Last updated on September 23, 2024

Aminatou, Veil Piercer | Illustration by David Palumbo
Duskmournโs kind of a scary place, isnโt it? This Magic plane sucks you in without warning, traps you within narrow corridors and claustrophobic rooms, and everything seems like itโs out to kill you. Now tell me that doesnโt sound exactly like grade school. Itโs definitely no Strixhaven, thatโs for sure, but thereโs still an opportunity for education here.
Today weโre covering the Duskmourn Commander precons, a batch of four deliriously frightful decks that branch off from the main setโs themes and mechanics. Iโll examine the new commanders and strategies, as well as notable reprints and newcomers.
Get your Ghostbuster gear and find a friendly glimmer; itโs time to face this House of Horror and meet our Duskmourn commanders!
- GET ALL 4 DUSKMOURN: HOUSE OF HORROR COMMANDER DECKSโSee the future and cast miracles with Miracle Worker, fill your graveyard and reanimate monsters with Death Toll, cast tricky instants and mysterious face-down cards with Jump Scare!, or control monstrosities and make your opponents pay with Endless Punishment
- FOIL BORDERLESS COMMANDERSโEvery Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander Deck includes 2 Traditional Foil Legendary Creature cards featuring spine-tingling Borderless art
- INTRODUCING 40 COMMANDER CARDSโEach deck introduces fresh horrors to Magic: The Gathering with 10 never-before-seen Commander cards
- 40 ARCHENEMY SCHEMESโArchenemy pits a team of three against one player who draws from an extra deck of powerful and nefarious schemes. Each Duskmourn Commander deck introduces 10 terrifying schemes; get all 40 and make the table tremble!
- COLLECT SPECIAL TREATMENT CARDSโEach deck also comes with a 2-card Collector Booster Sample Pack containing 2 cards from the Duskmourn: House of Horror set, including 1 alt-border Rare or Mythic Rare and at least 1 Traditional Foil card
All About Duskmourn: House of Horror
What Is Duskmourn?
Into the Pit | Illustration by Greg Staples
Duskmourn: House of Horror is a Standard Magic set flavorfully based on โmodern-day horror.โ The world-building is actually quite expansive, more than Iโve seen for most traditional sets, and kind of splits into two elements. On one hand, you have a bunch of typical horror movie tropes, like the Unstoppable Slasher, references to The Shining, Poltergeist, and even the Saw movies, and a bunch of humans standing in hallways ready to be murdered by something.
The other main feature is Valgavoth. Without getting too deep into Duskmournโs nebulous lore and story, the entire plane is essentially enveloped within the demon Valgavoth. In other words, the whole plane is a demon! This part I find very cool, and there are a bunch of sweet monster designs in the set that feel way cooler than the goofy humans and movie references that make up the other half of the set.
How Does Duskmourn Compare to Other Commander Products?
Duskmourn Commander (DSC) follows the typical release formula for Standard sets: four new Commander decks thematically tied to the main set. Each of Duskmournโs EDH precons comes with the following:
- 100 cards total, with 10 New-to-Magic cards
- 2 traditional borderless commanders
- 10 Scheme cards for Archenemy
- 1 Deck Box
- 1 Duskmourn: House of Horror Collector Booster Sample Pack
- 1 Strategy insert
Whatโs that? Scheme cards? Yes, DSC stands out from other precon offerings with its Archenemy tie-in. Each deck comes with 10 scheme cards, and each deck was built with the intention of being played in the multiplayer-friendly Archenemy format. In fact, there are even some rules tweaks to that format starting with this set.
The Archenemy tie-in is completely optional, though, so you can opt in and out depending on the preferences of your playgroup. My recommendation: Try it out! Archenemy can actually be quite a bit of fun. You get to say completely unhinged stuff like Rot Like the Scum You Are.
Should I Buy Duskmourn?
DSC is worth the buy. Of course, this all comes down to the individual components of the decks and whether the strategies excite you, but I think this is an above-average offering. This is also a must-have if Archenemyโs something you see yourself playing in the future. There are tons of new schemes, and this product will be the only realistic way to get them outside the secondary market/trading.
