Tarkir: Dragonstorm Set Review - Colorless

From the Brim to the Trim - Budget Juggernauts for Pounded Opponents

Wombo Combo - Best Colorless Combos in EDH (Part 2)

Wombo Combo - Best Colorless Combos in EDH (Part 1)

Too-Specific Top 10 - Colorless Spells

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(Zhulodok, Void Gorger | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/lasahido" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lius Lasahido</a>)</h6>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello friends! Andy from the Scrap Trawlers here. As always, there’s a new set coming out next week, and that means we’ve got precons to talk about!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/eldrazi-unbound-precon-primer/">last article</a> we looked at the new colorless precon, Eldrazi Unbound, from Commander Masters. We saw that the deck is very slow due to its top-heavy mana curve. Unfortunately, high mana value cards are necessary to make the deck work. So how can we fix it? Spoiler alert: not easily. Dear reader, this is the most difficult precon upgrade I’ve ever done.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here’s the original decklist:</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Eldrazi Unbound Precon" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Zhulodok, Void Gorger
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Abstruse Archaic
*1 Ancient Stone Idol
*1 Artisan of Kozilek
*1 Bane of Bala Ged
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Crashing Drawbridge
*1 Duplicant
*1 Endbringer
*1 Endless One
*1 Flayer of Loyalties
*1 Geode Golem
*1 Hangarback Walker
*1 It That Betrays
*1 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
*1 Matter Reshaper
*1 Metalwork Colossus
*1 Meteor Golem
*1 Myriad Construct
*1 Oblivion Sower
*1 Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Palladium Myr
*1 Phyrexian Triniform
*1 Scaretiller
*1 Skittering Cicada
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Soul of New Phyrexia
*1 Steel Hellkite
*1 Stonecoil Serpent
*1 Suspicious Bookcase
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 All Is Dust
*1 Calamity of the Titans
*1 Rise of the Eldrazi
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Darksteel Monolith
*1 Dreamstone Hedron
*1 Endless Atlas
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Fireshrieker
*1 Forsaken Monument
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Investigator&#039;s Journal
*1 Kaldra Compleat
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mazemind Tome
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mirage Mirror
*1 Mystic Forge
*1 Perilous Vault
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Thran Dynamo
*1 Transmogrifying Wand
*1 Unstable Obelisk
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Desecrate Reality
*1 Not of This World
*1 Spatial Contortion
*1 Titan&#039;s Presence
*1 Warping Wail
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Ugin&#039;s Mastery
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Ugin, the Ineffable
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Arcane Lighthouse
*1 Arch of Orazca
*1 Blast Zone
*1 Bonders&#039; Enclave
*1 Eldrazi Temple
*1 Forge of Heroes
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Guildless Commons
*1 Mage-Ring Network
*1 Mirrorpool
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Ruins of Oran-Rief
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Sea Gate Wreckage
*1 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Tomb of the Spirit Dragon
*1 Tyrite Sanctum
*1 Urza&#039;s Mine
*1 Urza&#039;s Power Plant
*1 Urza&#039;s Tower
*1 War Room
*15 Wastes
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gotta Be Big</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zhulodok, Void Gorger"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This colorless monstrosity is led by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zhulodok, Void Gorger" href="#" target="_blank">Zhulodok, Void Gorger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a 7/4 Eldrazi that gives our big spells Cascade twice. So we’re trying to get value out of casting our big mana spells, which unfortunately means we have to have a lot of them in the deck to function. The precon packs 15 spells with mana value seven or higher, plus a few X spells. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The backup commander doesn’t make things any easier. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate" href="#" target="_blank">Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> costs XX and has power/toughness X, and gets a +1/+1 counters occasionally. Then some other stuff happens when Omarthis dies. But we’re not worrying about that, because we’d have to completely revamp the deck to make Omarthis work as the commander. Which we’re not doing. In fact, let’s just get this out of the way. Omarthis is getting cut. But we’ll talk more about that later.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The deck needs to go faster. But to do that, especially without spending a ton of money, we need to lower the mana curve, which means taking out some high-cost spells, which means triggering Zhulodok less often, which means less value. It’s a real tightrope we’re walking on here, reader. But I’m gonna do my best, because I just love you all so much. </span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gorging</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So let’s talk about the cards we’re adding. One thing the precon was lacking was cheap and efficient card draw. But since we’re colorless, we can’t get cheap and efficient without some kind of drawback. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eye of Vecna" href="#" target="_blank">Eye of Vecna</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can draw us an extra card every turn, but at the cost of life and mana. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zenith Chronicler" href="#" target="_blank">Zenith Chronicler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will also draw us a bunch of cards (your whole deck if you’re playing against <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aragorn, the Uniter" href="#" target="_blank">Aragorn, the Uniter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), but it’ll draw cards for your opponents as well.