Sylvan Library

Enchantment

At the beginning of your draw step, you may draw two additional cards. If you do, choose two cards in your hand drawn this turn. For each of those cards, pay 4 life or put the card on top of your library.

Discussion (51)

RNR_Gaming on Which Card Should Replace Temple ...

1 day ago

Well, once theres a restock of jumpstart you'll probably be able to snag Rhystic Study for 10 or less; since it is print to demand. Also, outside of Sylvan Library all the cards I suggested are currently valued less than your commander; though those 6 cards would still have a hefty total so I understand.

RNR_Gaming on Which Card Should Replace Temple ...

1 day ago

The best draw engines without any budget restrictions are Rhystic Study, Necropotence, Sylvan Library and to a lesser more meta-dependant extent Mystic Remora; though they're not very flavorful they will keep your hand extra fat. If you're a tad more on the creature heavy side Edric, Spymaster of Trest and Tymna the Weaver are super reliable draw engines. Though if I had to pick out of the ones you're considering I'd go with the atlas but would include Notion Thief and Narset, Parter of Veils but I'm a degenerate :)

SideBae on Tanks

3 days ago

So Enlightened Tutor comes to mind. I think it's probably better than Idyllic Tutor, though it's significantly more expensive. If you're working on a budget, Idyllic Tutor is perfectly okay.

Toxic Deluge is an expensive card that I expect to go down in price soon (it's been reprinted in Double Masters, and in my experience masters sets tank their rares, if only for a short while). It'd be especially good since you have a lot of high-toughness cards.

I think Mythos of Nethroi is probably better than Putrefy.

I also think that even in a deck based on walls, you can benefit a LOT from one-mana mana-dorks. Arbor Elf, Elves of Deep Shadow, Elvish Mystic, Llanowar Elves, Deathrite Shaman, Fyndhorn Elves etc. will accelerate you in a way that only green can do. Even with boardwipes, they're worth it. Note that they also let you land your general turn two, if you get the right mana.

Additionally, since you're not a landfall, I feel like you're running too many lands. Replacing some with dorks will let you come out of the gate a lot faster. (I play EDH with a lot of more powerful decks, and your experience may differ from mine. However, I find that being able to land a meaningful turn-one play like Birds of Paradise is good in all power-levels.)

Speaking of lands, your mana base can be improved for relatively cheap. Indatha Triome is about $4 these days, and could easily replace your Jungle Hollow... Fetches are busted, especially when paired with duals like Overgrown Tomb or Savannah. However, if you don't plan on selling a kidney, there're other ways to improve. Slow-fetches (Rocky Tar Pit, Bad River, Flood Plain, Mountain Valley and Grasslands) are super affordable. Note that they can also fetch your non-basic typed lands (like Canopy Vista or Indatha Triome). Other lands of various prices to consider are Exotic Orchard, City of Brass, Reflecting Pool, Llanowar Wastes, Brushland, Caves of Koilos and friends.

Card advantage decides most EDH (and Magic in general) games. Some cards to consider: Sylvan Library, Painful Truths, Harmonize, Night's Whisper, Phyrexian Arena, Dark Tutelage etc. are all good ways. I was going to suggest Runic Armasaur, but you already spotted that one.

Retribution of the Meek is a GREAT wipe for decks like this.

I also suggest cutting some cards. I don't think Path to Exile is very good in EDH, where one-for-ones need to be REALLY good (like Swords to Plowshares or non-type specific like Mythos of Nethroi), and Path to Exile ramps your opponents. They're very likely to just use the extra mana to deploy a more dangerous threat. Glyph of Doom is interesting, and might be good, but I don't think it would be (granted that's not based on direct experience). I think you could probably just use a more powerful card in that slot. I also think you can cut some of the equipments for more influential cards. For example, if you cut Spidersilk Net and friends you can run things like Collector Ouphe and Stony Silence. If you're running mana dorks, you'll have ramp while your artifact-based friends get nailed.

Right. That's all I got. Hope this helped!

golgarigirl on Why are some commander staples ...

3 days ago

I don't think people go intentionally looking for staples. At some point in the stream of thought that created a deck, someone simply uses the logic of 'what is the best way to do X', and it happened to be one of these cards. Thus their status at the top financially and in reputation as 'staples'. If people can invest, and want the best, they'll snap them up. If not, there are options.

I went through this process recently with one of my decks...I wanted a way, for as little resource as possible, to draw a second card per turn for Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse. Looking through Gatherer and the sparing deck builds for her out so far, what was my #1 option? Sylvan Library, of course. Since I have no intent of picking up a Library for the deck in question, I've got to work a little harder, and jump for a few more hoops for some more lackluster options, like Mind's Eye. See the difference?

King_marchesa on Why are some commander staples ...

4 days ago

I do feel that not all decks need to run these staples but they are generally good cards. Therefore, I think a lot of people run them, even if they aren't needed in the deck. I also really wish that cards like Sensei's Divining Top and Sylvan Library would be reprinted but their power level is pretty high so they only belong in masters sets. I also wonder what reprints commander legends will bring.

enpc on Why are some commander staples ...

4 days ago

Asking if something should be a staple of a format isn't going to achieve much. They are what they are and will continue to be run because they're good. As for the specifics of each card:

• Force of Will gets run in every format that can play it. While EDH has some part to play for the price of this card, you can also blame Legacy and Vintage.

• Sensei's Divining Top was also a staple of the Legacy Miracles deck up until its banning in 2017. And since the last print run of the card was in EMA in 2016, it makes sense that the price hasn't dropped.

• Sylvan Library does similar work to Sensei's, albeit with actual draw, not just filtering. And the last printing of the card was again in EMA. There was a time a few years ago where you could pick up a copy of the less desirable artwork versions of the card for like $25. So the price creep is for the same reason as Sensei's.

• Mana Crypt has actually fallen in price compared to what it used to be. Originally the card used to be over $200 USD and has since had printings in both EMA and the Kaladesh Masterpieces. The price on this has started creeping up a bit since its last printing (the cheapest I have seen this card is around $80 USD) however Mana Crypt has overall come down in price from what it used to be. It's also worth noting that Crypt is a staple in Vintage as well, so it's not just commander which dictates the price of the card.

And while these cards are considered staples in most cEDH lists, a large cross section of EDH decks actually run none of these due largely to their price. So in that context I wouldn't call them staples for the community as a whole.

I would love to see WotC do a run of commander sets with Mana Crypt instead of Sol Ring, however I don't ever forsee this happening.

RambIe: I don't think it's possible to get rid of the concept of staples - while the majority of players aren't looking to just outright copy off each other, most of these players are still looking to improve their decks over time. And since not all cards are printed equal, players will gravitate towards better cards. This in turn just creates a natural convergence towards similar ideas and ultimately similar decks.

So while you can build hipster decks, they generally will underperform since while they might give you hipster bragging rights, it will generally be at the cost of the deck itself.

King_marchesa on Why are some commander staples ...

4 days ago

We all know Force of Will, Mana Crypt, Sylvan Library, and Sensei's Divining Top are expensive commander staples. But why are they staples of the format and why are the all 45$+. Most decks don't even have these staples in them due to them not being worth the cost, so why are they so expensive? And if most decks can function without them, than why are they edh staples in the first place? Even with reprints they still continue to hold their price point. What are your opinions on these cards and other expensive edh staples. Are they worth the money? Should they be reprinted more? Should they be staples of the format?

Azeworai on Radha, The Lands Matter To Me!

1 week ago

Alright. Into phase two of a lands deck! So, the very best thing you can do is abuse Glacial Chasm. Use land tutors to find defensive lands, such as Maze of Ith or Strip Mine for the sake of dissuading attacks.

Furthermore, the glory of a land-based strategy is that your battlefield always remains untouched. Wraths never do, or typically don't, tarnish your board-state.

In short, I'd recommend perhaps 2-4 wraths and a Glacial Chasm package. Drownyard Temple goes well with it. Effects such as Crucible of Worlds and Ramunap Excavator are imperative for replaying the Chasm from the bin, thusly negating the sacrifice cost. With extra-land effects it can be very potent. Life from the Loam is also strong, granting another form of card advantage with cycling lands.

These crucible-type strategies also grant another line of attack with Strip Mine. I sometimes randomly "win games" turn three by just an Azusa, Strip Mine, and Excavator.

There is a time in the game when you do not need more mana, so saccing some of it to Dust Bowl or the sort takes away from others' resources whilst you hide behind Glacial Chasm.

For wraths, Blasphemous Act is always strong, Molten Disaster's split second is great (combos with Glacial Chasm), and Chain Reaction is just good.

If you need to live more, just more interaction is great. I only run a few in my lands build, but it's a matter of taste. Beast Within is never lacking.

With great wraths comes great planeswalkers. You need some more value engines and constant draw! I don't care what people say, they're still fine in commander. Especially in lands decks, for a multitude of wraths keeps the table away:

1. Wrenn and Six is just lovely with a cycling land.

2. Vital Force ultimates quickly and draws much.

3. Best Nissa  ^Flip is ALWAYS strong, for she finds a land early and draws cards late.

4. Vivien Reid draws and murders. She's great but slow.

5. Chandra, Torch of Defiance may not say "land" but draws, ramps, kills, and kills some more.

For non-planeswalker card draw, Harmonize is solid, Outpost Siege is always fine, Mirri's Guile and Sylvan Library are great if within budget, and Once Upon a Time goes within all green decks I own.

For what I would cut:

Chandra's Ignition is cute but an eleven-mana kill.

Boundless Realms just ramps you more at seven mana.

I'd remove one of either Mage Slayer or Power Matrix. The deck should probably be a little less punchy and opt more for a long game.

The rest of what you remove comes down to repeated gameplay. The standard I hold my decks to is having ramp and draw fully assembled by the end of turn-four if uninterupted, if you need a reference.

So, more lines of attack outside of combat, disruption, and defensive options.

Good luck! It all comes down to choice.