TOP TEN - Cards of the Decade! 

Most of your Top 10 cards were format warping monsters, but you forgot the secret all-star of the casual world. Debuting at the start of the decade, a little common called Command Tower showed up in the original Commander precons and has since been a cornerstone of every multicolor mana base ever in the years since. It's a card so ubiquitous that it's in 68% of all decks on EDHrec and has received a new printing in almost every Commander product ever released. It has a Judge Promo (because of course it does) and is even a Standard-legal card thanks to the Brawl precons from Throne of Eldraine. Even with variants such as Opal Palace and Path of Ancestry being printed in the years since, the original Command Tower will always have a home on the kitchen tables and the Command Zones for the rest of time.

I want to give a shout-out to a late entry to the decade, something that was a part of a new promotional bonus to selling booster boxes in stores, but very quickly showed why cards that weren't available in boosters would be a problem, and why "time walk" spells should never be instant (let alone shuffle back into the library), and completely warped all play on the best-of-1 matches in MTG:Arena. Nexus of Fate, for better or for worse, was the most notable card in standard of the 2018-2019 season. It was a card that was unbelievably polarizing to the magic community, and had a severe supply problem for paper tournaments (frequently seeing people playing simic nexus with 4 mountains with 'nexus of fate' sharpie'd onto them), and won in dramatic fashion in Mythic Championship III. No one thought that a 7 mana time-walk would even be remotely close to playable in standard, but after it's printing, all the buy-a-box promos became significantly less powerful. It caused Arena to have a separate ban list for the Bo1 matches, and had several account suspensions from people abusing the infinite loop of taking an extra turn indefinitely to grief other players. Talk to anyone playing during Core Set 2019's life in standard about Nexus, and you'll certainly be met with a groan.

It might be kinda weird, but a top 10 Standard decks of the decade could be a sweet list.

Evan, you terrible idea machine. Primeval Titan? Maro in the top 10 villains, Spectral Procession in spirits, Sorin in vampires and I could go on! So in honor of this outrageous tradition of yours, I'm gonna pull out a weird one for this top 10: Nicol Bolas, Dragon God. I don't think it had even the slightest impact on standard, nevermind any of the older formats, but it was a symbol, a banner, the culmination of a half a decade long storyline. The Dragon God depicted the most iconic villain of the decade at its peak, essentially "Thanos-snapping" away and towards himself every Planeswalker's spark on Ravnica, which was reflected on his passive ability. He's the grand finale for the biggest event in Magic's history; War of The Spark was a rollercoaster of emotion and controversy, so I believe the piece de resistance of this gigantic narrative deserves a spot in the top 10 of the decade.

The titans cycle is iconic. How can anyone deny this?

While Commander (or EDH) has been around for longer, its popularity has skyrocketed it over the past decade to make it one of Magic's most popular formats. Certainly, this was helped when Wizards began releasing specific products for it in 2011 with the first Commander precons. Most crucial among those is Command Tower. A simple land, now with 12 printings, that will ALWAYS be printed at least once a year now for as long as the game continues, because every commander deck of two or more colours wants it, making mana bases for the quote unquote "casual" format just that little bit easier, but the perfect mana is balanced by only ever being able to run one functioning copy. You can, of course, now include a full playset in your standard deck; it just won't do anything. Command Tower represents the growth of Commander into one of the most successful formats in all of Magic.

How could you not list one of the best cards printed, Cavern of Souls. This is one of the most powerful lands to be printed fixing your mana stopping, counterspells and it sees play across all formats that it’s legal. This is most definitely one of the top 10 cards of the past decade.

Big request but I'd love to see top 10 cards of last decade...

Evan, how could you miss one of the biggest format runners this decade? I dont think I've ever lost a game in the event I got to untap with Elspeth, suns champion. Its plus one is three dudes seriously with a wrath and "glorious jump" stapled on for good measure. Jace might be better than all, but Elspeth is number one in my heart.

Miss Campbell...I'm surprised at you. There no mention of Liliana of the Veil in your Top 10, which is egregious enough in and of itself, but for someone who loves zombies as much as you do, it's especially shocking. She was a mainstay of Innistrad Standard and is currently the lead singer of the Jund band in Modern. She set the standard for what a 3-mana Planeswalker can and should be, so she deserves a spot on the list. Also...I couldn't notice that you also forgot Griselbrand, a card so good he was banned in Commander. Girl, I know you say you love Daddy, but this shows otherwise. He's not angry...he's just disappointed, and he knows you can be better.

