Hello, everyone! Long time no read. I know many of you have missed me (and some have thrown parties at my absence), but here I am again, fresh for 2003. And what better topic to lead off the first Uncommon Knowledge column of the new year than the top fifty white cards of all time?

Of course, I've had some practice making lists of white cards.

So at Pro Tour - Chicago last month, Aaron assigned me the task of ranking the best white spells of all time. And by spells I mean creatures, sorceries, enchantments, enchant creatures, instants, interrupts, horses, tractor-pulls, and phosphorous. After much debate with myself, I landed in the New Orleans Home for the Insane. Next time I won't argue so vociferously in public as both pro and con.

Anyhow, now that I'm a free man again, I'd like to lay down some ground rules for my list. If you don't like ground rules, consider these friendly guidelines that have gone to a costume party.

  1. This is my list. Those 12,800 words I ended up having to write about Extended were also part of my list. Take this as you will.
  2. Cards are ranked based on their importance and power in tournament Constructed play. Sorry, no consideration to Sealed, Draft or casual this time. If you want to hear about how ridiculously good Congregate can be, email Anthony.
  3. Email J M-S while you're at it. Not that I'm a bitter man or anything.
  4. If you don't like this list, feel free to post your own opinions on the message board. Please keep it clean; please keep it civil.
  5. Mulitcolored cards were not included, at Aaron's behest. So it was said, so it shall be.
  6. Some cards have had their good and bad formats. I've tried to take this into consideration. I realize that nobody plays Serra Angel anymore, but for those new to the game, you'll have to take my word that she was quite the beater back in "the day."

Each of the cards will be listed in descending order, from number fifty to glorious number one. I'll include card name, format(s) in which the card was played, and an explanation of why the card made the list. So move over all you Psychatog, Flametongue Kavu, and Wild Mongrel, it's white time!

Key:
T1 = Type One
S = Standard
Ext = Extended
Block = Block Constructed
Block? = Check out the coverage of Pro Tour - Venice at Sideboard.com in March to see if these were played in Onslaught Block Constructed!
Lim = Didn't I tell you above that none of these cards are rated for Limited play? Sheesh!

50. Dust to Dust
Dust to Dust

(T1, S)

The first card on the list heralds from good old Type 1. Way back in the day, people used to play with a ton of those "artifact" cards -- you remember, Icy Manipulator, Winter Orb, Juggernaut, Mirror Universe -- even the five Mox brothers had a night at the opera. Savvy players of a deck known as "The Deck" used to throw in a couple of copies of this card-advantage artifact remover in order to, well, gain card advantage, while improving their board positions.

49. Karma
Karma

(T1, S)

Like a fine wine left to fend for itself in the middle of a festering swamp, Karma hasn't aged well at all. Back in the black summer of 1995, however, Karma was as a great way to punish those damned Necropotence players.

48. Spirit Link
Spirit Link

(T1, S)

Spirit Link has become a white staple at this point, appearing in every base set from the Fourth Edition set onward. Coincidentally, it hasn't seen serious play since the Fourth Edition set, where it acted as Swords to Plowshares numbers five through eight. When Juzam Djinn and Serendib Efreet walked the lands, Spirit Link acted as a way to net life each turn. Nothing could be more frustrating back in the day than having your first-turn 5/5 monster turned into a backward Subversion.

47. Honorable Passage
Honorable Passage

(Ext, S)

Throughout Magic history, white's made a habit of hosing both black and red. What better way to hose red than to beat them at their own game? Unlike the upkeep-inducing Justice, Honorable Passage allows for maximum versatility: you can protect your creatures, yourself, and do it all as an instant. Nothing says "thank you, sir, may I have another?" more than sending a game-winning Fireblast back at the "Sligh" player's head.

