Hello and happiest of days to each of you! A few weeks ago, I began a column looking at the best in class for various categories of ramp: my Top Mana Dorks, Land Acceleration creatures, Ramp Spells, and then Exploration effects, and then a general article on all things mana. I've even written an article on when to use Manaliths and Cultivates, all for casual and multiplayer. Getting this stuff over and over for cost reductions is brilliant.

In this article I am doing my Top Cost Reducers that are referred to as Familiars from things like Sunscape's Familiar. Here we go!

Honorable Mention #1. (#24. Overall) - Morph Cost Reducers

There are these three face-down stuff cost reducers. The iconic one is Kadena with a four-cost Sultai colored 3/3 that gives our first three-mana off. Then you can draw when they flip over. Then the artifact at the end four-cost can tap to do the same, but just the first one and for three less. Then when they flip up you can get a copy of all face-up triggers. Then the middle Green one-drop enchantment gives them one reduced cost and then can itself be turned down for two.

Honorable Mention #2. (#23. Overall) - Killian, Ink Duelist

This Orzhov uncommon legendary Bear is next! He's got lifelink and then menace for evasion too, very strong and on curve too. Then all of spells that target any creature cost two less. That's yours for stuff like heroic or your foe's for interaction. A two-mana reduction there is so strong in a heroic brew that needs to layer up effects too.

Honorable Mention #3. (#22. Overall) - Goreclaw AND Thryx

Next up are two legendary Simic uncommon that often enter the same space! Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma will let our larger power stuff get a double cost reduction. Then when he swings each high-power dork like him gets trample and then a small size boost. Then that five-cost Giant with flash and flying Thryx, the Sudden Storm gives our stuff with a five or more one less cost and then they cannot be countered too. Nasty on their own, and together?

Honorable Mention #4. (#21. Overall) - Hamza, Guardian of Arashin

This 5/5 Selesnya colored six-drop legendary Elephant has basically affinity for each dork we have with counters! Great! Then Hamza also gives it to our team for fast drops. Nice, right? Remember, many colorless artifacts will adore this like a certain Triskelion variant you might have heard of.

#20. Voltron Ones

There are a number of these cost-reducers in Auras, Equipment. The Selesnya-costed uncommon 1/3 three-drop Golden-Tail Trainer is first. You'll drop their cost by their power. Then when they swing you can grow the modified team by its power too! Then the White legendary uncommon Danitha Capashen, Paragon has three nasty keywords. My fave there is her vigilance to get her swing on and hold back! Don't forget her lifelink and first strike too. Then we drop the Auras and Equipment cost by one each too. Then that Boros colored Rare Bear Bureau Headmaster can drop the costs of just Equipment this time, but then also Equip costs by the same since she knows it's not as good.

#19. Cheap Spellslinger Stuff

There are tons of these that reduce instants and sorceries too. We'll see better ones hitting our list later. Since so many folks really care about casting spells in their brews this is strong in the early game too. The Izzet common Goblin Electromancer is pretty sexy in all of the places! Then that Blue rare three-cost flying Haughty Djinn with power equal to our graveyard count of them with a four butt is probably where I'd start.

#18. Cemetery Prowler

This fun three-drop 3/4 vigilance Green has an ETB and attack trigger to exile from any graveyard as light graveyard removal. And then our spells cost one less for each one they share. Nice and flexible for tons of builds.

#17. The Monument Cycle

Next up are these fun three-cost cycle of legendary five uncommon artifacts that drop our cost by its color for dorks, like Bontu's Monument or Kefnet's Monument. But then they all have creature cast triggers play into their color's Gods. Note that those triggers aren't from just their color but any. You can make dorks and more!

#16. Your Costs Reduced by One for Two Colors

The broken one will be hitting later. The best here is the common Shaman Gruul Bear for Gruul. Then that five-cost artifact will choose the two on arrival in colorless but a bit pricey too, as a heads up.

#15. Cheap Enchantment Cost Reducers

There are tons of these, you can tell these are early with their names. The two-drop Bear Green Centaur Herald of the Pantheon will also gain you a life when you cast them too! Then the two-drop Fox enchantment dork Inquisitive Glimmer in Azorius will also drop unlock costs too! Then that also enchantment and creature two-drop Selesnya lifelinking Bear and Human Monk Jukai Naturalist is last.

#14. Artifact Familiars

There are also tons of these and we ended at "F" with them. Artifact droppers are better than enchantments since they are often colorless. All of these are on artifact critters too, like the Izzet two-drop flyer Enthusiastic Mechanaut! Then there's Etherium Sculptor and Foundry Inspector.

#13. Doc's Western Outlaws

Next up are these Simic colored dorks led by two-drop uncommon 2/3 Doc Aurlock. Your spells from exile and graveyard are reduced by two as well as plotting. Then the mono-Blue flying seven-drop will also drop their cost by two as well, but this time from anywhere that isn't our hand and it's got foretell for five! Then that Hill Giant cost and size Green one ETBs to exile and then cast something from our graveyard and then reduces their cost by 1 for them all too like others here.

