Estinien VarlineauEstinien Varlineau | Art by Fang.Xinyu

Welcome to Too-Specific Top 10, where if there isn’t a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we’ll just make one up! (Did you know that Insatiable AvariceInsatiable Avarice is the only black spell that can draw a set amount of three cards for three or less mana without having to sacrifice a creature?)

There's something new in Final Fantasy, and I don't think I've heard anyone talk about it: Non-Izzet spellslinger.

From black Wizard tokens to surveiling to just dealing damage directly to people's faces, I lost track of the amount of commanders there are that could storm off without the use of the color blue.

In fact, let's do something I don't think I've ever done before: Let's do a quick top ten of the brand new commanders from the brand new set that all fit our theme for the week.

Top 10 Non-Izzet Final Fantasy Commanders That Can Sling Spells

1. Tataru TaruTataru Taru
2. Fandaniel, Telophoroi AscianFandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian
3. Papalymo TotolymoPapalymo Totolymo
4. Ardbert, Warrior of DarknessArdbert, Warrior of Darkness
5. Hildibrand MandervilleHildibrand Manderville
6. Estinien VarlineauEstinien Varlineau
7. Serah FarronSerah Farron
8. Kain, Traitorous DragoonKain, Traitorous Dragoon
9. ...

All right, so we didn't quite have enough to get there.

Still though, eight non-Izzet commanders that can spellsling is a lot. Certainly more than we've ever seen in any other set. It doesn't quite add up to the amount of blue and red Spellslinger commanders we got, but that's not exactly surprising either.

Still, I want to focus on the colors we're seeing here. Black is the main feature, but there's a fair amount of Orzhov as well. Serah FarronSerah Farron also provides an opportunity for Selesnya Legendary Spellslinger, which is so cool that I want to immediately run with it, but let's not get distracted.

Instead, let's ask the question: Can we go nuts and start casting 20 spells a turn in colors that aren't normally known for that?

Well, for those that have never attended my many mantras on how Spellslinger decks tick, let me go over the highlights: ramp and card draw. To keep a stormy turn going, you need mana to cast spells, and card draw to have spells. If you can reliably put those two things together, then you can keep casting spells till the cows come home.

Which is more important? Neither, you need both. Which has more effects available in a non-Izzet world? Let's find out!

Criteria: Black or white, non-creature spells that either draw multiple cards or add mana in some fashion. As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score.

Top 10 Orzhov Ramp and Draw Spells

10. SacrificeSacrifice & Syphon MindSyphon Mind

(Sacrifice: 30,041 Inclusions, Mind: 82,472 Inclusions)

There are actually two versions of SacrificeSacrifice available, but with the updated wording of Burnt OfferingBurnt Offering, you actually need to be in Rakdos to be able to play it. That said, both are very good at making large quantities of mana if you have enough expensive creatures to feed it.

If that sounds like a chicken and egg problem, that's because it is. You need the mana to get the expensive creature down, but you need an expensive creature already down to make enough mana, and round and round we go.

As for Syphon MindSyphon Mind, it's a tad bit on the expensive side at four mana. Given that it typically draws three cards, however, that's on the same rate as Ambition's CostAmbition's Cost, Ancient CravingAncient Craving, and Feed the InfectionFeed the Infection, only without the life loss and with the added bonus of making all your opponents discard a card.

In other words, while four mana can feel like a lot, if you're going to run an effect that can draw you three cards for four mana, Syphon MindSyphon Mind is gonna be the one.

9. Songs of the DamnedSongs of the Damned & Plumb the ForbiddenPlumb the Forbidden

(Songs: 31,355, Plumb: 86,739)

In other niche rituals, here comes Songs of the DamnedSongs of the Damned! While you can't play it in every deck, any deck that plays a fair amount of creatures and mills itself is ecstatic to see this. Outside of that use case? This one's on the outside looking in.

Plumb the ForbiddenPlumb the Forbidden is similar, but actually completely different. Instead of wanting creatures in the graveyard, it wants a bunch of expendable creatures in play. From there, you can draw a card and lose a life for every one of them you're willing to part with.

That can mean a card for each creature you've played out. More commonly, however, what it means is a card for each token you've made, which is a much more agreeable deal.

8. Kozilek's CommandKozilek's Command & Peer into the AbyssPeer into the Abyss

(Kozilek's: 33,265, Peer: 87,761)

And so we hit our first non-ritual ritual. I had attempted to weed out all of the spells that weren't actually mana positive, such as Kozilek's CommandKozilek's Command, but it turns out that there aren't actually that many true rituals available in white and black.

Still, Spellslinger decks constantly play non-mana-positive spells that make Treasure, like Big ScoreBig Score, Strike It RichStrike It Rich, and Inspired TinkeringInspired Tinkering. So why should Kozilek's CommandKozilek's Command and its kin be any different? If anything, this is just a mana maker that also makes tokens, draws a card, or exiles creatures or graveyards.

