Sphere of Influence: April 11, 2025

Steve Heisler • April 11, 2025

Sphere of Influence 4.11.25

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

Now that previews for Final Fantasy have begun (before Tarkir: Dragonstorm has even had a chance to take flight), it felt right to revisit past Universes Beyond releases that introduced some fabulous Commander cards into the format. Here are a few cheap cards sure to have a big impact in the right Commander deck - and, no, they're not all from Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth.

Cyber Conversion
 - $1

This is the best creature removal spell in blue, and it's not even close.

Sure, Pongify

and Rapid Hybridization
 are powerful spells that can be cast on-the-cheap, but they can't hold a candle to Cyber Conversion's ability to essentially remove a player's commander from contention. Whatever the target, it stays on the battlefield, away from being targeted by recursion sources, and doesn't have nearly enough power or toughness to have any sort of impact.

Few cards will straight-up nullify commanders, and $1 is a very small price to pay.

Nuclear Fallout
 - $1.50

This board wipe has two things going for it: the word "twice" and the fact that Commander players hate having their cards milled.

For five mana, the average rate for a non-symmetrical board wipe, you can give all creatures -6/-6 until end of turn, getting around indestructible, and force your opponents to part with a bit of their treasured libraries and deal some damage in the process.

As long as your deck doesn't mind putting some cards in the graveyard, Nuclear Fallout is a slam dunk and can be picked up for a song.

Arbaaz Mir
 - $0.25

Frankly, I'm not quite sure why this card hasn't received even a modest bump in price. It serves as an Impact Tremors

for artifacts, legends, and Sagas that also gains you life (triggered by itself, no less) and costs a mere two mana.

Perhaps the fact that it's in Boros colors means its use can be limited, but it won't take long for you to extract enough value to make this card well worth running. Definitely grab at least one for one of the many new wedge-colored Dragonstorm precons arriving today.

Grim Giganotosaurus
 - $3.50

Seven mana for a 10/10 dino isn't the best rate - though it's certainly hefty enough for the price - but the grimmest of Giganotosauruses carries additional utility onto the battlefield that can be activated at instant speed.

The attached board wipe hits the two most relevant types of permanents, and its cost will likely be reduced at least a modest amount later in the game, when the card is most likely to come down. No, Grim Giganotosaurus isn't in danger of becoming a Game Changer, but it's a heck of a lot of fun and won't break the bank.

Elven Chorus
 - $3

This card does it all: makes mana, provides card advantage, and offers a preview of your next draw so you can decide whether or not to crack a fetchland or carry out a surveil. Its brethren, things like Cryptolith Rite

and Vizier of the Menagerie
, can only offer a fraction of that functionality. And, at $3, Elven Chorus is roughly the same price as the competition.

Any creature-based green deck would benefit significantly by its inclusion, so it's well worth picking up a few while demand remains steady.

Beyond the Pale

Are there any Universes Beyond cards you think are still very underrated? Any Final Fantasy cards you're excited to brew around? Let me know!