#12. Kindred Cost Drops

Next up are these Kindred Familiars. Most creature types have a few. The three-cost Dragonspeaker Shaman drops the popular Dragon one by two! Then we have some that combined types like Daru Warchief. We also have the three-cost artifact Urza's Incubator that chooses the type and then they cost two less mana.

#11. The Crystal Cycle

Next up are these five four-drop legendary rare artifacts with colors. They reduce that color. Then they usually will have a static that is powerful and dominant and then often doubles them. Then they have a tap ability to play into their static. They are very strong and great in mono-color brews or ones with their abilities like life gain and mill and such. The Black one above taps with six to recur a dork to your battlefield that was exiled by the static death exile one.

#10. Creature Familiars

Next up are this space for cost reducing with creatures. After artifacts, they needed to be higher since they are the most commonly played in brews. That two-drop Red Dinosaur Marauding Raptor with a 2/3 size does so first. Then when they arrive they are Shocked and then grow two power if a Dino like them. Then the three-drop Golgari legendary 3/2 Honest Rustein is next. When it arrives you Gravedigger! Nice for twice!

#9. Jhoira's Familiar AND Ugin, the Ineffable

The four-drop Familiar with flying and 2/2 size in colorless form is first! It drops the cost of all historic stuff by one. It's just higher than the creatures since that's a ton of stuff and in colorless so any deck can add it or cast it. Then that planeswalker with six-cost and four loyalty is here for that colorless drop of two static. That's two - very strong, and on colorless we should be able to drop artifacts, but more limited. Then you can -3 him to Vindicate something with colors or +1 him to exile our top card and then drop a 2/2 colorless Spirit and then when it dies you draw it. Great right?

#8. Hinata, Dawn-Crowned

This four-drop on-curve legendary Jeskai colored with two evasions in flying and then trample too with 4/4 body! Then our spells are dropped in cost for each target - nasty with burn like Rolling Thunder. Note that's not just dorks or our stuff or permanents but players too. Then our foes' is increased by 1 per target too - which I really don't like at all - so I don't often run Hinata...

#7. Grand Arbiter Augustin IV

...or this tempo-style powerhouse too. He costs four in Azorius colors at legendary and then with a 2/3 body. It drops our casts of White, Blue and then both by one each or two if both. Then our foes are always taxed for one too. He's nasty and rough to deal with and then so many people add into this tempo with stuff like Rhystic Study, Esper Sentinel and Winter Orb and such - don't.

#6. Good Spellslinger Stuff

Next up are good Spellslinger cost reducers that drop costs by one and then add something nasty to it too. The worst one for foes is two-drop Baral, Chief of Compliance who adds in the countering to draw and discard too. That's nasty. The one I prefer is Archmage of Runes that just draws whenever you cast those spells and then 3/6 body for five. It's later in the game and then doesn't push you into counters to get your cards.

#5. Noncreature Cost Reducers

This two-set of stuff that reduces more than just instants and sorceries above. All non-creatures! The three-drop legendary Azorius one has prowess! Then they'll get their cost reduced by one and then when you've cast two, she gets first strike. Not bad, right, especially with that prowess! Then that six-drop Naya colored 4/5 legendary is next with haste to swing now, first strike to punch first and then vigilance to keep stuff back. Then start your engines! Then her noncreatures are dropped by her controller's speed and then also pumps the other dorks power by it too!

#4. Morophon, the Boundless

This seven-cost five color identity but colorless legendary is the ultimate kindred leader! When this 6/6 changeling arrives, you'll choose a type, pump their size by one like a Lord and then they each cost a mana-less for each color! Note that's not colorless but each color which makes it to my mind the only Familiar that drops colored mana not colorless. That's just all of the good stuff! This is the second highest scoring card that's actually fun to play against, but not until #1.

#3. Mizzix of the Izmagnus

I know, don't play him. I feel like when WOTC was designing cards for Commander they would often miss and make some nasty stuff like experience counters or partner. And it's not like we can ban them all either. This four-drop 2/2 Izzet colored legendary leader will let all of his casts of stuff with a cost greater than our experience counters count get another. Then all of our spells are reduced by that counter number. Do not run or like him since when someone answers him, he remains as nasty as ever!

#2. Animar, Soul of Elements

Ditto this nasty leader too. He can be answered and dropped, but with that protection from two colors of pinpoint stuff in Black and White that's not easy. This three-drop Temur colored 1/1 will get a counter each time we cast a dork. Note that's "cast" and thus happens and cannot be countered traditionally and can be a combat trick to save him from red's burn which is the only thing that can easily answer him or just get him past burn too. Then all of you future creatures we cast get their cost reduced by his counter size. Therefore, Animar very quickly snowballs into a game-win death machine and a big fat board of dorks too.

#1. The Medallions

Last is this two-drop colorless five cycle. They just drop one color and then nothing else. They are safe and easily great in tons of places, ideally mono or two-color brews. They are a great way to end this list and sure, a bit obvious, but they are also totally safe too.

And there we go! What are your go-to Familiars! I hope you found stuff here and then have an awesomely great day!