Hello, Pure Classic fans! What are the staple cards for those interested in eternal formats of Magic Online? Ever want a good checklist while deckbuilding to quickly assess whether you missed a critical idea? If so, this article is for you.
Dangerlinto, the founder of the ClassicQuarter.com website, wrote a strong baseline article here which I still reference from time to time, looking over the lists, trying to make sure there is no obvious addition to my new deck creation that I'm missing. In short, I loved it; however, it is over a year old with several new cards having entered the format. Additionally, the article was designed mainly for the format all-stars and less with the role players in mind, yet when you are filling out slots 56-60 and the sideboard typically you have to consider exactly those role players. I'll try a new organizational layout, and will typically go a little more in-depth about each card.
Some additions will be proven winners while others are more speculative. I will often reference average prices and make purchasing recommendations for the number of copies I think a new player wanting to invest in the format should acquire. Finally, I will attempt to employ a ranking system to try to convey at a glance a given card’s import.
Although a split into separate Classic and Legacy formats has not occurred yet, I am assuming it to be merely a matter of time, and my rating value applies to either format, although my commentary might elucidate whether a card is only playable in Legacy.
***** – Staple of multiple top decks
**** – Staple of one consistent top deck, prevalent metagame card
*** – Staple of one irregular top deck, frequent role-player, regular metagame card
** – Occasional role-player, silver bullet, or meta card; uncommonly strong potential
* – Niche card, has format potential, something to keep in mind
Honorable Mention – Has seen play, but I just don't see it ever having a consistent future
Remember, to even garner a single star speaks for the card’s power and/or unique role in the game; the vast majority of cards in the game have 0 *s.
To help the reader find the most important cards quickly, I have organized the article by color and then by ranking and finally by alphabetical order. To prevent information overload, I have hidden each category's contents with the spoiler-show-me system; to investigate more fully, just click to unveil each tier. Card rarity, when it varies, presumes the most common version available.
This article series will go in classic WUBRG order, followed by multicolored cards, mono-artifacts, and lands. I will try to compile everything into one giant article for reference sake at the end, so feel free to chime in with your insights and suggestions. My intention is to release one article approximately every week.
White
This color is, by far, the least represented in the format due to a (purposeful?) lack of strong threats. There are fewer staples, but conversely, White has adopted a strong role as strategic hoser, leading to myriad answers across card type and cost. While it has been said there are never wrong threats, only wrong answers; the player in White does his best to predict the field, hoping to erect impassable roadblocks. Because of all the possible ways to disrupt, expect to find more metagame-dependent 1- and 2- star cards here than in other colors.
*****
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Balance – FtV: Exiled; rare. Sure, it's a symmetrical effect, but you're not the one running into the random game unprepared. To play Armageddon, Wrath of God, and Mind Twist all for only two mana is absurd. Really any deck can throw this in as an emergency reset button for good value, but it's at its abusive best when you can make use of artifact mana and low creature counts. Don't scale back your collection by omitting this restricted singleton for a mere four tickets. |
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Enlightened Tutor – Theme Deck, Mirage; uncommon. This is easily one of the most powerful unrestricted cards in the format. Because of the speed of the format, there are a lot of linear decks out there. WotC has created a ton of hosers for those linear decks and Enlightened Tutor gets most of them. As one example, 4 Enlightened Tutors plus one Null Rod spells death to Affinity, but adding a single Circle of Protection: Red, will beat a ton of Red decks as well. Even at five tickets each, illuminate your collection with a playset today. |
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Ethersworn Canonist – Shards of Alara; rare. So many decks get value out of an Orim's Chant that sticks around: Fish, Affinity, Bant, Haterade, Thresh, Zoo, others. Besides, perhaps, Moat, it's hard to think of a better general hoser for a Classic metagame against the field, as it takes on Flash, Elves, Storm, and Dredge to great profit. Employ it as a singleton and up the count as needed given the relevance of the hosed decks to the metagame. At only six tix for the set, you won't need to rob the poorbox for it. |
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Moat – MED1; rare. When you see base Blue/Green Control decks splashing for a card with two White mana symbols in its casting cost, you know you have a powerful role player. Opposing Aggro strategies are typically paralyzed, especially in a game-one. Whatever escapes the Moat, is sent farming: Swords to Plowshares. Meanwhile, your deck has been concocted to fly over the Moat (or combo out) for the win. This goes straight in any number of classic Control decks, and probably Enchantress and Slide decks as well. Isolate a singleton, if not two copies, for around four tickets each. |
