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List of EDH Staples and Power Cards

Colorless (209)

Blue (58)

Black (42)

Red (24)

Green (53)

White (44)

Gold (27)


Description

This is not a deck, but a list of staple and power cards in EDH. I chose to use the deck list rather than a normal card list because this form can be deckcycled and searched more easily.

If a card has not been included that you think deserves consideration, please state why you think that card should be on the list.

Suggestions

mafteechr says...

#1

The hell with red cards!

This is a great resource. Thanks Epochalyptik.

July 4, 2012 6:03 p.m.

fireteam says...

#2

I would almost say Garruk Relentless  Flip , as he's two popular colors (G/B) and he tutors very well for creatures and puts out 1/1 deathtouch tokens... I personally think that he should be considered for more decks...

July 4, 2012 6:05 p.m.

fireteam says...

#3

Oh, and Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds ...

July 4, 2012 6:15 p.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#4

@ mafteechr: Red is a bit... lacking. It doesn't offer the flexibility and versatility that the other colors do, and there isn't really anything red can do that another color can't.

@ fireteam: Added those lands and a few more. I'm on the fence about Garruk Relentless  Flip , though. It seems like there's too much work involved to get him to be useable and keep him alive long enough to get mileage out of his good abilities. I feel like he'd die before that point too often to justify running him. Have you had a good experience using him in a deck?

July 4, 2012 6:46 p.m.

fireteam says...

#5

Yes, I play a bunch of mana ramp, and I easily get him out turn 3, and then I sacrifice a puny creature to him (Farhaven Elf , Fierce Empath , Solemn Simulacrum etc.) and I get a Primeval Titan with his second ability the next turn, too beautiful :) I mean, I maybe wouldn't consider him a staple, but most definitely a card that more people need to consider, as the first turns of a game for almost everyone is mana ramp...and he's very good as long as he's out for 2-3 turns... the problem is he's G/B, and most people would take a tutor ability over him any day... but he's a great token engine if you can keep him out...Especially with deathtouch, as long as the opposing creature doesn't have evasion, it's dead :P

July 4, 2012 7:35 p.m.

fireteam says...

#6

Mikokoro, Center of the Sea

July 4, 2012 8:22 p.m.

torridus says...

#7

No Jace Beleren , or does he help your opponents too much for a traditional EDH deck?

July 5, 2012 12:32 a.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#8

Jace Beleren tends to be a "pay 1UU: draw 1-3 cards" depending on how much heat it draws. It becomes more a question of politicking ability than card quality.

July 5, 2012 12:40 a.m.

maiden77 says...

#9

i would argue that Garruk Wildspeaker is a green staple as who doesnt want to untap lands? he can also help with good sized tokens and his ultimate happening is a win con in itself, i would try to say that Garruk, Primal Hunter is but its too dependant on creature size when he is used for his card:Soul's Majesty ability. a red power card to me would be Magmatic Force cuz hes insane. but i would make a real argument for the incarnations namely Anger , Brawn and Wonder they are simply epic in EDH

July 5, 2012 7:28 a.m.

Demarge says...

#10

Acquire and card:Praetor's Grasp (as tutoring an opponent's deck for mana rocks, tutors, and combo pieces not only help you, but hurt your opponents).

The worldwake man land cycle (dual lands with the added bonus of being "surprise I'm a creature!").

And finally (though probably won't make the cut anyway) Storm Cauldron ! (makes the game Standstill ) Noetic Scales (says no to decks that empty their hands to play large creatures.), Lethal Vapors (forces politics by asking the question "who wants to lose?")

July 5, 2012 9:49 a.m.

maiden77 says...

#11

Expedition Map is an auto include in my EDH decks and also possibly Sylvan Scrying in green, best mana rock IMO also an auto include Coalition Relic can give you two mana in a turn, invaluable!

July 5, 2012 10:32 a.m.

Worldly Tutor ,Chameleon Colossus

July 5, 2012 9:22 p.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#13

Worldly Tutor is already on the list.

I have no experience using Chameleon Colossus , but it seems like it's only good as a beater. Is there something to this card I'm missing?

July 5, 2012 9:29 p.m.

cagedmage250 says...

#14

elixir of immortality, phyrexian revoker, isochron sceptor, restoration angel and yes garruk relentless chaos warp, show and tell

July 6, 2012 9:11 a.m.

cagedmage250 says...

