Whenever I'm building a new deck, I find that there's tons of staples I want to run that cost three mana, but I have a much harder time getting in enough good cards for one and two mana so the deck reliably does something the first few turns. There are some staples like Skullclamp or the humble Sakura-Tribe Elder, but not as many as for the crowded three mana slots - and quite a few aren't exactly budget-friendly (like Land Tax, Sylvan Library or Mana Vault). So I was wondering, what are your favorite cards at lower mana costs that help you keep the mana curve in check and can still do good work throughout a game of Commander?
Warping wail is always good in non-Blue as the ability to counter sorceries is unexpected and ever so useful. Most decks have sources of colorless mana so the cost is reasonable.
Oakhame Adversary is a new one that might be worth looking at. As is Merchant of The Vale for it's adventure, whilst being able to be played later as a looting engine.
Most of the time people are just ramping for the first couple of turns.
I often a pile of cantrips in my decks just so I can spend time setting up, making sure I make my land drops etc. So either I have ramp or cantrips in the early turns.
Luminarch Ascension is often amazing when people are too busy ramping to notice what you are doing.
Another auto include in non-green decks for me is Expedition Map, it is always useful for fixing early game or for finding toolbox lands in the late game like Rogue’s Passage or Maze of Ith.
Cards like Enlightened tutor and Fabricate are also very nice to have in most decks. Every deck that I build that uses them also uses Ancient Den, Seat of the Synod and every other artifact land in that deck’s colors since it’s nice being able to fetch a land drop in the appropriate color if I desperately need one.
First, i want to say that i really like low cost cards. So i compiled a list of some i played over the years with great success. With over 200+ entries i roughly sort my list. Maybe this will inspire you.
I often a pile of cantrips in my decks just so I can spend time setting up, making sure I make my land drops etc. So either I have ramp or cantrips in the early turns.
Luminarch Ascension is often amazing when people are too busy ramping to notice what you are doing.
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own
I like Open the Armory in most of my white decks, because it grabs useful equipment and unlike the other equipment tutor steelshaper’s gift, open the armory can fetch answers in the form of auras like darksteel mutation and Faith’s Fetters (or Imprisoned in the Moon and Song of the Dryads depending on your colors).
Cards like Enlightened tutor and Fabricate are also very nice to have in most decks. Every deck that I build that uses them also uses Ancient Den, Seat of the Synod and every other artifact land in that deck’s colors since it’s nice being able to fetch a land drop in the appropriate color if I desperately need one.
Block 1: Mana
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Amber
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Opal
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Grim Monolith
1 Arcane Signet
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Talisman of Conviction
1 Talisman of Creativity
1 Talisman of Curiosity
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Talisman of Hierarchy
1 Talisman of Impulse
1 Talisman of Indulgence
1 Talisman of Progress
1 Talisman of Resilience
1 Talisman of Unity
1 Azorius Signet
1 Boros Signet
1 Dimir Signet
1 Golgari Signet
1 Gruul Signet
1 Izzet Signet
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Simic Signet
1 Surveyor's Scope
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Elves of Deep Shadow
1 Elvish Mystic
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Quirion Ranger
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Bloom Tender
1 Dockside Extortionist
1 Etherium Sculptor
1 Goblin Electromancer
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Priest of Titania
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Carpet of Flowers
1 Exploration
1 Land Tax
1 Utopia Sprawl
1 Wild Growth
1 Fertile Ground
1 Tithe
1 Farseek
1 Nature's Lore
1 Rampant Growth
1 Three Visits
Block 2: Tutor & Draw
1 Skullclamp
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
1 Azor's Gateway
1 Search for Azcanta
1 Scroll Rack
1 Sylvan Library
1 Argothian Enchantress
1 Baleful Strix
1 Coiling Oracle
1 Dark Confidant
1 Elvish Visionary
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Goblin Engineer
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Sygg, River Cutthroat
1 Thrasios, Triton Hero
1 Crop Rotation
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Entomb
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Impulse
1 Lim-Dûl's Vault
1 Pull from Tomorrow
1 Tainted Pact
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Imperial Seal
1 Personal Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Serum Visions
1 Diabolic Intent
1 Finale of Devastation
1 Life's Legacy
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Neoform
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Sylvan Tutor
1 Transmute Artifact
Block 3: Counter & Removal
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Gilded Drake
1 Leonin Relic-Warder
1 Seal of Cleansing
1 Seal of Primordium
1 Autumn's Veil
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Dispel
1 Fatal Push
1 Flusterstorm
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Nature's Claim
1 Path to Exile
1 Pongify
1 Pyroblast
1 Rapid Hybridization
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Swan Song
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Veil of Summer
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Arcane Denial
1 Assassin's Trophy
1 Counterspell
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Delay
1 Despark
1 Disenchant
1 Doom Blade
1 Mana Drain
1 Negate
1 Rakdos Charm
1 Reality Shift
1 Meltdown
1 Vandalblast
1 Winds of Abandon
Block 4: Stax
1 Root Maze
1 Mother of Runes
1 Spore Frog
1 Mind Twist
1 Blind Obedience
1 Cursed Totem
1 Null Rod
1 Rest in Peace
1 Stasis
1 Stony Silence
1 Torpor Orb
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Winter Orb
1 Containment Priest
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Spirit of the Labyrinth
1 Vexing Shusher
Block 5: Sac, Recursion & Value
1 Goblin Welder
1 Shrieking Drake
1 Viscera Seer
1 Noxious Revival
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
1 Reanimate
1 Altar of Dementia
1 Mesmeric Orb
1 Nim Deathmantle
1 Blood Artist
1 Bloodghast
1 Cavern Harpy
1 Dire Fleet Daredevil
1 Hermit Druid
1 Nether Traitor
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Reassembling Skeleton
1 Saffi Eriksdotter
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Soulfire Grand Master
1 Zulaport Cutthroat
1 Copy Artifact
1 Dance of Many
1 Dance of the Dead
1 Goblin Bombardment
1 Finale of Promise
1 Life from the Loam
1 Regrowth
1 Wake the Dead
Block 6: Other Good Cards
1 Bloodchief Ascension
1 Hardened Scales
1 Reconnaissance
1 Rhys the Redeemed
1 Secure the Wastes
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Serra Ascendant
1 Training Grounds
1 Vanishing
1 Emmara, Soul of the Accord
1 Fork
1 Genesis Chamber
1 Heroic Intervention
1 Illusionist's Bracers
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Lighthouse Chronologist
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Luminarch Ascension
1 Naban, Dean of Iteration
1 Narset's Reversal
1 Oath of Druids
1 Power Artifact
1 Remorseful Cleric
1 Skirsdag High Priest
1 Spirit Bonds
1 Strionic Resonator
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Sword of the Meek
1 Thopter Foundry
1 Young Pyromancer