Channel the SunsChannel the Suns | Art by Rob Alexander

Hey, everyone! Last week was all about the most played five-color cards in Commander. Today, we're still looking at cards that go in rainbow decks, but with one key difference: these cards have in their text boxes rather than their casting costs!

Why do it this way, you might ask? Well, writing about more cards is great, and I figured this way you'd see a few more nonlegendary cards if I cast a wider net and split cards with multicolor identities into two articles.

Let's dive right in!

10. Crystal QuarryCrystal Quarry - 19,117 decks

It makes sense that the cards that help cast the five-color spells from last week's list would see a decent amount of play as well — complementary goods and all that. It's also incredibly pleasing to me to see old-bordered cards make these lists. Crystal QuarryCrystal Quarry has been around the block a few times and it's still got what it takes to fix the mana of rainbow decks.

The printings from Edge of Eternities are absolutely gorgeous as well, meaning that Quarry gamers are spoiled for choice. Love that.

I should point out that, while Cascading CataractsCascading Cataracts doesn't technically have in its text box, it's capable of producing that mana, so it gets an honorable mention, especially since it's in over 96,000 decks!

9. Azlask, the Swelling ScourgeAzlask, the Swelling Scourge - 7,937 decks, 12,440 as commander

Though the devoid keyword doesn't appear in Azlask's text box, the fact that they get a five-color activated ability does mean they're an excellent commander option for when you want to play a bunch of Eldrazi with color identities, like, Spawn-Gang CommanderSpawn-Gang Commander, and Brood MonitorBrood Monitor for combo purposes:

Azlask rises to the occasion as well when you want to run goodies with colors, like Awakening ZoneAwakening Zone, Meren of Clan Nel TothMeren of Clan Nel Toth — an honorary Eldrazi because she works so well with sacrificing Spawn and Scion tokens — and Ezuri, Claw of ProgressEzuri, Claw of Progress.

Ulalek, Fused AtrocityUlalek, Fused Atrocity fills a similar role in these kindred decks; meanwhile, if you wanna play the gray way, you can opt for Zhulodok, Void GorgerZhulodok, Void Gorger or Kozilek, the Great DistortionKozilek, the Great Distortion, among other options.

8. Go-Shintai of Life's OriginGo-Shintai of Life's Origin - 5,240 decks, 18,263 as commander

Currently the 48th most popular commander on EDHREC, Go-Shintai of Life's Origin is the "obvious go-to" for Shrine decks, according to Arnaud Gompertz's excellent article on Commander stats. Aside from shouting out Hei Bai, Forest GuardianHei Bai, Forest Guardian, whom we also mentioned briefly in last week's article, as the long-awaited Go-Shintai alternative, the article also contains a history lesson on the Shrine theme.

Suffice it to say, the more Shrines get printed, the more the deck goes from meme to theme. Avatar: The Last Airbender delivered the goods!

It's worth noting that Go-Shintai is also good as a commander in a more multi-purpose Enchantress deck, though you definitely still want to be running Shrines to take advantage of its token-generating ability and typing that triggers other Shrines.

7. Najeela, the Blade-BlossomNajeela, the Blade-Blossom - 11,124 decks, 12,668 as commander

Moving from the go-t0 commander for Shrines to the one for Warriors, Najeela is played in over twice as many decks as the second most popular commander for that theme, Gornog, the Red ReaperGornog, the Red Reaper. She's not a one-trick pony, of course; her rainbow color identity and Warrior-agnostic extra combat ability makes her competitive in other decks, including aggro, extra combat, and Birthing Pod.

She also offers a ton of combo potential, whether it's with Derevi, Empyrial TacticianDerevi, Empyrial Tactician or Faeburrow ElderFaeburrow Elder (honestly an honorary rainbow card) for infinite combat steps:

There are also so many Warriors that synergize fabulously: Samut, Vizier of NaktamunSamut, Vizier of Naktamun draws a ton of cards with the tokens you generate, Champion of LambholtChampion of Lambholt gets impossibly large, and Bramblewood ParagonBramblewood Paragon grows your team.

6. Jegantha, the WellspringJegantha, the Wellspring - 24,251 decks, 1,483 as commander

The Elemental Elk has a special place in my heart, having served as my trusty companion in multiple formats across both Constructed and Limited. In Commander, Jegantha can be played as an awesome mana battery that fixes the rest of your deck (like some cards I'll get to below). And, unlike those cards, he combos with Freed from the RealFreed from the Real to produce infinite mana — with some caveats you should read the fine print about:

As a companion, meanwhile, Jegantha shows up in a variety of five-color decks, from Jared Carthalion builds that play a critical mass of -costed cards and that hope to finish with Iridian MaelstromIridian Maelstrom, Mana CannonsMana Cannons, ChromanticoreChromanticore, and stuff like that, to Niv-Mizzet RebornNiv-Mizzet Reborn decks that go the opposite direction and try to play all the best two-color cards in the game.

