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By: Leviathan, Mike Morales
Sep 01 2010 9:01am
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I.  Introduction

In my last article, which you can find HERE, I pointed out that MTGSalvation has already come up with a well thought out list of the top cards in each color.  HERE is the link to that list for your review as well.  I listed out all of those cards that are under a ticket.  Then, I mentioned a bunch of staples and other cards to consider in blue and green, as well as artifacts.  In this article, I'm going to finish up by looking at additional black, red, white and multi-colored cards. 

Just as a reminder, I am not going to go over the list of top cards that MTGSalvation already came up with.  Those cards are obviously good, and you do not need me to tell you why they are good.  What I am doing here is telling you about additional cards that you should take into consideration when you are making your decks.  So let's get right to it!

II.  Multi-colored Creatures

We have a variety of stuff here, from big beaters to card draw to destruction.  Everyone likes gold cards, so why not play a few?

blood tyrant Blood Tyrant - Otherwise known as "Big Daddy" this guy was made specifically for multiplayer.  If he lasts long enough, he can really bring the pain.  If people concede, he will get the additional counters as well.  Add to that the flying and the trampling, and he truly is a dangerous beast.  I don't think I've ever seen anyone else play him, and that's too bad.
 
broodmate dragon Broodmate Dragon - When you think about it, two 4/4 flyers for 6 mana is pretty good.  Plus, with all the recursion and blink shenanigans you can pull, you can create a bunch of dudes with little effort.  The double dragons don't get much love either.
 
charnelhoard wurm Charnelhoard Wurm - Now here's a card that I've definitely seen played.  Recursion on a stick is always fun.  The card advantage can be incredible.  And don't forget, it doesn't require combat damage.  The combo that people usually run with him is with Soul's Fire, but I'm sure that there are more fun things out there for you to do.
 
creakwood liege Creakwood Liege - A free Trained Armodon every turn is nothing to sneeze at.  It's like a painless Bitterblossom that pumps out bigger guys, and makes the remainder of your team stronger.  Combine with Madrush Cyclops to bring the beats quicker.
 
deathbringer thoctar Deathbringer Thoctar - Another guy that is underrated.  If you are playing with tokens or sacrificing a bunch of stuff, this guy can get out of hand quickly.  His ability to hit creatures and players puts him over the top.
 
dragon broodmother Dragon Broodmother - The flying Verdant Force, but better.  Being able to devour the other baby dragons to make bigger dragons is pretty cool, and can make the overall power put out by the Broodmother greater.  Plus you will always have a blocker, and a flying one at that, with this dragon around.
 
godhead of awe Godhead of Awe - In a control deck, this is very good at reducing the amount of damage you may get hit with.  EDH is the land of the large creatures, so making them smaller is often a benefit.  Keep in mind that creatures with +1/+1 counters on them will still be pretty big, and other pump effects will help out your army as well.  This can also go into token decks as you should have more creatures than your opponents.
 
kaervek the merciless Kaervek the Merciless - Before Emrakul came around, this was probably among the scariest creatures out there that would get the biggest reactions from opponents.  Plenty of the spells cast in these games have high casting costs, and people get really scared when thinking they are going to take 5 damage for casting their Mulldrifter.  Many times he doesn't last long, but if he does, he can change the game drastically.
 
karrthus, tyrant of jund Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund - Since this is EDH, there are a lot of people playing with dragon generals.  Using this guy as a general is a great way to keep people from playing theirs.  Or you can just play this in their deck as a surprise steal effect.  Haste is what really puts this guy over the top.
 
lord of extinction Lord of Extinction - The Boom Tube can get really large when all the players are still in the game.  Unfortunately, when players start getting knocked out, he gets smaller and smaller.  But in the late game, even with only two players, he is still guaranteed to have a power over 15.  And that can really hurt someone.  Especially with a card like Fling.
 
maelstrom archangel Maelstrom Archangel - Free spells are good.  That is all.
 
novablast wurm Novablast Wurm - Being able to wipe the board every turn isn't a bad deal.  If you want, include other indestructible creatures so that you have stuff that sticks around.  
 
oversoul of dusk Oversoul of Dusk - All those protection abilities mean that it is going to be sneaking past a lot of defenders, or that it can soak up a bunch of damage.
 
selesnya guildmage Selesnya Guildmage - An underrated guildmage.  Pumping your team is nothing to laugh at.  But being able to pull out a token is something that lots of people forget about as well, and a surprise (or not so surprise) blocker can always help.
 
