Severely Underrated Commander Deck Cards (Not Commanders)
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on July 15, 2014, 1:27 p.m. by King_of_the_Myr
Every once in awhile I dig through my binders and card boxes and I find a gem that I cannot believe I have not seen anyone playing yet. For example, Time of Need 2 mana to search your deck for a Legendary creature card. Really?! Why isn't this card in every deck that produces green mana? Or my other personal favorite... I include this card in every deck that produces black mana, Bringer of the Black Dawn . 2 life for a tutor every single upkeep while he is in play? Sign me up. What are your favorite commander cards that you don't think get enough love?
King_of_the_Myr says... #3
I didn't realize that. However, that still means he is legal in my Horde of Notions deck. Suddenly I feel painfully noob.
July 15, 2014 1:44 p.m.
I don't see many people running Sylvan Library . The cards insane. Such fantastic advantage
July 15, 2014 1:49 p.m.
King_of_the_Myr says... #5
Sylvan Library is one of those cards that I have always wanted to acquire. In a format with so much life gain it really doesn't have much of a drawback. It's one of those cards that would make it hard to have a poker face if you have it in your opening hand.
July 15, 2014 1:53 p.m.
For Bant/5C decks, Bant Charm and Wargate never seem to get that much love for some reason, despite that they're insane. Charm tucks a Commander, is Dispel , or is Smelt - all 3 are very useful in EDH. Wargate can find Sol Ring for 4 or any land in your deck for just 3.
July 15, 2014 1:53 p.m.
I used Wargate and Bant Charm in a Roon deck. They were awesome.
I think with all the tuck effects in EDH, Tunnel Vision is a great card. I have gone Vendilion Clique into Tunnel Vision so many times
July 15, 2014 1:58 p.m.
nobu_the_bard says... #8
I'm not sure Tunnel Vision or Sylvan Library are underrated, at least where I am. I see them both a lot, often paired with Hinder and Sensei's Divining Top , respectively.
Stony Silence and Null Rod are notable for shutting down all equipment and most artifact decks, with an alarming number having no ways to actually deal with them.
I don't see a lot of decks running Torpor Orb . I always expect to see it but hardly ever do.
July 15, 2014 2:15 p.m.
Hunter_mtg says... #9
Humility might seem like an un-fun card (it is) but its won me so many games because creatures just become irrelevant.
July 15, 2014 3:26 p.m.
smash10101 says... #10
I really like Mystic Speculation . Scry 3 for 2U is pretty good. Scry 3 for U at instant speed is amazing, though it requires both Arcane Melee and Leyline of Anticipation (or similar).
I also really like Wild Ricochet and run it in pretty much every red EDH deck I own. It just does so much. I mean, Fork is a good card, as is Redirect , so why not play both in one card?
July 15, 2014 4:26 p.m.
Wild Ricochet is amazing.
I also don't think the following really get the love they deserve: Twincast , Mimic Vat , Mystifying Maze , Overwhelming Stampede , Body Double , Deadwood Treefolk , Grave Betrayal , Ethersworn Adjudicator , Maelstrom Nexus , Conflux , Staff of Nin , etc.
July 15, 2014 4:32 p.m.
MindAblaze says... #12
I got a Mystic Snake on a Mimic Vat the other day with Seedborn Muse out. Hah. That was silly.
I rarely see people play stuff like Molten Primordial , Conquering Manticore , Slave of Bolas and Mass Mutiny . Maybe it's just my group, but playing red seems to be a faux pas...
July 15, 2014 4:42 p.m.
July 16, 2014 7:21 a.m.
SCApikeman says... #14
Two words that strike terror in all, the all mighty Scute Mob !!!
July 16, 2014 1:51 p.m.
nobu_the_bard says... #15
You know, nearly every time I play Scute Mob , he attracts removal nearly immediately; Swords to Plowshares or such, usually before he gets bigger than 5/5. People seem to be more scared of a 1/1 that could become a 9/9 than stuff that actually has other abilities.
Maybe it's because he's so easy to play early in the game, making him look like he'll be a threat quickly, before players see that Avacyn, Angel of Hope drop on turn 6 or whatever.
