Mana Vault or Grim Monolith: Which is better? (EDH)
Deck Help forum
Posted on March 29, 2018, 1:57 p.m. by battle_jelly
Good evening everyone, I am trying to add another fast mana artifact to my Purphoros, God of the Forge deck. Mono-red and the Commander needs to come out fast, as this is a competitive mono-red EDH deck.
I only have room for one, so my question is still: which one is better: Mana Vault or Grim Monolith? One comes out a turn earlier, damages you in every turn if tapped, and can only untap during your upkeep. The other... 2 mana to come out without the other negatives. I already have, or am considering the other fast artifacts, I just need this thread specifically for these two cards. Any thoughts or links to good previous threads?
Mana Vault is better and cheaper both in mana cost and in dollars.
March 29, 2018 2:08 p.m.
The earlier you get your Commander out the earlier you win
March 29, 2018 4:17 p.m.
In this case it's Vault. The damage it deals is most likely irrelevant and it gets you online a turn sooner.
March 29, 2018 5:23 p.m.
The one thing to note about Grim Monolith is that you can fairly easily go infinite with Rings of Brighthearth and a land to get the combo started. Rings of Brighthearth is a generally useful card, and will double the effectiveness of Purphoros's activated ability.
That note aside, I agree with the other posters that Mana Vault is better.
March 29, 2018 5:27 p.m.
Basalt Monolith, not Grim for the rings combo. That's Power Artifact
March 29, 2018 5:44 p.m.
Entirely correct--getting my Monolith's confused!
March 29, 2018 5:50 p.m.
As pointed out, the faster you can get your commander down, the better. Mana Vault facilitates this better, as well as giving you a larger burst the turn you play it. You also don't really care about the damage from vault, 5-6 total damage is nothing when your opponents are taking 4-8 per turn consistently.
smackjack says... #2
Mana Vault lets you play your commander turn 2.
March 29, 2018 2:07 p.m.