The Top Must Own Artifacts In Order To Play Competitive Magic (Extended Edition)

Last year I decided to start playing Magic competitively, aiming at Standard and Extended competition. This meant massively bolstering my relatively casual collection. To do this I made two decisions - 1. To redeem as much out of MtGO as possible, and 2. To buy playsets of the "fundamental" cards of competitive magic.

"Fundamental" coloured cards are pretty obvious - eg. White has Wrath of God, Black has Thoughseize), but deciding on the must-own artifacts was a lot harder. Artifacts, in many cases, are utility sideboard cards that answer a lot of Magic life's little problems.

So, with the game and the meta-game in mind, here's what I came up with, in no particular order.

1. Chrome Mox: Currently the mana accelerator of choice in the extended metagame. Clearly better in control decks that want to get out an early counterspell then restock their hand, Chrome Mox can be seen mixing it up in decks that just want to drop Big Things.

2. Lotus Bloom: Another mana accelerator, but use primarily for Combo, as opposed to control. Generally playing one of these first term in Combo is the equivalent of telling your play, "okay, you have three turns to kill me: go".

3. Umezawa's Jitte: Still the most crazy-powerful equipment artifact. The reasons why: It has three different and powerful effects, making it's utility high. It only requires combat damage, not combat damage against a player. And you can remove the counters from the Jitte without it being equipped to a creature. What the hell were WoTC thinking when they made this one?

4. Chalice of the Void: I've seen Chalice rip apart lesser players, consistently playing into a Chalice and having their spells countered and countered again. The backbone of many control decks, it can shut down most combo and aggro decks for just two mana. However, it takes a little brain power to use, both in knowing your opponent's deck, and knowing your own.

5. Vedalken Shackles: A control player's wet dream, you get a repeatable creature stealing effect for five mana up-front and two mana from then on. Killing someone with their own Goyf has never been more satisfying.

6. Pithing Needle: One of my favourite sideboard cards, it's easily the most effective way of shutting down any number of activated abilities. But the ones it'll have the biggest effect on are the ones that will creep up on us eventually: planeswalkers. A one mana, persistent way of shutting down any planeswalker in the format? I'll take that.

7. Engineered Explosives: The non-Wrath wrath, it allows non-White decks to sweep the board. Has seen less play with the rise of Damnation and lately Volcanic Fallout. However, as a narrow answer to Zoo and ELVES, it's certainly found it's play in the format.

8. Tormod's Crypt / Relic of Progenitus: Which one you play really depends on your meta-game, but these two still remain the best graveyard hate in the format.

9. Crucible of Worlds: Appearing in TRON and LOAM, Crucible is a narrower card than some others on this list. But as the heart of a number of recursion engines, a playset of Crucible is well worth having.

10. Affinity: Not really a "card" per se, but there's no reason not to own an affinity deck. I'd suggest affinity is the speed benchmark test of any extended deck you choose to put together. If you can't race affinity, don't play the deck.

Runners Up

1. Loxodon Warhammer: More a Standard staple, as it is seen as too "slow" in Extended, the hammer is loved by many and a great support backup both attacking into and defending against token generating decks.

2. Serum Powder: I'm not sure why Serum Powder doesn't get more love from Combo decks. I've picked up a playset that's just waiting to get to work... somewhere.

4. Bottle Gnomes: What used to be a four-of sideboard card for control decks who needed time to craft their hand has now largely fallen out of favour.

5. Howling Mine: The casual player's wet dream, conventional wisdom that giving your opponent cards means it never, ever sees play competitively.

6. Platinum Angel: The 61st card in a 60 card deck, right?

7. Razormane Masticore: A cheap 5/5 with a bonus effect and a significant side-effect, Razormane is often a narrow sideboard card or one-of main deck.

8. Isochron Sceptre: Get twenty now. Wait until the M10 block comes out. Sell 16.

9. Mindslaver: A truly un-fun card, that in the right circumstances is pretty much an "I win" situation.

10. Sword of Fire and Ice & Sword of Light and Shadow: Again, narrow equipment cards that help in specific situations. Sword of Fire and Ice can really break the back of a Control deck for aggro.

11. Sensai's Divining Top: Up until it got banned, a fine card. Maybe get a playset just in case it ever comes of the banned list.

Personally, I haven't achieved playsets of the top 10 - I'm still missing a Jitte, three Explosives and three Crucibles, and four Shackles. But, like working your way through the shock, pain and fetch lands, collecting the top artifacts really helps you to build many of the main decks in the metagame at the moment, and also build the necessary hate for them as well.