Hidden Power - Mono-Color - Bonkers for Big Mana
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Dec. 28, 2022, 1:27 a.m. by Tur
Hello everyone! This will be a forum post for a "Commander - Hidden Power" series. My goal is to show relatively inexpensive cards which are often overlooked by commander players in semi-competitive and casual play. (This post is not designed for competitive play.) If you enjoy the topic, please upvote the post or provide positive feedback and I will consider creating similar posts.
The powerful cards I plan on discussing are mono-color cards which are strong with big mana in commander.
I will provide one card per mono-color identity. These cards will not include x-spells nor multi-color identity spells. (I.e. no Torment of Hailfire nor Zacama, Primal Calamity)
It is obvious that big mana is a huge part of semi-competitive play. Whether it is from ramping through creatures, artifacts, enchantments, instants, sorceries, or lands. Big mana is pretty fun. Mana doubling effects from lands are especially useful. In this article, I'll be focusing on mana doubling from lands, but other ways to generate big mana are always possible
Here are some common big mana effects for each mono-color identity:
- White (W) : Caged Sun, Gauntlet of Power, Extraplanar Lens
- Blue (U) : Caged Sun, Gauntlet of Power, Extraplanar Lens, High Tide
- Black (B) : Caged Sun, Gauntlet of Power, Extraplanar Lens, Crypt Ghast, Nirkana Revenant, Cabal Coffers, Magus of the Coffers
- Red (R) : Caged Sun, Gauntlet of Power, Extraplanar Lens, Gauntlet of Might
- Green (G) : Caged Sun, Gauntlet of Power, Extraplanar Lens, Mana Reflection, Zendikar Resurgent, Nyxbloom Ancient, Vernal Bloom
This is not an all inclusive list as Mana Flare, Heartbeat of Spring, Keeper of Progenitus, Sword of Feast and Famine, et cetera would work just as well. In each mono-color identity the artifacts Caged Sun, Gauntlet of Power, and Extraplanar Lens can be used, however the black and green color identities have an advantage for mono-color double mana effects. Furthermore, green contains cards such as Seedborn Muse, Awakening, and Wilderness Reclamation which allow for more interactions.
Well, let us begin in WUBRG order!
White: Sacred Mesa
This card is relatively unused. According to EDHREC, Sacred Mesa is played in 1511/849227 (0%) decklists and is under one dollar. You'd be surpized how powerful this card is with double mana. Imagine making some number of pegasus at instant speed as either blockers or attackers for your next turn. (The upkeep cost can be paid by making a summoning sick pegasus during your turn.) Not to mention power and toughness buffing effects are ideal with Sacred Mesa, examples include Dictate of Heliod, Cathars' Crusade, Caged Sun, or Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite.
It is often compared to Luminarch Ascension because they have similar effects. Yes, it makes a 4/4 angel instead of a 1/1 pegasus.
However, Luminarch Ascension has many downsides:
- You have to have four quest counters to use the ability. (That is, you have to not lose life during an opponents turn four times.) This creates a huge target on your life total and you'll see it surely chip away.
- Bounce effects, such as Cyclonic Rift really mess it up. Welcome back to square one!
- Common cards, such as Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider prevent quest counters from even occurring. Vampire Hexmage or Hex Parasite are also options to remove the counters.
Sacred Mesa is way more versatile and does not have such downsides. Not to mention is it only three mana, ideal for Sun Titan recursion.
Blue: Compulsion
It is very rare to see this wonderful card. According to EDHREC, Compulsion is played in 1000/945324 (0%) decklists and is under one dollar. Having an activated draw ability with very little downside on a blue enchantment is insane. Ideal when paired with Teferi's Ageless Insight or Thought Reflection. There are a few cards which have a similar effect, such as Triskaidekaphile or Kefnet the Mindful without having to discard a card, but having a two mana activation is much more versatile. I suppose that an argument could be made with Training Grounds, but that is too much just to make the Kefnet the Mindful ability more cost effective. Furthermore, discarding a specific card like Echo of Eons, Wonder, or a shuffle Eldrazi such as Kozilek, Butcher of Truth has some nice synergy. (In fact, it should be played in most bant enchantress decks, such as the commander Tuvasa the Sunlit. Replenish for life!)
