@@NitpickingNerds I love helm of the host in my Koma cosmos serpent deck it is full of copy spells and there aren't many ways to get around the legend rule, and helm is one of the few ways to do it I love just making like 20 serpents on each players turn, and helm is the perfect way to do it. (You can copy the non-legend tokens to avoid the legend rule I have won 9 medium sized cEDH competitions because of that car)
I play it in Kothoped and it does Everything! You want your 6/6 flyer to threaten a kill in three turns? Check. You want to kill dorks to draw cards? Check. Do you want to ofset the lifeloss from kothopeds triggers so you dare to play him again? Check. Also Alesha, as a first striker who needs to attack.
Good list guys, agree on everything except Jitte. Its one of those cards that reads a lot worse than it functions in game. Remember it puts 2 counters on every hit. Any commander that likes to swing, especially those with evasion can make use of it. I wouldn't call it an autoinclude in aggressive decks, but I don't think its wrong to run it. All you really need is to hit once and it will likely start to snowball. One hit can give +4/+4 in combat, which makes your opponents a lot more hesitant to block it, and when they don't you now have 4 counters. Once it snowballs a bit, it becomes removal on a stick that gets around indestructible. And while you're rarely using the life gain mode, it can be impactful late in a game. Its like a modal spell, even though none of the three modes seems great on their own, the flexibility of the card is where it shines. I've rarely played Jitte and been disappointed with it once the game was done
The lifegain is also a nice outlet in case someone wants to destroy it (without krosan grip), as you can just remove the counters before it goes and gain a bit of life off it. Also lifegain is often bad, but on a modal card like this there are definitely situations where just that little bit of life would have saved you.
Don't forget about the double strike cards with it, for some low attack base voltrons but with double strike it's pretty good, like you hit 2/2 get the counters, hit 6/6, total 8 dmg, that's not bad, if you already got some counters on it you can easy kill someone with that boost. I played a lot of voltron decks and Jitte is pretty dangerous if used in the right deck.
The haste can be extremely relevant and depending on the deck it can be essential. Especially true if you’re not playing red. There are infinite combos that require haste. Being able to use mana dorks same turn in an mono green elf deck is unbelievably good!
@@TheBigPenguu if you need a haste enabler outside of red then greaves is the best. There are plenty of reasons to want haste. If you’re prioritizing haste then the protection from targeted removal is just a bonus. The reason why boots and greaves are so good is they give 2 relevant keywords. If they only gave one of those keywords, even at a reduced cost, would probably not be worth playing.
I use both boots for haste the protection is a bonus, I find that the protecion that brings the swords are more relevant, not only you have hexproof from two colours but also you're unblockable for creatures that have those colours.
Watching your videos feels like having a conversation with my playgroup about the efficacy of cards while we are playing a game, which is super relaxing and fun. Great content guys!
Okay, so my Nekusar deck is all ‘Howling Mine’/‘Kami of the Crescent Moon’ type stuff, so it’s not uncommon to have my opponents drawing 4+ cards each turn. Adding infect to that turns it into like, a two turn clock.
I'm not sure this counts but I do have a soft spot for the Jitie in a certain custom commander deck I have where my commander is a creature that doubles up triggered abilities that involve damage being dealt to permanents or players. So getting four counters each time I connect as opposed to 2 counters makes it really good.
This is the second time in a row you've gotten Darksteel Plate wrong. It only costs 2 to equip. That makes a huge difference, especially when you take the plate's own indestructibility (and thus, the fact that it will almost always stick around to re-equip for 2 if your commander gets exiled) into account. I agree that it doesn't go in every deck, but if you're playing a deck that relies very heavily on your commander, or a deck where your commander wants to be swinging or fighting all the time, or you're in a very boardwipe heavy meta, the card is amazing. Also, I'd say 75-80% of boardwipes is a lot more accurate than 60%. Edit: And yeah, if it did cost 3 to equip I'd never touch it, either.
I love equipments so I love that you guys made a guide on it! One semi budget one that I think you overlooked that’s amazing in blue decks is neurok stealthsuit. That card is amazing in every deck I’ve ran it in.
@@NitpickingNerds what makes it good in my case is it’s use with commanders who work well with shroud. Specifically if your commander resolves but your opponents have targeted removal in response to an action or simply equipping, you just activate the ability in response.
Robe of Stars is a good newer protection equipment I think. Cheap repeatable phasing can dodge almost every kind of removal, and it does give a minor buff as well
I just noticed this video as I am currently finishing up a Zahid, Djinn of the lamp Voltron deck. I think you guys are on point with your analysis. I am trying out the Jitte, Darksteel Plate, Sword of War and Peace and Sword of Sinew and Steel because of the current playgroup that I am in. In another playgroup with less interactions I can see how they could be easily switched out for other equipments
Been catching up on your videos, and really loving the content! Great bite-sized chunks and always ends in me adding a last minute card or two to the cart... keep it up, gentlemen!
Skullclamp is amazing in any commander deck now that the death trigger applies to your commander. Even if you have no other synergies, you put it on your commander and if your opponent kills it you don't lose tempo
Also on Syr Gwyn because you send it for free to another creature and then put it back all at 0 cost. The only bad part is you open yourself for a moment. So it's less good. Then again if you can equip at instant speed then it's superb.
Hey guys, I agree with you on almost all of your top picks and garbage picks. I do have to say that I am a bit biased on some of the big , splashy equipments. An easy build around for equipment is Brass Squire. All you have to do is tap it to attach an equipment. Turns Helm of the Host into a freak of nature as well as Argentum Armor. Also, Vrass Squire is colorless so you can put it in any equipment deck. Extremely underrated card
Great content gentlemen! I will say Argentum Armor and Colossus Hammer are powerhouses in Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist/Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh. The +6/+6 is substantial when you are really going for Commander damage kills and the removal of one blocker when your commander has menace and trample is also substantial. If I ever had to pay the equip or casting cost it would be trash but cheating it out and cheating the equip makes it highly valuable. I put this deck at a solid 7-8 power level and gets great value in Argentum Armor.