#15

any planeswalker is great it keeps the heat off you for a while and jb would be an auto include for me because why not draw and be greedy and kill him off turn 3 u have a 3 card advantage i mean you can ponder and brainstorm to get what you want then draw em up with jb. my thoughts on edh is you are never going to play them all so might as well get em while you can before someone mills you and its gone for good.

July 6, 2012 9:16 a.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#16

I don't necessarily agree with that. Being a planeswalker does not automatically qualify a card as good. I've included some planeswalkers because others might find them useful, but the others lack the necessary utility to make the list.

July 6, 2012 10:31 a.m.

coleman984 says...

#17

Oversold Cemetery

It is such an under-rated card but imo it is an auto include in all my black decks.

July 8, 2012 5:13 a.m.

Azure124 says...

#18

Sneak Attack

July 17, 2012 12:41 p.m.

shaistyone says...

#19

I can only go based on my own experiences, but I see these constantly in any deck that can support them.

Lands:

Winding Canyons

Spinerock Knoll

Mosswort Bridge

Windbrisk Heights

Cavern of Souls

Exotic Orchard

Emeria, The Sky Ruin

Terrain Generator

Bojuka Bog

card:Mirrodin's Core

Vault of the Archangel

Gavony Township

Tower of the Magistrate

The Vivid lands

The cycle lands a la Forgotten Cave

July 17, 2012 12:47 p.m.

xubermensch says...

#20

All Is Dust is a great wrath effect that deals with hexproof and indestructible things like Uril, the Miststalker and Avacyn, Angel of Hope . It also fits in any color deck. I use it in my Karn, Silver Golem EDH to basically auto-win.

July 17, 2012 9:37 p.m.

BossLeiser says...

#21

card:General's Kabuto works very well for EDH decks that require continual attacking with one's general, like Kaalia of the Vast and Zur the Enchanter .

July 21, 2012 12:33 a.m.

SwiftDeath says...

#22

there is also Braids, Cabal Minion and Fleshbag Marauder .

July 21, 2012 11:13 a.m.

What about Recollect and card:Praetor's Counsel? I run both of these in any deck that has green.

July 22, 2012 6:54 p.m.

Sorry about the double post but also what about Extraplanar Lens , Caged Sun and Gauntlet of Power ? They are auto-includes for any mono colored deck I build and definitely considered whenever I build a dual colored one.

July 22, 2012 7 p.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#25

Odd. I could've sworn I had included the doubling rocks when I first made the list. Good catch.

Also, since we lack an edit feature, I don't consider any series of posts that all add to the conversation to be unnecessary.

July 22, 2012 7:06 p.m.

xubermensch says...

#26

Maybe this is kind of a dick card due to land destruction being commonly frowned upon, but I run Mwonvuli Acid-Moss in all of my decks with access to green cards. In 1v1 stone rain + rampant growth is basically like casting Time Stretch for four mana.

July 23, 2012 6:07 a.m.

xubermensch says...

#27

Err... Mwonvuli Acid-Moss . Like green Time Stretch . Forgot to do the silly formatting in the previous comment.

July 23, 2012 6:09 a.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#29

I added some of those card, but most of them are only average. Many seem like beatsticks and nothing more, which isn't good enough to get them onto a list of strong utility cards.

July 23, 2012 3:36 p.m.

xubermensch says...

#30

It almost seems like this list should be broken up into respective categories, such as mono-red, etc. Of course, that probably is making things far too complicated and would be too much work.

July 24, 2012 5:11 a.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#31

The nice thing about the decklist method of writing this list is that any user can sort the list however he or she chooses. I sacrificed the ability to search/order monocolored lists in favor of an approach that really caters to all decks.

July 24, 2012 5:20 a.m.

shaistyone says...

#32

Yeah, I was going more for the 'staples' concept rather than the utility cards.

If I see a deck in my meta (or build one) it will almost always have these cards in it that are right for the colors..

July 24, 2012 11:09 a.m.

SwiftDeath says...

#33

Magus of the Disk

July 25, 2012 2:25 a.m.

BossLeiser says...

#34

I'm not sure if this counts, since it's more of a combo, but I think this could be ridiculous in any black deck considering the number of tutors black has:

Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond

If both of these cards are out, as soon as any opponent loses any life, you can kill all of them.

July 25, 2012 12:46 p.m.

Paladin95 says...

#35

Perhaps Gisela, Blade of Goldnight ? It's pretty effective in this format and is especially fun in multiplayer games.

July 26, 2012 3:52 a.m.

BossLeiser says...

#36

I think Coat of Arms deserves to be on this list.

