Spicy Reality Fracture Elder Sphinx Is A Value And Combo Engine

After months of hype, today’s Reality Fracture Debut finally gave us a proper look at the biggest in-universe MTG set of the year. Though Jace is the star of the show, showing up on more cards than most expected, his supporting cast is accomplished in its own right. Uldaros Theorix, for example, one of the set’s legendary Elder Sphinxes, looks like an incredible MTG Commander for players of all stripes.

Uldaros Theorix MTG

While it’s a little steep to cast at six mana, Uldaros Theorix offers one of the most flexible reanimation effects MTG has ever seen. Even in a fair deck, getting to recur value creatures like Psychic Frog Psychic Frog Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player or planeswalker, draw a card.
Discard a card: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
Exile three cards from your graveyard: This creature gains flying until end of turn. or Orcish Bowmasters Orcish Bowmasters Flash
When this creature enters and whenever an opponent draws a card except the first one they draw in each of their draw steps, this creature deals 1 damage to any target. Then amass Orcs 1. can be game-changing. With how cheap many Commander staples are these days, the six mana limit shouldn’t be an issue here, either.

What’s particularly notable about Uldaros’s ability is that it can hit any nonland card, which opens up all sorts of avenues. You can grab zero-cost artifacts like Mishra’s Bauble Mishra’s Bauble {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Look at the top card of target player's library. Draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep. for free, for example, or even recycle engine pieces like Rhystic Study Rhystic Study Whenever an opponent casts a spell, you may draw a card unless that player pays {1}. . You can also leverage the “each card type” clause here to reanimate multiple creatures by including artifact creatures like Baleful Strix Baleful Strix Flying, deathtouch
When this creature enters, draw a card. and enchantment creatures like Enduring Curiosity Enduring Curiosity Flash
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, draw a card.
When Enduring Curiosity dies, if it was a creature, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control. It's an enchantment. (It's not a creature.) .

To get the most out of Uldaros Theorix, you’ll want to run plenty of ways to fill your graveyard with prospective targets. Grindy self-mill is a great place to start here, with Millikin Millikin {T}, Mill a card: Add {C}. (Activate only as an instant. To mill a card, put the top card of your library into your graveyard.) and Deranged Assistant Deranged Assistant {T}, Mill a card: Add {C}. (Activate only as an instant. To mill a card, put the top card of your library into your graveyard.) being especially good since they provide ramp. Bigger options, like Riverchurn Monument Riverchurn Monument {1}, {T}: Any number of target players each mill two cards. (Each of them puts the top two cards of their library into their graveyard.)
Exhaust — {2}{U}{U}, {T}: Any number of target players each mill cards equal to the number of cards in their graveyard. (Activate each exhaust ability only once.) and Singularity Rupture Singularity Rupture Destroy all creatures, then any number of target players each mill half their library, rounded down. , can effectively set you up in a single play.

As a supplement to the self-mill package, discard outlets, like Ghostly Pilferer Ghostly Pilferer Whenever this creature becomes untapped, you may pay {2}. If you do, draw a card.
Whenever an opponent casts a spell from anywhere other than their hand, draw a card.
Discard a card: This creature can't be blocked this turn. and Skirge Familiar Skirge Familiar Flying
Discard a card: Add {B}. , make a ton of sense here, too. Cards like these let you pitch key pieces you draw, letting you cheat them out with Uldaros later. Running cards like these also lets you branch into synergy pieces like Monument to Endurance Monument to Endurance Whenever you discard a card, choose one that hasn't been chosen this turn —
• Draw a card.
• Create a Treasure token.
• Each opponent loses 3 life. and Bone Miser Bone Miser Whenever you discard a creature card, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.
Whenever you discard a land card, add {B}{B}.
Whenever you discard a noncreature, nonland card, draw a card. , lending the deck some extra momentum.

Though Uldaros’s ability is powerful, you’ll only get to use it once or twice a game without extra support. To remedy this, including a self-bounce package, with cards like Cavern Harpy Cavern Harpy Flying
When this creature enters, return a blue or black creature you control to its owner's hand.
Pay 1 life: Return this creature to its owner's hand. and Crystal Shard Crystal Shard {3}, {T} or {U}, {T}: Return target creature to its owner's hand unless its controller pays {1}. , will let you re-cast Uldaros for extra value. You can also use cast-from-graveyard effects, like Tarrian’s Journal Tarrian’s Journal {T}, Sacrifice another artifact or creature: Draw a card. Activate only as a sorcery.
{2}, {T}, Discard your hand: Transform Tarrian's Journal. and Ninja Teen Ninja Teen (Gain the next level as a sorcery to add its ability.)
Whenever a creature you control leaves the battlefield, each opponent loses 1 life.
{1}{B}: Level 2
Creatures you control get +1/+0 and have menace.
{B}: Level 3
Creature cards in your graveyard have sneak {3}{B}.
You may cast creature spells from your graveyard using their sneak abilities. , to re-use Uldaros if it gets removed.