shadowmage infiltrator Shadowmage Infiltrator - Card draw on a stick.  Fear means that it should be able to get past at least one person's defenses to get you a card.  Since he doesn't really hurt, people will ignore him at first.  But put a Sword on him and people will stand up and take notice.
 
spellbound dragon Spellbound Dragon - The looter effect is nice.  If you can fit this guy into a re-animator type of deck, he's even better.  Plus, he has cool art.
 
zur the enchanter Zur the Enchanter - I think that people forget that you can use this as a regular creature in your deck, and not just as an overpowered Commander.  There are plenty of good useful cards that he can tutor up, from card draw with Phyrexian Arena, to removal with Oblivion Ring.  And all you have to do is attack with him, which you would probably do anyway.

III.  Multi-colored Spells
 
There seems to be a decent amount of removal here, but you get a lot of variety with the charms.
 
 
Esper charmGrixis Charmnaya charmjund charmcrosis's charmtreva's charmdromar's charmdarigaaz's charmrith's charm Charms - The multi-color charms are good because they give you options.  You have choices from drawing cards to destroying lands to removing graveyards from the game.  And having choices in Commander games is a good thing.  The older dragon charms aren't as good as the Shard charms, but they are still good and worth considering.
 
Behemoth Sledge Behemoth Sledge - I probably should have put this under artifacts, but it is multi-colored.  This is a Warhammer that boosts toughness as well.  This can be helpful in making your creatures last longer, aside from the life gain.
 
glare of subdual Glare of Subdual - The ability to tap down opponents' creatures and lands can be invaluable.  I don't ever see this played though.  Will even work to keep Emrakul tapped down.
 
finest hour Finest Hour - Many times you will only have one creature to attack with anyways.  Might as well attack with that creature twice.
 
pure/simple Pure/Simple - I found this when I made my Rith deck, and was very impressed with it.  Although I usually used it as a way to wipe the board of Swords and other equipment, I did get the chance to take out a bunch of auras from a Uril player.  In addition, most Commanders are multi-colored, so the other side works as a kill spell as well.
 
sterling grove Sterling Grove - Enchantment based decks are growing in popularity, and having another Greater Auramancy is nice.  The ability to tutor up a specific enchantment is very helpful, in that it can grab a card draw spell or an answer.
 
terminate Terminate - Creature kill at its most basic.  You don't have to worry about whether it's a black creature or an artifact, this will kill them dead.  The only drawback is the vulnerability to more creatures that have protection, but this isn't usually an issue.
 
twisted justice Twisted Justice - Card draw and sacrifice effect.  Like I said previously, there are going to be plenty of times when people only have one large beater in play.  Might as well make them sac it and benefit from the process.
 
unmake Unmake - Sometimes you don't want a player to keep recurring their Duplicant.  This will make it so they can't.
 
void Void - Occasionally you have the opportunity to know what's in an opponent's hand, and you know that you don't want them to play that card.  Void to the rescue!  More often, though, you use it as a limited sweeper, and hope to hit something good with the person that has the most cards in hand.  If you hit when guessing blind, it's that much sweeter.
 
waves of aggression Waves of Aggression - Multiple attack steps are always nice.  This card won me a couple of games with an old Mayael deck.  If you are playing with fat and like to attack, take it into consideration.
 
wrecking ball Wrecking Ball - Instant speed land destruction.  The creature kill is a side benefit.  Most of the time you will use it to get rid of Reliquary Towers and Cabal Coffers.

IV.  Red Creatures
 
Red creatures do what red does best:  Damage things.  Sometimes the damage is directed, and sometimes it hits everything.
 
 
 
ashling the pilgrim Ashling the Pilgrim - Ashling is cool in that she can get larger over time, and you can use her to blow up the world, including having damage done to players.  As an early drop, you can just throw her out there and start pinging away.  As a late game drop, she can be scary.
 
barbed shocker Barbed Shocker - If you don't like control strategies, this card will help you out a ton.  If he hits, he can make people discard their carefully crafted hands for something completely unknown and unexpected.  The fact that it has haste increases the surprise factor.
 
bringer of the red dawn Bringer of the Red Dawn - Remember, like we discussed a while ago, the rules manager of MTGO allows you to play this card in mono-red and other non-5 color decks, even with all those extra mana symbols in the text box.  It's nice to steal creatures and beat them down.  It's even better when you have a sac outlet, but that's not always necessary to put a hurting on people.
 