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eye of Vecna"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zenith Chronicler"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lithoform Engine"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The precon had a bit of a copy sub-theme, with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirage Mirror" href="#" target="_blank">Mirage Mirror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abstruse Archaic" href="#" target="_blank">Abstruse Archaic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, so I thought we’d benefit from playing into that a little more. So in goes <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lithoform Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Lithoform Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strionic Resonator" href="#" target="_blank">Strionic Resonator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Both cards will require extra mana, but with all the triggered abilities in the deck, I think they’re going to be worth it. And for getting value from copying your opponents’ spells, we’re also adding <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wandering Archaic" href="#" target="_blank">Wandering Archaic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Cuz sometimes we wanna <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> too, you know?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanctum of Ugin" href="#" target="_blank">Sanctum of Ugin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> just seems like a no-brainer, and a weird thing to exclude from the precon. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wondrous Crucible" href="#" target="_blank">Wondrous Crucible</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives our stuff some extra protection, while also getting us value out of the graveyard. And in the “I just think it’s neat” category, we’ve got <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spectrum Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Spectrum Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Why? Cuz he’s gonna gain you a ton of life, and he can block multicolored creatures all day long.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wandering Archaic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wondrous Crucible"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spectrum Sentinel"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That’s eight cards added, and we only spent about $11.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Purging</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now it’s time to see what we’re cutting. If you read the Primer, you know that I was a bit miffed at the inclusion of X spells in this Cascade deck. So, you know what? They’re all gone. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Endless One" href="#" target="_blank">Endless One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hangarback Walker" href="#" target="_blank">Hangarback Walker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stonecoil Serpent" href="#" target="_blank">Stonecoil Serpent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate" href="#" target="_blank">Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. All gone. See ya.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Endless One"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hangarback Walker"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Exiling everything leads to very unfun games. So <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Calamity of the Titans" href="#" target="_blank">Calamity of the Titans</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Perilous Vault" href="#" target="_blank">Perilous Vault</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are getting the axe. And because the removal suite is still overstuffed even after these are taken out, I’m tossing out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Duplicant" href="#" target="_blank">Duplicant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as well.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And last up for the purge is one <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wastes" href="#" target="_blank">Wastes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to make way for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sanctum of Ugin" href="#" target="_blank">Sanctum of Ugin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Calamity of the Titans"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Perilous Vault"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Duplicant"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here’s the updated decklist:</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Eldrazi Unbound Upgrade" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Zhulodok, Void Gorger
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Abstruse Archaic
*1 Ancient Stone Idol
*1 Artisan of Kozilek
*1 Bane of Bala Ged
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Crashing Drawbridge
*1 Endbringer
*1 Flayer of Loyalties
*1 Geode Golem
*1 It That Betrays
*1 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
*1 Matter Reshaper
*1 Metalwork Colossus
*1 Meteor Golem
*1 Myriad Construct
*1 Oblivion Sower
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Palladium Myr
*1 Phyrexian Triniform
*1 Scaretiller
*1 Skittering Cicada
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Soul of New Phyrexia
*1 Spectrum Sentinel
*1 Steel Hellkite
*1 Suspicious Bookcase
*1 Wandering Archaic // Explore the Vastlands
*1 Zenith Chronicler
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Darksteel Monolith
*1 Dreamstone Hedron
*1 Endless Atlas
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Eye of Vecna
*1 Fireshrieker
*1 Forsaken Monument
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Investigator&#039;s Journal
*1 Kaldra Compleat
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Lithoform Engine
*1 Mazemind Tome
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mirage Mirror
*1 Mystic Forge
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Strionic Resonator
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Thran Dynamo
*1 Transmogrifying Wand
*1 Unstable Obelisk
*1 Wondrous Crucible
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 All Is Dust
*1 Rise of the Eldrazi
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Desecrate Reality
*1 Not of This World
*1 Spatial Contortion
*1 Titan&#039;s Presence
*1 Warping Wail
