As Commander deck archetypes go, few are more popular or consistent than Aristocrats. These lists, which are essentially death-driven attrition engines, have been beloved for years now. As a result, many of the best cards for the archetype are well-known and sadly quite pricey.
That said, there are always hidden gems in Magic for those willing to look. Be they recently released and immediately forgotten cards, or decades-old gems that are just waiting to be rediscovered, there’s a surprising array of options. Thanks to their relative obscurity, many of these underplayed Aristocrats MTG cards can often be picked up at budget prices, too.
Case Of The Uneaten Feast
Right out of the box, Case of the Uneaten Feast is a fantastic support piece for Aristocrats. It’s a Soul Warden effect in a much more resilient enchantment form, which blends perfectly with the constant stream of tokens the archetype pumps out. By itself, this can pad your life total against Aggro, or combine with cards like Enduring Tenacity to add to your gradual burn.
On top of this, once you solve the Case, it becomes a free, creature-specific Yawgmoth’s Will. This lets you replay all of your fodder creatures, as well as your key pieces like Blood Artist. Considering Aristocrats tends to aim for long, grindy games, this ability suits that game plan perfectly. At only $0.24 a copy right now, Case of the Uneaten Feast is worthy of a spot in far more lists than it currently occupies.
Battle Of Hoover Dam
Reviving the Tarkir Siege concept with a fresh Fallout finish, Battle of Hoover Dam is one of the most underplayed MTG cards in Aristocrats brews. Both modes here are incredibly valuable to the archetype, and the flexibility to choose between them is valuable in itself.
On the NCR side, you get an easy way to recycle your crucial Aristocrats engine pieces. Pretty much every popular creature in the archetype costs three or less mana, so that restriction is largely irrelevant. The added finality counter can be a bit of an issue in really long games, but there are ways around it. With a Conjurer’s Closet in play, for example, you can blink the counter right off every time.
With how often creatures die in Aristocrats, the Legion side here is an easy way to stack a ton of counters on your Commander. While both of these modes are effective, the only downside is that you have to pick one and stick with it when it enters. Despite this marginal downside, Battle of Hoover Dam is a fantastic Aristocrats card, and it’s an easy add at just $0.14 right now.
Mind Slash
Sacrifice outlets are an integral piece of the Aristocrats puzzle, and Mind Slash is one of the most overlooked cards in this category. In an archetype with tons of disposable fodder, the ability to strip cards from your opponents’ hands in exchange for creatures is massive.
At the very least, each use will give you full hand knowledge, which helps you play around outs and counters. You can even use it to get rid of your opponents’ lands since, unlike most targeted discard effects, this one doesn’t have any restrictions holding it back.
While the sorcery speed restriction does stop you from locking opponents out entirely, Mind Slash is more than capable of denying them interaction on your turn. This lets you clear the way for combos, which are often the way Aristocrats decks win the game.
Last Laugh
Like beloved Pauper classic Pestilence, Last Laugh is a board wipe enchantment that sticks around as long as there are creatures in play. Unlike Pestilence, Last Laugh doesn’t require any extra mana to clear the board, relying instead on permanent death triggers.
In Aristocrats, it’s laughably easy to set this card off with a single sacrifice. It is worth noting, however, that Last Laugh triggers when any permanent goes to the graveyard. This means Fetchlands and Treasures, friendly or opposing, will do the trick as well.
From there, Last Laugh will often set off a chain reaction that clears the entire board. While this includes your own creatures, as an Aristocrats player, you stand to benefit much more than your opponents in this scenario.
In addition, you can also leverage Last Laugh to close out games where you’re ahead on life. Despite being a board wipe and a potential win condition in one, Last Laugh remains one of the most underplayed Aristocrats cards in MTG Commander.
Caller Of The Claw
While they’re better at handling them than most archetypes, Aristocrats decks still don’t have a great time against board wipes. Caller of the Claw offers a neat solution to this problem, providing a cheap way to rebuild your army post-clear.
Flashing in Caller after a Blasphemous Act or Toxic Deluge is a pretty powerful swing play, putting you right back in control. You can also use the card proactively, however, and drop it after you sacrifice a bunch of creatures on your own turn. Either way, it’s a very efficient and surprisingly agile token generator.
If you want to get fancier than simple token generation, there are combo lines available with Caller of the Claw, too. With Ashnod’s Altar and Nim Deathmantle, you can loop Caller in and out of the graveyard to generate infinite 2/2s and infinite mana. Since these cards are common inclusions in Aristocrats lists already, it’s easy to slot Caller in to complete this combo.
Whether you want to grind out value or end the game on the spot, Caller of the Claw is a fine addition to your Aristocrats decks. While it’s relatively pricey at $2.50, this is a potent, underplayed gem that few opponents will see coming.
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