There’s been a murder! In the next premiere Magic: The Gathering set, Murders at Karlov Manor, themes of whodunnits, disguises, and clues will bring intriguing new cards to your Commander decks.
Releasing February 9th (singles can be picked up at pre-release February 2nd), this Ravnica based set features many familiar Legendary Creatures and color identities from the Ravnica guilds. Notably though, some of the most interesting cards are monocolored.
Like other top 10 articles we’ve shared, we’ll skip over Legendary Creatures in favor of cards that can be broadly used and enjoyed. Here are ten-ish cards from the set that promise to spark new strategies and enhance your Commander experience!
1. Delney, Streetwise Lookout
Panharmonicon effects are always fun and there are many Creatures with less than two power that can be double triggered by Delney, Streetwise Lookout. Whether your double-dipping on “dies” triggers via Zulaport Cutthroat or enter the battlefield triggers like those of Dockside Extortionist or Reckless Fireweaver, this White Mythic is bound to be a target for removal.
2. Case of the Ransacked Lab
Spellslinger decks can be a lot of fun, but they often run out of steam in either cards to cast or mana to pay costs. Case of the Ransacked Lab solves both of these problems by reducing the cost of Sorceries and Instants, and after you’ve cast a few turns each spell into a cantrip, drawing a replacement.
3. Conspiracy Unraveler
Who doesn’t love Omniscience? Many players as it typically ends a game on the spot. If you’re looking for a powerful effect like Omniscience that is a bit throttled for more relaxed games, Conspiracy Unraveler is just the ticket. It has two major downsides that make it easier to interact with and limit its explosiveness. Being a Creature, most removal will take this threat off the table, but it may not draw the threat given the high cost of Exiling cards with mana value 10 or greater to get a free cast. This card will be a force in self-Mill decks or decks that care about high mana values.
4. Barbed Servitor
Stuffy Doll is an adored (and despised) card in Commander, with many decks built around “stop hitting yourself” as a theme. With M21, a similar Creature entered the fray, Brash Taunter. Now with Barbed Servitor there are three Creatures that can fulfil the damage redirection Stuffy Doll provides. Running all three will require you to be in a Red Black deck of some variety, but restrictions can breed creativity. This little Construct also has a combat damage trigger letting you draw a card, adding some complexity to the decision of if it should be blocked or not. Do you take 1 and let your opponent draw a card or take a bit more to prevent the card advantage?
5. Illicit Masquerade
On occasion there are cards printed that open up new possibilities, and Illicit Masquerade is one of those. You can give your Creatures the ability to “swap” with one in your Graveyard when it dies. Yes, the Creature with the Impostor counter will get exiled, but that makes this an exceptional card for Token decks. Even in non-Token decks, upgrading your mana dorks or other low cost creatures for your threats that were removed early can be a huge payoff. To make this even more exciting, Illicit Masquerade has Flash, making it a fantastic response to a board wipe.
6. Crime Novelist
Treasures in Commander are far stronger and prolific than they should be, but nonetheless there’s another upgrade for them in Crime Novelist. Each Treasure you sacrifice adds an additional Red and pumps this Goblin Bard. Other artifact sacrifices trigger it as well, giving you a refund for Clues and Food, or providing a pseudo-Phyrexian Altar effect in Artifact Sacrifice decks.
7. Expedited Inheritance
Playing more Commander is always a good thing and Expedited Inheritance is bound to do that for the table. Akin to Descent into Avernus, this Enchantment gives a symmetrical effect to all players allowing them to impulse draw more cards. This will lead to some great stories and faster games at combat focused tables (which can be good in the right scenario).
8. Pick Your Poison
One mana value removal is very strong. While Pick Your Poison lets your opponent choose what they want to Sacrifice in the case of multiples, a three-for-one shouldn’t be looked down upon. Even if this removes something inconsequential, you’ve still slowed your opponents down for a trivial investment. I’ll be picking up quite a few of these.
9. Undergrowth Recon
Crucible of Worlds has a very powerful effect. Now what if I told you that you could use this effect and still play a land afterwards? That’s where Undergrowth Recon shines. It is Green, so the decks it can go into is limited, but a repeatable ramp effect is going to net you a lot of mana advantage over the course of a game. Of course, pairing this with fetch lands will net the most benefit, so take a look at the slow fetches if you're on a budget - Escape Tunnel is a new Terramorphic Expanse that synergises perfectly.
10. Surveil Lands
I am a strong advocate for making multicolor decks more accessible and the new cycle of Surveil lands meets that criteria with an additional upside. Like the dual type lands of Kaldheim and Dominaria United, these enter tapped but they also provide some card filtering. Don’t misinterpret the benefit though, these will remain accessible over time as the drawback of entering tapped doesn’t jive well with competitive playstyles. If you’re playing in more relaxed settings though, you’ll be sure to love these lands.
Whether you're looking to tweak your existing decks or build something entirely new, Murders at Karlov Manor has many hidden gems that are worth sleuthing out. I’d recommend investigating the full set, you may just find the perfect solution for your deck.
Were there any cards you’re excited about that I missed? Let me know in the Chimera Gaming Discord, or reach me directly on Twitter.
Did you know we usually have 20 pods firing for Commander night on Tuesdays? I hope to see you there and may your descent into the Lost Caverns of Ixalan lead to interesting discoveries for your decks!
