Let's discuss cards that are especially strong in mono colored decks. I don't mean legendary creatures that can be commanders that are powerful and happen to be mono colored. I mean cards that are especially strong because a deck is mono colored (see below for examples).
Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
deserted temple is a card that's value increases the more utility nonbasics you have. Playing multiple colors, a lot of your nonbasic slots are filled with color-fixing lands, but in mono-colored decks you can easily fit 10-15 utility nonbasics, even as much as 20 if you're not relying too heavily on gauntlet of power effects.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - It is far more likely that you have a higher devotion count in mono color.
Your landbase is simpler and thus you can usually justify more utility lands. My average two color landbase might have like 4-6 colorless lands but my average mono colored deck usually has like 10+. As you add more colors usually you should cut back on colorless utility lands.
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
Oo, a topic after my heart. My monocolors are full of stuff in the vein of 'well, can't really play them anywhere else anyway'.
Light From Within is a fun one if you're playing the admittedly somewhat-limited thing that is monowhite non-token creatures. But it shines (pun maybe intended) in Odric, Lunarch Marshal something fierce. Similarly, Armored Ascension - you don't even need to have a combat-oriented general to suddenly commander damage kill people. Endless Horizons is a guaranteed land drops early game, deck-thinner late in the game and nice removal bait in between; people seem to think it more dangerous than it actually is (given that you are still playing monowhite, so 'dangerous' is rather very relative).
Jokulmorder. Okay, not directly speaking "good", but if I have even half of an excuse in monoblue for it, Imma toss it in. That thing is cool. Slightly more usably, Scourge of Fleets. In monoblue also, the really stupid-silly triple-blue counters, Spelljack and Gather Specimens. Flow of Ideas is usually overkill in draw department, but when is it not fun to draw fifteen-or-so lategame?
Monored, if nothing else, has ways to produce more red mana. Mana Geyser, Seething Song, Neheb, the Eternal, Treasonous Ogre et al. While playable in other decks, they really lose steam once you start needing other colors in your casts. In aggressive monored though, they shine quite nicely. Claws of Valakut/Granite Grip if you're going voltron or just generally hitting hard with creatures.
X Hope of Ghirapur Swordpile W Ghosty Blinky Anafenza U Nezahal- Big, Blue and HERE! B Gonti Can Afford It R Etali, Primal 'Whatjusthappened?' G Polukranos Wants More Mana WU The Exalted Vizier Temmet WB Home, Athreos WR Basandra, Recursive Aggression WG Karametra, Momma of Lands UB Wrexial Eats Your Brains UR Arjun, the Mad Flame UG The Fable of Prime Speaker BR Hellbent, Malfegor Style BG Jarad, Death is Served RG Running Thromok WUB Varina and ALL the Zombies WUBYennett, the Odd Pain-Train WUR Zedruu the Furyhearted WUG Arcades' Strategy, Shmategy, Sausage and Spam WBR A Case of Mathas' Persistent F*ckery WBRLicia's League of Legendary Lifegain Layabouts WBG The Karador Advantage PackageWRG Gahiji Rattlesnake Collection UBR Jeleva... does... things UBG Damia's Just Deserts URG Yasova's Has More Power Than Sense BRG Wasitora, Bad Kitty WUBRBreya, Eggs, Breya'd Eggs WUBG Tymna and Kydele, Extended Borrowing WURG Kynaios and Tiro, Landfall Impersonations WBRG Saskia Pet Card EnchantressUBRG Yidris of the Chi-Ting Corporation WUBRG Tazri's Amazing Allies
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If it is not obvious or the card is underplayed, please explain why the card is good.
UBRKess, Dissident MageUBR - Controlling Dissidents
GRhonas the IndomitableG - Indomitable Four Drops
WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUB - Loot & Renanimate
Crusade. Honor of the Pure.
Divine Sacrament is ok... Celestial Crusader. Crovax, Ascendant Hero. Of course, B has his inspiration, and further back, Bad Moon.
Brave The Elements?
They may not necessarily be good cards, but many like these, specifically Emeria and Howl are parts of cycles.
Red has a good chunk of Mountain-based damage.
Extraplanar Lens and Caged Sun need a shout.
U: Breaching Leviathan, Inundate, Engulf the Shore, High Tide
B: Reiver Demon, Liliana of the Dark Realms
R: Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle, Gauntlet of Might
G: Wave of Vitriol, Vernal Bloom, Sasaya, Orochi Ascendant
General: Terrain Generator, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
The first three support Coffers.
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'
On phasing:
Apart from that, my top 5/almost auto includes are
W: Sun Titan
U: High Tide
B: Dark Ritual
R: Lightning Bolt
G: Llanowar Elves
UBRJeleva, Nephalias Scourge: ...and the storm arrivedRBU
BGHapatra, Vizier of PoisonsGB
WAvacyn, Angel of Hope: Avy, Baby!W
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - It is far more likely that you have a higher devotion count in mono color.
Your landbase is simpler and thus you can usually justify more utility lands. My average two color landbase might have like 4-6 colorless lands but my average mono colored deck usually has like 10+. As you add more colors usually you should cut back on colorless utility lands.
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[Modern] Allies
On phasing:
Light From Within is a fun one if you're playing the admittedly somewhat-limited thing that is monowhite non-token creatures. But it shines (pun maybe intended) in Odric, Lunarch Marshal something fierce. Similarly, Armored Ascension - you don't even need to have a combat-oriented general to suddenly commander damage kill people.
Endless Horizons is a guaranteed land drops early game, deck-thinner late in the game and nice removal bait in between; people seem to think it more dangerous than it actually is (given that you are still playing monowhite, so 'dangerous' is rather very relative).
Jokulmorder. Okay, not directly speaking "good", but if I have even half of an excuse in monoblue for it, Imma toss it in. That thing is cool. Slightly more usably, Scourge of Fleets. In monoblue also, the really stupid-silly triple-blue counters, Spelljack and Gather Specimens. Flow of Ideas is usually overkill in draw department, but when is it not fun to draw fifteen-or-so lategame?
Nightmare Lash and Lashwrithe can and will wreck folks. Double score if you put either on a Nightmare. Strands of Night is scary. Then there's the overkill demons like Kuro, Pitlord and Reiver Demon. Altar of Shadows can go places in the right deck, and you really have not lived until you've ended a game with a Corrupt of all things.
Monored, if nothing else, has ways to produce more red mana. Mana Geyser, Seething Song, Neheb, the Eternal, Treasonous Ogre et al. While playable in other decks, they really lose steam once you start needing other colors in your casts. In aggressive monored though, they shine quite nicely. Claws of Valakut/Granite Grip if you're going voltron or just generally hitting hard with creatures.
Traproot Kami. Yes.
Also Gaea's Touch, Patron of the Orochi, Nissa, Worldwaker and Vernal Bloom for some mana efforts. Hall of Gemstone and Primal Order to mess people's gameplans, and Howl of the Night Pack to produce a ludicrous pack of puppies. There is always a need for a pack of puppies, don't lie to me.