Clifftop Retreat
Clifftop Retreat appears in 11% of tracked Commander decks, and when drawn, players cast it 79% of the time, with a median first-cast turn of 4.
Clifftop Retreat sits in 11% of the 1,807 distinct Commander decks tracked on Playgroup Live. That focused inclusion rate reflects its color-identity constraint: only decks running Red, White, or both can slot it in, and among those it is a reliable dual-land staple.
The draw-to-play rate of 79% is the headline. When a player finds Clifftop Retreat in hand, they almost always deploy it. The median first-cast turn is 4, which is later than you might expect for a land, but consistent with the card entering tapped when players lack the right basic on board. The hand-to-cast data backs this up: the median time a player holds it before playing is 1 turn, and 46% of the time it is cast the same turn it is drawn.
With a cast-vs-library win-rate delta of just +1.1 percentage points (32.8% when cast vs. 31.7% when left in the library), Clifftop Retreat behaves exactly like a utility land should: it facilitates wins rather than driving them. Both sample sizes are large enough to call that delta a directional signal that the card neither hurts nor dramatically boosts your win rate on its own.
- 11% inclusion rate across all tracked Commander decks
- 79% of drawn Clifftop Retreats are cast before the game ends
- T4 median first-cast turn
- 88% battlefield stickiness once played
- +1.1pp win-rate delta when cast vs. left in library — a clean, neutral signal
- 46% of drawn copies are cast the same turn they are drawn
First-cast turn
n=66The "good card" funnel
344 brought306 copies were brought to games, 68 were drawn (22%), 58 of those were cast (79% draw-to-play), and 51 ended the game on the battlefield, a stickiness rate of 88%.
Players who cast this card win 32% of the time (n=66) , vs 34% when it never left the library (n=264).
Final zone distribution
344 instances237 of 306 brought copies never left the library, a structural consequence of 100-card singleton rather than any weakness in the card. Of the copies that did move, 51 finished on the battlefield.
Top commanders running this card
by deck count-
1
Quintorius, History Chaser
36 decks
-
2
Éowyn, Shieldmaiden
15 decks
-
3
Mr. House, President and CEO
14 decks
-
4
Terra, Herald of Hope
13 decks
-
5
Ragost, Deft Gastronaut
11 decks
-
6
Pantlaza, Sun-Favored
10 decks
-
7
Rin and Seri, Inseparable
10 decks
-
8
Lorehold, the Historian
9 decks
-
9
Zedruu the Greathearted
8 decks
-
10
Fire Lord Zuko
7 decks
Quintorius, History Chaser anchors the list at 30 decks, nearly double the next tier. Below that, the distribution spreads across Boros, Jeskai, Mardu, and Naya commanders, reflecting how broadly Red-White overlap applies.
How often is Clifftop Retreat drawn in a Commander game? ▾
In the 305 deck-participations where Clifftop Retreat was included, it was drawn in 22% of instances. That is normal for a singleton in a 100-card deck. Of the 68 times it reached a player's hand, 79% were cast before the game ended, giving 58 total casts across 278 tracked games.
Does casting Clifftop Retreat actually help you win? ▾
The data shows a cast-vs-library win-rate delta of +1.1 percentage points: 32.8% win rate when cast versus 31.7% when it stayed in the library all game. Both buckets have large sample sizes (58 and 237 respectively), so this is a directional signal that Clifftop Retreat is a neutral enabler. It smooths your mana without independently swinging the game in your favor, which is exactly what you want from a dual land.
Why does Clifftop Retreat have a median cast turn of 4 if it's a land? ▾
Clifftop Retreat enters the battlefield tapped unless you already control a Mountain or a Plains. Players who lack the right basic on curve will sometimes hold it a turn or two to avoid the tempo loss, or they draw it later in the game. The hand-to-cast data shows a median hold time of 1 turn and a same-turn cast rate of 46%, so roughly half the time players do deploy it immediately. The other half reflects either a tapped-entry calculation or a mid-to-late-game draw.
Which commanders run Clifftop Retreat most often? ▾
Quintorius, History Chaser leads the list with 30 decks, well ahead of the next group. Éowyn, Shieldmaiden and Mr. House, President and CEO each appear in 14 decks. The distribution across the top 10 commanders spans Boros (R/W), Jeskai (R/U/W), Mardu (B/R/W), and Naya (G/R/W) shells, confirming that the card slots into any deck touching both Red and White regardless of the third color.
Is Clifftop Retreat legal in Commander? ▾
Yes. Clifftop Retreat is legal in Commander, as well as Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, Historic, Alchemy, Timeless, Brawl, Gladiator, and Oathbreaker. It is not legal in Standard, Pauper, or Pauper Commander. There are no bans or restrictions in any format where it is currently legal.
How sticky is Clifftop Retreat once it hits the battlefield? ▾
Battlefield stickiness sits at 88%. Of the 58 casts observed, 51 ended the game still on the battlefield. The final-zone breakdown shows 9 copies reaching the graveyard and 2 in exile, which is consistent with board wipes that hit lands or targeted land destruction. For a non-basic land in Commander, 88% stickiness is a strong result.