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 Welcome back to the wonderful world of Commander multiplayer, as told by SUNCOM, the PRE I run every Sunday at 15:00 GMT (more info about it here). You can read about the Origin of It All in the first article of this series.

 So, Theros is approaching fast and furious, and as the first set of a block where the Legendary supertype will definitely have a say in the proceedings (possibly the most since Kamigawa), its spoiler season becomes particularly interesting for Commander players. Let's have a look at what brand new commanders we're getting so far (from magicspoilers.com), starting with my favorite color, green, then proceeding counter-clockwise along the mana wheel.

  

 Anthousa isn't particularly attractive. It's a midrange lady that asks for spells targeting her, and in mono-green that's not what you want to fill your deck with, especially not if the reward is just a few 2/2s that expire at the end of turn and mostly risk for your lands to be killed. Nylea (the plane's take on Artemis) is another story entirely. She's the green member of the God cycle, and although she's not the best one of the ones spoiled so far (she's possibly the worst), is still very interesting to have an indestructible commander that provide two useful improvements to your team, and can easily bash for 6 when needed (devotion is a great mechanic and in green is especially easy to achieve). I don't think being an enchantment will prove to be anything but an hindrance for your commander, as it's not that you can tutor them with Idyllic Tutor or anything; then again, the Gods are all indestructible, so they don't die to Disenchant (they do to Return to Dust, though, which is unfortunate). Like all Gods, Nylea also comes with a special namesake artifact (also an enchantment, and I can't figure out for the life of me how that's supposed to work: isn't every artifact somehow enchanted by definition? But oh well, this IS useful in Commander for tutoring purposes at least.) The Bow of Nylea is a nice tool, the kind of thing that the Commander format exploits best, because all those situational states are more frequent around here, including the case where you want to Gaea's Blessing up some of your perished stuff. One third new legend, the Hydra Polukranos, was already included in my green commander encyclopedia, since it had been anticipated in the Duel Deck: Heroes vs. Monsters. It's nice, if not super-exciting.

 

 Red only got its God revealed, the Hephaestus-looking Purphoros. He has an "each opponent" clause for creature-based damage that spells "Commander abuse" all over the place, but he's still not that exciting to me, at least as far as Gods go. Still, he can be very good in a creature-based mono-red build, like Goblins (although they might still prefer a tribal commander). His Hammer is undeniably great, instead: another instance of universal haste, which is never not welcome, coupled with a strong, surplus-land-recycling ability. Every land you draw (or don't need to) becomes a 3/3 haste for 3 (which incidentally counts as an enchantment too, and I'm sure this will prove relevant down the line). Sounds good.

 

 Black didn't get legends so far, while among the blue ones, we only know of Thassa, the female Poseidon. But she's the strongest God so far. Her enchantment form is already worth it: free scry 1, and a cheap ability to make creatures unblockable (think of all the Ophidian-like dudes you can fill in a Thessa deck). She can slowly proceed to become a 5/5 indestructible unblockable herself, but there's even a case where this goal (which is the hardest to attain in a non-Merfolk-based blue deck) isn't even necessary, or desirable. A 3-mana enchantment (going to become a staple in every Zur deck for sure) that grants those abilities, one of which isn't even creature-based (unlike all the other spoiled Gods) is worth treasuring without the risk of it being targeted by creature removal. Having that as your commander, which means having scry 1 every game come turn 3, opens new strategical avenues for your mono-blue deck. Her signature artifact (why not a Trident, though? Too obvious? But a Bident is what Pluto wields) is also very good, if weirdly more expensive than herself. See, here's the Ophidian ability for Thassa to exploit!

 And here's Theros' very own Apollo, in the form of the white God Heliod (whose artifact, probably that spear, hasn't been spoiled yet.) So far, with only the black God still to be revealed, Thassa is the only God who cost less than 4. I like Heliod enough, though, as vigilance is more relevant to your team than trample or a limited firebreathing, and repeatable token generation, although expensive, is still one of the most strategical elements to keep always at hand. And again, they're enchantment tokens. I hope this distinction will cause mad interactions at some point. It's too conspicuously featured not to be important.

  

 Finally, three multicolored legends, all white-based. I'm not enough of an Ancient Greek buff to recognize the inspirational source for the Human heroes, but I can tell you that Anax and Cymede don't look like a great commander duo, unless you want to try a Boros Deck Wins Commander deck, while Daxos can be good, if a bit random. Casting stuff from other people's decks is always fun. The Sphinx Medomai is still not 100% accurate (the one provided is a mock up based on various bits of information and released art), but if confirmed, well, that's definitely the scary new commander you will see A LOT of.

 There's several other dozens of Theros cards already spoiled, and some of them have the potential to make an impact in Commander (what about this land, for instance? It clearly says new mono-color staple, if not dual-color too). But on these articles I'll strictly keep track of the Legendary guys only. For more stuff, especially tribal creatures, see you on my next Diaries of the Apocalypse installment, that'll be up on Friday. Now, let's see what happened in the world of SUNCOM lately.

 TODAY'S COMMANDERS (click to go directly to the decklists): Thraximundar, Nicol Bolas,  Intet, the Dreamer,  Maelstrom Wanderer, Heartless Hidetsugu, Kamahl, Fist of Krosa.

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SUNCOM 37

 The time was two Sundays ago. The place: the 37th SUNCOM event. The man: slug360. The zombie: Thraximundar.

 

 Thraxi is a great Grixis commander, and a case where the commander is really the centerpiece of the build. As you can see, the deck doesn't need other creatures: of the 5 that are present, two are actually spells in disguise (Glen Elendra Archmage, Snapcaster Mage), Phyrexian Metamorph is a versatile tactical piece that doesn't necessarily end up on the battlefield as a creature, and Consecrated Sphinx and Wurmcoil Engine are just too good to be passed on (I'd say even better than Titans for Titan mana). I'd add Duplicant in this category, but the deck surely doesn't lack other ways to deal with enemy creatures.

 Same exact color combination for Edison_88luckyplayer, who trust the command of his deck to an old friend of the Commander format, original EDH founder Nicol Bolas, back when he didn't ascend to planeswalker status yet, and was still just a nerd dragon. One who could wreak your hand, though.

 

 Edison and slug faced in the final table Frenzy277, who was playing an Animar, Soul of Elements combo deck inspired by the list I featured last time, piloted by Zarcron. Apparently, it's a trendy deck right now. Thraximundar wasn't that scared, though, and he just proceeded to kick everyone's butt, like he does.

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SUNCOM 38

 One week later, another Dragon took revenge on Nicol's behalf. Meet SekKuar Deathkeeper's winged commander, Intet, the Dreamer.

 

 Intent is one of the five Legendary Dragons from Planar Chaos, who took the enemy colors route compared to the similar cycle from Invasion (beings knows as the Primeval Dragons), in turn the improved version of the original 3-color Elder Dragons from Legends. Intet's ability is the more versatile, if unpredictable, as he chooses card advantage over limited board sweeping, land destruction, reanimation and personal growth. All these Dragons have been very popular commanders in the history of the format, with the Elders being the very creatures the format was first created around, and the reason is simple: having a centerpiece that is a powerful, iconic beater with (more or less) useful abilities, and gives you access to 3 different colors is pretty much the ideal state in Commander.

 Another very popular, if absolutely more recent commander is Maelstrom Wanderer (3 colors, universal haste and double cascade? Yes, please), here as played by raf.azevedo.

 

 SUNCOM 34 winner justcanceled took the insidious Heartless Hidetsugu for another ride.

 

 Hidetsugu is very, very dangerous, as once he's on the board unattended, the life totals are going to go down very, very quickly. Yeah, it's a source of self-inflicted damage too, which means the pilot must be careful and the timing of his activations right, but if played correctly, and if the stars align, he means inescapable death.

 These three decks gave battle in the final showdown, but this time I was there, too! With my favorite monogreen deck (like everyone who read my article on green commanders knows all too well).

 

 This is as good an occasion as any to do the deck tech from my beloved and well-tested Kamahl build, before seeing it in action.

   

Mana Acceleration: 20 cards

 Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Emerald Medallion, Nature's Lore, Three Visits, Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, Wood Elves, Yavimaya Dryad, Solemn Simulacrum, Thran Dynamo, Hunting Wilds, Skyshroud Claim, Garruk Wildspeaker, Oracle of Mul Daya, Caged Sun, Mana Reflection, Patron of the Orochi, Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger: This is my strong mana ramp, mostly noncreature-based (meaning that it can't be undone by creature removal). I abound in this section in most of my builds, because I prefer not to include more than 35 lands. Plus, they accelerate and do other useful stuff like dying to a Skullclamp, hosing enemy mana, or creating 3/3 Beasts and casting Overrun once in a while.

Draw/Tutor into Hand: 13 cards

 Summoner's Pact, Skullclamp, Regrowth, Survival of the Fittest, Sylvan Library, Eternal Witness, Fierce Empath, Harmonize, Masked Admirers, Garruk, Primal Hunter, Genesis, Soul of the Harvest, Regal Force: I put together in the same category all the cards that give me card advantage by replenishing my hand, either from the library or the graveyard. Sometimes, they make me choose what I get, if it's a creature. It's a nicely populated group, because it's something green does well, and it's key to the overall strategy, as the deck does most of its tricks via creatures. Survival of the Fittest in particular is one of the cards you always want to draw into, since it can fetch Genesis, and from there you have access to any other creature. Citanul Flute has been there too, but it's a bit too slow. Same goes for Primal Command, which however is a very good card that could find its way back into the deck at some point. Note that while Garruk, Primal Hunter is potentially able to do other things, he usually ends up never staying on the board for more than the time of one activation. In the past, Collective Unconscious or Soul's Majesty in that slot (and Primordial Sage in the slot of the strictly better Soul of the Harvest).

