As Magic players, we often try to find new ways to play the game that are exciting and fresh. One of the most popular supplementary formats has been Cube and we have longed for it to become a regular choice for events on MTGO. My roommate, Timmy Turner (yes that’s really his name), has spent the last few months building and designing his own version of Battle Box.

Battle Box is quick to setup and easy to just end when your next round is up or when you want to finish. It’s something to wash away the salt from a previous round and lets you keep sharp without getting bored or complacent. This variant is a little different from what you’re used to.

If you’re not familiar with the concept, the simplest way to explain it is each player gets five Gates and the five basics on the side. You can play one land a turn. You start with four cards in hand and draw from a large pile of singleton cards. It removes the possibility of mana screw and creates an environment where all your decisions really matter. Each game plays out differently which provides for repeatable game play that’s always customizable as more cards are created with each new set.

This new version spins the format again and creates even more variables and play.

I now introduce to you, Commander Battle Box (working title).

So what’s the big differences here?

Well the major difference is there is a new aspect in now you have a Commander.

“This sounds complicated”

It isn’t random internet denizen.

In addition to the normal pile of cards to shuffle up there is also a side deck of 30 cards. With this pile of cards, you will shuffle and deal three to yourself and three for your opponent. You will decide amongst these three which one will be your Commander. Here’s the list of Commanders.

Commanders ? Battle Box| Rudy Briksza

• Commanders (30)
• 1 Archangel Avacyn
• 1 Atraxa, Praetors' Voice
• 1 Breya, Etherium Shaper
• 1 Daxos of Meletis
• 1 Experiment Kraj
• 1 Ghave, Guru of Spores
• 1 Horde of Notions
• 1 Intet, the Dreamer
• 1 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
• 1 Kefnet the Mindful
• 1 Liliana, Heretical Healer
• 1 Marath, Will of the Wild
• 1 Narset, Enlightened Master
• 1 Neheb, the Eternal
• 1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
• 1 Oketra the True
• 1 Prossh, Skyraider of Kher
• 1 Roon of the Hidden Realm
• 1 Saskia the Unyielding
• 1 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
• 1 Sharuum the Hegemon
• 1 Sigarda, Heron's Grace
• 1 Tariel, Reckoner of Souls
• 1 The Locust God
• 1 The Mimeoplasm
• 1 The Scarab God
• 1 The Scorpion God
• 1 Xenagos, God of Revels
• 1 Yasova Dragonclaw
• 1 Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder

Buy This Deck

Now, for those of you that play Commander, you may be familiar with color identities and how it impacts how decks are built. For those that don’t, the normal rules are your deck must be built with cards that share a color with your Commander. However, that doesn’t seem very feasible with a Battle Box and especially not with some of the cards we would want to play. So instead, the Commander has no effect on what cards you can play. Instead you get a Commander to play with and potentially morph your game plan around.

During my first go with the box, I got Oketra, the True and found an Opposition shortly after. Timmy learned quick he was in trouble. Since the Battle Box is so large, it’s really hard to have the same kind of game twice. We played a couple games and each game had access to different cards and different play patterns. I was hooked.

The Commander list is currently in flux, so feel free to cut and add Commanders as you see fit. The best part about the customization is it is mostly infinite!

So what does the actual list look like?

Well, quite powerful actually. In a normal Battle Box you’re very unlikely to see a lot of powerful cards to keep games fun, interesting, and interactive. One of the enjoyable aspects of Commander is getting to play a ton of incredibly powerful cards and we would be quite amiss here to have a low level Commander Box. So, instead the build will tend to have a lot of bombs and a lot of fantastic answers. We’re trying to go for fun here, so low impact cards will be few and far between.

The cards that might stick out the most from the list are likely the Cluestones. They are something that can help ramp up a bit toward some of the more expensive Commanders but can always be cashed in for a card. They provide some stability and consistency for being able to cast some of the more expensive but powerful Commanders.

So let’s take a look at the list for each of the colors.