My usual caveat stands: If any of these decks spike in price due to the high demand of a new card or something like that, Iโd avoid buying. No Commander precon deck of this quality is worth $100, though I donโt foresee that being an issue with this release.
Miracle Worker
Commander (1)
Creature (22)
Starfield Mystic
Ancient Cellarspawn
Auramancer
Burnished Hart
Mesa Enchantress
Moon-Blessed Cleric
The Master of Keys
Verge Rangers
Nightmare Shepherd
Phenomenon Investigators
Solemn Simulacrum
Doomwake Giant
Ondu Spiritdancer
Prognostic Sphinx
Soaring Lightbringer
Archetype of Imagination
Athreos, Shroud-Veiled
Demon of Fate's Design
Dream Eater
Fear of Sleep Paralysis
Metamorphosis Fanatic
Arvinox, the Mind Flail
Instant (9)
Brainstorm
Otherworldly Gaze
Swords to Plowshares
Arcane Denial
Telling Time
Thirst for Meaning
Return to Dust
Utter End
Inkshield
Sorcery (9)
Ponder
Portent
Diabolic Vision
Entreat the Angels
Read the Bones
Time Wipe
Terminus
Aminatou's Augury
Redress Fate
Enchantment (15)
Mirrormade
Monologue Tax
Timely Ward
Cast Out
Life Insurance
Sigil of the Empty Throne
Sphere of Safety
Spirit-Sister's Call
The Eldest Reborn
Bottomless Pool // Locker Room
Extravagant Replication
Shark Typhoon
One with the Multiverse
Secret Arcade // Dusty Parlor
Cramped Vents // Access Maze
Artifact (7)
Brainstone
Sol Ring
Arcane Signet
Azorius Signet
Mind Stone
Orzhov Signet
Commander's Sphere
Land (37)
Adarkar Wastes
Arcane Sanctum
Ash Barrens
Azorius Chancery
Bojuka Bog
Caves of Koilos
Command Tower
Dimir Aqueduct
Evolving Wilds
Halimar Depths
Hall of Heliod's Generosity
Island x4
Obscura Storefront
Orzhov Basilica
Plains x5
Swamp x5
Tainted Field
Tainted Isle
Temple of Deceit
Temple of Enlightenment
Temple of Silence
Terramorphic Expanse
Thriving Heath
Thriving Isle
Thriving Moor
Underground River
Scheme (10)
A Premonition of Your Demise
Behold the Power of Destruction
Choose Your Demise
I Am Duskmourn
My Champion Stands Supreme
My Followers Ascend
My Wealth Will Bury You
Only I Know What Awaits
Time Bends to My Will
You Cannot Hide from Me
Commander, Theme, and Strategy
Miracle Worker is an Esper () enchantment deck with a topdeck-matters twist. It combines your typical non-green enchantress cards with the miracle mechanic, looking to slam big game-breaking enchantments on board way ahead of schedule.
This deck is led by Aminatou, Veil Piercer, no relation to American rock band Pierce the Veil. Aminatouโs easily the most unique new legend from these Commander decks, putting a miraculous spin on big enchantments. I like that they managed to stick with the characteristic topdeck strategy of Aminatou, the Fateshifter, but expanded into enchantress territory here. And hey, surveil 2 every turn for free is way better than it reads, even before you get into the miracle stuff.
Your alternative Esper commander is The Master of Keys, which, no, isnโt Ludwig van Beethoven. Iโm not jazzed about this horror, but itโs basically an Underworld Breach for enchantments, and that cardโs proven itself impactful in Commander. That said, Iโm sticking with Aminatou as far as the preconโs concerned.
This is a bit of a Venn Diagram deck, which we see often in Commander precons. By that I mean that there are two distinct strategies, one that cares about enchantments, and one that cares about topdeck manipulation. There are cards that overlap and play well with both elements of the deck (like the face commander), but also plenty of cards that work best in one direction or the other, not necessarily both.
