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Quick Draft MOM 9 February 2024

9 February 02:48 - RandomJobber 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (11)
1 Breach the Multiverse image
1 Ephara's Dispersal image
2 Assimilate Essence image
1 Vanquish the Weak image
1 Sword of Once and Future image
1 Final Flourish image
2 Unseal the Necropolis image
1 Meeting of Minds image
1 Eyes of Gitaxias image
Creature (11)
1 Dreg Recycler image
1 Omen Hawker image
2 Halo-Charged Skaab image
1 Oracle of Tragedy image
2 Saiba Cryptomancer image
1 Expedition Lookout image
1 Preening Champion image
1 Xerex Strobe-Knight image
1 Flitting Guerilla image
Other (1)
1 Invasion of Amonkhet // Lazotep Convert image
Land (17)
9 Island image
8 Swamp image
Sideboard
1 Dreg Recycler image
1 Nezumi Freewheeler image
2 Omen Hawker image
1 Halo-Charged Skaab image
1 Phyrexian Archivist image
1 Rona, Sheoldred's Faithful image
1 Furtive Analyst image
1 Zimone and Dina image
1 Akki Scrapchomper image
1 Ichor Shade image
1 Disturbing Conversion image
1 Zhalfirin Shapecraft image
1 Stasis Field image
1 Seed of Hope image
1 Crystal Carapace image
1 Negate image
1 Failed Conversion image
1 Corrupted Conviction image
1 Tranquil Cove image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Vanquish the Weak
Radha, Coalition Warlord image 2.0 Radha isn’t going to be as good in this format as she was in Dominaria United. That format was well set up for you to get multiple land types in play. This one’s not. So she is mostly a Hill Giant that offers +2/+2 when she attacks.
Invasion of Kaldheim image 2.5 This has a really neat design that does a rummage-type thing but combines it with impulsive draw, and it has the potential to give you a lot of extra cards, but this also has some real potential to be very awkward in Limited. If you are paying 4 mana for this thing doesn’t impact the board immediately, you really need to be getting at least a few cards you can use, but you’re not guaranteed to have enough cards in your hand to actually make that happen. Once it transforms it does become a pretty insane Enchantment, but this seems clunky and awkward overall.
Astral Wingspan image 3.0 Auras can be really dangerous to use when they don’t give you some sort of value like that, because if your opponent can deal with the creature you put it on, you just got 2-for-1’d and there’s a good chance you’re going to lose. Now, you still have to be careful about when you use this, since they can still respond by removing the creature you target, but as long as you pick the right spot, this is going to feel pretty nice. +2/+2 and Flying is a boost that makes almost any creature into a problem, and Convoke makes casting this even easier.
Sculpted Perfection image 3.0 BW is a Phyrexia Tribal deck, with special focus on the Incubator tokens. Most creatures in Black and White are Phyrexians in the set, so this ends up feeling like an anthem a decent chunk of the time – and one that brings a creature along for the ride, even if that creature is kind of inefficient
Kami of Whispered Hopes image 3.5 This being a three mana 1/1 is a big liability. It dies to basically everything, and the tempo hit can be rough. That said, it does come with some strong abilities! Giving things extra counters and ramping mana is great, and if you are putting counters on it, it will get quite large and produce lots of mana.
Order of the Mirror image 3.0 A two mana 2/1 is below rate these days, but this can transform the turn after you play it, and a 3/3 with this ability does tend to stay relevant for most of the game.
Nezumi Informant image 2.0 Adding to the board and taking an opposing card is pretty sweet. This isn’t exactly Virus Beetle though, which is probably the best version of these we’ve ever seen. That particular card happened to be an Artifact in a format where that mattered, and it was also in a format with lots of Ninjas so it was easier to abuse the ETB. In this format this does provide some decent sacrifice fodder, since it gives you a 1-for-1 up front, but it does have diminishing returns the longer that games go on.
