Kaldheim is a very exciting Magic: The Gathering set for the commander format. It offers a huge number of potentially game-breaking commander cards that will tickle both casual and competitive players.
A few main themes here are hate cards, combo cards, and some unusual solutions you never knew you needed. But these cards work and they will be viable in many well-established and new archetypes.
Here are 15 of the best new MtG: Kaldheim cards for commander that you can't miss out on.
Mystic Reflection
Stax players now have a new cool trick in the form of Mystic Reflection, a card that can easily counter commanders by turning them into something completely different.
It also counters planeswalkers! Imagine your opponent trying to play Oko, Thief of Crowns or one of the Teferi planeswalkers, and you just turn them into Llanowar Elves or some useless 1/1 token.
This little nasty trick will block your opponents from re-casting their commanders, making their turns far less effective in the long run.
Weathered Runestone
Here is one of the ultimate hate cards in the Kaldheim set, which will shut off a lot of potential win conditions in commander format.
Cards such as Panglacial Wurm, Zur the Enchanter, Sisay, Weatherlight Captain, Godo, Bandit Warlord will be heavily impacted by Weathered Runestone, just to name a few.
This means that players who have been relying on those cards will have to include more artifact removal spells in order to get rid of not only Grafdigger's Cage, but also Weathered Runestone.
Magda, Brazen Outlaw
Mono-Red Dwarves can get really spicy this season in commander, and all because of this cool new Dwarf Berserker creature.
You can also easily exploit Magda's ability and create infinite number of treasure tokens with the help of this combo:
- Play Magda, Brazen Outlaw
- Play Liquimetal Coating
- Play Clock of Omens
- Tap Magda, Brazen Outlaw and one treasure token using Clock of Omens
- Untap Magda, Brazen Outlaw using Clock of Omens
- Repeat steps 4-5 for infinite treasure tokens
Then, you can tutor for any number of deadly threats using Magda's second ability and win.
Tibalt's Trickery
A brand-new counterspell in red? It looks like Wizards of the Coast have gone above and beyond to make this happen.
It has a slight drawback, which can be easily fixed using cards like Rule of Law or Drannith Magistrate. Players that don't play in blue color can now virtually counter any spell just as if they were running blue.
It's also a great companion piece to older generation of red counterspells, such as Pyroblast, Red Elemental Blast, and Burnout. Mono-Red and Boros players rejoice!
Koll, the Forgemaster
This little commander is a force of nature. It provides the basis for an infinite damage combo using the following tactics:
- Play Koll, the Forgemaster
- Play Deathrender
- Play Mogg Fanatic
- Attach Deathrender to Mogg Fanatic
- Sacrifice Mogg Fanatic
- Deal 1 damage to your opponent
- Use Koll, the Forgemaster to put Mogg Fanatic into your hand
- Use Deathrender to put Mogg Fanatic onto the battlefield
- Repeat steps 4-7 for infinite damage
You can also use other cards for this combo besides Mogg Fanatic, such as Fanatical Firebrand or Skirk Prospector.
Birgi, God of Storytelling
Birgi is a combo master with so many possibilities. Here are just a few that will generate an infinite number of mana or combo triggers:
- Grinning Ignus and Impact Tremors
- Kroll, the Forgemaster and Skirk Prospector
- Kroll, the Forgemaster and Wild Cantor
- Kroll, the Forgemaster and Burning-Tree Emissary
This list goes on and it's not nearly over. There are plenty of ways to break it with the help of Elsha of the Infinite or Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain.
If you like reliable combo decks, then make sure to include Birgi, God of Storytelling into one of them.
Orvar, the All-Form
Orvar is strong enough to become a totally unique commander on its own. The decks using it should be filled with powerful non-legendary creatures that can be copied in multiples.
Consider cards like Blightsteel Colossus, then using cantrips, such as Whim of Volrath, and multiplying the copying effect with the help of Lithoform Engine and Mind Games.
It's a complicated combo, but can be achieved to an outraging effect that will be hard to counter.
Valki, God of Lies
Here is another modal double-faced card that could be both a great commander and supporter.
The flip side of the card is Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor, a very strong planeswalker, but slightly overcosted. If you consider the 2 Mana cost of playing commander, then Tibalt will require 9 Mana, which is quite steep even for such a greedy format like EDH.
However, Valki's copy ability is the one that plays the most important role here. It will be most impactful in Rakdos and Mardu shells.
Toski, Bearer of Secrets
You don't see legendary squirrels too often in competitive Magic, but Toski is one of a kind that can change that.
It may not be a very good commander, but it is definitely an excellent companion to have. It works great with mutate creatures making them indestructible and can basically fit any green deck with its built-in card draw engine.
If you do want to try it out in a role of a commander, then Mono-Green shell would be the best fit.
Fynn, the Fangbearer
Fynn, on the other hand, is a very good commander, which would also be the best in a Mono-Green shell with plenty of Deathtouch and Infect creatures.
This kind of deck would also benefit greatly from spells and artifacts that give those creatures Trample. In that way you can be sure that damage will go through, so you can kill your opponents quicker.
Fynn, the Fangbearer can also be played under other commanders, but in that case you will need tutors to find him in your deck.
Pyre of Heroes
Here is a good alternative to Birthing Pod, if you don't want to spend $20-40 on the original sacrificial tutor.
Since its a colorless artifact, it can be played in any deck that needs either a combo piece or some kind of urgent hate creature that also shares the same creature type with the sacrificed one.
Pyre of Heroes is a really nice utility card, which will see play in many EDH decks.
Esika, God of the Tree
The front side of Esika is a decent commander that can be used for fixing mana. But the flip side is where things get really exciting.
It's an enchantment that can search your library for a creature or planeswalker and put it onto the battlefield. You can repeat this action each upkeep and flood your board with all the powerful creatures and planeswalkers that you have.
It will take some time to get there, but when you do, the outcome will be enormous.
Search for Glory
This is one of the many tutor cards that can be now played in almost any white combo list. It has its own restrictions, but it will still find its place in the meta.
Boros decks that run Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker will need this to execute the combo quicker. Decks that run legendary lands, such as Dark Depths or Inventor's Fair will also benefit from Search for Glory.
It's not a top-tier card for commander, but it gives an extra push to the white combo decks that need it the most.
Reidane, God of the Worthy
At first glance, Reidane is your typical Hatebear piece like many others before it. However, this is a modal double-faced card, which has a fantastic artifact on the flip side.
This artifact not only only protects your own hate cards, but also prevents a significant number of combo commanders, such as Najeela, the Blade-Blossom, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Niv-Mizzet, Brallin, Skyshark Rider, and others.
It may not be the best commander, but it is an excellent piece for all hate lists.
Jorn, God of Winter
Jorn is a commander that can quickly put your opponents into a deadlock, but he needs to be combined with cards like Stasis or Winter Orb.
Once you have the pieces together and you have enough snow permanents, including lands to keep playing, your opponents will have no other alternative but to concede.
Sure, it's a very niche type of commander, but it is very interesting.
That's all for the best 15 cards in MtG's Kaldheim set. In addition to this list of the best Kaldheim cards for commander, be sure to check out our other MtG guides and card lists here.
Published: Jan 25, 2021 10:55 am