Sphere of Influence: July 25, 2025

Ohran Frostfang | Illustrated by Torstein Nordstrand

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

Thanks to a fairly aggressive reprint schedule, the following Commander cards have become far more affordable in recent years. These are staples well worth the price of a single, as they'll elevate any deck without pushing it to an entirely new bracket. Take a look:

Ohran Frostfang - $4

Unlike, say, Toski, Bearer of Secrets, Ohran Frostfang, which used to be a $20 card, elevates your attackers to the point where opponents will hesitate to block your dinky tokens swinging in for some card draw. Throw trample into the mix—not a difficult proposition for green—and you've got a recipe for drawing a massive amount of cards. It only takes a single turn to secure significant advantage.

Loyal Retainers - $1

What was once only found in Portal Three Kingdoms can be yours for a very affordable price. Loyal Retainers reads like it's a fairly niche card, and it is. The timing restriction alone relegates it to fewer decks, but if you play it during your first main phase, it's effectively a way to cast your commander for three mana later in the game, when the tax may be too much to otherwise bear. It's also worth noting that it can still be activated at instant speed as long as you're precombat; the upkeep phase is fair game.

Nature's Will - $1.50

Sword of Feast and Famine is a Commander super staple for a reason: untapping all of your lands post-combat is quite the powerful effect, doubling your mana all in one go. Nature's Will takes the effect one step further by tapping all of your opponents' lands as well, barring them from instant-speed effects until they can finally untap. There's nothing stopping them from tapping out in response, but this may force their hand long before they were ready. Enjoy Nature's Will while it's this cheap, down from almost $30.

Teferi, Time Raveler - $2

Commander players can rejoice that this card has fallen largely out of favor in Modern, shrinking its price significantly. This Teferi holds a lot of utility in Commander, as well. Its static ability is enough to disrupt opponents' gameplans and keep your stuff safe during your turn, and its built-in card draw means you can procure a huge tempo advantage over a particular opponent, or simply waste one of their tokens right away. Teferi is a toolbox planeswalker well worth the price of admission.

Phyrexian Arena - $1

This black card draw source has been outclassed by cards like Black Market Connections, but it retains utility in budget decks and lower-power pods. You may not run it all the time, but it's definitely smart to have at least one on-hand just in case. It won't take up much space in your binder.

Reprinting (Re)press

Are there any Commander cards you've been dying to be reprinted? Some you have picked up recently that you immediately slotted into a deck? Let me know!