Top 10 Creatures with ETB Abilities in Commander | What are the Best Creatures with ETBs?

[@RalpOwns]

To nitpick: Craterhoof is quadratic, not exponential. (Scute Swarm is exponential)

[@NitpickingNerds]

Good to know 😊😊😊

[@wadewilson5712]

@@NitpickingNerds i have a etb deck but building a death triggers deck soon so looking forward to when you do that list

[@RisenSlash]

exponential growth is exponential

[@IncrediPaulAZ]

Nerds ftw! 🤓 😁 (I'm such a nerd that I'm part of r/programmerhumor)

[@moldiworp9143]

Get Ralp Owned!

[@mfitkin]

Can we get creatures with dies triggers next? Oh and whole series of videos for upkeep triggers, attack triggers, etc 😅 hope you don’t mind. You’ve probably already got the scripts written anyways

[@NitpickingNerds]

We appreciate the suggestions

[@SilentTitan437]

Number one: Protean Hulk

[@Kaybee3104]

I need the attack triggers video!

[@kevinsanders588]

@@Kaybee3104 I agree the attack triggers video is necessary lol I’m trying to build ishin and need ideas

[@yavivanov6650]

I'm always waiting for the next Scuffle shuffle episode.

[@NitpickingNerds]

It is coming I promise

[@mikem7662]

The Grave Titan snub! Oof

[@NitpickingNerds]

It is like 500th

[@mikem7662]

@@NitpickingNerds THAT HIGH??! Nice job Grave T! Movin' on up!

[@trashherink2306]

Pity I have to leave you guys . Your bm on thassa and DE as i is disgusting… those card are cEDH not casual so why judging them as stupid since you are low power and as of today I will never used edhec and switch to moxfield.
Btw agent and skyclave are not even on the flickering those are way more brutal of anything you talk about .

[@yavivanov6650]

@@trashherink2306 good riddance. Bye-bye!

[@joshholmes1372]

@@trashherink2306 your comment gave me brain damage. Try again so we can understand.

[@crawdaddy2004]

Just remember that Pallinchron and those creatures came out the set immediately following the set that had Gaea’s Cradle and Tolarian Academy. 😂

[@NitpickingNerds]

Oh what a world to live in

[@IcedNeonFlames]

Two of those creatures came out in the same set as Cradle and Academy (Peregrine Drake and Great Whale)

[@crawdaddy2004]

@@IcedNeonFlames oh, yup - you’re right. That makes it even more egregious. 😂

[@jacobc2378]

Fun fact: Gavin Verhey has previously stated that Spellseeker is part of the same cycle as Imperial Recruiter and Recruiter of the Guard.

[@mufasafalldown8401]

To me, Dockside is the one I wouldn't mind never seeing again. It is bonkers strong. *EVEN* without blinking or caring about tokens, artifacts, or sac fodder, the card is bonkers from the mana advantage alone.
Thoracle doesn't really effect casual too much but it doesn't need to exist either 😂

[@NitpickingNerds]

If both those cards were gone tomorrow I would just say good riddance

[@DragonKing-xg2fx]

@@NitpickingNerds yeah i didnt respect thoracle's power until i played a chaos draft and got 0-2 by someone with it as their only win con and if its strong without being super built around it shoulda been obvious its crazy in edh

[@devonpendergast6803]

I actually don’t mind thoracle at all. It’s easy to play around if you know it’s coming in someone’s deck due to rule zero. Dockside, even though I love it, is for the birds.

[@sirplayalot11x]

@@devonpendergast6803 how do you play around it? Hope everyone has counter magic?

[@devonpendergast6803]

@@sirplayalot11x well no, but yes. I hated insta win combos since I started playing magic. But I figured it was better to beat them. Player removal is better than countermagic imo. Or mill them out. Force them to draw after they resolve consult but not thoracle. Or play platinum angel and more stax. Or angels grace, that’s my go to counter if I’m in white. If you’re playing CEDH, make sure everyone else is.

[@Torsav]

I find your lack of Mulldrifter disturbing, but I get it. As always, thanks for all the work you guys put into UA-cam content.

