There are few experiences in Magic worse than having your beloved Commander removed. Even in decks that aren’t dependent on their Commander to function, losing access to your built-around legendary often hamstrings your game plan in one way or another. To that end, running a few cards that protect your Commander from such a fate is good general practice.
The classics of the protection genre are well-known, but there are some excellent underplayed Commander protection options in the depths of the MTG archives. No matter which colors you play, these cards can keep your favorite creature and your deck’s synergy intact.
White | Haystack
Assassin’s Creed, as a whole, went largely overlooked by the MTG community. Players were put off by the small set size, the modern IP, and especially its use of Beyond Boosters. This was a crying shame, however, as the set contains a number of excellent Commander cards, including the stellar Haystack.
Haystack is one of the few modern Magic cards to utilize the Phasing mechanic. This is the best form of protection available, as it lets the affected creature retain its counters, Auras, and Equipment, while still dodging all in-play effects as if it were in exile. This makes it particularly good alongside Voltron Commanders, like Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER.
Even in more general strategies, Haystack has plenty to offer. Being able to Phase out your Commander at instant speed is excellent, letting you respond to threats as and when they arise. It’s also incredibly flexible, letting you Phase out other creatures as well if need be. A lot of common Commander protection options only work with a single creature at a time, so Haystack has a unique edge in that regard.
Blue | Alexi’s Cloak
Turning back the clock to 2000, Alexi’s Cloak is a hugely underplayed MTG Commander protection option from Prophecy. The effect here is, ultimately, very simple. It’s a two-mana Aura that grants Shroud to the creature it’s attached to, and it can come down at instant speed thanks to Flash. Despite this simplicity, however, the card is very effective.
The biggest draw here is definitely the Flash keyword. Being able to slap on Alexi’s Cloak in response to a targeted removal spell lets the card serve as a fairly efficient counterspell as well as an ongoing protection piece.
Once it’s in play, the protection here is just as good as that on Lightning Greaves. This means you’ll be dodging not just removal spells, but also pesky targeted abilities as well. While it can result in you going down a card if you get caught in a board wipe, the ability to nab Shroud at instant speed is incredibly valuable nonetheless.
Black | Blessing of Leeches
Regenerate isn’t a keyword we see a lot of these days, but it’s actually one of the better protection abilities out there. When a creature Regenerates, it survives any kind of destruction effect, be it hard removal or damage. This means that Blessing of Leeches grants your Commander a ton of flexibility, letting it survive Damnations, Doom Blades, and difficult blocks alike.
Being able to Regenerate any time, at instant speed, for no mana, means your opponents will never be able to deal with the enchanted creature via traditional means. Blessing of Leeches essentially grants the target Indestructible, with the caveat that Regenerate taps the enchanted creature when saving it.
Add in the fact that Blessing of Leeches has Flash, and we have a serious banger on our hands here. As with Alexi’s Cloak, the ability to use this in response to removal is huge. It’s actually even better in this case, since you can also Flash in Blessing of Leeches to make key blocks or shrug off board wipes. There is an ongoing life maintenance cost to pay here, but one life per turn cycle is basically nothing in Commander, especially in exchange for protection this potent.
Green | Canopy Cover
Protection effects in green typically come in the form of Hexproof or Shroud, and Canopy cover fills a similar role. For two mana, it provides protection from all of your opponents’ targeted effects, while still leaving room for you to cast your own.
What makes Canopy Cover special is that it also grants the enchanted creature evasion. This lets you heap on the aggression while also keeping your Commander safe. It’s rare for protection pieces to have proactive utility like this, which makes Canopy Cover a real hidden gem.
Combining offensive and defensive applications in a single card, Canopy Cover is ideal for Voltron decks. It’s also great for any green Commander that wants to attack every turn, such as Six or Jorn, God of Winter. Considering all of these use cases, it’s hard to deny that this is one of the most underplayed protection pieces in MTG Commander.
Red | The Brute
When it comes to red, there are very few options for solid Commander protection. The best one is probably The Brute, a bizarre Aura from way back in Legends. For two mana, this lets you Regenerate the enchanted creature for three red mana at a time. Even if this were a generic cost, it would still be far too much to pay for such an effect. You do get a small power boost here as well, but it’s not enough to save the card from being unplayable.
Since protection effects are a clear weakness for red, you’ll want to branch out into colorless options if you’re stuck in Mono-Red. Thankfully, there are some great options in this space. General’s Kabuto grants Shroud and prevents combat damage, making your Commander a nightmare to deal with from any angle. You can also get a similar effect cheaper from Mirror Shield, albeit with a much more niche combat effect.
Branching out a bit, you can access repeatable Regenerate for your creatures via Ring of Xathrid or Medicine Bag. Both have minor upsides, too, with Ring of Xathrid buffing your black creatures, and Medicine Bag serving as a discard outlet. If you really want to think outside the box, Erratic Portal lets you protect your Commander by bouncing it back to your hand. This is particularly good with Commanders with powerful enters triggers, like Kefka, Court Mage. Portal can actually be used offensively on tapped-out opponents, too, making it a wonderfully flexible colorless protection option.
Stick with us here at mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage. Be sure to check out our deckbuilder for your next big brew!