Fog is an old card. An ancient card, actually. Over the years, the effect has undergone many changes to how it’s printed, to the point where I truly believe that it has lost a lot of what made it so charming initially. So, let me clarify what I consider a fog to be. A fog is a spell that prevents all combat damage dealt. There are cards out there that prevent all combat damage dealt to you or creatures you control. There are cards out there that prevent combat damage dealt by sources your opponents control. There are even cards out there that just prevent combat damage dealt to players alone. These are not fogs. A true fog does not discriminate in terms of those what damage it prevents, dear reader. In the eyes of Fog, all damage is created equal, and all damage is thus prevented equally. That being said, here are my favorites.
5. Holy Day
O Holy Day. I think about this card a lot like I do Mana Tithe, in that it’s a one-mana “gotcha” that really just catches a lot of folks with their pants down. They tend to be more on edge about more expensive nonsense like Comeuppance (a FAKE fog), and suspicion rarely lies in the single open Plains beyond something like Swords to Plowshares, certainly not something that can affect the entire combat step. And really that’s not even touching on the aesthetic value — the original printing of this thing was way back in Legends, and that card is a hoot from top to bottom. Even the reprint in Invasion, with art from the great Mark Tedin, looks totally savage. All in all, a sweet piece that should have been redone as a Mystical Archive, probably. I would appreciate some follow up from Wizards about this.
So this is a fog that rides a similar line as Holy Day, but obviously we get a little more upside. This is the real alpha-strike back-breaker. Dipping into black is a nice touch — a welcome variation on the theme. When you consider that every Tom, Dick, and Harry is spewing out tokens left and right nowadays, I’d say this little number’s in for a renaissance. Much like how Rakdos Charm has the means to punish those wide boards as it’s hidden mode, Batwing Brume is great for punishing people who like to cast things like Avenger of Zendikar, which is something I take a moderate amount of satisfaction from.
This one’s still a little baby boy, only having been birthed into the format fairly recently, but it’s capacity as lateral graveyard hate is dope as shit. Being able to Get ’em™ on two axes is what really makes this thing stand out. Obviously it’s best utilized as a fog first and graveyard interaction second, simply by virtue of how the effects tend to line up in the average game, but in a pinch just being able to tuck a graveyard is something that you shouldn’t overlook. Sure, it’s a great two-for-one effect, but the floor on this thing is simply a solid modal spell and I appreciate that.
2. Dawn Charm
Speaking of modal spells. Ok, so Dawn Charm provides such a great protective suite. The fog effect is going to be the most common usage, and I view this as a fog first, honestly. It’s just that sometimes the threat isn’t on the battlefield, and this provides some level of coverage so it isn’t dead on an empty battlefield. It’s probably the most robust fog out there, which is a great trade-off since it’s certainly not the most powerful, but the added utility makes for a really great decision point for deckbuilding.
1.5. Moment’s Peace
This is two fogs.
1. Tangle
I personally really love utilizing fogs in aggressive decks that have difficulty going over the top of other decks. They allow you to buy time and build a board — do your opponents make less committed attacks in fear of a potential fog? That’s a good thing. Do they swing out with their superior board and let you completely blank their combat step? Also good. The other half of it is in the aftermath. When your opponents commit resources to combat, they are going to have less resources availble to interact effectively on the rest of the combat steps around the table, as the turn order makes it’s way back to them. Setting up crack-backs is truly one of the great aspects of a well-timed fog, and there is nothing more pure for that purpose than Tangle. Definitely the one that has won me the most games, it just blanks not only one combat step, but effectively two. That tempo swing is oftentimes going to dramatically shift the tone of the game. A world-class Magic card. Buy it in bulk.
So these are my favorite fogs. It is a beautiful, simple effect that really doesn’t read as powerful as it plays. Try them at home. Share your experiences with your friends. Get people with them. But! Indulge me here for a moment while I pontificate: I really do honestly recommend staying away from the one-sided damage prevention spells. I always ask myself a simple question: what does the game look like after I cast the spell? With symmetrical fogs, I’ve found that tactical decisions carry more weight and that resources tend to matter more (something that Commander has been having an issue with lately, in my opinion). While there haven’t been any permanents added or removed from play, the board state is still fundamentally altered and the focus of the game has the potential to undergo radical change. You don’t need to generate a million Inklings or Spiders to achieve this. You don’t need your opponent’s entire board to kill itself to achieve this. Just play beautiful symmetrical fogs and you can still have those beautiful Commander moments with a simpler, cleaner, and, most importantly, a less power-crept suite of cards that really deserves more attention.
commander, dear reader 