It’s no secret that, over time, Magic: The Gathering cards have gotten more and more complex. Back in the day, we used to have tons of vanilla creatures, and even those were remarkably expensive, considering their stats.
Nowadays, these cards have been outclassed, and it’s rare to get a new one in a set. This made Blor the Impervious a real surprise in Mystery Booster: Commander Edition, as it has no abilities at all, beyond keywords, at least.
This might not seem like much, but these three words turn Blor into a real powerhouse in Commander.
MTG Blor the Impervious
While Blor the Impervious can be powerful, right off the bat, this card has a lot going against it. Not only does it lack a fancy unique ability, but being mono-green without a Rulebreaker ability limits its options massively.
While there are some seemingly crippling downsides, things turn around when you think of Blor as a Voltron Commander. Through this lens, Blor is effectively a huge half-built threat already that’s very difficult to get rid of.
Naturally, a threat like this only gets better when you pile on the buffs, and mono-green does have a fair few options here. Cards like
Blanchwood Armor
Blanchwood Armor
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each Forest you control.
and
Blackblade Reforged
Blackblade Reforged
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 for each land you control.
Equip legendary creature {3}
Equip {7}
both scale with your lands, which green easily ramps into.
In addition to these land-based cards,
Level Up
Level Up
Enchant creature
When this Aura enters, put a +1/+1 counter on enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature has "Whenever this creature attacks, double the number of +1/+1 counters on it. Then if it has power 10 or greater, draw a card."
scales quickly when playing Auras like
Strong Back
Strong Back
Enchant creature
Equip abilities you activate that target enchanted creature cost {3} less to activate.
Aura spells you cast that target enchanted creature cost {3} less to cast.
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 for each Aura and Equipment attached to it.
. Speaking of Auras, Umbra cards like
Bear Umbra
Bear Umbra
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has "Whenever this creature attacks, untap all lands you control."
Umbra armor (If enchanted creature would be destroyed, instead remove all damage from it and destroy this Aura.)
and
Lion Umbra
Lion Umbra
Enchant modified creature (Equipment, Auras its controller controls, and counters are modifications.)
Enchanted creature gets +3/+3 and has reach and vigilance.
Umbra armor (If enchanted creature would be destroyed, instead remove all damage from it and destroy this Aura.)
are fantastic here, providing buffs and protection.
Beyond just giving buffs, many Auras, like
Keen Sense
Keen Sense
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature deals damage to an opponent, you may draw a card.
and
Snake Umbra
Snake Umbra
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has "Whenever this creature deals damage to an opponent, you may draw a card."
Umbra armor (If enchanted creature would be destroyed, instead remove all damage from it and destroy this Aura.)
, can provide consistent card draw. Meanwhile,
Colossification
Colossification
Enchant creature
When this Aura enters, tap enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature gets +20/+20.
and
Eldrazi Conscription
Eldrazi Conscription
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +10/+10 and has trample and annihilator 2. (Whenever it attacks, defending player sacrifices two permanents of their choice.)
can deliver big buffs.
Alongside synergizing with Strong Back, each of these also enhances
Ancestral Mask
Ancestral Mask
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 for each other enchantment on the battlefield.
and
Enchantress’s Presence
Enchantress’s Presence
Whenever you cast an enchantment spell, draw a card.
. These cards are just the tip of the buff iceberg, though, as you can also incorporate +1/+1 Counter synergies.
Leaning on cards like
Bristly Bill, Spine Sower
Bristly Bill, Spine Sower
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
{3}{G}{G}: Double the number of +1/+1 counters on each creature you control.
,
Hardened Scales
Hardened Scales
If one or more +1/+1 counters would be put on a creature you control, that many plus one +1/+1 counters are put on it instead.
, and
Hydra’s Growth
Hydra’s Growth
Enchant creature
When this Aura enters, put a +1/+1 counter on enchanted creature.
At the beginning of your upkeep, double the number of +1/+1 counters on enchanted creature.
makes Blor even scarier. Naturally, these all work wonders with
Unnatural Growth
Unnatural Growth
At the beginning of each combat, double the power and toughness of each creature you control until end of turn.
, too, turning Blor into a game-ending threat.
Staying Alive
While it’s clear that Blor the Impervious can definitely pack a punch with the right support, it’s not completely invincible. Hexproof and Indestructible do a lot, don’t get me wrong, but you can still kill it.
Thankfully,
Tajuru Preserver
Tajuru Preserver
Spells and abilities your opponents control can't cause you to sacrifice permanents.
goes a long way to solve this problem, completely shutting down sacrifice-based removal.
Frenzied Baloth
Frenzied Baloth
This spell can't be countered.
Trample, haste
Creature spells you control can't be countered.
Combat damage can't be prevented.
, meanwhile, can ensure your Blor won’t be countered, while making sure damage counts.
Speaking of getting damage through, evasion like Rogue’s Passage and Indomitable Might is great for getting around blockers.
Silent Arbiter
Silent Arbiter
No more than one creature can attack each combat.
No more than one creature can block each combat.
is particularly powerful within this niche, too, making Blor the Impervious your all-or-nothing threat.
With this Voltron-coded tactic in mind, it’s little wonder the creature suite of Blor decks focuses on support, not damage. There are tons of mana dorks like
Fanatic of Rhonas
Fanatic of Rhonas
{T}: Add {G}.
Ferocious — {T}: Add {G}{G}{G}{G}. Activate only if you control a creature with power 4 or greater.
Eternalize {2}{G}{G} ({2}{G}{G}, Exile this card from your graveyard: Create a token that's a copy of it, except it's a 4/4 black Zombie Snake Druid with no mana cost. Eternalize only as a sorcery.)
alongside staples like
Eternal Witness
Eternal Witness
When this creature enters, you may return target card from your graveyard to your hand.
.
With all this support, realistically, the only trouble with Blor is that it’s a massive ticking clock. Once suited up, your opponents will be throwing everything they have at it, or trying to win around it.
Admittedly, solving this problem is rather difficult, since only
Super State
Super State
Enchant creature you control
Enchanted creature has base power and toughness 9/9 and has flying, first strike, trample, and haste.
Whenever enchanted creature deals combat damage to an opponent, it deals that much damage to each other opponent.
has the potential to kill everyone at once. Due to this, it’s not a bad idea to run
Ram Through
Ram Through
Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target creature you don't control. If the creature you control has trample, excess damage is dealt to that creature's controller instead.
as a way to effectively one-shot an opponent before attacking another.
Even without either of these cards, Blor the Impervious’ innate protection abilities should keep it fairly safe. This allows it to be a remarkably powerful Commander, despite its relative simplicity in this day and age.
A Fantastic Frog
Sadly, while Blor the Impervious is a very interesting and entertaining Commander to build around, it’s not cheap. Thanks to how little supply there is of Mystery Booster: Commander Edition, this card is currently selling for $33.
While Blor is very expensive right now, it shouldn’t stay that way forever. In 2027, future Festival in a Box releases should increase supply, bringing the price down dramatically.
While knowing this will happen before too long does make Blor a bit of a hard sell, it’s arguably still powerful at its current price point. If you don’t mind waiting, however, delaying for a few months should let you pick up Blor at a more reasonable cost.
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