Sol RingSol Ring | Art by Mike Bierek

I have a Prosper, Tome-BoundProsper, Tome-Bound deck that was Bracket 3 until very recently. I told everyone it was a very durdly, easily disruptable, mid-range to late game, storm deck. That was unless I had a turn-one Sol RingSol Ring. It was a certified Bracket 4 if I started with that card. One measly, little mana rock at the start of the game and the entire strategy and power of the deck would evolve.

It's been a long time coming, but it's time to dedicate an article to the unofficial Game Changer, some of the last bit of fast-fast mana in Commander: Sol RingSol Ring.

What Year Did It Start?

Sol RingSol Ring was printed in Alpha in 1993. When I was writing this article, I didn't actually know that. I knew the card was old, but I didn't know it was that old. I thought it was was maybe Commander old, like it was first printed in Commander decks like Arcane SignetArcane Signet with the introduction of Brawl, but no. It was one of the first Magic cards ever.

What would have possessed Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) to make Sol RingSol Ring a staple of every Commander deck? We'll get into the weeds later on in this article just how powerful Sol Ring is, but it is very powerful. Sol Ring is only really fully legal in Commander. It's restricted in Vintage and banned in Legacy and Oathbreaker.

The Capabilities of Sol Ring

So, is Sol Ring actually that good? Yes, trust me.

Right now, in the format, there aren't many cards that cost less mana than what they give. Mox DiamondMox Diamond, Mox AmberMox Amber, Mox OpalMox Opal, and Chrome MoxChrome Mox are some legal cards in Commander that do this. However, they cost you a card from your hand - discarding a land or exiling a nonartifact, nonland - or have specific board state requirements - three artifacts in play.

Some are things you can reasonably do on turn one, but some you might not be able to. Some might put you behind in terms of card advantage in exchange.

Sol RingSol Ring just needs . Things like Mana VaultMana Vault cost and can tap for more but needs tricks to untap, or it will cost more to untap. It's reasonable that is a good trade for two more mana. It's what the average opening hand would want to have. It doesn't need a complicated board state. It doesn't sacrifice hand advantage. It's also much more financially affordable at around $1-2. Chrome MoxChrome Mox would cost you $140, or $100 for a Mana VaultMana Vault.

It's also currently probably the best rate for colorless ramp in the format. Mana CryptMana Crypt and Jeweled LotusJeweled Lotus used to be better - in some situations - but what happened to them? They got banned. Similar to cards like Mox EmeraldMox Emerald and Mox JetMox Jet, the rate was just too good.

Sol RingSol Ring's rate is so good, though that it's surprising that it hasn't been banned. It's got pretty privilege, in a way. It's Commander's favorite child, so it's got a bit of protection. We'll get more into that later on in the article.

The Problems of a Turn-One Sol RingSol Ring

Scaling the impact of a turn-one Sol RingSol Ring, it's important to put into perspective just exactly how much mana it gives a player over the course of the game. This is not what will happen every time someone plays a turn-one Sol Ring but it's what they could do that is scary.

Land into Sol RingSol Ring into Arcane SignetArcane Signet is the utilization of four total mana on turn one. Turn Two: land into [/el]Thran Dynamo[/el] into Skyshroud ClaimSkyshroud Claim into a Nature's LoreNature's Lore is the utilization of 11 mana with access to all of that again next turn.

Yes, this is the nth degree of ramp, but that's the cascading effect Sol Ring enables.

In simpler terms, in the Bracket System Update players who are playing Bracket 4 need to get to turn four before anyone can win or lose the game. If you can't win the game with 11 mana then I don't know what we're talking about here. That's a Crackle with PowerCrackle with Power and protection for it. That's the power of a card that isn't a Game Changer. I'll remind you Aura ShardsAura Shards is a Game Changer and all it does is pop an artifact or enchantment whenever a creature enters your battlefield.

In even simpler, simpler terms, it puts you two mana - or two turns - ahead of everyone else for just one mana. CultivateCultivate puts you one turn ahead with a tapped land for three mana; its slightly better cousin - if you're playing a lot of ForestForests - Three VisitsThree Visits puts you one turn ahead for two mana.

