Reality Fracture prerelease events begin this week and run from September 25 through October 1, with the full release following on October 2. Whether or not you plan to draft, the set’s Commander product is worth a close look, because Wizards of the Coast has taken a different approach with it this time.
One deck instead of several
Recent Commander releases have usually arrived as a group of decks that each explore a familiar theme. Reality Fracture instead offers a single deck, called Multiverse Reforged. According to lead designer Gavin Verhey, the team built one deck around the set’s villain because players tended to prefer one distinctive deck over several that repeat familiar ideas. I find that a refreshing choice, and it should make the deck easy to recommend.
The commanders and the plan
Multiverse Reforged is a four-color deck in white, blue, black, and red. It is led by Jace, Multiverse Architect, with Nissa, Leyline Tamer as a second commander. The strategy centers on polymorph effects: you create tokens, then use cards such as Mass Polymorph, Synthetic Destiny, and Proteus Staff, along with Jace’s minus-three ability, to trade those small creatures for much larger ones from your library. It is a playful, high-variance plan, and it should produce some memorable turns at the table.
New cards and reprints
The deck contains 18 cards that are new to Magic alongside 88 reprints. Several of the new cards are Echoverse versions of long-standing characters. Previews have shown a mono-white Ob Nixilis, a mono-black Avacyn, and even a colorless Omnath. Seeing familiar legends rebuilt outside their usual colors is one of the most enjoyable parts of a “what if?” set like this one.
Who is it for?
If your playgroup enjoys unpredictable board states and does not mind a deck that leans on luck, Multiverse Reforged is a strong candidate. Players who prefer tightly controlled strategies may want to look at the Foundations Commander decks that also arrive on October 2, which I will cover in my next post.
If you pick up Multiverse Reforged, it will need a home. Our slim Commander deck boxes hold 100 double-sleeved cards with your commander on display up front. You can also browse the rest of the shop, and sign up below to be notified about new drops.
