Grading Colorless Commander Staples of EDHREC | Which Colorless Staples are Worth Playing?

Which colorless staples are the most playable? We've got answers!
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Welcome back to the beloved series "Grading Staples," where we take the top 30 most played cards of a given color according to EDHrec and discuss our opinions on their playability, cuttability, and power!

[@WayfarersBauble]

8:50 Nifty AF. I respect the grade 😊

[@NitpickingNerds]

You are a good one

[@WayfarersBauble]

@@NitpickingNerds You guys aren't too shabby either! Keep up the great content! 😀

[@KevinBushman]

This is definitely Mitch replying here isn't it? Hi Mitch!

[@slavecek]

@@KevinBushman No, but I believe that WB is one of Mitch's patrons.

[@KevinBushman]

@@slavecek ah that would make sense too. I am amused by this account.

[@ShinkuDragon]

"Arcane signet goes in every deck without green" Me, with my colorless deck: Well, that was a lie.

[@dangoose9512]

Same

[@jonassilva2099]

Arcane signet can't produce colorless mana. That's not legal, so no reason to play it on any colorless deck, unless you don't know Magic rules. Edit: I didn't watch the video yet, so I dunno if this was explained.

[@ShinkuDragon]

@@jonassilva2099 it wasn't, hence the joke.

[@ixchel3330]

@@jonassilva2099 Well you can play it. It just doesn't tap for mana.

[@demolisherman1763]

We had counters in blue, we had tutors in black, we had ramp in green NOW FOR MANA ROCKS

[@NitpickingNerds]

Every color has their thing! Except white sorry white. For some reason red was really mediocre spells 😂

[@monomanamaniac]

Shhh, this is good good for everyone but green lol

[@williamhayduk6865]

@@NitpickingNerds i mean... White good for life gain + mass artifact/emchantment removal?

[@fakename3168]

@@williamhayduk6865 white is just a bad green

[@joellowe4460]

Just starting the video and really appreciated the "lower the grade = bigger reason you need to play it" really skips all the corner cases and budget call outs. In a perfect world we'd all choose the best cards but as someone who can't ($$$$) I still quite enjoy listening to your opinions. Regardless if mine differ or not. Hope you guys continue to grow. Also, love the YT shorts. Keep it up!

[@NitpickingNerds]

Thanks for the kind words! Nobody will ever have the exact same opinions on cards so disagreeing is ok

[@vario6492]

Please make episodes on staples within each color pair 💓💓💓 please please please! It's going to be so much fun to watch ^^ I'm positive others enjoy this series, too ^^

[@crazybotnon6171]

huge fan of these grading videos! honestly great to watch keep it up

[@NitpickingNerds]

We’ve got gold cards to run through and we might even swing back around to mono colors :D

[@Knightfall8]

*old man voice* back in my day, darksteel ingot was GREAT mana rock for edh. And we would run explosive vegetation in every deck!

[@racheperry2502]

You guys are literally the best channel out there right now for edh before i watched you guys my deck were like a 4-5 power level. but now when i follow your advice they are like 7-9. ( i only have one 9 that i only really play when my friend pulls out his jhoira storm deck )

[@NitpickingNerds]

Wow, that's great! Really cool that you got to the power levels you were hoping for :D

[@TinMox5831]

Recently came across the channel and loving it, thanks for all the great content. I gotta say, I love having 2-3 BROKEN lands in every deck (Coffers, Eye Of Ugin, etc) so I love me some Expedition Map. Then again, I have an unhealthy affinity for Eldrazi and play Tron in several formats, so maybe I'm biased! Very fair grades all around.

[@NitpickingNerds]

Hey thanks for the kind words, glad you're enjoying our stuff!

[@12jacobmar]

It’s awesome to see you two grow in the Magic community, when I first watched I was unimpressed. I’ve recently subscribed and tune in almost every video. You’ve won me over, keep up the great work guys!

