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 kick things off with my Top 10 White cards from Commander Legends!
#10: Prava of the Steel Legion
Prava of the Steel Legion is templated in a very interesting way. The fact that she only buffs your creatures on your turn implies that she wants you be on the offensive; however, instead of giving your tokens a heavy power buff, she primarily boosts your board’s toughness to make your team a bit more resilient in combat. This type of effect immediately makes me think of Huatli, the Sun’s Heart, though I’m admittedly unsure of exactly how playable this card is in dedicated toughness-matters decks. At the very least, Prava pairs pretty well with most Oathbreakers that create creature tokens, and she’ll certainly be some solid, budget-friendly new tech for token-based strategies.
#9: Archon of Coronation
Monarch is back, baby! Monarch might very well be my personal favorite multiplayer mechanic, and Archon of Coronation is just one of several new monarch enablers in Commander Legends. Six mana for a 5/5 flyer that draws you a minimum of one card is a decent rate (at least by white’s standards), and this archon’s value doesn’t end there. While it’s not quite the same as gaining life, making it so that damage doesn’t cause you to lose life is still a pretty powerful effect. Blink strategies are the most intuitive home for this type of card, I believe, since being able to repeatedly flicker the archon will ensure that you can get a lot of mileage out of that last ability. Six mana is definitely still on the higher end of what most Oathbreaker lists want to be paying (hence why it’s only #9 here), but I have no doubt that Archon of Coronation will carve out some spots in the format for itself regardless.
#8: Armored Skyhunter
Well, this isn’t exactly “card draw” in white, but I’ll take it! The form of card advantage stapled to Armored Skyhunter is admittedly pretty narrow, but it’s white card advantage nonetheless. It’s also worth noting that this particular effect actually helps you cheat on mana costs as well. Most cards with similar triggers merely put the chosen card into your hand, but Armored Skyhunter actually cheats the card directly into play onto/attached to one of your creatures. The fact that this four-drop already comes with flying means it will usually be pretty easy to swing in with the skyhunter, and it’s a fine threat for pressuring opposing Oathbreakers. This card didn’t make it higher on the list since it is going to pretty much be limited to equipment/aura heavy strategies, but don’t underestimate the power of this effect!
#7: Alharu, Solemn Ritualist
This five-drop legend only has one pretty clear home in Oathbreaker, but it is certainly a solid addition to that archetype. +1/+1 counter strategies put a lot of time and effort into building up their threats, so any effect that gives your beefed-up creatures a bit of insurance against opposing removal is more than welcome. The specific effect stapled to Alharu is deceivingly strong as well; 1/1 flyers are pretty good targets for +1/+1 counters since they can easily get in for damage against opposing life totals and Oathbreakers alike. It’s also worth noting that even though Alharu is technically a 3/3 for five, you’ll actually be getting five power and toughness so long as you have another target for Alharu’s first ability. Alharu didn’t earn a higher spot on the list due to their fairly narrow applications, but they are still a very fine addition to the +1/+1 counters archetype in Oathbreaker.
#6: Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist
Ardenn is another new legendary creature that’s clearly aimed for one particular set of archetypes. Similar to Armored Skyhunter, Ardenn’s triggered ability lets you cheat on equip costs, but this friend is all about working with the resources you already have at hand. Being able to shift your auras and/or equipment to different creatures during combat is an interesting form of versatility that will undoubtedly make combat more difficult for your opponents whenever you attack. It’s also nice that Ardenn can easily net you some kind of value on the turn they come down, as opposed to a card like Armored Skyhunter that needs to be able to attack first. Overall, I suspect that Ardenn will prove to be a deceivingly strong uncommon in the right type of shell, and I’ll be curious to see what different ways players will find to be creative with this card.