July 26, 2012 12:08 p.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#37

Coat of Arms is a pretty finicky card. It's often a dangerous choice because of the prevalence of token decks, so the only decks that can put out large numbers of creatures of a given type will truly benefit from it. Usually, these decks are infinite or near-infinite anyway, so Coat of Arms becomes redundant.

July 26, 2012 6:28 p.m.

Dritz says...

#38

How about Cloud Key ?

July 28, 2012 1:20 a.m.

squire1 says...

#39

Gotta go with Exotic Orchard . I have stolen creature and artifacts etc too many time that I wanted to use and couldn't to their full ability because I did not have the mana I needed.

July 28, 2012 6:46 p.m.

xubermensch says...

#40

@squire1 You can't produce mana outside of your commander's colors. Even if something does, it just produces colorless mana. Therefore you can't actually use activated abilities and such from stolen creatures if the colors are outside of your commander's colors.

July 28, 2012 6:53 p.m.

squire1 says...

#41

Really? That sucks. Just starting with commander so the rules are still fuzzy. In that case, it's not really that good. I rescind my comment about adding it.

July 28, 2012 6:57 p.m.

Jokernaught says...

#42

Deadeye Navigator ? Maybe. seems to me like a good newer card for edh.

August 3, 2012 5:58 p.m.

squire1 says...

#43

Mana Vault

August 8, 2012 8:40 a.m.

alexsmith21 says...

#44

I disagree with Liliana of the Veil being a staple planeswalker. The other two versions are completely justified, but I feel that her abilities just make her very weak for an EDH game compared to the other two. More suited for standard or modern than in EDH imo.

August 11, 2012 1:52 p.m.

Dritz says...

#45

No on the Cloud Key then?

August 11, 2012 1:54 p.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#46

That's odd. I only remember adding Liliana Vess . I don't recall putting the other two in; even the new Lili is kind of unimpressive in EDH.

Is Cloud Key good? I don't think I've ever seen it played, but that's just my experience. It seems very one-dimensional and therefore limited.

August 11, 2012 1:57 p.m.

shaistyone says...

#47

I disagree on Liliana of the Dark Realms . I think any mono- or heavy black deck would want her.

From the current list:

Have almost never seen in an EDH game -

Ajani Vengeant

Garruk Relentless  Flip

Sarkhan the Mad

Sorin, Lord of Innistrad

Still super rare, but will pop up once in a while:

Ajani Goldmane

Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Sarkhan Vol

Missing these which I see quite a bit of:

Chandra, the Firebrand (usually just to copy some ridiculous spell)

Tezzeret the Seeker (typically pulling artifact lands like a champ)

August 11, 2012 6:45 p.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#48

These comments have me wondering if one of my updates got botched. I most certainly remember adding Tezzeret the Seeker purely because it can fetch all the best mana rocks in the game.

Liliana of the Dark Realms is still not fantastic. It's a slow tutor for something relatively unimpressive and a Mutilate without the boardwipe. The last ability will probably never go off if your opponents have any board state whatsoever.

August 11, 2012 7:03 p.m.

warper says...

#49

I don't see Wheel of Fortune , Scrying Sheets , red needs the card draw pretty bad.

Obliterate seems to be in any deck that uses planeswalkers or can keep their board after using it. I see this card a LOT because it can't be countered.

August 12, 2012 1:27 p.m.

jminute14 says...

#51

Necrotic Ooze ?

August 13, 2012 1:36 a.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#52

Miracle spells aren't really good in EDH, in my opinion. Even Mystical Tutor ing into Temporal Mastery is kind of bad when you can just Time Stretch all day.

How often is Scrying Sheets played in EDH?

August 13, 2012 2:17 a.m.

shaistyone says...

#53

Scrying Sheets is for mono-colored decks running Snow-covered lands and Extraplanar Lens . I run it in my mono-blue, but I think I've only seen it a few other times.

Yeah, most miracles are heavily slanted towards 1 v 1 games. If that was my environment, I'm sure cards like Bonfire of the Damned would be all-stars.

The miracles I see in EDH in order of frequency:

  1. Banishing Stroke
  2. Terminus
  3. Devastation Tide
  4. Entreat the Angels
August 13, 2012 11:26 a.m.

jminute14 says...

#54

What do people think of Knollspine Dragon and Dragon Mage ?

August 14, 2012 4:24 a.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#55

I agree with Terminus only because you can hard cast it as a Hallowed Burial for one more. The others seem a little iffy in EDH. If Devastation Tide was an instant, it'd be on here.

Knollspine Dragon seems good, since red desperately needs draw power. I suppose Dragon Mage is in the same boat.