[@dapperghastmeowregard]

"Boros needs card draw." Feather: "I'm sorry, was that some sort of joke that I'm too redeemed to understand?"

[@Omnivxrse]

Worn Powerstone isn't amazing, but playing Thran Dynamo into Worn Powerstone feels pretty great

[@appalach7148]

Should've just given Sol Ring the appropriate S grade

[@NitpickingNerds]

Or the A++++++++++++

[@robertneilson2780]

@@NitpickingNerds nah it has to be S tier because anime does it

[@epicness877]

Goddarn, respect picking up what you love and proclaiming it as your passion pushing it above your old job. I hope the best for you in that endeavor!

[@ballzock1039]

I'll share your content. I am happy for you guys to make this your living! And I say you have had impact on how I build commander decks. You guys eleborate and give the math on why these said popular cards are inefficient. I see them being inefficient compared to your suggestions. So I wanna say thank you - Big fan from CA

[@NitpickingNerds]

Amazing to hear! Makes us super happy to read comments like yours :D

[@cesarmarin1636]

@@NitpickingNerds the way you tips and edh knowledge pearls have impacted my deckbuilding is amazing, no other channel have had this impact, not only in terms of win rate, but also in terms of how good my decks feel and run after implementing changes based on your videos.

[@sharkmanyt4431]

I’m glad you guys came around on mana vault, it’s an insane magic card

[@josvaniwaarden718]

You guys are amazing ! Much love

[@NitpickingNerds]

Sending the love right back!

[@TLoesch777]

Joe Cherries you got me with the "well maybe they're at work" at the very end 🤣

[@TLoesch777]

Also congrats to you guys for continuing to grow, especially you Beezy since you just made the big choice to quit your other job to do this full time. Much love and luck to both of you. Stay awesome. See you at the top! See you on Game Knights! See you ON THE MOON

[@NitpickingNerds]

Stay posted for updates about the first ever MOON GAMEPLAY commander vid!

[@TLoesch777]

@@NitpickingNerds HELL YES. Might wanna have a certain someone return to give a disclaimer or two about playing on the moon though haha

[@smashog7500]

Thanks for the nice sunshine my boys. Another excellent rated video.

[@NitpickingNerds]

Happy to provide you with enjoyable content! :D

[@tonydiazist]

Binge watching your content as anew player and it would have been so helpful if y'all did the graph In the end for visual representation. big props for overlaying the card pics while y'all discuss it👍

[@mella4376]

The bookcase short was genuinely delightful

[@NitpickingNerds]

Thanks so much, we had a lot of fun making it as we do with all our flavor fail shorts 😄

[@elipetrou9308]

I love how in Teysa karlov, skullclamp draws you 4 cards. That's messed up

[@sin1735]

Feels so good though..draw 4 for 1 mana, can't beat the value 👍

[@Tyzam]

One if my all time favorite decks for sure.

[@andrewkenny3544]

@@Tyzam Teysa is my fav as well. My playgroup hates it tho. Dictate of Erebos is backbreaking

[@darksteelmenace595]

Keeping both in play is the challenge tho

[@elipetrou9308]

@@darksteelmenace595 yeah, same with korvold for me, I can never keep him out for long unless I have boots or greaves or something

[@derdevin5686]

I'm the only one who wants to see these tips as gameplay? Big fan of your work guys.

[@NitpickingNerds]

100% gameplay is coming. We're finally in our new place, and are mostly settled in!

[@CodyMWI]

You are the best already guys :)

[@jimgusprape367]

I just came from the red staples and my brain hurt when I saw you guys in the same shirts. Btw, you guys rock! Thank you for helping me build a deck that consistently beats my friends 😄

[@djbisson9819]

Another great vid. Thank you for the entertainment bz & joe

[@NitpickingNerds]

We love you DJ

[@djbisson9819]

@@NitpickingNerds it’s not a competition but I love you more 😉

[@mattturner1090]

You're making more KZbin Channels EVERY DAY? Aw, man, I gotta keep up! I'm only subbed to this one!

