Card Spotlight
Sol Ring
A one-mana artifact that taps for two colorless. It was printed in 1993, is legal in Commander, and is still the most-played nonland card in every color of the format.
Commander Spotlight
Sol Ring ↗
A one-mana artifact that taps for two colorless. It was printed in 1993, is legal in Commander, and is still the most-played nonland card in every color of the format.
See Sol Ring's full stats and printings →
Strategies it goes well with
- Any ramp strategy. One mana for two colorless is the best rate in the format for pure acceleration, regardless of what the rest of the deck is doing.
- Fast mana rock shells. It's the cheapest, most reliable enabler for any deck leaning on artifact mana, including Basalt Monolith and Isochron Scepter combos.
- Precon and budget upgrades. It's one of the single highest-impact one-card upgrades available to almost any preconstructed deck straight out of the box.
How it does in Commander
As the commander
It's an artifact, never a commander. Its job is to sit in the 99 and do the same thing on turn one of every game, whoever is leading the deck.
In the 99
About as close to a universal include as Commander has: colorless, cheap, and good in a mono-white stax deck exactly as much as a five-color combo deck.
Formats it's strong in
- Every color and archetype. There's no deck shape that doesn't benefit from doubling its mana on turn one, which is why it's the single most-played nonland card in the format.
- Fast, high-power pods. A turn-one Sol Ring is often the difference between casting a key piece on curve or a turn late.
Formats it's weak in
- Decks that specifically punish artifacts. Rare, but a deck built entirely around hating out artifacts has to weigh whether its own Sol Ring is worth the inconsistency.
- Nowhere else, really. Beyond the rare anti-artifact build, there is no real weakness to list here, which is why it appears in nearly every deck.
Synergistic cards
Isochron Scepter ↗
The Dramatic Reversal combo needs nonland mana sources that make three or more mana, and Sol Ring covers two of that for one card.
Basalt Monolith ↗
Another artifact mana source that pairs with Sol Ring toward the same fast-mana curve.
Kobolds of Kher Keep ↗
Nothing special. Sol Ring is good with anything that costs mana, and this is one example.
Any turn-one play ↗
Sol Ring's real synergy is with tempo itself: whatever your deck wants to do a turn early, it does it a turn earlier with this in the opener.
Is it worth the price?
Reprints across dozens of products have kept most Sol Ring printings inexpensive, with the price climbing only for premium foil or Secret Lair treatments. It's worth owning at least one copy at any price, because it belongs in almost every deck.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Sol Ring in almost every Commander deck?
It costs one mana and immediately produces two, doubling your available mana the turn it enters and staying ahead of curve for the rest of the game. No other common ramp card matches that rate, which is why it's a near-universal include across every archetype and color combination.
Is Sol Ring banned in Commander?
No. It's legal in Commander and isn't on the Game Changers list, so the bracket system allows it in every bracket, including the lowest. That is specific to Commander: Sol Ring is banned in Legacy and restricted in Vintage.
Which Sol Ring printing should I buy?
Whichever is cheapest for how you plan to use it. The card is functionally identical across every printing, from precon commons to full-art Secret Lair versions, so the choice is purely cosmetic and budget-driven.