The Imperium of Man is one of the four Warhammer 40,000 factions included in the Universes Beyond Magic: The Gathering crossover.
Four Commander preconstructed decks are released on Oct. 7, bringing the grimdark world of Warhammer to Magic. Each deck contains new cards and reprints filled to the brim with Warhammer flavor.
The major driving force for the Warhammer story is the Imperium of Man, the galactic empire that worships the Emperor of Mankind. Humanity is full of extreme xenophobic zealots that want only to conquer worlds and destroy the xenos.
Forces of the Imperium is a WUB token list, an archetype that isn’t generally supported in Commander. The deck wants to take advantage of all types of tokens, from Creatures to Artifacts, to generate value and close out the game through combos or combat.
Inquisitor Greyfax is the face commander of Forces of the Imperium. This four-mana 3/3 gives other Creatures you control +1/+0 and vigilance. This is a solid ability for a go-wide Creature deck that wants to attack, but not die on the crackback. The second ability lets Greyfax tap a Creature an opponent controls and creates a clue token under your control.
This second ability is a consistent source of token generation and battlefield control. For one mana, this ability is cheap and further enables the deck’s general game plan.
For many players, the best choice to lead this deck is the backup commander Marneus Calgar. This five-mana Creature is a 3/5 double strike that makes you draw a card whenever one or more tokens enter the battlefield under your control. The second ability creates two Creature tokens for six mana.
This is an even more consistent source of card draw and token generation than Inquisitor Greyfax. In an upgraded list, Marneus Calgar is a win condition. Combined with an infinite mana combo and a card like Laboratory Maniac, Marneus can win the game by drawing your deck. Outside of an infinite mana combo, the second ability is a nice mana sink for late-game situations.
To support the token game plan, Wizards introduced the mechanic Squad. As an additional cost, you can pay two mana any number of times. For the number of times two mana was paid, you create copies of the Creature you’re casting. This is another great way to use excess mana and get extra value out of your Creatures while also enabling any token payoffs.
Forces of the Imperium is a focused list. The deck looks like it can consistently create tokens and benefit from them. This deck will primarily win through combat using its legion of tokens. It’s a fitting way to win the game, considering the vast and overwhelming force the Imperium uses to win battles in Warhammer.
