March of the Machine Commander (MOC): Set Guide
Released alongside one of Magic's most ambitious sets in years, March of the Machine Commander (set code: MOC) is a collection of Commander preconstructed decks designed to drop players right into the action. If you've ever wanted to jump into Commander without building a deck from scratch, these are exactly what they're made for.
What is March of the Machine Commander?
March of the Machine Commander is the official Commander precon product released alongside March of the Machine (MOM) on April 21, 2023. MOM itself was the ninety-sixth Magic expansion, and like most recent large sets, it came paired with a suite of Commander decks built to complement the main set's themes.
The MOC product set carries the full 400-card count across its decks combined, mixing a small number of brand-new cards with a larger selection of reprints. That blend is intentional - these decks are designed as on-ramps to Commander, giving newer players a functional, playable product out of the box while still offering experienced players fresh cards worth sleeving up.
Format check: All cards in MOC are legal in Commander (and any format where their individual printings were already legal). The new cards introduced in MOC are Commander-legal from release, but are not added to Standard, Pioneer, or Modern.
Themes and mechanics
Because MOC is built to echo the themes of March of the Machine, you can expect the decks to reflect that set's core conflict - the Phyrexian invasion of the Multiverse. MOM was a crossover event on a massive scale, drawing together characters and planes from across Magic's history into a single story. The Commander decks lean into that energy.
As is typical for Commander precon products of this era, the decks include:
- New cards printed exclusively in MOC (at the time of release), giving players fresh build-around options
- Reprints chosen to support each deck's strategy and smooth out the mana curve or fill role gaps
- A legendary creature as the face commander for each deck, reflecting MOM's characters or themes
I don't have the full mechanical breakdown of each individual deck's new cards in my source material, so I'd recommend checking the official card gallery on Scryfall or Wizards of the Coast's product page for the complete new-card list - I'd rather point you there than guess at specifics.
Playing the decks out of the box
One of the things I appreciate about modern Commander precons is that they've gotten genuinely more playable straight from the box compared to earlier years. The MOC decks follow that trend - they're built to function as on-ramps, which means the mana bases and curve are tuned to be coherent, even if they're not optimised for cutthroat tables.
If you're new to Commander, these decks are a great starting point. Sit down, read your commander's abilities, and let the deck's synergies guide you through your first few games. You'll get a feel for how Commander works - the politics, the resource management, the moment when everyone at the table goes quiet because someone might be about to win.
If you're an experienced player, the appeal is the new cards. Precons from this era reliably include a handful of genuinely interesting designs that go on to see play in upgraded builds or even other Commander decks entirely.
Lore and setting
March of the Machine represented the climax of the Phyrexian arc that had been building since Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE, 2023) and even further back. The invasion touched nearly every major plane in the Multiverse simultaneously - Dominaria, Kamigawa, Ravnica, Zendikar, and more. It was Magic doing its version of an Avengers: Endgame moment, and the Commander decks are set squarely inside that story.
Lore aside: The Phyrexian invasion arc culminated in March of the Machine, with the fate of the Multiverse - and several beloved Planeswalkers - hanging in the balance. Without spoiling too much, the story has lasting consequences for Magic's lore going forward.
The precon decks reflect that multiplanar scope, which is part of what makes them feel distinct from other Commander products. You're not just visiting one plane - you're in the middle of a war that spans all of them.
Set legacy
MOC sits in an interesting spot. As a precon product, it won't be remembered the way a premier set is, but Commander precons from this era have had a real impact on the format's accessibility. Wizards has consistently used these products to introduce mechanics and card designs that reward Commander-specific gameplay - things like cost reduction for casting your commander, wide board synergies, and graveyard recursion loops.
The reprints included in MOC also do quiet, important work. Good reprints in Commander precons help keep staples accessible to players who don't want to pay secondary market prices, and that matters for the health of the format.
In my opinion, MOC is best understood as part of a broader wave of Commander products that, taken together, have genuinely lowered the barrier to entry for one of Magic's most popular formats. Whether any individual card from MOC becomes a long-term Commander staple depends on the specific new designs - and for that, the Scryfall card list is your best friend.
