Archetune-Up - Lolth Be Praised!

Ranking Every Equipment with EDHREC – Part 19: Hey Batter Batter Batter

Too-Specific Top 10 - Even Demon

Reconstruct History — Temple of the False God

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fact or Fiction" href="#" target="_blank">Fact or Fiction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.originalmagicart.store/collections/matt-cavotta">Matt Cavotta</a>)</h6>
<h1>Playable or Jank?</h1>
<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Challenge the Stats</em>! I'm Jedit O-Jevin of EDHREC, your Article Master for the day. This series is based on the <a href="https://edhrecast.libsyn.com/">EDHRECast</a> segment that I look forward to every week, and just like Joey, Matt, and Dana, we'll pick out cards that might be overplayed or underplayed to challenge EDHREC’s data. But remember, card choices made by <em>you </em>for <em>any</em> reason (flavor, budget, art, fun, etc.) are always most important and are what keep our format unique and awesome.</p>
<p>Before we start, let's do a quick two truths and a lie:</p>
<ul>
<li>When I started playing I thought <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crash of Rhinos" href="#" target="_blank">Crash of Rhinos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was cool and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lion&#039;s Eye Diamond" href="#" target="_blank">Lion&#039;s Eye Diamond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was dumb (I was seven, OK?).</li>
<li>My home LGS is <a href="https://moxmania.com/">Mox Mania</a> in Madison, WI.</li>
<li>Last week I bruised my ribs skateboarding and it doesn't hurt at all and I'm definitely not too old to be skateboarding.</li>
</ul>
<p>What's that got to do with anything? Well, this week, we're talking about an old cycle from <em>Invasion</em>. Props to CapybaraWashingMachine from the <em>CTS</em> Discord for an awesome name and giving me this idea. This cycle involves separating cards into two piles and having a player choose one. This was nicknamed the <a href="https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Divvy"><em>Divvy</em> mechanic</a>, and most people have forgotten about these cards, except for one:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fact or Fiction"></div></div>
<p>However, there are a bunch of <em>other</em> cool cards in this cycle that are fun in a multiplayer game and might be perfect for your decks! Let's take a look at them, and which decks might want to play them!</p>
<hr />
<h3>Death or Glory (156 decks)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Death or glory"></div></div>
<p>I really like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Death or Glory" href="#" target="_blank">Death or Glory</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's like a one-sided, half <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Living Death" href="#" target="_blank">Living Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in white, and seems like it should be seeing more play. It can be similar to a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boneyard Parley" href="#" target="_blank">Boneyard Parley</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> if our graveyard is stacked. I could see some interest in this gem from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karador, Ghost Chieftain" href="#" target="_blank">Karador, Ghost Chieftain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nethroi, Apex of Death" href="#" target="_blank">Nethroi, Apex of Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or even the new <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quintorius, Field Historian" href="#" target="_blank">Quintorius, Field Historian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If we're doing some self-mill or reanimation and have white in our colors, let's give this one a look.</p>
<h3>Fight or Flight (258 decks)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="fight or flight"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fight or Flight" href="#" target="_blank">Fight or Flight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is currently in 6% of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zedruu, the Greathearted" href="#" target="_blank">Zedruu, the Greathearted</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> decks, and not many others. This is a pretty sweet pillowfort and politics card that I think could find some more homes. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghostly Prison" href="#" target="_blank">Ghostly Prison</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one less mana but 100% less fun. At the beginning of each opponent's combat phase, we separate their creatures into two piles, and only one of those piles can attack. Are they choosing not to attack us? Well, then, we have a pile of 0 and the rest of their creatures can go where they please! If they don't want to cut a deal, they can only attack with half of their army. Hellooo, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breena, the Demagogue" href="#" target="_blank">Breena, the Demagogue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gahiji, Honored One" href="#" target="_blank">Gahiji, Honored One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and any other deck that wants to pillowfort <em>and</em> have our opponents lean over the table and say, "What is that card?".</p>
<h3>Fact or Fiction (41,900 decks)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="fact or fiction"></div></div>
<p>You know it, you love it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fact or Fiction" href="#" target="_blank">Fact or Fiction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fantastic card advantage spell, even against the most antagonistic opponent. We get to choose the best 1-5 cards at instant speed, and if we can team up with someone we might be able to negotiate for what we want, or against a particularly chaotic opponent, we might just draw 5.</p>
