Commander Overperformers: Cards That Are Better Than They Look

[@brennanmohr7348]

Innkeepers talent was always obviously insane. The white one is too.

[@Mobius_ll]

Don't get me wrong, it puts in work but, 7 mana for a glorified branching evolution? It seems on par with what it offers.

[@warrentang7459]

​@@Mobius_ll it's that it's broken up into 3 effects that are all very nice

[@chaserevstuning9271]

Caretakers talent is definitely crazy, in anikthea it can make multiple of its self

[@qwormuli77]

@@Mobius_ll Glorified Branching Evolution? That last part alone is a much, *_much_* better Branching evolution for four mana and you've got to remember that there are two whole other modes/effects to it in addition to that.

[@Mobius_ll]

@qwormuli77 not sure what you could qualify as "much much" when most counters are niche. Like I said, it puts in work for 1 permanent and it's about on par for investment/what it offers. It ain't a $20 card which is evident since it's dropped 25% since this post.

[@rileydport]

7:32 Battles are pretty good in a "play-from-exile" deck like the Rocco from Aftermath, since the battle is exiled then the flipside is cast from exile

[@erichunt1974]

It took me the entirety of the time you guys were talking about Bonny Pall to realize that she's a play on Paul Bunyan with his mystical magical giant ox. As much as I love fully original characters it's fun to get the occasional reference to one of the classics from outside the known multiverse. I don't know about you, but I personally think Krenko Mob Boss would be even cooler if wizards slipped in a nice homage to Tony Soprano by giving him the makings of a Varsity Athlete.

[@laurentrobitaille2204]

Please no. Not every card needs to be a reference to a real world counterpart.

[@sparkierss3189]

CALAMITY, GALLOPING INFERNO is so much better than yall assumed, she can have infinite combats, keep the tokens made with sundial of the infinite, and damage doubler creatures turn EXPONENTIAL when copied

[@DaGraveCrowder]

Can confirm - I saddled Calamity with an Ancient Copper Dragon that I Sneak Attack'ed into play. Saddling it with any good ETB or "When X deals combat damage to a player" creature is crushing

[@Regurgitator85]

Its so undervalued. But shhhhh it's always such a nice surprise.

[@N4chtigall]

I'm working on Jaxis mono-red deck with a lot of ETB's/copy cards and after trying it I must say it feels insane. As long as you have literally anything with ETB/attack trigger on the board its crazy.

[@sparkierss3189]

@@DaGraveCrowder ikr it feels like cheating💀

[@sparkierss3189]

@@N4chtigall oh damn yeah you can straight up make even more copies than calamity- dope!!

[@Momo_pstat4]

20:23 i have a jeskai sagas deck, and inventive iteration is the truth. I am able to cast a few sagas in a turn, and just watch players look at their hand and just pass. Oh and it is really good to double triggers of as its both great removal and card draw. Its insanity and i love it

[@xHirsch13x]

Would love to see an Anax deck tech! One of my favorite budget decks in standard a couple years ago had him, he’s truly terrifying if the setup is there 😎

[@BigDrew49]

Glad to see Jolrael getting love. I build a "living lands" deck around her and it's amazingly fun.

[@mikebott6940]

Yes, and the alternate art version was one of the standout pieces from MotM Aftermath.

[@GizmosMonster]

Whirler Rogue IS my combo piece in my Saheeli Deck (it's a fair combo imo cause you need Saheeli Sun's Brilliance + Whirler + Intruder Alarm + Phyrexian Altar/Ashnodaltar+Energy Refractor)

[@PinkImpulse]

Hideous Taskmaster was the latest addition in my Rakdos, Lord of Riots deck so being able to cheat this out for 1 red mana is… amazing

[@pepesantiago3806]

Was thinking the same for animar

[@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299]

LOL Great in Henzie as well :P

[@helfiswelf]

I have to say, I unsubscribed prior to Mia joining because I thought the chemistry was off, but seriously you two together kick some serious commander buns. Keep it up and thanks for the sweet overperforming picks.

