[Question 20] The 5 Best

[Peter_Rotten]

Question 20 is inspired by a Tacosnape post in the Adept Lounge:

In the Legacy format, what are the five best

• creatures (include artifact creatures; I wonder what #1 will be )
• lands (excluding duals, basics, and fetches)
• enchantments
• instants
• sorceries
• artifacts (non-creature)?

Feel free to briefly explain your list. Keep in mind that you should define "best" any way you see fit. This is, afterall, a subjective list. Lastly, you may wish to include which cards, out of your whole list, are the five best permanents and/or just the five best cards.

[SpatulaOfTheAges]

Creatures - Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Nimble Mongoose, Goblin Warchief, Narcomoeba.

Lands - Wasteland, Nantuko Monastery, Rishadan Port, Maze of Ith, Ancient Tomb.

Enchantments - Survival of the Fittest, Counterbalance, Pernicious Deed, Elephant Grass, Standstill.

Instants - Brainstorm, Force of Will, Swords to Plowshares, Daze, Stifle.

Sorceries - Burning Wish, Life from the Loam, Haunting Echoes, Replenish, Cabal Therapy.

Artifacts - Lion's Eye Diamond, Aether Vial, Divining Top, Engineered Explosives, Mox Diamond.

[Tacosnape]

Creatures:
1. Tarmogoyf
2. Simian Spirit Guide
3. Meddling Mage
4. Goblin Lackey
5. Eternal Witness

Tarmogoyf is the single most undercosted threat size-wise in magic, and it can easily be included in tons of decks. Simian Spirit Guide's presence in Belcher, TES, and Dragon Stompy means it probably kills nearly as many people indirectly as Goyf kills directly. Mage, in the right hands, is still a complete powerhouse. Lackey, despite not hitting very often anymore, still can end games when he connects. Witness beats out the fragile but powerful Confidant, the one-deck wonder Argothian Enchantress, and the hit-or-miss Magus of the Moon, as Witness has proven itself as an incredible tool in almost any green-based deck.

Instants:
1. Force of Will
2. Swords to Plowshares
3. Krosan Grip
4. Brainstorm
5. Extirpate

Force of Will is the glue that holds this format together and will likely never fall from that #1 slot. STP and Grip are better at what they do by far than anything in the game. Brainstorm falls to #4 due to its dependence on reshuffling and the fact that a ton of other cards have only slightly inferior effects, and Extirpate hits #5 due to split second and incredible versatility.

Sorceries:
1. Cabal Therapy
2. Burning Wish
3. Life From The Loam
4. Thoughtseize
5. Vindicate

There is no better sorcery in the game than Cabal Therapy, despite that certain decks struggle to run it effectively. In the right hands, it's a complete monster. Burning Wish is probably the strongest tutor in Legacy, and Loam is one of the cheapest and most efficient draw engines in the game, as well as being an insurance card against land destruction and threat recursion for decks that kill with land. Thoughtseize's speed and versatility makes it a powerhouse. Vindicate's incredible versatility narrowly beats out Smallpox, Armageddon, Hymn, and Duress for this last slot.

Enchantments:
1. Pernicious Deed
2. Survival of the Fittest
3. Counterbalance
4. Engineered Plague
5. Standstill

Pernicious Deed is the pinnacle of board control cards in Legacy, and it's what all other sweepers are compared to. Survival and Counterbalance are game-enders, but only when backed up in the right situations. Plague became famous for stopping Goblins, but has become a versatile foil to other plans as well, including Ichorid and Cephalid Breakfast. Standstill's 3-for-2 is as cheap and efficient as one-shot draw spells get in Legacy. Blood Moon deserves an honorable mention here.