I don't know about you, but that sounds like it could actually do quite a bit of work in a storm brew.

Speaking of, how would you react if the Spellslinger deck drew half of its deck? Crying on the floor? Swearing to not play non-blue decks anymore?

All this and more could be available to you with Peer into the AbyssPeer into the Abyss! At seven mana, it's pricey, so the real trick is to have mana left over after you cast it.

Competitive EDH decks manage this with free mana rocks like Chrome MoxChrome Mox, Mox DiamondMox Diamond, and Mox OpalMox Opal. For those of us that aren't looking to spend $100+ on individual pieces of cardboard, however, the main idea is just to have extra mana left over so we can cast the rituals on this list after we've drawn them.

This can be difficult to do, and can be a trap if you already cast all those said rituals in order to cast Peer. Even if that is the case, however... You could do worse than drawing half of your deck and then just picking the best seven.

7. Bubbling MuckBubbling Muck & Decree of PainDecree of Pain

(Muck: 42,105, Decree: 86,240)

High TideHigh Tide can be one of the most broken cards ever printed and still be a trap at the same time, right? The same question goes for Bubbling MuckBubbling Muck at sorcery speed. It's an amazing card, provided you're playing enough Swamps for it to be so.

That usually means a mono-black deck, although there are some two-color versions that have gone the distance before. The other means to cheat? The same thing you're doing for that Cabal CoffersCabal Coffers: Lay down an Urborg, Tomb of YawgmothUrborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and kindly inform the table that we've all got Swamps now.

What to do after you've doubled all that mana of yours? Why, play down a Decree of PainDecree of Pain, of course!

Eight mana is a bit much for a board wipe, but we just paid seven for a mass draw spell, so how do you feel about one more mana for both at the same time? Not good enough for you? How about a partial board wipe that's uncounterable and still cantrips?

Even with the format getting faster and faster, it's no surprise that Decree is still seeing as much play as it is. The raw power and flexibility are just off the scale, and always have been.

6. Fake Your Own DeathFake Your Own Death & Corrupted ConvictionCorrupted Conviction

(Fake: 50,609, Conviction: 149,472)

Is your whole Spellslinger deal centered around your commander? Is the table constantly removing them on sight? Then might I suggest fueling that fire with Fake Your Own DeathFake Your Own Death, instead of letting others extinguish it?

Sure, a single Treasure isn't much, but it does pay for half the spell. Combine that with it bringing your commander back so you can keep on with your shenanigans, and giving it +2/+0 so it can more easily trade in combat? At that point, we're talking a pretty good deal.

What might be an even better deal? A single mana for two cards. Sure, sure, you're gonna have to give up a creature to get there, but that's a deal most black decks will take in an instant. In fact, many of them would actually consider the sacrifice cost here more of a benefit than a drawback.

Black is a weird place sometimes, man.

5. Warping WailWarping Wail & Read the BonesRead the Bones

(Wail: 50,705, Bones: 215,416)

The charm inspiration for Kozilek's CommandKozilek's Command, Warping WailWarping Wail is always just on the edge of being one of my favorite cards. Exile target creature? Oh, it's only if it's got no butt. Counter a spell outside of blue? Well, only if it's a sorcery.

The mode that doesn't disappoint? Making an Eldrazi Scion. A 1/1 for two mana isn't anything to write home about, but given that it makes its own mana, it's a bit like Strike It RichStrike It Rich: Call it building for the future with a trigger along the way, and it's not hard to feel positive about it.

Read the BonesRead the Bones is another card that ends up just on the outside of my 99 far too consistently. It's the best three-mana draw spell in black, given that it scries before it draws, but when you compare it to the two-mana versions that draw the same amount of cards, it just doesn't stack up.

4. Culling the WeakCulling the Weak & Night's WhisperNight's Whisper

(Weak: 120,059, Whisper: 275,528)

Finally, a real ritual! Culling the WeakCulling the Weak requires you to sacrifice a creature, just like SacrificeSacrifice. The difference? It doesn't care what kind of creature.

That means that for the low, low price of a token or KoboldKobold, you can net three mana. Those are unheard of numbers, and often get this little spell declared as better than Dark RitualDark Ritual. That's still a hot take I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole, but let's just say that there's a reason this Exodus uncommon is worth more than ten dollars at this point.

Less controversial is Night's WhisperNight's Whisper. It's two mana, and it draws you two cards. No ifs, ands, or buts, just card advantage in its simplest form.

There are some that prefer Sign in BloodSign in Blood because you can kill low-life opponents with it, but in all likelihood, if you're playing one you're playing both. Unless you're worried about Sign's two black pips, in which case, Night's WhisperNight's Whisper gets the nod.

3. Cabal RitualCabal Ritual & Sign in BloodSign in Blood

(Cabal: 149,351, Blood: 287,625)

While two mana to net one mana isn't nearly as good as the ritual that all rituals are named after, it does still net mana. Throw in a late-game threshold that can make Cabal RitualCabal Ritual net three mana instead, and now you're really cooking with gas.

