I hope everyone had a fun time at their prerelease. I'm sure I did (for those that don't know I have to write this a few days ahead of publication. Trick's a real stickler about that. So, I'm writing this before I play; I just have to assume I had a fun time). Hey, how about that Pro Bowl huh? Boy, I'm sure glad [Insert Winning Team] [Trick Note - Like I know, my Falcons got eliminated, football is dead to me.] won!

But you're not here to read about football. That'd be like expecting a Peter King column to be about football. You're here because you want to read about Mirrodin Besieged review for the Commander format. If not, you've come here by accident and I appreciate the page view; hopefully you'll stick around anyway.

Over the next few weeks you're going to see a ton of these reviews written for every possible format. While Standard and draft are going to be the most common, I'm sure this won't be the only Commander review you read. I understand, you're not exclusive to me. I won't get jealous. Promise. In fact, I think it's a great thing that you read other's posts; you want varied opinions. No, I'm not making this weird. However, I am playing a trick on you:

This isn't really a review.

INT. MANANATION OFFICE – MORNING

One man storms down the main hallway of the writer's pit. His hand is gripping a few pieces of PAPER in his hand, clearly in anger. The man stops at a CUBICAL, takes a deep puff of his cigar and blows it heavily at the man sitting at his desk typing.

TRICK

What in the world are you doing, Pie?

ROBBY looks up from his desk to see his editor and boss, T. TRICK THOMPSON, hovering over him mad as hell. Quickly sliding his feet of his desk, ROBBY puts the keyboard from his lap back onto his desk.

ROBBY

What do you mean, sir?

TRICK tosses the papers to ROBBY, scattering them all over the cubicle.

TRICK

You're not doing a Mirrodin Besieged review? Everybody does those, so I expect you to do them too.

ROBBY

Wait, how did you know I'm not writing…

TRICK

(Cutting him off)

Did you not see those papers? Is this getting too meta for you?

ROBBY

(Confused)

No, wait. Kinda…

TRICK

Too bad, because that's where I'm taking it. Why aren't you writing a review?

ROBBY

Well, I figured that everyone is already doing one, but I want to do my own twist on it. I'm not going card by card, or just the highlights, but something to make the readers think.

TRICK

No reader wants to think, that's why they read your work.

ROBBY

(Insulted)

Excuse me?

TRICK

You don't use big words or talk about quantum physics.

ROBBY

Why would I talk about…

TRICK

(Cutting him off)

Doesn't matter. I want something about Besieged.

ROBBY

If you let me finish, you're going to get something about the new set from a Commander perspective. Alright?

TRICK

If I let you finish?

ROBBY

Listen, you're the one that brought up this whole meta issue.

TIRCK

(Beat)

Fine, do it.

Sorry about that little interruption.

Set reviews for Commander are a lot like reviews for Vintage; you have a pretty open card pool where nothing rotates. Cards that were always good will continue to be good and unless something better comes along, there's no reason to push it out of your deck. While there might be different reasons to put in a card for your deck over another one (including but not limited to changed creature type, mana cost, added ability, different color), you don't have to completely change your deck like you do in Standard. That's one of the appeals of Commander: your deck can stay the same for a long time if you chose.

While I would never compare myself to noted Vintage expert Stephen Menendian, if you ever read one of his set reviews for Vintage he always goes looking for new cards in three ways:

1. Look at the new mechanics.
2. Cards that function similar to previously printed cards but have been changed.
3. New design space that has opened up.

I used to do very traditional review that I'm sure you're going to read from other people. They've gotten a little tiresome and I wanted to shake things up. But remember, just because I don't mention a card, doesn't mean it's bad in EDH. Every deck is different, with different Commanders and different directions to take the deck and some cards that might seem bad in most decks might be awesome in yours. These are the ones that caught my attention.

New Mechanics

Living weapon

Living weapon (When this equipment enters the battlefield, put a 0/0 black Germ creature token onto the battlefield, then attach it to this.)

You get an equipment that automatically creates a creature when it enters the battlefield. This is great card advantage because you get both a creature that you can swing with but the equipment as well. There's nothing more disheartening than drawing an equipment right after a board wipe and you have no creatures. This allows you to bypass that, and if there is a creature you do want to equip it to, there's that option.

