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Saturday, June, 1, 2024

The 30 Best Eldrazi Cards in Magic Ranked

Last updated on May 31, 2024

Emrakul, the Promised End | Illustration by Jaime Jones

Eldrazi, Magic’s closest analogue for aliens (at least for now) are one of the biggest threats to the whole multiverse (talking both threat level and physical size). Part of their appeal is the mystery behind their origins. Despite multiple sets focusing on them, we know very little about them and each new nugget of information just springs up more questions.

Giant, unfathomable tentacle monster? It certainly scratches some people’s itch! Which are the biggest and baddest of these titans, though? Let’s take a look at what we have to play with and find out!

What Is an Eldrazi Card in MTG?

Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger | Illustration by Michael Komarck

Eldrazi are mysterious creatures from the Blind Eternities (the space between worlds in MTG lore). Headed up by the three titans of their ‘families’, they are creepy, destructive, and colorless.

For the purposes of this list, I’m just going to be looking at cards with the Eldrazi creature subtype on their front side. This means that anything that transforms into an Eldrazi is off the list, mainly for simplicity reasons. I’m also not going to be taking into account cards that generate tokens like spawn or scions, but aren’t Eldrazi themselves. However, I will be looking at Kindred spells with the Eldrazi subtype, as there are some really interesting examples to look at there!

Anyway, that’s enough about mundane stuff. Let’s get into these creepy giants!

Honorable Mention: Brisela, Voice of Nightmares

I said I was going to ignore cards that are only Eldrazi on the back side, but I couldn’t leave out Brisela, Voice of Nightmares. Really pulling on the Eldritch Horror aspects of the Eldrazi, this wasn’t just a huge angelic monster, but also the death of two fan-favorite characters from Innistrad. Brisela wasn’t just a ridiculous creature, but a really sweet goal to aim towards in Eldritch Moon Limited!

#30. It That Heralds the End

The first card on the list is one of the newer ones: It That Heralds the End. While a lot of Eldrazi are large, expensive creatures, some are smaller. This one isn't only one of the less common cheaper versions, but can also help you cast your titans, reducing the cost of the biggest colorless spells in your deck. The effect is obviously useful, and stacks quite nicely, but hardly makes it into the pantheon of the most busted Eldrazi.

#29. World Breaker

World Breaker is exactly what I would expect from an green Eldrazi. Exile-based land destruction/Naturalize, with a recursive activated ability that makes you sacrifice lands. Nothing about this builds up anything, just eats away at resources, whether your opponents or your own. It really showcases the destructive nature of these Kaiju-like entities.

#28. Oblivion Sower

If World Breaker is all about destruction, Oblivion Sower is actually about growth! There’s not many effects in Magic that allow you to steal your opponents’ lands, but you can here! Some opponents really hate it when you play with their cards, but that kind of hatred is what Eldrazi are all about!

#27. Kozilek’s Command

The first Kindred spell on the list, Kozilek's Command is very Eldrazi in nature, and specifically very Kozilek. The titan is the progenitor of the Eldrazi that leave everything in their wake in geometric destruction with their reality-warping powers, and Kozilek’s own cards often involve drawing cards in some way. It’ll be interesting to see if we get future commands for their siblings, but for now, this colorless instant is a very good example of an Eldrazi modal spell!

#26. Decimator of the Provinces

Emerge was a really fun way to see the Eldrazi in a different form back in Eldritch Moon, and one of the more iconic cards with this mechanic was Decimator of the Provinces. Somewhere between an Overrun effect and a Craterhoof Behemoth, this Eldrazi boar follows the pattern of “Big Pigs” in MTG.

#25. Sire of Stagnation

Apparently, Sire of Stagnation was designed to be a card to be hated, although I can’t find the source I heard this from now. It does fit with what it is, though. If your opponent wants to play lands, which most players do, then you benefit, and they slowly bring themselves closer to decking. A lot of players hate being milled, and this one just pushes all of the wrong buttons. Great design to make the horrors of the Eldrazi come into gameplay.

#24. Eldrazi Displacer

Eldrazi Displacer is a favorite of both combo players and hatebear players. Flickering another creature with its effect is a good repeatable ability at 3 mana, and the fact that it can hit any creature is even better. Not only can you erase your opponents' tokens forever, you can use it to tap down blockers, too. It’s the only white Eldrazi from Oath of the Gatewatch, but it’s almost the perfect design for a white Eldrazi.

#23. Inverter of Truth

Inverter of Truth went pretty much unnoticed for years until Thassa's Oracle came along, and the two cards teamed up to break Pioneer. They made a powerful combo deck that was difficult to interact with, causing Wizards of the Coast to perform a suite of bans that took almost all of the combo decks out of the format! Lots of Pioneer players will remember this one!