[@NitpickingNerds]

Thank you for watching we appreciate it

[@crawdaddy2004]

Mulldrifter is good in a very specific type of deck. However, its days of just being generically good are long behind it.

[@nickhughes8179]

Mulldrifter is a Pauper staple now. It’ll always be card draw and value in that format.

[@AzuriteCoast]

My new favorite MtG content. Your editing efforts do *not* go unnoticed.

[@stormrose8839]

really liked how this video was a bit more niche! Would love to hear yall's thoughts on attacking, graveyard, etc triggers. xoxo

[@kwonsolo]

I like it long so thank you for making loooong videos. You guys make my life better

[@NitpickingNerds]

So happy to hear that!

[@DON4419]

Love the top 10 format. I'm curious if a list of cards that have effects when other things entered the battlefield would work. Not landfall cards...but like faerie artisans which is a card I've been using a lot lately.

[@gravetitan1321]

Once again, I've been robbed the top spot.

[@discobiscuits4251]

such a sucker for relevant top 10 list about MTG cards, and been consuming as much Nitpicking Nerds content as possible since i discovered the channel, combine the two to create new content.....im all the way in. Appreciate any and all the takes the Nerds have on the current state of EDH, its kind of great that they dont agree on everything and dont try to hide that fact for the camera. keeping it real never fails, and i think because they are so genuine and honest about where they are at on cards or any other topic they are talking about and unapologetic for having different opinions will be very apparent for any new viewers who finally decide to click that Nerds video thats been popping up in their recommended feed the last couple weeks, and when they do they will subscribe and stay. i cant be the only one who has had this exact experience discovering and becoming a big fan of cherries and beezy. thanks for the content guys, top tier

[@DonJuanDecepticon]

Can we get the mr poopie butthole oooo weeee sound when there is a spice combo talked about lol

[@kritique777]

This please 😂

[@kristianmenjivar5154]

Damn good vid wish I would’ve used your tcg link I didn’t know!

[@andrewkenny3544]

Gray Merchant is an all-star in Varina even though it's 3-color because zombies are so heavy black.

[@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299]

LOL So true, I just made a Varina deck, very fun, I love using Anointed Procession and Cleaver Skaab to make 4 copies of Gary which by themselves can drain for 8x4= 32 on ETB. Truly the funniest thing in the deck though is when a zombie wields Lucille (Walking Dead SL), one of the best equipment's in a long time, and proceeds to make more zombies with it :P

[@TresBS1]

It's also a house in Yarok due to the doubling the ETB. Or if you have access to Rite of Replication and you Kick it, that's 40 life from each opponent.

[@raresux]

hell he WALLOPS people in my alesha deck. i have so many low to the ground black creatures in there over the other 2 colors so just reanimating gary a couple times with her attack ability can bring me pretty close to victory from that alone (long as i got a few turns to go a little wide before going all in, but this deck can REALLY easily do that with the amount of dumping into the yard and reanimation spells/abilities and how cheaply costed a majority of my spells are)

[@jasonlease1645]

This is great! Would like to see your list of creatures w/ activated abilities

[@NitpickingNerds]

Seems like a fun Top 10

[@joeburr709]

Great content. Awesome list.

[@otakurooney]

Great video, the top 4 are definitely situated there, 5-10 I feel like they could be up for debate depending on your meta. I personally would have had venser in at #10 instead of gary, phantasmal image and snapcaster mage would be in there for me as well definitely replacing e wit maybe spellseeker too and move spellseeker to 10.

[@discobiscuits4251]

combined top 10 from each of your own lists of most fun/ best value/most interesting creature ETBs that you find yourself coming back to again and again or have fond memories of times youve cast the card.....no creatures from this list allowed, awesome list for most powerful and every one can assume you both enjoy winning and obviously will play these cards if the moment calls for it.....just an idea. love hearing you guys talk about cardboard, been playing Magic off and on since i was 10, 34 now and the most invested into the game than ive ever been....honestly have never played a game of EDH due to work schedule, the format not existing or being very popular when i was lucky to have a group of friends that regularly played paper Magic, but im extremely interested in building my first deck and at least giving it a test run at the local game store.....ive consumed a ton of EDH content on YT for years now but ive found your videos to be the most helpful for prioritizing where and what cards to put money from my budget into...im well on my way to my EDH first deck and hopefully my first actual IRL game soon follows. thanks dudes youre cool.

