Some of the strongest abilities in Magic: The Gathering come attached to "Enter The Battlefield" effects. So why wouldn't we want to get value from those Enter effects over and over (and over)? Blink is one of my all-time favorite strategies Magic: The Gathering as a whole. The intricate sequencing, tricky interactions, and non-stop advantage engines are just a ton of fun to use and are also a great way to improve as a player. Today I want to talk about my picks for the 5 best Legendary Creatures to use as the Commander for your next Blink deck!

Ketramose, The New Dawn

A fresh Commander from the roads of Aetherdrift, Ketramose has a lot to offer to {B}{W} Blink decks. Ketramose has an impressive 4/4 stat line once it's online and a nice assortment of keywords but it's the last ability that really lets it shine. Anytime one or more cards get exiled from the field/ or graveyard during your turn, you draw one card and lose one life. This adds a lot of value to graveyard disruption cards like Bojuka Bog, Relic OF Progenitus, and Ghost Vacuum, but it is bonkers when used in conjunction with blink and flicker effects! All of the sudden cards like Felidar Guardian, Restoration Angel, and Flickerwisp have card draw attached to them, while powerful ETB effects like Skyclave Apparition, Fiend Hunter, and Crabomination draw as well! When used together, this powerful self-fueling machine of blinking exiles into exile effects creates a powerful value engine that becomes difficult to overcome.

Galadriel, Light of Valinor

If you were to look up lists for Galadriel online you would find, unsurprisingly, that the most common archetype for her is elves. When I first saw this card, however, my mind immediately went to Blink. Galadriel's Alliance ability triggers every time a creature enters under your control. That means to optimize value, you want three creatures entering on average every turn. This can be a bit tough to accomplish reliably. Blink cards like Ghostly Flicker and Thassa, Deep Dwelling help generate that advantage by giving you those repeated enters without having to cast more creatures. Additionally, many creatures like Blade Splicer and Old One Eye have ETB effects that make tokens, also triggering Alliance and gaining value. Most notably though, blinking Galadriel herself will reset her Alliance, allowing you to generate more value if you can keep the ball rolling. This leads to some absolutely wild turns where you use Galadriel to generate mana and card advantage only to reset her and keep your turn going. Her effect also triggers during your opponent's turns, meaning keeping up interactions like Cloudshift and Ephemerate can keep the advantage train going.

Yorion, Sky Nomad and Aminatou, the Fateshifter

It is a tragedy that there is no way to use Yorion as a companion in Commander. Luckily, we do still get the pleasure of using it as our Commander. Yorion is often overlooked in favor of a certain other UW Legendary (Spoilers) but is still a reliable choice in its own right. Yorion is simple, when it enters the battlefield, exile any number of nonland permanents you control until the next end step. The thing that makes Yorion so powerful is its consistency. It is incredibly easy to create a one-per-turn loop using Blink cards like Flickerwisp and Restoration Angel, but Yorion gives you access to a board-wide blink directly in the command zone. That means that if you exile Flickerwisp with Yorion, the wisp will return next end step exiling Yorion, which will then enter on the next end step exiling wisp, and repeat. The best part is that Yorion lets you take any other nonland along for the ride, getting you multiple triggers of your ETB effects during a turn cycle. The only real downside is being mindful not to monopolize the game by taking a turn during everyone else turn, but as DJ Khaled says, that's just suffering from success.

One of the OG Blink Commanders from back in the day, Aminatou, The Fateshifter is a slower, but equally interesting take on the Blink archetype. Aminatou's loyalty abilities lean into a lot of differing strategies including Miracle and Chaos but it's the -1 that we are interested in here. Aminatou exiles a nonland permanent on the battlefield and returns it to its owner's control. Because she is an instant blink from the Command zone, Aminatou easily combos cards like Felidar Guardian and Spark Double, triggering an infinite loop of ETBs that can end the game with cards like Corpse Knight and Altar Of The Brood. It; 's worth noting though, that Aminatou can exile ANY permanent on the battlefield, not just ones you control, and returns them to the owner. This lets you play a lot of interesting cards in the deck that most blink decks can't get away with. You can use Wishclaw Talisman to search for a card and then blink it back to your field or use Perplexing Chimera to exchange control with a spell on the stack and then take the Chimera back. Aminatou can often feel like a "Babys First CEDH" deck with its ability to combo with a ham sandwich, but mindful deck-building can keep Aminatou fun while keeping saltiness in check.

Brago, King Eternal

There was never any doubt, boring as it may be, that Brago, King Eternal still rules the Blink Archetype. Brago is a Flying 2/4 that blinks any number of nonland permanents after it deals combat damage to an opponent. Brago is repeatable, blinks instantly, and blinks non-creatures making it one of the most consistent and powerful enablers of the strategy as a whole. Brago is also notorious for its infinite combo potential, notably with Strionic Resonator, allowing you to blink your whole board as much as you want as long as you have enough mana rocks to fuel the resonator activation a single time. Brago has been in the format for a long time but at least as of the time of writing this article, Brago still reigns supreme.So that's the list! Blink is a powerful and unique playstyle in Magic that rewards quick thinking and good sequencing. If you have never built a Blink or Flicker deck, consider throwing one together and giving it a spin. Thanks for reading and catch you next time!

"Be you, Be Free, Live Happily!"- @MulldrifterStan