Lauded for the fun and dynamic interactions that are capable of being created between multiple players, Magic: The Gathering's Commander format is by far one of the most popular ways to experience the game with friends. However, there are certain cards that while not banned, inherently leave a bad taste in the mouth, deterring from the overall enjoyment of all players except whoever is playing a given card. So in the spirit of all things salty, we're going dive into the pinnacle of the most salt-inducing cards in the Commander format!
For the sake of clarity, we're not claiming whether or not these cards should be played. Rather, we are examining which cards may elicit the most salt from a group of players in a single game of Commander.
Updated March 9, 2022 by Paul DiSalvo: As a wide range of new cards are constantly added to the Commander format with the release of every new set, it should be no surprise that every so often, a new potent card is printed that can cause a Commander player's blood to boil. Whether these cards slow the pace of a game down to a crawl, constantly remind opponents of mana taxes that must be paid, or if they offer an incredible advantage for an unreasonably low cost, there are plenty of cards in Commander that can tilt players.
13 ♏ 𒁏 Blood Moon
Commander is a format heavily populated by decks composed of two, three, four, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:and even five-color decks. In order t🐈o keep these decks readily functioning and operati🅘onal, the vast majority of multi-colored decks possess mana bases made up of many non-basic lands that can be reliably tapped for several potential colors.
Blood Moon is a red enchantment that for three mana, turns all non-basic lands into basic mountains. As long as a player is not playing a mono-colored deck, all non-basic lands are made nearly useless, preventing a player from casting the majori♏ty of their colored spells.
12 🍃 Blightsteel C🐻olossus
Though there is a case to be made for and against the presence of infect in Commander, Blightsteel Colossus encapsulates what many hate about the ability. An indestructible 11/11 with trample and infect, as soon as an unblocked Blightsteel Colossus deals damage to a player, that player loses the game. Between its size, protection, and trample, Blightsteel Colossus is a difficult creature for players to deal with once it's coming at them. While Blightsteel Colossus costs a staggering twelve mana, there are countless ways in the format for players to cheat one into play for significantly less than twelve mana.
11 Cyclonic Ri💦ft
By and large the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:most powerful board wipe in Commander, there is very little players can do to get around an overloaded cyclonic rift. Returning all nonland permanents controlled by each player save for its cas🐻ter, Cyclonic rift is a one-sided affair that sets all other players back to square one while leaving its caster completely unaffected.
Due to the fact Cyclonic Rift does not target any specific permanents and returns them to their owner's hands rather than destroys them, it gets around any defenses opponents may have from indestructibility, to hexproof, to even "protection from everything."
10 🅠 Mindslaver ♏
A legendary artifact that can be sacrificed in order to gain control of a player during that player's next turn, Mindslaver's ability can be utilized to sacrifice permanents and utilize opponents' spells in self-destructive ways. However, Mindslaver's salt factor comes from the fact that in commander, there are numerous ways for players to consistently return artifacts from their graveyard to the battlefield. When repeatable artifact recursion isworking in conjunction with Mindslaver, it can be used to perpetually take control of a player during each of their turns, effectively locking them out of the game entirely.
9 🧔 Gran▨d Arbiter, Augustin IV
While a powerful commander, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Grand Arbiter, Augustin IV is a card that greatly benefits its controller, reducing the costs of spells they cast, while taxing that player's opponents.
While this ability is powerful, t🌱he consistent slowness tඣhat comes with the ability draws out a given game, often making it last significantly longer than it would normally take, causing significantly fewer spells to be cast each turn.
8 Narset, Parter Of Veils ൩ 🍒
A blue Planeswalker for three mana, at first glance, Narset, Parter of Veils may not seem too bad. While Narset's -2 ability allows its controller to look through the top four cards of their library, putting a noncreature, nonland card this way into its controller's hand, Narset makes its way onto this list due to its static ability. As long as Narset is on the battlefield, its controller's opponents can't draw more than one card per turn. While this can slow down card-draw-heavy decks, when paired with wheeling spells that cause players to discard their hands, effectively drawing a new hand, this Planeswalker can be quite oppressive, leaving each opponent with a single card in their hand.
7 ꦆ Winter Orb 🌳
Printed within Magic's very first set, Winter Orb is a two-mana artifact 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:synonymous with Stax decks. Slowing a game down to a snail's pace for one's opponents, Winter Orb states that as long as it's untapped, players are only capable of untapping one land per turn. While this effect may appear universal, players that use Winter Orb often ensure they have a means of tapping and untapping this artifact, ensuring it only hinders their opponents.
6 Dockside Extortion𒁏ist
Dockside Extortionist is a creature that makes its way onto this list for the incredible value it can bring to any deck with access to red for a minimal mana cost. For only two mana, when this goblin pirate enters the battlefield, its controller creates a number of treasure tokens equal to the number of artifacts and enchantments each of its owner's opponent's control. As Commander is a format rife with mana rocks and utility artifacts, this single card can most often provide its caster with enough mana to run away with a game, whether it's played in the early or late stages of a Commander game.
5 ꦿ R𒁃hystic Study And Smothering Tithe
Enchantments that are synonymous with Blue and White decks respectively in Commander, Rhystic Study and Smothering Tithe each provide their controllers with value based on their opponents' actions if a mana tax is unpaid. While Rhystic Study allows its controller to draw a card whenever an opponent casts a spell unless they pay two mana, Smothering Tithe allows its controller to create a treasure token whenever an opponent draws a card unless they pay two mana. Not only do these cards provide absurd amounts of value, but as long as they're in play, their controllers will be required to continuously ask the rest of the table if they'll pay the card at hand's tax when applicable.
4 Vorinclex, Voice Of Hunger 🌜
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger is a card that comes alongside all of the p📖roblems of the previous entry of this list, but crank👍ed up to eleven.
Doubling the mana produced by its controller, if unanswered by removal, Vorinclex slows down a game even more than Grand Arbiter, causing opponents lands to not untap if they are tapped for mana. This essentially halves the use that players have of their lands, in turn causing the game to move at half-speed for each player besides Vorinclex's controller.