Master's Edition II is the second set in Magic Online's "greatest hits" sets for pre-Mirage Magic cards. Today I'm looking at which cards from the set will have an impact on EDH aka Commander online. I'll just cover the cards that I think are playable or at least close. Cards are ranked A-F with the only F cards included being two of the meager options for your commander. At the end of the article I go over the changes to my favorite and most powerful EDH deck, Oona, Queen of the Fae.
Commanders
Grandmother Sengir
There is not much to say, she is a 3/3 for 5 with a terrible ability. Unless you want her for your mono black Wizard deck I'd take a pass.
F
Ihsan's Shade
The Shade saw a good bit of tournament play "back in the day." However modern times and creatures have outmoded him. A 5/5 for six is fine but his ability leaves much to be desired. Compare him to Visara the Dreadful and cry.
D
Kaysa
More playable than our first two options but still not what I'd want. For a mono green deck focused on tokens I'd rather have Verdeloth the Ancient or Rhys the Redeemed. If she cost three or four there would be more appeal but at five she like Ihsan's Shade is outdated.
D
Skeleton Ship
A constant source of removal is pretty good in EDH. -1/-1 counters however don't really count as removal in a format full of big splashy cards. Add an 0/3 body and a mana cost of five and there is very little to recommend this card.
F
White
Farrel's Zealot
This might be surprisingly playable. The trick is to attack someone with no creatures with less than four toughness and convince them not to block. Then you can shoot someone else's creature. I can see running this in mono white to remove utility creatures.
C
Juniper Order Advocate
This seems like a fine addition to Rhys the Redeemed and Tolsimir Wolfblood decks. Not my first choice but solid enough.
C
Lost Order of Jarkeld
If you know you're playing against people with lots of token production he is fine. In a game without many tokens he will probably be a 3/3 to 5/5 which is pretty unimpressive in EDH.
D
Order of the Sacred Torch
This knight is a real hoser for black decks. Best versus mono black but a fine versus muticolored decks with black. In your average EDH game there will probably be a couple black players making this a good card. Usually it will probably die but if it lives it will cause them countless issues.
B
Ravages of War
A second copy of Armageddon online. This is a very, very powerful effect in EDH. Keep in mind it is also an ablity that will cause people to not play games with you again.
A
Reinforcements
Recursion is powerful in EDH and white doesn't have much. That said I'd max out on white reanimation spells before running something like this.
D
Swords to Plowshares
Already online thanks to Coldsnap this is simply amazingly undercosted. I don't like one for one removal in EDH but your white decks should be running this.
A
Inheritance
White has very few options to draw cards. That makes anything that allows you to draw shoot up in value.
B
Blue
Magus of the Unseen
A card I've always liked. Threaten every turn for an artifact can be pretty nice. Stealing equipment, creatures, or card drawers is very nice. Can also use it on your opponent's upkeep to steal a mana artifact to deny them that mana. Main downside is you need a good target which most artifacts are not.
B
Sea Drake
By far the most powerful creature in MED II it is not very good in EDH. Loosing mana development is not worth getting a cheap beater.
D
Personal Tutor
It is no Mystical Tutor but it has plenty of amazing targets. Run it if you want to draw "them." ("Them" refers to Time Stretch the most powerful card in EDH).
A
Portent
We already had this online again thanks to Coldsnap. This is a fine cantrip but not as good as something like Brainstorm or Ponder but if you want to dig through your deck it is a fine choice. Most of my EDH decks cut cards like this for more fun/splashy spells.
B
Temporal Manipulation
We got Time Warp online months early! I have a couple paper EDH decks that are just chock full of cards like this and they are my most powerful decks. Get this, run it.
A+
Brainstorm
The best one mana blue draw spell we'll probably ever see online. It is a great spell that most blue EDH decks should be running.
A
Counterspell
If your EDH deck wants to counter spells start here.
A
Lat-Nam's Legacy
This is worse than Brainstorm but good for some of the same reasons. Getting rid of a useless spell for two new ones is nice. The mana cost and slow draw keep this spell from being that great however.
C
Blinding Grasp
The fourth reprint in a row this is a fine Control Magic effect. I wouldn't run it over Persuasion, Sower of Temptation and Confiscate but if you want more options this is a good one.
C
Black
Ashen Ghoul
Graveyard recursion is great in EDH. However as this is just a 3/1 I don't find it very impressive.