#22. Flayer of Loyalties

Flayer of Loyalties is a fun spin on a Threaten effect, turning whatever it grabs into a gargantuan, planet-eating, trampling atrocity with annihilator on top. The question is: What is the best creature to make into a tentacly horror? My money's on a Kobold.

#21. Azlask, the Swelling Scourge

Eldrazi commanders with color identities are pretty new to Magic, and Azlask, the Swelling Scourge is a 5-color commander! I personally love the original cycle of experience counter commanders, so it’s extra sweet to see this one come along too! for the activation is quite steep, but if you're creating a bunch of scions and spawn, it’s an interesting twist on a go-wide deck.

#20. Eldrazi Mimic

This one looked pretty innocuous when it was first spoiled, but it quite quickly became a key part of one of the most notoriously busted decks to ever hit the Modern format. Of course, Eye of Ugin was the main card that caused the issues, but making these little critters free then casting a big guy was one of the many ways that deck could win out of nowhere. It’s not reared its head much since then, but it remains notable nonetheless.

#19. Reality Smasher

Reality Smasher packs a heck of a punch whilst being difficult to deal with. This one saw sporadic play in 60-card formats, and playing this ahead of curve is still not horrendous even in modern-day Magic formats. This is one way to hit your opponent for a bunch if you have a way of cheating on colorless mana.

#18. Elder Deep-Fiend

Elder Deep-Fiend saw a surprising amount of play when it was in Standard, and has shown up in other formats occasionally since then. The favorite trick of many was to use this to tap down their opponents’ lands in their upkeep, particularly if you could get a good sacrifice synergy to get it out cheaper. It grabs hold of so much tempo when played, and flash allows you to ambush your opponent in so many different ways.

#17. Thought-Knot Seer

Hand disruption on a solid body is what Thought-Knot Seer brings to the table. Killing an opponent's Seer allows you to draw a card, sure, but by then your opponent has already taken the best card out of your hand, so you’ll have to evoke that Thoughtseize bug to draw something good enough to replace it! So many of these smaller Eldrazi are just annoying to deal with, which I think is kinda the point.

#16. Kozilek, the Broken Reality

We’ve got our first titan on the list with the legendary Kozilek, the Broken Reality. At this point it hasn’t been played with by the general public, but to be honest it’s just looking kinda meh for a 9-mana spell! It’s a cool design, though, with a bit of hand disruption, card draw, and an asymmetric anthem effect. Maybe it’s particularly good as a colorless go-wide theme (note, you also get to manifest, giving yourself two 5/4s and drawing to replace them), but I just think that the rest of the titans are much more impactful.

#15. Kozilek, the Great Distortion

Poor Kozilek often seems to be on the weaker side of the family, but Kozilek, the Great Distortion has mainly seen play as a colorless commander with colorless mana in the mana cost. Of course, drawing up to seven cards is nothing to sniff at, but when you’re paying this much mana on your commander you want it to do a little more than that!

#14. Zhulodok, Void Gorger

Arguably the first Eldrazi designed to be a commander, Zhulodok, Void Gorger gets extra value from that most favorite of words to see on your expensive spells: Cascade. Twice!

6 mana for an Eldrazi commander sets it apart a little from some of the other options, but this is a nice little twist on what we’d seen prior to its existence.

#13. Ulalek, Fused Atrocity

The face commander from Modern Horizons 3’s Eldrazi Commander precon, Ulalek, Fused Atrocity has a strange spell-copying ability that can take a moment to get your head around. Many Eldrazi have cast triggers, though, so you can use this card to copy those triggers. You'll be laughing if you can find a way to get multiple different activated and triggered abilities onto the stack, though!

#12. Echoes of Eternity

Eldrazi are doing odd things, and even their enchantments are strange, for example Echoes of Eternity. It feels very Eldrazi, acting as a twisted Panharmonicon but for colorless spells, as well as for triggered abilities from colorless sources. I don’t know how exactly this is going to be broken, but it certainly will be!

#11. Eldrazi Conscription

When it was first printed, Eldrazi Conscription was the biggest and baddest aura around, and it still is 13 years later. 8 mana to grow any of your creatures to unfathomable size and give them annihilator; this is more like a hasty Eldrazi. If you can cheat this out your opponents will not be happy, I can guarantee it.

#10. It That Betrays

As if annihilator wasn’t hated enough, It That Betrays powers it up into another hated mechanic, allowing you to steal the stuff that your opponent sacrifices. At 12 mana, it’s on the expensive side, but it does provide a lot of value… and frustration!

