MTG Modern Horizons 3 Energy Commander is perfect Eldrazi alternative

Satya, Aetherflux Genius headlines MTG Modern Horizons 3’s Creative Energy pre-con deck, and this talented Kaladesh Artificer is helping to bring that plane’s Energy mechanic back in a big way.

Modern Horizons 3’s Commander decks offer a varied selection of ready-to-play strategies for MTG’s most popular format. While the majority of Magic: The Gathering’s pre-cons exist as an accessible on-ramp for newer players, Modern Horizons 3 has taken a different approach, foregrounding powerful support for classic archetypes and mechanics.

The Eldrazi Incursion Commander deck has been dominating the conversation around Modern Horizons 3’s pre-cons – racking up a truly impressive price tag thanks to its powerful new Eldrazi support.

With the Eldrazi deck’s cost unlikely to die down any time soon, MTG players should be aware of the other, less cost-intensive options available in Modern Horizons 3, as it would be a shame to see the set’s remaining Commanders left by the wayside.

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While it isn’t receiving the same level of fanfare as Eldrazi incursion, the Creative Energy deck is one of Modern Horizons 3’s biggest successes. While the Energy mechanic had its share of fans when it first debuted in the Kaladesh block, new Energy cards had not been printed for MTG in years before Modern Horizons 3 – and the recent Universes Beyond: Fallout – took up the gauntlet.

The issue with Energy before its MH3 return was twofold. As MTG’s Lead Designer Mark Rosewater admitted, the mechanic was not properly costed in its first appearance, with the balance between Energy generators and payoffs being out of Sync.

The other major barrier to Energy’s return was its lore connections and flavor. Being so closely tied to Kaladesh’s Aether and used to power the plane’s mechanical marvels, Energy could easily feel out of place in the majority of magic’s fantasy-flavored worlds.

Creative Energy and Satya, Aetherflux Genius pay homage to Energy’s past while helping to shepherd the mechanic into a healthier, updated place for modern-day Magic. This Commander is an Artificer hailing from Kaladesh, while also presiding over a deck that uses Energy in ways that are much more applicable to MTG’s broad spectrum of worlds.

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In Creative Energy, the titular mechanic is used on a variety of cards to symbolize channeling natural magic and attuning to spiritual forces, as well as more classic applications like powering up flying vehicles.

By broadening the scope of what Energy can be without losing sight of the mechanic’s original purpose, this pre-con positions itself as one of the most intriguing parts of Modern Horizons 3, and does so without losing mechanical cohesion.

Satya makes a fantastic Commander for this deck, doubling up on value and being a surprising threat in combat. Coming in as a tanky 3/5 with Menace and Haste is no joke, even if Satya joins Omo, Queen of Vesuva as MH3 Commanders that mostly care about attacking to trigger their own effects.

When Satya attacks, he generates two Energy counters and creates a tapped and attacking token copy of a nontoken Creature you control. That token can serve as a one-time additional burst of damage or extra ETB trigger; it can also stick around as a permanent part of your board if energy equal to the card’s mana value is paid.

Eldrazi Incursion may be making a splash through flashy, impactful effects like Ulamog, the Defiler’s Annihilator, but Creative Energy is a must-have for players who like to have a variety of options at their fingertips.

Additionally, thanks to its Jeskai color identity, Creative Energy meshes perfectly with MTG’s other recent use of Energy: Universes Beyond: Fallout’s Science! deck. While this color pairing may have seemed an odd selection for Energy at first, these two decks have done wonders for grounding Energy in a viable Jeskai identity moving forward.