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Path to Exile – Conflux; uncommon. This recent addition to Classic has largely replaced but has sometimes supplemented, Swords to Plowshares, for all Aggro decks working in White. Giving an opponent life when that is precisely the resource you are trying to attack would seem foolish. Instead, here the drawback is a basic land, but not all defending decklists even utilize basics, like Affinity or Dredge. Land a playset in your binder for around four tickets. |
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Swords to Plowshares – Theme Deck, MED2, Ice Age; uncommon. The first, the most permanent, the best removal spell for control decks. The creature ain’t coming back, and it only cost one mana. Need some life? Off your own guy. Cultivate that playset for four tickets as soon as you can. |
****
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Circle of Protection: Red – Promo, 7th-9th Edition, Tempest; common. One of the most stultifying cards for Red decks everywhere, be they Burn or Goblins or Stompy or Combo. This card is easily splashed for as a silver bullet and Red decks are left, if lucky, to a very timely Pithing Needle or they must often fold (though certainly a Circle can be overloaded). Some people opt these days for Aegis of Honor but that strikes me as foolish in a land of Goblins and Progenitus. Can't touch the original! Don't sweat that singleton copy at the low price of one penny! |
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Elspeth, Knight-Errant – Shards of Alara; mythic. Since they are so hard to deal with, much less, deal with profitably, Planeswalkers are quickly becoming the Control deck's best friend, and Elspeth can make a good case for being the best positioned one of them all. She provides her own stream of attackers as she builds up to a very useful ultimate ability. At 17 tickets apiece (good night!), she's a caprice of the wealthy perhaps, but the Tundra that taps for her costs more. |
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Orim's Chant – Being so splashable, this card profitably enters any number of decks depending on the metagame. It headlines, with Isochron Scepter, a deck that that prevents your opponent from attacking or casting non-instant spells for the rest of the game. It can be used defensively against Elves or Storm Combo or can kill a Phyrexian Dreadnought while it is on the stack. Offensively, it serves as a test spell for various combos, getting play in Flash and Ad Nauseam Storm. Fast Aggro decks get the same defensive utility vs. Combo decks but also can use it as a Time Walk. I understand that at close to 40 tickets each you may have other priorities, but attune your collection to its potential when you can. |
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Reveillark – Morningtide; rare. One of the critical pieces of the Flash deck, this particular win condition teams up with Body Double and Carrion Feeder to recur Mogg Fanatic until the opponent is dead. Some people have tried sticking it into Dredge to accelerate a win. Find an early bird special for a singleton sale at around two tickets. |
***
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Armageddon/Ravages of War – MED1, MED2 (respectively); rare. I'll stick my neck out here and bump it up to three *'s despite it never appearing in a top 8 Classic deck. It is a staple in the Legacy White Stax archetype (preventing the other from paying the taxes it imposes) and a catalyst for any potential White Weenie decks out there; a card this powerful must be abused somehow. Pair this with Mana Crypt and reap some rewards. Shake up your collection with a set for around fourteen tickets if either archetype interests you, and you can spare the change. |
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Astral Slide – Onslaught; uncommon. This card has spawned its own archetype teaming with fellow cycling fanboy Lightning Rift. The rest of the recipe: add lots of cycling cards and mix in lots of creatures with enter-the-battlefield abilities. Voila – a scrumptious midrange Control deck. Brighten your collection with a set for around a quarter total. |
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Auriok Salvagers – Fifth Dawn; rare. Bomberman, where are you? Completely off the '09 Classic radar, the deck deserves better. Pairing Salvagers with Lion's Eye Diamond is a two-card infinite mana combo; add Pyrite Spellbomb to the mix to also draw your entire deck. I suspect the risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with all that clicking reduces its play somewhat, even if there weren't other two-card combos to exploit. Regardless, at four-cents-per-junk-rare, rummage around for a playset. |
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Decree of Justice – Theme Deck, Promo, Scourge; rare. While not a staple, per se, it is a prevalent singleton in a Slide deck, or the more common U/W Control decks. An uncounterable, instant-speed army that cycles if not needed early, is a great way to finish a game; liberate someone's copy for around three tickets. |
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Eternal Dragon – Scourge; rare. Not so immortal as was once believed, he still certainly has a role to play in Slide decks, and Landstill decks forget him at their own peril. Few threats are as flexible and as powerful as this one; it gets out of the way easily and readily mops up when the coast is clear. At 3.5 tix per, you could definitely pass this up in favor of other options, but I hope you can make a timeless addition to your collection. |
