While I'm just about the biggest advocate for playing cheap cards and unlikely decks in EDH (just look at the blog you're reading), I will say that for the most part, it's a relentless field. Not every fellow player you'll run across will enjoy quirky, budget decks as much as you do - far from it. At the end of the day, all players just want to have fun playing, but for most (or at least some) having fun equals winning.
That's why even budget decks need the occasional boost from a particularly powerful, on-its-way-to-expensive card. Since there's so many of that type to choose from, today's post contains a list of good candidates for what I like to call "splurge cards": cards so powerful/interesting/awesome that you're ready to spend a little extra on them.
I'll give you five cards of each of the five colors, five artifacts and five lands for a total of 35 cards that I am willing to bet my favorite deck on you'll enjoy playing in your decks. The cards I suggest still cost less than ten dollars; good is good, but budget is budget. The list presented here is not a be-all end-all list of must-have EDH cards. If you don't play a given color, don't get those cards. If one of the cards doesn't fit your play style, skip it. The choices are yours - the suggestions mine.
(NOTE: Two or more cards can be listed at once if they're a good-enough replacement for each other - although getting all of the mentioned cards is always better. All card prices acquired from http://www.mtgprice.com on October 13, 2014)
White
Day of Judgment/Wrath of God: Depending on your metagame, boardwipes are either useful, incredibly useful or a
must. White has seen a lot of boardwipes through the years, but these two hold on to their position as some of the best thanks to their cheapness (four mana each) and effectiveness (even regeneration won't help with Wrath). For a more varied approach, try Austere Command. Price: $1.6 (M12)/$4.55 (5th Edition)
Hallowed Burial: Any and all "tuck" effects (cards that put a permanent into an opponent's library, either on the bottom, X from the top or shuffled into) are good in EDH, solely because they can throw a Commander-based deck completely off the tracks. That's why a card like Hallowed Burial, which tucks all creatures on the field, is wonderful. Nothing better than shuffling away three or more Commanders just before casting your own. Price:
$6.85 (Eventide)
Path to Exile/Swords to Plowshares: White offers a player some of the best targeted removal ever printed in Magic, and nothing can compete with these two bad boys. While powerhouse cards like
Oblivion Ring and
Banisher Priest are great (and worthy additions to most decks on their own right), nothing beats the one-mana, instant-speed removal Path and Swords offer, especially when used against a particularly grating Commander. Get at least one of them - or both, if you're an avid White player. Price:
$5.89 (Conflux)/$2.43 (Conspiracy)
Prison Term: Nothing says "stay there" like an Aura that jumps around the table, looking for the most dangerous creature to tie down. What's more, many strong Commanders are based around their activated abilities, which Prison Term just loves to negate. Remember to play up the diplomatic aspect ("I'll move it to another player's game-winning creatures when the time comes") to swerve your enchantment around counterspells and removal. Price:
$0.82 (Shadowmoor)
Return to Dust: At this point you might have noticed all of White's splurge cards are removal of some sort. This is very much intentional: White offers the best and most varied removal in the game, so concentrate on it. Return to Dust offers you an easy two-for-one when cast during your main phase, and since it exiles the artifact/enchantment instead of just destroying it, conveniently gets rid of things like
Rancor and
Fool's Demise. Price:
$1 (Time Spiral)
Blue
Brainstorm/Preordain/Whispers of the Muse: The amount of one-mana cantrips Blue has to offer is amazing, and pretty much all of them are at least playable in EDH; the ones listed here are just the most powerful. Every draw spell in your deck means you're effectively playing a smaller deck, which means you're more likely to run into your most powerful/important cards, which means you're happier. Price:
$0.64 (Beatdown Box Set)/$1.06 (M11)/$0.19 (Time Spiral)
Fabricate: You might be a bit confused with this one. "I'm not playing artifact", you say. Sure, your deck might not be artifact-based, but what Fabricate (and other artifact tutors, like
Trinket Mage) brings to the table is a tutor for one of the best cards ever printed, which is also one of the cards I'd advocate you to splurge on (scroll down to artifacts to find out which one). Price:
$1.66 (M10)
Hinder/Spell Crumple: Since you're playing Blue, you might as well be playing counterspells. I'm not a big fan of countering myself: I've always rather done interesting things than stop others from doing them. This doesn't mean I don't respect the power of well-placed counters, and I do advocate people to play at least a few of the really strong ones. Price:
$3.57 (Champions of Kamigawa)/$5.39 (Commander)
Rhystic Study: Draw is good in EDH. Blue is the king of draw. Hence, you should play Blue draw spells when playing EDH. However, the amount of draw spells available is so staggering it can be intimidating. Rhystic Study is about as simple as you can get: they forget/can't/won't pay, you draw - a lot. If you're into creature-based card draw instead, try
Mulldrifter or get yourself acquainted with Green. Price:
$3.12 (Prophecy)
Rite of Replication: Blue has no lack of copy spells, and many of them are incredibly good in EDH (my personal preference is
