<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/algenpfleger">Johannes Voss</a>)</h6>
<h1>Attack of the Clones</h1>
<p>Hello all, and welcome to <em>Pet Project</em>. I’m Martin, and I’ve been playing <em>MtG</em> since the release of <em>Magic 2014– Duels of the Planeswalkers</em>. I started playing Commander around a year later, because I wanted a place to play with some of my favourite cards and synergies way below the power level of constructed formats – especially after I realised that building a deck around <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Azor&#039;s Elocutors" href="#" target="_blank">Azor&#039;s Elocutors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in Standard was hardly going to book my ticket to the Pro Tour. In that vein, this series is going to see us forget all the wonderful legendary creatures <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> give us to use as our generals, and instead focus on using some of my pet cards as the hidden commander we build around.</p>
<p>This first article is going to be focused on one of my all-time favourite enchantments:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mirror March"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an absolutely ridiculous card. On the one hand, there’s a 50% chance it literally does nothing; on the other hand, we might win forty flips in a row and swing in for lethal – although this hasn’t happened to me yet. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be utterly useless, or explosively overpowered – either way, it makes for some hilariously memorable gameplay.</p>
<h2>The Gameplan</h2>
<p>Going onto <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>’s <a href="https://edhrec.com/cards/mirror-march">EDHREC page</a> and looking at the cards most commonly played with it, we can see how to get the most out of the card. One <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on its own sees us average around 1 token per creature we play – but paired with some other spicy effects, we can bump that number up significantly.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krark&#039;s Thumb"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Panharmonicon"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Parallel Lives"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark&#039;s Thumb" href="#" target="_blank">Krark&#039;s Thumb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is crucial to our game plan. With the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark&#039;s Thumb" href="#" target="_blank">Thumb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in play, the 50% chance of whiffing gets cut in half, and the chances of us getting 2 or more creatures goes from 25% to 56.25%. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark&#039;s Thumb" href="#" target="_blank">Thumb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is so essential to any deck built around coin flipping that it’s usually paired with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tribute Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Tribute Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to tutor it out. Today’s build is no different. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Panharmonicon" href="#" target="_blank">Panharmonicon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, meanwhile, is similarly busted; not only does it mean the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will trigger twice for each creature that enters, every single enter-the-battlefield (ETB) effect from the creature’s tokens will also be doubled.</p>
<p>Also frequently paired with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are ETB creatures, and we’ll want to play as many of these as we can.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thragtusk"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mulldrifter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eternal Witness"></div></div>
<p>Even an innocuous creature like a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mulldrifter" href="#" target="_blank">Mulldrifter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can push you far enough ahead to win the game in this deck. Playing the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mulldrifter" href="#" target="_blank">Mulldrifter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark&#039;s Thumb" href="#" target="_blank">Krark&#039;s Thumb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the board, we’ll be odds on to draw at least 6 cards; throw a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Panharmonicon" href="#" target="_blank">Panharmonicon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> into the mix, and we can expect to draw at least <em>twenty-four</em>.</p>
<h2>Picking the General</h2>
<p>Now we know roughly what our deck wants to do, it’s the perfect time to pick a general as, unfortunately, <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> haven’t messed with the rules of Magic enough to enable us to put a non-legendary enchantment in our command zone. Most of the commanders commonly played alongside the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are mono-red, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Delina, Wild Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Delina, Wild Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Norin the Wary" href="#" target="_blank">Norin the Wary</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> – but to fit as many ETB synergies in as possible, ideally we’ll also have access to white, blue and green in our deck. Immediately, one legend stuck out:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Omnath, Locus of Creation"></div></div>
<p>Omnath doesn’t just include all the colours we want, it (elemental manifestations of mana have yet to develop gender reveal parties, leaving Omnath a genderless entity) comes along with a useful ETB trigger. Omnath’s <em>Landfall </em>ability is also powerful enough to be useful even when we’re not building around it - even just playing and promptly cracking a fetchland is enough to generate 4 mana.</p>
<h2>Filling the Deck Out</h2>
<p>We’re going to be wanting to share a lot of our deck, then, with typical flicker strategies. By far, the main benefit of creating temporary clones is rebuying ETB effects. Going onto <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/blink">EDHREC’s Blink theme page</a>, we can see some of the best cards for this role. First are the value creatures, like the aforementioned <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mulldrifter" href="#" target="_blank">Mulldrifter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> – bringing along effects like removal, card draw and ramp, these permanents are the bread and butter of our deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Risen Reef"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wood Elves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reflector Mage"></div></div>