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Humility – Tempest; rare. Humility is a little more narrow than it's main competition, Moat, but has some nice upside as well. If you are creatureless, try Moat as 1/1s can still inflict enough damage over time. Landstill decks, on the other hand, usually prefer Humility as Mishra's Factory and the other manlands enter play with their regular stats, due to layering rules (as do +1/+1 token effects). Elspeth, Knight-Errant might be Humility's best friend, evading Humility's effect, providing a steady token supply, and winning all offensive combat. At around three tickets each, you should assume one, maybe two, into your collection, if nothing else as a potential bullet. |
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Kataki, War's Wage – Saviors of Kamigawa; rare. A staple of Vintage Fish decks because of Moxen; it remains to be seen whether it will ever share that role online. Regardless, it can come out of the board as an affinity hoser or solid Stax-style threat to any number of artifact-based strategies. It's running around 5 tickets at present, so it should be a lower, if still positive, priority; you could probably instigate a trade for two copies. |
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Land Tax – MED3; rare. Banned in Legacy, it is hard to correctly evaluate this card. The obvious application right now is to pair it with Seismic Assault for an extra six damage a turn given the right circumstances. Manabond isn't available to Classic yet to accelerate with those lands, and deck thinning and making land drops is great so far as it goes, but isn't the end-all of Magic. This all makes me think the options are limited for its success, but break out the Plateaus and Mox Diamonds and go to town. If you can afford those other pieces you can gift yourself a pair of these for around two tix each. |
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Mirror Entity – Lorwyn; rare. Quickly becoming an Elf deck singleton staple as an alternate win condition to Grapeshot, it doesn't take much board presence to make this lethal quickly. This White Elf can also allow your whole team to piggyback on an opposing Lord of Atlantis; that's just one trick among many. Have your collection reflect that singleton for a mere ticket. |
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Oblivion Ring – Theme Deck, Lorwyn, Shards of Alara; common. Nothing spectacular here but a non-land Vindicate for non-Black decks or as an Enlightened Tutor target is always welcome. Some Stax decks go whole-hog on four copies, and Enchantress might be interested too when it gets more pieces online. Don't forget your playset for less than a quarter. |
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Rule of Law – 10th Edition, Mirrodin; rare. The White analogue of Arcane Laboratory, this hoses any number of powerful Classic decks. Perfectly positioned alongside Enlightened Tutor, this is a singleton staple for many sideboards with access to White mana. Claim that copy for a dime. |
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Runed Halo – Shadowmoor; rare. Combo-Schmombo. This turns off Tendrils of Agony, Goblin Charbelcher, Mogg Fanatic, and so much more. As long as you weren't planning to win via the ground game, it trades off with a creature (hello, Tarmogoyf!), and potentially more if they are unfortunate enough as to draw duplicates. Simply put, one of the most flexible hosers in the game, but the double-White mana cost will give some decks pause. I'd ring up a singleton as a silver bullet for around a ticket, but there is potential for this to leave a lasting imprint on the format. |
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Samurai of the Pale Curtain – Champions of Kamigawa; uncommon. This is a staple, as a singleton, of the U/W Fish archetype; redundant copies are introduced the more the graveyard affects a given metagame. It hoses Dredge and Flash very efficiently, while also turning off the Modular mechanic, Skullclamp, and Disciple of the Vault. Not bad for a two-mana investment that can deter attacks, and sometimes ping for 2. The set won't run you more than a quarter so seize one for your collection. |
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Serra Avenger – Time Spiral; rare. The highest rated of the generic Aggro creatures in White, she's a natural fit in all of those decks, with evasion and great stats for her mana investment (and iconic artwork to boot). Her drawback is admissible, and sometimes even mitigated by Aether Vial. She's cheap enough to be a great test spell, and powerful enough to have test spells precede her entrance. Pursue a set for two tickets. |
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Sinew Sliver – Planar Chaos; common. One of the mainstays of the Sliver archetype no matter which shell that deck wants to run (aggro or aggro-control), there's not much to be said except that it is a great team player. Thanks to its popularity in Pauper, a set might go for close to two tickets, so feel free to pass if you think the Slivers won't serve as Sirens to your ears. |
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Solitary Confinement – Judgment; rare. This little piece quite impressively takes your opponent out of the game without options as long as you can meet its demands. That usually involves Squee, Goblin Nabob, or recurring cycling lands with Life from the Loam, but there are other draw engines for the job. Slide, Enchantress, and Enduring Ideal decks have all included this. Nab a singleton for under a ticket. |
