In the course of its 33-year lifespan, Magic: The Gathering has explored a staggering range of card game design space. Naturally, not every innovation becomes part of the regular MTG wheelhouse, which leaves one-offs like Wheel of Sun and Moon as interesting historical novelties. While we haven’t seen anything else like this since 2008, it’s still a card well worth considering for Commander.
Wheel Of Sun And Moon MTG
By enchanting yourself with Wheel of Sun and Moon, you can essentially turn your deck into an inexhaustible resource. As you use your creatures and spells, they’ll be shuffled back in instead, directly countering Mill decks and grindy, controlling brews.
While this is a nice, albeit niche, passive benefit, Wheel of Sun and Moon really shines when you lean into it with tutor effects. With Birthing Pod, for example, it can keep key answers like Reclamation Sage and Boggart Trawler in your deck to re-use later. Wheel works with non-permanent cards, too, so you can loop instants and sorceries using Sunforger as well.
You can also use Wheel of Sun and Moon reactively, as a way to shut down opposing graveyard decks. Whether you’re up against Teval, the Balanced Scale or Slimefoot and Squee, Wheel can essentially hose their entire strategy. In particularly graveyard-heavy pods, you can even copy Wheel with cards like Yenna, Redtooth Regent, to knock such shenanigans on the head completely.
Though these applications are certainly noteworthy, they’re also fairly situational, making Wheel of Sun and Moon a tough sell on those alone. Fortunately, the card is much more exciting as a combo enabler, opening up a wide range of unusual infinites for all manner of decks.
The Never-Ending Cycle
The flashiest, and perhaps the best, Wheel of Sun and Moon combo requires Jace, Architect of Thought and Doubling Season. With Season out, you can use Jace’s ultimate ability right away. Wheel will put Jace back in your deck, letting you search him out and cast him again with the ultimate, along with one card from each opponent’s deck. Rinse and repeat to cast everything from your opponents’ decks.
Wheel of Sun and Moon also lets you take infinite turns, alongside Leveler and an extra turn spell like Time Warp. Empty your deck with Leveler, then your extra turn spell will go right back to the top of your deck on use. Since this combo locks you out of drawing any new cards, make sure you have a win condition in hand or on board before you deploy it.
One of the more unique Wheel of Sun and Moon combos is its infinite Landfall loop, enabled by Rootpath Purifier and Fabled Passage. Since Purifier makes every land in your deck a basic, you can search out Passage itself after cracking it and having Wheel put it back in your deck. This lets you win on the spot via payoffs like Altar of the Brood or Ruin Crab.
Wheel of Sun and Moon is also capable of controlling an opponent permanently with Mindslaver and Captain Sisay. With Wheel in play, you can sacrifice Mindslaver and grab it right back out of your deck with Sisay on each of your turns. While this won’t win you the game on its own, having a full-time ally will certainly make winning much, much easier.
A Forgotten Curiosity
While it has a lot of potential, especially on the combo side, Wheel of Sun and Moon doesn’t see much Commander play at all. Only around 4,440 decks run the card according to EDHREC data, which is underwhelming to say the least. Though this statistic isn’t hugely surprising, given the card’s fairly niche applications outside of combos, it could definitely be doing work in more decks than that.
On a more positive note, Wheel of Sun and Moon’s relative obscurity means it’s very affordable right now. If you don’t mind grabbing a copy from The List, you can get a near-mint Wheel of Sun and Moon for just $2.67 on TCGplayer currently. At that price it’s an easy card to pick up, and a great way to catch opponents off guard in your next Commander game.
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