@ItsFoxay

Godsend's triggered ability is amazing, completely skewing combat in my favour.

• Blocking will exile one of their better creatures if they don't have expendable weaker creatures or tokens to chump with.
• Not blocking to save their valuable creatures gives this deck what it wants: Sram dealing Commander Damage.
• Having it equipped to an untapped blocker keeps me protected from any non-evasive threat.

Godsend is essentially an upgraded Sword of Kaldra.

NensouHiebara,
Elbrus, the Binding Blade  ^Flip is a very good card because you can put it onto the battlefield for free a lot of times with your deck. Even better in multiplayer because when someone loses the game it gets 13 +1/+1 counters

pauldiamond64 it also has a color identity.

no it actually doesn't. It's just like how you can run Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth in any deck because it does not actually have the symbol on it. You can for sure run it. there is not a swamp symbol on it.

pauldiamond64 Check the flip side of the card, see that little Black dot? That's a color indicator, making the flipside a black card.

Regardless of it's color it's mana cost at 7 mana is laughably too much for a deck like this anyway. Lower curve is better with Sram because you want to take advantage of that draw clause as much as possible.

What about Auriok Steelshaper as an addition to your ramp? If you have a few equipments on the board, it could act like a very good mana dork. I feel that your deck needs more ramp options.

The anthem is just a bonus.

@pauldiamond64

903.4 - The Commander variant uses color identity to determine what cards can be in a deck with a certain commander. The color identity of a card is the color or colors of any mana symbols in that cards mana cost or rules text, plus any colors defined by its characteristic-defining abilities or color indicator.

903.4c - The back face of a double-faced card is included when determining a cards color identity.

Elbrus, the Binding Blade  ^Flip cannot be used in non-Black decks.

@Stefouch

Auriok Steelshaper is too low-impact. Shaving off isn't as impressive as Puresteel Paladin's metalcraft ability providing free equips or the handful of other cards that completely circumvent costs. It's anthem is also weak. +1/+1 to all Soldiers and Knights isn't effective when I only have so many creatures out at a given time, and there are only 4 Soldier and Knights total in the deck.

I'm currently exploring additional ramp options, but I feel like I don't need too much more. This deck already has six ramp cards alongside four cards that assist in land drops. I can only add so much ramp and land tutor effects before it starts to eat up space for other needed cards.

Crucible of Worlds instead of karmic justice. Tormod's crypt instead of rest in peace. Those two would be my suggestions.

Also, flagstones and dust bowl are fun together. Especially with that crucible :)

@znenneman

Crucible of Worlds - Too narrow. I have Sun Titan and Petrified Field if I need to recur lands.

Tormod's Crypt - Not strong enough. I used Relic of Progenitus before Rest in Peace was printed and eventually replaced Relic with RIP. In games where grave-hate is absolutely needed, I want the graveyards to be empty and stay that way.

Flagstones of Trokair - Useless. It does absolutely nothing while it waits to be destroyed. I have ZERO interest in it.

On the sweeper side, any thoughts on Descend upon the Sinful? Maybe exiling could help dealing with problematic creatures. Also may give you an angel to beat

Do you find yourself having to play around that Rest in Peace? It seems like it turns off so much good recursion in your deck. I generally play in 4-6player groups so my suggestion of Tormod's Crypt over Rest in Peace is that I'd rather have a rattlesnake than 3-5 other people all hating on me for having it in play. Crucible is great in my meta due to the land hate, which then makes flagstones good.

@lil_cheez

At 6 mana, Terminus wins out as the expensive, creture-only sweeper due to its miracle ability. This deck doesn't have a consistent way to enable delirium, making Descend upon the Sinful pretty much the same as Final Judgment, which I also opt not to use.

@znenneman

Rest in Peace keeps all graveyards empty and also stops death triggers, bringing any graveyard strategy to a complete halt until it's removed. Popping one grave once isn't enough. Having a rattlesnake makes opponents bait it to have it pop early. Graveyard decks are going to get more mileage out of the 'yard than my creature and artifact recursion. I don't mind botching my own recursion if it means locking all graveyard strategies in a stranglehold.

My meta isn't trigger happy with land removal. Crucible of Worlds wouldn't be very effective. Only using it to retrieve utility lands is too narrow to warrant a spot in the deck.

Interactions don't automatically redeem bad cards. Flagstones of Trokair is still the severely lacking utility land it will always be even with synergy with other cards.

I've never understood why you constantly hate on Flagstones. It doesn't etb tapped and in the case that someone new to your group brings MLD or someone gets nasty with an eldrazi titan you have the flagstones. I mean, if no one has that it's a etb untapped W source but if someone does happen to run incidental LD or "each player sacs a permanent" you can sac it and net gain.

I just don't understand the hate for it. (Also flagstones is NOT a bad card, it may not be the most useful thing in your specific deck but that doesn't make it a bad card.)

Is it a money thing? Cause if it is that's not fair to the people who have suggested it in the past. If it's not a money thing there's really no reason not to run it.

Apologies, "constantly" was supposed to be "consistently"

@Ohthenoises

There are utility lands have powerful activated abilities, valuable ETB and upkeep triggers, or game-altering static abilities. Flagstones of Trokair just sits there waiting for something to pop it, and all you get is a Plains for your troubles.

There's is no "incidental" land destruction. If a player blows everyone's lands up, it's because the fully intended to. And the player casting the land destruction spell should be securing their victory with it, making the tapped Plains gained from Flagstones of Trokair completely negligible.

It's definitely NOT a monetary thing, it's a utility thing. Flagstones of Trokair offers so little that a Plains is better by comparison.