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True Believer – 10th Edition, Onslaught; rare. It remains to be seen how good this guy will be in the new metagame. Granting personal shroud is immensely powerful and shuts down some of the most powerful strategies in the game. My main concern is that he is vulnerable to disruption (though creature kill is on the decline) and that he doesn’t stop Plan B Tinker. The double-White cost is not easy to splash, limiting it to White Weenie and Fish. For a half-ticket each, faithfully encounter 2-3 copies for your collection. |
**
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Aegis of Honor – Odyssey; rare. Some people prefer this to Circle of Protection: Red, but I'm not sure the analysis holds up. To save a single mana on the front end, you allow a whole host of threats a free path on the back. It's a fifty-cent rare, so dress up your collection with a singleton copy to settle the debate cheaply. |
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Akroma, Angel of Wrath – Divine vs. Demonic, Legions, Timeshifted; rare. She’s on life-support right now as a go-to reanimation target in Dredge, etc, having to fight off her alter-ego Akroma, Angel of Fury, and other good cards like Cephalid Sage (in Dredge), Angel of Despair, Hellkite Overlord, and Empyrial Archangel, not to mention other hosers. You should probably pass if that means getting something else in this category instead. |
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Ancestor's Chosen – Judgment; uncommon. This makes for a nice singleton for Dredge decks, especially in Legacy, when fighting the mirror match, some Combo, and against Burn, of course. It's just hard for some decks to produce an extra forty damage or so. Unearth a copy for around .02. |
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Angel's Grace – Time Spiral; rare. One mana, can't be countered, you can't lose. This has seen a fairly wide adoption in paper Ad Nauseam Storm decks (usually from the sideboard) as it allows the deck to cast its namesake and to draw the rest of its deck for free where often they might have fizzled out. This card has strong potential for other future combos; bless your collection with a couple of copies at a quarter each. |
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Aven Mindcensor – Future Sight; uncommon. This has shown up in a ton of Vintage Fish decks lately, and while that format may sport less creature kill, I think the Mindcensor's ability may be more relevant in Classic, where we have more Fetchlands and unrestricted tutors. Realize a playset for a quarter. |
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Baneslayer Angel – M10; mythic. To my knowledge, the only slot this is competing for is in the Trinket Painter deck as a replacement for Exalted Angel. I think that’s the right call, and this is certainly powerful enough to merit consideration once the format splits. That doesn’t mean budget shoppers shouldn’t look elsewhere for now. |
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Circle of Protection: Green – 7th-9th Edition, Tempest; common. Not nearly as prevalent as its anti-Red sister, it still does a number on a number of Aggro strategies and might constitute a deck's only out against Progenitus. The strategy behind Circle use has become a lot more fun and complex these days due to Krosan Grip – you might have to activate your Circle during your opponent's upkeep before it's too late! They're in the free bots, so round up a couple. |
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Exalted Angel – Promo, Onslaught; rare. Like Akroma above, Miss Exalted is getting kicked out of the higher heavenly spheres these days. Baneslayer Angel has a stolen a lot of its thunder, though the traditional fringe Exalted decks like Angel Stompy or White Stax may still prefer an angel on the installment plan; more evidence is needed. If the meta tests prove a need still, raise your sights for a pair for around six tickets if those decks appeal. |
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Ghostly Prison – Theme Deck, Champions of Kamigawa; uncommon. The White version of Propaganda, use it as a bullet card off the bench to pose a lot of questions to any number of aggro decks (Dredge, Goblins) while your own creatures are sent off untaxed. Alternatively, play a set in a Legacy Stax deck to really hamper the opponent's game plan. Lock down that set for under a quarter. |
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Harm’s Way – M10; uncommon. This would make the cut for a few slots in the recent Haterade deck which beat up on a RDW, Zoo, Goblins infested metagame. You can skimp out here, but its impact should stand in other formats as well for a long time. Harbor a couple copies for a ticket. |
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Hoofprints of the Stag – Lorwyn; rare. This has seen a lot of play in Legacy over the past two years – first, as you might expect, as a very synergistic, hard-to-remove win condition for Enchantress decks, but secondly, even in U/W Control or Thresh decks as a likely upgrade on Sacred Mesa. It rewards you for doing a natural and beneficial game action, and Control decks are usually positioned to accelerate the rewards. Hunt down one or two copies for a quarter each. |
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Isamaru, Hound of Konda – Champions of Kamigawa; rare. I'm not sure whether it's man's best friend, but it has an intermittent role in a variety of aggro-based strategies. Arguably not worse than Kird Ape, which sees lots of play, this card can jump-start any number of strategies, including Fish, Zoo, and Mono-White, Boros, and Orzhov Aggro. It also has neat synergy with Karakas. At a ticket each, I'd try to collar a playset. |
