<h6 class="artist-name" style="text-align: right;">(<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> | <a href="https://www.artstation.com/alexson">Alexander Forssberg</a>)</h6>
<h1>Three is the Magic Number</h1>
<p>Mana rocks: making it, spending it, and turning it into a ginormous spell. There’s nothing quite like making mana. Mana rocks are a vital part of Commander, they help decks that aren’t green level the playing field in terms of mana ramp. Mana rocks played on curve allow you to outpace your opponents and commit more impactful spells to the game quickly.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hedron Archive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Ingot"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcane Signet"></div></div>
<p>Closer to the inception of Commander, the games went a bit longer until someone could throw down one of these splashy spells to win the game. Preconstructed decks follow a similar play pattern even today. As Commander grew more popular, the inevitability of efficacy came with them. Players looked for the most opportune cards to run in their decks to outpace their opponents. Four mana rocks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hedron Archive" href="#" target="_blank">Hedron Archive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> were outpaced by three mana rocks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Ingot" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Ingot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>For decks where <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Ingot" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Ingot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was too slow, <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> saw it quickly outpaced. (<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> is a staple in any Commander deck today, but when it released in the brawl decks for <em>Throne of Eldraine</em> back in 2019 (Could you believe it commanded a price tag of nearly $25?). The conversation shifted to the point where two mana rocks were the go-to, anything else was too slow unless you were in a big mana-style deck. Players were even running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fractured Powerstone" href="#" target="_blank">Fractured Powerstone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a card from Planechase that admittedly was another source of letting you tap for colorless on turn two.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fractured Powerstone"></div></div>
<p>Now <em>Wizards of the Coast</em> is doing something a bit different. The players have been stripping the unessential parts from their decks and running the bare bones needed to get the job done. <em>Wizards</em> in the meantime are injecting flavor and fancy into their more expensive mana rocks. Is this to draw back the player to a more casual game of Commander? Is this simply to offer flavor to certain decks? In this article, I’ll be showing you some mana rocks that <strong>rock</strong>. I’ll be showing you why after all this time, three might be the <strong><em>Magic</em> </strong>number.</p>
<h2>White</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wand of the Worldsoul"></div></div>
<p>Starting off with white, we’re going to take a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wand of the Worldsoul" href="#" target="_blank">Wand of the Worldsoul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> a card released this year from <em>March of the Machine Commander</em>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wand of the Worldsoul" href="#" target="_blank">Wand of the Worldsoul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> enters the battlefield tapped and taps for one white mana, which could at first glance make it a poor option for ramp. However, Wand can really represent some explosive early and late turns in Commander. White is a color that can reliably commit creatures to the board with early-game tokens like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raise the Alarm" href="#" target="_blank">Raise the Alarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skrelv&#039;s Hive" href="#" target="_blank">Skrelv&#039;s Hive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>A lot of strategies in white will be creature strategies too. If you’re able to have played a creature on turn one, created the two tokens on turn two with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raise the Alarm" href="#" target="_blank">Raise the Alarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and then play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wand of the Worldsoul" href="#" target="_blank">Wand of the Worldsoul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on turn three, then your turn four is looking quite spicy. With three creatures, four lands, and the Wand, you’re able to put a seven drop into play on turn four, which can definitely surprise your opponents. This card shines with vigilant creatures. They attack on your combat step, block on your opponent's combat step and then cast spells on their end step using the Wand. It’s a card that has lots of potential and representing explosive turns and surprise spells definitely makes this card worth the extra mana.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Serra Ascendant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Raise the Alarm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Gold Dragon"></div></div>
<h2>Blue</h2>
<p>One of our newest cards on the list is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Misleading Signpost" href="#" target="_blank">Misleading Signpost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This is one of the cards that essentially inspired this article. I run an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Orvar, the All-Form" href="#" target="_blank">Orvar, the All-Form</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander deck and this one is top of my list for new upgrades. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Misleading Signpost" href="#" target="_blank">Misleading Signpost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes a strong argument for the inclusion of three mana rocks in your Commander deck because it reminds us what that extra mana is getting us: versatility.</p>
