Over the weekend, the first of four Duskmourn Commander decks were revealed. For fans of Morph and Manifest strategies, the Jump Scare Precon should be incredibly appealing. As for the other three decks, they are scheduled to each be revealed later this week.
To get players hyped for these previews, MTG Designer Gavin Verhey released a group of 13 teasers related to the new cards. With this in mind, it’s fun to try and speculate how some of these hints end up being portrayed on these new cards. There are a few really interesting ideas here, so let’s dig deeper and make some bold predictions.
Two Alpha Enchantments Combined
Kicking things off, we’re actually going to be talking about the final hint that Gavin Verhey laid out for us, as we think it’s a really sweet concept. Hint #13 states that one of these Commander decks features “a card that combines two Alpha enchantments together!” Being MTG’s first set ever, there are a decent number of enchantments whose designs won’t realistically be replicated. However, a couple Alpha cards stand out as possible options.
The first card that comes to mind is Manabarbs. Manabarbs has been reprinted multiple times in the modern era, and seeing its effects on a new card would not be crazy. It also feels like a perfect fit in the Precon built around Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls as a reliable way to make your opponents lose life during their turns.
This seems like a slam dunk inclusion. The question is, what enchantment might it be paired with? Instinctually, my mind went to Mana Flare. A symmetrical mana doubler that simultaneously punishes players for tapping lands seems rather thematic. As Reddit user Kyleometers points out, though, this effect essentially already exists with the card Overabundance.
It’s still possible that this same structure is color shifted and given a new mana cost. Perhaps Manabarbs will be paired with a different enchantment. Of note, there are other enchantments from Alpha that make it trivial to enable Valgavoth, such as Pestilence and even Cursed Land.
Of course, we could be completely off base. Nonetheless, the fact that Pestilence and Manabarbs work so well in conjunction with one of the primary Duskmourn Commanders makes us believe that at least one of their effects will appear on a new card.
Read More: New Duskmourn Saga Lets You Copy Tamiyos From Your Graveyard
Keyword for Enchantments
Going back to the first hint, we also know that there is going to be a legend featured that grants a certain keyword to all of your enchantments. Obviously, this would make the most sense to appear alongside Aminatou, Veil Piercer.
There are a number of different abilities that would be reasonable to give your enchantments. The most likely seems to be a keyword that protects your enchantments from disruption. We’ve seen cards in the past, such as Fountain Watch, give Shroud to your enchantments. Seeing a more modernized variant the gives your enchantments Ward or Hexproof could be nice, especially on a legend that could be a Commander itself.
It would also be pretty cool to see a legendary creature that gives each of your enchantments exalted make an appearance. An evasive creature that can threaten to deal a bunch of Commander damage at once if you control enough enchantments definitely seems plausible.
There’s always a small chance the new legend appears in a different Commander deck, too. Some players have suggested that a legend that gives your enchantments Lifelink could be a neat inclusion in the Valgavoth deck. If there’s a heavy enchantment theme with cards like Roiling Vortex in the mix, this idea may not be too far-fetched.
Read More: Incredible Duskmourn Uncommons Are Magic’s Latest Signal of Power Creep
A New Room Borrows Previous Designs
Speaking of damage-dealing enchantments, there’s another hint that could lend itself to a new take on Spiteful Visions being in the making. In this case, hint #11 states that there will be a Room that utilizes a similar effect showcased on a popular hybrid enchantment. Spiteful Visions does fit the bill, and its ability to damage each opponent during their turn is useful in triggering Valgavoth.
The downside to Spiteful Visions specifically in a Valgavoth shell is that Valgavoth draws you extra cards, while Spiteful Visions punishes you for doing so. As such, some players have mentioned that a new take on Spiteful Visions that only damages opponents would make more sense.
Otherwise, another feasible option is for a Room to have a similar effect to Privileged Position. Protecting your other enchantments from removal in your Aminatou deck is likely a top priority, so maybe this new Room helps accomplish this task.
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All Creatures Get -X/-X…
The last hint we’re going to analyze is one that states that a new card is coming with the text “All creatures get -X/-X until end of turn, where X is…” What we need to try to figure out is what X is measuring in this case.
Giving all creatures -X/-X is typically an effect we see in black. A sorcery that kills creatures based on the number of enchantments you have would almost certainly be a strong inclusion in the Aminatou deck. With regards to the Valgavoth Precon, a sorcery that gives each creature -X/-X, where X is the number of cards in your hand sounds awesome. Plus, Valgavoth can easily grow large enough to live through this style of board wipe, giving it additional potential upside.
There are clearly a ton of different routes Wizards of the Coast can go with these new cards. We look forward to seeing how our predictions hold up. For now, make sure to be on the lookout for Commander deck previews in the coming days. Duskmourn should be a very unique set, and the Commander decks are no exception.
If you want to check out the additional Commander teasers from Gavin Verhey, you can do so here.
Read More: New Duskmourn Room Is A Much Better Phyrexian Arena
