Commander Staples From Fallout
New Commander Staples from Universes Beyond: Fallout
Welcome back for another History, Restapled, a Commander-focused column that attempts to validate a newer card’s status as a staple by looking at how cards that are similar, synergistic, or competing have fared in the past financially.
The days before Thunder Junction releases are dwindling, so this may be our last chance to discuss cards from Universes Beyond: Fallout while anyone is still paying attention. Join me as we tour the vault and pick out a few of the bestest, pippiest boys…
Wild Wasteland
WOTC’s latest iteration on impulse draw is now the strongest repeatable option available. It’s deceptively simple, too: replace your draw for turn with two exiled cards you have to play this turn. Admittedly, the words “skip your draw step” don't instill much confidence. Aside from
I understand why most people wouldn’t like this arrangement, and to be fair, players with access to other colors will likely opt to run straight card draw instead. But mono-red loves Wild Wasteland, and I’d argue there are benefits to the limited window of playability on cards exiled to Wild Wasteland. First off, there’s a decent chance one of those cards will be a land (at the very least, one card every two turns), which is an easy way to get immediate value. Anything else, be it removal or a dominating creature, you can cast without incurring political wrath by shrugging and reminding everyone that your hands are tied—variance strikes again! Given how many players will roll dice to determine which players to attack, or hold onto a good play for fear of being too much of a Bolas, forcing someone’s hand can lead to more dynamic games and get players out of their comfort zones.
Wild Wasteland presents a lot of upside for the mere mana investment of
STATUS: New mono-red staple
| Wild Wasteland | ||
| Wild Wasteland (Extended Art) |
Battle of Hoover Dam
Always nice to see the return of this mechanic from the Tarkir block as a way to balance modal options with committing to a plan of attack. Battle of Hoover Dam contains two strong options, though one is quite a bit more appealing than the other. Four mana gets you a
For the same mana investment,
STATUS: Secondary low-power white staple
| Battle of Hoover Dam | ||
| Battle of Hoover Dam (Extended Art) |
Contaminated Drink
Rad counters aren’t inherently a bad thing to pick up. Sure, they deal damage to players, but they also offer free mill effects that synergize with a large number of Dimir and Sultai commanders in rotation—
Other options exist but most require players to have established some board state before paying off, or sacrificing a big creature to draw cards. Even fewer of these effects are instants, and those that are often require a significant investment in blue mana. Contaminated Drink asks little of players and includes a mechanic we’re not likely to see again anytime soon. Best $0.25 you’ll spend.
STATUS: Supporting Dimir and Sultai staple
| Contaminated Drink |
Pick Your Poison
As cliche as this sounds, I entirely forgot about these Fallout precons with so much being announced and MagicCon dominating my time a few weeks ago. Don’t make the mistake I almost did—many of the cards are novel and inspire new deck ideas. Any others you’re psyched to see? Personally, I’m happy that the Energy mechanic returned with a vengeance.
Further Reading:
Steve Heisler is a writer and pop culture journalist covering comedy, games, television, film and the tech industry. His work has been published in Rolling Stone, GQ, Variety, The AV Club, Fast Company and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began collecting Magic cards during Fourth Edition and plays Commander and Modern primarily. He also enjoys tennis, the Dark Souls family of video games and supporting live comedy. He lives in Chicago with his cat, Rosie.
