Hello! Welcome to my set review of March of the Machine, where I will pick five cards of each colour and discuss my favourite cards from them.
Given that March of the Machine (aka MOM) also comes out with a set of preconstructed Commander decks, I’ll also be covering my favourite new cards from there in another article.
This article is going to be heavier on the honourable mentions because they all have their own applications. There are only two artifacts worth mentioning and most of these cards are battles. I will give more thoughts in the mentions than usual, but will have a little less to say about my top picks.
Without further ado, here are my favourite artifact and non-legendary multicolour cards!
Non-green decks that struggle with ramp have a way to target a graveyard full of lands to push onward! With Realmbreaker, the upfront cost of 3 is quickly forgotten when every turn, you just need to tap a Sol Ring to go get an opponent’s fetch land. You’re also milling them so hello mill decks, enjoy a new toy.
The second ability costs 10 and a tap to get all the Praetors in your deck and put them into play directly. When combined with Maskwood Nexus/Conspiracy/Arcane Adaptation, this reads “get all your creatures from your deck into play. Have fun!” You’ll probably only ever pull it off once before your playgroup gets wise, but it’ll be a thrill regardless.
This is the splashiest of the battles and I wanted to highlight it because it is very cool and flavourful. When this enters, you pseudo-cascade into two cards with four or less mana value, casting one for free and drawing one to hand. This is on ETB, not cast! Get your blink on, baby. Yes, seven defence is a lot to get through, but then you get a five colour spell with basically a bit of everything. I think this is the kind of fun I want to have when I play Commander.
Are we surprised that I love the Invasion of Kaya’s home? I love Kaya so much and this plane seems nuts. It’s a permanent reanimation battle on ETB. I am in love. Give me Brago, King Eternal, give me Abdel Adrian, Gorion’s Ward, give me Flickerwisp, give me Yorion, Sky Nomad… Blink city, baby. The front side is the best part. Easily. It can’t reanimate battles, but whatever! The backside is a great boon to creature tokens, giving them a boost and lifelink while making you a 1/1 flying Spirit at your end step. Solid, solid, solid.
This isn’t Snapcaster, per se. There’s no flash. It’s two colours. It costs three. But it is all esolved in one ETB ability. And it’s not limited to your own graveyard. This is truly a wild uncommon. It should be a rare, if I am being honest. This is a really powerful creature with a crazy ability, 3/1 with relevant creature types – Faerie Rogue. I cannot get over how cool this is.
This is just solid at its rate. Everybody mills three and then you draw one while opponents discard one. That’s like a Disinformation Campaign. But this one can get defeated and turn into a Body Double that stays a 4/4. It’s a reference to The Scarab God’s activated ability for sure. As someone who loves clones and reanimation, I really appreciate this design.
Honourable Mentions
- Sword of Once and Future – The final Sword of X & Y! And it’s just okay for Commander. Equipment decks are probably the only place I’d see this in for protection mostly. Surveil 2 is okay, but how often are you going to get a free cast from instants or sorceries from your graveyard at 2 mana value? It’s likelier for a life in 60-card formats.
- Seraph of New Capenna // Seraph of New Phyrexia – The front side is nothing to write home about but the back side is a Phyrexian Fallen Angel on attack that can sacrifice an artifact as well as a creature. Interesting card, cool flavour!
- Sun-Blessed Guardian // Furnace-Blessed Conqueror – Transform this as soon as possible because you can get crazy really quick. Mutate the back side, maybe. Vadrok, Apex of Thunder and Snapdax, Apex of the Hunt are currently the Mutate commanders that can play this, but I see it as a solid addition to them. I think there’s something here that can be tapped into.
- Captive Weird // Compleated Conjurer – A solid cheap Defender that turns into a 3/3 for three that impulse draws you a card on board.
- Order of the Mirror // Order of the Alabaster Host – Flanking is back! And the art is wild!
- Skyclave Aerialist // Skyclave Invader – A more expensive flying Coiling Oracle for Merfolk decks that will be delighted by it.
- Aetherblade Agent // Gitaxian Mindstinger – 1/1 Deathtoucher that upgrades into a saboteur with Rogue subtype. This will find slots in Anowon, the Ruin Thief decks.
- Blightreaper Thallid // Blightsower Thallid – Saproling and Fungus tribal getting a little more bang for its buck.
- Nezumi Freewheeler // Hideous Fleshwheeler – One of my favourite of the transform Phyrexian. Menace 3/3 ETB board wide mill three is already worth four mana. It’s a Rat Samurai and then you can curve into it flipping into a 4/5 menace that can take a 2 or less mana permanent (can be a land!) and put it into play from ANY graveyard!
- Harried Artisan // Phyrexian Skyflayer – Having haste on the backside of this is kind of funny but I guess there are big turns happening.
- Khenra Spellspear // Gitaxian Spellstalker – Excellent value on both sides and flip it to add protection and the first ever instance of double prowess on a card!
- Gnottvold Hermit // Chrome Host Hulk – Expensive card but some decks with power matters themes have a lot to say about this. Cold-Eyed Selkie anyone?
- Botanical Brawler – This guy wants to copy whichever other permanent you’re putting a counter on. This is a solid Hydra card unofficially and belongs in Hamza decks.
- Invasion of Ergamon // Truga Cliffcharger – Two mana gets you a Treasure and a loot. I’d play that alone! On the backside though you get a Rhine that lets you discard a card to tutor a land or battle to hand. Notice it does not say basic!
- Invasion of Kaladesh // Aetherwing, Golden-Scale Flagship – Two mana for a 1/1 flying Thopter is a little expensive, but if you can flip this, it’s a cool Vehicle with Crew 1 that hits for all the artifacts you control.
- Invasion of Kylem // Valor’s Reach Tag Team – Put this in your Neyali, Suns’ Vanguard decks and thank me later. You’ll end up with big beaters in no time and you’ll get in for a solid chunk of damage plus get some cards out of the deal.
- Invasion of Lorwyn // Winnowing Forces – We’re back to Lorwyn and that’s the only reason this is on this list. It’s going in Elf decks but might not even make the cut there.
- Invasion of Moag // Bloomweaver Dryads – 2WG for a +1/+1 counter for each of your creatures that turns into an end step +1 counter on a 3/3 Ward 2? Get that work, baby. This is good.
- Invasion of New Capenna // Holy Frazzle-Cannon – The front side of this is solid removal. The backside is fine in tribal decks. Front side is why I’d play this, maybe in Thalisse, Reverent Medium.
- Invasion of New Phyrexia // Teferi Akosa of Zhalfir – One of the best Knight tribal cards you can get in these colours for sure.
- Joyful Stormsculptor – Playing a Convoke deck? This is so much in one card.
- Marshal of Zhalfir – Another great Knight card in the colours. Great on offence and on defence.
- Mirror-Shield Hoplite – This is extremely specific to Backup cards, but honestly, I foresee them revisiting this mechanic and this card will only get better for it.
- Sculpted Perfection – Phyrexian anthem with Incubate for four is going to be great in Phyrexian themed decks. Very easy include.
- Stormclaw Rager – One mana is not much to pay when you can draw a card for a creature or artifact sacrifice. It’s pretty solid and alongside many aristocrats pieces, it will perform well. It will not beat out sack outlets if instant speed is required.
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