Artifacts:
1. Pithing Needle
2. Umezawa's Jitte
3. Aether Vial
4. Chalice of the Void
5. Lion's Eye Diamond

No matter how you do this list, several great artifacts get left off. Needle is an amazingly versatile answer that's a cinch to cast. Jitte is as good as equipment gets. Vial keeps excessive countermagic and land destruction in check while allowing creature-heavy decks to abuse the boosts for several turns. Chalice of the Void is the bane of many decks' existences. LED allows a lot of combo decks to thrive that wouldn't otherwise. Chrome Mox/Mox Diamond, Engineered Explosives, Trinisphere, Tormod's Crypt, and Sensei's Divining Top are all noteworthy that barely miss this list.

Lands:
1. Wasteland
2. Mishra's Factory
3. Ancient Tomb
4. City of Traitors
5. City of Brass

Wasteland and Factory are the best at what they do by far. Tomb and City of Traitors allowed multiple archetypes of decks to exist that wouldn't exist otherwise (Chalice Aggro and Stax, among others.) Tomb gets the 3-slot to City's 4, because Tomb is a better turn one drop. City of Brass outdoes Port here due to the fact that it allows several 5-color decks to exist (Ichorid and TES), and City does it with the least drawback of the rainbow lands.

[Jander78]

Creatures:

1. Tarmogoyf
2. Goblin Lackey
3. Dark Confidant
4. Meddling Mage
5. Nimble Mongoose

It really hurt to write Tarmogoyf in that first spot. I hate the creature with a passion. Why, because it now defines the color green and blue. It's very strong for it's casting cost. Lackey still is a must counter first turn and can win the game on it's own if it gets a chance to do some damage. Confidant is almost a good enough reason on it's own for decks to splash black, it's also seen in a very wide variety of decks (combo/control/aggro). Mage is a powerhouse against a lot of decks. Mongoose is an untargetable 3/3 for 1 mana, that says it all.

Instants:

1. Brainstorm
2. Force of Will
3. Extirpate
4. Swords to Plowshares
5. Fact or Fiction

Brainstorm is the best card filter we have available. This format wouldn't survive without Force of Will. Extirpate is an extremely strong card for it's effect. Swords is still the best removal in the format. Fact is still the best draw in the format.

Sorceries:

1. Thoughtseize
2. Burning Wish
3. Life from the Loam
4. Vindicate
5. Ponder

I would have had Duress at number 1 until Thoughtseize was printed. It is the best turn one play for . Burning Wish is still an extremely powerfull tutor. Life from the Loam is an engine on it's own. Vindicate is, in my mind, still one of the best targeted removal spells we have. Ponder is probably the best cantrip available at sorcery speed.

Enchantments:

1. Standstill
2. Survival of the Fittest
3. Counterbalance
4. Pernicious Deed
5. Leyline of the Void

Standstill defines one of the major archtypes of this format, as does Survival of the Fittest. Counterbalance is slowly rising up in a lot of decks. Deed continues to be a great sweeper. And you can't argue with free graveyard removal from Leyline of the Void.

Artifacts:

1. Lion's Eye Diamond
2. Engineered Explosives
3. Chrome Mox
4. Aether Vial
5. Chalice of the Void

LED is our Black Lotus. Engineered Explosives is the best artifact removal next to Disk, but cheaper and faster. Chrome Mox is another defining card, and highly used from Combo to Control. Vial is almost a must for most aggro decks, dodging counters and saving mana is huge. Chalice can turn bad matchups into an easy win.

Lands:

1. Wasteland
2. Mishra's Factory
3. Academy Ruins
4. Ancient Tomb
5. Boseiju, Who Shelters All

Wasteland continues to make people question their manabases. Factory could be considered one of the best creatures in the format, but obviously better suited for this list. Academy Ruins is great to see in action. Returning EE or destroyed Vials, etc, makes the card a great asset. Ancient Tomb is our best 2 mana land. Boseiju is great for decks that need to resolve any game winning instant or sorcery.