Notable Cards, Reprints, and $$
There are some stipulations I usually like to cover with new Commander precons. First off, Iโm not evaluating new-to-Magic cards for value purposes. The cards are always heavily inflated before release, and many of them drop below a dollar after a while. Second, the prices Iโm using here reflect an average market price at the time the card was revealed. Expensive reprints are subject to price drops, so take all listed numbers with a grain of salt.
Letโs handle reprints in batches.
Miracle Worker features seven cards in the $2-5 range, four in the $5-10 range, and two โmoney cardsโ just above $10 each: Inkshield and Extravagant Replication. This is the first reprinting of Replication, as well as Ondu Spiritdancer, Athreos, Shroud-Veiled, One with the Multiverse, and some others. The mana base is pretty meh, but youโll pick up the enchantress staple Hall of Heliod's Generosity. Overall, nice value!
I like to highlight a couple of the best new cards from each deck, too. Ancient Cellarspawn looks amazing to me, and not just for typal decks. Thisโll slot into just about any deck that can cast spells for free, or any deck leaning on cost reduction. Secret Arcade // Dusty Parlor looks like a great new staple for enchantress decks. Iโd also keep an eye on Metamorphosis Fanatic. Cheap miracle cards occasionally pop up in Legacy, as we saw with Triumph of Saint Katherine.
Mesa Enchantress, Moon-Blessed Cleric, Terminus, Aminatou's Augury, Cackling Counterpart, Ponder, Portent, Diabolic Vision, Utter End, and Telling Time all received new art in this deck.
Command Tower, Sol Ring, and Arcane Signet also have new art across all the precons. Same goes for Ash Barrens, which has random Sarkhan/Tarkir flavor for some reason?
The Verdict
Very cool deck, and easily my favorite of the bunch. Enchantress precons arenโt new, but I always say that if youโre going to rehash old themes, at least put a new spin on it. And thatโs what we got with the miracle tie-in.
Good reprints, strong value, room for customization, and a neat theme make this a nice, tidy precon I could whole-heartedly recommend. The mana base is still trashy, though Iโm going give them a pass on the scry lands since they actually play into the strategy of the deck. Couldnโt help notice they didnโt spare a surveil land or triome thoughโฆ.
- DRAW YOUR POWER FROM DESTINYโUse fate-shifting powers to cast miracles and see a future where youโre the one winning the game
- 2 FOIL BORDERLESS COMMANDERSโEvery Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander Deck includes 2 Traditional Foil Legendary Creature cards featuring spine-tingling Borderless art
- 10 ARCHENEMY SCHEMESโArchenemy pits a team of three against one player who draws from an extra deck of powerful and nefarious schemes. Each Duskmourn Commander deck introduces 10 terrifying schemes to make the table tremble.
- INTRODUCES 10 COMMANDER CARDSโ Each deck introduces fresh horrors to Magic: The Gathering with 10 never-before-seen Commander cards
- CONTENTSโ1 ready-to-play Miracle Worker Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander Deck (100 cards), 10 Archenemy cards, a 2-card Collector Booster Sample Pack, 10 double-sided tokens, and 1 deck box
Death Toll
Commander (1)
Planeswalker (4)
Grist, the Hunger Tide
Ob Nixilis Reignited
Wrenn and Seven
Professor Onyx
Creature (27)
Dryad Arbor
Gnarlwood Dryad
Haywire Mite
Stitcher's Supplier
Deathcap Cultivator
Grim Flayer
Obsessive Skinner
Old Stickfingers
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Scavenging Ooze
Skola Grovedancer
Suspicious Bookcase
Burnished Hart
Nyx Weaver
Ursine Monstrosity
Carrion Grub
Solemn Simulacrum
Ishkanah, Grafwidow
Moldgraf Millipede
Rendmaw, Creaking Nest
Noxious Gearhulk
Titania, Nature's Force
Demolisher Spawn
Giant Adephage
Hornet Queen
Moldgraf Monstrosity
Vile Mutilator
Instant (6)
Grapple with the Past
Grisly Salvage
Inscription of Abundance
Arachnogenesis
Harrow
Putrefy
Sorcery (9)
Reanimate
Mulch
Night's Whisper
Rampant Growth
Deluge of Doom
Formless Genesis
Culling Ritual
Harmonize
Convert to Slime
Enchantment (9)
Cemetery Tampering
Crawling Sensation