<p>Easily the best one of these value creatures is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Risen Reef" href="#" target="_blank">Risen Reef</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Since each <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Risen Reef" href="#" target="_blank">Reef</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> triggers on each other <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Risen Reef" href="#" target="_blank">Reef</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> entering, it scales obscenely well. In fact, when we really get going, sometimes the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Risen Reef" href="#" target="_blank">Reef</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be a little too good - more than once, I've created so many tokens I've drawn my entire deck and milled myself out. Whoops.</p>
<p>Then come the big haymakers:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="God-Eternal Rhonas"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Myr Battlesphere"></div></div>
<p>When paired along with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a few of our other synergies, these creatures don’t just tend to win the game, they tend to do so in a hilariously one-sided fashion. Get a couple of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="God-Eternal Rhonas" href="#" target="_blank">God-Eternal Rhonas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> tokens in play, for instance, and suddenly the power of your board has been quintupled.</p>
<p>Finally, of course, we need to ensure that we have the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in play as often as possible – both through tutoring for it, and protecting it once we’ve got it. To find some of these cards, I looked at the <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/enchantments">EDHREC page for enchantment decks</a>:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sterling Grove"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Greater Auramancy"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Moon-Blessed Cleric"></div></div>
<p>By fitting in enough of these cards, we can guarantee that we get the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> almost every game, and that it sticks around long enough for us to accrue such absurd value that it usually spirals into a win. Usually cramming your deck full of tutors makes the gameplay repetitive - but going off with the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is usually so hilariously chaotic, I've found it never gets boring.</p>
<p>Another set of cards looking at the enchantment page allowed me to discover was effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirrormade" href="#" target="_blank">Mirrormade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Copy Enchantment" href="#" target="_blank">Copy Enchantment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, because the only thing better than one <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is, of course, two <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>es.</p>
<p>Putting all these cards together, we get the following list:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Omnath Mirror March" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Omnath, Locus of Creation
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Agent of Treachery
*1 Avenger of Zendikar
*1 Etali, Primal Conqueror
*1 Geist-Honored Monk
*1 God-Eternal Rhonas
*1 Goldnight Commander
*1 Kalonian Hydra
*1 Myr Battlesphere
*1 Sanctuary Warden
*1 Terror of the Peaks
*1 Titan of Industry
*1 Harmonic Sliver
*1 Inferno Titan
*1 Ixidron
*1 Reflector Mage
*1 Skyclave Apparition
*1 Ethereal Usher
*1 Moon-Blessed Cleric
*1 Tribute Mage
*1 Clever Impersonator
*1 Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
*1 Cloudblazer
*1 Coiling Oracle
*1 Inspiring Overseer
*1 Mulldrifter
*1 Risen Reef
*1 Watcher for Tomorrow
*1 Deadeye Navigator
*1 Soulherder
*1 Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
*1 Dockside Extortionist
*1 Farhaven Elf
*1 Primeval Herald
*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Topiary Stomper
*1 Wood Elves
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Timeless Witness
*1 Thragtusk
*1 Glasspool Mimic
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Mirror March
*1 Dual Nature
*1 Flameshadow Conjuring
*1 Copy Enchantment
*1 Mirrormade
*1 Parallel Lives
*1 Aura Shards
*1 Cathar&#039;s Crusade
*1 Greater Auramancy
*1 Sterling Grove
*1 Estrid&#039;s Invocation
[/enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Panharmonicon
*1 Birthing Pod
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Krark&#039;s Thumb
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Tragic Arrogance
*1 Plea for Guidance
*1 Mythos of Illuna
*1 Idyllic Tutor
[/Sorceries]
[Instants]
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Intuition
*1 Long-Term Plans
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Command Tower
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Flooded Strand
*3 Forest
*1 Frontier Bivouac
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Island
*1 Jetmir&#039;s Garden
*1 Jungle Shrine
*1 Ketria Triome
*1 Krosan Verge
*1 Misty Rainforest
*2 Mountain
*1 Mystic Monastery
*1 Path of Ancestry
*3 Plains
*1 Prismatic Vista
*1 Raugrin Triome
*1 Sacred Foundry
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Seaside Citadel
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*1 Stomping Ground
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Windswept Heath
*1 Wooded Foothills
*1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<h2>Plan B</h2>
<p>The inevitable problem with building around a hidden commander of sorts, however, is that while a normal general begins and ends up in our command zone, hidden commanders do not. Sometimes, we just won’t draw <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or a tutor for it. Even worse, an opponent might just <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Revoke Existence" href="#" target="_blank">Revoke Existence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> it as soon as it comes out.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dual Nature"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flameshadow Conjuring"></div></div>