[Illissius]

Creatures
1. Tarmogoyf
2. Goblin Lackey
3. Dark Confidant
4. Magus of the Moon
5. Golgari Grave-Troll
Honorable Mention: Sea Drake
Runners Up: Doran, the Siege Tower, Serendib Efreet, Narcomoeba, Nantuko Shade, Psychatog, Goblin Welder, Eladamri, Lord of Leaves, Arcbound Ravager, Disciple of the Vault, Goblin Ringleader, Goblin Piledriver, Goblin Warchief, Eternal Witness, Meddling Mage, Gaddock Teeg

Lands
1. Wasteland
2. Ancient Tomb
3. Maze of Ith
4. Mishra's Factory
5. The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Honorable Mention: City of Traitors
Runners Up: Rishadan Port, Academy Ruins, Volrath's Stronghold, Gaea's Cradle, Serra's Sanctum

Enchantments
1. Survival of the Fittest
2. Pernicious Deed
3. Bridge from Below
4. Back to Basics, Blood Moon (yeah, I can't choose)
5. Manabond
Honorable Mention: Standstill
Runners Up: Leyline of the Void, Counterbalance, Exploration, Humility, Dystopia, Moat, Engineered Plague

Instants
1. Force of Will
2. Brainstorm
3. Swords to Plowshares
4. Dark Ritual
5. Brain Freeze
Honorable Mention: Price of Progress
Runners Up: Fireblast, Intuition, Krosan Grip, Extirpate, Lightning Bolt

Sorceries
1. Empty the Warrens
2. Tendrils of Agony
3. Life from the Loam
4. Dread Return
5. Thoughtseize
Honorable Mention: Cabal Therapy
Runners Up: Burning Wish, Cataclysm, Duress, Pyroclasm, Armageddon, Ill-Gotten Gains

Artifacts
1. Aether Vial
2. Lion's Eye Diamond
3. Goblin Charbelcher
4. Chalice of the Void
5. Chrome Mox
Honorable Mention: Umezawa's Jitte
Runners Up: Mox Diamond, Crucible of Worlds, Pithing Needle, Vedalken Shackles

I ranked mainly based on power rather than utility, and on realized rather than latent potential. The toughest competition was definitely among enchantments and sorceries.

[Nihil Credo]

A short note on my ranking criterium: I am trying here to judge each card based on its sheer impact versus the amount of effort it takes to make use of it, in terms of resource expenditure (mana cost) but also of deckbuilding restrictions. For example, Leyline of the Void gets a substantial bonus for being free and effectively colourless, EE gets a bonus for being versatile and easy to cast, Force of Will gets a minus for requiring 12+ other blue cards, and stuff like LED, Narcomoeba or Goblin Lackey get knocked straight off the list for needing the entire deck to be built around them.
The 'honorable mentions' are cards that can get on the list if the metagame or the card pool changes in the right direction.

Creature:

1) Tarmogoyf
2) Dark Confidant
3) Exalted Angel
4) Jotun Grunt
5) Eternal Dragon
Honorable Mention: Gaddock Teeg

The first three spots are the non-combo creatures you most want to shoot on sight, as they each can single-handedly dominate the game through board presence, card advantage, and life totals. Jotun Grunt is the perfect predator of this metagame, with almost everyone running recursion tricks, or trying to feed Goyf, or both (the fact that it can also work along with Goyf only makes it better). Eternal Dragon is the paragon of control creatures, a large, recurring threat with CA and early-game utility attached on as a bonus
HM: The Kithkin Legend is the successor to Meddling Mage, and I am fairly confident that it will soon propel some sort of Macey Rock or PT Junk deck to a strong metagame presence.

Lands:

1) Mishra's Factory
2) Wasteland
3) Ancient Tomb
4) Academy Ruins
5) City of Traitors
Honorable mention: Volrath's Stronghold

Factory gives you something - a 2.5/2.5 immune to sorcery-speed removal - that no other land does so cheaply. Wasteland is the same, but gets only second place because less decks can make good use of it. Ancient Tomb is the third best accelerant in the format after Vial and Ritual, and City of Traitors is not much worse. I'd have put City of Traitors in fourth place, but with Engineered Explosives and Krosan Grip being so dominating I think Academy Ruins is just a bigger threat.
HM: If Morningtide brings us another couple of good Evoke creatures, the old Rath capital will move straight to #4 or even higher.

