One of the things I always look for in a new set is the presence of tribal cards or tribal enablers. It’s a truth that EDH drives the majority of sales, and the cards in Commander that can really gain attention over time are the ones that slot into the most popular tribes.
So let’s take a look at Midnight Hunt and see what tribes get new toys.
There’s a lot of cards out there that can help any tribe, but specifically, I’m taking a look at things with a creature type or things that help that tribe.
Zombies
Tainted Adversary – This has a lot of potential in the long term. It’s a great way to make a sick mass of Zombies instantly, which a whole lot of decks and cards can take advantage of, even if the tokens are decayed. There’s things like Endless Ranks of the Dead or Shepherd of Rot which like a high Zombie count, or a whole batch at once can wipe the world away with Noxious Ghoul. Since they are all Decayed, you should also be playing the ‘when a Zombie dies’ effect like Diregraf Captain or Plague Belcher or Vengeful Dead. One big attack and then you get to make them pay a big price. Winner all around!
As a mythic, the Adversary probably won’t get dirt cheap, but it’ll have potential when the current Zombie rage dies down (pun intended). I will be hoping for a price as low as a couple dollars for the regular, and $7 for the foil extended art.
Champion of the Perished – While I don’t think that this is a particularly strong card in a Zombie Commander deck, that’s not going to matter for the time when a new Zombie fad overtakes the nation. Zombies are really short on powerful one-drops, and it’s got a lot of potential to be very good, given the right draws.
This also has a chance to be good in Standard, given the impressive number of Decayed tokens that a dedicated deck would be able to produce, and as the big fall set, it’s got two years to make a splash. If no deck pops up right away with this card, it should end up at near-bulk prices, and that would be a lovely time to move in.
Siege Zombie (foil) – This is going to be a longer-term hold, but I think you’ll be able to get these on the very cheap, and the effect is really easy to abuse. It is vitally important that this says ‘three creatures’ and ‘each opponent’. This doesn’t have to be an effect of only Zombies, it can be abused with any horde of tokens and will drain all three of your enemies.
This card is already super cheap, as a common, and it’ll just be a question of buying in at a price you like and being patient until a buylist is ready to take all the copies off of your hands.
Dragons
Moonveil Regent – There’s a real shortage of Dragons with a big size and small mana cost. I don’t think this is a super strong pair of abilities for a Dragon, but any time you manage to empty your hand with a Dragon deck and then get another card or two, you’re ahead on things. The abilities are just bonuses, though, as the 4/4 flyer for 4 in the Dragon deck is really where things are.
Again, this is a mythic, so it’s unlikely to get super cheap, but I’m hopeful it gets as low as two or three for a dollar.
Smoldering Egg – The real appeal here is that there’s a lot of busted things to do in Commander with this card. It’s both harder and easier to flip than Thing in the Ice, but TITI is pretty overpowered when it flips. This doesn’t bounce the board the same way, but can be triggered off of one expensive spell, instead of needing to cast four of them. The flipside dragon, Ashmouth Dragon, is undeniably useful, throwing Shocks around with all your spells.
The Egg is already at a dollar and falling, but while it is still a Dragon, I’m doubtful this will see a lot of Commander play.
Spirits
Spectral Adversary – A cheap flier at only two mana and having Flash, this has strong potential in decks with a strong Spirit theme. One issue is that while there’s more than one lord for Spirits, they don’t really have an amazing themed Commander. For that reason, I like stockpiling Spirit-themed cards, so that if they print a new Spirit Commander (like they did with Zombies in Midnight Hunt) I’m ready to sell into the hype and cash in fast.
This adversary benefits from flash and flying, but also has a cheaper multikicker cost. That, plus the rules of phasing, allowing for it to save other creatures of yours and have them ready to counterattack as soon as it’s your turn. Phasing can also be used aggressively, getting their potential blockers out of the way. There’s a lot of flexibility for only two mana to start! Keep in mind that this has two years to get good, or find a home. It’s dropped to the $5 range, but I’m looking for it to get close to a dollar.
Patrician Geist – Here’s another Spirit lord, and while the second ability is potentially good, the main thing is that it’s one more card to beef up the tribe. This is already gettable for a quarter, but I’m not sure it’s good enough in Modern Spirits to warrant even being a three-of. Still, if the right Commander comes along, this will pop, along with so many other cards.
Vampires
Falkenrath Pit Fighter – Honestly, the synergy with Edgar Markov is breathtaking, and Edgar is already a very good Commander for the tribe. We should expect more Vampire goodies in the next set, and when this gets to bulk status, I’ll want to have more than a few copies to buylist away.
Cliff (@WordOfCommander) has been writing for MTGPrice since 2013, and is an eager Commander player, Draft enthusiast, and Cube fanatic. A high school science teacher by day, he’s also the official substitute teacher of the MTG Fast Finance podcast. If you’re ever at a GP and you see a giant flashing ‘CUBE DRAFT’ sign, go over, say hi, and be ready to draft.