kumano, master yamabushi Kumano, Master Yamabushi - Very underrated.  Kumano acts as a mana sink, so you can throw out a little bit of damage at a time before your turn.  Those extra couple of points will add up, and can be the difference between winning and losing.  Also, don't forget that if an opponent's Seedborn Muse is getting Terminated and you never want to see it again, you can ping it in response, and it will end up getting removed from the game.  Nice.
 
magma phoenix Magma Phoenix - Nice for providing a bigger Pyroclasm effect.  Also, you can return it to your hand at any time as long as you have the mana.
 
rimescale dragon Rimescale Dragon - Obviously this one requires snow lands, but it can be worth it.  The ability to keep things tapped down is always nice, and can make the way open for your creatures to attack.
 
ryusei, the falling star Ryusei, the Falling Star - A bigger version of Magma Phoenix, and another way to help clear the board of groundpounders.
 
scourge of kher ridges Scourge of Kher Ridges - A very high casting cost creature that can give you some options.  Repeatable Pyroclasms are always nice, and the ability to hit flyers will help also.
 
shivan hellkite Shivan Hellkite - Sort of like Kumano, but on a bigger, flying body.  Again, a good mana sink.
 
 Thunder Dragon - These guys just love throwing damage around.  I like to think of them as low flying aircraft, just carpet bombing a battlefield full of goblins and elves.  Use this visual imagery the next time you play this guy, or just say "I'm bringing the Thunder!", and you will laugh a little inside.

V.  Red Spells
 
Red spells are also good at damage, but there is also a little bit of trickiness in there as well.
 
 
chain reaction Chain Reaction - Generally, this will act as a Wrath of God.  However, if you have the biggest creature on the board, you can have the last man standing.  Takes the right timing, but can be devastating.
 
chandra nalaarChandra Ablaze Chandra Nalaar, Chandra Ablaze - Both of the Chandras don't get any love, but they should.  The original Chandra is good at creature removal, and if you can get her to use her ultimate, she'll be happy to please you.  Ablaze has two different functions that are useful.  The second ability is good at messing up control decks and their carefully constructed hands.  If you are out of cards, it will also help fill your hand.  In mono-red decks, her ultimate is pretty awesome.
 
demonfire Demonfire - I know there aren't a lot of times when your hand is going to be empty, but the possibility of pulling this late game, then dumping your hand to hit someone with uncounterable damage is always nice.
 
earthquakerolling earthquake Earthquake, Rolling Earthquake - Damage to everyone, and hits players also.  There usually aren't too many players using horsemanship creatures, so Rolling Earthquake is usually better.
 
Rolling thunder Rolling Thunder - I almost put this with the previous two, but with this card you get to divide up the damage however you like.  So you can hit a bunch of stuff, but leave your creatures alone.  That's not bad.  
 
ghitu war cry Ghitu War Cry - You can give any creature firebreathing with this enchantment.  This means that you can pump opponent's creatures, to hit people and other creatures harder.  The ability to do damage when you don't have any creatures of your own is a great way to stay in the game.
 
goblin bombardment Goblin Bombardment - Free sacrifice outlets can lead to brokenness.  That's not really how I recommend using the card.  Instead, I think it's a great way to dispose of stolen creatures, or to sacrifice those of your critters that have positive effects when they go to the graveyard.  Can also be used to prevent your Commander from being tucked.
 
grab the reins Grab the Reins - So your opponent is playing with a large creature that you don't like?  Might as well steal it and fling it at him!  Either option by themselves can help you out as well, since you can throw one of your large guys at people, or steal them to beat down.
 
incendiary Command Incendiary Command - Having choices is good.  You can screw with control by making them discard their carefully crafted hands, or destroy an annoying land.  Pyroclasm isn't bad either.  The direct damage isn't used as often, but can still be useful.
 
rage reflection Rage Reflection - Usually not quite as good as Gratuitous Violence, unless you are playing with a bunch of tramplers.  However, with a couple of decent sized creatures, this can definitely make connecting with an opponent hurt.
 
radiate Radiate - I'm putting this one in here because of all the great stories I hear about it.  Every once in a while there's the "I Radiated someone's Soul's Majesty" type of stories.  However, I've never been able to make this card work.  For some reason, whenever I draw it, no one plays targeted spells.  Oh well.
 
shattering spree Shattering Spree - Good artifact removal in heavy red decks.
 
splinter twin Splinter Twin - Almost Kiki-Jiki in aura form.  Everyone likes making copies.
 
surreal memoir Surreal Memoir - Recursion in red is hard to come by.  Rebounding means that you essentially get a free spell.  
 
world at waraggravated assault World at War, Aggravated Assault - Extra attack steps are good.  Like I said last week, Bear Umbra works very well with Aggravated Assault.  Nature's Will essentially does the same thing, but also taps people down.
 
