IntroductionThe Mystery Booster Commander Edition caught everyone by surprise on a lovely Sunday afternoon. Luckily for all deckbuilders, these are some of the most fun cards released in years, so we had no trouble picking a few to cover in this article.Today, we'll look at some of the best cards in this set, which are sure to make your Commander matches a lot of fun. Without further ado, let's talk about some of the most amazing commanders in years!The Unluckiest PlaneswalkerThe Unluckiest Planeswalker is one of the strangest commanders in this set. First, it has Rulebreaker, which lets you play auras of any color identity with this commander, as well as the basic lands you need to cast them. This means you can play this red commander in a five-color enchantment list, but you won't be able to play every color however you want in it. That only applies to auras.Its +1 ability is incredibly helpful, as it creates mana of any color and a Gremlin when you use that mana to cast an aura (so it will widen your board as well). Meanwhile, its -3 ability kickstarts the entire strategy really well. It refills your hand as you stack enchantments and also lets you move auras attached to you over to opponents. This is particularly interesting with cards like Curse of Opulence and Curse of Verbosity, considering you can play Curses in several colors in a list like this.All of this makes The Unluckiest Planeswalker very different from traditional enchantment and Voltron commanders. It will not only give you a lot of value but also allow you to put enchantments on players while taking advantage of Rulebreaker. So, this Monored commander is actually a way to play auras that usually wouldn't be possible for this color.Itazura, Lingering WickThis Izzet commander introduces into each match a small "mini-game" that involves all players. It exiles three cards from the top of your deck, then has each opponent secretly choose a number before and reveal it right afterward. Whoever bid the highest number takes that much damage but also gets to cast one of the exiled spells for free, while you get one of the remaining cards. It is sort of an "auction." The only detail is that your opponents won't always be interested in choosing very high numbers.Like so, when you build decks with this commander, you can play around with the cards you'll reveal. Effects like Brainstorm will let you rearrange the top of the deck before the main ability resolves, so you'll be able to control which options will be available to the table. Scroll Rack does something similar but more often. It allows you to offer the cards in your hand to your opponents and makes Itazura a bit more consistent, not as much dependent on luck.So, this commander plays with table politics in an unconventional way: each opponent must decide how much damage they are willing to take for a chance to play one of your spells without even knowing the numbers the others chose. Everyone can't simply pick "0" to play around this effect either. At the same time, Itazura, Lingering Wick will keep giving you value every turn through its "auction."Dragon's SmileDragon's Smile is another Vehicle you can play as your commander (like many recent cards - it's a new idea). It also makes Monored strategies that center around playing cards from the exile and that also play vehicles a real possibility. When it deals combat damage, it forces the player that took damage to exile that many cards as well. You may then cast those cards for once per turn instead of their mana costs.You can also work with exile even before Dragon's Smile manages to deal combat damage with something like Valakut Exploration. Like so, you'll keep your options open and take advantage of the free spells this Vehicle gives you.Ekthi, Contaminator PriestEkthi, Contaminator Priest is a Monowhite commander that combines two themes that usually appear separately: Phyrexians and equipment. It also fills the board while in the process. Its +1/+1 buff for other Phyrexians naturally supports the Germs created by Living Weapon. Meanwhile, its main ability makes sure that every equipment card that enters the battlefield comes with a body to carry it. This means you won't have to deal with the common problem every equipment deck faces: drawing equipment but not having enough creatures to use it. You'll also be able to come back after a board wipe a lot more easily.This changes how you can build this list considerably. After all, equipment cards will no longer be just a way to buff creatures that are already in play. It will also widen the board. Skullclamp is an especially interesting example, considering it will create its own Germ with this commander in play and draw a card immediately. Kaldra Compleat, in turn, sits at the other end of the strategy: it will give us a tiny bit more value and actually work as a "win-more" card.Ekthi, Contaminator Priest uses Living Weapon really well and doesn't force you to play the few cards that come with that ability in its deck. Simple equipment cards become a way to develop the board, and you won't have to give up the Phyrexian side of the deck to do it either.Jandor, Fortuned TravelerJandor, Fortuned Traveler is a Naya commander that allows you to get a lot from a huge number of creatures by turning them into Mounts. It basically gives Beasts, Camels, Horses, Elephants, and Wolves Saddle. Like so, you don't have to focus on a single creature type or, in this case, a single ability when you build a deck with this commander. Different types of creatures will all enable the same game plan. Or you can put every Elephant in the game into this deck and make Jandor an Elephant rider...In a Jandor list, you'll also get a lot from attacking with a Saddled creature. Each one gets +2/+2 until the end of the turn, and you'll get a card and a Food. Guardian Sunmare fits this kind of build really well because it already works really well with Mounts and attacks. Miriam, Herd Whisperer also fits this strategy nicely, as it buffs your Mounts in combat and, like so, protects them.The most interesting detail is that Jandor makes creatures that would usually have nothing to do with one another parts of the same strategy. This deck can play very different creature types and remain consistent. It will also give them a largely forgotten ability. As you attack with more Saddled Mounts, this list will give you more cards and Food tokens and allow you to put even more pressure on the board. This commander is all about building a board and creating value by attacking again and again with mounted riders.Nephilim EpochalNephilim Epochal finally gave a home to one of the strangest creature types in MTG. Nephilim now have a commander all to themselves. When it enters the battlefield, it tutors another Nephilim directly into your hand, which is quite helpful considering there aren't many Nephilim in the game and, until now, there was no legendary creature that could officially bring them together from the command zone.Its second ability actually works really well precisely because there aren't many Nephilim in MTG. When you use it, each Nephilim will grow based on how many Nephilim are on the battlefield, and monocolored creatures won't be able to block them. Darkest Hour will be great with this commander, considering it turns every creature on the battlefield mono-black. With this card in play, all your Nephilim will be unblockable.Fortunately, although its mana cost resembles the old four-color Nephilim, Nephilim Epochal is considered a five-color commander. So, you can use every available Nephilim without any issue. This commander is highly specific, but that is precisely why it can give purpose to a group of creatures that spent nearly two decades waiting for something like this.Elda, Conjurer of SpectacleElda, Conjurer of Spectacle is a Selesnya commander that takes the Demonstrate mechanic in a very unusual direction. It allows you to copy the first nonlegendary creature you cast each turn as long as you also give a copy to one of your opponents. Like so, building a deck with this commander will be quite interesting. You want creatures that are much better on your side of the battlefield than anywhere else so that the second copy isn't used against you.Eternal Witness is a good example because it lets you return a card from the graveyard and creates value straight away even if the opponent gets their own version. It is also perfect when your opponent has no graveyard. Acidic Slime is a good choice as well when you have no enchantments or artifacts on the battlefield or when another opponent has something worse. The fun thing about Elda is precisely picking effects you can get more out of and making an apparently symmetrical ability reward you more for building your deck and reading the table really well.Final ThoughtsOne small complaint about Mystery Booster Commander Edition is that it is probably the best Commander product of the year, perhaps even the best product in the entire 2026 MTG lineup. It has incredibly fun cards that would keep the lore crowd glued to every booster. Unfortunately, this product, which is far more interesting and full of personality than the Marvel and Star Trek sets, is only available in conventions, and we have been told it will not be easy for the average player to get their hands on anytime soon.What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.Thank you for reading, and see you next time!
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