<p>Our plan B, then, is to essentially function as a classic blink deck. Even without the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we can still rely on effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Soulherder" href="#" target="_blank">Soulherder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Panharmonicon" href="#" target="_blank">Panharmonicon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to get absurd value off our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mulldrifter" href="#" target="_blank">Mulldrifter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s. We even play two pseudo-<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>es – <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flameshadow Conjuring" href="#" target="_blank">Flameshadow Conjuring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does exactly what our deck wants to be doing, as does a very silly old card, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dual Nature" href="#" target="_blank">Dual Nature</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The fact <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dual Nature" href="#" target="_blank">Dual Nature</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> sees play in barely a thousand decks in the EDHREC database is criminal. Yes, the fact it’s universal makes it extremely risky, but it’s easy enough to get far more value out of it than any of our opponents.</p>
<p>Indeed, one of the strengths of the deck is the resilience of this back-up plan; if <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror March" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror March</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is out of the picture, the only truly dead card in the whole deck is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark&#039;s Thumb" href="#" target="_blank">Krark&#039;s Thumb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Wrap-Up</h2>
<p>After testing this list both online and in paper a bit, I can easily say it is one of the most fun commander decks I’ve ever played with. Drawing almost your entire deck then spitting out basically every permanent you play onto the battlefield is no rarity. The deck is also relatively powerful, at least at most casual EDH tables; the only time I really saw the deck do literally nothing was when an opponent had an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines" href="#" target="_blank">Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as their general. Awkward.</p>
<p>That’s all for this episode of <em>Pet Project</em>. Feel free to leave your thoughts, critiques and suggestions for next episode in the comments. Until next time.</p>
<h3><strong>Read more:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/too-specific-top-10-we-are-legion/?utm_source=edhrec&amp;utm_medium=article_preview">Too-Specific Top 10 - We Are Legion</a></li>
<li><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/achievement-unlocked-are-cards-banned-in-other-formats-underrated-in-edh/?utm_source=edhrec&amp;utm_medium=article_preview">Achievement Unlocked - Are Cards Banned in Other Formats Underrated in EDH?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://commandersherald.com/architects-and-tinkerers/">Architects and Tinkerers</a></li>
</ul>


Pet Project - March of the Mirrors

Too-Specific Top 10 - Extra, Extra!

<h6 style="text-align: right;">( <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Debtors&#039; Knell" href="#" target="_blank">Debtors&#039; Knell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.comicartfans.com/comic-artists/kev_walker.asp">Kev Walker</a> )</h6>
<h1>Guild the Lily</h1>
<p>Greetings, everyone, and welcome back to <em>Grapple With the Past</em>, a series in which we look back at the set pages for old releases to discuss the cards that made it and the cards that fell into obscurity in EDH. Once a set releases, Commander players write and read reviews, test out the new cards, and incorporate winners into their EDH repertoire. But with the constant stream of new products, it’s easy for cards to slip through the cracks. I’ve found that by exploring set pages on EDHREC, I frequently stumble upon cards that could easily find a spot in one of my decks. In this series we look for irregularities in the data, try to identify sleeper cards from formats past, and discuss the legacy of particular sets in Commander.</p>
<p>Today, we’re going back to one of the most popular blocks of all time—the original <em>Ravnica</em> block. We all remember <em>Ravnica: City of Guilds</em> fondly, but <em>Guildpact</em> may have actually been even more influential as time has passed. This set introduced us to the wild Gruul barbarians, the wacky Izzet tinkerers, and the ecclesiastical Orzhov racketeers. But more importantly, it introduced two of the most popular characters in magic history: Teysa Karlov and Niv-Mizzet.</p>
<p>The most striking realization from looking at <em>Guildpact</em> all these years later is how the identities of the guilds were still budding during this time. Now that we’ve been back to Ravnica two additional times, some of the ideas associated with certain guilds were either abandoned or changed over time. While elements of the Orzhov’s proclivity for taxing and draining opponents can be seen on cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pillory of the Sleepless" href="#" target="_blank">Pillory of the Sleepless</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the emphasis here seems to be on their gothic aesthetic—hauntings, towering cathedrals with flying buttresses, bats, gargoyles, and the like. While the Izzet guild is certainly very Weird here, they are much more controlled in this set than their later iterations. Just compare the composed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Flectomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Flectomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to the unhinged <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Runaway Steam-Kin" href="#" target="_blank">Runaway Steam-Kin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Even so, <em>Guildpact</em> laid the foundation for some of the most compelling and flavorful groups in <em>Magic</em>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Leadership Potential</h2>
<p>One of the most striking revelations that comes with revisiting older sets is just how much design philosophy has shifted with regards to legendary creatures. These days, it would be shocking for a major release not to include at least one legendary creature that was specifically designed to energize EDH deckbuilders. Back in 2006 and before, EDH wasn’t the force that it is today, and legendary creatures were either accidentally very good EDH generals or nearly unplayable.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teysa, Orzhov Scion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Borborygmos"></div></div>