August 14, 2012 9:03 p.m.

jminute14 says...

#56

Yeah, it just has the problem of helping everyone. But a Wheel of Fortune on big legs could be worse.

August 14, 2012 9:37 p.m.

maiden77 says...

#57

Dragon Mage is in 3 of my EDH decks, hes amazing. run him with Sedris, the Traitor King , Kaalia of the Vast and Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund

August 15, 2012 7:56 a.m.

Paladin95 says...

#58

Hey Ajani Vengeant definitely deserves to be on here. His abilities are very relevant. His ultimate, should you pull it off, is game winning and his lesser abilities are each useful in their own right.

August 15, 2012 10:52 p.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#59

The thing is, his lesser abilities aren't that good. Lightning Helix isn't relevant in this format and a frost effect that doesn't tap is also kind of mediocre.

Plus, it takes him 5 turns to get the ultimate off and he will surely die in that time.

August 15, 2012 11:32 p.m.

Chuky says...

#60

Very nice. I vote +1. Maybe Copper Gnomes , Time Warp , Trygon Predator , Dwarven Miner , Dark Ritual , Boomerang could be in the list?

August 17, 2012 3:34 a.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#61

Dark Ritual , like other "Add X" effects, is underwhelming in EDH, but the other suggestions have been incorporated. Thank you for the input!

August 18, 2012 12:01 a.m.

jminute14 says...

#62

Academy Rector seems to be good in any deck with white and a valuable enchantment or two.

August 18, 2012 3:33 a.m.

Paladin95 says...

#63

Dawn Charm perhaps? Useful in any white deck due to its variety of options. Well in my opinion anyways.

August 18, 2012 4:39 p.m.

shaistyone says...

#64

Artifacts I see constantly:

Basilisk Collar

card:Seer's Sundial

card:Journeyer's Kite

Strata Scythe

Proteus Staff

Citanul Flute

Door of Destinies

Staff of Nin

And the medallions (i.e. Sapphire Medallion )

August 19, 2012 12:49 a.m.

shaistyone says...

#65

Enchantments list is long (my favorite card type by far)

Ghostly Prison / Propaganda

Absolute Grace / Absolute Law

Endless Horizons

card:Marshal's Anthem

card:Cathars' Crusade

Telepathy

Call to the Kindred

Equilibrium

Asceticism

card:Hibernation's End

Warstorm Surge

Abundance

Aura Shards

Greater Good

card:Druids' Repository

August 19, 2012 1:09 a.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#66

@Paladin95: Dawn Charm is ok, but I don't think it's great. It seems to be only average.

@shaistyone: card:Journeyer's Kite, Citanul Flute , card:Marshal's Anthem, Equilibrium , Asceticism , Aura Shards , card:Hibernation's End, and Greater Good all seem decent, but I don't think the other cards really have enough merits to be on the list. They're too limited in power and versatility. card:Seer's Sundial and Staff of Nin are the only ones I would really reconsider and only because they're colorless draw power, albeit slow and expensive.

August 19, 2012 8:32 p.m.

shaistyone says...

#67

Well, all I can go by is what I see. The cards I listed certainly vary widely in power, but the chief criteria I go by is ubiquity.

For example, at last FNM we played quite a few EDH games. I think I saw 11 decks total, and these cards were disproportionally represented. I'd say 5 of the 7 decks that had White in them had card:Cathars' Crusade, as one example. And building a mono-color deck without it's respective medallion and a Strata Scythe seems strange.

August 20, 2012 1:03 a.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#68

Ubiquity does not translate to power. card:Cathars' Crusade is only really abused in token decks (even then, those decks should have a good reason to run it before including it). Outside of this rather limited application, the card is mediocre; in regards to this application, it needs to be paired with supporting cards that benefit from it or you're only making a few fat tokens over a few turns.

The medallions aren't cards I would call staples, but I suppose I could consider them if they actually are played to a reasonable extent.. I don't often see them played. Nobody has ever cast one in a game that I was playing or spectating, and few lists even include it as far as I can tell.

Strata Scythe is also limited. It's only effective in monocolored decks and even then, only in decks that need to attack and can afford the slowness of the card itself. It's a card, but not a power card.

August 20, 2012 2:01 a.m.

ameuser says...

#69

So...if Brawn is on the list, I'd say Blightsteel Colossus should be there, if only for it's otk capability? And for its power in general.

August 22, 2012 12:47 p.m.

ameuser says...

