Fun Alternatives for the Top Ten Saltiest Commanders

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://jesperejsing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jesper Ejsing</a></em></p>
<p>In one week, it's time to spill the salt. Are you ready?</p>
<p>2025 EDHREC salt voting goes from September 29th to October 3rd.</p>
<p>Salt voting is an annual tradition here on EDHREC where we poll you, our community, about your least favorite cards in the Commander format.</p>
<p>To see the results of previous years' salt voting, <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/salt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">head here</a>. Or watch the EDHRECast gang go over 2024's results below.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="The Saltiest Cards in Commander (2024 Edition) | EDHRECast 334" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t-H5P0zTfhA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<h3>Read More:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="gm422AGJb2"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-salty-for-your-losses/">Am I The Bolas? - Salty for Your Losses</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Am I The Bolas? - Salty for Your Losses&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/am-i-the-bolas-salty-for-your-losses/embed/#?secret=xvuFX4kOi7#?secret=gm422AGJb2" data-secret="gm422AGJb2" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="ALaJDUzJxR"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/why-do-we-salt-out-in-commander/">Why Do We Salt Out in Commander?</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Why Do We Salt Out in Commander?&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/why-do-we-salt-out-in-commander/embed/#?secret=jC9oBgFw7H#?secret=ALaJDUzJxR" data-secret="ALaJDUzJxR" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="vuXKSe8jNi"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/do-these-five-salt-inducing-commanders-deserve-the-hate/">Do These Five Salt-Inducing Commanders Deserve the Hate?</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" title="&#8220;Do These Five Salt-Inducing Commanders Deserve the Hate?&#8221; &#8212; EDHREC" src="https://edhrec.com/articles/do-these-five-salt-inducing-commanders-deserve-the-hate/embed/#?secret=xuvPwYPD4I#?secret=vuXKSe8jNi" data-secret="vuXKSe8jNi" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p>


2025 EDHREC Salt Voting Begins in One Week

Adapting the Abzan Armor Precon for Different Commander Brackets

Digital Deckbuilding - Archidekt Deck Comparison and EDHREC Salt Scores

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sowing Salt" href="#" target="_blank">Sowing Salt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.00hide00.com/">Hideaki Takamura</a>)</h6>
<h1>A Salt and Battery</h1>
<p>Hello there! EDHREC is happy to announce the reopening of the Salt Polls! Our community survey about 'salt-inducing' cards (a.k.a. cards that players don't always like to play against) helps gauge player opinion about the state of the format. Knowing which cards the community deems most 'salty' is a quick way to identify cards that players might want to discuss in pre-game Rule 0 discussions, to ensure everyone is on the same page, whether they're looking to <em>avoid </em>those cards, or whether they're all gearing up for a mutually uber-powerful game.</p>
<p>If you'd like to get voting right away, <a href="https://edhsaltscore.com/">you can find the Salt Polls here</a>! If you're hungry for a little more info, we've got a short video here that covers all the salty details:</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="The EDHREC Salt Poll Returns! | Magic: the Gathering" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sI_JihFQEqw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>Once the voting is closed, we look forward to analyzing the results with you on an upcoming <a href="https://www.youtube.com/edhrecast">EDHRECast</a> episode. The format is always evolving, so there may be little change, or there could be a TON of salty upheaval, with new cards rising and old cards fading down. We'll have to wait and see!</p>
<p>We'd also like to take a quick moment to shout out the fine folks at <a href="https://archidekt.com/">Archidekt</a>, who have collaborated with EDHREC to put the new poll together. In addition to EDHREC integrating the results into our database, Archidekt will also have some new features coming soon! Both sites are very excited to create new tools to help assist players as they brew new decks.</p>
<p>Not to drop too much info too fast, but we know a lot of folks have inquired about the possibility for other community polls, such as a 'Sugar Score' opposite the Salt Score, to gauge the cards players most <em>love </em>to play against. Rest assured that we have lots of ideas cooking in the lab - we just wanted to get this one done first, in honor of the recently-departed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hullbreacher" href="#" target="_blank">Hullbreacher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who swam many a salty sea.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hullbreacher"></div></div>
<p>By the way, if you'd like some easy listening while you vote, feel free to check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMCWvby0-gw&amp;t=93s">this past episode of the EDHRECast</a> with CAG member <a href="https://twitter.com/ghirapurigears">Shivam Bhatt</a>, where we discussed the previous Salt Poll results, along with different ways to navigate to a mutually enjoyable game for the whole table.</p>
<p>So, which cards do you suspect will make it into the new roster of most-salt-inducing cards in the format? Do you think the list will look the same, or are there a lot of new cards that have edged into the top spots? We'd love to hear your thoughts.</p>
<p><a href="https://edhsaltscore.com/">Happy voting</a>!</p>


EDHREC Announcement - The Salt Polls Return!

