Star Trek spoiler season is nearing its end, but for now, the new cards continue to come out in full force. This set is chock full of wild designs, and today’s reveal of Brazen Bluff is no exception. Non-blue counterspells are hard to come by in MTG, and this red disruptive element puts your opponent to the ultimate test.
MTG Brazen Bluff
One of the coolest cards in the set thus far, Brazen Bluff is the ultimate mind games design. This tool ranges from a red counterspell to a free bomb, and while you do ultimately give your opponent the choice, you can easily put them in a bind in the right deck.
With this in mind, Brazen Bluff is at its best in EDH decks with lots of beefy noncreature spells. After all, all it takes is one
Omniscience
Omniscience
You may cast spells from your hand without paying their mana costs.
to get put into play, and winning becomes trivial.
Obviously, the opponent is more likely to choose for their spell to get exiled in that case, but that’s still quite a strong effect, especially for non-blue decks. This card even gets around uncounterable spells and exiles spells with Flashback, making it more impactful.
MTG Gwyndala, the Progeny
It’s not every day that we see a mono-blue Equipment Commander worth building around, but Gwyndala easily fits the bill. The goal with this legend is to create a bunch of equipment tokens that you can then turn into copies of another brutal equipment.
This Advisor’s trigger gives you the first token, and can generate more with blink effects like
Conjurer’s Closet
Conjurer’s Closet
At the beginning of your end step, you may exile target creature you control, then return that card to the battlefield under your control.
and
Essence Flux
Essence Flux
Exile target creature you control, then return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control. If it's a Spirit, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
. Throw in other copy effects like
Flash Photography
Flash Photography
You may cast this spell as though it had flash if it targets a permanent you control.
Create a token that's a copy of target permanent.
Flashback {4}{U}{U}
, or other token-making equipment like
Bloodforged Battle-Axe
Bloodforged Battle-Axe
Equipped creature gets +2/+0.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, create a token that's a copy of this Equipment.
Equip {2}
, and you’ll really start to pop off.
From there, paying two mana to turn all of your equipment into
Colossus Hammer
Colossus Hammer
Equipped creature gets +10/+10 and loses flying.
Equip {8} ({8}: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)
s to set up lethal Commander damage is quite appealing. Alternatively, suiting Gwyndala up with a bunch of
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Fire and Ice
Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from red and from blue.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, this Equipment deals 2 damage to any target and you draw a card.
Equip {2}
copies will put you far ahead on cards.
Notably, Gwyndala also makes for an interesting support piece in the 99 alongside legends like
Dan Lewis
Dan Lewis
Noncreature, non-Equipment artifacts you control are Equipment in addition to their other types and have "Equipped creature gets +1/+0" and equip {1}.
Doctor's companion (You can have two commanders if the other is the Doctor.)
, which turn all your artifacts into equipment. This way, plentiful artifact tokens like Foods and Treasures feed Gwyndala’s activation. With the help of cards like
Vulshok Battlemaster
Vulshok Battlemaster
Haste
When this creature enters, attach all Equipment on the battlefield to it. (Control of the Equipment doesn't change.)
that bypass equip costs, it’s easy to then set up gnarly attacks out of nowhere.
MTG Wesley Crusher, Starfleet Cadet
Eerily similar to
Cryptic Command
Cryptic Command
Choose two —
• Counter target spell.
• Return target permanent to its owner's hand.
• Tap all creatures your opponents control.
• Draw a card.
in design, Wesley Crusher, Starfleet Cadet is an annoying card to play around. Even when this card is face up as a Commander, it essentially taxes your opponents’ noncreature spells as long as you have the mana to cast it.
This card really starts to pop off, though, when paired with blink effects. Combining this with
Ghostly Flicker
Ghostly Flicker
Exile two target artifacts, creatures, and/or lands you control, then return those cards to the battlefield under your control.
and
Archaeomancer
Archaeomancer
When this creature enters, return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.
makes it virtually impossible for the opponent to ever resolve noncreature spells without mana to spare.
On top of that, you can repeatedly bounce mana dorks and small tokens, staving off pressure. If you can maximize the double-loot ability as well, perhaps with
Alhammarret’s Archive
Alhammarret’s Archive
If you would gain life, you gain twice that much life instead.