<p>First and foremost, this unassuming mana rock reminds us that green isn’t the only color that can throw <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fog" href="#" target="_blank">Fog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects our opponents' way. Now with blue, you’re not always likely to have the biggest board. You may have fewer creatures than your opponents in more aggressive colors and strategies. You may also be quaking in your blue mage boots when you hear the Gruul player say "When you don’t have permanent removal, bring player removal." With <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Misleading Signpost" href="#" target="_blank">Misleading Signpost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you don’t disagree with that sentiment, you encourage it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Misleading Signpost"></div></div>
<p>During the declare attackers step, you can cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Misleading Signpost" href="#" target="_blank">Misleading Signpost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> at flash speed and encourage that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> you’ve been staring at all game to swing in a different direction. What I really enjoy about this mana rock is not only that it can save your life (which is more than we can say for a lot of mana rocks, and to me that alone is worth consideration), but that it still comes in untapped, allowing you to hold up another blue mana for further interaction.</p>
<p>In the Orvar deck, this card gets even better allowing you to run it in multiples, essentially. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Twiddle" href="#" target="_blank">Twiddle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> targeting your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Misleading Signpost" href="#" target="_blank">Misleading Signpost</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows you to make another and allows you to misdirect that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> a second time, potentially knocking out two players and leaving you left standing. How to deal with the final player, you ask? Same way we blue mages always have, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Control Magic" href="#" target="_blank">Control Magic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Misleading Signpost"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Twiddle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Orvar, the All-Form"></div></div>
<p><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> is an underestimated card in my opinion. It’s ended up getting printed in four preconstructed decks since its initial print in <em>Throne of Eldraine</em> back in 2019. No flash speed shenanigans this time, instead your turn three mana rock is going to provide you with a lot of utility and card advantage. Assuming <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> isn’t being played with any additional upkeeps then for three turns, you’re getting an artifact that taps for blue, but then once that clock strikes twelve and the twelfth hour counter is placed upon it, it will exile itself allow you to shuffle your hand and graveyard into your library and draw a fresh seven cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Midnight Clock"></div></div>
<p>Now to assess the value of this, we need to think about <strong>timing</strong>. This effect should come around turn six, or three upkeep cycles after the card is cast. First, we need to look at the downside, we have to exile <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> as part of this effect, so we will be losing the ability to generate one additional mana a turn. I think that this is okay, however, as one additional mana each turn is more valuable on turns three, four and five as opposed to turn six. You’ll more than likely be interacting with your opponent’s threats during those earlier setup turns, countering that key combo piece or stopping that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> before it gets started. On turn six, however, you can maintain a lot of your interaction and continue to hit your land drops with this second effect of <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>.</p>
<p>Drawing a fresh seven cards this far into the game is quite valuable. At this point, the more aggressive decks may be running out of steam if their earlier attempts are thwarted (If they weren’t thwarted, you’re probably dead so time to shuffle up again). You may have used up a lot of your interaction, and committed pieces to the table so what better now than to keep the pressure on when the clock strikes twelve for the rest of the table, you’re going to come back to the ball with a fresh grip of blue nonsense.</p>
<p>Now there’s the activated ability to put an hour counter on the clock for three mana. This can be activated at instant speed and can be utilised with any spare mana you might have (After all, you know by now why mana sinks are so good right?). If you don’t like your current hand, there’s no reason not to tick up the clock and hurry up drawing into a new hand.</p>
<p>To address the criticism we hear around <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>. <b>But what if I like my hand?</b> Well, now we return to redundancy. Commander is a singleton format, and granted while you might like the cards in your hand just fine, I’m pretty sure you like the rest of the cards you put in the deck too. Running redundant effects in Commander is the first step to making your deck more consistent at doing what it does, and shuffling away a hand of four cards you like for seven new cards is never going to be the worst-case scenario in Commander. <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> might even encourage players who feel a little tentative to commit their threats to the board a little earlier. After all, when you’re going to be backed up with a hand of seven new cards it’s a little easier to protect those threats, follow them up with new ones or just continue to ensure you’re up on card advantage and consistently hitting your land for the turn.</p>
