Shadow of the Enemy uses a new template indicating that you may spend mana as though it were mana of any type to cast the exiled cards
Whether youre just starting out in the format or have been playing since the early days, investing (both financially and gameplay-wise) in artifacts that tap for mana thus accelerating your mana production are pretty much de rigeur for Commander pods
Counters, Auras, Equipment, and other effects that affected those two cards don't affect the melded permanent
Normally when you start making a set, you have the ground floor of how its going to work figured out for you: Its just normal Magic rules, said Verhey
At minimum, separate true bulk (commons, uncommons, basic lands) from anything with meaningful value
Other Modern decks might struggle with the Ring's temptation, though, since Modern is filled with cheap, effective removal spells and combo decks that win long before the Ring's temptation has a chance to shine