A Ring For Every Mood

When it comes to Commander, there are certain cards that serve as the hallmark of the format. Whether you've been playing for ten years or ten days, it's likely that you're already familiar with some of the entries in the following list.

According to EDHREC, there are a handful of cards that see play in more than 40% of all decks logged with the site. Beast Within, for example, is in 42% of all decks that can play it, a total of 366,395 lists that reserve space for the versatile removal spell. Counterspell and Cultivate appear in 49% and 42% of lists that can play them, respectively, and of all decks playing even just a touch of white, 58% make room for Swords to Plowshares. And Arcane Signet? Of the 1.8 million decks catalogued by EDHREC, 65% play Signet. That's 1.2 million decks.

Too bad there isn't a more ubiquitous card than that, huh?

Even still, there were plenty of reprints this year that add to the copies floating around of Commander staples. Wizards carefully selected cards that, when introduced to players in a greater number, will make an impact on the format regardless of power level and budget. Let's take a look at the Top Ten, shall we?

10. Sol Ring

The Sol Ring that appears in the Warhammer 40,000 Commander deck for the Forces of the Imerium is not a ring at all, but an Astrolabe. A Sol Ring must be two things: a trap for sunlight, and a ring. While we can't say for certain this particular Sol Ring does not fulfill that first requirement, it's pretty easy to condemn it for failing that second requirement.

9. Sol Ring

Sol Rings are for everyone, and this particular reprint is clear in that regard. However, this Sol Ring from the Pride Across the Multiverse Secret Lair is not a ring. It's tough to say for sure, but compared to the size of the objects in the background, it feels safe to say this is likely a necklace. It's also implied that the power of this artifact comes not from the sun or other stars, but from the "light of love," which again is admirable but clearly not celestial.

8. Sol Ring

While yes, it's definitely very clear that this Sol Ring is both Sol and Ring, the version from the Magic 30 Anniversary Edition fails in another very important way, which is that it's gross. We don't need to get into the whole M30A quagmire, but it's interesting to see that a reprint of the original Sol Ring can go so wrong.

7. Sol Ring

Another Warhammer 40,000 Commander deck Sol Ring, the version from the Chaos deck, the Ruinous Powers, again fails in depicting what is truly a Sol Ring. While we get a mention of Sol, in this context meaning our real human sun right up there in the sky as we speak, we don't see that depicted. What we do see is some chaos zaps and a chaos eight-pointed star, which is certainly on-brand but not what we want in our format's mascot.

6. Sol Ring

One way to say how long you've played Commander without saying how long you've played Commander is to share how many copies of Sol Ring you have that look exactly like this outside of the set symbol. The version here, from Dominaria United Commander, is technically fulfilling its duties as a Sol Ring -- it's trapping starlight and it's a ring, though it could be argued that it's more like a ring you'd find in the Green Hill Zone than on someone's finger.

Bored of the Rings? Read the real review.

5. Sol Ring

The third of four Sol Rings from Warhammer 40,000, this one from the Necron Dynasties deck rambles about some C'tan lore that means nothing in my Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse deck, but there's a bunch of green in the art, so why not. Neither a ring nor sol in any way, it's pretty clearly described as a "shard" powering "our great machines", which in my world is a fancy way to say Duracell powering "our TV remotes."

4. Sol Ring

Check it out, it's a ring. The version we got at the beginning of the year in Commander Collection: Black is definitely a ring, there's no doubt about that. It loses a few points, however, for two reasons. One, even though the card came out in 2022, it still has a trademark from 2021, which makes me look dumb for including it on this list. And two, despite its beautiful ring-ness, it fails utterly at the Sol part, going in the completely opposite direction in putting the ring in a cave and bragging about eating light. That's not what Sol Rings do.

3. Sol Ring

I don't hold a particular affinity for Tyranids or anything, but the final entry in the quartet of Warhammer 40,000 Sol Rings finds itself so high on the list because unlike its brethren, there's actual sunlight here. It should be noted that the flavor text indicates that the light of the stars will be "swallowed," which means that this Sol Ring would hypothetically stop working. Next time you see this one played in a game of Commander, feel free to call a judge about that interaction. Oh, and it's still not a ring, but I'll give it a bonus point for leaning so hard into the "Sol" part of Sol Ring with a sun-shaped icon.

2. Sol Ring

Thanks to The Brothers' War Commander, we've been gifted a retro-frame Sol Ring. We've had them before, even in this art, but unlike the previous retro versions, this one's both black-bordered (as opposed to white or gold) and is still only a dollar. The commentary from the previous Sol Rings of this style still count here, but printing it in all its brown glory catapults it to near the top of this list.

1. Sol Ring

I know this one looks a hell of a lot like the last one, and it basically is the last one, but foil. But that's a big deal: a foil, brown Sol Ring had never existed before this version, a promo designed to try enticing players to shop at their Local Game Store. Some people might not have an LGS and were forced to still buy this from a website, but it's the thought that counts. We don't waste time with flavor text or esoteric set symbols here. Just a shooting star to indicate the Sol, and the ring to indicate the, well, Ring. Simple, clean, and more than a little handsome. That's what you want in your best Sol Ring of 2022.

Honorable Mentions

What was your favorite reprint of 2022? Was it Sol Ring? Oh, and if you're wondering, Sol Ring is in 1.5 million decks out of 1.8 million logged in EDHREC. That's 84%. So if you're an owner of one of the 16% of decks that don't have Sol Ring, 2022 was a terrible year for you. Just look at all these Sol Rings. There are more Sol Rings than most people have fingers. I bet it's hard to continue being a Sol Ring contrarian when there are just so many Sol Rings floating around out there. Do you want one? I'll mail you one. I have several. That's not a brag, I've just been playing for a long time.

Anyway, where do you set the over/under on the number of Sol Rings in 2023? I guess we'll soon find out!

Too much of a good Ring? Read the real review on Commander's Herald.

Nick Wolf