I don't understand is why everyone seems to believe that a land that replaces itself with a tapped Basic is meaningful in a 99-card singeton format.

Because it's strictly better than a plains. Whether you think so or not it IS strictly better in almost every sense outside of Emeria which is a largely irrelevant argument due to the number is basics and the fact that Emeria is reduculously slow.

Lastly, it's not like you're running Strata Scythe so again, largely irrelevant.

As I said, it's strictly better than a plains. Period. Which is why everyone and their mother keeps suggesting it. There's a reason why it has an actual price tag.

Agreed with above, strictly better. Offers solid bounceback for MLD. Not AMAZING in this deck but it is not a "bad card" or "do nothing" card. Always is a nice card to have in my Sram deck due to the speedier recovery from my own MLD.

@Ohthenoises

This doesn't change the fact that Flagstones of Trokair doesn't add to my deck in any meaningful way. Replacing a Plains with it doesn't significantly enhance the deck's performance, so why should I even bother? I'm not going to burn resources acquiring a card my deck doesn't need. My money is better spent on other things.

Flagstones of Trokair's price tag comes from the fact that it's a decade-old card with a unique effect that was never reprinted. Supply of it is low and it slowly built value over time. It would be much more expensive if it were used in any notable Modern or Legacy decks.

@Gleeock

One land after mass land destruction is irrelevant. If the player casting mass land destruction hasn't essentially won on the spot just by having the strongest board, they're wasting everyone's time.

NensouHiebara You asked "I don't understand is why everyone seems to believe that a land that replaces itself with a tapped Basic is meaningful in a 99-card singeton format."

I answered you the exact reason why everyone keeps suggesting it. It's strictly better than a plains in every meaningful way, people see that and try to help but you consistently call it a "bad card" which, in point of fact, it's not.

It does see play in soul sisters, B/W smallpox, Nahiri sometimes plays it, and Death and taxes calls for it as well. (I've also seen it in B/W tokens decks) Mostly fringe decks but all on the edge of being playable in modern and a few of those are quite popular.

Your statement "I'm not going to burn resources acquiring a card my deck doesn't need. My money is better spent on other things." however, indicates that the reason that you don't want to run Flagstones is purely that you don't have one and you don't want to spend the money on it. (Which is what I was getting at when I asked if it was a money thing)

It does help your deck, even in a minuscule way, and saying that your money is better spent elsewhere is not a reason to call a card "bad". Why not simply say "I'd rather not spend $18 for a card that doesn't help me much" instead of trying to say "It's a bad card" every time it's brought up? Because saying that a card is bad, while it isn't bad at all, doesn't make sense to most people. (Especially when those people know that it's a good card)

I can understand not being able to justify spending $20 on something that only helps a deck win .1% more often. Trust me, I get it completely, I do it all the time for my 3 cEDH and 5 competicasual decks. What I cannot understand is telling people that a good card is bad just because you don't think .1% is worth $20. If I can't justify it I simply tell them that I can't justify the expense, simple as that.

@Ohthenoises

Flagstones of Trokair is not strictly better than a Plains. It's still a nonbasic land and affected by nonbasic land hate, such as Blood Moon.

Even if I did own Flagstones of Trokair, I still wouldn't use it. I own a lot of cards in my Notable Exclusions list, and they're stored in a binder.

If all Flagstones of Trokair can offer is minuscule advantage, I might as well keep the Plains.

I call Flagstones of Trokair "bad" because, at least in Commander, it is. The task it performs is mediocre and has narrow applications. Not every utility land is going to be some all-star or hidden gem. Sometimes, cards are just bad and there are more worthwhile options to use instead.

Nope, in a monocolor deck with MLD in play immediate land andvantage is not so "miniscule advantageous" as you claim, especially when you tend to reset with another plains drop the next turn (and your opponents are bottlenecked with multicolor land fetching). I have had several opponents play MLD for many reasons besides a complete gamelock, usually they see they are on a losing trajectory but can right the ship with a manasource reset... But your overaggressive rants are enjoyable so I keep poking the bear, I do agree with about 1/2 or so of them, just not this one.

@Gleeock

Land advantage shouldn't matter. Mass land destruction spells should seal victories and end games on the spot.

In point of fact it does see massive amounts of Commander play. GoST, Kytheon, GAAIV, etc will all use it, these are all cEDH and French (may as well be singleton legacy) decks on mtgtop8 if you don't believe me, feel free to look, it's all there plain as day.

You have missed my entire point of having this discussion though, my point is that you dismiss cards that are good and say they are bad when they are clearly not. You have, in the past dismissed fetches as well citing that they only provide minimal deck thinning and that they are bad in mono color decks.

My only point to this whole discussion is that you shouldn't just dismiss something in that manner because you make the people who take the time to HELP you optimize your decklist feel like their good and valid suggestions are "bad".

I have been simply using Flagstones as an example. A user suggested it and your response was exceedingly caustic. (You have been like this with me in the past as well but I've elected to ignore it mostly.)

What this means is that you are alienating people who are trying to help and thus pushing people away.

If you are kinder about your responses (even if it's just "please see the notable exclusions section, it'll explain my reasoning") then you will get people coming back.

Remember, the people suggesting flagstones, fetches, etc are trying to help you.

Since when did TO become so toxic that you can't let someone have an opinion about a card that differs from yours? Why does it affect you people so much that someone doesn't want to run a card that has a 0.01% change on their deck? lol

If someone's opinion isn't yours, why do you feel the need to convince them at every possible turn? At that point you're acting like a 14 year old learning how to debate in highschool for the first time. Have fun kids.