[/Instants]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Ugin, the Ineffable
[/Planeswalkers]
[Enchantments]
*1 Ugin&#039;s Mastery
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Arcane Lighthouse
*1 Arch of Orazca
*1 Blast Zone
*1 Bonders&#039; Enclave
*1 Eldrazi Temple
*1 Forge of Heroes
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Guildless Commons
*1 Mage-Ring Network
*1 Mirrorpool
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Ruins of Oran-Rief
*1 Sanctum of Ugin
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Sea Gate Wreckage
*1 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Tomb of the Spirit Dragon
*1 Tyrite Sanctum
*1 Urza&#039;s Mine
*1 Urza&#039;s Power Plant
*1 Urza&#039;s Tower
*1 War Room
*14 Wastes
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Big Spenders</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unsurprisingly, this deck is a lot easier to upgrade without a budget. With no restrictions, we can flesh out the land package with winners like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancient Tomb" href="#" target="_blank">Ancient Tomb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Field of the Dead" href="#" target="_blank">Field of the Dead</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inventors’ Fair" href="#" target="_blank">Inventors’ Fair</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eye of Ugin" href="#" target="_blank">Eye of Ugin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Tomb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Field of the Dead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eye of Ugin"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We can control what we Cascade into with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sensei’s Divining Top" href="#" target="_blank">Sensei’s Divining Top</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scroll Rack" href="#" target="_blank">Scroll Rack</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We can protect our commander against pretty much everything with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Commander’s Plate" href="#" target="_blank">Commander’s Plate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We can make all of our artifacts way cheaper with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mycosynth Golem" href="#" target="_blank">Mycosynth Golem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sensei’s Divining Top"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Commander’s Plate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mycosynth Golem"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And we can even make a bunch of extra mana with Reserved List all-star <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Metalworker" href="#" target="_blank">Metalworker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Look Into the Void</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Did we improve this deck? Hard to tell. By taking out the X spells, we actually raised the average mana value up to 4.74. That’s kinda the opposite direction from where we wanted to go, but we did add some more card draw and more ways to copy Zhulodok’s Cascade triggers. So the value is most definitely improved. Unfortunately, due to the nature of this deck, there’s almost no way to make it faster on a budget. But if you wanna throw in your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mana Crypt" href="#" target="_blank">Mana Crypt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mana Vault" href="#" target="_blank">Mana Vault</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s, be my guest. You do you, my friends.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That’s it for Eldrazi Unbound! What did you think of this deck? Was I too harsh on it? Is it an overpriced lump of colorless junk? Hit me up in the comments and let me know. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Don’t forget to check out all of our other <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/author/scrap-trawlers/">precon guides</a>. And remember to budget…before you buy it.</span></p>


Eldrazi Unbound - Upgrade Guide

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zhulodok, Void Gorger" href="#" target="_blank">Zhulodok, Void Gorger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/lasahido" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lius Lasahido</a>)</h6>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hey friends! Andy from the Scrap Trawlers here, ready to give you the lowdown on a very high-mana precon.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s been like a week, so of course new product is coming out soon. The new product we’re looking at is <em>Commander Masters</em>, a premium reprint set full of some of Commander’s biggest hitters. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And with this new set comes four precons (a first for a <em>Masters</em> set), each with 10 new cards and a bevy of hot reprints. And it just so happens that today we’re talking about the first ever colorless precon, Eldrazi Unbound. It’s led by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zhulodok, Void Gorger" href="#" target="_blank">Zhulodok, Void Gorger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Void Gorgeous</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zhulodok, Void Gorger"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zhulodok is a 7/4 Eldrazi for six mana that gives colorless spells with mana value seven or greater that you cast from your hand Cascade…twice! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We’ve seen Cascade commanders before, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder" href="#" target="_blank">Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abaddon the Despoiler" href="#" target="_blank">Abaddon the Despoiler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and my personal favorite, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty" href="#" target="_blank">Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but never one with such a steep requirement for the Cascade trigger. Sure, Imoti’s requirement is only one less, but it doesn’t have the “from hand” stipulation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here’s the full decklist:</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Eldrazi Unbound Precon" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Zhulodok, Void Gorger
