Bring the terror of the Night upon your opponents with Innistrad Remastered!

A Return to the Past

Innistrad Remastered release is almost upon us, and with it comes the return of a lot of old favorites, some of which have not been seen since the original print. Today I will be going through the set and picking out some of my favorites for commander. The original Innistrad is beloved by many, introducing a lot of powerful vampire and angel cards, as well as some Eldrazi. Let’s take a deep dive into the grim world of Innistrad to see which cards made it to my top 10 list!

1. Gisela the Broken Blade

I decided to give the first card on my list to “Gisela, The Broken Blade”. Even by herself, Gisela is a fantastic creature, a 4/3 with flying, first strike, and lifelink for only 4 mana. Whether you’re playing standard or commander, Gisela is a great card. She can meld with another fellow angel, “Bruna, the Fading Light”, but spending 11 mana to play the two creatures and meld them is a little more investment than most would like to do. While the investment cost for melding the two is quite high, by herself Gisela is still a great bomb to drop onto your opponent. She has seen some reprints since her original release in Eldrich Moon, but even her original print is still hovering around the $10 mark, with her prerelease price in Innistrad Remastered being $25 at one point.

2. Necroduality

Next up, is “Necroduality”. I think this is a sleeper card in Innistrad Remastered. For 4 mana, you can create copy tokens of zombies that enter under your control. I don’t think I have to explain why creating copies of your creatures is great, even with the clause that you cannot copy non-token creatures. You will still get all your value from ETBs, and any effects that trigger if your creatures die. Worst case scenario you can use the extra bodies granted to you by necroduality to protect your own life in emergencies. This is a fantastic card, and since its original print in Innistrad Crimson Vow has been holding a steady price tag of $10.

3. Cryptolith Rite

One of the best ramp cards from the original Inninstrad, “Cryptolith Rite” is a staple in any commander deck that can create a lot of creature tokens. Giving all your creatures the ability to tap for mana is a quick way to get ahead in the game, especially if you are playing a commander that has good synergy, such as “Emmara, Soul of the Accord”. Unlike other ramp cards, Cryptolith Rite does not restrict the colors it can create either, letting you slot it into powerful 5-color decks if needed. For 2 mana, this is one of the best cards you can drop on turn 2, as it not only fixes your mana colors going forward (provided you have creatures), but it also serves as a ramp for you to play your more powerful spells faster. Having only its initial printing in Shadows over Innistrad back in 2016, this card is still holding a price of $10, with its printing in Innistrad Remastered serving to bring the price down a little bit.

4. Bloodline Keeper

Next up, is one of the vampire staples from the original Innistrad, “Bloodline Keeper”. This card is a must in any deck that wants to play vampires. For 4 mana, you get a 3/3 with flying that can generate you a 2/2 vampire with flying. Now that is great on its own as if your opponent cannot deal with it immediately, it becomes a recurring engine of value that constantly is creating more problems for your opponents. Now while the front side of this card is powerful enough as is, the back of the card is where it truly shines. For 1 black, you can transform Bloodline Keeper into Lord of Lineage provided you control 5 or more vampires. A powerful 5/5 creature, not only does Lord of Lineage keep the ability of Bloodline Keeper to create, but he also serves as a powerful anthem on a stick, buffing your other vampires by +2/+2. This kind of effect can win games, as you don’t even need to tap Bloodline Keeper to transform it. As long as you meet the condition, you can immediately play this and flip it over, and with enough vampires on your field, that could mean game over for your opponents. If you are playing any deck that has vampire synergies, Bloodline Keeper is definitely a card to look out for. Currently sitting at around $12 for its original print, I’m hoping its reprint in Innistrad Remastered will bring it down.

5. Cultivator Colossus

The next card on our list is a powerful green bomb, “Cultivator Colossus”. While it is 7 mana, with 3 of them being green, “Cultivator Colossus” is a staple in any landfall deck. With the potential to trigger multiple times with ease, provided you have a good amount of land in your deck, Cultivator Colossus will at least draw you a few cards. Pair it with a few blink effects, and Cultivator Colossus easily ramps you way ahead of your opponents. With its initial multiple printings in Crimson Vow, this card is still holding a solid $10 price tag. With Innistrad Remastered on the horizon, it would be a mistake not to pick up this card for any landfall deck.

