New Polymorphing Planeswalker Crushes Competitive Commander Events

While not quite as legend-focused as some recent Universes Beyond sets, Reality Fracture still features plenty of powerful Commander options. The most popular of the bunch, Jace, Multiverse Architect, has even begun making a splash in the competitive Duel Commander environment. This Planeswalker’s loyalty abilities both offer tons of utility, making it the ultimate build-around.

Control with a Polymorph Finish

At its core, this deck that finished top four in a 59-player tournament is looking to dominate the long game with tons of control elements. With access to lots of cheap removal from Lightning Bolt Lightning Bolt Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to any target. to Fatal Push Fatal Push Destroy target creature if it has mana value 2 or less.
Revolt — Destroy that creature if it has mana value 4 or less instead if a permanent left the battlefield under your control this turn. across four colors, it’s easy to get out of the early turns without falling too far behind. From there, counterspells like Mana Leak Mana Leak Counter target spell unless its controller pays {3}. and Memory Lapse Memory Lapse Counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, put it on top of its owner's library instead of into that player's graveyard. keep more problematic spells from resolving.

As you continue hitting your land drops while trading resources with the opponent, you can soon slam Jace to take over the game. Every turn that Jace sticks in play, you’re at minimum pulling ahead on cards and raising its loyalty. Thanks to the Planeswalker’s static ability, it’s also very difficult for your opponent to meaningfully attack Jace and try to develop their board at the same time.

While churning through your library, you should have no problem eventually finding a token maker like Fire Nation Occupation Fire Nation Occupation When this enchantment enters, create a 2/2 red Soldier creature token with firebending 1. (Whenever it attacks, add {R}. This mana lasts until end of combat.)
Whenever you cast a spell during an opponent's turn, create a 2/2 red Soldier creature token with firebending 1. or Shorikai, Genesis Engine Shorikai, Genesis Engine {1}, {T}: Draw two cards, then discard a card. Create a 1/1 colorless Pilot creature token with "This token crews Vehicles as though its power were 2 greater."
Crew 8 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 8 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.) . These tools help make fodder for Jace’s -3 ability, which serves as one of your closing mechanisms.

In most cases, whether you reveal Ugin, the Spirit Dragon Ugin, the Spirit Dragon +2: Ugin deals 3 damage to any target.
−X: Exile each permanent with mana value X or less that's one or more colors.
−10: You gain 7 life, draw seven cards, then put up to seven permanent cards from your hand onto the battlefield. or Iona, Shield of Emeria Iona, Shield of Emeria Flying
As Iona enters, choose a color.
Your opponents can't cast spells of the chosen color. , you’re in good shape to close the game over the next few turns. Interestingly, though, there is also a version of this archetype that takes a more combo-centric approach, enabling even faster kills.

Going a Different Route

While this decklist that 5-0d a Duel Commander League shares a lot in common with the previous one, it has a bigger emphasis on abusing Rituals like Rite of Flame Rite of Flame Add {R}{R}, then add {R} for each card named Rite of Flame in each graveyard. and Strike it Rich Strike it Rich Create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.")
Flashback {2}{R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.) . Not only do these cards accelerate Jace out ahead of schedule, but they also increase the odds you can win the game the same turn you active Jace’s -3 ability.

This is made possible by Prismari, the Inspiration, which serves as this deck’s only Polymorph Polymorph Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated. Its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a creature card. The player puts that card onto the battlefield, then shuffles all other cards revealed this way into their library. target. Once in play, the goal is to utilize cheap Rituals to build up a big mana advantage, then use cantrips like Brainstorm Brainstorm Draw three cards, then put two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order. to dig for finishers. With enough mana at your disposal or a high enough Storm count, a simple Forth Eorlingas! Forth Eorlingas! Create X 2/2 red Human Knight creature tokens with trample and haste.
Whenever one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to one or more players this turn, you become the monarch. or Purphoros’s Intervention Purphoros’s Intervention Choose one —
• Create an X/1 red Elemental creature token with trample and haste. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.
• Purphoros's Intervention deals twice X damage to target creature or planeswalker. should enable a lethal attack.

Positives and Negatives

Unsurprisingly, while both decks have their benefits, there are tradeoffs to going each direction. The more controlling variant has a much stronger approach against the fair decks of the format, especially the creature matchups. Your removal suite makes it difficult for Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd Flash
Whenever Phelia attacks, exile up to one other target nonland permanent. At the beginning of the next end step, return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control. If it entered under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on Phelia. or Cloud, Midgar Mercenary Cloud, Midgar Mercenary When Cloud enters, search your library for an Equipment card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
As long as Cloud is equipped, if a triggered ability of Cloud or an Equipment attached to it triggers, that ability triggers an additional time. decks to gain any headway early on. Plus, Iona, Ugin, and Nicol-Bolas, Dragon-God Nicol-Bolas, Dragon-God Nicol Bolas has all loyalty abilities of all other planeswalkers on the battlefield.
+1: You draw a card. Each opponent exiles a card from their hand or a permanent they control.
−3: Destroy target creature or planeswalker.
−8: Each opponent who doesn't control a legendary creature or planeswalker loses the game. are all nearly impossible for fair decks to grind through once in play.

Where this deck can run into issues, though, is against dedicated combo shells, such as Raph & Mikey, Troublemakers Raph & Mikey, Troublemakers Trample, haste
Whenever Raph & Mikey attack, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card. Put that card onto the battlefield tapped and attacking and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. . Not only can this deck build up a mana advantage that overwhelms No More Lies No More Lies Counter target spell unless its controller pays {3}. If that spell is countered this way, exile it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard. and other situational counterspells, but it also has access to protective tools like Defense Grid Defense Grid Each spell costs {3} more to cast except during its controller's turn. .

As such, in these matchups, having access to Rituals and Prismari to present a faster clock is a huge luxury. Naturally, though, loading up on mana accelerants over extra disruption does come at a cost, as it leaves you more vulnerable to popular hate cards like Containment Priest out of White Weenie.

With these strengths and weaknesses in mind, it’s tough to tell exactly what Jace build is the best. There’s still tons of room for exploration with Jace at the helm, too, so we could see other finishers emerge as the metagame fluctuates.

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