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Legality
Format | Legality |
1v1 Commander | Legal |
Archenemy | Legal |
Arena | Legal |
Block Constructed | Legal |
Canadian Highlander | Legal |
Casual | Legal |
Commander / EDH | Legal |
Commander: Rule 0 | Legal |
Custom | Legal |
Gladiator | Legal |
Highlander | Legal |
Historic | Legal |
Historic Brawl | Legal |
Legacy | Legal |
Leviathan | Legal |
Limited | Legal |
Oathbreaker | Legal |
Planar Constructed | Legal |
Planechase | Legal |
Quest Magic | Legal |
Tiny Leaders | Legal |
Vanguard | Legal |
Vintage | Legal |
Chrome Mox
Artifact
Imprint — When this enters, you may exile a nonartifact, nonland card from your hand.
: Add one mana of any of the exiled card's colours. (This is a linked ability, linked to the ability in the first paragraph on this card. You may only add mana of the exiled card's colours if that card was exiled via the ability in the first paragraph.)








SaberTech on
Mad World Rising
3 weeks ago
Thanks for the questions greyninja!
Grazilaxx is a remnant from an older, pre-banning of Dockside cEDH build for the deck. At that time in cEDH people were running Animar as more of a midrange deck because it wasn't fast enough for a turbo build to work well in the meta. I've kept it now that I run the deck as more of a Bracket 4 build and have to face off against more board wipes in the casual meta. It's mostly in the deck as another way of drawing cards to help recover but if an opponent would rather have me bounce back my creatures so that I can put more counters on Animar and get more ETB effects instead of drawing a card, then who am I to argue?
I've generally been pretty happy with Elvish Spirit Guide and Simian Spirit Guide. Like you pointed out, they help to increase the chances of a turn 2 Animar. There have also been times where I was digging through my deck with the help of something like Glimpse of Nature but have completely tapped out to do it. In those cases, having cards like the Guides, Lotus Petal, and Chrome Mox help to give free coloured mana that I might need to help close out the game. In cEDH the guides are a little more useful because they can pay for cards like Red Elemental Blast and Veil of Summer on their own but even in this build they can help to pay for a Wild Cantor or a Talisman so that I have blue mana up for counters to protect Walking Ballista. At 3 mana, the Guides can also be Neoformed into Ancestral Statue.
The 27 lands may not seem like a lot but some of the cEDH builds have even less. Animar doesn't really need many lands to go off considering the various cheap mana dorks and other ramp the deck provides. It is a bit tricky to go that low in lands and can require some aggressive mulligans to get a decent starting hand. While playing though, I've sometimes found that even just 27 lands can result in some mana flooding when I would really rather be drawing spells. The land count is something that you just have to experiment with for your own build to see where that sweet spot is for your own play style.
As for Utopia Sprawl, there are times where it has been a dead draw but it's not that often. Between the Dual Lands, Shock Lands, and Fetch lands in the deck it's not normally that difficult to get access to a land that counts as a forest on turn 1. Using Utopia Sprawl and Wild Growth as ramp synergizes well with Arbor Elf and can also net extra mana with the help of cards like Snap, Deceiver Exarch, and Peregrine Drake.
SaberTech on Animar enthusiasts!
3 weeks ago
The value of Trinket Mage really depends on what else you have for it to target besides the Ballista. I did run it at one point but that was back when I was also running Skullclamp, which I think is the main inclusion that makes Trinket Mage worth considering. If you are also running a number of cheap mana rocks like Chrome Mox and Mana Vault that can also help justify the inclusion. If you face a lot of graveyard decks and feel compelled to put in some artifact-based graveyard hate then that could be another reason to run Trinket Mage. It can also tutor for artifact lands, but generally you want as many of Animar's lands as possible to produce at least two different types of mana so the single-colour artifact lands aren't the best to include while the dual-colour artifact lands enter tapped, which you also want to avoid your lands doing if you can.
The reason why Transit Mage makes the cut despite also only having a few targets is because:
- Finding Ancestral Statue is more important to the deck. There are already a number of ways to get to the Ballista.
- Being able to go Imperial Recruiter -> Phyrexian Metamorph -> Transit Mage -> Ancestral Statue -> Rack up counters on animar then bounce Metamorph -> Metamorph copying Recruiter to get Walking Ballista is a super mana efficient line when Animar starts with just 2 counters.
Total mana cost for the line: RU + 4 life.
