It’s time for our look into Dominaria in Casual Modern/EDH! As usual, I’m going to pick a handful of cards that I find interesting for use in Casual Modern or EDH decks.
Dominaria offers an unusual aspect, particularly for EDH, with a major focus on Legendary cards, going as far as to include uncommon cards in the fun. The set has a whopping 43 legendary creatures by my count. This is no doubt exhibit A to Wizards’ push for their new format Brawl, which is Standard-legal-only cards in the Commander style of play. But, us Casual players can exploit it all the same, if not more so!
Valduk, Keeper of the Flame
I’m a sucker for great art, and while Valduk’s stance is arguably unnaturally positioned, I love it nonetheless. The ability isn’t half-bad either, and fits perfectly as an EDH deck centered around artifacts and elementals. There are tons of options for artifact and elemental shenanigans in mono Red, like Kurkesh, Feldon, Kazuul’s Toll Collector, Incandescent Soulstoke and Flamekin Harbinger to name a few. While not as brutal, this card poses a particular rivalry to the common Purphoros builds.
Muldrotha, the Gravetide
A perfect compliment to Mimeoplasm, Muldrotha’s ability works as a replacement or a supplement to many BUG Commander styles. Most BUG decks have heavy graveyard involvement and Muldrotha fits right at home there. Muldrotha will likely be exploited in builds to come for the non-specific permanent aspect of her ability, which truly separates her from Mimeoplasm.
Firesong and Sunspeaker
One of my favorite cards in the set for both art and ability, these two minotaurs have a fantastic set of abilities that allow for great synergy with their color identity. With Jeskai of Tarkir redefining instant/sorcery shenanigans to include blue, it is unfortunate Firesong will be missing out on the blue-identity assistance, but that doesn’t mean Firesong doesn’t have plenty to play with. This card feeds well with others of a similar ilk, and is essentially an Commander-friendly creature version of Searing Meditation, which is a fun card that synergizes well with the minotaurs.
Arvad the Cursed
Arvad’s benefits in EDH speak for themselves. A Commander that beefs Legendaries? Why wouldn’t that be fun? The color identity is great as well, opening up possibilities for demons/angels, or even staying in the family with vampire tribal.
Much of the focus of this post was on EDH, but rightfully so. The Dominaria block calls for a focus on Commander and that will likely continue with myself. What cards are you looking forward to for supplementing your decks?
–Dalton