EDH Optimizer
The Dawning Archaic
Legendary Creature — Avatar · 10
Color identity: Colorless
The Dawning Archaic is colorless: its deck can only run colorless cards (artifacts, Eldrazi and colorless lands).
Rules text:
This spell costs {1} less to cast for each instant and sorcery card in your graveyard.
Reach
Whenever The Dawning Archaic attacks, you may cast target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard without paying its mana cost. If that spell would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead.
Reference price of the card: €1.40
Average lands in decks for The Dawning Archaic: 36
SpellslingerEldraziDevoidAnnihilatorGraveyardArtifactsRampMill
Build your The Dawning Archaic deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for The Dawning Archaic 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average The Dawning Archaic deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: B (68/100)
- Consistency25
- Speed53
- Interaction100
- Resilience81
- Closing75
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (26 nonbasic, 10 Wastes)
All Is Dust · Warping Wail · Null Elemental Blast · Introduction to Prophecy · Desecrate Reality · Eldritch Immunity · Skittering Invasion · Sol Ring · Titan's Presence · Eldrazi Confluence · Introduction to Annihilation · Kozilek's Command · Not of This World · Spatial Contortion · Zuko's Exile · Scour from Existence · Selective Obliteration · Environmental Sciences · Mascot Exhibition · Rise of the Eldrazi · Calamity of the Titans · Forsaken Monument · Wandering Archaic // Explore the Vastlands · Gruesome Slaughter · Expanded Anatomy · Echoes of Eternity · Glaring Fleshraker · Abstruse Archaic · Aang's Journey · Energybending · Thran Dynamo · Ugin, the Ineffable · Ultima, Origin of Oblivion · Palladium Myr · It That Heralds the End · Mind Stone · Mystic Forge · Millikin · Hedron Archive · Skittering Cicada · Solemn Simulacrum · The Warring Triad · Ugin, Eye of the Storms · Liberator, Urza's Battlethopter · Thought Vessel · Lightning Greaves · Mirari · Diary of Dreams · Kozilek, the Great Distortion · Endbringer · Swiftfoot Boots · Everflowing Chalice · Together as One · Anticausal Vestige · Chimil, the Inner Sun · Commander's Plate · Glamdring · Lithoform Engine · Worn Powerstone · Zenith Chronicler · Codex Shredder · Palantír of Orthanc · Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring · Urza's Mine · Urza's Power Plant · Urza's Tower · Shrine of the Forsaken Gods · War Room · Reliquary Tower · Rogue's Passage · Temple of the False God · Urza's Cave · Urza's Workshop · Ugin's Labyrinth · Sanctum of Ugin · Buried Ruin · Bonders' Enclave · Tomb of the Spirit Dragon · Urza's Saga · Mirrorpool · Darksteel Citadel · Geier Reach Sanitarium · Eldrazi Temple · Conduit Pylons · Guildless Commons · Thespian's Stage · Vesuva · Planar Nexus · Hidden Grotto
🃏 Recommended cards for The Dawning Archaic
The highest-synergy cards in decks for The Dawning Archaic, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Mascot Exhibition | 87% | +86% |
| Introduction to Prophecy | 94% | +81% |
| Environmental Sciences | 89% | +79% |
| Skittering Invasion | 92% | +77% |
| Expanded Anatomy | 80% | +76% |
| Zuko's Exile | 91% | +76% |
| Introduction to Annihilation | 91% | +75% |
| Spatial Contortion | 91% | +73% |
| Aang's Journey | 76% | +73% |
| Energybending | 74% | +71% |
| Gruesome Slaughter | 82% | +70% |
| Scour from Existence | 90% | +68% |
| Eldrazi Confluence | 91% | +63% |
| Selective Obliteration | 90% | +61% |
| Desecrate Reality | 93% | +56% |
| Wandering Archaic | 84% | +56% |
| Calamity of the Titans | 85% | +55% |
| Abstruse Archaic | 77% | +53% |
| Millikin | 57% | +51% |
| The Warring Triad | 55% | +51% |
| Mirari | 50% | +50% |
| Titan's Presence | 92% | +50% |
| Kozilek's Command | 91% | +48% |
| Diary of Dreams | 47% | +46% |
💰 The best cards for your The Dawning Archaic deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Mascot Exhibition
- Introduction to Prophecy
- Environmental Sciences
- Skittering Invasion
- Expanded Anatomy
- Zuko's Exile
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Eldrazi Confluence
- Desecrate Reality
- Calamity of the Titans
- Kozilek's Command
- Not of This World
- Eldritch Immunity
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Rise of the Eldrazi
- Palantír of Orthanc
- Mesmeric Orb
- Skittering Cicada
- Sword of Wealth and Power
- Ugin's Labyrinth
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with The Dawning Archaic
- Basalt Monolith + Forsaken Monument → Infinite colorless mana
- Sensei's Divining Top + Foundry Inspector + Mystic Forge → Infinite card draw, Near-infinite storm count, Infinite draw triggers
- Rings of Brighthearth + Basalt Monolith → Infinite colorless mana
- Sensei's Divining Top + Mystic Forge + Cloud Key → Infinite card draw, Near-infinite storm count, Infinite draw triggers
- Sensei's Divining Top + Glaring Fleshraker + Mystic Forge → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite storm count, Near-infinite damage, Near-infinite creature ETB, Near-infinite creature LTB, Near-infinite death triggers, Near-infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Sensei's Divining Top + Mystic Forge + Jhoira's Familiar → Infinite card draw, Near-infinite storm count, Infinite draw triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is The Dawning Archaic's color identity?
The Dawning Archaic is colorless: its deck can only run colorless cards (artifacts, Eldrazi and colorless lands). Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does The Dawning Archaic come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average The Dawning Archaic deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 7.3 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 58 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 8 % of the time and floods 45 %. Deck health: B (68/100).
How many lands should a The Dawning Archaic deck run?
Real The Dawning Archaic decks run 36 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for The Dawning Archaic?
The three highest-synergy cards are Mascot Exhibition, Introduction to Prophecy, Environmental Sciences. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in The Dawning Archaic decks.
What combos does The Dawning Archaic have?
The Dawning Archaic has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Basalt Monolith + Forsaken Monument. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a The Dawning Archaic deck cost?
You can start cheap: Mascot Exhibition, Introduction to Prophecy, Environmental Sciences are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.