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20 Colorless Cards to Mine from Bulk

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My last article focused on some of the gold cards to pull from bulk. I set the rules for this series at TCGMid of more than $1.49, but less than $5. This week's article covers colorless cards.

When I started playing, "colorless" would have exclusively meant artifacts, but ever since Wizards printed Ghostflame Sliver, that definition had to change... the Eldrazi really expanded it! As always, this list will not be inclusive of all the cards that match the criteria, but instead focus on the lesser-known ones that do. For instance, many incarnations of Sol Ring meet our requirements, but Ring is a tad obvious. This week's list was bumped up to 20 as we've got tons of juicy targets to explore. Let's get to it!

No Colors, No Problem

1. Soul-Guide Lantern

Soul-Guide Lantern - Given this card only recently rotated out of standard, it is surprising to see it on the list so soon. However, considering that it's mostly an upgraded Relic of Progenitus (which was a $5 common at one point), its price is likely to rise once in-person events begin and people need copies to fetch with Urza's Saga. Unlike Relic, Lantern notably only affects opponents, so players running Tarmogoyf and the like are happy to include it.


2. Talisman of Hierarchy, Conviction, and Creativity

The Mirrodin talisman cycle has been on my bulk pick list for a while, with the Dimir, Rakdos, and Azorius ones being worth a fair amount. It is not surprising that the enemy ones would also quickly rise out of the "bulk" category. They are still technically in print, so there is some risk there. However, I have to imagine we are at the tail end of the overall print run for Modern Horizons 2. None of the green ones made this list because Commander decks that run green tend to not need Talismans (green provides the necessary mana fixing).




3. Swiftfoot Boots

Swiftfoot Boots was often considered a budget version of Lightning Greaves. Still, in a format that prizes redundancy but is restricted to singleton copies, even budget versions are destined to become staples.


4. Memnite

Memnite's value is often closely tied to whether or not there is a really powerful artifact -hemed deck in Modern, or one that really needs to cast threats quickly. Thanks to Hammertime, we currently meet that requirement. Should the deck fall out of favor, expect Memnite's price to begin a descent.


5. Whispersilk Cloak

As with Swiftfoot Boots, many Commander decks need to protect their commanders to operate as intended. Whispersilk Cloak does that and also plays well with commanders intent on attacking. Multiple versions of this card meet our criteria, so pull all of them!


6. Colossus Hammer

Arguably the most important card in the Hammertime modern deck, this card has no slightly worse options, and will remain a key card in that archetype until it loses an important card or two or a better equipment is printed.


7. Wayfarer's Bauble

I have been selling copies of Wayfarer's Bauble on TCGPlayer for over 2 years, and have never had to buy a copy at more than bulk. It is pretty inconspicuous for a common, but one of the most efficient land ramp artifacts for decks without green.


8. Springleaf Drum

Another modern card whose price is heavily dependent on the metagame; not surprisingly, this one is also in the Hammertime deck.


9. Grafted Exoskeleton

With so few ways to remove or stop poison, the ability to give any creature infect, especially ones that damage multiple players at once, is extremely powerful and highly desirable in Commander. Given how broken of a mechanic infect it, we don't see many new cards referencing it, so Grafted Exoskeleton is likely going to continue gaining value barring any reprints.


10. Plague Myr

Speaking of infect, Deep-Fried Plague Myr is a mediocre mana dork who happens to have infect stapled onto it, which is indeed enough to make the list.


11. Trailblazer's Boots

Trailblazer's Boots is a pet card of mine that I have run in Commander decks since I started playing the format back in 2009. Given a prevalence of non-basics in most Commander decks, this equipment essentially makes a creature unblockable for very low cost.


12. Honor-Worn Shaku

While there are no shortage of mana rocks to choose from in Commander, there are very few that can untap multiple times in a turn, and Honor-Worn Shaku is among them.


13. Not of This World

Free Counterspells are free Counterspells, and while Not of This World may be limited in scope, it is still plenty powerful.


14. Geth's Grimoire

A must-include in any discard-based Commander deck that happens to spike every time some new one comes out.


15. Genesis Chamber

While card]Genesis Chamber[/card]'s effect is symmetrical, decks that would play this card tend to find ways to take more advantage of it.


16. Geode Golem

Unlike the others on this list, Geode Golem is a Commander 2018 exclusive and was only included in two of the decks, so one is unlikely to hit a stack of them in bulk. Still, knowing it is almost $3 means finding one copy in a stack of 1000 cards puts you at at break-even.


17. Pathrazer of Ulamog

While a lot of focus jas always been on the three big Eldrazi from Rise of the Eldrazi, any creature with Annihilator on it has potential simply off the back of how powerful of a mechanic it is.


18. Coldsteel Heart

There aren't many 2-cost mana rocks to choose from and this one has very little downside. It is also one of very few that provides snow mana, which thanks to Kaldheim and Modern Horizons 2 has some serious upsides.


19. Cloak and Dagger

We saw the Rogues archetype in standard not too long ago and, with the printing of so many Rogues it isn't surprising that this single-print uncommon from Morningtide holds value.


20. Pili-Pala

Pili-Pala has a unique ability which can often combo with other cards to create infinite loops in Commander. Originally a common in Shadowmoor, its only other printing is in the Mystery Boosters, so there just aren't a ton floating around.


Keep On Pickin'

I feel the need to reiterate that while this list is not all inclusive of colorless cards, it does cover a nice range of random cards one might see digging through bulk. I find expanding my knowledge base on these types of cards prevents me from having to re-dig through bulk I had already been through looking for missed gems. I can certainly say that fatherhood had greatly diminished the time I can devote to picking bulk, so I am very vested in maximizing my efficiency and eliminating wasted time and effort. Happy hunting!

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