Is It Worth It To Buy An Ikoria Commander 2020 Deck? | Magic: The Gathering

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

What is your favorite planeswalker up to during this time of social distancing? I off my own answers here: would really mean a lot. It's here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqKrZGeBd82Hm9E PLEASE CHECK IT OUT

[@RadStormCrow]

Kiora seems to be my go to during this fun quarentine.

[@nerdzilla1355]

Tolarian Community College Lilliana, dreadhorde general is a bomb! I got a stained glass version in a Secret Lair so, thanks for paying for my secret lair Wizards!

[@nathanfriedman7367]

Party Jace or Ashiok, Dream Render. Oddly enough, I am a Mardu palyer.

[@CKG-hh2bw]

liliana is my girl

[@sandwichboy1268]

Jace has got to be my #1. My Phenax mill deck would be incomplete without a handful of Jace's backing him up.

[@thatoneguyshawn]

"Slightly curled to perfection, as all things should be" -Thanos, head of quality control, foil division

[@ashenwuss1651]

"The less people that own these cards of high value, the better the future comes."

[@SomeYouTubeTraveler]

"Curling is... inevitable."

[@thatoneguyshawn]

Keep the thanos themed responses coming haha I'm dying here

[@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299]

Thanos the intern on Companion play testing to MaRo: Perfectly balanced, as all things should be :P

[@Yuzuki1337]

"I used the foiling process to destroy the foiling process"

[@DailyPlayedInvestments]

The passive aggressive attack on secret layer fetch lands was awesome professor

[@del132]

I don't know if "Secret Layer" was a typo or on purpose, but I like it.

[@DailyPlayedInvestments]

DoctorBarbarian on accident lol stupid auto correct

[@MasterDoctorBenji]

I think from here until the end of time he must burn the secret lair fetches once a month.

[@DailyPlayedInvestments]

Benjamin Saunders i will agree 100% to that

[@DailyPlayedInvestments]

What do you say professor 1 time a month you give em the old razzle dazzle jab at the overpriced secret lair fetches

[@johncreekpaum4998]

Yet another reason I love my LGS. Price I paid for my deck? $40. Price everyone paid for their deck? $40. I preordered, but someone in front of me in line asking for the Timeless Wisdom precon? Yep, $40. Absolutely love my LGS.

[@Areinu]

Yup, my LGS also keeps single price for all precons, and it's 40$ (approx, different currency, but it costs the same as last year). For preorders they gave out those arena codes they also give for preordering prerelease kits, and if someone buys all 5 they toss in mystery booster.

[@TheSeriousShowURL]

My LGS is scaling the prices, the better decks cost over sixty bucks :(

[@robbnoble1509]

I dont buy from LGSs that sell current sealed product by market value. I dont play there, i dont support them. Especially when they charge market value when it is higher than retail price, but not when it is lower.

[@PinkSparklyGamer]

Jeez, where I live, even retail stores scalp the prices on sealed product. Buying a box costs about $120. It makes "always buy singles" even more true

[@Dreamersgate]

i guess i am really lucky my LGS has a deal preorder all 5 and save 30+ dollars so basically one free

[@emt0072]

Great review. My local Game Store, Gamers Sanctuary of Flint Mi, is selling them for 39.99. Because they said it wouldn't be fair to sell them for more during the crisis. They are good people there.

[@erikjansen6911]

that was my lgs during my semester abroad. great place, great people

[@timme2108]

my lgs has everything for 39.99 as well. Except the one with Fierce Guardianship (Timeless Wisdom). That one is 47.99... They know their player base I guess...

[@sigma6840]

How is their stock and do they have a web presence. I'll order from a place like that that does right by it's customer base!

[@kimirikscreations]

Just don't drink the tap water if you visit!

[@sigma6840]

@@timme2108 mine has Timeless Widsom marked at $80 friggin bucks...80! Jesus. I remember getting a 60 card starter deck (albeit an absolute trash heap) for 10 bucks...10!......man have wizards gotten greedy...it's insane.

[@mikes7423]

7:00 I'm surprised you didn't mention the complete lack of the new triomes that were not included as part of the manabase for these decks.

[@benjyskutch-freedman6839]

I have a very hard time understanding why they did this. Seriously, all these precons are in the wedge colors and set in Ikoria, but they didn't include the new Ikoria Triome lands. WTF, Wizards?

[@Sarpro72]

It’s particularly disgusting because you can tell they are trying to make them ridiculously expensive on purpose.

[@trashpanda8871]

@@benjyskutch-freedman6839 It's so that they get to sell twice the amount of product this way.

[@316malica]

Even more egregious that that they put the shitty ones from Khans instead. The triomes have a PERFECT home in commander, they can tap for all your decks colors, can be fetched early, and if drawn late can be cycled for another card. The fact that the jeskai one is missing from the cycling deck is worse since ALL the cycling lands are there except the respective triome.

