Obscura Operation is a white, blue, and black Commander deck released alongside Streets of New Capenna. It revolves around the new mechanic called connive and granting evasive abilities to its attacking creatures. The deck contains many new-to-Commander exclusive cards, plus several much-needed reprints.
Many cards in Obscura Operation are desired by other Commander decks. But you don’t have to buy the entire Obscura Operation deck to get them. You can just get single cards instead, and I’ve rounded up the best of them for you in this article.
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Best New Cards to Buy From Obscura Operation
Wizards of the Coast seemingly upped the power level of the new-to-Commander cards from New Capenna. Obscura Operation is has quite a few new cards that could end up being format staples.
Lethal Scheme
This card is comparable to
Deadly Rollick
Deadly Rollick
If you control a commander, you may cast this spell without paying its mana cost.
Exile target creature.
. It is simply that good. Both are instant speed removal spells that can be played for free under the right conditions.
Whereas Deadly Rollick needs your commander in play to unlock its mana discount, Lethal Scheme can use any of your creatures to pay for its mana cost. But it even has an additional upside. Each of the creatures you use to convoke Lethal Scheme will connive.
So, at best, Lethal Scheme is a free-to-play, instant speed removal spell that draws four cards, discards four cards, and places +1/+1 counters on four of your creatures. That is INSANE!
Read More: Leaked Cards Show Support & First Commander For This MTG Archetype
Smuggler’s Share
I wrote an entire article about how good Smuggler’s Share is. But to sumarize, Smuggler’s Share will easily be a long-time Commander staple.
This card can trigger multiple times each turn to either draw you cards or net you mana in the form of Treasure tokens. Like
Smothering Tithe
Smothering Tithe
Whenever an opponent draws a card, that player may pay {2}. If the player doesn't, you create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.")
, a majority of white Commander decks will want to run a copy of Smuggler’s Share.
Read More: This MTG Archetype Never Had a Commander Until Now
Life Insurance
This enchantment has a similar effect to
Pitiless Plunderer
Pitiless Plunderer
Whenever another creature you control dies, create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.")
, a Commander staple and known combo enabler. Compared to Plunderer, Life Insurance is restricted to nontoken creatures dying, and when they do, you lose 1 life. Nevertheless, creating Treasure tokens when your creatures die is a powerful ability.
You can easily assemble infinite mana combos with this card, such as with
Gravecrawler
Gravecrawler
This creature can't block.
You may cast this card from your graveyard as long as you control a Zombie.
and
Phyrexian Altar
Phyrexian Altar
Sacrifice a creature: Add one mana of any color.
. And because Life Insurance has extort, you can deal your opponents infinite damage in the process.
Writ of Return
This is like an actually playable version of
Beacon of Unrest
Beacon of Unrest
Put target artifact or creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. Shuffle Beacon of Unrest into its owner's library.
. Sure, it still costs five mana, which is rather overcosted for a reanimation spell. But Writ of Return has cipher making it recastable.
You can even reanimate two things in the same turn you cast Writ of Return by encoding it on a creature without summoning sickness and attacking.
Best Reprints to Buy From Obscura Operation
Witherbloom Witchcraft made several older, more expensive Magic cards more accessible. These are popular Commander cards that are now more affordable for players.
Strionic Resonator
Strionic Resonator is a classic Commander Card. It’s useful in decks like
Brago, King Eternal
Brago, King Eternal
Flying
Whenever Brago deals combat damage to a player, exile any number of target nonland permanents you control, then return those cards to the battlefield under their owner's control.
or
Yarok, the Desecrated
Yarok, the Desecrated
Deathtouch, lifelink
If a permanent entering causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.
, which focus on using creatures with ETB (enters the battlefield) abilities. Resonator recently started to get expensive, but this reprint should help keep the price in check.
Read More: You Can’t Make a Commander Deck More Legendary Than This
Silent-Blade Oni
Due to the hype for Ninjas from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, various Ninja cards, including Silent-Blade Oni, rose in price. Because of its reprint in Obscura Operation, Silent-Blade Oni is only $2.00.
Read More: Ozolith? Is That You in New Capenna?
Wrexial, the Risen Deep
Because of
Runo Stromkirk
Runo Stromkirk
Flying
When Runo enters, put up to one target creature card from your graveyard on top of your library.
At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. You may reveal that card. If a creature card with mana value 6 or greater is revealed this way, transform Runo.
/
Krothuss, Lord of the Deep
Krothuss, Lord of the Deep
Flying
When Runo enters, put up to one target creature card from your graveyard on top of your library.
At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. You may reveal that card. If a creature card with mana value 6 or greater is revealed this way, transform Runo.
, from Innistrad: Crimson Vow, which breathed fresh air into Commander’s Sea Creature archetype, Wrexial became quite expensive ($10.00). But thanks to its reprint in Obscura Operation, Wrexial, the Risen Deep, is now available for about $2.00.
Fetid Heath
Thank goodness Wizards of the Coast actually put decent lands in New Capenna‘s preconstructed Commander decks. Filterlands like Fetid Heath are good in Commander but are occassionally used in formats like Modern too. Fetid Heath in particular is used in Modern
Small Pox
Small Pox
Each player loses 1 life, discards a card, sacrifices a creature of their choice, then sacrifices a land of their choice.
decks.
Read More: Turn Treasures Into Infinite Damage With This Sweet New Capenna Combo