Commander has become one of the most beloved formats in the history of Magic: The Gathering. Between the amazing interactions that the multiplayer-focused format creates, to the seemingly bottomless pool of legal cards players have access to when constructing decks, there's a lot to be appreciated in the format.
However, there are many instances in which players have a hard time deciding which cards they want to include in their decks. As colorless cards, the vast majority of artifacts can be included in any Commander deck. So here today, we're going to be talking about the best of the best when it comes to versatile artifacts in Commander.
Updated on July 31st, 2022 by Paul DiSalvo: Artifacts are among the most multifarious and varied card types in all of Magic, offering anything from an offensive benefit to mana ramp, to even game-altering static effects that impose a restriction on each player at the table. As Commander is an eternal format with a massive pool of cards players can utilize, some cards simply offer advantages so powerful that most decks would love to benefit from their abilities.
14 Wayfarer's Bauble
It's no secret that mana ramp is incredibly important within the Commander format, as early access to additional mana sources can allow you to carry out your strategy earlier than what would otherwise be possible.
While most of the best cards capable of putting additional lands into play are relegated to green, Wayfarer's Bauble is a one-mana artifact that can provide flexible ramp in any color. Once in play, you can pay two mana to sacrifice it, tutoring for a basic land and putting it directly into play. If played on turn one and sacrificed on turn two, even the likes of mono-white decks can access an effect comparable to that of Rampant Growth.
13 Arcane Signet
Arcane Signet is currently one of the most-played cards in the entire Commander format, and it's not hard to see why.
An artifact for two mana, Arcane Signet is simple yet incredibly effective, capable of being tapped to produce one mana of any color within your commander's color identity. As this effect produces any colored mana you could possibly need, this two-mana mana rock offers both mana ramp and mana fixing at a great and efficient rate.
12 Ashnod's Altar
For the reasonable cost of three mana, Ashnod's Altar is an impressive artifact that allows you to easily convert unneeded creatures into mana ramp. At any time as long as this artifact is in play, you can sacrifice a creature tio generate two colorless mana.
While this effect is particularly powerful within token decks and Aristocrats decks that can make the most out of this effect through either sheer quantity or synergy, and is a powerful piece of many infinite combos, even within decks of other types there is often a place for an Ashod's Altar. This is because regardless of if you're tapped out, Ashnod's Altar can provide you with extra mana you may need to cast additional key spells when needed at the cost of your other creatures.
11 Jeweled Lotus
When it comes to polarizing cards within the Commander format, Jeweled Lotus is king. Printed in Commander Legends, Jewelled Lotus is a zero-mana artifact comparable to the iconic Black Lotus. With an effect nearly identical to that of Black Lotus, this artifact can be sacrificed in order to generate three mana of any one color.
However, unlike Black Lotus, this card only functions within the Commander format, as this mana can only be spent to cast commanders. While this may seem restrictive (and it somewhat is), a Jeweled Lotus on turn one can allow for many popular and powerful Commanders to be cast as early as turn one or two through the sheer mana that can be accessed for free.
Even within decks of particularly mana-intensive commanders, a Jewelled Lotus can allow the commander to be played several turns earlier that it normally could be.
10 Alhammarret's Archive
Though a bit of an investment at five mana, Alhammarret's Archive is a card that is capable of creating unparalleled value if it is not addressed by the opponents. The artifact doubles any life gained as well as doubling the number of cards that could be drawn (save for the first of each turn).
Alhammarret's Archive is one of the only cards in the game that can flat out double the most important resource the game has to offer: Cards. Once in play, Alhammaret's Archive makes any underwhelming card draw effect into one of great potency, while turning an already powerful card-drawing ability into one with no equal.
9 Sensei's Divining Top
Few cards are able to accomplish as much as Sensei's Divining Top for a single colorless mana. Sensei's Divining Top allows players to reorganize the top three cards of their library and set up their upcoming turns for success.