[@Yellow_Magpie]

Yeah, there's loads of little decisions that encourage you to both purchase the precons while also chasing singles and/or boxes from the main set. I can't say I expect differently, the development team is rewarded for teetering the line between established player satisfaction, new player encouragement and spread of sales for corporate. They've become incredibly nuanced and good at it whereas in the first examples of the product from the golden era, the design team came from a more 'one off' and 'unique', arguably more altruistic design perspective that facilitated decisions no longer possible considering the now established regularity, popularity and purpose of the product.

[@sawfty691]

Just got back into magic, went to a local shop and they were selling these for $55-90... I was shocked and left the store without a pre-con, went to Target and found 4/5 at MSRP. It's a shame a customer has to leave their local shop and go to a big box store to find a pre-con they can afford.

[@_GandalfTheGrey_]

Seriously...why don’t local shops just keep msrp? I like to support local stores but come on now.

[@tristendodder6392]

@@_GandalfTheGrey_ It's because two of the cards are worth roughly 50 dollars so they'd be losing money selling it at msrp.

[@dierare]

​@@tristendodder6392 they aren't losing money because they bought them for less than msrp in the first place. they would make less money than they would by opening the pre-cons and selling everything seperately, but satisfying customers with good deals makes them come back. it's maximizing short term profit over customer satisfaction and that can ruin your profits in the long run.

[@steel5315]

Hi, future person here, that's the normal price now. Hearing that brand new commander precons used to be $35 almost gave me a heart attack.

[@RyleOswald]

Wow, Professor! I have to say, I'm super impressed by the quality of this review. Between the sharp editing, well-articulated points, and overall passion, I think this marks a new era of reviews for you. I think it's the way you capitalized on mounting momentum in the video; each point seems to cascade into the next, making for an extremely compelling view. I've always liked your videos, mind you, and I appreciate your optimism just as much as your cutting moments. I just wanted to let you know that between this and your last deck box review, your efforts in this review really came through even brighter than your usual professionalism. Thank you for always reminding me why I love this game. May you and yours continue to flourish in these interesting times.

[@skylerclyne6542]

I’m very new to MTG (my SO still has to help me out a bit more than I’d like to admit) and I’m so glad I’ve found The Professor and TCC, I can tell that there’s some idiosyncrasies that I don’t quite understand yet but I really appreciate the care and tact with which he talks about it.

[@alexbiersner3350]

This is what you get from TCC and the Prof. He's very knowledgeable on MtG and will always be there to help us out. He even has some nice deck techs

[@budgetdeckmastermtg2144]

Just a note: we should also be getting 2 more precon decks with Commander Legends, for a total of 9 this year

[@BigDamnVanguard]

We're actually getting four more, two with Zendikar too, but those four are all new commanders/reprints, no other new cards. Which is fine.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

dear god.

[@aidennoir597]

Just keep in mind the smaller Commander releases are replacing Planeswalker decks so... keep expectations tempered.

[@nathanfriedman7367]

@@TolarianCommunityCollege I remember back when Arcane Maelstrom was $35 dollars on Amazon. That was a day ago.

[@matteobagni1235]

Wrong year to get back to mtg 🙄

[@monkeybench]

Hot take Every pre-con should come with an Amulet of Vigor because of all of the tapped lands. I will die on this hill.

[@only1sn1not1taken]

Honestly, yeah. If they are going to push the tap lands so much. And with 11 of the lands in the cycling deck being cycling lands that enter tapped (in addition to other tapped lands) it would have been very nice in that deck. But I guess that does swing the pacing of a precon VERY heavily due to a single card hitting the board early.

[@simoncss1]

So I 👍 your hot take here. Though the simpler answer will b of course good untapped multi-color lands instead of the usual ETB tapped, gain 1 life options. Maybe, as Prof suggested, the Battlebond duals or WotC could treat us even better & place the “enemy-color” versions here. Granted, I did still find the general feel of land base much improved with more Odyssey, Zendikar & Amonkhet rare duals, “pain-lands” over the earlier years of Guildgates & other analogous tapped duals with not even 1 life thrown in. BUT another personal feel is that (invoking the Pleasant Kenobi in us) Hasbro/WotC are COWARDS for not just reprinting “fetch-lands”, Ravnica “shocks”, Shadowmoor/Eventide “filter-lands”, even Triomes into Commander decks. COWARDS! Cuz it ain’t burn them even fraction of penny more to print really good rare lands vs a dumpster tapped common. & I do, die on this hill!

[@slannstarmaster6555]

Yeah

[@stevenh3154]

You have my flag

[@trowawayacc]

Yes i aprove.

[@megabubfish]

I think the professor really hit the nail on the head with his explanation of why these decks feel the same. I've been saying since their reveal that tying them to the current plane, much as I love it, is far too redundant. I would love to see them revisit the concept later on, perhaps focusing on the plane as the theme as opposed to the mechanics. Sitting down with an Ikoria deck across from Dominaria, Ravnica, and Innistrad sounds much more exciting.