<h2>Three of a Kind</h2>
<p>Wow! All that from innocuous mana rocks? That’s a lot more than I can say about tiny two-mana rocks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Talisman of Dominance" href="#" target="_blank">Talisman of Dominance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that’s for sure. Well if you enjoyed this deep dive into mana rocks of the more expensive variety, you’ll enjoy what’s coming next. Our journey continues in the next article where we’ll be talking about some more favorites and some new challengers in the world of three mana rocks.</p>
<p>Which are your favorites? Got some secret tech you’re willing to share? Let us all know in the comments below. Why not have a guess at which mana rocks are coming in part two? See how many you get right! That’s me for now though, you’ll see me again very soon with the next part in this mini-series. In the meantime though, if you want to chat <em>Magic</em>, come find me over on <a href="https://twitter.com/PrinceofBielTan">Twitter</a>. I’ll see you in the next one if the time streams are in order... that is.</p>
<h3>Read More:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="bR5Lv6qjnY"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/preview-review-mana-sinks-part-one/">Preview Review - Mana Sinks (Part One)</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Preview Review - Mana Sinks (Part One)&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/preview-review-mana-sinks-part-one/embed/#?secret=GJaA10Wnzg#?secret=bR5Lv6qjnY" data-secret="bR5Lv6qjnY" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="bNeIASzDtk"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/preview-review-exile-or-discard/">Preview Review - Exile or Discard?</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Preview Review - Exile or Discard?&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/preview-review-exile-or-discard/embed/#?secret=xT5AMTyFQe#?secret=bNeIASzDtk" data-secret="bNeIASzDtk" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


Preview Review - Three Mana Rocks (Part One)

Nearly Identical - Kwain or The Council of Four?

<h6 style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Increasing Devotion" href="#" target="_blank">Increasing Devotion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://darylart.com/">Daniel Ljunggren</a></h6>
<h1>Flashback Fun</h1>
<p>Hello, fellow brewer, and welcome back to <em>Brew for your Buck</em>, where we swap out the top 10 most expensive cards in a deck with 10 budget cards that add a unique twist. The last few articles in the series focused on some commanders that have been around for a while, so I wanted to go with something new to get a bit experimental. Newer commanders have way less data on EDHREC to inform deckbuilding decisions, but maybe we can find some cutting edge tech for our <em>March of the Machine </em>(<em>MOM</em>) team-up:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Katilda and Lier"></div></div>
<p>These two lead us to an interesting balancing act for building the deck. On one hand, we want Humans to enable Katilda and Lier's trigger, and on the other we want instants and sorceries to target with said trigger. I'm sure it would take some playtesting to figure out the perfect ratio between the two, but for now we'll try to keep the balance. This deck also reminds me of the <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/brew-for-your-buck-fish-flash/">sea monster flash deck</a> that we looked at a while ago, with flash-enablers to let us cast our Humans at instant speed. There's plenty of expensive cards in the deck too, with the total price coming in at $412.39.</p>
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhystic Study" href="#" target="_blank">Rhystic Study</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($38.67)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonic Rift" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonic Rift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($37.88)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esper Sentinel" href="#" target="_blank">Esper Sentinel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($27.14)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heroic Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($16.87)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Snapcaster Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Snapcaster Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($14.84)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Noble Hierarch" href="#" target="_blank">Noble Hierarch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($10.37)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eladamri&#039;s Call" href="#" target="_blank">Eladamri&#039;s Call</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($9.40)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chulane, Teller of Tales" href="#" target="_blank">Chulane, Teller of Tales</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($8.78)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Clever Concealment" href="#" target="_blank">Clever Concealment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($7.08)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Three Visits" href="#" target="_blank">Three Visits</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($6.95)</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
<p style="padding-left: 200px; text-align: left;"><strong>Total Value of Cuts: $177.98</strong></p>
<p>This time, our mana base makes up a huge portion of the total cost of the deck, which is to be expected given it's a three-color deck. Swapping any lands that are pricier than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Three Visits" href="#" target="_blank">Three Visits</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the list above would bring our total savings to <strong>$317.22</strong>.</p>