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Narset, Enlightened Master" href="#" target="_blank">Narset, Enlightened Master</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.magali-villeneuve.com/">Magali Villeneuve</a>)</h6>
<h1>Just a Pinch</h1>
<p>In a <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/edhrecast-ep54-the-saltiest-cards-in-edh-ft-bennie-smith/">recent episode of the EDHRECast</a>, co-hosts Joey, Matt, and Dana sat down with Star City Games writer <a href="http://www.starcitygames.com/articles/tags/BennieSmith">Bennie Smith</a> to discuss... salt. No, not the delicious spice that supplies iodide (a necessary nutrient); I mean <em>salt</em>: the feeling you get when the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mizzix of the Izmagnus" href="#" target="_blank">Mizzix of the Izmagnus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> player combos out a turn before your victory; the emotion inspired by a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zur, the Enchanter" href="#" target="_blank">Zur, the Enchanter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> pillowfort deck that you just <em>can't</em> get through to; the prickling sensation of a player who just resolved <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Armageddon" href="#" target="_blank">Armageddon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>... with no win condition in hand (or in mind).</p>
<p>It's easy for me to recall specific moments where a card made me salty, but it is much more challenging to judge whether a single card is inherently "salty". How do you quantify a card's "salt potential"? The answer, it turns out, is "with lots of help."</p>
<p>This April, we at EDHREC presented a survey to you, our lovely readers, listeners, and users. In the span of 3 days, you contributed over <em>500,000</em> votes on the saltiness of various cards, rated on a scale from 0 (sodium-free) to 4 (drinking a bottle of soy sauce while swimming in the Dead Sea). With all that data, we created a <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/salt">Top 100 list</a> of the most salt-inducing cards in Commander.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-32905 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/salty-cards.png" alt="" width="614" height="362" /></p>
<p>In browsing this list, clear patterns emerge of what cards are most likely to conjure up some good-old NaCl. Sitting pretty at #1 is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stasis" href="#" target="_blank">Stasis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a low-effort method of making players skip their untap steps. Stasis is the namesake of an entire genre of decks that prevent you from using your resources, and some of its best friends populate the list: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Winter Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Winter Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (#3), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Static Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Static Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (#11), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hokori, Dust Drinker" href="#" target="_blank">Hokori, Dust Drinker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (#26), and so on. Living at the #2 slot is the tried-and-true land destruction spell <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Armageddon" href="#" target="_blank">Armageddon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Similar cards that destroy, bounce, exile, or otherwise Do Bad Things to your lands make up a whopping <em>20%</em> of the Top 100 list. Smaller categories represented in the list include: cards that say "can't" (such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Iona, Shield of Emeria" href="#" target="_blank">Iona, Shield of Emeria</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), spells that result in multiple extra turns (à la <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Expropriate" href="#" target="_blank">Expropriate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), notable win-conditions (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), and frightening commanders (e.g. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Narset, Enlightened Master" href="#" target="_blank">Narset, Enlightened Master</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<hr />
<h2>Saltcrusted Steps to Building Decks</h2>
<p>Empowered with this new salt-flavored knowledge, how can we take advantage of it to reduce or– Keftnet forbid– increase, the saltiness of our decks? The wizards of the EDHREC team have you covered, with what we're calling the Salt Early Warning System*.</p>
<p>* Note: no one is actually calling it the Salt Early Warning System.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-32904 aligncenter" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cyclonic-salt.png" alt="" width="209" height="360" /></p>