VI.  Black Creatures
 
There are a lot of cool black creatures out there.
 
 
 
big game hunter Big Game Hunter - There are the rare occasions that you will play this guy for his madness cost, and when it happens you will feel like the smartest guy at the table.  However, even if you pay full cost, the ability to remove most of the big beaters in the format, including Emrakul, is great.  Do not underestimate this guy. 
 
coffin queen Coffin Queen - With the large amount of Wrath effects played in these games, the graveyards are typically full of fun critters to steal.  So feel free to take you pick of the litter.  The ability to remove the creature from the game when you give up control of it is a fun side effect that will keep the recursion ability of your opponents under wraps.
 
faerie macabre Faerie Macabre - More instant speed graveyard hate.  This one doesn't require any mana investment, so you can use it at just about any time.  Can be used as a blocker or to beat down in a pinch.
 
fleshbag marauder Fleshbag Marauder - Innocent Blood on a stick.  Recurring this guy will severely hinder your opponents and their ability to create an army.  Use in conjunction with Grave Pact for greater effect.
 
havoc demon Havoc Demon - A large flying beater that can get rid of armies of small to medium sized creatures upon his death.  Better than Ryusei in that it can also get rid of indestructible creatures with toughness less than 6, and does not have to worry about protection abilities.
 
helldozer Helldozer - I recommend this guy with a word of caution.  Every time I have played this guy, I have yet to live to untap with him.   Plenty of people, especially those playing 5 colors with expensive manabases, are afraid of him.  So if they cannot destroy him right away, your opponents will just team up to kill you and be done with him.  However, he is great for getting rid of specialty lands as well as keeping people color screwed.  If you have the opportunity to use him.
 
herald of leshrac Herald of Leshrac - He seems like he would be cool, but his high casting cost keeps plenty of people from playing him.  However, if he lasts a couple turns, he is greatly accelerating your mana, and pushing you over the edge.  Very useful in conjunction with Zuran Orb or Greater Gargadon.
 
lim-dul the necromancer Lim-Dul the Necromancer - A fun late game card that turns your opponents creatures into zombies to do your bidding.  Good with Plague Wind, Grave Pact and most of the annihilating Eldrazi.  Don't forget that he can regenerate your zombie hordes.
 
midnight banshee Midnight Banshee - Obviously goes well in mono-black decks.  I know that people probably don't like it because it does not immediately get rid of your opponents armies.  But if they are playing with tokens, they will have a hard time keeping up with the shrinkage involved.
 
mortivore Mortivore - Yes, he is now outclassed by Lord of Extinction.  But don't forget that he can regnerate!
 
pestilence demon Pestilence Demon - First of all, this guy is huge.  Then, keep in mind that the Pestilence ability can hit players.  Finally, you can use him as a board wipe as well.  Combine with Vigor for fun shenanigans.
 
phyrexian plaguelord Phyrexian Plaguelord - One of my favorite sacrifice outlets of all time.  There are so many times when sacrificing things is useful, from saving your Commander to setting off Grave Pact at just the right time.  On top of that, shrinking creatures is just the icing on the cake.
 
royal assassin Royal Assassin - Remember when you were a kid, and you just started playing Magic?  Remember how cool this guy was?  And then someone busted out the Icy Manipulator combo, and it just blew your mind?  Royal Assassin is still useful as a good rattlesnake card that says:  Don't bother me.  And even though he's a little 1/1, he can get rid of Emrakul.
 
skeletal vampire Skeletal Vampire - Useful due to the little bat friends he brings along.  He also provides a useful mana sink late game if you have nothing better to do.  My only problem with him is that in his artwork he doesn't have any wings.  Or at least a cape.  It's just strange to see a flying skeleton floating in the air.
 