<h2>Additions</h2>
<p>One thing that's certain (no matter how you build this deck) is that it will be mana-<em><strong>hangry</strong></em>. Not only do you need mana to cast the Humans, but you also need even more mana to cast the flashback spells. My first thought was "free Humans!", but believe it or not, there isn't a single one in the game. There are plenty of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force of Will" href="#" target="_blank">free spells</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but most of those cost way more than what we would consider for a budget option. But what if there was a way to reduce the cost of our Humans AND spells, and sometimes even make them free? What if that way just got a bunch of new cards, also from <em>March of the Machine</em>? That's right, it's <em>Convoke</em>!</p>
<h3>Convoking Humans</h3>
<p>Let's start by looking at Humans that benefit or enable <em>Convoke</em>. First up, one that I really like is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fallaji Wayfarer" href="#" target="_blank">Fallaji Wayfarer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.24). The Wayfarer is an awesome cost-reducer for 12 of our spells in the final list, including our commander, and that first line of really weird text allows it to tap itself for pay any of the colored pips in those mana costs. The next entry in the "X-Y-of-Eos" saga is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knight-Errant of Eos" href="#" target="_blank">Knight-Errant of Eos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.77), which can draw us up to two more Humans when cheated onto the battlefield with its inherent <em>Convoke.</em> Of note, our creature curve tops out at five with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kyler, Sigardian Emissary" href="#" target="_blank">Kyler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, so we should be able to grab every creature in the deck if the Knight-Errant is fully <em>Convoked</em>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fallaji Wayfarer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Knight-Errant of Eos"></div></div>
<p>Our next two Humans don't reference <em>Convoke</em> specifically, but definitely help us use the ability. Each time we cast one of those instants and sorceries from our graveyard, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thalia&#039;s Geistcaller" href="#" target="_blank">Thalia&#039;s Geistcaller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.09) will make us a Spirit to help <em>Convoke</em> out the next thing we cast. Making a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Pearl" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Pearl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that can also attack or block each time we cast a spell seems like a good deal to me. Since we have his newer card in the list already, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Raff Capashen, Ship&#039;s Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Raff Capashen, Ship&#039;s Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.15) is another way to let us cast our 16 Historic spells at instant speed, and he taps for two different colors of mana for <em>Convoke.</em> Finally, we're going to be spending a lot of time tapping our creatures, so let's add some ways to untap them. Preferably Human ways, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Village Bell-Ringer" href="#" target="_blank">Village Bell-Ringer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.11).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thalia&#039;s Geistcaller"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Raff Capashen, Ship&#039;s Mage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Village Bell-Ringer"></div></div>
<h3><strong>Convoking Spells</strong></h3>
<p>Now let's look at the noncreature spells. First on our list is another new <em>MOM </em>card that seems perfect for this deck: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Complete the Circuit" href="#" target="_blank">Complete the Circuit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.11) not only copies the next spell we cast, but more importantly allows us to cast <strong>every</strong> sorcery during the turn at instant speed. All of a sudden, we can go off right before we untap and get ready for a lethal turn. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Return to the Ranks" href="#" target="_blank">Return to the Ranks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.39) adds some more recursion to the deck, and it can bring 13 of our creatures (all Humans) back to the battlefield in one shot.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Complete the Circuit"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Return to the Ranks"></div></div>
<p>But what if our spells don't have <em>Convoke</em>? Well, a new entry in the line of sweet three-mana mana rocks is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wand of the Worldsoul" href="#" target="_blank">Wand of the Worldsoul</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($2.24). I'll admit it's a bit slow, but after you untap with it, you can give any spell you want <em>Convoke</em>, from your Humans to spells; heck, even your other artifacts. We can also add an untapper here, this time an instant, so we can flash it back to squeeze even more mana out of our creatures. There are a lot of these, but we'll go with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="To Arms!" href="#" target="_blank">To Arms!</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($1.92) since it's cheap, draws us a card, and has an exclamation point in the card name.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wand of the Worldsoul"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="To Arms!"></div></div>
<h3>Casting from the 'yard</h3>
