Sun Titan - To Rise, To Fall, To Be Born Again

Illustrated by Jesper Ejsing

The Spelltable Commander game is going as expected. There's squirrels, gods of all kinds, lowly soldiers, Olympian titans from beyond the stars, dragons, demons and Angels galore. Treasures are being made in abundance, a win is coming soon. You can feel it in your bones.

Then an opponent plays the Secret Lair Sun Titan. And then you decide to play your Game Day Promo Sun Titan. You realize: Sun Titan's still got it! Who cares how the rest of the game goes?

Years ago, if you had told me I would be a huge believer in Sun Titan, played in Commander, in the year of our Lord Richard Garfield 2026, I think 17-18 year old me would look at you incredibly confused. I was new to Commander and was quickly being indoctrinated with Simic cards, and paying 6 mana on Sun Titan vs literally any big green creature (likely at instant speed via Yeva Nature's Herald and eventually Prophet of Kruphix). What was I doing bringing something small back? That's not punching people hard enough with trample!

Oh Cole, you had no idea what would be coming down the pipeline.

I'm a big believer in the big Sun Titan in the sky now, and when someone tells me that Sun Titan isn't EDH playable, I find myself disappointed about the lack of whimsy in a player's heart. If we're in Commander Turbo Hell and the Big Shiny Giant isn't worth the mana, I feel disconnected from this idea of what Commander "should be" and what Commander is for a general player base.

 

 

Course, this also reminds me of the disconnect I feel from my family lately. I can't tell them anything about Commander, Sun Titan and all its artwork variants, and the printings of Terminate and Animate Dead that depicts its death and unrebirth. So I'm gonna take this time to tell you, the reader about the printings, and how I relate to them throughout my time as a Magic and Commander player.

To Rise - Sun Titan Illustrated by Todd Lockwood

I was reintroduced to Magic in full force around early 2011, when I was 16 going on 17. My friend had returned from summer camp where another friend introduced it to him. At the time, I was in theatre, drawing manga, watching anime, missing cues from cute girls, and generally trying to figure out who I was as a person. Needless to say, I was instantly hooked, being invited out to play with slightly older friends, stay out late with them and quickly being introduced to FNM, and all that standard entailed during the 2011 time period.

No real "money",  being a kid who only earned money from lawn mowing and a bit of allowance, but no problems! My friends were very generous and gave me access to their bulk, when my requests were reasonable. It was quite a change from my normal friendships, because we were all pretty passionately involved, helping each other out, making equal value trades, defeating each other at FNM and then heading to the basement or kitchen table of a generous host for multiplayer kitchen table Magic until the sun crept over the horizon.

 

Eventually, we broke into Commander. My first commander deck was Odric, Master Tactician (aka CAPTAIN NO-BLOCKS), and I was NOT running Sun Titan at this time. Running a new commander deck on a budget like I was at the time, with my inexperience in Magic meant it wasn't even on my radar. I wasn't appreciating it the same way I would eventually today.

 

My parents didn't quite get this new hobby of mine, and even now in my 30s, still don't. Spending time sitting around and nerding out wasn't quite their scene, and would always question or critique my decision to buy cardboard, and heavily invest my time into a cerebral hobby. For me, it was being in high school theater: it was a way for me to socialize and become more confident interacting with people beyond my usual social circles. Friday Night Magic had a variety of characters attending, exposing me to older players who were ex-bouncers and poker sharks, and my new Magic friends were studying to be teachers, ship captains, computer and oil engineers, while being into sports, hiking and outdoorsy activities. Really breaking stereotypes here. I never really understood what was wrong about investing my time in this hobby and my new relationships with these people. (Answer: nothing. It just took me a long time to feel pride than shame)

To Fall - Terminate Illustrated by Lucas Graciano

Of course, all good things must come to an end. And as I turned 18 in the summer of 2012, several reality checks happened. I needed to get a job, because I wanted to go to school to become an artist. And you need money to do a lot of things, like continuing to play Magic with your friends...and to pay for your public transportation so you can get to work, and go to school, so you can get a better job (so you can buy MORE magic cards, etc).

So, I managed to get a job a few cities away at what can only be called a sweatshop. An industrial laundromat for the hospitals in the lower mainland of British Columbia, being paid $12 CAD an hour with a lot of immigrant coworkers who were being drastically underpaid and over-worked, burning their fingerprints away while sorting and folding freshly dried blankets and hospital gowns. Real shithole of a place. 

I buckled down and made my way around and up in this joint, and all the while realizing that I wasn't able to make it to FNM with my friends. It was too far away for my regular commute (and I didn't drive, which doesn't help things), and the LGSs in the area were a much different vibe when you're on your own. Rotation was hitting me in the wallet too, so I made the decision that a lot of people made: I'd just be a Commander player moving forward. (It still hit me in the wallet, but that's beside the point)

So the status quo had changed. I had to work, save my money, really think about what I wanted out of school and who I was now as an adult. I changed jobs, had a few different romantic relationships that didn't go anywhere, and went through many, MANY commander decks. Lots of Simic bullshit, eventually jumping into Khan's of Tarkir's Sultai and Temur wedges. I was hitting my stride as a player and deck builder, slowly accumulating decks and eventually breaking into a whole other playgroup.