Enchantments:
1) Pernicious Deed
2) Leyline of the Void
3) Humility
4) Counterbalance
5) Survival of the Fittest
Honorable mention: Engineered Plague

It is often said that a good card is one that pulls you out when you're in a bad position, and no other card qualifies more than Deed. Leyline is the best hate card ever printed, satisfying the trifecta of being et wide et effective et cheap. Humility all but wins the game against about three-quarters of the metagame. Counterbalance really wants a partner, but it's devastating in that combination, and not bad even when alone or helped by random cantrips. Survival beats Standstill for the fifth place, because it is less narrow ("play lots of creatures" vs. "play no creatures") and has a more powerful effect on the game.
HM: The old Goblin hate is now a very versatile hoser, and as the format tightens the number of Human X/1s it destroys will only increase.

Instants:
1) Brainstorm
2) Swords to Plowshares
3) Force of Will
4) Extirpate
5) Dark Ritual
Honorable mention: Lightning Bolt

Brainstorm's hand-fixing effect can compare to a free mulligan in the early game, and a draw-three in the late game. StP is a removal spell that's worth splashing for. Force of Will is the ultimate insurance card - you know how in T2, you'd tap out to play a Dragon, thinking "well, my opponent can't play anything bigger than that"? FoW says "my opponent can't play anything bigger than a Mind Rot". Extirpate can change the course of a long game the way no other 1cc card can dream of. And Dark Ritual still fuels the most broken Turn 1s in the format.
HM: Tarmogoyf caused the best burn card ever printed to all too often be just an instant-speed Lava Spike. If the Goyf gets banned or somehow hated out, we'll see Bolts flying again.

Sorceries:
1) Thoughtseize
2) Burning Wish
3) Cabal Therapy
4) Ponder
5) Life from the Loam
Honorable mention: Vindicate

Jander put it best when he said that Thoughtseize is the best way to spend :B: on turn 1. Burning Wish is as close to Demonic Tutor as this format has. Cabal Therapy is the high-investment, high-reward counterpart to Thoughtseize. Ponder is 70% of Impulse for 50% of the cost, even outperforming Brainstorm in decks without shuffle effects. Loam is amazing when it's used just as an uncounterable CA engine with fetchlands, Wastes and manlands; it gets pushed over the top when you consider what it can do in a deck designed around it.
HM: Vindicate is ridiculously good, but too often it costs more than whatever it kills.

Noncreature Artifacts:
1) Engineered Explosives
2) Sensei's Divining Top
3) Aether Vial
4) Pithing Needle
5) Chalice of the Void
Honorable mention: Chrome Mox

EE is the smart brother of Deed: less powerful, but cheaper and colourless, which is just huge. Top is the best draw fixer a nonblue deck can wish for, and it's pretty easy to make it cantrip, too. Aether Vial is scientifically proved to make 17 mana for . Needle is the artifact counterpart to Extirpate. Chalice of the Void has the most powerful effect of any on this list, and would be higher were it not for how difficult it is to get it to work.
HM: The format is hating heavily on both artifacts and low-cc permanents these days (Stifle doesn't help, either); were it not so, Chrome Mox would be a much more common sight.

[MattH]

[*]creatures (include artifact creatures; I wonder what #1 will be )[*]lands (excluding duals, basics, and fetches)[*]enchantments[*]instants[*]sorceries[*]artifacts (non-creature)?[/list]

Creatures: The top two of these slots are not even up for debate: Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Nimble Mongoose, Narcomeba sure why not, I can buy that, and just to be a rebel, Terravore.

Enchantments: CB duh, Leyline, Survival, Pernicious Deed. Blood Moon and Serenity can duke it out for 5th place.

Artifacts: SDT, Vial, Mox Diamond, LED, EE. Wish I could say Chrome Mox but it just hasn't got the goods. Honorable mention: Chalice of the Void.

