Overview of Magic: The Gathering’s Edge of Eternities Set
The highly anticipated Magic: The Gathering set, Edge of Eternities, is set to release in just a few days, and pre-release events are already taking place at local game stores. This expansion has generated significant excitement among players, particularly due to its unique themes and powerful cards. Among the most talked-about elements of the set are the Commander decks, which have sparked considerable interest and debate.
One of the standout commanders in the set is Kilo, Apogee Mind, known for its strong abilities and potential to dominate games. However, it’s worth noting that Kilo is a precon commander, meaning it comes pre-built into a deck. For the actual Edge of Eternities set, another commander stands out as being true to its name, capturing the attention of many players.
New Themes and Powerful Cards in Edge of Eternities
Players often engage in theorycrafting before a new expansion is released, and Edge of Eternities is no exception. The set introduces a variety of new, thematically rich cards, including planets, spacecrafts, space cults, aliens, and more. One such card is Tannuk, Steadfast Second, a powerful mono-Red creature that fits well into various decks and can even serve as an effective commander.
Tannuk, Steadfast Second, has gained popularity not only for its strength but also for its versatility. While it isn’t the top-ranked commander in the set, it holds the second position on EDHREC, with 860 decks currently using it. In contrast, Ragost, Deft Gastronaut, the most popular commander overall, has 1,989 decks on the platform.
The Impact of Rule Changes on Commander Decks
A recent rule change in Magic: The Gathering allows spacecraft and vehicle commanders in Commander decks, provided they are legendary. This change aligns perfectly with the themes of Edge of Eternities, making it easier for players to build decks around these unique cards.
Tannuk, Steadfast Second benefits from this rule change, as it offers a CMC of 4 (2 generic, 2 Red) for a 3/5 creature that gives haste to all other creatures under the player’s control. Additionally, it grants a 2 generic, 1 Red warp cost to all artifact and Red creature cards in the player’s hand. Warp, a new mechanic introduced in Edge of Eternities, allows players to pay the warp cost of a card to play it and then exile it at the end of the turn if it’s a permanent. This effect can be played again from exile for its full mana cost, making it a powerful tool in gameplay.
Exploring Tannuk, Steadfast Second Combos
Many commanders thrive based on the combos they enable, and Tannuk is no different. Players have discovered several powerful combinations that leverage Tannuk’s abilities. One such combo involves the Final Fantasy set, where Clive, Ifrit’s Dominant can be played for a warp cost of 3 instead of its regular CMC of 6. This allows players to draw a lot of cards, enhancing their strategy.
Another notable combo is with Etali, Primal Storm, which can be played for 3 and given haste, allowing it to attack immediately and activate its effect. This effect further enables the user to play any cards from the top of the library of all those at the table, creating a powerful advantage.
Additionally, the combination of Tannuk and Portal to Phyrexia offers a strong strategy. Portal to Phyrexia, an artifact that normally costs 9, makes each opponent sacrifice three creatures and allows players to put any creature from any graveyard onto the battlefield under their control at the start of their turn. However, it’s important to note that the release schedule of Magic: The Gathering may cause older sets to rotate out of Standard with Edge of Eternities, making this particular combo unavailable in this format.
Endless Possibilities with Tannuk
Despite these limitations, the possibilities with Tannuk remain vast. Even if Tannuk is removed from the battlefield, the conditions imposed by warp still apply, meaning that any spells cast with warp will remain playable later for their full cost. This flexibility makes Tannuk a valuable addition to any Commander deck, offering players numerous strategic options.