Disturb is a new mechanic that was introduced in Magic: The Gathering’s Innistrad: Midnight Hunt set, and then came back once again in Innistrad: Crimson Vow. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a mechanic make a second appearance so soon, but it’s also been a while since we stayed on the same plane for more than one set.
It has cards being cast from the graveyard in new forms, and it offers an interesting take on recursion. It’s an interesting mechanic, but it’s one that, outside of a few interesting cards, doesn’t feel quite good enough for Commander. It’s fun, sure, and we still like it, but it’s not one that’s enticing when it comes to figuring out what you want to build next. Despite that, we’ve got some cards you should consider if you’re looking at going all-in on this unusual mechanic.
The best disturb cards in commander
There aren’t many cards worth noting here, but these are our favorites.
Faithbound Judge
Faithbound Judge
Defender, flying, vigilance
At the beginning of your upkeep, if this creature has two or fewer judgment counters on it, put a judgment counter on it.
As long as this creature has three or more judgment counters on it, it can attack as though it didn't have defender.
Disturb {5}{W}{W}
is a four-mana 3/3 that can be cast for its disturb cost to turn it into Sinner’s Judgement, an alternate win condition that will take an opponent out of the game in a few turns. This is especially good if you’ve got ways of copying the enchantment too, as you could potentially put a death clock on every opponent.
Both
Dorothea, Vengeful Victim
Dorothea, Vengeful Victim
Flying
When Dorothea attacks or blocks, sacrifice it at end of combat.
Disturb {1}{W}{U} (You may cast this card from your graveyard transformed for its disturb cost.)
and
Mirrorhall Mimic
Mirrorhall Mimic
You may have this creature enter as a copy of any creature on the battlefield, except it's a Spirit in addition to its other types.
Disturb {3}{U}{U} (You may cast this card from your graveyard transformed for its disturb cost.)
are excellent cards for creating Spirit tokens in various forms. This is a huge boon to any deck that’s using disturb, as there’s a big old crossover with Spirits there.
On that subject,
Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr
Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr
Flying, lifelink, protection from Vampires
Katilda's power and toughness are each equal to the number of permanents you control that are Spirits and/or enchantments.
Disturb {3}{W}{W} (You may cast this card from your graveyard transformed for its disturb cost.)
reads, “Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr’s power and toughness are each equal to the number of permanents you control that are Spirits and/or enchantments.” They also have flying, lifelink, and protection from vampires. Their disturbed form turns them into an aura with all of those things, so that’s pretty good in either a Spirit tribal deck or an enchantment deck.
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The best disturb support cards in commander
If – despite the slightly lower power level of disturb – you’re going to make a deck built around the mechanic, then you’ll need some good support cards.
Phantom Carriage
Phantom Carriage
Flying
When this creature enters, you may search your library for a card with flashback or disturb, put it into your graveyard, then shuffle.
is an excellent one for finding whatever card you need at any given time, so should definitely be in the deck.
They also pair nicely with
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.
, who can flicker your disturbed cards to reset them if you don’t want to lose them just yet, for whatever reason. Flickering is also just a very strong mechanic in Commander, and should be in whatever decks you have with creatures in them.
Finally, you’ve got
Sage of the Beyond
Sage of the Beyond
Flying
Spells you cast from anywhere other than your hand cost {2} less to cast.
Foretell {4}{U} (During your turn, you may pay {2} and exile this card from your hand face down. Cast it on a later turn for its foretell cost.)
, which makes your disturb costs cost less, which is nice, and
Desecrated Tomb
Desecrated Tomb
Whenever one or more creature cards leave your graveyard, create a 1/1 black Bat creature token with flying.
, which gives you tokens for playing them. As you can see, you can definitely use support cards to power up disturb in Commander, but it’s definitely one of those mechanics that needs a few more powerhouse cards before it feels like it can go toe-to-toe with the more powerful mechanics we’ve seen.
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