I am going to give this idea a try. I made a list of cards for my friends that are good and cheap. I'll start with this list here and change it based on suggestions. I realize that this could get out of hand but we'll give it a shot.
I am looking for cards that are under (or close) to $2. I will make an exception up to $5 for Mythics and very good/iconic cards (such as Swords to Plowshares and Birds of Paradise).
Maybe add sudden spoiling to the list? No black deck will hurt with that in their hand. And when combined with cards like volcanic fallout it simply becomes 2 card board wipe.
They come in each color combination and are common, a great hope to those enemy color combinations.
Thran Quarry isn't super-cheap, but in a meta uncommon to have sweepers, it's a really great land that produces all colors. Pillar of the Paruns is perfect for decks that focus on multicolored creatures like Wilt-Leaf Liege or Qasali Pridemage that still wants to cast spells like Selesnya Charm, while Ancient Ziggaraut is for creature heavy decks that want to turn as many things sideways as possible.
Lots of great suggestions! I will get to work on adding them and any others that come in.
I didn't see how much Spellskite was! Maybe it had a recent price spike? I will take it off the list. I was mostly going for cards that are less than $2. For Mythics, I would allow less than $5.
I removed some cards that break those rules and clarified what fits on the list.
EDIT: I am sorry I didn't clarify this before. I think it is best to set a limit. It keeps the cards cheaper and helps keep the list from getting out of hand big.
Didn't open all of the spoilers. No offense, but spoilers are a little annoying, and spoilers insider of spoilers more so. I also didn't read all of the replies so some of these may be redundant.
Is your list intended for dueling or multiplayer games? It makes a difference in regards to cards recommended. From your initial posting, though, I presume dueling.
Lots of neat cards on all of the suggested lists. That said, a surprising number of them are beyond your stated budget.
Rampant Growth - cheap, simple, functional... cheaper than Nature's Lore, though less versatile, as the Lore can bring in nonbasic Forests and does so untapped.
The first five from Invasion are good accelerants for multicolour decks, while the last five from Mercadian Masques let you get good monocoloured acceleration.
Sorry guys, I haven't forgotten about this list and I will get to updating it. A full-time job and 4 kids have been keeping me busy. Plus, my wife isn't exactly a fan of MTGS forums.
I might be able to help a little with blue (I did a bunch of work/brainstorming over break). I put together a list of many, most, if not all, the best blue control cards (for MUC) that could be bought on a budget (meaning every card has to be generally <$1, with better staple cards being more). There are a couple of "expensive" cards thrown in there (from 2.50 to about $5 being the highest), but not a whole bunch. I included the counters, draw spells, board control/ creature removal, midgame disruption, and your fatty finishers.
From this, you should be able to put together a decent MUC deck for the kitchen table. The numbers I put indicate how many I think you should have of each, just in case you want to switch some around, but that is just me. There are probably a bunch that I'm missing, but it really s a work in progress.
That being said, if you were to buy all the cards listed at the quantities listed, using the site my playgroup generally buys through, they shouldn't cost you more than 70-80 dollars while providing you with many valuable cards for every blue deck in the future (literally every blue deck seems to run some form of control/draw)
I took the liberty of making a list for green. Feel free to add/update/reorganize.
We should make a good definition of 'staples'. To me, those are cards that can be played in more than one deck, more than one archetype.
I am looking for cards that are under (or close) to $2. I will make an exception up to $5 for Mythics and very good/iconic cards (such as Swords to Plowshares and Birds of Paradise).
