The 25-year old ruleset offers fast gameplay, endless variety, and flavorful archetypes to make sure no one game feels the same. Plus it’s budget-friendly nature let you focus on the fun before realizing you’ve built your seventh deck four months into the hobby.

Although it’s often enjoyed casually, players that pay attention to the cardgame meta benefit by tracking card demand while boosting their own win rates considerably. 

In our strongest Commander decks article, we track the highest-performing EDH builds and synergies throughout the year—from budget Commander to competitive Bracket 5 play.

Magic: The Gathering’s Strongest Commander Decks in 2026

According to EDHREC, “Fire Lord Azula”, “Toph, the First Metalbender”, and “Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed” are keeping their positions as the most popular Commanders of the month, with “Ashling, the Limitless” following close behind. 

The latest data also shows the same Elemental in the weekly top spots alongside fellow Lorwyn drop “Maralen, Fae Ascendent”, a Sultai Elf Faerie 4/5 that lets you exile cards from an opponent’s library before casting them for free.

Despite being an already-powerful type, Lorwyn Eclipsed provided Faerie players with a cornucopia of options that played around with the Flash mechanic, control engines, and the new Blight playstyle—mechanics my Krenko deck is not looking forward to.

The last time an archetype received this much support from Wizards of the Coast was back in early 2025 when zombies and dragons saw huge price hikes due to the synergies from successive sets Aetherdrift and Tarkir: Dragonstorm. 

Best EDH commanders right now

Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice

Lorwyn Eclipsed made quite a splash in the Commander meta with strong support for counter play and the new Vivid mechanic.

Because of this, “Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice” takes an almost decade-long spot in the top three, even more so because of her color identity and Proliferate mechanic.

Though many players argue that Atraxa’s homogenized deck builds keep the competitive format stagnant, Lorwyn’s two new mechanics are likely to add new, fun variations. Her versatility in the current meta can’t be denied, so she remains one of the strongest Commander decks of the season.

Fire Lord Azula

If you’ve ever wanted to experience Grixis spellslinger, Fire Lord Azula reigns above all, mainly due to her triggered ability, which lets you copy any spell you cast during her attacks. 

Swinging this 4/4 noble nets two red mana from her Firebending ability. Burn the table with Orcish Bowmasters or Electrostatic Field, get 2-in-1 effects for every targeted removal spell, or gain infinite draw with Frantic Search and Narset’s Reversal to find your win con.

Esika, God of the Tree

Esika is still the queen of five-color value piles. Her ability to turn every creature into a rainbow mana rock makes her the backbone of “goodstuff” decks that jam everything from Dockside to Smothering Tithe.

In practice, she’s the commander you pick when you want to play everything and don’t want to commit to a single archetype.

The real kicker? Lorwyn Eclipsed added new Vivid lands and mana-fixing enchantments, making Esika’s mana base smoother than ever. If you’ve ever wanted to cast Omniscience into Genesis Ultimatum while still holding up interaction, Esika’s your gal.

Competitive Commander (cEDH) decks

The cEDH scene this season has been dominated by Tymna/Thrasios/Kraum shells, with win rates hovering around 52–55% in online leagues and paper tournaments.

These decks thrive on flexibility: Tymna provides card draw, Thrasios is an infinite mana outlet, and Kraum punishes greedy opponents with extra cards.Tournament data shows Rograkh/Tevesh Szat combo decks still sneaking into Top 8s, leveraging zero-cost commander starts into the usual Ad Nauseam or Underworld Breach game-closers.

Sitting across from Rograkh still feels like watching someone play Commander on fast-forward. You’re still muling down for a chance of a Sol Ring in your opening hand, and they’re already storming off.

Commander tier list January 2026

• S-Tier: Tymna/Thrasios, Kraum, Rograkh/Tevesh Szat
• A-Tier: Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy; Esika, God of the Tree; Najeela, the Blade-Blossom
• B-Tier: Atraxa, Winota, Joiner of Forces
• C-Tier: Spicy brews like Tom Bombadil sagas or tribal decks trying to punch above their weight

Strongest Commander decks: Casual and budget

Budget Commander Deck trends for casual play

Budget players are thriving thanks to Lorwyn Eclipsed’s tribal support. Merfolk decks now have access to cheap lords and flash synergies, making them surprisingly resilient. 

