Winding Canyons

Land

: Add to your mana pool.

, : Until end of turn, you may play creature cards as though they had flash.

Discussion (51)

SynergyBuild on War of the Spark EDH ...

4 days ago

I wanted to take this time to go over every card I think that will play a role in the EDH format from War of the Spark.

I will grade cards based on how many colors they require, how useful they are in how many decks, and will note where and why each could see EDH play.

Because there are 36 different planeswalkers, I think the planeswalkers are the proper place to start with this list.

The first ones I want to go over are the rare and mythic planeswalkers that will see play like the normal planeswalkers; value engines:

Liliana, Dreadhorde General - 9/10 - This card is a really good engine at 6 CMC in black. It has serious tribal synergies, aristocrats synergies, hits each player on the -4 (which draws you cards), and feels like a better Elspeth, Sun's Champion for black. It is worth it in most 75% black lists and any casual deck that can afford it.

Nissa, Who Shakes the World - 7/10 - Mono-green card? two color decks can use it too, but seriously a powerhouse. Mana doublers are always nice, and while green is perhaps already the best at ramp and so may not need it, but it does also untap a land per turn giving you ~2 additional mana, and the ultimate is insane. The issue with it as a mana doubler is that, being a planeswalker it can just die. It does, however protect itself. Seems possibly great, but probably just another really strong green ramp 5 drop.

Jace. Wielder of Mysteries - 7/10 - This card appears to be a normal Jace Phyrexian Arena effect for most mono-blue decks, but can be really strong givne you are a blue-black deck. If you can afford triple , I think using it with Demonic Consultation , naming a card outside of your deck so you exile your deck, then draw a card with Jace's +1, winning the game. It is a cheeky combo, but I see this card perhaps using it to win some number of games.

Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God - 6/10 - I know I am not super high on this card, but that mana cost is really the issue. Otherwise, it is a great walker once it hits, giving you huge card advantage, 4 cards in your favor with each opponent exiling and you drawing, and the static gives you a lot of advantage in a planeswalker deck or against them. It has removal, it has a lot. The ultimate seems... weak? Not bad, however.

Ugin, the Ineffable - 6/10 - Great walker for colorless decks. So far all of the colorless walkers has been good before, but they have been good outside of just colorless decks, however, I don't think that makes this bad.

Tamiyo, Collector of Tales - 5/10 - 2 colors makes this worse, and being singleton the +1 isn't great, but the static ability makes up for that a lot, giving it serious value. The +1 is self-mill, so you need a deck that can abuse that to get true mileage out of it. Even without, the -3 is Regrowth and I think is very strong. It feels about right for the mana cost, but need to be in a self-mill deck, or needs to be in a metagame wiht a lot of discard/sacrifice effects running around.

Vivien, Champion of the Wilds - 5/10 Green walker that draws you a card a couple of times maybe and has some flash use. It doesn't seem bad, but not something particularly powerful outside of green lists that need more card advantage or selection.

Chandra, Fire Artisan - 4/10 Red Chandra with card advantage. Static and ultimate seem medium. Not much better in many ways than the enchantment varients on this.

---

The more specific walkers that need a specific strategy are listed here. I rated them out of ten, only for decks in which they fit, like lifegain for Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord .

Saheeli, Sublime Artificer - 9/10 - Stellar card for artifact decks with the loyalty ability. It works with numerous other archetypes, however, token strategies like Brudiclad, spellslinger decks that storm off and now have a token army to back it up, etc. It works in walker decks and protects walkers whenever you cast more. It is just really strong for its cost, which is very versatile.

Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge - 7/10 - A

Huatli, the Sun's Heart - 6/10 - All of the Assault Formation effects for the walls deck are useful. Its lifegain isn't even irrelevant.

Ajani, the Greathearted - 5/10 - Good in some W/G walker decks or some +1/+1 counter lists? Bad +1 makes this medium, and you can only use the -2 twice... Still strong as effects go and low cost.

Gideon Blackblade - 5/10 - A white-weenie aggro card that gets around your own sweepers, protects other creatures, and is really good with the -6 as well. Lifegain and other combat tricks aren't bad on this either.

Ral, Storm Conduit - 5/10 - A storm combo card, that has some value effects. It doubles spells and could be strong in some spellslinger lists.

Ob Nixilis,the Hate-Twisted - 4/10 - Good walker for Nekusar, not gonna see play much outside of that.

Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord - 4/10 - Mass lifegain anthem effect, some targetted damage, and reanimation makes this pretty strong.

Sarkhan the Masterless - 4/10 - Good for dragon decks? Not really great in them, but can see play there.

Domri, Anarch of Bolas - 4/10 - REamp, anti-counter, and anthem effect. Not bad.

Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner 3/10 - Good in Stasis decks or decks that have large numbers of big creatures? It is ramp, while not being great.

---

Here are the hate-planeswalkers, cards that aren't value engines, but reall like hate enchantments.

Narset, Parter of Veils - 10/10 - Not even bluffing, an effect like Notion Thief or Leovold that doesn't die to creature removal, this is mono-blue, gives you card advantage, and has a high loyalty for its mana cost. It could be really scary with Windfall effects.

Karn, the Great Creator - Becasue sideboards aren't allowed if a single player in the pod doesn't allow them I won't be going indepth with the Mycosynth Lattice combo. Liquimetal Coating is another combo that llows you to destroy lands with the +1, and can kill 0-mana artifacts. It is pretty powerful as a one-sided Null Rod too. Great anti-artifact card.

Ashiok, Dream Render - 7/10 - Anti-graveyards, self-mill or opponent mill, and anti-search? This card hates on a ton of really powerful effects, and is entirely one-sided.

Teferi, Time Raveler - 6/10 - Combo with Knowledge Pool , one sided, flash for your Sorcery, removal/card draw for a bit. Really strong effect.

Dovin, Hand of Control - 5/10 - Not a great stax-piece, but technically one. Feels anti-storm. Had benefits against voltron as well.

Teyo, the Shieldmage - 3/10 - You have hexproof, protects itself a bit, great in a deck that uses walls however.

---

Outside of walkers, there are a ton of other great cards, I will go over the following in sets of cards:

---

Lands:

Blast Zone - 10/10 - Perhaps the best card in the set, there are extremely few decks I wouldn't put this in. It is a land that can hit any non-token, nonland, non-0-CMC permanent given some time, enters untapped, and taps for mana too, unlike Maze of Ith or other effects I'd argue are almost worse.

Emergence Zone - 7/10 - Bad flash enabler, but colorless and to all effects, beating Winding Canyon by enabling non-creatures. Enters untapped, for mono-colored decks that want this effect, no reason (mostly) not to run it and not bad.

Karn's Bastion - 6/10 - Needs to be in an infect, +1/+1 counter, or planeswalker deck, but it can do work. Sadly in a deck like Atraxa, I don't think it'd be great since colorless mana is hard to run in the landbase. Still good in numerous decks.

Interplanar Beacon - 4/10 - Strong for some walker lists, that is about it.

Mobilized District - 3/10 - Basically just a wall for some walker decks. If it gets to be free or 1 mana and becomes pretty worth it.

---

Colored artifacts:

Bolas's Citadel - 10/10 - A huge engine, hard to cast, can fail with double land, but just wins games. Few black decks would miss this in the 75% or casual circles. Like a free-cast Ad Nauseam forever. Comboes with both of Sensei's Divining Top 's abilities.

Vivien's Arkbow - 7/10 - It lets you discard bad cards to hit creatures when you are losing steam and have tons of mana. Really powerful.

Parhelion II - 5/10 - I don't care that this isn't good... look at it...

Oh god I love this. Angellic Helicarrier of DOOOM!!!! <3

BTW the other 2 are bad in EDH

---

God Cycle:

Ilharg, the Raze-Boar - 7/10 - Combo with Medomai the Ageless . Not a ton else, but all of these gods are very hard to kill, and this one can cheat out eldrazi... seems good.

God-Eternal Bontu - 5/10 - Great in Aristocrats, can be really strong for draw, is really hard to kill.

God-Eternal Oketra - 5/10 - Great in some white decks like Karametra, would be a sweet commander with effects like Whitemane Lion , Kor Skyfisher , Stonecloaker , etc. to trigger her a ton of times. Sweet with Odric, Lunarch Marshal , with a token and her out all of your creatures gain doublestrike and vigilance!

God-Eternal Kefnet - 4/10 - Not sure where this fits? It is card advantage, and could work in some decks that draw on opponents' turns? I am not thinking this is a great card. Good Body and is pretty strong with the god invulnerability effect.

God-Eternal Rhonas - 4/10 - Green five-drops are often better than this. Not bad, just kind of not a strong ability. Good with other anthem effects as a finisher if you have some trample enabler.

---

Finale cycle:

Finale of Devastation - 9/10 - Reanimate and tutor a creature to the field? This seems incredible. Green Sun's Zenith that also reanimates a card is huge! Also, like instant win if you use it at x=10+

Finale of Revelation - 8/10 - Better Mind Spring is good. Also, High Tide storm make it a little scary if that ends up being a thing.

Finale of Eternity - 7/10 - Really strong, but mana intensive for a triple Murder . Great black removal spell for many decks however.

Finale of Promise - 7/10 - Also really strong, this card seems to be for spellslinging. Requires instants and sorceries to double up on freecasting, but is still good.

Finale of Glory - 6/10 - Big White Sun's Zenith at sorcery speed with huge benefit at x=10+. Seems strong? I can't say taht the vigilance on the tokens are bad, but being a sorcery it isn't hard to sweep.

---

The following cards are not part of a cycle:

Command the Dreadhorde - 9/10 - 6 mana for a Reanimate any number of creatures/walkers in any graveyard? Hugely underrated IMO.

Liliana's Triumph - 8/10 - A great removal spell that doesn't target creatures, players, and is instant speed. It is 2 mana, splashable, and gets around indestructible. If you run Lilianas, that is just gravy on top.

Fblthp, the Lost - 8/10 - Great commander with Proteus Staff , strong effect, and is just a good card for blue creature decks like Animar, Soul of Elements . Strong.

Time Wipe - 8/10 - Incredible powerful in some decks, think of it with an Archeaomancer. Yep. Infinite board wipes ;). Otherwise just a sort of better Day of Judgment .

The Elderspell - 7/10 - Anti-walker, really good at what it does, and can be used in conjunction with other walkers to hit a fast ultimate!

Narset's Reversal - 7/10 - Just a strong counterspell option, that acts like a Remand or Venser, Shaper Savant with different upsides. Really strong because it gets around "can't be countered" cards, and copies really game-ending x-spells while bouncing them back at the same time. I expect tons of 2-for-1s with this.

Dovin's Veto - 7/10 - Better Negate at the cost of an additional color in its cost. Really strong, and will see tons of play IMO. U/W control variants will take this card and run it over other control decks for some serious power.

Return to Nature - 7/10 - Naturalize with graveyard hate as another option. Surprisingly versatile, and always better classics are great!

Deliver Unto Evil - 7/10 - Strong political card, godly with a Nicol Bolas walker. Feels like it could be breakable, but I don't know how yet.

Neoform - 7/10 - Strong tutor like Eldritch Evolution , doesn't exile itself, adds a +1/+1 counter, etc. I see it with +1/+1 counter decks, or just Simic Creature lists in general I imagine fetching Eternal Witness then recurring this then sacrificing E-Wit will become a common playline to go from 2 drop to 4 drop.

Ignite the Beacon - 6/10 - Walker decks will use this to great effect, but it just seems powerful for some non-walker decks that have a few. Instant speed I really think makes it good for control decks holding up mana for countermagic.

Single Combat - 6/10 - Really good sweeper in white, a color with a ton of really good sweepers, but still, it is strong and will go into a lot of white lists. Don't underestimate this in decks with 0 or just a few walkers/creatures, it gives you turns on many opponents.

Dreadhorde Invasion - 6/10 - Good in zombie tribal, otherwise on its own it seems... weak? It isn't bad, and as a value engine has potential in token and +1/+1 counter strategies, as well as just lists that want chump blockers each turn. Worse Bitterblossom for many decks. Where it shines in in combos with sacrifice outlets and Contamination !

Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin - 6/10 - New Krenko that isn't broken, but is less maan and is a great addition to any goblin deck, while making tokens? Sign me up! The flavor is dripping on this card, and it is a really good tribute to the Mob Boss himself.

Solar Blaze - 5/10 - Not exactly much better than Day of Judgment , and even Deafenning Clarion may be better in some decks, but for decks, with specifically higher toughness than power it can be a one-sided sweeper!

Massacre Girl - 5/10 - Black sweeper, good with big demons? I can't see this being insane, or even a big commander, but could make for a fun control commander, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this in flicker lists.

Domri's Ambush - 4/10 - +1/+1 counter, one-sided fight, hits walkers, instant speed? Seems strong as a budget removal spell in Gruul, but has capabilities in many other lists as a real piece.

Kasmina's Transmutation - 4/10 - Anti-commander enchantment, but unlike Darksteel Mutation , which doesn't leave chump-blocking on the table to kill it off, or even most removal spells, this one doesn't have that bonus. Good in budget blue decks, and will probably see a lot of EDH play in casual circles.

Arboreal Grazer - 4/10 - Strong in decks like Tatyova, Benthic Druid , big land-ramp decks or land-matters for it's 1 cmc effect. Chump duty after. Doesn't seem bad.