Eyes of Gitaxias image 2.0 You can sort of look at this as a 5-mana 3/3 that draws you a card, and you can pay for it in installments. That’s not too bad, but it isn’t exactly something special either.
Onakke Javelineer image 3.0 A 5-mana 5/4 Reach is probably a 2.0 at best, but this activated ability means business. Using it to hurt javelins at your opponent’s dome can be a very real threat, and the fact thise can allow you to defeat battles without having to attack – and it can defeat them at instant speed – is great.
Vanquish the Weak image 3.0 This can sometimes trade up, but more often than not you break even on mana or worse when you cast this – for me, that keeps it from being a premium-level removal spell – instead it is merely solid.
Alabaster Host Intercessor image 3.5 This is a large version of Banisher Priest, and while it isn’t the most efficient thing ever, that’s still a strong effect. What makes it especially nice, though, is that it has Plainscycling. This means if you draw this early when you are really far from casting it, you can get rid of it and search up a land. This really offsets the downside of this being a 6-mana card. Basically, this gets a land when you need it, and if you have the mana to cast it, it is going to have a big impact on the board. I think this is one of White’s best Commons.
Placid Rottentail image 1.5 A 1/1 with Vigilance isn’t really setting the world on fire, but it does make it a nice spot to put +1/+1 counters, and once it goes down it can provide you with some counters all on its own.
Halo Hopper image 1.5 A three mana 3/2 is pretty bad, but the convoke upside here certainly makes this playable, though I’m still not very impressed.
Flitting Guerilla image 1.5 Wind Drakes aren’t what they used to be, and this ability is something you’ll only use a small percentage of the time.
Bloodfell Caves image 2.5 These always enter tapped, but producing two different colors and gaining a life is always nice value. If you’re in their two colors or trying to splash something, you’re going to be happy playing these.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Merciless Repurposing
Juri, Master of the Revue image 3.5 Again, sacrifice decks in this format look legit, so this is an incredibly nice payoff for that deck. Even if it never grows, the fail case is a two mana 1/1 that pings something when it dies. That isn’t great, but that’s the fail case, and this becomes more and more of a problem as the game goes on.
Sandstalker Moloch image 3.0 A three mana 4/2 with Flash is something you’ll pretty much always play, so the fact that this will be a straight up 2-for-1 against some opponents is amazing. If this always drew you a card it would be a 4.0. In Limited, the chances you run into someone playing one of these colors is pretty significant, too. Basically, this will feel amazing against the right opponent and solid against everyone else.
Merciless Repurposing image 3.0 6 mana is a lot, even for removal – mostly because you end up paying more than your opponent did for their creature a lot of the time, and that tempo hit can be rough. However, this is an Instant, and it gives you something that will eventually be a creature. If you have 8 mana lying around, this will feel like an 8-mana 3/3 that exiles something on ETB, and the fact you can spread it out in two installments is nice.
Invasion of Muraganda image 3.5 A 5-mana fight spell that gives you a +1/+1 counter isn’t bad, and it also means this is another Battle that increases your chances of being able to attack right away. With 6 defense it might take some time, but the creature you eventually get is pretty nice! Mostly you will lose it to buff your stuff, but the upside of sometimes taking away opposing abilities is definitely nice.
Order of the Mirror image 3.0 A two mana 2/1 is below rate these days, but this can transform the turn after you play it, and a 3/3 with this ability does tend to stay relevant for most of the game.
Wildwood Escort image 3.0 I like this. It is a built-in 2-for-1, and the first copy of this is going to be something you virtually always want in Green.
Flywheel Racer image 2.5 This is a reasonably efficient vehicle, and the fact it fixes and ramps is nice too, even if you do have to Crew it.
Mirran Banesplitter image 1.5 The fact this Equips for free the first time is nice, and definitely has the ability to make just about anything into a much better attacker. With Flash, you may even find a way to trade a smaller creature for something larger. The fact it costs three to Equip thereafter is rough.
