10 Cards That Are Awesome to Warp With Tannuk

Kavu are back in Edge of Eternities in a big way, and one of the story’s main characters even comes with the creature type. Tannuk, Steadfast Second also happens to be a really interesting Commander. He gives all of your creatures haste, and all of your Artifacts and red creature cards can be Warped for two generic and a red. This is an awesome combination, since it means you can cast a creature at a big discount and get a hit in before it gets exiled at the end of the turn.

While there are other Red Commanders out there who can do cheat creatures into play for a single swing, like Ilharg the Raze-Boar and Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded, Warp is significantly different from those effects because instead of the creature dying, it gets exiled and you can cast it again later.

In this article, I’m going to discuss 10 cards that are great to warp into play with Tannuk. 

“ENTERS OR ATTACKS” CREATURES

Any creature with a powerful “enters or attacks” trigger goes really well with Tannuk, because Warping them while he’s around will result in you getting that trigger twice right away. Of course, you’ll get the trigger twice again when you cast the creature from exile later too. While just about any creature in this category is great with Tannuk, there are a few that deserve special mention.

Inferno Titan and its cycle-mates are actually the original “enters or attacks” creatures, and it’s a great fit here. For three mana you’re going to end up getting two dividable Lightning Bolts, which is sure to have a significant impact on most boards, as is getting in with a 6/6 with firebreathing.

Threefold Thunderhulk spits out three Gnomes when it enters and three more when it attacks. So, unlike the Titan it doesn’t decimate opposing player’s boards, but it builds out yours really effectively for a very low cost.

Cityscape Leveler doesn’t technically have an “enters or attacks” trigger. Instead, it has a “cast or attacks” trigger. But for this deck, it’s basically the same thing. Warp is an alternate casting cost, and that means gaining access to cast triggers at a big discount too. True to its name, the Leveler will annihilate a couple of nonland permanents when it gets warped.

CREATURES THAT ONLY NEED TO ATTACK ONCE FOR INSANE VALUE

While getting a trigger twice when you Warp a creature is great, there are some creatures that don’t have nearly as many triggers that are also great, simply because they have one insanely powerful effect, and gaining access to it for only three mana is likely to drastically alter the complexion of a game.

Etali, Primal Storm will effectively draw you four free cards any time it attacks. Everyone knows Etali is super strong, but one of its weaknesses is often that you have to wait a turn to get all of those free cards. That’s not the case with Tannuk, who not only makes it so you can get Etali down for less mana, it’ll also be able to attack immediately and get incredible value right away.

Ancient Copper Dragon has to hit a player, but because it’s a hasty Warp creature, it’s likely you can hit one of your opponents with it and generate a massive pile of treasure. You can then use that treasure to cast the Dragon or any other formerly Warped creatures.

Because of its massive size, trample, and infect, Blightsteel Colossus can eliminate one player from the game in a single swing.

CREATURES THAT LEAVE A BOARD PRESENCE IN THEIR WAKE

When you Warp a creature, you may only get it for a turn and that can often mean only adding to the board temporarily. However, if a creature generates tokens, those are going to stick around even after the warped creature gets exiled. We’ve already seen that with Threefolk Thunderhulk, but there are some other examples of that too.

Skitterbeam Battalion is perhaps the best creature in this category. This is because when you Warp, it doesn’t give you the “Prototype” version of the card. Instead, you’re using an alternate casting cost to cast it in its regular form. In that case, you end spending three mana for three 4/4s with Trample and Haste, and even after the Battalion goes away, those two other 4/4s will remain.

Myr Battlesphere isn’t quite as insane, but it does leave behind 4 1/1 tokens, and can even use those tokens to attack more effectively the turn it gets warped.

…AND SOME KAVU, OF COURSE

Kavu is a really cool creature type, one that we haven’t seen play a significant role in a set for a very long time. The Edge of Eternities Kavu seem a bit different than their predecessors, but there is undoubtedly a connection between those that dwell on Dominaria, and those living in the Edge. And there are some Kavu from Magic’s days gone by that are a good fit with Tannuk.

Flametongue Kavu is the most iconic Kavu of all time, as it singlehandedly warped multiple 60-card formats back in the day. It was really the first time we saw a creature with an “enters” trigger be really pushed. If you want to know more about the card’s history, I’ve written about its important place in Magic history in the past, and there’s also a video about it on my YouTube channel.

While Flametongue Kavu isn’t quite as amazing today, it is a creature with a great “enters” trigger that you’re more than happy to get twice between the Warp and casting it from exile. 

However, a lesser-known Kavu is probably even better alongside Tannuk – Firemaw Kavu. It has both an “enters” and a “leaves the battlefield” trigger, and getting exiled by Warp counts as leaving the battlefield. So any time you Warp it, you get to do 2 to one creature and 4 to another.

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Tannuk is a really cool Commander, and there are all kinds of creatures that become a lot more powerful once you’re Warping them. What do you think? What’s the best creature to Warp with Tannuk? Let me know over on X or Bluesky.