Some of Magic: the Gathering‘s most beloved Commanders were introduced in the preconstructed decks of 2017. Edgar Markov and The Ur-Dragon are both incredibly strong cards that remain popular even nine years later. This is because they both possess the Eminence mechanic, which grants them an ability that affects the Battlefield from the Command Zone, so they can shape games even if they are never played. A new commander has just been previewed that also has Eminence, but which turns the powerful mechanic into a downside.
Sahir, Visitor in Darkness, a horned human wizard, has just been previewed and will feature in Mystery Booster Commander Edition. Like the Ur-Dragon and Edgar Markov, Sahir possesses Eminence, however, unlike those two cards, Sahir punishes the player, rather than rewarding them, when placed in charge of a deck.
While Sahir is in the Command Zone, or on the battlefield, the player who built their deck around them takes one damage during each of their upkeeps. This is the same painful drawback as Juzam Djin, one of the best MTG cards of its era, and a card that clearly inspired Sahir. Sahir’s ‘visitor in darkness’ epithet is a reference to Juzam Djin’s flavor text, both cards have similar effects that damage their own controller, and they even both have the same horns.
Fortunately, Sahir isn’t all pain, no gain. While this horned wizard is in play, they receive a +1/+1 any time their controller takes exactly one damage from a spell or ability that they control. If Sahir’s controller deals one damage to themself twice in a turn, then Sahir even lets them draw a card. This opens up a world of intriguing, albeit slightly masochistic, deck construction. Will you include some life gain cards to balance out the damage that Sahir deals, or fully embrace it and run cards like Death’s Shadow and The Last Ride that reward you for having very little life remaining?
Given that Gavin Verhey, the MTG designer credited with creating Eminence, once described it as “The Magic Mechanic I Shouldn’t Have Made!” This punishing twist, on the formerly powerful effect, seems designed to reign in the mechanic and make it less preeminent.
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Source: Wargamer