[@EpicGamerz01]

Personally how I thought they should do them is make the commander decks a fourth-quarter product and then have the decks flavored around the sets that came out that year. That way you still get the renewed flavor of the sets that came out this year but also it can act as a sort of Time-capsule for the year. Maybe you add in one Commander deck that references older sets so there’s a chance that, if you don’t like the new sets, you might be more inclined to the older-themed deck

[@uS0ra]

more thematic/flavour tied decks would be great, thats what made the 2017 ones so cool

[@jasonbolding3481]

I think having 5 decks is a problem too. If it was just a monster precon and a human they coukd had really kept the feel more contrasting. Almost like the old vs. Series

[@nikkis.2066]

This is why these will perhaps be on the lower list of Precon Commander Decks. 2011, 2016 & 2017 are my top favs, with 2015, 2018, 2019 following them. With these Precons, I personally only into Arcane Maelstrom, Symbiotic Swarm and maybe Ruthless Regiment. I'm sure I'll enjoy all of them, I love Commander and always grab each Deck (never know what may surprise you) but there is 100% a lack of excitement with these VS previous years, mostly due to the homogenized feel between them. Another is that I feel MTG itself is just bloated with too much product and having two HUGE pieces being thematically the exact same (imo) kinda wears out the welcome a bit faster.

[@TheOneBehindSpace]

Just got home with 2 of the new commander decks and was thinking "I wonder if the Professor has uploaded a video on these yet" Perfect timing! :D

[@williamzhang153]

Well? Do you regret your purchase?

[@316malica]

SAME. I grabbed the Jeskai and the Temur one. Which ones did you get?

[@jankspanking8836]

@@316malica Madru and Mutate

[@seasnek7024]

Same just picked up mine today and checked my subscription page

[@fate3071]

I walked home with all 5 tonight and I didn't even know there was a shortage

[@andymahoney1776]

Hell yeah, I've been waiting for this review!

[@acevn-trulo5917]

Me to sponge block

[@florianw116]

I agree. Only 2 of those decks should've been Ikoria themed. One "monster" deck, probably Otrimi, and one "human" deck, probably Jirina Kudro.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

That would have been fun.

[@jemm113]

I'd say that if this HAD to be this year's main commander precon release it could have been 3 with cycling since that has very little proper commander support, but even then cycling could have been relegated to a normal main release that had 1 or 2 of the new commanders be from Ikoria (maybe a 3rd boros colored in the 99) and only a splash of Ikoria cards and let the rest be different flavors (like from other planes that featured cycling heavily like Amonkhet, OH GOD they screwed an opportunity for a new Amonkhet commander, DAMMIT!)

[@latroyw4650]

Ya but one of the other themed of that set is monsters working with humans. My fav one but even wotc ignores it :(

[@AxolotldelaAnimacion]

I think that feeling of beeing way too similar would be washed out if wizards decides to release commander decks for each expansion. Yes, they would be similar within each other, but looking at the big picture, at the end of the year, we would end up with lots of new legends, from each new expansion and (hopefully) lots of reprints.

[@porgy29]

I would have been fine with the face card of each deck being from Ikoria but each deck having at least one commander that is clearly outside of Ikoria. Yes the theme was "Ikoria" but in previous sets each deck usually had at least one commander that was off theme.

[@randommindz6782]

14:20 It just dawned on me an alternative marketing idea WotC could've done for Commander: 1 deck - Ikoria 1 deck - Throne of Eldraine 1 deck - Theros beyond death 1 deck - this year's zendikar 1 deck - mystery box???

[@TheKaijudist]

That's a very cool idea. A celebration of the year

[@kjubon8888]

this would be soo much cooler

[@billymack1778]

i really like this idea

[@seanfinley2069]

That would result in cooler decks, but I think they want multiple decks with each set. The ability to choose your favorite is a definite motivator when buying these things.

[@mattstatton4189]

The fact that they are all on the same plane is actually my favorite part. I'm excited to see more of Ikoria and can't wait to see more from other planes. Hopefully they are still doing it be the time we get back to Tarkier.

[@youresodumb6574]

I’m glad I bought the Jeskai one early. The prices have jumped up so much since then.

[@Samst0n]

That counterspell really is the whole reason

[@fiarusgaming3420]

@@Samst0n yep. Spent $50 on one just for the counterspell and I don't even care haha. It's the most powerful card I've ever seen.

[@Trivedi_Tuesdays]

Chase Alford that’s still a good price, since fierce is gonna win many games

[@fiarusgaming3420]

@@Trivedi_Tuesdays Yeah, and it's Canadian, so it's like $35 American haha.

[@gavinli1368]

Siiiggggh. I hope I can get a Jeskai one for a reasonable price. I don’t even care that much about the counterspell, I just think it looks fun. Jeskai cares about spells and drawing cards? Sign me up!

[@SmugLookingBarrel]

Okay, the "free with commander" cycle really annoys me. Fierce Guardianship goes in *every* blue commander deck. Just all of them. Flawless Maneuver and Deadly Rollick are close too. I don't want wizards to print cards that go in every single commander deck.

[@BoredOCM]

I agree with this line of thought, maybe the cycle should have been the spell cost was reduced instead of free with the commander in play. The thing I fear is with this cycle being as powerful as it is, what's in Commander Legends (or whatever the commander "draft" set later this year is called.) that will make people buy boxes/crack packs when they can get guaranteed value in the Commander and Brawl precons?