D
Minion of Leshrac
This card has been outclassed by Avatar of Woe, Visara the Dreadful, and Helldozer I don't see a reason to run it.
D
Stromgald Cabal
Like its white counterpart this is a good color hoser. I do think that black sees a little more play in EDH but both are worth running in their respective decks.
B
Imperial Seal
This card is worse than Vampiric Tutor but still amazing. This is an autoinclude in any black deck.
A+
Ritual of the Machine
I love Control Magic effects outside of blue. I drafted countless Enslave during Time Spiral block and play them often in EDH decks. That said, I don't like this card much. The combination of having to sac a creature as part of the cost and not being able to target black or artifact creatures makes me disinclined to run this. Would still work well in a deck that wanted sacrifice outlets.
C
Demonic Consultation
A very powerful tutor that can get anything. However I don't plan on running it in EDH. The risk of not finding the card for a long time and decking yourself or RFGing the spell in the first six cards is too great. If you're running a dedicated combo deck you should probably consider it.
C
Dance of the Dead
This is the third best cheap reanimation spell in EDH after Animate Dead and Necromancy. The downside is small and it targets any graveyard and gives +1/+1.
A
Necropotence
A harder to cast spell in EDH is hard to find. That said it is worth it as this spell is absurd with forty life. It is an auto include in mono black and only its mana cost keeps me from giving it an A+.
A
Red
Fire Dragon
Most of the older dragons of Magic are underpowered. Fire Dragon most certainly is at nine mana. However in EDH nine mana is not too much to pay for a spell. In mono red or Dragonstorm decks getting a 6/6 and killing a good creature seems worthwhile.
C
Gorilla Shaman
Already online I don't think the Mox Monkey is that good in EDH. He just doesn't do enough which is why I'd recommend Deepfire Elemental.
D
Imperial Recruiter
Recruiter is a fine utility creature. However most cards I'd want to search up with him are not in red making him unexciting unless in a muticolored deck. Green I think offers the best options with cards like Viridian Zealot, (Sakura Tribe-Elder), and sort of (Tin-Street Hooligan).
B
Anarchy
The effect sure sounds powerful. However keep in mind that most white decks will have 0-4 white permanents in play at any given time and this is unimpressive. Could be amusing with Painter's Servant.
D
Burnout
Blue is the most powerful EDH color. Red is probably the weakest. This like Wild Ricochet tries to even this out. I'd run it in any deck that is heavy in red.
B
Conquer
I've always been a fan of Annex in EDH. Giving red this option is nice but I don't think red decks need it as much.
C
Glacial Crevasses
Worthless in most situations but powerful with Life from the Loam.
C
Orcish Squatters
The effect is very powerful but a 2/3 for five mana that has to be unblocked is unimpressive. You can play it but expect it to be a huge target if it has a way of getting in.
C
Green
Stunted Growth
This is a very powerful effect and not something green should have. That said it is much better in a dual and doesn't do much in a four player game while making you an enemy at the same time.
D
Night Soil
Graveyard removal in EDH is very important. This gives you creatures while taking out the most dangerous cards in a graveyard, creatures.
B
Artifact
Elkin Bottle
Colorless artifact draw should always be looked at for EDH. Bottle is okay but not at the top of my list. I'd rather run Illuminated Folio, Candles of Leng, or Mind's Eye.
C
Helm of Obedience
This is weaker than Persuasion and Bribery. The fact it is colorless does make it more appealing.
C
Mana Crypt
Getting a huge head start on your mana production is a great asset. Forty life also lessens the downside of this card. However keep in mind long EDH games make the downside bigger than in a format like Vintage or Classic despite higher starting life.
A
Lands
Balduvian Trading Post
I don't think a Desert effect is worth exposing yourself to bounce/LD blowouts.
D
Heart of Yavimaya
Losing a mana to get a land that gives +1/+1 is not worth it.
D
Ice Floe
This is much worse than Maze of Ith. However without Maze of Ith online this should be considered as it shuts down many generals. Overall I don't feel it is worth playing this as it doesn't produce mana.
D
Kjeldoran Outpost
This is a pretty good land. Personally I dislike loosing a mana to sacing the land and three more if you want to make a token every turn. Still worth running in most decks that can support it.
B
Soldevi Excavations
A great land that has a big upside to get around the danger of LD.
B
the dual lands
The big boys, these five cards will probably be more played in EDH decks that can afford them than the rest of the set combined. If you want them for EDH get one of each, if you play Classic or Prismatic get four of each. It is worth it.