You can't generate new creatures with the equipment when the Germ token dies, there is a way to abuse it. If you notice the language of the keyword, you'll see that the Germ token creation isn't when you cast the equipment, but when it enters the battlefield. Yes, if you Venser the equipment (or any other effect that exiles it temporarily), it'll enter play with a Germ token. Keep that in mind.

Best Execution: Bonehoard

Most Interesting: Mortarpod

Battle cry

Battle cry (Whenever this creature attacks, each other attacking creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.)

It seems like these cards were designed for aggressive decks that want multiple copies (which makes sense that it wants to beat the Phyrexians before they can get anything going), these cards can still make an impact in Commander. I don't believe that a true aggro deck can survive in this format, but a combo/aggro deck can. That deck?

Tokens.

White produces a ton of tokens (like a couple of cards in this set). Once it gets enough out, pumping the attackers can be a great way for the alpha strike coming on. Yes, the mechanic is limited on what it can do, especially in Commander. It would've been nice of Hero of Bladehold/Hero of Oxid Ridge were Legendary, but that's fine. Why? Mirroweave says hi. Be sure you play it before you attack (or at least the trigger of Battle cry attacking).

Best Execution: Hero of Bladehold

Most Interesting: Hero of Oxid Ridge

Infect

Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters)

No, it's not a new keyword, but we'll talk about it here. This has received a ton more support with this set. If you want to do more of a theme deck, you can finally do that with this set. It doesn't fill it out completely, but it's a start. Remember that infect is a property of the damage; if something allows the damage from an infect creature to be pinged or redirected, it still has the poisonous property.

Let's focus on the elephant in the room. Er, Colossus. Some feel as if this was a lazy design and shouldn't have seen print. I don't. Click that link of you want to see that argument as I won't get into it here. It's here and we have to deal with it. Some have called for its banning because it will kill one person with a single hit. Sheldon (Head Commander Organizer) has at least brought up the idea of changing the number of poison counters it will take to kill someone.

Some have brought up that this beast is like Emrakul, and I highly disagree. They say that he's a bad mother…

TRICK

Shut your mouth!

ROBBY

I'm just talking about Blightsteel Colossus.

TRICK

I can dig it.

In all the ways that Emrakul was strong, BSC is weak. Wrath of God won't kill BSC, but Codemn will. Or Grab the Reins. Even Diminish can help deal with BSC. If you wanted even more fun, Shining Shoal will redirect the infect damage to your opponent. Every color has a way to get rid of BSC, and that was something that didn't work against it (which is why it was so powerful). The lack of annihilation means that you can continually throw out blockers (though they would obviously have to be big creatures) and not be worried. Most of the cards you would be playing anyway for removal can be used to deal with BSC away.

He's not going to be in every deck, so I wouldn't be too worried about it. Players are going to abuse any card they can, so a "one turn kill creature" that needs everything to go right isn't that much to deal with. You need to give him haste, make sure there's no creatures in your way and make sure they can't bounce out Of course, this varies metagame by metagame and feel free to ban it in your playgroup if you're not too happy with him. If anything's going to happen, it will be the change in the rules for Poison. But the most likely chance is that nothing will happen.

As for the other infect creatures, you've got some semi-reprints (Viridian Corrupter), some beaters (Phyrexian Crusader), and another "one turn kill creature" (Flesh-Eater Imp). Will all of these cards cause a change in the Poison rules for Commander? Test of Endurance and Divinity of Pride both had errata for how they were abused, but then were reverted back. Only time shall tell.

Best Execution: Blightsteel Colossus

Most Interesting: Rot Wolf

Proliferate

Proliferate (You chose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter on a kind already there.)

Sadly, there are only four cards with proliferate in this set. With so many applications that proliferate can contribute to, one would wish there was more. While Spread the Sickness might be the most played (since it says any creature and has no normal restrictions), I believe the most powerful of these cards is Plagemaw Beast. Currently as the only proliferate card in Green, trading a creature to give your Garuuk the final counter he needs for his ultimate seems like a pretty good trade. Yes, that also allows you to keep your guys from being stolen. Sounds like a pretty good deal.

Best Execution: Spread the Sickness

Most Interesting: Plaguemaw Beast

Similar Functioning Cards

The Zenith cycle

Casting a spell, having its effect go off, and shuffling it into your library to reuse again is gravy. Clearly taken from the Fifth Dawn Beacons, each color has a pretty nice effect that can be oh so exploitable.