<p>If you make a visit to the card page for one of our salty friends like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cyclonic Rift" href="#" target="_blank">Cyclonic Rift</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you'll notice a little salt shaker icon at the bottom-left corner of the card image, warning you that this card is likely to cause salt. This icon will follow the card no matter where you view it on the site. The salt shaker also appears on lists of decks (like the "Recent Decks" section on <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/atraxa-praetors-voice">Atraxa's page</a>.) As exemplified by <a href="https://edhrec.com/listofdecks/scion-of-the-ur-dragon">Scion of the Ur-Dragon's page</a>, you can even sort lists of decks by their salt score, to find the lowest- or highest-sodium ways to play that commander.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Shake It Till You Make It</h2>
<p>Now that we know saltiest cards on the block, it's only fair that we put our salt where our mouth is. With assistance from the Top 100 list, let's try to make the saltiest deck we can manage. In the spirit of my budget deckbuilding series, <em><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/author/walkingatlas/">Low Market</a>,</em> I'm also going to cap myself at $100.00 – this is notably higher than the average cost of a Low Market deck, but salt doesn't come cheap in this economy.</p>
<p>There are approximately 20 viable commanders in our Top 100, when you exclude banned cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leovold, Emissary of Trest" href="#" target="_blank">Leovold, Emissary of Trest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Of these, a scant <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=%28%22Iona%2C+Shield+of+Emeria%22+OR+%22Vorinclex%2C+Voice+of+Hunger%22+OR+%22Jin-Gitaxias%2C+Core+Augur%22+OR+%22Hokori%2C+Dust+Drinker%22+OR+%22Grand+Arbiter+Augustin+IV%22+OR+%22Narset%2C+Enlightened+Master%22+OR+%22Gaddock+Teeg%22+OR+%22Emrakul%2C+the+Promised+End%22+OR+%22Ulamog%2C+the+Ceaseless+Hunger%22+OR+%22Atraxa%2C+Praetors%27+Voice%22+OR+%22Elesh+Norn%2C+Grand+Cenobite%22+OR+%22Ulamog%2C+the+Infinite+Gyre%22+OR+%22Zur+the+Enchanter%22+OR+%22Kozilek%2C+Butcher+of+Truth%22+OR+%22Avacyn%2C+Angel+of+Hope%22+OR+%22Linvala%2C+Keeper+of+Silence%22+OR+%22Derevi%2C+Empyrial+Tactician%22%29+USD%3C10">six Legendary Creatures</a> can be found for under $10.00 USD (at time of writing). Two options immediately jump out at me: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Narset, Enlightened Master" href="#" target="_blank">Narset, Enlightened Master</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (#36), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Derevi, Empyrial Tactician" href="#" target="_blank">Derevi, Empyrial Tactician</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Both of these commanders offer many colors to work with, and play into at least one major theme we identified in our most salty cards. Narset is focused on free casts of noncreature spells, while also being a great card advantage engine when <em>someone</em>–not going to name any names–has blown up everyone's lands. Derevi, meanwhile, is a means to untap permanents that might, <em>theoretically</em>, be locked down by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stasis" href="#" target="_blank">Stasis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects. Since I am a bit more familiar with her operation, I've decided to tackle Narset Land Destruction.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sunder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Narset, Enlightened Master"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Global Ruin"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>That makes our gameplan pretty straightforward: stick Narset, cripple our opponents through land destruction, and find some method of killing them. I selected a healthy quantity of land destruction spells from our salt list: note that some of these cards also destroy creatures, so we'll need means of protecting Narset.</p>
