Is Sundering Titan Legal in Commander?
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The short answer is: Yes, Sundering Titan is legal in Commander. This powerful artifact creature can be a game-changer, capable of disrupting opponents’ mana bases significantly. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and understanding how Sundering Titan works, and its interactions with the rules of Commander, is crucial for any player considering including it in their deck. This article will delve into the specifics of Sundering Titan, exploring its mechanics and addressing common questions players have about its legality and use in the Commander format.
Understanding Sundering Titan
Sundering Titan is a hefty 7/10 artifact creature that costs eight mana to cast. Its key ability triggers when it enters the battlefield and when it leaves the battlefield. This ability forces its controller to choose one land of each basic land type (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest). Those chosen lands are then destroyed simultaneously. It’s important to emphasize that the ability isn’t targeted, meaning your opponents don’t choose which of their lands are destroyed. You do. This distinction is important, as you don’t need to target lands.
Why Sundering Titan is Powerful in Commander
Sundering Titan can dramatically shift the balance of power in a Commander game. Its ability can:
- Disrupt Opponent’s Mana Bases: If your opponents rely on dual lands or non-basic lands that generate multiple colors, Sundering Titan can be devastating. By strategically choosing basic lands from the board, the Titan can severely limit opponents’ ability to cast spells, effectively slowing them down.
- Control the Game: The repeated destruction of lands upon both entry and exit can grind a game to a halt, allowing the controller of Sundering Titan to gain a significant advantage.
- Synergize with Reanimation and Blink Effects: While the creature itself may be expensive to cast, it can be repeatedly utilized by reanimating or blinking it. Each time it enters the battlefield, its land-destroying ability triggers again, potentially wiping multiple lands on the board per loop.
- Strategic Advantage: In some decks, the land destruction it provides can accelerate your win condition by severely hampering your opponents’ board control.
While powerful, its high mana cost and vulnerability to removal mean it’s not invincible. The effectiveness of Sundering Titan largely depends on the composition of your opponents’ decks and your ability to protect your game plan.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sundering Titan in Commander
Here are 15 frequently asked questions about Sundering Titan and its interactions with Commander:
1. Does Sundering Titan destroy dual lands?
Yes, Sundering Titan destroys dual lands. The ability specifies one land of each basic land type. A dual land, like a Plateau, is both a Plains and a Mountain. As long as there is a basic land type, you can choose it, even if it is a dual land.
2. Does Sundering Titan destroy non-basic lands?
No, Sundering Titan does not destroy non-basic lands. Its ability specifically targets one land of each basic land type. Non-basic lands do not have these basic types. You can’t choose a card such as a Command Tower to be destroyed.
3. What are the basic land types?
The basic land types are Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest. These are the only land types that Sundering Titan’s ability considers.
4. Can Sundering Titan destroy Wastes?
No, Sundering Titan cannot destroy Wastes. Wastes is a basic land, but it is not one of the five basic land types. Subtypes appear after the dash on the type line, and Wastes does not have any subtypes.
5. Does Sundering Titan’s ability target?
No, Sundering Titan’s ability does not target. When it resolves, the controller chooses which land of each basic type gets destroyed. The ability destroys the lands chosen during its resolution.
6. Can Sundering Titan destroy lands the controller controls?
Yes, the controller of Sundering Titan chooses one land of each basic land type on the field. The controller can choose to destroy their own lands as well as their opponent’s.
7. How does Sundering Titan work exactly?
Upon entering or leaving the battlefield, Sundering Titan triggers its ability. When the ability resolves, the active player (the controller of the ability) chooses one land of each basic land type on the battlefield, then all of the chosen lands are destroyed simultaneously.
8. Does Sundering Titan destroy all lands of each basic type?
No, Sundering Titan does not destroy all lands of each basic type. It only destroys one land of each basic land type the controller selects.
9. Can Sundering Titan be blinked or reanimated?
Yes, Sundering Titan can be blinked or reanimated. Because its ability triggers on entry and leaving, players can take advantage of this by blinking or reanimating it, triggering the land-destruction effect again and again. Effects like Cloudshift or Reanimate can provide a significant advantage.
10. Does Sundering Titan cause a “land lock” if used repeatedly?
Yes, repeatedly activating Sundering Titan can create a situation where opponents are unable to generate the mana they need. By combining reanimation, blinking and other effects, a user can repeatedly destroy a substantial amount of lands, thus creating a land lock.
11. Is Sundering Titan banned in Commander?
No, Sundering Titan is not banned in Commander. It’s a legal card in the format, although its powerful ability makes it a card some players may find unfun to play against.
12. Is Sundering Titan considered a “stax” card?
Yes, Sundering Titan is often considered a “stax” card. Stax strategies aim to control the board, limit resources, and hinder other players’ progress, which aligns with Sundering Titan’s land destruction capabilities.
13. What are the best colors to use with Sundering Titan?
Colors that excel at reanimation, blinking, and tutoring artifacts are ideal for Sundering Titan. Black, Blue, and White can all bring the Titan back into play repeatedly. Green can ramp into casting it, or use effects to fetch it from your deck.
14. Are there counters to Sundering Titan?
Yes, there are numerous counters to Sundering Titan. Counterspells can stop it from entering the battlefield, and artifact removal can deal with it once it’s on the board. Furthermore, effects that protect lands from destruction or allow players to search for basic lands can lessen the negative impact.
15. Is Sundering Titan a good card for Commander?
Whether Sundering Titan is “good” in Commander depends on the deck’s strategy and the overall playgroup. It can be incredibly powerful in decks designed around its ability, but it can also draw ire from opponents and be difficult to cast, since it is an expensive 8-mana card. In the right hands, it is a powerful tool; in the wrong hands it can be a liability.