VII.  Black Spells
 
Black has a good variety of stuff, from reanimation to sacrifice effects.
 
 
animate deadRise from the gravenecromancy Animate Dead, Rise from the Grave, Necromancy - More cards that can steal stuff from any graveyard.  If it was good enough for your opponent to  play with it, it's probably good enough for you.  Rise from the Grave is obviously more expensive to cast than Animate Dead, so it's usually not as good.  But there's nothing wrong with redundancy.
 
barter in bloodInnocent bloodChainer's EdictConsuming VaporsDiabolic Edict Barter in Blood, Innocent Blood, Chainer's Edict, Consuming Vapors, Diabolic Edict - The best friends of mono-black control decks, these guys can deal with indestructible creatures.  Lots of times players will use all their resources to put out one or two big threats.  Just drop one of these guys, and ruin their day.  Diabolic Edict is cool because of the ability to drop it at instant speed, and the Vapors gains life and comes back for free.  Nothing wrong with that. 
 
beseech the queenDiabolic Tutor Beseech the Queen, Diabolic Tutor - Tutors should always be in consideration.  I know that there are limitations to Beseech the Queen, but it still deserves to be considered.
 
bloodchief ascension Bloodchief Ascension - Once you get this active, it is a powerhouse, turning Damnation into your opponents' pain and your gain.  Getting it active is the problem.  In order to avoid putting counters on it, oftentimes your opponents will decide to attack you.  Is it worth the risk?  Decisions decisions.
 
enslave Enslave - Black's very own version of Persuasion.  Again, if the creatures in play are good enough for your opponents to use, they are probably good enough for you to use as well.  The damage you cause them is just a bonus.
 
false cure False Cure - As Sheldama pointed out a couple of articles ago, there are plenty of lifegain effects in these games. In addition, there are the occasional life doublers, like Beacon of Immortality and a Serra Avatar that was flung by Brion Stoutarm.   False Cure is good for immediately killing that kind of silliness.
 
hero's demise Hero's Demise - So you are playing a format where people build decks around legendary creatures.  And there's this card that specifically kills legendary creatures.  Seems like it is definitely worthy of consideration.
 
living deathtombstone Stairwell Living Death, Tombstone Stairwell - Both of these cards are effected by the amount of stuff in your graveyard.  I like Living Death a lot as it can wipe the board of indestructible creatures.  And since you know it's coming, you should be able to prepare for it.  The Stairwell can create a lot of little critters, which works well with sacrifice effects like Goblin Bombardment, or just triggers like Vicious Shadows.
 
no mercy No Mercy - I recently started playing with this card, and it has been an all star.  Like I have noticed previously, people just don't play with enough enchantment removal.  Unless they have something else going on, most of the time opponents will not want to send their creatures in to certain death.  So you can hide behind this enchantment for a while and build up for your master stroke of world domination!  (insert evil laugh here)
 
phyrexian reclamation Phyrexian Reclamation - This was brought up by someone as an alternative to Oversold Cemetery, and I definitely approve.  The problem with the Cemetery is that oftentimes you want a creature back from your graveyard, but you do not have 4 creatures in the hole.  With Reclamation, you do not have to meet that requirement.  And since you are playing with 40 life, the life loss should not effect you long term.  Plus, you can return the creatures to your hand at instant speed.

plague wind Plague Wind - So, I kill all my opponents' creatures, but all my guys live?  What's not to like?  Besides the mana cost, I mean.
 
polluted bonds Polluted Bonds - Unlike Bloodchief Ascension, you do not have to wait for any amount of time for this to get active.  And everyone likes to lay lands.  Ideally you drop this while playing against an Azusa or Sasaya deck, but it should do well against just about everyone.
 
sadistic sacrament Sadistic Sacrament - If you have a heavily graveyard dependent deck, or really need to make sure that an opponent isn't playing with False Cure against your lifegain deck, might as well search their deck to make sure they never get the answers to your threats.  Although this card does not effect the board when you play it, it can mess with combo decks something fierce.
 
urborg justice Urborg Justice - Instant speed Grave Pact.  Great for dealing with Eldrazi.
 
victimize Victimize - Your Weathered Wayfarer is no longer useful as you are way ahead of the pack in terms of lands.  What to do with the tiny little guy?  Why, murder him to bring back stronger, more powerful creatures!  Two of them!  He will be happy to know that he died for the cause.  Although if you used him to bring back something like Chimney Imp, he may be less than pleased.
 
