Core 2021 saw a lot of good reprints for commander players, including
Azusa, lost but Seeking,
Containment Priest,
Grim Tutor,
Heroic Intervention,
Massacre Wurm, and
Scavenging Ooze. There aren't to many new cards of interest (and only 1 or 2 that can be called staples) but the ones I've listed below are certainly cards to consider.
DiscontinuityLike
Time Stop, but people are actually going to play this one. In a lot of cases this can be more useful than an offensive
counterspell. Opponent going to combo off? End the turn while the spell is on the stack. Opponent swings for lethal? End the turn. Opponent casting a stax piece or boardwipe you just don't like? End the turn. It is unfortunately not that good as a defensive
counterspell, because casting it on your turn is just impractical.
Fiery EmancipationI think this card is being a little over-hyped, but I do think that it will see play in a lot of damaged-based decks. Think of
Zurgo Helmsmasher, who now one-shots players. Or
Nekusar, the Mindrazer,
Ruric Thar, the Unbowed,
Marath, Will of the Wild,
Saskia the Unyielding,
Kaervek the Merciless,
Niv-Mizzet, Parun,
Purphoros, God of the Forge... there are a lot of commanders that can benefit from this card. Just don't assume this card to be an auto-include. The 6 mana can be restrictive.
Garruk's UprisingNot terrible, but does have a more specific requirement than the other options that green has (
Guardian Project,
Elemental Bond). Might still see play an additional card draw.
Mangara, the DiplomatFinally! White card draw
that doesn't suck. Like
Smothering Tithe before him, Mangara provides card draw based on what your opponents are doing. Best of all, he works in both casual combat-focused metas, and stronger metas that focus more on combos.
MiscastI really don't know what to think about this card. I certainly think it's going to replace
Dispel in most competitive decks. I'm not sure if it's a better choice than
Flusterstorm. Regardless, it is still a good protective
counterspell.
Teferi, Master of TimeFigures that Mangara couldn't be the shining card draw spell, there had to be something else to take the spotlight. This Idris Elba lookalike is going to be very good in commander. You'll be able to draw about 4 cards each turn cycle. He can also be used as temporary creature removal if the situation demands it. And finally, icing on the cake, he can give two extra turns, still at instant-speed.
Also, between different artwork and frames, there are like nine different versions of this card. I like to think it's because he's stuck in a time loop.
Teferi's Ageless InsightWindfall anyone? If you've been using
Alhammarret's Archive in a blue deck, you're very likely swapping it out for this card instead.
Village RitesEven black wanted card draw for this set. This card will likely see play in aristocrat decks and decks that happen to have a lot of fodder creatures. Also, it's an instant. With the new rule change, you can use this to sacrifice your commander if it's going to be removed anyway.