Hello, Nation! I hope that your days have been Magic-filled. It’s always fun when you can fit some card-flipping into your schedule. I’ve adopted the Top Ten article series as a cool way to talk about some idea or other, and today I want to share with you my favorite auras of all time for Casual Land. Whether it enchants a creature, land, artifact, enchantment, opponent, or anything, I’ve got a list of very powerful auras to look at.

The way that I created this article was to brainstorm a list of the most powerful auras I’ve encountered, and then look at a list of every aura ever printed, with pictures, to add some I missed. I easily had twenty auras that I felt represented the cream of the crop. Then I winnowed that list into a Top Ten list with three honorable mentions. Which ones are the best of the best of the best?

There are a large variety of auras here, and they have been made all across Magic’s history. My short list of twenty included auras from Alpha to Zendikar block. Are you ready for my Top Ten list, plus Honorable Mentions?

Honorable Mention #1: Galvanic Arc – This is #13. I debated back and forth between it and #14 (Moldervine Cloak). I kept going back and forth, but ultimately decided on the Arc for several reasons. There are not a lot of auras with useful enters-the-battlefield triggers. They are quite valuable when combined with many different enchantment-enablers (such as Drake Familiar or Nomad Mythmaker or Hakim, Loreweaver). All of these great enablers just love the ETB-trigger auras. Of these, two made the top twenty, but only Galvanic Arc will be anywhere near charting, as I pulled the other early (Fists of Ironwood was in my top twenty, but one of the most easily dropped, to my mind). You can build tons of decks around Galvanic Arc, so it gets an Honorable Mention.

Honorable Mention #2: Unquestioned Authority – At #12, we have this bad boy. In fact, this whole article came about to due to the presence of Spirit Mantle. When I was writing my review of that card for this site, I mentioned that if you really wanted the ability, Unquestioned Authority was a much better choice. It resonated with me, and later I was thinking that UA was a lot better than people realized, and that led to the idea to have this article. I have to mention that auras tend to be innate card disadvantage, but since this one replaces itself and gives you a powerful protection ability, it’s worth it. Here are the best protection abilities on creatures, in order from best to worst:

1. Protection from everything
2. Protection from all colors
3. Protection from creatures
4. Protection from monocolored
5. Protection from non-Spirit creatures

Now, you might argue whether #3 and #4 are in the wrong places, but clearly protection from creatures is massively powerful. Getting it at no cost of a card is just gravy. The creature is unblockable, untargetable by creatures, unable to be damaged by creatures, and more. Imagine it on something like a humble Darksteel Sentinel. Now imagine the ability on something like one of the Akromas or perhaps a nastier target.

Honorable Mention #3: Caustic Tar – One of the things I adore about these Top Ten articles is the opportunity to necro a card from the dead and back to the forefront. There are thousands of cards out there that we have all forgotten about, but which are quite useful. Caustic Tar is exactly such a card. This rarely played enchant land is a nice clock. Someone is losing 3 life a turn. The life loss dodges anything that normally prevents damage, such as Worship, Circle of Protection: Black, and other effects. This is a true life loss, from the tar of acid. Due to its being on a land, it has a lot of benefits. It won’t be card disadvantage unless someone takes out a land, and land destruction is not super-common. It can survive past a Wrath of God effect and keep ebbing someone’s life. This is very powerful in the right deck.

#10: Pariah – All of the auras I pulled for my short list, save this one, are meant to be played on either one of my opponent’s creatures or one of mine. Unquestioned Authority is meant to be played on mine, something that did not make the cut, Control Magic, is meant to be played on an opposing creature. This one has true flexibility. You can play it on an opposing Tidal Kraken, and then next time it swings at you, it dies, and you take nothing. The next time anything hits you, the Kraken bites it. Awesome! It can really mess with combat plans and more. However, it is also a combotastic tool. I can toss it on one of my protection-from-Red creatures and then I can Earthquake at will without taking any damage myself. I can slap it on a creature with Regeneration, and then simply regenerate it when it would otherwise die. The best thing is to put it on a creature with Indestructible. Even a simple Darksteel Myr will serve to prevent all damage to me, ever. It breaks Stuffy Doll. Due to the flexibility of this card as three things—creature removal, damage redirection, and a combo piece—it easily made my short list, and just barely hit my Top Ten.

#9: Power Artifact – This is the oldest aura that makes today’s list. When it was printed, people didn’t realize just how purely powerful it was. I think that’s partly due to bad templating.

For example, here is how Basalt Monolith originally read:

Tap to add 3 colorless mana to your mana pool. Does not untap as normal during untap phase; spend 3 to untap. Tapping this artifact can be played as an interrupt.

Here is Mana Vault:

“Tap to add 3 colorless mana to your mana pool. Mana Vault doesn’t untap normally during untap phase; to untap it, you must pay 4 mana. If Mana Vault remains tapped during upkeep it does 1 damage to you. Tapping this artifact can be played as an interrupt.

