“What are the best Artifacts?” is a question I often get asked. Well, today I plan to give my final verdict for Magic the Gathering Arenas newest release Throne of Eldraine.
But, before I get started, I would like to note three things: firstly, this is going to be a legacy list that means it will include cards no longer in standard format.
Two this list is my personal opinion and is not an end-all beat-all list.
Lastly, I would like to note that this list is by no means in any order. Thank you for reading and with that, let's get into the meat and potatoes of this list, shall we?
15. Witch's Oven
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Tap: Sacrifice a creature: Create a Food token if the sacrificed creature's toughness 4 or greater, create two tokens instead
What is OP about Witch’s Oven
A one drop sacrifice engine
A great card to combine with cards that allow you untap artifacts such as Manifold Key
When combined with cards like Cauldron Familiar and Cruel Celebrant to get some real value out of each sacrifice
Food Tokens "2, Tap: sacrifice this artifact gain 3 life" since these are tokens they can trigger both death and entry effects
14. Lucky Clover
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Whenever you cast an Adventure instant or sorcery spell, copy it. You may select new targets for the copy
What is OP about Lucky Clover
Adventure is one of the core mechanics for Throne of Eldraine this card works so well with them that entire decks have been built around this concept
Having four on the field at once allows you to trigger a card five times for the cost of one that is great value
There are Adventure cards that do everything from life gain to Mill (top card of target Library to the Graveyard) even straight damage find out works best for your play style and have fun
13. Midnight Clock
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Tap: add B
2B: put an hour counter on Midnight Clock
at the beginning of each upkeep put an hour counter on Midnight Clock
when the twelfth hour counter is put on Midnight Clock, shuffle your hand and graveyard into your library then draw seven cards. Exile Midnight Clock.
What is OP about Midnight Clock
Great Mill (target player puts the top card of their library in their graveyard) counter
Non-Land mana generation
using Proliferate (choose any amount of permanents with a counter on them add a counter of that kind to that permanent) you can quickly stack as many counters as you need to trigger it
when combined with Desecrated Tomb you can instantly get a huge army of 1/1 flying creatures
12. Mace of the Valiant
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Equipped creature gets +1/+1 for each charge counter on Mace of the Valiant and has vigilance
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control put a charge counter on Mace of the Valiant
What is OP about Mace of the Valiant
Equip 3
This is great for any tribal deck
Vigilance (attacking does not cause your creature to tap) is an incredibly strong mechanic
Any deck that is designed to bring out multiple creatures each turn will explode with this card
For a turn four equip it is incredibly good
11. Parhelion II
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flying first strike vigilance
Whenever Parhelion II attacks, create two 4/4 white Angel creature tokens with flying and vigilance that are attacking
Crew 4 (Tap any number of creatures you control with a total power of 4 or more this vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn)
What is OP about Parhelion II
Let's just get this out of the way 8 mana for 13 board power flying vigilance and 5 of that is first strike
After the first attack, it pretty much pilots itself just remember to tap one of those angels
This card ends games just by being on the board in some cases, and if it doesn't it DEMANDS an answer
10. Bolas Citadel
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You may look at the top card of your library at any time.
You may play the top card of your library. If you cast a spell this way pay life equal to it converted mana cost ( all the little symbols in the top right and then add the number to it) rather than pay its cost
What is OP about Bolas’s Citadel
When combined with cards that allow you to stack the deck in your favor this becomes extremely potent
Scrying, surveil, tutoring all give this card the monstrous reputation it has to end games
Also, 2 copies of this card and 20 non-land permanents ends a game even if the opponent hasn't lost any life as long as he hasn't gained any
9. Bloodsoaked Altar
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tap: Pay 2 life, Discard a card, Sacrifice a creature: create a 5/5 black Demon creature token with flying. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
What is OP about Bloodsoaked Altar
As long you have the life, a hand and a few weak creatures, you can have an army 5/5/ flyers waiting to attack and defend for you
This card allows you to continue to get value and use from low cost or currently useless creatures
Also MORE TOKENS I just love tokens they are great and allow you amass an army fast
8. Chandra’s Regulator
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Whenever you activate a loyalty ability of a Chandra planeswalker, you may pay 1 mana. If you do, copy that ability. You may choose new targets for the copy.