VIII.  White Creatures
 
The better white creatures are typically large fliers such as Angels and Archons, but there are some different things here as well. 
 
 
adarkar valkyrie Adarkar Valkyrie - A good card that requires a little bit of set up to abuse.  Ideally, you have another creature with an "enters the battlefield" or "goes to the graveyard" trigger like Archon of Justice or Angel of Despair, and a sacrifice outlet.  Before sac'ing the creature, use the Valkrie's ability on it.  Sac it, let it come back, and do it again.  Keep in mind that you can use the Valkryie's ability on one of your opponent's creatures as well in response to a Wrath effect if they have something you like.
 
blazing archon Blazing Archon - I know it costs a lot, but it is great at what it does.  Almost 95% of Commander games are won through creature combat, and this card effectively shuts down that option for your opponents.  Typically you will see this guy reanimated, but plenty of games last long enough for you to hard cast him.
 
blinding angel Blinding Angel - Sort of a conditional Blazing Archon that only effects one player, this can still be useful in shutting down the token guy or the guy with large Annihilators out.
 
captain of the watch Captain of the Watch - You don't have to be playing a soldier themed deck to appreciate the efficiency of this creature.  You get 4 creatures with this one card, and a total of 9(!) power.  Plus, each of these guys has vigilance!  So you can use them to block while attacking.  Almost as good as Grave Titan.
 
commander eeshadawn elemental Commander Eesha, Dawn Elemental - Two very defensive creatures that come in handy.  Both of these creatures have flying and therefore can stop anything that doesn't trample.  Dawn Elemental is a little more resilient, but the casting cost is harder to deal with.
 
darien, king of kjeldor Darien, King of Kjeldor - This guy has won me plenty of games if he lives.  Either people are afraid to give you creatures and don't attack you, or people think that they can handle the creatures he spits out when they really can't.  Although mana burn is gone, unfortunately, so you can't create guys out of thin air.
 
exalted angel Exalted Angel - A morphing lifelinker.  The morph ability is actually pretty handy, as you can drop it early or just keep her identity under wraps.  Not hugely powerful, but still useful.
 
glory Glory - This was a tough card for me to get a handle on when I first started using it, but once I got it down it was very useful.  The problem is that you can only activate the ability of Glory when it's in the graveyard.  Most of the time, people are concentrating on what is in play,  so they forget they can use it.  But giving all your creatures protection from any color can let you get damage through or protect your army.
 
preacher Preacher - This guy is best used when you have a sacrifice outlet available.  However, even without something like that, many times people only have one or two big creatures out, especially after a board wipe.  Drop this guy and feel free to steal.
 
spirit of the hearth Spirit of the Hearth - Ivory Mask on a big body.  Useful when people are playing with things like Persecute or Banefire.
 
windborn muse Windborn Muse - This really slows people down in the early game, when your opponents are trying to develop their board presence.  They typically don't like paying costs, so they will direct their attention on other players.  And that's always good for you.
 
windbrisk raptor Windbrisk Raptor - If you have a decent sized army, having this guy in play can lead to decent sized swings in life totals.  This was another card that I liked to use in my old Mayael deck.  Costs a lot, but has a big effect.
 
IX.  White Spells
 
For a color that is supposed to love order, it sure has a lot of destruction.
 
 
 
Aurification Aurification - This is a pretty good defensive spell.  Opponents can feel two ways about it.  They can either leave you alone so that they can continue attacking with their critters, or they can go into overdrive in their quest to destroy you to get rid of this enchantment.  The overdrive plan has a hard time working, however, specifically because you have this enchantment out.
 
beacon of immortality Beacon of Immortality - You start with a pretty high life total already, and doubling it is pretty good.  This card isn't as good late game, but even going from 20 to 40 isn't bad.  Just keep in mind it doesn't erase Commander damage.
 
conqueror's pledgedecree of justice Conqueror's Pledge, Decree of Justice - Instant armies.  Well, the Pledge isn't an instant, but you get the idea.   Both of these pump out a metric ton of little guys for you.   While the Decree is better, because it scales, can be used at instant speed, and draws you a card, both are worthy of consideration.  Play with Crovax, Ascendant Hero for added fun.  I have to admit, I've never seen the Decree used for non-cycling purposes.  
 
death or glory Death or Glory - This is a great spell in creature heavy decks, meaning those that play more than 35 creatures.  It essentially turns into a mini, one sided Patriarch's Bidding.  Late game this should bring back at least three or four creatures for you, and sometimes more.  And if you like your creatures, this is a good thing.
 
