Gideon's Phalanx

Gideon's Phalanx is a Commander card through and through — the format's slower clock and political dynamics make a seven-mana instant-speed play viable in a way competitive 60-card formats simply don't allow. In Modern and Legacy, seven mana never arrives in a meaningful game state, and any board that four 2/2s could protect is already winning through cheaper means. Pioneer sits in the same position: the cost is too high for what the effect accomplishes against turn-four or turn-five pressure. Commander is where Gideon's Phalanx earns its slot — specifically in token-matters or lifegain-payoff builds that want flash-speed threats to ambush sweepers and generate mass ETB triggers in one shot.