Nowadays, the vast majority of legendary creatures that get released are designed around Commander. Given it’s the game’s most popular format on paper, and has long been leading development, this is hardly a surprise. We’ve even been getting legends at common recently, thanks to the explosive rise of Universes Beyond.
Winding the clocks back a couple of decades, however, and Magic: The Gathering was a different beast. Back then, it wasn’t uncommon for legends to come equipped with some pretty damning downsides to curb their power. At times, these hoops could be very difficult to jump through, but the upside is well worth it.
For the most part, thanks to new support, unlocking the power of old cards and legends has gotten easier over time. This isn’t exactly true for Phage the Untouchable, however, who is nigh unplayable in Commander. If you can solve the puzzle of actually getting her on the board, however, then Phage can be a real monster.
MTG Phage the Untouchable
First released in Legions, way back in 2003, Phage the Untouchable has one big problem in Commander. If you play her from the command zone, you lose the game instantly. Obviously, you’ll need to get Phage into your hand first to stop this, which, thankfully, isn’t too difficult.
For starters, over the years, Wizards have printed a few cards that get your Commander into your hand relatively easily. Commander Beacon and Campfire can both do this once, while Netherborn Alter can free Phage repeatedly. Thankfully, even if you use all of these or opponents remove them, there are other options.
Having a Platinum Angel in play, for instance, prevents Phage’s entry trigger from killing you. Alternatively, Torpor Orb can stop this effect entirely, while also disrupting your opponents as an added bonus. You can even use Sundial of the Infinite to end the turn outright, skipping Phage’s instant loss trigger.
No matter which route you go down, unfortunately, Phage the Untouchable isn’t a cheap MTG card. Being mono-black limits your access to many classic ramp spells, but black does have some unique options. Dark Ritual and Jet Medallion are easy includes, and cards like Crypt Ghast and Magus of the Coffers can help a ton, too.
Admittedly, this is a lot of work to put in just to get Phage the Untouchable into play. While hinging a good chunk of your deck on your Commander is always a risky strategy, Phage does make it worth it. After all, once she’s finally on the board, she can start mopping up opponents with startling ease.
Insane Instant Wins
Unfortunately, while getting Phage the Untouchable on the board is the difficult bit, the game isn’t automatically over once she’s in play. Because Phage threatens instant wins, your opponents will quickly look to remove or just block her. Due to this, you’ll immediately want to load up Phage with protection and evasion.
Thankfully, between the Commander staples of Lightning Graves and Swiftfoot Boots, protecting Phage is definitely possible. There’s a good deal of redundancy here, too, thanks to cards like Whispersilk Cloak and Commander’s Plate. Ideally, Silver Shroud Costume can serve as both a protective piece and a counterspell, while also setting up a win.
While Silver Shroud Costume can pull double duty, there are plenty of other ways to grant Phage the Untouchable evasion. Brotherhood Regalia, Rogue’s Passage, and even cards like Trailblazer’s Boots can all get Phage through. While this should be enough to easily knock out one opponent, Phage can kill everyone with a bit of extra support.
If you play and flip Zenos yae Galvus beforehand, for instance, knocking one player out can end the game instantly. Alternatively, Helm of the Host and a Mirror Box can send Phage at everyone. So long as your opponents don’t have any black creatures, this can be combined with Dread Charge for an instant win.
If you’d prefer just to make one opponent lose instantly, there’s even an instant loss combo with Phage. With Endless Whispers in play, all you need to do is kill Phage, then pick an opponent who gets to reanimate her. Since that opponent didn’t cast Phage, they’ll lose the game instantly, after which you can return her to the command zone.
A Puzzle Worth Solving
All in all, Phage the Untouchable makes for a pretty weird MTG Commander deck, but she’s still very powerful. While you can play plenty of mono-black staples and value engines around her, a lot of the deck revolves around the Commander. This makes Phage decks rather unique in the grand scheme of MTG, but that’s definitely no bad thing.
Unfortunately, while Phage the Untouchable doesn’t get a lot of love in Commander, she is a fairly expensive MTG card. Despite having three different printings and a Secret Lair variant, copies of Phage tend to sell for around $10. If you’re after that Secret Lair version, however, be prepared to spend upwards of $45 to even $50!
As an upside, even when she’s pretty telegraphed, a lot of players won’t know how to deal with this deck. According to EDHREC, Phage hardly sees any play in the format, helming just under 2,900 lists. While she’s understandably more popular in the 99, even then, she’s only a part of around 13,000 decks. Thanks to this, you might just be able to catch your opponents by surprise, even with Phage as your Commander.
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