Commander Thoughts: Mana Resources for Lorehold, the Historian
WRITTEN BY Devin Richardson
Welcome to the Commander Thoughts series! The goal is to not write a "How to build" or "commander guide" but to give you new or expanded ideas for the commander.
Deck building
It's called commitment...
If you are new to Boros, I'm here to tell you the truth. Your mana resources are limited or need to be specialized. I'd recommend committing 10-12 cards for mana resources and wheel effects for card draw.
Secrets of strixhaven| August 2026 | 8 Min Read
Mana Rocks
Welcome to Commander Thoughts where the goal is to improve your commander skills and deck building. Today, we have Lorehold, the Historian.
This blog today we are focusing on mana rocks and other way to create mana resources. Our goal is to actually be able to cast the spell if it has Miracle. The worst feeling is the desired card is on the turn for Miracle and you can't cast it. Let's avoid that.
The Bender's Waterskin is a better version of Victory Chimes. Victory Chimes adds colorless mana. We want mana of any color which makes our deck function better. Since Bender's Waterskin untaps on each players untap step; it's almost a additional mana each turn.
I'm an advocate adding mana rocks with additional abilities in my deck. It can make the difference between winning and losing games of commander. From my experience playing Boros commanders, you want mana rocks that can create at least two mana at some point in time. I find Boros commanders to be explosive type of game play. Everything happens on one turn and if your opponents don't have an answer, they're in trouble.
You're gonna discover cards that give you mana back for playing them. This is labeled as a mini refund. You want these type of cards to help you prepare for the spell you want to cast for Miracle. Yes, Lorehold, the Historian's Miracle ability reduces the cost by 2 mana but...you might have a 8 mana spell you want to play. Maybe you want to use miracle on consecutive turns of your opponents. You need to commit to mana resources to play Lorehold, the Historian.
One time mana
Mini Refund
Immediately gives you a small amount of mana or untapped lands back (typically no more than about one-third of the mana cost you paid. Also as you explore more spells that are labeled mini refund, they give mana back at different times or turns. Timing is super important in commander.
Heart of Ramos is a great mana rock for emergency casting. Simply it taps to add a red mana. However, you can sacrifice it to add another red mana when needed. Even though its already tapped!. The other sneaky tech I like about Heart of Ramos it can trigger a "when an artifact leaves the battlefield."
Everybody gets a refund!
2023 — 2024 Collection
Glittering Stockpile
Notice this mana rock has the subtype treasure. As the name suggests, Glittering Stockpile can store mana and give you a large amount based on stash counters.
01
Big Score
Creating the two treasure tokens is the refund for the 4 mana casting cost. Treasure tokens are powerful because they don't fizzle the same turn created. They're almost like land drops.
02
Forging the Tyrite Sword
This enchantment for 3 mana creates quality turns. Instead all at once, the different effects span over 3 turns. Every turn is different in commander and requires adjustments.
03
Summary
Get Creative
What you can learn from building Lorehold, the Historian is how to manipulate your library. You don't always have to rely on one card. Building your deck with these various effects can actually increase your card draw velocity.
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