Howdy, we’re back, taking a deep dive into mana rocks in Commander. There are obvious staples. But there is room for so much more. Mana rocks can be game changers, synergy pieces, or huge bombs in their own right.

Let’s find the right rocks for your deck.

The power of a mana rock can be measured in a couple of ways. Evaluate cards on their “floor,” “ceiling,” and “average” performance.

The floor is the card at its bare minimum.

The ceiling is the peak performance.

The average is… the average.

This is deck-specific. Sol Ring is an amazing card. It puts you ahead on mana. Even drawing it on turn three or four, you are likely still going to get some use out of it. But, if your commander is Doran, the Siege Tower, a Sol Ring doesn’t help you cast them any faster.

Mana rocks are tricky to evaluate. There are plenty of “safe” mana rocks. No one will call you a fool for playing Arcane Signet. But in the right deck, Liquimetal Torque might be genius. I hope to arm you with some mana rock insights. After that, you’ll be on your way to improving your decks in no time!

Looking at any mana rock, it probably falls into one of three categories. Each one has its place in the game. Different decks will value different categories.

“Fast” describes any rock that can be played turn one. Even in this category, there is variance in exactly how fast they are.

“Useful” is incredibly broad. Any rock that serves some additional function beyond accelerating you is “useful”. As with speed, there is a whole spectrum of how useful something can be.

“Big” is reserved for mana rocks that produce multiple mana per turn. Rocks that turn your mana pool into a mana ocean.

There is going to be an overlap. This will be key in deciding the rocks that are right for you. As we continue, picture one of your decks. What type of rocks are in it today? What category should it be playing in?

Let’s go deeper into each category.

Chrome Mox and Sol Ring are reliable. Rarely can you not play them turn one for a huge advantage.

Mana Vault, Lotus Petal, and Jeweled Lotus (it’ll be unbanned someday, right?) are rituals. Like Dark Ritual, these rocks are one-offs. It can let you get ahead, but they are one-and-done. These are great in aggressive decks, or if you can re-use them somehow.

Big mana rocks are a warning to the table that you are about to pull ahead.

They bleed into the “useful” category. Mana value is their main difference. The first two categories aim to accelerate you from the early to mid-game. Big mana accelerates you to the endgame. You can keep a hand with two lands and an Arcane Signet. You cannot keep a hand on the strength of Gilded Lotus.

The big group isn’t just for high mana value spells. Relic of Sauron pulls you ahead on mana or cards. The Aetherspark stretches the definition of a “mana rock,” but it can be a fantastic mana and card advantage engine in the right deck. Romancer’s Goggles doesn’t provide a lot of mana, but doubling a spell gives you a fantastic virtual advantage.

Your reliance on a commander will affect your ramp, too. If playing your Commander ahead of schedule, the goal of your ramp should reflect that. A three mana commander needs zero, and one mana ramp for a turn two Commander.

On the other hand, take a six mana commander like Etali, Primal Storm. You want to cast Etali on turn five. You can now leverage three or four cost ramp spells and still be ahead. Those expensive mana rocks can get Etali out early, and they give you a bigger mana advantage if you hit them off Etali’s ability. Playing a free Thran Dynamo is going to be much more impactful than a free Arcane Signet.

On the opposite end, some Commanders are so cheap that you don’t need to ramp. Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student only costs one mana. You don’t need to ramp to cast her. In this case, you can focus on higher cost rocks.

Honor-Worn Shaku and Relic of Legends are a fantastic mana rock to get the most out of your legendary creatures. There are so many legends these days! You might be surprised how effective this duo is! Of note, you can tap your legends as they turn! It gives you an instant refund on your legends.

Bender’s Waterskin and Victory Chimes are a bit more specific. They untap during each player’s turn. If you can play at instant speed, these two cards are fantastic and will pay for themselves in no time.

White Auracite is a double-edged sword. It is a mana rock and removal spell all in one. However, your opponent is heavily incentivised to destroy it. This will put you behind on mana and give your opponent their creature back.

I love Misleading Signpost. A rock with flash is great. You can hold up an interaction, then flash this in if nothing happens. On its own, that’s not bad. But the signpost also lets you reselect which player a creature is attacking. At worst, this is a tiny fog effect. At best, you force the attacker into a brick wall.

Glittering Stockpile and Vulshok Factory reward you for playing them early. When you tap them for mana, you also put a counter on them. Stockpile can be sacrificed to add mana equal to the number of counters on it. The Factory can make an X/X creature token with haste.

Mana rocks lose their value as the game goes on. Being able to convert them is a great addition.

The Great Henge is one of the best mana rock pay-offs out there. Nine mana is a lot, but it usually costs much less. It gives mana, life, counters, and card draw. The Great Henge does so much.