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Jötun Grunt – Coldsnap; uncommon. I've always had my doubts on this card – either it does too little or too much. That is to say, against Dredge, it will help out but still be overrun; against other decks it will be loss of card advantage after just a couple of turns. It will shine at times, especially vs. opposing creature decks and Thresh, both of which must deal with him, but I just don't like the general odds. A quarter each, so scrounge around for a playset regardless. |
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Magus of the Tabernacle – Planar Chaos; rare. Good enough for a Pro Tour champ to include as his only creature in a recent Stax deck. It blocks just about everything, including Tarmogoyfs, and prevents, along with the rest of the deck, opposing creatures from seeing the light of day. Afford another ten-cent rare. |
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Mana Tithe – Planar Chaos; common. Force Spike reprinted in White is probably better in its new color home for lack of competition. Indeed, White Weenie and the similar Death and Taxes deck have made some use of it. Duly excise a set from some bot for around twenty cents. |
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Mangara of Corondor – Time Spiral; rare. This forms a pretty neat combo with Karakas (but Momentary Blink should not be dismissed either) to make a reusable Vindicate every two turns; if there were a way to grant her haste, you could blow things up once per turn. Not shabby. It's part of a fun deck called Death and Taxes which runs a lot of Vindicate effects like Oblivion Ring and Cataclysm (from Exodus). At around a half ticket only for the entire set, exile her from some bot's binder. |
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Pulse of the Fields – Darksteel; rare. If it weren't for Cunning Wish, it would be debatable how much play this would see; as it is, any of the U/W Control decks are happy to have a bullet that can reverse all the damage done to that point. Harvest a singleton for that Wishboard for less than fifty cents. |
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Renewed Faith – Onslaught; uncommon. With all the new cheap cycling cards in Alara block, part of me wonders whether this still makes Slide decks mechanically more than strategically. Still, not a bad card; nurture your collection with a set for less than a quarter. |
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Sacred Ground – 7th-9th Edition, Stronghold; rare. Decks that are into Enchantments like Enchantress or Slide will want to consider this investment as it can usually be found easily or played for free. Landstill decks or 40+Land decks where lands constitute the totality of the offense will likely strongly consider protecting their investment. Finally, any player deckbuilding with access to White mana will want this in the back of his mind, given how mundane Strip Mine, Wasteland, Smallpox, and Devastating Dreams are in the format. I'd dig up a copy out of a bot's ten-cent pile for easy future access. |
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Sigil of the Empty Throne – Conflux; rare. Legacy Enchantress decks consider this there number one finisher these days, and it's easy to see why as they can tutor it, draw cards off casting it, and it ends games quickly thereafter. You can try this with Mesa Enchantress at present but you're really waiting for the online release of the Argothian lure. In the meantime, sit on a pair of these for around 1.5 tix. |
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Silver Knight – Promo, Scourge; uncommon. When the format splits, and Goblins overtakes Legacy once again as is inevitable for at least some point, this will be a potential go-to guy. He already makes the rare appearance in Fish and White Weenie decks. What really is keeping him back is the lack of a solid tutor for him in his color. At around a ticket for the set, spend your spare change as its solid potential makes it a worthy buy. |
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Sphere of Law – Odyssey; uncommon. There are a lot of strong Red hosers in this section. If your deck can afford the mana, this might be the best as it prevents red spells and permanents from damaging you; unlike Warmth below this completely invalidates Sulfuric Vortex and also, unlike Circle of Protection: Red gets around Pithing Needle as well. Four mana is a lot, but the flame stops here. It would be criminal not to own one or two copies at a quarter each. |
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Suppression Field – Ravnica; uncommon. This is an often overlooked gem that should probably get more play than it does. It completely shuts off some powerful cards like Earthcraft, but inhibits use of many others, for example, Mishra's Factory. Most famous for its cruelty occurs when it makes your opponent pay {2} just to activate a Fetchland, which mana he may not even have yet. Nearly a staple for Stax decks, though, perhaps, from the board, other decks already into White should verify how much mileage they can get out of the disruption it provides. At fifteen cents for the entire playset, might as well pay for it. |
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Tireless Tribe – Odyssey; common. Legacy-based Dredge decks should consider this as a solid enabler that plays a surprisingly solid defensive game early, as needed. If your Dredge deck is just playing rainbow lands like (City of Brass) anyways, this might supplement some of the draw spells like Breakthrough. Roam around the rubbish bin for your playset. |
