Tony StarkTony Stark | Art by Chris Bachalo

Welcome to Too-Specific Top 10, where if there isn’t a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we’ll just make one up! (Did you know that Lotus RingLotus Ring is the only nonplaneswalker Equipment that can make multiple mana at once?)

Marvel Super Heroes has brought us something I've been looking forward to for a long time: a new Iron Man!

Well, actually, this one features at least as much of the mechanic as the Hero. Tony StankTony Stank is what's generally going to hit the table first, at two mana, at which point his ability to draw artifacts will most likely aid you in getting to the six mana required to flip him. With that said, when The Invincible Iron ManThe Invincible Iron Man inevitably gets removed for being terrifying (which it is), then you'll also be able to recast the back side directly with all this mana you've accrued. Throw in some flying, some haste, and an auto-equip for Equipment you flip, and there's a direction we're being led here.

The only problem is I just described two different things, right? A deck that wants to flip artifacts off the top to make a whole bunch of mana, and a deck that wants to stack Equipment onto its commander for free? Those sound like two very different decks. Or do they?

Top 10 Izzet Equipment that Make Mana

Criteria: Equipment within the Izzet color identity that either make mana or make a token that can make mana. As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score.

10. Gilded PinionsGilded Pinions

(13.1k Inclusions, 0.15% of 9M Decks)

All right, I'll admit, Gilded PinionsGilded Pinions is not what I had in mind here. Yes, it technically does make a Treasure. One Treasure. It then can also equip to something to give it flying, which the backside of Tony StarkTony Stark already has. We'll skip on this one, thanks.

9. Prying BladePrying Blade

(21.1k Inclusions, 0.23% of 9M Decks)

These were much more so the Equipment that probably both you and I were thinking of when I came up with the category. Prying BladePrying Blade was the first of the "Equipment that makes Treasure when you attack/do damage" Equipment, and the years have not been kind to it as new example after new example comes out and iterates on the theme.

With that said? This comes down early with a cost of one, equips for two if that's necessary, pumps the power a little bit, and makes a Treasure when you connect. In other words? It's everything we want to be doing, even if it's the fifth best option on the list.

8. Beamtown BeatstickBeamtown Beatstick

(57.4k Inclusions, 1.28% of 4.48M Decks)

A much later iteration on Prying BladePrying Blade, Beamtown BeatstickBeamtown Beatstick is probably the most similar to it. It's also one mana to cast, two to equip, and it makes a Treasure on combat damage, rather than attack. What's the main benefit you get for it costing a red pip instead of a generic, then? It's a big one: menace. Flying and menace together will make Iron Man pretty much unblockable, but the bigger deal here is the early game before we ever get to Iron Man mana. Whether it be Tony Stark or Fervent ChampionFervent Champion we're swinging in with while they wield the Beatstick, menace will go a long way to making sure it connects and gets us that Treasure we so desperately need.

7. Dowsing DaggerDowsing Dagger

(63.3k Inclusions, 0.70% of 9M Decks)

After that whole speech on menace and getting through in the early game for Treasure, we'd have to be crazy to like Dowsing DaggerDowsing Dagger, right? Well, yeah, except... I kinda do like it? Don't get me wrong, in the early game this will be a hard draw unless we already have an evasive creature or an Equipment that makes our creatures be evasive. Flipping this onto Iron Man in the late game, though? Give 'em two Plant tokens as I swing in for seven commander damage and get three untapped mana. Who cares!

6. Sword of Wealth and PowerSword of Wealth and Power

(68k Inclusions, 0.76% of 9M Decks)

Most Equipment decks that you see for Tony Stark are going to start by just typing "Sword of" into Scryfall and dumping most of the page in. And why not? Giving Iron Man more protection and evasion while you deliver devastating Voltron hits that then have various upsides does seem like a great strategy. My problem with Sword of Wealth and PowerSword of Wealth and Power is: what do you do when you don't already have a flipped Iron Man? Yes, if you're exactly one mana short, you can play it down and then equip it to a creature, but this particular version doesn't provide any evasion, and in a deck that isn't going to play many instants and sorceries, is essentially just a more expensive Prying BladePrying Blade. And guess what? We're going to see a lot more cheap versions of that ahead.

5. Goldvein PickGoldvein Pick

(68.7k Inclusions, 0.76% of 9M Decks)

Goldvein PickGoldvein Pick was second on the scene after Prying Blade and is essentially a simple inverse of it. It costs two to cast and one to equip, where Prying Blade was the opposite. The other big difference is that Pick gives +1/+1 instead of +1/+0. Those may seem like small differences, but they add up to quite a bit, as we can see by the more than triple the inclusion numbers of Pick. The extra toughness is great, but as for why this version is seeing so much more play? My money is on the equip cost. Paying two to get it down in the first place isn't all the much more a burden than paying the one for the Blade, but paying an equip cost of two over and over again really adds up, to the point where you probably just won't do it. As for Pick? If you've got an open avenue to swing in, equipping it for one immediately pays for itself with a Treasure.

4. The AethersparkThe Aetherspark

(68.8k Inclusions, 0.93% of 7.37M Decks)

The AethersparkThe Aetherspark hasn't become quite as universal as many thought it would when it was spoiled, but if you've ever dealt with one out in the wild, it'll have been a memorable occasion. As for how this will play in Tony Stark? In the early game, it will come down, mildly equip with its loyalty ability before combat, and then swing in for hopefully a few loyalty counters so you can draw some cards next turn.

