Orzhov Signet by Greg Hildebrandt + Talisman of Hierarchy by Lindsey Look
Mana makes Magic. Full stop. With the exception of weird stuff like Manaless Dredge, we all need it to do our thing, whether we want to cast spells, summon creatures, assemble combos, or do anything else.
A good mana base uses lands as its core, and ramps with land tutors, mana dorks, mana rocks, and more, and uses its mana sources or outside help like Chromatic Lantern to fix its colors. And of all the ways we have to ramp our mana and fix our colors, some of the best are the 2-color Talismans and Signets.
Talismans vs. Signets
2-Color Talismans
- Talisman of Progress
- Talisman of Dominance
- Talisman of Indulgence
- Talisman of Impulse
- Talisman of Unity
- Talisman of Hierarchy
- Talisman of Creativity
- Talisman of Resilience
- Talisman of Conviction
- Talisman of Curiosity
The allied color Talismans were originally printed in Mirrodin, but the cycle wouldn’t be completed with the enemy colored Talismans until Modern Horizons. The Talismans are absolute Commander staples; as such, they’re frequently reprinted in Commander precons.
Talismans cost 2 mana, and you can tap them for mana immediately after they enter. You can tap Talismans for 1 colorless mana, or for 1 mana of their respective colors; Talisman of Progress taps for either white or blue . But if you want the colored mana, the Talisman deals 1 damage to you.
2-Color Signets
- Azorius Signet
- Dimir Signet
- Rakdos Signet
- Gruul Signet
- Selesnya Signet
- Orzhov Signet
- Izzet Signet
- Golgari Signet
- Boros Signet
- Simic Signet
The Signets were introduced in Ravnica block (Ravnica: City of Guilds, Guildpact, and Dissension), the block that also gave us the names for each of the 2-color pairings. Later Ravnica sets iterated on them with 3-mana rocks; Keyrunes appeared in Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash, and Cluestones in Dragon’s Maze. But they never surpassed the original cycle.
Signets cost 2 mana to cast. You need to filter 1 mana into them, but they’ll give you 2 mana, one of each in their respective colors; Azorius Signet filters into .
Talisman Advantages and Disadvantages
Talismans provide mana more quickly and more consistently than Signets, and they require less game planning to use well. Talismans don’t require you to filter mana from other sources through them.
When you need colored mana, Talismans deal damage to you. One damage every turn around the table is the kind of marginal life loss that’s acceptable in a grindy game of Commander, and some decks mitigate it with lifegain or turn it into value. But when you’re at 1 life, a Talisman is just as much a cheesy way to concede as a anything.
Because they don’t need you to filter other mana sources, Talismans are easier to incorporate into blink or untap combos to generate infinite mana. However, the damage they deal to you caps the amount of colored mana you can generate unless you offset it.
If you’re like me and you like to slip interesting art and that gorgeous Universes Beyond frame (R.I.P.) into your decks, Talismans have more diverse printings than Signets, both in-universe and in UB.
Signet Advantages & Disadvantages
Signets give you colored mana no matter what, and you won’t take damage if you activate them. You can still use your Signet for colored mana if you’re at 1 life.
As 2-mana rocks that fix two colors, they’re a far cry better than many other mana rocks; the going rate for a rock is 3 mana. Keyrunes, Cluestones, Commander's Sphere… Signets outclass them all.
The filtering you get from Signets fixes colorless mana from utility lands, your Sol Ring, and any other colorless mana generators.
Signets work better than Talismans with a replacement effect like Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy‘s; you’re forced into either or or when you tap a Talisman of Curiosity with Kinnan around, but a Simic Signet gives you the choice between or . But that’s a really niche corner case for now because most replacement effects double land or creature mana output, and most cards that interact with an artifact’s activated ability specify only those that aren’t mana abilities.
Signets can be slow if you don’t have good luck and sequencing, and there’s a lot of potential for sub-optimal deployment. If you aren’t paying attention, you could easily tap out all your other mana, and leave yourself with nothing to send through your Signet. Casual tables might let you amend that if it’s reasonable and you don’t overdo it, but the stakes are higher in a competitive setting.
Even just in normal use, you might cast a Signet on turn 2 without any mana left to filter into it. Or if it’s the only source for one of your colors, you might have to activate it for just that color, leaving the other mana floating without a use for it. It sucks when you have to filter mana through an Izzet Signet to cast your Lightning Bolt, but don’t have anything to spend the on.
If you’re looking for diverse art in your decks, most signets have maybe two or three different artworks across all of their printings. Signets are named for their Ravnican Guilds, so you can’t adapt them to another property without giving them a reskin à la Raise the Palisade/Raise Repulsor Shields.
Verdict: Which Cycle’s Better?
The Talismans are better. They tap immediately and don’t require you to filter other mana sources into them, so you can cast them on 2 and still do something if you have a 1-drop in hand, for example. There’s situations when a Signet will serve you better, but the need to filter mana through them can keep them from giving you mana the turn you play them.
But honestly, Talismans and Signets work really well together. You can filter the colorless mana from a Talisman through a Signet to get 2 mana without taking damage. Cue the Hannah Montana theme.
How Many Signets or Talismans Should You Run in Commander?
The answer depends on factors like your intended Bracket or power level, your commander’s color identity, and the archetype that you’re in.
Signets drop off the higher the power level you aim for. Because they need you to filter mana from other sources through them, and they aren’t as consistent as you want in decks that aim to win quickly. The more fast mana sources you can afford, the fewer Talismans and Signets you’ll run. At lower power levels, though, you can afford playing a Signet on 2 mana and simply passing the turn.
Generally speaking, 2-color decks benefit from having both, especially if green isn’t one of your colors. At three colors, a full on-color suite is a good place to start, though you might cut some if you have other mana sources like Treasure tokens or mana dorks.
In four colors and beyond, there are other ways to ramp and fix your colors. Fetchable lands and fixers of all stripes like Cryptolith Rite, Chromatic Lantern, and Leyline of the Guildpact are better uses of your card slots.
Your archetype also matters: Tri-color artifact strategies are happy to run the full suite of Talismans and Signets, but Naya Aggro () wants mana dorks that can attack.
When you combine all these elements, the picture becomes clearer. Aerid Konstrari wants both a Talisman of Impulse and a Gruul Signet because its activated ability will use that to pump itself. Meanwhile Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes doesn’t care about artifacts explicitly, so you might run just one or the other.
Another consideration is how your mana base is constructed. If you’re running many colorless utility lands, Signets give you more ways to fix that mana.
What About Arcane Signet?
Arcane Signet was introduced in Throne of Eldraine and isn’t part of either cycle. It’s clearly better than either the Talismans or Ravnican Signets in most circumstances. Its two main drawbacks are that the “commander” text limits the formats in which it’s useful, and it won’t tap for any mana in a colorless Commander deck, since colorless is the complete lack of colors in a color identity (it’s also why War Room doesn’t drain you for drawing cards in colorless decks).
Wrap Up
Talisman of Conviction | Illustration by Lindsey Look
While the Talismans are better than the Signets, they’re similar enough and each have just the right amount of drawbacks that they remain very comparable. At mid-power Commander tables, you’re probably best running all of the ones in your colors, unless you’re in a green-heavy deck.
Which side are you on? Talismans? Signets? Por que no los dos? Let me know in the comments below, or bring the debate over to the Draftsim Discord. For more from us, don’t forget to come find us on YouTube at The Daily Upkeep.
Until next time!
Follow Draftsim for awesome articles and set updates:
Add Comment