-An EDH Staples walkthrough by Blaine Johnson.
Welcome back fellow Arizona Magic Patrons. I hope by now you guys haven’t become bored of the countless lists of EDH Staples. Magic is a very large and diverse game and the possibilities that Commander holds leads towards an immense cardpool. In my last reflection of EDH I discussed cards to think about when building Black or Red based decks. I did managed to run out of space and would just like to note the existence of Word of Seizing. Now that my red section is officially complete I’d like to start off today’s list by looking at the green staples of EDH. Green is one of my favorite colors to work with because it always feels as though you constantly have an active play as opposed to being mainly reactive. Turn for turn you are pushing your board presence forward, your mana forward, and your opponent back. Green has wonderful tutors, ramp, and massive creatures to tie it all together with.
Following the Green section I’ll be looking over the Multicolor cards that I have deemed worthy of play in EDH. Multicolor cards have always been designed slightly more power than their single color counterparts. The addition of a secondary source of mana gives the design team more mechanics and concept to work with. It lets them take Black’s inability to destroy Enchantments or Artifacts, and White’s lack of “Destroy target land or creature” and mixes them together to create Vindicate.
- Time to get aggressive with:
Green:
Crop Rotation, Sylvan Scrying, Skyshroud Claim, and Krosan Tusker:
Here we have the best green spells for finding lands while still getting value. The value you net out of Crop Rotation and Sylvan Scrying lies in the powerful cards like Gaea’s Cradle that you may go and find. Skyshroud Claim is so good in multicolor decks because it can grab two dual lands and put them directly into play which is hard to find in a card. The Tusker is just a good utility creature. If you don’t want the body, chuck it for a land and a new card. Well worth playing.
Green Sun’s Zenith, Sylvan Tutor, Worldly Tutor, Natural Order, and Tooth and Nail:
The tutors are very good for finding early drop creatures that you really want such as Rofellos. The Zenith gives you value because it is good both early and late game. Early game finding you a small mana creature and then late game helping you find your win condition. Now Natural Order and Tooth and Nail are your big green game enders. Their two favorite cards to find are Terastodon and Woodfall Primus, two huge creatures that can end the game with their bodies and removal package.
Fauna Shaman and Survival of the Fittest:
These two cards help with big utility style creature decks. Decks that are trying to gain an advantage through numbers and graveyard tricks rather than just big beaters. They love cards like Genesis and Squee, Goblin Nabob.
Regrowth, Eternal Witness, and All Suns’ Dawn:
Green loves doing the same thing twice and these cards help you do just that. All Suns’ Dawn is strictly meant for multicolor decks but made its way into the green section anyways.
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary and Mana Reflection:
Rofellos was so good at one point that it was banned as a General. Being able to cast huge spells why your opponent is still casting its early game cards is unfair. Most mono green decks will try to search him up early and take advantage like their predecessor. Mana Reflection is a wonderful card for all colors. It works like magic with all types of mana producers, lands, creatures, and artifacts. Ever wonder how you were going to cast that Time Stretch?
Sylvan Library, Harmonize, Collective Unconscious and Regal Force:
Green loves to draw cards and there is no simpler way than these two sets.
EDH is a format of big spells and this is one of the rulers of all big spells. You will have a hard pressed time losing after you lay out half of your deck onto the field.
This is a new up and coming star for EDH hate decks. It plays very well in a artifact light deck playing against the rest of the field.
Reap and Sow, Plow Under, and Primal Command:
If land destruction is your route, these are some of the best. Reap and Sow may be the best one, destroying a land then searching your deck for a Strip Mine and destroying another one. The other day I overheard one of my friends cube drafting and he said something that has stuck with me for a while now. While looking at a pack and then up at a buddy he says “have you ever beaten this card?” as he pulls Plow Under from the pack and places it face down in front of him.
Acidic Slime, Terastodon, and Woodfall Primus:
This is our family of big creatures with come into play triggers that blow stuff up. Even the smallest one in Acidic Slime is still and force to be reckoned with.
- In tribute to my Gold Cube.
Mutlicolor:
Azorius Guildmage, Necrotic Sliver, Angel of Despair, Trygon Predator, Mystic Snake, Charnelhoard Wurm, and Magister Sphinx:
These are all strong utility creatures for their given colors. They either have come into play triggers or activated/triggered abilities that you can be done more than once. All of them are solid in a nutshell and have a home in any deck that can run them.
Mystical Teachings, Momentary Blink, Dismantling Blow, and Soul Manipulation:
Three of these cards are defined as multicolored because of symbols in their text that make it so they can’t be run in off color decks. The two flash backs cards are great because they have a home either in a powerful control deck full of good instants or a creature heavy “blink” deck. Then Dismantling Blow is a crazy good removal spell. Every white EDH deck wishes that it could run it, but only so many decks actually get to play with this powerful card.
This is another great piece of removal for Generals, the card is very versatile on its own too. A great addition to any Bant color deck.
Mortify, Vindicate, Voidslime, Maelstrom Pulse, Pernicious Deed, and Putrefy:
These are all some of the most basic, versatile removal spells in all of Magic. They can easily find a home in their associated decks.
Identity Crisis, Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker, and Cruel Ultimatum:
Each one these cards bring a nice end game feeling along with them. Just looking at these multicolor cards all at once makes you want to play a five color deck. I can’t wait till I make my Cromat deck.
- Check out my next installment of My EDH Staples when I go over the most import color of all: Grey.