[@Fidofie]

Fun video, I especially liked the guilded drake, that one was new to me 😊
I don't quite get the mega hype for craterhoof contra the mediocre hype for Gary. Gary has won me countless of commander games and he does so on the spot. Yes, "only" in mono or two color decks and yes, "only" when there is enough devotion. But craterhoof has limitations as well. It needs to be a creature deck and you need to have enough creatures AND be able to attack each oppo without any settle the wreckage, fog, pillow forting or similar. Gary has reach and he takes all out on the spot.

[@celery7567]

Love this video! Can y’all put the cards in the description discussed in the video cause then it’s easier to find them.

[@TheVisconator4700]

Honorable Mentions to cards like Panharmonicon and Strionic Resonator that can duplicate any of these triggered abilities when they go on the stack.

[@NitpickingNerds]

Just another combo for the flying ummm… thing

[@123elmexican]

Hey Joe Cherries! I got that same Super Mario shirt as a gift last Christmas. :3

[@ataylo3]

This was great. Next idea: Top 10 “when you cast” please!

[@nelsonmarques6732]

As always, great video!
I do miss Amber though...

[@vincentrutledge9445]

Yes. I love top tens from you guys.

[@NitpickingNerds]

Well they are gonna be coming every 2 weeks

[@russelravellette6612]

Another good video. Thanks boyz

[@raresux]

idk how you guys don't have 100k subs yet, your guys' production quality on videos is top tier, and the dedication for uploading every DAY doesn't go unnoticed. i've been watching you guys for over a year now and you guys are by far my favorite content creators ever, not even just my top mtg content creators. the running jokes on this channel are unmatched, and joe always vouching for inclusion is nice to see as someone who's also part of the lgbtq+ community :)
keep up the hard work you guys! we love ya and appreciate every minute of your videos!
stay breezy beezy and stay cheery cherries 😎

[@NitpickingNerds]

That comment made my day 😊😊😊 thank you for the kind words

[@JustRightPinedo]

+10

[@rthayes00]

Nice haircut Beezy, looking fly as always Joe

[@NitpickingNerds]

Thank you so much

[@Nick-nv5fy]

I just realized that I forgot to put Gary into my chainer deck 😂 thanks for reminding me!!!

[@ben_clifford]

I've only seen the bottom 5, and I've seen most things I was predicting. Now I'm really looking forward to the top 5.

[@ferdithetank7535]

Was expecting Skyclave Apparition on the list, that card makes me feel dirty whenever I play it. And that's even without any blink synergies!

[@1ntegrator]

Will come back to the video on my birthday 🥳

[@BranGeddon]

As a Mono Black Devo guy till the day I die, I appreciate Gary was plugged in.

[@joshberg7944]

The look on Cherries face after Beezy's explanation is priceless

[@marsrocks247]

LOL!
"seven mana for a creature with power and toughness" (moves on without saying what the values are)
NAILED IT. 100% of the meaningful text, explained :D

[@Agbayani993]

Are you guys planning on uploading on spotify again? You guys are the best :)

[@thealaskanknifeguy3883]

Would also be interested in seeing the top 10 etbs list

[@noelahg79]

Completely agree about Thassa's Oracle.

[@NitpickingNerds]

Kick it too the curve!

[@jpfadil]

I watch another channel that does like streak goals for vídeos, if videos reach a certain like goals, like 1k for starters for 10 days straight the channel does something different. I think this would be really great here too, something like for reaching a like streak you guys show something from your collection or crack a pack from a weird collection. And it helps the channel.

[@Wrestlemania24444]

Seeing Gray Merchant made me think if you would ever consider doing some (or more if you've already done it) videos on Pauper EDH. I've always been interested in it and wanted to make a Gary deck there.