Im not sure if you missed it, but umezawas jitte gets 2 counters whenever equipped creature deals damage so essentially +4/+4, -2/-2 or 4 life. The value!
Also...Masterwork of Ingenuity is amazing. You do need an equipment deck to run it, because otherwise it is a dead card, but it's great. And Infiltration Lens is the most underplayed equipment. Also, Bloodforged Battle Axe is amazing. I mentioned Puresteel Paladin in another comment, but the two combo really well. Multiplying the axe helps you reach the metalcraft ability, which should have been easy enough. Then they all equip for free. If you have a voltron commander trampling through or with evasion, you double your battle axes every turn. Combo with Puresteel again for drawing 1 card first combat, 2 cards next combat, 4 cards the following, 8 cards after that. If you have double strike, just double each of those amounts.
Cranial playing can be switched onto an unblocked creature instant speed with the 2 black. That specific ability won me a few games in my old Sydri deck back in the day.
Great video... really made me rethink the equipment lineup in my EDH equipment deck! Personally though, Whispersilk is one of my favorites in EDH, when applied carefully like Joe mentioned. You need a commander where early and consistent turn after turn combat damage is key. I have a Lathril cEDH deck right now running whispersilk and let me tell you if that gets attached early and nobody has a board wipe.... usually game over. It's a beast in a voltron build as well... because unlike Rogues Passage or any other unblockable enabler it serves double duty by enabling unblockable and making untargetable. This is key, because once you make a real threat unblockable it naturally becomes a target of everyone, not just it's next meal.
I mean, you SAY lifegain doesn't matter in commander, but it's a lot easier to win the game when the only creatures you have to worry about blocking for a few turns are your opponents' commanders.
Life gain specifically doesn't, or rather shouldn't, matter as a priority in Magic if you are trying to win because it is one of the most neglible things you can be doing on it's own when compared to say something like drawing cards or creating tokens or a board state/furthering your main game plan. This stems to almost any card game. Unless Life gain has high synergy with what your deck wants to be doing, it is best left as a secondary extra effect on cards to take advantage of rather than the main reason you would run the card to begin with. Take the newish card Search For Glory. That life gain at the end isn't a factor at all as to why I would ever play the card, but it's just extra spice on a good effect instead of the driving force to want to play it you know?
I don't think Sinew and Steel is a trap, I think it's in the middle ground as it protects from Red and Black removal and creatures, the destroy artifact Clause is quite relevant and the planeswalker clause can be useful
With Jitte you dont need to start using its effect right away. You can accumulate multiple counters and only use them when you need. It makes blocking a pain for you oponnent, since you can pump your creature to be bigger than theirs after they declared blockers. And if they dont, if you have multiple counters in it it can present lethal damage (with only 4 counters for example, which is only two attacks with jitte, your creature can get +8/+8 and presents a lot of commander damage). Also, you can save counters to use the -1/-1 effect at instant speed to kill problematic creatures. You dont need to use it right away to kill small dorks, save it for creatures that are really worthy to kill. Its definitely not broken as it is in 1x1 formats, but its still a good card in combat focused decks. I also dont think Sinew and steel is a trap. Destroying artifacts can be very relevant in commander and protection from rakdos is very good against removal.
Jitte is really good. It just reads worse than it performs. Any commander with 2 or less toughtness is under ransom. Even 4 thoughtness doesnt feel safe. All those mana dorks are as good as dead. Someone is blowing your jitte? Too bad, get some life for your trouble. In rafiq infect jitte is almost always a 1-shot kill that can captilize on previous players dying too.
Sunforger is so much fun. you can built an entire deck with bulk instants and it still worth it. Get an open the armory and you have now 2 copies in the deck.
I know I’m a little late to the party, but heirloom blade is frickin insane in my Lathril elf ball deck. I have like a 50+ creature count and all but like 4 of those are elves. Slap it on Lathril or even an elf token, sac to Ashnods Altar-super low mana curve in my Lathril deck so usually the mana you get from Ashnods plus like one green or tapping one of my elf dorks is enough to play the card I grabbed. Wash, rinse, repeat
I consider them traps. Quietus spike is playable but never makes the cut on my side. And elbrus is more fun than good and can only be played with black which is not the color for equipments (first is white, second red, maybe blue third because artifacts matter)
Deathrender is worth mentioning in my book. With a single sac outlet it can cheat any creature you want from your hand to the battlefield, for free, and at instant speed. Then it conveniently sets itself up to let you do it again with the creature you just picked. Really shines with ETB and Death effect chaining and combos; Greater Good/Altars etc.
Jitte is two counters for -2/-2 or +4/+4. If it gets blown up boom life gain. Super easy to get counters on, only needs to deal damage. If you have creatures, it's bomb.
No comment on bloodforged Battle-axe. is that a middle ground for you two? also a lack of evasion talk, just whisper silk cloak is bad, are you guys a yay or nay for Trail blazer?
We haven't been huge fans of the boots, they probably fall into the middle ground you have to really want evasion and not the "run you over no matter what" style deck. Battle Axe is super cool and is also middle ground
Cranial Plating was devistating in modern grixis affinity decks before mox opal ban. With Vault skirge, Etched champion, or on Inkmoth nexus, it was an easy turn 2-4 win
Me looking at my two decks I built (Vae victus the dire and Osgir) which are the first two I've ever built and both having shadowspear for different reasons and I was sweating bullets until the end :) I know Osgir is a nombo with legendary equipment but I'm going more big creature than the version you guys put out and trample seems like a great keyword with his +2/+0 ability at instant speed. For Vae, the 1 mana loses hexproof is its main reason for inclusion but that deck has plenty of big creatures who might enjoy some lifelink if they stay on the board a turn
Demonmail Hauberk- A budget card, that's 4 mana for a +4/+2 buff. I'm only bringing it up because it has a sac a creature equip cost going for it. It can be used as a free sac outlet albeit at Sorcery speed.
