Can you believe Commander Legends is back after just two years? This time, all the action takes place in Dungeons & Dragons world of Baldur’s Gate! There are 4 new preconstructed decks, each focused on a specific mechanic, and today’s precon deck is all about the Exile mechanic.

Before we get started, a quick recap on our rating system:

Power Level: How likely can the deck hold its own and win against the other recent precon decks?

Value: How good is the deck in terms of financial value of reprints, as well as future potential gain?

Upgradability: How easily can this deck be upgraded and optimised with a small budget? A high potential for upgrades will lead to better scores.

Beginner Friendliness: How easily can a beginner pick up and learn the mechanics of the deck?

Is it time to exit or get into the thick of the review?

“Exit From Exile” Precon Commander Deck

Overview

Exit From Exile is a green-red, Creature focused deck, led by Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald. It draws inspiration from Prosper, Tome-Bound, whereby the goal is to generate value by casting spells and playing Lands from Exile. In Faldorn’s case, you’re creating a 2/2 wolf each time this happens. Once the wolf pack has grown big and hungry enough, unleash it at your opponents.

Power Level

Creating a 2/2 might seem underwhelming, but one key thing to remember is that Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald is not limited to a “once per turn” trigger that has been seen in many new Commander of late. It’s not a far-fetched goal to get 2, 3, or even more wolves in a single turn. For example, an Etali, Primal Storm trigger alone can result in 2 or 3 wolves.

The question is: will it be enough to beat the other Commander Legends precon decks? On most turns in the early to mid game, you’ll likely be generating only 1 wolf. Exit From Exile also has 10(!) Creatures that cost 6 or more Mana, so expect things to go slow for awhile.

Although two of the other decks – Draconic Dissent and Mind Flayersss – might be considered equally slow decks, they generate a lot more value when out on the Battlefield. To make things worse, they possess a number of board wipes such as Austere Command, Chain Reaction and Crippling Fear that will just obliterate your wolves.

Our recommend strategy with this deck is to keep back in the early game, build up your pieces that can generate some extra value through the Exile zone, then attack when the rest least expect it.

Value

Exit From Exile is sticking close to its namesake on the value front. A week after deck lists were revealed, it has fallen behind the other precon deck due to reprinted cards already being in abundance on the market. Its most high-profile reprint is Jeska’s Will, originally from the first Commander Legends. It turned out to be such a sleeper hit that all mono red decks run it.

As for the other reprints, Commander staples such as Three Visit and Nature’s Lore are great, but have never been a strong, long-term bet for any collectors.

The highest priced card (based on MTGGoldfish) is the new Background Passionate Archaeologist that, incidentally, fits very well in this and other Exile-focused decks. However, being a Background has its concerns. Only Commanders with “choose a background” can have them in the Command Zone. Having it in the main deck feels bad, and that could lead to a price drop over time.

Nalfeshnee may be priced attractively now, but with the abundance of Cascade decks out there, we expect to see this see some healthy growth, even if not beyond US$15.

If value and selling singles in the future are in your thoughts, then you might want to to look at the other decks first before jumping in.

Upgradability

To upgrade this deck, our plan is to add a little bit more ramp (to get those 10 6-cost-or-more Creatures into play) as well as a few more efficient cards that make use of Exile effects. Birgi, God of Storytelling can do or the other, either by ending red Mana when you cast a spell, or by exiling more cards if you use the side of Harnfel, Horn of Bounty.

Chandra, Fire Artisan is also a decent card that can help to Exile an additional card each turn. She doesn’t do much else but it won’t cost much to include her in the deck. If you’re willing to spend, then Chandra, Dressed to Kill can also do the job but add some flexibility in the form of adding 1 free red Mana each turn.

Clear the Land is another excellent card that does 3 things in 1: Exile, ramp, and create 2/2s (with Faldorn on the board). Best of all, it’s a bulk rare card that won’t cost more than a dollar. To make space, we’d suggest taking out some of the higher-costing cards that don’t provide much value: Dream Pillager, Greater Gargadon, and Terramorph.

There are plenty of possible upgrades that don’t break the bank, making this deck a forerunner in the upgradability department.

Beginner Friendliness

Exile may seem like a foreign concept for newer players, but there are actually plenty of support cards that will help Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald] trigger. For example, cards that have Cascade or gone on an Adventure are all considered living in Exile, and the deck is full of them.

Exit From Exile also includes Creatures and spells that put cards into Exile, such as Tectonic Giant and Escape to the Wilds. So as long as you’re fulfilling that step 1, all you have to do it is to make sure to cast those spells in order to receive a free 2/2 wolf token.

For beginners, there’s nothing easier (or sweeter) than swinging in with your little furry beasts, and not just 2/2 Wolves but 5/5 Wurms from Sandwurm Convergence, and 4/4s Beasts from Ezuri’s Predation. In this aspect Exit From Exile does its job very well and would be our highest recommendation out of the 4 decks to give to a friend.

Final Verdict