Blue U
1 Frost Titan
1 Zuran Spellcaster
1 Prodigal Sorcerer
1 Fog Bank
1 Guard Gomazoa
1 Grand Architect
1 Treasure Mage
1 Trinket Mage
1 Cloud of Faeries
1 Spellstutter Sprite
1 Brainstorm
1 Control Magic
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Mana Leak
1 Spell Pierce
1 Vapor Snag
1 Propaganda
Red R
1 Inferno Titan
1 Cunning Sparkmage
1 Shivan Dragon
1 Goblin Chieftain
1 Goblin Arsonist
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Simian Spirit Guide
1 Earthquake
1 Pyroclasm
1 Forked Bolt
1 Flame Slash
1 Act of Treason
1 Incinerate
1 Galvanic Blast
1 Shock
1 Smelt
1 Arc Trail
1 Fireball
Green G
1 Garruk’s Companion
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Elvish Archdruid
1 Acidic Slime
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Kozilek’s Predator
1 Nest Invader
1 Strangleroot Geist
1 Skinshifter
1 Leatherback Baloth
Spells G
1 Beast Within
1 Cultivate
1 Harrow
1 Growth Spasm
1 Awakening Zone
1 Overrun
1 Naturalize
1 Giant Growth
1 Fog
Black B
1 Royal Assassin
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Vault Skirge
1 Nantuko Shade
1 Gatekeeper of Malakir
Spells B
1 Duress
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Dark Ritual
1 Doom Blade
1 Go for the Throat
1 Animate Dead
1 Tragic Slip
1 Sign in Blood
1 Despise
White W
1 Squadron Hawk
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Wall of Omens
1 Gideon’s Lawkeeper
1 Fiend Hunter
Spells W
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Oust
1 Disenchant
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Pacifism
Multicolor WUBGR
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Wall of Denial
1 Tidehollow Sculler
Spells WUBGR
1 Blightning
1 Armadillo Cloak
Artifact/colorless 1
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Artisan of Kozilek
1 Perilous Myr
1 Pathrazer of Ulamog
1 Ulamog’s Crusher
1 Wall of Tanglecord
Spells 1
1 Tumble Magnet
1 Gorgon Flail
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Whispersilk Cloak
1 Sword of Vengeance
1 Expedition Map
Lands WUBGR
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Halimar Depths
1 Khalni Garden
1 Seaside Citadel
1 Arcane Sanctum
1 Crumbling Necropolis
1 Savage Lands
1 Jungle Shrine
1 Akoum Refuge
1 Sejiri Refuge
1 Jwar Isle Refuge
1 Graypelt Refuge
1 Kazandu Refuge
1 Crystal Vein
1 Urza’s Mine
1 Urza’s Tower
1 Urza’s Power Plant
Planeswalkers WUBGR
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Jace Beleren
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Koth of the Hammer
1 Venser, the Sojourner
1 Gideon Jura
Standard: UWR
Modern: RDW, Twin
Legacy: I am 3 Candelabra of Tawnos from being able to build almost any tier 1 or 1.5 deck. Here are the ones I care about right now:
-Aggro: UWR/RUB/WUB/RUG/UR Delver; Affinity; Burn
-Control: Stoneblade; UWr Miracles; UB Tezzeret
-Combo: Hive Mind; Combo Elves; Omni Tell; T.E.S.
Vintage: Grixis Painter
EDH: Rith, the Awakener
http://magiccards.info/query?q=Guildgate&v=card&s=cname
They come in each color combination and are common, a great hope to those enemy color combinations.
Thran Quarry isn't super-cheap, but in a meta uncommon to have sweepers, it's a really great land that produces all colors. Pillar of the Paruns is perfect for decks that focus on multicolored creatures like Wilt-Leaf Liege or Qasali Pridemage that still wants to cast spells like Selesnya Charm, while Ancient Ziggaraut is for creature heavy decks that want to turn as many things sideways as possible.
Birds of Paradise for the green list?
I don't think Fusion Elemental is really all that great of a multicolor creature. For a lesser cost, I have enjoyed using Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers, Ashenmoor Gouger, Boggart Ram-Gang, Burning-Tree Shaman, Dauntless Escort, Harmonic Sliver, Loxodon Smiter, Plumveil, Rhox War Monk, Shadowmage Infiltrator, Wayfaring Temple, Bloodbraid Elf, Knight of New Alara, Loxodon Hierarch, Mycoid Shepherd, Mystic Snake, Rubblebelt Raiders, Spellbreaker Behemoth, Spitemare, Zur the Enchanter, etc.. All of these should be $3 or less.