Instants: FoW, Brainstorm, STP, Dark Ritual, and...something good? I don't want to have to say Krosan Grip so I'll say Stifle.

Sorceries: Thoughtseize, Cabal Therapy, Burning Wish, Ponder seems good, Life from the Loam.

Lands are pretty bad, I gotta say. I'll go Mishra's Factory Winter, Mishra's Factory Spring, Mishra's Factory Summer, Mishra's Factory Autumn, and Wasteland. Honorable mention: Cephalid Colliseum.

[Eldariel]

Creatures:
Dark Confidant
Tarmogoyf
Goblin Lackey
Tombstalker
Magus of the Moon
Honorary mentions: Sea Drake, Nimble Mongoose, Trinket Mage

Hard to argue success. All those cards made their presence felt at worlds and form a bunch of backbones for decks (I used to say Tombstalker is underplayed, but that is clearly not the case anymore). The critters higher in the list just have a bigger impact. Besides, there're too many to properly list. Just look as Illissius if you care, I'm pretty sure he's got the most covered as far as "far more than 5 best creatures" go.


Lands:
Ancient Tomb
City of Traitors
Nantuko Monastery
Wasteland
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Honorary Mentions: Maze of Ith, Mishra's Factory, Rishadan Port

Well, the best acceleration in the format is free cardwise and hence up there. Then there's the best manland, the best acceleration and the Land That Has No Business Being A Land. They're simple. There're also Cradles and Sanctums which didn't make the list since they aren't making enough noise, but they should be there since the effects are strong enough. Meh.


Enchantments:
Moat
Survival of the Fittest
Pernicious Deed
Standstill
Counterbalance
Honorary Mentions: Humility, Leyline of the Void, Engineered Plague

Ok, they either hose entire archetypes or are a basis of their own. I don't think there's much to explain here. A case could be made for Elephant Grass, Enchantress's Presence, Aura of Silence, Blood Moon, Back to Basics, etc. but I'll try to stick to 8 if asked for 5.


Instants:
Force of Will
Swords to Plowshares
Dark Ritual
Daze
Brainstorm
Honorary Mentions: Lightning Bolt, Counterspell, Price of Progress

Blue as is to be expected, nothing to see here really. Red burn makes a case for few other cards, but thanks to certain Mr. T, I can't make a case for including them in Top 5 since they don't really kill creatures anymore.


Sorceries:
Life from the Loam
Ill-Gotten Gains
Burning Wish
Thoughtseize
Ponder
Honorary Mentions: Cabal Therapy, Diminishing Returns, Vindicate

Loam and IGG wins hands down since they're the only two sorceries to actually form entire archetypes. Burning Wish sorta fits the same category, but it only does so on the back of Returns or IGG. It acts as a tutor too though and has a much wider variety of implications than Returns or IGG, hence why it's up there instead of Returns. And IGG happens to be far more powerful alone than Returns thanks to Leyline, so yea. Not much else, Seize is the best discard, Ponder is a solid cantrip, etc. Coulda added Hymn, Sinkhole and Duress but ran out of space.


Artifacts:
Chalice of the Void
Aether Vial
Umezawa's Jitte
Vedalken Shackles
Sensei's Divining Top
Honorary Mentions: Lion's Eye Diamond, Pithing Needle, Crucible of Worlds

Well, those just feel like the bombiest. Chalice has been killing decks for a few years now, Vial has been just being Vial and f*ing blue in the face for about the same time while Shackles is still just being Shackles. And then there's Top. Which is annoying. And good. And goes just fine with Balance. Oh, and then we have #1 combo enabler, #1 answer to X and #1 equipment. And the card that's been recurring lands long before Life from the Loam existed. Booyah. I guess I coulda mentioned more equipment, more Nevinyrral's Disk, EE and PG and more accelerants but I didn't. So they aren't just quite as good, I guess.

