Wilds of Eldraine is set to release in September, and it’s bringing a lot of cool cards and designs along with it. From unique tokens to gorgeous anime Enchanting Tales cards, this set has a ton of new goodies to look forward to. One of the cooler things this set has to offer is the creation of new Adventure cards that utilize a different card type. As we revisit the Eldraine plane, Wilds of Eldraine is hooking us up with plenty of new Adventure cards to sink our teeth into. Only this time, there’s a cycle of Adventure Enchantments, putting a cool spin on the established mechanic.
For those unfamiliar with the Adventure mechanic, Adventure cards typically have two different spells on them. One of them is a thematic Instants or Sorcery, and the other is some sort of permanent spell.
The mechanic originated in Throne of Eldraine, and acts somewhat similarly to split cards. You are given the option to either cast the Instant or Sorcery or cast the permanent from your hand. However, if you decide to cast the Instant or Sorcery first, unlike with split cards, the card gets exiled as it resolves. From there, you can cast the permanent card from exile. This is meant to simulate going on an Adventure, with each permanent relating to the Adventure in some way, be it a Creature going on a quest or having a unique encounter.
Much like the Adventure cards we have come to love from Throne of Eldraine, these cards are quite versatile, giving you an option of how to utilize and sequence your spells. Notably, some of these cards are also quite strong, especially in a Commander setting. Wilds of Eldraine is chock full of new Adventure cards, each with its own charms, so for those who enjoy upgrading their Commander decks, you may be in luck.
Today, we will be looking at some of these new Adventure cards and how they stack up against their Throne of Eldraine and Commander set counterparts. We will be looking at the best of the bunch in an EDH environment, and seeing just how many Wilds of Eldraine Adventure cards make the cut. Without further ado, here are the top 10 best MTG Adventure cards for Commander.
#10 Mosswood Dreadknight
Mosswood Dreadknight is a strong, value-oriented card. For four mana, you both get to draw a card and put a relevant body into play. Where the real strength of the card lies, however, is that you get to cast the card as an Adventure from your graveyard if the Creature would die. Even if you don’t have the mana immediately, you have until the end of your next turn to do so. In this sense, unless the card gets exiled, it is quite difficult to actually deal with.
Of course, in many games of EDH, a three-power Creature simply isn’t very threatening. In order to really abuse this card, it likely requires some work, such as a sacrifice theme. With a card like
Ashnod’s Altar
Ashnod’s Altar
Sacrifice a creature: Add {C}{C}.
in play, you can create your own card draw engine. Add in cards like
Grave Pact
Grave Pact
Whenever a creature you control dies, each other player sacrifices a creature of their choice.
that either punish your opponent or benefit you whenever you sacrifice Creatures, and you’ve got a decent gameplan. This card is relatively efficient and value-centric for a format like Standard but does require some build around to make stronger in EDH, hence why it’s down at number 10.
#9 Virtue of Loyalty
Another Wilds of Eldraine card that makes the list is Virtue of Loyalty, out first Adventure Enchantment card. For two mana, this card lets you make a two-power Knight Creature token at Instant speed, which is nothing special. However, it does provide you with another Creature to benefit from the five-mana Enchantment portion of the card, which is where the real power lies.
For five mana, your Creatures will get a big buff on each of your End steps. While this doesn’t spiral out of control quite as fast as a card like
Cathar’s Crusade
Cathar’s Crusade
Whenever a creature you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
can, it still plays a solid role in any white deck looking to go wide with small Creatures. If you have a big enough board, pumping your entire squad can make combat a lot more problematic for your opponents.
This card also has the added bonus of untapping your Creatures during your end step. This makes it easier to attack and not risk dying on the crackback. You can also get extra benefits from Creatures with activated abilities that require tapping, such as
Weathered Wayfarer
Weathered Wayfarer
{W}, {T}: Search your library for a land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. Activate only if an opponent controls more lands than you.
. This card is solid for decks with tons of Creatures, earning it a spot at number nine on this list.
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#8 Realm-Cloaked Giant
Realm-Cloaked Giant as a Creature is relatively inefficient. Generally, you expect more out of your seven-mana Creature, especially in Commander. That being said, the ability to wipe the board of all non-Giant Creatures for five mana is a decent effect. Board wipes are naturally powerful in Commander, especially given how many players tend to flood the board with Creatures and how quickly boards can snowball out of control.
From there, you are then still left with the option to cast the card as a Creature, which can be useful in a pinch. One of the cooler things you can do with the card, however, is to try to break the symmetry of the board wipe by utilizing a Giants theme in deckbuilding. By either building a deck full of Giants or using cards like
Maskwood Nexus
Maskwood Nexus
Creatures you control are every creature type. The same is true for creature spells you control and creature cards you own that aren't on the battlefield.
{3}, {T}: Create a 2/2 blue Shapeshifter creature token with changeling. (It is every creature type.)
to your advantage, Realm-Cloaked Giant becomes more like
Plague Wind
Plague Wind
Destroy all creatures you don't control. They can't be regenerated.
for five mana than
Wrath of God
Wrath of God
Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated.
. In this sense, the card has a lot of upside, earning it a spot on the list.
