5 best cards for Commander in MTG Bloomburrow

Now that MTG Bloomburrow has hit store shelves, it’s time to see which cards are going to be the most powerful, or most fun, in Commander. I’m a huge fan of the aesthetic of Bloomburrow; it brings some really interesting concepts to the game and not just brilliant art. These cards won’t be the most powerful picks for everyone, but they should be potent, and fun to use.

For example, having a Commander pre-con that’s focused on the “group hug” gameplay style was fascinating. Sure, it helps everyone at the table, but it really helps you the most.

Note: This article is subjective and based on the author's opinion.

Which Commander cards are the best in MTG Bloomburrow?

When considering the best cards for MTG Bloomburrow’s Commander format, I dug through the entire set. At the end of the day, it came down to a few thoughts: Overall power for mana value, how it would feel to use, and community thoughts on the cards. It’s important to use what fits in your decks the most, but these cards will hopefully assist you in your upcoming matches.

1) Gev, Scaled Scorch

Gev, Scaled Scorch is a great commander and a regular part of your 100-card deck (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

Good lord, Gev, Scaled Scorch is an absolute monster in MTG Bloomburrow’s Commander setting. A two-drop legendary, he’d serve as an amazing deck commander if you wanted him to. The bigger your table of players is, the more powerful this card becomes. When other creatures you control enter play, they gain an additional +1/+1 counter for each opponent that lost life this turn.

On top of that, it deals 1 damage to an opponent each time you cast a Lizard spell. With enough low-cost Lizards/shapeshifters, this could get really out of hand really fast. Sadly, the Offspring mechanic doesn’t appear to help here, since those enter play, and aren’t cast.

2) Twenty-Toed Toad

Twenty-Toed Toad is one of the best creatures ever - I'm not taking any feedback at this time (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

The Twenty-Toed Toad might be my favorite card in all of MTG Bloomburrow. Anyone who has read my work before probably knows my favorite way to win games is through “ridiculous nonsense.” I love a good alternate win condition, and the Twenty-Toed Toad gives me that—alongside solid alliteration.

This card makes your maximum hand size 20, and anytime you attack with two or more creatures, this creature gains +1/+1 and you draw a card. Then, if it attacks, you win the game if there are 20 or more counters on it, or you have 20 or more cards in hand. That’s an incredible way to win! You could run it with Ozolith and use that to store tons of extra counters and give them to the Toad. Or you could just use lots of card draw/proliferate. The options are endless!

3) Patchwork Banner

Sometimes simple and effective is the best course of action (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

Patchwork Banner is a low-cost, high-value artifact; 3 mana is practically nothing in a good Commander game after all. It grants creatures you control (of a type you name) +1/+1 and can be tapped for one mana of any color. It’s a nice, simple, useful artifact. It won’t likely ever get expensive.

Is it a replacement for Coat of Arms? Absolutely not. But would I run the two alongside one another? Absolutely. I’m a huge fan of stacking +1/+1 counters on my creatures, and they would work together nicely. The only downside is that it would require you to run one creature type primarily, but that’s what shapechangers are for.

4) Valley Rotcaller

What a fun new game ender! (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

If you aren’t looking to be bound to just one creature type, Valley Rotcaller brings a lot of fun to your MTG Bloomburrow Commander games. Anytime it attacks, each opponent loses X life, where X is the number of Squirrels, Bats, Lizards, and Rats you control. I could easily see this slotting into decks where there are no Squirrels.

For example, I know a few people who are big fans of Rat Tribal decks in Commander. Slam this bad boy in there, and suddenly, you’ve got a brand new win condition. That special ability on Valley Rotcaller doesn’t require it to deal combat damage, either! You just have to declare the attack.

5) Dawn's Truce

It's Heroic Intervention - but White! (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

While it’s fun and exciting to run an aggro deck that “goes wide” (swings out with lots of creatures/tokens), it’s also quite dangerous. All it takes is one player with a board wipe and a chip on their shoulder to ruin your strategy. However, cards like Dawn’s Truce take the stress out of that, for at least one turn.

This is one of the best MTG Bloomburrow cards for Commander for pretty obvious reasons. It grants you and your permanents hexproof until the end of the turn. Then, if you promised a gift to your opponent (they can draw a card), permanents you control also gain indestructible. That’s amazing value on a 2-drop Instant. All you need now are some ways to fetch it from the grave to keep doing it.

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Edited by Angad Sharma