Bladed Battle-Fan image 2.0 +1/+0 and indestructible isn’t a terrible trick-like effect, because it saves a creature in combat while helping them punch up, and it saves the creature from most removal too. Any time a card can do both of those they end up seeing play. The Equipment itself definitely isn’t exciting after the turn you cast it, and that does make it awkward in some situations, but the threat this presents as a trick is nice, and its flexible too.
Golden-Scale Aeronaut image 2.5 A 5-mana ¾ with Flying is acceptable, and that’s the floor here. The ability to put the counter on something else and give it flying for a turn will usually be what you want to do
Disturbing Conversion image 2.0 Blue-Black is interested in milling both players, so this seems like a decent card for that type of deck. Only lowering a creature’s power is pretty far from actually removing that creature, but this does enable your other graveyard stuff reasonably well.
Blighted Burgeoning image 2.0 If you play this on an untapped land, you can immediately transform the Incubator, and that’s nice – it means you can actually add something to the board when you play this, and the problem with most cards like this is they don’t do that. This also does a pretty good job of fixing and ramping your mana.
Expedition Lookout image 2.5 This is a two drop that lots of creatures can’t attack through, and eventually it becomes an unblockable 2/3. That’s pretty nice, because it might take awhile before you get there – since it can’t be blocked, it will be relevant on any board.
Jungle Hollow image 2.5 These always enter tapped, but producing two different colors and gaining a life is always nice value. If you’re in their two colors or trying to splash something, you’re going to be happy playing these.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Final Flourish
Firja, Judge of Valor image 3.5 This has decent base stats, and it will net you cards sometimes. It even loads your graveyard if you’re interested in that.
Invasion of Ergamon image 3.5 Two mana to make a treasure and loot isn’t the most amazing thing, and I’m a little less into all the Battles that don’t actually help you attack the Battle inherently. Now, this can sort of help in that regard by giving you more mana to cast creatures and helping you find more things that attack, but it is still a little too indirect to be great. Still, once you can transform this it becomes amazing, finding you another Battle or a land while having a very relevant body
Change the Equation image 0.5 The base level of this card isn’t very good, since most opponents won’t really have enough spells this can counter. Obviously, against Red and/or Green opponents it is great, but the floor is pretty bad.
Skyclave Aerialist image 4.0 I’m already sold on a two mana 2/1 Flyer, so the fact this can transform into a more durable creature that nets you a card is amazing upside.
Onakke Javelineer image 3.0 A 5-mana 5/4 Reach is probably a 2.0 at best, but this activated ability means business. Using it to hurt javelins at your opponent’s dome can be a very real threat, and the fact thise can allow you to defeat battles without having to attack – and it can defeat them at instant speed – is great.
Arachnoid Adaptation image 1.5 One mana for +2/+2 always has me a little bit interested, since it offers a big enough boost for a creature to win a significant number of combats, and It comes at a very low cost. The tempo you get when you use this kind of trick can be amazing! The creature even gets pseudo-vigilance. You can also use this defensively of course, and that’s the only way that Reach will be useful, but you should really only do that in an emergency. It is always dangerous to use a trick on your opponents turn, since during combat they probably have lots of mana untapped. In the end, this seems solid for aggressive Green decks, though I don’t think it will always make the cut.
Alabaster Host Sanctifier image 2.5 We have seen quite a few two mana 2/2s with Lifelink at this point, and they’re always fine. The set almost prominently features a +1/+1 mechanic in White, which might even make it a little better than usual.
Disturbing Conversion image 2.0 Blue-Black is interested in milling both players, so this seems like a decent card for that type of deck. Only lowering a creature’s power is pretty far from actually removing that creature, but this does enable your other graveyard stuff reasonably well.
Final Flourish image 3.0 This is a nice removal spell. The base card is probably a C, but the kicker upside here is massive. As we’ve seen, Black has good sacrifice outlets and lots of other good reasons to sacrifice creatures, so this card will be right at home in that type of deck. That said, this will probably only be capable of -2/-2 a little too often to be an amazing removal spell.