[@Munchie3777]

Sword of the animist is really good it single handedly up my syr gwen deck (i aggressively go for the sword early game)

[@meatrace]

To answer your question, Joe, I watch your videos at my job EVERY DAY.

[@michaelbland433]

I love how they are like always passively arguing with each other

[@lunarlight3131]

your videos are one of the reasons i even want to wake up in the morning. top 3 reasons.

[@NitpickingNerds]

Appreciate that Lunar, we've got daily content coming for as long as it's possible!

[@loganator326]

I think it's really good to see few really low grades for the most popular colorless spells. It's an interesting thing but makes a lot of sense

[@CmdrUD87]

Whispersilk cloak is good for decks that care about your commander living through your attack steps. In my case, that would be a Yidris, in yours most likely an Etali. Try it out and see what happens. Not saying it's great, but there are A LOT of commanders that care about attacking or dealing combat damage.

[@mathieubrebouillet714]

always really helpful to a beginner like me

[@NitpickingNerds]

Thank you, that's one of our main goals with this series!

[@armon3344]

Loving Beezy's increasingly wild intro gestures

[@kristennorth3268]

I do only watch/listen at work. It helps!

[@TheUltimateRey]

Modern horizons 2 just gave us orinithopter of paradise and I’ve added it to a bunch of my decks just because it’s a 2 mana rock and a flying creature

[@NitpickingNerds]

Cherries actually just added it in his Inniaz deck to try out

[@TahuNuva2008]

0:26 you guys are making more youtube channels every day??? Sign me up!!! 😅😂

[@NitpickingNerds]

Lol 😂 we had to cut because I laughed lol 😂

[@tinstreet_egg]

First time I've caught a video this early 😁 Sol Ring is so OP I'm surprised it's on the list, I only have one deck it's not in, my mono green elves deck, I traded it out for a Wood Elves 😏

[@NitpickingNerds]

Feel wrong lol 😂

[@elipetrou9308]

just use it. I use it in 3/4 colour and it's still broken

[@decontisylvain1762]

I can't seem to find it but since this serie is over I'd love to do a "Recursion" top 10 ! As a graveyard lover I find interesting to see what you do think about past in flame, Goblin welder, Underworld Breach, Eternal Witness... Ect

[@jamesgratz4771]

I love arcane signet and I love that it’s so widely available.

[@NitpickingNerds]

It’s nice to have a staple so available

[@loganmunoz5373]

I have flashbacks to the brawl decks that were like $50 and signet was selling for like $20 lol

[@jamesgratz4771]

@@loganmunoz5373 the eldraine brawl decks ?

[@hybridyd1305]

For mono black, (especially Tergrid), expedition map is good when you tutor out an Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth to combo off with Dread Presence.

[@bch9124]

Looking forward to multicolor grading :)

[@NitpickingNerds]

Oh it's a coming

[@stratoincendus3869]

There was a time when you could play Darksteel Ingot and it didn't feel terrible for it to be included in precons. Now it's probably the card of which I have the most removed exemplars lying around. And Arcane Signet is the main culprit for that.

[@epicness877]

Faster snappier presentation, maybe a little too much, but I think its a good fix for people just coming to look for information that are new and looking for the tldr. Of course I'm always gonna vote for longer videos so 😁

[@ChadZeluff]

When should I look to play Manascape Refractor? I was thinking about trying it in Gonti.

[@xTGE]

Whispersilk Cloak as a C baffles me as a Kaalia player. I need her to smack away without the worry of her dying to trigger so for my deck it's more like a B+ / A-

[@faerie7dragon]

Tazri II loves Arcane Signet, since she required specific mana to recruit Party-Goers, G R U B . I always struggle to make room for Lightning Greaves, but I feel it is good as so long as your Commander is an engine, people will want to remove it. The haste is just gravy. Chromatic Lantern is way cheaper mana fixing than Shocks, Fetchlands and the like in 5 colors, they need to reprint it more often, it should be budget like The World Tree.