46. Divine Sacrament
Divine Sacrament

(Ext, Block)

This threshold-enabled Crusade-variant graduated from madness-based Odyssey Block Constructed decks to nonmadness white weenie decks during the 2002 Extended season. While white doesn't have the easiest time getting to threshold, I've heard that playing Armageddon plus good weenie creatures can be a viable strategy . . . .

45. Ray of Revelation
Ray of Revelation

(Ext, S, Block)

The first white card on the list that isn't primarily used in white decks. That's right, even though it's a white card, the single flashback cost makes this enchantment remover a great option for decks running Quiet Speculation and/or Wild Mongrels.

44. Equipoise
Equipoise

(Block)

On the surface, this enchantment seems more annoying than potent: you can never come out ahead plus the effects are only temporary; however, the Visions set also introduced a little gem known as Sands of Time. Because phasing occurs at the beginning of the untap stage, several savvy players developed decks that combined the two, allowing cards to be phased out "permanently."

43. Orim's Chant
Orim's Chant

(Ext, S)

One of the essential elements of a combo deck is a way to get the combo through against countermagic. While players failed to break Orim's Chant on its own terms (with Recall and Howling Mines), they did find it useful in combo decks such as Aluren and Mirari's Wake.

42. Soltari Monk
Soltari Monk

(Ext, S, Block)

Shadow creatures usually ended up breaking the mana curve because Wizards costed them as if shadow were a drawback, not a massively useful evasion ability. Two white Tempest shadow creatures saw far more play than the others: the Soltari Monk and the Soltari Priest. The Monk rates lower on the list because he can be more easily killed by the color he is designed to hose. While red has very few nontargeted removal options to get rid of a Priest, black can run Diabolic Edict, Innocent Blood, and Chainer's Edict just fine.

41. Gerrard's Wisdom
Gerrard's Wisdom

(T1, Ext, S, Block)

The first card on the list to see play in every Constructed format, Gerrard's Wisdom seems unassuming at first. For four mana, you gain at most 14 life in a normal situation. And many decks that can benefit from the extra life won't want to tap out four mana unless absolutely necessary. On the other hand, tapping out to gain 14 life on turn four against a Sligh deck might as well be game over in most instances.

40. Opalescence
Opalescence

(Ext, S)

The weaker half of the Replenish-Opalescence combo, nevertheless this card terrorized the Extended and Standard scene for long enough. How did this deck work? Use Attunement to fill the graveyard with enchantments, bring them all back into play with one fell swoop using Replenish, and have one of them be Opalescence so you can attack for twenty the following turn.

39. Spectral Lynx
Spectral Lynx

(Ext, S, Block)

The white River Boa? While Spectral Lynx never reached the height of popularity of the Visions creature, the similarities are undeniable. For two mana, you get a regenerating 2/1 creature with an evasion ability. Whether in black-green-white decks, which pack Pernicious Deed, black-blue-white "Fiends" decks of the recent Extended season, or black-white Desolation Angel decks in Standard, the Lynx stood as a formidable creature to deal with.

38. White Knight
White Knight

(T1, Ext, S, Block?)

Rejoice all ye masses, for the White Knight has returned in time for the Onslaught block! Back in the day, the White Knight had to contend for playing time with other similar Knight-like choices (more on these below). Its advantage: the White Knight survived a single shot of Serrated Arrows.

37. Light of Day
Light of Day

(T1, Ext, S, Block)

Could there be a card that punishes most styles of black decks more? Black isn't exactly the color of enchantment removal, so what's a swamp player to do once this game-stopping-4-casting-cost hoser hits the table, rendering all cards Specter, Juzam, Dauthi, Sengir, and Zombie completely useless? As long as people play with black creatures, their opponents will be ready with Light of Day.

36. Whipcorder
Whipcorder

(Ext, Block?)

Fresh Volunteers? More like fresh manure. Steadfast Guard? Might as well be book holders. There's a new king of 2-cost Rebels, and it's a soldier that's come back from the Magic game's distant past to revive the Rebel cause. Not only do you get a sizable 2/2 for two mana, but you also get one of the best abilities put on a Rebel this side of the actual search mechanic.