#70

Also this isn't really powerful, per say, but Sakura-Tribe Elder is found in about 99.9% of decks that have green in them: ramps early and is a sac outlet early and late, and is fodder for a Natural Order whenever...Not sure if that is what is the standard for inclusion as a power/utility card in this list tho

August 22, 2012 1:46 p.m.

FatFailKid says...

#71

For any decks running White should use Final Judgement because if any player is not letting you have creatures you can say ok if I can't have any creatures no one can.

August 26, 2012 3:20 a.m.

It That Betrays should definitely be on the list. Its definitely powerful and IMO is better than Kozilek.

August 26, 2012 4:13 p.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#73

It That Betrays serves a different, lesser purpose compared to Kozilek, Butcher of Truth . Being able to draw four on top of getting a huge creature with annihilator is an incredible advantage. It's a decent card, but I certainly wouldn't call it better than Kozilek.

August 26, 2012 4:59 p.m.

squire1 says...

#74

And kozi has the added bonus of being a card:Feldon's Cane if it is discarded or milled or destroyed.

August 26, 2012 6:28 p.m.

You should also add Rings of Brighthearth as it's amazing in EDH, especially with planeswalkers. Thousand-Year Elixir is also very good,but I don't know if it's worthy of being on the list.

August 26, 2012 7:54 p.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#76

Thousand-Year Elixir is kind of conditional and only seems average when it's used right. Added Rings of Brighthearth .

August 26, 2012 8:10 p.m.

SwiftDeath says...

#77

some of the magus creatures are definitely worth looking at I commented on Magus of the Disk but got no response what did you think of it?

August 27, 2012 3:10 a.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#78

I will run down the list of magi later today. Magus of the Disk seems alright but not overwhelming. Is it usually played?

August 27, 2012 3:13 a.m.

SwiftDeath says...

#79

also with indestructible creatures you can get a lot of value from The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale seeing as the creature is destroyed not sacrificed like in Magus of the Tabernacle .

August 27, 2012 3:15 a.m.

SwiftDeath says...

#80

i see him played next to Reveillark sometimes but not usually in heavy competitive decks.

August 27, 2012 3:17 a.m.

Rhadamanthus says...

#81

Very nice list. Based on my own experience, I would like to submit the following for possible inclusion: card:Faith's Fetters, Oblation , Avatar of Woe , Aftershock , Starstorm , Fumarole , Basalt Monolith , Crystal Ball , card:Nevinyrral's Disk, Worn Powerstone , Wurmcoil Engine

August 27, 2012 11:48 a.m.

SwiftDeath says...

#82

you say card:Cathars' Crusade is only abused in token decks but i have a much better use for it instead to make it so creatures with persist like Woodfall Primus never die, highly abused in my Saffi Eriksdotter deck.

September 1, 2012 6:41 p.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#83

That's still a relatively limited application and I wouldn't call card:Cathars' Crusade a staple card. There are plenty of effects that work with persist but they don't necessarily make a card powerful.

September 1, 2012 6:49 p.m.

Crocosaurus says...

#84

Journey to Nowhere

September 2, 2012 4:56 p.m.

card:Mishra's Workshop is a must for this list.

September 2, 2012 9:35 p.m.

BossLeiser says...

#86

I know it hasn't been released yet, but as soon as it is, Chromatic Lantern should be added to this list.

September 3, 2012 11:20 p.m.

Logan Pitt says...

#87

i am really surprised with all the lands that you do not have Tolaria West . I say this should be used, bc i know with some decks transmutting into a land with a specific ability that helps you out would be great, like playing a wizard deck that gets hated on with counter spells could transmute into a Cavern of Souls so that their spells cant be countered, or it can be used to search out legendary lands to your hand then battlefield since some colors can not do that. check out my deck Niv 2.0 i play it and ive liked it, it works really well, comment to help improve it and +1 if you like it.

September 9, 2012 11:38 p.m.

Logan Pitt says...

#88

and oops my bad i totally skipped over it in the list. lol

September 9, 2012 11:39 p.m.

alexsmith21 says...

#89

Recurring Insight might need some consideration as a draw spell. In a multiplayer EDH this card can net some serious draw power

September 16, 2012 12:58 p.m.

AztecaSaint says...

#90

Great source. Primeval Titan is banned though.http://mtgcommander.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12253&sid=6b445c7d750d2338b8e8f528246c877e

September 19, 2012 4:06 p.m.

AztecaSaint says...