Commander Battle Box List ? Battle Box | Rudy Briksza

• White (55)
• 1 Angel of Serenity
• 1 Archangel of Thune
• 1 Austere Command
• 1 Baneslayer Angel
• 1 Banisher Priest
• 1 Banishing Light
• 1 Blade Splicer
• 1 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
• 1 Cataclysmic Gearhulk
• 1 Council's Judgment
• 1 Day of Judgment
• 1 Declaration in Stone
• 1 Disenchant
• 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
• 1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
• 1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
• 1 Faith's Fetters
• 1 Fiend Hunter
• 1 Flickerwisp
• 1 Gideon Jura
• 1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
• 1 Hero of Bladehold
• 1 Hour of Revelation
• 1 Karmic Guide
• 1 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
• 1 Lapse of Certainty
• 1 Leonin Relic-Warder
• 1 Lingering Souls
• 1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
• 1 Linvala, the Preserver
• 1 Martial Coup
• 1 Mirran Crusader
• 1 Mirror Entity
• 1 Monastery Mentor
• 1 Mother of Runes
• 1 Oblivion Ring
• 1 Quarantine Field
• 1 Restoration Angel
• 1 Reveillark
• 1 Rout
• 1 Selfless Spirit
• 1 Silverblade Paladin
• 1 Soulfire Grand Master
• 1 Spear of Heliod
• 1 Spectral Procession
• 1 Spirit of the Labyrinth
• 1 Student of Warfare
• 1 Sun Titan
• 1 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
• 1 Timely Reinforcements
• 1 Unexpectedly Absent
• 1 Wall of Omens
• 1 War Priest of Thune
• 1 Wrath of God

• Blue (55)
• 1 Ancestral Vision
• 1 Anticipate
• 1 Brainstorm
• 1 Careful Study
• 1 Consecrated Sphinx
• 1 Control Magic
• 1 Counterspell
• 1 Countervailing Winds
• 1 Cryptic Command
• 1 Cyclonic Rift
• 1 Deadeye Navigator
• 1 Deceiver Exarch
• 1 Dig Through Time
• 1 Fact or Fiction
• 1 Forbidden Alchemy
• 1 Force of Will
• 1 Frantic Search
• 1 Frost Titan
• 1 Glen Elendra Archmage
• 1 Impulse
• 1 Jace Beleren
• 1 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
• 1 Jalira, Master Polymorphist
• 1 Looter il-Kor
• 1 Mana Drain
• 1 Mana Leak
• 1 Memory Lapse
• 1 Mind's Desire
• 1 Mulldrifter
• 1 Mystic Confluence
• 1 Nimble Obstructionist
• 1 Opposition
• 1 Pestermite
• 1 Phantasmal Image
• 1 Phyrexian Metamorph
• 1 Ponder
• 1 Preordain
• 1 Quicken
• 1 Remand
• 1 Repeal
• 1 Show and Tell
• 1 Snapcaster Mage
• 1 Sower of Temptation
• 1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
• 1 Temporal Mastery
• 1 Thassa, God of the Sea
• 1 Thing in the Ice
• 1 Thirst for Knowledge
• 1 Time Spiral
• 1 Torrential Gearhulk
• 1 Treachery
• 1 Treasure Cruise
• 1 True-Name Nemesis
• 1 Vendilion Clique
• 1 Venser, Shaper Savant

• Black (55)
• 1 Animate Dead
• 1 Bitterblossom
• 1 Bone Shredder
• 1 Bontu's Last Reckoning
• 1 Collective Brutality
• 1 Crux of Fate
• 1 Cryptbreaker
• 1 Damnation
• 1 Dark Confidant
• 1 Desecration Demon
• 1 Diabolic Edict
• 1 Disfigure
• 1 Dismember
• 1 Exhume
• 1 Fleshbag Marauder
• 1 Go for the Throat
• 1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
• 1 Grave Titan
• 1 Gurmag Angler
• 1 Hero's Downfall
• 1 Hymn to Tourach
• 1 Hypnotic Specter
• 1 Innocent Blood
• 1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
• 1 Lifebane Zombie
• 1 Liliana of the Veil
• 1 Liliana, Death's Majesty
• 1 Magus of the Will
• 1 Makeshift Mannequin
• 1 Massacre Wurm
• 1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
• 1 Murderous Cut
• 1 Necromancy
• 1 Nekrataal
• 1 Nightscape Familiar
• 1 Noxious Gearhulk
• 1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
• 1 Painful Truths
• 1 Profane Command
• 1 Puppeteer Clique
• 1 Reanimate
• 1 Rise of the Dark Realms
• 1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
• 1 Shriekmaw
• 1 Skinrender
• 1 Sorin Markov
• 1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
• 1 Toxic Deluge
• 1 Tragic Slip
• 1 Ultimate Price
• 1 Unburial Rites
• 1 Vampire Nighthawk
• 1 Victimize
• 1 Viscera Seer
• 1 Yawgmoth's Will