<h3>Do or Die (323 decks)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="do or die"></div></div>
<p>I have no idea why this is over $5. It seems more like a neat budget find. Its most popular commander is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atris, Oracle of Half-Truths" href="#" target="_blank">Atris, Oracle of Half-Truths</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> at 8%, and it has great flavor with the commander. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Do or Die" href="#" target="_blank">Do or Die</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is not a great targeted removal spell, but in the right deck, or against the right deck, it could put in some good work. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Do or Die" href="#" target="_blank">Do or Die</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can potentially take out a single or a few creatures we want if there are a lot of other creatures in the other pile and we give the opponent a really bad decision.</p>
<p>However, I think this is at its best when we're up against a hoard of tokens or a big board and we can make them sacrifice half of them. If we think about it like a mini <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vona&#039;s Hunger" href="#" target="_blank">Vona&#039;s Hunger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we might intrigue commanders like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda, the Dusk Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda, the Dusk Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yahenni, Undying Partisan" href="#" target="_blank">Yahenni, Undying Partisan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glissa, the Traitor" href="#" target="_blank">Glissa, the Traitor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kresh the Bloodbraided" href="#" target="_blank">Kresh the Bloodbraided</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>We might also consider it if we're playing politics in black, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mathas, Fiend Seeker" href="#" target="_blank">Mathas, Fiend Seeker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Queen Marchesa" href="#" target="_blank">Queen Marchesa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breena, the Demagogue" href="#" target="_blank">Breena, the Demagogue</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shadrix Silverquill" href="#" target="_blank">Shadrix Silverquill</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h3>Stand or Fall (90 decks)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="stand or fall"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stand or Fall" href="#" target="_blank">Stand or Fall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems like a great consideration for an aggressive or combat-focused commander. It has notes of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bedlam" href="#" target="_blank">Bedlam</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="War Cadence" href="#" target="_blank">War Cadence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The more creatures we have, the more effective splitting our opponents' blockers in half will be, so go-wide decks will love this one. Think about commanders like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Mob Boss" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko, Mob Boss</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner" href="#" target="_blank">Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Valduk, Keeper of the Flame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grenzo, Havoc Raiser" href="#" target="_blank">Grenzo, Havoc Raiser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Another category is commanders that like to control or disrupt combat. If we're playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Disrupt Decorum" href="#" target="_blank">Disrupt Decorum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, chances are we're into that kind of thing! I'm looking at you, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marisi, Breaker of the Coil" href="#" target="_blank">Marisi, Breaker of the Coil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Xantcha, Sleeper Agent" href="#" target="_blank">Xantcha, Sleeper Agent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thantis, the Warweaver" href="#" target="_blank">Thantis, the Warweaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and–oh hey, you're new here–<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h3>Bend or Break (200 decks)</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="bend or break"></div></div>
<p>How this card plays out is completely dependent on the table politics that happen when it's played. Each player puts their lands into two piles and chooses <em>any</em> opponent they want to destroy a pile. In an archenemy situation, three players could choose each other, lose no lands, and the archenemy might get half their lands taken out. In a 2v2 situation, each player can choose their ally and no one loses any lands. In a situation where no alliances are made and everyone wants to backstab each other as much as possible, everyone might lose half their lands. My guess is, this will force alliances to be made or an archenemy to be taken down, which could be a pretty cool effect either way. But, you might want to check with your playgroup before playing this.</p>
<p>Let's talk more about the worst-case scenario of mutually assured land destruction.</p>
