<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chromatic Lantern|BRR|73" href="#" target="_blank">Chromatic Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></em> | <em>Art by <a href="https://www.gallerynucleus.com/artists/ben_hill">Ben Hill</a></em></p>
<p>My partner makes fun of me because whenever I build a deck, the thing I neglect the most is lands.</p>
<p>I will look through my bulk lands from my most recent prerelease and put in what I can find. Lots of basics, regardless of the amount of colors in the commander's color identity. Some of you might be thinking and acting the same as me, but are we okay like this? What are the considerations?</p>
<h2>How Important Are Lands?</h2>
<p>There is a lot of context about lands, lots of things to take into consideration. First of all is the color identity of your commander. Basic lands aren't always the enemy. In mono colored decks, basics are friends.</p>
<p>In an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magda, Brazen Outlaw" href="#" target="_blank">Magda, Brazen Outlaw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, basics are hugely useful, even in cEDH. Basics don't come in tapped, like some multicolored lands. They're often more fetchable than any other type of land. Because your commander only needs one color, there is no need to make many trades on efficiency. You'll likely only go with other kinds of lands for utility.</p>
<p>Moving up slightly to two color decks, things get a little iffy with basics. You are more likely to see both your colors in an opening hand of only basics, but the efficiency goes down quite a bit.</p>
<p>You have to think about a handful of things. First is having the colors you need in the various combinations you will need. The problem is some of the best <a href="https://edhrec.com/lands/azorius">dual lands</a> are the ones that come in with a clause or two that negatively affect you. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Crypt" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Crypt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breeding Pool" href="#" target="_blank">Breeding Pool</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are examples of duals that would come in untapped the turn they enter, but you have to pay two life.</p>
<p>These cards will also cost you a pretty penny. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Crypt" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Crypt</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could run you 15-20 dollars. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breeding Pool" href="#" target="_blank">Breeding Pool</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will cost about 10 dollars. That's a lot of money just for a land base, isn't it? That's the question we'll get into later.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza, Lord High Artificer"></div></div>
<p>While cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boseiju, Who Endures" href="#" target="_blank">Boseiju, Who Endures</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might blow up one of your opponents' artifacts, enchantments, or nonbasic lands, you can search for a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elegant Parlor" href="#" target="_blank">Elegant Parlor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> because it has a basic land type but is a dual land. This gives some of these duals some unique advantages to a land like Command Tower, which isn't fetchable in any way.</p>
<p>Surveil lands struggle coming in tapped, which makes cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hallowed Fountain" href="#" target="_blank">Hallowed Fountain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> better. Dual lands that are fetchable are good, but ones that come in untapped as well are even more important.</p>
<p>Having access to a land drop with useable mana on each of your turns increases what you can do. This is also compared to other players who might have access to more mana than you through ramp with artifacts or ramp spells. You need to keep tempo, by gaining at least one more mana each turn than you had the turn before. Reid Duke wrote <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/tempo-2015-07-20">a lovely article about this</a>.</p>
<p>Having that extra mana is more you can hold up for interaction. It's more mana for big blowout spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Insurrection" href="#" target="_blank">Insurrection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's a big deal late in the game, that one additional mana.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Insurrection"></div></div>
<p>When we scale up to three, four, and five color decks, access to all of your colors are a bigger deal. Decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scion of the Ur-Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Scion of the Ur-Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> require all five colors on turn four or five to keep up pace with other decks. I should know; I run this deck. It's a five color deck that needs all five colors to cast the commander.</p>
<p>All the spells in the deck require various different combinations of colors that you need to be able to guarantee. Lands that tap for more than one color are huge. Triome lands like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ziatora&#039;s Proving Ground" href="#" target="_blank">Ziatora&#039;s Proving Ground</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will guarantee access to even more colors, even though it comes in tapped.</p>
<p>On early turns you can risk a Triome for access to colors later because in the early game, you likely can't cast anything anyway.</p>
<h2>How Much Does it Matter Really?</h2>
<p>There is a reason that players skimp out on lands, either in the number of them in a deck and/or in their access to colors. The reason is because in the grand scheme of what you can do in a game of Commander, it's not heavily reliant on lands. It's important, don't get me wrong, but it's not the most or second-most important thing.</p>
<p>Having things that further your game plan in your deck are far more important, right? We want to have good removal, good synergy, and board wipes. We want to protect our commander. Aside from landfall decks, the kinds or number of lands in your deck might negatively affect you only occasionally, but not necessarily all the time.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scion of the Ur-Dragon"></div></div>
