Sphere of Influence: March 20, 2026

Gwenom, Remorseless | Illustrated by Lordigan

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

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is out, but talk is already turning to Secrets of Strixhaven before the ink is even dry on the latest pizza concoction. In the spirit of set overload, we're looking at a hodgepodge of Commander cards from recent sets that should be on all of our collective radars.

Chomping Changeling - $0.50

If our deck wants Reclamation Sage, odds are it wants Chomping Changeling from Lorwyn Eclipsed even more. It counts as a creature of any type, meaning it can be searched up with typal-specific tutors, and contains an extra point of toughness to help against early blocks and token armies. Plus, it maintains the ability to destroy an artifact or enchantment when it enters. Yet again, Wizards of the Coast has improved upon a classic.

The Earth King - $1

Reusable ramp and a beefy 4/4 body in one, The Earth King from Avatar serves as a fine complement to green stompy decks everywhere. The card itself also comes down as a 2/2 rather than a 1/1, adding a bit of longevity to its lifespan. Get ready to stomp even harder when The Earth King is on the throne.

Gwenom, Remorseless - $3.50

Though it requires more set-up than Bolas's Citadel, one thing Gwenom from Spider-Man provides that Citadel does not is built-in lifegain to fuel its ability to cast things from the top of our library. All it takes is a single turn to amass an insurmountable advantage, and Gwenom sails under the radar enough to make that happen.

Haliya, Guided by Light - $2.50

Not only does Haliya from Edge of Eternities trigger its lifegain off both creatures and artifacts entering, it leverages these extra life points into card draw at the end of our turn, returning our card right away. It also holds a pretty flexible mana cost due to its ability to warp in for a single white pip. This multidimensional card fuels itself and is ridiculously underpriced.

Ultimecia, Temporal Threat - $0.50

Six mana is a lot, but tapping down every opponent's creatures to be followed up by massive card draw is an effect worth the mana value. Ultimecia from Final Fantasy impacts the board in a big way. Keep an eye out for it in lower power brackets.

Command and Conquer

Any recent additions to your Commander decks that have blown you away? I'd love to know!