Into the Pit
Binding the Old Gods
Deathreap Ritual
Whip of Erebos
Deadbridge Chant
Demonic Covenant
Polluted Cistern // Dim Oubliette
Artifact (7)
Sol Ring
Arcane Signet
Golgari Signet
Mind Stone
Talisman of Resilience
Commander's Sphere
Whispersilk Cloak
Land (37)
Ash Barrens
Barren Moor
Bojuka Bog
Command Tower
Darkmoss Bridge
Evolving Wilds
Exotic Orchard
Forest x7
Golgari Rot Farm
Grim Backwoods
Jungle Hollow
Llanowar Wastes
Necroblossom Snarl
Reliquary Tower
Swamp x7
Tainted Wood
Temple of Malady
Temple of the False God
Terramorphic Expanse
Tranquil Thicket
Tree of Tales
Twilight Mire
Vault of Whispers
Viridescent Bog
Woodland Cemetery
Scheme (10)
Choose Your Champion
Dark Wings Bring Your Downfall
I Am Never Alone
My Tendrils Run Deep
My Will Is Irresistible
My Wings Enfold All
Plots That Span Centuries
Rot Like the Scum You Are
You Live Only Because I Will It
Your Mistake Is My Triumph
Commander, Theme, and Strategy
Death Toll is a Golgari () graveyard deck heavily themed around the returning delirium mechanic, a personal favorite of mine. There are tons of nods to different card types here. If something looks odd or out of place, it was probably included because it provides another card type for delirium. We even see the return of kindred for that exact reason!
The face Golgari commander is Winter, Cynical Opportunist, one of Duskmourn's survivors. My first read is that this is just bad Meren of Clan Nel Toth, but thereโs so much self-mill in this precon that you should be able to reanimate giant permanents with ease. Iโm not a fan of how Winter kind of works against itself, though. Exiling card types from your graveyard means youโll be shutting off your own delirium cards on occasion, so thereโs some non-bo energy here. But Winter can bring back any permanent, so it goes above and beyond the normal BG reanimator strategies.
Your alternative commander is Rendmaw, Creaking Nest, a new scarecrow that pays you off for playing cards with multiple card types. Super cool! This is the type of novel design space that gets me excited, and Iโd actually bias towards Rendmaw as my commander instead of Winter. It even provides something of a win condition, since it makes a bunch of goaded birds for opponents to peck at each other with.
Strategically, the game plan is pretty simple. Amass a bunch of different card types in your graveyard using self-mill effects, then reap the rewards of your delirium payoffs. While I love building around card types and delirium-adjacent effects, I have a huge gripe with the deck: The card quality is awful outside the new-to-Magic cards.
Weโre running C-tier Limited cards here, like Obsessive Skinner, Moldgraf Millipede, Gnarlwood Dryad, and Skola Grovedancer. I get that theyโre synergy cards for the delirium strategy, but wow, are they weak Commander cards. That and the reanimation targets for Winter are lacking. Like, Iโm supposed to be excited to reanimate Hornet Queen in this day and age? Duskmournโs Death Toll Commander precon has a sweet premise but needs a major upgrade.
Grapple with the Past, Mind Stone, Moldgraf Monstrosity, Night's Whisper, Putrefy, Stitcher's Supplier, and Suspicious Bookcase all received new art in this deck.
Notable Cards, Reprints, and $$
The reprint value is reasonable but not too noteworthy. We have seven cards in the $2-5 range and six in the $5-10 range. No huge money cards here, though Whip of Erebos and Professor Onyx are right below the line at about $9 a piece (both being reprinted for the first time).
This is also a first-time reprinting of Wrenn and Seven and Titania, Nature's Force. The deck also features a copy of Dryad Arbor, which I find absolutely wild for a Commander precon. Keep that Arbor up top with your creatures, folks!
Iโm excited about some of the new cards in this deck. Iโm a long-time fan of Decimate, so Convert to Slime caught my attention. Into the Pit has a lot of potential as an aristocratic card draw machine. Demolisher Spawn seems like a reasonable Craterhoof Behemoth-lite if you can achieve delirium. And Formless Genesis will certainly see play in various typal decks as a new kindred sorcery.