[@plewcock2746]

Fun video. Lots of food for thought from each of the cards! Definitely given me ideas for some of my decks.

[@ProfWalton]

13:33 is my Moxfield guess. For those telling me how I can check, don’t want too. Fun to guess.

[@Robert-vk7je]

I always get cards out of palantir of orthanc. I play it in my Feldon of the third Path deck and people know my mana curve. Don't forget you get to scry before!

[@bad_asterisk]

Commander cube content? Soon? Maybe? :)

[@joelmacgregor2615]

Palantir is so good in a self mill deck where you have no access to blue. Ghen loves it. Anikthea loves it. Osgir loves it

[@Grumbl3cakes]

I have a jolrael deck built around animating lands and making land creatures to maximize on her card draw text, but people do really keep underestimating how good getting a hasty 6/6+ flier each combat can be.

[@isidoreaerys8745]

Whirler Rogue goes great in Satya Aetheflux Genius. Often you have a token doubler and Thassa out. So it’s not uncommon to get 8 Thopters per turn and the unblockability helps Satya get his attack triggers safely in the late game. Excellent defensive tool.

[@maxxlanglois]

9:10 I've brewed a lot with Invasion of Segovia (Crim featured one of my decks with it) in 60 cards formats and I wanna try it in commander. The backside is a powerhouse

[@Zakading]

Another total banger is Invasion of Ergamon. Getting the treasure for 2 mana is already alright, but you also get to cycle a card right away and once you flip it, it's a tutor on top.

[@anathema7813]

YESS! Glad this series is back!!

[@davewallace2992]

Fun video! Gonna be lookin’ at some of these for sure!

[@morarotorybread7044]

I feel like this is something that can help, for figuring based on counters use different types of dice for something like this, such as d4 for classes.

[@BREAKERisDEAD]

I fell in love with Hideous Taskmaster the moment I saw him. ❤

[@RogueBullhead]

Easy fun card I love is sunscorch regent. It's a perfect decoy to draw hate away from your more important cards while being a win condition if not answered.

[@dirtyfrench2926]

You should build a partner deck with Ishai. I personally partner it with Reyhan because having an Ozolith effect in the Command Zone in a dedicated +1+1 counter deck in Atraxa colors is pretty nuts.

[@isaactirrell7866]

Muah hahahah the Hofri, Ghostforge deck will now get even more evil with the addition of Hideous Taskmaster. Didn't know this card existed!!! Thanks Nitpicking Nerds!

[@antroz9181]

Love Invasion of Zendikar in my Kellan, the Kid deck! Kellan on 2 or 3, Invasion on the turn after and gets smacked down by the 3/3 in the air for a massive spell on the back

[@UrielColeridge]

Got myself a Hideous Taskmaster. Did not realize it hit quite that hard. Thanks for that.

[@Utenlok]

Bonny Pall is a commander I play regularly. She always gives a great performance.

[@olivierdebilde4292]

Whirler rogue was planned for Zinnia. It fits so perfectly!

[@xaeoxic7328]

i think battles should be like planeswalkers. not too many per set, but definitely some for each set. I especially thought we'd be seeing battles in bloomburrow.

[@volosguidetomonsters3440]

moxfield ad 10:55 Also, Whirler Rogue is the best card in any brago deck (Outside of the combo cards)

[@LanceJade]

I run Bonny Pall and Invasion of Zendikar in my Tatyova deck. Beau gets crazy in a hurry and the Invasion doesn't even need to be defeated to get value.

[@alfascorpi]

I put Hideous Taskmaster in Hofri asap when it came out. Have a sac outlet ready. When you steal oppo’s stuff, and than sac them and get a permanent token copy with Hofri out of the stolen creatures. When the taskmaster dies…Hofri trigggers also. But you don’t get the cast trigger again, but do get a free Taskmaster token copy

[@billsussman6554]

My henzie just started drooling for hideous taskmaster

[@dakotamcintire7419]

Need the right commanders for a "Shutting these numbers of mana costs down" deck in esper. Looking to include Talion, the meld bruna/gisella, void winnower, etc.