<p>That's the sort of logic that I work with when I build the first iterations of my decks. I want to see how much my deck can do, if it all works together, before tuning. I want to see if the idea comes together at all.</p>
<p>Good lands are expensive. Commander decks in general aren't cheap. It could easily run you between $3-400 just to put together something competitive. Why should any of that budget go to something like tempo? In lower power games, most other players have lands coming in untapped, and you might not lose the tempo advantage there either. The deck can win, can function, being behind one additional mana every turn.</p>
<p>My deck can still do the thing, if I only occasionally get locked out of a color or don't see enough lands. It's okay to lose because of luck of the lands. Right?</p>
<h2>It Actually Matters A lot</h2>
<p>I'll explain my logic with a deck I love. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scion of the Ur-Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Scion of the Ur-Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a deck I built after MagicCon: Vegas. I was standing in line to get into the convention hall, talking with some strangers. Someone mentioned a Scion of the Ur-Dragon Secret Lair that would be on sale. I hadn't heard of this card.</p>
<p>They mentioned that it would be a cool <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/reanimator">Reanimator</a> deck. I became obsessed with this <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/dragons">Dragon-Typal</a> Reanimator deck. I ended up building it. As usual, I neglected the mana base. I wanted to play the deck and Dragons aren't cheap. Five-color mana bases are expensive as well. Ten <a href="https://edhrec.com/lands/five-color#shocklands">Shocklands</a> and ten <a href="https://edhrec.com/lands/five-color#surveillands">Surveil Lands</a>, and ten <a href="https://edhrec.com/lands/five-color#trilands">Triomes</a>; that will run you nearly half the budget of your deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reanimate"></div></div>
<p>I played this deck over and over, trying to figure out what Bracket the deck was. These explosive turns, totally powerful and exciting, were possible, but in other games, I was so behind. I couldn't catch up, couldn't guarantee my commander on-curve, and struggled to ramp up quickly enough.</p>
<p>It got to the point where, I felt the deck was too inconsistent to be strong enough to play with the big boys. I thought I was building a Bracket 4 deck, but it turned out to be more of a Bracket 3. Dragons are so strong and Reanimator is so strong as a subtheme. I was sure to cheat out Dragons quick and efficiently, but I just couldn't get there.</p>
<p>Recently, after tons of nagging from my partner, I decided to spend my entire <em>Magic</em> budget for the month on updating my land bases in all of my other decks. I had a decent amount of Shocks from <em><a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/eoe">Edge of Eternities</a></em>, but I grabbed the off-color rotation ones as well to upgrade the Scion. I didn't get ten of each, but I grabbed a few here and there.</p>
<p>It isn't a perfect land base, but I put some Shocks in. I put some Triomes. And instantly, like night and day, the deck started performing more consistently and more aggressively.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stomping Ground|EOE|258"></div></div>
<p>I could consistently get Scion out on turn four or five. I could cast those big dragons like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragonlord Dromoka" href="#" target="_blank">Dragonlord Dromoka</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on-curve. My mana dorks were more efficient. I was surprised how it performed after the small change.</p>
<p>All of my other decks that got a land facelift performed even more aggressively, spiking their power. It was eye-opening for me. I could cast more spells over the course of the games, could optimize my turns, and was never behind, waiting to take a big turn. What Reid had written about tempo, getting that additional mana, and using my turns aggressively changed the Bracket of the deck.</p>
<h2>Chromatic Lantern</h2>
<p>I want to slightly derail my conversation for a second to address something related to this topic. It has to do with mana bases, I promise. I was spooking around <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strixhavendropout.bsky.social">Bluesky</a> as usual and I saw the community was arguing about something again. Honestly, the <em>Magic</em> community is usually in disagreement about something. It keeps things lively, if not exhausting at times, but I digress.</p>
<p>They were back on whether you should run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chromatic Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Chromatic Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Some people argued that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yCsyiL_6Qq0">Josh Lee Kwai on the Command Zone Podcast</a> argued against this card. He doesn't go into too much detail, but I think he's right.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chromatic Lantern"></div></div>
<p>Before we talk about why he's right, I want to address some of the dissenting opinions.</p>
<p>Money. This is not nothing. I think it's the strongest argument to run Chromatic Lantern and weaker mana bases when building a deck. Strong land bases, while better than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chromatic Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Chromatic Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are much more expensive than a three-dollar rare. Proxying isn't available for everyone to do to get that mana base until you can afford it.</p>
<p>Sometimes you want to play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chromatic Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Chromatic Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and not think about how many pips of what you want to play. Not everything is about efficiency and power.</p>