[@NitpickingNerds]

We are not fans of pauper edh honestly

[@jarendavidson5758]

NEW NITPICKING NERDS VIDEO!

[@NitpickingNerds]

Errr Day

[@TheLycheegreentea]

When I first saw the new art (now not so much) of karmic guide 12:43 I only saw something phallic. Now I can never unsee it or use that version of the card.

[@thetogtube2]

haha ... now i can't unsee it.

[@Kifusagi]

would gilded drake work with thassa, yorion and soul herder in my UW blink deck? The cards specify creatures I control, but gilded drake specifically says exchange control. My friends and I don’t know the specificities of stack mechanics all to well so trying to pull that on them with those the words “exchange control” might prove impossible. Can someone pls explain how I can blink something I don’t control

[@siener]

This list makes me want to put Hushbringer, Strict Proctor, Torpor Orb, Hushwing Gryff and every other similar effect into every deck I own 😀

[@w4tch0ut10]

And that's kinda what's great about overpowered etb creatures (or cards, in general), imo 😁 they make us think around the corner and change strategies

[@therealjeromeo4366]

Gray merchant is probably the card I’ve ended the most games with, either by Araumi encore, or by Athreos, Shroud-Veiled looping it with coin counters. I find it unbelievable that its initial printing was at common with an effect that’s so insane

[@yavivanov6650]

It wasn't printed with commander in mind, where it's true power lies

[@MasonSheffield]

Beezy's cut looking fresh to death!

[@kingginger3335]

My play group and I came to the conclusion that Red is the 2nd best ramp color because it makes so many Treasure Tokens. Specially if you can make 3 or more Treasures from 1 spell then you've effectively ramped.

[@NitpickingNerds]

How many red cards do that besides Dockside Extortionist? If they cost more than 4 it isn’t very efficient or timely unfortunately

[@kingginger3335]

@@NitpickingNerds I'm not gonna list them all but just looking at Gatherer it shows a lot of red spells. Red is by far the best color for generating Treasures. Ragavan, Captain Lanery Storm, Atsushi, Goldspan Dragon, Impulsive Pilferer,
Brass Bounty, Shiny Impetus. There's a ton more.

[@joshholmes1372]

@@NitpickingNerds storm kiln artists off the top of my head. Ragavan. The pirate that makes a treasure on attack.

[@williameakin6907]

I have a human tribal aristocrat deck. I’m trying to keep the curve super low and the creature count high (45-50ish). Do you think Druid of Purification is worth running over Aura Shards, or even cutting one of the other human artifact/enchantment removal spells (Cathar Commando, Masked Vandal & Outland Liberator).

[@AnomalousMachine]

Was surprised agent of treachery and snapcaster mage didn't make this list

[@NewOldEBM]

I dunno about the Recruiter V Call analogy. You're right, recruiter is better in SMALL creature decks where you WANT things T2>, but even in my Kestia bogles deck I value call higher, yeah, recruiter can find 80% of what call can, but it can't find the important stuff like Sigarda, Bruna and general slam-down wincons. That's the only problem I have with the "is creature is better" mentality because the creatures usually have a drawback that "balances" it, when you're not actually ALL in on creatures.

[@crawdaddy2004]

Spellseeker can be bounced with Riptide Laboratory. Love doing that.

[@NitpickingNerds]

That is super strong

[@derrickwarner1]

Crafty Cutpurse deserves a shout-out. Resolving this unassuming, flash creature creates some of the best “feel bads” in the game. When an opponent tries to combo off, this card is a big, fat “Nice Try.” Dockside and Smothering Tithe combos are done for the turn. It was the unsung answer to Hullbreacher. Instant army of tokens with Zendikar Avenger? Thank you for the troops! Awaken the Erstwhile and Eiganjo Uprising without drawbacks, uhh, yes please. Crafty Cutpurse is an absolute workhorse that needs more riders.

