Enchantress Toolbox

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Introducion

Enchantress is a deck archetype which traditionally uses Argothian Enchantress as a draw engine and which attempts to solve problems and win using enchantments.

The purpose of this post is to simplify the creation and tuning of Enchantress decks by providing an annotated list of useful cards. The emphasis is on Type 1, although references to Extended Enchantress variants are included.

Primers and Link

Add a link to CooberP's Primer
Add a link to JJStors Articles
Add a link to a combo decklist

The Stars of the Show

Argothian Enchantress: She is the queen and center of most Enchantress decks. For the most part, she is used a cheap, continuous way to increase the number of cards you draw. She also provides some secondary benefits. With Worship, she becomes a soft lock again many decks. She can keep Drop of Honey from sacrificing itself. She can also act as a body onto which enchantments can be Replenished.

Enchantress's Presence: This is probably the second most popular draw engine for Enchantress decks. Although more expensive, it can be tutored by Enlightened Tutor and Sterling Grove, Protected by Sterling Grove, and Replenished.

Verduran Enchantress: This was the mother of all enchantresses. It is more expensive than Argothian and lacks the benefits of Presence. It is used mostly by beatdown variants since is can be targeted by Ancestral Mask and other creature enchantments.

Femeref Enchantress: This is probably the least used. It's major benefit is in the mirror match or again decks with mass removal.

Mana Acceleration

Birds of Paradise: BofP is used because it is a first turn drop, it avoids land destruction, and it facilitates multicolor decks. It creature based decks it provides an excellent body for enchantments since it flies. It is also not stopped by Moat.

Elvish Spirit Guides: These should be worse than Lotus Petal, however they do see play. They are mostly useful in heavy green aggro variants.

Fastbond/Exploration/Burgeoning: Although not mana acceleration in a strict sense, these three cards allow you to play additional lands that tend to accumulate in the Enchantress players hand. Fastbond is the best, followed by Exploration. Exploration becomes even better combined with Words of Wind.

Gaea's Touch: This doesn't actually provide mana, but allows you play an additional forest and carry GG to the next turn. With an enchantress in play it basically cycles for free.

Llanowar Elves/Fyndhorn Elves/Priest of Titania: More useful in casual decks, elves are cheap acceleration that can develop a lot of momentum fast. Mostly you will only see 2-4 in mono-green aggro variants.

Wild Growth/Fertile Ground: Wild growth may be the best accelerator for Enchantress since it replaces itself if an Enchantress is on the table. Fertile Ground is good mostly to facilitate color splashes and to play around certain hate (non-basic land destruction, Blood Moon, Back to Basics, Contamination).

Mirari's Wake: This is the most expensive mana accelerator to cast and the most powerful. It is used mostly in combo and slow control variants.

Jewelry: The standard Sol Ring, Black Lotus, and 5 Moxen. Most Type 1 decks at least include Black Lotus and on-color Moxen.

Mox Diamond: Although card disadvantage, it works very well in accelerating the first few turns.

Chrome Mox: Although good in theory, this probably the least used. Unless you are playing a very low land or mono-color variant, this tends to have all the disadvantages of Mox Diamond and an on-color mox combined.

Lotus Petal: By providing only a single free mana, it usually isn't worth including.

Fetchlands: Not acceleration, but it dramatically increases the playability of multicolor decks. It can also strengthen deck against non-basic hate, allow effective lower land counts for low land variants, and provides instant speed deck shuffling for Mirri's Guile.

Serra's Sanctum: This land is tremendously powerful in enchantress. It dramatically increases the likelihood of casting critical silver bullets (Worship, Ivory Mask, Aura of Silence) in the first three turns. It is also very effective in powering Sacred Mesa. However, it is very risky to play more than two since most of the early enchantments are green.

Tutors

Living Wish: This provides immediate access to specialty lands like Serra's Sanctum or Gaea's Cradle or solution creatures like Gorilla Shaman, Masticore, Exalted Angel, or Silvos.

Nostalgic Dreams: Not strictly a tutor, it allows you to recycle multiple threats or solutions from your graveyard. It is more useful is creature variants since Replenish is the ultimate enchantment recycler.

Regrowth: An obvious choice to get back a single solution or threat

Rofellos' Gift: For heavy green variants, this can become like an Ancestral Recall or Yawgmoth's Will. It is especially useful from retrying Sterling Grove or Seal of Cleansing.

Academy Rector: This is mostly used in combo variants to get Yawgmoth's Bargain into play.

Enlightened Tutor: Although weaker in many ways than Sterling Grove, it is very cheap and provide access to key artifacts like Black Lotus, Powder Keg, or Null Rod.