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Warmth – Tempest; uncommon. This card has not received nearly the attention it deserves. The amount of anti-damage it can inflict on the Burn deck is staggering for far less resource investment than Circle of Protection: Red could ever hope for. The one liability is that this card is turned off by Sulfuric Vortex, a popular Burn enchantment. Yet if you check out the recent placing Burn lists, Vortex is no longer a popular commodity so it might be time for Warmth to make a comeback. (N.B. Instead of giving it a separate entry, I'll just mention the unheralded Invasion rare Harsh Judgment gets around the anti-lifegain clause very, very nicely.) Heat up your collection with a singleton or two (double lifegain) for around a dime. |
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Worship – 7th, 8th, 9th Edition; rare. In Legacy, if life-loss or decking are not predominant win strategies for the metagame, this makes for a strong, splashable hoser and can even be maindecked given a predictable field. Some decks like Thresh or Merfolk, simply have no maindeck answer to the card should it resolve, although Zoo escaped this designation with the near universal adoption of Qasali Pridemage. Redundant in multiples but, anyways, a tutor target only – make room in your collection for a singleton at the bargain price of a quarter. |
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Wrath of God – 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th Edition; rare. This will see some play in White-based control decks at 1-2 copies in the maindeck. There are certainly other options so this one could (should?) be sidestepped if need be, but it still is a great source of card advantage. Classic will be using Balance instead. No longer all the rage, arrange for these now because WotC will inevitably print it again down the road. |
*
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Abeyance – Weatherlight; rare. Do White Control or Aggro-Control decks want this? It replaces itself and has a useful function for just two mana, but it doesn't develop the board and has its loopholes, too. If you can get it onto Isochron Scepter it might not be that bad, but Orim's Chant is going to be better about 99% of the time. Considering its absurdly inflated cost on the market, pass. |
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Argivian Find – Weatherlight; uncommon. This has made recent Menendian Vintage decklists. If you have a strong artifact plan that either works or is destroyed (like Painter/Stone combo, for example), then this is a decent backup plan given a good ratio. One copy of Find for every five critical artifacts, perhaps? Some decks have other options Academy Ruins, but this shouldn't be written off. Locate two copies for a ticket. |
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Blazing Archon – Ravnica; rare. No more than a sideboard lurker in Dredge and the soon-to-arrive Oath decks, it still fulfills a role, being no slouch threat and buying time against some strategies and outright winning against others. It has seen less play of late as many decks have found pieces to allow them emergency wins outside the attack step and Empyrial Archangel might do his job better. Still, you can hardly go wrong in wrangling a singleton for around a quarter. |
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Disenchant – various sets; common. Not a show stopper by any stretch, sometimes it fulfills its needed role when there aren't better options available considering cost, color, speed, and surprise factor; not to mention price. The recently released but nowhere-to-be-found Seal of Cleansing often fairs comparably as do many cards, even in White alone, e.g. Oblivion Ring. |
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Dismantling Blow – Theme Deck, Invasion; common. Speaking of cards that favor comparably with Disenchant, here is another candidate. If not kicked, strictly worse than the former, but sometimes the one mana in unimportant. The kicker is, well, the kicker: three-for-one card advantage is nothing to sneeze at, and plodding U/W control decks will want to consider this in their utility removal slots. At a dime apiece, I'd break down for the entire set. |
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Enduring Ideal – Saviors of Kamigawa; rare. Good enough to spawn its own deck, that deck is no longer deemed super competitive as the format has sped up, diversified, and answers have become more relevant. Maybe a way to cheat the cost on this will come about. Until then, pass, as it's not worth its three ticket price tag. |
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Hanna's Custody – Tempest; rare. This has basically no pedigree whatsoever, but I would be slow to write it off for some decks. An Affinity deck can proactively answer the answers with this card, and any artifact-based Combo strategy might effectively use a singleton Custody from the board. Transfer one to your collection as there are worse ways to spend fifty cents. |
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Honor of the Pure – M10; rare. Can you resurrect this archetype with Crusade's newest heir? It's exciting and you might even string both of them together. It would, by necessity, be in the context of a Fish-style deck, but you still have to make a solid case for running this over Umezawa's Jitte. I like the archetype, but question its validity for now; maybe if another missing piece came along… |
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Ivory Mask – 8th, 9th Edition; rare. Expensive metagame call or a lethal bullet – neither really convinces, huh? It has meandered into Enchantress or Enduring Ideal lists, and it effectively hoses Burn and Discard strategies, but sideboard space is often at a premium. Uncover a singleton from some bot for under a quarter. |
