Commander Masters is an all-reprint set available forMagic: The Gathering. It is the first Master set to focus entirely on the Commander multiplayer format. There are plenty of powerful cards available in all the colors to make for a set with a ton of strong cards.
RELATED:Magic: The Gathering – The Best Temur Cards For Commander
The red cards included are no exceptions. Many of them had not seen reprints in years and had become rather pricey. The reprints featured in Commander Masters will not only help the prices go down for these cards but also allow more players to have access to them to get to use them themselves.
10Hellkite Charger
Hellkite Charger was last released in Commander 2017 and is one of the many ways for red decks to take an extra combat. To use its effect, Hellkite Charger does not even need to deal combat damage, and only requires the mana to bepaid for the extra combat step. Though seven mana is a lot, when paired with other colors like green it becomes much easier to accomplish.
If you have a hefty amount of mana or cheated Hellkite Charger onto the battlefield, you can take advantage of it right away since it has haste as well to make for an incredibly explosive turn.
9Nesting Dragon
Nesting Dragon makesall of your lands turn into massive threats. It’s great at flooding the battlefield with tokens that can turn into 2/2 Dragon tokens. If you have token synergies that cause burn damage from creating and sacrificing tokens, Nesting Dragon can do a whole lot for very little work.
The landfall ability isn’t once per turn, so if you have access to ramp cards that put multiple lands on the battlefield you can create multiple tokens. They make for great blockers and sacrifice outlets to make the most out of Nesting Dragon’s effect.
8Heartless Hidetsugu
Though it cannot ever take someone out of the game on its own, Heartless Hidetsugu can get out of hand very quickly in just a few turns. Losing half your life is nothing to scoff at, especially when there are other cards that can double the amount of burn damage done to take everyone out of the game.
RELATED:Magic: The Gathering – The Best Monarch Commanders
you’re able to keep yourself safe from Heartless Hidetsugu with effects that prevent you from losing the game in this combo. Alternatively, you can give it infect and if any player takes ten damage, then they will lose the game through having ten or more poison counters.
7Scourge Of The Throne
One of the many powerful ways to get extra combat steps, Scourge Of The Throne does so the first time it attacks each turn - so long as it attacks the player with the most life. To incentivize it even more, Scourge Of The Throne fittingly has the dethrone ability to make it grow to become even more threatening to block.
If youcombine Scourge Of The Throne with extra turn spells, you can turn your extra turns into extra combats as well to dish out devastating amounts of damage while everyone else can do little to interact with it.
6Tempt With Vengeance
If you are ever tempted with vengeance, it is best to not give into that temptation. Tempt With Vengeance cancreate a giant battlefield of creature tokens, especially if multiple players do the same. The tokens have haste, and even though you get the same amount, whoever casts Tempt With Vengeance likely has a way to boost them or give them trample.
Tempt With Vengeance looks harmless at first, but it’s incredibly powerful. Cards that boost the stat of tokens or cards with the same type pair especially well to ensure you can beat over any of the tokens your opponents make.
5Neheb, The Eternal
Nehenb, The Eternal isone of the ways red can ramp very quickly, especially when combined with various burn spells. Red is no stranger to doing massive amounts of burst damage, and Neheb, The Eternal turns that burn damage into mana to get extra damage in.
Afflict helps to guarantee at least three mana is made so long as Neheb stays on the battlefield. And if it doesn’t get blocked, then you get a minimum of four mana. Red has plenty of powerful, high-mana spells, and Neheb, The Eternal is a fantastic way to get there.
4Insurrection
Insurrection is one of the best theft spells ever printed. For eight mana you gain all creatures on the field and give them haste so you can attack with them as well. This is usually enough to win the game on the spot.
RELATED:Magic: The Gathering – The Best Dimir Commanders
Even if you don’t win the game, if you have a sacrifice outlet that doesn’t cost any mana, you can sacrifice the entire battlefield of creatures that your opponent controlled so that none of them ever get them back. Though eight mana is a lot, with an effect this good the cost is more than worth it.
3Deflecting Swat
Thered card of the “free” spell cyclefrom Commander 2020, Deflecting Swat is a solid way to ensure you are safe from any targeted effects. Since you are more than likely going to control your commander, you will be able to cast Deflecting Swat for free rather easily.
Red doesn’t have too much built-in protection, so Deflecting Swat is a great way to protect your important creatures from removal spells. Even without your commander, three mana is fairly easy to have access to so that you can still cast it for its cost.
2Purphoros, God Of The Forge
If you are playing any deck that plays a lot of creatures, Purphoros, God Of The Forge is practically a must-run. It turns any creature entering the battlefieldinto a burn spell, and in go-wide decks where you put as many creatures as possible on the battlefield, it turns them all into damage just by entering.
If that wasn’t good enough, you’re able to pay three mana to boost the stats of all your creatures. This effect isn’t once per turn either, so you can grow the stats of your army of creatures to unmanageable amounts to close out games.
1Balefire Dragon
Balefire Dragon is one of the best Dragon cards ever printed. All of its combat damage dealt to players turns into massive burn damage to every creature they have. Since it has flying, it can be frustrating, if not impossible to block. Since it will most of the time deal a minimum of six damage, that’s six damage to every creature whoever you attacked controlled.
When mixed with pump spells, Auras, and enchantments, Balefire Dragon can act as a one-sided board wipe to whoever you attacked. If you have cards that make combat damage apply to all your opponents, Balefire Dragon transcends any other creature on the battlefield.
Next:Magic: The Gathering – The Best Common Cards In Commander Masters