The rate is just obscene for Sol RingSol Ring.

Stopping Sol RingSol Ring

I've explained in great detail how powerful Sol RingSol Ring is. So should we be stopping it more often? VandalblastVandalblast or, heck, even a Mental MisstepMental Misstep might be worth it. Right? I hesitate with An Offer You Can't RefuseAn Offer You Can't Refuse-ing Sol RingSol Ring because of the mana back - even if it doesn't snowball the same way. I'm not exactly sure if we should stop Sol RingSol Ring.

Removal is tricky. I wrote an article a while ago about the pros and cons of removal. It's important to hold it until absolutely necessary. You want to understand what a deck intends to do before countering or removing something. The thing with Sol RingSol Ring is that mana is often ignored in threat assessment. Lands and mana rocks are ignored as targets for removal, yet they are directly responsible for getting a player most efficiently to their win before anyone else.

It's not the win, per se, though. Stopping ramp slows down the win, but doesn't necessarily stop the win itself. Removal is limited in most decks. It's not easy to just run more removal. I talk about my reasoning in depth in this other article, but running a ton of removal doesn't necessarily solve your problem with winning faster than others. Advancing your game plan is more important in some decks than slowing others down.

So what do we do with a deck with potentially generate 11 free mana by turn three because of Sol RingSol Ring and ramp? How do we know when to remove it?

First, how close are they to casting their commander? Does it set them back one turn or two? It might be worth it against a Kiora, Sovereign of the DeepKiora, Sovereign of the Deep deck. That extra mana puts value to the commander two turns early and the commander is hard to remove later. Additionally, the extra mana discounts future Kraken or Leviathan spells which are high mana costed.

Against a Dihada, Binder of WillsDihada, Binder of Wills, it might not matter because of the three mana pips required to cast her, where Sol Ring only puts the player one turn earlier to playing her.

Another important question is how far back does it set you to interact with it? It's more about what you have. I would never waste an Assassin's TrophyAssassin's Trophy with so many potential removal targets on a Sol RingSol Ring. I might VandalblastVandalblast on turn one if I'm after the Sol RingSol Ring player in turn order. It might worth it to Chomping ChangelingChomping Changeling it on turn three to slow the roll and put out a body against the Ovika, Enigma GoliathOvika, Enigma Goliath deck if they're the one to play the Sol RingSol Ring.

So, it's finicky. It really depends a bunch of factors:

• How much removal are you running? Can you waste this spell?
• How much does it slow down the plans of the opponent? Is it a tempo shift early game or later. Can you outpace that?
• Is it worth it? Is the goal of your deck to slow others down or out pace them?
• What's the conversion rate? How much are you setting them back for what you're losing.
• Do you need this piece of interaction to protect your own win?

Conclusion

Sol RingSol Ring is a very powerful card. It's some of the best fast mana in the format. I consider it an unofficial Game Changer. I write at length the reason I think this in Powerful Magic Cards We Take for Granted in Commander. The fact that Sol RingSol Ring is in every precon - not because it's Commander's poster child - it isn't productive to discuss it in power level conversations. Anyone playing almost any level of Commander is likely playing Sol RingSol Ring; it's accessible in price and printings.

In terms of game warping - game changing - it's a big one, but everyone is doing it so it's not important to discuss so it's an unofficial Game Changer. So it's worth noticing in conversations about removal and interaction. Should we remove it though?

What do I do? I think it's more important to cut off card draw more than mana. Deck are predominantly lands and drawing for turn might end up being more mana. Card draw gives players options and forwards their game plan. I use my removal and interaction for combo pieces and card draw engines because that's more likely to win the game than a Sol RingSol Ring.

I don't think, unless it's absolutely pressing or particularly advantageous, we should use our removal or interaction on a Sol RingSol Ring. Commander just isn't a format that encourages the type of denial of removing ramp to be worth it. If you're running that much removal, it's dubious how balanced the winning cards to stax, denial, and interaction are in you deck.

But that's my thoughts. I want to hear yours. I'm @strixhavendropout on everything.