[@Astupid13NAme]

I rather have these broken cards than a damn reprinted garbage rare

[@anlize3422]

Well, the cycle itself feels like an auto-include in all the colors. The blue one is just that more powerful, card doing stuff for free is hard to pass.

[@aesirloki4833]

And will they ever see an impactful reprint..? Probably never

[@sulaimanhyatt-butt1453]

@@BoredOCM yeah i have the same fear as well for commander legends and even other standard sets such as zendikar rising and core set 2021 (themed teferi, oh fml😒) the power creep only gets worse and potentially we would end up with possibly over half every commander deck running the same cards with minimal variance l, which would only be what the commander is it and basic strategy and the rest of the deck full of these new cards we have and will be getting later this year.

[@closedsocket]

They were up briefly for 34.99 each on Amazon last night. Had to grab them at that price. Good hunting everyone.

[@cameronwise-maas5610]

I got mine for $40NZD each, which is like $25 us each. Bought 2 sets. Do I win?

[@laynegrey2003]

They're back down to about $38 each last I checked, but they won't ship for a while.

[@RyuHero]

Holy crappppp! This was everything ive wanted in a review! A++! You answered all my questions in a concise, entertaining, and timely manor. You just gained a subscriber! Thanks teach!

[@softnick9]

Hey man, having a hard days because of debts with all this thing about the virus...I enjoy the value videos so seeing the notification about this one made me have a good time, thanks, appreciate your work

[@YawgmothWasRight]

Thank you Professor, I've been waiting soooo long for this review, finally it's here !! May the gods of the topdeck bless you !

[@OkWizard]

I'm still mad that the plane with big monsters has no Naya influence/commanders

[@humanwreckage4563]

It IS a wedge plane, not a shard plane.

[@Charsiupao]

All the more fun to construct a deck yourself with whichever Commander you think would be best! :)

[@OkWizard]

@@Charsiupao I was just hoping for more Naya options. Look at what is out there right now. Not a lot :/

[@14Chrysler300sAWD]

@@OkWizard naya giants is quite fun, and crystalline giant is a fun gimiky card

[@DRKLCNS1]

there's plenty of stuff IN red green and white that works great in Naya. Quartzwood Crasher is a fantastic trample card and all the big Trample monsters now become much more threatening

[@CyricD]

Good review. My LGS opened a few days ago, and with Ikoria today they were doing great business. They're only allowed four people in at once (small store) and there was a line to get in.

[@Arcdemon44]

Have to agree with the video, even though I got all five for 149.99 which is a great deal.

[@darklordtera]

Probably the most honest views on magic cards is from this channel more people should support you. 🤘

[@timc0212]

I loved the fact that these tied in to Ikoria. It makes it feel like they’re all tied into the narrative of beasts battling beasts, and humans and the like

[@Kobabel333]

Me too. I like the fact that the partner commanders are a pair of human bonder+tamed monster, especially if we compare with the c16 partners who are "some random dude+some random dude".

[@wurdofwizdumb1928]

I think it is brilliant that the deck you posted at the weakest is the one you used to show off the cards. I really love your content professor. I hope you are incredibly happy.

[@lancejburns]

It's actually 9 precons this year. 5 with Ikoria, 2 with Zendikar, and 2 with Commander Legends.

[@cooperthyne7019]

I kept thinking there was something lack luster about this commander set, however I couldn't quite put my finger on it despite being overall pleased with some of the positive aspects of it. What you had to say about the set being too closely tied to Ikoria and just feeling like "one big commander deck made into five different decks" was exactly what I was subconsciously noticing. This caused me to be creating minor destain for that aspect of the product. Thank you for pointing that out and bringing it to light! This was a great review Professor!

[@9sharps]

It does kind of seem like an advertisement for Ikoria. It was really cool to see all characters coming to life, because plane didn't matter. Xantcha and Atraxa and Gerad and Arixmethes. It's cool to try out new mechanics, but it's even better to see creative renditions of new and old characters

[@calebmullins2199]

Great video Prof! Your quality has gotten better and its hard to put my finger on it but it seems like you are 100% genuine and it truly shows.

[@Baby_boodle]

I found that it blurred together for me a lot too. And having the commander previews as the same time as set previews all while having a 5th deck was overwhelming, and I completely forgot what cards even interested me just weeks ago. I've been so exhausted in general too in the midst of the pandemic. Ultimately I have so little interest in these commander decks compared to the previous ones by a whole lot.

[@joe.5103]

Literally searched for Commander 2020 decks one minute before you posted this. Hadn’t looked up the new decks yet, thanks Prof!

[@josephs.4813]

Slightly curled to perfection 👌🏻

[@GingerxWolfe]

I love how level headed you are with reviews and stuff. Nice to see someone not just bash something cause it's not there favorite thing.