Why I run sword of truth and justice, nahiri, heir of the ancients, nahiri, the lithomancer, nahiri, storm of stone, nahiri, the harbinger, daretti, scrap savant, inkmoth nexus, I do have quest for the holy relic in my deck currently but may take that out soon, valakut awakening is my land/instant and can put the 'wrong tools' like sword of body and mind to the bottom of my deck if needed
My friend had a fairly nasty Kalemne deck that absolutely wreaked tables with Umezawa's Jitte and the full assortment of swords that were out at the time. Granted these were not cEDH tables, but in that kind of meta no one is really trying to go for the voltron kill
Here's a good use for Heirloom Blade: Put it in an artefact combo deck that involves one specific creature that shares a type with your commander and is a backup combo engine if your main one dies, example: Breya, Etherium Shaper Also, effects that give every creature type (Maskwood Nexus) would enable to tutor up different creature types
I put heirloom blade in a deck that only had 2-3 of each creature type that's in it and it and wants to sacrifice creatures, and it's been crazy powerful.
i may have missed it but what about sword of hearth and home? it bounces a creature you own (as a may) and searches for a basic land obviously the bounce is situational but id argue just bouncing an attacker even without an ETB to have an untapped blocker is decent at times but the ramp is always pretty good as long as you run basics. pro white and green are also decent for evasion imo
I would say paradise mantle is a good one to consider. It turns anything into a birds of Paradise for 1 which works well for decks that suffer with ramping, and its a free to cast equipment so it functions excellently with decks that care about playing as many equipment as possible, such as kemba
important use for helm of the host: since it makes tokens of otherwise non-token creatures, it’s really good in decks like rhys and trostani that can populate those tokens
I put it on a leveled up echo mage in my grixis spell repeat. Then rite of replication echo mage. Use echo mage to copy curse of the cabal, din of the fireherd, and cruel ultimatum to set up minion of the wastes or a hatred finisher for the last bits.
I totally agree with Beezy about Explorer's Scope. I'm never playing it in a green equipment deck like my Arahbo/Nazahn deck, but I have one in my Syr Gwyn deck and my Akiri Deck that I definitely wouldn't cut even though I am running Sword of the Animist, Signets, Talismans, Dowsing Dagger, Wayfarer's Bauble, Knight of the White Orchid and ofc Sol Ring. For Syr Gwyn that's 13 ramp sources, 9 for Akiri which I have to supplement with cards like Solemn Simulacrum, Marble Diamond, Mind Stone/Fellwar Stone/Prismatic Lens. I usually go for 35-36 lands and 12-13 ramp sources and really appreciate ones like Explorer's Scope that are efficient (2 mana investment for something- hopefully) and more importantly leave a land on the battlefield so my damn mana rocks aren't wiped out by an early board wipe which has happened a few too many times to me.
Or maybe just use both not sure what deck your playing but if you really want to get through consistently consider having quite a few ways to get the effect
Gavel of the Rightous is one of the only newer equipment that is great for big creature or combat damage trigger commanders since you can get double strike once it has 4 counters
Darksteel Plate works for me in Glissa, the Traitor for lategame shenanigans. Equip Glissa, blow up the board with Nevinyrral's Disk, get all your artifacts back, repeat on next turn.
I have an equipment deck that I run like a tool box, it has upwards of 28-30 equipment, I don’t understand only running 17 like they say but if it works hey that’s dope
I also think your not giving sword of war and piece justice. True its not the best in many decks but in a wheel deck it gurentees an extra 7 dmg with protection. Totally agree everywhere else though.
I’m building a mono black rats deck, since my commander gives rats fear and has a sacrifice ability to make tokens many equipments that focus on direct damage are really good. I want to run a few of the “sword of” cards but I can’t decide if I really want to replace lashwrithe and nightmare lash since both are big power boosters and are cheaper to equip Edit: thornbite staff is amazing and I’ll totally be adding it to the deck
Illusionist bracers in a Mayael the Anima deck is real fun if you can pull it off. Feels great to dig 10 cards deep for 2 big beaters. Does paint a huge target on you though lol
@@NitpickingNerds You guys are dope keep it up! I have content to watch now! my friend just got me into Magic and i made a knight deck. main cards are Knight Exemplar for all knights indestructible and Kinsbaile Cavalier gives all knights double strike. He gave me x4Puresteel Paladin so i been looking for good equipment/artifacts. my friend suggested adding something to make knight tokens but i haven’t found anything yet
@@NitpickingNerds we just play standard casually nothing really serious since i’m still new to it all. So no real restrictions just 60 card decks 🤷♂️😆 he has this sliver deck that he says would be banned in competitive and after play against it, i see why lol
Equip Jitte to a flyer, you get 2 counter each time you deal damage. Save counters and remove as many as you need for +2 +2 per counter and counters stay on Jitte even when you switch which creature it's equipped to. First turn you deal combat damage give you +4 +4 next turn 4 counters gives +8 +8. It's a good card if played by someone smart enough to know how to use it.
Actually Sword of Sinew and Steel is a form of card advantage or removal. Artifacts are everywhere and if you destroy one it is similar to the card you spent multiple destructions brings advantage... I also like Chariot of Victory and Haunted Cloak. They get overlooked but having Haste and Trample together on a card is nuts when you are playing decks with big beaters. It allows you to swing immediately and get damage through. as incidental keywords First strike and especially vigilance are not bad as well. I would not purposely build it in a deck because it is not worth the card slots, however if you have any deathtouch creatures first strike gets a whole lot better... speaking of which Quietus Spike is brutal as well. These cards are sprinkle to taste
Im taking darksteel plate out of my equipment deck, when i have a better replacement. I didnt want it there, but i was short on equipment with decent abilities. I really don't like it either.
I like to use robe of stars on Zacama, that Big B just costs way too much to recast. I have a win con of sorts where I phase her out and then cast decree of annihilation.