<p>In that case, it will be best in a deck that doesn't care about lands going to the graveyard, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord Windgrace" href="#" target="_blank">Lord Windgrace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mina and Denn, Wildborn" href="#" target="_blank">Mina and Denn, Wildborn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The player with the most lands and the ability to ramp/recur lands will recover faster, but it's going to be a grind-y win, and typically, when people are okay with mass land destruction if it's a road to a <em>fast</em> win afterward.</p>
<p>There are a few dedicated <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/land-destruction">land destruction</a> decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zo-zu the Punisher" href="#" target="_blank">Zo-zu the Punisher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (in 16% of decks), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Numot the Devastator" href="#" target="_blank">Numot the Devastator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (in 9% of decks), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Klothys, God of Destiny" href="#" target="_blank">Klothys, God of Destiny</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (1%). <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bend or Break" href="#" target="_blank">Bend or Break</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is in pretty low percentages on those pages and probably is a good include if your playgroup is cool with that strategy. Unrelated, have I told you guys about one of my favorite subreddits, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/ATBGE/">Awful Taste But Great Execution</a>?</p>
<p>Oddly enough, the text errata says "nontoken lands", so if we're playing a secret commander <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orvar, the All-Form" href="#" target="_blank">Orvar, the All-Form</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, we can make a lot of token copies of our lands and come out way ahead.</p>
<p>A few of these will make a splash in my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jared Carthalion, True Heir" href="#" target="_blank">Jared Carthalion, True Heir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> politics deck! Let's go to a decklist.</p>
<hr />
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Politics by Jared" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Jared Carthalion, True Heir
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Arasta of the Endless Web
*1 Brash Taunter
*1 Emberwilde Captain
*1 Etali, Primal Storm
*1 Frontier Warmonger
*1 Gahiji, Honored One
*1 Geode Rager
*1 Heartwood Storyteller
*1 Hornet Queen
*1 Humble Defector
*1 Keeper of the Accord
*1 Mangara, the Diplomat
*1 Marisi, Breaker of the Coil
*1 Orzhov Advokist
*1 Radha, Heart of Keld
*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
*1 Selvala, Explorer Returned
*1 Shieldmage Advocate
*1 Skullwinder
*1 Tangled Florahedron
*1 Vengeful Ancestor
*1 Veteran Explorer
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Boros Charm
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Comet Storm
*1 Dawn Charm
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Kabira Takedown
*1 Kazuul&#039;s Fury
*1 Khalni Ambush
*1 Mercadia&#039;s Downfall
*1 Naya Charm
*1 Oblation
*1 Sejiri Shelter
*1 Settle the Wreckage
*1 Signal the Clans
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Thrill of Possibility
*1 Valakut Awakening
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Blackblade Reforged
*1 Howling Mine
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Pendant of Prosperity
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Cindervines
*1 Felidar Retreat
*1 Fight or Flight
*1 Rites of Flourishing
*1 Stolen Strategy
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bala Ged Recovery
*1 Bend or Break
*1 Cathartic Reunion
*1 Council&#039;s Judgment
*1 Creative Technique
*1 Disrupt Decorum
*1 Excavation Technique
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Farseek
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Mob Rule
*1 Pir&#039;s Whim
*1 Promise of Loyalty
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Rolling Earthquake
*1 Secret Rendezvous
*1 Three Visits
*1 Tragic Arrogance
*1 Treacherous Terrain
*1 Wheel of Misfortune
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Ash Barrens
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Boros Garrison
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Cinder Glade
*1 Command Tower
*7 Forest
*1 Gruul Turf
*1 Jungle Shrine
*1 Kessig Wolf Run
*1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
*3 Mountain
*1 Naya Panorama
*1 Path of Ancestry
*3 Plains
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Rootbound Crag
*1 Scattered Groves
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Selesnya Sanctuary
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h2>Skip or Swap</h2>
<p>What did you think about this cycle? Are there any decks you'll be jamming these cards into? Should I write another article about all of the <a href="https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Divvy">non-<em>Invasion</em> <em>Divvy</em> cards</a>? Let me know in the comments below! If you have any suggestions for future <em>Challenge the Stats</em>, join us in our <a href="https://discord.gg/MADh5x7Smb">Discord</a>, where we chat about quirky cards on the regular.</p>
<p><script>var pd_tags = new Array;pd_tags["10901197-src"]="poll-oembed-simple";</script><script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="https://secure.polldaddy.com/p/10901197.js"></script><noscript><iframe title="Do you play any of these cards in your decks?" src="https://poll.fm/10901197/embed" frameborder="0" class="cs-iframe-embed"></iframe></noscript></p>


