Sphere of Influence: August 15, 2025

Surge Conductor | Illustrated by Alexandr Leskinen

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

This week, we'll be taking a look at new Edge of Eternities Commander cards that are absolutely worth picking up for their prices. There are only two new precons, but each is chock full of goodies every Commander player can use. Let's dive in:

Vernal Fen and Radiant Summit - $1

Wizards looks to be finally completing the "tango lands" cycle started in Battle for Zendikar: dual lands with basic land types that enter untapped if you control two or more basic lands. In any two-color deck, odds are these will always enter untapped unless you play them early—in which case, who cares?—and even three-color budget decks will likely contain enough basic lands to make good use of these. Best of all, these are fetchable off things like Farseek, Nature's Lore, and even Knight of the White Orchid. Here's hoping the full cycle gets printed at some point.

Patrolling Peacemaker - $2

While the odds are you'll only score a single proliferate trigger off of this card, it stands as a significant deterrent when your deck cares about counters of any kind. I could also see this becoming political: leave my stuff alone or I'll buff my ally's creatures, too. Overall, an interesting and multidimensional card worth an experiment or two.

Uthros Research Craft - $2

I can't say enough about this card. It offers a draw off of every artifact you cast, all while ticking itself up towards a game-ending threat. On the way, though, it dodges creature removal and only requires three Station counters to get going. Pick this one up ASAP.

Surge Conductor - $1

This particular proliferate engine is quite specific, but can potentially blow out a game in your favor if, say, your deck cares about modular or putting charge counters on things. It's made even better by the fact that you don't have to cast the artifact, meaning you can flicker one for another trigger.

Depthshaker Titan - $0.50

Finally, your mana rocks can end games! I love how this card can act as a wincon even when your board is ostensibly empty, then sticks around to offer its benefits to all of your artifact creatures for the rest of the game, even itself. The combination of melee, trample, and haste is no joke.

Commanding Attention

What did everyone think of this set's Commander precons? Have you delved into building decks with Spacecrafts or legendary Vehicles at the helm? Let me know!