35. Order of the White Shield
Order of the White Shield

(T1, S, Ext)

Together with Order of Leitbur (which finished one place higher), these two pump Knights formed the backbone of the White Weenie deck for years. While White Knight might have built-in first strike and one more point of toughness, the pump Knights make up for this by having much more staying power in the mid to late game. White weenie decks don't really have a use for all that extra mana should they fail to Armageddon, so trading two mana for one more point of damage each turn stands as a pretty fair bargain.

34. Order of Leitbur
Order of Leitbur

(T1, Ext, S)

See Order of the White Shield. The only reason Order of Leitbur finishes higher than Order of the White Shield is because of its creature type. You see, for some reason Wizards printed the Order of Leitbur as a Cleric. As of the Onslaught set, there are more cards that work with Clerics than work with Knights.

33. Aura of Silence
Aura of Silence

(T1, Ext, S, Block)

Aura of Silence started out being a sideboard card that people gradually graduated to the main deck. White decks dreaded facing Gloom for years, and they finally got to stymie their opponents' mana costs with an artifact/enchantment Gloom of their own. A precursor to Seal of Cleansing, Aura of Silence wouldn't generally stop Moxes and such from hitting the table, but it sure would win the mirror match when two "Prison" decks (featuring Icy Manipulator and Winter Orb) went head to head.

32. Soltari Priest
Soltari Priest

(Ext, S, Block)

The best shadow creature in the Magic game, hands down. While black has some really good beaters, none have held a candle to the havoc this pro-red guy has wrecked on red decks for years. Sligh decks are generally considered the watershed markers against which the speed of all other decks are measured. Soltari Priest aided by Empyrial Armor often outraced the turn-four kills most Sligh decks can put up.
Turn one (Drawing): Mox Diamond, plains, Soltari Priest (5 cards in hand)
Turn two: Plains, Empyrial Armor, and the Priest attacks for 5 (14 life for your opponent, 4 cards in your hand)
Turn three: Tithe for two plains and attack for 8 (6 life, 6 cards in hand)
Turn four: Attack for 9 (extend hand, good game)

31. Blinding Angel
Blinding Angel

(S, Block)

Orim's Chant didn't do it. Festival didn't do it. Blinding Angel did it. It, of course, refers to denying your opponent an attack phase at a reasonable cost. While spending five mana for a 2/4 evasion creature might seem weak, the Angel can hold back an entire horde of attacking ground creatures indefinitely. While Flametongue Kavu discouraged players from playing this flier, it revitalized the white-blue control archetype that had been all but abandoned for years.

30. Abeyance
Abeyance

(T1, Ext, S, Block)

Almost strictly better than Orim's Chant, as it allows you to draw a card plus shut down another deck on your opponent's turn if need be. Abeyance forced Wizards issue some hasty errata. Abeyance as it was originally printed prevented your opponent from tapping lands for mana! Players thrilled at a two-mana cantrip Time Walk for a brief period.

29. Circle of Protection: Red
Circle of Protection: Red

(T1, Ext, S, Block)

The highest-ranking color hoser on this list -- and the most enduring of all. Circles of Protection have been reprinted more than any other white cards in the Magic game (with the exception of Disenchant) making appearances in the Alpha, Beta, Revised Edition, Fourth Edition, Fifth Edition, Sixth Edition, Seventh Edition, Ice Age, and Tempest sets. Why does Circle of Protection: Red end up on this list while the other four do not? Simply put, it's the most efficient solution to deal with that particular color. Against green, Wrath of God will often suffice. Light of Day shuts down a good number of black decks. Circle of Protection: White seems rather weak against a color designed to destroy enchantments, and many blue decks can take complete control of the game before leisurely bouncing a Circle of Protection: Blue (assuming they aren't just decking you to begin with). This leaves Circle of Protection: Red, which serves the double duty of stopping both red creatures and burn spells.

