But which one would be more fun? It really depends on your play style. If you want to go wide with a bunch of creatures, go with Aesi. If you want to be a more aggressive, go with Wyleth. Now this commander isn't a totally unique design, and is actually quite similar to another popular commander: Aesi is basically the result of taking Tatyova, Benthic Druid and stapling an Exploration on to her. You lose some lifegain, but honestly this looks like a significant upgrade to me: being able to play an additional land per turn is well worth the one extra mana to cast. Plus, Aesi is a big ol' Serpent, and everyone knows that Serpents are way cooler than Merfolk (sorry, Prof)! So if you're wondering which commander is better, I personally think Aesiis an upgrade. Reap the Tides had the right idea already. There are a lot of big creatures and a lot of ramp spells. However, any of them can be upgraded to any of the aforementioned ideas I presented in this section. 3) Combo As with Tatyova, there is huge potential to combo off with Aesi, Tyrant of the Gyre Strait. In this section, I will explain some combo lines that you might be able to build in to.

Explorers of the Deep" Precon Upgrade Guide | Merfolk +1/+1 Counters | Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander,card draw; Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait, Fathom Mage, Mulldrifter, Nezahal, Primal Tide, Sphinx of Uthuun, Compulsive Research, Fact or Fiction, Harmonize, Urban Evolution, Seer's Sundial, Ior Ruin Expedition There are not any Serpents in the precon, so you could potentially take out all of the creatures. I would recommend leaving in Slinn Voda, the Rising Deep, since it has an ability that synergizes with Serpents. Powerful and varied synergies between the cards. A decent number of good tutors. Good mana curve. Has an efficient and consistent way to win on turns 10-12 (level 7) or 7-9 (level 8). Some social rules — like no mass land destruction, no consistent combo wins — still exist. Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait & Wyleth, Soul of Steel | Art by Viktor Titov& Tyler Jacobson) Commander Legends: Precons Justin Likes Big Snakes Ayaya uwu Justin Likes Big Snakes Ayaya uwu Justin Likes Big Snakes Ayaya uwu

The final main Landfall card is Zendikar’s Roil, and there’s actually a little hidden combo here. Risen Reef’s ability triggers when Elementals enter the battlefield, and Zendikar’s Roil creates Elementals on Landfall. So as long as you’re hitting lands with Risen Reef’s triggers, you’re making more tokens (and drawing more cards with Aesi)! This is a simple way to build a threatening board out of nowhere, and will command respect from unsuspecting opponents. Ramp & Lands MatterFrom just a numbers perspective, this actually looks really good for a precon! But now it's time to take a closer look at the individual cards in the precon: Although the combo can be clunky, it has many interchangeable parts. I will separate it into 4 categories: Play Land Several of the other new cards show up in more niche strategies, though these are the most impactful from Commander 2020. Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait from Reap the Tides is a Simic commander following up on Zendikar Rising’s landfall theme. You get to play extra lands and draw extra cards for doing so! Definitely two things we love doing in Magic: getting ahead in mana, and having more cards.

The precon includes a few landfall cards like Avenger of Zendikar and Rampaging Baloths, but it is missing a few other powerful cards. These are some of them: There are also a lot of lands that enter tapped. While this is not a huge problem in lower-level circles, if you can upgrade to dual lands that enter untapped, you should. Some great additions would be: Finally, Sylvan Awakening is perhaps the most literal way to “win with your lands.” It thankfully gives your lands indestructible, which really minimizes the risk in animating your lands. They also gain reach until your next turn, so you could use the card defensively if absolutely necessary. Value Engines Brinelin the Moon Kraken is another way to draw a lot of cards if you are casting a lot of big creatures. What to Take Out As mentioned earlier, these new precons seem to mimic some of the mechanics that we’ve seen with Zendikar Rising. Specifically, landfall and equipment. If you’ve already opened up a bunch of sealed ZNR, you might have some easy upgrades for these precons on hand.

lands and Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait, Coiling Oracle, Explore, Growth Spiral, Rampant Growth, Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, Urban Evolution, Sol Ring, Simic Signet, Khalni Heart Expedition, Search for Tomorrow

In a similar vein to Akiri, Fearless Voyager (a.k.a Akiri 2.0), Wyleth, Soul of Steel rewards you with actual card draw for leaning into Equipment and Auras. While Akiri 2.0 and Wyleth, Soul of Steel both grant card draw in a color combination typically not associated with retaining a large hand size, their differences are noteworthy. Sphinx of the Second Sun is another high-costed creature that would be fun to spend all of your mana on. Plus, it untaps your lands and draws you an extra card in the second half of your turn, giving you even more resources to use. The only real difference is that Aesi is a Serpent with a bigger body and it can let you play an additional land on each of your turns. These differences are the ones that we are going to accentuate for this section and the rest of the article. While there is a reasonable difference in power between Commander 2020 and the other products right out of the box, some simple upgrades can help rectify any balance issues. You can see my upgrade article for Reap the Tides here, and Kristen Gregory’s article for Arm for Battle here for some inspiration! Upgradability While Boros does continue to lean into its combat roots, I think WotC has done interesting work in expanding the color combination's potential for staying power and card advantage. I'm really pleased with the versatility of Boros Equipment and Aura support we've gotten of late. Feeling more aggressive? Maybe Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh and Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist (cliffside excavations? #lifegoals). Want to be more resilient and reactive? Maybe Akiri, Fearless Voyager this game. Or maybe 'more smash = more cash'? Wyleth, Soul of Steel can provide some of the Voltron feel while also snowballing into more card advantage. Plus, all of these cards synergize well together in the 99, smoothing out Equip costs, adding resiliency, and granting card advantage in colors that have historically struggled with them in a four-player free-for-all.The most impressive strategy right out of the box is Landfall. Rampaging Baloths and Avenger of Zendikar are format all-stars, and for good reason: they’re efficient, powerful, and reward you just for playing the game. It would be wise to lean harder into this as your main strategy; Aesi enables far more land drops than most Tatyova builds ever could, so taking advantage of that is key to a successful build. The most expensive part of this upgrade is Roil Elemental, but it’s easily one of the most powerful Landfall payoffs. Just one or two turns of ramping with this on board will completely decimate any advantage your opponents have, making it a must-answer threat. There aren’t too many reprints that have dramatically influenced price or availability, though Commander 2020 has helped to keep the price of many staples down, like Skullclamp and Lightning Greaves. Commander Legends continued this trend, with cards like Avenger of Zendikar in Reap the Tides and Sigarda’s Aid in Arm for Battle helping to keep the costs low. Ruin Crab and Hedron Crab if you decide you want to mill your opponents to death or fill your own graveyard in Hedron Crab‘s case.