Stubborn DenialStubborn Denial | Art by James Ryman

Every single year, more and more cards are added to the game. Some of those cards are brand new, and some are a card's second, third, or maybe even fifteenth printing: looking at you, Giant SpiderGiant Spider. Sometimes, however, cards are printed only once for various reasons. Those reasons could be that they're on the Reserved List or maybe they are part of the "new Reserved List," a.k.a. a Universes Beyond set. Maybe they are just from a newer set, and there hasn't been a reason to reprint them yet.

What I want to know is: which ones are the best? So, to start my quest to find out whether there are actually hot singles in my area, I'm looking at the Top Ten Blue One-Drops with only a single printing, according to data from EDHREC. Not every card type will be on the list, and some colors will lend themselves better to a card type than others, as you might see below.

Creature

K-9, Mark IK-9, Mark I

One of the best boys starts off the list with K-9. With a decent inclusion rate of just under a percent (0.98%) as a card, this Robot version of man's best friend is found comfortably at home in the likes of legendary decks like Jodah, the UnifierJodah, the Unifier (18%) and Dog decks with Sophia, Dogged DetectiveSophia, Dogged Detective (71%). It offers solid protection with ward and the ability to make a legendary creature unblockable; for the only creature on the list, the card is quite good.

Sorceries

Enter the EnigmaEnter the Enigma

In a long and prolific list of single blue-pip cards that give evasion and draw you a card, Enter the EnigmaEnter the Enigma is one of them. For the cards in this series, a 2.47% inclusion rate is far above average. Cards like this might be a dime a dozen, but that doesn't mean certain legends don't want as many as they can get. For example, a card many people have forgotten about is Lyse HextLyse Hext from Final Fantasy. With a whopping 64% inclusion rate, you will want to do nothing but enter enigmas.

Splash PortalSplash Portal

Splash PortalSplash Portal has a downside of not being a protective blink spell due to being sorcery speed. What this card excels at, however, is being a value spell. It shines especially in a deck using Birds, Frogs, Otters, or Rats. This makes perfect sense for the commander it has the most play with, Clement, the WorrywortClement, the Worrywort.

Artful DodgeArtful Dodge

Did you know that blue loves to make things unblockable? It does it often and always. Even for a card dating back to Dark Ascension, the replayability of Artful DodgeArtful Dodge allows it to keep a solid play rate. A very cool card for blue decks that want to win with commander damage, such as Ms. Marvel, Kamala KhanMs. Marvel, Kamala Khan.

Birthday EscapeBirthday Escape

I could look up all of the modes, or maybe they are levels for what happens when the ring tempts you. But as Bilbo did during his birthday, if I did, you would leave. We all know why this card would make the list, and it's for the three best words in the game: draw a card. Cheap blue card draw that many, many decks want to add to their 99. It's fitting, however, that Bilbo, Retired BurglarBilbo, Retired Burglar plays this card the most, with almost three-quarters of the 565 decks running this card.

Instants

Stubborn DenialStubborn Denial

Possibly the most underplayed card in the entire format right now. Stubborn DenialStubborn Denial is sometimes just a Force SpikeForce Spike for noncreature spells. Other times it's the best counterspell a deck has ever seen. The card might be in 103,000 decks, but to me that is still too low for a card that can take the wind out of the sails of most opponents for only a single .

Magic DamperMagic Damper

A bit of a twist on what looks suspiciously like a white spell. I'm genuinely surprised by this card's inclusion rate, all the way up at 1.42%. I see why you want it if you care about keeping a commander alive, but giving hexproof instead of indestructible, combined with the untap, just confuses me.

Octopus FormOctopus Form

They say that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Well, Octopus FormOctopus Form is a functional reprint of the card above it on this list. It has a slightly higher play rate, possibly because some players favor one IP over another, but more likely because this card has the Lesson subtype.

Enchantments

Fortune Teller's TalentFortune Teller's Talent

Truly the strangest card on this list for so many reasons. First and foremost, being a Class makes it strange at a base level. Second, the mana spent to level it up is more expensive for level 2 at , whereas level 2 to 3 is only . Players love cards that do an impression of Future SightFuture Sight, but having never seen this card in the wild or ever heard any talk about it, I was surprised when it showed up on the list.

Unable to ScreamUnable to Scream

Unable to ScreamUnable to Scream is a big player in formats outside of Commander. But it wouldn't be surprising to see this card hit a table across from me. Cards similar to this, like Witness ProtectionWitness Protection or IchthyomorphosisIchthyomorphosis, are never the most impressive, and the slight variations they have depend on their respective limited formats.

Wrap Up

The first entry in the blue-card section of this series was much more varied than the white one. Surprisingly, only a single counterspell made the list; good job, player base. I would make a prediction for the next entry, black, but I was so wildly incorrect in assuming that this one would be dominated by counter magic that I'm a bit hesitant.

Regardless of what the following list looks like, what was your favorite from this one? Do you want to see another printing for Stubborn Denial? Did any card on this list surprise you? Let me know, and join me for the next entry and the rest of the series.