Slivers are back on the menu. Commander Masters' Sliver Swarm preconstructed deck will offer newcomers toMagic: The Gatheringa quick and easy way to grab one of Commander’s most venerable strategies. Slivers get bigger and badder with every Sliver played as they all share their abilities with each other. Amass a big enough army and you’ll become unstoppable.
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Wizards of the Coast did a decent job of making Sliver Swarm, but there are just so many Slivers that they couldn’t include them all. There are some Slivers still available to players on a budget, as well as some Sliver-centric spells that can kick Sliver Swarm up a notch.
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Bigger, Better Slivers
The most obvious way to improve Sliver Swarm is tothrow in more Slivers. You’ll have to make room for them, obviously, but there are a few underperforming Slivers that could use a bit of a boost.
The two most notable absences in Sliver Swarm areMuscleandPredatory Slivers, which both give every other Sliver +1/+1 for a mere two converted mana. Throw this in with the already present Sinew Sliver to make your Sliver army as big as it can be.
Crystalline Slivercan help keep your Slivers safe, butWard Slivercan arguably do it better. Acidic Sliver encourages other players to keep from messing with your Slivers, lest they eat a Shock, Heart Sliver is a cheaper Blur Sliver, and Homing Sliver can help you find the Sliver you need.
But perhaps the most impactful Sliver you’re able to add isDormant Sliver. Sliver Swarm struggles to keep its hand full of cards, and Dormant Sliver turns every Sliver into a cantrip. Just remember tohave a sacrifice outletfor when you want to go on the offensive.
$0.39
One generic, one green mana, Creature - Sliver, 1/1
$0.20
$0.44
One generic, one red mana, Creature - Sliver, 1/1
$0.09
Homing Sliver
Two generic, one red mana, Creature - Sliver, 2/2
Each Sliver card in each player’s hand has slivercycling for three generic mana. Slivercycling three generic mana (pay three generic, Discard this card: Search your library for a Sliver card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.)
$0.18
Dormant Sliver
Two generic, one green, one blue mana, Creature - Sliver, 2/2
All Sliver creatures have defender. All Slivers have “When this permanent enters the battlefield, draw a card.”
Acidic Sliver
One black, one red mana, Creature - Sliver, 2/2
All Slivers have “Two generic, Sacrifice this permanent: This permanent deals 2 damage to any target.”
$0.48
Ward Sliver
Four generic, one white mana, Creature - Sliver, 2/2
As Ward Sliver enters the battlefield, choose a color. All Slivers have protection from the chosen color.
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Better Lands
Besides lacking card draw,Sliver Swarm can also run into trouble with its mana base. Playing all five colors can be tricky, especially when you don’t have access to some of Magic’s most expensive lands.
So we make do with what we got.Cascading CataractsandCrystal Quarrycan make casting your Sliver Hivelord, Sliver Gravemother, or Rukarumel a whole lot easier, but don’t forget that they can be useful for other cards too.
Terramorphic ExpanseandEvolving Wildsare cheap alternatives to the tap/crack lands like Flood Plain and Rocky Tar Pit.
Finally,Thran Portalisn’t the greatest land to produce any color of mana at the cost of your life total, but it’s cheap and helpful for getting the color of mana you need when you need it.
$0.22
Thran Portal
Land - Gate
Thran Portal enters the battlefield tapped unless you control two or fewer other lands. As Thran Portal enters the battlefield, choose a basic land type. Thran Portal is the chosen type in addition to its other types. Mana abilities of Thran Portal cost an additional one life to activate.
$1.78
Cascading Cataracts
Land
Indestructible Tap: Add one generic mana. Five generic mana, Tap: Add five mana in any combination of colors.
$0.49
Crystal Quarry
Tap: Add one generic mana. Five generic, Tap: Add white, blue, black, red, and green mana.
$0.10
Terramorphic Expanse
Tap, Sacrifice Terramorphic Expanse: Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
$0.06
Evolving Wilds
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Mana-Fixing Artifacts
Cultivate, Farskeek, and both Manaweft and Gemhide Slivers help with Sliver Swarm’s mana problems, but they’re all contingent on drawing a green source of mana in your opening hand.Commander’s SphereandWayfarer’s Baubledon’t care what colors of mana you have and they can both add their mana-fixing abilities to Fellwar Stone and Arcane Signet.
Chromatic Lantern, however, is the best mana-fixing rock you’ll ever see. It turns every land into a true multi-land, forever solving your mana problems.
Commander’s Sphere
Three generic mana, Artifact
Tap: Add one mana of any color in your commander’s color identity. Sacrifice Commander’s Sphere: Draw a card.
$2.42
Chromatic Lantern
Lands you control have “Tap: Add one mana of any color.” Tap: Add one mana of any color.
$0.25
Wayfarer’s Bauble
One generic mana, Artifact
Two generic, Tap, Sacrifice Wayfarer’s Bauble: Search your library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
Some Sliver-Centric Spells
Crippling Fear and Harsh Mercy are both fantastic additions to Sliver Swarm.Patriarch’s Biddingsurpasses them both by bringing back your vanquished Sliver army for round two. Definitely grab this sorcery if you may.
Etchings of the Chosennot only helps boost your Sliver army’s power, it also can keep key Slivers alive to ensure you’re not hamstrung on your way to eating your opponents' life total.
And since you’re already playing all five colors anyway,Maelstrom Nexusis a fun card that keeps your Slivers coming, even though they don’t necessarily need to be Slivers in order to receive the benefits of Maelstrom Nexus.
$1.15
Patriarch’s Bidding
Three generic, two black mana, Sorcery
Each player chooses a creature type. Each player returns all creature cards of a type chosen this way from their graveyard to the battlefield.
$0.90
Etchings of the Chosen
One generic, one white, one black mana, Enchantment
As Etchings of the Chosen enters the battlefield, choose a creature type. Creatures you control of the chosen type get +1/+1. One generic, Sacrifice a creature of the chosen type: Target creature you control gains indestructible until end of turn.
$0.50
One white, blue, black, red, green mana, Enchantment
