Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate introduces Background, a new enchantment subtype, to the game we all love – Magic: The Gathering. With their ability to be paired with a legendary creature with “Choose a Background”, they can find great spots in the 99 of many decks.

For this entry, I’ll share my favourite Backgrounds and offer a few spicy spots to include them.

Agent of the Iron Throne  

Aristocrats strategies are full of effects like Zulaport Cutthroat that drain the table when a creature of yours dies. But when your Commander gets the ability from an enchantment and tacks on artifacts like a Disciple of the Vault, we’re looking at a whole new level. Treasure tokens are everywhere and the game hasn’t been the same since Ixalan. Agent of the Iron Throne belongs in decks like Lyzolda, the Blood Witch or Meren of Clan Nel Toth, but it also can go into decks that make good use of Daretti, Scrap Savant. The new Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter deck can dome the table for three in one turn if it uses the Treasures from his first ability alone and that’s all incidental.

Candlekeep Sage  

All my blink-happy fiends know that this is going right into every Brago, King Eternal deck out there. Two cards for every blink is beautiful. If you’ve got Partner, Commanders, and mass blink, get four? Huge value. Your Commander gets removed? Draw a  card. Deadeye Navigator is back on the table for Valuetown.

Blink isn’t the only way to abuse this – Reanimate shenanigans trigger this enchantment as well. I’ve been looking for an excuse to run Narfi, Betrayer King at the helm of a deck – maybe my budget list finally has the coup de grace.

If you run a mono-blue Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy deck, you get a draw off the boy entering, a draw  from the exile on the ability, a draw from the planeswalker side entering, and a draw when you lose the planeswalker. Hubba, hubba – now that’s fun.

Noble Heritage 

I love a political card. This is a lot like Orzhov Advokist and with its added “protection from that player until your next turn” clause, you’ll know early on who you can trust. It happens on ETB and at your upkeep when you have your Commander in play. At two mana, this curves nicely into your three or four mana Commander. This will get people talking at the table. When it’s not in the command zone, you can play this closer to the chest and consider a three-mana play with this on turn five.

Shameless Charlatan 

Got a Commander that has a great ETB but nothing else going for it? Turn your Atris, Oracle of Half-Truths, Gyruda, Doom of Depths, or Dragonlord Silumgar into the Ghalta, Primal Hunger across the table. Your Commander getting targeted? Turn it into your Invisible Stalker. Your Commander about to die? Your opponent might think twice about that move when you can turn your leader into Lord Xander, the Collector. I’ll be giving this a whirl in my Livio/Sakashima clone deck.

Tavern Brawler 

Impulse draw has been pushed recently and Tavern Brawler can turn your Commander into a real beat stick. Wilson, Refined Grizzly is going to be paired with this Background a ton. Tavern Brawler will shine in Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin, Laelia, the Blade Reforged, Bell Borca, Spectral Sergeant, Juri, Master of the Revue, and Syrix, Carrier of the Flame. Here is the Prosper, Tome-Bound reference you were looking for.

I’m looking forward to all this set has to offer and seeing Backgrounds making a splash. These boosts to your Commander will hopefully inspire further explorations into more designs.

I’ll see you at Commander night at Three Kings Loot.

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