28. Waylay
Waylay

(S)

Waylay saw extremely brief play at U.S. Nationals in 1999, and with good reason: the Sixth Edition changes to the rules of the game had created a slight quirk. You see, if you cast a spell that sets up an effect that happens "at end of turn" once you've past the start of the end-of-turn step, you can keep the results of that spell around until the next end-of-turn step. In layman's terms, there was a time in Magic when you could cast Waylay during your opponent's end-of-turn step and then attack with the three tokens on your next turn! Dubbed "White Lightning" (due to its newfound similarity to Ball Lightning), Waylay was issued quick errata that allowed it to be cast only during the combat phase.

27. Crusade
Crusade

(T1, Ext, S)

Granddaddy creature pumper Crusade has spawned countless imitators, including Glorious Anthem, Gerrard's Battle Cry, and Call to Arms, among others. None come close to matching the power and simplicity of the original: for two mana, you get to pump all white creatures +1/+1 until either Crusade is removed or the game ends. As the game goes on, more and more Crusades hit the table, making guys like White Knight into potentially 6/6 first-striking monstrosities.

26. Tithe
Tithe

(T1, Ext, S, Block)

A mini-Land Tax with one advantage: it can grab the original dual lands. While it could only at most garner two-for-one card advantage, this often was enough to fuel three-color, base-white decks such as the oddly named "PT Junk" and "PT Jank" decks.

25. Humility
Humility

(T1, S, Block)

Because of rules issues, this card should never have seen print. We've already written articles about this card. With that said, the ability to shut down and minimize every single creature in the game is nothing to scoff at.

24. Glory
Glory

(S, Block)

While not as efficient as the most played Incarnation (Wonder), this Judgment creature comes in a close second. Not particularly spectacular as a 3/3 flier, Glory really shines if you can pitch it to the bin early via Patrol Hound, Anurid Brushhopper, or Wild Mongrel. Suddenly, your creatures gain invulnerability to targeted removal, death via damage, and blockers. Glory would be playable if it gave only a single creature protection until end of turn. That it gives all your creatures protection pushes it over the top.

23. Mageta the Lion
Mageta the Lion

(S, Block)

While Blinding Angel might have heralded the return of white-blue control decks, Mageta the Lion pushed them over the top. Wrath of God finished number eight on this list, so you might ask why a reusable Wrath would finish lower? You can kill Mageta pretty easily with removal spells, and it can't be activated the turn it comes into play. Regardless, once it gets going, it's pretty much game over for any creature-based deck.

22. Parallax Wave
Parallax Wave

(Ext, S, Block)

TTW (Temporary Targeted Wrath), the Wave serves as the supreme offensive tool: temporarily get rid of blockers and problem creatures while your beaters get through. As a defensive card, it also shines: keep your guys from dying to removal, or reuse a comes-into-play creature. A staple of Rebel, white weenie, and replenish decks.

21. Mother of Runes
Mother of Runes

(T1, Ext, S, Block)

Talk about a single-target Glory, I present Mother of Runes. Never has white gotten a better 1/1 creature with a targeted ability. Many decks just plain rolled over and died to a first-turn Mom. Immediately, creature removal, blocking, and attacking became virtually hopeless affairs. While eminently vulnerable to daddy Masticore, Mother of Runes gave a huge bang for the white buck.

20. Serra Angel
Serra Angel

(T1, S)

Serra Angel might be pretty non-exciting by today's standards, but it shined as the absolute best kill card in the absolute best Type 1 deck for many years. Brian Weissman developed a deck known simply as "The Deck," which generally is considered the first coherent control deck of all time. It revolves around control -- card advantage and tempo advantage -- and Serra Angel played the double duty of offense and defense each turn.

19. Exalted Angel
Exalted Angel

(Ext, S ,Block?)