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Abstruse Archaic
*1 Ancient Stone Idol
*1 Artisan of Kozilek
*1 Bane of Bala Ged
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Crashing Drawbridge
*1 Duplicant
*1 Endbringer
*1 Endless One
*1 Flayer of Loyalties
*1 Geode Golem
*1 Hangarback Walker
*1 It That Betrays
*1 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
*1 Matter Reshaper
*1 Metalwork Colossus
*1 Meteor Golem
*1 Myriad Construct
*1 Oblivion Sower
*1 Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Palladium Myr
*1 Phyrexian Triniform
*1 Scaretiller
*1 Skittering Cicada
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Soul of New Phyrexia
*1 Steel Hellkite
*1 Stonecoil Serpent
*1 Suspicious Bookcase
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 All Is Dust
*1 Calamity of the Titans
*1 Rise of the Eldrazi
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Darksteel Monolith
*1 Dreamstone Hedron
*1 Endless Atlas
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Fireshrieker
*1 Forsaken Monument
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Investigator&#039;s Journal
*1 Kaldra Compleat
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mazemind Tome
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mirage Mirror
*1 Mystic Forge
*1 Perilous Vault
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Thran Dynamo
*1 Transmogrifying Wand
*1 Unstable Obelisk
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Desecrate Reality
*1 Not of This World
*1 Spatial Contortion
*1 Titan&#039;s Presence
*1 Warping Wail
[/Instants]
[Enchantments]
*1 Ugin&#039;s Mastery
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Ugin, the Ineffable
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Arcane Lighthouse
*1 Arch of Orazca
*1 Blast Zone
*1 Bonders&#039; Enclave
*1 Eldrazi Temple
*1 Forge of Heroes
*1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
*1 Guildless Commons
*1 Mage-Ring Network
*1 Mirrorpool
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Ruins of Oran-Rief
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Sea Gate Wreckage
*1 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Tomb of the Spirit Dragon
*1 Tyrite Sanctum
*1 Urza&#039;s Mine
*1 Urza&#039;s Power Plant
*1 Urza&#039;s Tower
*1 War Room
*15 Wastes
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The backup commander is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate" href="#" target="_blank">Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a 0/0 Spirit Naga (did you expect another Eldrazi? How foolish of you) that costs XX and gets a +1/+1 counter whenever you put one or more on another colorless creature. It also manifests cards from your library when it dies. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate"></div></div></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I’m just going to point this out here instead of waiting until the end. Having X spells in a Cascade deck makes zero sense. If you Cascade into Omarthis, it just dies instantly. Useless. And it’s not the only X spell in the deck. Omarthis is completely out of place in this list, not only because it’s not Eldrazi even though it easily could have been, but it also doesn’t actually work as the deck’s commander either, because there’s only a small handful of cards that add +1/+1 counters in the list. A real misfire in this deck, but a potentially good commander for its own deck filled with creatures with Modular, or in the 99 of a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp" href="#" target="_blank">Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">What It Do?</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What’s this deck all about? We’ve seen plenty of four- and five-color decks whose main goal is to play many colors. But what do we do with a deck that wants to play </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">no </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">colors? </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The goal of the deck is to get as much value as possible out of Zhulodok’s double Cascade trigger. That’s why it’s running 15 spells of mana value seven or more, with four X spells that can also fit the mold. This sounds like a lot. And it definitely is. We’ve got a massive average mana value of 4.6 in this deck (and realistically that number should be even higher since our X spells count as zero in the average calculation). Because of this, the deck also runs a lot of ramp (my count is 18). Not all of it is cheap, though, so expect some slow games (more on this later).</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Artisan of Kozilek"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Metalwork Colossus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyrexian Triniform"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the name Eldrazi Unbound, you might expect some synergy with the Eldrazi creature type. But that’s definitely not what this deck is doing. In fact, there are only 10 Eldrazi in the deck, which is a bit misleading, if you ask me.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The only real path to victory is combat. The deck is full of fatties whose only purpose in life is to smash face. And they do that well. However, as a colorless deck, you have few ways to protect your stuff from removal. Keep that in mind when you’re considering filling up the board. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warping Wail" href="#" target="_blank">Warping Wail</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great for stopping a board wipe, but it’s just one card in the deck.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rock Lords</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So how does the deck play? A bit slow, unsurprisingly. Even with 18 ramp sources, the deck can struggle if you don’t hit ramp early. In fact, I highly recommend you don’t start the game until you’ve got a starting hand with some cheap ramp. Without it, you won’t be participating in the game until turn seven or later. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zhulodok is crucial. The deck does very little without it except look like a circa ‘94 kitchen table deck filled with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craw Wurm" href="#" target="_blank">Craw Wurm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s and other high-cost creatures. The commander is the only real source of value in the deck, so protect it at all costs. In fact, the deck’s designers want you to rely on Zhulodok so much that they’ve weakened the rest of the card advantage suite in the deck. From my experience, this usually isn’t a smart way to build.