It may not be the sole reason, why the play design team exist, but it certainly is emblematic of why we needed one: Felidar Guardian brought Splinter Twin style decks into standard with only one other card within the same block! Also: There is of course "Draco" for 16 colorless mana, but it IS pretty forgettable tbh. Certainly not as memorable as Emrakul.

I'm sure you might have your reasons, but I have to ask... how could Erin and Reuben, one loving all the eternal formats, and the other having appreciation for fixed cards that are still too powerful and get banned, miss out on Ponder? Let me explain: almost for the whole life of this game, WotC has been trying to "fix" some of their broken cards from early in Magic's history. And one they've been trying to fix for a long time has been Ancestral Recall with cards like Brainstorm and Treasure Cruise. But I feel that Ponder is the fairest Ancestral fix we've ever had, and probably will ever get if the way WotC has been making cards continues on its trend.

Card of the DECADE...Evan...Evan...Evan...just...no. In your own words, your list was "The 10 cards you should know about" that DEFINE 2010-2019. So by that logic what you're saying is if you had to choose ONE CARD to represent the DECADE, Out of all the cards you MENTIONED and also LEFT OUT...you'd show people Primeval Titan. Primeval Titan can be on your list. Shouldn't be above a 7. And that's that on that.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am angry. When I saw this video pop up I instantly thought of a card that HAD to be on the list. I would've wagered 500 pirate dabloons, without even knowing the currency exchange rate into US Dollars, that SIEGE RHINO would've been on the list. Siege Rhino was a HOUSE, and not just in the art. Siege Rhino enthralled standard for quite a while, won a PRO TOUR, and gobbled up other decks in its way. I cannot accept it not being on the list. To put it simply: my disappointment is immeasurable; and my day is ruined. (except you Erin, not you, you're clear)

During the decade we got a handful of 5 colored legendary commanders, some of them were good for tribal decks but no matter how many sliver or dragons commanders they printed there were still tribes in need of a commander. That's when they brought us Morophon the boundless and ever since then none has an excuse, NOBODY! So stop bothering Maro on his blog for 5 color tribal commanders for that janky deck you have, STOP!

That was a good top 10 list. There is one somebody you left out though. Someone that I THOUGHT was going to be Evan's Number 1 when he started with the suspense. He also runs formats from time to time, and is banned in Commander. However it was NOT this person. Who is it? I have 4 little words for you: Pay Seven. Draw Seven. I don't even need to say his name. How can you talk about the baddest bitch in the multiverse and leave out her big, bad Griseldaddy? He goes hookhand in hand with Emrakul, and is also the poster-child of unfair combo in eternal formats. If you lost on turn 1, there's a good chance it was because of Griselbrand. P.S. You talked quite a bit about UW Miracles, but somehow left out the DEFINING card of the Archetype-Terminus. Thalia and Stoneforge probably deserve some honorable mentions as archetype defining as well. Along with Batterskull which still gets paired TO THIS DAY in Legacy and Modern. Gitaxian Probe should also likely be held up to Mental Mistep and Surgical Extraction, but there is only so much room on the list for 1 Phyrexian Mana costed cards, as Reuben mentions.

Great lists! With such a wide spread of time, I got a few honorable mentions for y'all! With the awesome unveiling of Avacyn Restored and the power of Griselbrand, I think he deserves a mention. Liliana of the Veil and Karn Liberated also shaped modern and other formats. They are still powerhouses to this day, and still remain very loved and sought after. One last one for fun is Arcane Signet, while not era defining it brought about much controversy and discussion from the community at large. Pretty cool considering it came from a simple Mana rock that only works in one format. Much love and Happy New year to all of you!

What are some of the most iconic cards in Magic the Gathering? The Moxen. My vote for one of the most iconic cards of the modern era, certainly the most iconic artifact, is Mox Opal. It’s THE Modern day Mox.

Ok, I have a controversial pick: Charging Badger. This card was emblematic of how bad Born of the Gods was. And Born of the Gods was the set that killed the three set block structure. And the ripple effect of this was massive. This set impacted every set that came out for the rest of the decade. And it will continue to impact magic for the rest of its existence on earth. PS. Erin, You call yourself a black mage and get you snubbed Grislbrand AND Lilliana of the Veil?!

Sorry about my messy comment I did it when I was super sick. :( Sinusitis isn’t fun.