Sacrilege! Yes, Exalted Angel finishes higher than dusty, ancient Serra Angel. Given the Onslaught and Legions sets so far, you're looking at the most powerful creature in the block. A reworking of the virtually unplayed Warrior Angel from the Stronghold set, the Exalted one hits the board turn three, starts swinging for an 8 life differential each turn starting turn four, and ends the game shortly thereafter. It flies, it has a built in Spirit Link, and it gives you 4/5 for the low morph cost of four.

18. Worship
Worship

(Ext, S, Block)

Want to live forever? Try out Worship, which ties your immortality to the continued existence of your creatures. Ali from Cairo died too easily as a four-mana creature, but Worship turns every single one of your creatures into Ali from Cairo. This card might as well say, "as long as you control a creature, you cannot lose the game."

17. Astral Slide
Astral Slide

(S, Block?)

The newest white power card on the block, Astral Slide so far stands out as the frontrunner in the "best Onslaught card" contest. What's not to like about an enchantment that can stop attackers, save your blockers, make your creatures invulnerable to removal, give you free morphing, and allow recursion of comes-into-play abilities -- for free! Cycling a card costs one mana these days, and that's all you need to trigger Astral Slide.

16. Enduring Renewal
Enduring Renewal

(Ext)

The backbone of the "Fruity Pebbles" deck, which combined Enduring Renewal with Shield Sphere and Goblin Bombardment to deal infinite damage. While Enduring Renewal never ended up being used beyond this type of deck, it was good enough to dominate more than one Extended season.

15. Empyrial Armor
Empyrial Armor

(Ext, S, Block)

Arguably the best enchant creature in Magic history. If this list were about Draft, this card would make a strong argument for number one. Since we're talking Constructed, it finishes a respectable number fifteen. For three mana, you give a creature an average of +4/+4. With cards like Land Tax and Tithe, this bonus can quickly rise to as high as +11/+11 (seven cards in hand, plus Land Tax plus draw for the turn). Even at smaller number, Empyrial Armor breaks the curve.

14. Savannah Lions
Savannah Lions

(T1, Ext, S)

The best offensive one-drop creature in Magic history, hands down. Jackal Pups have seen more play than the Lions at this point, but that's only because there are more supporting cards to go along with the Pups. Pound for pound, one mana for a 2/1 creature with no drawbacks can't be beat.

13. Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero
Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero

(Ext, S, Block)

You might have expected Lin Sivvi to finish higher on the list since she's the one who got banned in Block Constructed, but she's a little slower than the Rebel who finished ninth. With that said, the ability to tutor virtually any creature out of your deck every turn for the entire game starting on turn four, at instant speed, is just plain nuts. Rebel decks often just dropped down Lin Sivvi and then never cast another spell the entire game, instead building up their forces and mana base turn after turn.

12. Enlightened Tutor
Enlightened Tutor

(T1, Ext, S , Block)

The Mirage set introduced three tutors to the world: Mystical, Worldly, and Enlightened. Of these, only Worldly has failed to see much play. Enlightened Tutor became the backbone for many combo-based decks because it could fetch most pieces of combo-based engines, including at various times Aluren, Enduring Renewal, Opalescence, Cadaverous Bloom, Pattern of Rebirth, Icy Manipulator, and Winter Orb. At a higher mana cost this might have been a bad card, but as a one mana instant it's good enough to warrant its restriction in Type 1.

11. Seal of Cleansing
Seal of Cleansing

(T1, Ext, S, Block)

What difference does one mana make? Against a deck like "Trix" (Illusions of Grandeur + Donate) or "Aluren," that one less mana then it takes to cast Aura of Silence is vital. Seal of Cleansing just sits on the board daring the opponent to play any important artifact or enchantment. Although the Seal itself can be removed by anything from Elvish Lyrist to Erase, it serves as a deterrent that shouldn't be taken lightly.

