Best Explorer Anthology 2 Cards to Take Over Games

Explorer Anthology 2 was released following a strong and positive impression with many players. For the most part, it provided a lot of additional options and tools for various existing decks, as well as completing more missing pieces of their Pioneer counterparts.

Most especially, it opened the gates for future prospective Explorer Anthology releases. Because at this point, some of the choices are just pieces of the puzzle, with more waiting to be unraveled at a later date.

In any case, here are the best cards out of this set that you should find in Explorer MTG Arena quite more often than others:

Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx

Karn, the Great Creator is such a great key card to use in a variety of green ramp decks in MTG Arena with its Vehicle wishing toolbox tricks. But with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, we come closer than ever before to recreating the true power of Mono Green Devotion.

The strategy is mostly the same. You ramp up with basic mana dorks, then build up for cards like Storm the Festival and Lair of the Hydra. Only this time, the big devotion boost makes the deck more viable for crazier plays. Even better, the sources of devotion themselves, usually Old-Growth Troll and Cavalier of Thorns, can take care of the game itself in case the original plan isn’t the best for the particular match.

Of course, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx isn’t exclusive to green, as you may find other players in the digital wild splashing it for other colors (it makes a great substitute for Cabal Stronghold for Mono Black, for example). Making it an even more popular card in Explorer at the moment.

Mutavault

For anything related to tribal, Mutavault takes the second pick as the most popular card in Explorer Anthology 2. Well… tribal itself isn’t really going too much varied in the current meta nowadays, but most of the traditional ones are still alive and kicking. For one thing, this card has since been one of the go-to picks for the ever-popular Human decks in Explorer.

In fact, a particular Mono-White Humans deck for Pioneer that won one US Regionals last month is now 99% reproducible thanks to Explorer Anthology 2. The deck features the familiar flavors of Brutal Cathar // Moonrage Brute, Luminarch Aspirant, and Recruitment Officer, while adding Mutavault and Brave the Elements to the play mix, something that was previously not possible in MTG Arena prior to the release of EA2.

Slivers could definitely have benefited from Mutavault as well, but they don’t seem to be as boosted as they would have after the expansion update, even if they do now have Sliver Hivelord. Maybe Angels could use it too?

Mana Confluence

The last card to be revealed, and the card that secured Explorer Anthology 2 to be a worthwhile investment for players. Indeed, this is one of the most commonly played cards in Pioneer, although there isn’t really any complex explanation as to why. It’s a stable mana-fixer, plain and simple.

That being said, you probably won’t see all four copies played on a build like Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and Mutavault. But it will definitely see regular play from this point forward.

Brave the Elements

And yes, while already mentioning it earlier, it’s also notable that Brave the Elements have unarguably boosted all Mono White decks in MTG Arena with a very reliable low-investment instant that is just usable on absolutely anything. Black and Red removal can’t do anything about it. Chump the entire opposing squad with no drawbacks. You can even go for lethal and make everyone completely unblockable.

All for a single white mana.

Eidolon of the Great Revel

Need a new plaything for your Mono Red aggro? Then Eidolon of the Great Revel may just be the perfect card for you! Sure, Monastery Swiftspear and Mechanized Warfare are already good additions to your blast toolbox. But this legendary two-drop will punch even harder, with the race down to zero instantly becoming faster the moment it successfully lands.

This card has always been a good piece as a lesson to show why Mono Red aggro decks simply work. You care less about your life total, and focus more on hitting lethal in the least number of turns possible. With Eidolon of the Great Revel, every little thing your opponent does immediately becomes a free burn spell, and this adds up really quickly.

Is it going to take over Explorer entirely? No. But it certainly would take over games, for better or for worse.

Honorable Mentions

Fiery Impulse

Basically a funnily drawn Strangle for Izzet builds that’s faster, though it doesn’t hit planeswalkers.

Satyr Wayfinder

Good staple for anything ramping + building up resources in the graveyard. For instance, it allows Greasefang, Okiba Boss to immediately launch at turn three.

Soldier of the Pantheon

A 2/1 Human Solder for just a single mana investment that has bonus effects against multi-colored stuff. Still usable, but Recruitment Officer has since then taken its place.

Shaman of the Pack

Prepare for a few do-it-my-all turns as this card shows up in any Golgari Elves build. And if Collected Company ever pulls two at the same time…