Now that we’ve had a few days to mull over the full set, it’s just a few days more until preview events for Innistrad Remastered begin. This means that players will start cracking packs soon. It also means we’ll see the impact of the many, many reprints it contains before long. While the reprints in Innistrad Remastered will impact multiple formats, it’s easy to see that Commander will benefit the most.
This set is absolutely chock-full of Commander staples, many of which have been long overdue a reprint. This means we’re going to see some serious price drops in the coming weeks, and some prime opportunities to bulk up our Commander collections. There are more great pickups here than you can shake a Kessig stick at, but the following five should give you the most bang for your buck.
Honorable Mention | The Slow Lands
Before we get into the list proper, we’d be remiss not to mention the Slow Lands. This dual land cycle, originally printed in Midnight Hunt and Crimson Vow, is excellent in Commander. Games typically go long enough that the ‘two or more lands’ condition is trivial, and the fixing is hugely appreciated for most decks.
The main issue with these lands up until this point has been their price tag. Since the Crimson Vow Slow Lands have only been printed once each, they’re surprisingly pricey. Deathcap Glade, for example, goes for around $10 on the low end. With these fresh Innistrad Remastered reprints, they should be affordable even for budget Commander players.
While it’s tempting to prioritize splashy bombs as a new Commander player, a good manabase is the best investment you can make starting out. Pick up a solid suite of duals and you’ll have the foundations for any deck you want to build. The Slow Lands aren’t in the same league as Shocks, Fetches, and Battlebond lands. That said, they’re still more than worth grabbing. Especially when their prices come down in the near future.
5 | Blood Artist
- Mana Value: 1B
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Type: Creature – Vampire
- Stats: 0/1
- Card Text: Whenever Blood Artist or another creature dies, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
There’s a reason players still refer to Aristocrats enablers as ‘Blood Artists’ to this day. The original payoff for mass sacrifice is still one of the very best around, and still sees play in a huge number of Commander decks. Sidegrades like Zulaport Cutthroat and Vengeful Bloodwitch have come and gone, but it’s rare to see Blood Artist get sidelined in favor of any of them.
The reason behind this? A subtle detail of Blood Artist’s ability wording. Unlike pretty much every version of this effect printed since, Blood Artist drains life whenever any creature dies, not just one you control. This opens things up a lot, especially in Commander where there are four players’ worth of creatures that can fuel it.
As a result the card is still heavily played in Commander, both as a value piece and a combo enabler. The fact that it still sells for around $2.50 despite many reprints is testament to that. Innistrad Remastered should hopefully move the needle a bit in that regard, since it features three separate versions of the card. Even if you have to pay $2 for it, however, Blood Artist is still a stellar addition to your Commander collection.
4 | Mass Hysteria
- Mana Value: R
- Rarity: Rare
- Type: Enchantment
- Card Text: All creatures have Haste.
As the first non-Innistrad card revealed for the set, Mass Hysteria made a strong impression right out of the gate. Once the dust, and the hype, cleared, players were left with a fantastic reprint for the Commander format. Mass Hysteria is essentially a color-shifted Concordant Crossroads, a card which still sells for around $20 to this day. Granted the effect is more useful in green than in red, but it still has a ton of potential.
Flexibility is the name of the game here. You can use Mass Hysteria as a kind of combo piece, dropping it on the same turn you make a horde of creatures then swinging in. You can pair it with the likes of Enduring Vitality for speedy mana generation. Or you can just drop it early and enjoy the chaos it brings to the table, the choice is yours.
For just one mana, you’re getting a great deal here however you use it. Mass Hysteria is also a great deal dollar-wise, too. Copies currently sell for around $5, but the card also hasn’t had a proper reprint until now. This means you can expect a big drop once Innistrad Remastered hits, making it easy to add this malevolent multitool to your Commander collection.
3 | Metallic Mimic
- Mana Value: 2
- Rarity: Rare
- Type: Artifact Creature – Shapeshifter
- Stats: 2/1
- Card Text: As Metallic Mimic enters, choose a creature type. Metallic Mimic is the chosen type in addition to its other types. Each other creature you control of the chosen type enters with an additional +1/+1 counter on it.
Of all the entries on this list, Metallic Mimic is probably the least surprising. Anyone who’s played a reasonable number of Commander games knows how popular Typal strategies are in the format. Mimic is a colorless creature that slots into each and every one of these decks, making it a stellar addition to your arsenal.
The effect here may seem minor, but it’s actually anything but. Adding a +1/+1 counter to appropriately-typed creatures on entry makes it a kind of reverse-lord effect. You don’t benefit your creatures already in play, but rather your future ones. In many situations it’s actually better than a traditional lord, since the counters remain even if Mimic is removed.
Mimic is great in established Typal decks like Goblins or Merfolk, but it really shines with more obscure types. You’ll struggle to find enough Spiders to fill your 99, for example, but Mimic can come in to make up the numbers. A total lack of color restriction helps massively here too. Past printings of the card go for around $5-6, but the Innistrad Remastered version is already pre-selling for around $3.50. This means the card will likely be a budget pickup before long. Grab a cheap copy of this if you can; it’s the kind of card you’ll always be happy to have access to.
2 | Second Harvest
- Mana Value: 2GG
- Rarity: Rare
- Type: Instant
- Card Text: For each token you control, create a token that’s a copy of that permanent.
If there’s one classic Innistrad card that has aged like a fine wine in Commander, it’s Second Harvest. Back when it was originally released, it was a clunky way to double your small tokens in play. Great for go-wide decks, but no real use elsewhere. In 2025, it’s a very different story.
The role of tokens in Magic has expanded massively over the years, with Food, Treasure, and Clues showing up in pretty much every set in some capacity. In addition, traditional creature-based token generators have gotten a lot better as well. Put that all together, and suddenly Second Harvest looks a lot more attractive. With Treasures involved, it’s possible for the card to pay for itself on resolution, while simultaneously exploding your boardstate into an unstoppable juggernaut.
For Commanders like Baylen, the Haymaker, this card is an absolute auto-include. Even more generic decks can likely find a home for it, however, provided they run a few token generators. Thanks to its sparse prior printings, this was a $6-9 card before Innistrad Remastered. Now, the new version is pre-selling for just over $4. This is a fantastic price that’s only going to get lower post-release, making Second Harvest a top-tier Commander pickup from the set.
1 | Vanquish The Horde
- Mana Value: 6WW
- Rarity: Rare
- Type: Sorcery
- Card Text: This spell costs 1 less to cast for each creature on the battlefield. Destroy all creatures.
There were a lot of strong contenders for the number one spot on this list, but in the end we went for a Commander classic. Board wipes are incredibly important in the format, since it’s easy to get overwhelmed by multiple players at once. Pretty much every deck needs some, which makes a good board wipe a high-value hit in any set. In my opinion, Vanquish the Horde is one of the most underplayed, underrated board wipes in MTG history.
The reasoning behind this phenomenon is a total mystery to me. Everyone loves Blasphemous Act, and Blasphemous Edict has gotten nothing but glowing press since Foundations. For some reason the white version of this effect just doesn’t get the same love. It’s true that white has many more options than red or black in terms of board wipes, but that doesn’t stop Vanquish being a banger. In most scenarios, this will be two white mana to destroy all creatures. That’s a great deal even at high-power tables.
Unless you’re adamantly opposed to playing white in Commander, this is one of the very best cards in Innistrad Remastered you can purchase. It’s not too expensive, either. Past versions currently sell for $3-4, and the new one is already pre-selling for $2.50. Even at that price it’s a bargain, but I expect it to go even lower once more packs get cracked.
