We interrupt your regularly scheduled Type 4 house rules analysis so that I can share the topic of a recent discussion I had with a friend who had never played T4 (or Commander, for that matter) and whom I was trying to get to try the formats. He hadn't been playing Magic in a long time, and was trying to put together a Commander deck as a way of getting back into the game on a more casual level.

As we were browsing for cards in an obscure shop, I saw a Primeval Titan on sale and casually showed it to him, telling him that for his Momir Vig–based Commander deck, that card would probably be his biggest future investment. While he easily understood the reasons I gave that the card is so awesome (I mean, just listen to Sheldon Menery talk about it)—and as a result, so expensive—he didn't comprehend my next statement.

"I'm just glad I don't need to secure one for the Type 4 Stack."

He gave me a puzzled look and asked why. Well, why indeed are the priciest giants of Magic not very appealing as T4 must-haves? As with many creatures that are appealing to constructed Magic environments, possibly the Titans' greatest appeal is in their cost. For their stats, a converted mana cost of 6 is ludicrous, especially when you might consider paying 8 or more mana for what they can do to be "fair." So, 6 is an "unfair" cost.

But since T4 laughs at mana costs, it means that these cards must be evaluated solely for what they bring to the table as permanents. By large, given their price, their value for the T4 setting is far from sufficient to justify buying one just for Stack inclusion. Let's look at them one at a time and see how much value they bring to the T4 table.

If I had a choice of any Titan to put into a T4 Stack, this might be it. The Sun Titan is 6/6 (as are the rest of his brethren) and Vigilant, placing it at average beater size for T4. In a format where plopping down a Sphinx of the Steel Wind on the first turn is easy, a 6-sized Vigilant body is nothing special. It does return cheaply costed permanents to your battlefield, however. Question is, how many permanents in your Stack cost 3 or less? The answer is probably "not very many." For most Stacks, the Titan won't have that many targets to retrieve, but those he can retrieve can be quite potent indeed, like a dead Smokespew Invoker, Quietus Spike, or Pernicious Deed. Thus, his level of utility is lowered from "possibly outstanding" to "decently useful." There still those who will debate which has a more rightful place, the regrow-anything Eternal Witness or this, but for budget players, you'll be pleasantly surprised that the Sun Titan is often cheaper on the pocket than the mentioned uncommon Elf.

Considered by many to be the weakest Titan, it's also what I would consider the weakest Titan in T4. Obviously, infinite mana ignores the "pay mana to target" clause, making that ability completely useless. And while tapping things during an attack can take away a valuable blocker, there are other attackers that can do a much better job by destroying any blockers (e.g. Vampiric Dragon), by being difficult to block (e.g. Guile), by simply being unblockable (e.g. Deep-Sea Kraken), or even doing two or more of those things at the same time (e.g. Pathrazer of Ulamog). The permanent you can choose to ice up need not be a permanent controlled by the person attacked, which gives some political flexibility, but there are few political situations where someone will choose to be attacked just so your Titan can do something.

He puts zombies in play when he comes in, and more come in when he attacks, and that's something that can be used by anyone regardless of Stack composition. Best when coming down early, the Grave Titan can usually find someone safe to attack in the early rounds of a game. Problem is, like the rest of the Titans, he's vulnerable to every kind of removal that deserves to be in a Stack, but hey, at least you got two or more zombies out of the bargain. If you can find a way to protect him, he's great as a token factory, but in that regard, there are those who will compare him unfavorably to Verdant Force, who is not only larger at 7/7 but also capable of producing more P/T worth of tokens without even needing to attack, provided there are enough players at the table. Ignore the fact that he's Black, and Verdant Force isn't. In T4, most direct removal (e.g. Putrefy, Spine of Ish Sah) ignores the usual "Black immunity" characteristics common to Standard-viable removal like Doom Blade.

First, the Inferno Titan isn't even legal in T4 without errata or a house rule, since it's a Firebreather. If it's made legal by a house rule, like the Restricted Repetitions Law I mentioned in my last article, it can be quite useful for something with no evasion. It deals distributable enters-the-battlefield and trigger-on-attack damage, which can kill most tokens and some utility creatures, and can be used to finish off the occasional close-to-death player. Repeatable Arc Lightning isn't an effect that exists on any other card, and unblocked, it can cut a player's life total in half when combined with the Titan's combat damage. It can be disappointing, though, since you shouldn't expect it to survive very long. I've only seen a T4 game with an Inferno Titan once, and in that game, it only functioned as a non-Hasty Keldon Champion since it died before it could attack. Another friend of mine likes to compare this Titan with Lord of Shatterskull Pass, which, when leveled to maximum (practically an automatic thing in T4), is also 6/6, and when attacking does a much better job at clearing an opponent's field of not only tokens, but larger blockers as well. While not a perfectly congruent comparison, it's significant when you consider the price difference between the two cards is roughly $10.