#91

Great source. Primeval Titan is banned though.http://mtgcommander.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12253&sid=6b445c7d750d2338b8e8f528246c877e

September 19, 2012 4:06 p.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#92

It is now. I didn't update the list when I first saw that. I'll add Kokusho in its place.

September 19, 2012 4:12 p.m.

ameuser says...

#93

Hi! Would you say Catastrophe is a power card?

September 21, 2012 2:17 p.m.

jminute14 says...

#94

What do you think about card:War's Toll?

October 4, 2012 10:42 p.m.

jminute14 says...

#95

And Avacyn, Angel of Hope could probably go on the list.

October 4, 2012 11:48 p.m.

Epochalyptik says...

#96

Catastrophe and card:War's Toll have been added. Avacyn, Angel of Hope was already on the list.

October 4, 2012 11:51 p.m.

jminute14 says...

#97

Hah, oops. I was looking at the lands. Der.

October 4, 2012 11:55 p.m.

Crocosaurus says...

#98

Cyclonic Rift probably is already.

October 5, 2012 6:45 a.m.

AshenSpiral says...

#99

I nominate Condemn and Graveborn Muse .

October 15, 2012 12:46 a.m.

BossLeiser says...

I would suggest Utvara Hellkite . It is extremely good by itself with how long some EDH games can take. However, it is incredible with certain generals, such as Kaalia of the Vast , Scion of the Ur-Dragon , Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund , and really any deck that is likely to have more than one dragon in it. Also, Utvara Hellkite + Hellkite Charger is rather insane. With that line of thinking, I believe Hellkite Charger should be on this list. There are a few too many infinite combat phases combos using him.

October 15, 2012 12:16 p.m.

Epochalyptik says...

Added the Hellkite Charger , but I don't really think Utvara Hellkite is worthy of being on the list. It's a beatstick that has to survive removal to be good and that has to be built around or included in a limited strategy to be great. Although the token production is still utilitarian, it isn't the greatest available.

October 15, 2012 12:26 p.m.

BossLeiser says...

Oh, also, Grave Betrayal makes boardwipe even better than it usually is in EDH, especially against generals like Mayael the Anima that like to zoo and overextend.

October 15, 2012 12:36 p.m.

smash10101 says...

Phyrexian Rebirth sees a lot of play in my playgroup, as does card:White Sun's Zenith. Also Collective Voyage

November 11, 2012 4:37 p.m.

Planar Portal should be added to this list due to it's great utility for any EDH deck.

November 11, 2012 10:38 p.m.

Also, True Conviction is an even better Rage Reflection so it should be included as well.

November 17, 2012 4:07 p.m.

Dake says...

Loyal Retainers ?

November 21, 2012 2:37 p.m.

Fleetfiend says...

Hey, I have a suggestion, though it's not for a specific card.

It may be a good idea to create separate lists of key cards for each color. A list for red, green, white, lands, dual color cards maybe, to make it a bit easier to find cards specifically relevant to the deck trying to be built. Maybe one for popular commanders as well, or something.

It may get a bit sticky where dual or tri-colored cards are concerned, but I think it would be very useful, if not a bit of work.

November 28, 2012 8:01 p.m.

alexsmith21 says...

You can change the way you view the list by changing the tab above to sort by something different.

November 28, 2012 9:01 p.m.

jminute14 says...

What about Vandalblast and Mwonvuli Beast Tracker ?

One sided wraths are always good, no matter the medium, and I can't see the downside of a tutor, except for the body being pretty much good for nothing after that...but with some recursion...

December 5, 2012 2:47 p.m.

warper says...

Stranglehold b/c well... lets just look at all the searching that made this list as an example. Gratuitous Violence I've seen this card in pretty much every red deck I play or play against, especially since it's not just combat damage. Shattering Pulse may be a little costly but in pods of multiplayer I find this card is really good. Charmbreaker Devils constantly is getting someone their Demonic Tutor or some other nasty card that's probably on this list now that I think about it.

December 25, 2012 12:21 p.m.

warper says...

personally, I have found too many times people running the bounce lands : Simic Growth Chamber and such have too many problems because of all the draw back.

December 25, 2012 12:24 p.m.

Is there a reason none of the one-shot draw spells made the list? Stuff like Harmonize , card:Ambition's Cost, card:Jace's Ingenuity, and Opportunity ?

December 29, 2012 9:15 p.m.

BX223Hunter says...

How about Gamble

For those not playing red it adds another tutor and might be the only one if they aren't playing blue or black.

January 23, 2013 10:13 p.m.

jminute14 says...

