<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Commander&#039;s Sphere|cmm|655" href="#" target="_blank">Commander&#039;s Sphere</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://markpoole.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Poole</a></em></p>
<p>Friendly greetings and welcome to an EDHREC Top Ten! I'm John Sherwood, and I have an affinity for self-imposed restrictions. I draw a great deal of enjoyment from arbitrary constraints for my own decks.</p>
<p>With that in mind, I'm thrilled to apply my pet brewing tendency for your enjoyment. Presenting: the 10 best ramp spells for Commander that aren't <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sol Ring|pfdn|1"></div></div>
<h2>Terms and Conditions</h2>
<p>Before jumping into the list, let's get on the same page with some definitions and parameters. First, what is ramp? The <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/the-edhrec-guide-to-ramp-in-commander#ramp-basics-what-is-ramp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guide to Ramp in Commander</a> says an effect is ramp if the increase of mana is more than playing on curve. By that definition, dozens of the <a href="https://edhrec.com/top" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most played</a> cards in Commander are ramp spells. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> tops out that list with an 84% inclusion rate, and a chorus of groans and yawns.</p>
<p>I'm talking about the best ramp <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>in Commander</em></span>. Sol Ring doesn't make the cut for this list because it's superior in any format. Ranking multi-format all-stars like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Diamond" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Diamond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> 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> would be a waste of my time and yours.</p>
<p>With that in mind, I'm excluding most generically good ramp. To qualify for "The 10 Best Ramp Spells <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>in Commander</em>,</span>" a card must have an edge in our format, or at least an interesting edge case.</p>
<h3>(Dis?)honorable Mention</h3>
<p>Let's get this out of the way now. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Signet" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Signet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was made to be perfect for Commander. It's an uncontested best-in-slot, with a necropolis of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manalith" href="#" target="_blank">Manalith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s in its wake.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcane Signet|ELD|331"></div></div>
<p>The decision to continually reprint Arcane Signet makes premium ramp accessible to more players. That's good. On the other hand, Arcane Signet's efficiency accelerates and homogenizes the format. That's bad. The card's appeal, and its unfortunate side effects are equally understandable.</p>
<p>Ultimately, I chose to leave it unranked because Commander is more interesting without it.</p>
<h3>#10 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Midnight Clock|ELD|54" href="#" target="_blank">Midnight Clock</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<p>Ironically, the set that introduced Arcane Signet also gave rise to more compelling ramp at three mana. I remember Midnight Clock for unlocking the incredible design space of mana rocks with extra utility.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Midnight Clock|ELD|54"></div></div>
<p>Apart from breaking new ground, it earns a place in this top ten because it works better in multiplayer. In a two-player game, the clock takes six rounds of turns to accumulate twelve hour counters. In a four-player game, its triggered ability will resolve twice as fast.</p>
<p>Exiling Midnight Clock at the end prevents abuse, but it also means the benefit of ramping with Midnight Clock is temporary. That drawback is the main reason I don't rank it higher.</p>
<h3>#9 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Amber" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Amber</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<p>I'll out myself here. I didn't realize how bad Mox Amber can be until I drew it in an opening hand with my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Garth One-Eye" href="#" target="_blank">Garth One-Eye</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck. I sure wish I recognized Mox Amber's fail case the first time I read the card.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mox Amber"></div></div>
<p>The prerequisite of controlling at least one planeswalker or legendary creature to tap it for mana makes this moxen less reliable. Despite Mox Amber potentially making zero mana, it's in this top ten because it understands the assignment. It's better in Commander, because every player has access to a legend. However, it's not generically good, because it needs setup in deckbuilding and gameplay. It won't ramp for a colorless commander, and it asks a Vehicle or Spacecraft commander to jump through extra hoops.</p>
<p>Here's my bottom line on Mox Amber: It's conditional fast mana, and the condition is distinctly suited to Commander, but not all commanders. It's powerful enough to feel amazing when it works, and restrained enough to feel fair.</p>