• Red (55)
• 1 Abbot of Keral Keep
• 1 Ancient Grudge
• 1 Blasphemous Act
• 1 Bonfire of the Damned
• 1 Brimstone Volley
• 1 Burst Lightning
• 1 Chain Lightning
• 1 Chandra, Flamecaller
• 1 Chandra, Pyromaster
• 1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
• 1 Chaos Maw
• 1 Chaos Warp
• 1 Char
• 1 Crater's Claws
• 1 Daretti, Scrap Savant
• 1 Dragonmaster Outcast
• 1 Exquisite Firecraft
• 1 Faithless Looting
• 1 Feldon of the Third Path
• 1 Fiery Confluence
• 1 Firebolt
• 1 Flametongue Kavu
• 1 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
• 1 Goblin Rabblemaster
• 1 Goblin Sharpshooter
• 1 Goblin Welder
• 1 Grim Lavamancer
• 1 Hazoret the Fervent
• 1 Hour of Devastation
• 1 Incinerate
• 1 Inferno Titan
• 1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
• 1 Lightning Bolt
• 1 Lightning Mauler
• 1 Lightning Strike
• 1 Magma Jet
• 1 Magus of the Wheel
• 1 Manic Vandal
• 1 Mizzium Mortars
• 1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
• 1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
• 1 Reckless Bushwhacker
• 1 Roast
• 1 Searing Spear
• 1 Siege-Gang Commander
• 1 Sin Prodder
• 1 Splinter Twin
• 1 Starstorm
• 1 Stormbreath Dragon
• 1 Subterranean Tremors
• 1 Sulfuric Vortex
• 1 Thundermaw Hellkite
• 1 Wheel of Fortune
• 1 Wild Ricochet
• 1 Zealous Conscripts

• Green (54)
• 1 Ant Queen
• 1 Avenger of Zendikar
• 1 Awakening Zone
• 1 Bane of Progress
• 1 Berserk
• 1 Birds of Paradise
• 1 Champion of Rhonas
• 1 Conclave Naturalists
• 1 Craterhoof Behemoth
• 1 Creeping Renaissance
• 1 Den Protector
• 1 Deranged Hermit
• 1 Doubling Season
• 1 Elves of Deep Shadow
• 1 Eternal Witness
• 1 Explore
• 1 Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury
• 1 Garruk Wildspeaker
• 1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
• 1 Genesis Hydra
• 1 Genesis Wave
• 1 Harmonize
• 1 Hornet Queen
• 1 Krosan Grip
• 1 Lurking Predators
• 1 Managorger Hydra
• 1 Master of the Wild Hunt
• 1 Nature's Claim
• 1 Nissa, Vital Force
• 1 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
• 1 Noble Hierarch
• 1 Oath of Nissa
• 1 Oracle of Mul Daya
• 1 Polukranos, World Eater
• 1 Reclamation Sage
• 1 Regrowth
• 1 Restock
• 1 Rhonas the Indomitable
• 1 Rishkar's Expertise
• 1 Scavenging Ooze
• 1 Seasons Past
• 1 Song of the Dryads
• 1 Sylvan Caryatid
• 1 Tarmogoyf
• 1 Thragtusk
• 1 Thrun, the Last Troll
• 1 Ulvenwald Tracker
• 1 Verdurous Gearhulk
• 1 Vizier of the Menagerie
• 1 Wall of Blossoms
• 1 Wall of Roots
• 1 Warden of the First Tree
• 1 Whisperwood Elemental
• 1 Wolfir Silverheart

