They say knowledge is power, but learning can be tricky. Thankfully, in Magic: The Gathering, knowledge is fairly easy to come by in the form of Clues.
In fact, all you need to do is a little investigation, then pay the low, low fee of two mana and suddenly you’ve gained more knowledge, which means more power. Anyway, enough of this tortured intro, let’s talk about clues and if they’re any good in Commander.
Best clue producers
Clues are a token produced by the investigate mechanic, and they were introduced back in Shadows over Innistrad. They’re a lot of fun to use, and the ability to crack them for not just cards, but potentially other bonuses too, is one that can’t be underestimated. You only have to look at the likes of
Tireless Provisioner
Tireless Provisioner
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, create a Food token or a Treasure token. (Food is an artifact with "{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life." Treasure is an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.")
to see why it’s such a good mechanic, and that’s true in Commander too.
We’ve seen the mechanic bolstered in recent months, and it means we’ve got a lot of powerful clue producers now.
Disorder in the Court
Disorder in the Court
Exile X target creatures, then investigate X times. Return the exiled cards to the battlefield tapped under their owners' control at the beginning of the next end step. (To investigate, create a Clue token. It's an artifact with "{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
, for example, can be used to blink a bunch of creatures and also make that many clues, which is obnoxious.
Eloise, Nephalia Sleuth
Eloise, Nephalia Sleuth
Whenever another creature you control dies, investigate. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with "{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
Whenever you sacrifice a token, surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card into your graveyard.)
is a creature that creates a clue whenever another creature you control dies, and they allow you to surveil whenever you sacrifice a token too, which is very potent.
Lonis, Cryptozoologist
Lonis, Cryptozoologist
Whenever another nontoken creature you control enters, investigate.
{T}, Sacrifice X Clues: Target opponent reveals the top X cards of their library. You may put a nonland permanent card with mana value X or less from among them onto the battlefield under your control. That player puts the rest on the bottom of their library in a random order.
is also a very powerful producer of clues, with them making a clue every time another nontoken creature enters the battlefield, and they can even use those clues to steal a card from an opponent’s library too. Finally, you’ve got
Thorough Investigation
Thorough Investigation
Whenever you attack, investigate. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with "{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
Whenever you sacrifice a Clue, venture into the dungeon. (Enter the first room or advance to the next room.)
, a three-mana enchantment that creates a clue whenever you attack, and also allows you to venture into the dungeon whenever you sacrifice a clue.
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Best clue payoffs
Now for what to do with those clues. Honestly, one of the best in this bracket comes in the form of
Tamiyo’s Journal
Tamiyo’s Journal
At the beginning of your upkeep, investigate. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with "{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
{T}, Sacrifice three Clues: Search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, then shuffle.
. This five-mana artifact creates clues in your upkeep, which is nice, but it also allows you to tap it and sacrifice three clues to tutor up a card from your library.
We’ve already mentioned both
Thorough Investigation
Thorough Investigation
Whenever you attack, investigate. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with "{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
Whenever you sacrifice a Clue, venture into the dungeon. (Enter the first room or advance to the next room.)
and
Tireless Tracker
Tireless Tracker
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, investigate. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with "{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
Whenever you sacrifice a Clue, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
, both of which are big wins when you’re sacrificing clues that they’re making anyway too. Then you’ve got
Graf Mole
Graf Mole
Whenever you sacrifice a Clue, you gain 3 life.
for life,
Fleeting Memories
Fleeting Memories
When this enchantment enters, investigate. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with "{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
Whenever you sacrifice a Clue, target player mills three cards.
for mill, and
Briarbridge Patrol
Briarbridge Patrol
Whenever this creature deals damage to one or more creatures, investigate. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with "{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
At the beginning of each end step, if you sacrificed three or more Clues this turn, you may put a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield.
, which allows you to put creatures in for three if you’ve sacrificed three clues in one turn.
Finally, we’re a big fan of
Confront the Unknown
Confront the Unknown
Investigate, then target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each Clue you control. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with "{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
too, which gives a creature +1/+1 for each clue you control until the end of the turn. having an on-theme pump spell is a huge boon. So, that’s clues in Commander. We’re confident in saying they’re pretty strong, and when you throw in cards like
Academy Manufactor
Academy Manufactor
If you would create a Clue, Food, or Treasure token, instead create one of each.
,
Fae Offering
Fae Offering
At the beginning of each end step, if you've cast both a creature spell and a noncreature spell this turn, create a Clue token, a Food token, and a Treasure token.
, and
Glimmer Bairn
Glimmer Bairn
Sacrifice a token: This creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
, you’ve got a mechanic that’ll crush anyone who underestimates it.
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