Commander's SphereCommander's Sphere | Art by Mark Poole

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.

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 Sol RingSol Ring.

Terms and Conditions

Before jumping into the list, let's get on the same page with some definitions and parameters. First, what is ramp? The Guide to Ramp in Commander says an effect is ramp if the increase of mana is more than playing on curve. By that definition, dozens of the most played cards in Commander are ramp spells. Sol RingSol Ring tops out that list with an 84% inclusion rate, and a chorus of groans and yawns.

I'm talking about the best ramp in Commander. Sol Ring doesn't make the cut for this list because it's superior in any format. Ranking multi-format all-stars like Mox DiamondMox Diamond and Mana VaultMana Vault would be a waste of my time and yours.

With that in mind, I'm excluding most generically good ramp. To qualify for "The 10 Best Ramp Spells in Commander," a card must have an edge in our format, or at least an interesting edge case.

(Dis?)honorable Mention

Let's get this out of the way now. Arcane SignetArcane Signet was made to be perfect for Commander. It's an uncontested best-in-slot, with a necropolis of ManalithManaliths in its wake.

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.

Ultimately, I chose to leave it unranked because Commander is more interesting without it.

#10 - Midnight ClockMidnight Clock

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.

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.

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.

#9 - Mox AmberMox Amber

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 Garth One-EyeGarth One-Eye deck. I sure wish I recognized Mox Amber's fail case the first time I read the card.

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.

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.

#8 - Clifftop LookoutClifftop Lookout

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.

Outside of decks with graveyard synergies, I would pick Clifftop Lookout over Sakura-Tribe ElderSakura-Tribe Elder. 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 Blink decks.

#7 - DeathsproutDeathsprout and Binding the Old GodsBinding the Old Gods

What if your ramp was also removal? Golgari () gets it. My pick for number seven is a two-for-one, because these two ramp spells are mostly interchangeable.

"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 MurderMurder with a discount Rampant GrowthRampant Growth.

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.

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.

#6 - Heraldic BannerHeraldic Banner

This is another early entry into the category of three-mana rocks with extra benefits. Just like Midnight ClockMidnight Clock, Heraldic Banner came out in Throne of Eldraine (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.

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.

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.

For combat decks, more power on board can tie this ramp spell into a deck's win conditions.

#5 - Semblance AnvilSemblance Anvil

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.

Most ramp increases mana production. Cost reducers increase the amount of mana a player can spend. Compare Semblance Anvil to Sol RingSol Ring. 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.

In other words, Semblance Anvil can net more mana than the best mana rocks, if the deck is built to exploit it.

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.

#4 - Delighted HalflingDelighted Halfling

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.

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 Birds of ParadiseBirds of Paradise; 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.

So the data proves Delighted Halfling is in the popularity fast lane. Why?

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 CounterspellCounterspell. And yet, therein lies the accelerant. Many Commander players value the ability to preemptively stop their opponents' nope.

#3 - Fertile GroundFertile Ground

Moving on from overplayed to underplayed, #3 makes a showing for Aura ramp. Wild GrowthWild Growth and Utopia SprawlUtopia Sprawl 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.

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 Brackets 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.

#2 - Relic of LegendsRelic of Legends

Springleaf DrumSpringleaf Drum 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.

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 Legendary theme.

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.

#1 - The Irencrag

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.

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 to equip, and gives the equipped creature +3/+3.

The Irencrag is efficient ramp, costing and producing . 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.

Conclusion

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.