While it started out as a somewhat confusing and oddball format, Historic has really grown into its own as a unique and very alive part of Magic.

Historic is the only format in Magic's historic that is directly curated. Rather than simply being at the whims of whatever is in the next set, cards are specifically added by Wizards of the Coast as either additions to Remastered sets like Amonkhet and Kaladesh or through small releases like the Historic Anthologies, which are 20-30 card sets of reprints specifically designed for Historic play.

This allows Magic's history to enter MTG Arena without the monumental task of needing to release 25 years of sets at once, as well as giving a chance for cards to shine outside their usual context. Seeing cards like Brainstorm without fetchlands or cycling lands without Life from the Loam gives new life to old cards, as well as giving a chance to cards like Phyrexian Obliterator or Memory Lapse which aren't good enough in formats like Modern or Legacy but now have an opportunity to shine.

This has led Historic to feel a lot like Modern does, with a huge swath of viable strategies and gameplay where it feels like you can do a whole bunch of different things and still find success and that's awesome!

As such, the release of a new Historic Anthology is a cause for excitement and Historic Anthology 5 is right around the corner. Today, I'm doing to do a complete set review of all 25 cards in the set and we have quite the lineup. Historic Anthology 4 was a dud, but it looks like Wizards of the Coast righted the ship for 5 because we've got some nice ones!

And what a place to start! Atarka's Command is not only one of the best cards in Historic Anthology 5, but it also heralds in the entire Tarkir Command cycle to join their Strixhaven counterparts.

Atarka's Command is an extremely powerful tool for aggressive decks and has seen play across various formats, being a staple in Standard and an oft player in older versions of Burn in Modern. The floor here is very close to Skullcrack, which is already a playable Modern card, but with a super high ceiling for each creature you have in play. Typically, we'll be seeing the "creatures you control get +1/+1" and "3 damage to each opponent" modes being chosen, meaning the damage output can easily be a quarter of your opponent's life total while also being a combat trick.

Current builds of Gruul in Historic don't really seem to have enough 1-drops to really utilize Atarka's Command and already have Embercleave, but you can definitely bet we'll be seeing more aggressively slanted Gruul and almost Mono Red decks popping up using it - it's just too powerful to ignore.

Dromoka's Command was a huge player when it was legal in Standard, often playing alongside Collected Company or Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, however it's never really been able to get too far beyond that format-wise. The modes are flexible, but as a pure removal spell a fight can leave something to be desired in cheaper, more powerful formats. Having utility against everything from Anger of the Gods to Baffling End is very nice, but this is more of a spicy one or two of rather than a must have removal spell.

Still, Dromoka's Command is likely to see play in some of the various Collected Company decks.

Since it's printing, I've been saying that Prismari Command is overrated and only really good when it gets into "Kolaghan's Command" mode of Shock and Shatter, but actual Kolaghan's Command can do so much more.

A staple in pretty much every single format, Kolaghan's Command is by far the best of the command cycle and perhaps the most impactful card in this Anthology. The ultimate grind card, Kolaghan's Command is almost always a guaranteed 2 for 1, often doing so in a way that directly effects the board. It can slow down fast starts just as well as it can provide late game card advantage, showing its range across every part of a game of Magic.

With Rakdos already one of the best color combinations in Historic, we're going to be seeing a lot of Kolaghan's Command.

Ojutai's Command is like Dromoka's Command in that it feels much more suited for Standard play. A powerful effect when it goes off, if your opponent isn't playing creatures or if you don't have a good selection of two mana creatures that go to the graveyard in your deck, you're often simply not getting four mana worth of value often enough.

It's cute, but Ojutai's Command probably won't be making much of a splash unless we see something at the level of Jace, Vryn's Prodigy enter the format.

Take basically everything I just said about Ojutai's Command and add a mana to it.

Silumgar's Command has decent modes, but with all of them being conditional you are hardly ever getting five mana's worth. The power level just isn't there as there are a multitude of better options in both colors. And if you're looking for a big instant to flash back with Torrential Gearhulk just put Magma Opus in your Dimir deck.

The second cycle in this Anthology is the Phyrexian Praetor cycle.

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is perhaps the most played card of this cycle, seeing play in Legacy as one of the best reanimation targets in the game against any creature deck. Of course, that is about the extent of Elesh Norn's utility.

Historic does not have the cards to produce Elesh Norn on turn one or two, so while it's possible it could still see some play with Unburial Rites it is not super likely. Still a very cool one that will matter more and more as the years go on and the power level of the format increases.

