Would you ever run Khalni Gem?
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Nov. 24, 2016, 7:47 p.m. by StopShot
The card: Khalni Gem
I want a mana rock that fits in between a Manalith and a Gilded Lotus.
The only issue is the gem seems poor at mana acceleration, unless you've missed a land drop.
Would you consider it in a non-green deck that doesn't run landfall triggers and has a relatively low mana curve?
Keep in mind this card does not accelerate you it just guarantees 2 land drops similar to a karoo land but that only guarantees one. So if you want acceleration this is just worse than a signet or something but if you want mana consistency its fine. Unless your group plays a lot of artifact destruction because just like karoo lands they will FUCK you if they blow that up.
November 24, 2016 8:08 p.m.
I used to run it in my landless, creatureless Narset, Enlightened Master deck, however, the only reason I cut it was that it was "too" expensive. I found running CMC 3 mana rocks and lower makes it more consistent. That one four drop, with Thran Dynamo ended up being a pain when I could only generate 3 mana with my 0-drops.
The only other thing I would run Khalni Gem in is a black artifact deck with Herald of Leshrac. Doesn't even need to be mono-black. But shenanigans are always my thing.
November 24, 2016 9:15 p.m.
carpecanum says... #5
I run Khalni Gem in You Casa is Mi Casa (Sen Triplets), ...and I'm all out of Taxes... (Sheoldred, Whispering One) and at least one of my 5 color decks. 2 of any color is about the most you will need for a spell or ability that's being copied, stolen or whatever.
November 24, 2016 9:29 p.m.
I'm of the opinion that Thran Dynamo and Gilded Lotus are pretty awful to begin with. My gut says no, I'd never run this in anything.
November 25, 2016 12:46 a.m.
joshuaizac says... #8
I've looked at Khalni Gem many times over the years and have wanted to do something with it but never have yet. It's really NOT a ramp card on its own as you have to pay it's 4 cmc on top of trading it for 2 land drops. As a mana rock its utterly horrible. As a johnny combo-ish player I find it intriguing and it could synergize with numerous cards, but for the sake of shenanigans not ramp.
(Like the examples listed above as well as Patron of the Moon, Meloku the Clouded Mirror, Trade Routes and a handful of other cards I'm about to take out of my Sultai deck.)
November 25, 2016 2:25 a.m.
Maybe if I were nickle and diming together a Borborygmos Enraged deck. Mayyyyybe. Even then...
November 25, 2016 2:58 a.m.
It'll go infinite if you turn it into a creature and put Freed from the Real on it. Or if you use something like Training Grounds+Filigree Sages
November 25, 2016 5:41 a.m.
Before I turned my deck into a semi-competitive deck my omnath edh deck ran it and I usually played those lands the same turn more or less. It's fun, but only if you really have the space. There are better rocks than it.
November 25, 2016 12:14 p.m.
MindAblaze says... #12
You could play it in Azusa, Lost but Seeking?
Myr Welder combo?
For four mana I see a lot of Hedron Archives these days.
November 25, 2016 1:58 p.m. Edited.
god_dammit_nappa says... #13
You, Sir, are looking for the card Coalition Relic. Tap it at the end of an opponent's turn to put a charge counter on it. At the beginning of your first precombat Main Phase----vola!----you have 2 mana of any color at your disposal. And it's CMC is only 3! What a bargain!!
Achieves your desired goal without bouncing lands to your hand and still gives you the acceleration that you need. :)
Don't believe me? Print out a proxy and try it in your deck before you buy it! Try before you buy! That's how I've saved money on Magic: The Gathering.
November 25, 2016 6:59 p.m.
@god_dammit_nappa, I'm on the fence about that card. There is of course no doubt I'd run it over Manalith, but the issue is 3CMC spells are in strict competition in my deck, and not being able to tap for two mana right away, and having to wait a turn without it producing any mana almost feels like it runs at the same level as Basalt Monolith. Not saying that card is bad, but that I feel the rock doesn't necessarily work the way I'd like it to.
I'd rather take something less gimmicky and more straight-forward than spending three mana on a rock I got to wait on. If the Khalni Gem didn't have the land clause it would be perfect, because I could tap it for a 2-cost removal/counter spell right away if I needed to react to one of my opponents on the fly. I would say Coalition Relic is as close as it comes to what I want, but it's just not quite there for me personally. I want something a little more instantaneous on the level of "just add water" rather than slowly cook for my mana.
November 25, 2016 8:23 p.m.
god_dammit_nappa says... #15
StopShot Are you doing tap/untap tricks in your deck? Are cards like Seedborn Muse a focus in the deck? If so, Seedborn fixes's all of Coalition Relic's issues.
I hear you, and I understand where you're coming from.
When I'm building 4 color decks, I always look at 2 cards when it comes down to the last slot for my 3-drop mana rocks: Commander's Sphere and Chromatic Lantern. Sure, Sphere is great because I can sack it to draw a card even when it's tapped, but Lantern just utterly nukes my land base problems allowing me to tap lands for any color I want.
I guess the question boils down to this, StopShot: How badly do you need that 2 colored mana? Is it worth the downside of bouncing 2 lands back to your hand?
November 25, 2016 9:12 p.m.
MindAblaze says... #16
You could always try it and the minute it lets you down take it out. It is kind of a problem if you don't have a way to benefit from those lands being back in your hand.
November 25, 2016 9:14 p.m.
micromonkey says... #17
YES! its a good card when you wana do something lke this.
Armageddon or Devastation and the list goes one.
Infinimage007 says... #2
I'm not a huge fan. Yes, it gets you colored mana, but you should have other options in a multicolored deck. I can see why you would use it (for the reasons stated) but, personally, no.
November 24, 2016 7:53 p.m.