A+
Original Deck | Changes and Notes | New Deck |
Lands - 46 6 Swamp 12 Island River of Tears Miren, the Moaning Well Temple of the False God Underground River Bad River Tolaria West Shizo, Death's Storehouse Darkwater Catacombs Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth Academy Ruins Deserted Temple Riptide Laboratory Rocky Tar Pit Watery Grave Vesuva Leechridden Swamp Polluted Delta Cabal Coffers Flooded Strand Minamo, School at Water's Edge Barren Moor Sunken Ruins Lonely Sandbar Dimir Aqueduct Thawing Glaciers Dreadship Reef | - Flooded Strand - Rocky Tar Pit + Underground Sea + Soldevi Excavations I'm not a fan of running "off color" sac lands so they were an easy cut for two new additions. | Lands - 46 6 Swamp 12 Island Soldevi Excavations Underground Sea River of Tears Miren, the Moaning Well Temple of the False God Underground River Bad River Tolaria West Shizo, Death's Storehouse Darkwater Catacombs Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth Academy Ruins Deserted Temple Riptide Laboratory Watery Grave Vesuva Leechridden Swamp Polluted Delta Cabal Coffers Minamo, School at Water's Edge Barren Moor Sunken Ruins Lonely Sandbar Dimir Aqueduct Thawing Glaciers Dreadship Reef |
Creatures - 14 Oona, Queen of the Fae Mulldrifter Aeon Chronicler Knacksaw Clique Shriekmaw Sower of Temptation Body Double Vesuvan Shapeshifter Duplicant Puppeteer Clique Sundering Titan Memnarch Solemn Simulacrum River Kelpie | - Knacksaw Clique Knacksaw is a fine spell but not as impressive as I had hoped and I need to make room. | Creatures - 13 Oona, Queen of the Fae Mulldrifter Aeon Chronicler Shriekmaw Sower of Temptation Body Double Vesuvan Shapeshifter Duplicant Puppeteer Clique Sundering Titan Memnarch Solemn Simulacrum River Kelpie |
Non-creature spells - 40 Savor the Moment Rings of Brighthearth Mind Stone Animate Dead Vedalken Shackles Tainted Pact Phyrexian Arena Counterspell Sins of the Past Time Stretch Dimir Signet Beacon of Unrest Diabolic Tutor Sculpting Steel Memory Plunder Bribery Jace Beleren Demonic Collusion Liliana Vess Fellwar Stone Relearn Scrabbling Claws Blatant Thievery Knowledge Exploitation Mirari Mystical Teachings Fact or Fiction Beseech the Queen Commandeer Mystical Tutor Decree of Pain Damnation Vampiric Tutor Wayfarer's Bauble Journeyer's Kite Future Sight Thirst for Knowledge Cryptic Command Gilded Lotus | + Temporal Manipulation + Imperial Seal +Beacon of Tomorrows - Savor the Moment - Sword of Fire and Ice Taking extra turns and tutoring for ways to take extra turns is what EDH is all about. Sword is amazing but this deck has so few creatures that cutting it is fine. Savor the Moment usually works as a blue Rampant Growth which was less impressive than I hoped. Mana Crypt and Necropotence were considered but I don't think this deck wants them. Both will draw a lot of attention which is a bad thing. Mana Crypt is apealing to start fring off your Time Walks sooner so I might consider it. | Non-creature spells - 41 Imperial Seal Temporal Manipulation Beacon of Tomorrows Rings of Brighthearth Mind Stone Animate Dead Vedalken Shackles Tainted Pact Phyrexian Arena Counterspell Sins of the Past Time Stretch Dimir Signet Beacon of Unrest Diabolic Tutor Sculpting Steel Memory Plunder Bribery Jace Beleren Demonic Collusion Liliana Vess Fellwar Stone Relearn Scrabbling Claws Blatant Thievery Knowledge Exploitation Mirari Mystical Teachings Fact or Fiction Beseech the Queen Commandeer Mystical Tutor Decree of Pain Damnation Vampiric Tutor Wayfarer's Bauble Journeyer's Kite Future Sight Thirst for Knowledge Cryptic Command Gilded Lotus |
2 Comments
A very succinct breakdown of the cards from MED in EDH! Well done!
Good breakdown.
I might disagree just a LITTLE with some of the ratings (Mana Crypt I feel like might be more of an A- given the downsides you described), but over very well down, and any changes I would make would be mostly nit-picking.