Despite over a 100 episodes of loyal viewership, this omission makes me so ballistic that I want to walk away from this channel. My omission welcomes all magic players regardless of their color, archetype, or format. When weighed on the hardest of scales, it always comes out on top. It is the best tool in the workshop for converting excess mana into excess wins. It can come down as early as turn two and can end the game ten turns later. If my math is right, it can keep seven different types in check between creatures, planeswalkers, and players. My omission is none other than Walking Ballista.

Have you all considered having back up entries, so you can replace shared/higher entries?

Also so sad Chandra, Torch of Decifiance didn’t make Ruben’s list. :(

How good or bad do you think Thoughtseize would be if instead of 1 black mana CMC, it was 2 CMC of 1 black mana and 1 black phyrexian mana and got rid of the you lose 2 life?

Evan you are degrees of wrong and I’m disappointed that you did not pick Savannah lions

I was absolutely shocked that no one mentioned Thalia, Guardian of Thraben!! The most powerful white weenie ever printed that has been an eternal format staple since it's printing in 2012. Unfair decks loathe seeing this card on the battlefield and her having first strike is just the cherry on top of the amazing cake.

Also, as other have said, I'm a bit surprised Liliana otV and Karn Liberated didn't make a list, but I'm also surprised that Stoneforge Mystic didn't get a mention. She and Jace led the the first standard bannings in literal years, was banned in Modern for the longest, and sees tons of older format play.

Much love for Decent into Avernus alt cover T shirt. Very Nice. Speaking of Evil Angels why in the actual worlds of the multiverse did Archangel Avacyn not get onto the list. This card was a defining part of its standard day but more than that it is the most powerful storytelling cards printed in the decade. Her madness defined the whole story of Shadows over Innistrad and that card really evoked powerful and visceral emotions when flipped.

In this the game where we have seen so many types of insane cards: gigantic titans, epic spells, broken artifacts, such enchanting enchantments and many more. What CAVERN have you been living in, Of all the types of cards that make magic what it is how could you forget the heart and SOULS of the game with lands. If you have sleeved up a tribal deck in the last decade your deck will usually include at least one copy of Cavern of Souls. Not only does this iconic land give you access to any color of msna for whatever type of creature you name but it also makes THOSE things unable to be countered. How you could forget all the turn one plays over the years of Cavern, name Eldrazi, Human, Merfolk, Elves, Goblin, and many more. This land has become a staple in every tribal deck in almost every format and it's my honorable mention for card of the decade.

I am sorry but the right answer was... Leviathan, yes I know it doesn't really fit the criteria for the list but if you think about it, if you really think about it, you know I am right.

Great video. I would’ve included Lianna of the Veil at some point. I opened her during the Innistrad prerelease and was floored and I still have that card. It’d be among my top not only for its personal significance but also its strong dominance with Jund and being overall iconic.

Seto Kaiba needs to start making his comments more rude sounding so the ex yugioh players can fucking loose it

In terms of legal-to-play cards, Draco does beat Emrakul at 16cmc, and Autochthon Wurm ties her.

You all mentioned a Boogieman in Jace the Mind Sculptor and rightly so. He lorded over magic for a long time and was cast away in hopes to never be seen again. You mentioned the multiple fat lads but for some reason you forgot about the other Boogieman who also ran formats for a time, Siege Rhino. I may have played for a short time but I remember a time where the entire community was either playing the card or trying to figure out how to beat it. In almost any board state if you had four mana in Abzan colors it was coming out. Siege Rhino earned its spot along side the Boogiemen of MTG and should be on the list of cards of the Decade.

What!?!?! JTMS got his fair spot on the list but what about his partner in crime!!!! NO STONEFORGE MYSTIC!!!! That’s insane. There’s no way this was everyone’s #11+! Bonnie and Clyde(JTMS and Stoneforge Mystic) were the zenith and then some of there respected Standard format and quite respectable in others. That’s insane that she didn’t get any love on this list..

I have to admit... I'm slightly upset that no one picked the card that I was thinking of for top cards of the decade. Shoot, Evan even WAS this character on a token! In Modern, for years now, there's been almost no bigger fear than sitting across from your opponent and hearing some variation of, "Tron Piece, One drop artifact, go." Cause you know the bad man was coming for you on turn 3. My choice for Honorable Mention is Karn Liberated. He's been the boogeyman for Modern for quite a while, maybe not as much lately, and is the premier turn 3 drop in one of the most beloved / loathed decks in the format, Good Ole Tron.