That said, Elves remain the go-to budget powerhouse, with Maralen, Fae Ascendent offering a new control twist. But Vampires, led by Edgar Markov, are still the kings of casual tables—versatile, aggressive, and dripping with flavor.

Best tribal EDH decks — Merfolk, Elves, Vampires

• Merfolk: Flash tricks, tempo plays, and new Blight synergies.
• Elves: Classic ramp into Craterhoof Behemoth. Still the budget darling.
• Vampires: Aggressive tribal with aristocrat synergies. Blood Artist never goes out of style.

Impact of new sets and banned list on strongest Commander decks

Lorwyn Eclipsed shake-ups

The set introduced Blight counters and Vivid spells, both of which synergize with proliferate strategies. Atraxa players are eating well, and Faerie tribal got a massive glow-up.

Banned list debates

The community is still split on Dockside Extortionist. Some argue it’s the red Sol Ring, others say it’s the only way red keeps up. Meanwhile, Rhystic Study continues to be the card everyone loves to hate—no I do not play the “1”.

Magic: The Gathering Commander predictions for the rest of 2026

Our strongest Commander decks list show Atraxa, Tymna/Thrasios, and Fire Lord Azula leading the charge.

Best EDH decks balance flexibility with synergy—Atraxa for casual, Tymna/Thrasios for cEDH, and 2026 still highlights partner commanders as the most dominant.

Top EDH commanders include Atraxa, Esika, and Sheoldred for casual; Tymna/Thrasios/Kraum for competitive. But if you’re playing with a budget, the strongest Commander decks typically lean heavily on tribal decks like Merfolk, Elves, and Vampires.

This Lorwyn Eclipsed decks guide discusses the best colors to pick, the playstyles they support, and more!

Top 5 best Lorwyn Eclipsed decks to start with

5. Goblins (Red/Black)

We’re starting our list off with the Goblin denizens of the Shadowmoor!

Lorwyn Eclipsed offers a primarily aristocrat-like playstyle where you create as many creatures as you can before blighting them for bonus effects, with Boggart Cursecrafter being the signpost uncommon you want four of.

While pinging opponents and re-using your little Gobbos sounds fun, it’s also the playstyle with the most steps, which means its easily disrupted with removal or a counterspell effect, which the set has plenty of. 

Refining this for more of an aggro playstyle can definitely win games, but with better options up for grabs, you’ll want to hear the rest!

4. Merfolk (White/Blue)

Merfolk’s focus on tap effects easily makes it the most versatile archetype of the set.

Not only do you get incentivized to attack, but you can also maximize these activated abilities on your opponent’s turn!

Gain life, draw cards, buff your board, and make your Gravelgill Scoundrels unblockable in your Lorwyn Eclipsed Merfolk deck strategy.

3. Kithkin (Green/White)

Among the best MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed prerelease decks to build are the Kithkin, a classic tribal strategy that does two things: flood the board with creatures (that is, going wide), and buffing these said creatures.

Keep an eye out for Thoughweft Lieutenant and Gallant Fowlnight when building this deck. If you get hit with a boardwipe that wrecks your board, you’ll need a fast way to rebuild your forces. 

2. Elves (Black/Green)

Second on our list is the Elf archetype. Surprisingly, the popular subtype stands out with not only powerful synergies, but also self-mill, benefitting from deceased creatures to ensure their heroic struggle is never forgotten.

This archetype is a must-play if you happen to pull three or more copies of Morcant’s Loyalist, a 3-cost elf that buffs other elves and returns one of them to your hand from the graveyard if it dies.

1. Faerie Flash (Blue/Black)

At the top of our list of best Lorwyn Eclipsed decks for prerelease is blue/black Faeries.

This archetype removes threats, controls the board, and rewards you for casting on your opponent’s turns. Evasion is powerful in a format like Limited, and Faerie Flash takes it to a whole new level.