Elves can also run swiftfoot boots, if they have extra effects that make more than one mana per elf, or elves that tap for multiple mana. Leyline of abundance, priest of titania, elvish archdruid. There are more effects like this than you might think :) 🌲
Honestly DS plate. Love that card. My playgroup is low power so there is that but I love to equip it with worldslayer to a evasion creature or in tandum with hot soup (another fun card) to soft lock board state.
Isshin with all this equipment is ridiculous. Add in rings of brighthearth, and you pretty much win as soon as you get Argentum Armor. I’ll swing, blow up three of your lands plus all these other effects. Oh I have a creature/sorcery that gives me an extra combat? There goes another three lands. It’s fun :)
Explorer’s Scope is the poor man’s Sword of the Animist. If you can effectively stack the top cards of your library, it’s not a bad card. As for Greaves/Boots, I’ve been cutting Greaves in decks because I need to play multiple equipment on one guy
Not to nitpick but Jitte gives creatures +2/+2 not +1/+1 per counter. It's adds an interesting angle that you can use as a political tool to kill/save creatures and or threaten lethal by building up counters (which is incredibly easy to do).
Quietus Spike is another great equipment(not mentioned) CMC 3 Equipped creature has deathtouch. Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, that player loses half their life, rounded up. Equip 3 Its a great way to chunk people. It drops off as the game goes on, but your creatures should be getting stronger by then and it shouldnt matter. Great for opponents running life gain decks
I use Nightmare Lash in my Mono-Black deck. The equip cost being 3 life is a lot more attractive than paying mana, it's only a 4 drop, and it scales throughout the game. My mono black deck is also demon tribal so they usually are flying in to hit the face with this equipped. Definitely niche because it counts swamps, but I think it's a good consideration for mono black decks.
I would like to ask your opinion on 2 card i love to always put in every commander deck i have, and those are chaos wand and mimic vat i find they are so good yet i don't see them often in deck lists.
i love equipment. I am an old school player and I do love Brawl but Commander is just too much for me (since I have been playing since the Dark) it is hard for me to narrow down cards. It would of been better to have enchantments that cause equipment triggers or enchantments that share keyword abilities? no trigger enchantment? Sigarda's Aid, Open the Armory, Steelshaper's Gift, Concerted Effort, Odric, Lunarch Marshal.
Equip Joe: +2 Looks, +2 Knowledge, Equip Beezy: Protection from Shortness, +2 Intelligence, +5 Reach
This is a top tier comment
@@NitpickingNerds I love helm of the host in my Koma cosmos serpent deck it is full of copy spells and there aren't many ways to get around the legend rule, and helm is one of the few ways to do it I love just making like 20 serpents on each players turn, and helm is the perfect way to do it. (You can copy the non-legend tokens to avoid the legend rule I have won 9 medium sized cEDH competitions because of that car)
To be fair, you only understand the value of Umezawa's Jitte when you face one.
I LOVE it in my tetsuko deck. It’s amazing
It makes combat math annoying. Super good if the equipped creature has first strike or double strike.
Love it in my Aurelia deck. The amount of utility is insane
instaBlaster...
i just started edh like 2-3 months ago and i was so surprised that jitte is not banned ;D
Jitte is awesome guys!! I wouldn’t play it in every deck, but this is so versatile. Even better for colours with limited removal options
I play it in Kothoped and it does Everything! You want your 6/6 flyer to threaten a kill in three turns? Check. You want to kill dorks to draw cards? Check. Do you want to ofset the lifeloss from kothopeds triggers so you dare to play him again? Check.
Also Alesha, as a first striker who needs to attack.
Good list guys, agree on everything except Jitte. Its one of those cards that reads a lot worse than it functions in game.
Remember it puts 2 counters on every hit. Any commander that likes to swing, especially those with evasion can make use of it. I wouldn't call it an autoinclude in aggressive decks, but I don't think its wrong to run it. All you really need is to hit once and it will likely start to snowball. One hit can give +4/+4 in combat, which makes your opponents a lot more hesitant to block it, and when they don't you now have 4 counters. Once it snowballs a bit, it becomes removal on a stick that gets around indestructible. And while you're rarely using the life gain mode, it can be impactful late in a game. Its like a modal spell, even though none of the three modes seems great on their own, the flexibility of the card is where it shines. I've rarely played Jitte and been disappointed with it once the game was done
The lifegain is also a nice outlet in case someone wants to destroy it (without krosan grip), as you can just remove the counters before it goes and gain a bit of life off it. Also lifegain is often bad, but on a modal card like this there are definitely situations where just that little bit of life would have saved you.
Don't forget about the double strike cards with it, for some low attack base voltrons but with double strike it's pretty good, like you hit 2/2 get the counters, hit 6/6, total 8 dmg, that's not bad, if you already got some counters on it you can easy kill someone with that boost. I played a lot of voltron decks and Jitte is pretty dangerous if used in the right deck.
I especially love to run it in combo with sword of truth and justice on a double strike creature. Gets mad counters.
Plus those counters work at instant speed. There are some cool things you do with it
It’s funny how they said the pump was useless on the Jitte but then said the +2 from the Hammer of Nazahn was good.
Just putting this out there black blade reforged in Azusa is so much fun turns her into an instant voltron creature out of nowhere lol
That's funny, most equipment doesn't fly in green decks 😂
Also good In Chulane if you really want to kill someone with Chulane
Strata Scythe is functionally identical in mono color decks.
@@fryape8342 yea I like that card too
Have helm of the host inside of my omnath locust of mana deck lol
The Boots/Greaves are relevant because of the protection from targeted removal, not the haste...
The haste can be extremely relevant and depending on the deck it can be essential. Especially true if you’re not playing red. There are infinite combos that require haste. Being able to use mana dorks same turn in an mono green elf deck is unbelievably good!
@@jakeapplegate6642 the haste is a bonus, not the main reason to run boots/greaves.
@@TheBigPenguu if you need a haste enabler outside of red then greaves is the best. There are plenty of reasons to want haste. If you’re prioritizing haste then the protection from targeted removal is just a bonus. The reason why boots and greaves are so good is they give 2 relevant keywords. If they only gave one of those keywords, even at a reduced cost, would probably not be worth playing.
