The Legendary Characters of Commander Legends, Part 1

All week, we've been revealing Commander Legends cards depicting characters new and old. Some of them you might know, some of them might be new to you. But they each have a story to tell.

Below, you'll find a short bio for every new legendary card revealed from Commander Legends so far. Next week, we'll have the other half of the list with the rest of the new "legends." Meet the gang below, and stay tuned for part two next week!

Alena, Kessig Trapper

The forest of Ulvenwald is home to many of Innistrad's most fearsome creatures, including werewolves, vampires, and the possessed. Alena defends travelers through the Ulvenwald, guiding them to the nearby town of Gatstaf, always with the aid of her partner (in both work and life) Halana. Alena is a highly skilled tracker, using all of her senses to find the monsters that threaten the good folk of Kessig province. She is particularly skilled at hunting werewolves, but when a greater threat faced Innistrad in the form of an Eldrazi incursion, she joined forces with the lycanthropes to help save the plane.

Amareth, the Lustrous

On a distant plane, when dragons age, their scales harden over time, turning into a beautiful crystal. Amareth has been around for a long time, longer than any other dragon, and she takes immense pride in her glistening scales. So much pride, in fact, that she takes no interest in hoarding boring gold—she exclusively hoards gems and crystals as lustrous as herself. If you stumble upon her lair and make no attempt to take anything for yourself, Amareth will happily spend hours showing you the highlights of her collection.

Belbe, Corrupted Observer

Avila was a princess among the Skyshroud elves of Rath, the daughter of Eladamri. A Phyrexian agent assassinated her and brought her body back to Phyrexia. Avila's corpse was reconstructed, compleated, and combined with mechanical parts to make a new creature: Belbe. Belbe's reason for being was to serve as the eye of Yawgmoth, Phyrexia's dark god, observing the selection of the new evincar of Rath. Competing for the honor were Crovax, a sadistic vampire; Greven il-Vec, a brutal warrior; and Ertai, a precocious young wizard. As the days passed, Belbe transcended her purpose and made decisions for herself. She fell in love with Ertai and helped him to compete in the contest, and she attempted to sabotage the Phyrexians' invasion of Dominaria. Her plans did not come to fruition; Crovax became the new evincar, the Phyrexian Invasion was the most devastating event in Dominarian history, and Belbe herself was killed by Eladamri.

Blim, Comedic Genius

For the Cult of Rakdos, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye—then it's hilarious. Blim considers himself a once-in-a-lifetime comedic genius among the Rakdos, claiming his shows overflow with laughter (and fountains of blood). He says he once put on a show so funny, it literally slayed the entire audience. He also said that you had to have been there, but if you were, you'd be dead, so just take his word for it.

In reality, Blim is a bit of a hack, but the drinks are always cheap and the heckling opportunities are always bountiful. Just don't throw any tomatoes—Blim has been known to throw much sharper objects right back.

Breeches, Brazen Plunderer

The goblin pirate Breeches is well known for his talents in gunnery, his skill in knot-tying, and his expertise in yelling. His willingness to chant enthusiastically at top volume about anything, at any time, for any reason, is the stuff of legends.

While Breeches's recent journey to Orazca to steal the Immortal Sun was unsuccessful in achieving its main goal, he and his fellow pirates' subsequent pillage of the Golden City proved to be tremendously profitable. Breeches and his friend Malcolm have become big wheels among the Brazen Coalition, rolling in "COINS AND JEWELS AND PROMISSORY NOTES!"

Brinelin, the Moon Kraken

Brinelin is a millennia-old moon kraken who rules the seas off the shores of Akoum in Zendikar. He is hard of shell and possesses many claws and tentacles that have only grown stronger with age. All the lesser creatures of the sea obey Brinelin, and the kraken demands tribute from each ship that passes through his territory. There is very little that Brinelin fears, but Sorin Markov, the ancient vampire planeswalker, is one of those things. Brinelin knows that Sorin could end his life with his sangromantic powers but that Brinelin would pull him into the depths as he dies, sharing a final deadly embrace. Brinelin has survived all of his battles with the Eldrazi and holds dominion over the seas off Akoum to this day. In secret, he mourns the loss of his closest friend, Speaker Sutina of the Tajuru, who was slain during the early days of the Eldrazi awakening.

