Magic: The Gathering announces first Commander Masters set for 2023 - Commander decks, dates, and more

Magic: The Gathering announced the first-ever Commander Masters set for 2023. The 'Masters' release of cards contains numerous powerful cards, reprints, and alternate art editions of fan-favorite cards. Considering the vast popularity of the 100-card deck format, it was only a matter of time before a set like this one was officially announced.

Commander Masters will see a full set of reprints later in 2023, and will include a set of four preconstructed Magic: The Gathering decks as well. These will also be in the 100-card style, and while the booster packs for this expansion will be pure reprints, there will be some powerful new Commander cards in the preconstructed decks. Here’s what's known about the set so far.

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Magic: The Gathering reveals that Commander Masters will arrive in mid-2023

On August 3, 2023, fans of the Commander format in Magic: The Gathering can start picking up this expansion. For the preview season of this set, fans will have to wait until May 16, 2023. Fortunately, Wizards of the Coast offered a few things to whet fans' appetites as they wait for further information:

Key dates

• First Look: May 16, 2023
• WPN Premium Store Preview Events: July 28-30, 2023
• Tabletop Launch: August 3, 2023

Four Commander decks have been revealed for Commander Masters, and they promise to be incredibly powerful. Each Magic: The Gathering deck will feature reprints, as well as some brand new cards. All of these will be built around a theme, and here’s what you can expect.

Commander decks

• Eldrazi Unbound: Colorless
• Enduring Enchantments: White/Black/Green
• Planeswalker Party: White/Blue/Red
• Sliver Swarm: Five-Color Fun

Each deck will feature 10 new Magic: The Gathering cards, brand new Commanders, which is bound to make them very interesting. This set will also feature Set Boosters, Draft Boosters, and Collector Boosters, like other regular expansions. Although the set legality hasn't been discussed yet, since it's Commander Masters, they will likely be legal in all Eternal Formats.

Three cards have been revealed for reprints of the upcoming expansion. More reveals will come in May, but here are the cards that are presently known.

The three revealed cards for the upcoming MTG expansion (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

Capture of Jingzhou

• Mana Value: 3UU
• Type: Sorcery
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Ability: Take an extra turn after this one

The Ur-Dragon

• Mana Value: 4WUBRG
• Type: Legendary Creature - Dragon Avatar
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Keyword: Flying
• Stats: 10 power, 10 toughness
• Passive Ability: Eminence - As long as The Ur-Dragon is in the command zone or on the battlefield, other Dragon spells you cast cost 1 less to cast
• First Ability: Whenever one or more Dragons you control attack, draw that many cards, then you may put a permanent card from your hand onto the battlefield

Jeweled Lotus

• Mana Value: 0
• Type: Artifact
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Ability: Tap, Sacrifice Jeweled Lotus. Add 3 mana of any one color. Spend this mana only to cast your commander

Capture of Jingzhou is an interesting choice since the Three Kingdoms Portals cards rarely get reprints, except perhaps in Masters expansions. The upcoming arrival of Magic: The Gathering Commander Masters should hopefully make some of the more expensive staples of this format more financially viable.

This Magic: The Gathering expansion will be released on August 3, 2023, and is set to bring a wealth of powerful cards for the Commander format back to the forefront.