I guess my concern is this is not so much a list of 'staple cards' as it is a list of good stuff... Don't get me wrong, good stuff is good and all. But if you point a new player at this list it kinda gets awkward for them as it is all 5 colors, contains niche cards Arbor Elf and has no "no, really this is stuff you will use in every deck that produces these mana symbols' specificity to it. Some of the cards are absolutely spot on;
Sol Ring
Darksteel Ingot
Pain lands Underground River
Shard lands Jungle Shrine
Bojuka Bog

But I would look at culling some of the more "well it's a cool card/it's awesome in X deck' cards Vexing Shusher , Arbor Elf , Library of Leng and potentially moving them to a "as you get deeper into commander you may want to look at these cards' type thread.

I would also lobby for the inclusion of;
Barren Moor
Secluded Steppe
Forgotten Cave
Lonely Sandbar
Tranquil Thicket

Into this base thread. I love the idea of providing threads that provide an easy access route for people to get into EDH, but we gotta make it easy for them.

Other cards I may suggest for potentially this list, or the "well it's good stuff' thread are:
Torpor Orb
Wood Elves
Hunting Wilds

Would also suggest dropping the following cards from this list as they tend to promote miserable games (in my experience)
Tidespout Tyrant
Armageddon
Obliterate
Catastrophe

Thada Adel, Acquisitor . Because in every table there's a blue player with yummy sol rings and Divining Tops.

Dread . No, you don't want to attack me.

@christhecandyman: Trostani, Selesnya's Voice is neither a staple nor a power card.

@MiniDragon & Gidgetimer: While Platinum Emperion and Elderscale Wurm are certainly playable in low-power EDH decks, I don't think I would call either of them a staple or a power card.

@smithereen: Mul Daya Channelers and Seer's Sundial aren't inclusions. It That Betrays is good, but it's also out of the "budget" range.

@Grimgrinner: I'm still reluctant to include Consuming Aberration . It's kind of a niche card, and it's an inconvenience outside of mill strategies. Lotleth Troll , Worldspine Wurm , Tablet of the Guilds , Armed / Dangerous , and Howl from Beyond also fail to make the list.

@jchald: Sylvan Caryatid isn't really a great mana dork in EDH. Because it's a 2-drop, it's worse than Birds of Paradise . People don't waste removal on single mana dorks - those kinds of creatures die due to sweepers or combat. Therefore, the hexproof aspect is kind of irrelevant. If you're paying more than one mana for a mana dork, it should be ramping more than one mana in return.

@Metia: I understand your concern. It's difficult to make a list like this because you end up having to draw some pretty arbitrary lines at times. The thing is, though, that I want the list to go beyond the core 10 cards per color that are almost mandatory auto-includes. I want to list cards that are at least worth considering for most kinds of decks. I'm happy to hear arguments for cuts as well as inclusions, so if you think something's too limited to really deserve a spot on the list, let me know. I won't be cutting cards for being "unfun," though. Even though cards like Tidespout Tyrant and Armageddon are negatively received in a lot of metas, they're still power cards.

I don't like cycling lands. They're slow when you need them to be actual lands (which will likely be most of the time), and the cycling ability doesn't really justify that downside.

@Brion_Warbeard: I don't like retribution effects like Dread . They don't really do enough most of the time because the damage still gets done. You'd have to make more of a case for Dread 's inclusion.

Thada Adel, Acquisitor is a decent card, but does it deserve a spot?

Dreamscape Artist is the best ramp blue has access to. In budget people generally don't have things like Stifle either, so it's generally 100% safe.

Worn Powerstone and Ashen Rider are both listed twice.

@nbarry223: Most blue and non-green EDH decks derive their ramp power from artifacts. Have you tested or seen Dreamscape Artist in action?

Yes, it is amazing in mono-blue. If you are playing counterspell deck with instant draw, it is your #1 card (aside from win-cons)...

Let me explain why, you can keep your mana open until the end, and if you use its ability it is doing two wonderful things for you. It is thinning your deck of lands, and ramping you a land for a card and 1 mana (if you consider the lands coming untapped). That is like having access to the best green ramping spells at instant speed, every turn.

It is pro, trust me.

I can also vouch for Dreamscape Artist 's usefulness in mono-blue budget. It's a great ramp card.

<-- upvote #69.

I've seen Druidic Satchel do some serious work as non-green ramp in budget lists.

Plains , Island , Swamp , Mountain , and Forest tend to be helpful don't you think?

@catrule3564 It's unnecessary. Every single last person who plays the game knows about the basic lands. It's just a waste of page space.

Reverent Hunter can work for any green creature heavy deck that uses a counters strategy. Case in point; Corpsejack Menace is a budget favorite. Experiment Kraj is fairly popular commander too.

It can become an insane beater late game; but it enables a lot of combos, considering how many cards use interactions with counters.

I'd understand if you said it was a bit too narrow though.

Reverent Hunter is little more than a beater, and its ability and cost limit it so greatly that it doesn't come near inclusion.

Hero's Downfall Is a good staple for black decks. It will go down even more later on.

+1

Thanks for putting this together! It is especially helpful for looking up the names of multi-colored mana producing lands!

@Jakethorn: Hero's Downfall is currently too expensive for this list.

Overwhelming Forces ? Much above the list limits.

@YerpyMoose: Good catch.

As I said earlier, this list was a copy, paste, and edit from the non-budget version, so one or two cards may have slipped through in the editing process.

i would like to make a case for Fa'adiyah Seer this little gem is perfect for my Dredge EDH, triggers dredge by tapping, and even without that it usually puts a card in the yard, i don't think its strong enough for the non-budget list, but i think it has a home in any budget Graveyard based EDH

@Baycer: Although Fa'adiyah Seer is certainly functional, I don't consider it a staple or a power card. It doesn't do enough to separate it from the legions of other loot effects, and it isn't as powerful as directly dredge-oriented spells/permanents.

How about Quietus Spike ? It's devastating, especially if it gets out early, and it's less than $1. It can be used in just about any deck, as well.

Craterhoof and Consecrated Sphinx have breached the $10 mark.

Sylvan Primordial is now banned.

Love this list thought :D