The Verdict
I usually write off these BGx graveyard precons, but Iโm seeing the shell of something truly great here. If you can weed out the weak filler cards and tinker with the delirium enablers/reanimation targets, youโve probably got a unique deck on your hands. And I like that both commanders fit the context of the deck but inspire me to adjust it in different ways. The reprint value is fine but not great, and the mana base is strategically competent but super dorky in terms of value. Seriously, yโall couldnโt sneak an Underground Mortuary in the BG delirium deck? Just this once?
- DO WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIVEโSend your cold dead cards into the graveyard, the return your heavy hitters from the great beyond and rise victorious.
- 2 FOIL BORDERLESS COMMANDERSโEvery Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander Deck includes 2 Traditional Foil Legendary Creature cards featuring spine-tingling Borderless art
- 10 ARCHENEMY SCHEMESโArchenemy pits a team of three against one player who draws from an extra deck of powerful and nefarious schemes. Each Duskmourn Commander deck introduces 10 terrifying schemes to make the table tremble.
- INTRODUCES 10 COMMANDER CARDSโ Each deck introduces fresh horrors to Magic: The Gathering with 10 never-before-seen Commander cards
- CONTENTSโ1 ready-to-play Death Toll Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander Deck (100 cards), 10 Archenemy cards, a 2-card Collector Booster Sample Pack, 10 double-sided tokens, and 1 deck box
Jump Scare!
Commander (1)
Creature (32)
Overgrown Zealot
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Shigeki, Jukai Visionary
Augur of Autumn
Deathmist Raptor
Glitch Interpreter
Kefnet the Mindful
Scute Swarm
Skaab Ruinator
Trygon Predator
Yavimaya Elder
Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle
Citanul Hierophants
Giggling Skitterspike
Kheru Spellsnatcher
Kianne, Corrupted Memory
Rashmi, Eternities Crafter
Ashaya, Soul of the Wild
Body of Knowledge
Tatyova, Benthic Druid
Whisperwood Elemental
Yedora, Grave Gardener
Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait
Curator Beastie
Greater Tanuki
Hydra Omnivore
Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar
Temur War Shaman
Thunderfoot Baloth
Beanstalk Giant
Shriekwood Devourer
Worldspine Wurm
Instant (11)
Biomass Mutation
Counterspell
Growth Spiral
Reality Shift
Beast Within
Cackling Counterpart
Eureka Moment
Aether Gale
Oversimplify
Overwhelming Stampede
Ezuri's Predation
Sorcery (6)
Rampant Growth
Cultivate
Disorienting Choice
Explosive Vegetation
Zimone's Hypothesis
Dig Through Time
Enchantment (8)
Growing Dread
Trail of Mystery
Retreat to Coralhelm
Wilderness Reclamation
Primordial Mist
They Came from the Pipes
Experimental Lab // Staff Room
Sandwurm Convergence
Artifact (4)
Sol Ring
Arcane Signet
Simic Signet
Scroll of Fate
Land (38)
Ash Barrens
Castle Vantress
Command Tower
Drownyard Temple
Evolving Wilds
Flooded Grove
Forest x9
Hinterland Harbor
Island x9
Mosswort Bridge
Myriad Landscape
Overflowing Basin
Quandrix Campus
Reliquary Tower
Simic Growth Chamber
Tangled Islet
Temple of Mystery
Temple of the False God
Terramorphic Expanse
Thornwood Falls
Vineglimmer Snarl
Yavimaya Coast
Scheme (10)
Chaos Is My Plaything
I Am Untouchable
Kneel Before My Legions
Mine Is the Only Truth
My Laughter Echoes
Power Without Equal
You Are Unworthy of Mercy
You Will Know True Suffering
Your Own Face Mocks You
Your Plans Mean Nothing
Commander, Theme, and Strategy
Jump Scare! Is a Simic () ramp deck with a face-down creature component. Itโs looking to spend the early turns accelerating its mana, after which it can either cast giant green battlecruisers or hopefully manifest a few creatures to jump scare your opponents with. It makes good use of the new manifest dread variant and incorporates some light morph elements.
