This June, Wizards of the Coast plans to shake up the rules of its most popular format, MTG Commander, for Pride Month. In special Pride Month events at Wizards Play Network stores, fans will be invited to play decks where every commander is treated as though it had the Partner ability.
Giving all MTG commanders Partner will open up tons of deckbuilding opportunities. The MTG keyword Partner lets you play with two commanders instead of one, provided both have the Partner ability. So at these events, taking place between June 28-30 in the US and Canada, you’ll be able to throw any two commanders together in one deck.
Stick Hapatra with the Scorpion God to create an awesome -1/-1 counter Jund deck. Form Brisela, Voice of Nightmares, by placing both the MTG angels you need to Meld her into your command zone. Or, for the meme factor, you could use the March of the Machine ‘team up’ creatures. How about Yargle and Multani, plus Yargle?
There’s probably some fun to be had with Universes Beyond cards too. You could pair Gimli and Legolas for the ultimate kill-counting action, stick Doctor Who with Mr House, or see one of the Transformers team up with Liberty Prime.
Sadly, the Magic Presents: Pride events are exclusive to WPN stores in the US and Canada. Participants who attend these events on the weekend of June 28-30 will receive a special art print, apparently “printed with a stunning rainbow foil holographic art treatment”.
In previous years, Wizards of the Coast has celebrated Pride Month in various ways. For instance, in 2022, they released a Pride Month Secret Lair that championed diversity. This was marred a little, however, when it was realized that the article announcing the ‘Pride Across the Multiverse’ MTG Secret Lair was blocked in numerous countries.
For Pride 2023, the company released merchandise to raise money for the Trevor Project, including a t-shirt and jumper sporting a rainbow-striped Magic: The Gathering logo.
For more Magic news, check out the designers views on rebalancing the game’s worst Draft color, or check out our guide to the best MTG Arena decks.