They say knowledge is power, but learning can be tricky. Thankfully, in Magic: The Gathering, knowledge is fairly easy to come by in the form of Clues.
In fact, all you need to do is a little investigation, then pay the low, low fee of two mana and suddenly you’ve gained more knowledge, which means more power. Anyway, enough of this tortured intro, let’s talk about clues and if they’re any good in Commander.
Best clue producers
Clues are a token produced by the investigate mechanic, and they were introduced back in Shadows over Innistrad. They’re a lot of fun to use, and the ability to crack them for not just cards, but potentially other bonuses too, is one that can’t be underestimated. You only have to look at the likes of Tireless Provisioner to see why it’s such a good mechanic, and that’s true in Commander too.
We’ve seen the mechanic bolstered in recent months, and it means we’ve got a lot of powerful clue producers now. Disorder in the Court, for example, can be used to blink a bunch of creatures and also make that many clues, which is obnoxious. Eloise, Nephalia Sleuth is a creature that creates a clue whenever another creature you control dies, and they allow you to surveil whenever you sacrifice a token too, which is very potent.
Lonis, Cryptozoologist is also a very powerful producer of clues, with them making a clue every time another nontoken creature enters the battlefield, and they can even use those clues to steal a card from an opponent’s library too. Finally, you’ve got Thorough Investigation, a three-mana enchantment that creates a clue whenever you attack, and also allows you to venture into the dungeon whenever you sacrifice a clue.Read More: When Can We See The Eldrazi Again?
Best clue payoffs
Now for what to do with those clues. Honestly, one of the best in this bracket comes in the form of Tamiyo’s Journal. This five-mana artifact creates clues in your upkeep, which is nice, but it also allows you to tap it and sacrifice three clues to tutor up a card from your library.
We’ve already mentioned both Thorough Investigation and Tireless Tracker, both of which are big wins when you’re sacrificing clues that they’re making anyway too. Then you’ve got Graf Mole for life, Fleeting Memories for mill, and Briarbridge Patrol, which allows you to put creatures in for three if you’ve sacrificed three clues in one turn.
Finally, we’re a big fan of Confront the Unknown too, which gives a creature +1/+1 for each clue you control until the end of the turn. having an on-theme pump spell is a huge boon. So, that’s clues in Commander. We’re confident in saying they’re pretty strong, and when you throw in cards like Academy Manufactor, Fae Offering, and Glimmer Bairn, you’ve got a mechanic that’ll crush anyone who underestimates it.
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