That line is way more mana efficient than the old line that required you to tutor up Spellseeker, have the Seeker tutor Neoform and then you Neoform the Seeker into Ancestral Statue. Transit Mage basically lets you get the same result for that stage in the line for just one blue mana, and it keeps the line to only using creatures so there are less commonly-used counterspells that can interrupt it.
jsnrice on
Atraxa, Grand Unifier
1 month ago
Deck Title: Ascension Through Unity – Atraxa cEDH Food Chain
Commander
Atraxa, Grand Unifier
Color Identity:
Introduction
Welcome to Ascension Through Unity, a competitive EDH build centered around Atraxa, Grand Unifier, the ultimate value engine and a uniquely powerful commander that bridges midrange resilience with combo potential. This list leverages the raw card advantage of Atraxa’s ETB trigger to dig for win conditions, interaction, and fast mana — all while supporting a Food Chain combo core.
This deck is tuned for high-level pods and aims to win fast, interact precisely, and grind smart when necessary.
Win Conditions
Primary Wincon:
- Food Chain + Eternal Scourge / Misthollow Griffin / Flesh Duplicate
Infinite creature mana via Food Chain and one of the exile-recurring creatures.
→ Cast Atraxa, Grand Unifier, dig for Thassa's Oracle or Tainted Pact / Demonic Consultation combo.
Backup Wincons:
- Thassa's Oracle + Tainted Pact / Demonic Consultation
- Finale of Devastation for lethal with infinite mana
- Displacer Kitten combos with The One Ring, Teferi, Time Raveler, or mana rocks for infinite value/actions
Notable Synergies
- Atraxa, Grand Unifier ETB + Displacer Kitten: Abuse blink triggers for maximum card filtering and pseudo-storm turns.
- Food Chain + Exile creatures: Efficient engine for infinite mana into Atraxa chains.
- Talion, the Kindly Lord + low-cost spell density = passive draw engine.
- Drannith Magistrate, Opposition Agent, Orcish Bowmasters: Stax elements that don’t disrupt our own lines.
- Archivist of Oghma, Esper Sentinel, Mystic Remora, Rhystic Study: Passive card draw galore.
Staples and Interaction
This deck plays nearly every blue interaction spell you’d expect:
- Free Countermagic: Force of Will, Force of Negation, Pact of Negation, Mindbreak Trap, Flusterstorm
- Removal: Swords to Plowshares, Abrupt Decay, Chain of Vapor, Toxic Deluge, Culling Ritual
- Tutors: Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor, Worldly Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Imperial Seal
And it runs every relevant fast mana: - Mana Crypt, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Mox Opal, Mana Vault, Ancient Tomb
Why Atraxa?
While many commanders offer value, Atraxa’s Grand Unifier trigger is uniquely broken in a deck like this. With a proper build, she can hit:
- A creature (e.g. Eternal Scourge, Deathrite Shaman)
- A non-creature spell (e.g. Demonic Consultation)
- An instant (e.g. Swan Song, An Offer You Can't Refuse)
- A sorcery (e.g. Finale of Devastation)
- An artifact (e.g. Sol Ring)
- An enchantment (e.g. Rhystic Study)
- A planeswalker (e.g. Teferi, Time Raveler)
This makes Atraxa a one-card value engine that refills your hand and pivots you into a win turn with proper sequencing.
Power Level & Goals
This deck is firmly cEDH (power level 9.5–10). It’s built for pods where interaction is heavy, turns are fast, and wins are clean.
You’ll thrive if:
- You can protect Atraxa, Grand Unifier for at least one trigger
- You pilot your combo lines efficiently
- You mulligan aggressively for interaction or ramp
Mulligan Strategy
Look for:
- Turn 1–2 dorks/rocks + tutor
- Food Chain + exile creature opener
- Strong card draw pieces + interaction
- Always mull away clunky high-CMC hands
Weaknesses
- Susceptible to Drannith Magistrate (unless we remove it)
- Hate for graveyard/exile recursion (Rest in Peace, etc.)
- Heavy counterspell matchups if we stumble on mana
Closing Thoughts
Atraxa, Grand Unifier doesn’t just unify card types — she unifies power, control, and combo under one elegantly devastating package. Whether you’re tutoring with efficiency or slamming a turn 4 Food Chain win, this deck rewards mastery and punishes hesitation. Perfect for cEDH players who love versatility and inevitability.
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you want a sideboard package or metagame tweaks.