10. Academy Rector
Academy Rector

(T1, Ext, S, Block)

Ah, meat and potatoes time. Enlightened Tutor may get you an enchantment or artifact for a single mana, but you lose a card (the tutor), and you still need to cast said enchantment or artifact. Academy Rector cuts out the middle man, garnering both card advantage and free spells. From fetching Aluren to Enduring Renewal to Pattern of Rebirth to Confiscate, the Rector gives you maximum versatility while discouraging your opponent from attacking. Would you Terror the Rector knowing full well that it could spell instant Light of Day or Circle of Protection: Black?

9. Ramosian Sergeant
Ramosian Sergeant

(Ext, S, Block)

It's only fitting that a white weenie rises above all the white creatures to be ranked as the best white creature of all time. For many decks, a first-turn Sergeant spells doom. Because of the Masques Rebel chain, the Sergeant%%%Ramosian Sergeant%%% can begin recruiting 2/2 Steadfast Guards and other recruits as soon as turn three, who in turn can beat down or get even larger Rebels. No other Magic creature can populate the board as efficiently and early as the Sergeant. This guy made blue control decks virtually unplayable for a full year in Standard, until Tsabo's Decree finally saw print, mainly as a hoser for the Rebel deck fuelled by the Sergeant.

8. Wrath of God
Wrath of God

(T1, Ext, S)

Of the top ten white cards in Magic, only two are still in Standard-legal sets. , sorcery: Kill everything. Can it get any simpler than that? All creature sweepers are measured by this yardstick -- the signature white mass-removal spell.

7. Disenchant
Disenchant

(T1, Ext, S, Block)

The most reprinted white card in history, and with good reason. While Seal of Cleansing might be more powerful than Disenchant in the present day, Disenchant ruled the roost as the enchantment/artifact removal spell of choice for a majority of Magic history. Many decks splashed white just to run Disenchant, such as early Sligh decks which otherwise couldn't remove a Circle of Protection: Red (and yes, we're talking pre-Anarchy here). While Naturalize seems to have taken over for Disenchant at this time, none can deny the history behind this white staple.

6. Moat
Moat

(T1)

This is the only card on this list that has seen play in only Type 1, so many of you might not be familiar with arguably the best on-board creature control card of all time. Island Sanctuary on crack, Moat stops all creatures without flying, period. There's no upkeep cost and no way around it with the exception of removing Moat itself. Meanwhile, you're free to fly through the air with Serra Angel, Serendib Efreet, Clockwork Avian, or Morphling.

5. Armageddon
Armageddon

(T1, Ext, S)

Armageddon originally went hand in hand with Wrath of God as the two rare white staples; however, Wizards figured out that the ability to consistently destroy all lands in play on turn four might be a little too powerful. If you're ahead, chances are you'll win. If you've got early artifact mana and your opponent doesn't, chances are you'll win. If your opponent is playing control and you sneak this through, chances are you'll win. From "Erhnam-geddon" to "Prison" to "White Weenie," white decks will never be the same without this mass-land-destruction spell.

4. Replenish
Replenish

(T1, Ext, S)

The life of Replenish can be measured not in years, but in weeks and months. That's how quickly this powerful enchantment recursion card was banned and restricted in almost every format. The ability to fill the graveyard and then bring back dozens of game-altering enchantments with one four-casting-cost sorcery was just too powerful. The Replenish deck could sit back, lose card advantage turn after turn with Attunement, and still come out and win at its leisure as Parallax Wave, Opalescence, Seal of Cleansing, and other enchantments all entered play at the same time.