<h3>#8 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clifftop Lookout|BLB|168" href="#" target="_blank">Clifftop Lookout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<p>Variety is the spice of life, and variability is the spice of singleton. This far-seeking amphibian embraces both variety and variance in a way that makes it better in Commander than any other format. For starters, it goes for any land, not just basics. Along the way, the whole table can feel the tension, waiting to see what that land will be.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Clifftop Lookout|BLB|168"></div></div>
<p>Outside of decks with graveyard synergies, I would pick Clifftop Lookout over <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sakura-Tribe Elder" href="#" target="_blank">Sakura-Tribe Elder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Sure, Steve costs less mana, but you have to sacrifice it, and it only finds basics. For just one more mana, Clifftop Lookout sticks around to block more threats. The Frog is a significantly better blocker than the Snake, and ramping when it enters means Clifftop Lookout is repeatable in <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/blink" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blink decks</a>.</p>
<h3>#7 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deathsprout" href="#" target="_blank">Deathsprout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Binding the Old Gods" href="#" target="_blank">Binding the Old Gods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<p>What if your ramp was also removal? Golgari (<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) gets it. My pick for number seven is a two-for-one, because these two ramp spells are mostly interchangeable.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deathsprout"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Binding the Old Gods"></div></div>
<p>"Play more removal," is often tossed around in dismissive tones to avoid a more nuanced discussion about problem cards. It's also true. Commander players largely do not play enough removal. Interaction is fun, and Deathsprout is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murder|MKM|95" href="#" target="_blank">Murder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with a discount <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampant Growth|10E|288" href="#" target="_blank">Rampant Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Binding the Old Gods trades speed for versatility. Its valid targets for destruction include any nonland permanent. Then the second chapter ramps into any Forest, not limited to basics. Finally, the last chapter gives all your creatures deathtouch. Paired with green's propensity to give creatures trample, you could time this Saga to close a game.</p>
<p>If I had to pick just one, I would pick Deathsprout because it's an instant. However, Binding the Old Gods has enough going for it that I would rather run both of them.</p>
<h3>#6 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heraldic Banner" href="#" target="_blank">Heraldic Banner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<p>This is another early entry into the category of three-mana rocks with extra benefits. Just like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Midnight Clock" href="#" target="_blank">Midnight Clock</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Heraldic Banner came out in <em>Throne of Eldraine</em> (ELD) and set the stage for some of the ramp spells I ranked higher. I ranked Heraldic Banner higher than Midnight Clock because the banner can go in more decks, but the fact that it locks in on one color keeps it out of the top five.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heraldic Banner|ELD|222"></div></div>
<p>Most Commander decks include a creature with one or more colors. Heraldic Banner is solid for commanders with lesser mana value, providing a power bump that can be an early parity breaker. It's also great with commanders that cost five or more mana, helping them to drop early and fight harder. I caution against using it with three-to-four mana commanders. It won't help cast those commanders ahead of curve, which often negates a ramp spell's value as ramp.</p>
<p>Heraldic Banner shines with the hundreds of Commanders that make creature tokens, tokens which tend to have colors. In other words, Heraldic Banner can be good in the 99 even if without other creatures in the deck. Every additional creature on the board that benefits from an anthem increases the payoff.</p>
<p>For combat decks, more power on board can tie this ramp spell into a deck's win conditions.</p>
<h3>#5 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Semblance Anvil" href="#" target="_blank">Semblance Anvil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<p>In a Commander game, every player starts on the draw, plus the additional card(s) in the command zone. You can leverage access to extra cards to accelerate the rest of the deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Semblance Anvil"></div></div>
<p>Most ramp increases mana production. Cost reducers increase the amount of mana a player can spend. Compare Semblance Anvil to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sol Ring" href="#" target="_blank">Sol Ring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Semblance Anvil is limited to discounting casting a single card type, while Sol Ring's mana can be spent to pay any generic or colorless cost. However, Semblance Anvil has the potential to account for significantly more mana. It can discount one spell after another until you run out of spells of the imprinted type.</p>
<p>In other words, Semblance Anvil can net more mana than the best mana rocks, if the deck is built to exploit it.</p>