kamarupa on
Population Bomb
2 months ago
I don't count mana dorks as lands. They are mana accelerators - they help allow you to have more mana FASTER, but aren't a 1:1 substitute. Dorks cost mana to cast, meaning you need [the right color] land to cast it (sans something like Black Lotus or Chrome Mox, etc). They also are easily removed and come with summoning sickness. More importantly, they only function as a "ramp" if you are able to make land drops every turn. You don't have to take my word for it - you can learn the lesson the hard way on your own. I certainly did. When I first started playing over 10 years ago, I was determined to ignore all rules of thumb and advice and run 16 lands with 8 ramps spells in my decks. And when it worked, it was great - 1xArbor Elf + 1xUtopia Sprawl + 1xForest and I was tapping for 4 mana on turn 3. But often, it stopped there because I wasn't making any more land drops. I could have been tapping for 6 mana if I'd have had lands to play on my first 3 turns, but instead I was gambling with my opening hand and putting all my proverbial mana eggs in one basket - and you can bet your bottom dollar my opponents took advantage of that weakness with removal spells all too frequently, leaving me 2 mana at the start of turn 4. And those were the good opening hands. On bad starts, I was drawing down to 5 or 6 just to get a land. Which is an even bigger gamble! Over time, my mana base kept creeping up. I tried playing decks of nothing but 1MV spells and 16 lands. I tried playing 1-3MV Elves with 17 lands. I tried playing 1-2MV Humans with 18 lands, then 19, then 20. Eventually, I started to learn - I need 22 lands minimum. 24 if I want to ever cast anything with a higher MV than 3. In a very rampy, low MV Elf deck, I think one could probably get away with 20 lands, but it would be not only leaving the deck exposed to creature removal, but also greatly limiting the viable spells to low MV. And I'll add, as little as I like it, it's good to have spells that cost more than 2. Not loads of them, but 4-8 3MV spells and 2-4 4+MV spells are often what pushes a deck over the top to get the win.
Maybe it helps to think of it this way - Ramp, no mattter the type, allows you to play more mana sources on a single turn. It only helps you if you can play a land every turn. Otherwise, it's just a riskier way to have the same amount of mana you'd have if just added more lands. The only possible advantage you get from playing a dork nstead of (vs in addition to, which is definitely an advantage) a land is that a dork can chump block. Which you probably won't get any mileage out of because tapped creatures can't block and if by chance you don't use your dork for mana and you do block, now you're out a mana source that you probably needed.
So again, if you want lots of mana sooner than you'd have playing 1 mana per turn, then include a ramp. If you want to mana-fix for multiple colors, use dual lands. If you want to consistently be able to cast spells up to 4MV, then you need 22-24 lands.
Also, having more spells won't make your deck work better. What makes a deck work best is having a stable mana base, consistently playing value-packed spells, disrupting opponent's strategies, and maintaining advantages (boardstate, card draw, lifegain, etc.) If a deck isn't managing to achieve an advantage, it's not for lack of cards, it's for lack of good cards/synergy.
DadHumanPraetor on
Simping for an Emo Girl [Ayara]
2 months ago
Profet93 Thanks for the response-
I think Cabal stronghold was better when I built the deck, games went to T10 pretty frequently. Now the meta is faster and I dont get 5 basics in play as much anymore. Nykthos is a great card, I have considered buying one for this deck many times, I really should pick one up.
I don’t really love mind stone here because if I play it t2 is doesn’t do anything t3 because I have to tap all my lands for ayara. Same happens with Fellwar, although sometimes it taps for black. I could put Chrome Mox in but I don’t like the card disadvantage. Same with Dark Ritual but I have considered them.
Feed the swarm is in there already.
Mox Amber has been pretty good. I’m not married to it though, I could see swapping it for something else.
I just want consistency and value
Femme_Fatale on Missing Card
2 months ago
I'm gonna need more info on what you mean by "Intimidation Tactics is being read as Chrome Mox in the inventory".
veritablecvn on Lotus Petal vs. Chrome Mox
3 months ago
I play both cards in my Legacy Soldier Stompy deck. It's not 8-Rack, but I have taken it to multiple tournaments. I run 4x Lotus Petal and 2x Chrome Mox. I run more Lotus Petal because I try to minimize losing another card from my hand, which can matter quickly in a stompy deck, and then it matters even more if I'm playing against discard. There have been many times where I really don't want to lose a card to Chrome Mox but I have to since I don't have a Lotus Petal and need the explosive turn one play. Having the multiple activations definitely helps if the game goes long though.
All that to be said, try it out. Playtest a lot by yourself or with friends, try all different combinations of the cards. As you're playtesting, ask yourself if having the other card would make the game go even better for you. Take notes and then evaluate the data before your next tournament.
legendofa on Lotus Petal vs. Chrome Mox
3 months ago
Not competitive (especially Legacy), but I'm an 8-Rack enthusiast.
Setting up fast is important. Once you have your Rack lock set up, at least in my experience, you only really need a couple mana each turn, so the mana from that Chrome Mox might be less valuable than the card that got imprinted. Especially with a set of Dark Rituals, it should be easy to set at least one Rack effect and a Hymn to Tourach or Thoughtseize on turn 1 and build with 1-2 mana a turn from there, with a little burst for Liliana of the Veil or Ensnaring Bridge or whatever as needed.
So my vote's for the Lotus Petal. Prioritizing your denial and removal seems more important than a guaranteed extra each turn, but I'd be very interested to see how well it works in practice.
Have (3) | Azdranax , jhTheMan99 , QuestionMarc |
Want (2) | reikitavi , Jerv |