September has arrived, the days shorten, and we're leaving the Edge for New York City as Spider-Man swings onto the scene. Still, I loved Edge of Eternities, so I'm not quite ready to return to Earth yet. Edge of Eternities was a huge swing for Wizards--at a time when the creative side of the game remains in flux, a trip to a far-flung galaxy swarming with Magic robots and insectile aliens could have been alienating to the player base. There were concerns that Edge of Eternities would be Unfinity 2. Instead, there was a thoughtful exploration of what the five colors of Magic would represent in a space opera setting and a story that took its stakes very seriously. It's a set about xenozoology, about exploration, about remaining human (or Eumidian or Kav) in the face of an uncaring, endless universe that could devour your planet at any moment.

The ugly truth is that very few Edge cards have had the chance to find their spotlight, thanks to the dominance of Vivi in Standard and the decks that have arisen specifically to counterattack Izzet Cauldron. If you look at recent top 8's right now, the only Edge cards you'll see listed are the five shocklands, Consult the Star Charts, and Seam Rip. It's not exactly a brewer's paradise right now, and the 75's of Izzet Cauldron, Mono-Red, Dimir Midrange, and Esper Self-Bounce are denser than Sothera. There's a ban window in November, unless Wizards is worried enough about Vivi to issue an unlikely emergency ban, and I expect the resilient and flexible combo to lose a key component at that point. By the time Avatar drops, we should be dealing with a much different metagame landscape, so it's time to start planning ahead for a more open Standard where cards choked out by the current metagame can find their place. Starting with the colorless cards--the cards that can go in any deck--is a good place to begin.

There are 35 colorless cards in Edge of Eternities, including lands, and an actual ranking of them would be dominated by the five shocklands. Just assume those are a tacit number one, as they are every time they're reprinted, and we can get around to the other colorless picks, which are a curious mix of cards. Edge of Eternities is a laudably weird set, and its colorless cards embrace that ethos: there's a new Eldrazi that has a pseudo-Solemn Simulacrum effect, there's a 9/9 that you can cast for three, there's a card that casts Hive Stirrings every turn, and there's a Mindslaver variant with an Emrakul-sized activation cost. We're looking at much more creative designs than your usual mana rocks and graveyard hate pieces. The ceiling for some of these cards is atmospheric.

Thrumming Hivepool currently doesn't have Sliver support to back it up in Standard, but if Lorwyn Eclipsed brings back Changeling (as I fully expect it will), it can give any creatures with Changeling Haste and Double Strike. There are currently three uninspiring Changelings in Standard--Barkform Harvester, Taurean Mauler, and Three Tree Mascot--and Soulstone Sanctuary is a Sliver, but there's not a density of Slivers enough to meaningfully reduce the cost of Hivepool, so we'll have to consider the card at 6. I'm less enthused about Hivepool at six mana--it doesn't start pumping out Sliver tokens until turn seven and is disappointingly redundant in multiples. Again, this is with the huge caveat that more Slivers or pseudo-Slivers may be coming in the next year--if Hivepool is coming down on turn four and boosting pre-existing Slivers, it's a much different proposition. No matter what the future brings, I'd recommend picking up a stash of Hivepools at its current $3.99 pricepoint--every Sliver player needs one for their Commander deck, and Sliver cards have always overperformed as they slowly drain from the market.

We now segue from one Limited bomb to another, from Hivestone to Endstone. The Endstone is a quirky and pricey card, but as a hybrid Null Profusion/Eternity Vessel that demands they deal you ten or more damage in a single turn to kill you, it certainly justifies the cost. We're spoiled for choices these days for what seven mana can buy you, between The Endstone, Ugin, Eye of the Storm, and Sire of Seven Deaths, but turning landfall into card advantage with The Endstone gets a huge nod in a format with Icetill Explorer, which can power out The Endstone on turn five.

Dauntless Scrapbot takes us from the big hitters to the role player. A 3/1 for three generic isn't exciting in 2025. Still, the Scrapbot offers enough value that it's a reasonable card, once you factor in the Bojuka Bog effect and Lander token. Anything that produces two permanents for one card and can attack or block efficiently is worth paying attention to, and the Scrapbot can do it even if your mana isn't cooperating. If you're seeking graveyard removal, there are cheaper options (including the current scourge of Standard, Agatha's Soul Cauldron), and if you're looking to ramp with Lander tokens, you could do better with Sami's Curiosity, but if you need all of that and a decent creature, Dauntless Scrapbot is ready to serve.

Darksteel Relic has uses, but none inherent to the actual card. Nutrient Block adds one mana to the casting cost, but also adds a bit of utility in exchange: it can serve as an indestructible artifact, or can be cashed in for a shot of three life and a card. That's its base state. In conjunction with Lost Caverns of Ixalan's Zoetic Glyph, it can attack for five on turn three--or, in older formats, be the target of an Ensoul Artifact and attack for five on turn two. There's a plethora of exile removal in Standard right now, meaning that an animated Nutrient Block isn't unbeatable, but even if they deal with the Block, Zoetic Glyph at least lets you Discover 3--potentially turning up another Zoetic Glyph or casting our number one pick for most exciting colorless card in Edge of Eternities: Tezzeret, Cruel Captain.

One of the first cards revealed for the set, Tezzeret, Cruel Captain, drew excitement from Modern Tron players and anyone who has spent much time with Urza's Saga. Thus far, he hasn't lived up to the hype, but that's environmental rather than intrinsic to the card, and the power is certainly there. Tezzeret is a colorless Planeswalker who comes down on turn three with four loyalty whose abilities synergize with each other, and there are several artifact shells in Standard that can exploit him, from Azorius Simulacrum Synthesizer decks to Dimir versions with Golbez and Dubious Delicacy.

Tezzeret's zero ability won't protect him on an empty board, but reasonable cards to get a free +1/+1 counter and an untap on turn three include Diversion Unit, Demon Wall, Piggy Bank, Tough Cookie, Twitching Doll, Zookeeper Mechan, Gleaming Geardrake, and Mendicant Core, Guidelight.

The minus three ability puts Tezzeret at great risk, but tutors up removal (Grim Bauble), card draw/lifegain (Nutrient Block or Candy Trail), graveyard hate (Ghost Vacuum), a scalable threat (Marketback Walker), or a whole stack of decent Equipment, from Basilisk Collar to Hylderblade. Any card that offers a repeatable tutor is worth considering and then reconsidering as the context of the metagame shifts.

Tezzeret's ultimate is obviously scary--an emblem that animates and pumps up an artifact each combat gets out of hand quickly--but can only happen with a critical mass of artifacts to add loyalty to the heinous helmsman. Luckily, we have a critical mass of playable artifacts, and decks ready to take advantage of the power Tezzeret offers.

There is incredible power in Edge of Eternities' colorless cards, from exciting mythic rares with story relevance like The Endstone and Tezzeret to subtle roleplayers like Dauntless Scrapbot and Nutrient Block. While we may currently be under the domination of another colorless card--Agatha's Soul Cauldron--there is a future where these, or the other hidden gems of Edge of Eternities, shine.