Black: Chainer, Dementia Master
This is a wonderful card, but a little pricey compared to the previous two cards. According to EDHREC, Chainer, Dementia Master is played in 6344/983251 (1%) decklists and is approximately ten dollars. Yes, we all know that you can abuse Chainer, Dementia Master with Gray Merchant of Asphodel or Kokusho, the Evening Star with sacrifice outlets such as Phyrexian Altar. Suppose we don't want to abuse this card into the ground is it still just good card? Yes. We can fill up or graveyard with Buried Alive or Entomb and get back a creature card, or we can grab a creature card from an opponents graveyard. It can also be used to interrupt graveyard combos, such as Aristocrats by using the ability on an opponents Butcher Ghoul with the undying trigger on the stack.
An extremely powerful and undervalued card. According to EDHREC, Scourge of Kher Ridges is played in 1005/912333 (0%) decklists and is under three dollars. If you're able to untap with Sourge of Kher Ridges and double mana, your opponents are going to have a rough time. As you can put multiple activations on the stack, it provides you with a very high on-board presence. Even within a response to removal. I've heard players complain that Scourge of Kher Ridges dies too quick to removal and my answer is "from your opponents perspective it needs to die before you're able to untap". Ideal with lifelink (and deathtouch) equipment such as Basilisk Collar or Shadowspear.
Green: Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
Typically unseen in play. According to EDHREC, Kamahl, Fist of Krosa is played in 4786/880991 (1%) decklists and is approximately five dollars. It is odd how unused Kamahl, Fist of Krosa is compared to Ezuri, Renegade Leader when they basically have the same effect. Overrun as an activated ability which is stackable multiple times. I agree that Ezuri, Renegade Leader is better in elf tribal decks, however Kamahl, Fist of Krosa is great in most big mana decks. Ideal for wide aggro. Tall aggro will gain the benefit of trample. If you don't have extra creatures you can animate your lands as 1/1 attackers, correction 7/7 attackers. (Pretty interesting because these attackers get around Cyclonic Rift, they're lands.) You can also get some payback by animating your opponents lands in response to a creature board wipe. (From that reasoning it can be paired with cards such as Ascendant Evincar and Crovax, Ascendant Hero to destroy opponents lands through animation.)
All in all, these are relatively unused cards which have a lot hidden power with big mana. If your deck is mono-colored and designed for big mana spells or abilities, think about giving these cards a chance. See if they work well for you and your playgroup.
Bubbling Muck is amazing, albeit symmetrical with urborg.
Rain of Filth is filthy if you're a kriirk deck
December 28, 2022 4:14 p.m.
Necrosis24 says... #4
I had not thought about the interaction between Cyclonic Rift and land creatures before that is rather neat and would also work with similar cards like Devastation Tide. This also made me realize land creatures and Intruder Alarm would be a great combo.
December 29, 2022 2:50 a.m.
fadelightningmm says... #5
I have 8 decks I regularly play and Kamahl, Fist of Krosa is the finisher in two of them. Great card easy infinite mana outlet that can turn a board of 3 creatures into lethal
December 29, 2022 7:10 p.m.
Neheb, the Eternal is hidden big mana in mono red Dragon Approach can generate 9 mana Thermo-Alchemist etc etc genrate mana second main phase I have a deck built around this I have had 30+ mana generate second main phase multiple times a game
December 30, 2022 12:29 p.m.
Yeah, there are many ways to get big mana.
Here is a story: I was playing a Bruvac the Grandiloquent edh, and I had Bribery in hand. Now, I know that one of my opponents is playing Blightsteel Colossus and another is playing Dockside Extortionist.
So, I played Bribery and got Dockside Extortionist on turn five. Phantasmal Image it. Clever Impersonator it. Make approximately twenty treasure. Play Bruvac the Grandiloquent, Maddening Cacophony, and Relic of Progenitus to mill out most of my opponents library's. Pact of Negation was a backup in case there was removal.
So, Dockside Extortionist allowed a mono-blue mill deck to win on turn five.
FormOverFunction says... #2
My favorite mono red ramp is Mana Flare. I understand it helps your opponents too, but it’s really great for red.
December 28, 2022 2:02 p.m.