Sphere of Influence: February 28, 2025

Welcome to Sphere of Influence, a pre-FNM look at some potential movers and shakers that are worth picking up before their prices increase.

Throughout the many ebbs and flows in Magic's history, one thing has remained constant: the Reserved List ain't going anywhere, dooming many of its included cards to rise in price for all of time.

Collectors may be happy, but it's understandable if the average player is lamenting the fact that certain game pieces are no longer attainable. Luckily, there exist plenty of options holding at cheaper prices that are at least somewhat playable in Commander, and anyone wanting to sleeve them up would be wise to grab them now that MagicCon 2025 has sufficiently moved the needle towards upcoming sets.

Here are a few well worth the investment:

Elkin Lair

This bizarre card from Visions changes the way Commander players interact with the board without painting a huge target on your back. The cards removed from players' hands are still technically playable, but Elkin Lair renders counter magic unplayable and encourages more sorcery-speed plays. Plus, not for nothing, the card removes any other Enchant Worlds on the battlefield—Concordant Crossroads, watch out! The price of $1.50 feels right.

Bone Dancer

Wizards did away with ordering the graveyard a long time ago, but a few cards continue to run with that verbiage and force players to keep an eye on when things die. Bone Dancer won't trigger often, but in the right deck—say, Alesha, Who Smiles at Death, it shines as a throwback and a modern-day semi-player. Grab one for $4.

Heat Stroke

Token decks rejoice when Heat Stroke hits the field and unlocks the ability for dinky 1/1s to take out much bigger threats. Commander is a format where combat-matters cards can truly thrive, and few involve the sorts of maddening recalculations Heat Stroke requires. For $3, you can see for yourself.

Political Trickery

This one's far more situational than the others (which are, themselves, quite situational), but if your meta includes players running flashy, expensive Gaea's Cradles and the like, Political Trickery is a great way to turn the game on its head and provide you with significant advantage in both mana and tempo. Few will see it coming. At $6, this unique card remains a steal in more ways than one.

No Reservations

I'd love to know about any other Reserved List cards you enjoy running in your Commander decks besides the usual suspects (duals, Earthcraft, and the like). Any you swear by? Let me know!