Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more
A mana rock in Magic: The Gathering refers to an artifact that can tap itself for mana. These are generally colourless, though some of them are a specific colour. Mana rocks can either tap for colourless mana or a mana of a specific colour depending on the artifact.
If you are looking for the best Mana Rocks, you might also be interested in knowing the best artifacts in Magic: The Gathering. Be sure to also check out the best budget commander decks for MTG.
The best mana rocks are the ones that cost low (and sometimes no) mana to cast. This allows you to get ahead on mana to use in your future turns for little investment. There is no shortage of mana rocks available in Magic, so we have compiled the 11 best mana rocks available.
Honorable Mention: Moxen
The Moxen refers to the five mana rocks released in Alpha (the first Magic set) that cost zero mana and can tap for a specific colour. These are Mox Emerald (green), Mox Jet (black), Mox Pearl (white), Mox Ruby (red), and Mox Sapphire (blue). These are a part of the “Power 9,” nine of what are considered to be the game’s best cards.
While the Moxen are all amazing, they are only an honorable mention because they are banned in practically every format they are legal in. You can only play them in the Vintage format where they are all restricted to just one copy per deck. They are also technically usable on Magic: Arena’s Historic and Alchemy formats through the use of Oracle Of The Alpha which puts the Power 9 into your library when it enters the battlefield.
11. Relic Of Legends
Mana rocks that cost three or more mana need to do something powerful to be playable. Relic Of Legends fits that bill as it can generate a lot of mana so long as your deck is built with it in mind.
Relic Of Legends slots into decks running a lot of legendary creatures. It allows you to tap them to add mana of any colour. Notably, Relic Of Legends can tap creatures that still have summoning sickness to take advantage of them right away. Relic Of Legends does not fit into every deck, but in the ones it does, it’s phenomenal.
10. Signet Cycle
The Signet cycle refers to the series of two-mana artifacts that can tap for one mana to add two mana, one of two different colours. It turns one mana of any colour into a set of two. This cycle primarily sees play in Commander where they shine.
It is possible to play out a Signet on turn one to let you use them as soon as you untap. Although they are a bit on the slow side for traditional constructed formats like Modern or Legacy, in Commander where games are much longer, they shine.
There are ten different Signets in this cycle named after the ten Ravnica guilds.
The signet cycle includes Azorius Signet (white/blue), Boros Signet (red/white), Dimir Signet (black/blue), Golgari Signet (green/black), Gruul Signet (red/green), Izzet Signet (blue/red), Orzhov Signet (white/black), Rakdos Signet (red/black), Selesnya Signet (green/white), and Simic Signet (blue/green).
9. Talisman Cycle
The Talisman cycle are two-mana artifacts that can either tap to add a colourless mana, or a mana of two listed colours at the cost of one damage. If you do not need a specific colour, you can save your life until you do while still gaining mana. Colourless mana can pay for generic costs, so Talismans can always pay for that if nothing else.
Like the Signets, Talismans are a bit too slow for non-Commander formats. However, in Commander the Talisman Cycle are among the best mana rocks in the entire format. The Talisman cycle is best used in two to three colour decks, as any more than that can lead to problems with tapping for the right colours.
There are 10 cards in the Talisman Cycle
The ten mana rocks are Talisman Of Conviction (red/white), Talisman Of Creativity( blue/red), Talisman Of Curiosity (green/blue), Talisman Of Dominance (blue/black), Talisman Of Hierarchy (white/black), Talisman Of Impulse (red/green), Talisman Of Indulgence (black/red), Talisman Of Progress (white/blue), Talisman Of Resilience (black/green), and Talisman Of Unity (green/white).
8. Arcane Signet
Arcane Signet is technically legal in multiple formats, but it only does anything in Commander (and Brawl on Arena). Despite this, it still ranks among the best mana rocks because of how good it is in Commander. Your commander will dictate what colours you can play in your deck, so Arcane Signet will always be able to tap for any colour you would ever need.
Arcane Signet is an automatic include in every single Commander deck, even at the highest levels, as mana fixing is always important. It only costs two mana to play, and when mixed with other cards, can hit the battlefield as soon as the game begins.
7. Basalt Monolith
At first glance, Basalt Monolith seems like nothing special. After all, it does not untap unless you pay three mana. However, the strength from Basalt Monolith comes from the fact it can always break even on mana by tapping and untapping itself with the mana it just created. While this does nothing on its own, there are many cards that break this effect to make Bastalt Monolith a cornerstone of combo decks.
There are multiple cards that can untap Bastalt Monolith such as Paradox Engine, Manifold Key, and Voltaic Key. Alternatively, a card like Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy can make Basalt Monolith tap for extra mana to create infinite mana since it will create four mana instead of three. These combos are the key to Basalt Monolith’s strengths and why it is such a good mana rock.
