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Eminence is NOT Broken!

 


Eminence is NOT Broken!

So I got to see a clear contrast between a 2017 Commander deck and a 2026 Commander deck… and it’s not even close.

The Setup

A little context: I played a straight-up 2017 precon against three copies of a newer Commander deck (the Ninja Turtles one). They told me the decks were still around “bracket two”—light upgrades at most—and honestly, nothing I saw contradicted that.

What I did see was this:

  • I was casting 1–2 spells per turn

  • They were casting 2–3 spells per turn

  • Almost every spell came with extra triggers

  • Their boards naturally created synergy webs

And here’s the important part: I still had fun. This isn’t a complaint post—it’s an observation post.

Because what I experienced wasn’t just power creep… it was design evolution.

What Changed? (This is where WotC philosophy comes in)

Back around 2016–2017 (think Magic: The Gathering Commander 2017 decks), precons were built very differently.

1. “Battlecruiser Magic” Was the Goal

Wizards leaned into slower, splashier gameplay:

  • Higher mana curves

  • Fewer cheap interaction pieces

  • Big, dramatic spells over efficiency

Games were meant to build up, not snowball early.

2. Less Built-In Synergy

Older precons often felt like:

  • “Here’s a theme… good luck assembling it.”

You’d get:

  • A few tribal payoffs

  • Some unrelated value cards

  • Minimal internal engines

Compare that to modern decks where:

  • Cards are designed to chain together naturally

  • You don’t have to “find” synergy—it’s baked in

3. Card Advantage Was Scarce

In 2017:

  • Drawing extra cards required work

  • Engines were fragile or expensive

In modern design:

  • Card advantage is expected, not earned

  • Many cards replace themselves or generate value immediately

That’s why your opponents felt like they were doing more every turn—because they literally are.

The Big Shift: “Make the Deck Work Out of the Box”

Starting around 2020 and accelerating through things like Commander Legends and Commander Masters, Wizards changed their approach:

Modern Precon Philosophy:

  • Synergy first (cards are designed to interact immediately)

  • Lower curve (more plays per turn)

  • Redundancy (multiple copies of the same effect)

  • Immediate impact (ETB triggers, cast triggers, value on resolution)

Their goal became:

“A new player should sit down, play this deck, and feel like it works.”

Why Your Game Felt So Different

You weren’t just seeing “new cards vs old cards.”

You were seeing:

2017 Deck2026 Deck
Plays one spellPlays multiple spells
Needs setupSelf-synergizing
Wins lateBuilds advantage early
Value is earnedValue is automatic

That’s a philosophy gap, not just a power gap.

So… Is This Power Creep?

Kind of—but not in the way people usually mean.

This isn’t just “cards are stronger.”

It’s:

  • Consistency creep

  • Synergy creep

  • Efficiency creep

Modern decks don’t just hit harder—they function smoother.

And About Eminence…

Here’s the spicy part.

Mechanics like Eminence (from 2017) feel broken because they generate value outside the game state—but ironically, modern design has caught up in a different way:

  • Today’s cards generate value on cast, on ETB, on attack, on death

  • You don’t need Eminence when every card is a mini-engine

So the real takeaway isn’t:

“Eminence is broken”

It’s:

“Eminence was ahead of its time… and now everything else caught up.”

Final Thought (Strong Closing)

That game showed me something I didn’t expect:

It’s not that old Commander decks are bad.

It’s that new Commander decks are designed to play Magic the way we wish our old decks did.

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