• Colorless (55)
• 1 Akroma's Memorial
• 1 All Is Dust
• 1 Azorius Cluestone
• 1 Basilisk Collar
• 1 Batterskull
• 1 Bonehoard
• 1 Boros Cluestone
• 1 Chromatic Lantern
• 1 Coercive Portal
• 1 Crystal Ball
• 1 Dimir Cluestone
• 1 Duplicant
• 1 Emrakul, the Promised End
• 1 Gilded Lotus
• 1 Golgari Cluestone
• 1 Gruul Cluestone
• 1 Hangarback Walker
• 1 Hedron Archive
• 1 Izzet Cluestone
• 1 Lightning Greaves
• 1 Memory Jar
• 1 Mimic Vat
• 1 Mind Stone
• 1 Mind's Eye
• 1 Myr Battlesphere
• 1 Nevinyrral's Disk
• 1 Nim Deathmantle
• 1 Oblivion Stone
• 1 Orzhov Cluestone
• 1 Perilous Vault
• 1 Phyrexian Revoker
• 1 Pithing Needle
• 1 Platinum Angel
• 1 Rakdos Cluestone
• 1 Rings of Brighthearth
• 1 Selesnya Cluestone
• 1 Simic Cluestone
• 1 Skullclamp
• 1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
• 1 Smuggler's Copter
• 1 Soul of New Phyrexia
• 1 Spellskite
• 1 Spine of Ish Sah
• 1 Steel Hellkite
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots
• 1 Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1 Sword of Fire and Ice
• 1 Sword of Light and Shadow
• 1 Sword of War and Peace
• 1 Tangle Wire
• 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
• 1 Umezawa's Jitte
• 1 Wurmcoil Engine
• 1 Walking Ballista
• 1 Whispersilk Cloak

• Multicolored (71)
• 1 Abrupt Decay
• 1 Ajani Unyielding
• 1 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
• 1 Altered Ego
• 1 Anguished Unmaking
• 1 Ashen Rider
• 1 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
• 1 Aurelia, the Warleader
• 1 Baleful Strix
• 1 Bituminous Blast
• 1 Bloodbraid Elf
• 1 Boros Charm
• 1 Broodmate Dragon
• 1 Cloudblazer
• 1 Crackling Doom
• 1 Cruel Ultimatum
• 1 Dack Fayden
• 1 Deathrite Shaman
• 1 Domri Rade
• 1 Dragonlord Atarka
• 1 Dragonlord Dromoka
• 1 Dragonlord Ojutai
• 1 Dragonlord Silumgar
• 1 Dreadbore
• 1 Edric, Spymaster of Trest
• 1 Electrolyze
• 1 Figure of Destiny
• 1 Fire // Ice
• 1 Garruk, Apex Predator
• 1 Geist of Saint Traft
• 1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
• 1 Glissa, the Traitor
• 1 Godsire
• 1 Huntmaster of the Fells
• 1 Izzet Charm
• 1 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
• 1 Kitchen Finks
• 1 Kolaghan's Command
• 1 Lightning Angel
• 1 Lightning Helix
• 1 Maelstrom Pulse
• 1 Maelstrom Wanderer
• 1 Merciless Eviction
• 1 Mystic Snake
• 1 Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
• 1 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
• 1 Olivia Voldaren
• 1 Pernicious Deed
• 1 Qasali Pridemage
• 1 Rakdos's Return
• 1 Ral Zarek
• 1 Reflector Mage
• 1 Savage Twister
• 1 Shadowmage Infiltrator
• 1 Shardless Agent
• 1 Siege Rhino
• 1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
• 1 Sphinx's Revelation
• 1 Sultai Charm
• 1 Supreme Verdict
• 1 Tamiyo, Field Researcher
• 1 Terminate
• 1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
• 1 Tidehollow Sculler
• 1 Trygon Predator
• 1 Utter End
• 1 Villainous Wealth
• 1 Vindicate
• 1 Voice of Resurgence
• 1 Wear // Tear
• 1 Xenagos, the Reveler

Buy This Deck

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to interact or dominate a game. Changing the tides is easy and can lead to some really fun Magic with a lot of back and forth. The Commander Battle Box is still in progress and will certainly go through some changes to balance a little more, but for now it’s a ton of fun and I look forward to playing some more.

For another take on Commander Battle Box, check out Jonathan Medina’s A Boy and his Box series!