Now, here is Power Artifact:

“The activation cost of target artifact is reduced by 2. If this would reduce target artifact’s activation cost below 1, target artifact’s activation cost becomes 1. Power Artifact has no effect on artifacts that have no activation cost or whose activation cost is 0.

It’s not clear, because the template was off. Could Power Artifact even work with them? They never read something easy, such as “: Untap Basalt Monolith,” or, “: Untap Mana Vault. Use this ability only during your upkeep.” It wasn’t easy to see how good the card was. However, it quickly became obvious just how powerful this bad boy was. After a bit, people realized it was a two-card infinite-mana combo with Basalt Monolith. Once that happened, it was open season for artifacts to combine with Power Artifact. I personally used it in an enchantment-themed deck on Skull of Orm. It could untap two extra lands with Candelabra of Tawnos. It found many homes on The Book and The Stick (Jayemdae Tome, Disrupting Scepter). Who knows how many Wasp tokens were made with a reduced cost due to a Power Artifact on The Hive? Since that time, Power Artifact has done nothing but get stronger and stronger. It’s an engine for combos, and a strong card in many decks. Only its rarity and cost prevent it from getting a lot more play in decks. There is no question that this iconic aura belongs on today’s Top Ten list.

#8: Take Possession – While Control Magic was on my short list due to its power, impactfulness, and low cost, it did not make my cut. This card does. It is one of the most expensive variants of the theme, but it is also one of the best. The printing of Confiscate really opened up a lot of raw flexibility for blue mages. You could steal anything. It was still subject to countermagic, bounce, and other answers, of course. Once Take Possession was printed, those answers became nonexistent. You can steal anything with little stopping you from taking that permanent. You can steal an untapped Nevinyrral's Disk, an untapped Door to Nothingness, whatever you desire. When planeswalkers were printed, this bad boy got even better. It is an answer to anything by pulling it to your side. It ruins board positions and gives you the best card in play, no questions asked. There is no hesitation in my voice when I say that this card is worth the 7-mana casting cost.

#7: Necromancy – In Alpha, the set was of two minds. It wanted to animate dead things with both spells (Resurrection) and enchantments (Animate Dead). For a few years, Black was the color of animation by enchantment, but that has ceased to be its theme. It gave the animated creature a weakness to enchantment removal, which is quite flavorful (since it relies on the magic continuing to still exist), but plays clunky. Necromancy is a cheap reanimation effect, since it requires 3 mana for a creature with no disadvantage like upkeep (Dance of the Dead) or a minus to power (Animate Dead). For 3 mana, you get a creature out of any graveyard for no additional cost. Where Necromancy truly shines is the ability to be played with Flash to bring a creature out immediately, but with the cost of dying at the end of the turn. If you get attacked by some creature, Necromancy out a big blocker to kill it, and then it dies at the end of the turn. This is reanimation and a combat trick. (Note that since it becomes an aura in play, I considered it eligible for today’s article. The earlier versions were auras that were the subject of errata later.)

#6: Rancor – No matter who you are, there is no question that today’s article must include Rancor. If it didn’t, you wouldn’t respect me in the morning. It’s arguably the most-played aura of all time. What can I say about Rancor that hasn’t been said? I could say it sucks. I don’t think anyone has said that. Of course, it’s not true. Rancor is the opposite of sucks. It rocks. It’s the most powerful aura that pumps power, toughness, and abilities of creatures. All of the top five are not “pump my guy” auras. Nothing is more powerful than +2/+0, Trample, and the ability to come back again and again for a humble . You cannot overestimate its value, power, or usefulness. I would not be surprised if more Rancors are currently in sleeves in decks than any other aura.

#5: Squirrel Nest – Ah, yes, the top five. This is the highest-charting aura that enchants a land. It is remarkable because it is one of a small cadre—auras that were so powerful they led to a banning (Earthcraft). With Earthcraft, the Nest is a 2-mana infinite-mana engine. It also had a lot of value when Opposition was in the base set. It formed the spine of a control deck that would make a creature by tapping a land, and then use it to lock down opposing permanents. Popular because they are Squirrels, popular because it is one of the best token-makers of all time, and popular because it’s just plain good, Squirrel Nest deserves to be reprinted. Put it in a duel deck or From the Vault: Enchantments or something. Just reprint this so more people can enjoy the power of this classic aura.

#4: Pillory of the Sleepless – What makes this card so unique is that it is creature-removal and player-removal in one card. Something like Agonizing Demise would kill a creature and deal some damage to its controller. This does the same, although the damage takes longer to kick in and the removal is not as good (it also costs half of the mana, too). The combination of removal and clock changes games. Getting a creature locked into a Pillory is annoying, but getting two in it is disheartening. This is quite useful in any W/B deck that doesn’t have a lot of Wrath effects running around. This is also the highest-charting common aura on my list, so it has that going for it, too. Yay!

