Back in 2024, Wizards introduced a new event designed to celebrate Pride Month in style. This June EDH event takes the traditional rules of Commander and adds a little twist: each player can utilize two Commanders even if they don’t have Partner! If you’ve ever wanted to combine the powers of two thematic legends, this is your time to shine.
While Pride Month is still a ways away, Wizards has announced the return of Magic Presents: Pride for 2026. As is common with many fun events created by Wizards and run at local game stores, players can even get their hands on a sweet new promo.
MTG Gilded Lotus
Much like Chromatic Lantern, the Pride promo for last year, Gilded Lotus already been reprinted many times. According to Scryfall, this promo will be the 18th Gilded Lotus variant to be printed. Given Gilded Lotus’ popularity in Commander, however, this is to be expected.
While not every deck will want a mana rock that’s this mana-intensive to cast, beefy Commanders like The Ur-Dragon, Kozilek, the Great Distortion, and Zhudolok, Void Gorger are built to maximize Gilded Lotus. The fact that Gilded Lotus can tap for three mana right away also means you can double spell on the turn you jam this artifact. As such, even if Gilded Lotus gets blown up, it doesn’t feel like quite as much of a blowout.
Despite its various uses, though, the increased speed of Commander coupled with the competition for elite mana rocks has reduced Gilded Lotus’ utility overall. Once you factor in its many reprints, it’s no surprise that the card isn’t worth much money anymore. In fact, players can pick up foil copies from MTG Foundations for under $1. Nonetheless, for a free event that should attract many players, it’s still nice to feature a strong promo with gorgeous artwork.
Magic Presents: Pride 2026 participants will walk away with a promo copy of Gilded Lotus and an enamel pin featuring the same art while supplies last.
Magic Presents: Pride 2026 Dates
If you’re interested in giving Partner Commander a whirl, this event is scheduled to run at Local Game Stores from June 5th to 14th. While MTG Marvel Superheroes won’t have released by then, players will have access to the full array of MTG TMNT and Secrets of Strixhaven cards at that point.
Given that this Gilded Lotus promo will only be available while supplies last, it’s in your best interest to contact your Local Game Store for more information. You can learn more about Magic Presents: Pride here.
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