Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Mana fixing strategies for blue-led two-color builds
Blue shines brightest when it has a reliable lane to weave in—bouncing from tempo to inevitability with surgical precision. Vedalken Blademaster, a steadfast Kaladesh CS (blue) creature, embodies that tempo magic: a sturdy 2/3 on the ground for {2}{U} with Prowess. Every noncreature spell you cast nudges this soldier from solid to stretch-goal threat, turning your early game into a chain of advantage. The real trick isn’t just playing Vedalken Blademaster; it’s pairing him with a mana base that can reliably produce both colors when you need them most. In two-color builds, mana fixing isn’t a luxury—it’s the backbone of your plan. 🧙♂️🔥💎
Vedalken Blademaster’s role in a tempo-filled blue shell
With prowess, the Blademaster scales as you cast noncreature spells, often turning a modest start into a surprising board presence by the time your opponent sets up defenses. Its modest mana cost and sturdy body make it an appealing anchor for one- or two-spell turns, especially when your deck leans into cheap cantrips and efficient disruption. The flavor text—“Vedalken have six thin, agile fingers on each hand, giving them unparalleled dexterity”—isn’t just fluff. It underlines the archetype’s core: dexterous control and precise timing. When you weave in a few inexpensive instants or sorceries, the Blademaster not only survives but thrives, punching through as you fix your mana and keep pressure up. ⚔️🎲
Vedalken dexterity isn’t just flavor—it's a design cue. A single, well-timed spell can push Blademaster from a solid body into a formidable tempo engine that returns value long after the initial play.
Mental model: building mana fixing around blue two-color pairs
Two-color blue decks come in several flavors, from UW control to UR tempo to UB discard shells. The common thread is a need for dependable mana that can fund back-to-back plays. Here are practical avenues to keep your mana honest while maximizing Blademaster’s prowess:
- Mana-fixing lands — Dual lands and fetch lands are the bread and butter of any two-color strategy. Cards like Flooded Strand, Polluted Delta, or more modern counterparts help you sculpt the exact color you need on turn two and beyond. Even in budget lists, the goal is mana consistency that doesn’t stall your curve. 🧙♂️
- Blue-signet and other color-fixing artifacts — Izzet Signet, Dimir Signet, Azorius Signet, and similar mana-rocks can smooth your mana base while enabling you to cast noncreature spells that trigger Prowess. They’re especially valuable when you’re running a handful of cheap Instants and Sorceries to fuel your Blademaster’s attack plan. 💎
- Noncreature spell density — A steady cadence of cheap cantrips and disruption not only fuels Prowess but also keeps your options open. Think Opt, Consider, Serum Visions, and early cheap counterspells or bounce spells. The idea is to cast them safely while you fix mana in the background. 🔥
- Budget-friendly fixer cards — While Kaladesh era staples aren’t exclusively required, you can lean on general fixer tools like Basic Land fetchers, utility lands, and affordable foil/ nonfoil copies of common fixers. The aim is to reach a stable board state where you can drop Blademaster and immediately threaten with the next two or three instants and sorceries. 🎨
- Draft-friendly synergy — In a two-color blue deck, you can intentionally plan a lighter mana base if your plan is to tempo out and then pivot with Wrath or draw-lueche. The trick is ensuring you still can cast your pivotal noncreature spells on curve, so the Blademaster’s attack remains efficient rather than a showcase of missed land drops. 🔔
To illustrate, a typical tempo blueprint around Vedalken Blademaster might include a suite of cheap cantrips (Opt, Consider), a couple of cheap removal spells, and a reliable source of blue mana plus a secondary color’s fixers. The synergy is twofold: you push early pressure with Blademaster, and you maintain pressure by ensuring every spell you cast makes the map of the game tilt your way. The more you lean into noncreature spells, the more value you squeeze from Prowess, and the more your opponents have to respect your plan. ⚔️🔥
Flavor, art, and the collector’s eye
Kaladesh brings a vibrant, kinetic energy to Magic’s art and lore, and Vedalken Blademaster is no exception. The artwork by Lake Hurwitz captures the Vedalken’s precise, almost surgical, approach to combat—an illustration perfect for a deck that prizes timing as much as raw stats. The common rarity belies a surprising swing factor in casual and budget-friendly builds; even with a modest price tag of around USD 0.04 and foil around USD 0.20, the card’s value isn’t only monetary. It’s the narrative payoff—the moment you cast a cheap spell, pump the Blademaster, and watch the board swing in your favor because you engineered the tempo, not because you got lucky. 💎🧙♂️
For players who treasure the tactile thrill of two-color mana bases and the thrill of a well-timed prowess trigger, Vedalken Blademaster is a small but mighty reminder that great design can live in common cards. Its ability to scale with your spell budget makes it a reliable, weekend-friendly desk buddy—one that invites experimentation with fixer packages and different two-color pairings. 🎲
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Vedalken Blademaster
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
ID: 572c15ab-2229-4536-b586-638ec77d9cb7
Oracle ID: 7a8405f5-ef37-460e-8e0b-55378f3b407b
Multiverse IDs: 417641
TCGPlayer ID: 123175
Cardmarket ID: 292816
Colors: U
Color Identity: U
Keywords: Prowess
Rarity: Common
Released: 2016-09-30
Artist: Lake Hurwitz
Frame: 2015
Border: black
EDHRec Rank: 28599
Penny Rank: 15329
Set: Kaladesh (kld)
Collector #: 68
Legalities
- Standard — not_legal
- Future — not_legal
- Historic — not_legal
- Timeless — not_legal
- Gladiator — not_legal
- Pioneer — legal
- Modern — legal
- Legacy — legal
- Pauper — legal
- Vintage — legal
- Penny — legal
- Commander — legal
- Oathbreaker — legal
- Standardbrawl — not_legal
- Brawl — not_legal
- Alchemy — not_legal
- Paupercommander — legal
- Duel — legal
- Oldschool — not_legal
- Premodern — not_legal
- Predh — not_legal
Prices
- USD: 0.04
- USD_FOIL: 0.20
- EUR: 0.03
- EUR_FOIL: 0.13
- TIX: 0.04
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