At last, we come to Mr. Prime Time itself. He looks for lands. In other formats, he normally searches for mana-producing lands or search lands, ramping up the player's mana and thinning the deck. T4 needs no mana-producers, so does that mean there are no lands in a typical Stack? Well, no. There are lands with functions that make them valuable even in T4. Thus, Prime Time's function in T4 is to seek utility lands instead. Why isn't it very valuable, then? Because the average forty-five-card drafted T4 deck only has one to three lands—meaning it comes into play, gets one attack, and thereafter, it's a 6/6 Trampler that shuffles your library on attacking, since you've run out of lands to search for. Decent? Yes, especially if you drafted really good utility lands. As spectacular and invaluable as it is in Standard? Most definitely not. Of all the Titans in T4, my general advice applies best to this behemoth.

And what general advice is that? My advice regarding the Titans for those making T4 Stacks would be: If you don't own one yet, don't bother investing in one just for T4. If you do own one or more (either because you were lucky to find one, or because you're using it in a constructed format), you may consider it for inclusion, but you can probably find something better.

Especially Primeval Titan. Indeed, if you want Prime Time to be of value in a T4 Stack, make sure your Stack has enough utility lands for players to use. Which brings me to my next topic for this week.

The Value of Lands in Type 4

While we're on the subject of lands, just what value do lands hold in T4? Mana-producing lands are completely useless in T4, but lands that perform secondary functions have a special place in a setting of infinite mana.

First, the most valuable aspect of utility lands is the simple fact that they're not spells. This gives lands the unique ability, along with activated ability cards, to bypass the Rule of Law, letting you play your utility land without taking the place of your spell for that turn. Also, and just as valuable, lands not being spells mean that lands can't be countered. In an environment where each opponent has the ability to squeeze off a counterspell without flinching, uncounterability is golden.

Second, lands are difficult to get rid of. There's a lot less land destruction than you would think in T4. Effects that destroy lands usually only do so because they tend to destroy everything else (e.g. Vindicate), and the land destruction is incidental. As such, they normally get directed at creatures, artifacts, or enchantments rather than get saved in hand in case some evil land comes by. Thus, utility lands tend to stick around a lot longer than any other permanent, even Planeswalkers (which are generally bad in T4, but that's another article altogether).

Third, players, especially newer ones, tend to underestimate the value of lands, and so they get underdrafted. When you mix in a land next to cards as in-your-face-awesome like Akroma, Angel of Wrath and Mindslaver, they tend to get passed over.

This way of thinking extends to when a Stack is created. The first instinct of someone making a T4 Stack is that lands should be left out, since mana isn't a concern. But that would be a mistake. Every Stack can be enriched by adding a number of good lands to the mix, and I thought I'd mention the ones I consider to be the best.

Maze of Ith – Without question the best card of its expansion, the Maze is simply a near-perfect defense against any creature. It was great when it was legal in Standard (waaaaaay before it was even called "Standard"), it's great in Commander, and it's certainly no less great in T4, where the targets are bigger, uglier, and do nastier things to you if they connect. There are even tricks you can do in combat. If you have a creature with an attack trigger (like, say, one of the Titans mentioned above), you can make it attack, allowing its ability to trigger, then remove it from harm's way using the Maze, keeping it safe from nasty blocks.

Mystifying Maze – This has been called a "fixed" Maze of Ith, but it's no less powerful if you have infinite mana to play with. This makes it a very viable budget option for newer T4 Stack-makers. Note that the way it performs the function of removing something from combat is entirely different, and thus its combo and political potential is different. By removing a creature from the game, then returning it to play, it interacts quite well with creatures with ETB abilities, and thus has more combinations with more creatures. Despite the inherent weakness of this being messy to use if a 187 creature is attacking you, this quality makes it an even greater political tool for double-teaming another player.

Want to have a temporary ally reuse his Angel of Despair or Bogardan Hellkite, or remove that token on a Woodfall Primus while blowing up another enemy enchantment? Simply have your ally attack with it and let your Maze do its work. And while you can't use it on your own creatures in this way, it's one effective way of getting back creatures your opponents have stolen, since the creature returns to its owner's control when it returns to play (I guess the trip through the Maze snapped it out of whatever magic was controlling it). This also adds to its political bargaining value. "Hey, want your Blightsteel Colossus back? Especially now that you're being attacked by it? Just vow that you'll never attack me with it, and we can make an arrangement . . ."

