Spoiler season has officially concluded for Lorwyn Eclipsed, and it’s safe to say that this set has plenty to look forward to. For fans of various Constructed formats, Lorwyn Eclipsed features a healthy mix of new designs and potent reprints that are sure to be impactful. As you might expect from a set with tons of dedicated typal support and unique value-oriented mechanics, however, many new cards seem best suited for EDH play.
This is especially true for many of the set’s Commanders, which offer some seriously synergistic and interesting abilities. So, if you’re looking to build a powerful new EDH deck in the coming weeks, here are the best MTG Commanders from Lorwyn Eclipsed.
5 | Doran, Besieged by Time
Toughness Matters has long been a popular theme in EDH, and Doran, Besieged by Time is a fantastic new addition to the archetype. Right off the bat, the discount it provides to your other cards with big butts makes it much easier to cast multiple creatures on the same turn. It also makes getting to powerhouses like The Walls of Ba Sing Se much more realistic.
Like most Commanders within this archetype, Doran heavily incentivizes you to play other cards that take advantage of high-toughness creatures. With Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper in the mix, for example, you’ll have no problem gaining tons of life. From there, cards like Slaughter the Strong allow you to keep a big board while your opponents are forced to sacrifice their high-powered threats. Casting this sorcery pre-combat gives you a better window to attack and maximize Doran’s triggered ability, too.
All it takes is connecting with a few beefy creatures for your opponents to be in a world of trouble, especially if you have an Assault Formation-style effect in play. The toughness bump Doran, Besieged by Time provides even gives you a better chance to meet the 40-toughness trigger from Betor, Kin to All. Even though Doran, Besieged by Time is a simple design, it’s extremely effective.
4 | Brigid, Clachan’s Heart
For fans of token-themed EDH decks, Brigid, Clachan’s Heart has an extremely high ceiling. Obviously, the front side of this legend isn’t all that impressive, but it does fuel the back side, which is where things get interesting.
If you’ve played with Gaea’s Cradle before, you know just how big a mana advantage Brigid, Doun’s Mind can provide. Any token makers like Deep Forest Hermit make Brigid more reliable as a mana engine, which in turn helps you cast more creatures to the board. The more mana you have, the easier it is to cast go-wide engines like Secure the Wastes for huge amounts. It doesn’t take much before you can set up a lethal Finale of Devastation or other Overrun-style effect.
Notably, while she doesn’t have any Typal abilities, Brigid is a welcome new option for Kithkin Typal decks. This should make her even more appealing in the long run, and realistically, it’s not even a meme of a strategy. Thanks to cards like Cloudgoat Ranger and the new Clachan Festival, getting tons of thematic tokens is a breeze.
3 | Kirol, Attentive First Year
With Kirol, Attentive First-Year in the command zone, you have access to an elite value engine that takes little work to maximize. Any creatures with strong enters effects, including Sun Titan and Solitude, are trivial to abuse. You can even use Kirol’s creature-tapping ability as an upside in conjunction with cards like Magda, Brazen Outlaw and Throne of the God-Pharoah.
What really sets Kirol apart, however, is the fact that you can copy any triggered abilities, not just enters effects. Being able to double up on attack triggers from Etali, Primal Storm or Aurelia, the Law Above, for example, should easily cement your advantage on resources.
While you’re restricted to activating Kirol’s ability only once each turn, you do have the luxury of copying triggers that occur during your opponents’ turns. As such, any cards, like Trouble in Pairs and Esper Sentinel, are easily abusable.
2 | High Perfect Morcant
Before Lorwyn Eclipsed, Lathril, Blade of the Elves was pretty clearly the strongest Golgari Elves Commander, but the arrival of High Perfect Morcant may change that narrative. This legend still incentivizes you to flood the board with Elves, but throwing interaction in the mix makes your strategy less of a glass cannon.
If you can ever combine High Perfect Morcant with Flourishing Defenses, you can kill all opposing creatures on sight. Until this combo is broken up, any Elf you play will recreate the loop that kills all opposing creatures and generates a bunch of tokens in the process. Given how easy it is to assemble this two-card synergy, High Perfect Morcant is well-deserving of recognition.
1 | Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn
Despite being one of the first Commanders revealed, Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn remains the top option in the set. The front side is nothing special, but the sheer value the back side of the Elemental God provides is hard to compete with.
Plus, Isilu, Carrier of Twilight is the ultimate combo card. Playing any Undying creatures like Sightless Ghoul alongside Isilu and a sacrifice outlet lets you get infinite death triggers from Blood Artist effects. Similarly, landing Cathar’s Crusade and a free sacrifice outlet lets you recur any other creatures as many times as you wish. The world is truly your oyster with this Commander at the helm, so it should come as no surprise that it earns the title of best MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed Commander.
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