<p>I wasn't running <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chromatic Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Chromatic Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in my five color Dragon-Typal Reanimator <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scion of the Ur-Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Scion of the Ur-Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck even before I upgraded the land base. The one, huge, fatal flaw to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chromatic Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Chromatic Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is that you're unlikely to see it. It's one card in 99 and it doesn't do much.</p>
<p>It ramps you one mana at the rate of a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Commander&#039;s Sphere" href="#" target="_blank">Commander&#039;s Sphere</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which I don't think we should be playing either (<a href="https://edhrec.com/cards/talisman-of-indulgence">Talismans</a> are more efficient). It fixes your mana, but it doesn't make your lands come in untapped. There are so many budget friendly options that guarantee you more value.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spelunking"></div></div>
<p>If you're running green, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spelunking" href="#" target="_blank">Spelunking</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a three-mana card that makes your lands come in untapped, draws you a card, and potentially ramps you a land. With cheap, tapped dual lands, your problems are solved. It's a four-dollar card at its most expensive. To Josh's point, lands are so protected and cheap in terms of mana bases these days that running them is a better way to ensure your colors.</p>
<p>The tempo battle is still there, with things coming in tapped, but it's better than not fixing your colors and waiting to see one card in the 99. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spelunking" href="#" target="_blank">Spelunking</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might solve one aspect of this problem--the part with the lands coming in tapped--but if you're not running green and don't see it, it's not helpful.</p>
<p>Ultimately, I just think it's better to under-tempo yourself and spend 15$ dollars on cheap tapped duals than play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chromatic Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Chromatic Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Obviously, this is if you want to optimize your decks. If that's not your goal, then play whatever you'd like. I just think if we're talking about if the card is "bad," like Josh talks about in his video, it absolutely is.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Ultimately, mana bases are hugely important to creating a strong, efficient deck. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but it really is. Play more than 36 lands and make sure you have access to all your colors, even if they come in tapped. It'll change the game for you. But that's just what I think. What do you think? Let me know! I'm <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/strixhavendropout.bsky.social">@Strixhavendropout at Bluesky</a>.</p>
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How Important Is Your Mana Base in Commander?

<h6 style="text-align: right;"></h6>
<hr />
<h3><a href="https://commandersherald.com/murders-at-karlov-manor-set-review-white/">White</a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/murders-at-karlov-manor-set-review-blue/?utm_source=edhrec&amp;utm_medium=article_preview">Blue</a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/murders-at-karlov-manor-set-review-black/">Black</a> | <a href="https://commandersherald.com/murders-at-karlov-manor-set-review-red/">Red</a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/murders-at-karlov-manor-set-review-green/?utm_source=edhrec&amp;utm_medium=article_preview">Green</a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/murders-at-karlov-manor-set-review-artifacts-lands/">Artifacts &amp; Lands</a> | <a href="https://commandersherald.com/murders-at-karlov-manor-set-review-allied-shards/">Allied Colors &amp; Shards</a> | <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/murders-at-karlov-manor-set-review-enemy-and-wedge/">Enemy Colors &amp; Wedges</a> | <a href="https://commandersherald.com/murders-at-karlov-manor-set-review-cedh/">cEDH</a> | <a href="https://commandersherald.com/murders-at-karlov-manor-set-review-reprints/">Reprints</a> | <a href="https://commandersherald.com/murders-at-karlov-manor-set-review-pauper-budget/">Budget/Pauper</a></h3>
<hr />
<h2>CSI: Ravnica</h2>
<p>Friendly greetings, fellow <em>Magic </em>enthusiasts. I'm John Sherwood, <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/author/john-sherwood/">author of </a><em>Digital Deckbuilding. </em>This week, I'm investigating crime scenes among the Gateless, sweeping for colorless prints from <em>Magic</em>'s tenth Ravnican standard set. <em>Murders at Karlov Manor</em> offers exciting new lands, thought-provoking artifacts, and a novel colorless enchantment.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Rares</h2>
<hr />
<h3>Surveil Lands</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Undercity Sewers|MKM|332"></div></div>
<p>The game's afoot with a new cycle of two-color fixing lands. Artistically, the ten-card cycle represents crime scenes in the territory of each of Ravnica's guilds. Mechanically, these cards are strictly better versions of an older land cycle, the <em>Theros</em> temples.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Temple of Deceit"></div></div>
<p>Both cycles enter the battlefield tapped and provide limited card selection, but the <em>MKM s</em>urveil lands can be charged with two counts of power creep. First, they join the list of fetchable duals by having basic land types. You can search for these with green spells like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farseek" href="#" target="_blank">Farseek</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the ten Zendikar fetch lands, or the five <em>Mirage</em> slow fetches. These lands can fix colors in decks with a wide range of price points. Second, surveil is better than scry because graveyard mechanics are both commonplace and strategically advantageous. From <em>MKM</em>'s Collect Evidence, to Descend from <em>Lost Caverns of Ixalan</em> to Delve, there are <em>plenty</em> of 'yard-thirsty mechanics to feed with an incidental surveil 1. Turning the magnifying glass onto commanders like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sefris of the Hidden Ways" href="#" target="_blank">Sefris of the Hidden Ways</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Mimeoplasm" href="#" target="_blank">The Mimeoplasm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, surveil lands are an avenue to get more creature cards in the graveyard. There are nearly 200 multicolor commanders with "graveyard" in their oracle text. The surveil lands definitely have a niche in many of those decks.</p>
