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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!

Sol Ring
Image from Wizards.com

 Sol Ring
- Alpha

Reviewed December 10, 2013

Constructed: 4.88
Casual: 4.75
Limited: 4.38
Multiplayer: 4.75

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst.  3 ... average.  
5 is the highest rating

Click here to see all of our 
Card of the Day Reviews 

BMoor

Sol Ring

The game was just not meant to hold up with people accelerating their mana this quickly. On turn one, you can immediately tap this for two mana... and spend that mana on two more Sol Rings? Even if all you have is a Mind Stone or the like, that's FIVE mana on turn TWO. You're now casting 5/5's while your opponent is still making Grizzly Bears. They don't print this anymore, because when this was current, it turned Magic: the Gathering into "whoever draws a Sol Ring in their opening hand wins".

If having Card X in your opening hand means you win, then suddenly it's not a game of strategy anymore, it's a game of luck... and the secondary singles market.

Constructed- BANNED
Casual-5
Limited- 5
Multiplayer- 5

David Fanany

Player since 1995

Sol Ring
 
It's very easy to look at this card and sneer. It's very easy to say "How could it not have been obvious that a card that generates more mana than it costs is dangerous?" Don't do that. Seriously. Apart from the fact that Sol Ring was in Alpha and thus was one of the things that taught later designers about those sorts of issues, Dr. Garfield never anticipated that people would have more than one of a card like this - things like this are less dangerous when you don't have four of them and thus often see one in your opening hand and often get a super-explosive start. (On that note, you should really try more singleton formats, including ones that aren't Commander. They're fun.) Even so, Sol Ring is not quite useless at any stage of the game - it's not an ideal late topdeck by any means, but unlike a Llanowar Elves variant, you can use it the same turn you cast it, making it essentially free. Moreover, its incredible mana-produced-to-mana-cost ratio means that if you even have one in your deck, it makes you a little more comfortable about including high-cost cards. After all, it accelerates you from five mana to eight over two turns just as effectively as it can help you play four spells on your first turn.
 
Constructed: 5/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 3/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Sol Ring which is a one mana artifact that taps for two colorless mana.  Any deck with colorless costs that can include this card generally should, particularly in Commander, plus there is really no drawback to mana acceleration that is both reusable and also pays for itself the turn it enters play.  Sol Ring is an excellent card that has been a top pick from the very beginning of Magic and is overall one of the best artifacts ever printed.
 
Constructed: 5.0
Casual: 5.0
Limited: 5.0
Multiplayer: 5.0


Skid Rambo

When I first encountered Sol Ring, it was hard for me to believe that Sol Ring was printed as an uncommon. Seriously, I argued with my friends until they pulled out an Inquest and showed me that Sol Ring was not a Rare. This sent me down a quick path to getting a play set of Sol Rings. Yes, I understand that Sol Ring cannot win games by itself but it gives you mana advantage. The last time that I checked, mana advantage is a big deal Magic the Gathering.

Personally, I have an angry soft spot for Sol Ring. Mainly because it was such a staple card when I started playing and because it took me forever to get a play set. Nobody wanted to trade such an amazing card. Sol Ring will go down as the one of the best mana producing artifacts ever!

Constructed: 4.5
Casual: 5
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 5


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