Deathrite ShamanDeathrite Shaman | Art by Steve Argyle

If there's one thing above all else that Magic players love to do, it's argue... I mean, have a spirited discussion with one another. Some discussions are more spirited than others. One such debate has found itself front and center as it tends to do every few years: Should the hybrid mana rules be changed for the Commander format?

A quick example is the card ManamorphoseManamorphose. Under the current Commander rules, that card can only be played in a deck containing both red and green.

Some players want the ability to play it in a deck containing red or green, regardless of whether other colors are present. Whatever side you're on in this discussion isn't what I am here to talk about today. Instead, I want to talk about what I think are the 10 best hybrid mana cards in Commander.

1. Deathrite ShamanDeathrite Shaman

While these cards aren't listed in a particular order within the top ten, it only seems right to put this one first. Deathrite ShamanDeathrite Shaman is possibly the best hybrid mana card to ever show up in Magic, regardless of format.

This card does everything. It slices, it dices, it does your taxes, and it even walks your dog. While none of those things are possible since Deathrite ShamanDeathrite Shaman is a piece of cardboard, when you earn yourself the moniker of "One-mana planeswalker," saying you have utility is almost offensive.

Tapping to provide graveyard hate + ramp would, I dare say, make this card playable if that's all it did. But then they also decided to give you a life-gain and a life-drain ability on a cheap-to-cast creature with relevant types. Unless you're a true sicko playing a creatureless Golgari deck, if you're in the colors, this card should be up for consideration.

2. Murderous RedcapMurderous Redcap / Kitchen FinksKitchen Finks

I didn't want to cheat by adding more than ten cards to this list, but these cards share similar responsibilities when included in a deck. The argument for Murderous RedcapMurderous Redcap deserving the solo spot on the list is that Goblin is a relevant creature type, whereas Ouphe isn't.

Both cards exist as combo pieces for various infinites in many formats. Redcap as a way to facilitate infinite damage at a table, and Finks as a way to give you infinite life.

The cards are actually so tied together that both were featured in competitive decks paired with Birthing PodBirthing Pod and Melira, Sylvok OutcastMelira, Sylvok Outcast. While I'm a bit partial to Murderous RedcapMurderous Redcap being the better card in the format overall, deep down, I couldn't have made this list without a card ever present to my introduction to the game in Kitchen FinksKitchen Finks.

3. Boros ReckonerBoros Reckoner

A card so good that it became a defining part of a Commander strategy. If you weren't around in the early days of the Commander format, it was often noted that Boros was the worst color combination possible. Most decks looked the same, and there wasn't much to be done with red or white in the format.

One of the few options, however, was playing a deck built around cards like Boros ReckonerBoros Reckoner and Stuffy DollStuffy Doll.

Slap down these cards on the table, give them indestructible, and cast your Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act to win the game. As time has gone on, Boros has received some of the best cards in the format, and yet this strategy persists. For continuing to win against the steady march of time, Boros ReckonerBoros Reckoner gets a well-deserved spot on the list.

4. Batwing BrumeBatwing Brume

As with every good top ten list, there's a card some players have never heard of. Batwing BrumeBatwing Brume isn't one of those cards for me. I love this card and try to cast it every game I can. Everyone talks about how good Rakdos CharmRakdos Charm is at ending a player with a crazy board of tokens. And recently, InkshieldInkshield has gotten its flowers as one of the best crack-back Fogs in the game.

Batwing BrumeBatwing Brume might not let you win the turn after casting it, but it should certainly keep you alive.

More people need to play this card, and maybe it will see a reprint soon as we return to Lorwyn. Not to mention that Richard Kane Ferguson would get this card to a high spot of the list of best art on a hybrid mana card, if there were such a thing.

5. Reaper KingReaper King

Part of me is sad that I never see the Reaper KingReaper King at tables. Another part of me is overjoyed since I don't have to deal with all of my permanents getting blown up.

Undoubtedly a powerful card paired with one of the strangest mana costs ever seen, the king is held down due to a lack of subjects. If there were even more Scarecrows printed into the game, I imagine that this card would rise in popularity to the point where people would shy away from a table it found itself at.

I'm fully aware that you can fill a deck with Shapeshifters or clones and get more Scarecrows, but that isn't every player's cup of tea. While not seen very often, there's no denying that this card is a powerhouse when it hits the board with every other Scarecrow reminding you of its impact.

6. Waterlogged TeachingsWaterlogged Teachings

As players, we often ask for more than we deserve when it comes to what a card should do. "If only X card did Y, it would be playable." Sometimes the cards don't deserve that level of slander.

And sometimes the designers give us a card and we ask ourselves why they let it do so much? Waterlogged TeachingsWaterlogged Teachings could have been my representative for all of the Modern Horizons 3 hybrid mana MDFCs, but this card is too good to group up.