[Sims]

Creatures:
1) F. Tarmagoyf
2) Narcomoeba
3) Magus of the Moon/Dark Confidant
4) Goblin Ringleader
5) Meddling Mage/Gaddock Teeg
HM) Nimble Mongoose

Creatures is fairly straight forward for me. Tarmogoyf is the clear dominant number one, with Narco following up for it's placing in combo decks that would be much slower and vulnerable if they had to pause to actually play more creatures for a Dread Return flashback. From there on out it's a bit hazier, Confidant and Magus tying for having a great CA engine and a potentially gamebreaking effect on legs that has no problem getting in for 2 a turn while doing their job (and eating removal that would otherwise be going at Mr. F. Goyf). Ringleader is the best goblin in the deck, as the CA he provides is gamebreaking.. Finally I have Mage and Gaddock as a tied 5th for both of them having abilities that can simply break a game in half, or at the very least buy yourself the time to win before your opponent can answer them.

Enchantments:
1-3) Survival, Counterbalance, P.Deed.
4) Standstill
5) Bloodmoon/Back to Basics
HM) Humility

First three slots are in flux, as all three have an inherent raw power level that effects the game as soon as they are played. Survival should technically be the most powerful as a tutor effect, but I'll put these all on essentially the same level as they could be in flux depending on day and deck choice. Standstill should be obvious, because Ancestral Recall is a good card, and Blood Moon/Back to Basics round out the list again for sheer power and potential game breaking effects... In that respect the HM goes to Humility for the same reasons, but I couldn't think of where to squeeze it in a top 5.

Artifacts:
1) Lion's Eye Diamond
2) SDT
3) EE
4) Pithing Needle
5) AEther Vial
HM) Chalice/Trinis/Thorn of Amethyst/Sphere of Resistance

I think this was the quickest list I made when thinking about this question. LED is on top because it is our lotus and one of the closest things we'll get, one of the format definers when it comes to Legacy Combo. SDT is an absolutely amazing psuedo cantrip that just keeps filtering and finding you what you need from the top of your library, which is obviously lethal when paired with one of the top enchantments (CB). EE is third for being one of the best sweepers in the format, followed by Needle for being my anti-whatever-i-need-to-stop-right-now, and lastly AEther Vial for being such a huge mana cheat. The "prison" artifacts all rounded out as an honorable mention for having devastating effects upon the gamestate, but some of them (aside chalice) are a little difficult to play outside of dedicated decks.

Instants:
1) Brainstorm
2) Force of Will
3) Swords to Plowshares
4) Dark Ritual
5) See Below

The instant list is another relatively easy one. Brainstorm is one of the best blue spells ever, finding that FoW or the blue card to pitch and hiding crucial components from hand destruction by putting them to the top of your library, or even getting rid of junk when paired with a fetchland or other shuffling counterpart. Force is the glue that keeps most of the fast and non-interactive decks in line while at the same time providing protection for those and other decks able to support it in their game plan. StP is the best removal spell ever printed, and ritual one of the best accelerants....after that however, the instant list seems to severely drop off in terms of power and impact. I'd have to say Stifle, Extirpate, Daze, and/or Krosan Grip would be the best candidates for a 5th and Honorable Mention slot.


Sorcery:
1) Haunting Echoes
2) Burning Wish
3) ETW/Tendrils
4) LftL
5) Thoughtseize/Therapy
HM) Vindicate

Haunting Echoes is simply one of the most powerful sorceries we have access to. When it resolves it is usually followed by a concession, unless the opponent is stubborn enough to try and win with maybe 1-4 relevant cards in their library, if they have one. Burning wish and the Storm Finishers follow for being one of the best tutors ever printed and wincons that are very hard to deal with, and usually come together in the same deck. Loam would come in next for it's ability to work as a draw and a recursion engine when combined with cyclers, wasteland, or a wincon when paired with something like Seismic Assault. The discard follows up at the end as the catch all for proactive disruption, being able to dismantle combos or pre-emptively remove F.Tarmogoyf. HM to Vindicate just for the sheer power of 3-mana, destroy anything.