Volrath's Stronghold – As with any multiplayer environment, recursion and reanimation mechanics are powerful. Uncounterable ones are even more so. This card has been the cornerstone of so many recursive strategies and combinations I won't even bother mentioning them here. Let's just say I'm glad Emrakul, the Aeons Torn gets reshuffled into your library, and let's leave it at that.

Bojuka Bog – The multiplayer graveyard is an important resource. Faerie Macabre was valued for being able to exile two cards from a graveyard without needing to cast a spell. This card is so much better. Being able to nuke an entire graveyard in an environment with so many recursion methods isn't something you should ignore.

Dark Depths – How much mana would you normally pay for a 20/20 Flying Indestructible creature that can't be countered? There aren't many effects that can stop Marit Lage short of exile, as most Stacks run few to no bounce effects. My group's Stack does, and this is one of the reasons Resounding Wave is in there. The group gets an extra kick from using this card, because we actually own the foil Marit Lage token.

Prahv, Spires of Order – This is one of the cards that can stop the 20/20 Flying Indestructible uncounterable Legend mentioned previously. Like the Mazes, it forces opponents to attack you with more than one creature at a time. Note that it stops damage for the whole turn. So if you use it to prevent the ETB damage of an Inferno Titan, the opponent's equipping the Titan with Lightning Greaves and attacking you is a useless endeavor. A funny thing I've noticed in games is that some older players assume this is a "fairly costed" Kor Haven, not realizing that it can stop all kinds of damage. When those same players die to an Inferno, it's always polite to point out their mistake.

Kor Haven – Prahv Lite. It can only stop combat damage, but that's useful enough by itself. Both this and Prahv are highly political cards, given that they can be used to save other players in return for favors. This is often their primary function in my gaming circle.

Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion – Giving a huge creature Double Strike can be a very, very good thing. Imagine how happy this would make Skithiryx. Also, Double Strike has the added bonus of triggering combat damage triggers of certain cards twice over. Imagine how sick it would be to have Wrexial or Teneb hit twice in one turn. A key card to draft in any aggressive deck.

Boseiju, Who Shelters All – Uncounterability is a premium in T4. Making sure your own counterspells or devastating sorceries can't be undone by an untimely bit of countermagic will make sure that if you really need something to happen, it will. The life cost is well worth it. Just remember not to overdo it. I recall one player who was so eager to use Boseiju that he tapped it for mana to cast even Krosan Grip, which couldn't have been countered anyway.

Academy Ruins – To understand how good this card is, you must understand that in a mature T4 Stack, there are only two kinds of artifacts: Those that destroy themselves to get used, and those that will be destroyed by your opponents at all costs to stop them from being used. This plus Mindslaver alone is a horrifying combo. The fact that it works with everything from Door to Nothingness to Nevinyrral's Disk to Bosh, Iron Golem is just icing.

Winding Canyons – Bypassing timing restrictions is another premium ability in T4. Being able to play one of your creatures on an opponent's turn has several advantages, least of which is providing a meaty blocker body in dire emergencies. Any ETB effects increase the value of this land, and if you add the bonus of the creature not having summoning sickness when it starts the turn on your side, you can see why this is a favorite in both T4 and Commander.

Arena – This is an enabler that allows your bigger creatures to kill any smaller creature. And you don't have to worry about tricks like direct damage dealing the final few points of damage to your damaged dude. Any direct damage in T4 is already powerful enough to kill your creature outright to begin with, so if they haven't done it yet, then they don't have it in hand. Just remember that all sorts of defenses, like protection from a color or indestructibility, are still applicable.

Further, note that you don't necessarily have to kill a creature to make use of Arena. One of the oft-forgotten effects of Arena is that it taps both creatures. As long as you have a creature of your own to toss into the gladiatorial pits, you can use Arena as a pseudo–Icy Manipulator, effectively letting a 1/1 Saproling block something as huge as a flying Goliath Sphinx.

Svogthos, the Restless Tomb – It's possibly the only man land that's large enough to be worth it in T4. Drop this after about an hour of play in a game with six or more players, and see how big it can get. The largest I've seen was 27/27 after a well-timed Read the Runes. Anyone seen bigger?

