While not part of the sword cycle, it significantly boosts a creatures power and toughness, and benefits from equipment support cards
Great for digging, dropping them into your graveyard for recursion for Academy Ruins and then be up a card too
For a measly one blue mana, you get to dip into your deck and pull out any sorcery ready to go off the top of your deck
Flash and flying allow it to play at instant speed, while its disruptive elements and late-game transformation let it pivot from defense into a serious combat threat when the game drags on
As a multifarious color with a variety of areas of expertise, it should be no surprise that the mono-blue commanders that players have access to when building decks are quite different from one another, allowing for distinct strategies
Mardu Humans should be reasonably powerful in most games thanks to its low curve, fast clock, and consistency