Stolen Identity: you can immediately copy the most powerful artifact or creature on the battlefield, and in many situations immediately copy it a second time). Nonetheless. the late-game potential of Rite of Replication makes it the best in the budget department. Price:
$4.12 (Zendikar)
Black
Beacon of Unrest: Recursion of cards is a good way of gaining card advantage, and I for one prefer to return cards from my graveyard straight to the battlefield instead of my hand. But wait, my rich opponents are playing far better creatures than me! Let's give them a taste of their own medicine with a few reanimation tricks. I go for the reanimation cards that allow me to steal my opponents dead creatures just for this reason. Price:
$3.3 (Planechase)
Beseech the Queen: Would you like to have two, or three, or more of your favorite EDH card in your deck? Play tutors! Each tutor in your deck stands for every other card in your deck, for just a small mana investment. As far as Beseech the Queen goes, there are far more powerful tutors out there (*cough*
Diabolic Tutor *cough*), but they have a habit of having a price tag in the hundreds of dollars - yikes! Price:
$3.03 (Shadowmoor)
Exsanguinate: EDH games tend to be long affairs, and if you're unable to keep up your basic resouces - your hand, your life total and your field position - in good condition, you're going to lose the game in the long run. Exsanguinate is a wonderful card just because of that: it takes the steam out of early-game oriented aggro decks, punishes everyone while benefiting you, and more than once I've single-handedly won a game off a bloated Exsanguinate. Price:
$1.05 (Scars of Mirrodin)
Fleshbag Marauder/Slum Reaper: What with all the hexproof, shroud and indestructibility going around, a little sacrifice-based removal is always good to have. What these two guys have going for them is that they're also bodies that stick around if you've got a worse creature to sacrifice (or one that gives you something when it hits the 'yard), and they repeat for each player, allowing you to clear plenty of creatures for a small cost. Price:
$0.39 (Shards of Alara)/$0.16 (Return to Ravnica)
Grave Pact: This is one card that isn't absolutely necessary in every Black deck, but it sure is a wonderful addition to any that plays even a moderate amount of creatures. In an offensive creature deck or a sacrifice deck, though, it is an absolute must. The card is heavy on Black mana, but the effect is just so powerful that it's almost always worth splurging on. Beware of becoming the target after casting it, though. Price:
$9.88 (Planechase)
Red
Anger: While the ability to attack a turn earlier is not quite as good in EDH as it might be in other formats, it's still worth it if the creatures or their activated abilities are powerful enough (which they often are). Mass haste, like the one offered by Anger, is a great way to push through Commander damage as well, or activate the wicked abilities yours offers before the inevitable flurry of removal enters the scene to spoil your fun. Price:
$1.15 (Judgment)
Banefire/Comet Storm/Demonfire: Red is often called the worst EDH color, but while I see the reasoning behind this train of thought (in a format where draw, long games and card advantage are the key to victory, Red has little to offer), Red is a wonderful secondary or tertiary color in a deck, thanks to its powerful single cards. Big burn spells like the three mentioned here are a good way to milk Red for all it's worth. Price:
$3.54 (Duels of the Planeswalkers)/$1.27 (Worldwake)/$0.67 (Duel Decks Jace vs Chandra)
Bogardan Hellkite: One of the few things Red has to offer in EDH is its biggest creatures: dragons. Many of them have found their place in classic EDH decks, but Bogardan Hellkite is perhaps the most useful, boasting instant speed, two- or even three-for-one advantage at entering the battlefield, and a fat flying body. And if you're playing Blue, repeatedly copying one is good for many, many laughs. Price:
$2.16 (Time Spiral)
Insurrection: A game-ender if there ever was one. A successful Insurrection pretty much ensures at least one opponent is going down, but more often than not you can divide the pain so that by the end of your attack phase, you're the only one standing. It's a prime counter target, though, so you'll have to be wily with casting it; just throwing it around is gonna end with you down eight mana to no effect. Price:
$1.45 (Onslaught)
Reiterate: EDH is an intense game of trying the get the most bang for your buck. Everyone's playing top-notch cards, meaning most anything being thrown around is worth copying with cards like Fork. Except with Reiterate, you'll eventually reach a point where you can copy things again and again and again. No sorcery game-ender, no instant draw is safe from your greedy hands. Price:
$3.12 (Time Spiral)
Green
Beast Within: Best removal spell in EDH, bar none. That's really good for a color not particularly known for its removal. The fact that Beast Within can remove any permanent, at instant speed, for a measly three mana, makes it a card worth having in just about any Green deck. The 3/3 creature your opponent gains is little compared to the fact you've just destroyed their best permanent, and in a pinch Beast Within can target your own permanent to provide you with an extra body. What versatility! Price:
$1.8 (Planechase 2012)
Eternal Witness: This girl gives you recursion like no other. Since she can give you a second try with any card you cast, she's definitely worth it in basically every Green deck ever. Not only that, but she also offers a body, all for a measly three mana! There's nothing quite like blasting an opponent out of the game with some massive, game-ending move, only to do it again the next turn with a little help from Eternal Witness. Price:
