How Popular is Chromatic Lantern in this Format?

Commander (EDH) forum

Posted on March 11, 2020, 5:24 p.m. by DemonDragonJ

Most EDH decks are multicolored, to allow them to have a greater range of options, and, therefore, they need to have the ability to reliably produce mana of any color that their cards require.

In my mind, Chromatic Lantern is a perfect card for any multicolored EDH deck, as it provides amazing color fixing for that deck, and, while some decks that I have seen on this forum contain that card, not all of them do, so I wish to ask about that.

What reason is there to not include Chromatic Lantern in a multicolored EDH deck, and how popular is that card in this format?

jaymc1130 says... #2

Honestly, the only reasons to not include Chromatic Lantern in an EDH deck are: 1) the deck is intended to be played at the highest level of competitiveness where 3 cmc for a mana rock is not competitive enough, or 2) the deck is mono colored.

Aside from these 2 reasons it should pretty much be an auto include provided you own a copy of it. I'd actually run it even in dual colored decks without a second thought as an auto include provided the deck isn't intended for top level competitive play.

March 11, 2020 5:39 p.m.

RNR_Gaming says... #3

Someone got mad at me on a page for stating Chromatic Lantern is a crutch. It has applications and versatility but newer players tend to lean on its' ability. It's over hyped;use to be a wonderful include in budget deck but due to its popularity and spikes it's around 10 and there are just better rocks and options.

March 11, 2020 6:21 p.m.

DrukenReaps says... #4

Any 3+ color deck should probably have 1, outside of competitive play. I think 2 color wants stronger acceleration and usually doesn't need as much fixing. Not much point to it in most mono decks...

March 11, 2020 6:25 p.m.

RNR_Gaming says... #5

Personally, I wouldn't include it every multi color deck that couldn't fully utilize it. The first commander that comes to mind that would 100% want this card is Sen Triplets. Having access to green and red spells in an esper deck just feels dirty. Additionally, I may include it in a deck if I'm running something like Contamination or Blood Moon to break symmetry. Also, fetches will never be blanks if you have nothing left to fetch with this out. Typically, a well made mana base and 0-2 mana rocks will just perform better but if it does show up in a deck it should have purpose beyond just fixing.

March 11, 2020 6:34 p.m.

greyninja says... #6

I was stoked when they spoiled it for original Rav! Definitely design space they needed to get into. Now we're seeing it on creatures

Theres a few mono and dual color decks that would benefit from Chromatic Lantern: Sakashima the Impostor, Empress Galina, Memnarch, I run it in Etali, Primal Storm, I ran it in Olivia Voldaren, Lazav, Dimir Mastermind is another good candidate

Overall better for 3c decks; but there's applications all over!

March 11, 2020 9:15 p.m.

MindAblaze says... #7

I do see how it can be a crutch, however it also has a lot of utility. I’m not into hyper competitive environments anymore, so I think it’s worth a spot in most 3+ color decks, but my collection of shocks and fetches finds it to be redundant most of the time, hence seeing how it can be a crutch.

Totally dependent on your environment.

March 11, 2020 9:51 p.m.

greyninja says... #8

Dragonlord Silumgar is another thefty general

I played against an Ob Nixilis, Unshackled deck for the first time a week or so ago; and that's a case where Chromatic Lantern would help fetches tap for manas

March 11, 2020 9:59 p.m.

MagicalHacker says... #9

Hi! As someone who has 0 copies among my 25 decks, the reason I don't run it is because I would replace it with a card that ramped up my mana by two or more. In addition, I tend to be conservative with my utility lands and liberal with my color fixing lands and basics, not to mention I use lots of steady card raw, so I almost never need the color fixing ability from Chromatic Lantern anyways.

March 12, 2020 midnight

hejtmane says... #10

I open a couple copies pulled from booster packs from draft and I buy packs at my lgs since they do not do singles. I like having a place to play.

I own two and I use one in my 4 color atrax deck and my son has the other in a deck. If they are cheap it is great help on mana fixing at $10 I will buy a land

March 12, 2020 12:34 a.m.

shadow63 says... #11

It's good in 4 and 5 color decks and non green 3 color decks

March 12, 2020 9:58 a.m.

