Sphere of Influence: October 24, 2025

Loading Zone | Illustrated by Matt Stewart

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

Edge of Eternities remains a gift that keeps on giving. So many fabulous Commander cards came out of this set, and with cards like Quantum Riddler and Exalted Sunborn taking up a lot of the financial bandwidth, so many others are quite affordable. Here is yet another grouping of excellent Commander cards to pick up:

Sami, Wildcat Captain - $1

When this card was spoiled, the internet went wild with accusations of power creep, and rightfully so. Affinity has proven to be one of the most busted mechanics in MTG history, and Sami happily gifts that ability to every one of your "spells" without qualification. Six mana is kind of a lot, of course, but alongside the ability to spend very little mana moving forward, you get a 4/4 with double strike and vigilance, to boot. Sami is well worth the mana investment, and its power far exceeds the required financial investment.

Loading Zone - $1.50

Green's cup runneth over with effects that provide additional +1/+1 counters to creatures, whether it's an additional one (Hardened Scales) or double the amount you would have received (Kalonian Hydra). But outside of Doubling Season, it's not often you find an effect that doubles counters of all types. Plus, warp means you can sneak this card out for a single explosive turn. The ceiling for this card continues to get higher.

Kavaron, Memorial World - $1

Evendo, Waking Haven and Uthros, Titanic Godcore get all the attention, and rightfully so, but don't sleep on Kavaron. Sure, sacrificing a land is a steep price to pay, but at the very end of the game, when all you need is a single alpha strike, the card's ability to provide haste can be incredibly powerful. Plus, there's very little downside to running this card in place of a basic land, especially if you can plop it down early.

Lightstall Inquisitor - $0.50

I love this card because it seems relatively innocuous but can have a secretly devastating effect on the game. First off, it scales well to Commander by affecting all opponents, not just one. Secondly, the tax it levies is very small, but early in the game, even a single additional pip or tapped land can set the game on a course that heavily favors you. It also forces opponents to make a choice when they may not want to. All for a single mana that gives you an early attacker, to boot. 10/10 would run again.

Mutinous Massacre - $0.50

This one requires a bit of finagling to get right, which is a task well worth the payoff. Regardless of how you calibrate this card, two things remain constant: 1) The board is partially wiped, and 2) you steal every remaining creature for an attack. Plus, it's not like the board will be maintaining a perfectly equal number of even and odd mana value creatures at any given time. This feels like it could be a better version of Insurrection.

Eternally Grateful

What did you think of Edge of Eternities? Any cards you love in Commander that others seem to be sleeping on? Let me know!