I use both boots for haste the protection is a bonus, I find that the protecion that brings the swords are more relevant, not only you have hexproof from two colours but also you're unblockable for creatures that have those colours.
Watching your videos feels like having a conversation with my playgroup about the efficacy of cards while we are playing a game, which is super relaxing and fun. Great content guys!
Can't get over the quality of this channel, you guys are fantastic.
The ring cycle ain’t bad for budget. Umbral mantle is great with some combo’s. Grafted exoskeleton on Nekusar if you’re EVIL!
Yeah budget is a whole different animal
I sir am EVIL!
Okay, so my Nekusar deck is all ‘Howling Mine’/‘Kami of the Crescent Moon’ type stuff, so it’s not uncommon to have my opponents drawing 4+ cards each turn. Adding infect to that turns it into like, a two turn clock.
Heirloom Blade is such a slam dunk in Syr Gwyn. Wish I could play it in my brawl deck with her.
Yeah that's sweet, an equipment that finds future equip-ees
This card came in the Jirina Kudro humans precon, card rules.
Jitte is really good because once you get counters on it, it guarantees a continuous stream of counters.
I'm not sure this counts but I do have a soft spot for the Jitie in a certain custom commander deck I have where my commander is a creature that doubles up triggered abilities that involve damage being dealt to permanents or players. So getting four counters each time I connect as opposed to 2 counters makes it really good.
This is the second time in a row you've gotten Darksteel Plate wrong. It only costs 2 to equip. That makes a huge difference, especially when you take the plate's own indestructibility (and thus, the fact that it will almost always stick around to re-equip for 2 if your commander gets exiled) into account.
I agree that it doesn't go in every deck, but if you're playing a deck that relies very heavily on your commander, or a deck where your commander wants to be swinging or fighting all the time, or you're in a very boardwipe heavy meta, the card is amazing. Also, I'd say 75-80% of boardwipes is a lot more accurate than 60%.
Edit: And yeah, if it did cost 3 to equip I'd never touch it, either.
Loxodon warhammer is the only budget colorless lifelink i can find
Basilisk collar, shadow spear etc.
@@robby6382 those are not budget lol
Lol, I had to go look up shadowspear’s price, because at one point they were like $1. (Wow, that escalated quickly.)
Your videos just keep getting better. Both in content and form, plus you guys grow ever more entertaining. Keep up the great work!
Wow those are great things to hear! :D
I love equipments so I love that you guys made a guide on it! One semi budget one that I think you overlooked that’s amazing in blue decks is neurok stealthsuit. That card is amazing in every deck I’ve ran it in.
It's nice to be able to equip at instant speed
It’s not one we have ever tried but seems interesting
@@NitpickingNerds what makes it good in my case is it’s use with commanders who work well with shroud. Specifically if your commander resolves but your opponents have targeted removal in response to an action or simply equipping, you just activate the ability in response.
Robe of Stars is a good newer protection equipment I think. Cheap repeatable phasing can dodge almost every kind of removal, and it does give a minor buff as well
This is so funny watching this after two years. The show changed so much!
I just noticed this video as I am currently finishing up a Zahid, Djinn of the lamp Voltron deck. I think you guys are on point with your analysis. I am trying out the Jitte, Darksteel Plate, Sword of War and Peace and Sword of Sinew and Steel because of the current playgroup that I am in. In another playgroup with less interactions I can see how they could be easily switched out for other equipments
Been catching up on your videos, and really loving the content! Great bite-sized chunks and always ends in me adding a last minute card or two to the cart... keep it up, gentlemen!
How can they mock Umezawa´s Jitte??? Creatures are actually relevant in commander, and having spot removal is quite useful.
Skullclamp is amazing in any commander deck now that the death trigger applies to your commander. Even if you have no other synergies, you put it on your commander and if your opponent kills it you don't lose tempo
Whispersilk cloak is great in Balan, Wandering Knight decks because it doesn't stop her equip all ability because it doesn't target.
Yeah, several of these are actually decent or even great with Balan, but generally not good unless you can remove the equip cost or something similar
@@PurplePippin indeed. Even though she's mono-white she's my favorite voltron commander
And in Yuriko because you want ninjas to hit, doesn't matter that you don't make them large.
Also on Syr Gwyn because you send it for free to another creature and then put it back all at 0 cost. The only bad part is you open yourself for a moment. So it's less good. Then again if you can equip at instant speed then it's superb.
@@RobMedellin that's why my syr gwyn deck runs leonin shikari
Hey guys, I agree with you on almost all of your top picks and garbage picks. I do have to say that I am a bit biased on some of the big , splashy equipments. An easy build around for equipment is Brass Squire. All you have to do is tap it to attach an equipment. Turns Helm of the Host into a freak of nature as well as Argentum Armor. Also, Vrass Squire is colorless so you can put it in any equipment deck. Extremely underrated card
I think you're underestimating the jitte. There are a lot of 2 toughness commanders and combo creatures out there.
Great content gentlemen! I will say Argentum Armor and Colossus Hammer are powerhouses in Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist/Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh. The +6/+6 is substantial when you are really going for Commander damage kills and the removal of one blocker when your commander has menace and trample is also substantial. If I ever had to pay the equip or casting cost it would be trash but cheating it out and cheating the equip makes it highly valuable. I put this deck at a solid 7-8 power level and gets great value in Argentum Armor.
Im not sure if you missed it, but umezawas jitte gets 2 counters whenever equipped creature deals damage so essentially +4/+4, -2/-2 or 4 life. The value!
My 4-Color Omnath deck likes Helm Of The Host, and I typically have enough extra lands laying around to mitigate its casting and equip costs.
I use it in breya, with godo in the 99. you get a breya and 2 thopters every turn, really good.
