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Enchantments truly are an enduring strategy inMagic: The Gathering’s Commander format. There are so many potent enchantments, and so many cards that reward playing enchantments, that it can be difficult to decide what enchantments make the cut and which are left sitting on the sideboard.
Related:Every Card Revealed For Magic: The Gathering’s Commander Masters
Enduring Enchantments, one of the preconstructed decks coming in Commander Masters, makes a decent attempt at an Erebos-colored enchantment deck, but it could be better. With these cards, you can improve Enduring Enchantments without breaking the bank. Here are the top budget upgrades we’d recommend for Enduring Enchantments.
All prices are taken fromTCGPlayer.com
11Honorable Mentions
But before we get to them,a few cards that are absolutely worth considerationbut didn’t quite make the cut. First among them isRancor, the best aura for one green mana ever printed.
Admittedly, Anikthea doesn’t care for auras, but Rancor is just so strong that it doesn’t matter.Fertile Ground,Abundant Growth, and other aura-based ramp spells are also definitely worth ignoring Anikthea’s disdain for auras, or else running Narci as your commander.
Mortify,Putrefy,Swords to Plowshares,Path to Exile, andBeast Withinwould give Enduring Enchantments some flexibility to answer threats, while Shielded by Faith can keep your commander alive.GloomshriekerandAuramancerare both great for returning dead cards that you might want to play again, andShielded by Faithcan keep Anikthea alive even as she looks down on the aura that protects her.
Price
$1.25
One of the problems with enchantments is just how easily they can be targeted. Privileged Position takes care of that problem in no uncertain terms.Make all your permanents untargetable by your opponentsand never worry about your Eidolon of Blossoms eating an unfortunate Terror ever again.
Even better, you don’t have to worry about having an exact mix of mana to cast Privileged Position.Consider tossing Greater Tanuki, which doesn’t add a whole lot to Enduring Enchantments (expect this unfortunate raccoon dog to be the top choice for replacement going forward).
$1.72
I dunno about you, but I prefer when my opponents attack each other rather than me. With Ghostly Prison,you offer a convincing argument to attack someone else, lest they get hit in the mana vault.
It’s not exactly subtle, but it doesn’t need to be–it just has to prevent players from attacking you. Ghostly Prison does an excellent job of that while simultaneouslytriggering all your comes-into-play effects.
Another honorable mention goes toSphere of Safety, Ghostly Prison’s bigger brother.
$0.98
It’s no Privileged Position, but Sterling Grove offersmost of the benefits of a Privileged Position at less than half the price. Plus, when it eventually eats a Disenchant or gets caught up in a Nevinyrral’s Disk, you’ve got the option to sacrifice it to search for an enchantment and place it on top of your library.
For what Sterling Grove can do for a mere two mana, you need to shoehorn this card into Enduring Enchantments.Consider in placeofKhalni Heart Expedition,Dreadhorde Invasion, or even the good boy,Spirited Companion.
$1.15
What’s better than your enchantments being hexproof?Youbeing hexproof. With Aegies of the Gods, you never have to worry about eating a Lightning Bolt to the face. Or several of them. Or anything else ever again, because the Aegis makes sure you never suffer the indignity of being targeted by anyone.
Combine with Sterling Grove and Ghostly Prisonto set up animpenetrable defensethat keeps you safe and sound while your opponents struggle to do much of anything. Aegis of the Gods is also an enchantment, too, in case you were worried about not drawing cards when you cast it.
$0.81
Weaver of Harmony takes all those triggered abilities your enchantments produce and says, “Do it again.” And it alsomakes all your enchantment creatures bigger. All for the low price ofjust two mana. At that price, it’s hard to argue against throwing the Weaver into the Enduring Enchantments deck.
It honestly doesn’t matter what you replace because the odds are Weaver here is going to bebetter than anything else in the deck.
$1.44
Since we’re going to be removing a certain Tanuki anyway, why not bolster Enduring Enchantments' ramp with the God of Harvests?Karametra turns any creature cast into a rampant growth, and later on becomes a 6/7 indestructible creature. Combine that with her enchantment keyword and you’re still drawing cards and gaining life from everything else in the deck.
$3.96
With Tails of Middle-earth still freshly released, one black enchantment really stands out.Call of the Ring will tempt you every turn, making one of your creatures into the Ring-bearer forescalating beneficial effects. Those benefits might start out small, but they eventually make your critter into a real problem.
Gaining a card at the cost of two lifeis almost incidental given how often Enduring Enchantments already draws cards, but it’s there if you need it.
$0.96
It might sometimes be a mistake to play this card in the mirror matchup or against an artifact-themed deck, butOpen the Vaults can bring you right back into the gamein case your opponent plays an unexpected Tranquility. The question is, do you want a less flexible Calix that might also help your opponents?
Answering that will depend on your playgroup, butif your friends are packing a lot of board clears and enchantment hate, the answer should be yes.
$0.24
Speaking of board sweeps, Enduring Enchantments could use a few more. Merciless Eviction is one such board sweeper that fits the colors and offers a modicum offlexibility to potentially hit your opponents while keeping your board relatively unscathed.
Most likely you’ll be taking creatures off the board, which will still tag some of your permanents. Butsometimes you’ll hit artifacts or planeswalkers, which meansMerciless Eviction is all upside(unless you’ve managed to cast Calix and can’t bear the thought of losing him). Consider in place of a certain tanuki that doesn’t bear repeating.
