Magic: The Gathering Masters sets are reprints of old cards, some of which include brand-new artwork, to make them more accessible to players across a wider range of formats. Commander Masters is the first ever Commander-focused Masters release where chase cards, stunning foil treatments, and much-needed reprints will feature within the release. A set of Commander Masters includes 436 regular cards: 130 commons, 135 uncommons, 135 rares, 35 mythic rares, and 1 legendary Prismatic Piper.

One of the minds behind the Commander Masters is Max McCall, a game architect at Wizards of the Coast. In an interview, he shares insights into the process of designing the set, the inspiration for the set’s art style, and even advice for beginners interested in Commander.

For those new to Commander and maybe Masters sets in general, how would you describe Commander Masters?

Commander Masters is a set celebrating the Commander format. Just as Commander is a format of legendary creatures and legendary stories, Commander Masters features powerful reprints, returning legends, and four new Commander decks for fans of the format. Every Set Booster contains a borderless card, and the Draft Boosters are great for drafting a Commander deck. You’ll have an exciting time opening packs regardless of your booster of choice.

How long has this set been in the works?

We started thinking about themes in late 2021, but we really kicked off Commander Masters in earnest in early 2022.

Out of all the cards in Magic’s history, how do you pick which ones to put in the set?

Every Magic set has reprints that we think are a good fit for the set’s worldbuilding, but Masters sets are a little different. Masters sets are all reprints, and so the worldbuilding is more of a collage than a single holistic vision. With Masters reprints, we look to cards we think players will be excited to see return, and for Commander Masters, we were especially focused on cards people enjoy in Commander like Jeweled Lotus and the Deflecting Swat cycle of instants that are free if you control your Commander.

What was the inspiration for the portrait card style?

The portrait art style was inspired by our wanting to make a card treatment to call special attention to players’ Commanders. Typically, Magic art shows whole-body shots of characters in a dramatic pose or in the midst of doing something awesome. The portraits came from a different mindspace – ‘What would a glamour shot of my Commander look like in a magazine?’

Which of the 4 preconstructed decks is your favourite?

My favourite preconstructed deck is the Eldrazi Unbound deck – Zhuludok, Void Gorger is the Commander for that deck, and Zhuludok gives all of your big colourless spells double cascade, so when you cast them you get to spin the wheel and see what other spells from your deck you’ll get to cast for free. All of your turns become much more exciting when you start cascading!

How long have you been playing Magic / How long have you been a part of Wizards of the Coast?

I’ve been playing Magic since 1996; I worked for Wizards for a few years from 2011 to 2014 and returned in 2018 and have been working on ways to get Plow Under reprinted ever since. I couldn’t get it in Commander Masters, but I have high hopes for bringing the joys of land destruction to more people in the future.

What’s your favourite Commander that you play? What style or theme of Commander do you enjoy playing?

My favourite commander is Daretti, Scrap Savant – I like building decks that come out of the gates quickly and try to move things along by casting as many gigantic creatures as possible, and Daretti is a lot of fun for that.

What’s your number one tip for a new player looking to get into Commander?

If you’re new, Commander can be very daunting – there are so many cards, and decks can be hard to build, and it seems like everyone you’re playing with has their own pet decks they’ve been playing with for years and you’ll never catch up. But it’s okay! Everyone’s always looking for more folks to play Commander with, and because it’s multiplayer the atmosphere isn’t as competitive. Pick your favourite Commander and some cards to go with it and throw a deck together and go out and have some fun.

Commander Masters is now available and offers four different product lineups, including Set Booster Packs, Commander Decks, Collector Booster Packs, and Ultimate Draft Booster Packs. To purchase, visit Magic The Gathering’s official website.