The fourth most popular MTG Lorwyn Eclipsed commander makes this Avatar card virtually unbeatable

Magic: The Gathering's Lorwyn Eclipsed set is a homecoming release after 19 years since the original Lorwyn block. Although Lorwyn was not a commercial success by Wizards of the Coast's metrics, the story may well be different now, as Lorwyn Eclipsed's trailer was one of the most viewed in the game's history. Even outside of that, MTG fans are pouring love into Lorwyn Eclipsed on social media and forums, showing that there really is a vibrant world to explore on this plane. Between great main set cards and some valuable precon Commander decks, Magic: The GatheringThe next set has a lot of content to hype about — and one specific commander should be on your radar.

Despite the problematic discourse Universes Beyond i MTGnot all 2025 UB sets met with the same reception, and the same is true for 2026, even before its release. MTGs Avatar set introduced some incredibly strong cards, and many of the new additions were loved by the community regardless of fans' experience with the IP. An excellent choice among them is The Walls of Ba Sing Se, a 0/30 wall with Defender that makes your other permanents indestructible. There were several good strategies for this card already, but Lorwyn Eclipsed adds another commander that makes the 0/30 creature shine even brighter.

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Magic: The Gathering's Lorwyn Eclipsed can finally restore a long-standing pattern

Magic: The Gathering's 2026 schedule begins with Lorwyn Eclipsed in January, and it will most likely break a trend that has lasted since August 2024.

Say hello to MTG's Doran, besieged by time

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The basset for Lorwyn Eclipsed in MTG contains a card called Doran, Besieged by Time. This is a 4-CMC (1 generic, 1 white, 1 black, 1 green) 0/5 legendary creature that makes your creature spells with toughness greater than their power cost 1 less to cast, and then causes creatures you control that attack or block to get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the difference between their power and toughness.

On EDHREC, a site used to keep track of MTG commanders and their possible combinations (even ones that haven't been released), the new Doran, Besieged by Time card is the fourth most popular. The chart is:

  • High Perfect Morcant – 2,057 tires

  • Maralen, Fae Ascendant – 1,145 decks

  • Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn / Isilu, Carrier of Twilight – 1,015 decks

  • Doran, besieged by time – 624 decks

There is another version of Doran called Doran, Siege Tower, which is a 3-mana 0/5 creature that allows your creatures to deal combat damage with their toughness instead. This can be played alongside Doran, Besieged by Time, due to the MTG legendary rule.

How Lorwyn Eclipsed makes Avatar's biggest creature OP in MTG

This card already combos with itself and becomes a 5/10 when it attacks or blocks, but it makes The Walls of Ba Sing Se even more broken for several reasons:

  • Doran, Besieged by Time is a relatively cheap one MTG commander at 4 mana, and it makes The Walls of Ba Sing Se easier and faster to cast, which can be a problem for the 8-mana creature.

    • Doran's Azban identity (white, black, green) means that MTG mana stones are readily available in the deck, increasing mana production more easily, which is another advantage for The Walls.

  • Walls of Ba Sing Se can be used in combination with Doran and Felothar the Steadfast from the Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander deck.

    • The combo has multiple layers, as Doran makes The Walls a 30/60 creature when it attacks or blocks, Felothar allows The Walls to attack even if it has defenders and deal combat damage equal to its toughness, and by spending 3 mana and tapping Felothar, you can sacrifice The Walls to draw 30 cards on the wall or discard 30 cards.

  • Jaws of Defeat is a 4-CMC Black enchantment that can be played in the Doran/Walls deck to cause an opponent to lose 30 life (the difference between The Walls of Ba Sing Se's power and toughness) when the creature enters the battlefield.

    • This also works with white blink effects used on The Walls of Ba Sing Se, such as Ephemerate, Last Blink and Restoration Angel. It also works with MTGs Avatar mechanic of Airbending.

  • Arbor Adherent can make the Doran + Walls combo generate 60 mana, as it adds mana equal to the highest toughness among creatures you control.

  • Enchantments and temporary effects like Stoneskin, which gives +0/+10 to the enchanted creature, can further enhance the Doran + Walls combo, because if The Walls of Ba Sing Se's toughness increases, its power increases when it attacks or blocks (and its toughness increases even more).

    • Refuse to Yield is a 2-mana instant MTG spell that gives a creature +2/+7, meaning The Walls will become a 37/72 creature when attacking or blocking.

  • Unnatural Growth is an enchantment that costs 1 mana of any color and 4 green, giving creatures you control double power and toughness at the start of battle. Without additional effects, the Doran + The Walls combo would bring The Walls of Ba Sing Se to a staggering 60/120.

    • Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus is a 7-mana 4/6 creature with the same effect, and they stack. If Doran, The Walls, Unnatural Growth, and Zopandrel are on the board, The Walls of Ba Sing Se can get to a whopping 0/120 before attacking or blocking, and become 120/240 when attacking or blocking.

  • Cards like Primal Rage, a 2-mana enchantment that gives your creatures trample, are highly recommended to make the combo less likely to fall flat in battle.

  • Canopy Gargantuan is a 7-mana 7/7 creature that lets you put a number of +1/+1 counters on each creature you control at the start of each upkeep equal to that creature's toughness. This means that Doran becomes a 5/10 and Walls a 30/60 before combat (so a 10/15 and a 60/90 when attacking or blocking respectively) and after just one turn, with their power and toughness scaling exponentially.

Walls of Ba Sing Se Combos in MTG can soar out of control

As you can see, there are many ways to take this combo to the next level, and multiple cards allow it to scale to incredible numbers. For example, what happens after two turns of Canopy Gargantuan if you have Doran, The Walls of Ba Sing Se, Unnatural Growth and Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus all in play? The answer is that The Walls becomes a 90/120 creature via Canopy Gargantuan, then becomes a 360/480 creature before it attacks or blocks, at which point it reaches 480/600 power and toughness. Yep. Frankly, you don't even need all of this to win when the original combo is set, and you can just defend The Walls from potential removals, but be warned – this playstyle can easily and quickly make you the very definition of archenemy in MTG Commander game.


Magic: The Gathering Arena Tag Page Cover Art

System

PC-1


Released

September 27, 2018

ESRB

T for Teen // Blood and Gore, Mild Fantasy Violence

Developer

Wizards of the Coast, Wizards Digital Games Studios

Publisher

Wizards of the Coast


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