Diamond Valley / Miren, the Moaning Well – These two life-gain lands are identical in function in T4, but Miren is the card of choice, given that its Arabian Nights counterpart is pricier by well over $100. If you have a creature in this format, you can bet it won't stick around forever. This land gives you the utility of recovering a tidy bit of life in the bargain. It also serves as a backup in case someone tries to steal one of your creatures. There are few worse things than having Marit Lage stolen by a Dominate for 3 mana.

And then there are those creatures that you want to die, like Keiga, the Tide Star, or a hard-cast Glory with no other way of sending it into the graveyard. It forms a good combo engine with Volrath's Stronghold and any number of 187 creatures. Imagine the increasing degeneracy of Miren + Stronghold + Bogardan Hellkite (nasty), Angel of Despair (degenerate), or Kokusho, the Evening Star (evil, evil, evil!).

For those who make their Stacks like Cubes and limit the cards to a specific number, this land competes with Worthy Cause in functional space. The buyback spell can be used more than once for every rotation around the table, but is vulnerable to countermagic. Given that the number of times you'd want to sac your own creatures is often limited, most Stacks prefer the Moaning Well.

Yavimaya Hollow – There are a lot of destroy effects in T4. Even if there are also a lot of exile effects, saving a creature—any creature—via regeneration is excellent utility. Need I even point out that it works well with attack-trigger creatures, such as the Titans? Possibly the most underrated land here, I'm surprised to see people drafting Urza's Factory over this little gem.

The remaining cards are less incredible, or even conditional, but some Stacks include them just to up the land count.

Safe Haven – It's T4. You know your creatures are going to die to some horrifically powerful spell. This is a great way to save them, and possibly even yourself, considering cards like Phthisis and Agonizing Demise. What hampers this card is the upkeep requirement, and often, an opponent who has nothing better to do will see your Safe Haven with Akroma, Autochthon Wurm, and Kozilek tucked inside, and promptly Vindicate it with glee. If the Haven survives, however, the player gets the option of pulling a Rout or popping Nevinyrral's Disk in the end phase of the opponent before him, then gets to release the proverbial hounds (or angels, or demons, or dragons) on his upkeep.

Nivix, Aerie of the Firemind – Most Stacks I've seen range from 40% to 50% instants and sorceries combined. Using Nivix is a gamble, one that pays off at least half the time, assuming you didn't draft with it in mind. Those who don't like taking chances shouldn't bother including this in their Stacks. Alternatively, if you own one, consider substituting Bazaar of Baghdad for its card-drawing and graveyard interaction.

Minamo, School at Water's Edge – For this to be useful, you need to be running a large number of Legendary creatures in your Stack. Don't consider putting this in unless at least a third of your Stack's creatures are Legendary, and more than a third is helpful. It's not nearly as useful as it is in Commander, where having a Legendary general with a tap ability makes this land prime real estate.

Karakas – For Legend-heavy Stacks, this is a perfect counter in somewhat indirect opposition to Minamo, assuming you already own one. It's banned in Commander for a reason. If you don't own one, most Stacks don't have enough Legends to justify its approximate $50 price tag.

Urza's Factory – Strictly better than Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree, in almost every scenario, the Factory is a good way of cranking out the 2/2s every turn. In a multiplayer game without mana concerns, that might seem quite underwhelming. When my own group tried putting this in, it was a low pick in every draft. Indeed, the 1/1 flier-producing Pride of the Clouds was valued more highly.

Don't get lost now . . .

Those are the lands we've used at one time or another. And while you may not agree with all my thoughts about the Titans, I'm sure no one will refute the fact that even T4 has room for great lands. Trust me. Your Primeval Titan will thank you.

Comments on the Last Article's Draft Exercise

Different picks for different folks. My friends and I run draft exercises like these from time to time to help us evaluate card priorities, though in our case, it's more for fun than tournament-level grading. The most aggressive players tend to pick the kill combo in the form of Mirrorwood Treefolk. Those who mix a bit of caution into the aggression will pick combinations that are less vulnerable to hatred, like Sedris or Scion of the Ur-Dragon. Those who go for the long game tend to select the infinite life provided by giving the Scourge a Behemoth Sledge (my personal choice), or making sure the pseudo-Wrath effect leaves your creatures alone by taking the damage-immunity-generator that is Combat Medic. The ones who picked Body Double liked the idea of effectively having a second Scourge in their decks, in case it dies, or possibly taking their pick from whatever things the Scourge killed. Funniest reply I got? Commandeer. "Because once I deliberately show people I drafted the Scourge, I just know someone will cast Bribery on me."