Lands:
1) Wasteland
2) Nantuko Monestary/Mishra's Factory
3) Ancient Tomb/City
4) Maze of Ith
5) Tabernacle
HM) Gaea's Cradle, Academy Ruins, Rishadan Port, Riftstone Portal.

I don't think we can get more straight forward with lands.... Without including Duals, Fetches, and Basics... This is about the best the format has.

[scrumdogg]

Good question, especially in that it reveals how people view the game.

Creatures:
1) Tarmogoyf - vanilla in some ways but so efficient for the cost & splashable
2) Goblin Lackey - no other 1cc creature printed can simply win you the game the way it does, period. Also, the way in which it cheats one of the fundamental concepts of the game - paying for your spells - is hideously wrong.
3) Dark Confidant - fits the profile of an efficient, playable creature i.e. power equal to or better than casting cost. Yet, he also draws you cards, every single upkeep that he survives....powerful on it's own, silly good when augmented, especially by Sensei's Divining Top
4) Meddling Mage - fits in the power/cc profile and has an effect rarely duplicated in the game & never by something so cheap (that can also swing & block).
5) Nimble Mongoose - I don't like the card, but have lost too many games to it not to respect the power of it (at least when backed by counters...).

Enchantments:
1) Survival of the Fittest - I love this card The sheer versatility of what it allows you attempt (whether you succeed or not....) boggles the imagination. And that wonder (no pun intended), that sense of possibility in deckbuilding is a large part of what makes the game (and this format especially) attractive to many of us.
2) Pernicious Deed - still one of the better board sweepers in existence. Efficently costed, even with having to pay for use, the flexibility remains a very nice feature.
3) Counterbalance - were it not for SDT, this would not be nearly as good. However, together those two cards cost 3 mana & are extremely difficult to get rid of, since the deck is heavy blue. The ability of that combo to simply lock many decks out of a game is scary (not necessarily bad, but scary).
4) Humility - I hate that fuckin card...but what it does, the power it holds, cannot be underestimated. Especially in a format that revolves around creatures as much as Legacy does.
5) Some sort of catfight between Standstill, Engineered Plague & Moat as all are good cards but not nearly on the level of the first four.

Artifacts:
1) Aether Vial - the only other efficiently costed card in the game that lets you cheat the way Goblin Lackey does...and boy does it let you cheat. Add in the fact that it is not color specific and lets you play creatures as instants, I really hope WOTC never tries to push that envelope again.
2) Sensei's Diving Top - one colorless mana, you get to arrange the top of your deck and it can trade itself for your top card (making it extremely hard to remove). Wait, you want more? It combines with cards like Counterbalance and Dark Confidant to be completely unfair.
3) Engineered Explosives - colorless, flexible removal that can come down Turn 1-2 if needed and take out tokens immediately. What more could you want?
4) Lions Eye Diamond - as close as we get (or should get) to Black Lotus. Allows all sorts of stupidly powerful effects (goddamn combo). Hate it but have to respect it.
5) Either Chalice of the Void or Pithing Needle - both are very powerful, both work a bit differently and both are support cards...flip a coin.

Lands:
The basis of any good deck (except for a few freaks like Belcher...and even they are really glad of Taiga). Duals & fetches are one of the backbones of the format, they define what you can and cannot do, although you can play the format successfully without them.
1) Wasteland - the best at what it does, which is punish & control those who rely too heavily on non-basics. Combines with cards like Crucible of Worlds, Life from the Loam, and support LD or prison packages to get really mean.
2) Nantuko Monastery/Mishra's Factory - about the best a man-land can be (or should be...). They also allow for some the fantastic breadth of deck possibilities that make out format special.
3) Ancient Tomb/City of Traitors - together again since you never see them in a deck by themselves, seriously, the Siamese twins of Legacy colorless mana acceleration. Allow you to do some seriously powerful things but provide the drawbacks to make them almost fair.
4) The Tabernacle at the Pendrell Vale - expensive, rarely seen, under-utilized, and ridiculously good at what it does.
5) Cephalid Coliseum - a land which lets you draw multiple cards (or in some instances forces your opponent to draw cards...). Hmmm, that might have some possibilities for play...

