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Magic: The Gathering’s recent The Lord Of The Rings expansion is a tough act to follow, but Wizards Of The Coast has a plan. The company is theming its next set all around the ultra-popular Commander format with Commander Masters, which launches in August.
Commander Masters is a set composed only of reprinted cards from Magic’s history, and it is focused on cards which feature prominently in the titular Commander format–in which players designate a legendary creature as their “commander” and then build a 99-card deck around that creature. We have an exclusive look at two never-before-seen cards from the set–a pair of powerful creatures who are both seeing their first-ever inclusion in a reprint expansion.
First up is a multicolored creature from 2018’s Rivals Of Ixalan who answers the question, “what if Cerberus was a T-rex?” Here’s Zacama, Primal Calamity:
Zacama, Primal CalamityLegendary Creature – Elder Dinosaur9 power/9 toughnessCosts six mana of any color, one red mana, one green mana, and one white manaAbilities: When Zacama enters the battlefield, if you cast it normally, untap all lands you control.Pay two generic and one red mana and Zacama will deal three damage to any creature on the battlefield.Pay two generic and one green mana to destroy a single artifact or enchantment in play.Pay two generic and one white mana to gain three life.
While Zacama being one of the most powerful creatures in MTG is notable in itself, there’s an interesting change in this new version compared to its 2018 counterpart: The card’s rarity has been downshifted from Mythic to Rare. This means Zacama is doing its best Star Wars Sand People impression: “They’ll soon be back, and in greater numbers.” Expect to see a lot of Zacamas staring at you from opposing command zones, and be wary of players who can use spells to cheat Zacama into play without paying the nine mana.
The second card we’re revealing today goes back a little further in Magic’s history; in fact, this card has only been printed in only one set throughout Magic’s 30 years of existence. From 2005’s Betrayers Of Kamigawa, here’s Sakiko, Mother Of Summer:
Sakiko, Mother Of Summer Legendary Creature – Snake Shaman3 power/3 toughnessCosts four mana of any color and two green manaAbility: Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, add an amount of green mana to your mana pool equal to the damage dealt. Until the end of your turn, this mana will not be lost as turn phases (main phase, combat phase, etc.) end.
This snake shaman has a place in any deck with big damage-dealing creatures, as that extra mana will turn the later phases of each of your turns into a spell-casting spree. This also has equal utility both as a commander and in the 99, which makes Sakiko’s return from an 18-year slumber potentially one of the more impactful additions to the new set.
Magic: The Gathering’s Commander Masters expansions launches August 4 in local game stores, with preview events taking place on July 28-30. More preview cards will be unveiled by Wizards throughout the coming week, and the official MTG website has both a gallery of the cards–which includes a separate area for variants and cards featured in pre-constructed decks–and a list of the creators and outlets previewing them.
