Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Threat Assessment for Siani, Eye of the Storm in Commander
If you’ve wandered through a blue-heavy Commander table and heard the term “scry engine,” you’ve probably met Siani, Eye of the Storm. This uncommon legend from Commander Legends arrives as a sleek blue Djinn Monk with a deceptively simple floor and a dangerously scalable ceiling. With a mana cost of {3}{U} and a 3/2 stat line, Siani isn’t going to crush your opponents on the first swing. What makes it a real threat is the combination of Flying, Partner, and a triggered ability that rewards aggressive air superiority with top-deck precision. In a format where card advantage is often the name of the game, Siani’s scry-on-attack mechanic turns every attack into a potential tutoring session for your next move. 🧙🔥
What the card actually does on the battlefield
On its face, Siani is a nimble, evasive bruiser who helps blue’s control archetypes survive the early game by keeping pressure while you set up the late-game plan. The two big hooks are:
- Flying and a respectable body for a blue legend that often means you’ll present a credible air threat and dodge ground-based removal more often than you’d expect.
- When Siani attacks, scry X, where X is the number of attacking creatures with flying. The more flyers you deploy, the deeper you dig through your library for answers, threats, or more engines. It’s a toolbox trigger rather than a damage dealer, and in Commander that’s often exactly what you want—information as currency.
- Partner ensures two-commanders are possible, expanding your deck-building latitude. By pairing Siani with another partner commander, you can tailor your control/tempo or combo potential while keeping the blue-centric engine running. 💎
In practical terms, the card rewards players who are comfortable stacking flying threats or who want a dependable way to filter through resources mid-game. If your board includes several evasive threats, your scry value skyrockets, letting you assemble the precise mix of countermagic, bounce, or card draw to weather a storm of disruption. It’s not about dealing lethal damage—it’s about turning your air force into a guided, top-deck search party. ⚔️
Threat modeling: when Siani becomes a concern at your table
At the table, threat assessment around Siani comes down to a few practical factors:
- Air-based pressure: The number of flyers you can reliably attack with affects how aggressively you can leverage the scry. If your list leans into a large flying army, Siani’s trigger can translate into consistent card selection each combat step—often enough to outpace slower opponents who rely on single, devastating plays.
- Top-deck manipulation: Siani rewards draws that care about the top of your library. Cards like cantrips and predictive draws synergize with the scry to keep your hand full of options and your opponents guessing. The more you can chain into precise answers, the more threatening Siani becomes as a control-finisher piece rather than a pure beatstick.
- Two-commanders synergy: The Partner mechanic lets you deploy a second commander who can help you maintain permission, ramp, or value engines while Siani supplies the tempo through scry. A well-tuned blue partner pair can flip between defense and disruption and, when necessary, push for a decisive attack with flying threats. 🧭
- Board stalls and resets: Opponents can answer Siani with targeted removal, bounce effects, or mass removal that also hits your flying knights. The risk here is over-commitment to the air and leaving yourself vulnerable to sweepers that drain your resources. Wise play means using Siani to reinforce control lines rather than tiresome grind-fests where a single removal spell costs you the game. 🔄
Strategic takeaways for building around Siani
Building a deck around Siani means leaning into the best blue tools for resource management and air-based aggression. Here are practical design ideas to maximize threat and minimize predictable outcomes:
- Maximize flying targets: Include a healthy roster of flyers—both creatures with built-in evasion and token generators—that reliably swing in. The more you flash in the air, the more you’ll scry when Siani attacks. Think about creatures that enable or boost your air force without overloading your curve.
- Top-deck filtration package: Pair scry with draw spells, such as cantrips and selection effects, to keep your hand well-stocked with answers. The aim is to chain Siani’s scry into a sequence of plays that maintains tempo and board presence. 🧙♂️
- Counterplay and protection: Include counterspells, bounce effects, and protective auras or shrouds to keep Siani alive long enough to maximize the scry payoff. In Commander, protecting your commander is often half the battle.
- Secondary plan via Partner: Your second commander should complement Siani with card advantage, disruption, or a different angle of attack. A partner that helps with mana ramp or extra control can turn a good Siani brew into a formidable table presence. 💎
- Win conditions beyond damage: Prepare for games where you don’t win by hitting you with a single combo. Siani can fuel a plan that decks opponents into stalemate and then delivers a decisive airborne push through flying threats and top-decked removal.
Meta considerations: playing to your table, not just your deck
In many playgroups, Siani-type builds shine when the table expects traditional pillow fort or the classic control mirror. You can leverage Siani’s strength to press for a more dynamic, tempo-oriented posture. The card invites you to disrupt with precision, not to flood the board with expensive spells. When your opponents know you’re hunting for flying threats and top-deck control, you’ll often see targeted removal or counter-magic pivot away from you—giving your other flyers a freer path to contest the stage. And yes, the occasional misread on scry can lead to delightful, chaotic moments where a single top-deck reshuffles the whole plan. That’s part of the charm of Commander—magic, mischief, and a little bit of sci-fi-like weather control all in one package. 🎲
What Siani’s presence means for two-player and multiplayer games
As a Legendary creature with the Partner keyword, Siani invites varied two-commanders builds. In two-player games, it can be a robust engine for card selection when paired with a second blue partner who can manage the early game and protect the board while Siani loads the late-game top-deck pipeline. In multiplayer, the synergy shines even brighter: flying efficiency scales across multiple opponents, and scry-laden turns create a rhythm of pressure and information that can shape every combat step. The Commander Legends era already celebrated bold, draft-inspired design, and Siani fits that heritage with a modern, tactical flavor. ⚡
“Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)”
In the end, threat assessment around Siani comes down to whether you’re ready to leverage top-deck knowledge as a weapon. If you can line up a cadre of flyers, draw spells, and a plan to protect your winged squad, you’re not just playing to win—you’re playing to out-think and outpace the table. That blend of tempo, tempo-swinging scry, and two-commanders flexibility makes Siani a compelling option for blue-centric EDH lists that crave a little weather magic with their card draw. 🧙🔥
For players who love balancing clever plays with a bit of luck, this is a card that rewards patience, precision, and a dash of showy air superiority. And if you’re ever away from your deck or in between rounds at a weekend event, you can always keep your phone close with gear from the shop that’s linked below—a gentle reminder that even in the clouds, real-world gear still has you covered. 🎨