Sneak/Tutor into Play: 6 cards

 Natural Order, Pattern of Rebirth, Garruk, Caller of Beasts, Tooth and Nail, Green Sun's Zenith, Chord of Calling: This is a different group of cards where the outcome is something to be placed directly into play. Given the high quality of the finishers, these cards are among the most precious of the deck. The latest Garruk (that should also count in the previous category) just took the place of Defense of the Heart, that's less likely to trigger of what one might think.

Creature Hate: 5 cards

 Umezawa's Jitte, Master of the Wild Hunt, Silklash Spider, Duplicant, Tornado Elemental: Creature removal is the big weakness of green. Umezawa's Jitte and Duplicant help, the Master is just too good, and the other two are essential anti-flyers with different setups. Never without.

Noncreature Hate: 8 cards

 Glissa Sunseeker, Nullmage Shepherd, Indrik Stomphowler, Acidic Slime, Rain of Thorns, Sylvan Primordial, Terastodon, Woodfall Primus: Now, noncreature removal is NOT a weakness of green, and this is a good selection of the best of it. They're mostly creatures with ETB effects, so I can get more value out of them once they accomplished their main purpose. The only exception is Rain of Thorns, because it's almost always a 3-for-1.

Creature Improvements: 7 cards

 Lightning Greaves, Forgotten Ancient, Bellowing Tanglewurm, Seedborn Muse, Kamahl, Fist of Krosa, Vigor, Craterhoof Behemoth: All these cards give my team (or a key creature) a vital improvement, like intimidate, or untapping at every untap phase, or whatever you call what Vigor does. Kamahl himself counts in this category, of course, and so does his lovechild Craterhoof Behemoth. Both of them share one main purpose: win the game. Forgotten Ancient is an underrated bomb in Commander, as it goes out of control very very fast.

Pure Beaters: 6 cards

 

 Scavenging Ooze, Ant Queen, Hornet Queen, Avenger of Zendikar, Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, Worldspine Wurm: These are creatures that are mostly there to bash, or create other creatures with which to bash, especially with the help of Kamahl. Some of them does other things, though: Scavenging Ooze fights graveyards, Ulamog is a Vindicate, although is hard to see that as the main reason he's there (plus, he doesn't even get to do it when you sneak him into play via Tooth and Nail and alike).

Special Lands: 11 cards


 

 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood, Khalni Garden, Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers, Treetop Village, Mystifying Maze, Miren, the Moaning Well, Strip Mine, Tectonic Edge, Dust Bowl, Thespian's Stage, Vesuva: As I said, I use 35 lands total, of which 20 are Forests and 4 are the fetch lands that search for Forest, for deck-thinning purposes. And these are all the green-based utility lands I bother to use (and Okina isn't even that useful), plus the colorless ones. Back in the times, Tectonic Edge was Wasteland. I'm rebuying Gaea's Cradle (which yeah, shouldn't definitely be missed in a build like this) and I'll replace Treetop Village with it. At that point, I'll also replace Three Visits with Sylvan Scrying, to fetch my Cradle.

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WHAT ABOUT SOME ACTION NOW?

 From SUNCOM 37, here's how Thraximundar beat both Nicol Bolas and Animar, Soul of Elements.

 And from SUNCOM 38, this is the preliminary table between my Kamahl deck, Edison's Kemba and Sarah0139's Krenko. It was a nice, little game with a strong token theme and where the Naya shard was weirdly split into its 3 mono-colored components. In the end, Kamahl won through a Craterhoof Behemoth alpha strike, which is fairly typical for the deck.

 The final table was filled with all kind of issues. First, raf.azevedo took a super-fast win thanks to an unknown bug in Burning of Xinye.

 

Pictured: the card on the left should't work like the card on the right. The Oracle wording proves that.

 Following everyone else's rightful protests, I decided to still award raf the maximum prize, ban the card for the time being (until it's fixed: please report the bug, folks!), and have the table redone. What follows is the replay of the second instance, except that Strionic Resonator bugged it (this final was really cursed!) so the replay goes crazy near the end. It was a good game where Craterhoof Behemoth again proved to be killer at least for one of the participants (raf himself, as it happens), but SekKuar Deathkeeper ended up conquering the table (and his 3rd victory overall, qualifying of the next Table of Champions that will be held a dozen events from now), after multiple Boundless Realms built him board superiority and inevitability, all while justcanceled's Hidetsugu deck couldn't help but struggle keeping the pace with the enemy ramping.

 Apparently, those strions (?!) resonated way too loudly

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 And that's it. See you in the SUNCOM room next Sunday at 15:00 GMT, and with the Chronicles here on PureMTGO in two weeks! Commander ho!