The Magic Engine
by Boldo
At one time in Magic, engines were methods of producing an infinite amount of something, but now the engines provide just enough of what you need, and what every deck needs most is mana. Well, in the new standard environment there are three interesting engines to get the mana you need.
The most common of the three is the artifact mana engine. The basis of
this mechanic is the Voltaic Key, Thran Dynamo, Grim Monolith, and Worn Powerstone. Ideally, with a first turn key and second turn Monolith, you can make 8 mana on turn three. More reasonably you have an excellent chance of 10+ turn five mana. As the majority of all big things have a hefty colorless component, this allows you to play the Wildfire, Delriach, Monger, Colossus, Aladdin’s Ring, Child of Gaea, Thorn Elemental, Morphling, Force March, Zephid, or whatever of your dreams.
The next is a five color engine which has seen little play and less recognition. In this one, you use green for Yavimaya Granger, Yavimaya Elder, Fertile Ground, Bird of Paradise, and Rampant Growth. These allow you to get any basic land out of your deck that you want. In most cases, after you play a land, you get another, so ideally you have any color mana you want (and up to six total) on turn four. This gives you enough mana to cast whatever you like and mana color is no object.
Finally, there is a spellshaper engine with the Groundskeeper and the Silverglade Paladin. These can be kept in play with the Undertaker and gotten with the Worldly Tutor. This allows for recovering land and placing land into play, all which works well with the other spellshapers.
With the above in mind it, is time to stop worrying about lack of mana and start riding these engines to wins.
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