White – Tokens at instant speed. Being 2/2's they're quite larger than normal tokens.

Blue – Can be any player. Most of the time, I can see it being used on yourself, but if you have a Consecrated Sphinx (which is a stud in its own right) in play, well, that's more beneficial.

Black – Doesn't target. Great with proliferate.

Red – While the weakest, repeatable cheap damage is nothing to scoff at.

Green – Most likely the best in the bunch. Puts it on the battlefield (which almost no tutor does) and trigger effects.

Consecrated Sphinx is a better Mind's Eye (except in only in Blue). Plus, it beats face too, which is always a plus. The cute trick is to use it with Jace 1.0 (or Skyscribing). When using mass draw effects, cards that deal pain when drawing can be fun if used over a long time. Psychosis Crawler can fit into that mold, while you're drawing a ton of cards making it bigger.

Desert Twister and Vindicate have always been Commander staples. Killing any one thing has been powerful but has been regulated to a few colors. Until now. Spine of Ish Sah allows you do smash anything in a colorless deck for a higher mana cost. The interesting part is the return to hand effect; which can be an awesome sacrifice target. Remember (because some were getting confused), you can't just put the spine in the graveyard for no reason; it has to be sacrificed or destroyed.

Another Mirrodin set, another Sword, this time Sword of Feast and Famine. Yes, it's good, and the Green part (untapping all lands) makes it second only to Sword of Fire and Ice in Commander. The protection from Black and Green can help it plow through a number of Commanders. If you equip it to the Horror artifact creature after you cast Phyrxian Rebirth, you can easily kill an opponent (since Rebirth said creatures killed in this way which can also mean tokens). You need to give that token haste, but that's semantics, right?

New Design Space

Myr Turbine seems like it could be fun. There aren't that many good powerful Myrs; Myr Battlesphere is pretty good so that's an available target. Of course, if you play Conspiracy, then you could go tutor for whatever creature you wanted. But not every time do you want to tutor for something and put it into play, nor your hand. Sometimes you want to put it on the top of your library. Why oh why would you want to do that?

Galvanoth.

Putting something on the top of your library has never felt so good. If you really want to be nasty, put it in a five color deck with Bringer of the Black Dawn and play any instant or sorcery for just 2 life a turn (Like if you really wanted to control the game that card would be Beacon of Tomorrows and give you an "Infinite turns loop"). But, I feel that Galvanoth will be excellent in any deck where you can control the top card of your library. Crystal Ball, Future Sight and Sensei's Divining Top seem like pretty good options.

Massacre Wurm and Sangromancer both fill some of the same boots. Killing a creature will create a five point swing. For each one. Seems pretty good. Sanguine Bond likes that combo too. Along with Sygg, River Cutthroat. Yes, I'm a little biased since that's my favorite deck I've got going. But I think that deck that utilizes Grave Pact will enjoy both of these creatures.

Commander

Thrun, the Last Troll – Maybe it's the Johnny in me, but I'm not excited about this guy. He can't be countered, can't be targeted and Regenerates. I love Troll Ascetic, but never would I want it as a Commander. There aren't enough Trolls to make a theme deck, and it can still be destroyed by the most played sweeper in the format: Wrath of God. He's good, but go up against an infect card or an X/5 blocker (or another regenerator) and he's useless.

Glissa, the Traitor – One the other hand, She excites me line no other. Ignoring the first line of text (First strike and deathtouch are very nice together), but the way you can keep returning artifacts if you keep killing creature is amazing. If you use a Triskelion equipped with a Basilisk Collar, ping two creatures then itself, you can return the Triskelion back to your hand. Yes, it's pretty nice. Of course, that's just one way, but attrition is the name of the game when it comes to her and I can't wait to try her out.

Again, these are the cards that caught my eye. There's some nice cards that can have some cool interactions (Ichor Wellspring can be a complete engine card), while others I'm not looking forward to facing (Knowledge Pool. Sorry, it doesn't make me excited). Go through your decks and see what can be pulled out. There's nothing wrong with trying new cards, that's how you know what works.

I know I left some cards out, so tell me what you thought and what you're looking forward to put in your decks.