MTG: Of Hives and Horrors – Upgrading the Commander Masters EDH Decks
Whether you prefer swarming your enemy or crushing them to a pulp, we’re here to help you add a few things to the Commander Masters precons.
Welcome, Planeswalkers and Praetors! Well, the time has finally arrived; this Friday, the long-awaited Commander Masters set is releasing. This set contains powerful cards from all across MTG’s history to improve your EDH decks. Alongside the typical (and fairly high-priced) booster boxes, the set will include four preconstructed Commander decks, each based around popular EDH themes.
Grab Your Commander Masters Here
Representing opposite sides of the color wheel spectrum, the first two decks bring in two of the most oppressive types of Magic. The five-color Sliver Swarm deck focuses on the titular Slivers. These hive creatures give all other Slivers powerful abilities, turning simple 1/1 Slivers into massive, keyword-heavy monstrosities in just a few turns. On the other end, the colorless Eldrazi replace mutual benefits for singular destructive creatures that can skirt most protections thanks to their colorless nature. Out of the box, these decks are pretty fabulous, but they still need a little help to meet their true potential.
Sliver Swarm
One of the most dreaded creature types in all of Magic, Slivers have dominated since their inception. Able to adapt to any situation, these deadly wurms can become an unstoppable army in a very short time. Thanks to a few new cards in the precon, that can be literal now. However, the deck still leaves a bit to be desired. First, the mana base for a five-color deck is pretty poor. The first thing you’ll want to add is some shock lands, mana fixers, or land changers like Chromatic Lantern. There are a few mana-fix Slivers included, but adding a few more couldn’t hurt.
Next, you’ll want to snag some of the other legendary Slivers. Queen, Overlord, and Legion come to mind, and would take this solid 5 deck up to an 8. After that, if you want to be really oppressive, grab a Coat of Arms or Stoneforge Masterwork, and watch your creatures swell to monstrous size.
Eldrazi Unbound
While not nearly as numerous (thankfully) as the Slivers, the Eldrazi are no less feared. Eldritch entities of unfathomable power, their colorless nature and ability to destroy permanents every turn made them terrifying foes. This deck misses that raw power a bit, but brings in more focus on their lack of color. First and foremost, you’ll want to add in as many of the legal Eldrazi as you can. There’s a lot of power in the deck, but there’s no reason not to crank it up. Next, add your favorite equipment and static artifacts (again…Coat of Arms). Since they trigger the colorless abilities, you’ll still be getting the most from your commanders without focusing too much on creatures.
You can check out the full decklists here.
Tune in this weekend for our upgrade guide for the other two decks.