Also...Masterwork of Ingenuity is amazing. You do need an equipment deck to run it, because otherwise it is a dead card, but it's great. And Infiltration Lens is the most underplayed equipment. Also, Bloodforged Battle Axe is amazing. I mentioned Puresteel Paladin in another comment, but the two combo really well. Multiplying the axe helps you reach the metalcraft ability, which should have been easy enough. Then they all equip for free. If you have a voltron commander trampling through or with evasion, you double your battle axes every turn. Combo with Puresteel again for drawing 1 card first combat, 2 cards next combat, 4 cards the following, 8 cards after that. If you have double strike, just double each of those amounts.
To each their own, and you guys know better than me, but Argentum armor in a Syr Gwen/Puresteel Paladin deck has been one of my best equipments
Cranial playing can be switched onto an unblocked creature instant speed with the 2 black. That specific ability won me a few games in my old Sydri deck back in the day.
Great video... really made me rethink the equipment lineup in my EDH equipment deck!
Personally though, Whispersilk is one of my favorites in EDH, when applied carefully like Joe mentioned. You need a commander where early and consistent turn after turn combat damage is key. I have a Lathril cEDH deck right now running whispersilk and let me tell you if that gets attached early and nobody has a board wipe.... usually game over. It's a beast in a voltron build as well... because unlike Rogues Passage or any other unblockable enabler it serves double duty by enabling unblockable and making untargetable. This is key, because once you make a real threat unblockable it naturally becomes a target of everyone, not just it's next meal.
I think I might try this in one of my decks
Soooo about these illusionist's bracers...the new elf from the Kaldheim precon drains everyone for 10 ... sounds like a good include to me. :D
I mean, you SAY lifegain doesn't matter in commander, but it's a lot easier to win the game when the only creatures you have to worry about blocking for a few turns are your opponents' commanders.
Life gain specifically doesn't, or rather shouldn't, matter as a priority in Magic if you are trying to win because it is one of the most neglible things you can be doing on it's own when compared to say something like drawing cards or creating tokens or a board state/furthering your main game plan. This stems to almost any card game. Unless Life gain has high synergy with what your deck wants to be doing, it is best left as a secondary extra effect on cards to take advantage of rather than the main reason you would run the card to begin with. Take the newish card Search For Glory. That life gain at the end isn't a factor at all as to why I would ever play the card, but it's just extra spice on a good effect instead of the driving force to want to play it you know?
@@schlockfather I get what you're saying, but I have literally won games because I gained 100 life off of a board wipe and my opponents just scooped.
@@cjd2889 I get that man, it happens sometimes. I like Tamanoa or Soulfire Grandmaster with Blasphemous Act.
Sigarda, Host of Herons Voltron
Step 1: Give her indestructible
Step 2: Win
I have never found a combination of abilities and text that prevents the creature from being mercilessly evicted. (Merciless Eviction)
Been watching for awhile and decided you guys were worth the sub! Love the dedication to the format and always provide solid insight
#1: Skull clamp
#2: Lightning greaves
#3: Swift boots
#4: Shadowspear
#5: Sword of Feast and Famine
Top 5 equipment?
@@NitpickingNerds MY Top 5 ♥
I don't think Sinew and Steel is a trap, I think it's in the middle ground as it protects from Red and Black removal and creatures, the destroy artifact Clause is quite relevant and the planeswalker clause can be useful
What about shadowspear???? That cards amazing. Oh wait, thrown in last second. Also umbral mantle has plenty of combos as well.
With Jitte you dont need to start using its effect right away. You can accumulate multiple counters and only use them when you need. It makes blocking a pain for you oponnent, since you can pump your creature to be bigger than theirs after they declared blockers. And if they dont, if you have multiple counters in it it can present lethal damage (with only 4 counters for example, which is only two attacks with jitte, your creature can get +8/+8 and presents a lot of commander damage). Also, you can save counters to use the -1/-1 effect at instant speed to kill problematic creatures. You dont need to use it right away to kill small dorks, save it for creatures that are really worthy to kill. Its definitely not broken as it is in 1x1 formats, but its still a good card in combat focused decks.
I also dont think Sinew and steel is a trap. Destroying artifacts can be very relevant in commander and protection from rakdos is very good against removal.
Jitte is really good. It just reads worse than it performs.
Any commander with 2 or less toughtness is under ransom. Even 4 thoughtness doesnt feel safe.
All those mana dorks are as good as dead.
Someone is blowing your jitte? Too bad, get some life for your trouble.
In rafiq infect jitte is almost always a 1-shot kill that can captilize on previous players dying too.
@@Blackvolttage ok but
Cyclonic rift
Tidespout is on the field so i cantrip and bounce jitte
Etc etc
I run sisay weatherlight captain to helm my shrines deck. Blackblade reforged on her early game is chefs kiss.
Sunforger is so much fun. you can built an entire deck with bulk instants and it still worth it. Get an open the armory and you have now 2 copies in the deck.
Yeah I love that card, partially for the ease of access!
I know I’m a little late to the party, but heirloom blade is frickin insane in my Lathril elf ball deck. I have like a 50+ creature count and all but like 4 of those are elves. Slap it on Lathril or even an elf token, sac to Ashnods Altar-super low mana curve in my Lathril deck so usually the mana you get from Ashnods plus like one green or tapping one of my elf dorks is enough to play the card I grabbed. Wash, rinse, repeat
Are you guys going to do another video on equipments? Because I'd love to see your thoughts on quietus spike and elbrus, the binding blade
I consider them traps. Quietus spike is playable but never makes the cut on my side. And elbrus is more fun than good and can only be played with black which is not the color for equipments (first is white, second red, maybe blue third because artifacts matter)
Deathrender is worth mentioning in my book.
With a single sac outlet it can cheat any creature you want from your hand to the battlefield, for free, and at instant speed. Then it conveniently sets itself up to let you do it again with the creature you just picked. Really shines with ETB and Death effect chaining and combos; Greater Good/Altars etc.
Jitte is two counters for -2/-2 or +4/+4. If it gets blown up boom life gain. Super easy to get counters on, only needs to deal damage. If you have creatures, it's bomb.
Jitte is very versatile, don't sleep on it.
