With every update, Explorer inMagic: The Gathering Arenabecomes one step closer to the non-rotating Pioneer format fans have been begging for since its inception. Explorer Anthology 2 brings some useful and highly sought-after tools for Explorer decks. While some decks like the black/red Rakdos Midrange already have the majority of its toolbox in Arena, most decks are only shells of their Pioneer counterparts.
RELATED:Magic: The Gathering - Changes To Make The Brothers' War Go From Good To Great
Many players will be happy with the cards in this second anthology, while some will feel like it’s not enough. These are the ten best cards in the anthology you will encounter while climbing the ladder.
10Nykthos, Shrine To Nyx
Rakdos Midrange won’t be the dominating threat in Explorer now thatNykthos, Shrine to Nyxhas been introduced. Mono-Green Devotion was already intimidating without its devotion enabler, but now it has its mana-producing engine and has a good chance of making up a good percentage of the metagame.
Storm the Festival and Titan of Industry will be at the top end of the deck, and they’ll be easy to cast with Nykthos at your disposal.
9Mana Confluence
Having land that taps for any color is a valuable ability to have in many decks, especially with so many running more than one color. Enigmatic Fires, the white/black/green Abzan Greasefang, and more utilize three or more colors in Explorer. The addition of Mana Confluence makes it easier for you to cast your spells on-curve.
RELATED:Magic: The Gathering - Things Everyone Completely Missed In Unfinity
Sure, tapping Mana Confluence for mana deals one damage to you, but it’s a small price to pay for something so valuable.
8Reflector Mage
White/blueAzorius spellsnever cease to be annoying, and Reflector Mage is no exception. Not only does Reflector Mage bounce a creature back to your hand, but it also prevents you from playing that creature on your next turn. Now, if you happen to be the one casting Reflector Mage, this is all good news for you.
It allows you to set up a turn without worrying about whichever creature you bounced, and you’re able to play around with whatever abilities threaten you. For example, if you bounce a creature like Brutal Cathar, that gives you a turn to get your creature back and get one more attack with it before it’s exiled again.
7Courser Of Kruphix
Green decks rejoiced all across Arena when this Anthology revealed a fan-favorite Centaur. Not only does Courser of Kruphix offer some fantastic card advantage for green decks, its four toughness makes it a difficult wall to get past for aggressive decks.
This centaur does it all; blocks small creatures, gains you life, and allows you to play lands from the top of your deck. Courser might not be as good as its predecessor, Oracle of Mul Daya, but it’s still a powerful card.
6Zulaport Cutthroat
A popular archetype in Magic is the sacrifice archetype, better known as Aristocrats because the original decks utilized cards such as Cartel Aristocrat and Falkenrath Aristocrat. Zulaport Cutthroat is a functional reprint of Blood Artist, but since the latter isn’t available in Pioneer or Explorer, Cutthroat is the next best option.
RELATED:Magic: The Gathering - The Best Pod Commanders
The drawback, which isn’t much of one, is that Cutthroat only triggers when one of your own creatures dies. With the right sacrifice outlet, it’ll be easy to accomplish.
5Soldier Of The Pantheon
If you’ve been wanting to make a White Weenie deck, now is your chance. Explorer Anthology 2 gifts you Soldier of the Pantheon, which is an excellent creature to play on your first turn. With all the multicolored spells running around, this Soldier will gain you plenty of life while dealing his fair share of damage.
Bloodtithe Harvester has nothing on this little guy. Soldier of the Pantheon even avoids Mayhem Devil’s damage to any target and essentially negates the damage if dealt to you. Don’t underestimate this 2/1.
4Matter Reshaper
Nothing feels worse than losing a creature or two to removal. However, if that creature manages to replace itself, it’s not too big of a loss. Matter Reshaper’s three power guarantees that your opponent will remove it, which means you’re able to put a bigger threat on the board.
Explorer has plenty of permanents that cost three mana or less, such as Graveyard Trespasser, Skyclave Apparition, Tenacious Underdog, or any land at all.
3Thought-Knot Seer
Black’s color identity is known for making players discard individual cards or their entire hands. Well, Thought-Knot Seer makes it possible for any deck to have that ability. It’s not a first-turn play like Thoughtseize or Duress, but it removes any non-Land card, which is powerful even for a mana value of four.
RELATED:Magic: The Gathering - Underrated Mono-Black Commanders
Thought-Knot Seer being colorless is especially helpful for Historic Brawl players who have to abide by their commander’s color identity. Everyone can use colorless spells.
2Mutavault
As if Explorer needed any more creature lands. However, Mutavault is an MTG staple that benefits most creature-type decks like Merfolk and Elves, and needed to be added to Explorer. It was a missing piece that will help many decks fight back against control decks that utilize board wipes.
Mutavault might be an easy target for Fatal Push, but it will remain on the board after your opponent has tapped out to cast Supreme Verdict and clear out your creatures.
1Eidolon Of The Great Revel
At first, it might be difficult to see the value in this red Spirit, but Modern players value Eidolon of the Great Revel highly for good reason. This Eidolon punishes players using cheap, efficient spells. Sure, somebody casting Agent of Treachery or Storm the Festival won’t notice it for those particular cards, but since Fatal Push is a highly played card in Explorer, Eidolon’s effects will be severely felt by most players.
There’s a long list of cards that cost three or fewer mana, and this creature punishes them all. Even removing it from play will be painful.
NEXT:Magic: The Gathering - The Best Cards For Your Un-Set Cube