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I mentioned this before, but the deck does run some X-cost creatures, which feels really bad when you Cascade into them. They’re obviously in there to support Omarthis, but they’re not great with Zhulodok.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In playtesting the deck, I found myself regularly not doing anything except ramping until turn six or seven. And nothing impactful came out of the deck until Zhulodok was on the board. Relying on your commander this much, especially one with a high mana value, can be a bit disheartening. So I wouldn’t bring this deck to anything but the most battle cruiser-y games.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unbound. Moisturized. In My Lane</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Okay kids, it’s time to talk about the best thing about Commander precons. And that is…? </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kids all shout, “New Cards!” </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">That’s right, it’s the new cards. In addition to the two legends that can lead the deck, we’ve got eight other toasty new treats for colorless fans.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We’ll start with the only other new Eldrazi in the deck besides Zhulodok (seriously), and that’s <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flayer of Loyalties" href="#" target="_blank">Flayer of Loyalties</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. For 10 mana, you get the biggest, meanest <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Threaten" href="#" target="_blank">Threaten</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> you’ve ever seen in your life. But I’ve got one complaint. Just one. And that’s that it’s 10 power instead of 11. With 11 power, you could steal someone’s commander, strap on a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireshrieker" href="#" target="_blank">Fireshrieker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (included in the deck), and potentially kill an opponent with their own commander (assuming they can’t block). Killing someone with their own commander is one of the most satisfying ways to win a game, but 20 damage just won't cut it. Otherwise, this card is sick.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flayer of Loyalties"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abstruse Archaic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skittering Cicada"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We’ve got <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abstruse Archaic" href="#" target="_blank">Abstruse Archaic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who also isn’t an Eldrazi, and doesn’t cost seven or more mana. What it does do is copy abilities. We saw something similar last year with <em>Dominaria United</em>’s <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Peregrine Dynamo" href="#" target="_blank">The Peregrine Dynamo</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a card that was severely hampered by its non-commander clause. Abstruse’s only requirement is that the source be colorless. Copying an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherflux Reservoir" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherflux Reservoir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> activation is pretty exciting, no?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our last new creature is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skittering Cicada" href="#" target="_blank">Skittering Cicada</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, whose flash ability is a sort of upgrade on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shimmer Myr" href="#" target="_blank">Shimmer Myr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (unless you’re playing colored artifacts), and also similar to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liberator, Urza&#039;s Battlethopter" href="#" target="_blank">Liberator, Urza&#039;s Battlethopter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Obviously the goal with this guy is to make him real big and punch faces. Simple enough. Just get some boots and a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fireshrieker" href="#" target="_blank">Fireshrieker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Monolith" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Monolith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an all-star in the deck, as it not only triggers Cascade from Zhulodok, but then it lets you cast another big spell for free if you’ve got one. And with Skittering Cicada, you can cast a free colorless spell on your opponents’ turns too!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Monolith"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Desecrate Reality"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rise of the Eldrazi"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ugin&#039;s Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Ugin&#039;s Mastery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> sounds decent, in theory. But I think it might be awful in practice. The problem is that 2/2s aren’t all that useful in Commander. Especially if it’s not actually a creature card (creatures make up only a third of the deck). Yeah, the free flip when you attack with six or more power can be great, but since you’re likely to be attacking with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wastes" href="#" target="_blank">Wastes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, I don’t think there’s consistent payoff in this deck. But maybe in a deck where you build around it…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over to instants and sorceries. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Desecrate Reality" href="#" target="_blank">Desecrate Reality</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is going to be fantastic in some games. But there will also be games where the thing that’s wrecking your plans has an even cost. I like that it’s instant speed. In fact, I would argue that the card would be pretty bad if it were a sorcery. As it is, it’s okay.