Jitte is so cool
No comment on bloodforged Battle-axe. is that a middle ground for you two? also a lack of evasion talk, just whisper silk cloak is bad, are you guys a yay or nay for Trail blazer?
We haven't been huge fans of the boots, they probably fall into the middle ground you have to really want evasion and not the "run you over no matter what" style deck. Battle Axe is super cool and is also middle ground
One weird outlier among equipment is Cloak and Dagger in Anowon decks. Is it better than Greaves? No idea, but it's flavorful enough to run!
Cranial Plating was devistating in modern grixis affinity decks before mox opal ban. With Vault skirge, Etched champion, or on Inkmoth nexus, it was an easy turn 2-4 win
Me looking at my two decks I built (Vae victus the dire and Osgir) which are the first two I've ever built and both having shadowspear for different reasons and I was sweating bullets until the end :) I know Osgir is a nombo with legendary equipment but I'm going more big creature than the version you guys put out and trample seems like a great keyword with his +2/+0 ability at instant speed. For Vae, the 1 mana loses hexproof is its main reason for inclusion but that deck has plenty of big creatures who might enjoy some lifelink if they stay on the board a turn
Demonmail Hauberk- A budget card, that's 4 mana for a +4/+2 buff. I'm only bringing it up because it has a sac a creature equip cost going for it. It can be used as a free sac outlet albeit at Sorcery speed.
i WILL be putting darksteel plate in my otrimi mutate pile thank you very much
Helm Of The Host is great with Krenko Mob Boss
Why I run sword of truth and justice, nahiri, heir of the ancients, nahiri, the lithomancer, nahiri, storm of stone, nahiri, the harbinger, daretti, scrap savant, inkmoth nexus, I do have quest for the holy relic in my deck currently but may take that out soon, valakut awakening is my land/instant and can put the 'wrong tools' like sword of body and mind to the bottom of my deck if needed
I wish I could see this list now when Galea is present. Some of these are really good in her deck. And the Darksteel Plate attaches for 2, not 3 ;)
My friend had a fairly nasty Kalemne deck that absolutely wreaked tables with Umezawa's Jitte and the full assortment of swords that were out at the time. Granted these were not cEDH tables, but in that kind of meta no one is really trying to go for the voltron kill
Here's a good use for Heirloom Blade: Put it in an artefact combo deck that involves one specific creature that shares a type with your commander and is a backup combo engine if your main one dies, example: Breya, Etherium Shaper
Also, effects that give every creature type (Maskwood Nexus) would enable to tutor up different creature types
Ayy, just wanted to tune in and say explorer's scope is REALLY good in most boros decks all the way until your budget goes into the hundreds
I put heirloom blade in a deck that only had 2-3 of each creature type that's in it and it and wants to sacrifice creatures, and it's been crazy powerful.
i may have missed it but what about sword of hearth and home? it bounces a creature you own (as a may) and searches for a basic land
obviously the bounce is situational but id argue just bouncing an attacker even without an ETB to have an untapped blocker is decent at times but the ramp is always pretty good as long as you run basics.
pro white and green are also decent for evasion imo
just looked at the date, this probably came out before hearth and home did. oops.
time for an updated version of the video XD
Helm is a magical Christmas land and I love it. Ghired makes infinite rhinos. Momir vig clones loves it too lol.
Love using Illusionists bracers in my Feldon deck
I would say paradise mantle is a good one to consider. It turns anything into a birds of Paradise for 1 which works well for decks that suffer with ramping, and its a free to cast equipment so it functions excellently with decks that care about playing as many equipment as possible, such as kemba
important use for helm of the host: since it makes tokens of otherwise non-token creatures, it’s really good in decks like rhys and trostani that can populate those tokens
Illusionist bracers is really good in mayael of the anima. You get an additional 6 mana activation.
I put it on a leveled up echo mage in my grixis spell repeat. Then rite of replication echo mage. Use echo mage to copy curse of the cabal, din of the fireherd, and cruel ultimatum to set up minion of the wastes or a hatred finisher for the last bits.
Would like to see a new updated version on this subject!
I totally agree with Beezy about Explorer's Scope. I'm never playing it in a green equipment deck like my Arahbo/Nazahn deck, but I have one in my Syr Gwyn deck and my Akiri Deck that I definitely wouldn't cut even though I am running Sword of the Animist, Signets, Talismans, Dowsing Dagger, Wayfarer's Bauble, Knight of the White Orchid and ofc Sol Ring. For Syr Gwyn that's 13 ramp sources, 9 for Akiri which I have to supplement with cards like Solemn Simulacrum, Marble Diamond, Mind Stone/Fellwar Stone/Prismatic Lens. I usually go for 35-36 lands and 12-13 ramp sources and really appreciate ones like Explorer's Scope that are efficient (2 mana investment for something- hopefully) and more importantly leave a land on the battlefield so my damn mana rocks aren't wiped out by an early board wipe which has happened a few too many times to me.
Nice work as always. You've made me reconsider using rogue's passage instead of Trailblazer's Boots in one of my decks.
Boots is alright, but we think you could do better
Or maybe just use both not sure what deck your playing but if you really want to get through consistently consider having quite a few ways to get the effect
Gavel of the Rightous is one of the only newer equipment that is great for big creature or combat damage trigger commanders since you can get double strike once it has 4 counters
Darksteel Plate works for me in Glissa, the Traitor for lategame shenanigans. Equip Glissa, blow up the board with Nevinyrral's Disk, get all your artifacts back, repeat on next turn.
So what about sword of steel and sinew? Removal on a stick for an attack heavy deck seems really strong.
I have an equipment deck that I run like a tool box, it has upwards of 28-30 equipment, I don’t understand only running 17 like they say but if it works hey that’s dope
Akiri salass wheel is pretty strong smothering tithe treasures with cranial plating is typically a 1 shot. And you get alot of the blue counters
I also think your not giving sword of war and piece justice. True its not the best in many decks but in a wheel deck it gurentees an extra 7 dmg with protection. Totally agree everywhere else though.
