Commander 2021

Commander 2021, also referred to as Strixhaven Commander, officially styled as Commander (2021 Edition) and marketed as the Strixhaven: School of Mages Commander decks, is a product in the Commander series released by Wizards of the Coast. The set was released on the same day as Strixhaven: School of Mages, and was marketed as an integral part of that set. It was released on April 23, 2021.
==Set details==
Commander 2021 consists of five preconstructed theme decks, similar to Ikoria Commander, and features 10 playable premium foil commanders. The five enemy colored 100-card decks contain 357 different cards in total, though 28 of those (including the five basic lands) are reprints from Strixhaven, leaving 329 unique cards that bear the set symbol from Commander 2021. There are 81 new cards (#1-81) legal in Vintage and Legacy . These are set on the same plane as Strixhaven, though the reprints (#82-327 and #408-409) can be from anywhere. 
The 70 new rares and 10 new mythic rares from the Commander 2021 decks are available in an extended-art version (#328-407). These may be found in a dedicated single slot of the Strixhaven: School of Mages Collector Booster. These extended-art cards are only available in non-foil. Of note, the rares and mythic rares that are reprints in the Commander 2021 decks aren't found in Strixhaven Collector Boosters.
Two cards found in Quantum Quandrix, <c>Tranquil Thicket</c> and <c>Yavimaya Coast</c>, have collector numbers #408 and #409, following the extended art cards.
Each package contains 1 foil-etched display commander card (replacing the oversized cards from previous Commander sets), a 100 card deck (including 2 regular foils), 10 double-sided tokens, 1 deck box and 1 life wheel. In addition, there are 9 punch-out counters and a divider which are part of the paper packaging. Each deck features 17 new cards, with one of them (<c>Study Hall</c>) appearing in each deck.
Each deck contains multiple legendary cards, including two mono-colored legendary creatures, but only the face card and the secondary commander are foiled.
===Packaging===
As part of a larger push toward moving away from plastic packaging, this product features reduced plastic packaging. An additional "minimal packaging version" of the deck is introduced for sales online using even less material and space. This doesn't feature the design of the typical retail packaging, but uses a corrugated cardboard box to contain the product. The only difference between the minimal packaging and retail versions is that the insert tray holding the deck box does not offer punch-out counters and a divider—you'll still receive everything else (the deck and deck box, plus life wheel, display commander, and double-sided tokens).
==Themes and mechanics==
Each deck focuses on the colors and themes of its associated college.
*Silverquill (): Politics and aggro
*Prismari (): Instants and sorceries with high mana value
*Witherbloom (): Lifegain
*Lorehold (): Artifacts and graveyard recursion
*Quandrix (): Tokens and +1/+1 counters
Commander 2021 introduces the keyword demonstrate, which allows players to copy a spell when they cast it by allowing an opponent to have a copy as well.
==Preconstructed decks==
Commander 2021 consists of five college-themed decks. 
 
==Tokens== 
Each of the five Commander decks contains ten double-sided tokens. Of those, 22 are double-sided variations, with five having Strixhaven tokens on one side and Commander 2021 tokens on the other, and one featuring Strixhaven tokens on both sides. The 30 Commander 2021 tokens are: 
The following tokens are created by cards in the decks and are thus included with the decks. However, they are not part of the Commander 2021 expansion. Instead, they retain their Strixhaven expansion symbol and collector number:
* 4/4 Elemental creature, for <c>Zaffai, Thunder Conductor</c>.
* 0/0 Fractal creature, for <c>Deekah, Fractal Theorist</c>, <c>Fractal Harness</c>, <c>Geometric Nexus</c>, <c>Oversimplify</c>, <c>Paradox Zone</c> and <c>Sequence Engine</c>.
* 2/1 Inkling creature with flying, for <c>Combat Calligrapher</c>, <c>Fain, the Broker</c>, <c>Felisa, Fang of Silverquill</c>, and <c>Inkshield</c>.
* 1/1 Pest creature with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life", for <c>Blight Mound</c> and <c>Pest Infestation</c>.
* Treasure artifact, for <c>Brass’s Bounty</c>, <c>Excavation Technique</c>, <c>Fain, the Broker</c>, <c>Monologue Tax</c>, and <c>Tempting Contract</c>.
== Cycles ==
Commander 2021 has at least six cycles of new cards:
Cycle name 	 	 	 	 	
Techniques 	 	 	 	 	
Techniques 	Five rare monocolored sorceries with demonstrate. 	Five rare monocolored sorceries with demonstrate. 	Five rare monocolored sorceries with demonstrate. 	Five rare monocolored sorceries with demonstrate. 	Five rare monocolored sorceries with demonstrate.
Rare colorless 	 	 	 	 	
Rare colorless 	Five rare colorless artifacts (one is a land), each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five rare colorless artifacts (one is a land), each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five rare colorless artifacts (one is a land), each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five rare colorless artifacts (one is a land), each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five rare colorless artifacts (one is a land), each supporting a deck's theme.
Cycle name 	 	 	 	 	
Face commanders 	 	 	 	 	
Face commanders 	Five two-colored mythic rare legendary creatures, each teaching at one of the colleges of Strixhaven.	Five two-colored mythic rare legendary creatures, each teaching at one of the colleges of Strixhaven.	Five two-colored mythic rare legendary creatures, each teaching at one of the colleges of Strixhaven.	Five two-colored mythic rare legendary creatures, each teaching at one of the colleges of Strixhaven.	Five two-colored mythic rare legendary creatures, each teaching at one of the colleges of Strixhaven.
Alternate commanders 	 	 	 	 	
Alternate commanders 	Five two-colored mythic rare legendary creatures, each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five two-colored mythic rare legendary creatures, each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five two-colored mythic rare legendary creatures, each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five two-colored mythic rare legendary creatures, each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five two-colored mythic rare legendary creatures, each supporting a deck's theme.
Gold rares 	 	 	 	 	
Gold rares 	Five two-colored rare spells, each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five two-colored rare spells, each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five two-colored rare spells, each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five two-colored rare spells, each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five two-colored rare spells, each supporting a deck's theme.
Monocolored commanders	 	 	 	 	
Monocolored commanders	 	 	 	 	
Monocolored commanders	Five pairs of monocolored rare legendary creatures, each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five pairs of monocolored rare legendary creatures, each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five pairs of monocolored rare legendary creatures, each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five pairs of monocolored rare legendary creatures, each supporting a deck's theme. 	Five pairs of monocolored rare legendary creatures, each supporting a deck's theme.
===Pairs===
Commander 2021 has two mirrored pairs.
Mirrored Pairs	Mirrored Pairs	Description
 	 	Rare sorceries with suspend 3. Art depicts the same musical quartet with different members playing.
 	 	Rare artifact creatures with a landcycling ability. Both have one keyword evasion ability, and a replacement effect upon (entering, resp. leaving) the battlefield.
==References==