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From The Vault: Legends has been announced (see here) to be this summer's FTV product. This product will be a perfect complement to the forthcoming Commander decks, which will be released a few months prior. Hard-to-find, special foil versions of Commanders? It seems like a slam-dunk for the format.
The new art released with the announcement clearly shows Teferi, so we now know there are only thirteen possible other inclusions in the set. (Teferi + a mythic from the next large set = thirteen others). Of these thirteen, six will receive new art. But what legends can make the cut in here? The announcement (and WotC policy) make the following things clear: Some cards will be in the new frame for the first time, some cards will be in black borders for the first time, and none of the cards included will be on the Reserve List.
Of the legends released before Mercadian Masques, only about forty-five are allowed to be reprinted. Of these, some stand out as candidates. Mirri, Cat Warrior is one of the only Weatherlight crew members that was not on the Reserve List. She is also a rather iconic legend, and seems worthy of new art to boot. Any of the elder dragon legends could show up in here as well, but I think they might shy away from that, and instead print other legends that have seen less attention. Xira Arien, Rubinia Soulsinger, and Merieke Ri Berit all stand out as reasonable entrants for this box set as well. They are all decent Commanders, and any foil version of them would be much appreciated.
Some players may read the announcement, wondering, "What legends have white borders?" The answer is Portal: Three Kingdoms legends. I think that they may shy away from printing any cards that have the Horsemanship ability, and instead print the legends in the set with relevant abilities. Cao Cao, Lord of Wei is a nice Commander in that regard. Hua Tuo, Honored Physician is a great Green Commander to have as well. Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed has Horsemanship, but also a relevant ability. It is probably the only Horsemanship Commander that could fit in here, if they do decide to put Horsemanship in it. The reason I feel they would shy away from this ability is that it amounts to the text "This creature is unblockable," and could result in imbalance in racing to 21 Commander damage. Another strike against Xiahou Dun is that it sells for about $130+ at the moment. While I realize the burden of "value" in this, FTV is put squarely on the P:3K cards, I doubt they would push it that far.
What other Commanders could be printed between Masques and Mirrodin? Invasion gives plenty of interesting choices. Captain Sisay could show up, as I expect at least one of these legends to "play nicely" with other legends. Hanna, Ship's Navigator is a great Commander, but often overlooked. Kangee, Aerie Keeper is a tribal lord, and seems fine to show up again. As for Masques, Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero is the only legendary creature to be banned in a format. It is going to be in the set; it seems like a complete slam-dunk to me. It's a shame that she isn't the most useful Commander, but the history she has in constructed Magic is relevant enough to warrant her inclusion. Squee, Goblin Nabob could certainly show up in here, as he is a loved legend that fits into Cubes and casual decks everywhere.
[/caption]Of the sets with the new borders, there are plenty of interesting options left. However, this time period also has tons of great legends, so picking specific ones out is much more difficult. Memnarch, one of the newly legalized Commanders, would be a great inclusion in the set. Foil copies of the card are currently in high demand, and he would fulfill the role of an artifact legend nicely. I am also expecting a five-color legend to make an appearance in the FTV, and I feel either Cromat or Horde of Notions will take on that role. Both are nice inclusions to Commander decks that choose to play all colors. If they want to go all out for this set, Progenitus could also make an appearance, but we aren't entirely sure how far back they are reaching for reprints. We know they are going at least as far as Time Spiral block, but I would assume more recent sets have less chance to have a card appear in the set. Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni seems like a decent inclusion in the set, but as she was also a prerelease promo, it might be less likely to happen. None of the wedge dragons from Planar Chaos will be in this box set, because they will all be reprinted in the Commander decks. If this box set is catering to legends that are relevant in commander, we may see Jhoira or Zur in there, but I think the odds are be against that happening. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker is one of the few Kamigawa-block legends that would be right at home in this FTV. It was powerful, fun, and many people enjoy the card. Kira, Great Glass-Spinner is also a legend that sees relevant amounts of play outside of casual, and could be just fine in the set. However, I feel it isn't very evocative as a "character," so that may be a point against it. Mangara of Corondor, also relevant outside of casual, could be in there, and could also see new art. I heard some players wishing it would be in the (then-rumored) FTV: Legends so it could get different art last week.
That all said, here is my personal guess/wish list for the box set.
- Unknown "Shake" Mythic
- Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir (new art)
- Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero (new art)
- Cao Cao, Lord of Wei
- Hua Tuo, Honored Physician
- Mirri, Cat Warrior
- Xira Arien (new art)
- Merieke Ri Berit (new art)
- Hanna, Ship's Navigator
- Captain Sisay
- Squee, Goblin Nabob (new art)
- Memnarch
- Horde of Notions (new art)
- Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
- Mangara of Corondor (new art)
Of these, I think Xira and Merieke have the lowest chances of being in the box set. They have plenty of competition for the "old card that is good as a Commander" slot, along with cards like Dakkon Blackblade and Sol'kanar the Swamp King.
What do you think? Share your list in the comments!
