cEDH review: Top 8 Best Cards from Dominaria United

Now that the spoilers for Dominaria United are over, and we're heading towards its official release, we'll take a look at its possible impact on Competitive Commander and what cards and mechanics might be relevant.

In this top, I separated a few cards, even though there are others that could be played competitively, I believe that the ones included here are the most interesting.

If you have suggestions, we can also talk in the comments at the end of the article.

8 — Activated Sleeper

Like Aboleth Spawn, this card can be a good way to abuse an opponent's Thassa's Oracle — of course, it needs to be dead for that, but it's still a possibility to win with Thassa's + Consult, taking advantage of the fact that opponents have already spent counterspells to try to stop them.

But this card's usefulness doesn't stop there: it's also a great card for copying any creature that died during the turn; either stax parts, value engines or other wincons such as Dualcaster Mage.

Of course, its effect is still somewhat situational, as it is necessary to have it on hand the turn the creature dies, in addition to costing three mana.

7 — Chaotic Transformation

This card functions as another copy of Mass Polymorph, but is also capable of doing the same to all types of permanents. So in addition to a creature, you can also bring a land, giving you one more mana, or an artifact that can also generate mana, you can remove some planeswalker from the opponent, which will hardly have two, and an enchantment, which can give you a Breach or another card advantage enchantment.

I see this card being able to be used in Temur Kraken decks, which runs Thrasios, Triton Hero and Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh and alreadyrun cards with similar effect to bring a Hullbreaker Horror or Tidespout Tyrant to the battlefield.

Now with Chaotic Transformation, these decks can recover some spent mana and even, if they're lucky, bring another piece of the combo to the table.

6 — Ramirez DePietro, Pillager

I don't see this card as a good commander, I'll start by saying that, so there's no doubt. However, he would be an acceptable commander, generating you 2 mana in the ETB and stealing cards from opponents for dealing combat damage, and you don't lose the card, when it is exiled by Ramirez, with the support of Malcolm and other good pirates.

But I see it best being inside Tymna Malcolm's deck or Malcolm Vial Smasher the Fierce, as a card advantage tool for midgame, stealing cards from opponents for you.

5 — Serra Paragon

This Angel seems like a great piece for Midrange decks: it's a creature with evasion, has a good body, blocks Kraum, kills Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator, Tymna, Najeela and some other creatures used in the format and still recursions fetch and other grave permanents every turn, and can provide some extra life.

I see this card being able to enter a Winota, Joiner of Forces, or a Tymna the Weaver Midrange, with both Jeska, Thrice Reborn and Tana, the Bloodsower.

This card can be a great mono-white tool to stay relevant in midgame.

4 — Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim

Elas il-Kor is an interesting creature for Orzhov, within a Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward, Agent of the Iron Throne deck, as it manages to be another payoff for the combo, replacing pieces that only deals damage, like Corpse Knight, in addition to having deathtouch and giving you some extra life.

However, Elas il-Kor also manages to be a new Orzhov commander for this winning strategy with Abdel Adrian or Leonin Relic-Warder, and the reanimating enchantments (Animate Dead, Necromancy and Dance of the Dead) costing less than Abdel and still being a combo piece, but depending on more pieces to close the game.

I'm sure it will be tested and used in Orzhov decks.

3 — Micromancer

A creature that in its ETB searches for an instant or sorcery with a mana value of 1 and puts it into your hand — is an ETB tutor, being a more expensive version of Spellseeker that also searches for fewer cards.

It can play on blue decks like Orvar, the All-Form and Ux lists as a search tool, plus it can be used multiple times with blinks to search for interactions, other tutors and rituals.

But because it's a more expensive and nerfed version of Spellseeker, it probably won't see play in other decks that already include the former tutor.

2 — Temporary Lockdown

Sweepers are a hot topic in cEDH. Usually, their cost is high, and whenever one appears with restrictions to have a lower cost, it is usually embraced.

Temporary Lockdown is one of those: for 3 mana it exiles all non-land permanents until this enchantment leaves the field, which doesn't necessarily clear the table, but works like Culling Ritual in terms of pieces that are removed, but after a while, someone will most likely remove this enchantment and these permanents will come back.

1 — Vesuvan Duplimancy

WOTC has already made a card similar to this one that sees play competitively, Orvar, the All-Form, and this enchantment will act as a second Orvar in its own deck, making it easier for the deck to generate value and advance its plan even after its commander is removed.

Unfortunately, it doesn't trigger permanents other than artifacts or creatures, but it triggers any spell of its own that targets, which includes auras — thus being more and less restrictive at the same time, not to mention the token generated by this enchantment is not legendary, so we can create multiple copies of Orvar and cards like Mox Amber and Mox Opal.

Those were my picks of the best cards in this set for cEDH. Clearly, other cards also caught my attention, but during the cut I defined these for the reasons already mentioned. Dominaria United has plenty of interesting cards, but these are the ones I'm pretty sure should make it to at least one list in the database.

Good week and good games!