[@prodicalking]

I didn't even wait. The second I saw the push notification I stopped what I was doing to watch this. @_@

[@AyeegaJim]

Same

[@jamesoakley9333]

Same here

[@judegraham2951]

Someone finally put the feel of this product into words. It feels kinda empty. I’m really impressed at your ability to articulate this feeling into words. Good work prof

[@jdonvance]

They could print Commander decks with each Standard release, but if they do, they shouldn't do more than two per expansion. This will avoid planar fatigue/identity issues, but of course then the product would end up sharing/fighting for space with Duel Decks AND Planeswalker Decks at the same time.

[@jdonvance]

I know, but just like Secret Lair is the new From the Vault and Mystery Boosters are the new Modern Masters, Challenger Decks are the new(ish) Duel Decks (for now). Duel Decks was just a cleaner reference since they're meant to be played against one another. (Although since Commander decks should play well with all of Commander the same way Challenger decks should play well in Standard, there is more basis for comparison than I thought. Challenger decks just cater to different audiences than Commander decks, so they aren't actually clashing as much.)

[@Chefrabbitfoot]

Really liking the revamped deck breakdown. Keep on keeping on Prof...we love you!

[@ghostanbu1099]

Glad to see Arcane Signet being reprinted here hope to see it continue with every PreCon.

[@josueantonio12]

Your Commander reviews always useful as every year. Thank you Prof!

[@flametitan100]

I assume as more decks get into circulation, the value of the cards will drop closer to MSRP, but that's still a pretty decent value.

[@Sir_Francis]

You make a good point on the negatives of having all the decks so heavily based on the same Plane. Some of the best things about older Commander Precons are the old characters finally getting cards or being revamped for modern play (Chainer, Greven, Gerrard, Windgrace, Titania, Freyalise to name a few). Or even just getting new cards blatantly from Planes we haven't been to in a bit (Anje from Innistrad, Arixmethes from Theros, Yuriko from Kamigawa, etc). Sure we got some reprints of cards from other Planes, but it's those new cards that also hold nostalgia in some way that really catch a lot of attention!

[@shelbyfleshood5172]

"Financial value is not the purposes of this product, it's meant to be played with." Couldn't you say that about all Magic cards?

[@raze956]

there are also alot of cards that are clearly targetet at collectors, like full art fetchlands for example. if you just want to play with fetches you can "just" get the basic ones, no need to pay a huge premium for no gameplay effect.

[@clanechelon]

This is a product to help new player get into commander or help players on a budge hence the argument that financial value is not the purpose. Sure you can claim this for all magic cards, but I can point out the master set and collector edition that appeals mostly to collectors and people that are looking to invest in their collections. It wouldn't be fair to put a massive chunk of reprints in the commander decks as collectors would buy out the market for said reprints. I strongly believe this is why they came up with a draft set for commanders where they can adress the needed reprints *finders crossed*

[@jamescalvert4471]

Less so for premium foil singles, than for a deck where the entire product is meant to be playable by itself.

[@ollo_yt]

No, because magic is a TRADING card game.

[@bobby45825]

@@ollo_yt Can't trade in Arena, so that's not entirely true.

[@jordanwhite2305]

I love that you give your honest opinion. I'm sure I speak for all of us that we do appreciate your opinion. Thank you

[@chaz_808]

These decks are great! Especially due to the fact that the store where I go to buy all my magic cards (my lgs is 30 mins drive away) had 20% off on magic cards so i got my deck for $48 aud (30 USD). Of course i chose the one with dinosaur cat tokens.

[@tylerketelhut4718]

These videos are always such a delight to watch. Always so informative and very well presented and articulated. Please keep up the good Work fine Sir. I look forward to the day I can afford to join your patrion or other service. You are truly a Legendary Creature of the MTG Community.

[@Redfoxe]

I still hope one day that we get a new Commander anthology, i want a reprint of the Edgar Markov deck :(

[@peewee130946]

Redfoxe no commander anthology is way to expensive to be a meaningful reprint

[@benscaglione2416]

That is a BRILLIANT insight on why this feels dull for some reason, because all five decks are Ikoria... I miss picking my favorite and feeling like it is different from my other choices in more than just mechanics. Flavor is a huge part of good EDH play

[@slashtehflygon1722]

"The commander player with 12 decks" I feel called out.

[@TheDarksweeney]

@17:25 - True Story: When Fact or Fiction was first released in Invasion, every control player had 4 in their deck. I was playing mono-red w/ burn, & remembered an ignored rare Blood Oath from Mercadian Masque. Look it up. I ran 4 of them main deck. In a tournament at the legendary NYC Neutral Ground, I played in the first round against a very skilled & respected control player (Eric K) with this card for first time. He had his MTG posse & other spectators looking on. Game 1 he goes first. EK: Turn 1 Island; Me Turn 1 Mountain. Same thing for the next couple turns. Turn 4 I play Mountain, then at my EOT he casts Fact or Fiction. I give him all 5 cards (3 instants, 2 others). After FoF resolves, I cast Blood Oath. His eyebrow goes up, and he reads the card. I name instants. After a pause, he scoops without showing me his hand, and everyone starts laughing. Game 2, same turns as the first game. Once again, after he casts FoF end of my turn 4, I give him 5 cards. Everyone watching starts laughing again. Did I have the Oath, or was I bluffing? He bins the 5 cards. Applause abound. My day was made. So in short, I know a guy who was given 5 cards from Fact or Fiction TWICE.