[@simonchi5372]

Anax still gives me flashbacks from standard, he's terrifying as it usually meant you were dead the next turn.

[@Mecal00]

The card that over performed for me was Tarrian's Soulcleaver. Any time an artifact or creature goes to the graveyard (importantly, this includes Tokens) the equiped creature gets a +1 counter. Any time my opponents sac a creature or treasure, I get a +1 counter. Pretty nice

[@adamcampbell2787]

Hell yeah. You don't event need +1/+1 counter synergy in most games for it to turn something into a beater with vigilance. It goes absolutely bonkers with hardened scales and the like.

[@isidoreaerys8745]

Palantir of Orthanc is oppresive In historic brawl. I crafted it in my Imoti deck where most of the cards are 6 mana and above and my opponents often get 1HKO’d by being greedy and denying me a draw when it has 3 counters on it.

[@Axira11250]

Wow I'm surprised Beezy got y'all in the camera frame

[@NitpickingNerds]

Same

[@Vitox96]

Some cards shouldnt be over-performer, but the problem is "dies to removal" cannot be applied anymore, as no one is playing removal because it doesnt synergize with deck strategies, leaving inaction and board wipes as the only way to deal with game-ending threats. Now, what happens when a 6 cost minion not killing the table on the next turn enters the battlefield? It stays there, nobody is gonna waste a turn to deal with that.

[@michaelpohl9077]

Wished to be in your meta; mine's a removal fiesta for the whole family...

[@Vitox96]

@@michaelpohl9077 in my meta it is boardwipe fiesta, and blue players play only a little package of counters. It is more about how resilient you can be through value engines. "Never enter topdeck mode" kind of meta.

[@alexcurtis6180]

Anax is a combo enabler in my Garna the Bloodflame deck. Phyrexian Altar is the other piece but Anax is helping :D

[@zeromandimissal7637]

Palantir is underrated imo. If you run a recursion deck u either send cards to grave to revive or draw. win either way

[@marcoottina654]

21:07 yes, stax in blue luke a Brisela Thst saga is AWESOME-ly nasty ! My artefact decks would weirdly love it

[@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299]

Jolrael and Bonny Pall are in the same budget deck I have, along with other silly Simic land shenanigans :P

[@ZSAITOSEI]

My Jolrael deck focuses on mutating lands and does crazy things. Always amazing fun.

[@TheMeditatingRaven]

5:52 I can honestly attest to how strong Bonny is because I play her in MTG Arena as a Brawl Commander, and ramp gets downright silly with recycling Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wild effects.

[@isidoreaerys8745]

Whenever I’m placing lands onto the battlefield tapped from the graveyard I run the New Capenna sac lands, like Cabaretti Courtyard, maestro’s Theatre etc because they sac automatically and so you have your untapped land ready on your next turn.

[@TheMeditatingRaven]

@@isidoreaerys8745 Yeah, I use the same lands with Soul of Windgrace on Arena. It gets pretty nuts.

[@johnlachman5121]

I definitely looked past Izoni, typically with golgari decks i want to bring stuff back from my graveyard not exile them, but in practice its a very effective card.

[@danielprivate8038]

I was super stoked for the Taskmaster.. got it fit Animar butt it’s kinda a lil mean to jack things then give them annihilator… think I should keep balefire dragon in … 14 reach / flyers with the dragon.. even though the taskmaster has better odds of being game ending play

[@stfinalwrath]

Palantìr is mean in my Eligeth and Siani scry build. That can actually be a game closer in there. Such a good card.

