When you sit down for a game of Commander, one of the first things you'll do is discuss power levels. When we do we often talk about some specific things: Fast Mana, Free Spells, and Infinite Combos. In this series, I'll answer the question: What are the Pros and Cons of these things in your decks, continuing with Free Spells.

Free Spells in Magic

What is a free spell? Typically it means: spells that have a requirement outside of paying mana to cast. The big ones in Commander are Fierce Guardianship, Flawless Maneuver, Deflecting Swat, Deadly Rollick. To lesser extents there are the Flare of Fortitude, Malice, and Denial as well. These are by far the biggest players in this category. They aren't the only ones in Magic: The Gathering, but this distinction is part of the conversation.

Before we can discuss the animosity towards these cards, I think we need to understand the capability of these cards. The first impressive ability of free spells is that they give the impression that the owner of the spell has no ability to interact. Having no open mana usually is free leeway. There aren't many spells that can be cast for free so the likelihood someone is tapped out and has no interaction is high. It's misleading. The opposing player is going to go all in on this opportunity where their threat is tapped out.

So what do each free spell do? Flawless Maneuver makes all your creatures indestructible. It can survive a Supreme Verdict, a spell that can't be countered. Fierce Guardianship counters a noncreature spell. It is very useful in big turns where other players overextend for a big blow out. Deadly Rollick exiles a creature. Deflecting Swat changes the target of a target spell to another target. This is insidious because it can have a counterspell target itself. All of these spells are free if you control your commander. In a game surrounding commanders, this is very easy.

Considering this, why do players try to filter them out of games? I have a few theories.

• Many of these cards are very expensive. They haven't been printed many times. All of this to say, is that finances become a barrier to stapes in Magic. It's hard to call games of high-power-commander inclusive without talking about the cost to effectively compete. It feels bad to think that I can't compete because I don't have the 45 dollars for a Deflecting Swat. However, Magic is a game of expensive cards. It's not inclusive but there is a culture of paying slightly more for more competitive cards. This is true for any competitive formatted game.
• Another theory is they are staples in their colors in any deck, they are very versatile, great value to play, and they are all forms of disruption. Put that all together and you have very powerful cards. In a conversation about power a free spell brings up the ranking of a deck simply by running them. It's easy to distinguish a stronger deck by this factor. But these cards are one in 99. Unless they are already doing crazy things on their turn, they likely are hoping to draw one of these 4 cards. It doesn't necessarily define a deck by one card or maybe 4 if you're playing 4 colors.
• Additionally, potentially, it might simply be because players find free spells explosive and sudden, and in that respect, unfair. It's hard to say that any card printed in Magic is necessarily unfair, considering how the game rewards players for exploiting the effective synergies of cards, but free spells aren't synergy. They are objectively good cards for any deck, and fit into any deck. It's not a synergy if it's good for any deck in its color. However everyone plays Sol Ring in their Commander decks for the same reason.

Upon discussing the stigma of free spells, the question still remains is why should we or shouldn't we play them? It's the sort of thing that creates a chasm of power in interaction. They're expensive and depending on the card can completely warp a turn-winning game. However, Flares are equally deceptive and cheaper to play and often turn warping. They don't get the same wrap. It's tough.

I don't know if there is a true answer to this question, but I'll share my take. Free spells, Flares included, are insidious because they lull you into a false sense of security. They are expensive so often casually you don't see a ton of people playing it. However, this is no different from playing against expensive commander decks. You get that experience or you don't. Some decks can be tricky, powerful, interactive, and deceptive without a price tag as well.

However, However, this does create a weird kind of situation where money dictates your experience playing and informs your decisions making. I feel that sort of sucks. In Magic, we don't want to feel like our wallets dictate our skill, but I don't see a better way to handle this in our current systems of card value and demand. Letting someone utilize an avenue to them seems important if you're ever going to learn to play around them and get better as a player. Someone is always running high-power-interaction.

But enough of me yapping, let me hear your thoughts, though? I'm @strixhavendropout on Blue Sky. Thank you so much for taking the time to read. I hope this helps in your next deck-building session!