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Top Ten Classics from Five Color to Consider in Commander

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Hello awesome casual/multiplayer/Commander fans! There used to be a non-sanctioned popular default format of the day called Five Color, which I was on the ruling council for and then wrote tons of articles about! What I did last week was go over classics for that format both competitively and casually and then talk about them in the context of a modern Commander brew! Five Color has a 300-card deck, 25 of each color, gold cards count one color per card, and there its own B&R list. This list is not for great staples in Commander too like Mulldrifter, Flametongue Kavu or Mind's Eye, but unique stuff. Ready?

#13. Sunscape Battlemage

Sunscape Battlemage

Our middle scoring Battlemage, and one that's often forgotten is the White one! Your two mana Green kicker is a Wing Snare and three mana Blue is a Mulldrifter. Together that's a lot of card advantage your way. Flyers are pretty common so running answers is great, like Windstorm and Silklash Spider and this too. I also like this with targeted removal of Naturalize things that'll often hit a flyer too, like Atraxa's Fall or Broken Wings. Good stuff to lean on while also drawing those cards, but just in Bant colors, more limited in Commander.

#12. Fire // Ice

Fire // Ice

This split card is the second-best from the first block now, third-best then, but Spite // Malice hasn't aged well. This one rocks since you'll get two instants that each cost two mana. Many ran this for its Red side to count in Five Color which often sought to reduce red. There was even one in Oscar Tan's famous Keeper in Vintage! The red side will split two damage into two dorks and is great at taking out two X/1 dorks, or one and a damage, or a win con to finish off a player - much more likely in multiplayer. The Blue side cantrips and taps any permanent for minor tempo. For example, you could tap your foe's Green land in their upkeep after untapping and then drawing. Or you can tap a blocker or an attacker before it swings.

#11. Magus of the Jar

Magus of the Jar

This powerhouse Magus of the X is next! It's from the Time Spiral Block that had a rare cycle that were dorks not that style, this is the iconic artifact version with a Memory Jar attached. It costs five too, taps and sacrifices too, and then you can Memory Jar. Since this is a dork, you'll have to wait until it can tap, but it's more synergetic with recursion. It's quite the little powerhouse! This is the best in the 15 card uber cycle!

#10. Bane of the Living

Bane of the Living

The third best morph dork in Five Color is this four drop mono-Black 4/3 Insect with a X morph cost to kill all dorks with that mana paid in reduced size this turn. That gets around indestructible, it's not targeted so hexproof and protection, and you can scale it to leaves your stuff alive. A mass removal on a morphing dork is the best answer morph dork printed early. I hope you'll love this so much!

#9. Order // Chaos

Order // Chaos

Ah yes, the #1 split card from the first block then and now is this Sunforgerable Boros instant! Four on the front end will exile an attacker. That doesn't have to be you, please note that all up and down. It's the best answer of an attacker ever printed since it's exiling with no other restriction, and then you cast the red side for three for a better Falter effect. The first will save you and the other will win the game! Both are great, and, again, see Sunforger.

#8. Willbender

Willbender

The second-best morph dork is next, also an answer. This two-mana morph uncommon will redirect a spell or ability to this is if it had just one target. Not just to it, but to anything. No one liked walking into this nasty thing. And with it out you usually felt safe, and two mana that wasn't two Blue was easy to keep open. This ended up saving so many things, or just draw from a targeted draw spell, and you could use this to save your Commander or other dork-based combos that win like Laboratory Maniac.

#7. Wing Shards

Wing Shards

The best storm card ever printed for casual is this removal spell. I swear by this over Tendrils of Agony, since it keeps you alive! Your foe will sac an attacker - better than Diabolic Edict since it'll not take out their smallest thing unless they are swinging with it, plus storm, so that could be a few things that ratchet up its power massively here. Note sac, so it gets around indestructible and targeted removal, but can be brought back and recurred, so it's worse than exiling, so I think the Order half is better, but the storm potential card advantage puts this over that. It's also better if you have recursion so you can bring it back from your foe's things. Love it way much!

#6. Bringer of the White Dawn

Bringer of the White Dawn

The base White middle Battlemage started our list and the middle White costing Bringer is next! Costing a fat nine mana in White this has an alternate cost for Fist of Suns mana, so that's good in that color combo of all five colors only. It rocks trample for evasion and then in your upkeep you'll get a free Zombify of a dead artifact back to play from your graveyard. It's worth it in artifact centric brews with that color combo or with Commander's Sphere or Mind Stone to Memory Jar and Mindslaver. It's nasty good for power serving!

#5. Exalted Angel

Exalted Angel

The top morph for Five Color then was this, and she was also dominant in Standard too. She enabled many decks from Mono-White Control to Rift-Slide to Slide her out after dropping her to morph her. She was a turn three drop, fourth turn morph swing for an 8 life swing with her lifelink and flying. Sure, she was a two turn commitment, but she was definitely worth it! Was about now? J'adore her, n'est pas?

#4. Darksteel Colossus

Darksteel Colossus

This nasty 11-drop 11/11 indestructible trampler used to be everywhere after Akroma from last week's article as the next most played win con. Every deck ran this guy if they owned it. But not now! Why not, no ideas?? It wins, sure, it's not as a fast of a win as Blightsteel Colossus, but it's also not as pricey or mean either, right? Right!

#3. Future Sight

Future Sight

Next is the enchantment that broke card draw. People would make their mana base work for this and then run Academy Rector to fetch it out. It was great since you can play and drop lands and spells from your library's top. Now sure, your foes will know what you drew, but that's totally worth it here! Get it and run it and abuse it!

#2. All Suns' Dawn

All Suns' Dawn

Hello mega recursion fans! I've got your five-cost sorcery here that's a splashable too and is a super mega good Regrowth for up to five cards, but it self-exiles so that's a one trick pony! This is the Conflux of Regrowths, but easier to cast and break open, and doesn't require all five colors to cast and work. Just grabbing three cards back in a 3 or 4 color Commander deck is great! Get it and run it and cast it for recursion of two or three worst case or loads more in self-mill and other decks!

#1. Chaos Orb with a Shout Out to Falling Star

Chaos Orb
Falling Star

Sure, it's banned in Commander, but is only card banned not due to power but because it's a manual dexterity card. This can be nasty when flipped and aimed well and then is a dexterity card. I have accidentally blown up my stuff or not had it flipped over fully but aimed well, so that's the fun. Just like the game of Magic, this is an event that people will not forget. Why not try it out and see? Also add the 5C ruling on this and Falling Star once on the stack or in play to not rearrange your cards. Also shout to to much worse Falling Star which is a better Pyroclasm for three damage when you are trying this out, since it has the same 5C ruling. Enjoy trying out one of the most iconic cards ever printed for the most popular casual format ever!

There we are! I hope that you enjoyed my next looksee at trying out these old school Five Color classics in your next Commander brew! What did you think? Just let me know!

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