[@WoundedDuckify]

Was able to grab 2 foil copies of innkeeper's talent for $1 each just before they spiked. Was easily my favorite card coming out of the set, but I didnt see this explosion

[@TheSyrenWon]

Woohoo! Moxfield surely @17:30

[@mattsmith1972]

Jolrael rules, such a fun commander. IMO don't bother with other cards that animate lands and just run every single instant and sorcery that draws you cards equal to target creature power (or something along those lines) like Rishkar's Expertise alongside a good density of unlimited hand size stuff and stuff that copies triggered abilities and/or clones Jolrael herself

[@generalkohn]

Whirler Rogue is my favorite card in all of magic! I've been putting it in decks for years! Such a good political tool

[@MrRomanrin]

INNKEEPERS TALENT BLEW UP ! now its SO EXPENSIVE !

[@BobbyBev95]

Thinking of trying Palantir of Orthanc in my Celestine deck. Seems like an effective way to fill the grave in white or scare someone into taking a ton of damage from all of my 5+ MV creatures

[@TeaGarrison]

I use it in a Celestine Living Saint and it does exactly that very well. You can also try Matzalantli the Great Door for another GY filler which can flip and grant a lot of mana for a mono coloured deck in the late-game.

[@BobbyBev95]

@@TeaGarrison Do you have a list for Celestine anywhere? On moxfield or something? Always looking to compare lists!

[@TeaGarrison]

@@BobbyBev95 No, sorry. I don't post my lists online--too much hassel when I have like 15 decks that I'm constantly changing.

[@OdinMagnus]

Bonny loves strip mines. Her Ox plows those mines and then brings them right back. But since it's only a single land that destroys lands, it's fair... right? Or you can use Demolition Field, or Ghost Quarters, or the other ones... mwahaha As for the LotR artifact thing, you can usually tell when you watch them scry whether or not to take the damage or let them draw a card. If I'm playing my angels deck, I always take the damage and let them mill. But they never target me with it. Why? I'm only at 600 life. lol

[@heresyseed]

Whirler rogue and deadeye navigator are always together smoking in the boys room 😅

[@gregorlangemeier4116]

What do you think of Insurrection instead of Taskmaster? Only one mana more (but a few bucks more also)

[@captainsc00ter31]

Moxfield not on dark mode?!? How could you!

[@reason9750]

Ok so I’ve heard a couple different takes on this: does flicker trigger ETB’s? Cause multiple sources online have said no but this video was saying yes for Battle of Zendikar

[@CaptainThemerica]

An exile then return to the battlefield effect would trigger ETBs, but phasing wouldn’t. Do you know the wording of the cards that the others were talking about?

[@hanschristopherson8056]

Love this series

[@chrisvainio]

Y’all finally convinced me to check out Moxfield

[@alexcarroll6299]

I have palantir in my sidisi deck and I got it out turn three, endstep I targeted my brother and he made me mill the card, it only had one counter, what's the worst that could happen to him? ...He lost ten life, I milled the original jin-gitaxius

[@Camp_MTG]

I hope Joe Cherries is alright. Did we ever find out why he left?

[@basicpigeonbee]

Invasion of zendikar has does alot of work for it's pretty decent

[@danielgoldberg2129]

I have Hideous Taskmaster in my Karlach Extra Combats deck. Imagine getting its ability 2 or 3 times in a turn. 😂

[@ryanmitchell1931]

I have palantir in my mycotyrant deck. For some reason people let me draw lots of cards. 😂

[@isidoreaerys8745]

Don’t they both trigger at the end step? I feel like that would miss timing sort of like the way Lathiel Bounteous Dawn can’t apply the Soul Warden life gain triggers from Ocelot Pride’s tokens to place counters because they both trigger at the beginning of the end step.

[@ryantriplett6512]

whirler rogue has won me a game before in my morska deck. I agree it is very gud

[@davidkennedy7126]

I hope the marvel set brings back battles. Battle for wakanda, Battle of New York. So many thousands of other options of course

[@chaserevstuning9271]

Invasion of zendikar is much better 4 mana ramp spell. The creature is pretty solid

[@famousstranger8468]

Sol ring, every time I play it, it's a bomb

[@pheonox7197]

How does taskmaster work with sundial?