1 mana Tap: Discard a Mountain card or a red card: Draw a card.
What is OP about Chandra’s Regulator
Value
Allows Chandra (any of the Chandra planeswalkers) to become a true force on the battlefield
Also card draw
The +2 Chandra Awakened Inferno is absolutely devastating with this card in play turn one 2 damage every turn, turn two 4 damage every turn, so on and so forth and since these are emblems they stay on the field even after she dies
7. Embercleave
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Flash
This spell costs 1 less to cast for each attacking creature you control.
When Embercleave enters the battlefield, attach it to target creature you control.
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has double strike and trample.
Equip 3
What is OP about Embercleave
Since it has flash you can play it anytime you have control
Better with larger armies
Even attached to a 1/1 it becomes a 2/2 and has double strike and trample effectively becoming a 4/2 with trample and that's assuming its the only creature attacking
6. Gingerbrute
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Haste
What is OP about Gingerbrute
1: Gingerbrute can't be blocked this turn except by creatures with haste.
2, Tap, Sacrifice Gingerbrute: You gain 3 life.
Haste (attack the same turn it comes onto the field no summoning sickness)
Tap 1 and he can only be blocked by other creatures with haste making nearly unblockable
A true force when pumped and given hexproof due to being able to only blocked by other hasted creatures
5. Colossus Hammer
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Equipped creature gets +10/+10 and loses flying.
Equip 8: Attach to target creature you control. (Equip only as a sorcery.)
What is OP about Colossus
First off yes you lose flying... but 10/10
Menace, Any unblockable creature, Gingerbrute (yes it has happened to me), Deathtouch all things that work well with this card
First strike, Double Strike, Vigilance, Trample are all things that will take this card up to the next tier and demand answers
4. Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
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When Golos, Tireless Pilgrim enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.
2 W U B R G: Exile the top three cards of your library. You may play them this turn without paying their mana costs
What is OP about Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
Mana ramp on a 3/5 for 5
Cheating out multiple big creatures
Land of the dead decks use him as a staple because he is that good
Makes a great blocker if you are in a sticky situation
3. Helm of the Host
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At the beginning of combat on your turn, create a token that's a copy of equipped creature, except the token isn't legendary if the equipped creature is legendary. That token gains haste.
Equip 5
What is OP about Helm of the Host
MORE TOKENS
Multiple copies of the same legendary creature this is game-changing and possibly game-breaking
Equip to Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin for more token creation goodness add a Colossus Hammer for some real fun
2. Mystic Forge
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You may look at the top card of your library at any time.
You may cast the top card of your library if it's an artifact card or a colorless non-land card.
Tap, Pay 1 life: Exile the top card of your library.
What is OP about Mystic Forge
Much like Bolas Citadel but only for Artifacts and Colorless Non-lands
A little bit of built-in deck stacking
Great for any colorless or artifact deck allowing you to get your important guys sooner than you normally would be able to
1. Golden Guardian
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2: Golden Guardian fights another target creature you control. When Golden Guardian dies this turn, return it to the battlefield transformed under your control.
What is OP about Golden Guardian
Forcing a 4/4 to fight anything is mean especially when it's supposed to be a Defender (defenders cannot attack) even more so when it dies because it starts making tiny less awesome versions of itself
Comes back afterwards AS A LAND because it's a transform card
Tap: Add two mana of any one color. 4, Tap: Create a 4/4 colorless golem artifact creature token.
Once transformed can make a small army very fast pretty cheap at 4 mana most decks, given your Mana Ramp is good, can get him out on turn three
And that is the end of the list if you made it this far be sure to check out :