In the late game, with The Invincible Iron Man out? You can plop this down with his ability, have it automatically attach, and then immediately throw on 5+ counters to then use its loyalty abilities for the turn in second main phase. Whether that be drawing five cards or adding 10 mana, that's a heck of a surprise haymaker that's likely to win you the game in the long run.

3. Paradise MantleParadise Mantle

(76.5k Inclusions, 0.85% of 9M Decks)

Paradise MantleParadise Mantle is in an awkward spot in Tony Stark. The reason? We do want Tony out early, but we want to be tapping him to draw Equipment, not to add more mana. Now, we'll obviously be playing other creatures, many of which will be cheap one- and two-drops, so it's not a complete deal-breaker, but like I said: a little awkward.

Which is where I think a second focus on Equipment should be in the deck: on giving Tony Stark vigilance so he can both swing in with all these Prying Blades and also use tap abilities.

Top 11 Izzet Equipment That Cost Two or Less and Give Vigilance or Untap

1. Tarrian's SoulcleaverTarrian's Soulcleaver
2. Sting, the Glinting DaggerSting, the Glinting Dagger
3. Thornbite StaffThornbite Staff
4. Short BowShort Bow
5. Accorder's ShieldAccorder's Shield
6. BatterboneBatterbone
7. Cathar's ShieldCathar's Shield
8. Ring of ThuneRing of Thune
9. Sage's NoulithsSage's Nouliths
10. Glaive of the GuildpactGlaive of the Guildpact
11. Team PennantTeam Pennant

Aside from the easy slam dunks of the hyper-efficient Tarrian's SoulcleaverTarrian's Soulcleaver and StingSting, most of the rest of this list is rather unimpressive. With that said, Accorder's ShieldAccorder's Shield and Cathar's ShieldCathar's Shield are probably both worth looking at despite their high equip cost simply because zero-mana artifacts tend to do broken things in artifact decks, and I made this a Top 11 specifically because it was an injustice that Glaive of the GuildpactGlaive of the Guildpact knocked Team PennantTeam Pennant and its very relevant trample out of the Top 10.

2. Diamond Pick-AxeDiamond Pick-Axe

(93.7k Inclusions, 2.09% of 4.48M Decks)

The people have spoken, and the best of the various Prying BladePrying Blades? It's Diamond Pick-AxeDiamond Pick-Axe! Why? Because it gives the full +1/+1, first of all, but mostly? Because it's the only version that gives its Treasure on attack instead of combat damage. Throw in some indestructible and a Minecraft reference that's surely getting a Secret Lair soon, and it's no mystery why this came out on top.

1. The Reaver CleaverThe Reaver Cleaver

(208k Inclusions, 4.65% of 4.48M Decks)

To be clear, The Reaver CleaverThe Reaver Cleaver is not a card we're trying to find with this list. It's not going to come down early and give us enough Treasures to flip Tony. No, what it's going to do is come down late for free, equip for free, and rain Treasures from the sky with a flampling Invincible Iron Man. Yes please!

Honorable Mentions

There isn't much that was left out of the Top 10 worth mentioning this week, although we'll probably end up playing Gold PanGold Pan. With that said, there is a relevant genre of ramping Equipment we left out that we do need to go over.

I'm sure most of you noticed the absence of Sword of the AnimistSword of the Animist, perhaps the most famous ramp Equipment of all time. I did think about altering the criteria to allow it in, but ultimately I think the deck cares more about stacking Treasures than lands, so I didn't want cards like Bitterthorn, Nissa's AnimusBitterthorn, Nissa's Animus crashing our Top 10. Sword of Hearth and HomeSword of Hearth and Home is probably also worth looking at, however. It provides relevant protection and evasion, and ramps, albeit probably a little bit later than we would like. The real question is whether the blink effect does anything in the deck besides unequip all of our stuff. The answer? Kind of, but probably not enough. Cards like Armory AutomatonArmory Automaton and Yuffie, Materia HunterYuffie, Materia Hunter can abuse blink effects to reattach all your Equipment that just got unattached during a messy combat for free, but there's probably not enough of those type of effects for the extra mana of Sword of Hearth and Home to do much. In short, we'd rather be drawing another Prying BladePrying Blade.

In fact, I think we were right not to include these in our list, because I don't think the deck is actually going to be running either one. The fact is, we'd much rather be putting extra artifacts down that also ramp in the form of Treasures, than we want to be grabbing lands.

As for the decklist? Let's take a look!

A more powerful version of this deck that plays a lot more boring ramp cards and a lot more splashy artifacts is absolutely possible. For our purposes, though? It feels pretty great to draw cards with Tony until you're ready to smash face with Iron Man, and this deck can absolutely do that.

Nuts and Bolts

There always seems to be a bit of interest in how these lists are made (this seems like a good time to stress once again that they are based on EDHREC score, NOT my personal opinion…), and people are often surprised that I’m not using any special data or .json from EDHREC, but rather just muddling my way through with some Scryfall knowledge! For your enjoyment/research, here is this week’s Scryfall search.

What Do You Think?

And finally, what is your favorite Equipment that makes mana? Would it help you flip into Invincible Iron Man and make him bigger?

Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the table that appears to be made of... money?