#3: Treachery – The highest-charting aura that steals something is this card. Where Control Magic and Take Possession each have a lot of power in various ways, this is the perfect combination of cheap and useful. With the untap effect, this is an essentially free Control Magic. It has power in any Blue deck. If you want serious power, just toss in a few Treachery. I know it’s a bit expensive these days to pick them up, but they won’t disappoint. This is the single most powerful aura to steal things, and one of the most powerful control cards of all time. You can have mana post-Treachery for counters, bounce, buyback, activation costs, and more. That mana changes games. You’ll find yourself playing Treachery when you would hold onto a Control Magic. Trust me, this is just too powerful to sit on the sidelines.

#2: Prison Term – When this card was first printed, I really liked it. I did not realize how powerful it truly was until I began to play with it. Let’s look at the basic mechanic. It’s an Arrest, but it’s a little harder on the mana base. Unlike Arrest, Pacifism, and other cards, it can be played early without worry. When something better gets played, you can just hop this to that creature. Play it on a Hypnotic Specter early, then move to a Scythe Specter a few turns later. In multiplayer, I might lock down Jake’s Shivan Dragon, but when Steve plays Zombify to bring back Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, I can switch the Prison Term to it. This makes Prison Term quite flexible, but we had cards before that could be put on something else (such as Shackles). What makes this truly megatastic is its effect. No one wants to get a creature Prison Termed, so bigger threats do not get played. Steve won’t Zombify Ulamog, because he knows I will just move the Prison Term to it. Only creatures smaller than the one enchanted will see play. Steve will play Sengir Vampire without fear, because Jake’s Dragon is better. But Prison Term locks anything from hitting the board that people fear will draw it. Because of this, its power is even greater than you think, and it’s a potent tool. It’s has grown so powerful, in my eyes, that only one aura, of all time, is better. Let’s take a look at that aura.

#1: Pattern of Rebirth – There are so many reasons that Pattern of Rebirth is the best aura of all time. Let’s take a look:

a. No other aura, ever, has more ways to build decks around it. You can use it to cheaply get combo pieces into play; enchant creatures with a self-sacrifice (like Heart Warden); and even use it as a silver-bullet card to acquire the best creature for the situation. It has a ton of value as a core component of many deck strategies. From grabbing Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or Blightsteel Colossus to Massacre Wurm or Crater Hellion, there are a lot of choices for serious power.

b. Any deck with creatures (and Green, obviously), can benefit from Pattern of Rebirth. Tutoring for any creature when one dies enables a staggering amount of juice to enter your deck.

c. 4 mana will bring back a creature from your graveyard to play (Zombify, Resurrection). You can tutor your deck for any card, and put it into your hand (Diabolic Tutor). You can tutor for a certain type of card for less (Idyllic Tutor, Time of Need). What you cannot do is spend 4 mana to search your library for a card and put it directly into play. That’s why cards that do enable you to do it (Academy Rector, Pattern of Rebirth) are so powerful. This should cost at least 5 mana, and probably 6.

d. In a color that offers so much mana-ramping, this is guaranteed to be played on turn three. In the right circumstance, it could be played turn two (but you have to really push your deck in the right direction for that). Can you imagine using this to grab the best creature from your deck before your opponent has Cancel mana online? With a mana-Elf and a Spirit Guide, you could play this when your foe has just one land in play on your Elf. Grabbing a massively powerful creature like those I mention above will win this game very quickly. Heck, grabbing a Craw Wurm is likely to win very quickly.

I hope you can see the devastating power of Pattern of Rebirth. It really does deserve the #1 spot on today’s list of the best auras, of all time.

As a bonus, I decided to rank all twenty cards on my short list, so you can see where I put them:

20. Fists of Ironwood

19. Control Magic

18. Mythic Proportions

17. Armadillo Cloak

16. Tattoo Ward

15. Eldrazi Conscription

14. Moldervine Cloak

13. Galvanic Arc

12. Unquestioned Authority

11. Caustic Tar

10. Pariah

9. Power Artifact

8. Take Possession

7. Necromancy

6. Rancor

5. Squirrel Nest

4. Pillory of the Sleepless

3. Treachery

2. Prison Term

1. Pattern of Rebirth

While I considered cards like Yavimaya's Embrace, Epic Proportions, Shield of the Oversoul, Blanchwood Armor, and Faith's Fetters, I ultimately decided these twenty were the best and used them the base for choosing my Top Ten (plus Honorable Mentions.)

This list is nice because it includes some newer cards, some older, and some obscure. They cost between 1 mana and 8. We’ve got commons, uncommons, and rares in a symmetrical pattern (five, ten, five). From the first set through Rise of the Eldrazi, we have cards. How many of these were originally printed in the era of the new border? Seven, but we have some reprints, (like Pariah). Two are for lands, one for artifacts, one for anything, and the rest creatures. Of those sixteen, five were meant to be played on an opposing creature (Pillory, Control Magic, et al.) and two can be easily played for full value (Pariah, Necromancy). Two more are sometimes played on opposing creatures for the trigger when there aren’t other options (Fists of Ironwood, Galvanic Arc). Five are played because they pump the creature, and one more because of the ability it grants. This is a diverse selection of auras, and I’m happy that things worked out the way they did.

This was a fun little article to write! Now I need to figure out my topic for the next Top Ten article I write.

See you next week,

Abe Sargent