Take everything I just said about Elesh Norn and say it again.

Jin-Gitaxias is not the best reanimation target in Legacy, that of course would be Griselbrand, but is still a backbreaking card to put on the battlefield on the first few turns. However, again the tools just don't really exist in Historic for any sort of reanimation deck that's that efficient.

It's unlikely you're ever casting Jin-Gitaxias, but it is an option for reanimator decks.

Sheoldred, Whispering One is actually a pretty sweet one that is often seen in the Magic Online Cube, sort of a mega payoff in a reanimator deck. Considering it is reasonably castable and also a very nice not-all-in reanimation target it has a chance, but for the most part this is just a fun one that I'm sure will be making an appearance in the MTG Arena Cube.

The Red praetor Urabrask the Hidden is perhaps the only one of the cycle that you will often just cast. At five mana it has some serious competition with Glorybringer and Goldspan Dragon, but perhaps Urabrask the Hidden's biggest draw is that it gives all your creatures haste while also being a reasonable castable card.

If there's ever a combo deck looking to put creatures into play and needs to give them haste, Urabrask may be the tool for that job.

Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger is a legendary card in Commander and I imagine it will have a similar trajectory in Brawl. You're never casting this card in a serious competitive game of Magic, but if you're playing a bit more casually it will allow you to do some pretty nasty things.

Ancient Grudge is a card that has seen play in every format at some point or another, providing defense against various artifacts at a low cost and card advantage. It's a great thing to have around.

Historic doesn't really have a critical mass of artifacts for artifact decks to be too successful yet, but Ancient Grudge will undoubtedly have a job to do when that day does come.

Before there was Ancient Grudge, there was Ray of Revelation.

Enchantments have always been a less playable card type than artifacts, making Ray of Revelation a bit less exciting than Ancient Grudge historically, but Ray of Revelation is every bit as effective when needed. Both of these cards are great safety valves for the format to have.

Speaking of artifacts!

Court Homunculus, essentially the artifact version of Isamaru, Hound of Konda, is a nice little piece for any aggressive artifact deck that may show up. Cards like Tempered Steel and Steel Overseer are both legal in Historic and this is exactly the kind of synergy enabler card I love to see in these Anthologies.

Court Homunculus isn't going to getting banned at any point soon, but it can help certain types of decks hit the critical mass they need to make synergy happen and that's awesome. I can't wait to put a +1/+1 counter on it with Venerated Loxodon... Let's do Memnite next Wizards of the Coast!

The addition of Storm to Historic via the Strixhaven Mystical Archives was quite the surprise, as it's one of those mechanics that Wizards of the Coast has been adamant about not reprinting. Yet despite that, we now have Mind's Desire, Grapeshot, and Tendrils of Agony all legal in the format, but lack the enablers of older formats for them to be that damaging.

Dragonstorm looks silly but does have a serious pedigree, winning the World Championships in 2007. Although there's no dragon quite as good as Bogardan Hellkite to get, even just getting a squad of Glorybringers could easily be good enough. Of course, the lack of ritual effects will likely do Dragonstorm in as there aren't any good ways to get storm going for the better storm cards already waiting in the wings.

I must say I was hoping for Satyr Wayfinder, but Grisly Salvage is a nice one too.

The two-mana cycling/fill graveyard cards have always had a place in Constructed formats and Grisly Salvage will be no different. Two mana for card selection is already passable and the ability to dump five cards into your graveyard is most impressive. There isn't yet a critical mass of flashback and graveyard effects in Historic yet, but something as simple as Faithless Looting, Unburial Rites, or Skyclave Shade are very simple ways to gain a lot of value.

If Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath was still legal Grisly Salvage would feel borderline dangerous, but I still expect it to do quite well with all the graveyard things already happening in the format.

While there are many options in Modern for true two-mana land ramp spells like Farseek and Sakura-Tribe Elder, Historic does not currently have a "true" one (not counting Growth Spiral or Explore which aren't guaranteed). This makes Into the North a pretty big deal.

Furthermore, with the snow lands available from Kaldheim this is actually an upgrade to something simple like Rampant Growth. You can get dual lands like Woodland Chasm or Ice Tunnel, but you can also get Faceless Haven which is frankly awesome.

Into the North is a really fun one.

They're really firing on all cylinders with this release!

Yet another awesome synergy enabler, Intangible Virtue is a phenomenal anthem for token decks. Considering that token decks are often racing Vigilance is clutch and it's hard to overstate how much better a two-mana Glorious Anthem effect is than a three-mana one. Did you know this card was banned in Innistrad Block Constructed?