July 16, 2014 2:04 p.m.
Momentous Fall should really go into any Child of Alara deck. Greater Good dies to Child anyways and Fall draws you more cards and gains life.
July 16, 2014 2:11 p.m.
Phyrexian Ingester + Roon of the Hidden Realm
Steel Hellkite is always a threat that needs to die right away.
For some reason, Abundance doesn't seem to get the love it deserves. It's either "I'll now draw a land" or "I'll now draw a spell".
July 16, 2014 2:16 p.m.
PreZchoICE1 says... #18
I love any of the old hoser/hate cards from the old sets stuff like Omen of Fire , Karma Deathgrip , Lifeforce , Conversion , Tsunami , Monsoon . Other all stars I like to use as much as possible are Cuombajj Witches , Spring Cleaning , Planar Portal , Rewind , An-Zerrin Ruins , Maze of Ith , Stormbind , Sterling Grove , Restore Balance , Sunstone to name a very select few.
I find not many people use Scroll Rack at all but could be the price tag. That said I see tops in just about everything I face.
July 16, 2014 5:55 p.m.
I play with a fair amount of those cards. Bringer of the Black Dawn is one of my favorites in my Scion of the Ur-Dragon deck. I use the Bringer of the Red Dawn in there too, and if I had him I'd use the Bringer of the Blue Dawn as well.
July 17, 2014 12:12 p.m.
I always see EDH decks running Sol Ring , signets, Mana Crypt , but I never see any deck using Thran Dynamo or Mana Vault .
Mana Vault probably will never untap (unless the life loss is just too much) but the vault can lead into some powerful turn 1 plays. For example, you could play a turn 1 Birthing Pod , or with a lot of luck, you could play a bunch of mana rocks in one turn, and do lots of other crazy things.
And Thran Dynamo is 4 mana for a rock that taps for 3. In comparison, to the vault, not the best. But it always untaps.
Im just surprised these two cards don't seem more play.
July 17, 2014 6:39 p.m.
the3rdH0kage says... #21
I've went T1, Island into Sol Ring into Mana Vault then finally into Unwinding Clock my opponents weren't pleased
July 17, 2014 9:25 p.m.
NotSoLuckyLydia says... #22
I run Mana Vault in my Darien, King of Kjeldor multiplayer deck. It's awesome.
July 19, 2014 3:44 p.m.
nobu_the_bard says... #23
I see a lot of Thran Dynamo actually, usually in monoblue or colorless artifact decks, locally, but sometimes other things. I have rarely seen Mana Vault but it's probably mostly because of the price; it's entirely too powerful for there to be another reason I haven't seen it more often. Most folks around here are willing to proxy things only if they own at least one real copy.
July 19, 2014 5:11 p.m.
PreZchoICE1 says... #24
Mana Vault isnt expensive in the least bit nobu_the_bard one can pick one up for under 5 dollars.
July 19, 2014 5:43 p.m.
FancyTuesday says... #25
Mana Vault goes for less than Thran Dynamo unless you want it black-bordered, then it's gonna set you back a few hundred dollars. The reason you don't see more Mana Vaults when Grim Monolith and Basalt Monolith see so much play is because the restriction on when it can be untapped is huge. On your turn, before you draw. In practice it will almost never do any work in decks without tricks to untap it, and even then you'll need a good 6 or 7 slots devoted to untap effects to reliably have one out.
Curse of the Swine is an absolute bomb. No idea why I don't see more of it.
Eye of Doom has been a lot of fun. Colorless, non-targeting permanent destruction that gets the whole table in on it.
Dregs of Sorrow is expensive, but EDH is a format where ridiculously high CMC cards shine. Not quite as good as Decree of Pain or Overwhelming Forces but still a solid draw with great card advantage.
As someone has mentioned already, Stonecloaker has a lot of utility. In your hand it's instant-speed "2W: Exile target card in a graveyard" and as a bonus you get tuck protection for your commander.
GoldGhost012 says... #2
Bringer of the Black Dawn has a 5-color color identity cause of its alternate cost. So it can only be used in 5-color decks, barring house rules.
July 15, 2014 1:30 p.m.