[@6laccdemarco]

Hideous Taskmaster is great in Herighast Erupting Hellkite the most slept on MH3 legend you ever turn 4 sac solem simulacrum cast herighast and emerge Ulamog the defiler sacing herighas.

[@geofferiswheel]

Guessing for moxfield. I'm thinking 11:11

[@kismet8010]

Henzie loves Hideous Taskmaster

[@corypinkowski7325]

7:42 my moxfield ad guess

[@corypinkowski7325]

It was 9:40 I will get it one day without cheating and I expect to get paid handsomely for my trouble😊

[@andywolflol]

What's the code for Card Kingdom?

[@TheMartinrizo]

Invasion of Zendikar goes crazy in my Loot deck.

[@skullkrusher-dx4kg]

Is annax in totentantz?

[@Tazildayah]

I play palantir in my vial smasher deck which runs a lot of 10+ mana spells. No one ever mills lol

[@S0ftSurv]

Saw you guys at dragon con today and got a picture! Didn’t know what to say and got a little tongue tied but it was great to see you, been a fan for years!

[@christophermurphy8117]

Hideous Task Master costing 4 in a Hinata deck feels insane

[@mrjey3434]

Hideous Taskmaster costs 7 even with Hinata on the battlefield. Hinata makes spells cost less for each target. Hideous Taskmaster does not have a target, in contrast to something like Lightning Bolt. The only thing that has a target is the ABILITY of Hideous Taskmaster that triggers when you cast it. Therefore its cost doesn't get reduced by Hinata

[@christophermurphy8117]

@@mrjey3434 I think you may be right, which is upsetting lol

[@mrnixon2287]

Hideous Taskmaster. Yikes! gotta get men one of these for my etali deck. He hits hard.

[@ryanbliss827]

Hideous taskmaster seems like it would hit in henzie

[@NitpickingNerds]

it DEFINITELY would

[@bobbiechristine]

WHIRLER ROGUE HYPE

[@ttv_beefchild5967]

Palantir is BUSTED

[@russelravellette6612]

11:37

[@counterclockwisepup5237]

Made just for you. "Honestly"

[@SwagMaster824]

Hideous Taskmaster can steal creatures even if it gets countered? How ?

[@cjacobpitt]

Since the stealing trigger happens when you cast it, even if the creature is countered, that trigger sticks around. Only way to stop it is to use a counter that specifically counters triggered abilities like Tale's End

[@overbet36]

18:15

[@yatzeenotsee]

I clicked on this for Brisela

[@jamespearce5918]

BUDGET... bombs?

[@N4chtigall]

Innkeeper's Talent were overlooked? As far as I remember it was expensive from the get go. Even before the Bloomburrow was released people knew its a bomb. After it was released the price went up even more lol. Also classes indeed use level counters.

[@doomed773]

Classes do not use level counters, as per rule 716.4

[@someguy1ification]

It was preselling for, like, two dollars. Rapidly went up to twenty soon after release.

[@Son0fAggression]

what kind of dumb statement is "its a 20 dollar card, duh"... None of this printed paper should cost anywhere close to that. Would make the game far less pay to win and far more beginner friendly.

[@thembosupremepizza1827]

10:10

[@dainesmith8884]

I miss Shadow the Hedgehog the Shelf =/

[@NitpickingNerds]

Me too :(

[@vandy3427]

Hi

[@alextelfer4215]

Looking forward to your eventual sponsorship from the true best sleeves in the multiverse

[@Logic-cg7qy]

Call me old-fashioned, but, I'd rather just play Explosive Vegetation -- a quick, simple easy-to-read card than a ridiculous 'battle' card with 68 words on it that you play sideways and has a page of rules to explain how it works. I don't care about some incremental advantage or power-creep.

[@thomasbuswell4082]

Mia 🔥🥵