This is another sweet synergy card that may or may not make an immediate impact, but is something to remember every time a good new token card is printed.

As stated early, there just isn't really a critical mass of good artifacts for good artifact decks to take shape in Historic yet. Ichor Wellspring is a piece to the puzzle, but it's not much more than that.

Is Ichor Wellspring a playable card? Absolutely. Will it have an impact? Not yet.

Okay, not every card is going to be a Constructed powerhouse and we have our first real dud.

This one is probably just so they can put the card in the MTG Arena Cube.

On paper, Reverse Engineer looks awesome - "Two mana to draw three cards! I can just load up on cheap artifacts and then Reverse Engineer to refill!" However, it never plays out like that because it demands you draw the right mix of artifacts and Reverse Engineer, and then only pays you off by drawing a few more crappy artifacts.

I tried, a lot, to make Reverse Engineer work in Standard when it was legal and was always disappointed; I expect the same fate in Historic.

With Faithless Looting legal and tons of good graveyard stuff happening, Wizards of the Coast has been careful about making sure there are enough tools available in Historic to deal with the graveyard when needed. Rest in Peace was added to Amonkhet Remastered, while Grafdigger's Cage was in Core Set 2020, and both cards represent two of the best graveyard hate options available in Modern.

However, both are hate cards of the sledgehammer variety. They do a great job of locking out that zone of the game, but don't do anything else at all. Relic of Progenitus has long been the go-to graveyard hate sideboard card of more synergistic decks that wanted to be able to keep the cards flowing, and being able to eat your opponent's graveyard either slowly or quickly while maintain card parity is amazing. It's also awesome that it exiles both itself when used as well as the user's graveyard, meaning you can't recur it with Lurrus of the Dream-Den nor can you freeroll it when you yourself are playing a graveyard deck.

Make no mistake, this is a simple but huge addition to the format.

Well, we've got Brainstorm without fetchlands, how about we take a look at Stifle without fetchlands!

...

No? Not that exciting?

Stifle's primary purpose in Legacy is to be a one-mana Stone Rain against Flooded Strand and friends, as almost every mana base in Legacy is made up of about a dozen fetchlands. However, because of how inconsistent it is it even then wanes in popularity.

Without that ability Stifle is going to be an extremely narrow card in Historic, and with Thassa's Oracle being banned on Wednesday it has even less to do.

It's cute, but Stifle isn't doing much.

Trash for Treasure is an awesome and powerful card, but falls just a bit short in Modern.

However, in Historic there's far less competition and Faithless Looting leads the charge as a clear and easy way to get the needed pieces into the graveyard. There aren't a ton of amazing artifacts, but there are some very powerful ones like Bolas's Citadel, Platinum Angel, and God-Pharaoh's Gift.

This is another card that falls under the "very powerful under the right circumstances" umbrella. It wouldn't take much to push this card from fringe to major player if things fall the right way.

One to watch and my pick for sleeper card in the entire Anthology.

They just really want the crappy artifact deck to be good, don't they!

Another not so subtle reminder that Tempered Steel was in a previous Historic Anthology, Vault Skirge is cut from the same cloth as Court Homunculus but much better and with much more of a competitive pedigree. Lifelink and flying are both powerful keywords on a card meant to be made better with other cards, and it really feels like we might be at critical mass for an artifact aggro deck. If so, Vault Skirge will be front and center. Is Cranial Plating next?

Our last card is an oddball. At face value, Whirler Rogue looks like a very good Limited card. It's a 2/2 for four mana, gets some value, breaks board stalls, etc. However, did you know this card has seen play in Modern Humans? Four power for four mana over three bodies is a good rate, as is adding two artifacts and two fliers to play, alongside a potential way to break through a clogged-up game state.

There of course is the question of what deck would possibly want this card, but it's a cute one that has an outside shot.

A Big Improvement

Historic Anthology 4 was a big letdown. It was an odd collection of cards featuring draft commons and Amonkhet and Kaladesh cards that were frustratingly left out of their Remastered reprint sets.

Historic Anthology 5 feels like the exact opposite.

It's realistically conceivable that over half the cards will see serious Constructed play at some point, and the ones that aren't Constructed powerhouses are still fun and enjoyable casual cards. There's some raw power as seen in the commands, but for the most part these are interesting deck-building tools that multiple decks will be able to use for years to come.

I can't wait to start brewing!