Voja Jaws of the Conclave and MTG Commander Power Level

As a MTG Commander, Voja, Jaws of the Conclave is widely regarded as one of the most formidable and dominant ones in recent times, leading to debates among players on its level of strength.

Despite not living up to the expectations of fans and Wizards of the Coast, MTG’s Murders at Karlov Manor set still managed to feature several powerful standout cards. One such card, Voja, Jaws of the Conclave, has gained notoriety as an unfairly dominant Commander card among many players.

Ultimately, whether or not Voja, Jaws of the Conclave can be considered a broken card is subjective and reliant on the power level of your Commander playgroup.

Voja exists in a middle ground where it is too strong for many casual Commander games, yet falls short of the level needed for cEDH play. Despite this, there are certain aspects of Voja’s design that can create a challenging and uncomfortable gameplay experience for unprepared opponents.

Voja Jaws of the Conclave MTG card — WotC

Elves are renowned as one of MTG’s most iconic Creature types and are consistently supported. Decks focused on ramping Elves can prove to be formidable, as they quickly accumulate mana and gain momentum, earning them the nickname ‘Elfball’ within the community.

Despite sacrificing access to some potent black mana Elves, playing Voja as Commander remains a valuable decision. The addition of red mana grants Voja players the opportunity to incorporate quick enablers such as Rhythm of the Wild into their decks. This, coupled with its effortless power enhancements, enables Voja decks to swiftly deal lethal damage in the early stages of the game.

The deck’s swift power-building and ability to strike immediately when Creatures are played, coupled with strong sources of damage such as Shalai and Halar, can make Voja a dominating force in many game groups.

Balancing Elves and Wolves

A simple modification could solve a major problem with Voja. The main concerns revolve around the dependency of Elves on Voja’s power boost and the reliance on Wolves for its card draw.

Boosting a group of Elves to extreme power levels is surprisingly simple, since most Elves have the ability to either produce mana or enhance the strength and resilience of their fellow Elves. However, this approach can diminish the unique theme of Voja, as it allows for a Commander deck that lacks a strong emphasis on Wolves.

If Elves were utilized for Voja’s card draw, the deck would need to heavily depend on Wolf Creatures in order to strengthen its power-boosting capability. This would result in a deck that remains strong, but is unable to quickly overcome all opponents within a few turns.

Evidence of Voja’s Confirmation of Ward’s Overuse

Voja’s immense strength has established it as a ‘must-eliminate’ Commander for numerous players. Commanders similar to Voja must be strategically played, as experienced opponents will promptly use removal spells to eliminate them, rather than allowing them to remain on the battlefield and granting their player the opportunity to reap their benefits.

Taking Voja off the board poses a greater challenge than usual due to the presence of the Ward 3 ability. This ability forces other players to spend an additional 3 mana when attempting to target Voja with spells and abilities. As a result, what may have been considered a cost-effective method of removal now requires a significant investment, causing many players to hesitate and potentially fall behind their opponents.

In a recent YouTube video, MTG Principal Designer Gavin Verhey addressed the Ward ability and announced that Wizards will be reducing its use in future cards such as Voja. This decision was made due to the added protection Ward provides, which can make a potentially fragile Commander like Voja more resilient than intended.

While Ward 3 provides significant protection, Voja’s weakness lies in board wipe effects. Non-targeting removal easily bypasses Ward’s protection and eliminates many of the powerful creatures and ramp cards used in the deck.

While it is true that Voja is not the only Commander vulnerable to board wipes, the majority of Commanders, except for those focused on graveyard strategies, are greatly affected when the board is cleared. Therefore, it is important to consider the presence of board wipe effects when constructing Commander decks in the current MTG climate.

The focus on protection abilities such as Ward and Hexproof has resulted in an increase in decks utilizing all-encompassing wrath effects rather than single-target removal. This trend is expected to persist for the foreseeable future. As Commander players continue to rely on strong, difficult-to-remove creatures like Voja, the use of targeted removal will likely continue to decrease.