The face commander is Zimone, Mystery Unraveler, a pretty straightforward Simic card that uses landfall as a way to manipulate face-down creatures. Honestly, itโs a pretty cool take on a Simic commander, and I like that youโre capped at one new manifest per turn but still rewarded for subsequent landfall triggers.
Kianne, Corrupted Memory is much less exciting, though the toggling between flashing in creatures and non-creature spells is interesting. Itโs a draw spell payoff with no inherent ways to draw cards, though having half a Vedalken Orrery in your command zone at any given point could be powerful.
Notable Cards, Reprints, and $$
Jump Scare! has six cards in the $2-5 range, one in the $5-10 range, and two big hitters above the $10 mark.
Those money cards are Ashaya, Soul of the Wild and Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait, both of which are seeing a first-time reprint here. They were roughly $17 and $37 respectively, which is basically the price of this Commander precon!
The rest of the value is tied to hodge-podge cards that donโt see too much play, though youโll snag a copy of Scute Swarm and Overwhelming Stampede as EDH staples.
Notably, thereโs not a single card of value in the mana base. Thatโs a real shame, because this 2-color deck is padded out with the usual Evolving Wilds/Terramorphic Expanse, which are just so unnecessary and couldโve easily been a Hedge Maze or something similar (surveil even plays into the manifest theme!).
As for newcomers, I thought Disorienting Choice was intriguing. It gave me Tempt with Discovery vibes where I assume the answer is to never give your opponent lands, but thereโs a prisonerโs dilemma kind of choice involved. Zimone's Hypothesis is an interesting board wipe with some one-sided potential, and Giggling Skitterspike toy gets a shoutout for being absolutely terrifying (nice Toy Story reference, though).
Cackling Counterpart, Beast Within, Citanul Hierophants, and Growth Spiral all received new art in this deck.
The Verdict
Iโm usually not a fan of the โGUx ramp deckโ that seems to come in every collection of Commander precons. I had this gripe with the Tricky Terrain deck from Modern Masters 3 Commander, where it had a really cool premise that was overshadowed by the typical Simic ramp stuff we see all the time. Jump Scare! does that a little, but I think the commander is very novel and the manifest approach makes it feel distinct. Thereโs a lot more customization options for a deck like this that differentiate it from a typical Simic ramp deck, which I appreciate. Overall, Iโm a fan.
Logistically, the value of the deck is almost entirely tied to two cards thatโll likely tank in price, though having those reprinted is a big deal. The mana base is noticeably lackluster. Itโs functional for precon purposes, but Iโm continuing to dock points for lousy precon mana bases.
- QUICK. BEHIND YOU.โInvite the element of surprise with tricky instants and lay out mysterious face-down cards to keep โem guessing, then flip them over to spring your traps
- 2 FOIL BORDERLESS COMMANDERSโEvery Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander Deck includes 2 Traditional Foil Legendary Creature cards featuring spine-tingling Borderless art
- 10 ARCHENEMY SCHEMESโArchenemy pits a team of three against one player who draws from an extra deck of powerful and nefarious schemes. Each Duskmourn Commander deck introduces 10 terrifying schemes to make the table tremble.