There are no shortages of ways to generate infinite mana with Basalt Monolith. So long as there is a way to either discount its untap ability with a card like Zirda, The Dawnwalker or create extra mana when you tap it such as Forsaken Monument, you will have access to infinite colourless mana.
6. Jeweled Lotus
If a card has no casting cost and can create mana odds are it is going to be phenomenal. Jeweled Lotus is no exception. It only works in Commander to cast your commander, and despite all these restrictions, Jeweled Lotus is still one of the best cards in the format.
It has the same effect as Black Lotus, one of if not the best Magic card ever printed. Even though you can only cast your commander with it, your deck is built around your commander, so being able to cast it quickly is amazing. If you are playing a combo commander that can make a big impact as soon as it enters the battlefield, this makes Jeweled Lotus a game-ender as it lets you start comboing off before your opponents can prepare any responses.
5. Mox Amber
Mox Amber is unique because it needs extra help to use it to its full potential. It costs zero and can tap to add any colour of mana, but it has to be a colour that a legendary creature or planeswalker you control has. So if there are no legendaries on the battlefield, Mox Amber won’t actually tap for anything.
Despite this, Mox Amber is still amazing and sees play across multiple formats. It is a cornerstone of combo decks that can keep casting spells from the graveyard. Even though being legendary is usually a downside, it works to Mox Amber’s advantage as you can tap to add mana, play another Mox Amber, and then tap that for mana before looping them in the graveyard to create infinite mana. In singleton formats, it still acts as a mana rock you can cast for free and if your commander is on the battlefield can tap to add colours that your entire deck is running.
4. Mox Opal
Mox Opal needs a bit of extra work before it can be tapped for mana, but if you build your deck around it this is trivial to accomplish. There are artifact lands that can help hit the metalcraft threshold, and if your deck is playing a lot of artifacts, you can hit it quickly as well.
There are many artifacts that cost little to no mana to play, allowing for Mox Opal to “turn on” almost immediately. Notably, Mox Opal counts itself for the metalcraft ability, meaning you only need two other artifacts on the battlefield before you can start tapping it for mana. The card is so powerful it had to be banned from Modern, but is free to use in all the formats it is legal in.
3. Chrome Mox
Even though Chrome Mox needs you to lose a card in your hand to tap for mana, this is still worth running because free mana is the best thing you can ask for in a game of Magic. If you imprint it with a multi-coloured card, you can tap for any colour your deck is playing.
Chrome Mox is such a good mana rock it is banned in Modern, and sees widespread play in all the formats it is legal in such as Legacy and Vintage. Going minus one in hand advantage is worth it when that means your mana curve is one turn ahead. If you combine it with other free mana rocks, you can have access to a ton of mana early in the game.
2. Mana Crypt
Life is a resource in Magic, so even though Mana Crypt might burn you for three damage it is still worth playing it, even in formats with 20 starting life. It’s a free-to-cast artifact that can tap to add two colourless mana.
These can immediately let you cast spells that cost three when combined with a land, and even more than that if you have other mana rocks you can cast. Even though Mana Crypt has a downside, this is negligible when it puts you so far ahead on your mana curve. Even then, there is a chance that Mana Crypt doesn’t burn you at all to make it completely harmless. Mana Crypt is so good that it had to be banned from Legacy and restricted in Vintage, and is currently legal in Commander where it is one of the best mana rocks in the entire format.
1. Sol Ring
Sol Ring is the most well-known (legal) mana rock and for good reason. It is the best mana rock ever printed and has been around since the very first set in the game. For just one mana, you get a mana rock that can tap for two colourless.
There are no strings attached to Sol Ring. You can play it on turn one and then always have two excess mana to work with. This can quickly ramp into other artifacts such as the Signets or Talismans, or used to cast your big spells much earlier in the game. Sol Ring’s power showed in multiple formats, leading to its ban in Legacy and restriction to one copy per deck in Vintage. It is legal in Commander and is included in every preconstructed commander deck as it is a staple of the format.
That concludes this list. Mana rocks are a big part of Magic: The Gathering’s history and many are among the most iconic cards in the game. They are primarily used in Commander because of the format’s slower nature and the importance of being able to cast your spells quickly. However, the best mana rocks broke through the Commander barrier and became staples in constructed formats. Almost every format has a deck that uses mana rocks such as Mox Amber in Kethis Combo in Historic, Mox Opal in Painter Grindstone in Legacy, and Sol Ring in pretty much every Vintage deck.
Many of the best mana rocks wound up being restricted to some level, if not outright banned because they were too strong for the formats they were in. Those that stuck around became staples of the format and are played in practically every deck.
Be sure to check out the best cards for Commander in MTG. You can also check out the best Magic: The Gathering Arena decks.
MTG best Mana Rocks – FAQ
What are Mana Rocks in Magic: The Gathering?
Mana Rocks are artifacts that can produce mana. They are an excellent way to ramp up the speed of your game.
What is the best Mana Rock in MTG?
We believe the best Mana Rock is the Sol Ring.
