White decks in Magic: The Gathering are often characterized by the use of numerous smaller creatures rather than smaller quantities of larger threats. White often represents the ideas of community and many serving the greater good, making these types of strategies fit into the color quite flavorfully.
As one would expect, White has access to its fair share of low-cost spells that pack quite the punch. Whether these are high value removal spells or under-costed creatures, white has a vast array of powerful one-mana spells. So today, we’re going to examine the best white one-drops from across Magic’s history!
10 Mother of Runes
First released in Urza’s Legacy, the iconic Mother of Runes is a versatile creature than can be used both offensively and defensively. A 1/1 for one white mana, Mother of Runes can be tapped to provide protection from any color to a creature.
This can both protect a creature from a potential removal spell, or prevent a creature from being blocked, as a creature with protection from a color cannot be blocked by creatures of said color.
9 Sigarda’s Aid
For a one-drop enchantment, Sigarda’s Aid provides a massive benefit to any “Voltron” Commander decks with white in their color identity. Not only does Sigarda’s Aid allow Aura and Equipment spells to be cast as though they had flash, but this enchantment allows equip costs to be completely subverted.
Whenever an equipment card enters the battlefield under the control of this enchantment’s owner, they may immediately attach that equipment to a creature. This makes numerous equipments significantly more powerful by removing hindering and over-costed equip costs!
8 Silence
While blue decks are known to be able to counter spells, white can hinder opponents with spells such a Silence that prevent spells from being cast in the first place!
For one mana, Silence is an instant for a single white mana that states that this spell’s caster can’t cast spells until the end of turn. This spell can ensure that its caster’s plans can transpire uncontested when cast on their own turn, or can cause major setbacks to one’s opponents when cast during another player’s upkeep.
7 Champion of the Parish
An all-star of Modern Human tribal decks, Champion of the Parish is a 1/1 human soldier for one mana that often becomes quite powerful for a single-mana creature.
Whenever another human enters the battlefield under its owner’s control, a +1/+1 counter is put on Champion of the Parish. If this creature is cast on turn one, it is not uncommon for it to become a 3/3 by the end of turn two, growing yet even larger as a game progresses.
6 Swords to Plowshares
White is a color containing some of the best exile-based removal in Magic. Released in Magic’s very first set, Swords to Plowshares is a card that can permanently remove any creature from the game for a single mana.
While this ability balances itself by causing its target’s owner to gain life equal to that creature’s power, the finality of the effect and meager cost of the spell greatly outweigh this downside.
5 Path to Exile
Just like Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile is another one-mana white instant that is capable of exiling any target creature. While both cards contain drawbacks to balance the efficiency of this potent pairing of cost and effect, Path to Exile’s drawback is even less damaging than that of Swords to Plowshares.
After this spell exiles a creature, that creature’s controller can search their library for a basic land and put that card into play tapped. While one may expect this effect to be troublesome, but as many decks in formats such as Modern, Legacy, and even competitive Commander contain few and far between basic lands, this drawback can be almost non-existent.
4 Enlightened Tutor
Though black is traditionally the color in Magic that has the access to many of the most powerful “tutor” spells, Enlightened Tutor is a noteworthy tutor that only costs a single white mana to cast.
While other tutors may have more flexibility, Enlightened Tutor allows its caster to search their library for an artifact or enchantment card, then putting it on top of their library. As there are countless incredible artifacts and enchantments within formats such as Commander and Legacy, Enlightened tutor can set up games for success or even allow a player to adapt to troublesome situations.
3 Angel’s Grace
Angel’s Grace is the perfect card for players who often find themselves thinking “if only I had one more turn to win.” An instant with split-second, Angel’s Grace cannot be responded to by spells or abilities.
Upon being cast, this spell prevents the player who’d cast it from losing the game on that turn, and prevents their life total from being reduced below one. Not only can Angel’s Grace be used to protect a player for one last turn, but it combos in terrifying fashion with the spell Ad Nauseam!
2 Serra Ascendant
Serra Ascendant is a creature that many players are familiar with due to the Commander format. A 1/1 with lifelink for one mana, Serra Ascendant gets +5/+5 and gains flying as long as its controller has over thirty life.
While this threshold is ten life over the starting life total in nearly every format, this is not the case with Commander. As players start with forty life in Commander, Serra Ascendant is often a mortifying 6/6 with flying for a single mana when cast early into a game of Commander.
1 Land Tax
Land Tax is by and large one of the strongest white cards to have been printed in Magic’s history. While many players tend to rag on white’s inability to effectively mana ramp, Land Tax is an enchantment that turns this shortcoming into potent card advantage.
At the beginning of Land Tax’s controller’s upkeep, as long as another player controls more lands than that player, Land Tax’s controller may search their library for up to three basic lands, putting those cards into their hand. Land Tax can effectively draw its controller three land cards every single turn, ensuring its controller will never miss a land drop, while increasing the likelihood that they’ll draw into useful non-land cards!
NEXT: Magic: The Gathering - The 10 Most Underrated Tribal Commanders In The Game