#7 Virtue of Persistence
At number seven we have our second Adventure Enchantment. While seven mana is a decent chunk of mana for the Enchantment itself, it provides a decently powerful effect. Getting to reanimate any Creature in any graveyard every turn cycle is no joke. Unfortunately, though, this one does trigger at the beginning of your upkeep, so you don’t get the effect right away. As a result, this card is more vulnerable to Enchantment removal.
The reason this card is higher up, though, is because it acts as a cheap removal spell earlier on in addition to a win condition later. Being able to take out small Commanders early is a big deal. This card can generate a decent amount of value, hence why it earns a spot at number seven on this list.
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#6 Tlincalli Hunter
Tlincalli Hunter is an interesting card. For two mana, you can exile a Creature from your graveyard and cast it on the same turn. Depending on the Creature’s mana cost, this might be a bit difficult and inefficient. However, this card also acts as a huge seven-mana Creature that lets you cast another Creature from exile for free each turn. With access to nine mana total, you can cast both parts of the card, exiling a Creature from your graveyard, then casting Hunter, and finally using Hunter’s ability to cast the exiled card for free.
This card has some cool synergy with various ways to exile cards from your library. This works especially well with
Rocco, Street Chef
Rocco, Street Chef
At the beginning of your end step, each player exiles the top card of their library. Until your next end step, each player may play the card they exiled this way.
Whenever a player plays a land from exile or casts a spell from exile, you put a +1/+1 counter on target creature and create a Food token. (It's an artifact with "{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.")
as your Commander, for example. Card advantage spells like
Escape to the Wilds
Escape to the Wilds
Exile the top five cards of your library. You may play cards exiled this way until the end of your next turn.
You may play an additional land this turn.
become premium cards with Hunter in play as well, so long as you your deck has a high Creature count.
#5 Murderous Rider
This card is significantly less flashy than Hunter and is also less synergistic. Instead, this simply acts as a powerful removal spell for opposing Commanders and Planeswalkers. Then, unlike with
Hero’s Downfall
Hero’s Downfall
Destroy target creature or planeswalker.
, you have the option to cast a three-toughness Creature with Lifelink later in the game, which can help keep opposing small Creature decks at bay. This card may not have the ceiling that some other cards on this list do, but it has a very high floor, since it almost always kills something important and leaves behind a body as a bonus.
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#4 Horn of Valhalla
If you have a deck designed to go wide with lots of small Creatures, Horn of Valhalla is a great addition. First off, you get a card that is very reminiscent of a Sorcery Speed
Secure the Wastes
Secure the Wastes
Create X 1/1 white Warrior creature tokens.
. If you have a decent amount of mana, you can generate a large number of Creature tokens at once. Then, you are left with an Equipment that can be used to turn any small Creature you control into a massive threat. In this sense, Horn of Valhalla both acts as a way to develop your board and as a payoff once your board is developed, which is quite powerful.
#3 Kellan, the Fae-Blooded
Kellan, the Fae-Blooded is a really cool Commander for Boros decks built around utilizing Auras or Equipment. For two mana, you can tutor for any Aura or Equipment. From there, you get access to a three-mana Faerie with Double Strike that pumps the rest of your team as long as Kellan is suited up with Auras or Equipment. Kellan is a strong Voltron-style Commander, since it both searches for Equipment or Auras and is a strong target for those Equipment and Auras.
Kellan also adds a unique element to this style of deck by providing a major buff to your other Creatures, incentivizing you to go wide as well as tall. Of course, this card is a bit restrictive in the sense that it’s only good alongside Equipment or Auras, but it is certainly powerful in the right deck. For anyone looking for a n interesting new Commander to build around, Kellan might be right up your alley.
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#2 Virtue of Knowledge
Virtue of Knowledge is yet another Wilds of Eldraine Adventure Enchantment, and it’s a good one. The base Enchantment acts very similarly to
Panharmonicon
Panharmonicon
If an artifact or creature entering causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.
, except it doubles triggered abilities for all of your permanents, not just Creatures and Artifacts. This means that any benefits you might gain from Lands entering, such as Landfall, are fair game. Panharmonicon is already an extremely powerful Commander card, and Virtue of Knowledge provides you with almost identical benefits.
Of course, we haven’t even covered the Adventure portion of the card yet. For two mana, you can copy any triggered or activated ability you control at Instant speed. This can do a lot of fancy stuff, including copying the activation of a Fetchland to help ramp you, which is a powerful effect to have in blue. Virtue of Knowledge has a lot going for it and is a great fit for any deck with lots of enters-the-battlefield effects.
#1 Monster Manual
Monster Manual is a super strong Commander card, and it comes in at number one on this list. As an Adventure, you get to dig five cards deep for a Creature to put into your hand. This part of the card is rather unexciting but can still be useful if you are low on action. The real excitement comes from the Artifact itself. Monster Manual costs four mana up front, but you then can pay two mana and tap it to put any Creature from your hand into play. This is a fantastic effect, providing a huge mana discount so long as you have huge Creatures to put into play.
Monster Manual acts very similarly to
Elvish Piper
Elvish Piper
{G}, {T}: You may put a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield.
, except, because it’s an Artifact and not a Creature, you can activate it on the turn you play it. This ensures you get immediate value out of the card, even if an opponent can get rid of it. If no one can, you can continue to put haymaker after haymaker into play on the cheap. This card’s ability to spiral out of control makes it the best of the top 10 best MTG Adventure cards for Commander.
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