If you would draw a card except the first one you draw in each of your draw steps, draw two cards instead.
generating card advantage, you’ll ensure Wesley Crusher’s trigger has a strong impact on the game.
This ability even makes the card worth considering in Dimir Reanimator decks in Standard, since it helps enable
Superior Spider-Man
Superior Spider-Man
Mind Swap — You may have Superior Spider-Man enter as a copy of any creature card in a graveyard, except his name is Superior Spider-Man and he's a 4/4 Spider Human Hero in addition to his other types. When you do, exile that card.
. While it competes with
The Theorist, Jace Beleren
The Theorist, Jace Beleren
At the beginning of each opponent's draw step, you draw a card.
+1: Create a 1/1 blue Illusion creature token.
−2: For each opponent, return up to one target artifact or creature that player controls to its owner's hand.
−6: Draw three cards. Then put X +1/+1 counters on each creature you control, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
on curve, instant-speed interaction is powerful.
MTG Sarek, Federation Ambassador
Sarek is the ultimate Commander payoff for having tons of different creature types in your deck. It admittedly doesn’t synergize with Changelings, but creatures like
Pet Avengers
Pet Avengers
Reach
Power-up — {6}{G}: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature and create a 3/2 white Hero creature token with vigilance. (Activate each power-up ability only once. Reduce the cost by its mana cost if it entered this turn.)
and
Curious Farm Animals
Curious Farm Animals
When this creature dies, you gain 3 life.
{2}, Sacrifice this creature: Destroy up to one target artifact or enchantment.
immediately get you to the five-type threshold alongside this legend.
Since you’ll reliably draw at least one extra card a turn a lot of the time, it’s worth including other draw-two payoffs like
Data, Professor of Humanities
Data, Professor of Humanities
Seek out — Whenever you draw your second card each turn, create two 1/1 blue Faerie creature tokens with flying.
and
Homunculus Horde
Homunculus Horde
Whenever you draw your second card each turn, create a token that's a copy of this creature.
. These cards also help you go wide, maximizing Sarek’s +1/+1 counter distribution if you can reach 15 types.
Once you get to the point where your whole team is growing, you can further bolster your squad with Proliferate effects. Plenty of creatures also generate extra value when you put counters on them, including
Evolution Witness
Evolution Witness
{1}{G}: Adapt 2. (If this creature has no +1/+1 counters on it, put two +1/+1 counters on it.)
Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on this creature, return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand.
.
From there, trigger doublers and extra combat enablers like
Strionic Resonator
Strionic Resonator
{2}, {T}: Copy target triggered ability you control. You may choose new targets for the copy. (A triggered ability uses the words "when," "whenever," or "at.")
or
Genji Glove
Genji Glove
Equipped creature has double strike.
Whenever equipped creature attacks, if it's the first combat phase of the turn, untap it. After this phase, there is an additional combat phase.
Equip {3}
let you double up on Sarek’s triggers. Soon enough, you’ll be drowning in card advantage and have a massive board.
MTG MACO Strike Team
From a Standard standpoint, MACO Strike Team has a ton of appeal in green creature decks. Like
Pawpatch Recruit
Pawpatch Recruit
Offspring {2} (You may pay an additional {2} as you cast this spell. If you do, when this creature enters, create a 1/1 token copy of it.)
Trample
Whenever a creature you control becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control other than that creature.
, this tool comes down early and makes removing your creatures a nuisance for your opponent.
While MACO Strike Team lacks the Offspring upside, it still increases your board presence even if the opponent kills the Human and you have no other creatures in play. Going wider makes it easier for decks like Selesnya Gearhulk to maximize
Practiced Offense
Practiced Offense
Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature target player controls. Target creature gains your choice of double strike or lifelink until end of turn.
Flashback {1}{W} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
, which is worth keeping in mind.
It’s also worth noting that Bloomburrow is set to rotate early in 2027, at which point this creature could easily replace Recruit as a tutor target for
Brightglass Gearhulk
Brightglass Gearhulk
First strike, trample
When this creature enters, you may search your library for up to two artifact, creature, and/or enchantment cards with mana value 1 or less, reveal them, put them into your hand, then shuffle.
.
With a healthy mix of intriguing Commander options and efficient Constructed tools, MTG Star Trek is sure to make an impact. Spoiler season is almost over, but more main set cards and another precon will be revealed tomorrow.
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