Alliances seems to have a love/hate relationship with players. I know a few people who find it to be the worst set in MTG ever. I completly disagree (cough, Homelands, cough cough)! This set has a lot to offer and although every card isn’t exactly amazing, there are many great cards! I’m going to showcase the ten best though. So, let’s get started!

Honorable Mention: Thought Lash

This card is on the list purely because of my desire to use Donate with this card. It’s not quite good enough for the top ten, but really deserves a mention because it can potentially mill your opponent in one turn (if they’re dumb enough to not pay the upkeep cost).

#10 Bestial Fury

This card is great because it means that the creature it’s enchanting will probably never be blocked. It will get too big of a boost! Of course, adding four to a creature’s power isn’t always deadly, but players will hesitate to block it. Also, you get a card! That’s pretty nice. I like to put it on something like Dwarven Berserker so it’s like getting double!

#9 Helm Of Obedience

Here’s a cool card that could mill an opponent, but is usually just used to steal a creature! It allows you to take any number of cards (provided you have the mana) off the top of an opponent’s library and you get to put the first creature you find into play under you control. Then you lose this card… darn. However, stealing a creature is great! However, it can be risky business! Hope you don’t get a crummy one drop!

#8 Shield Sphere

Cards that cost zero mana are incredible. This one is huge and makes cards like Steel Wall look like a joke. Of course, this card does shrink when you use it, but it’s still very worth it. It can block most anything and can go in any deck.

#7 Kjeldoran Outpost

A land that can create creatures is very much appreciated. It’s even better because it makes soldiers (a popular creature type for tribal decks).  This card is just a nice way to create chumps at any time you need them and if this is in a soldier deck, the tokens might get some boosts and actually be contenders!

#6 Exile

Even though this card costs slightly more than the standard awesome removal card, this one gives you life! It can’t target white creatures, but that’s hardly an issue. This card gets rid of a troublesome creature and gives you a life boost. I prefer things like Path To Exile, but I would still use this card too!

#5 Lord Of Tresserhorn

A big huge creature that can regenerate for only one mana? That’s nice. Of course, when you play it you have to pay a hefty cost, but it only costs four mana! A card like this could do a lot early in the game. Plus, big old legendary creatures are cool. It wouldn’t be too hard to give this card trample, meaning you have a lot of offensive power to swing around.

#4 Lim-Dul’s Paladin

This is another big card for a low cost. It has a upkeep cost of discarding a card, but when you choose not to pay it you get to draw a card (and of course, lose this one). Even if you sacrifice this card you don’t get penalized at all. Anyway, this card is interesting becaue when it’s blocked it becomes a 6/6. Not only that, but when it’s unblocked your opponent loses four life! That means that this card can get around things like Worship and Ali From Cairo. It has a cool illustration too, but that’s just a bonus.

#3 Lake Of The Dead

A great land, this card gives you the option of getting four mana by sacrificing a swamp. This can really work in your favor. It accelerates your game and can give you the edge that you need to win early in the game.

#2 Elvish Spirit Guide

If you have one in your deck, that means you can have two or more mana on your first turn. This means that this card can work similarly to the benefit a Mox gives you. Extra mana on the first turn. This means you can get off some awesome first turn win combos. There’s only one other card like this (Simian Spirit Guide from Planar Chaos). It’s a card that seems to be overlooked, but the power of this card can really be showcased in those first turn win decks. It’s useful outside of them too, but that’s where they belong. It’s a great card and one of those little secret cards that Alliances has.

#1 Force Of Will

An incredible card that basically created the idea of alternative methods of playing spells. This card still sees use today and is a great counter card. If you’ve played with or against this card, you’ll realize just how poweful it is. A special thanks to Brad for telling me I forgot this one! Thanks Brad, sometimes an amazing card slips my mind, although for once the best card slipped my mind! How embarassing! Anyway, this card is ridiculous and IS the best card from Alliances.

Thanks for reading!