The 10 Most Iconic Artifacts in Magic: The Gathering

Artifacts are one of the most popular card types in Magic. At first, players were expected to include a considerable amount of them in their lists, and while this remained the case during the game's early years, the rebalancing of power among other card types gradually took their place in lists.

This change eventually led to the release of controversial expansions such as Urza Block and Mirrodin Block, both of which had artifacts as their central theme and are considered two of the most broken expansion sets in the game's history. Later, Wizards tried another expansion with artifacts in Kaladesh, which led to the banning of Smuggler's Copter and Aetherworks Marvel and the need to print a flexible answer that would become a timeless staple: Abrade.

This category is, undoubtedly, one of the most important in Magic's history. And in this article, we present the ten most iconic artifacts of the game and how they shaped or shape the philosophy of deckbuilding and design to this day!

Black Lotus and the Moxen

Everyone has a friend who has a friend who has a Black Lotus or a collection of Moxen. In most cases, it is a lie that only exists because these cards are part of the famous Power 9 and are the most iconic artifacts of Magic: The Gathering.

This set brought the first fundamental rule of game balance: free mana is a problem. Having either Mox or a Black Lotus on the board on the first turn gives their controller such a huge advantage that they were restricted before the first Magic World Championship in 1994. And they remain restricted to this day in the only format in which they are legal - Vintage.

Since then, Wizards has tried to release alternate versions of both cards several times. Some, such as Chrome Mox, Lotus Bloom, Lotus Petal and Mox Diamond are perennial format staples to this day, while others, such as Mox Tantalite or Lotus Blossom, never made it to the competitive tables.

Sol Ring

In addition to falling into the category of problematic cards for generating free mana, Sol Ring has become the core of Magic: The Gathering's most popular format - Commander.

Coming in every preconstructed deck, there are very few lists in the format that don't want this artifact in their lists, and early plays with Sol Ring on turn one, often accompanied by a Signet, bode ill for the other players at the table if its controller takes too much advantage of the extra mana on the following turn.

Lightning Greaves

Lightning Greaves is another timeless Commander staple and remains one of the most important cards in the format. Its ability to provide protection and immediate impact to a player's commander and/or another key creature are essential to ensuring success in games, both in the most casual and in some competitive tables.

Outside of Commander, Greaves has become a relic of the past, but it was one of the first pieces of equipment to have a presence in competitive Magic decks and solidify this artifact category as an option.

Chalice of the Void

Wizards of the Coast tried different ways to innovate with artifacts in the Mirrodin block. From mechanics like Affinity to the famous Platinum Angel, their expansions brought a dozen cards that became iconic in the history of the game.

Chalice of the Void is one of those cards. An exploration in game design that brought one of the best answers to cheap spells in Magic, becoming a staple in Modern and Legacy for its ability to answer cheap cantrips like Brainstorm and other key cards of specific archetypes.

Cranial Plating

Speaking of Mirrodin block, Cranial Plating and the Affinity mechanic are certainly some of the most controversial elements of Magic in the first half of the 2000s. Along with staples like Arcbound Ravager and Myr Enforcer, this equipment turned any creature into an instant threat.

Cranial Plating was so strong that it was the first card banned in the Pauper format, and its legacy remains in the format to this day, with the banning of All That Glitters and the pre-ban on Cranial Ram - both of which were mechanically too similar to the original equipment.

Aether Vial

Aether Vial was the first artifact to directly cheat on mana costs for an affordable price and in a way that spoke directly to Aggro decks, forcing an improvement in the mana values to accommodate the most creatures for the lowest possible cost, becoming the core of Goblin and Merfolk lists in Legacy for years.

Its ability to “play creatures for free” also paved the way for a historical Magic archetype, Death & Taxes, which began using Aether Vial to play creatures that punish the opponent while using its mana to activate cards like Rishadan Port or cast other creatures, generating an advantage at the board.

Skullclamp

Skullclamp is considered by some to be the most powerful non-Power 9 artifact in Magic history. An admitted design mistake, it didn’t take long for this card to dominate almost every competitive format due to the abundance of card advantage it provided. Every combat trade became unfavorable, and in the right list, it was a key combo piece that allowed its controller to draw the entire deck by “sacrificing” 1/1 creatures one by one.

Wizards hasn’t even dared to flirt with any design similar to Skullclamp to this day because of the high risk it presents. With the massive increase in cards available in the game since its release, it’s likely that any variant of its effects would have the same format-breaking potential, and thus it should remain on the banned lists in perpetuity.

Voltaic Key

Voltaic Key was one of the first cards to directly abuse the abilities of powerful artifacts. With it, it was possible to circumvent the disadvantages of cards like Grim Monolith and Basalt Monolith, generate extra mana with Thran Dynamo and, later on, use it with Time Vault in Vintage to gain infinite turns.

Its inclusion in the game brought some of the most famous decks of the late 90s, and even almost three decades after its release, Voltaic Key remains a fundamental piece of Vintage for its combo with Time Vault and of Commander for the various interactions it has with various artifacts in the format.

Umezawa’s Jitte

Umezawa’s Jitte is the ultimate example of versatility in an artifact. Its cost is easy to pay, all of its abilities are relevant, and it was so important in its Standard and Block days that it received a preventive ban in Modern - from where it never left.

With three options, Jitte gives its controller an answer for every situation: X/1 creatures are worse off in its presence, strategies like Burn have trouble keeping up with it when you gain up to 4 life per combat, and on an empty board, its power boost significantly increases the clock against your opponent.

Wizards has tried to replicate its design a few times over the years, most recently Lost Jitte in Outlaws of Thunder Junction, but none of them have come close to having the same impact and success as Umezawa’s Jitte.

The One Ring

For all intents and purposes, The One Ring has quickly established itself as one of Magic’s most iconic artifacts. Portraying the most important element of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth story, this artifact was an essential part of the marketing for the Lord of the Rings expansion, and its effects live up to its narrative power.

The One Ring is, for four mana, a pseudo-combination of two Power 9 cards: By offering protection from everything, it virtually gives its controller a Time Walk, while the two activations of its ability between turn cycles grant three extra draws, the same amount as an Ancestral Recall. The fact that it is legendary and indestructible only enhances its qualities, since we can use a copy of it that we just drew to “counter” and destroy the version that is on the table with the counters.

In addition to the gameplay aspect, the One Ring is also an iconic part of Magic: The Gathering's history as a game: its 001/001 version was opened by a player in a local store in Canada and purchased by the singer Post Malone for approximately US$ 2 million.

That's all for today!

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