Sphere of Influence: November 7, 2025

Life from the Loam | Illustrated by Carlos Palma Cruchaga

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

Avatar arrives shortly, and it appears that WOTC has once again decided to forego preconstructed Commander decks. It remains a huge bummer: these decks were excellent ways to familiarize ourselves with the set's mechanics and for WOTC to introduce exciting new cards for existing archetypes. Worse still, a lack of precons means fewer opportunities for reprints of Commander staples. As we enter into this brave new precon-less world, it felt right to revisit recent Commander releases and unearth some formerly expensive cards that are enjoying a significant price decrease. Reprints work! Here's a selection of cards to pick up:

Luminous Broodmoth - $1

What was once a $10 card has fallen out of favor due to power creep and this recent reprint. Still, the card is pretty powerful and lends itself to some oppressive combos.

Conqueror's Flail - $0.50

Hard to believe that this was a $30 card only a few years ago. Keeping opponents away from your turns can be a powerful effect, and as more cards have been printed offering this protection, the Flail has fallen out of favor. Less than $1 is an unbeatable price.

High Market -$0.50

Even outside of a dedicated sacrifice deck, having a spare sac outlet lying around can be a game-changer for Commander. It helps get around the downsides of exile-based creature removal and can protect your commander from being stolen. High Market's sac outlet comes attached to a land, so the opportunity cost is merely microscopic.

Dauthi Voidwalker -  $5.50

Nothing pisses off Commander players more than having their own spells cast against them. Dauthi Voidwalker enables such shenanigans while maintaining the ability to swing in for guaranteed damage. The card is effortlessly strong.

Life from the Loam - $5.50

It's often overlooked, but Loam is undoubtedly a staple in any graveyard-based deck, especially one that contains plenty of mill. Heck, I've cast this card with zero lands in the graveyard more times than I can count. Give it a shot just once and you'll never look back. This reprint in Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander is the first in awhile.

Grand Crescendo - $3.50

This card offers a few modes, even if it doesn't seem that way at first blush. You can make lots of tokens or only a few, or you can pay two white pips and merely give all of your creatures indestructible until end of turn. Its versatility sets it apart from other token-generators, like Secure the Wastes.

Reprinting Press

Which cards do you hope receive a reprint in the next Commander set, whenever that may be? Let me know what you're eyeing!