Flying creatures take center stage here, but you can also use your tricksters to buff your creatures, weaken enemy attackers, and make the most out of your deck with the set’s best draw spells. 

Here are the best Faeries you should include in your Lorwyn Eclipsed prerelease deck:

• Voracious Tome-Skimmer
• Glamer Gifter
• Glen Elendra Guardian
• Nightmare Sower
• Illusion Spinners
• Glamermite

What’s a prerelease event?

MTG prerelease events (sometimes called “PR”, “sealed”, or “draft”) are special tournaments where fans can open packs and construct decks a week before the set officially hits shelves. 

These usually take place in hobby shops and local game stores. And from what we’ve seen, Lorwyn Eclipsed offers an enjoyable draft experience for new and returning fans alike — especially if you love Faeries.

In our MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed Mechanics explained guide, we explain what these new mechanics do, which popular Commanders benefit from them, and how they impact the meta. 

MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed full mechanics list explained

Our next adventure into the lands of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor marks the revival of an almost decade-old typal synergy, and the return of familiar game mechanics.

What is Blight mechanic

The Blight keyword refers to an ability, cost, or effect that causes a target creature to gain a -1/-1 counter, weakening its base power and toughness.

This detrimental effect is powerful, not only for its ability to destroy weak creatures, but its ability to get around the Indestructible keyword and supply counters to other permanents which redirect or convert them into game changing effects.

Here are all the MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed cards that have been revealed with the Blight mechanic:

• Pyrrhic Strike
• Warren Torchmaster
• Boggart Mischief
• Burning Curiosity
• Champion of the Weird
• Dawnhand Dissident
• Grub, Notorious Auntie
• High Perfect Morcant
• Requiting Hex
• Shadow Urchin

How the Vivid mechanic works in MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed

Vivid is a mechanic that gets stronger the more colors you have among permanents you control on board. 

Introduced for the first time in Lorwyn Eclipsed, this versatile keyword can offer many boons: tokens, card draw, and even discounts, all rewarding the number of unique mana symbols you have in your Magic: The Gathering deck. 

Here are all the confirmed Vivid effects in the Lorwyn Eclipsed set that we know of so far:

• Draws cards (Shinestriker)
• Buffs creatures (Prismabasher)
• Puts cards from library onto the battlefield (Aurora Awakener)
• Adds mana (Bloom Tender)
• Deals damage (Explosive Prodigy)
• Create tokens (Kithkeeper)
• Fetches basic lands (Prismatic Undercurrents)
• Discounts its own spell (Rime Chill)
• Exile cards to play it later (Sanar, Innovative First–Year)
• Sap your opponent’s life (Shimmercreep)
• Set creature stats (Squawkroaster)

This is easily the most exciting part of the set mechanics-wise, as multi-color decks are very prevalent in today’s meta (especially in EDH). 

MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed mechanics explained: How Blight and Vivid impact the meta

Lorwyn’s new counter-based synergies, color scaling, and double-faced additions make it a total standout. But how do the new cards impact the state of the game today?

Blight’s slow and unassuming effects can become a huge threat when used widely, especially in powerful proliferate decks like Kilo, Apogee Mind or Atraxa. 

“Glen Elendra Guardian” is a Lorwyn Eclipsed card that has a 2-cost ability to cancel an opponent’s next spell by removing any counter on it. With how accessible Blight is in this set, you can potentially “store” three Counterspells in this tiny 3/4 Faerie to hold your opponents hostage.

Remember to keep an eye on where your opponents stack theirs when you head to Lorwyn’s prerelease event.

Another standout not many are talking about is “Selfless Safewright”, a 5-mana Elf with Flash and Convoke that provides total protection for tribal decks. 

If you’re new, elves are amongst Magic’s top tribal synergies, and giving Lathril and Galadriel players more toys to play with will only solidify their strong presence in 2026. 

Final thoughts

All in all, Lorwyn Eclipsed’s exciting return to the Feywild promises to be another delightful addition to MTG’s smaller pantheon of in-universe hits. 

Seeing the game return to its whimsically sorcerous roots isn’t a bad way to kick off the year. It’s certainly a good sign in more ways than one.