Challenge the Stats – Let's Get Divvy With It

Deep Analysis - Infect

Ranking Every Equipment with EDHREC – Part 18: God Killer

Too-Specific Top 10 - Can't Even

Power Sink - Fear and Loathing in Kaldheim

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.rahnart.com/">Chris Rahn</a>)</h6>
<h1>A Message From Eternity</h1>
<p>There are few zones in <em>Magic</em> that can be taken advantage of more than the graveyard. From it, creatures can be reanimated, spells can be cast, and cards can be returned to hand, and that's just the beginning. For many decks, the graveyard has earned the nickname "the second hand". The blessings of the graveyard are enabled by cards such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, allowing sequences of plays that would never be possible otherwise.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eternal Witness"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> checks a lot of boxes for being a potent (albeit simple) card. It's a creature, which provides both a body and a multitude of potential synergies, and it has an enters-the-battlefield effect, which makes the effect immediate and potentially repeatable. At its worst, it's a chump blocker that "cantrips", and at its best, it's part of an engine.</p>
<p>In layman's terms, the card's pretty good, but its main strengths lie in those synergies; a card-advantage-neutral chump blocker often doesn't make the cut, especially when it has so many other redundant options out there for a similar effect. However, while some of those redundancies may lack the same synergies as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, they also might be more potent on their own, or even have different synergies to tap into. So what are some of these redundancies for this effect?</p>
<hr />
<h2>A Glance at History</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Regrowth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bala Ged Recovery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Life from the Loam"></div></div>
<p>The most obvious versions of this effect have almost the same text as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but with some key differences. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Regrowth" href="#" target="_blank">Regrowth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> lacks the synergies that creatures might benefit from, but it comes at a more easily-achievable two mana, rather than three. It also benefits from instant and sorcery synergies (although those are admittedly rarer in green).</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bala Ged Recovery" href="#" target="_blank">Bala Ged Recovery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a bit costlier than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Regrowth" href="#" target="_blank">Regrowth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but it benefits both from its sorcery status and, most importantly, some added modality. If you're missing a land drop, or you're playing a <em>Landfall</em> deck and would get extra benefit from playing a land, you might instead opt to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bala Ged Sanctuary" href="#" target="_blank">Bala Ged Sanctuary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Life from the Loam" href="#" target="_blank">Life from the Loam</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the odd one out here. It comes in at the same cost as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Regrowth" href="#" target="_blank">Regrowth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but it only grabs lands. This comes with additional benefits, though: it can grab three cards from the graveyard instead of just one, and it can return itself to hand using its <em>Dredge</em> ability. Sometimes, the restriction on which cards we can recur will actually improve the rest of the spell's quality, potentially providing truly fantastic bonuses, as we can see from the land-grabbing, graveyard-filling powerhouse that is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Life from the Loam" href="#" target="_blank">Life from the Loam</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>All of these classics are staples in and of themselves, and thus aren't the most new or exciting replacements for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but their power, and the precedent they set, makes them worth mentioning before we tackle the less common replacements. Let's get to some of those now!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Uncovering Hidden Relics</h2>
<p>As stated previously, one of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s main strengths is its ability to abuse the enters-the-battlefield effect for extra benefit. However, not all decks are capable of taking advantage of this synergy in the first place, and others may not need to reuse it. For those decks, Witness may not be worth the slot (or the price tag).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fungal Rebirth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Evolution Charm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Long Rest"></div></div>
<p>Our first one-off recursion spell is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fungal Rebirth" href="#" target="_blank">Fungal Rebirth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which has a lot going for it over our Staple. At the cost of some minor restrictions, it gives twice as many bodies as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and it does so at instant speed. This makes it a fantastic fit for decks that utilize Aristocrats strategies, but even outside of that, it can provide life-saving blockers.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evolution Charm" href="#" target="_blank">Evolution Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bala Ged Recovery" href="#" target="_blank">Bala Ged Recovery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, has a lot of modal benefit. Only returning creatures may be a bit of a pain, but in creature-based strategies, both the recursion and the ability to give one creature flying are incredibly relevant, especially considering green's penchant for big creatures with little to no evasion. The ability to get a basic land card into your hand might even save you in a pinch, if you need to fix your mana.</p>
<p>Finally, there's a whole class of one-off effects that can recur large amounts of cards immediately. Featured above is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Long Rest" href="#" target="_blank">Long Rest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but other contenders in this category are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gaea&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Gaea&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Praetor&#039;s Counsel" href="#" target="_blank">Praetor&#039;s Counsel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seasons Past" href="#" target="_blank">Seasons Past</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and more. These spells are especially relevant in their ability to give a large burst of card advantage at once, something green can struggle with without the help of an already-large board state. Playing one of these can especially help if you have a bad habit of overextending your board and you quickly need to recover from a board wipe.