We recently wrapped up our review of the four Commander Decks from the new Universes Beyond: Doctor Who set, and if you missed those individual deck reviews you can find them here:
If you’re short on time however, or less interested in the decks and more interested in new Commander staples, we’ve got you covered. Here are our picks for the 10 cards you need to pick up from the new set. As we’re looking at cards you’d pick up for a Commander deck at some point in the future, we’re primarily looking at cards which aren’t parasitic to the set, i.e. they can easily slot into other decks.
Honorable Mention: Lake Silencio
TheChirurgeon: We had to include one of the Planechase cards, and the honorable mention/11th slot felt like the right place for it. This one’s very spicy, in part because it makes spells uncounterable. It’s a very nasty plane that is going to create a lot of game-ending situations, though it does mean that no one can respond to any spells, which makes planning around it harder. Also note that the effect only applies to spells, and not effects. Still, one of the most impactful cards in Planechase.
10. The Screwdrivers
3-CMV mana rocks are being phased out unless they can also give you some added benefit, and both of these do that in spades. For our money the Sonic Screwdriver is probably the better of the two, though the Laser Screwdriver giving you goad on a stick is pretty great and it’s fun to see how they’re mirror images of each other.
The reason the Sonic Screwdriver wins out here is that untapping artifacts can lead to game-ending shenanigans, the scry isn’t bad if you have extra mana floating around at end of turn, and being able to make someone’s big deadly threat able to get through unblocked can take people out.
9. Psychic Paper
This is just a really solid piece of equipment. Like, just really good for something you want to protect and connect with, the ability to turn a creature into a different type of creature, just all around utility but also a lot of potential for craziness. There are a lot of things you can do with it and it slots well into tribal decks.
8. Don’t Blink
Although a little bit situational, this card can really shut down a Blink Deck, but also Adventure Decks, Suspend, or a bunch of other forms. Having Cycling means it’s rarely a dead card.
7. Flesh Duplicate
Most of the value here comes from this being a 2-mana clone, which is just a bonkers cost. The obvious target here is Dockside Extortionist, which has made Phantasmal Image popular, and there are plenty of ways in blue to flicker or return this. At the pace of strong Commander games Vanishing 3 should be plenty to let you combo off or do your thing. As a fun final touch, the card is a Rebel, meaning it can be fetched fairly easily if you’re in red and/or white.
6. Delete
A mass burn spell that cares about artifacts gives it just enough utility to keep around and consider. It’s one of the best red board wipes we’ve seen in a while and could become a staple for monored burn decks.
5. The Face of Boe
Possibly overrated, the Face of Boe has such a flashy effect that it’s still going on the list. This has my vote for “the card in the set which is most likely to lead to some broken interaction down the line.” This guy is a solid include in suspect decks, and gets you cost-less suspend spells immediately for free.
4. Confession Dial
This card is just a very solid piece. Surveil is great and the effect is repeatable reanimation along the lines of Underworld Breach. Recasting spells is always strong, and this is great just generally but also in reanimator decks.
3. Return the Past
Perhaps the ultimate “Don’t let me untap with this” card in the set, if you can protect this you can close out a game. It’s absolutely worth the cost to be able to recast your whole graveyard, but can also be like signing your own death warrant if you have to sit with it on the table for an entire round. Just a fun card generally.
2. Cyber Conversion
This is a brutal way to get rid of a Commander, and can do so nearly permanently. Yeah sure, you’d have to let them swing through for 2 damage each turn to avoid killing them off the table, but who cares? Commander kill on the level of Oblation and can immediately slot into any Commander deck running blue.
1. Everybody Lives!
This is possibly the most amazing win blocker ever printed. Perfect for that dreadful moment where someone goes off and you completely screw them over with it and turn all their dreams to ash in their mouth. You can also use this to set up a win with something like Angels Grace / Ad Nauseum then win during your cleanup step, and you can fetch the card with Sunforger. There’s more you can do with this than just stop an opponent’s game win and for 1W it just has a ton of utility.
That wraps up our look at the top 10 cards to pick up from Universes Beyond: Doctor Who. Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com.