- INTRODUCES 10 COMMANDER CARDSโ Each deck introduces fresh horrors to Magic: The Gathering with 10 never-before-seen Commander cards
- CONTENTSโ1 ready-to-play Jump Scare. Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander Deck (100 cards), 10 Archenemy cards, a 2-card Collector Booster Sample Pack, 10 double-sided tokens, and 1 deck box
Endless Punishment
Commander (1)
Creature (32)
Kederekt Parasite
Blood Artist
Blood Seeker
Harsh Mentor
Stormfist Crusader
Braids, Arisen Nightmare
Florian, Voldaren Scion
Gleeful Arsonist
Mayhem Devil
Morbid Opportunist
Rampaging Ferocidon
Star Athlete
Vial Smasher the Fierce
Barbflare Gremlin
Falkenrath Noble
Fate Unraveler
Kardur, Doomscourge
Mogis, God of Slaughter
Nightshade Harvester
Rakdos, Lord of Riots
Solemn Simulacrum
Tectonic Giant
Brash Taunter
Gray Merchant of Asphodel
Massacre Girl
Persistent Constrictor
Syr Konrad, the Grim
The Lord of Pain
Combustible Gearhulk
Fear of Burning Alive
Massacre Wurm
Kaervek the Merciless
Instant (6)
Infernal Grasp
Rakdos Charm
Bedevil
Blood Pact
Chaos Warp
Suspended Sentence
Sorcery (7)
Feed the Swarm
Grab the Prize
Sign in Blood
Light Up the Stage
Sadistic Shell Game
Decree of Pain
Blasphemous Act
Enchantment (5)
Enchanter's Bane
Bastion of Remembrance
Theater of Horrors
Spiteful Visions
Spiked Corridor // Torture Pit
Artifact (11)
Basilisk Collar
Sol Ring
Arcane Signet
Fellwar Stone
Lightning Greaves
Mind Stone
Rakdos Signet
Sรฉance Board
Talisman of Indulgence
Thought Vessel
Mask of Griselbrand
Land (38)
Ash Barrens
Blackcleave Cliffs
Bloodfell Caves
Canyon Slough
Command Tower
Dragonskull Summit
Evolving Wilds
Exotic Orchard
Foreboding Ruins
Geothermal Bog
Graven Cairns
Leechridden Swamp
Mountain x8
Shadowblood Ridge
Shivan Gorge
Smoldering Marsh
Spinerock Knoll
Sulfurous Springs
Swamp x8
Tainted Peak
Temple of Malice
Temple of the False God
Terramorphic Expanse
Witch's Clinic
Scheme (10)
Fear My Authority
I Call for Slaughter
I Will Savor Your Agony
My Crushing Masterstroke
No Secret Is Hidden from Me
Reality Is Mine to Control
Running Is Useless
When Will You Learn?
You Exist Only to Amuse
Your Nightmares Are Delicious
Commander, Theme, and Strategy
Well, this deckโs focused, thatโs for sure. Endless Punishment is a Rakdos () group slug deck; that is, it just wants to kill the opponents and punish them for doing just about anything. Endlessly. Forgive me for not cataloging every single Commander precon in my memory, but have we ever had an actual dedicated group slug precon like this before?
The lead commander is Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls, a big dumb elder demon that rewards you when players lose life during their own turns. That means youโll want punisher effects that deal damage to opponents as they take game actions, or just good old-fashioned instant-speed burn spells. Itโs not a flashy commander in the slightest, but it knows what it wants to do. Also, kudos for being a prominent character in the lore and using ward in a meaningful way.
The Lord of Pain is your alternative Rakdos commander, and if youโre unsure what it does, Iโd like to remind you that the cardโs name is The Lord of Pain. Someone casts a spell, and someone else takes damage, simple as that. The funny thing here is that you actually have to start nugging yourself if it gets down to just you and one other player, but thatโs appropriate for the group slug mentality. Choose whichever legend you like out of the box; they both further the deckโs overall gameplan of ending the game quickly.
Endless Punishment is a rare instance of a Commander precon that fully commits to doing one thing. No โback-up strategy,โ just kill, kill, kill. Pretty much every card in the deck either lowers life totals or finds you more cards that lower life totals. Itโs tight, and I like that in a precon.
Notable Cards, Reprints, and $$
Endless Punishment is a good time and good value. Weโre looking at seven cards in the $2-5 range, four in the $5-10 range, and three big-money cards! Those are Witch's Clinic at $13, Mogis, God of Slaughter at $10, and Kederekt Parasite at $15 (excuse me?).
Also bonus points for being the only precon that gave a damn about putting any valuable cards in the mana base. Sulfurous Springs, Graven Cairns, Blackcleave Cliffs, and Witch's Clinic are all nice value pick-ups.
