With the release of Commander 2017 only two months away, now seems like a good time to speculate on what exactly is going to be included in this product. Like always these will be one hundred card decks with new cards made specifically for the Commander format, this time with a tribal theme. If you’re anything like me, this is a super exciting concept, as tribal decks are some of my favorite! Even though Wizards of the Coast has said that this time around there will only be four decks, I will be counting down the top five tribes that I feel deserve a spot the most.
Before we start the countdown, here are a few honorable mentions
Humans: Humans are great to play, but a little on the boring side. Plus we already got some Human support in Shadows Over Innistrad.
Minotaurs: While I really want to see more Minotaur support (thank you Amonkhet for at least giving us something), they aren’t as popular as other tribes of the same colors so it’s probably not going to happen.
Changelings: A fun tribe that could be interesting to play around with, but I don’t see it happening.
Foxes: Riu really wants them to be good, but I don’t really see them being included.
Artifacts: They kind of count as a tribe right? They aren’t really what comes to mind when you think of tribal, and Breya from the last set already did a good job at showing what artifacts can do.
Atogs: Why give us a legendary Atog that interacts with other Atogs, and then never support the tribe further? Definitely not going to happen but it could be funny. Maybe we’ll see Atogatogatog in the next Un set (If you’re reading this WotC you can use that idea if you want, just send me free stuff. I like free stuff).
So with that out of the way, let’s get into the countdown:
5. Dragons
Dragons are just great. They’re awesome, iconic, powerful, and really could use some tribal support. So why are they so low on the list? Well if you are big on the leak community, you may have already seen some possible leaks from Commander 2017, showing multiple dragons and cards supporting the dragon tribe. While I do not know for certain whether these leaks are legit or not, to me they look real. So for these reasons Dragons only take the number five slot on this list.
4. Angels
Angels in general have a lot in common with dragons. They too are iconic, powerful, and could really use some support. The downside of angels is they have little to no cards that directly support a tribal theme. Another problem is a lot of angels fill the same roles too many others also do. So you have to ask yourself, why limit myself to only playing angels? And what do I get in return? The answer is nothing too spectacular, except for a really cool looking deck. With that in mind, I think that angels not only deserve to be in the next commander set, I think it’s it’s important for them to even function as a tribal deck.
3. Elves, Goblins, and Merfolk
You may be very surprised to see these three in the middle of the list, rather than at the top. They are probably the most supported tribe, and some of the most powerful to use. To tell you the truth, these three were originally going to be higher on the list, but then I started to really think about them. I came to the conclusion that while they have loads of support, I felt that they are too limited in their possible playstyles. Yes what they do, they do well, but I feel they should take a step back and give other, more interesting tribes a chance. Don’t get me wrong, I love these tribes, and I would be surprised if none of them were included in Commander 2017.
2. Zombies
Zombies are an interesting bunch. While zombies tend to be more often than not black, they also get help from several other colors, typically red or blue. Another nice addition over the other tribes on this list is that a zombie player can run many different strategies, such as creature swarm, token generation, reanimation, and even mill. This let’s them differ from other tribes in their flexibility, and as stated before they can run numerous colors, adding to their individuality.
1. Slivers
Slivers are the best when it comes to tribal strategies. Not only do they have access to a rather impressive assortment of cards to pull from and several great choices when it comes to what to use as your commander, it also has the added advantage that 99% of all Slivers are lords, and they have many amazing abilities that they are more than willing to share with their allies. Unfortunately Slivers haven’t received any support since M15, but they are the perfect candidate for one of the four tribes for Commander 2017.
But what do you think? Do you agree with this list? Do you prefer another tribe not included on this list? What are you hoping will be included in Commander 2017? As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to say something in the comments section below.
Shakunjin
Latest posts by Shakunjin (see all)
- Pauper: Abzan Tortured Existence - February 7, 2018
- Pauper: Dimir Delver Breakdown - January 17, 2018
- Pauper: Mono-Black Control Breakdown - December 20, 2017