[@Case2_0]

We all know Wayfarer’s Bauble is A+++

[@epicness877]

Spicy is... Oddly accurate for these cards Also nice of beezy to flash us an 👌 for every card, big help and laughs

[@juts89]

$10 from chromatic wont really do much land wise unless you want to buy $0.25 filler tap lands. Prices be crazy. Shocks are $8-25 a piece. Fetches are twice that. Battlebond lands are $15-30.

[@faerie7dragon]

Yes! Chromatic Lantern is being underrated, it is so good for budget 5 color decks, just like The World Tree.

[@returnoftheduelist9790]

Budget mono red bosh has a few 2 drops, many 3 drop rocks, and only hedron and ur golems eye as the 4 drops. I do have basalt, rings, and forsaken monument, so i can get infinite, along with Kuldotha to help tutor them out. Its a fun deck but is literally ramp, cast bosh, throw rocks lol.

[@AfroAtze]

OK cool!

[@firstandlast.1254]

Deece

[@NitpickingNerds]

TY, TY

[@kitgar]

You guys talked a lot about deck velocity in this video.. here's to hoping that you guys cover about improving a deck's card velocity in the future

[@AbyssArray]

Deflecting Swat the Aetherflux Reservoir activation, pretty funny to see (Aetherflux and Bolas' Citadel are probably actual targets for something like a Krosan Grip)

[@NitpickingNerds]

Aetherflux yes but could citadel just dies to ant removal.

[@obadijahparks]

I actually use mass destruction sometimes. The Ingot is useful.

[@caputofa]

Like to run my Aesi Deck, but removed Arcaneg Signet...seems to be better honestly. Thought vessel is included due the amount card draw I have....

[@robertteisher3638]

Agree with these grades pretty much universally. Surprised not to see Mox Amber though. A card I'd give a solid B to, haha. Fantastic in the decks that want it, but is definitely not for every deck

[@marcoottina654]

Fellwar stone is nice because at lest can give colorless, which is similar to a mindstone, but it's not _so much_ useful. B? Nah, I would say C+ unless you use N>=3 colors, going to B- and B at five colors. Chromatic lantern. Yeah it requires a 3-color decks or more, but why I would put it? Because I can't afford all possible fetchlands and shockland or triomes for a penta-Slivers or penta-Angels. I'm not alone, surely (not talking about the deck, but just the $ ). 23:30 I have a soft spot for Darksteel Ingot because is a nice foil from when I started playing M:tG (2006 or less), but that's an awesome representation of powercreep: Skycleave is precisely the same PLUS a way to sink leftover mana to produce a better Gilded Lotus (you know, 3 artifacts rather than one and freedom in choosing the colors). Poor, lovely foil Darksteel Ingot

[@eduardocastillogarcia7006]

That good ass feeling when you untap gilded lotus twice per turn using griffter/mind over matter

[@shamtactics4712]

How will the gold staples be separated? Like per pair or all together?

[@Guukoh]

I can’t go home, I’m at work for four more hours. But I appreciate the sentiment!

[@NitpickingNerds]

But now you're only at work for THREE more hours! Hang in there!

[@youngmeIIy]

Ok, but solem in a sac deck is amazing. Ramp, 2/2, draw a card, and a death and or sac trigger!

[@vanDaalstad]

What I want to know with these high priced cards is which is worth the investment? Should people try to get a mana crypt at $90 or invest that in two $45 cards instead? Which cards should be the top of the wishlist regardless of cost and which can wait while you make due with budget alternatives?

[@zotmaster]

As with most things, it depends. Do you have an absolute favorite deck that you want to optimize? By all means, get a Crypt. But if you build a lot of decks, that makes less sense. If you are the type who builds a lot of decks, it makes more sense to make sure all your decks have Sol Ring/Signets/Talismans/Felwar Stones than it does to make one deck a little better with Crypt. Or buy one and proxy.