#5: Slash the Ranks
This brand new board wipe comes with an interesting restriction that is a bit difficult for me to evaluate. Given the rules of Oathbreaker, Slash the Ranks will always functionally say “destroy all creatures”; however, the fact that it will only destroy planeswalkers that aren’t Oathbreakers is a bit of a double-edged sword. Planeswalker interaction is often in high demand in this format, but the main cause for that demand is the fact that every player has a chosen Oathbreaker (or two, if you’re using partners). At the very least it is nice that this card will never destroy your own Oathbreaker, and although I have my own reservations, I’m sure there will be a number of Oathbreaker builds that find solid ways to utilize this card.
#4: Keeper of the Accord
Do my eyes yet deceive me? Do I see white getting card advantage and mana ramp in the same set? In all seriousness, Keeper of the Accord is a new creature that has a design that’s very solid in a multiplayer format like Oathbreaker. The ramp half of this card was clearly made with EDH in mind, and it’s true that ramp isn’t quite as ubiquitous in our format. Even still, extra mana always has its uses, and the 1/1 bodies from the keeper’s first ability can make fine chump fodder, at the very least. Oddly enough, I’d say this card’s biggest weakness is that it isn’t particularly strong in any department; it’s simply a generically solid creature that doesn’t have a high enough ceiling to end a game. White weenie strategies, and possibly human tribal lists, will likely find uses for Keeper of the Accord, and I’m curious to see just what kind of impact this card has on Oathbreaker.
#3: Court of Grace
Court of Grace is another monarch enabler like Archon of Coronation, but I think this enchantment has the potential to see even more play in Oathbreaker than the six-drop flyer. At its absolute worst, this four-drop enchantment will draw you a card and proceed to create a 1/1 flyer during each of your upkeeps; not a bad rate, per se, but not particularly exciting either. However, the ceiling for this card is much higher. Getting a free 4/4 flyer every turn is no joke, and I believe there are a variety of archetypes that could feasibly get this card’s second ability online. Once again, blink-based decks can easily regain control of the monarchy as needed, and decks that specialize in token production can gum up the board with plenty of chump blockers to defend the monarchy. Furthermore, many enchantress style lists look to run some number of prison effects that would also make it more difficult for your opponents to attack you. I don’t think I would go as far as to call Court of Grace a new Oathbreaker staple, but it will certainly be a fun new toy for plenty of decks in the format.
#2: Promise of Tomorrow
I’ve always been a huge fan of sacrifice-based shenanigans, so this next card naturally got me pretty excited when I first read it. On the surface, Promise of Tomorrow simply looks like a way for a creature-based deck to recover from a board wipe, and the card can certainly function in that way well enough; however, why not instead sacrifice your whole board for value, only to put them all back into play with this card at your end step? Unlike a card like Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet, Promise of Tomorrow specifically exiles your creatures after they die, as opposed to exiling them instead of letting them die. This minute detail is actually surprisingly significant, particularly when it comes to decks like aristocrat strategies that thrive off of killing their own creatures. My fondness for sacrifice shenanigans could definitely be skewing my judgment a bit with this card’s list ranking, but I for one am very excited to try out Promise of Tomorrow in a variety of Oathbreaker lists.
#1: Akroma’s Will
*whistles* This flashy new instant both excites me and intimidates me. White weenie/midrange strategies are already a pretty solid set of archetypes in Oathbreaker, and Akroma’s Will seems like a perfect fit for those decks. The first mode on this card is essentially a better Flying Crane Technique, and the latter mode is an effective means of board protection. I’d be happy to use either of these modes in isolation in most cases, but getting to use them both at once seems like a very powerful effect for only four mana. The condition for achieving both modes on this card (along with the rest of the “Will” cycle in Commander Legends) is the same condition you’d normally have to meet in order to cast your Signature Spell, making this card an excellent Signature Spell option. It’s true that this card doesn’t technically do anything on it’s own, but when paired with a solid board presence, Akroma’s Will is the kind of card that can end games.
What are your favorite white cards from Commander Legends? Are there any white 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 Blue 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