I hope that Wizards of the Coast uses this momentum to learn from last year’s blunders and focus on what made their game earn multi-generational loyalty.

Despite the rise of overhyped crossovers and questionable set designs, old and new fans alike are flocking to their local game stores to play through the continuation of one of Magic’s most (well.. magical) settings–almost 10 years in the making!

This guide covers the set’s lore, the new Lorwyn Eclipsed mechanics, and the set’s global release date.

MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed release date

Lorwyn Eclipsed releases on Friday, January 23, 2026.

Cardboard enthusiasts can get their hands on the set early in local pre-release events, which are set on the weekend of January 17-18, 2026.

Lorwyn Eclipsed set details

The MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed set offers the following products

• Play Booster set
• Collector Booster box
• Two preconstructed Commander decks
  • “Dance of the Elements” (White/Blue/Black/Red/Green)
  • “Blight Curse” (Black/Red/Green)
• Lorwyn Eclipsed Draft Night box
• Lorwyn Eclipsed Bundle box
• Two 60-card theme decks
  • “Pirates” (Blue/Red)
  • “Angels” (Green/White)
• Prerelease pack

The Lorwyn block’s latest installment follows the usual product line we’ve come to expect from Wizards of the Coast, with the two EDH decks reflecting Principal Game Designer Gavin Verhey’s previous commitment to slow down design spaces.

MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed also boasts gorgeous, handmade art from the most recognizable artists in Magic’s 30-year run.

Here, Mark Poole, Rebecca Guay and more use digital and traditional art mediums to blend nostalgia and an airbrushed storybook charm to set the stage for Lorwyn’s interplanar conflicts.

Lorwyn Eclipsed lore explained

Lorwyn is a wooded realm of fable resting in eternal sunlit calm. It’s harmony is contrasted by the Shadowmoor, a gloomy mirror-world where its denizens fight to survive. 

Where Lorwyn’s rolling hills and happy communities end, Shadowmoor’s territories begin. It is a desolate land torn between scheming boggarts, heroic elves, and warlike kithkin. 

Both lands regularly feud along a shifting wall of twilight called the Aurora. Every 300 years, the plane of Lorwyn transforms into its counterpart.

Learn about the unique MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed mechanics

Lorwyn Eclipsed introduces two, never-before-seen mechanics alongside familiar strategies from past sets. 

Blight and Kindred mechanics explained

1. Blight – new mechanic that adds a -1/-1 counter on a creature.
2. Vivid – new mechanic whose effects scale to the number of colors among permanents you control.
3. Kindred – gives the “Kindred” creature type to non-creature spells.
4. Changeling – allows a creature to be any creature type.
5. Double-faced cards – flippable permanents that transform to showcase Lorwyn & Shadowmoor alternatives. 
6. Convoke – spells that creatures can help cast.
7. Behold – effects that are unlocked if you reveal a specific card from your hand.
8. Evoke – lower alternative cost that causes it to be eventually sacrificed.
9. Persist – allows a destroyed creature to return with a -1/-1 counter on it, if it didn’t already have a counter on it.

Matt Tabak, one of Magic’s Game designers, fully explained the new mechanics in MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed in the official blog in early January 2026.

Spoilers for the Lorwyn Eclipsed cards list are already out a few weeks from release, with mono-red staples and hoofed elves making it to the top of our rankings of must-have Lorwyn singles. 

How the new Lorwyn Eclipsed mechanics shape the meta

MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed promises impactful playstyles centered around its two new mechanics while strengthening other archetypes.  

Asymmetric boardwipes like Soul Immolation can get Boros Voltron commanders a leg-up, especially when they’re up against popular tokenator decks like Edgar Markov and combo stax synergies.

However, this set is an absolute goldmine for Faerie tribal players, especially if you play control-heavy decks. One example is Glen Elendra Guardian, whose cheap cost, Flash speed, and built-in evasion is only topped by its potential to lock down opponent spellslingers at instant speed!