[@matthiasweaver7810]

"My grade is for a couple of dollars above MSRP" Do you mean the logical definition or the Secret Lair Ultimate Edition definition?

[@darksteelmenace595]

I gotta say I love the new Commanders in these. It feels like you have cool options this time. The last two Commander Precons had very lackluster alternatives with only very few exceptions

[@Jude_R_]

Thank you for doing this because I want to buy 2 of these Commander precon

[@ultimagus8086]

i appreciate that you always stick to your core values!

[@kevinlachance669]

You have to take the reprint value for how much it cost before they announced it. Locus God was like 15 bucks so if they didn't print it again it would still be 15 right now.

[@danacoleman4007]

Great point!

[@matthewkoehler6079]

Prof, I love your reviews and how genuine they feel

[@SeraphRyan]

I got really lucky, all my stuff shipped last couple days, at the price I bought them in march. $150 for all 5 commander decks, and $180 per box for my 3 collector boxes. I realize how lucky I got too.

[@ramensobatv]

I got the mardu human tribal deck. Planning on inserting a ton of win cons here. I thought of mixing molten echoes with anointed procession + fiend hunter, infinite hasty tokens. Imma also add a surprise godo + helm. Imma also put teyza orzhov + darkest hour because of bastion and zulaport being already on the deck. This deck has a lot of potential.

[@SomeYouTubeTraveler]

I used to buy a full set at once. Now I can't afford to get even 1. Not that I'd have anyone to play with anyway. :-(

[@FridgeEating]

If you can cobble together some way to hang your phone over your table, you can use the phone as a webcam on your computer to stream your board. It's easy and while it's not ideal, it can be a lot of fun to play over Discord or whatnot.

[@SomeYouTubeTraveler]

@@FridgeEating Maybe I can give that a shot!

[@albertzhou1504]

I'll play with you friend

[@jessicalepins1433]

Or you can play on xmage or cokatrice, it's completely free and you can play commander with your friends or strangers on the servers.

[@bif24701]

This is may be the best set of commander decks recently.

[@soratsukihana2662]

I hope they make decks like these from time to time again. I really like the Theme but also like, that they revisit all different planes during the precons all the other years. Im really in love with having so many Decks this year and getting all new commanders. Of course its this time more obvious that they have many perfect power up cards for this Decks in the main set to sell both, but i dont really mind. I just hope that they dont make to many broken cards like fierce guardianship. I dont really like the cards u almost have to play being expensive and hard to get...

[@jemm113]

I feel if they do set-themed commander precons again, it should be limited to 1-2 per-plane and have the normal set be like before with a wider range of deck themes and locals. I'm not even mad at having more precons in a year. What I do hate is sets of 5 (due to expense) and having so many products at such high quantity so close to eachother for release. By limiting precons to 1-2 a set it becomes much more affordable to pick them up alongside cards/boosters/boxes/pre-release kits for said new set.

[@soratsukihana2662]

But i can understand that the colours make most cense in 5er groups ^^"

[@joncardenas3203]

Your videos have been a lot better recently!!! Good Job!!!!!

[@heavenlyevan]

Also, Commander Legends will have two Commander decks as well, so that's 9 this year. Damn.

[@HjorturPwns]

I believe he included those in his "7 precons this year" statement. 5 from Ikoria and 2 from commander legends

[@CosmicConical]

Since when were there going to be commander decks with commander legends? I don't remember that from the announcement, and I watched it recently

[@HjorturPwns]

@@skykur holy shit, you're right! It is 9.

[@professormurdoc1359]

I asked my lgs if they were open for pick ups. I hope they're not offering "curb-side pick-offs"! In all seriousness, thanks for the honest breakdown, Professor. I really appreciate it. I bought my first Commander precons last year and I was looking forward to this one because the theme of the set is really cool imo. But I think your criticisms seem reasonable and rational. That being said, instead of buying the whole set, perhaps I'll just get 2-3 decks. So thanks again! This was a really helpful video! Stay safe and stay healthy!

[@safersephiroth943]

"Its a horrible cycle" In reference to a card in a cycling deck. YYYYYAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

[@jameswatson6009]

One thing about all of the precons being set on the same plane (which I actually like a bit more than having them spread across planes) is that there's more room to dive deeper into the mechanics of a set, which lets people build around a certain new mechanic that they really like better. I haven't seen the whole decklists for these, but the easiest thing to talk about in regards to this is mutate. While I don't know if WotC did in this series of precons, since mutate is a 100% new mechanic, having a precon that is full of mutate cards in addition to whatever is in the main set makes it much easier to *actually* play a mutate themed commander deck, instead of having like 10 mutate creatures and then 89 filler cards that don't fit the theme very well. This also applies to the returning mechanics, though to a lesser degree since there's already a lot of cycling matters cards for example, the cycling precon (or other similarly returning mechanics) still has the opportunity to give more commander playable cyclers/payoffs. I think that overall I value the increased room in mechanical exploration more than the possibility of same-y feelings across the decks. Other than that, this was a fantastic video, and I can't wait to keep seeing more!

