No other collectible card game can boast the vast library that Magic: The Gathering has. On the physical front, the game is still alive and well, and the digital version is just as robust. This allows players to focus on the most recent cards and craft their decks without having to go too far back in the game's history.
Let us see what are the ten finest Turn 1 plays you may play for each of the five colors of Magic, in both the classic Magic: The Gathering and the digital MtG Arena format.
Best Turn 1 plays for White
- P/T: 1/1
- Mana Cost: 1 White
- Type: Creature Human Cleric
- Card Text:
- Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, you gain 1 life.
- Disturb (1 White): You may cast this card from your graveyard transformed for its disturb cost.
- Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, you gain 1 life.
- Disturb (1 White): You may cast this card from your graveyard transformed for its disturb cost.
- Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, you gain 1 life.
- Disturb (1 White): You may cast this card from your graveyard transformed for its disturb cost.
Now that the Cleric Class has been removed from the Standard format, the Lunarch Veteran is the backbone card of any life gain deck, making the Lunarch Veteran an excellent drop on your first turn to solidify your strategy for subsequent turns.
- P/T: 1/2
- Mana Cost: 1 White
- Type: Creature Human Warlock
- Card Text:
- Training (Whenever this creature attacks with another creature with greater power, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.)
- Pay 2 White: Remove two +1/+1 counters from among creatures you control: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
- Training (Whenever this creature attacks with another creature with greater power, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.)
- Pay 2 White: Remove two +1/+1 counters from among creatures you control: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
- Training (Whenever this creature attacks with another creature with greater power, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.)
- Pay 2 White: Remove two +1/+1 counters from among creatures you control: Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
This card may not appear to be too powerful on its own, but the trick is that when paired with a 2-cost Haste creature (for example, Bloodthirsty Adversary or Reinforced Ronin), it becomes a powerful combo piece in Haste or Aggro decks because it can scale almost unlimited because of its Training tag. The targeted artifact or enchantment removal is just a cherry on top.
Best Turn 1 plays for Blue
- P/T: 1/1
- Mana Cost: 1 Blue
- Type: Creature Human Wizard
- Card Text:
- At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. You may reveal that card. If an instant or sorcery card is revealed this way, transform Delver of Secrets.
- At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. You may reveal that card. If an instant or sorcery card is revealed this way, transform Delver of Secrets.
- At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. You may reveal that card. If an instant or sorcery card is revealed this way, transform Delver of Secrets.
The card text of this card can transform it into an absolutely devastating play for your opponents, although it may sway from time to time and you dont see an instant or sorcery card at all. With Flying, it becomes a 3/2, making it one of the most devastating one-drops available to Blue in the current Standard format.
- Mana Cost: 1 Blue
- Type: Instant
- Card Text:
- Look at the top three cards of your library. Put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest back on top of your library in any order.
- Flashback (1 Blue): You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.
- Look at the top three cards of your library. Put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest back on top of your library in any order.
- Flashback (1 Blue): You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.
- Look at the top three cards of your library. Put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest back on top of your library in any order.
- Flashback (1 Blue): You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.
This card does not really enhance your board on Turn 1 in any meaningful way. It does however, assist you in setting up your next few turns by allowing you to look at the top three cards of your library and then return them to your graveyard in any order, allowing you to draw exactly the card you desire.
Best Turn 1 plays for Black
- P/T: 1/1
- Mana Cost: 1 Black
- Type: Creature Human
- Card Text:
- Black: Evolved Sleeper becomes a Human Cleric with a base power and toughness 2/2.
- 1 Black: If Evolved Sleeper is a Cleric, put a deathtouch counter on it and it becomes a Phyrexian Human Cleric with base power and toughness 3/3.
- 1 Black Black: If Evolved Sleeper is a Phyrexian, put a +1/+1 counter on it, then you draw a card and you lose 1 life.
- Black: Evolved Sleeper becomes a Human Cleric with a base power and toughness 2/2.
- 1 Black: If Evolved Sleeper is a Cleric, put a deathtouch counter on it and it becomes a Phyrexian Human Cleric with base power and toughness 3/3.
- 1 Black Black: If Evolved Sleeper is a Phyrexian, put a +1/+1 counter on it, then you draw a card and you lose 1 life.
