Hello, everyone! I'm Levi from The Thought Vessel Show, and today we're revisiting one of my favorite recent sets: March of the Machine. If you've been following my work on CoolStuffInc, you know I've been highlighting some of the unique new mechanics this set introduced. Today, we're kicking off a two-part series that shines a spotlight on some of the most notable mythics and rares from the set. In this article, I'll focus exclusively on the regular rares. The mythic rares will get their turn next time. We're only looking at cards from the original set - no reprints or cards exclusive to the preconstructed Commander decks. As always, we begin with our honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions

Invasion of Theros // Ephara, Ever-Sheltering - As a tutor with extra benefits, this card is hard to turn down. The draw engine provided by Ephara on the backside can really help an Enchantress deck operate smoothly.

Yargle and Multani - Ah yes, the frog on the log. The fact that we have an 18/6 creature for six total mana is rather incredible. This is the biggest raw power creature we have, and it's a vanilla creature with no abilities. It might not be the most exciting creature in Magic, but you can't argue that it's definitely noteworthy.

Top 10 Rares

Number Ten

A little niche, this card will find a home in decks that run cards like Shark Typhoon. Having the tokens enter as artifacts first can actually be a blessing in disguise, allowing you to hold them back until a board wipe happens and then flip them all over for an instant army of attackers. There's more to this card than the average Magic player might realize.

Number Nine

What list would be complete without a hatebear? Certainly not mine. Drana and Linvala are a strict upgrade over Linvala, Keeper of Silence. Both come in at four total mana, but Drana and Linvala have the added bonus of effectively stealing activated abilities from your opponents' creatures. At its floor, this card turns off your opponent's mana dorks while producing mana at the same time. At its ceiling, you can adopt extremely busted activated abilities, like those from Sisay, Weatherlight Captain.

Number Eight

Nicknamed "Wheeliod," this card, when flipped, turns into a Vedalken Orrery that also reduces the casting costs of your spells by the number of cards your opponents have drawn that turn. In the right build, with a little luck, you could play Eldrazi titans for free!

Number Seven

In the right situation, four mana gets you a copy of a creature on the battlefield and a spell on the stack? Sign me up.

Number Six

I feel this card is a little underrated. Being able to pin a card from someone's hand is extremely useful. You also get to see their hands, so you can better prepare for what's to come. On the backside, you get a buff for your attacking creatures and protection from board wipes or spot removal. Considering that this card goes for about $4.00, I think it's an auto-include in many White decks that care about attacking or going wide.

Number Five

Now this is what a 7-drop should look like! Getting a creature or planeswalker from each graveyard is incredibly powerful. The only thing that could slow down this effect is if players don't have much in their graves. Fortunately, Breach the Multiverse also mills each player by ten, giving you extra options to pick from. This card is a flashy finisher.

Number Four

I'm not sure who thought Green needed more toys, but I appreciate them. For your smaller creatures, it grants +1/+1 counters. If the non-token creature has three or more power, it becomes a card draw engine. Both of these effects are incredibly impactful, and I think this card will earn its place in many decks.

Number Three

You know you're in for a treat when a champion designs their own card. Entering this new wave of what I like to call "reverse stax," Faerie Mastermind lets you draw a card when an opponent draws their second card in a turn. On top of that, it has an activated ability that allows each player to draw a card, which triggers its own effect. This is a highly efficient card for the low cost of just two mana. Impressive!

Number Two

This card lets you fetch any non-human creature from your deck and put it directly onto the battlefield. Since it's a battle and the creature enters play without being cast, this card is becoming increasingly popular in competitive Commander. If you manage to flip it to the backside, you get Zilortha, Apex of Ikoria, which makes all your creatures virtually unblockable while also providing an 8/8 body. This invasion is an incredible card.

Number One

A new cEDH build powerhouse, Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness will grab a spell from each player at the table when it enters the battlefield. This card and its associated decks are incredibly powerful, with ways to repeat this effect. In a casual pod, Etali also flips into a Blightsteel Colossus, capable of knocking a player out of the game with one hit. For these reasons, this amazing dinosaur takes the top spot as our best rare from March of the Machine.

And that wraps up our Top 10 rares from March of the Machine. Tune in next time when we delve into the top 10 Mythic Rares. Until then, happy gaming!