I’m building a mono black rats deck, since my commander gives rats fear and has a sacrifice ability to make tokens many equipments that focus on direct damage are really good. I want to run a few of the “sword of” cards but I can’t decide if I really want to replace lashwrithe and nightmare lash since both are big power boosters and are cheaper to equip
Edit: thornbite staff is amazing and I’ll totally be adding it to the deck
Illusionist bracers in a Mayael the Anima deck is real fun if you can pull it off. Feels great to dig 10 cards deep for 2 big beaters. Does paint a huge target on you though lol
My first video watching of you guys, love the vibes bros I feel i can trust you guys seem VERY knowledgeable 🤙🏽💪🏽 subbing 4 life
Wow thank you so much for the kind words. These kind of comments make my day!
@@NitpickingNerds You guys are dope keep it up! I have content to watch now! my friend just got me into Magic and i made a knight deck. main cards are Knight Exemplar for all knights indestructible and Kinsbaile Cavalier gives all knights double strike. He gave me x4Puresteel Paladin so i been looking for good equipment/artifacts. my friend suggested adding something to make knight tokens but i haven’t found anything yet
@@_N4VE_ what format are you playing? ☺️
@@NitpickingNerds we just play standard casually nothing really serious since i’m still new to it all. So no real restrictions just 60 card decks 🤷♂️😆 he has this sliver deck that he says would be banned in competitive and after play against it, i see why lol
Equip Jitte to a flyer, you get 2 counter each time you deal damage. Save counters and remove as many as you need for +2 +2 per counter and counters stay on Jitte even when you switch which creature it's equipped to. First turn you deal combat damage give you +4 +4 next turn 4 counters gives +8 +8. It's a good card if played by someone smart enough to know how to use it.
Actually Sword of Sinew and Steel is a form of card advantage or removal. Artifacts are everywhere and if you destroy one it is similar to the card you spent multiple destructions brings advantage...
I also like Chariot of Victory and Haunted Cloak. They get overlooked but having Haste and Trample together on a card is nuts when you are playing decks with big beaters. It allows you to swing immediately and get damage through. as incidental keywords First strike and especially vigilance are not bad as well. I would not purposely build it in a deck because it is not worth the card slots, however if you have any deathtouch creatures first strike gets a whole lot better... speaking of which Quietus Spike is brutal as well. These cards are sprinkle to taste
Whispersilk Cloak is great in my Brago king eternal Blink deck. I agree with you not so great in voltron deck or in general.
Im taking darksteel plate out of my equipment deck, when i have a better replacement. I didnt want it there, but i was short on equipment with decent abilities. I really don't like it either.
Huge equipment combo... heirloom blade and deathrender. Stack the triggers to always have a thing to play.
I like to use robe of stars on Zacama, that Big B just costs way too much to recast. I have a win con of sorts where I phase her out and then cast decree of annihilation.
Elves can also run swiftfoot boots, if they have extra effects that make more than one mana per elf, or elves that tap for multiple mana. Leyline of abundance, priest of titania, elvish archdruid.
There are more effects like this than you might think :) 🌲
Honestly DS plate. Love that card. My playgroup is low power so there is that but I love to equip it with worldslayer to a evasion creature or in tandum with hot soup (another fun card) to soft lock board state.
I'm a big fan of Bloodthirsty Blade from C19
Isshin with all this equipment is ridiculous. Add in rings of brighthearth, and you pretty much win as soon as you get Argentum Armor. I’ll swing, blow up three of your lands plus all these other effects. Oh I have a creature/sorcery that gives me an extra combat? There goes another three lands. It’s fun :)
Definitely needed this video my budget voltron decks equipment package is horrible.
Epic video for ideas on my upcoming ragavan voltron deck!
Explorer’s Scope is the poor man’s Sword of the Animist. If you can effectively stack the top cards of your library, it’s not a bad card. As for Greaves/Boots, I’ve been cutting Greaves in decks because I need to play multiple equipment on one guy
Not to nitpick but Jitte gives creatures +2/+2 not +1/+1 per counter. It's adds an interesting angle that you can use as a political tool to kill/save creatures and or threaten lethal by building up counters (which is incredibly easy to do).
Quietus Spike is another great equipment(not mentioned)
CMC 3
Equipped creature has deathtouch.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, that player loses half their life, rounded up.
Equip 3
Its a great way to chunk people. It drops off as the game goes on, but your creatures should be getting stronger by then and it shouldnt matter. Great for opponents running life gain decks
Heirloom blade with the God-Eternal series would be perfect. Oh, my commander died? Let me just grab it back real fast
Argentum Armor is fantastic in a deck with Ardenn as a commander and ways to cheat it in. I've wrecked people with it in an Ardenn/Rograhk deck.
Godsend vs Thrumming stone
I use Nightmare Lash in my Mono-Black deck. The equip cost being 3 life is a lot more attractive than paying mana, it's only a 4 drop, and it scales throughout the game. My mono black deck is also demon tribal so they usually are flying in to hit the face with this equipped. Definitely niche because it counts swamps, but I think it's a good consideration for mono black decks.
Yep, I had a skitherix mono black infect deck at one point and nightmare lash was great in that deck.
As a fan of equipment decks and also white and boros equipment decks, I really want a Cranial Plating style card without the black activated ability.
that Cranial Plating gonna be crazy after Dominaria lol. skullclamp + Grave crawler + Phyrexian Alter = pay 1 draw 2.
I would like to ask your opinion on 2 card i love to always put in every commander deck i have, and those are chaos wand and mimic vat i find they are so good yet i don't see them often in deck lists.
i love equipment. I am an old school player and I do love Brawl but Commander is just too much for me (since I have been playing since the Dark) it is hard for me to narrow down cards. It would of been better to have enchantments that cause equipment triggers or enchantments that share keyword abilities?
no trigger enchantment? Sigarda's Aid, Open the Armory, Steelshaper's Gift, Concerted Effort, Odric, Lunarch Marshal.