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For anyone familiar with my Magic pedigree, it should come as no surprise that, along with the Phyrexians, the Eldrazi are some of my favorite creatures in Magic. They're Magic's version of Eldritch, cosmic horrors, and they're just super well-designed. They're big and menacing, and they can have great abilities that often threaten to close out a game on their own. Heck, a brand new type of mana was even created just to add to their flavor!
With all of those qualities, it was inevitable that I would eventually make a list of some of the best Eldrazi in the game. This is that list!
Let's begin!
Devourer of Destiny
As you can expect, there will be several Eldrazi on this list from one of the latest sets to contain Eldrazi, Modern Horizons 3. Devourer of Destiny is the first of those, which has been seeing a good deal of play in Modern in the various Eldrazi decks in the format. This guy is pretty nice though. It helps you filter the top of your deck for free if it's in your opening hand, which kind of alleviates the problem of having a seven-drop in your opening hand. Later in the game it gets rid of just about any permanent, excluding things like lands and artifacts. In a deck like Tron, having a card on your first turn that can help you assemble Tron for free is a pretty sweet deal.
Elder Deep-Fiend
While this guy isn't as popular as some of the other heavy Eldrazi hitters, Elder Deep-Fiend was a beast during certain periods of time. It was in a hugely successful Standard deck that took advantage of the Emerge ability, and casting this guy during their upkeep to tap down nearly their entire turn. I recently saw the Deep-Fiend in a Pioneer deck, and that made me think the card might have a bit more longevity than people give it credit for. I would love to see this emerging octopus doing well again.
Eldrazi Conscription
I remember nearly winning a PTQ with Eldrazi Conscription once. Those were the days. What's that you say? You don't know what a PTQ is? Well, those are just relics of the past, so never you mind, youngin'. Really though, any deck that can take advantage of cheating an enchantment into play is often looking at Eldrazi Conscription as one of their best options. +10/+10, trample, and annihilator 2 are some great bonuses. While eight-mana is a tall order to simply cast, personally, I was using Sovereigns of Lost Alara to get the job done.
Eldrazi Displacer
Eldrazi Displacer was another Constructed hit that saw a ton of play in different Bant decks. This card was super oppressive, mostly in conjunction with Collected Company. Unfortunately, Eldrazi Displacer hasn't seen much action in the Standard or Modern tournament scene since around 2022. I'm not entirely sure why, especially since I don't think there's really been a card that replicates the Displacer's ability. The fact that it can blink your own creatures or prevent your opponent's creatures from attacking or blocking made this guy super versatile.
The Emrakuls
Ah, Emrakul. If there was one creature that best represented the Eldrazi as a whole, it's Emrakul. In fact, for all three of the Eldrazi titans, I've decided to just include them all in one bullet point. Thankfully, as the figurehead of the Eldrazi, all three versions of Emrakul have seen varying amounts of play! Emrakul, the Aeons Torn also happens to be one of the most iconic and impactful creatures in Magic's history. She's extremely difficult to deal with, and annihilator 6 basically means that any game where she's able to attack is essentially over.
The Kozileks
What we said for Emrakul is also true for Kozilek. Nearly every Kozilek that has been printed has seen a good amount of play in different areas. The most recent one, Kozilek, the Broken Reality, is actually one of my favorites. He's not only a lord for colorless creatures, he also gives you two 5/4s when he comes into play and lets you draw up to four cards if you want. That being said, it's difficult to deny the power of annihilator 4 that's present on Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, along with the four cards he lets you draw automatically upon casting...
Matter Reshaper
Matter Reshaper was one of the "big three" Eldrazi that showed up in Oath of the Gatewatch. Perhaps I should say "little three"? Along with Reality Smasher and Thought-Knot Seer, these three comprised the main core of all of the midrange Eldrazi decks you'd come across in the formats these guys showed up in. Still, to this day, this trio can be found in Modern and Legacy decks that can support their colorless casting costs. It's also worth noting that Matter Reshaper was a fantastic sacrifice to the entire suite of Eldrazi creatures with emerge.
Not of This World
Not of This World was kind of a nothing burger of a card for a long, long time. Then, it started seeing a ton of play in Legacy as a free way to protect your Marit Lage token produced by Dark Depths. This made the bulk uncommon shoot up to $2 to $4 and become a sort of Force of Will, countering removal spells that try to kill your win condition.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll catch ya next time!
Frank Lepore