<p>We're Commander players. We love a theme, and we want our Commanders to feature heavily in our decks' themes. Conveniently, Semblance Anvil asks us to play into a theme. If that theme happens to be the same card type as the commander, then Semblance Anvil also discounts commander tax.</p>
<h3>#4 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Delighted Halfling" href="#" target="_blank">Delighted Halfling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<p>Painting with broad strokes, it's safe to say Commander casts legendary spells more often than other formats. This helps explain the inclusion of Delighted Halfling in over 451k Commander decks. That deck count is up from 86k two years ago, when the card was just six months old.</p>
<p>EDHREC tracks deck data for two years. After a full cycle of deck data, Delighted Halfling is in five times as many decks. Compare that to forever staple <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Birds of Paradise" href="#" target="_blank">Birds of Paradise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; two years ago, BoP was in 413k decks, and today it's in 1.03 million, meaning the Bird's inclusion multiplied 2.5 times over the same two-year period.</p>
<p>So the data proves Delighted Halfling is in the popularity fast lane. Why?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Delighted Halfling"></div></div>
<p>I'm certain Delighted Halfling's second ability is the driving factor. Precluding opponents from countering commanders is the only reason Delighted Halfling is on this list. This isn't the place for my rant about Commander's relationship with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. And yet, therein lies the accelerant. Many Commander players value the ability to preemptively stop their opponents' <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> nope.</p>
<h3>#3 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fertile Ground" href="#" target="_blank">Fertile Ground</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<p>Moving on from overplayed to underplayed, #3 makes a showing for Aura ramp. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wild Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Wild Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Utopia Sprawl" href="#" target="_blank">Utopia Sprawl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are arguably better because they cost less. I rate Fertile Ground higher than those other options because it's more versatile. Fertile Ground can go on any land and make any additional color.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fertile Ground"></div></div>
<p>My decision to rank an Aura this high on the list is a meta choice. Many Commander players are averse to any land destruction, even if it's targeted. The prevalence of this mindset at <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brackets</a> 2 and 3 means Aura-based ramp spells enjoy pseudo-protection. You aren't likely to get hosed by a player blowing up the enchanted land, even if it's tactically the right choice.</p>
<h3>#2 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Relic of Legends" href="#" target="_blank">Relic of Legends</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Springleaf Drum" href="#" target="_blank">Springleaf Drum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is great. It's cheap, fixes colors, and synergizes with other mechanics. However, its advantages aren't distinct in Commander. Relic of Legends is a Commander-inclined Springleaf Drum that doesn't have to tap itself, and can still make mana, even if it is tapped.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Relic of Legends"></div></div>
<p>Most mana rocks only make one mana. A fair number make two or three. A select few scale to make even more, based on conditions like charge counters or devotion to a color. Relic of Legends makes at least two mana in most Commander decks, with the potential to be explosive in a <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/legends" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Legendary theme</a>.</p>
<p>In other words, it has a high floor and an even higher ceiling. That ceiling can shatter with the right mix of tapping and untapping synergy.</p>
<h3>#1 - The Irencrag</h3>
<p>I'm using my top pick to highlight one of my favorite rules: commander damage. Every commander with power and toughness has the potential to knock out opponents and win games. The Irencrag is colorless ramp with a sharp edge for commander damage.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Irencrag"></div></div>
<p>I have to read this card twice every time. The wording is super awkward, but there's a simple explanation. When a legendary creature inters the battlefield, you can choose to have The Irencrag lose its mana ability and become an Equipment. It then costs <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to equip, and gives the equipped creature +3/+3.</p>
<p>The Irencrag is efficient ramp, costing <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and producing <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-c" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. So it's awesome in the early game, and its transfiguration into Equipment mode can tip the scales of combat. Many commanders can leverage three more power to put an opponent on a short clock. Ramp that can win a Commander game absolutely deserves to be at the top of this list.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>There it is, the best ramp in Commander, with an emphasis on cards that are particularly good for our format. What did I miss? What did I get completely wrong? Let's talk about it in the comments.</p>


commander ramp

The 10 Best Ramp Spells in Commander (That Aren't Sol Ring)