Unfortunately, for all my praises, this precon has the least interesting new-to-Magic cards. Thereโs a potential damage amplifier in Spiked Corridor // Torture Pit and a mana doubler in Barbflare Gremlin, but those arenโt super unique effects anymore. Gleeful Arsonist catches my attention, since it can deal out some serious damage if you can pump its power.
Mogis, God of Slaughter, Bedevil, Feed the Swarm, Blood Seeker, and Blood Pact received new art in this deck.
The Verdict
Endless Punishment gets high marks from me. It falters a bit on the new-to-Magic cards, since theyโre all so one-note and donโt feel like relevant format staples, but I love the succinct group slug strategy and the commitment to that plan. The deck has overall great reprint value and feels like itโs not treading over the same territory weโve seen in many, many other precons. If I had to give it a constructive negative, itโs that group slug isnโt exactly everyoneโs favorite archetype to play against and might be off-putting for new players.
- ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HEREโBecome the House that always wins and dish out damage to all who enter your halls until you see your new tenants evicted . . . permanently
- 2 FOIL BORDERLESS COMMANDERSโEvery Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander Deck includes 2 Traditional Foil Legendary Creature cards featuring spine-tingling Borderless art
- 10 ARCHENEMY SCHEMESโArchenemy pits a team of three against one player who draws from an extra deck of powerful and nefarious schemes. Each Duskmourn Commander deck introduces 10 terrifying schemes to make the table tremble!
- INTRODUCES 10 COMMANDER CARDSโ Each deck introduces fresh horrors to Magic: The Gathering with 10 never-before-seen Commander cards
- CONTENTSโ1 ready-to-play Endless Punishment Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander Deck (100 cards), 10 Archenemy cards, a 2-card Collector Booster Sample Pack, 10 double-sided tokens, and 1 deck box
The Best Duskmourn Deck
For Value
Endless Punishment wins this category, with three big-ticket cards, a handful of useful cards under the $10 mark, and the only mana base in the line-up that included lands worth value. Most of the decks do well in the reprint and value department, with the exception of maybe Death Toll.
And Wizards, Iโm once again begging you to bump up these mana bases just a little bit. A single surveil land or triome in these decks is well-deserved for the typical $50 price tag, and some of these decks couldโve greatly benefited from the surveil/cycling synergies!
For Competitive EDH
Miracle Worker comes out on top for competitive viability. Iโm not recommending you run out and try your hand at cEDH using nothing but this precon, but if youโre scrapping for cEDH cards, this is probably the deck you want. Honestly, itโs the combo potential of The Master of Keys and the new Ancient Cellarspawn that lead me to believe thereโs some competitive chops to Miracle Worker.
For Fun
These precons did exceptionally well in this category, but Iโm going with Miracle Worker here. I want to give it to Death Toll, but that deck fumbles so hard on card quality that I donโt think itโll be too fun until you give it a makeover. Jump Scare! has a cool premise and probably creates fun game moments, and Endless Punishment is right up some playersโ allies, but probably off-putting to others.
So, Iโm going with the enchantress deck with the miracle spin. Topdeck manipulation is always fun, and you can do some incredibly powerful things here.
Commanding Conclusion
Barbflare Gremlin | Illustration by Matt Stewart
I donโt say this often, but I feel like the Duskmourn precon line-up exceeded expectations and probably falls into the upper 25% of precons. Each deck either has a fresh theme or a unique twist on an existing theme weโve seen in previous precons, which is exactly what new Commander decks need to do to differentiate from the growing backlog of precons. There are a lot of awesome new-to-Magic designs, the value is overall worthy of praise, and the decks just look fun, even if they need some tweaks. Thatโs to be expected though.
I donโt condone putting Dryad Arbor in a precon, and itโs mind-blowing that the Jump Scare! deck features a near-infinite combo (Zimone, Mystery Unraveler + Sakura-Tribe Elder + Yedora, Grave Gardener), but Iโm sure the Endless Punishment deck will put people in their place before anything gets out of hand. Consider me a satisfied customer.
Where are you at on the Duskmourn offerings? Do you intend to play Archenemy with these decks, or do you have your eyes set on any of the new cards for decks you already have? Let me know in the comments below or over in the Draftsim Discord.
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