Sorceries:
1) Burning Wish - powerful, splashable, can be used in aggro-control, control or combo, let's you essentially sideboard Game 1...and it costs 2 mana...winner.
2) Life From the Loam - decent on its own, ridiculously good with the support cards that exist in the format. The ability to recur is underestimated by many people, I believe.
3) Wrath of Gawd/Damnation - even if the format weren't quite so creature oriented, this ability would be relevant.
4) Vindicate - screwy color requirements or not, one of the best pinpoint removal spells in the game.
5) Thoughtseize - brutal for what it does & so far beyond Duress & Cabal Therapy...but also plays quite nicely with them as well.

Instants:
1) Force of Will
2) Swords to Plowshares
3) Dark Ritual
4) Brainstorm
Seriously, if anyone needs any justification for those four being on top you are either new to the format or horrendously bad at the format.... Now, though, we get to argue
5) Krosan Grip - is the best at what it does and allows decks with the ability to splash green (horrendously tough, I know and unattractive in the Age of Tarmogoyf...) to combat Counterbalance, Deed, CB, EE, CB AND SDT, Shackles, SotF, basically any of the aforementioned lists. Keeps the format from becoming stupid in its own way.

[Peter_Rotten]

Creatures
1. Goyf
2. Lackey
3. Dark Confidant
4. Spirit Guides
5. Nimble Mongoose/ Rakdos Pit Dragon!

Most choices here are self explanatory except RPD. The first three creatures list all have HUGE-AH targets on their skulls and most players kill them ASAP. Recently I have seen this critter end games in one swing – like Psychatog fast! If he was easier to fit into a deck then he would probably be in more decks. Magus of the Moon gets honorable mention.

Enchantments
1. Aluren
2. Standstill
3. Counterbalance
4. Leyline of the Void
5. Survival of the Fittest

All of these Enchantments create some sort of virtual or actual card advantage and/or nullify decks and/or multiple cards. I left Deed off the list because of its color restrictions.

Lands
1. Wasteland
2. Ancient Tomb
3. City of Traitors
4. Mishra’s Factory
5. Treetop Village?

The first four choices are pretty clear cut but I’m at a loss for #5. I considered Tabernacle, but I don’t see that card in many decks and it seems easy enough to play around. I’m curious to see if Horizon Canopy will see more play; I think that that land is being neglected by Legacy.

Sorcery
1. Burning Wish
2. Ponder
3. Wrath/Damnation
4. Thoughtseize
5. Tendrils of Agony/Empty the Warren

I listed Tendrils and ETW in the same slot since, IMO, their function is terribly similar: exist as a win condition in Storm combo.


Instants
1. Brainstorm
2. Swords to Plowshares
3. Lightning Bolt
4. Force of Will
5. Lim-Dul’s Vault?

This was the tough list to make. There are too many cards that I had to leave off that easily could have tied for 5th place. Price of Progress can do soooo much damage, Krosan Grip is the ultimate Disenchant, and Spell Snare is so dirty. Lightning Bolt is also rather questionable with all the Goyfs running amok.

Artifacts
1. Chalice of the Void
2. Chrome Mox
3. Jitte
4. Trinisphere
5. Tormod’s Crypt, Pithing Needle, Lion’s Eye Diamond, Diving Top, Lotus Petal!

I could NOT decide what cards to leave off! Crypt is great but a little obsolete because of Leyline. LED is obviously explosive but needs careful deck construction. The Top provides powerful card filtering. Lotus Petal is even more quick mana. Ultimately, Chalice gets the number one slot since it simply nullifies so many cards at once. Hmm. Do we have a deck with CounterTop and Chalice yet?