May 17
Basalt Monolith
Artist: Yeong-Hao Han TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link
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Basalt Monolith
Artist: Yeong-Hao Han TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link
Basalt Monolith (Limited Edition Alpha) - Jesper Myrfors
More cards with art by Jesper Myrfors on Scryfall
Zirda, o how to make infinite Mana...
Basalt Monolith
Artist: Yeong-Hao Han TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link
Basalt Monolith (Limited Edition Alpha) - Jesper Myrfors
More cards with art by Jesper Myrfors on Scryfall
Basalt Monolith (Tales of Middle-earth Commander) - Pablo Mendoza
More cards with art by Pablo Mendoza on Scryfall
Basalt Monolith (Tales of Middle-earth Commander) - Pablo Mendoza
Basalt Monolith
Basalt Monolith 3
Artifact
Basalt Monolith doesn’t untap during your untap step.
Tap: Add CCC.
3: Untap Basalt Monolith.
Basalt Monolith fits into a very strange design space from the perspective of Commander. On one hand, three mana for a mana rock that can produce 3 mana is powerful, as it effectively rockets you three turns ahead. On the other hand, not being able to untap and requiring a mana ability to do so is absolutely its drawback. Despite this, it is still an excellent card that makes its way into many decks--heck, some people may even consider it a staple. After all, it isn’t too difficult to get around. If you need to use your mana every turn then it could be awkward, but otherwise you use it, then wait until you have the spare mana to untap it. For some it’s easy to work around, for others it’s a deal breaker.
In the right decks, the abilities are either completely ignored or used to the deck’s advantage. Effects that untap your permanents or even specifically artifacts are especially potent here; Seedborn Muse being the prime example, or Curse of Bounty if you’re on a budget. For artifacts, Unwinding Clock does effectively the same thing here. Alternatively, “mana storage” effects also get around this. Horizon Stone is just one example, followed by the Legendary Creature of Kruphix, God of Horizons. For a more niche card, Upwelling is a symmetrical effect that doesn’t empty out mana pools between phases.
Despite its obvious limitations, there are plenty of cards that have the ability to get around this. Even without those cards, players have still been able to play with the card just fine regardless of its drawback. For that matter, its inclusion in so many of the commander decks only further proves the point that Basalt Monolith is here to stay in the format.