Book of Rass

Artifact

{2}, Pay 2 life: Draw a card.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Oldschool 93/94	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (44)

Helnas on Omnath locus of mana (opinions needed)

10 months ago

Instead of the mana doublers, i would add something like Bear Umbra, untaps your land if you swing with your commander, plus totem armor. Get some protection aswell, Lightning Greaves Yeva, Nature's Herald (just cast commander straight back when he gets destroyed, keep it in your hand). maybe a few spells like Tamiyo's Safekeeping, Tyvar's Stand, Gaea's Gift, Momentous Fall, Shared Summons, Wrap in Vigor some other creatures i didnt think of before: Oracle of Mul Daya, Silverback Elder, Apex Devastator, Cultivator Colossus, Ghalta, Primal Hunger, Cankerbloom, Topiary Stomper, Regal Force

For cutting cards, i would just cut cards that arent creatures or synergize with creatures, or dont do alot most of the time. something like Exponential Growth is gonna be a dead card in your hand most of the times.

Also dont understand most artifacts in your deck. Diviner's Wand for example, 3 mana to cast, 3 to equip, 4 to draw 1 card, 10 mana to draw your first card, and 4 mana for each card after that doesnt seem worth it at all. Id also cut 1x Mirage Mirror, Staff of Compleation, Helm of the Host, Lithoform Engine, Book of Rass

Id also cut: Vigor, Ironscale Hydra, Seeker of Skybreak, Viridian Joiner, Nantuko Mentor

And i would add 4-5 lands. playing a land per turn is stronger then playing an arcane signet or sol ring and then miss a land drop. (id cut arcane signet and sol ring aswell, they are bad draws past t4)

DemonDragonJ on Commander Masters Previews and Speculation

1 year ago

WotC has officially announced that there shall be a Commander Masters set, so let us begin speculating about it!

Thus far, only three cards have been revealed, but they are all excellent, so I am hoping that the remainder of the set shall be comparable.

If The Ur-Dragon is being reprinted (and it needs to be), I also would like to see Edgar Markov reprinted, because he also is expensive, as well as Oloro, Ageless Ascetic, mainly because he has never been reprinted (except as a judge promo), so I would like to see him in the new card frame.

Given that Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora, and Smothering Tithe were all reprinted, recently, I would like to see Esper Sentinel reprinted, mainly to keep its price low and availability high.

I have said this, before, but I shall again pray for reprints of Book of Rass and Claws of Gix, mainly to see them in the new frame.

Sol Ring and Command Tower are almost certain to be in this set, but I also would like to see Reflecting Pool and Chromatic Lantern, to keep their prices low.

Akroma's Memorial, Mirari's Wake, and Privileged Position would all be great, as well.

What does everyone else say about this? What card would you like to see reprinted in Commander Masters?

SmirkyDog593 on Forest Tribal, LoL

1 year ago

I did some more digging around green cards and here are some more cards that may work in the deck:

Cream of the Crop is a great way to constantly get cards in a passive manner.

Season of Growth another way to help the flow towards win conditions and combos.

Sylvan Anthem little buff and again a helping hand with setting up combos

Book of Rass a possible infinite draw card which will help you draw out the behemoth or other such cards to win.

Aetherflux Reservoir another conditional win combo, I personally would put this as a maybe but I thought I would suggest it anyways

Triumph of the Hordes a disgusting way to win by all accounts. But hey, a win is a win

DemonDragonJ on How Good is Book of …

1 year ago

wallisface, yes, all of those cards are awesome, and I actually use Well of Lost Dreams in my Liesa deck and The Immortal Sun in nearly every other EDH deck that I have, but I still want to see Book of Rass reprinted in the new border style.

Gidgetimer on How Good is Ring of …

1 year ago

Liliana Vess is pretty good in an Atraxa deck, even better if you can proliferate twice per turn and just make her into an Imperial Seal every turn. I probably should have listed her in the "useful in the right deck" part and mentioned that Atraxa is in fact the right deck for her, so it is a decent choice. The counters synergy isn't what makes a deck "the right deck" for Wishclaw. Voltaic Key-esque abilities are what constitutes "the right deck" for Wishclaw.

I totally understand wanting to keep to a theme and people having fun in different ways. You are however asking (both in this thread and the one on Book of Rass) if cards are "good" and I kinda got caught up in that mindset. Liliana Vess is not a good card, it is a passable card that is good in Atraxa (assuming that people allow you to keep proliferate engines out).

Also, before people jump on me thinking I am trash talking the vast majority of cards, there is nothing wrong with running passable cards that are only good in the context of the deck. Every single one of my decks contains cards that are only good in the context of the deck. In 6/7 the non-lands are mostly passable to bad cards that are good only in context. Personally I find this a much more interesting way to build than "all of my decks of a certain color contain these cards and there are only like 5-7 spots to make it different than any other commander in the same colors".

EnbyGolem on How Good is Book of …

1 year ago

I’ve personally gotten way more mileage out of Well of Knowledge. It’s cheaper and there really doesn’t seem to be a downside. The only opponents who tend to use it are ones that are desperate and trying to recover; the player ahead is very rarely going to need it. Helping stabilize those other behind players usually curries good favors later on down the road and only provide more collective opportunities to deal with the biggest threat at the table.

That being said, Book of Rass is still a really neat effect and might be a good pairing with Well, especially if you like running those old-school cards :)

legendofa on How Good is Book of …

1 year ago

I'll give Book of Rass credit for being the second-most mana-efficient pure colorless card (not Devoid) that effects only you and doesn't sacrifice itself for the draw. That's a really narrow category, but almost every other option taps or sacrifices itself, or has a color identity. The other options are Diviner's Wand (less efficient for pure draw, but has other useful abilities), Well of Knowledge (anyone can use this), and Mindless Automaton (my choice for most mana efficient pure colorless etc. etc.)

Of course, I would expect artifact untapping and recursion to go into pretty much every artifact-centric deck, and even white, the weakest at pure draw, has been getting comparable options that are at least as good in color.

Is it a truly bad card? I don't think so. It's just outclassed by a lot of really good cards. It's an "if you have no other option" card.

TypicalTimmy on How Good is Book of …

1 year ago

I know a lot of people may be tempted to say that for {6}, there is far better things you can do... but honestly we will almost never pay {6} using mana produced by lands. You can likely get this out T3 in stronger decks.

That aside, {2} mana and 2 life for a card? That's actually some really solid value! Unless I am sorely missing something, I'd definitely run it.

What I noticed in your previous thread is that some users were comparing your Ring of Three Wishes to Wishclaw Talisman, missing the fact that if your deck does not run {B}, you can not have Wishclaw in it. So, I suspect players will compare Book to Necropotence, again missing the fact that without {B}, you can't play it.

So, in NON-BLACK decks, I think Book of Rass is a very solid choice. Even in black decks, it's a very stable alternate engine.

Given that it is not a tap ability, this makes it repeatable. I suspect it is 59 cents because people can not get over that {6} mana. Again, who cares. Even if you drop it Turn 6 for 6 mana produced by lands, your very next turn you are guarenteed 3 cards if that is all you do.

Solid card. I'd run it, now that I actually know about it ;)

• (Also, in my personal experience both on this site as well as in LGSs, most people abhorrantly hate Greed, again citing that Necropotence is superior in every way. Well, Greed is a wonderful budget option, and again - why not have 2 or 3 alternate options? What happens when your Potence is destroyed? Or exiled? Or bounced? Or you simply never get it out? Redundancy is the key to success.)