Shatter the Source image 3.0 This looks pretty nice. 6 mana for 6 damage at Instant speed is usually a 2.0, and with Convoke you’re going to be able to cast this in many more situations than you would normally be able to. Sometimes you can blow up a problem Artifact with this too.
Ichor Drinker image 2.5 This one drop brings a lot of value. A one mana 1/1 with Lifelink isn’t amazing, but in a format with +1/+1 counters around, among other ways to augment your creatures, it will probably play a little better than it looks. Additionally, if you mill this thing in your Blue-Black deck, or it ends up in your graveyard in any other way, it does deliver some real value in the format of the incubate token. One drops lately have pretty much all overperformed, and I think this is another one that will. It is really cheap and does stuff that all the decks in the format can take advantage of.
Searing Barb image 2.0 Three mana for 2 damage at Sorcery speed isn’t very good, but you can sort of look at this as a 5-mana 2/2 that does 2 damage to something. Which…well, still isn’t that good. Still, it does have 2-for-1 potential and can hit battles.
Swamp image
Pack 1 Pick 4: Preening Champion
Kwende, Pride of Femeref image 2.0 A 4-mana 2/2 with Double Strike isn’t a complete disaster, and this does upgrade a few other cards. Unfortunately, there aren’t very many First Strikers in this set.
Shivan Branch-Burner image 3.0 You probably need to paying 5 or less actual mana for this to really feel like you’re getting there. Luckily, that’s quite doable! And getting this down even easier than that isn’t impossible either.
Scrappy Bruiser image 1.5 This can definitely make something else – or itself – into a much better attacker, but I actually don’t love that it makes you return the thing you target to your hand. Sometimes you’ll get some sweet value as a result of that, like if you return something with Backup, but the tempo you lose is a big deal.
Sculpted Perfection image 3.0 BW is a Phyrexia Tribal deck, with special focus on the Incubator tokens. Most creatures in Black and White are Phyrexians in the set, so this ends up feeling like an anthem a decent chunk of the time – and one that brings a creature along for the ride, even if that creature is kind of inefficient
Etched Host Doombringer image 2.5 This is an interesting design. Obviously the stats are bad, but even if this could only drain 2 life on ETB it would probably be playable, so having this Battle upside is pretty nice. If you can use this to defeat a battle and transform it, its going to feel pretty close to a 2-for-1 – and the fact you can also use it to subtract counters from your battles or add counters to your opponents battles is pretty sweet. If you can use this to defeat a battle on ETB, it is going to feel pretty close to a 2-for-1
Tenured Oilcaster image 2.0 A 4-mana 2/4 Menace isn’t too bad, so if you add in the fact it mills you and pays you off for milling is pretty nice. The times when this is a 5/4 menace for 4 will feel pretty nice!
Realmbreaker's Grasp image 3.5 White’s usual premium Common removal spell Is here! It shuts down most creatures entirely, though as usual cards with static ability, sacrifice effects, and bounce effects hurt when you play this card – and those things are in this set, of course.
Preening Champion image 3.5 This helps you do Convoke stuff in addition to having the Knight creature type, and it is just a really good rate in general. This is one of Blue’s best Commons.
Eyes of Gitaxias image 2.0 You can sort of look at this as a 5-mana 3/3 that draws you a card, and you can pay for it in installments. That’s not too bad, but it isn’t exactly something special either.
Hangar Scrounger image 2.0 This is either a three mana 3/2 that rummages when it taps, or a three mana 2/1 that puts a counter somewhere else that lets you rummage when it taps that turn. That’s certainly fine, but I’m also not blown away by either option.
Wary Thespian image 2.5 Two mana for a 3/1 and a couple of Surveil triggers seems like a solid deal. That is some very nice card selection to come attached to a creature that is already close to playable based on its statline.