[@looptydooptydoo]

Ah... The cycle is complete. Guilds, shards, and wedges next?

[@LetMeCookBro69]

Can you grade Empowering Generator? Pls and thank you. Some say it's okay, weak or really good

[@carnophage666]

Chromatic Lantern in a 5 colour deck is pretty good I think?

[@TahuNuva2008]

Oh no... the bookcase was mentioned again at the end... THERE’S NO ESCAPE

[@NitpickingNerds]

Are we being taken over? I don't want to go!

[@ivorymantis1026]

"Boros needs card draw" _laughs in Lorehold._

[@Omnivxrse]

I think we need untapped Worn Powerstone and a cycle of untapped 2 mana rocks that each tap for 1 color, and I think they should have made that cycle instead of Arcane Signet

[@g33kaholic24]

Would you say Solemn Simulacrum is good in say, a Lonis, Cryptozoologist deck focused on artifact synergies and ETBs?

[@shamtactics4712]

Arcane signet doesn’t work in colorless commander decks.

[@RobMedellin]

It's like the new Beezy, he doesn't work 🤣

[@NitpickingNerds]

@Roberto At first I was like "What?" and then I was like "Ohhhhh!"

[@whoissyx]

Correct me if im wrong but wouldnt Nykthos be the next best land to get with Expedition Map if you dont have Coffers, Cradle, Valakut, or Field???

[@dantemalick2872]

Depends on what your playing nykthos doesnt do much if you dont have a decent devotion need a minimum of 4 for it to break even And some decks vesuva or even maze of ith are better

[@simianurchin7630]

It is funny how like skull clamp is so stupidly good that it transcends a bad grade for needing a bit of work around because if even like 10% of your deck works with it then hot damn that gonna be like 10+ cards drawn alone

[@thrillhouse4151]

Mana Crypt is an S + if I’ve ever seen one, I had to grab one when Double Masters dropped. That and Force of Will are the most expensive singles I’ve ever bought and I don’t regret a bit of it.

[@jamesgratz4771]

Force of will is such a cool card I don’t Blame you. Slam dunk both flavor wise and mechanics

[@KyosukeTsuchigami101]

My playgroup uses on average 4 boardwipe spells a game so ingot is pretty much the only rock I have that can survive. I know it sucks but I would definitely give it a D.

[@joeldykman7591]

the only deck that i dont think sol ring is entirely necessary is something like slivers or 5 color Niv Mizzet, but that entirely depends on how mana intensive the spells are in comparison to their overall mana cost. Otherwise, its as much as an auto-include as your commander.

[@robertmorris4163]

Sol Ring is the best because unlike mana Crypt it's not cost prohibitive

[@adriendelplace8755]

The only EDH deck I have currently or have had in the past without sol ring is my enchantress deck because I run Stony silence and some destroy all artifacts cards in it.

[@mateocossani8231]

Do Rakdos next

[@natebeal18]

Expedition map can get me my wirewood lodge for an explosive marwyn turn as well

[@NitpickingNerds]

I like that!

[@ianchandler4903]

Would you guys run skull clamp in a big red/green stompy deck where the focus is more towards big (less clampable) creatures but has your run-of-the-mill one drop mana dorks as well? Commander is Hans if the idea of putting his brain in a clamp helps in anyway.

[@MatthiasMatcha]

Yes

[@ianchandler4903]

@@MatthiasMatcha it is done.

[@NitpickingNerds]

Yeah I think you could definitely try that. I'd be curious to see how it goes!

[@ianchandler4903]

@@NitpickingNerds will report back once the jovial Nord has taken a sufficient number beatings while wearing his brain helmet 👌

[@mfitkin]

Congrats on waking up not having to work!

[@woower100]

Would you play chromatic lantern in ragavan?