[@NitpickingNerds]

That is not a card I like very much as it has very narrow applications and requires you to hold up 4 mana

[@derrickwarner1]

@@NitpickingNerds watch older gameplay video of other EDH/cEDH content creators. You see a lot of Hullbreachers resolve with another Blue player holding 4+ mana open. Besides, all of my Blue decks are Simic+, so I rarely have the of problem generating mana, cheating creatures into play, or playing at instant speed.

[@Redragonclaws]

Shocked that agent of treachery didn’t show up

[@jaredgraham4363]

fun cedh fact in certain monogreen cedh decks hoof is still the win not nearly as much as thoracle but it puts in work

[@thomasdick6797]

I'd I'd a top 10 stax pieces video. I rarely get to see stax decks because it's kind of removed by rule 0 and groans so when I do play against them I see tons of cards I've never heard of

[@ImbecillicusRex]

I am absolutely stunned that Grave Titan didn't even make the list

[@NitpickingNerds]

We must have forgotten him!

[@thetogtube2]

HOT TAKE::: GaRy > Thoracle if you don't factor in cEDH... and I would bet it has won more games by the numbers over the years.

[@DragonKing-xg2fx]

Is there a link to the edhrec articles youve written, I havent been able to find em so far but that might be due to me just being bad at navigating the site

[@NitpickingNerds]

So it's on EDHREC under "Sets" then hit "Precon Upgrades" and you'll be able to see them when you click the decks. They're not super easy to find.

[@Mecal00]

I agree with Cherry on Gray Merchant. 👍

[@g4greed502]

my brago deck is quivering with anticipation for this one

[@GlamourDonkey]

I didn't know I needed Eternal Witness in my Chulane deck. Now my friends can hate me that much more. Thanks!

[@alphaskag1878]

Gary. The Will Smith of Commander.

[@armstrongturbo]

How do you guys feel about Timeless Witness?

[@gorgondork]

Nice list! I'd prefer gravedigger over karmic guide tho imo tbh lol

[@NitpickingNerds]

Gravedigger is only to hand though

[@gp8679]

Pramikon is my ETB/Blink deck, hopefully some cards in this will fit my theme !

[@TnumsProd]

Assuming you blink pramikon to the point you can never be attacked?

[@joshholmes1372]

Brago ftw. I don't build him stax. Addin cloudstone...

[@gp8679]

@@TnumsProd Yeah exactly .. it works 50% of the time lol

[@NitpickingNerds]

Hiw can they not lol 😂

[@ericdavis3046]

A video on the best blink/flickerers (Closet, Portal, Symbiote, whatever) would be a good complement to this video. Eh? Eh? Please?

[@jajahatman8842]

Have to agree with Beezy with Druid of Putrification, that card is insane! F in the chat for Uro and Faerie Artisans though, they would be in my top 10

[@derrickwarner1]

F

[@NitpickingNerds]

F

[@trew3535]

Surprised that Snappy didn't make it to the list (or at least an honorable mention)

[@NitpickingNerds]

It is really cool but not quite commander top 10

[@O.G.Alphaborn]

i am still confused about craterhoof ETB. WHEN craterhoof ETBs and I have a total of 5 creatures on the Battle field MY creatures will get +5/+5 Right? or am I missing something?

[@backlogbrood2451]

lol Beezy pays attention most of the time though! (Joe said it, already!)

[@chadanenberg6454]

Does it truly enter a battlefield if it not the combat step?

[@waaaaaaah5135]

Idea: Top 10 Budget Commanders ($1 or less). There are some crazy good commanders out there that are super cheap

[@siener]

My hot take: End-Raze Forerunners is often better than Craterhoof.
In 60 card Magic, Craterhoof is basically always lethal. In EDH you can usually kill one or maybe two opponents, but it's not easy to take down three opponents in a single combat step. The opponent that survives is probably going to be the one with the best board state, so if you swing out with all your creatures and kill the other two opponents, you are likely going to die or at least take a lot of damage on the backswing.
In those cases the vigilance you get from End-Raze Forerunners is perfect for allowing you to attack with everything without having to worry about dying before you get to untap again.

[@Mcbananers]

Top ten sacrifice outlets, aristocrat cards, or leaves the battlefield/dies triggers.