6. Edgar Markov

When you think Innistrad, one of the few vampires that comes to mind is the iconic Edgar Markov. It only had 1 previous printing, as the headline commander of the 2017 Commander Decks. Since then, it only had 1 additional printing as a judge promo, but that version of this card is arguably even harder to obtain than the original printing. Even with the announcement of the reprint in Innistrad Remasted, this card is still holding a hefty price tag, sitting at $75. It is not hard to see why this commander is good. Eminence is one of the most powerful abilities in a commander, netting you free value as long as you have your commander on the field or command zone. Arguably one of the best mechanics in Magic, Edgar combines it with a way to anthem your creatures as well, provided they are vampires. While this card is a bit on the high end of value and mana cost, you will still accrue value just by playing your vampire spells. Edgar is one of the best commanders to this day, so it is no surprise it will hold a high price tag, even with its reprint.

7. The Meathook Massacre

Often when people talk about movies, a lot of people will agree that when it comes to sequels, the original is always the best. The same could be said for the original Meathook Massacre. Its initial printing was in Innistrad Midnight Hunt, and it has held its pricetag since. Even with the upcoming reprint, this card is still hovering around $32. The benefits of this card are two-fold. First and foremost, it is a modal boardwipe, letting you choose how much mana you want to put into it, and second, it acts as a way to drain your opponents. Combined with other cards that drain your opponent's life will quickly make this card a problem. Combine it with a few repeatable death triggers, and this card will end as a powerful finisher. Overall, Meathook Massacre deserves the spot on this list for its powerful boardwipe capability combined with being a powerful drain engine.

8. Tree of Perdition

Often in Magic, we always say that life is only a resource. With the reprint of Tree of Perdition, games will quickly come to an end no matter how much life your opponents have. Now while having to wait a turn to swap your opponent's life might seem like a stretch, this powerful effect can be combined with plenty of other cards in Magic to spell out an instakill on your opponent. By Magic mechanics, swapping life does count as losing life, so if you combine the effect of Tree of Perdition along with any card that doubles life lost, it will likely be more than enough to kill an opponent. Originally printed in Elrich Moon and a reprint in The List, this card is still holding a price tag of around $15 at the time of me writing this article. While the strategy is obvious for veteran magic players, Tree of Perdition serves as a fun way to manipulate your opponent’s life, and with a few cards to combo with it, it is a fun way to finish a game of commander.

9. Emrakul the Promised End

Next up is one of the more iconic cards from the original Innistrad Block. Debuting in Eldrich Moon, Emrakul the Promised End was one of the most powerful creatures you can play in Commander. This powerful Eldrazi titan lets you control the target opponent upon cast, meaning Emrakul’s effect works even before it hits the field. Use your opponent’s removal to your heart’s content, swing out with all their creatures leaving them defenseless, and use up all of their cards. Unfortunately, you are not able to blink Emrakul to repeat this effect, but with such a back-breaking effect, you should be able to at least take out one player, or at the minimum put them so far behind in advantage that they will not be able to recuperate. Eldrazi have always been terrifying, from their game-winning effects to their power in Magic lore, Emrakul has been and always will be a desired card from both old and new Innistrad. Currently, the titan is sitting comfortably at around $45, a price that rivals its power.

10. Craterhoof Behemoth

Lastly, at the number 10 spot, I would be doing this set injustice if I did not mention one of the bogeymen of Commander, Craterhoof Behemoth. Loved and hated equally by many, this card in my opinion is one of the best cards to pick up in Innistrad Remastered. Almost every player in Magic has heard of or even lost to a Craterhoof. Behemoth. For some players, just the name is enough to get an annoyed eye roll. Looking at this creature, it is not hard to see why. For 8 mana, you get a 5/5 with haste that buffs up your creatures for each creature you control. Even without adding infect to the mix, this effect is game-ending on its own. Despite having a few reprints since its debut in Avacyn Restored, this card is still holding on to its $32 price tag. If you are playing any deck with creature tokens, Craterhoof Behemoth can be just the bomb you need to end the game.

In conclusion, Innistrad Remastered is a great set. Fan favorites of old return, giving players another chance at powerful cards that slot easily into most commander decks, and offering powerful commanders who haven’t seen the light of day since their initial printing. Innistrad Remastered holds a special place in my heart, as I started playing Magic near the end of Innistrad block in Avacyn Restored. I think Innistrad Remastered captures the theme of the original, and allows newer players to experience the highlights of Innistrad, and offers powerful commander cards for players looking to upgrade their deck with bombs of the past.