#9. Void Winnower

Void Winnower is a very frustrating card to play against that upsets the whole game when it comes down. It’s difficult to play the game when suddenly half of your cards are unplayable, and half of your creatures (more, if you have tokens) can’t block for you anymore. Plus, it comes with one of the best rules ever to hit Gatherer… “You can’t even.”

#8. Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre

Ulamog’s first entry into the list is its first iteration with Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre. An indestructible threat that functions as an uncounterable removal spell and mill protection? There’s lots of reasons why people like this one. One of the more iconic Eldrazi, for sure, it’s seen a lot of play over the years and will likely continue to do so!

#7. Ulamog, the Defiler

Ulamog, the Defiler has seen a bit of a mixed reaction in its initial spoilers, but it looks pretty good to me. Crucially, unlike the original three titans, it can be reanimated from the graveyard, opening up playability in more archetypes. It also has the potential to be the biggest Eldrazi, caring about not just cards exiled with its own abilities, but from anywhere, making it paltry to get plenty of +1/+1 counters on it without casting. I think this one will see plenty of play!

#6. Emrakul, the World Anew

Eldrazi are known for costing a lot of mana, but Emrakul, the World Anew didn’t get the memo. Sure, it's 12 mana, but if you can somehow discard it you can instead cast it for just 6 thanks to madness. It’s not exactly simple to do that, but it’s a nice goal to aim for. Not only that, but when you actually cast it (not an ETB effect, of course!), it’s got a pretty powerful effect to go along with it. I can’t wait to see this one get broken!

#5. Emrakul, the Promised End

Emrakul really doesn’t understand that Eldrazi are supposed to cost a lot of mana, do they? Emrakul, the Promised End was a great mythic addition to the Magic set that brought us delirium, even if the card doesn't technically use the mechanic. An Eldrazi with a Mindslaver effect is also a pretty great flavor win in my book. Whilst developers of digital Magic clients might have a love/hate relationship with this card in particular, it’s got a special place in a lot of players’ hearts.

#4. All Is Dust

So you’re surprised that one of the top five Eldrazi cards isn’t even a creature? Well, you shouldn’t be! All Is Dust is obviously powerful, even if you’re not utilizing the one or more colors clause. Plus, 7 mana for a decent colorless board wipe isn’t even that expensive, especially as there aren’t any color requirements here. Getting around pesky indestructible effects, whilst also helping you along if you have anything at all that cares about people sacrificing their stuff, it’s not difficult to see why this colorless sorcery made it so far up the list!

#3. Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger

Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger keeps popping up in multiple formats, and it’s not hard to see why. Exiling two target permanents (any permanents) is a nice way to turn a game around, and even if your opponent can keep chumping it, Ulamog will just mill them out in a couple of swings, anyway. They can’t even save themselves with a Gaea's Blessing. Even a casting cost of 10 mana isn’t enough to keep this one in check.

#2. Kozilek, Butcher of Truth

Whilst Kozilek’s other iterations may leave something to be desired, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth is still pretty highly rated. Drawing four on cast regardless of anything else is great, even if it’s countered, and Annihilator 4 is going to be a problem to deal with. It’s pure stats. No fuss, no muss. Just try and lose after casting this!

#1. Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

Number 1 was always going to be Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. One of the biggest, baddest creatures ever to grace the game (even if they can be taken down by 15 squirrels), this is one of the few cards outright banned in Commander. Putting way too many abilities on a single card before it was cool, it still hasn’t been topped, and is unlikely to ever, really! All hail the glorious spaghetti!

Which Sets Have Eldrazi?

The first set to ever have Eldrazi was (fittingly) Rise of the Eldrazi. They were a central part of Battle for Zendikar and Oath of the Gatewatch, and reappeared shortly after in Eldritch Moon.

Eldrazi have been the focus of two Commander precons: Eldrazi Unbound from 2023's Commander Masters line-up, and Eldrazi Incursion, from Modern Horizons 3 Commander. They’ve made prominent reappearance in Modern Horizons 3, and have even had a Jumpstart deck themed after them.

Is There an Eldrazi Planeswalker?

Currently there’s not an Eldrazi Planeswalker, although there was some speculation for some time that The Wanderer was actually Emrakul in disguise!

Are Eldrazi Artifacts?

Even though they’re colorless, Eldrazi are not actually artifacts. They're just ordinary creatures with no color!

Wrap Up

Kozilek, the Great Distortion | Illustration by Aleksi Briclot

So, I hope the list covers all of your cthulian needs!

Did I miss any obvious inclusions? Almost certainly, but that’s where you come in! Let me know your favorite Eldrazi that I’ve had the audacity to leave off the list in the comments below, or let me know on the Draftsim Discord! After you’ve done that, be sure to check out some of our other articles, and I’ll catch you in the next one!

The post The 30 Best Eldrazi Cards in Magic Ranked appeared first on Draftsim.