Dismal Backwater image 2.5 These always enter tapped, but producing two different colors and gaining a life is always nice value. If you’re in their two colors or trying to splash something, you’re going to be happy playing these.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Invasion of Amonkhet
Reyav, Master Smith image 3.0 There’s a decent amount of Auras and Equipment in the set, but not so many that this is going to be super easy to trigger.
Invasion of Amonkhet image 3.5 We’ve already seen some of the non-battle signpost Uncommons, but every color pair has an uncommon Battle too! As we’ve seen, Blue-Black is interested in getting things in the graveyard, and the fact you draw while your opponent discards is some really nice value, and it really isn’t that far off of the three mana you’re paying, so the fact you might get a 4/4 later in the game is pretty nice.
Zhalfirin Lancer image 3.5 This will often be able to attack as a 4/4 with Vigilance which is pretty nice. Lots of cards make Knight tokens too, so it may get buffed more than once! It has a very reasonable floor too, so it is a quality card.
Phyrexian Awakening image 3.0 On its own, you get a 5-mana 4/4 with Vigilance, and you can pay for it in installments. That’s not a bad deal, especially when this can also give some of your other creatures Vigilance. Vigilance seems pretty well positioned in the format too, because creatures with it can attack battles and defend them at the same time.
Assimilate Essence image 2.0 This is kind of a cool design. Early it can counter the majority of cards in your opponent’s deck, and fairly efficiently too – and then later in the game if they can pay it, you at least get a consolation prize. Obviously the better mode is actually countering the thing, but at least it isn’t utterly useless in other situations.
Cut Short image 3.0 This is decent removal, especially because it can show up out of nowhere when you’re tapped out. It is restrictive enough that I do think it falls a bit short of premium
Unseal the Necropolis image 3.0 Black usually gets a nice common that returns creatures from your graveyard to your hand, and this looks like a really good version of that to me. Milling three for both players gets your pretty close to meeting the “reverse threshold” type requirements that several cards have, and it also increases your chance of being able to get back two creatures. It is also an Instant which isn’t something we often see. This means you can use this on the end of your opponent’s turn, and then cast something you get back on your turn which is nice. You don’t usually want more than one of these, because they are so bad in the early game – but honestly, the first copy of this card looks like a must-have for most Black decks, and especially Black-Blue.
Ichor Shade image 2.0 Its nice that this looks at both graveyard, as sometimes when we see this sort of effect it only checks yours. This will gain a counter on a significant number of turns, especially if you’re a Sacrifice deck. It does have a pretty bad baseline, but I you can definitely hold this and then play it in second main phase after something dies, and it will quickly become a ¾, and things can go crazy from there.
Coming In Hot image 1.5 This is a decent trick that we’ve seen before. +1/+0 and First Strike is enough to help a lot of creatures kill an opposing creature and survive combat, the Scry is some nice additional upside. It IS a trick that is only useful in combat, which certainly hurts its stock a bit, but its fine.
Corrupted Conviction image 2.0 If you have expendable creatures, this is pretty good – and it always has the mode of allowing you to use it after you block or your creature is targeted with removal. If you’re only using it in those situations it definitely gets worse and more narrow, though – ideally, you consistently have bodies around you can always sacrifice and feel good about it, which gives this more room to shine.
Thornwood Falls image 2.5 These always enter tapped, but producing two different colors and gaining a life is always nice value. If you’re in their two colors or trying to splash something, you’re going to be happy playing these.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Dreg Recycler
Stoke the Flames image 4.0 Even without Convoke, this would be great. But sometimes you will be able to cast this without any mana up, or at least for a lot less than 4 mana, and that upside is crazy, especially because it can hit any target. This is premium removal and then some.