[@Munchie3777]

I low key like commander sphere xd

[@NitpickingNerds]

I high-key love that little rock

[@N1ghthavvk]

In order of most played according to EDHrec: 01. Sol Ring *A+* (1:49) 02. Arcane Signet *A* (2:27), disagree: You really don't want this "auto included" in your deck if your commander cost more than or just 6 mana. It's just not worth it in comparison to ramp that has a higher payoff. 03. Lightning Greaves *B+* (2:55) 04. Swiftfoot Boots *B* (3:02) 05. Solemn Simulacrum *C+* (4:04) 06. Mind Stone *C* (4:52) 07. Commander's Sphere *C* (5:17) 08. Skullclamp *A+* (5:54) 09. Fellwar Stone *B* (6:29) 10. Chromatic Lantern *C-* (7:14) 11. Mana Crypt *A+* (8:09) 12. Wayfarer's Bauble *B-* (8:50), disagree: See Darksteel Ingot 13. Thought Vessel *C* (9:28), disagree: This is a bad card in most decks as you need to care about that one additional mana on turn three (note that there's many better options) as well as the ability to keep more than seven cards in hand which is just generally overrated. You will almost certainly never need more than your best seven. And if you really need to draw that much with your deck, just keep and play another draw spell next turn, if you haven't won already. Card advantage doesn't win commander games, card selection and combos do. 14. Burnished Hart *C* (9:58) 15. Ashnod's Altar *B+* (10:25) 16. Sensei's Diving Top *A+* (11:20) 17. Mana Vault *A* (12:40) 18. Chrome Mox *A* (13:47) 19. Gilded Lotus *C* (14:55) 20. Thran Dynamo *C-* (15:05), disagree: Should be higher than Gilded Lotus as not having fixed your mana by turn 5 is not happening in a well tuned deck anyways 21. Lotus Petal *B-* (15:56) 22. Aetherflux Reservoir *B* (17:15) 23. Hedron Archive *D* 18:07, disagree: Should also be higher than Gilded Lotus as the ability to draw off of it if you're running out of gas is actually costed well 24. Sword of the Animist *B+* (18:55) 25. Everflowing Chalice *B-* (19:52) 26. Whispersilk Cloak *C* (21:00) 27. Expedition Map *B* (21:54) 28. Darksteel Ingot *F* (23:05), wait a second! If Arcane Signet is A and this is F, then why is Wayfarer's Bauble B-? It costs the same amount of mana in total and doesn't enter untapped. Either Darksteel Ingot is not this bad (and you guys rated it F for the thumbnail), or Wayfarer's Bauble is worse. Hint: It's the latter. 29. Worn Powerstone *D* (23:46), disagree: Should be higher than Gilded Lotus and Wayfarer's Bauble as it allows you to play a 7 mana value spell on turn 4 and if that's your commander that ability is probably valuable for your deck 30. Mox Diamond *A* (24:56) Your ranking reflects what kind of commanders you guys prefer to play: 4 mana value (or lower) ones. If you're building a deck for a commander of higher mana value, many of these lower rated ramp pieces gain so much value while the ones that just add one _cough_ Arcane Signet _cough_ are just way worse and effectively throwing away a card. *Generally the advice is that it depends (tm), and specifically that you should play ramp that allows you to play the spells in your deck earlier.* If that means you need 0 mana value ones to pump out your 2 mana value commander earlier, those are indeed best. For 3 mana value ones you would need at most 1 mana value ramp spells to matter. But if that means you need colored mana because you're playing many small spells at different moments during a turn cycle (i.e. Feather), then you should play things that fit that, like Arcane Signet and things that add multiple mana are worse (as they add timing windows to your one mana cantrips). Specifically Feather (and some other cases) cares about having access to mana immediately on the turn you're playing her so 2 mana value ramp is still valuable. And if that means you need way more mana to play Kozilek then you should play Worn Powerstone, Thran Dynamo, Gilded Lotus and probably many more pieces than normal. And if your commander costs 6 or more mana, then cards that get you there two or even three turns earlier are much better than those that only accelerate you by one turn. I'm not a fan of grading ramp spells in a vacuum (obviously I've tried to add my own two cents above, but I've refrained from tagging them with a specific grade). Context definitely matters here.