There are so many good artifacts that are coincidentally cheap that I feel that section alone with take up the length of a whole post. I'm iffy on whether or not I should start on it. =/ Steel Overseer is one (if Spellskite is on the list, I see no reason why Overseer can't be when he's half that price), Myr Retriever (for various combos or just general utility), Kuldotha Forgemaster, Palladium Myr, Darksteel Colossus (especially with another artifact creature, Master Transmuster), Inkwell Leviathan, Sphinx of the Steel Wind, Etherium Sculptor, Phyrexian Metamorph, Molten-Tail Masticore, Razormane Masticore, Phyrexian Revoker, Solemn Simulacrum... These are just the ones that came to mind immediately.
Sig and Avatar drawn by me.
1 mulldrifter
1 man-o'-war
1 spiketail hatchling
1 rune snag
1 force spike
1 wash out
1 merchant scroll
1 into the roil
1 anger
1 kird ape
1 grim lavamancer
1 reverberate
1 goblin grenade
1 firebolt
1 smash to smithereens
1 essence warden
1 wild nacatl
1 eternal witness
1 blastoderm
1 lure
1 kodama's reach
1 farseek
1 crop rotation
1 festering goblin
1 diregraf ghoul
1 carrion feeder
1 nantuko husk
1 shriekmaw
1 reassembling skeleton
1 guul draz assassin
1 dauthi slayer
1 knight of stromgald
1 exhume
1 geth's verdict
1 cruel edict
1 wrench mind
1 snuff out
1 murder
1 engineered plague
1 dark tutelage
1 smother
1 soul warden
1 elite vanguard
1 loam lion
1 sun titan
1 mentor of the meek
1 savannah lions
1 spectral procession
1 brave the elements
1 balance
1 worship
1 honor of the pure
I didn't see how much Spellskite was! Maybe it had a recent price spike? I will take it off the list. I was mostly going for cards that are less than $2. For Mythics, I would allow less than $5.
I removed some cards that break those rules and clarified what fits on the list.
EDIT: I am sorry I didn't clarify this before. I think it is best to set a limit. It keeps the cards cheaper and helps keep the list from getting out of hand big.
Standard: UWR
Modern: RDW, Twin
Legacy: I am 3 Candelabra of Tawnos from being able to build almost any tier 1 or 1.5 deck. Here are the ones I care about right now:
-Aggro: UWR/RUB/WUB/RUG/UR Delver; Affinity; Burn
-Control: Stoneblade; UWr Miracles; UB Tezzeret
-Combo: Hive Mind; Combo Elves; Omni Tell; T.E.S.
Vintage: Grixis Painter
EDH: Rith, the Awakener
In no particular order:
1x Siege-Gang Commander
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Loxodon Warhammer
1x Austere Command
1x Mutilate
1x Infest
1x Innocent Blood
1x Barter in Blood
1x Mirari
1x Phyrexian Arena
1x Bloodgift Demon
1x Putrefy
1x Mortify
1x Electrolyze
1x Bant Charm
1x Rhox Warmonk
1x Renegade Doppelganger
1x Fires of Yavimaya
1x Duress
1x Wild Mongrel
1x Arrogant Wurm
1x Reckless Wurm
1x Wall of Omens
1x Wall of Blossoms
1x Eternal Witness
1x Deadwood Treefolk
1x Hymn to Tourach
1x Persecute
1x Leonin Relic-Warder
1x Junk Diver
1x Greater Gargadon
1x Wildfire
1x Jokulhaups
1x Acidic Slime
Lots of neat cards on all of the suggested lists. That said, a surprising number of them are beyond your stated budget.
Equilibrium - build around, but easily done.
Peel from Reality - allows for a variety of ETB options on your part, while slowing down the other guy
Pillage - many versions can be had for under $1; versatility at an ideal cmc.
Fireblast - class red finisher.
Rampant Growth - cheap, simple, functional... cheaper than Nature's Lore, though less versatile, as the Lore can bring in nonbasic Forests and does so untapped.