Demonic Tutor: The best tutor in Type 1. If your decks supports black and isn't pure aggro, it should probably be added.

Vampiric Tutor: In most cases, this is inferior to Sterling Grove, Enlighted Tutor, and Demonic Tutor.

Yawgmoth's Will: Even in Enchantress this can be I win.

Wild Research:

Sterling Grove:

Library Manipulation

Mirri's Guile:

Ancestral Memories:

Additional Draw

Sylvan Library:

Pursuit of Knowledge:

Ancestral Recall:

Curiosity: A cheap, reliable additional draw or at least a cantrip depending on your creature base. Nice with pingers (Prodigal Sorcerer, Plague Spitter).

Mystic Remora: More flexible than Curiosity since it doesn't require a body and can be dropped first turn. In many ways a one sided mini Standstill.

Read the Runes:
Standstill:

Necropotence:
Skeletal Scrying:
Yawgmoth's Bargain:

Disruptive Enchantments

City of Solitude:
Compost:
Ground Seal:
Holistic Wisdom:

Multani's Presence: A perfect first turn drop again hard control.

Root Maze: A first turn drop that slows down workshop decks and can prevent some combos from going off (Dragon, Draw 7).

Aura Fracture: A nice reusable way of getting rid of enchantments. In the current metagame, it's probably only useful in mirror and against Dragon.

Aura of Silence: Another way to slow down artifact decks that can be a disenchant in a pinch. It also depowers your opponents artifact mana.

Circle of Protection: X: When all else fails, COP will keep you alive. COP:Red is usually the only Circle used and it only because it's 2 to cast.

Conversion: This ends the game for mono-red. Not used much because it is slower and more narrow than other solutions.

Humility: Used mostly in creatureless or creature light variants, it works wonders against swarm decks, fat, and creatures with activated abilities. Pegasus tokens can trade blows with regular creatures.

Island Sanctuary: A mediocre card than can only be made good by Enchantress, becoming a cheap Moat.

Ivory Mask: A classic silver bullet against combo and control (Mind Twist, Duress, Braingeyser).

Karmic Justice: A great silver bullet against mass removal. It provides the additional turn or two required to recover from Disks or Deeds.

Moat:
Pariah:
Rule of Law:
Sacred Ground:
Seal of Cleansing:
Seal of Removal:
Solitary Confinement:
Story Circle:
Word of Waste:
Word of Worship:
Worship:

Chill:
Energy Flux:
Word of Wind:

Death Match:
The Abyss:

Blood Moon:

Price of Glory: With little need to tap lands during your opponents turn, this can be effective mana disruption again control.

Raka Sanctuary: A little difficult to setup, this can be effective free removal against small creature decks (cough, cough, Fish).

Word of War: Making every draw a Shock, this is efficient spot removal or game breaking combo with large card draw (Pursuit of knowledge, Sylvan Library, Skeletal Scrying, Read the Runes).

Aura Shards:
Dualing Ground:
Overgrown Estates:
Pernicious Deeds:

Additional Disruption

Xantid Swarm:

Abeyance:

Balance:
Orim's Chant:
Swords to Plowshares:

Wrath of God: It's sad to say, but sometimes you need a big stick. With the additional card drawing, the enchantress player can recover more quickly than most decks.

Force of Will: If you're playing heavy blue, FoW is irresistible. It dramatically increases you changes against combos.

Duress:

Artifact Mutation: Efficient spot removal that can provide a win condition. With Aura Shards in play it becomes an Uber Shatterstorm.

Powder Keg/Engineered Explosives:

Win Conditions

Auratog:
Decree of Justice:
Eternal Dragon:
Mobilization:
Opalescence:
Sacred Mesa:

Ancestral Mask:
Bearscape:
Centaur Glade:
Endless Wurm:

Hidden Gibbons/Hidden Guerrillas: These are great because they can come out on the first turn. They are best in Extended or against control.
Rabid Wombat: Mostly a old school card for casual decks. It's got a good picture, though.

Rancor: An efficient pump that can become a draw engine with an Enchantress in play. Amazing with Auratog, great with Endless Wurm or Mishra's Factory.

Word of Wilding:
Yavimaya Enchantress:

Armadillo Cloak: A bit expensive, this makes a Bird of Paradise into a mini Exalted Angel.

Spirit Link:

Combo Elements

Pandemonium/Saproling Burst:

Cadaverous Bloom:

Squandered Resources:

Earthcraft/Squirrel Nest:

Palinchron:

Brainfreeze:

Tendrils of Agony:

Braingeyser/Stroke of Genius: