What and how many mana rocks for Mono-U?
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Feb. 15, 2016, 11:54 a.m. by ThisIsBullshit
I'm finding that my Azami deck is lacking in speed- my curve really starts at 4-5. I'm starting to realize I'm getting rekt by fast decks or ones that are fairly resilient to counter spells.
My questions to you guys are how many mana rocks should I be running and what ones should I have? Help finding what to take out would also be nice.
Already got Sol Ring, Mana Vault, and Thran Dynamo. Do not suggest Mana Crypt, can't afford that shit.
Deck is A Lesson in Card Advantage. Other general comments are appreciated :)
@TheDevicer: If Thran Dynamo is too slow, then why is it on the commander power cards/staples list (and I mean normal list, not the budget list)? Is it always the best one to run? No. But in a deck with other ramp cards, it just rocks.
But the list is good, except I don't like mox diamond in a mono colored deck as it is worth much less late game, and doesn't ramp you enough IMO to overcome the missed land drop later. And i don't like the chorme mox in a mono colored deck, as the card disadvantage could hurt more than the one extra blue mana.
Sol ring should be in about every edh deck.
But it just matters what the other decks are going to be playing against. As the play group gets more competitive, the cards that are going to be impactful may change. Till you get up to a tier one deck of course.
I have a mono blue deck that uses some of these ramp cards, but my deck is not as competitive as some of my others as I used the cards on hand with it, and I actively traded for cards for my better decks.
February 15, 2016 7:23 p.m.
When you play in competitive circles, you'll only see two ramp cards that costs 4 mana regularly: Oracle of Mul Daya and Skyshroud Claim. One of those is only played after slots have been allocated to both Burgeoning and Exploration. The reason for this is that most decks are lean and capable of assuming winning positions quickly. The wast majority of rocks that are played at higher levels of play cost two or fewer mana.
The reason Epo lists Thran Dynamo in his list of staples is that it's not reflective of high-level play alone. Seriously. Take a look at that list. A card like Angel of Serenity will never see play in any serious list. Thran Dynamo kicks ass at low- and mid-level play as these decks are more prone to play battlecruiser magic and higher ACMCs.
Also, 0 mana rocks are invaluable in Azami as they not only let you cheat out your source of card advantage earlier, but also let you combo off with 0 mana open. Ok, so you have to discard an island to Mox Diamond, sure. But that island you just dropped represents one less turn you have to wait to start drawing cards. In addition, a 0 mana rock like Mox Diamond will let you pay for the 
in Laboratory Maniac's cost after you've comboed off with Mind Over Matter. Besides, the cards you lose to these rocks don't matter as much when you take into account the fact that you're ramping into a potent draw-engine.
Arvail says... #2
No! BAD Tib! No Thran Dynamo! Too slow. You want your acceleration to be accessible. For your deck, I suggest you go with a minimum of 6 rocks. These are if you can afford them.
These are pretty damn good.
Good budget options. Your deck likes colored mana.
February 15, 2016 12:12 p.m.