Arena - great removal for Green decks.
Coiling Oracle - chump blocks AND provides a bit of card/tempo advantage.
Bubbling Muck/High Tide - leads straight to victory in the right deck.
Cheers!
Krichaiushii on PucaTrade.
The first five from Invasion are good accelerants for multicolour decks, while the last five from Mercadian Masques let you get good monocoloured acceleration.
Standard: UWR
Modern: RDW, Twin
Legacy: I am 3 Candelabra of Tawnos from being able to build almost any tier 1 or 1.5 deck. Here are the ones I care about right now:
-Aggro: UWR/RUB/WUB/RUG/UR Delver; Affinity; Burn
-Control: Stoneblade; UWr Miracles; UB Tezzeret
-Combo: Hive Mind; Combo Elves; Omni Tell; T.E.S.
Vintage: Grixis Painter
EDH: Rith, the Awakener
4 Force Spike
4 Counterspell
4 Essence Scatter
4 Mana Leak
4 Dissipate
4 Cancel
4 Faerie Trickery
4 Hinder
4 Dismiss
4 Rewind
4 Draining Whelk
4 Memory Lapse
4 Disrupting Shoal
4 Hydroblast
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Preordain
4 Compulsive Research
4 Whispers of the Muse
4 Treasure Hunt
4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Think Twice
4 Frantic Search
4 Scroll Thief
4 Thieving Magpie
4 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Jace's Ingenuity
4 Rhystic Study
2 Consecrated Sphinx
4 Into the Roil
4 Wash Out
4 Web of Inertia
4 Propaganda
4 Unsummon
4 Vapor Snag
4 Boomerang
4 Aether Burst
4 Energy Flux
4 Whiplash Trap
4 Calcite Snapper
4 Stalking Stones
4 Faerie Conclave
4 Gomozoa
4 Wall of Tears
2 Deap-Sea Kraken
2 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
4 Rainbow Efreet
4 Sphinx of Jwar Isle
4 Steel Hellkite
4 Guile
4 Call the Skybreaker
4 Frost Titan
4 Razormane Masticore
4 Isochron Scepter
4 Calciform Pools
From this, you should be able to put together a decent MUC deck for the kitchen table. The numbers I put indicate how many I think you should have of each, just in case you want to switch some around, but that is just me. There are probably a bunch that I'm missing, but it really s a work in progress.
That being said, if you were to buy all the cards listed at the quantities listed, using the site my playgroup generally buys through, they shouldn't cost you more than 70-80 dollars while providing you with many valuable cards for every blue deck in the future (literally every blue deck seems to run some form of control/draw)
Hope I helped a little.
:symg:Elves | :symg:Mono Green Infect
| :symb:12post |
We should make a good definition of 'staples'. To me, those are cards that can be played in more than one deck, more than one archetype.
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
3 Yavimaya Elder
4 Wild Mongrel
5 Priest Of Titania
6 Acidic Slime
7 Blastoderm
8 Quirion Ranger
9 Birds Of Paradise
10 Strangleroot Geist
12 Werebear
13 Great Sable Stag
14 Garruk's Companion
15 River Boa
16 Basking Rootwalla
17 Troll Ascetic
18 Wellwisher
19 Krosan Tusker
20 Elvish Archdruid
22 Wood Elves
23 Sylvan Ranger
24 Leatherback Baloth
25 Thallid
26 Fierce Empath
27 Wall Of Roots
28 Dosan The Falling Leaf
29 Wild Nacatl
30 Essence Warden
2 Cultivate [Kodama's Reach]
3 Giant Growth
4 Beast Within
5 Bramblecrush [Creeping Mold]
7 Overrun [Triumph of the Hordes]
8 Explore
9 Fog
10 Naturalize
12 Vernal Bloom
13 Mutagenic Growth
14 Crop Rotation
I've listed only cards with values around 1$ (except for Rancor and BoP, apparently)
Functional equivalents are put between brackets.
These are the decks that I have constructed, and are ready to play:
01. Ankh Sligh to be exact.