Double Masters 2022 Predictions
What’s that? You just started playing with the new cards from Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate? Hold on to your hats, folks—it’s almost time for Double Masters 2022 (2X2) previews to begin!
I love this game and I appreciate the amount of cool stuff that we’re seeing this year, but it’s been really hard to keep up with all of the different products that are coming out. While I’ll miss him dearly, Exxaxl is currently indisposed because he is working on other content related to Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate. That means that I, Chief, will be handling this round of predictions as a solo act!
CLB prediction results:
Chief
1. Party members from the old Baldur’s Gate games will appear as cards in this set: ✅
While I was especially hoping to see Xzar since he is one of my favorites, I’m very happy with the amount of classic Baldur’s Gate companions that we did wind up with in this set. I think that the design team for this set did a fantastic job with them.
2. Reprints of several cards from Adventures in the Forgotten Realms such as class cards, Bag of Holding, Portable Hole, and legendary creatures: ½
I’m going to give myself half a point here since we did get a reprint of Bag of Holding, but the rest of this prediction did not come to fruition.
3. Multiple planeswalker commanders aside from Minsc and Boo, Timeless Heroes, with Elminster as a two-color planeswalker as a specific prediction: ✅
What can I say? I knocked this one out of the park and I’m quite pleased with myself. I’m a really big fan of the designs for all of the planeswalker commanders in this set.
4. Githyanki and Githzerai both appear in the set: ✅
Admittedly, I5. had already seen the key art featuring Lae’zel, but I’m happy that we also got to see a Githzerai card as I really like the Gith races. I was hoping that they’d use multiple different colors, but I can’t really complain as white is my favorite color in Magic.
5. New card subtypes and new classes: ✅
With the introduction of backgrounds and the new Artificer Class in the Draconic Descent precon, I managed to hit a home run with this prediction. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the unique combinations with different commanders and backgrounds.
Fun fact: Gavin Verhey from Wizards of the Coast actually asked for predictions about the themes of each of the precon decks for Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate. I somehow managed to go 4 for 4 on my predictions, as you can see here:
Party time - Party mechanic with a side of dungeoneering
— Chief (@chiefisdeaf) May 14, 2022
Mindflayarrrs - Pirate mindflayers with theft, mill, and other Dimir specials
Draconic Dissent - Dragons and multiplayer mechanics such as goad and temporary theft
Exit from Exile - Impulse and payoffs for impulse
Exxaxl
1. More cards like You See a Pair of Goblins and You Find the Villains’ Lair: ✅
There were several new additions to this group, such as You’re Confronted by Robbers and You’ve Been Caught Stealing. Modal spells are a lot of fun and the flavor of these cards are just top notch. I’d expect to see more of them if we return to the Forgotten Realms in the future.
2. N’gathrod will be the face commander for the Mind Flayarrrs precon: ✅
It figures that the biggest Dimir fan that I know would correctly predict this one. This entire precon just feels like they printed a bunch of cards specifically because Exxal would like them, and I’m here for it.
3. Icewind Dale references, perhaps hinting at a future set: ✅
With the inclusion of cards such as Icewind Stalwart, Rescuer Chwinga, and Chardalyn Dragon in the set, we see a bunch of clear references to Icewind Dale. There are also a few less obvious references, but I’ll leave them a surprise for the dedicated lore seekers out there!
Author’s note: I want to give Justice Geddes from Wizards of the Coast a shout-out because they helped me out with identifying specific Icewind Dale references in the set while Exxaxl was under the weather and largely confined to his bed. You can check out their website here for more insight on their game design work.
4. Artificer Class added to complete the class enchantment cycle: ✅
This card appears in the Draconic Dissent precon. I enjoyed class enchantments a lot in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, so this prediction coming true was a highlight for me. I hope we’ll see even more classes in the future.
5. Dynaheir will be in this set: ✅
Exxaxl and I are huge fans of Dynaheir and her memorable dialogue, so we were both very excited that she would be appearing in this set. Her ability to copy other abilities looks pretty fun and I’m sure people will do cool, broken stuff with it.
We did very well on this prediction cycle. I actually have a prediction related to predictions to make at this time: we will most likely never be this good at predictions again! We’ll still always try our best to make exciting and fun predictions that we think might come true.
What we already know:
Like all Masters sets, Double Masters 2022 is a product made up entirely of reprints. We’ve already seen a few cards from the set, including some new art and new card treatments. I'll briefly go over what we already know before we move on to my predictions for cards that I think will be reprinted in 2X2.