Erin may say that he knows who butters his bread, but big daddy Griselbrand is not happy about being left off TWO lists. First forgotten on the pips list and now here, you are not giving Daddy the respect he deserves. Reanimator, Gishoalbrand, Neoform, Tin fins, Oath of druids, and banned in commander, this card has been an all star in multiple formats since it was printed, as well as being a Vorthos win as one of Liliana's demons who was trapped in the Helvault with Avacyn. The only bad thing you can say about Griselbrand is that he costs 8 instead of 7.

I'm not surprised because a lot of people hated the mechanic, but I'm a little disappointed there was no Infect card on anyone's list. It changed how a game of Magic is won, saw play in its Standard, and continues to see play in Modern and Legacy. For me, the card that exemplifies this is Inkmoth Nexus. It was used in the Pro Tour winning Wolf Run Ramp strategies, saw a ton of play in Standard, and is the backbone of Infect strategies now. Nexus is the real deal.

Evan's comment about reprinting the Titans being one of WOTC's biggest mistakes of the last decade makes me want a Top 10 Worst WOTC Decisions of the last 10 years!

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Stoneforge Mystic. One of the reasons why Jace was so dominating in Standard was because of the fact that the most powerful deck that ran Jace always ran a playset of Stoneforge Mystics. The card allows you to tutor for any equipment piece you want and even bypass mana requirements with its activated ability. A turn three Batterskull is often very difficult for many decks to deal with. The card is grossly overpowered, but so much fun to play with.

So awesome to see commander getting some love with Evans number 7. I remember my group of friends pulling several cyclonic rifts at the RTR pre release and kind of writing it off. Then when I was playing with some guys at school I had found one in my box and read it several times and was like hold up this card seems insane. Then I put it in my Isperia deck and the first time I cast it everyone was like “that does what?” And they all passed it around and read it. But even after that it was a little while before people started playing it in their blue decks. I love the card and I hope it never gets banned because it’s not ban worthy. Unban Primeval Titan

So a card that I believe should have made this list is by far one of the best cards to ever come out in white. Printed in the commander 2017 precon deck, vampiric bloodlust, this card is a must have for anyone looking for the best response to a board wipe, especially a cyclonic rift. My honorable mention goes to Teferi's Protection. This card truly is deserving of being one of the cards of the decade.

hey Reuben. Say indelible one more time, I dont think you said it enough.

My honorable mention helped define the modern Era. So much so that it won many modern PTs to include the first ever Modern PT. This card was a format all star when combined with Deceiver Exarch or Pestermite. The two card combo proved to be both versatile and powerful as it could fit nicely into a Control shell, a Tempo shell, or a devoted Combo shell. This card drove the format until it was ultimately banned to promote format diversity which is why Splinter Twin is my vote for honorable mention.

Kind of not surprised no one would pick this, cause you think of it more of a nuisance than a powerhouse. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is an amazing card that saw play in standard and sees heavy play in Modern, Legacy, and Vintage. It is the problem they have to answer before they can start progressing their game again.

My number 1 would have been Avacyn, But I'm 100% biased in that.

No Griselbrand?!?!?! Blasphamy!

[Insert witty Liliana of the Veil comment]

MOX FUCKING OPAL

Draco is 16 mana

I feel like the biggest change to paper Magic between 2010 and 2020 was the promotion and proliferation of EDH Commander as a format. With that said, it would be remiss of me to not mention one of the most popular commanders ever: Atraxa, Praetor's Voice. Atraxa has over 3200 unique decks on EDHrec in a variety of strategies due to her strong stats and her ability to proliferate at the end of your turn. She's a perfect commander for many popular deck formats in EDH, such as Super Friends, Infect, +1/+1 counters, Angel tribal etc. Commander was the defining format of the 2010s, and no creature is more emblematic of Commander as a whole than Atraxa.

Funnily enough I think one of the top cards from this decade is actually a reprint. Thoughtseize's reprint in Theros had an absolutely chilling effect on Wizard's desire to reprint powerful magic cards from the past, as it absolutely ran that standard. Thoughseize enabled the strongest deck at the time (mono black devotion), enabled players to enter modern with the drastic price drop, and is now acting as the 'force of will' for both the modern AND pioneer formats. Over the course of this decade, Thoughtseize proved itself as the safety valve we both needed and deserved.

Hold on a second. You're telling me you ALL got the same card at the same spot? Thats insane! O.O

Fingers crossed that these cards are from 2010 - 2019. Everyone on social media has been doing this wrong and counting 2009. XD