Unknownblah says... #12

Only deck I run it in as of now is Zur cause I have jank lands (too poor to afford all those shock lands geez) and since I run tainted pact the lands now tap for whatever I want ignoring harmful self inflicting damage effects due to tapping Zur, The Madman

March 12, 2020 12:41 p.m.

dingusdingo says... #13

Chromatic Lantern has the unfortunate fate of being too good to be printed as a rock and being not good enough to be printed as a rock worth running. Many people ignore that it costs 3 mana and only produces 1 because it color fixes your mana perfectly, shoring up decks with weak mana bases. However, those same people vastly overestimate how often they are going to see 1 specific card in their 99 card deck. Running Chromatic Lantern to enable your Necropotence isn't a winning move, because statistically you're just not likely to see those cards in the same game. Running super color heavy cards in a 3/4/5 color budget deck and relying on your singleton card from 99 to fix that is just bad deck building, simple as.

I would run any 2 cost rock over Chromatic Lantern, even the enter tapped rocks. Having an extra mana turn 3 is more important to 98% of decks than having perfect colored mana on turn 4. Paying mana to only receive 1 extra mana doesn't cut it for me, especially when options like Worn Powerstone exist if I really want a rock in the 3 CMC spot (I don't)

Once you begin to acquire better lands, the need for Chromatic Lantern disappears. You don't even need to have ABU Duals + Fetches, although they certainly help. You can get a healthy splashing of rainbowlands for pretty cheap, and you can also acquire shocks + painlands + filterlands + fastlands + battlebondlands in 3/4/5 color decks and have bountiful colored mana. Even more budget friendly options exist like the ravnica bouncelands, the scrylands, or even just plain old enter tapped dual color lands. Especially when you combine these with the 2 cost signets and talismans for your colors, you really shouldn't need Chromatic Lantern. At $10 a pop, that could be spent acquiring cards that will earn a permanent home in your deck. I have serious qualms about buying cards I know I will replace later, so take that $10 and buy some filterlands or shocks, or acquire the full cycle of signets and talismans for your decks.

March 13, 2020 2:40 a.m.

golgarigirl says... #14

I actually do not run Chromatic Lantern in any of my EDH decks.

My non-green decks are either a.) too fast to want it (I run Alesha, Who Smiles at Death, so I really want my rocks to come down before she does to help fix, if not ramp) or b.) have a really congested 3-slot, so I try to put my rocks into less packed slots (which usually means shifting them down to 2).

My green decks can do better, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove notwithstanding. Many run ramp creatures to ramp and fix, such as Wood Elves, since the body is valuable to me. Others go straight for Cultivate and the like, since I get 2 mana for the cost. And lands are also far harder to remove for most playgroups than an artifact.

I do not have any 4-5 color decks, and the 5-color deck I recently dismantled did not run Lantern, as it was an enchantment deck and got all of it's color fixing and ramp from Fertile Ground -style effects.

Chromatic Lantern is good, but it is far from an auto-include, even in 4-5 color decks. That said, it is a perfect fit for the thievery-style commanders for sure, and solid in other decks (even 2-3 color decks if you're stretching).

March 18, 2020 9:26 p.m. Edited.

smilodex says... #15

In casual EDH games with a 3+ colored deck Chromatic Lantern is really good to fix your colors and most of the time a good choice.

Don't play the Lantern:

  • in 1-2 colored decks
  • if your commander is costing 3 or less mana
  • when you have access to green or access to all the good lands (fetches, shocks, duals etc)
  • in cEDH
March 28, 2020 2:01 a.m.

DemonDragonJ says... #16

smilodex, I can understand most of your points, but why would the mana cost of one's general influence whether or not they should have Chromatic Lantern in their deck?

March 28, 2020 9:18 a.m.

smilodex says... #17

@ DemonDragonJ while you build your EDH deck, you have to consider that if your commander costs 3 mana you'll normally put put way less 3drops in your deck, because you will always play your commander with 3 mana. Because of that, you'll try to play as many 0-1 mana dorks/Ramp cards as possible in these cardslots instead, to ramp on turn 1, play a land and now you should be be able to play your commander on turn 2 if you drop your second land. Try to be as mana efficient as possible. I hope you get my point here.

March 28, 2020 10:19 a.m.

DemonDragonJ says... #18

smilodex, yes, that does make sense; thank you very much.

March 28, 2020 11:56 a.m.

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