Dreadhorde Arcanist - 3/10 - Requires pump effects, self-mill, or a spell-slinging deck, and a lot of setup, and can be blocked without too much difficulty, but does have some power. Not sure where it fits.

---

This will be updated with ~30 more really cool cards from War of the Spark!

SynergyBuild on The Deckwatch [Home Base]

1 week ago

Also, I am calling that Explosion Zone may break standard. Mono-Blue Tempo, Mono-Red Burn, Mono-White Aggro/Azorius Aggro, and even a few other decks could easily be pushed out if it only destroyed 1 cmc nonlands, but because decks like Sultai base themselves on Wildgrowth Walker , Merfolk Branchwalker , and Hydroid Krasis (technically always 2 cmc on field), x=2 can shut them out too.

That land may also hurt control decks using Search for Azcanta  ^Flip as their main engine, and new decks using walkers that use the 4 drop slot religiously with Tamiyo, Jace, Chandra, or 3 drop slot with the newer walkers from RNA and WAR.

Not to mention a Bant Teferi, Hero of Dominaria / Wilderness Reclamation + Nexus of Fate deck that can now play Explosion Zon], tap it to put counters, untap it on endstep and hold an activation for any CMC the turn they play it over their opponent's head.

---

But is also is a Ratchet Bomb on a land, making it incredibly good for Red and Black EDH decks that need to destroy enchantments (or artifacts for Black EDH decks), or green decks that want creature removal. It will probably be the best utility land in colorless, IMO surpassing lands like Winding Canyons , Maze of Ith , Reliquary Tower , even Strip Mine / Wasteland etc. only being beaten by Bazaar of Baghdad for decks like The Gitrog Monster , Ancient Tomb or maybe Gemstone Caverns for fast combo decks in cEDH, and The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale in stax lists.

Just sayin' it looks to be a 50 dollar staple in 5 years.

GoodLuckGuy on Insert Coin To Play - [[Primer]]

3 weeks ago

They're both for Laboratory Maniac . When you draw your deck with Squee's Revenge or Frenetic Efreet , Flash being in your deck means that you don't need any prior setup to win with lab-man; you draw into both, then flash him out right before your last draw for a free win. I'd HIGHLY recommend adding it.

Winding Canyons isn't 100% necessary, but it's a strong utility land that also does what the other flash enablers do for you. Although with these new spoilers, Emergence Zone seems better.

Gelectrode95 on Insert Coin To Play - [[Primer]]

3 weeks ago

GoodLuckGuy Winding Canyons is a great card. I don't like the fact that it makes me flash only creatures but is still great, thanks!

I don't know about Flash ... I mean, is really good but I don't have so many ETB effects in this deck and most of my creatures requier just 2 or 3 mana to be played...

GoodLuckGuy on Insert Coin To Play - [[Primer]]

3 weeks ago

Surprised no one has mentioned Flash

Also, Winding Canyons

Inkmoth on Yeva Draw-Grow

4 weeks ago

channelfireball12345 Honestly, I'm not looking to slot out Brutalizer Exarch just yet, he's been performing really well lately. Sylvan Tutor I'm too stubborn to run and it's sitting in my binder. Something about it being a sorcery speed topdeck tutor is so unappealing to me, especially when I am storming off and I need an actual solution in my hand. As for Winding Canyons , gonna copy and paste a previous comment where I answered that one.

"Winding Canyons : The deck is actually not starved of this ability. In fact, if you think about it, Command Beacon being on the chopping block is a really good indicator of it. The reason why is because getting rid of Yeva is never a factor because I always unload my hand in response to that removal and she is never out unless I have stuff worthy of being played."

TheSlowestBro on Titania, Nature's Avenger

4 weeks ago

I think I will end up adding Growing Rites. Don't like the angel either to be honest, definitely like the Claws much more. The main problem is figuring out what to cut lol. Zhalfirin Void is an interesting card, I might try that out instead of Tectonic Edge ( Ghost Quarter draws way less hate).

My take on Titania isn't that all-in on the big land-sac swing turn, playing mono-green means I need to cater to my inner Timmy heh. Hope the Winding Canyons works out in your build, like you said mine has more creatures so for me it's excellent at least.

CastleSiege on Deforestation

1 month ago

To be honest I had never even considered Winding Canyons . I guess because I don't run many creatures in my build. Flashing in Sylvan Safekeeper does sound pretty powerful. Or even just Reclamation Sage or Eternal Witness . I think I'll try it out. Thanks for the idea! :)