[@leobro6398]

I played with and against grey merchant and its never as good as you guys say. If you have 5 devotion, which is already high, you get 15 life and your opponents each lose 5. Thats like kokusho dies level and just a meh effect

[@Stribogboi]

Except it costs less and it doesn't need to die just etb... It's far better.

[@Dark-Pikachu1]

Mean while I see some one kill everyone with it drain for like 30

[@B1gBingus]

It’s in black which is both the sacrifice and reanimater color, without even mentioning infinite combos it’s extremely easy to get this trigger 2 or 3 times in a turn

[@joshholmes1372]

And once it dies you can recurr it and do it again...

[@peruru84]

I have Gilded Drake from when I played as a kid. My most expensive card haha

[@joshberg7944]

New video idea. When to take a deck apart and use the pieces in a new deck

[@scratchedaviators1254]

I really want to keep dockside if only to so red has an overpowered 2 drop to compete with other colours.We need to reprint that sucker though lol.

[@yeauldebishop]

I appear to be reading Craterhoof wrong. If I have 5 creatures in play and craterhoof enters the battlefield, the 6 creatures I control gain trample and +6/+6, because 6 is the number of creatures I control. How do you get 6 creatures = +36/+36?

[@stevenlorenzo7399]

I don’t play Dockside in my Magda deck because it’s not a dwarf or a dragon. Flavor matters to me.

[@NitpickingNerds]

Still might be the best card in any magda deck which is crazy

[@obcuretwin5708]

I personally run imp recruiter over guard. In my jeskai deck, imp grabs any combo creature where guard can't, specifically auriok salvagers. Not to mention imps like 7$ and guard is 35$

[@nathanialmynameisajoke]

If hull breacher is so broken it has to be banned so is dockside, in Edgar you can repeatedly sack him and bring him back with bishop of rebirth.

[@mtgsus]

How about the best tap abilities ? Looking to abuse those with derevi. Getting 5+ of a single tap ability can be so strong!

[@rmreagle]

So we didn't mention countering the oracle BEFORE the trigger comes down, not just having to stiffle the trigger...

[@Npocommander]

Imperical recruiter and karmic guide is in my alesha

[@igorlemes1123]

10 best death effects next?
thanks bois!

[@meatforge]

Eladamri’s call is basically just a creature that costs 2 more mana than it usually would.

[@w4tch0ut10]

Nitpicking: Creatures are spells, too ^^

[@alexMendoza-wl5oj]

Top 10 mono black commanders or instant speed kill spells in black

[@daleunsaque]

What about a top 10 cards that work in/from your graveyard? Or something like that...

[@jiggledeath]

I have an artifact deck. I made everything into artifacts. Got 42 treasure tokens. Thanks dockside!

[@kstandish42]

Beezy casually dropping a Breakfast Hulk reference like ok you’ve been watching some cedh 🤔
Also, Nomads En-Kor asks am I a joke to you, calling it draft chaff 😂

[@Lunamowon]

Tbf. I avoid thoracle in my cedh decks but I don't think it should be/will be banned. It's not that bad. You can see the win coming and with how much counter magic cedh has its pretty easy to answer. I play mono green in cedh so I'm not one of those ppl answering it. But I see it get answered every game

[@lorcanawithluke]

No mention of the commander all star Dormant Sliver!? Lol jk but I actually put that in my Adrix and Nev deck to make clones of it and draw a bunch of cards but sometimes it just prevents changelings from attacking cuz now they have defender.

[@CodiTC]

10 - Gray Merchant of Asphodel
9 - Palinchron
8 - Eternal Witness
7 - Spellseeker
6 - Recruiter of the Guard/Imperial Recruiter
5 - Karmic Guide
4 - Gilded Drake
3 - Craterhoof Behemoth
2 - Thassa's Oracle
1 - Dockside Extortionist

[@thomasbuege8074]

Can you guys do a Top 10 Flicker Cards? 🙏 Please!

[@elsanto2401]

For me its Bane of Progress. Complete artifact and enchantment wipe, and you get +1 counters for your trouble.

[@NitpickingNerds]

It is very good but these card kind crush the BoP