Alternatively, you can get extra triggers out of Uldaros by copying it with Clone Clone You may have this creature enter as a copy of any creature on the battlefield. effects. Cards like Spark Double Spark Double You may have this creature enter as a copy of a creature or planeswalker you control, except it enters with an additional +1/+1 counter on it if it's a creature, it enters with an additional loyalty counter on it if it's a planeswalker, and it isn't legendary. and Sakashima of a Thousand Faces Sakashima of a Thousand Faces You may have Sakashima enter as a copy of another creature you control, except it has Sakashima's other abilities.
The "legend rule" doesn't apply to permanents you control.
Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.) can enter as Uldaros, netting you the trigger so long as you cast them. You can also get even more value by bringing in trigger doubling effects, like Starfield Vocalist Starfield Vocalist If a permanent entering the battlefield causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.
Warp {1}{U} (You may cast this card from your hand for its warp cost. Exile this creature at the beginning of the next end step, then you may cast it from exile on a later turn.) and Panharmonicon Panharmonicon If an artifact or creature entering causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time. .

Dig For Victory

Uldaros Theorix is a very solid Commander for any kind of Dimir deck when played fairly, but it’s also notable for being able to pull combo wins right out of your graveyard. Its enters ability can grab both Thassa’s Oracle Thassa’s Oracle When this creature enters, look at the top X cards of your library, where X is your devotion to blue. Put up to one of them on top of your library and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. If X is greater than or equal to the number of cards in your library, you win the game. (Each {U} in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to blue.) and Demonic Consultation Demonic Consultation Choose a card name. Exile the top six cards of your library, then reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a card with the chosen name. Put that card into your hand and exile all other cards revealed this way. , for example, to win on the spot. You can also reanimate Duskmantle Guildmage Duskmantle Guildmage {1}{U}{B}: Whenever a card is put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere this turn, that player loses 1 life.
{2}{U}{B}: Target player mills two cards. and Mindcrank Mindcrank Whenever an opponent loses life, that player mills that many cards. (Damage causes loss of life.) to mill your opponents out instead.

With a little setup, Uldaros’s combo capacity stretches even further. If you already have a Gravecrawler in play or in your ‘yard, reanimating Warren Soultrader Warren Soultrader Pay 1 life, Sacrifice another creature: Create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.") and Bastion of Remembrance Bastion of Remembrance When this enchantment enters, create a 1/1 white Human Soldier creature token.
Whenever a creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. will let you pull off a sacrifice loop to win. Alternatively, if you have an extra turn spell like Time Warp Time Warp Target player takes an extra turn after this one. in your graveyard, you can grab Emet-Selch, Unsundered Emet-Selch, Unsundered Vigilance
Whenever Emet-Selch enters or attacks, draw a card, then discard a card.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if there are fourteen or more cards in your graveyard, you may transform Emet-Selch. and Essence Flux Essence Flux Exile target creature you control, then return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control. If it's a Spirit, put a +1/+1 counter on it. for infinite turns.

These combos are all solid additions to most Dimir decks as-is, and Uldaros gives you a second shot at them if pieces get countered. Since you’ll be milling a lot of cards anyway, there’s a good chance you’ll end up with pieces at your disposal naturally, giving Uldaros serious inevitability. Additionally, you can use graveyard tutor effects like Intuition Intuition Search your library for three cards and reveal them. Target opponent chooses one. Put that card into your hand and the rest into your graveyard. Then shuffle. and Gifts Ungiven Gifts Ungiven Search your library for up to four cards with different names and reveal them. Target opponent chooses two of those cards. Put the chosen cards into your graveyard and the rest into your hand. Then shuffle. to assemble the exact pieces you need, essentially creating two-card combos with your Commander.

While it’s early days, I’d be very surprised if Uldaros Theorix isn’t one of the best new Commanders from MTG Reality Fracture when all’s said and done. If the rest of the set is this good, then we’re in for a treat this preview season.

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