dismantling blow Dismantling Blow - Obviously this card requires that you play blue in order to get the best effect out of it, but it is a good package of card advantage and removal wrapped into one.
 
final judgment Final Judgment - This is a card that I was surprised was not on the MTGSalvation list.  It effectively makes it so that you don't have to worry about the creatures in play ever again, unless they are Commanders.  It also effectively gets rid of indestructible creatures as well.  A very good way to wipe the board.
 
journey to nowhere Journey to Nowhere - I found this card very useful when I used it in my Dakkon deck.  It has the ability to deal with indestructible creatures, and can deal with all of the Eldrazi.  The unfortunate part is that the creature can be returned if this enchantment is destroyed, but at least it is a temporary answer that is cheap.
 
ivory maskleyline of sanctity Ivory Mask, Leyline of Sanctity -  Sometimes it's nice not to have to worry about getting hit by Nath of the Gilt-Leaf or a large Banefire.  
 
Karmic justice Karmic Justice - Although this doesn't do anything when your creatures get destroyed, it will certainly help you out of your deck is based around enchantments or artifacts.  People will avoid dropping a Planar Cleansing or Wildfire if you have this guy out.
 
planar cleansing Planar Cleansing - Sometimes you just need to blow up the world.  Just watch out if someone has Karmic Justice in play.
 
sigil of the new dawn Sigil of the New Dawn - An oldie that I remember seeing in a Bennie Smith article a long time ago.  This is a semi-decent method of recursion in white.  
 
wing shards Wing Shards - An interesting sac effect in white.  There are plenty of times when people play spells pre-combat, and each time they do so, it increases the power of Wing Shards.  Another way to deal with indestructible creatures, as well as creatures you cannot target.
 
wrath of god Wrath of God - Old reliable.  Creatures are typically the biggest threats in these games, and sometimes you just have to get rid of them.  I have noticed that the ability to keep creatures from regenerating has actually come into play more often recently, so it is definitely better than Day of Judgment.  But why not run both anyways?  And now that Wrath is no longer in Standard, it is much, much cheaper than it used to be.
 
X.  Conclusion
 
So there you go.  Obviously, there are a ton of cards out there that I did not cover.  So if you have a favorite card that I did not discuss, please mention it in the comments.  I hope you guys found this useful.  Until next time!
 
Leviathan, aka Tarasco on MTGO
mrmorale32 at yahoo dot com

7 Comments

I always wanted to try the by x2gambit at Wed, 09/01/2010 - 18:22
x2gambit's picture

I always wanted to try the format, and was sad no mention of Iona, Shield of Emeria and Painter's Servant lock down getting no mention.

1) Iona's really not very by Westane at Wed, 09/01/2010 - 18:33
Westane's picture

1) Iona's really not very good in multiplayer
2) Painter's Servant is even worse... he's banned.

3) it's not fun by laughinman at Thu, 09/02/2010 - 11:49
laughinman's picture

3) it's not fun

Iona is already listed in the by Leviathan at Wed, 09/01/2010 - 18:33
Leviathan's picture

Iona is already listed in the top cards by the guys at MTGSalvation. That's the link I provide at the beginning and I mentioned I wouldn't cover that stuff. In addition Painters Servant is now banned. Sorry.

One card I tried and found to by protocol_7 at Wed, 09/01/2010 - 20:39
protocol_7's picture

One card I tried and found to be incredibly strong is Planar Chaos.

You might get some hate but I've seen it counter 10 spells out of sheer luck.

Not bad for a 3cc enchantment. Especially if you have Banefire in your hand

Cards I like. by themonkey at Thu, 09/02/2010 - 08:47
themonkey's picture

I like Shattering Pulse over Shattering Spree. Shattering Spree costs a lot less, but Pulse is an instant and as long as you have 5 mana you can re-use it as much as you want. Short of a counter or discard, once it's in your hand you don't have to worry about opponent's artifacts for the rest of the game.

I would also like to nominate Slave of Bolas. It's a great way to get rid of opponent's indestructible or regenerating creatures. Plus you can usually swing for some damage before you sacrifice them.

Also Myojin of Cleansing Fire. It's expensive, but I like an indestructible creature with a built in wrath effect.

I liked seeing Barbed Shocker by ShardFenix at Wed, 09/01/2010 - 22:32
ShardFenix's picture

I liked seeing Barbed Shocker in the list. I run it in my R/G Stonebrow deck and it's fantastic. Not too mention it's easier to hit with when it gets the +2/+2 bonus.