CardName – Commander Masters
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2023
Ratings:
Constructed: 1.38
Casual: 5.00
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 3.88
Commander [EDH]: 4.00
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
I really never thought we’d get an actual card of Commodore Guff, but in an era where we have an updated version of Dakkon Blackblade, a depiction of his foil Geyadrone Dihada, and a planeswalker of Urza at his peak, it was perhaps inevitable. Guff was never really a central character in the stories, and it’s also unlikely that he’ll be a force in eternal formats at the moment – he really only goes in planeswalker-heavy decks, and while his abilities are all strong in such decks, his cost is a little too high for the way those formats tend to play now. The acceleration doesn’t feel so good on turn four in Legacy, and the other ability is hard to set up in fast formats. But of course, “Superfriends” decks are played in countless non-tournament settings, and this is where he’ll really shine. I suspect his very last line of text is intended to be a hint about where they think you’ll be playing him, and while he might not be quite as appealing a planeswalker commander as Jodah or Sisay, his loyalty abilities take on a whole new light when he keeps coming back.
Constructed: 1
Casual: 5
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
Back during the events of Invasion, Commodore Guff was one of the planeswalkers recruited by Urza to serve as one of the Nine Titans, the group meant to oppose the attempts of Yawgmoth and the Phyrexians to consume. For the most part, Guff was relegated to occasional mention and depiction in artworks, like on Index and Wild Research, but this is his first ever appearance on a card in-game.
The abilities of Commodore Guff make complete sense in the context of his precon, “Planeswalker Party”, and he certainly does a good job of being a “glue” card for the archetype. Making friends to cast them faster or turning them into card draw are both good pay-offs, as is the passive loyalty gain each turn. In particular, his -3 can be a pretty big and flashy way to reset your hand and blast opponents.
I do think Commodore Guff has some interesting things to offer, but he’s definitely trying to prop up a build that can be s bit shaky to begin with in Commander. On-curve, Commodore Guff will likely have one additional planeswalker when you cast him on turn 3 or 4, and four mana to draw 2 is…workable, but not ideal; he’ll likely do more late in the game, but you also need to put in a lot of effort to get the results you want. I think he’ll do plenty for the deck, but less than you would like, and he’s going to have a very hard time making it in Legacy.
Constructed: 1.75
Casual: 5
Limited: N/A (probably a 1.5 to 2)
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander [EDH]: 4
We would love more volunteers to help us with our Magic the Gathering Card of the Day reviews. If you want to share your ideas on cards with other fans, feel free to drop us an email. We would be happy to link back to your blog / YouTube Channel / etc. 😉