- Black: Evolved Sleeper becomes a Human Cleric with a base power and toughness 2/2.
- 1 Black: If Evolved Sleeper is a Cleric, put a deathtouch counter on it and it becomes a Phyrexian Human Cleric with base power and toughness 3/3.
- 1 Black Black: If Evolved Sleeper is a Phyrexian, put a +1/+1 counter on it, then you draw a card and you lose 1 life.
Because of its evolving abilities in its card text, this brand new 1/1 is quickly finding its way into Black decks and on our list. Moreover, it has a 3-cost (1BB) ability to grow and draw you cards, which is particularly handy now that Deadly Dispute (a great draw engine for Black decks) has been rotated out.
- Mana Cost: 1 Black
- Type: Sorcery
- Card Text:
- Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a noncreature, nonland card from it. That player discards that card.
- Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a noncreature, nonland card from it. That player discards that card.
- Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a noncreature, nonland card from it. That player discards that card.
On your first turn, your opponent's game plan might be ruined. Of course, with the luck of the draw, it may be possible not to do anything too extraordinary. But there will be occasions in which you eliminate your opponents' win condition entirely with this 1-cost card.
Best Turn 1 plays for Red
- Mana Cost: 1 Red
- Type: Enchantment Saga
- Card Text:
- (As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter.)
- I Kumano Faces Kakkazan deals 1 damage to each opponent and each planeswalker they control.
- II When you cast your next creature spell this turn, that creature enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it.
- III Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed under your control.
- (As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter.)
- I Kumano Faces Kakkazan deals 1 damage to each opponent and each planeswalker they control.
- II When you cast your next creature spell this turn, that creature enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it.
- III Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed under your control.
- (As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter.)
- I Kumano Faces Kakkazan deals 1 damage to each opponent and each planeswalker they control.
- II When you cast your next creature spell this turn, that creature enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it.
- III Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed under your control.
This card starts off with 1 damage, then returns to the battlefield as a Haste 2/2 with additional card text. This card provides extra value for a relatively small upfront investment.
- P/T: 1/1
- Mana Cost: 1 Black
- Type: Artifact Creature Equipment Rabbit
- Card Text:
- Haste
- Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has haste.
- Reconfigure Red (Red: Attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isnt a creature.)
- Haste
- Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has haste.
- Reconfigure Red (Red: Attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isnt a creature.)
- Haste
- Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has haste.
- Reconfigure Red (Red: Attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isnt a creature.)
This tiny creature is the perfect one-drop for you if you're playing a more aggressive Red deck. It's a Haste 1-cost off the bat, but it improves. You may add another creature to it for foregone, thereby increasing the flexibility of the creature.
Best Turn 1 plays for Green
- P/T: 1/1
- Mana Cost: 1 Green
- Type: Creature Fungus
- Card Text:
- At the beginning of your upkeep, mill a card. Then if there are three or more creature cards in your graveyard, transform Deathbonnet Sprout. (To mill a card, put the top card of your library into your graveyard.)
- At the beginning of your upkeep, mill a card. Then if there are three or more creature cards in your graveyard, transform Deathbonnet Sprout. (To mill a card, put the top card of your library into your graveyard.)
- At the beginning of your upkeep, mill a card. Then if there are three or more creature cards in your graveyard, transform Deathbonnet Sprout. (To mill a card, put the top card of your library into your graveyard.)
With the current Standard meta, this is an undeniably enjoyable card to build a Green deck around. Upon closer inspection, who can say no to a 1-cost monster that can also exile opponents from their graveyard, which in turn allows it to grow even further.
- P/T: 1/1
- Mana Cost: 1 Green
- Type: Creature Treefolk Spirit
- Card Text:
- Trample
- Whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on Willow Geist.
- When Willow Geist dies, you gain life equal to its power.
- Trample
- Whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on Willow Geist.
- When Willow Geist dies, you gain life equal to its power.
- Trample
- Whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on Willow Geist.
- When Willow Geist dies, you gain life equal to its power.
This card is not only another excellent 1-drop option for Green decks, but it also has inherent synergy with the Deathbonnet Sprout that we discussed earlier, as well as with Cemetery Prowler. With the help of cards that leave your graveyard, your game plan can benefit from Flashback and Blitz abilities.