Best Landfall Commander Proxies

Landfall is one of Magic: The Gathering's most satisfying mechanics. Play a land, trigger an ability, play another land, trigger it again, and suddenly a seemingly harmless board can turn into an overwhelming advantage.

If you're building a Landfall Commander deck, there are a handful of cards that have become especially popular for the strategy. And when you're building around multiple expensive or highly playable staples, proxies can be a practical way to test your deck before committing to buying every card.

Omnath, Locus of the Roil

Omnath, Locus of the Roil is a powerful option for players who want their Landfall deck to do more than simply generate value. Whenever a land enters under your control, Omnath can deal damage, and the Elemental synergies give the deck another layer to work with.

It's particularly appealing in decks that can consistently make multiple land drops. The more lands you play, the more opportunities you have to turn those triggers into meaningful advantages.

Omnath also has exactly the kind of artwork that makes a proxy fun. If you're building a themed deck or simply want a particular visual style, using a proxy lets you choose the version you like without needing to hunt down a specific printing.

Omnath, Locus of Creation

If Landfall is your theme, Omnath, Locus of Creation is one of the cards that immediately comes to mind.

Omnath rewards you for repeatedly triggering Landfall, with different effects as you reach additional landfall triggers in the same turn. The result can be explosive: extra mana, damage, and life can all add up incredibly quickly.

For players building a Landfall-focused Commander deck, this is an excellent card to test before purchasing. A proxy makes it easy to see whether Omnath actually fits your strategy, especially if you're experimenting with different builds.

And, of course, Omnath is one of those legendary creatures with artwork that deserves to be showcased.

Scute Swarm

Few Landfall cards are as notorious for getting out of hand as Scute Swarm.

The basic concept is simple: play lands and create creatures. Keep making land drops and those creatures can multiply rapidly. Once your board starts producing copies of Scute Swarm, a few extra land drops can turn into an enormous army.

That's exactly what makes the card so entertaining—and such a natural choice for a Landfall deck.

It's also an ideal proxy candidate if you're testing the archetype. You can find out whether Scute Swarm's explosive token generation works with your deck before spending money on a copy.

Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait

Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait takes one of the fundamental ideas behind Landfall and turns it into a massive source of card advantage.

Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Aesi lets you draw a card. Even better, Aesi allows you to play an additional land each turn.

That combination is exactly what a Landfall deck wants. More land drops mean more Landfall triggers, while the extra card draw helps keep the engine going.

Aesi is also the kind of Commander that can become a centerpiece of an entire deck, making it especially useful to proxy while you're experimenting with different Landfall strategies.

Lotus Cobra

Lotus Cobra may look small, but its ability can have a huge impact in a Landfall deck.

Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Lotus Cobra generates one mana of any color. With additional land drops, fetch lands, and other ways to put multiple lands into play, that mana can quickly add up.

This makes Lotus Cobra more than just another Landfall payoff. It can help accelerate the entire deck and create turns where you generate substantially more mana than your opponents expect.

It's also a classic Magic card with a memorable design, making it another great choice for an attractive proxy.

Why Landfall Decks Are Great for Proxies

Landfall decks can become surprisingly complex. You may want to experiment with different commanders, payoffs, ramp packages, and combinations of cards that allow you to make multiple land drops in a turn.

That's where proxies become useful.

Instead of buying every card immediately, you can proxy cards such as Omnath, Locus of the Roil, Omnath, Locus of Creation, Scute Swarm, Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait, and Lotus Cobra, play the deck, and figure out which pieces actually deserve a permanent place in your collection.

There's also an aesthetic benefit. Landfall cards often have fantastic elemental, creature, and nature-themed artwork, so proxies give you an opportunity to build a deck that looks exactly how you want it to.

Whether you're testing a new Commander build or simply want to keep expensive originals safely stored away, these five cards are excellent places to start.