Colfenor, the Last Yew

Colfenor was a truly ancient red yew treefolk, the last of his kind, on Lorwyn. Long ago, he received the whole of his tribe's arcane lore and wisdom, magic and traditional rites from ancient days. He was a great sage and could perceive events well before other, more short-lived races became aware of them. Colfenor knew that a great change was coming to Lorwyn, one he would not survive, at least not in any conventional sense. He instilled his essence into a seedcone and instilled his teachings in his final student, the Gilt-Leaf elf Rhys. He tasked Rhys with planting the seedcone in the Murmuring Bosk, where the Sapling would grow and carry Colfenor's wisdom into the time when Lorwyn was no more, having been transformed by the Great Aurora into Shadowmoor.

Eligeth, Crossroads Augur

Nothing pleases a sphinx more than searching for and discovering the secrets of the Multiverse. Centuries ago, Eligeth stumbled upon a truth that no being was supposed to know, and now he exists about five minutes into every possible future. To put it simply, if you were to speak with Eligeth, he would have already had the conversation with you and have experienced every possible permutation said conversation could take. Therefore, to you, it might seem like he is completely uninterested in everything you have to say, but in reality, he's already heard you out infinite times and has already answered your question as thoroughly and thoughtfully as possible—you just exist in the wrong timeline to hear the answer.

To put it even more simply, conversing with Eligeth is extremely frustrating.

Ghost of Ramirez DePietro

This spectral pirate has been a feature of the seas off Jamuraa for centuries now, signing on with a new pirate crew whenever he feels the call of the waves. Ramirez's sense of style and ready wit make him popular among pirates who aren't prejudiced against dead people.

When he's in a talkative mood (which is always), DePietro has claimed to have served on Captain Crucias's Backstab as a privateer in the South Sea during the Brothers' War, to have fought alongside Tor Wauki the Elder against the Robaran Mercenaries in the Sea of Serenity during Johan's War, and to have raided shipping between the Edemi Isles during the Madaran reconquest. He claims variously to have died in a battle with the pirate queen Adira Strongheart, to have been assassinated by the Tolarian shapeshifter known only as Halfdane, and to have been outmatched by Gwendlyn Di Corci in Urborg. How many of these tales, if any, are true, is impossible to know.

Gor Muldrak, Amphinologist

The amphin, a race of amphibious humanoids, have lived peacefully for generations in the depths of the seas, but their numbers have expanded, and their ammonite temple-caves can no longer hold their burgeoning numbers. The amphins' priests have set their sights upon Shandalar's shorelines, and their hunters have girded themselves for war. Meanwhile their mnemomages have infiltrated the sewers of each of the major cities. They have used their mind control powers to erase all knowledge of the amphins' existence from the minds of humanity. The near-universal ignorance of the amphin in every major university from Ardestan to Lesh is simultaneously evidence of the amphins' power, and of their nefarious intent.

—Gor Muldrak, Cryptohistories

Halana, Kessig Ranger

The coming of Emrakul to Innistrad caused a series of ever more bizarre and horrible events. Murders and cult activity increased, and the people near Ulvenwald forest began to change. They grew fibrous mats of tentacles and chanted Emrakul's name in weird worship. Halana, along with her partner in work and life, Alena, traced the activities of Emrakul's hidden cults and confronted them. In the face of such an existential threat, the two hunters joined forces with their former enemies, the werewolves, to battle Emrakul's mutated throng.

Jeska, Thrice Reborn

Jeska began her life among the Pardic barbarians of Otaria in Dominaria, but she was destined to be reborn three times and to spend those lives throughout the Multiverse.

When her brother Kamahl stabbed her with the Mirari sword, the wound festered and spread, turning her into Phage the Untouchable, whose slightest touch meant death. This was Jeska's first rebirth.

When Kamahl defeated Phage, Akroma, and Zagorka with a single stroke of his Soul Reaper axe, the three melded together to form Karona, the False God. This was Jeska's second rebirth.

When Karona's trusted acolytes, Sash and Waistcoat, betrayed her and stabbed her with the Mirari Sword, the three women split apart once more. Akroma and Zagorka died, but Jeska's planeswalker spark ignited. This was Jeska's final rebirth.

Sparking as a planeswalker, Jeska was taken under the wing of the silver golem Karn. Centuries later, Jeska returned to Dominaria to help close the rifts that had opened above it. She ultimately sacrificed herself to close the largest and final rift, saving Dominaria and the rest of the Multiverse.