3. Swords to Plowshares
Swords to Plowshares

(T1, Ext, S, Block)

Black and red are both known as being the colors of creature removal, so it's ironic that Swords to Plowshares should be hands-down the most powerful single-targeted creature removal card in all of Magic. The problem with "StP" comes from its casting cost: for a single mana, you get to kill virtually any creature in the game. Sure, your opponent gains life, but isn't that a small price to pay considering you're only putting in a one-mana investment? Erhnam Djinn on turn four? No problem! Swamp, Black Lotus, and Juzam Djinn on turn one? No problem! Phyrexian Dreadnought via Illusionary Mask? No problem! And in a pinch, you can Swords your own creature to gain enough life to keep in the game. Countless players have sent their own Mishra's Factories, Orders of Leitbur, or Serra Angels away from the game to buy just enough time to win the game. And did I mention that Swords to Plowshares removes creatures from the game? Once something's been Plowed, it's gone for good -- until the next game.

2. Land Tax
Land Tax

(T1, S)

When people argue about the most powerful cards ever printed, they throw out names like Mind Twist, Tolarian Academy, Wheel of Fortune, and Ancestral Recall. The last of that bunch gives you three cards at instant speed for only a single blue mana. Those who've played with Land Tax will tell you that while that's not a half-bad deal, they can go one step further: they can get three cards every turn for the rest of the game for the same one mana! Land Tax, known as the white Ancestral, allows a player who's behind on the land count to search his or her library for three basic lands a turn, and then draw the normal card for the turn on top of the previous trio! While it might not seem exciting to draw three guaranteed lands a turn, remember that this also thins your deck of land, allowing you to draw more spells than you would have otherwise. In addition, you can play multiple colors (imagine Invasion Block "domain" decks with this card to fetch off-color lands). Land Tax truly shines when combined with cards that allow you card selectivity. When I say this, I refer to cards like Sylvan Library and Scroll Rack. Land Tax allows you to shuffle your library after a search, so even if you don't want to get lands, you can see new cards each turn with the Library. This gets even more absurd when combined with Scroll Rack, when these three lands you get every turn suddenly transform into three spells off the top of your library! Then next turn, you get to tutor out the three lands you Scroll Racked away, reshuffle your deck, and do it again.

1. Balance
Balance

(T1, S)

What do you get when you combine Wrath of God, Armageddon, and Mind Twist into one card? The most broken spell in Magic history, that's what. Forget what people have told you about Mind Twist and Ancestral Recall, because neither of these cards dominated the way that Balance did when people were allowed to play four per deck. You see, the DCI and players alike didn't immediately catch on to the power of Balance. Back in the early days of the Magic game, any card that could conceivably have a drawback was shunned like the devil. Then again, people didn't play with Juzam Djinn and Serendib Efreet for the same reason. Then, one day, people realized that hey -- this might not be such a bad card. Suddenly, Balance decks started popping up along the East Coast that were capable of dropping their entire hands by turn two plus casting their namesake Balance to strip out every card in their opponents' hands. How do you recover when your opponent has two The Rack, two Mox Ruby, and a land on the board by turn two, and all you've got is one card in hand and one land? Even after Balance hit the Restricted List, it found a new friend: Zuran Orb. This zero-cost artifact allowed the Balance player to gain a ton of life, plus clear the board of lands guaranteed. Necropotence decks ruled the day during the early stages of Standard, but the one card that even Necro players feared was Balance. Suddenly, all that discard, land destruction, and card drawing they've used has backfired, as they find themselves at a low life due to Necropotence, with two (or less) lands in play, no creatures, and no cards in hand. And in the Magic game, what more could you ask for than a card that can reliably give you card advantage in the double digits?

Below is a variety of white-based decks from throughout time, showing off many of the Top 50 cards.

Sands of Time/Equipoise

Download Arena Decklist

Replenish

Download Arena Decklist

White Weenie

Download Arena Decklist

The Deck

Download Arena Decklist

Astral Slide

Download Arena Decklist

Rebels, MBC (Masques Block Constructed)

Download Arena Decklist

Prison

Download Arena Decklist

The Balance Deck

Download Arena Decklist

Tax-Rack

Download Arena Decklist
Send praise, contentions, and/or money to bleiweiss1@cox.net.