I'd have to second Gamble , especially in say Grixis Reanimator. The one drop red tutor isnt a bad investment, even if you throw away a bomb. Reanimator should be able to get it back.

January 24, 2013 11:15 a.m.

jminute14 says...

I wonder...would it be useful for the community if there was a list posted on this article, or a quick link, to the rules and banned list for EDH? Or even the French Banned list

January 24, 2013 11:52 a.m.

Mule Man says...

Howling Mine . Its not a edh game unless 3 or more people are playing it.

February 3, 2013 11 a.m.

MirranTitan says...

I'd say Life from the Loam It's powerful in a lot of builds.Trading Post is pretty nuts too, I am not sure if it makes it onto this list though

February 6, 2013 4:07 a.m.

Rewdog says...

Kokusho, the Evening Star is banned i believe

February 14, 2013 11:07 p.m.

BX223Hunter says...

Just as a general Rewdog, he is off the ban list for decks.

February 17, 2013 4:08 p.m.

Balthasar says...

No love for Treachery or Rewind ? I also like Prison Term and Rout Here's some newer cards that might qualify: Counterflux , Supreme Verdict , Vraska the Unseen , Deathrite Shaman , Detention Sphere , card:Sphinx's Revelation, Dreadbore , Merciless Eviction , card:Thespian's Stage, Angel of Serenity Crypt Ghast , Mystic Genesis , the primordials? Luminate Primordial , Sylvan Primordial , Diluvian Primordial Sepulchral Primordial , Molten Primordial . Possibly Boros Charm ? Mainly for the double strike or indestructible choices. Knight of the Reliquary ?

February 20, 2013 4:57 a.m.

Dake says...

I second Crypt Ghast . other than that. I saw a good card called Deglamer played in modern that would be too bad for EDH

February 20, 2013 7:50 p.m.

MTG_Player says...

Enter the Infinite if your oponent is tapped out then in a combo deck, u win... its not a win-more card in the right ramp deck and it enables anything one would want.

February 25, 2013 11:02 p.m.

switch says...

thanks for this usefull list !

February 27, 2013 1:57 p.m.

jminute14 says...

Is Gamekeeper good enough?

March 11, 2013 3:42 p.m.

MTG_Player says...

How about Willow Satyr it could just act as a green Vedalken Shackles and it steals it indefinitely.

March 17, 2013 12:21 a.m.

Lefty says...

Body Double Aside from being a good card, it is also removal for any legendary creature with hexproof or shroud as it doesn't target. Both creatures would die due to the legend rule. Key removal in EDH.

March 20, 2013 4:43 p.m.

alexsmith21 says...

Body Double only copies creatures in the graveyard, so its unlikely it would kill generals currently in play. Clone cards, however, would work. But clone is outclassed by Phyrexian Metamorph.

March 20, 2013 6:44 p.m.

MTG_Player says...

Identity Crisis is crazy.

April 5, 2013 2:55 a.m.

snickerpuss says...

What a great resource!

I too would like to submit a few cards for review. Aura of Silence is fantastic and I find it often competes Return to Dust in control roles.In the Web of War and Assemble the Legion are very popular in aggro decks, and seem like they'd be pretty sweet together.Ashnod's Altar and Phyrexian Altar seem to be the best free sac outlets for utility.Nim Deathmantle because colorless instant reanimation seems like it's good with creatures.Opposition is flexible for offense and defense.If Grave Betrayal resolves, it typically won't last the turn cycle. Hate denotes power, right?Darksteel Plate protects your creatures as well as itself for the value!Akroma's Memorial is just really powerful.Reaper from the Abyss ... just play it and see.Massacre Wurm sweeps tokens with a useful static effect.Harvester of Souls draws cards on a beater. Surprisingly solid clock for control decks.Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni : powerful uncounterable regenerating reanimator.Lord of Extinction holds the distinction of ALWAYS being the largest body on the board.Sunforger has an entire toolbox suite and combo system in place to give red and white recyclable answers to just about anything blue and black can muster.

April 24, 2013 5:39 a.m.

snickerpuss says...

What a great resource!