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Calamity of the Titans" href="#" target="_blank">Calamity of the Titans</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has an effect that I’ve never been a fan of: mass exile. At no time do I ever want to lose my stuff forever, even if I get rid of some other threats. But that's just my personal preference.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And we’ll end with the one that got a few people salivating, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rise of the Eldrazi" href="#" target="_blank">Rise of the Eldrazi</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. For 12 mana, you too can destroy a permanent, draw four cards, and take an extra turn. The self-exile stings, but is probably necessary to stop infinite turns shenanigans.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Final Thoughts</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alright, time for my verdict on this deck. Is it worth picking up at your friendly local game store?</span></p>
<p><b>Verdict: Skip it. Unless…</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This one was a bit challenging to give a final verdict on. While the gameplay is a bit dull, and some cards just plain don’t work in the deck, I also have to take value into consideration.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The reprints in this deck, as with the other three from this set, are pretty stacked. And, considering how much these decks are selling for, they freaking better be. The biggest hitter here is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="It That Betrays" href="#" target="_blank">It That Betrays</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. But there are a handful of other high-price reprints, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kozilek, the Great Distortion" href="#" target="_blank">Kozilek, the Great Distortion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="All Is Dust" href="#" target="_blank">All Is Dust</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eldrazi Temple" href="#" target="_blank">Eldrazi Temple</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Forsaken Monument" href="#" target="_blank">Forsaken Monument</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We also have to consider the fact that all of the new singles are pre-selling for ridiculous prices, with Zhulodok alone preselling for over $60. </span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="It That Betrays"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kozilek, the Great Distortion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="All Is Dust"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, unless you can find the deck for a </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">reasonable </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">price (quite a bit lower than the $150 that it’s currently selling for on TCGPlayer), it’s a pass.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What do you think? Can we make this deck better? Go check out my <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/eldrazi-unbound-upgrade-guide/">Upgrade Guide</a> to find out if I was able to make this deck more polished without mortgaging my house again.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Until next time, from us here at Scrap Trawlers, remember to budget…before you buy it.</span></p>


Eldrazi Unbound - Precon Primer

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a href="https://scryfall.com/card/m21/279/ugin-the-spirit-dragon">Ugin, the Spirit Dragon</a> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CRyan+Pancoast%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Ryan Pancoast</a>)</h6>
<h1><em>Magic</em>'s Secret Sixth Color <span style="font-family: wingdings, 'zapf dingbats';">Colorless</span></h1>
<p>The question of planeswalkers as commanders has been brought up in the <em>Magic</em> discourse an infinite number of times. People say it would kill EDH as a format, and others say it will do nothing but give more options to an endless pool of commanders. I believe the truth is somewhere in the middle. My name is Nick, and the sixth installment of <em>Myth Realized</em> will cover colorless cards and how they would each ruin (or not ruin) your favorite 100-card singleton format.</p>
<p>A quick disclaimer for this article: while there might not be many colorless planeswalkers, they all lead to running a deck heavy on artifacts. This means cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Chain Veil" href="#" target="_blank">The Chain Veil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strionic Resonator" href="#" target="_blank">Strionic Resonator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lithoform Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Lithoform Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are often treated as auto-includes in decks of this type.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn Liberated" href="#" target="_blank">Karn Liberated</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <strong>- 7 mana</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn Liberated"></div></div>
<p>The answer to the math question of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza&#039;s Tower" href="#" target="_blank">Urza&#039;s Tower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza&#039;s Mine" href="#" target="_blank">Urza&#039;s Mine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> +<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza&#039;s Power Plant" href="#" target="_blank">Urza&#039;s Power Plant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. A powerful card in 1v1 formats of <em>Magic</em> and most likely the card with the greatest likelihood of putting a target on your head if you played it as your commander. Both from an opponent's hand and from the field, exile is great removal, and if you tick this card up, the ten loyalty is tough to get through; restarting a Commander game is the best way to not get invited back to Commander night.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn, Living Legacy" href="#" target="_blank">Karn, Living Legacy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <strong>- 4 mana</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn, Living Legacy"></div></div>
