Pyrrhic RevivalPyrrhic Revival | Art by Richard Kane Ferguson

Hello, fellow bulk bin divers! I'm Brian, your usual host of Brew For Your Buck (BFYB). We're shifting the focus of the usual BFYB format going forward, starting with this article. Rather than a deck tech, I'm diving into older sets to call attention to bulk rares that might be a diamond in the rough for your decks.

This way, I can get you more budget cards in a more condensed fashion! As with any change, I'd love to hear your feedback and ways to improve upon this concept, so drop me a comment below.

Since I'm going set by set, I couldn't think of a better place to start than in our previous visit to Lorwyn. And while Lorwyn is a single plane, we actually had four sets dedicated to it, from way back in 2007/2008. Lorwyn, Morningtide, Shadowmoor, and Eventide all comprise our first visit to the plane without Humans, so all four sets are fair game for today's hunt in the bulk bin. Let's go!

Pyrrhic RevivalPyrrhic Revival ($0.69)

Mass reanimation spells have gotten better since this was printed, especially compared to something like Eerie UltimatumEerie Ultimatum. Revival is a symmetric effect, but as usual they're only symmetric if you aren't doing the work to break them.

In a deck that's turbo-filling its graveyard with creatures, casting this will almost always bring you further ahead than your opponents. Of course, you're also looking to have creatures that will survive or make use of the -1/-1 counter. Lorwyn's Treefolk (including the new ones from Lorwyn Eclipsed) tend to do both of those, so playing this in an Abzan () Treefolk deck in replacement of or alongside something like Eerie UltimatumEerie Ultimatum is a great game plan.

I run it in my "six mana value only" deck headed up by Colfenor, the Last YewColfenor, the Last Yew, which turbo cycles big creatures into the graveyard with the intent of mass reanimation. Also, you gotta love that RKF artwork.

Fracturing GustFracturing Gust ($1.95)

Coming in just under the $2 limit I set for myself for this article, Fracturing Gust is another card that seems built for Commander before the format officially existed. As for the effect, it's still very efficient for what it does; just see Commander all-star Bane of ProgressBane of Progress.

The best place to run Fracturing Gust is a deck that cares about the potential for a big chunk of life gain, and many Lifegain decks fall in the Selesnya () space. This is also really interesting in a Food deck, where it kind of gives you two life per Food you have on the board without having to activate them all.

I'd play this in a deck like Treebeard, Gracious HostTreebeard, Gracious Host or Lathiel, the Bounteous DawnLathiel, the Bounteous Dawn to really get the most out of it, but it works just fine in any Selesnya deck.

Reach of BranchesReach of Branches ($0.40)

On its face this looks like another Treefolk card, but it doesn't have to be. Having a Forest enter the battlefield is a pretty low cost to get this back for free, and doing so will trigger any of your "leaves the graveyard" cards like Tormod, the DesecratorTormod, the Desecrator, Amzu, Swarm's HungerAmzu, Swarm's Hunger or Teval's JudgmentTeval's Judgment. Heck, that looks like a deck right there!

It's also a reusable instant for Spellslinger decks. Partnered with the usual cost reducers like Goblin ElectromancerGoblin Electromancer, it can pretty consistently trigger any of your instants-matter cards. Of course, you need to be in green, so a deck like Kalamax, the StormsireKalamax, the Stormsire is a great fit, especially since Kalamax will probably get you two Treefolk out of the deal.

Lastly, Toughness Matters decks like Trostani, Selesnya's VoiceTrostani, Selesnya's Voice or Doran, the Siege TowerDoran, the Siege Tower will definitely enjoy a repeatable 2/5.

SpawnwritheSpawnwrithe ($0.49)

Is this the OG Scute SwarmScute Swarm? Token decks rejoice, you've got yourself another way to go exponential. It's a bit more work to get there, but if this gets through for combat damage just once, it'll be real hard for your opponents to stop more of them being created, short of a board wipe.

With trample, this is just asking to be pumped up to make it easier to make copies of itself. Pump effects are pretty common for go-wide strategies, so it can slot right in to most green-based tokens decks.

The usual shenanigans apply with Parallel LivesParallel Lives and Doubling SeasonDoubling Season, but where this really shines is in a Mutate deck like Otrimi, the Ever-PlayfulOtrimi, the Ever-Playful. If you use Spawnwrithe as the base of your mutate stack, you'll get a copy of the entire stack when it does combat damage. Of course, then you're the lunatic at your table who's playing a mutate deck, so your mileage may vary.

Finally, special shoutout to Duskana, the Rage MotherDuskana, the Rage Mother, who cares specifically about 2/2 creatures. Da bears!

Primal CommandPrimal Command ($0.27)

The first cycle of Commands was printed back in Lorwyn, and have been reprinted many times since then. Primal CommandPrimal Command still holds up in Commander, especially as a budget card. It's super flexible, and at least three of the modes are something pretty much all Commander decks want: removal, graveyard hate, and a tutor.

Having all of these stapled to a single card can open up some extra slots in the 99 for other cards more specific to your game plan. Gaining life is the only lackluster mode on this, but it's not a total zero (see aforementioned Lifegain decks).

Knollspine DragonKnollspine Dragon ($0.44)

I featured Knollspine Dragon in an article not too long ago and I'm glad I get to highlight it again. This is a great card velocity piece in red decks that are pouring on the damage.

Dragon decks like the one I wrote about are one example, but most decks that can arrange a big combat step or burn spell will want to cast this during their second main phase to refill their hand. If your deck also has a Discard subtheme, Knollspine Dragon can trigger those synergies in one big burst as well.

Seven mana might seem like a lot, but that's fine for a big burst draw spell like this since it should be one of the last cards out of your hand most of the time. Plus the big flying body it leaves behind isn't nothing either.

Murmuring BoskMurmuring Bosk ($0.42)

I expect lands to be a rarity for this series, as many of the really good ones end up being expensive. Murmuring Bosk is an exception. Look at this compared to Indatha TriomeIndatha Triome ($17.87). For a fraction of the cost you get a land that taps for the same colors, and is still searchable with Nature's LoreNature's Lore or similar cards on account of it having the Forest subtype.

Of course, there is the small downside for tapping it for white or black, but plenty of people run Llanowar WastesLlanowar Wastes and company without thinking twice. Bosk has been reprinted a bunch too, helping to keep the price low for a typed tri-land. Not something you see every day, and I'd run this in Abzan decks all the way up to five color.

There you go, some great budget cards from back in the day! For those of you around when these sets first released, I hope it was a nice trip down memory lane. Even if you weren't, I hope you got some good budget ideas for your decks.

Again, with this new structure for my budget articles, I'd love to hear your feedback. Should $2 be the limit? Do you want me to add EDHREC inclusion percentages for the cards? Let me know in the comments and I'll definitely take note and incorporate them into the next article!