<p>Since Narset's main jam is casting noncreature spells, I wanted a noncreature method of closing out the game, and landed on Aura-based Voltron. This choice is, in part, thematically driven: I've killed a few people with Narset after stacking a few Auras on her, and those folks were <em>definitely</em> salty afterwards. Being in white gets us Auras that grant indestructible, addressing our above need, and also gives us several convenient cards that tutor for Auras such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Three Dreams" href="#" target="_blank">Three Dreams</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>With the advent of commanders like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Gitrog Monster" href="#" target="_blank">The Gitrog Monster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and more recently <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lord Windgrace" href="#" target="_blank">Lord Windgrace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, there are far too many decks that actively <em>want</em> lands in their graveyard. We're compensating for this strategy with a meaty collection of budget graveyard hate effects: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Silent Gravestone" href="#" target="_blank">Silent Gravestone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sentinel Totem" href="#" target="_blank">Sentinel Totem</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scavenger Grounds" href="#" target="_blank">Scavenger Grounds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silent Gravestone"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sentinel Totem"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scavenger Grounds"></div></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The remainder of our deck is filled out with standard Narset fare. We've stuffed in a dozen mana rocks and reduced our land count a hair, since lands are useless when exiled by our commander. A couple topdeck manipulation spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="" href="#" target="_blank"></a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>Brainstorm<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="" href="#" target="_blank"></a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> prevent high-CMC spells from living in our hand, and lay the foundation for explosive attacks. Finally, we've a handful of straightforward card draw spells for when Narset is unavailable for help with card advantage.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Checking Out</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="High-Salt Narset (By Themes)" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
* Narset, Enlightened Master
[/Commander]
[Land Destruction and Hate]
* Armageddon
* Boom // Bust
* Cataclysm
* Catastrophe
* Decree of Annihilation
* Epicenter
* Global Ruin
* Impending Disaster
* Obliterate
* Rising Waters
* Ruination
* Sunder
[/Land Destruction]
[Aura Subtheme]
* Aqueous Form
* Auramancer&#039;s Guise
* Battle Mastery
* Eldrazi Conscription
* Faith&#039;s Fetters
* Flickerform
* Gift of Immortality
* Indestructibility
* On Serra&#039;s Wings
* Open the Armory
* Overwhelming Splendor
* Plea for Guidance
* Shielded by Faith
* Spirit Mantle
* Three Dreams
* Unquestioned Authority
[/Aura Subtheme]
[Topdeck]
* Contingency Plan
* Dream Cache
* Foresee
* Long-Term Plans
* Mystical Tutor
* Penance
* Taigam&#039;s Scheming
* Tamiyo&#039;s Epiphany
[/Topdeck]
[Card Advantage]
* Brainstorm
* Deep Analysis
* Frantic Search
* Precognitive Perception
* Treasure Cruise
* Ugin&#039;s Insight
[/Card Advantage]
[Ramp]
* Azorius Signet
* Boros Signet
* Darksteel Ingot
* Dreamstone Hedron
* Expedition Map
* Firemind Vessel
* Gilded Lotus
* Izzet Signet
* Jeskai Banner
* Mana Geode
* Mind Stone
* Unstable Obelisk
[/Ramp]
[Removal, Hate, Countermagic]
* Arcane Denial
* Divine Reckoning
* Insidious Will
* Oblation
* Sentinel Totem
* Silent Gravestone
* Torpor Orb
* Winds of Rath
* Winter Orb
[/Removal, Hate, Countermagic]
[Recursion]
* Bond of Insight
[/Recursion]
[Lands]
*5 Plains
*5 Island
*5 Mountain
* Desert of the Fervent
* Desert of the Mindful
* Desert of the True
* Desolate Lighthouse
* Evolving Wilds
* Gateway Plaza
* Grixis Panorama
* Irrigated Farmland
* Mystic Monastery
* Rogue&#039;s Passage
* Rupture Spire
* Scavenger Grounds
* Slayers&#039; Stronghold
* Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
* Terramorphic Expanse
* Transguild Promenade
* Vivid Crag
* Vivid Creek
* Vivid Meadow
* Warped Landscape
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h2>When the Salt Settles</h2>
<p>At the end of the day, our High-Salt Narset Land Destruction deck checks out for approximately $100.00 by TCG Mid pricing, and our oh-so-critical salt score is 115.96. You can also find this decklist on <a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/72300#EDHREC_-_High-Salt_Narset">Archidekt</a>. In a departure from the norm, I sincerely hope that <em>as few of you as possible</em> build this salt-inducing deck. If you'd like to tell me about the saltiest deck you own or have faced, track me down on Twitter, <a>@Walking_Atlas</a>, or leave a comment below. Until next time, here's hoping that our new features get you your daily recommended allowance of sodium.</p>


salt

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2025 EDHREC Salt Voting Begins in One Week

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Digital Deckbuilding - Archidekt Deck Comparison and EDHREC Salt Scores

EDHREC Announcement - The Salt Polls Return!

New EDHREC Feature - Salt!