<p><em>Guildpact</em> is a perfect representation of this idea. The two most popular commanders from this set, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teysa, Orzhov Scion" href="#" target="_blank">Teysa, Orzhov Scion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind" href="#" target="_blank">Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are both extremely powerful combo pieces that live in the command zone, pairing with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darkest Hour" href="#" target="_blank">Darkest Hour</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, respectively. On the opposite end of the Commander spectrum, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Borborygmos" href="#" target="_blank">Borborygmos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a bafflingly clumsy design. Seven mana for such a slow ability was never good enough. Bad commander options are still printed, but usually nothing nearly as bad as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Borborygmos" href="#" target="_blank">Borborygmos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghost Council of Orzhova" href="#" target="_blank">Ghost Council of Orzhova</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is also a bizarre relic from the world before EDH came to power, stipulating that you only drain <em>target</em> opponent. If this card were to be printed today, this creature would absolutely drain <em>each</em> opponent. Even then, it still wouldn't be a very powerful commander.</p>
<p>Among this competition, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ulasht, the Hate Seed" href="#" target="_blank">Ulasht, the Hate Seed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> represents a happy accident. I’ve never built this commander, but I have played against it, and it seems to hit the perfect balance between fun and power for EDH. It's versatile, and it scales to the format, leveraging some of its most powerful cards. Hint: play this commander with creatures that are both red <em>and</em> green for two +1/+1 counters on Ulasht per creature.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Top 10</h2>
<p>It comes as no surprise to see shocklands and Signets in the top ten cards from <em>Guildpact</em>. Every staple land cycle is in the top cards of its set: seven of the top ten cards from <em>Zendikar</em> are lands, and the top five from both <em>Shards of Alara</em> and <em>Khans of Tarkir</em> are the two cycles of tri-lands that enter the battlefield tapped. While I rarely think of lands when reminiscing on a particular set, good or decent lands <em>are</em> the legacy of many <em>Magic</em> sets. I could use this space to discuss the importance of shocklands and Signets to EDH, but that sounds like a waste. Instead, I'll use this section to discuss the top ten cards <em>not</em> part of a mana base. With that in mind, what are the most-played cards from <em>Guildpact</em>?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mortify"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angel of Despair"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Debtors’ Knell"></div></div>
<p>Gold cards will almost always be overrepresented on EDHREC set pages. The number of decks that they could be included in is much lower than their single-colored companions. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Invoke the Firemind" href="#" target="_blank">Invoke the Firemind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm Herd" href="#" target="_blank">Storm Herd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both in the top ten, for example. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm Herd" href="#" target="_blank">Storm Herd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> sees play in nearly twice the number of decks, but they both see play in 2% of possible decks. As such, eight of the top ten are multicolored cards. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mortify" href="#" target="_blank">Mortify</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is number one, seeing play in 26% of available decks—shockingly popular. Other Orzhov cards are also near the top here, in the form of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of Despair" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of Despair</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Debtors’ Knell" href="#" target="_blank">Debtors’ Knell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Both of these are old seven-mana standards of EDH and can be powerful in the right deck. They may be outclassed these days, but no surprises here.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stitch in Time"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Storm Herd"></div></div>
<p>The truly bizarre cards in the top ten are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stitch in Time" href="#" target="_blank">Stitch in Time</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm Herd" href="#" target="_blank">Storm Herd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Don't get me wrong: I’ve cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stitch in Time" href="#" target="_blank">Stitch in Time</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> several times, and it can certainly be fun. It's mostly playable in decks that are already playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krark’s Thumb" href="#" target="_blank">Krark’s Thumb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Even then, though, that's a two-card combo that costs five mana to produce a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Time Warp" href="#" target="_blank">Time Warp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. On the card’s EDHREC page, the first commanders to appear are unsurprisingly the resident coin flip generals, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Okaun, Eye of Chaos" href="#" target="_blank">Okaun, Eye of Chaos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zndrsplt, Eye of Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Zndrsplt, Eye of Wisdom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. But those decks only account for 752 of the 1721 <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stitch in Time" href="#" target="_blank">Stitch in Time</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> decks. Again, it’s a fun card, but it seems very niche to be in the top ten.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm Herd" href="#" target="_blank">Storm Herd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, on the other hand, is a subpar win condition. I’ve played this card in several mono-white decks, and it has never performed to my expectations. Oh, and it costs ten mana. It costs a full <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kozilek, Butcher of Truth" href="#" target="_blank">Kozilek, Butcher of Truth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. A Pegasus army is one of the cutest ways to kill an opponent, though.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Think Twice</h2>
