Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Analyzing Temur Charger Top-Deck Frequencies in Commander
In the sprawling, spell-slinging world of Commander, the one-card-per-deck rule makes every draw a tiny lottery. Some cards show up with the reliability of a seasoned hatchling—others feel like glorious, chaotic bursts of green growth. Temur Charger, a green morph creature from Khans of Tarkir, is a perfect case study for how top-deck frequencies shape decisions on the battlefield. With its economical {1}{G} cost, a stat line of 3 power and 1 toughness, and the intriguing Morph mechanic, Charger invites you to think about probability, tempo, and when to flip the script on the board. 🧙🔥💎
Quick snapshot: Temur Charger is a Creature — Horse from the Khans of Tarkir set, rarity Uncommon, with the morph clause: “Morph—Reveal a green card in your hand. (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for {3}. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.) When this creature is turned face up, target creature gains trample until end of turn.” In EDH, that moment of turning face up can swing combat outcomes, especially if you’ve stacked a few green cards to fuel the flip. ⚔️🎨
Top-deck frequencies in a 100-card Commander landscape
When you’re building a Commander deck, the odds around drawing Temur Charger depend on how many copies you run (in standard EDH, you’ll typically have one copy of a given card). If Temur Charger sits in a 100-card deck with a single print, the position of that card in the shuffled library is effectively uniform from 1 to 100. That means:
- Probability it’s among your opening seven cards: about 7% 🧭
- Probability you’ve seen it by the time you’ve drawn 10 cards total: about 10% 🪄
- Probability you’ve drawn it by turn 5 (assuming you’ve drawn the typical 1 card per turn after the initial hand): roughly 12–15% depending on mulligans and additional draws
The crisp takeaway: with a single copy, Temur Charger behaves like a straight line of chance—the more cards you reveal early (through a robust first mulligan, card draw, or wheel effects), the higher the likelihood you’ll land it where it matters. In technical terms, if you count all cards as equally likely to appear in any given position, the chance that its position falls within your first N revealed cards is N/100. Simple, elegant, and a little bit magical. 🧙🔥
“Morph isn’t just nostalgia—it's a top-deck weather vane. When you flip a green card to reveal Temur Charger, you’re turning a probability into an actual combat trick that can surprise an unsuspecting board.”
Why the Morph mechanic matters for top-deck planning
Charger’s morph ability asks you to hold a green card in hand to flip it face up later. This requirement creates a feedback loop between your hand composition and top-deck expectations. In a green-heavy or Temur-colored shell, you’ll naturally keep a green card ready to flip when the moment is right. The payoff isn’t just a 3/1 body breaking through; it’s the guaranteed trample boost on turn flip for a targeted creature, potentially turning a limp alpha strike into a clean, devastating alpha. 🧙♀️🪄
Strategically, Charger fits a couple of Commander archetypes beautifully:
- Green stompy builds that want a versatile, budget-friendly beater that can remind opponents of the value of morph-era design.
- Temur-leaning decks that don’t want to over-commit to red or blue yet still want a green conduit for big plays. The morph requirement nudges you toward green card-rich hands, which aligns with many ramp and fixing packages. 💎
- Tempo-oriented lists where you flip Charger at just the right moment to push through a trampling attack, catching blockers off-guard and pushing the game toward a rapid finish. ⚔️
From a design perspective, Temur Charger demonstrates how a relatively inexpensive card can carry flexible value through a well-timed flip. The trample-on-flip clause is a neat reminder that dynamic color-mixing in Khans of Tarkir-era design often rewarded clever hand management and timing. The result is a card that remains accessible, yet surprisingly potent in the right Commander context. 🎨
Practical takeaways for builders chasing top-deck value
If you’re curious about squeezing maximum value from Temur Charger in your EDH board state, consider these guidelines:
- Invest in early green ramp and card draw to increase the probability of having a green card in hand when you need to morph. Cards like Northeastern-friendly fixes or mana accelerants can help you see more of your deck by the time you want to flip Charger. 🪙
- Pair Charger with boards that appreciate a sudden trampling punch—think creatures with haste-turn effects, or combos that guarantee a favorable moment to flip and buff a teammate. 🛡️⚡
- Balance Morph with other Morph-enabled threats from Khans of Tarkir or similar sets to create a morph-heavy subtheme that pressures opponents from multiple angles. The shared green-reveal requirement keeps you honest and curious about what you’re holding in hand. 🎲
Lore, art, and the collector’s glance
Temur Charger carries the Temur watermark within a lush green body—a mark of the Khans of Tarkir set’s vibrant, clan-based world. Mark Zug’s artwork captures a horse-like figure with the primal energy of green mana, and the card’s Morph mechanic echoes Tarkir’s flavor of hidden truths and rampaging momentum. The card’s rarity is Uncommon, and its collector metrics—EDHREC rank around 16,218 and Penny Rank around 9,118—signal that it’s a hidden gem, not a staple but a delightful inclusion for players who relish clever top-deck moments. If you’re chasing nostalgia and a dash of green swagger in your color identity, this little charger is a worthwhile revisit. 🧙♂️🗺️
For lore enthusiasts, Khans of Tarkir is a world of fractured time and fierce clans. Temur—the red-green-blue alliance—hosts creatures that often lean on speed, ramp, and bold combat tricks. Temur Charger slots neatly into that ethos as a nimble piece that can flip into a structured trampling threat, turning a seemingly modest card into a game-changing moment. The art and the design together telegraph a sense of momentum—the exact feeling you want when you’re calculating top-deck outcomes in a long, multiplayer duel. 🎨⚔️
If you want a deeper dive or a broader read
Sometimes the best way to test theory is by experimentation at the table. If you’re exploring top-deck frequencies in EDH and want to see how Charger fares alongside other morph rares or green-stompy staples, keep a lookout on community discussions and decklists—that shared wisdom often reveals subtle timing patterns you can’t predict from math alone. And if you’re in the mood for a desk-top companion that won’t wobble while you plan your next big play, a sturdy phone stand could be just the thing to keep your notes, tokens, or phone within reach. 🧙🔥💎
For more playful cross-promotion and a real-world gadget that complements long Commander sessions, consider this handy desk accessory: