Sphere of Influence: September 27, 2024

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

The Commander Rules Committee blessed us with a happy Monday this week when they announced the banning of Mana Crypt, Dockside Extortionist, Jeweled Lotus and Nadu, Winged Wisdom. Personally, I’m psyched, as I enjoy a slower game with fewer chances that a single player will get far ahead and essentially clinch a victory on the first or second turn. Never fear, reader, as there still exist plenty of ways to produce excessive mana, albeit later in the game.

Sceptre of Eternal Glory

True, this card isn’t going to power you to a turn one victory. But it puts in a heck of a lot of work. As an artifact that produces more than one colored mana at a time, its conditions are not hard to meet in mono-color decks; a turn four Sceptre (or, turn three, if you can get a Wayfarer’s Bauble or Thought Vessel out first) leads to at least eight mana on the following turn for an easy double-, perhaps triple-spell turn. It’s a heck of an advantage even if it arrives later in the game. Grab this card at $7 while there are at least a fair number of cards from Warhammer 40K floating around.

Throne of Eldraine

There’s no denying this card is even better than Sceptre of Eternal Glory in mono-colored decks, capable of drawing lots of cards or tapping for a bounty of mana the turn it comes out. Its price matches its reach, hovering around double the price of Sceptre at $13—a lot, but close to the card’s all-time low and far less than its high of $25 in the not-too-distant past. Printed in the Wilds of Eldraine Commander product (though not actually in the precons), it’s unlikely to see a reprint unless we revisit the plane. Pick one up, even if it’s a bit hard to stomach, and secure the future of your mono-colored decks until the heat death of the game.

Bloom Tender

Before its reprint in Double Masters 2022, Bloom Tender hit almost $50. That's not surprising; it’s capable of tapping for five mana in five-color decks, which just so happens to encapsulate some of the most popular commanders in the format. Its current price of $15 is the lowest the card has fallen since 2017 and still offers a pretty efficient dollars-to-mana-produced ratio in the aggregate. It’s worth picking up or, at the very least, keeping on your wishlist in the off chance of another printing - seems like a precon-worthy card that fits under most themes.

Fanatic of Rhonas

Green decks are known for two things: making mana and casting large creatures. The fantastic Fanatic of Rhonas, appearing in Modern Horizons 3, does both those things with excess and aplomb, and in the worst-case scenario, it will tap for one green until it dies and eternalizes to trigger its own ferocious-ness. Even if your deck isn’t mono-green, four green mana can do wonders for your game plan; it’s a great deal for only $4

Ban Alive!

What do you all think about the recent Commander bans? Do you think they should have gone further and taken out Sol Ring? Any other cards you think are on the chopping block? Let us know!