Black Market Connections
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Enchantment
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The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
Black Market Connections sits in 6.9% of tracked Commander decks on Playgroup Live, and when it hits the battlefield, the pilot's win rate climbs to 37.5% — a +3.9-point edge over games where it stays in the library all game.
Black Market Connections is a 3-mana black enchantment that hands its controller a standing menu at the start of every main phase: a Treasure token, a card, or a 3/2 Shapeshifter creature — each at the cost of some life. Across 167 tracked Commander games on Playgroup Live, it appears in 6.9% of decks, a deliberate, build-around inclusion rather than an auto-staple.
The clearest signal in the data is cast versus library win rate. Games in which Black Market Connections was cast showed a 37.5% win rate (32 observations). Games where it sat in the library the whole time showed 33.6% (137 observations). That +3.9-point delta is directional at this sample size — not conclusive — but it points the same way experienced players would expect: sustained card draw and mana generation compound over the course of a long game. The hand-to-cast data reinforces this. Players hold it a median of 1 turn before casting, and only 42% slam it the same turn they draw it, suggesting they are reading the table before committing the life payments.
The commander spread is wide. Nine distinct commanders appear in the top-10 list, with the top two tied at 9 decks each. That breadth reflects how naturally Black Market Connections slots into any black strategy that can absorb the life costs — aristocrats, reanimator, midrange goodstuff, and dedicated life-gain shells alike.
- 6.9% inclusion rate across 1,801 tracked Commander decks
- 24% draw rate when in the deck, standard for a 100-card singleton
- 69% of drawn copies are cast before the game ends
- T4 median first-cast turn, with the bulk of casts falling between turns 3 and 6
- +3.9pt win-rate edge in games where it was cast vs. games where it sat in the library
- 69% battlefield stickiness — about 1 in 3 copies that resolve are later removed
First-cast turn
n=34The "good card" funnel
210 broughtOf 185 copies brought to games, 45 were drawn and 32 of those were cast, leaving 22 still on the battlefield when the final zone snapshot was recorded — a 69% stickiness rate that suggests interaction does catch up to it eventually.
Players who cast this card win 38% of the time (n=34) , vs 34% when it never left the library (n=157).
Final zone distribution
210 instances137 of 185 brought copies never leave the library — a structural consequence of 100-card singleton, not a verdict on the card's power level.
Top commanders running this card
by deck count-
1
Oloro, Ageless Ascetic
9 decks
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2
Sauron, the Dark Lord
9 decks
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3
Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER // Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel
9 decks
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4
Admiral Brass, Unsinkable
7 decks
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5
Korvold, Fae-Cursed King
6 decks
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6
Betor, Ancestor's Voice
5 decks
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7
Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos
5 decks
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8
Maha, Its Feathers Night
5 decks
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9
Phenax, God of Deception
5 decks
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10
Y'shtola, Night's Blessed
5 decks
The top 10 commanders are spread across mono-black, Dimir, Grixis, Jund, and Esper shells, with no single archetype dominating — Black Market Connections is finding homes wherever black can absorb the life costs.
How often is Black Market Connections drawn in a Commander game? ▾
In the Playgroup Live dataset, Black Market Connections has a 24.3% draw rate across deck-instances where it was included. That is exactly what you would expect from a singleton in a 100-card deck. Of the 45 instances observed reaching a player's hand, 69% were cast before the game ended — a solid conversion rate for a 3-mana permanent that requires a life-payment commitment.
Does casting Black Market Connections actually improve your odds of winning? ▾
The early signal is yes, but cautiously. Games where it was cast show a 37.5% win rate (12 wins in 32 observations). Games where it stayed in the library show 33.6% (46 wins in 137 observations). The +3.9-point delta is directional — the sample size of 32 cast instances is too small to call it statistically conclusive — but the direction is consistent with what the card does: it generates repeated card advantage and mana over several turns, which compounds in longer games.
What turn does Black Market Connections usually land? ▾
The median first-cast turn is 4, with the 25th percentile at turn 3 and the 75th at turn 6. The distribution peaks hard at turn 3, where 13 of 32 recorded casts occurred, meaning a healthy chunk of players who drew it early threw it down one turn past its mana cost. Only 2 casts happened on turn 2, suggesting acceleration into it is uncommon but possible.
Do players hold it in hand or play it immediately? ▾
Players hold Black Market Connections a median of 1 turn after drawing it before casting it, and only 42% cast it the same turn they draw it. That is notably lower than a pure ramp piece or removal spell. The likely explanation is table reading: the life payments are cumulative and can become dangerous if opponents apply pressure, so pilots wait for a window where they are comfortable locking in the recurring costs.
Which commanders most commonly run Black Market Connections? ▾
The top two commanders in the dataset — Oloro, Ageless Ascetic and Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER — each appear in 9 decks. Oloro is an obvious home: passive life gain offsets the life-payment triggers every turn. Sephiroth rewards accumulating tokens and resources, which both the Treasure and Shapeshifter modes supply. Admiral Brass, Korvold, and Maha round out the top five, showing the card fits aristocrats, treasure synergy, and mono-black goodstuff with equal comfort.
Is Black Market Connections legal in Commander, and is it banned anywhere? ▾
Black Market Connections is legal in Commander, as well as Legacy, Modern, Vintage, Historic, Timeless, and several other formats. It is not legal in Standard, Pioneer, Pauper, or Pauper Commander. There are no bans or restrictions on it in any format where it is currently legal.