With 78 different planes in Planechase Anthology's total pool, some are going to hit a table far harder than others, and the format's community has strong, consistent opinions about which ones.
A great plane needs to do two things well: its passive effect should meaningfully shift how the game plays, and its chaos ability should feel genuinely worth rolling for.
The planes that show up again and again on community top-lists tend to nail both, either by warping the game in a huge way or by offering a chaos ability players actively hope to roll.
This guide ranks the planes worth prioritizing if you are building your own planar deck from Anthology's full pool rather than just using the included ten-card decks as-is.
Otaria, the Dominaria-based plane included in Anthology's set, grants flashback to every instant and sorcery sitting in every player's graveyard, with the flashback cost equal to each card's own mana cost.
Its chaos ability is arguably even stronger: whenever chaos is triggered, the active player takes an extra turn, comparable to resolving a Time Walk, which is exactly why it is consistently ranked among the format's most powerful planes.
Krosa keeps its effect straightforward, boosting every creature on the battlefield, which immediately changes combat math for every player at the table the moment it flips.
That simplicity is part of the appeal: unlike planes with complicated conditional effects, Krosa's impact is instantly understandable and immediately relevant to whatever board state already exists.
A subset of highly ranked planes matter less for their passive effect and more for a chaos ability that can dramatically swing a single turn, similar to Otaria's extra-turn effect.
These planes reward players who actively spend mana rolling the planar die multiple times in a turn, since the payoff for hitting the chaos symbol can be worth far more than the incremental mana cost of extra rolls.
Not every plane included in Anthology lands well in practice. Planes with narrow, situational effects that rarely matter tend to feel like a wasted turn compared to a stronger alternative.
When building your own planar deck from the full pool, prioritizing planes with broadly relevant effects over narrow ones tends to produce more consistently interesting games.
Some planes, including ones drawn from settings like Kamigawa, Phyrexia, and Zendikar, earn a spot in a planar deck for atmosphere and nostalgia as much as raw power.
Since Planechase is inherently a flavor-forward format, a plane that captures a beloved setting well is a legitimate inclusion even when a mechanically stronger option exists.
Planes with effects that punish one specific strategy far more than others, such as ones that shut down a single card type entirely, tend to create lopsided games in a pod where players run very different decks.
Saving those narrower planes for casual, low-stakes games, rather than a pod where everyone is trying to play their best, generally produces a more balanced and enjoyable experience for the whole table.
Once you have identified the planes you rate highest, remember a legal planar deck only needs ten cards minimum, so there is no need to force in weaker planes just to hit a larger count.
It is worth revisiting your list after a handful of games, since a plane that reads well on paper does not always play as well once it actually hits the table in a real multiplayer group.
A tightly curated ten-to-fifteen card planar deck built entirely from your favorites will produce more consistently exciting games than a larger deck padded with filler, and travels well in a single deck box.
Otaria is widely regarded as one of the format's most powerful planes, thanks to its flashback effect and extra-turn chaos ability.
Its blanket +2/+2 boost to every creature is instantly relevant to any board state.
For some planes, yes, especially ones offering an extra-turn or similarly game-swinging chaos trigger.
At least ten, with no requirement to include more.
A curated planar deck built from Anthology's strongest planes makes every Planechase game feel sharper than just running the included ten-card decks unedited. Store your favorites in a magnetic card holder given their oversized, easily bent format.
Start with a handful of proven favorites like Otaria and Krosa, then expand from there as you find planes that fit your own group's play style.
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