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

Magic: The GatheringThe Lorwyn Eclipsed set is a release 19 years after the original Lorwyn block. While Lorwyn has not been a commercial success by Wizards of the Coast's metrics, the story may very well be different now, as the Lorwyn Eclipsed trailer was one of the most watched in the game's history. Even apart from that, MTG Fans have been pouring out their love for 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 particular commander should be on your radar.

Despite the problematic discourse of Universes Beyond v MTGnot all 2025 UB kits met with the same response, and the same goes for the 2026 ones, even before they were released. MTGThe Avatar set introduced some incredibly powerful cards, and many of the new additions were loved by the community regardless of fans' experience with the IP. An excellent choice among these is The Walls of Ba Sing Se, a 0/30 wall with Defender that makes your other permanents indestructible. There have already been some good strategies for this card, 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 may finally restore a long-standing pattern

Magic: The Gathering's 2026 schedule begins with Lorwyn Eclipsed in January and will most likely break the trend that has been in place since August 2024.

Say hello to MTG's Doran, besieged by time

Base set 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 will make your spells with toughness higher than their power cast 1 less, then make creatures you control that attack or block get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the difference between their power and toughness.

On EDHREC, a website for tracking MTG commanders and their potential combos (even unreleased ones), the new Doran card, Besieged by Time, is the fourth most popular card. The chart is:

High Perfect Morcant – 2,057 packs
Maralen, Fae Ascendant – 1,145 decks
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn / Isilu, Carrier of Twilight – 1015 packs
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. Playable alongside Doran, Besieged by Time, thanks to the legendary MTG rule.

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

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

Doran, Besieged by Time is relatively cheap MTG commanders at 4 mana and casting The Walls of Ba Sing Se is easier and faster, which can be a problem for an 8 mana creature.
- This means Doran's Azban identity (white, black, green). MTG mana stones are readily available in the deck and increase mana production more easily, which is another advantage for The Walls.
The Walls of Ba Sing Se can be used in combination with the Doran and Felothar the Steadfast decks from Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander.
- The combo has more layers as Doran makes The Walls a 30/60 creature when attacking or blocking, Felothar allows The Walls to attack even if it has a defender and deals combat damage equal to its toughness, and by spending 3 mana and tapping Felothar you can sacrifice The Walls to draw 60 cards and discard 30 if The Walls were attacking or blocking.
Jaws of Defeat is a 4-CMC Black enchantment that can be played in a Doran/Walls deck to make the opponent lose 30 life (the difference between The Walls of Ba Sing Se's strength and toughness) when a creature enters the battlefield.
- It also works with the blink-in-white effects used on The Walls of Ba Sing Se, such as Ephemerate, Last Blink, and Restoration Angel. It also works with MTGAvatar mechanic from Airbending.
Arbor Adherent can cause a Doran + Walls combo to generate 60 mana, as it adds mana equal to the highest resistance among the creatures you control.
Enchantments and temporary effects like Stoneskin, which gives enchanted creatures +0/+10, can further enhance the Doran + Walls combo, as if The Walls of Ba Sing Se's durability increases, her power increases when she attacks or blocks (and her durability increases even more).
- Refuse to Yield is a 2 mana instant MTG a spell that gives +2/+7 creatures, meaning The Walls 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 durability at the start of combat. Without any other effects, a combination of Doran + The Walls would put The Walls of Ba Sing Se at an amazing 60/120.
- Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus is a 7 mana 4/6 creature with the same effect and stacks. If Doran, The Walls, Unnatural Growth, and Zopandrel are on the field, The Walls of Ba Sing Se can go a whopping 0/120 before attacking or blocking, and become 120/240 while attacking or blocking.
Cards like Primal Rage, a 2-mana enchantment that causes your creatures to stomp, are highly recommended to make combos less likely to land in combat.
Canopy Gargantuan is a 7-mana 7/7 creature that allows you to put a number of +1/+1 counters equal to that creature's resistance on each creature you control at the start of each upkeep phase. This means Doran becomes 5/10 and Walls 30/60 before combat (so 10/15 and 60/90 when attacking or blocking) and after just one turn, with their power and toughness growing exponentially.

Ba Sing Se combo walls in MTG can get out of control

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to take this combo to the next level, and with just a few cards, it's possible to achieve 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 in play? The answer is that The Walls becomes a 90/120 creature via Canopy Gargantuan, then becomes a 360/480 creature before attacking or blocking, at which point it reaches 480/600 power and durability. Yes. Honestly, you don't even need all of this to win when the original combo is set up and you can just defend The Walls from potential removal, but beware – this playstyle can easily and quickly turn you into the very definition of archenemy in MTG Commander games.