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Light of Day – Tempest; uncommon. More expensive but more proactive than Circle of Protection: Black, this card could shine in certain metagames, turning off Dredge, Suicide, Tombstalker. It is narrow and has loopholes, but as is the theme for one-star selections here, keep it in the back of your mind. |
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Mangara's Blessing – Mirage; uncommon. Let's face it: Pox has been a real metagame contender over the past year, no matter what the metagame. It's not clear if this is the right answer for that deck, since it competes with Squee, Goblin Nabob and Quagnoth for that ephemeral spot, but this will get more consideration if Burn returns to prominence. I've considered it a lot, but never played it; keep it in mind, but probably not. |
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Morningtide – Torment; rare. The only reason that this is on the list is that it is the only bullet to decimate graveyards available to the tutors Burning Wish and Mystical Tutor. The latter will now prefer to find the new Zendikar dagger Ravenous Trap. Pass! |
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Proclamation of Rebirth – Dissension; rare. I dunno – how devastating would this be for Zoo against an attrition deck like the mirror, Pox, or, if uncountered, Thresh? You'd probably want Umezawa's Jitte in this slot, but keep an open mind. There's also some random application with Martyr of Sands, but it's dubious as to whether that is good enough for Classic/Legacy, especially online. At around a ticket apiece, it might be worthwhile adding one to a nascent collection. |
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Ranger of Eos – Shards of Alara; rare. Very comparable to the card immediately above, Proclamation of Rebirth, let's check out the difference. One more mana here, and the cards merely have to be in the library, not the yard. However, the Proclamation puts all three into play and is a mana cheaper. It's a close call; you can scout out one at around 1.5 tix to ride the top of the Zoo curve and test it out for yourself. |
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Sacred Mesa – Mirage, Timeshifted; rare. As a Control deck finisher, this has certain advantages over other threats, but it's hard to see this replacing (Elspeth-Knight Errant) anytime soon. It really fits in Enchantress decks where it also plays second fiddle to Sigil of the Empty Throne. Still it's usually good to diversify your threats and this is a reliable, if slow, backup. Pony up the dime you'll need for that singleton at any rate. |
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Shining Shoal – Betrayers of Kamigawa; rare. Some people subscribe to a singleton approach towards deckbuilding, keeping their opponent guessing as long as two or more cards share similar power levels. This is an excellent singleton for inclusion in any White Aggro deck that stretches to four mana (e.g., Armageddon Weenie) or for any White Control deck with several hefty casting-costs (e.g., Eternal Dragon). Once you play it for a critical reversal of fortune in one game, your opponent (and all future opponents via replay) will be wary and play around it needlessly in future games as you calmly sideboard it out. Furbish your collection with a copy or two at only a quarter each. |
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Silence – M10; rare. Poor man’s stick fodder. Maybe as a redundant copy of Orim's Chant in Isochron Scepter decks, but that combo isn’t exactly warping metagames right now. If money talks, I must be getting deaf. |
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Spectral Lynx – Apocalypse; rare. In a land of Tarmogoyfs, this should be considered for Legacy Rock or Orzhov Aggro decks; it survives several of the format's removal spells. It's under a ticket now, so catapult a couple into your collection if you like to explore Jank builds. |
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Stonecloaker – Theme Deck, Planar Chaos; uncommon. If White Weenie is to ever find a home, this will make for a great option in that deck. Three useful abilities stapled to a decent evasive creature for its cost is absolutely worth investigating further. A set for a half-ticket is likely, so don't be a wet blanket. |
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Tivadar of Thorn – Time Spiral; rare. Goblins got your number lately? This boss will lay some smackdown for those willing to run him. That usually includes Death and Taxes (hello, Karakas!), but I imagine Astral Slide and/or Aluren could find nice ways to recur him and seal the deal as well. I grant you its narrow application, but Goblins have often had a stranglehold over Legacy, and this is one very lethal arrow in the quiver. Poke around the bots for a ten-cent singleton. |
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White Shield Crusader – Coldsnap; uncommon. What elevates this over the far more famous pump knights (Order of Leitbur and Order of the White Shield) is the flying ability. The ability is far more relevant, in general, than first strike in this format, and in context, due to Tombstalker, which the Crusader can meet even-handedly and eventually surpass. Admitting that White Weenie is far from viable in this format, I feel that this would be one of the premier candidates for action in that archetype should it get off the ground. Muster that playset for less than a ticket. |
19 Comments
Wow just wow this looks great what a valuable resource for anyone interested in classic. I cannot wait until we get the rest of the colours too!
