Summary
Command Tower is one of the most useful and versatile lands inMagic: The Gathering’sCommander format. While it’s no good for colourless or mono-coloured decks, in anything with two or more colours, it’s an incredible mana smoother, ensuring you can play all your spells as quick as possible.
Like many other Commander staples, Command Tower has also been reprinted a bunch of times since its debut in Commander 2011. Some of these feature exclusive art that make them skyrocket in price, so picking up a flashy Command Tower is a great way to bling out your deck.
Hatunse Miku: Digital Sensation - $19.64
Lighting Up The Stage
This is one of the many Universes Breyond reprints of Commander Tower, giving it a non-Magic coat of paint. Here, it’s virtual pop sensationHatsune Miku, projected over a neon-lit city.
While some people are very wary of Universes Beyond and would prefer an in-universe printing, you could almost imagine this card fitting in on the cyberpunk plane of Kamigawa. Hatsune Miku was even part of the promotional campaign for Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty years before the Digital Sensation crossover Secret Lair drop even happened.
Through The Wormhole (Non-Foil) - $24.30
Blasting Off Into Space
The Through the Wormhole Secret Lair reimagined a number of Commander staples with a gorgeous, dreamlike sci-fi vibe. Command Tower still feels very fantasy-focused here, but with a lone tower standing in the center of a nebula instead of on a Dominarian cliff face.
Of course, Maigc would later explore space in its own Edge of Eternities set. Perhaps you could use this version of Command Tower in one of the set’s two Commander decks to complete the sci-fantasy vibes? Or you could just bash it in anywhere, as this would look great regardless.
Secret Lair X The Princess Bride - $25.29
My Name Is Inigo Montoya. You Killed My Commander, Prepare To Die
The Princess Bride was one of the best Universes Beyond Secret Lairs we’ve ever had, with a whopping nine cards all given lovely, storybook-like art treatments to fit the fairytale theme of the movie.
Command Tower shows a number of events from the movie, with Wesley, Princess Buttercup, and Prince Humperdinck at the top, Inigo Montoya facing off against Count Rugen in the middle, and, of course, Fezzik preparing the getaway horses at the bottom. It’s a spectacular love letter to an excellent movie, and fits all the better when run alongside the other Princess Bride cards.
Secret Lair X Arcane - $26.79
Welcome To Summoner’s Rift
Secret Lair really is where you need to go to get valuable Command Towers, apparently. This one comes from Secret Lair x Arcane, one of the first Universes Beyond crossovers we saw come to Magic.
Though this card isn’t strictly from Arcane, it does depict the Summoner’s Rift, the main map League of Legends takes place in. Unfortunately, there aren’t any Arcane or League of Legends characters who can be your commander, making slotting this one into a deck a little bit tricky unless you’re willing to go off-theme.
Commander’s Arsenal - $28.36
The Tower Gets A New Coat Of Paint
A rare example of a Command Tower not found through Secret Lair, the Commander’s Arsenal was one of the first made-for-Commander products ever released for MTG, following on from the initial preconstructed decks. Commander’s Arsenal included a large number of ye olde Commander staples, like Zur the Enchanter, Chaos Warp, and, naturally, Command Tower.
This version is valuable partly because Commander’s Arsenal wasn’t a popular product due to its high price and low availability, and also because it was one of the first times the card received alternate art. This one by Adam Paquette was, for a long time, exclusive to the Arsenal, and still is if you want it in this specific frame.
Pixel Lands 02.JPG - $39.03
Ask Me About Loom
One of the most radically different Command Towers out there is this one, a bonus card in the Pixel Lands 02.jpg Secret Lair drop. With pixel art by Jubilee, it places the tower in a 16-bit world, complete with computer window buttons at the top.
This one really reminds me of the old LucasArts games, particularly Loom and The Secret of Monkey Island. The colours, the swirling patterns, and of course the low-res nature really makes me imagine a flock of swans flying past any second now.
Fallout (Foil) - $51.16
Going Nuclear
Collector boosters ofFalloutfeatured exclusive cards not found in the Commander decks, just like this version of Command Tower. They became some of the most sought-after cards from the whole set due to their exclusive nature, leading to this rather pricy tower.
The art shows Vault Boy climbing up a rather precarious tower. It finds nicely with other cards from the set, which gave other Commander staples like Sol Ring the Vault Boy treatment. It’s tricky to work out where else you’d run this version, though.
Through The Wormhole (Foil) - $51.55
Make It Shiny
This is the second version of the Through the Wormhole Command Tower. Identical to the much less valuable version in practically every way, the only big difference is that this one has a foil treatment adding to the outer space effect.
It’s rare to see modern foils be worth so much more than their non-foil counterparts, as they are often prone to curling. That hasn’t stopped Through the Wormhole though, with this version single-handedly being worth more now than the whole drop did when it was on sale.
Judge Gift Cards 2012 - $54.51
Worth The Price? You Be The Judge
Back in the day, judges who officiated official MTG events would receive gift cards to thank them for their contribution. Judging is hard work, requiring in-depth knowledge of Magic’s complex rules, and the confidence to make rules calls for strangers' games, and so the cards given were often rather valuable.
This edition looks very similar to the original printing of Command Tower, however it is in foil and includes an exclusive promo swoosh watermark (better known now as the Secret Lair symbol). This is by no means the most valuable Judge card out there, but it was still a nice reward for helping making events run smoothly.
Mystery Booster 2 - $180.46
A Future Sight More Expensive
Mystery Booster 2is one of the best Magic: The Gathering sets ever, including over a thousand cards from across the game’s history. It also brought back the Future Sight frame, which has a curved, almost organic feel to it unlike any other frame in the game.
This version of Command Tower is the only one to use the Future Sight frame. Importantly, it’s also the only time the alternate art that debuted with the Commander’s Arsenal has gotten a reprint, making this special in two ways. Add to that Mystery Booster 2 only being available at MagicCons and through limited runs on Secret Lair, and the value of this card goes through the roof.