A callback to Mystical TeachingsMystical Teachings, but with the upside of being a dual land if you need it. With most of the mana in this spell being generic, it should always be castable in a Dimir deck, and using something like Dimir AqueductDimir Aqueduct to get this back into your hand later in the game allows for the right card at the right time, all the time.

Everyone knows that tutors are powerful in the format. But now your tutor can become the land you were missing.

7. Flotsam // JetsamFlotsam // Jetsam

Here we have truly reached the "I didn't know this was a card" entry on the list. From the much-unloved Murders at Karlov Manor, I'd like to introduce, Flotsam // JetsamFlotsam // Jetsam.

The Flotsam half of this card is a fine effect that you would seldom play alone. There are better options in the self-mill and Clue token strategies, but this wouldn't be an embarrassment if it made it into the 99. Jetsam, however, is a card that I wish were standalone so that I could play more copies in more decks.

Take the card Breach the MultiverseBreach the Multiverse, a potent and significant effect. For one less mana and a bit less mill, you get an effect that doesn't restrict you to just putting creatures and planeswalkers on the board. Instead, you get to cast three spells for the low cost of zero mana.

This card is fantastic, and the only downside is that I don't currently have a Sultai () deck to run it in.

8. MirrorweaveMirrorweave

Commander players are very good at thinking outside the box. When it comes to finding ways to use cards for anything other than the intended use, there is no one better.

When it comes to the card MirrorweaveMirrorweave, I could be the one to tell you all the cool things you can do with it, like: turning every creature into something with an attack trigger or something with a leaves the battlefield ability in response to a wrath effect.

But instead of taking my word for it, you could instead take the word of people who are much better at the game than I. Specifically, the boys over at the EDHRECast, especially Joey. If it weren't for this video, I might not remember that MirrorweaveMirrorweave even existed, which is a crime unto itself.

9. Ashiok, Dream RenderAshiok, Dream Render

If you've ever read my articles, you'd know that I have a love of planeswalkers. I also have a love of the character Ashiok. So it's no surprise one of my favorite cards, and one of the best hybrid cards in the format, is, of course, Ashiok, Dream RenderAshiok, Dream Render.

For starters, most players don't play enough graveyard hate. I'm one of those players. Ahsiok solves this problem for me and then some by not only removing a single player's graveyard but also all opponents' graveyards as a bonus.

It also shuts down search effects for everyone but you, without any of the nasty tricks that can be pulled with the likes of an Opposition AgentOpposition Agent. This card doesn't usually cause too much pain and anguish for the table, since some players will see it as helpful. And those who don't can attack it and take it off the board with minimal effort.

Ashiok blends minimal deckbuilding sacrifices for maximum deckbuilding results.

10. Rhys the RedeemedRhys the Redeemed

The last card on this list is ironically one of the first I ever built a deck around, and somehow the poster child for the hybrid mana discussion: Rhys the RedeemedRhys the Redeemed, everyone's favorite Elf token legend.

If you've never played against this card, then you might not realize the sneakiness hidden within its abilities. Yes, at a base level, it can give you a wide board of all types of creature tokens to attack with. But what's even more interesting is to find ways to make tokens of things that aren't always creatures.

Imagine pairing Rhys up with Anikthea, Hand of ErebosAnikthea, Hand of Erebos, and getting copies of whatever enchantment you brought back from the grave. Or with the Overlord of the HauntwoodsOverlord of the Hauntwoods and an animated EverywhereEverywhere.

When in doubt, Rhys is also the best commander for making the biggest board of strange creature tokens. I would suggest the following token makers for some "interesting" board states: The HiveThe Hive, Ajani GoldmaneAjani Goldmane, and PentavusPentavus.

Rhys, as far as this list is concerned, doesn't need to be redeemed. Much like their comrade who started off this list, look at how far just one hybrid mana can go.

Wrap Up

Hybrid mana this and hybrid mana that - whatever your thoughts are about the potential rule change, there's one thing that can be agreed upon: Hybrid mana cards are fantastic, and people should play more of them. The design philosophy of making a card that is as much about all the colors separate as its about them all together will never cease to be charming.

Every time they bring back hybrid cards, I find it a great gameplay experience.

You may have a different opinion. So if you have one, please tell me what your favorite hybrid mana card is. Lately, it would have to be Thopter FoundryThopter Foundry for me, because of the combination it has with Sword of the MeekSword of the Meek. You can also tell me what your least favorite hybrid mana card is. As someone who has been victimized by Fulminator MageFulminator Mage and DovescapeDovescape more times than I would like to admit, both of those cards can kick rocks.

Hopefully, all this talk about hybrid theory does not make you want to split. But it will instead take you to Scryfall to look at all the hybrid cards have to offer, while jamming out to some classic Linkin Park. As always, my name is Nick, and good luck the next time you try to Beseech the QueenBeseech the Queen.

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