$2.55 (Duel Decks Izzet vs Golgari)
Harmonize: Since this is a color-shifted version of Concentrate (listed above), everything said previously holds true here as well. Green can often get card draw from creatures (
Garruk's Packleader immediately springs to mind), but never forget the straightforward power cards like this one. Price:
$1.55 (Planar Chaos)
Sakura-Tribe Elder/Yavimaya Elder: Respect your elders, especially if they intend to fix your mana for you. Any number of land search spells could be listed here, from
Cultivate to
Tempt with Discovery, but these two guys have served me well, and find a place in every Green deck I possess. Big spells, here we come! When choosing land search for your deck, go for the cheap and efficient, and preferably anything that can search for any land instead of just basic lands. Price:
$0.39 (Conspiracy)/$0.69 (Urza's Destiny)
Terastodon: Two-for-ones are an important part of taking care of your card advantage in EDH. That's why guys like this are so good: they offer you a powerful creature and a removal spell, all in one neat package. And while repeated or mass land removal in EDH is just unpleasant, removing a few key lands with Terastodon is just good strategy. Price:
$0.36 (Conspiracy)
Artifact
Coalition Relic: The best cards ever printed aren't going to do you any good if you can't cast them. That's why mana fixing and ramping are so important, especially in the long-winded, giant spell environment of EDH. Artifact mana fixing isn't quite as good in raw power as the Green spells tend to be, but has the added benefits of 1) fitting every deck, and 2) being colorless, meaning you're left mana screwed far less often. Price:
$5.95 (Duel Decks Phyrexia vs The Coalition)
Lightning Greaves: You build your decks around your Commander, right? What if, instead of having him removed the moment he enters the battlefield, you instead equip him with a little piece of tech that protects him from all targeted removal? This is what makes this card (and the various other similar cards) so powerful: they insure your Commander/best creature from harm - or at least force a boardwipe from an opponent. Price:
$5.6 (Commander)
Mimic Vat: Any creature with an enters-the-battlefield effect is a creature worthy of imprinting onto your Mimic Vat. Imaging the land search you'll get from imprinting, say, a Yavimaya Elder! And it's not just your creatures that you can stick into the depths of this gooey piece of creature recursion: you can also steal your opponents best guys. Imprint a Bogardan Hellkite and watch your opponents break down. Price:
$2.33 (Scars of Mirrodin)
Solemn Simulacrum: I have this guy in every single EDH deck I've ever made. Literally every single one. The card advantage you receive from him is just golden, and he often fills extra roles depending on the deck (he's a classic in sacrifice decks, for example). For added laughs, always try to get the "sad robot" artwork version - it's glorious! Price:
$3.84 (M12)
Sol Ring: This is the card I spoke about in Trinket Mage, and another card I have in every EDH deck along with my Solemn Simulacrum. A hand with a few lands and a Sol Ring is almost always worth starting on. You can't compare with the raw mana ramping potential this card offers. To put it into perspective:
Worn Powerstone is a great card, and Sol Ring is better than it in every way. Wow. Price:
$3.98 (Commander 2013)
Land
Homeward Path: This is not so much a must-include card as it is a must-own card. Many players of the Blue and/or Red persuasion have been lured into the stealing game, where you play with mostly your opponents cards. If you have even one of those players in your group, Homeward Path is the card for you. Just make sure you're not playing steal effects yourself, or you're gonna shoot yourself in the foot. Price:
$2.89 (Commander 2013)
Krosan Verge: Of the five lands suggested for splurging here, this is the only one with a color identity. Before you scream foul and accuse me of being biased, notice that of all lands, only Krosan Verge and
Thawing Glaciers will actually lands for you, and Thawing Glaciers does it slowly. This is a powerful card, and if you're playing Green and White, you definitely want to have this among your hundred cards. Price:
$0.41 (Judgment)
Reliquary Tower: In EDH you want a full hand, plain and simple. If you're playing enough draw to potentially flood your hand, this card is a godsend, and an auto-include. What's more, many players play cards like
Howling Mine and
Prosperity, so sometimes having Reliquary Tower in your deck is justified even if you're not playing tons of draw cards. Price:
$2.37 (M13)
Scrying Sheets: This card provides any deck with a nifty little piece of tech: while it might at first look like a fit only for snow-heavy decks, you can have all your basic lands be snow lands, meaning Scrying Sheets often provides you with card advantage. Buying all those snow lands might be a hassle, though, and a deck with the card must have at least around 20 of them, so think about it carefully. Price:
$2.88 (Coldsnap)
Temple of the False God: If by now you haven't figure out that having tons of mana is a great thing in EDH, nows the time to get it into your head. When you do, it should become obvious why Temple of the False God is a great card. Beware of starting hands with this card in your hand, though: if you don't get to the necessary five lands, the Temple is just a dead card. I've sat on an unactive Temple of the False God before; not only is it useless, it's kind of embarrassing. Price:
$0.26 (Commander 2013)