I too would like to submit a few cards for review.
Aura of Silence is fantastic and I find it often competes Return to Dust in control roles. In the Web of War and Assemble the Legion are very popular in aggro decks, and seem like they'd be pretty sweet together. Ashnod's Altar and Phyrexian Altar seem to be the best free sac outlets for utility. Nim Deathmantle because colorless instant reanimation seems like it's good with creatures. Opposition is flexible for offense and defense. If Grave Betrayal resolves, it typically won't last the turn cycle. Hate denotes power, right? Darksteel Plate protects your creatures as well as itself for the value! Akroma's Memorial is just really powerful. Reaper from the Abyss ... just play it and see. Massacre Wurm sweeps tokens with a useful static effect. Harvester of Souls draws cards on a beater. Surprisingly solid clock for control decks. Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni : powerful uncounterable regenerating reanimator. Lord of Extinction holds the distinction of ALWAYS being the largest body on the board. Sunforger has an entire toolbox suite and combo system in place to give red and white recyclable answers to just about anything blue and black can muster.

April 24, 2013 5:39 a.m.

KetokMejik says...

Sylvan Primordial , Rapid Hybridization , Domri Rade

April 24, 2013 11:05 p.m.

xephslayer says...

All I'm gonna say is basic lands are a staple in every deck.

April 25, 2013 1:45 a.m.

MirranTitan says...

Sylvan Primordial This guy is solid, he functions like Woodfall Primus (This guy should see the list too I think, he's really playable) as well as terrastodon.

Aurelia, the Warleader has been seeing a lot of play lately, and it is really powerful. it makes for a massive amount of damage, and it enables for quick kills, which is important in EDH.

True Conviction is extremely powerful, not only does it make it easy to kill an opponent, it also makes opponents have a harder time killing you.

Mind Over Matter is a huge combo enabler, I know not everyone likes combo, but those who do, this is a card. When it resolves it is easy to win (most of the time)

Karn, Silver Golem is very strong, very versatile as well. even in response to Day of Judgement?!?!?!! you can turn artifacts that need to be removed into creatures. And typically, turning Darksteel Forge into a 9/9 indestructible is good.

Zealous Conscripts is a card that I like a lot, not only can it be used for combo, but it can take a PW, or an enchantment, or a creature or artifact, it's very versatile, and I have seen it win games, it also combos with Kiki-Jiki, who I noticed is on the list.

Palinchron and friend Deadeye Navigator both very solid creatures. deadeye makes your ETBs better, and gives evasion. The ability is well costed and efficient. Palichron is a Huge enabler and I see it frequently in combo decks.

Angelic Skirmisher is a solid combat card. Vigilance on your turn, during an opponents turn, first strike. Good for offense and defense. supports all your creatures nicely.

Angel of Serenity is really good in edh because of all the outlets that it has. It can remove blockers at the very least, it can rescue your cards in a pinch, you can blink it quickly for an effect like Tide-hollow scruller and it is a solid flying body for a 7CMC. It also has evasion, very good utility card.

Illusionist's Bracers is another rings of brighthearth effect that turns many generals into very effective cards.

Merciless Eviction is great removal. I like it a lot.

May 1, 2013 5:44 p.m.

DukeNicky says...

I am a lil surprised at not seeing Liliana of the Veil here She's arguably the 2nd most powerful 'walker printed.

May 2, 2013 4:23 a.m.

DukeNicky says...

I also feel like Staff of Nin isa great card

May 2, 2013 4:26 a.m.

Izzet says...

@DukeNicky: LOTV is great in most formats but not that great in EDH.

Angel of Serenity and Eight-and-a-Half-Tails should be on here imo.

May 4, 2013 8:09 a.m.

MirranTitan says...

Izzet I agree about serenity and tails.

May 4, 2013 1:04 p.m.

rathalos3000 says...

Krenko, Mob Boss

May 11, 2013 4:20 p.m.

Krayhaft says...

No Mindslaver or Beacon of Tomorrows ? Certain decks use them as combo locks.

May 24, 2013 1:26 p.m.

JIV_IV says...

What about Jace, Memory Adept for commanders such as Lazav, Dimir Mastermind ?

May 31, 2013 11:42 p.m.

rathalos3000 says...

Hey im missing Grave Titan , Inferno Titan and Frost Titan :)

June 6, 2013 12:30 p.m.

GoldGhost012 says...

Trailblazer's Boots ?

June 7, 2013 8:34 p.m.

Craterhoof Behemoth , Devastation , Earthcraft , Blasphemous Act , Pongify /Rapid Hybridization , Stony Silence , Defense Grid , Yosei, the Morning Star , Meltdown

Craterhoof should make this list easily. Ends games effortlessly.

Some very questionable things here, one that jumped out to me was leyline of punishment.

June 16, 2013 3:25 a.m.

ms says...

Door to Nothingness

June 16, 2013 9:30 p.m.

Bellock86 says...

Deathrite Shaman is crazy utility for anything running GB

June 19, 2013 2:06 a.m.

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