The set will be available in the form of Draft Boosters, Draft Pack blisters, and Collector Boosters. Each Draft Booster contains 17 cards including 1 marketing card and includes 2 rare and/or mythic rare cards and 2 foil cards. Each Collector Booster contains 15 cards and 1 foil token card, in a combination of 10 to 11 traditional foils, 1 etched foil, 6 borderless cards, and 4 rare and/or mythic rare cards. New textured borderless foils appear in approximately 3% of Collector Boosters and are exclusive to this product.
We’ve seen two planeswalker reprints with regular, borderless, and etched foil treatments for Liliana, the Last Hope and Wrenn and Six. We’ve also seen a preview video of the new textured foil treatment on Liliana, the Last Hope.
Due to her appearance on the Draft Boosters and on the Draft Booster display alongside Liliana, we can safely assume that Aminatou, the Fateshifter will also be reprinted in this set and that she will likely receive the same new treatments that Liliana, the Last Hope and Wrenn and Six were given.
We’ve known for a long time that she’d likely be in this set, since her original art was used alongside that of Wrenn and Six during the first announcement for Double Masters 2022 at Magic Showcase 2021.
We’ve also seen the art for the Collector Boosters, which shows a cool, very stylized creature that appears to be The Mimeoplasm. This would give people who missed out on the Prime Slime Secret Lair a chance to snag a premium version of this commander! The Mimeoplasm is one of my favorite Sultai card designs, so seeing it with new art and special treatments would be super cool.
We know that Bring to Light and Weathered Wayfarer are the Release Promos for this set, and they will also appear in the set in normal and etched foil variants. You can obtain these Release Promos by attending a WPN Premium Preview Event at select game stores from July 1 through July 7 of this year.
As a side note, the Bring to Light promo features classic Magic artist Mark Poole and the Weathered Wayfarer promo features the first new art from Dermot Power since Urza’s Saga!
Finally, we’ve also been told that Kozilek, Butcher of Truth returns in normal, borderless, and etched foil treatments. This is a very exciting reprint and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of his Eldrazi friends also making an appearance in the set. I’m really digging the new borderless artwork for this card by Ian Miller!
My 10 predictions for reprints in Double Masters 2022
Okay, it’s time for my official predictions for Double Masters 2022! Since this is a reprints-only product, I will also include information about the last time each of these cards was printed outside of promo cards and limited products such as From the Vault and Secret Lair.
Aurelia, the Warleader
Most recent printing: Guilds of Ravnica Guild Kits (2018)
It’s only fitting that I start this list with a legendary creature. As the leader of the Boros Legion, she’s quite strong both at the helm of a commander deck and in the 99. Aurelia, the Warleader is a popular Boros aggro staple that also has combo potential with cards such as Helm of the Host and Sword of Hearth and Home.
She’s been reprinted before, but she’s still very much in demand and she feels like a great inclusion in a high-power draft environment such as a Masters set. Commander players also love to kit out their commander decks with alternative art and special card treatments and I think that Aurelia would look amazing in the styles that we’ve already seen.
Consecrated Sphinx
Most recent printing: Iconic Masters (2017)
Drawing cards is a fun and powerful thing to do, so drawing two cards every time that an opponent draws a card during a Commander game is logically going to be bonkers. If you’ve ever seen a Consecrated Sphinx hit the table, you’ve probably seen the game warp around the massive amount of advantage that it gives to its controller.
This card is popular at all manner of Commander tables and the fact that it hasn’t had an easily accessible reprint has made it hard to pin down on a budget. Since Wizards of the Coast deliberately avoided branding it as a Phyrexian when the creature type update happened, I’d also like to see more versions of this card from other planes.
Deserted Temple
Most recent printing: Odyssey (2001)
I opened a lot of Odyssey when it was new and I’ve always had a soft spot for this card because I absolutely love utility lands. I can hardly believe that it has never been reprinted even a single time in over 20 years! You can use Deserted Temple to untap powerful lands such as Cabal Coffers and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx to produce even more mana, so it’s become a popular Commander card.
A draft environment at the power level of a typical Masters set feels like a safe place to reprint this card without it breaking anything in half, but it will likely depend on whether there are lands worth untapping in the set. I guess we’ll find out how spicy they decided to go on lands for this set soon!
Author’s note: I just purchased a NM Deserted Temple recently for my own Commander deck, so it’s practically guaranteed to be reprinted in the near future since that seems to happen with most expensive cards that I buy!
Dockside Extortionist
Most recent printing: Commander 2019 (2019)
Dockside Extortionist was a popular requested reprint for Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate, but I didn’t expect it to be reprinted there. In retrospect, this was probably a good idea since the thought of it running around in the same set as Displacer Kitten gives me nightmares!
I’d definitely like to see it reprinted before too long and Double Masters 2022 is likely to be a suitable place for it to appear. With all of the new treasure synergy that has been printed lately, it hopefully won’t be too long until we see Dockside Extortionist reprinted in an accessible product as it’s likely the most in-demand card to ever debut in a Commander precon.
