Sphere of Influence: February 21, 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.

Let's take a look at Aetherdrift! The set is full of strong Commander cards, many of which are dirt cheap at the moment. Here are a few that seem turbo-charged for their cheap price.

Agonasaur Rex

I get the appeal of cards like Heroic Intervention

and Tamiyo’s Safekeeping

in Commander; I just personally stay away because unless you’re pairing them with your own board wipe, your power over their effectiveness diminishes significantly.

Collective Resistance

is a step in the right direction, but Agonasaur Rex hits the sweet spot between proactive and reactionary while remaining generally playable. Five mana for an 8/8 trampler is already a steal, and its Cycling ability gets around counterspells and can be used for an alpha swing or to save your own creature and draw you a card in the process. This $1 toolbox card pairs well with any green stompy deck.

Molt Tender

Deathrite Shaman

already smacks in Commander, and this new card does a decent impression while fueling itself. Molt Tender slots well into all sorts of green decks, even ones with a fetchland or two that otherwise don’t fully utilize the graveyard, and has the makings of a $4-$5 uncommon card when Aetherdrift stops seeing production. Now’s the time to pick up one for pennies.

Marketback Walker

A combination of Walking Ballista

, Mindless Automaton

, and Hangarback Walker

, this new iteration on the theme stands to grow itself pretty big over time or draw you plenty of cards in any +1/+1 counters deck. Marketback Walker effortlessly slots alongside its forefathers and has the flexibility of a staple-in-the-making. Grab one for $1.50 before others catch on.

Wizened Mentor

While there’s no guarantee you’ll get a 1/1 Zombie token every turn, odds are that Wizened Mentor will net you at least one every turn cycle, which isn’t bad for a two-mana 2/2, if not a bit underwhelming. All it takes is a quick glance at the many new commanders arriving at any given moment to see that the card’s ceiling is probably much higher; it’s not insane to think you could find yourself with three new Zombies every go-round. For the price of a bulk rare, it’s worth the experiment.

Lap 'em Up

Any Aetherdrift cards catching your eye? In particular, have you found any Vehicles you want to run in your non-Vehicle deck? Let me know!