At the same time, my friends were going to school, doing jobs in and out of town, and even thinking about moving away. All the while, I was still dealing with my folks and the continued critique of who I was and what I was doing with my life. Going to art school wasn't good enough, and neither were my jobs. Why didn't I work with my old man at his job (and make a bunch of money), and why didn't I go into a trade, like plumping or carpentry (and make a bunch of money)?

I was stubborn and resentful, insistent that I would go to an art school and get myself into the province's animation or gaming industries. I didn't realize what I was setting myself up for in doing so, and after 3+ years of work and a $35k CAD tuition fee, I was in the Vancouver College of Art and Design for 3D animation.

During that time, magic still continued, while also taking a chance on Tinder and meeting a wonderful girl with stormy blue eyes, a brute of an orange cat who adored me, and who liked me for me and wanted me to indulge and enjoy my hobbies without reservation. Within 2 years I graduated, and didn't get an animation job, because I realized that my folks were right...AND the industry is a shithole too. What I was actually doing, was moving out with my girlfriend in the summer and getting a random job to help pay for rent. COVID was just around the corner, the "Johnny Mardu" player concept was beginning to take root as my initial appreciation for Simic was severely on the decline, and Sun Titan was showing up more often on my side of the table.

A whole new bunch of trials and arcs of my life was going to begin, being a partner, renter, pet owner, and, after holding off on it for a long time, a Magic Content Creator. 

To Be Born Again - Animate Dead Illustrated by Anthony Jones

The last few years since COVID hit has left me markedly changed. A little more jaded, worn out, arguably wiser. I've also gotten a much better grasp of who I am as a person. There's a lot of things I've learned from when I was effectively a fresh roommate with no prior homemaking experiences* and, if I break down what I thought I was bringing to the table, it's the following:

• I've never lived with anyone but my parents- I'm bringing some bad habits and suppressed baggage into a relationship
• I'm learning how to be a good person to live with from scratch, and not be a dependent 
• I was physically disconnected from friends and family, another marked change in my status quo
• *I did have homemaking experiences, but I was lazy and undisciplined

I'm sure for a lot of people, they learned very quickly when 2020 hit, you either rose to the challenge of being under the roof with someone you love but never stress tested the scenario before, or you learn the relationship doesn't work. Needless to say, I've found my relationship with my girlfriend to be mostly frictionless, with some obvious bumps in the road to help remind you to grow, admit your wrongs and flaws, and help your partner grow and flourish in a new environment by giving them the space to enjoy hobbies.

With my partner's blessing and full support, I started guesting on Commander streams, which eventually kickstarted me making the Uncommon Commander podcast, which lead to me interacting and befriending a lot of people on this continent and across the ocean. Then, eventually shutting down Uncommon Commander for The Hero's Blade Vibe Check Radio Show with my friend and co-host Empress "Kill You With Knives" Quinn, and joining MTG Lexicon, the Dive Bar of EDH. I've learned to audio edit, apply the Photoshop classes from college in my thumbnail and logo designs, and fully shifted from being a Simic player to a Mardu player. A one-time joke about being "Johnny Mardu" has lead me to do fake radio show host bits as this fictional guy, with aviators and a reversed snapback hat with Mardu Horde's wings on display as part of the aesthetic. It's goofy as hell, and people seem to dig it.

In a sense, with all these factors, I've been reborn in a way. Not the same kid who started Magic, not the same man who started with a shitty job, not the same child of parents who didn't quite understand who he was, and a player who shunned Sun Titan before and came to embrace the slower, clunkier and often forgotten or skipped cards. I'm far more confident in my place in the world, in what I'm capable of, and I'm able to fully embrace my joys.

It All Leads Back To Sun Titan Art by Chris Rahn

Sun Titan represents to me is a lot of things. The card itself is about rebirth, bringing another friend along with you on your journey. You can pay the full cost and still enjoy the full reward by attacking later, but maybe someone Terminates it before it has its time to shine. You can bring it back with Animate Dead, or use Titan trigger to bring back Animate Dead on something bigger, bypassing his limits. It's fine, we can make the most of it. Sun Titan is the little train that could, in the face of Magic's ever growing card pool. 

Despite Wizard of the Coast's habit of using Black to represent evil, villainy, and unnatural life, we do have to remember that death is a natural part of life. The death of a body could mean nutrients that enters the earth and brings forth new life. A fire or erupting volcano can bring a wave of destruction, and in its wake, new life can take root. People can pick themselves up from the ashes of adversity and with effort, community, companionship and fortitude, make a new life for themselves.

To sum up everything and where I find myself now, I feel a lot more content about my place in life. I get to hang out with cool people every few weekends and play Commander, When my girlfriend and I had to move out of a decaying and soon-to-be-demo'd apartment in early 2025, we knew what we were expecting. A new home meant a new route to work, new groceries to shop at, new rules for being a resident, and unexpected at the time, a new gas stove. 

 

Ever since, I've been cooking more often and with far more joy and experience behind it. I enjoy what I make, my girlfriend enjoys and praises it as well, and I carve another niche for myself that defines me and brings me warmth, peace and happiness. I'm hoping to bring something for friends at future Commander meet ups, and play a few more Sun Titans while I'm at it. Bring a little joy to the table. Thanks for reading.

 

Cole can be found on Bluesky, the Hero's Blade Vibe Check Podcast on wherever Podcasts are sold, and sometimes over on Twitch on MTG Lexicon.