Sphere of Influence: May 2, 2025

Welcome to Sphere of Influence, a pre-FNM look at some potential movers and shakers that are worth picking up before their prices increase.

Outlaws of Thunder Junction came out roughly a year ago. Crazy, I know, considering five years ago it was 2015 and ten years ago it was 1995. Yet, much like the card March of Otherworldly Light, time marches on and we now find ourselves on the precipice of a Final Fantasy set, longing for a time when Magic merely emulated the aesthetic of pop culture rather than fully reflecting it. The time felt right to revisit last year's Western-themed set; here are some cheap pick-ups from that era for Commander:

Lavaspur Boots - $1

This last year has proven that the ward 1 on Lavaspur Boots is effectively hexproof in most situations—particularly in the early game, when mana is tight—and that this knockoff Swiftfoot Boots deserves a spot among Commander royalty alongside Lightning Greaves. Plus, unlike its brethren, it's fetch-able off Urza's Saga. For those who aren't convinced, keep note of situations in which a Swiftfoot or a Greaves would be unnecessary, and I bet you'd find that the majority of the time, your opponents had a single mana open to cast Swords to Plowshares on anything and would have balked at ward 1.

Caustic Bronco - $0.50

Turns out, I've been misreading this card for a year. I thought it only gave you a Dark Confidant trigger when it was saddled, but when this Bronco bucks, you get the trigger no matter what and it becomes a damage dealer to your opponents if it's saddled. There are certainly better or equivalent card draw engines in black—Dark Confidant being one, of course—but a low-mana value deck can always benefit from another.

Roxanne, Starfall Savant - $0.50

Few ramp sources can also kill your opponents' creatures, let alone throw mana-doubling into the mix. Roxanne asks for a lot of mana upfront but provides significant value the longer the game goes on. Give it a shot in lower-bracket games.

Satoru, the Infiltrator - $0.50

In any blink or reanimator deck, this card has the potential to draw you more cards than you'll know what to do with. The fact that it triggers off itself is icing on the country Western cake. I wouldn't be surprised if this card spiked when the perfect Commander comes along.

Tower Winder - $2.50

This card never really took off, but it still seems like a solid inclusion in a deck that runs three or more colors that doesn't want to splurge too much on an optimized mana base. It won't technically ramp anyone, but it can guarantee you'll get a color and hit an important land drop. The body acts as a decent deterrent from attacks, too.

Running from the Outlaw

As we get further from Outlaws, what cards have you seen as overperformers? Underperformers? Let me know!