Speaking of fast spells, I’m deadset on buying Hexing Squelcher for my Storm deck, but that’s if I even find one for sale. Not only is it un-counterable, but it also protects itself and all your spells once it enters the battlefield, so expect prices to shoot up in the coming days. 

First of all, I’d like to apologize on behalf of the community if you wanted a nice and quiet experience, so I’ll throw in this full, movie spoiler-free explanation as penance. 

Look, I can excuse otakus expressing their weird obsession over 2D women on the interwebs, but I can’t condone that behavior at the movies. And as luck would have it, my editor gave me the green light to voice my opinions.

Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc exploded into theaters in early October this year, giving us our first anime adaptation since the first season ended in late 2022. The movie continues directly after the events of Chainsaw Man Season 1 and the battle against the Katana Devil.

Old and new fans alike were treated to a new arc on the big screen boasting eye-popping visuals which justified the ticket price alone. However, certain moviegoers were surprised, maybe even disgusted, to hear barking from the rows during specific scenes.

Why are Chainsaw Man The Movie viewers barking in theaters?

For those who just got here, Chainsaw Man focuses on Denji’s journey as a Public Safety devil hunter with his faithful devil-dog partner Pochita. An extremely poor teenager, he is burdened with his late father’s debts and only ever has enough coins to buy and eat plain bread.

The head of the Devil Hunters Association, a woman named Makima, strings the poor guy along with promises of sexual favors to use his newly-found powers for her own, mysterious aims.

During their first “date”, Makima feeds Denji noodles — his first real meal in months — in exchange for dog-like loyalty. This develops into a unique dynamic where she takes advantage of Denji’s total lack of life experience so that his devil persona, Chainsaw Man, would obey her every whim.

Yes, she sets the rules, and Denji has to either agree or bark for her.

While a fully-grown adult manipulating a 16-year old boy is obviously problematic, Chainsaw Man’s irreverent story does anything but excuse it. Instead, the relationship is used to demonstrate Denji’s complete lack of self-esteem, and how the powers-that-be prey on the vulnerable to keep them under control. 

Strange tropes aside, Chainsaw Man’s first showing quickly became a hit and garnered a huge following for its dynamic action and high-tier animation, embedding itself into the mainstream. Written and drawn by the quirky Tatsuki Fujimoto, who publicly admitted he’s afraid of women, the manga has been running in the Weekly Shonen Jump since 2018 before moving to Shonen Jump Plus in 2022.

The series’ popularity spawned the anime, its movie, and of course, numerous Makima cosplays echoing the lovely request to bark for them, and needless to say, the fans were happy to oblige. One particularly popular Makima cosplay by X user @todopokie went viral with the same caption — “Bark for me.”

Should we really bark for Makima in the theater?

These dignified fan interactions solidified into the “Bark for Makima” meme, which has since become an inside joke for longtime Chainsaw Man fans. And lately, it’s been making a comeback. 

Now, fans are literally barking in theaters showing Reze Arc whenever Makima enters the frame, a reference to Denji’s sordid relationship and niche internet subcultures, performed as an ironically thirsty way of appreciating the film. 

At least, I hope it’s ironic.

While mostly fun, there are more layers to this trend than most people realize. 

Starting with the obvious: please don’t bark at the movie theater. It’s inappropriate, rude, and takes away from others’ viewing experiences.

Secondly, Makima’s character serves as a metaphor for grooming, exploitation, and the dangers of idolatry. She’s designed to be a warning, and all the red flags are there. But this point gets drowned out when fanboys emulate Denji’s simp-like behavior en masse.

But my biggest concern is how Chainsaw Man’s intense hyper-sexualization of its female characters actually amplifies existing issues rather than addressing them. This genre’s already rife with its criticisms, so as a manga reader, I was hoping that some of the scenes would be handled with more consideration.

All in all, I’m still a fan of the series and I’ll be patiently waiting for Denji to have his rude awakening — and trust me when I say that it’ll be an important moment.

Chainsaw Man sets itself apart from other shonen titles with a stark blend of gore, supernatural horror, and real-life struggles. It’s loud, messy, and has the tendency to disturb: all adjectives you should not be when inside a movie theater.