<hr />
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cryptex" href="#" target="_blank">Cryptex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cryptex"></div></div>
<p>In a lineup of criminally bad cards, Cryptex makes <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Manalith" href="#" target="_blank">Manalith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> look good. The design of Cryptex is thematically accurate as an artifact that is intentionally difficult to use. It has not one, but two abilities that require a code to open. The mana ability on Cryptex requires "collect evidence 3" in the activation cost. In other words, <strong>this mana rock will not make mana</strong> unless you have cards in your graveyard with casting costs that add up to three. Requiring at least five unlock counters to activate, the card draw ability on Cryptex does nothing before resolving the mana ability five times. Proliferate can help, but only after Cryptex picks up the first unlock counter. Before you add this card to a deck, ask yourself a question:</p>
<p>Are you playing a proliferate deck that also reliably fills your graveyard?</p>
<ul>
<li>No? Move along, this card is bad.</li>
<li>Yes? Move along, this card is still bad.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ransom Note" href="#" target="_blank">Ransom Note</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ransom Note"></div></div>
<p>While the card itself is a fairly standard utility artifact, Ransom Note is intriguing for other reasons. Promotional media for <em>Murders at Karlov Manor</em> includes a game in which players can solve Mystery Files to unlock a sleeve reward in <em>MTG Arena</em>. Each of the four <em>Murders at Karlov Manor</em> Commander precons features a different art on Ransom Note as part of a puzzle for the promotional event.</p>
<p>You can learn more about the Mystery Files and participate on the <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/murders-at-karlov-manor/mystery-files">official website</a>. Other players are getting into the fun and discussing the Ransom Note puzzle on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/s/n8lvxqz0VJ">Reddit</a>. One of the running theories is that there's a connection to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cryptex" href="#" target="_blank">Cryptex</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, so maybe that card is good for something after all?</p>
<p>As for Ransom Note itself, I think it has some value in decks that care about Clues or sacrificing artifacts. The option to goad a creature might give this card enough of a boost to find a home in colorless decks that have limited interaction options like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Graaz, Unstoppable Juggernaut" href="#" target="_blank">Graaz, Unstoppable Juggernaut</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender" href="#" target="_blank">Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Panoptic Projektor" href="#" target="_blank">Panoptic Projektor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Panoptic Projektor"></div></div>
<p>Going undercover with a variety of facedown creature mechanics, Panoptic Projektor is functionally <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thran Dynamo" href="#" target="_blank">Thran Dynamo</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> with the huge upside of doubling triggered abilities when creatures turn face up. Appearing as a new card in the<a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/deadly-disguise-precon-review/"> Deadly Disguise preconstructed deck</a>, this artifact is a natural fit with the new Disguise and Cloak mechanics. It's also a boon to existing Commander decks built around Morph and Megamorph. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> players take note, Panoptic Projektor was made for you. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Animar, Soul of Elements" href="#" target="_blank">Animar, Soul of Elements</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another Morph commander that will see Panoptic Projektor on the flip side.</p>
<p><a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/combo/2690-5369-5370/">The Projektor enables a new infinite mana combo in Animar's colors</a>: Turning a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rattleclaw Mystic" href="#" target="_blank">Rattleclaw Mystic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> face up with Panoptic Projektor in play yields six to nine mana. That's some pretty potent synergy, and it loops with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Master of the Veil" href="#" target="_blank">Master of the Veil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Spend three mana to turn Master of the Veil face up, then Panoptic Mirror duplicates the Master of the Veil trigger. Use those triggers to turn both Rattleclaw Mystic and Master of the Veil facedown; wash, rinse and repeat. Although Panoptic Projektor has a much smaller pool of cards to work with than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Panharmonicon" href="#" target="_blank">Panharmonicon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Roaming Throne" href="#" target="_blank">Roaming Throne</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it is nonetheless a force multiplier.</p>
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<h2>Uncommons &amp; Commons</h2>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Case of the Shattered Pact" href="#" target="_blank">Case of the Shattered Pact</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Case of the Shattered Pact"></div></div>