<p>This set released when I was young and it made a strong impression on me. It introduced two of my favorite guilds, the Izzet and the Orzhov, with two stellar and flavorful mechanics. These days, however, some powerful cards from this set are largely forgotten. Let’s see what we can find.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seize the Soul"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Belfry Spirit"></div></div>
<p>Although<em> Haunt</em> may have been outdone by later representations of the Orzhov, I still enjoy its gothic flavor and how it parcels out value over time. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seize the Soul" href="#" target="_blank">Seize the Soul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, in particular, is a card that I’ve had a lot of fun playing, and it can be used to set up powerful chains of play, like responding to a an opponent’s removal spell and <em>Haunting</em> the target of that removal. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Belfry Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Belfry Spirit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, similarly, complicates board states really well. If you like armies in a can, this one is for you. At face value, it doesn’t seem like a great rate: for five mana, you get five 1/1s with flying. However, by <em>Haunting</em> another creature on the board, this card can act as board clear protection, giving token decks a leg up when rebuilding. I played both of these cards in my old <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krav, the Unredeemed" href="#" target="_blank">Krav, the Unredeemed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Regna, the Redeemer" href="#" target="_blank">Regna, the Redeemer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, and they exceeded my expectations.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cerebral Vortex"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mizzium Transreliquat"></div></div>
<p>Here are two cards that I’ve never played before but might try out, now. I know <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cerebral Vortex" href="#" target="_blank">Cerebral Vortex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nekusar, the Mindrazer" href="#" target="_blank">Nekusar, the Mindrazer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but I might even consider this in any tricky izzet deck. This is essentially a modal spell. In its first mode, this is an instant-speed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Divination" href="#" target="_blank">Divination</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that deals two damage to you. In its other mode, this card punishes decks that try to draw their whole library in one turn, an extremely common gameplan in EDH.</p>
<p>The next Izzet card on the docket is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mizzium Transreliquat" href="#" target="_blank">Mizzium Transreliquat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Raise your hand if you like <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>. While this can only target artifacts, this card seems extremely useful to me. If you need mana, copy a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gilded Lotus" href="#" target="_blank">Gilded Lotus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Time to go on the offensive? Target a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wurmcoil Engine" href="#" target="_blank">Wurmcoil Engine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While this card has limited application, we’ve been given several Izzet commanders that focus on artifacts in recent years. Consider this card for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tawnos, Urza’s Apprentice" href="#" target="_blank">Tawnos, Urza’s Apprentice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Saheeli, the Gifted" href="#" target="_blank">Saheeli, the Gifted</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Primeval Light"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gruul War Plow"></div></div>
<p>Finally, here are two miscellaneous cards to consider. Normally, there is only one enchantment deck in any given pod, so <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primeval Light" href="#" target="_blank">Primeval Light</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the perfect removal spell to check that player. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gruul War Plow" href="#" target="_blank">Gruul War Plow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on the other hand, seems like a fair evasion-enabler for Gruul decks that want to swing in with big creatures. Although worse than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Garruk’s Uprising" href="#" target="_blank">Garruk’s Uprising</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gruul War Plow" href="#" target="_blank">Gruul War Plow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could make the cut in decks that need redundancy of this effect.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Up Next</h2>
<p>So that was <em>Guildpact</em>, a set from one of the most beloved blocks of all time. As an EDH player, I appreciate the original <em>Ravnica</em> block not only because it provided some good cards and formative generals, but also because it shaped design space that is important for the format. Commander runs on legendary creatures with strong personalities, distinct mechanics, and multicolored identities, all of which are hallmarks of the plane of Ravnica. Next time, I plan to tackle a set that I frequently revisit and fondly refer to as the hidden gem set for EDH: <em>Alara Reborn</em>. Until then, let me know what what I missed or misevaluated from this set. And, as always, let me know what sets you would like to see covered and why!</p>
<p>Remember to EDHREC responsibly: always dig a little beyond the statistics. I’ll see you all on down the road.</p>


krarks thumb

Pet Project - March of the Mirrors

Too-Specific Top 10 - Extra, Extra!

Grapple With the Past - Guildpact