The Commander format has become one of the most popular ways for players to experience Magic: The Gathering. A multiplayer format that allows players to construct decks around legendary creatures, Commander is often characterized by its large scale and the political negotiations that transpire between players.
While many players love to include large and splashy spells in their Commander decks that immediately make a noteworthy impact on a game, there are numerous useful one-mana spells that Commander players tend to sleep on. For every card like Sol Ring that’s seemingly in every player’s deck, there’s a hidden gem. So today, we’re going to examine ten underrated one drops that players should consider adding to their Commander decks!
10 Aqueous Form
Aqueous Form is a blue aura for one mana, that could benefit nearly every deck capable of containing it. Aqueous Form assists players from both a consistency and damage based perspective, preventing the enchanted creature from being blocked.
Furthermore, whenever the enchanted creature attacks, its controller is able to scry 1, setting up their future draws. As the creature is unblockable, there is little risk in attacking with it each turn, both pushing damage through and repeatedly scrying!
9 Onslaught
A mono-red enchantment from Exodus, it’s mind-boggling that Onslaught doesn’t see much play. For a single red mana, Onslaught allows its controller to tap a creature whenever they cast a creature spell.
As many red decks such as goblin-tribal decks are rather aggressive and creature heavy, Onslaught can prevent opponents from blocking, forcing significant sums of damage through.
8 Liar’s Pendulum
Liar’s Pendulum is an artifact for a single mana, that can provide card draw to decks that are significantly lacking in that area such as mono-white and Boros decks.
At the cost of two mana, Liar’s Pendulum can be tapped, causing its controller to name a creature. Then, opponent of that player’s choice guesses if that card is in their hand. Then, Liar’s Pendulum’s controller may reveal their hand, drawing a card if that opponent guessed incorrectly. There are a lot of mind games that can be played with this card to fake out opponents.
7 Tainted Strike
Tainted Strike is a card that has the potential to take a player out of a game for a single black mana. While the popularity of Tainted Strike has definitely grown in recent years, any deck containing black can make great use out of it.
Providing target creature with +1/+0 and infect, when targeting a creature with power nine or greater, tainted strike can cause that creature to immediately deal lethal damage. Even in decks that lack large creatures, Tainted Strike can be cast on a creature that belongs to another player if it attacks another opponent!
6 Wayfarer’s Bauble
While green decks traditionally have access to the strongest mana acceleration spells, Wayfarer’s Bauble is a mana ramp-based artifact that can be used in any deck!
For two mana, Wayfarer’s Bauble can be sacrificed, allowing it’s controller to search their library for a basic land, putting that card into play. Whether a deck is blue or red, a player can still access a strong mana-ramp ability with Wayfarer’s Bauble.
5 Scapegoat
While players often point to white as the weakest mono-color in Commander, Scapegoat is quite a useful instant for a single white mana.
Upon being cast, Scapegoat allows its caster to sacrifice a creature, in turn returning any number of creatures from its owner’s control to their hand. For a measly one white mana, Scapegoat can greatly mitigate the impact of boardwipes, allowing its caster to move creatures safely to their hand rather than the graveyard.
4 Kaya’s Ghostform
For one black mana, Kaya’s Ghostform is an aura that serves as a solid insurance policy on a creature or planeswalker of their choice. When a creature enchanted by Kaya’s Ghostform were to either die or be put into exile, that card is immediately put back into play.
While creatures with indestructible don’t need to worry about most removal spells, they can still fall victim to exile effects. Kaya’s Ghostform is one of the few cards in the game that can get around mass exile effects such as that found on Merciless Eviction!
3 Brave The Elements
For one white mana, Brave the Elements is an incredible instant that can be applied either offensively or defensively. Upon being cast, this spell’s caster chooses a color. Then, white creatures that player controls gain protection from that color until the end of the turn.
As creatures with protection from a color can’t be blocked by creatures of that color, this card can make one’s forces unblockable for a turn, or can protect them from an opponent’s removal spells!
2 Porphyry Nodes
Planar Chaos was a set that included various “color shifted” variants of pre-existing cards. These cards have the exact same abilities and effects as other cards, but in a new color.
While the green card Drop of Honey is currently on the reserve list and runs players over five-hundred dollars, Porphyry Nodes is a white card for one white mana with an identical ability, costing under two dollars. An enchantment, Porphyry Nodes destroys target creature with the lowest power in play each turn, removing numerous creatures over the course of a game for a single mana!
1 Demonic Consultation
Demonic Consultation is an extraordinary instant for one black mana that is played in shockingly few decks. Demonic Consultation is perhaps one of the riskiest tutors a player can cast, but its value for two mana should not be understated.
Upon being cast, this spell’s caster names a card, then exiles the top six cards of their library. Then, this spell’s caster exiles cards from the top of their library until the named card. As long as the named card is not one of the six exiled cards when the spell is first cast, Demonic Consultation can tutor for any card at a moment’s notice for a single mana! While numerous cards in one’s deck will be exiled along the way, that’s the expense of an instant speed tutor for a single mana.
NEXT: Magic: The Gathering - The Top 10 New Commanders From Commander 2020