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Recycling Plants</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Genesis"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Paleoloth"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Holistic Wisdom"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Genesis" href="#" target="_blank">Genesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a much more straightforward way to repeatedly recur creatures. All you need is to get it into your graveyard. This makes it perfect for graveyard-centric decks that can mill themselves, putting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Genesis" href="#" target="_blank">Genesis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> into the grave alongside a bunch of valuable targets for it. It's a little slow, and a little costly, but it's also of a comparable speed to many of the engines that can be created using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>The Timmys and Tammys of the Commander community might be enamored by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Paleoloth" href="#" target="_blank">Paleoloth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can turn the creatures of a green stompy deck into repeatable recursion. Like the aforementioned <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Long Rest" href="#" target="_blank">Long Rest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and Co., it can also help you recover from board wipes, or maybe just put an interesting spin on the archetype's normal capabilities.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Holistic Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Holistic Wisdom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> may just be the most flexible card out of this batch, offering several opportunities to recur cards of all types. Although it doesn't tend to give the same amount of card advantage, and although it's much more difficult to create an engine with it, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Holistic Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Holistic Wisdom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> may just save your bacon should you need to quickly reuse multiple cards from your graveyard.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Timeless Wisdom</h2>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/179.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-69126 size-full" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/179.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="858" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/179.jpg 1200w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/179-300x215.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/179-1024x732.jpg 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/179-768x549.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></a></p>
<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timeless Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Timeless Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/deruch">Deruchenko Alexander</a>)</h6>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Timeless Witness"></div></div>
<p>It's only natural that we feature the spiritual successor to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from <em>Modern Horizons 2</em>: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timeless Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Timeless Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Although not strictly better (since <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timeless Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Timeless Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> costs more), this card takes all of the benefits of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eternal Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Eternal Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and adds more.</p>
<p>One of the more common ways to abuse an ETB trigger is via reanimation, using cards such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nethroi, Apex of Death" href="#" target="_blank">Nethroi, Apex of Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reveillark" href="#" target="_blank">Reveillark</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and many, many more. When utilizing these strategies, the difference in mana cost between <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timeless Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Timeless Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and our Staple is negligible or completely irrelevant. As a bonus, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timeless Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Timeless Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> isn't just stuck in the graveyard if you lack these pieces - it can <em>Eternalize</em> right out of the yard too, and is thus reusable simply by itself.</p>
<p>Some of this card's best synergies are with tokens. <em>Populating</em> the token created by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timeless Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Timeless Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s <em>Eternalize</em> ability allows one to recur cards with ease. This is especially useful, since <em>Populate</em> is much more common in green than flickering, blinking, reanimating, and bouncing, and token strategies are very common.</p>
<p>There are a lot of places to utilize the recursion spells I've mentioned in this article. The one that I've chosen is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karador, Ghost Chieftain" href="#" target="_blank">Karador, Ghost Chieftain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, where the recursion of noncreature cards (using <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Holistic Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Holistic Wisdom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Regrowth" href="#" target="_blank">Regrowth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Timeless Witness" href="#" target="_blank">Timeless Witness</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and more) comes at a premium.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="The Karadoor of Death" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Karador, Ghost Chieftain
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Acidic Slime
*1 Avacyn&#039;s Pilgrim
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Blood Artist
*1 Deathrite Shaman
*1 Diligent Farmhand
*1 Elves of Deep Shadow
*1 Fauna Shaman
*1 Fiend Artisan
*1 Gravebreaker Lamia
*1 Grim Haruspex
*1 Hermit Druid
*1 Karmic Guide
*1 Llanowar Elves
*1 Nethroi, Apex of Death
*1 Plaguecrafter
*1 Protean Hulk
*1 Qasali Pridemage
*1 Ramunap Excavator
*1 Ravenous Chupacabra
*1 Reclamation Sage
*1 Reveillark
*1 Saffi Eriksdotter
*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
*1 Satyr Wayfinder
*1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
*1 Shriekmaw
*1 Skull Prophet
*1 Spore Frog
*1 Stinkweed Imp
*1 Stitcher&#039;s Supplier
*1 Sun Titan
*1 Timeless Witness
*1 Underrealm Lich
*1 Viscera Seer
*1 Wood Elves
*1 Zulaport Cutthroat
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Animate Dead
*1 Death&#039;s Oasis
*1 Greater Good
*1 Holistic Wisdom
*1 Journey to Eternity
*1 Pattern of Rebirth
*1 Sylvan Library
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Anguished Unmaking
*1 Eladamri&#039;s Call
*1 Entomb
*1 Grisly Salvage
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Altar of Dementia
*1 Birthing Pod
*1 Skullclamp
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bala Ged Recovery
*1 Buried Alive
*1 Demonic Tutor
*1 Edge of Autumn
*1 Eerie Ultimatum
*1 Life from the Loam
*1 Living Death
*1 Reanimate
*1 Regrowth
*1 Search for Tomorrow
*1 Unmarked Grave
*1 Victimize
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Caves of Koilos
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*5 Forest
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 High Market
*1 Indatha Triome
*1 Isolated Chapel
*1 Llanowar Wastes
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Overgrown Tomb
*1 Phyrexian Tower
*2 Plains
*1 Sandsteppe Citadel
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*5 Swamp
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Undergrowth Stadium
*1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
*1 Vault of Champions
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Windswept Heath
*1 Woodland Cemetery
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>How often do you run recursion in your decks? What sort of decks do you feel need them most? What synergistic recursion pieces do you put in these decks? I'd love to hear down in the comments, and as always, thanks for reading!</p>


Staple Remover — Eternal Witness

Articles