes very real clock very quickly. That being said, this enchantment doesn’t scale very well into multiplayer at all, unlike some of the cards I’ve covered in the other Top 10s thus far. I’m sure Court of Ire will make appearances in a number of burn and/or group slug lists in Oathbreaker, but I’d be surprised if it saw much play beyond that.
#7: Port Razer
Hey, I heard you like combat, so here’s an attacker that makes more combat phases so you can go to combat after finishing your combat step. In all seriousness, extra combat steps can easily end games of Oathbreaker under the right circumstances, and it certainly doesn’t hurt when your extra combat enabler is also an attacker. I run Finest Hour as a legitimate win condition in my Bant midrange deck, and this new pirate doesn’t restrict you to attacking with a single creature. As far as downsides go, it is a bit unfortunate that Port Razer‘s triggered ability doesn’t go off when it deals combat damage to planeswalkers. That factor, combined with this card’s lack of evasion, has kept Port Razer from reaching a higher spot on the list, but I’ll be curious to see how many different aggro/stompy lists choose to utilize this spicy swashbuckler.
#6: Emberwilde Captain
Now here’s a monarch card I can behind! On top of immediately drawing you a card at your end step, Emberwilde Captain discourages your opponents from trying to steal the monarchy with that painful triggered ability. Creatures are also notoriously easy to blink, so a deck built with enter-the-battlefield triggers in mind likely won’t have too much trouble regaining the monarchy when necessary. Once again, this kind of damage-based effect is also much more relevant in a 20-life format like Oathbreaker, as opposed to EDH’s 40 life. I wouldn’t say this card is a master of any particular archetype, but I could definitely see this spicy pirate pal popping up in a fair number of Oathbreaker decks. (Also, A+ flavor text.)
#5: Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith
Everyone, meet Dominaria’s most brilliant weaponsmith! Although Toggo’s ability triggers on lands entering the battlefield, I don’t think of him as much of a “landfall” card. I view Toggo as more of an option for artifact-centric strategies and aggressive decks. Oathbreakers like Daretti, Ingenious Iconoclast can always use more artifact sacrifice fodder, and equipment-based Oathbreakers like Nahiri, Heir of the Ancients can easily take advantage of this sort of effect as well. In an aggressive deck, rock tokens can also be useful as a form of reach or a means of Oathbreaker interaction. I’m not convinced that Toggo is powerful enough to become a staple in any particular archetype, but he is certainly a fun new option for several kinds of Oathbreaker lists.
#4: Jeska, Thrice Reborn
As far as functioning as a new Oathbreaker, I’m honestly not that hyped over Jeska. It is true that she’ll win you the game on the spot if you make infinite red mana, but outside of that scenario, Jeska just . . . doesn’t actually do very much. I’d be a lot more excited about this card if the 0 ability also tripled combat damage against planeswalkers, or if it were more likely for her to ever come into play with more than one or two loyalty counters. That being said, she could certainly still function as a wacky “pump spell” in the 58 that’s capable of ending games out of nowhere.
Jeska can also function as a partner Oathbreather with Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools, which would in turn allow you to run two Signature Spells. I don’t think there’s much of an advantage to be gained from having a 56-card starting deck instead of a 58-card starting deck, but it is kind of cool that Jeska and Tevesh Szat combine to work as a new Rakdos Oathbreaker option (which is the main reason she earned this high of a spot on the list). Even still, I suspect that Jeska often won’t be adding that much to the deck unless you happen to plan on going infinite.
#3: Fathom Fleet Swordjack
I haven’t seen this little uncommon getting much attention, but I feel that it’s a deceivingly powerful card (at least in Oathbreaker). Artifact strategies are pretty popular in Oathbreaker already, the most infamous option being Saheeli, Sublime Artificer and Thoughtcast. Those types of decks are already looking to assemble a massive hoard of artifacts, which would coincidentally make this pirate’s triggered ability that much more deadly, and the ability can even be aimed at planeswalkers! The added value of its encore cost certainly doesn’t hurt this card’s playability either. I don’t expect to see Fathom Fleet Swordjack show up in a wide variety of decks, but I am sure it will prove to be an absolute powerhouse in any lists that are built to support.
#2: Coastline Marauders
Speaking of effectively aggressive creatures! Coastline Marauders is really only made to be on the offensive, but boy howdy does it do that job well. I think it’s fair to assume that, in most games, your opponents will have at least three lands by the time you attack with Coastline Marauders; so then it’s basically a 3/3 trampler for three mana, which is pretty solid rate. However, the card only becomes more deadly from there on out, especially against any lists running an abundance of land-based ramp. On top of becoming a bigger threat—and therefore a better topdeck—as the game goes on, Coastline Marauders can momentarily come back from the grave to deal even more damage thanks to encore. I suspect this card will primarily see play in aggro/stompy decks, but it sure is a strong addition to those archetypes.
#1: Jeska’s Will
Out of the whole “Will” cycle from Commander Legends, Jeska’s Will may be the card I’ve seen receive the most attention as a potential Signature Spell, and with good reason. Assuming at least one of your opponents has at least three cards in hand when you cast this card, Jeska’s Will functionally becomes a zero-mana “draw three”, though you do only have one turn to use those cards. This card may even end up acting as a real ritual effect if one of your opponents has a big enough hand. That being said, you do still have to be able to pay the card’s upfront mana cost, and that cost will only increase with commander tax as the game goes on. I wouldn’t say that Jeska’s Will is a better Signature Spell than a card like Thoughtcast, but the fact that I’m making that kind of comparison at all should speak to the potential power level of this spicy sorcery.
What are your favorite red cards from Commander Legends? Are there any red 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 Green 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