Magic: The Gathering – The 10 Best White Cards In March Of The Machine

White cards have historically played a bit of a balancing act in Magic: The Gathering. With a healthy amount of removal, top-end creatures, and board control, white cards in Magic provide an important role in the game. In March of the Machine, white cards are on a full display of power against the New Phyrexian Invasion.

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In the face of the overwhelming might of Elesh Norn’s army, white cards have both untied to push back the tide and succumbed to the whispers of the glistening oil. With some of the strongest cards in March of the Machine being white these cards are the best of the best.

10 Essence Of Orthodoxy

With Phyrexian becoming a themed creature type in March of the Machine, you’ll want to use cards that care about Phyrexian creatures. Essence of Orthodoxy relies on the new incubate mechanic to steadily produce an army of Incubator tokens.

Essence of Orthodoxy creates a new Incubator token when it or another Phyrexian card enters the battlefield under your control. There are 61 cards from March of the Machine with the Phyrexian subtype, giving you tons of ways to keep producing tokens.

9 Boon-Bringer Valkyrie

Another creature showcasing a March of the Machine mechanic, Boon-Bringer Valkyrie is loaded with keywords to help boost your other creatures already in play. Backup works by distributing +1/+1 counters equal to the number associated with the backup ability and then grants the rest of the card’s abilities for a turn.

Boon-Bringer Valkyrie can turn just about any creature into a powerful attacker, swinging over any creatures on the ground since it gains flying and helping to stabilize with lifelink. Since you also give it a counter and first strike, the odds are you’ll keep your creature through combat.

8 Surge Of Salvation

This one-mana instant spell is a one-stop shop for protecting your cards and yourself from most things your opponent wants to do. When Surge of Salvation resolves, you and permanents you control gain hexproof for the turn.

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With Surge of Salvation you can protect yourself from any targeted removal, with it being a hard stop against cards like Invoke Despair. The ability to prevent damage that black and red sources is particularly good in formats like Commander, where there are tons of cards that Surge of Salvation can shut down.

7 Dusk Legion Duelist

This Vampire Soldier is pure value for players looking to do more with their +1/+1 counters than just beat face with them. The first Dusk Legion Duelist gets a +1/+1 counter in a turn; you get to draw a card, helping to keep your hand full of cards while also creating a powerful attacker after a few turns.

There are plenty of ways to distribute +1/+1 counters to your creatures, with Dusk Legion Duelist pairing very nicely with the backup mechanic that is also in March of the Machine. With Dusk Legion Duelist as your target, even if the ability you’re giving to it isn’t very relevant, putting the counter on it will still draw you a card.

6 Phyrexian Censor

A very specific Stax effect on an uncommon creature, Phyrexian Censor slows down both you and your opponent’s plays if you’re not in a Phyrexian-specific deck. The Phyrexian Censor makes it so players can’t cast more than one non-Phyrexian spell each turn.

Phyrexian Censor works great in a control deck, where you can use your one non-Phyrexian spell to counter your opponent’s spell. Even if your opponent does get a creature in play, it will enter tapped unless it is a Phyrexian creature.

5 Invasion Of Gobakhan // Lightshield Array

Battle cards are a new type of card introduced in March of the Machine, and the Invasion of Gobakhan is a great addition to white control decks. This two-mana battle gives you a chance to look at your opponent’s hand and exile a card from it. That card costs two more generic mana so long as it’s exiled.

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Once the three counters are removed, it becomes Lightshied Array, an enchantment that puts a +1/+1 counter on all your creatures that attacked this turn during your end step. You can also sacrifice it as an ultimate way to save your board by giving all your creatures hexproof and indestructible for a turn, dodging most removal spells and board wipes.

4 Sunfall

White generally has the best board wipes in Magic, and in March of the Machine, white gets a way to cause havoc on the battlefield. Sunfall exiles all creatures in play, with no exceptions.

With all those pesky creatures out of the way, you get to incubate for X, with X being the number of creatures you exiled. Now you’ll have a massive Incubator token that only costs two mana to turn into a creature. You can save your Incubator tokens through several board wipes, only activating them when you feel safe and are ready to attack.

3 Monastery Mentor

Spellslinger decks can rejoice with one of the most rewarding creatures Magic has ever seen. Every time you cast a noncreature spell you get a 1/1 Monk token with prowess. While a 1/1 isn’t great on its own, it will grow as you cast more spells while also giving you more creatures to attack with next turn.

Monastery Mentor slots right into most control decks or any sort of red and white burn deck. With all your spells going back and forth, you’ll be the only player with creatures in play to swarm over your opponents.

2 Archangel Elspeth

Our lady Elspeth is back after seemingly sacrificing herself during the Oathwatch’s assault on New Phyrexia with a whole new card based on her upgraded new status as a planeswalker in the Multiverse. Elspeth’s primary ability protects herself with a 1/1 Soldier token with lifelink, giving you a creature on the board to block incoming damage and giving you a boost of life.

Even better, Elspeth can turn a creature you control into an Angel create, giving it two +1/+1 counters and flying to go along with its new status. Elspeth can even help you recover late in the game, bringing all nonland permanents with a mana value of three or less back to play, sort of like a mass Sun Titan.

1 Elesh Norn // The Argent Etchings

The Grand Cenobite herself takes the top spot among white cards in March of the Machine. Elesh Norn will make your opponent second guess their attacks by taxing their life total and mana unless they can pay.

Once transformed, The Argent Etchings helps you set up the board for an eventual takeover by giving you five free transformed Incubator tokens, pumping all your creatures so you can sweep across the battlefield, and then cleansing everything except for artifacts, lands, and other Phyrexian permanent cards.

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