[@josephswan7254]

I think that the free-if-you-have-your-commander spells were a mistake. It feels like an artificial way to put value into these decks, and I don’t like how they become instant must-plays.

[@joe.5103]

Agreed, also the decks with bad versions feel like they’re considerably worse buys.

[@fpjrzman]

I bought a set of five from a store owned by a friend of mine, supporting him. I decided to do that the minute I saw all decklists, and realized that every deck had stuff I wanted, and could build out of. I also bought a box from his store as well.

[@Stroggoii]

Be real, how many of these cards survive into your optimal iteration of the deck? That's why we don't have these for other formats.

[@NightOfCrystals]

Exactly. I think I have bought 9 precons over the past 3 years since I got back into the game, and of all of those, there are only 2 commander decks I am playing that *originated* in the precons, not to mention that they only contain 8-10 cards from the precon tops. I think from now on, I’m never buying a precon again (last thing I bought was the brawl decks for various reasons) but just the singles I think are cool/want to build around.

[@sam3353]

Every video you become more and more a persona I enjoy. :)

[@williamsimkulet7832]

13:50 - 5 decks per year; not 4. I realize they've cut it to 4 of late... but that's really hurt the product. .... but yeah, I'm very disappointed to see Ikoria's cards... have Ikoria's expansion. Shamefully lazy.

[@ghostanbu1099]

Having pair commanders was a great idea and even though these pairs aren't neccesarily special they make great options to build around.

[@DevilsRose321]

Hey Professor, I’m currently thinking of building a Nekusar commander deck and have some pieces of the deck. I was wondering if you could do a deck tech of recommendations for a Nekusar deck for both new and casual players. Also, keep up the good work with your videos

[@thatoneguyshawn]

Forced fruition is one I'm wanting to slot in, psychic possession/teferis puzzle box allows you to get past the downside of puzzle box. A few ways to make everyone draw cards at instant speed (temple bell or there's a couple lands that do it as well) are handy both as political "I can help" tools and sneaking in extra damage when you need to. I love my nekusar deck and I kept it relatively budget (only 10 cards in my deck broke $5 when i put it together, most were under $2) as a way of restricting power level, so it doesn't have to be budget but can still pack a punch when done right. Mirrormade to copy your extra draw artifacts/enchantments and spark double to double up (pun intended) on nekusar's "drawan extra card"/"whenever an opponent draws a card" triggers should both be readily available as they are standard rares that I don't believe are seeing much play. I would also recommend ramp that you can cash in for draws late game (mind stone/commander's sphere) since getting nekusar out early can help you draw into gas, but he's a huge lightning rod for removal (at least in my meta) but there are times when I've had a million mana and the extra card for my windfall effects would be nice. Something to consider is cost reducers. Goblin electromagnet rereducing your spells cost by 1 can "generate" more than a sol ring if you're casting multiple spells in a turn, if that makes sense My current struggle is needing better fixing (due to my laughable mana base haha) and needing more creatures to handle my meta

[@DevilsRose321]

Shawn Rupe thanks for the recommendations. A card I might put in is a thousand year storm with the amount of wheel effect spells I can copy. Maybe you should look into that as well

[@naga7639]

As always Prof breaks it down well. Thanks for this and please do keep on continuing reviewing magic products.

[@Thomas-hl2fz]

i found all 5 of these for 144 dollars sold together. Its on amazon.

[@derp42]

Professor, I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. When deciding whether or not I was going to get these decks, there was just something holding me back from purchasing it. I had the opportunity to purchase all five decks for $200, but I just couldn't do it. And now I know why: Like you said, it's all based on the Ikoria plane. Spiky monster vs. spiky monster vs. humans. It did feel kind of same-y. The unique aspect of Commander is pulling in cards from different sets that would otherwise never see play together. This feels like a brawl deck in standard.

[@matthews4427]

I was lucky to order them over a month ago, so the average cost of each deck (including sales tax) was $36.73

[@DimT670]

I could and I didn't and now I can't find the cycling deck :(

[@TresBS1]

Definitely agree that the decks kind of blend in. While they have different strategies, their shared mechanics plus the fact their all from Ikoria makes them filled...same-y. Part of what I love about the yearly Commander product was the fact that I got to see into different parts of various planes, which not only helps tell another small story for that plan but also helped finally show us characters that we may have heard mention of but never got to see. Edgar Markov, a pivotal character of Innistrad is a prime example. The diversity this year just feels down. Like the professor said, sitting down with a different decks with creatures from all over MtG is a big part of the fun. My own decks are: Atla Palani- A caring, Human Shaman from Ixalan. Korvold- A greedy king turned into a ravenous Dragon from Eldraine. Elsha- A masterful Djinn from Tarkir. Yarok- A ravaged, twisted Elemental from Zendikar. Kathril- A cunning, adapting and horrific insect from Ikoria. That diversity is a big part of the game. By making all the decks from the same plane and then tie them into the current set, it just dilutes it. Honestly, if all the decks are inspired from the same plane, I'd rather it be a plane we haven't seen yet, giving us a taste of more things to come.