We've already covered the benefit of Sign in BloodSign in Blood over Night's WhisperNight's Whisper: It can target opponents, possibly killing an opponent who let their life total get too low. Stories of doing just that are legendary and memorable, but they're also exactly that because they're so rare. Which is why I would push back on them.

I would posit that for every story where someone died to Sign in BloodSign in Blood, there are probably 20 stories no one told about having a Sign in BloodSign in Blood in hand and no second black mana to cast it with. It's for this reason that I would suggest folks start thinking of Night's WhisperNight's Whisper as their first option, and leave the possible kill spell as their second.

After all, in most circumstances you're still going to play both!

2. Deadly DisputeDeadly Dispute & Village RitesVillage Rites

(Dispute: 352,720, Rites: 300,516)

There are enough of these "sacrifice a creature, draw two cards" effects that I could do a whole article on just them. Deadly DisputeDeadly Dispute, however, is currently the best of them.

Why is that? Well, because we're currently talking about it as a ramp card, rather than a draw card. That's right, this scrappy little spell can do both, creating a Treasure and drawing you two cards. Pushed even further, however, it can also sac either a creature or an artifact, meaning that you also have all your Food tokens (or another Treasure) to choose from when throwing this thing on the stack, in addition to all your creature tokens.

Speaking of cards that are just more well known and therefore more played, it's Village RitesVillage Rites! First printed in Magic 2021, it predates Corrupted ConvictionCorrupted Conviction by only two years, and yet that has made a difference in the two mechanically identical cards of 150,000 inclusions.

That's quite the lag, but one of them has to be the "best," I suppose. Just remember that if you're looking for more of these kinds of effects, there are two of them available, not just the one you remember from a few years back.

1. Dark RitualDark Ritual & Deadly DisputeDeadly Dispute

(Ritual: 714,301, Dispute: 352,720)

There are a lot of lists I do where more experienced readers will automatically know what the top card is. This is absolutely one of those lists.

Dark RitualDark Ritual is the original ritual that all the others are named for, and there's good reason for it. It has defined multiple 60-card formats, often to the point where it was banned in them.

It's the epitome of an "auto-include" if you're in black, even if you weren't trying to do Spellslinger things. If you are, however? Then this is just the best card in your deck, period.

What can you say about Deadly DisputeDeadly Dispute other than its on this list twice? It's the best version of its effect, and it's really not close, no matter how trivial the difference of a Treasure token or the option to sacrifice an artifact instead of a creature might seem.

Putting it all together, this is just the thing that you want to be doing if you meet the very low requirements of being able to do it.

Honorable Mentions

We started scraping the bottom of the barrel for rituals in our article, but there is one final one worth mentioning: Rain of FilthRain of Filth. The epitome of an all-or-nothing spell, Rain of Filth can effectively give you a one-turn, one-sided Heartbeat of SpringHeartbeat of Spring for the low, low price of sacrificing all of your lands.

Now, obviously, that's not a good long term plan. If the game looks to be short, however, then there can definitely be times that Rain of FilthRain of Filth can be worth it.

On the card draw side of things, the pool seems significantly deeper. Our next two options, then, would've been Cut a DealCut a Deal and Insatiable AvariceInsatiable Avarice. The latter is just a great way to draw three cards for three mana with another option to instead or also tutor. The former is the first white card we've seen on this technically Orzhov list, leaving no doubt as to which color will be doing the heavy lifting here.

As for how we're going to do that lifting? I went through all the new off-color Spellslinger options, and chose out my favorite new commander, Estinien VarlineauEstinien Varlineau.

Estinien Varlineau Commander Deck List

Why Estinien? Mostly because he draws cards, but I must also admit that the idea of Voltron Spellslinger seems hilarious to me. Estinien is going to get huge, almost immediately, and yet, if he gets removed over and over again, then there are still backup win-cons in the deck in the likes of Professor OnyxProfessor Onyx and Papalymo TotolymoPapalymo Totolymo.

As for how the deck plays, it gets off the blocks early with almost a quarter of the deck being dedicated to ramp, then maintains the pressure well with another quarter of the deck and a commander dedicated to draw.

That, more than anything, is why I left Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe in the deck as the lone Game Changer: Because this deck is going to play in Bracket 3 no matter how you swing it.

Nuts and Bolts

There always seems to be a bit of interest in how these lists are made (this seems like a good time to stress once again that they are based on EDHREC score, NOT my personal opinion…), and people are often surprised that I’m not using any special data or .json from EDHREC, but rather just muddling my way through with some Scryfall knowledge! For your enjoyment/research, here are this week’s Scryfall searches.

What Do You Think?

And finally, what do you think of the idea of Spellslinger outside of its normal colors? How good do you think it could be?

Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the formerly red table that's since been spray painted black.