Author’s note: If Dockside Extortionist isn’t reprinted in Double Masters 2022, I will never predict it for any future sets until it gets a reprint because I don’t want it to become a running gag. That’s a promise!
Extraplanar Lens
Most recent printing: Mirrodin (2003)
The only thing that most casual Commander players enjoy as much as drawing cards is playing powerful ramp cards, so it’s not a surprise that Extraplanar Lens has become a popular card. Along with Gauntlet of Power and Caged Sun, this card is a popular option for mono-color decks that run a high number of basic lands.
You may have to go down a land in order to receive the extra mana, but the fact that Extraplanar Lens only costs 3 mana and its popular usage alongside snow basics makes it an effective card that’s worth the small risk. This is definitely one of my most anticipated reprints, so I hope that Double Masters 2022 delivers!
Grand Abolisher
Most recent printing: Archenemy: Nicol Bolas (2017)
The multiplayer nature of the Commander format means that there is usually a higher likelihood that someone has a counterspell or removal to disrupt your carefully laid plans. Worry not, because Grand Abolisher is here to help! For just 2 mana, this card disables most of your opponents’ answers during your turn. That’s an amazing rate.
It’s hardly a surprise that this is one of the most sought after reprints from Commander players. I can definitely see Grand Abolisher fitting into some sort of white weenies archetype in the Double Masters 2022 draft environment, and I look forward to the possibility of cool new art and foil treatments for this Commander staple.
Imperial Seal
Most recent printing: Portal Three Kingdoms (1999)
Folks, let’s be real here—this is the big one. I don’t think that there is a single other card that can compete with Imperial Seal in terms of how much I would like to see it reprinted. On paper, this just looks like a worse Vampiric Tutor, so it’s unlikely to be too strong for any draft environment.
The real reasons why Imperial Seal is such a demanded reprint are due to the singleton nature of Commander and its inaccessible printing in Portal Three Kingdoms. While I’m sure that Double Masters 2022 will have many cool reprints, I don’t think that it could possibly live up to the hype if Imperial Seal continues to be neglected.
Sphere of Resistance
Most recent printing: Exodus (1998)
Aside from the very rare Kaladesh Inventions version, this card has never been reprinted after its debut in Exodus. That means that they were still putting cards on the Reserved List the last time that this card had a widely available printing! Sphere of Resistance has gone on to become a classic stax mainstay across multiple eras of Magic and it even sees play in some Commander decks.
Being able to tax every spell for an additional 1 mana is a powerful effect that is useful in high-power tables to hinder the tempo of storm and turbo strategies. Historically, they haven’t been shy about including cards like this in Masters sets, so I hope that it’s finally time for Sphere of Resistance to receive a long overdue reprint.
The Great Henge
Most recent printing: Throne of Eldraine (2019)
Throne of Eldraine is one of the most powerful Standard sets in recent years and it also brought Commander players several cards that have gone on to become format staples. The Great Henge is a powerful mana rock that also provides card draw, so it’s become something of a hot commodity due to its solitary printing as a mythic rare.
Iconic cards like this are ideal candidates for special frame styles and foil treatments, because Commander players love to bling out their decks with fancy versions of their favorite cards. A reprint of The Great Henge with a distinctive treatment is definitely one of my biggest hopes for this set and a dream for many Commander players. After all, green is probably the most popular color in the format!
Yarok, the Desecrated
Most recent printing: Core Set 2020 (2019)
While perhaps slightly overshadowed by the breakout popularity of Golos, Tireless Pilgrim in the same set, it seems reasonable to say that Yarok, the Desecrated is one of the most popular commanders to debut in a recent Standard set. It’s just not easy to compete with Golos in terms of broad appeal for Commander players.
People love to build around enters-the-battlefield triggers because they give you so much value and Sultai is one of the best color combinations to capitalize on them. Commander players would surely be excited to get new premium versions of Yarok and I also think that doubling ETB triggers is a good fit for a set called Double Masters 2022.
Author’s note: This wouldn’t be a true Chief article without at least one awful dad joke. I’m not sorry. I also realize that predicting a second Sultai legend is ambitious after soft-predicting The Mimeoplasm earlier, but I couldn’t resist doubling down on this one.
That’s all, folks! I hope that you’ve enjoyed my predictions for Double Masters 2022. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to bling out my Commander decks with cool new versions of some of my favorite cards. This set should pack more than enough spice to tide us over until Dominaria United drops in August!
What do you think of my predictions? What cards do you hope to see reprinted in Double Masters 2022? Feel free to let us know on Twitter! We’d love to hear from you. Until next time, keep brewing spicy decks and make sure to stay cool out there!
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