Kamahl, Heart of Krosa

When the Dominarian barbarian Kamahl came to possess the Mirari, a powerful magical artifact, it amplified his inherent traits and rendered him violent and power-hungry. This state led Kamahl to try to force all of the Pardic tribes to follow him. Losing control and driven with unnatural rage, Kamahl plunged his sword into his own sister, Jeska, nearly killing her.

Stricken with remorse, Kamahl became a hermit in the Krosan Forest. Learning the ways of the druid from Thriss the Nantuko, Kamahl devoted himself to nature and the defense of others. Though Kamahl is now long dead, the order of Kamahlite druids was established in the Krosan Forest in honor of his actions and memory.

Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar

A lavamancer's familiar can greatly influence the potency of their master's magic. A poor (dare I say obstinate) familiar can impede spellcasting and limit new discoveries, while an excellent familiar like Kediss can enable spellcasting of incredible scale. With Kediss by your side, you'll notice increased firepower, improved range, and a sudden influx of new ways to incinerate your foes. He'll also light your forge, eat your slag, and gently nuzzle your cheek at the end of a long day.

Keleth, Sunmane Familiar

On the battlefield, a compatible mount can mean the difference between life and death. And if one wishes to ride Keleth, compatibility is everything. Known in some circles as "the Kingmaker," any knight accepted by Keleth is destined for glory in battle and beyond. However, when the dust settles and her rider claims their reward, Keleth vanishes—only to reappear on a different battlefield sometime after, searching for a new rider.

Keskit, the Flesh Sculptor

Keskit is a Phyrexian who was obsessed with his praetor, Sheoldred. He believed her to be the epitome of perfection and desired only to remake the world in her image. Keskit had the auspicious duty of compleating any new subjects that came under Sheoldred's rule, and often they ended up with spider-like features reminiscent of the praetor. Keskit's fate after Elesh Norn destroyed Sheoldred's domain is unknown.

Kodama of the East Tree

This kodama is the tree spirit of the East Tree. Before the Kami War, the monks of the East Tree enjoyed a life of prosperity alongside this spirit, who used floating spores to spread new growth throughout the area. When the Kami War broke out, the kodama appeared to go dormant, sinking its roots into the ground and becoming unresponsive.

Unfortunately, the reality was much less peaceful. The kodama was spreading its roots through the territory of the East Tree, and from the ground burst a new kind of spore unlike any the monks had ever seen. These spores all struck at once, latching onto humans and syphoning their energy to create new spiritual growths. At the end of the twenty-year war, the kodama sank into dormancy once more. While it hasn't stirred since, the remaining monks still pray to it nervously—from a safe distance.

Krark, the Thumbless

Krark was a high-rolling gambler who lived in the Oxidda mountains of Mirrodin. He lost both his thumbs to Durg betting on a hellion race, including his luckiest thumb. Krark wanted that thumb back. He bet Durg a thumb that he could walk to the center of Mirrodin and back. Durg pointed out that Krark didn't have any thumbs left, but Krark said that he was good for it. Krark traveled deep within the center of Mirrodin. Weeks later, he returned bearing a book he'd written, filled with a description of his journey. Durg sighed and handed over Krark's lucky thumb. Krark wore the thumb around his neck along with his other good luck charms until the end of his days (which wasn't very long, as his journey got him executed for heresy). After he died, a religion known as the "Cult of Krark" was formed around his writings, spreading the word that there was a secret world inside of Mirrodin.

Liesa, Shroud of Dusk

A thousand years ago on Innistrad, four archangel sisters defended humanity: Sigarda, who protected the living, Bruna, who protected the dead, Gisela, who fought monsters, and Liesa, who consorted with them. Each of the four sisters lead a flight of lesser angels and had the same goal, to defend humanity, but each had her own methods. Of all the sisters, only Liesa sought to understand her enemies and, in so doing, mitigate their evil. With her knowledge, she reasoned the monsters could be fought more effectively and bargained with the foul to do good.

One day, a new angel appeared as if from nowhere: Avacyn. She was inflexible in her righteousness and unstoppable in her power. She did not approve of Liesa's methods, and when Liesa made a pact with a demon lord, Avacyn declared her a heretic and destroyed her, along with her entire flight of angels.

Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel

Fiora is a plane of political games, deception, and treachery. While the nobles eat each other alive, the common folk suffer. Livio had seen enough. The only heir to a noble house, he watched helplessly as his father ordered the destruction of a small village, merely to spite the other noble who owned the land. He ripped the family crest off his doublet and threw it at his father's feet, renouncing the family name and his future title.

From that moment on, Livio dedicated himself to defending the common folk. He had been trained by the best fighting instructors money could buy, and his ample skills were more than enough to defeat the cutthroats that threaten the streets of the High City of Paliano. Active years before Queen Marchesa rose to power, she has viewed him as an amusing wild card that makes political games just a little more interesting. That is, of course, until he dispatched some of the queen's men who were shaking down a local merchant. Now, Marchesa thinks she and Livio should have a little talk.

Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator

Malcom is a member of the Brazen Coalition of pirates on Ixalan. As a siren, he is naturally gifted in the art of navigation, and he supplements his natural gifts with celestialism, divination magic that derives information from the stars with the aid of charts, compasses, and astrolabes. Malcolm was hired by Captain Vraska to serve aboard the pirate ship Belligerant in search of the Immortal Sun. Malcolm is rarely seen away from his best friend, the irrepressible (and unquietable) goblin pirate Breeches.

Numa, Joraga Chieftain

Numa was responsible for the survival of his entire clan of Joraga elves. Zendikar is a harsh, dangerous plane, and threats can come from anywhere: from dangerous creatures, from outsiders, or from the land itself. Numa saw to it that his people were well equipped for anything Zendikar could throw at them, whether with tools and weapons or with powerful druidic spells. Anything that threatened his clan was killed or driven away—and so Numa made the hard decision to exile a young Nissa, whose animist powers the Joraga believed had angered Zendikar.

Nymris, Oona's Trickster

Nymris leads a clique of faeries on the plane of Lorwyn. Fiercely loyal to Queen Oona, he has accepted a crucial mission. It is his responsibility to irritate and exhaust any humanoid he comes across. The more exasperated the humanoid becomes, the deeper they will sleep when exposed to Nymris's magic. Deeper sleep produces more potent dreams for the clique to harvest, and those dreams are safely delivered to Oona for mysterious purposes.

Prava of the Steel Legion

Prava achieved renown for having the lowest mortality rate in the Steel Legion. Her tactical awareness is second to none, allowing her to position her troops into efficient formations that get them home alive. Recently, her success in battle and enormous popularity among the soldiers of the Legion have earned her the rank of praefectus.

Prava's military rival is the vampire tribunis Licia, and they have clashed on the battlefield countless times. Their troops and tactics seem evenly matched, and whenever one gets an edge, the other quickly catches up. Perhaps Prava would be able to emerge victorious if she were less careful with her troop's lives, but that is not a sacrifice she is willing to make.

Radiant, Serra Archangel

Radiant was one of the first of the archangels created by the ancient planeswalker Serra. Radiant commanded Serra's angelic hosts in their battles against corruption and darkness. When Serra left her Realm, she entrusted its guardianship to Radiant.

Year after year, Radiant sat upon Serra's throne, which was not made for a being such as herself and inflicted great tortures upon her. Although Radiant's light remained unwavering, Phyrexian sleeper agents turned her against her own people as the Phyrexians invaded Serra's Realm. The skyship Weatherlight intervened, rescuing all those who wished to evacuate. When the last humans and angels made good their escape, the plane collapsed, taking Radiant with it. Radiant's divine light, and the magical power of Serra's Realm, fuel the powerstone at the heart of the Weatherlight, the flying ship which proved to be the salvation of Dominaria.

Rebbec, Architect of Ascension

In ancient Dominaria, Rebbec was the greatest architect in the entirety of the Thran Empire. Her buildings drew the eye upward, inviting the body to follow, in what she called the Architecture of Ascension. She incorporated powerstones into many of her designs, culminating in her masterpiece, the Thran Temple, which floated above the capital city of Halcyon.

Rebbec's talents brought with them power and influence. When her husband fell ill, she used that influence to bring the Thran physician Yawgmoth to Halcyon. Unknowingly, she helped Yawgmoth's power grow, and eventually, he plunged the Thran Empire into civil war, destroying Halcyon and all of Rebbec's creations. Learning that Yawgmoth had been conducting twisted experiments on the artificial plane of Phyrexia, Rebbec sealed the gateway to Phyrexia, sacrificing herself in the process.

Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh

The kobolds of Kher Keep worship the great dragon Prossh as if he were a god. The core tenet of their religion, as it were, is to act in a way befitting of their deity—mainly pillaging, burning, and spreading terror in their wake. Indeed, it is believed that kobolds who live up to these ideals will be reborn as a dragon hatched from one of Prossh's eggs.

One day, their leader Rohgahh had a new idea: the best way to be like his god was to become one himself. From that moment on, he assumed the role of tyrant, demanding tribute and sacrifice equal to what was offered to Prossh. Rograkh, Rohgahh's son, could not bear to watch his father pillage his own people. Not when there were so many other people they could be pillaging instead. He now leads a resistance against his father in attempt to return the kobolds of Kher keep to the path of "righteousness."

Sengir, the Dark Baron

Baron Sengir is an ancient vampire lord who figures prominently in tales told to frighten children on a number of planes. Though not a planeswalker himself, the Baron once served as a summoned thrall to powerful planeswalkers in his youth. In ancient Dominaria, his minions were said to have drained the blood of entire continents. Shrewd and intelligent, in between elegant dinners and philosophical discourses, he took over a dwarven fortress in Ulgrotha and slowly built a base of power, the Dark Barony. Over the centuries, he turned more and more of the people of the Homelands into his undead minions. The Baron was last seen at the head of an army of vampires, walking through the mysterious Dwarven Gate—a portal to another plane—in the dungeons of his castle on the eve of the Great Mending. Wherever is on the other side is surely doomed.

Siani, Eye of the Storm

In Tarkir's original timeline, Siani was a Jeskai monk in search of understanding the true nature of reality. While many among the Jeskai believed that training and meditation were the keys to enlightenment, Siani believed that true enlightenment could only be discovered in the stillness of battle. Indeed, when fighting, she enters a trance-like state where she claims she can hear the voices of the ancient dragons.

Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools

When Tev Loneglade's beloved sister was murdered by a religious zealot, the ancient planeswalker's only reason to restrain himself was gone. Renaming himself Tevesh Szat and reshaping his body into that of a twisted dragon, he made it his mission to silence all life. His methods were both subtle, whispering words intended to stoke the paranoia of Dominaria's leaders and impel them to unwise actions, and direct, using magic to murder those he could not manipulate. A recurring evil in Dominarian history, he was instrumental in the fall of the Sarpadian Empires, the destruction of the Glacier Kingdom of Storgard, the murder of the elder dragon Chromium Rhuell, and the cataclysmic rebirth of the Primeval Dragons.

During the Phyrexian Invasion, the planeswalker Urza inducted him into his Nine Titans, a group of planeswalkers dedicated to defeating Phyrexia once and for all. Szat betrayed the Titans and murdered two of their number before Urza, having anticipated Szat's betrayal, killed him in turn, using Szat's essence to power the soul bombs the Titans used against Phyrexia.

The Prismatic Piper

In moments of great need, magic users across the Multiverse have found themselves able to cast spells unlike any they've ever cast before. When the danger has passed, the knowledge disappears without a trace. When asked about these events, each mage reported the same thing: it was as if their head was filled with music, that of a hauntingly beautiful flute.

Researchers have dubbed this phenomenon "The Prismatic Piper," based on the most popular theory. That theory states that a spirit of pure mana, purer than even elementals, could exist simultaneously across all planes at all times. Being pure mana, it would have no will of its own, but its power could be subconsciously harnessed by one who meets certain criteria. Efforts to pinpoint that criteria have yielded few results, and for now, the Piper remains a mystery.

Yurlok of Scorch Thrash

Yurlok leads a thrash of viashino on Jund. Utterly fearless, he hunts his prey in deliberately dangerous situations—lava flows make for quite the advantage when you know them like the back of your claw. Of course, a few viashino might fall in themselves, but that is merely the price of the thrash's survival. After the Conflux, Yurlok found his hunting grounds vastly expanded, and he believes Esper could use some lava-adjacent redecorating.

Zara, Renegade Recruiter

In preparing to rebel against the Consulate, the Renegades needed to bolster their forces. Among their various recruiters, none were as effective as Zara. Her rhetoric was the stuff of legends, convincing even entrenched Consulate members to join her side. Captain of her own airship, Zara led the most ragtag crew on Kaladesh in a series of successful raids that were key to delivering the Renegades's victory.