Are there cards that you just have to play every time you are in a certain color? Maybe the card doesn’t exactly fit the theme but you just can’t sleeve up without it. Perhaps it is a hidden gem that you feel isn’t appreciated enough by other players. The card might speak to you, or you might feel it represents you…. on a spiritual level. If any of these things are true, then you have a pet card.
Pet cards are an important part of any singleton format. Our decks are representations of ourselves and have a personality. Don’t remove your pet cards. Embrace them!
Below is a look into my psyche. I have listed one of my pet cards for each color below and have included a little blurb about why you should play it too. Comment below with a pet card that you can’t do without.
White
Standard Bearer
I love to play cards that make other players do things they don’t want to do. Standard Bearer does exactly that. It feels so bad to have to use a kill spell on this guy. And every piece of removal comes accompanied by groans. It also makes it really awkward for your opponent to use positive spells and abilities on their own creatures.
Blue
Trinket Mage
Who doesn’t love to put together a good toolbox. Trinket Mage can get you land, removal (think Executioner’s Capsule), graveyard hate, and much more. He is one of the few tutors in a pauper format, and he comes with a nice little 2/2 body. Since he is blue, you even have the opportunity to flicker him to go fetch exactly what you need at that moment.
Black
Wight of Precinct Six
I might be completely wrong, but this card feels like Tarmogoyf. It is a creature-based format and this zombie can get soooo big. For only two mana, add this finisher to most black lists.
Red
Firebolt
Let’s be honest for a minute, I don’t play a lot of red. So, this was a hard pick for me. Firebolt isn’t flashy or special, it is just a good old removal spell that can be used again later. Card advantage can be hard to come by in some colors, and Firebolt can generate some in most games.
Green
Heart Warden
I think it is safe to say that this is my favorite card in PDH. Heart Warden is one of those cards that I don’t think people play as often as they should. It is just good. Decently priced ramp, on a body, that can replace itself later when you don’t need mana anymore. It is a Mind Stone with legs. Play this card. It is a good card.
Land
Quicksand
Its removal on a land. And it is colorless. I stick this in every deck I play. Maybe it isn’t as good as I think it is but my judgement is clouded by my emotions and in it goes.
Colorless
Viridian Longbow
When I realized you can attach this to a deathtouch creature and machine gun down enemy creatures, I was sold. Maybe that is too niche a use case to warrant inclusion in so many of my decks, but it feels so good to kill one of your opponent’s creatures every single turn. Even without a deathtouch creature, it is not terrible. There are a lot of one toughness utility creatures in the format that this hits.
-Taylor
@PDH_Homebase