The downside is no longer as relevant now that Not Dead After All only gives a +1/+1 static ability, not a counter
You dont have to worry about the individual power level of your cards
Crystal Beasts can be placed in your backrow as Continuous Spells instead of going to the Graveyard and placing them there can often activate a bunch of effects that will come in handy for this archetype, especially if the Field Spell "Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins" is in play
Last updated on June 19, 2026 Necropotence | Illustration by Dave Kendall Although card draw is theoretically only a secondary part of black's color pie, there are enough powerful black card draw effects that some might be welcome in your 99 of your Commander deck even when paired with the card draw powerhouses (blue and green)
And that ward cost, so punishing in conjunction with its abilities, is also easier to manage in Commander
Unfortunately, Im sitting at my computer at 11:47pm and just came up with this article idea not two hours ago, so I dont exactly have a paper trail of conversation with a TCGplayer vendor about damaged cards ready and raring to go