Good job Ben something like this will be referenced and used for years to come!
Nice piece .
Looking forward to the rest.
One small correction: magara can be usest every turn without haste. Just activate, bounce and replay.
Next turn you can do it again.
Just takes 1 turn to get going.
This article is so valuable! Thank you very much for the effort compiling this list. Definitely bookmarked.
I must say that I am a big fan of Dangerlinto's CQ list too, but I was missing the updates. Hopefully he will get inspired to do it based on this series.
Excellent job. Very useful.
One thing: I have many good memories with Light of Day but I'm a little bit surprised that you didn't mention Darkest Hour (7th Ed, originally Urza's Saga) and/or Sleeper Agent (10th Ed., originally Urza's Saga). Those two combo well with Light of Day.
LE
Seems like a useful resource for 100s too though perhaps not as apropos. Also a lot of these cards are way under a ticket so the advice seems quite sound to me. Thanks Bazaar.
well considering how my only classic deck(solely for brainstorm mind you) is a U/G mess involving Quirion Dryad and Lorescale Coatl being pumped by blue counters and bounce cantrips i love this. White is about my least favorite color, but i loved the layout and loved the quick concise card analysis. I cant wait till the articles for "my" colors come out.(by the way that would be the other four colors)
...this is awesome and something the community desperately needs. I have referred to Danger's list countless times, but what you have done here is create much broader list that really encaptures the entirety of eternal formats. I look forward to the other articles. Good work.
very good job.
ben you hit the nail on the head. even though i have been playing comp classic for over 2 years i still highly anticipate the rest of this series.
Fantastic article, absolutely love it and can't wait for the rest of the series.
The only negative is the color scheme. Striped pink and aqua is not appealing in any way!
Wow, thanks for the praise, guys! I'll be brief since I'm using most of my spare time on this stuff :)
Anonymous, good call on Mangara - I should have my head reexamined, especially since I've played with her, though long ago. I fixed it in my master article that has all the colors.
Lord Erman, I hear ya, and am glad you mentioned the combo.
spg, I won't defend the color scheme one iota except to say it's far more readable than all-white. I'll try to vary it for the next installment.
No love or hate for the corny puns at the end end of (practically) every paragraph? If I do all that work, I at least want a reaction :)
Ok, back to the drawing board - thanks, again.
ben, the levity of the puns is ultra fantastic and help to break up the catlog feel of the article.
you should continue them.
Honestly I thought they were a bit stretched but I do appreciate the effort. I am not one to criticize word play normally as I think it should be encouraged but a little work goes a long way in this sort of thing. :)
ahh i reread it after you mentioned it..WoG has the best..kudos!
I think you mis-appraised land tax. It's best used with Scroll Rack, not Seismic assault, and is a viable "build-around-me" card for far better than a mediocre RW deck.
Land Tax is really quite good with either of those cards.
Loved the initiative. Keep up!
Classic definitelly need a entry door / deck for new players. This article is extremally helpfull in that aspect.
awesome BoB ! i also refered a lot of time to danger's article, and so i am really happy to see your article which is pretty nice written, i enjoy your analyzis a lot too. It is always extremly difficult to analyse secondary cards : staples are often not that difficult (because you deal with a lot of time) but from *** to *, it's another story ...
My only question would be no love for Wheel of Sun & Moon and Karmic justice ? Karmic is probably too situational and slow enough to be out of the meta currently, but i personaly like wheel a lot.
cant wait for the next article, really "staple" article :)
Wheel of Sun and Moon will definitely get a mention in the multi-colored article. I can appreciate your point though: a mono-white deckbuilder might not think to look at the multi-color section. I can certainly make cross-references for future articles, and might put a placeholder "(see multicolor)" for the first five articles. Karmic Justice can be situationally good, but it's hard to profit from it (unless multiples are in play) - they can always ignore it or prevent you from getting to three mana, or they can just combo out or beatdown. If you mean out of the sideboard against certain decks like Pox, I think that if I were in mono-White, I'd rather just have the cheaper Sacred Ground. Sorry, if I misconstrued your meaning, but I just don't see much value in the card.
Nice stuff as i always look forward to team Eternal articles.
One thing about Karmic Justice ,it is used in Legacy's Enchantress usually as a 1 maindeck with 1 sideboard. Look forward to the series BoB.