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, Party Time goes back to the roots of D&D by focusing on the 4 major character classes.
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?
“Party Time” Precon Commander Deck
Overview
Party Time is a black-white deck that brings back the perfect D&D flavour mechanic Party back to Magic. It’s led by Nalia de’Arnise, a 3/3 for 3 Mana that does a lot when the deck has 44 Clerics, Rogues, Warriors and Wizards (all popular character roles in Dungeons & Dragons). You can cast any of them from the top of your Library and even buffs all of them once you’ve achieved a “Party.”
Power Level
Party Time tries to do what the “Exit From Exile” deck does, that is, to build a horde of troops to overwhelm the opponents. For better or worse, there are things that are going for an against this deck.
The good news is that Nalia de’Arnise is a great Commander for the deck. Just by having her on the Battlefield, you can look and cast any Party Creature spell from the top of your Library. Getting the Party assembled shouldn’t be too difficult, and then she’ll be adding a +1/+1 counter on each of your Combat phases.
Not only that, they get Deathtouch so there’ll be no problems dealing with any big Creatures from any other Creature-heavy Commander deck. There are also a few good payoffs for achieving the Party. The new Burakos, Party Leader can help to create multiple Treasures when attacking, while Stick Together and Thwart the Grave both provide great value specifically for this deck.
On the downside, there are a few ways to deal or react with the opponents’ deck strategy. There are only 3 Instants in the entire deck, and removal is sparse with only Despark and Crib Swab to deal with other Commanders. While it has 2 board wipes in Austere Command and Dusk // Dawn, casting these could also hurt you.
Value
Those who buy Party Time are in for a fun time in terms of money cards. It has 3 sought-after cards in the form of Deep Gnome Terramancer (white ramp), Black Market Connections, and Skullclamp – with a combined value that is almost 50% of the entire deck.
While Skullclamp is a reprint and will likely see another temporary dip in price, Deep Gnome Terramancer and Black Market Connections are brand new cards that promise longevity in the Commander space. Terramancer gives white another way to ramp up their Mana base by searching for Lands, while the Black Market simply provides great value and flexibility each turn.
The are a couple of other notable reprints that make Party Time stand out from the bunch. Selfless Spirit is a well playable card in both Commander and Modern formats. Sevinne’s Reclamation has also become a semi-staple in Commander, and Zulaport Cutthroat may be an Uncommon but again find itself in many black decks that want to drain the opponents’ life.
With so many well-priced cards in the deck, Party Time is indeed the place to be
Upgradability
Party time is easy to upgrade because its theme is so niche that most cards that fit into it aren’t in high demand. However, because it is so niche, there’s going to be a limitation to how much this deck can be upgraded on a budget.
One of the best ways to upgrade this deck is to include more cards that have cost reductions or multiplier effects depending on the number of Creatures in your Party. Coveted Prize is a great card to put into Party Time because firstly this deck could use some help in staying afloat, and secondly if you have a full Party, you can cast a spell for free!
Other ways to the deck can be improved is for additional card draw, and making use of all those +1/+1 counters added by your Commander. Abzan Battle Priest gives Lifelink to all Creatures with +1/+1 counters. The opponent is now in a bind deciding whether to block and lose their blocker, or take damage while you gain life. Since this deck is all about attacking, Audacious Thief should be slot in to take advantage of that while you fill your hand.
Beginner Friendliness
As long as you can look out for 4 words – Warrior, Rogue, Cleric, and Wizard – then you’re pretty much set for this deck. One important note is that while 4 of these form a Party, a Creature that is all of these types do not form a party on its own.
The deck strategy is pretty linear, get Nalia de’Arnise out of the field, and start assembling your Party, and let them grow bigger with +1/+1 counters. It’s easy enough for beginners, but when Nalia is targeted and removed, the deck struggles to find value (hence the lower power score).
Nevertheless, compared to “Exit From Exile” and “Mind Flayarrs,” there are less triggers and zones to keep track of, and this puts “Party Time” in the lead for beginner friendliness.
Final Verdict