<p>There is one really sweet interaction I want to point out with a small subset of cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Katilda and Lier" href="#" target="_blank">K&amp;L&#039;s</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ability grants the targeted card flashback, but for its normal mana cost, so we can take advantage of the "cast from a graveyard" bonus without paying an even more expensive flashback cost, a trick I use with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Increasing Ambition" href="#" target="_blank">Increasing Ambition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer" href="#" target="_blank">Oskar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck. Since <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation" href="#" target="_blank">Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is already in the list, I thought we could finalize our budget package with the white card from the "Increasing" cycle, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Increasing Devotion" href="#" target="_blank">Increasing Devotion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ($0.08). Ten Humans for five mana? Yes, please!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Increasing Devotion"></div></div>
<h2>Wrap Up and Savings</h2>
<p>Before we get into the savings with our specific choices, I want to mention that there are a zillion ways to take this theme even further. You could lean harder into multicolored cards to help enable <em>Convoke,</em> like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hero of Precinct One" href="#" target="_blank">Hero of Precinct One</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Knight of New Alara" href="#" target="_blank">Knight of New Alara</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glass of the Guildpact" href="#" target="_blank">Glass of the Guildpact</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I also looked at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vitalize" href="#" target="_blank">Vitalize</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as a utility untapper, which can act as a crazy ritual in conjunction with <em>Convoke</em>. And finally, there are a bunch of serviceable <em>Convoke </em>spells, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sundering Vitae" href="#" target="_blank">Sundering Vitae</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nissa&#039;s Expedition" href="#" target="_blank">Nissa&#039;s Expedition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that could potentially be cast for free from your hand and from the graveyard. This one really got the brewing juices flowing! Anyways, on to the savings:</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Picture1-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-99727 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Picture1-1.png" alt="" width="370" height="262" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Picture1-1.png 370w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Picture1-1-300x212.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 370px) 100vw, 370px" /></a></p>
<p>Dang! This is the largest savings by % in the whole series so far. We've brought a $400+ deck down to just over $100 by removing ten cards and assuming you're swapping the expensive lands.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Tap Down Flash Back" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Katilda and Lier
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Archmage Emeritus
*1 Augur of Autumn
*1 Avacyn&#039;s Pilgrim
*1 Baral, Chief of Compliance
*1 Cathar Commando
*1 Champion of Lambholt
*1 Champion of the Parish
*1 Containment Priest
*1 Coppercoat Vanguard
*1 Deputy of Acquittals
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Fallaji Wayfarer
*1 Heronblade Elite
*1 Inga and Esika
*1 Katilda, Dawnhart Prime
*1 Knight-Errant of Eos
*1 Kyler, Sigardian Emissary
*1 Loran of the Third Path
*1 Monastery Mentor
*1 Mother of Runes
*1 Niambi, Esteemed Speaker
*1 Quandrix Apprentice
*1 Raff Capashen, Ship&#039;s Mage
*1 Raff, Weatherlight Stalwart
*1 Sigarda, Font of Blessings
*1 Thalia&#039;s Geistcaller
*1 Thalia&#039;s Lieutenant
*1 Torens, Fist of the Angels
*1 Venser, Shaper Savant
*1 Village Bell-Ringer
*1 Wizards of Thay
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Beast Within
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Complete the Circuit
*1 Counterspell
*1 Dovin&#039;s Veto
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Growth Spiral
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Nature&#039;s Claim
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 To Arms!
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Catalyst Stone
*1 Herald&#039;s Horn
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Wand of the Worldsoul
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cultivate
*1 Distant Melody
*1 Farseek
*1 Increasing Devotion
*1 Kodama&#039;s Reach
*1 Mass Appeal
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Ponder
*1 Preordain
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Return to the Ranks
*1 See the Truth
*1 Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Leyline of Anticipation
*1 Secrets of the Dead
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Flooded Strand
*4 Forest
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Hinterland Harbor
*5 Island
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Path of Ancestry
*4 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Seaside Citadel
*1 Spara&#039;s Headquarters
*1 Sunpetal Grove
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Windswept Heath
*1 Yavimaya Coast
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<p>What else would you have added to go with the <em>Convoke</em> theme? What do you think the right ratio of Humans to spells is? Let me know in the comments below! My next article is a special one, so be on the look out for it in two weeks when we brew for your buck!</p>
<p><em>Please note: card prices listed in this article are accurate at the time of writing, but prices can vary over time and between locations.</em></p>


wand of the worldsoul

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