[@zotmaster]

As far as Bauble vs Ingot goes, you're comparing apples to oranges. The fact that they both have different roles and fit on different points on the curve matters heavily. For example, here is a list of other 3 mana artifacts that tap for any color for free: Alloy Myr, Altar of the Pantheon, Bonder's Ornament, Chromatic Lantern, Coalition Relic, Commander's Sphere, Cryptolith Fragment, Cultivator's Caravan, Dragon's Hoard, Elementalist's Palette, Fountain of Ichor, Letter of Acceptance, Mana Geode, Manalith, Opaline Unicorn, Phyrexian Lens, Replicating Ring, Scuttlemutt, Skyclave Relic, Spinning Wheel, and Vessel of Endless Rest. Ingot is competing against 21 other cards that can do the exact same thing. It's what, around the 16th-18th best card at what it does? Since budget isn't being considered, unless you're literally running all of these in the same deck, the correct number of decks to run Ingot in is zero. Compare this to Wayfarer's Bauble. Here is a list of other one mana artifacts that ramp you a land: Explorer's Scope. That's it. That's the list. And Scope asks much more out of you than Bauble does. Bauble provides land ramp outside of green, which very, very few cards do. It also has synergy with Landfall and is cheap enough that it's still playable in an artifact storm deck. Bauble requires a little bit of a build around but is very strong once you do that: exactly what a B is on their scale. It's not a coincidence that Bauble even sees play in lower budget cEDH, where the land base is most often compromised.

[@N1ghthavvk]

@@zotmaster I'm not saying Wayfarer's Bauble is F. Nor am I saying Darksteel Ingot is anything other than F. What I am saying is that you cannot grade these outside context. Even Darksteel Ingot becomes playable if you're trying to animate artifacts and swing with them as your primary game plan (not that it's a very good one, but it is fun and you may want to build such a deck). That said, in general Wayfarer's Bauble should not be considered for as many decks as it is currently (12th spot, like what?), because as you said it has a few specific applications and that's it. If you're in a Landfall deck you are almost certainly in G and the card competes with about 10+ other cards (Rampant Growth, etc.) that do the same thing for one mana less or the same ... with upside. -> Landfall deck is not an application Is it very playable in Artifact Storm decks like Jhoira? Alright definitely true, but that does not justify a general recommendation. Again, the issue is not that it isn't occupying a specific scope in the card database, the issue is that it is. And that's the same for all ramp spells. You just can't recommend the same ramp spells for every commander. It doesn't make for good advice. It can make for passable advice, but I would not want to tune my deck "passable" I want it to be great. In that sense it might be that B- is alright, if we refer back to their scale to say it means "build around me", but then I'd argue that Arcane Signet is definitely B as well. You really don't want it in your deck if you're playing anything starting at around 5 mana value or more as your commander (5 may still be debatable). In fact I'll edit my comment to reflect that. Maybe my issue is that the scale doesn't work well if we're talking about anything really. A = Auto Include if you can run it (fair enough maybe, but there's just about ten cards in each color pairing this applies to so its not very useful as a category for thousands of cards) B = Build Around Me (works better than A with synergy might be more accurate) C = Cuttable (I'd argue many cards in C can make the cut if you stick to these definitions, as build around me cards can be really bad in other decks - like what good is an enchantress in an artifact deck?) D = Don't Bother... (I mean what's F then? -> Set on Fire?) /shrug I just don't think you should stick to any grades religiously as deck building isn't something grades can particularly help you with. Every slot in your deck needs to at best fulfill multiple roles, depending on the game state. Some cards are better in other situations, that's just the way it is. And different commanders necessitate using different cards to fulfill the same roles. Just think about any instants and sorceries matter commander in contrast to creatures matter. You still need the same kind of cards, but they will almost certainly be different ones with little to no overlap at all.