5. Sisay, Weatherlight CaptainSisay, Weatherlight Captain - 26,430 decks, 15,656 as commander

Not that Sisay needed buffing as a commander in legends and historic decks, where she is among the most popular options, but Avatar has been a goldmine for decks in that vein, with goodies like Aang, at the CrossroadsAang, at the Crossroads, Katara, Water Tribe's HopeKatara, Water Tribe's Hope, and — hear Callahan Jones out — The Cabbage MerchantThe Cabbage Merchant!

Her activated ability can get anything from other legendary creatures to Shrines and planeswalkers, to busted enabler Annie Joins UpAnnie Joins Up, which explains why she's also popular in the 99 of decks running these themes. Too bad she can't go fetch Urza's Ruinous BlastUrza's Ruinous Blast or Primevals' Glorious RebirthPrimevals' Glorious Rebirth!

4. Ramos, Dragon EngineRamos, Dragon Engine - 31,954 decks, 10,481 as commander

is a ton of mana for what is truly a breeze of activated ability cost. In the mutate decks that Ramos is popular in, tricolor beasts like Snapdax, Apex of the HuntSnapdax, Apex of the Hunt, Vadrok, Apex of ThunderVadrok, Apex of Thunder, Illuna, Apex of WishesIlluna, Apex of Wishes help keep the mana chain going, allowing you to create Voltron monstrosity. Or, you could get to storming with this pretty uncommonly occurring combo:

Ramos also frequently helms counters decks, which try to extract mana out of the engine by stacking a bunch on it directly. You can use Forgotten AncientForgotten Ancient and Corpsejack MenaceCorpsejack Menace, Hardened ScalesHardened Scales, Branching EvolutionBranching Evolution to put... er, how many counters on Ramos?

3. Timeless LotusTimeless Lotus (48,799 decks), Fist of SunsFist of Suns (30,180 decks), and Jodah, Archmage EternalJodah, Archmage Eternal (15,256 decks, 8,475 as commander)

Here we have more of a bucket of cards that all make multicolor decks tick. Quarry and Ramos got their own place on the list because a land doesn't take up a precious spell slot and the Dragon makes obscene amounts of mana and attacks well to boot.

Jodah, the Fist, and honorable mention Leyline of MutationLeyline of Mutation seem to either make things more difficult for you or not do much when you're already playing a bunch of rainbow mana costs. So what do they do? In multicolor decks, they make it trivial to play absolute haymakers like In Garruk's WakeIn Garruk's Wake, Apex DevastatorApex Devastator, One with the MultiverseOne with the Multiverse, and Time StretchTime Stretch.

Timeless Lotus, meanwhile, is just a good old mana rock that facilitates your Omnath, Locus of AllOmnath, Locus of All, The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon, or your Prismatic Bridge.

2. Morophon, the BoundlessMorophon, the Boundless - 68,348 decks, 12,817 as commander

Playing a Shapeshifter as your commander is like eating a rotisserie chicken for dinner. Maybe you couldn't figure out what you wanted to order or you didn't felt like cooking, so you went with something you knew would be tasty and that would go well with whatever sides you paired it with.

Kidding aside, Morophon isn't just a kindred commander pick for the lazy; they're also a potent cost-reducer that sees a ton of play outside the command zone!

Whatever you've got going on, Morophon will slot in seamlessly, making some creatures cost zero or one mana and also buffing your team for good measure!

1. The World TreeThe World Tree - 139,204 decks

We started with a land and we're finishing with one that also fixes your mana, as long as you have a few lands in play already, which shouldn't be too difficult a hoop to jump through in Commander. And, while it does what it says on the tin and very powerfully fetches up a bunch of Gods and dumps them onto the battlefield, there are several ways to make this absolutely busted, from just great in one deck.

First, it combines with Maskwood NexusMaskwood Nexus to let you fetch all the creatures in your deck, because they're all Gods!

With Purphoros, God of the ForgePurphoros, God of the Forge, you can deal a lot of damage, but why not play a bunch of Shapeshifters with the changeling ability in your deck as well, to make sure this is a game-winning combo? What's great is that, even when you haven't assembled the combo, you're still getting a land that enables the rest of your game plan.

Oooooh!Oooooh!

And that's a wrap for five-color and five-color-adjacent cards (I'm looking at you, Cascading Cataracts)! What's your favorite that didn't make these lists? I have a soft spot for Path to the World TreePath to the World Tree, because its a little bit of a trinket that fixes your mana and also keeps you gassed up in the late game.