<p>Not only is this the worst of the Karn Planeswalkers, but it is also the worst of the four-mana Karn planeswalkers. This card has seen no play in its current Standard life in any meaningful deck, and the only reason I would want this in or in charge of a deck is if I can get a quick ultimate them for a slightly better <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghirapur Aether Grid" href="#" target="_blank">Ghirapur Aether Grid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If the +1 made an untapped Powerstone, this card would be pretty sick as just a great form of artifact ramp every turn. This card needs too many pieces to make it work, and the other four-mana versions are much better.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn, Scion of Urza" href="#" target="_blank">Karn, Scion of Urza</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <strong>- 4 mana</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn, Scion of Urza"></div></div>
<p>Colorless card selection plus a great design overall. It does almost everything you could hope for from a colorless card. Depending on the situation, it gives you multiple options and can create sizeable blockers or attackers. The only thing holding this card back is the mandatory turn delay and loyalty counter tax for exiled cards.</p>
<p>An interesting fact to remember is that you can access all the cards exiled with silver counters for the rest of the game. This Karn might also make the scariest token in the game going right now in Construct tokens. Every token this card makes can quickly outclass many of the creatures on the other side of the board.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn, the Great Creator" href="#" target="_blank">Karn, the Great Creator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <strong>- 4 mana</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn, the Great Creator"></div></div>
<p>Please never let this be a commander. This could be the best possible play from the command zone with four mana in a wide variety of situations. You don't often see this card because its static is exceptionally mean to all the other players at the table. Not everyone plays green, so many decks rely on artifact mana to ramp them into more significant plays. If you've ever had to play while someone has <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stony Silence" href="#" target="_blank">Stony Silence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the battlefield or if you have played with this card and its table lock combo piece, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mycosynth Lattice" href="#" target="_blank">Mycosynth Lattice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you'll know the pain of staring at your cards and not being able to do anything with them.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ugin, the Ineffable" href="#" target="_blank">Ugin, the Ineffable</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <strong>- 6 mana</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ugin, the Ineffable"></div></div>
<p>People often consider <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ob Nixilis Reignited" href="#" target="_blank">Ob Nixilis Reignited</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> the cookie-cutter planeswalker design. It has card draw, removal, and an ultimate that should win the game. While this Ugin does not have an ultimate (thanks to <em>War of the Spark</em>), it does have card draw and removal. The new addition that Ugin brings to the table is the two-mana cost reduction on colorless spells, so if you're following along, reader, this is every card in your deck except your lands. I'm unsure how strong this cards would truly be if I'm honest with you. Would it help you combo fast in a colorless deck? Yes. Would it help you do that truly faster than playing anything else in the entire format? Not sure without really crunching the numbers.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ugin, the Spirit Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Ugin, the Spirit Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> <strong>- 8 mana</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ugin, the Spirit Dragon"></div></div>
<p>The biggest and baddest colorless dragon of all time. Even in a deck full of colorless mana rocks and trying to do nothing but ramp, this card is not coming down so far ahead of the curve that it cannot be dealt with. On the flip side, this cards can keep the board empty for a long time. Tokens don't stand a chance against this card. All nonland permanents don't stand a chance against this card unless they cost eight mana and got played before you could cast this. Not to mention if you're able to ultimate this card, gaining seven life, drawing seven cards, and just slamming down seven permanents onto the battlefield is absurd value. The eight mana is the thing that holds this card back from just ruining games, but I would get pretty annoyed seeing this card with any form of consistency.</p>
<p><strong>Wrap Up</strong></p>
<p>So, the secret sixth color in <em>Magic</em> might not bring a lot in terms of options, and most of these decks will look very similar unless someone puts an extreme amount of effort into not making it look the same. Usually, these cards are balanced because they cost a higher amount of mana or are a little bit above medium rate since they can be played in any deck. Some of this gets thrown out the window when you bring these to head up a deck with them. You might not be able to use the tutoring effect to get something from your sideboard, but you can reclaim pieces from exile, and turning off everyone's mana rocks will make your playgroup ask you to leave the table. I will say <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Karn, the Great Creator" href="#" target="_blank">Karn, the Great Creator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> would need to go.</p>
<p>I've realized that, so far, six articles into this series, from my point of view, planeswalkers should be allowed to be commanders. Are there problems with some of the cards? Yes. Are these problems any worse than some other commanders already permitted in the format? No. My opinion might change once I dive into the multicolored planeswalkers, but at this moment in time, in this year of our Lord 2023, and in my heart of hearts, I ask people to try these out in Commander, get people talking about it, and free these 'walkers from the shackles of the 99.</p>


colorless