Almost no cards cards are capable of doing so for such a low mana cost, and, in the worst-case scenario, can let seasoned players know the optimum time to shuffle their library with another card's effect. Additionally, if the user happens to be in a pinch and needs another card ASAP, Sensei's Divining Top can trade places with the top card of their library.
8 Ensnaring Bridge
One of the single best defensive options available on a single card, Ensnaring Bridge is an artifact that prevents creatures with power greater than the number of cards in your hand from attacking.
Ensnaring Bridge usually guarantees that the biggest monster of your Commander game won't be able to attack. Additionally, in the case that you empty your hand while playing, no creatures of note will be able to attack while you replenish your hand and work towards alternative win conditions.
7 Howling Mine
As Commander is a largely multiplayer format, it is not uncommon for players to attempt to get political leverage upon each other, trying to convince opponents to attack each other or form alliances. For a mere two colorless mana, Howling Mine is an underrated card that draws each player an additional card during their draw step.
While playing a card that assists the opponents may feel counterintuitive, players will frequently choose to not attack someone with a Howling Mine, as removing that player from the game would remove the Howling Mine as well. Nobody wants fewer cards.
6 Commander's Sphere
One of the more straightforward entries on this list, Commander's Sphere is an artifact that adds one mana of any color that is currently part of your commander's color identity.
Additionally, Commander's Sphere can be sacrificed at any time to draw a card. In any deck running more than one color, this artifact is a very safe option when it comes to "mana rocks." Additionally, if the Commander's Sphere ever outlives its usefulness, it can simply replace itself and draw a new card.
5 Skullclamp
The ability to draw additional cards is one of the most important resources in all of Magic: The Gathering. The player who draws the most cards is often the winner of a given game. Skullclamp is an equipment that functionally allows weaker creatures to be converted into drawn cards.
Providing a creature with +1/-1 and a clause that states if the equipped creature dies, its controller draws two cards, a common strategy with Skullclamp is to attach it to creatures with only 1 toughness in order to convert that creature into two cards. Even attaching Skullclamp to a larger creature is often worthwhile, as killing said creature will be risky for the opponents who don't want you to reap additional rewards.
4 Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots
When playing Commander, one of the most vital aspects of numerous strategies is having your commander in play. Certain decks primary strategies only really work as long as that deck's commander is present, often leading those commanders to draw plenty of removals from their opponents.
Two cards with fundamentally similar purposes; Lightning Greave and Swiftfoot Boots are low-cost equipment types that provide both hast and protection from opponent's spells to the equipped creature. These artifacts will simultaneously protect your commander from most targeted removal, and allow you to attack and activate abilities immediately due to the haste they each provide.
3 Solemn Simulacrum
Though not an offensive powerhouse, for a four-mana artifact creature, Solemn Simulacrum provides a great deal of value that any deck would appreciate. Upon entering the battlefield, Solemn Simulacrum searches your library for a basic land and puts it directly into play.
Additionally, upon dying, Solemn Simulacrum draws an additional card. For colors like white and red which have some difficulty with accelerating their gameplay and getting additional mana sources, Solemn Simulacrum can be a great option. Additionally, decks that feature any sort of reanimation can reuse the great value that comes alongside a Solemn Simulacrum.
2 Vedalken Orrery
One of the most powerful traits a Magic card can possess is being playable at instant speed. Being able to immediately react and hold up answers to the opponent's strategy on their own turn is something that should not be undervalued by veterans and newcomers alike.
Vedalken Orrery is a very straightforward artifact that could easily find its way into every deck in the commander format. For four mana, Vedalken Orrery provides every spell cast with Flash. Vedalken Orrery allows casting spells to be used at an instant regardless of the phase, adding an element of unpredictability to the user's strategy.
1 Sol Ring
No Magic card is as intrinsically tied to a format like Sol Ring is to Commander. Whenever players begin constructing a new Commander deck, it's second nature to immediately slot in a Sol Ring into their decks.
As a one-mana artifact that taps for two colorless mana, games can be decided by whether a player was able to get out a Sol Ring on turn one due to the sheer potency of what that much extra mana can do for a player's first turns in a game.