[@Will_Morand]

We’re actually getting 9 new decks this year, with 2 decks tied to Commander Legends. Anyone remember Commander Legends? No? Oh, new Secret Lair again, okay. Wait, what were we talking about? Right, Core Set 2022.

[@hankmoody5241]

Another awesome video! Thanks for reminding us to not pay ridiculous price of the Timeless wisdom pre-con($75 or more). It’s really annoying when gaming stores do mark-ups, always remember it, and won’t buy from them anymore.

[@coreysierchio4650]

Prof said "Good Night!" Guess it's time to go to sleep even though it's only 4pm.

[@CommissarSam]

Agree wholeheartedly on the variety aspect. I am just getting back into the game, and made sure not to be similar to other Commander decks in the play group. Variety is the spice of life.

[@ashwhite2308]

I got them for $30 dollars each with a prerelease deal at my local lgs

[@Linky609]

Pre-ordered mine for $150, got lucky. The set connection is something I hadn't thought about and I agree completely. The contrast in the decks was part of what made previous sets enjoyable.

[@redstonepro5412]

i think more commander precons tied to sets are ok, you can just buy the ones you like noone forces you to buy every precon

[@jamespooh2]

Same. They just need to do one or two per set and still make the major commander set completely separate form this idea

[@redstonepro5412]

@@jamespooh2 yes, and they should print staples like teferis protection in more than one precon they dont need to print it in every precon, but if they would reprint commandercards in every precon they fit in., they would not be that expensive for example the human precon could have had a teferis protection and the abzanprecon a toxic deluge

[@ikestoddard2458]

I like this review for its honesty and frankness. Value summaries are excellent. I agree with your grade. I wanted one so I ordered ... Timeless Wisdom! I will get more singles later.

[@Matthew-by2xx]

Every year these get more expensive, and every year I'm less likely to buy one.

[@jacobclements3652]

Totally agree I used to buy one every year but they are getting more expensive and less good

[@couplesmagic3105]

We always loved your content Professor! Keep doing what you're doing!

[@pinballwitch5256]

i firmly believe that wizard's focus on commander so heavily is a detriment to the format, to the products, and to magic as a whole. i wish commander products would return to being every few year, instead of probably with every non-core set, plus the "draft innovation set." casual magic has all but disappeared in any form that isn't commander and brawl for the arena player sadly.

[@FrmDaSands]

Hey professor, great content, been waiting for this one.

[@peewee130946]

I feel so gross that timeless wisdom is double the price

[@jeannebouwman1970]

1 card almost makes up the entire price of the deck

[@NStPpodcast]

I think this was a perfect assessment. Thank you for sharing, and here's hoping the right people are listening!

[@peterbillings3276]

Hm. “Worth it” at MSRP, huh? ...what about all 5 for under $100? :D (due to age and Cyber Monday)

[@Jjmccool22]

that transition 0:31 was great i rewatched it

[@scotaku4531]

I'm a die-hard Yugioh player and these videos make me legit want to start playing casual Magic. Gonna maybe try and pick up one of these at locals and see if I can have some fun with it.

[@bounds8622]

Your Beyond Belief ad brings me joy; thx I love Fact or Fiction: the show and the card alike!

[@thecollectiblecollectabill2298]

@7:47 the problem is that one or two of the decks have/hold value while two or more are worth less than the $40. wizards needs to print twice as many of the ones that have/hold value as they do the "crappy" decks. not only would people have more supply of the better decks, but the cards in the "crappy" decks(you know, the same exact ones at every single meijers, target, and walmart) might retain more value, as there would be less of those decks.

[@ExodaCrown]

After watching the Games Knight video of the product I was not interested in buying them. After watching yours I might buy one for some of the more expensive singles in the deck I might want. Then again I haven't played commander in a long time due to not having a playgroup and saving up my money. Soon hopefully I will be able to find a playgroup and not need to save my money. I have been playing arena a lot and I keep drifting towards the mutate cards, the only color that is really lacking is the mono-red mutate creatures. So I plan on building a mutate commander deck eventually using my knowledge of cool things in the standard format, cards like Kaya's ghost form, and Teferi's time twist are excellent cards to protect your mutated creature, letting you change from going big into going wide. I don't know if cards like Yarok or Panharmonium would cause them to trigger twice. That might be my next deck idea to play in the arena. Just got a ton of wild cards from redeeming codes from all the sets I missed when I couldn't play arena. At the 14:30ish mark, to be honest what you are describing could be an archenemy version of the decks. The humans teaming up against the giant and evergrowing monsters. Though from the set there is only like 3ish tribes, you have monster-hating humans, Monster harmonizing humans (There are cards in the set that gain a benefit if you have a human and non-human creature out.) Then you have the overgrown monsters. If you had to pick a 4 it would be cycling. They broke up the creature theme into two one focused on mutating and the other on keyword counters when they could have combined both.