<p>Disclaimer: my opinion of this card is biased by my own beloved <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jenson Carthalion, Druid Exile" href="#" target="_blank">Jenson Carthalion, Druid Exile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> five-color-matters deck. I'm excited to try it, but objectively? This card is jank. The first ability on Case of the Shattered Pact is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Environmental Sciences" href="#" target="_blank">Environmental Sciences</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> without life gain, and any deck can play it. However, solving the case is where this card will struggle to find a home in Commander. Only a five-color Commander deck will have the necessary permanents to solve this case. If your deck can solve it, though, repeatedly granting a creature flying, double strike, and vigilance is a great payoff for a two-mana investment.</p>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Escape Tunnel" href="#" target="_blank">Escape Tunnel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Escape Tunnel"></div></div>
<p>Much like surveil lands, Escape Tunnel is a strictly better version of existing lands. This crime scene sees <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evolving Wilds" href="#" target="_blank">Evolving Wilds</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terramorphic Expanse" href="#" target="_blank">Terramorphic Expanse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in chalk outlines, and Escape Tunnel is the murder weapon. The option to give a creature evasion keeps this card relevant at every stage of the game, especially in light of commander damage. There are plenty of small-bodied commanders capable of resolving this to become unblockable before temporary pump effects, like prowess. Alternatively, it could be used with other Voltron mechanics. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist" href="#" target="_blank">Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and multiple possible partners can be pumped up with Auras and Equipment after resolving Escape Tunnel. This card does not replace <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rogue&#039;s Passage" href="#" target="_blank">Rogue&#039;s Passage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but it does the same job in the right deck.</p>
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<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Branch of Vitu-Ghazi" href="#" target="_blank">Branch of Vitu-Ghazi</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Branch of Vitu-Ghazi"></div></div>
<p>Since Disguise is not particularly interesting to me, I initially dismissed Branch of Vitu-Ghazi as a draft chaff land with set mechanic. I checked this one out of the evidence locker for a second look and realized it's land ramp with no color identity restriction. By casting Branch of Vitu-Ghazi for its Disguise cost, you sneak an additional land card into the battlefield. Turning it face up costs three mana, but this action is mana-neutral because of the triggered ability and the land's mana ability.</p>
<p>Of course, green decks can do better than ramping one land for effectively three mana, but I'm not comparing this card to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampant Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Rampant Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I think the home for this card is in non-green decks, budding somewhere between <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble" href="#" target="_blank">Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (included in 399,778 decks on EDHREC) and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burnished Hart" href="#" target="_blank">Burnished Hart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (188,265 decks).</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Burnished Hart"></div></div></h5>
<p>Compared to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble" href="#" target="_blank">Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, Branch of Vitu-Ghazi is still useful on turns 1 and 2 because it can be an untapped land drop on turns when you can't pay the disguise cost. From turn three on, Wayfarer's Bauble is more efficient for ramp, but Branch of Vitu-Ghazi becomes more versatile. Then there's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Burnished Hart" href="#" target="_blank">Burnished Hart</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which costs six mana to cast and activate. Using Burnished Harts nets two additional lands in play, but they enter tapped. Flipping Branch of Vitu-Ghazi can be done at any time, replaces the mana spent to flip it, and opens possibilities to take more actions on any players' turn. I'm going out on a limb to call Branch of Vitu-Ghazi a new budget staple.</p>
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<h2>Which card was your favorite?</h2>
<p>The evidence is collected on the colorless offerings from<em> Murders at Karlov Manor</em>, and these cards are going to trial in the court of public opinion. The lands and artifacts from this set may appear at Commander tables as usual suspects, but none of them will be generically powerful serial offenders. There's something refreshing about a batch of relevant new cards without any sensationalist chase pieces. As a whole, this set feels very well self-contained with the set mechanics, and it isn't trying too hard to break out into every possible format. Personally, I'm eager to play sealed at a prerelease event, but the list of singles I'm planning to add to my Commander decks is fairly short.</p>
<p>Please let us know in the comments below what you think of these new cards. Did I overlook another artifact or land in <em>Murders at Karlov Manor</em>? If you enjoy this type of content, please hit the links at the top of the page to see the rest of the <em>MKM</em> set review articles on EDHREC and Commander's Herald.</p>
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<h3>Read more:</h3>
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="thTFYcVyr8"><p><a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/murders-at-karlov-manor-set-review-green/">Murders at Karlov Manor Set Review - Green</a></p></blockquote>
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surveil lands

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Murders at Karlov Manor Set Review - Artifacts & Lands