Five decks, tied to a plane
Commander 2020 shipped alongside Ikoria and is set on the same plane, which was new: earlier Commander years stood apart from whatever expansion they landed near. Five decks, seventy-one new cards, and the same COVID-delayed release date as the set they belong to.
That connection is what makes the year worth buying into rather than sampling. The decks use Ikoria's mechanics rather than nodding at them, so mutate and keyword counters show up as things a hundred-card deck is actually built to do rather than as a card or two.
It is also the largest Commander year to that point at five decks, and the first since 2016 to go past four. Twenty new legendary creatures came with it, so each deck has a face commander and several alternatives inside it.
Themes
Mutate
Shared with Ikoria, released the same day. Enhanced Evolution is the deck built for it, and Commander is where mutate is at its best: a slower format gives a pile of creatures time to become worth the investment.
Keyword counters
Also from Ikoria. Symbiotic Swarm is the deck that collects them, handing out flying, deathtouch and the rest from the graveyard rather than from the battlefield.
Cycling
Timeless Wisdom is the first Commander precon built on cycling, which needed a commander that pays you for it rather than just letting you do it.
Where You Can Play It
Commander 2020 shipped as precon decks under a single code. Its new cards were never Standard- or Pioneer-legal, which is normal for a Commander product.
Standard was never in play for this set, so no rotation has ever touched it. Nothing here leaves Modern, Legacy, Vintage or Commander either. Commons from any set are Pauper-legal; that isn't listed per set here.
Commander
One per wedge, each on an Ikoria mechanic or an Ikoria creature type, which is what makes this year read as part of a set rather than beside one.
Timeless Wisdom
Gavi, Nest Warden
Jeskai, and the first precon built on cycling. Gavi turns the second cycle each turn into a free Cat Bird.
Arcane Maelstrom
Kalamax, the Stormsire
Temur instants and sorceries. Kalamax copies the first instant you cast each turn while he's tapped, which makes attacking first a real line.
Symbiotic Swarm
Kathril, Aspect Warper
Abzan keyword counters, assembled out of your graveyard rather than off the battlefield.
Enhanced Evolution
Otrimi, the Ever-Playful
Sultai mutate, and the deck that gives the mechanic the time it needs to pay off.
Ruthless Regiment
Jirina Kudro
Mardu Humans, the most straightforward of the five and the easiest to play out of the box.
Building one of these into something of your own? The precon buying guide covers how to judge a deck, and the Commander deck template is the shape to build toward.
FAQ
Timeless Wisdom, led by Gavi, Nest Warden (Jeskai cycling); Arcane Maelstrom, led by Kalamax, the Stormsire (Temur spells); Symbiotic Swarm, led by Kathril, Aspect Warper (Abzan counters); Enhanced Evolution, led by Otrimi, the Ever-Playful (Sultai mutate); and Ruthless Regiment, led by Jirina Kudro (Mardu Humans).
No. Its seventy-one new cards were printed for Commander and are legal in Commander, Legacy and Vintage, never in Standard or Pioneer.
Arcane Maelstrom is the strongest out of the box, mostly because Kalamax copying your first instant each turn is an engine that needs no assembly. Ruthless Regiment is the easiest to pilot if you have not played Commander before.
They are separate products released the same day and set on the same plane. Ikoria is the booster set; Commander 2020 is the five precon decks beside it, using Ikoria's mechanics rather than nodding at them.
Five, which made it the largest Commander year to that point and the first to go past four since 2016. Twenty new legendary creatures came with them.
All card names, art, and mechanics belong to Wizards of the Coast. Commander 2020 released on May 15, 2020; details reflect the set as published. Sources: Wizards of the Coast set pages and release notes, Draftsim, Untapped.gg.
TurnZero HQ keeps deck records, MMR, and moments for every Commander night, so you can see which new cards are actually earning their slot.
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