[@zotmaster]

My understanding is that they define a "D" as a card that is decent but there are tons of cards that are just better. For them, they name cards like Cultivate, Terminate, and Putrify. They're...fine. But realistically, there are cards that do similar jobs but better. Nature's Lore/Three Visits only get one Forest instead of two basics, but it's a mana cheaper, the land comes untapped, and it can be a dual land. It's not the exact same effect, but they're much better than Cultivate as a whole. An F is more of a "why would you ever run this?" sort of thing. For Ingot, Skyclave Relic is strictly better, and most of the other cards I mentioned in its slot, while they may not have Indestructible, their upsides are still better.

[@mthlay15]

Comanders sphere was fun in my emry deck

[@NitpickingNerds]

I really like that card, I have a personal love for it -Beezy

[@mthlay15]

@@NitpickingNerds I took a lot of inspiration from your video on Emry. It was great

[@guillermoromero8041]

Lol. Cabal coffers on the list is hilarious

[@alanparana6899]

Dark steel ingot should be a D because it’s pretty good when your deck is around turning artifacts into creatures

[@elipetrou9308]

That’s like incredibly niche

[@nicksakowski2450]

And for that reason, I’m out. lol, that was great!

[@spidermonkey28]

What was the grade for Amulet of Vigor?

[@alanparana6899]

What do you grade mox opal?

[@xdavid00]

What's the reason for the grade difference between Dark Ritual and Mana Vault? Or just a change in evaluation?

[@NitpickingNerds]

The fact that it's a permanent adds so much to it; you can save it for the turn you need the mana, and it can eventually be used again, and it can be recurred super easily, as well as can trigger a multitude of synergy cards

[@xdavid00]

@@NitpickingNerds That makes sense, thanks!

[@W0lfguard1997]

I always wonder how much removal you see in your games. When I play a thran dynamo I'm gonna play 10 more cards in that game that are much bigger threats. Shooting the dynamo only delays the inevitable. Also if you are playing big mana you rarely care that a mana rock comes in tapped. If i can play worn powerstone on 3 and play a 6 drop on 4 that isn't broken but still really valuable. Would recommend for any colorless or artifact heavy deck

[@bcarraway1]

Outside of basic land types, is there another Alpha design card that still sees as much play as the lowly Sol Ring?

[@bcarraway1]

@@Spootprime I would still think Sol Ring tops both of those. Granted, it being reprinted into the ground helps 😜

[@uphillwalrus5164]

I wouldn't run mana crypt in anything below power level 5 personally. It's great normally but if the meta is beatdown and you're regularly going to turn 10+ the ramp can become redundant and the damage can be a burden.

[@MRxLOP3Zx714]

Demonic tutor is imo the best card in the format. Its any card in your deck for only 2 mana!!

[@FelipeLundgreen]

What's the grade of Heraldic Banner?

[@jordonpohl7393]

Curious how you feel about talismans and signets?

[@dapperghastmeowregard]

Dunno about them, but basically every deck I build starts with the relevant signets. And Talismans I'm starting to like now that I've gone from "Eh, I'd rather run Ingot" to "Wait, hold the fuck up, THEY COST 2!?"

[@Nr4747]

I'm a bit surprised that you ranked Mindstone and Thought Vessel exactly the same with a B grade. Imho, Mindstone is the much, *much* better card in most decks since it's a 2 CMC ramp spell that also cycles cheaply - which is why I would give it an A- at least. Thought Vessel is only really good if you're already playing every other 2 CMC ramp spell and still need more or if you actually care about keeping tons of cards in your hand.

[@swampyswamperton6536]

And fellwar too, fellwar is at best a better arcane signet and at worst a mindstone that doesn't cycle.