MTG Assassin’s Creed fan-favorite Kassandra is a two-card Commander combo

Kassandra, Eagle Bearer, and The Spear of Leonidas have been revealed for MTG’s Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed set, and this fan-favorite Assassin-Artifact combo will make an excellent new Boros Commander.

Assassin’s Creed will be a different style of Universes Beyond set, with a slimmer selection of total cards that can be found in Beyond Boosters rather than the guaranteed selection included in Commander releases like Fallout.

Ahead of Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed’s launch, image teasers for the set — as well as official card spoilers — are starting to appear for this smaller-than-usual MTG release. Previous reveals have focused on franchise favorite Ezio Auditore da Firenze, but this Universes Beyond set stars a wide array of classic Assassin’s Creed characters, including Odyssey’s Spartan hero Kassandra.

Ubosoft/WotC

Kassandra, Eagle Bearer is a new Legendary Creature that can be cast for 1RW. As a 2/2 with Haste, Kassandra alone has some combat applications in the early game, albeit less than might be expected for her Boros identity. However, living up to that color pairing’s classic strategies, Kassandra becomes a much more lethal threat when wielding her associated Equipment card.

As soon as Kassandra ETBs, you may search your library, hand, and graveyard for The Spear of Leonidas and put it directly onto the battlefield. So long as your opponents haven’t exiled this card, Kassandra will instantly fetch it out, ready to be equipped.

As well as searching out a useful specific piece of Equipment, Kassandra also works as a highly specialized but useful draw engine. Any time a Creature you control deals combat damage to a player while that Creature has Legendary Equipment attached, you may draw a card.

White and red mana often get the short end of the stick when it comes to card draw, so having this reliable source in the Command zone is extremely handy for players willing to build around this card’s specifications.

Ubosoft/WotC

The Spear of Leonidas is a Legendary Artifact Equipment that can be cast for 2R, or simply brought out for free via Kassandra’s ability. This card can be equipped for a cost of 2 generic mana, and when the equipped Creature attacks, its controller may choose from one of three effects:

• Bull Rush – The equipped Creature gains Double Strike until the end of the turn.
• Summon – Create a Legendary 3/2 red Horse Creature token named Phobos.
• Revelation – Discard two cards, then draw two cards.

Whether its controller would rather build up their board presence, deal extra damage, or filter their hand, The Spear of Leonidas offers multiple great value options.

Boros has long been MTG’s standout color combination for Equipment, with pre-con decks like Rebellion Rising being built around the strategy. Through Kassandra, Eagle Bearer, and The Spear of Leonidas, Boros fans have an interesting avenue for building decks focusing on Legendary Equipment.

Universes Beyond continues to be a smashing success for Magic: The Gathering, with each pop-culture crossover bringing legions of new fans to the world’s oldest trading card game.

Tales of Middle-earth remains Universes Beyond’s high-water mark, with the golden ticket-style search for The One Ring fixing the spotlight on Magic in an unprecedented way. While future full-set releases like Final Fantasy may well take Middle-earth’s crown, smaller releases like Universes Beyond: Fallout’s Commander decks have done exceptionally well.

Being the first MTG crossover set to debut Aftermath-style Beyond Boosters, Universes Beyond: Assassin’s Creed is in a potentially precarious position. MTG fans are wary about the price and content of Beyond Boosters, but if the set’s cards and mechanics continue to be as solid as these early reveals, then the Assassin’s Creed fan base’s excitement could easily salvage this unique MTG release.