Furnace Reins image 1.5 // 4.0 A Threaten effect seems particularly interesting in this set, because getting a blocker out of the way and sending it at your opponent for a single turn is going to be more meaningful in a world where you can attack Battles. I think this does make this type of effect better, but the best place for this card will still be a deck that can also sacrifice the creature you can steal. The format does have a ton of cheap sacrifice outlets, especially in Black – and in the Black-Red deck this will be amazing. It has the upside these all have – that it can produce lethal out of nowhere – but in a Black-Red sacrifice deck you can use it earlier in the game and sacrifice the thing you steal, meaning you can use this a lot more often and a lot more effectively.
Nezumi Freewheeler image 4.0 A 4-mana 3/3 Menace isn’t amazing, but this can also give you a bit of graveyard value. Getting cards in the opponent’s graveyard has some upside to it in Black in this format too. This can also transform the turn after you play it into a very exciting creature that can take advantage of the graveyard quite effectively.
Skittering Surveyor image 3.0 This does a great job of fixing your mana, and makes for an expendable body to sacrifice in Black-Red.
Thunderhead Squadron image 2.5 Even if you only tap one creature to help you cast this, you’re getting a passable deal. If you can cast this for significantly less, it will feel even better.
Burning Sun's Fury image 1.5 As a trick, this isn’t especially good. +2/+0 might help a creature take down something bigger, but you still end up losing your creature in most situations, and obviously to take advantage of Haste you have to cast it in your main phase. This is really cheap, and with Convoke in the picture it will be even easier to cast than it looks at first – but I think the card’s main uses will be for sending in one of your new creatures and/or finishing the opponent off, and those uses are a little too narrow. It can definitely help you do a ton of damage out of nowhere.
Bladed Battle-Fan image 2.0 +1/+0 and indestructible isn’t a terrible trick-like effect, because it saves a creature in combat while helping them punch up, and it saves the creature from most removal too. Any time a card can do both of those they end up seeing play. The Equipment itself definitely isn’t exciting after the turn you cast it, and that does make it awkward in some situations, but the threat this presents as a trick is nice, and its flexible too.
Dreg Recycler image 2.5 Life drain does a great job of helping you stay alive while also pressuring your opponent, and it even has passable stats.
Halo Hopper image 1.5 A three mana 3/2 is pretty bad, but the convoke upside here certainly makes this playable, though I’m still not very impressed.
Swamp image
Pack 1 Pick 7: Meeting of Minds
Valduk, Keeper of the Flame image 1.5 // 3.0 I don’t think every Red deck will automatically have the things it needs for this to spit out a Spark elemental every turn, and its pretty bad when you’re not doing that.
Scrappy Bruiser image 1.5 This can definitely make something else – or itself – into a much better attacker, but I actually don’t love that it makes you return the thing you target to your hand. Sometimes you’ll get some sweet value as a result of that, like if you return something with Backup, but the tempo you lose is a big deal.
Bola Slinger image 3.0 This type of creature is always nice in an aggro deck, since getting blockers out of the way really changes how well you can attack. So, this is either a 4-mana 3/3 with this ability, or a 4-mana 2/2 that puts a counter on something else and gives it that ability right away.
Karsus Depthguard image 2.0 Just one +1/+1 counter allows this to start rumbling, and those aren’t exactly hard to come by in Red, and a 3-mana 4/3 Defender isn’t a terrible fail case.
Swordsworn Cavalier image 2.5 A two mana 3/1 is usually a borderline playable in Limited, and this will have First Strike a big chunk of the time. If you play this on turn two, and a knight on turn three, your opponent really has no hope of blocking effectively.
Meeting of Minds image 3.0 This is an Instant, which is kind of a big deal – in many situations it can be a better version of Divination, and in a format with a spell deck that is good at convoking, this seems like exactly what the doctor ordered. You probably don’t want too many of them, as they can get awkward in multiples. But I think the first copy is something you want.
Expedition Lookout image 2.5 This is a two drop that lots of creatures can’t attack through, and eventually it becomes an unblockable 2/3. That’s pretty nice, because it might take awhile before you get there – since it can’t be blocked, it will be relevant on any board.
Kor Halberd image 2.0 I like the efficiency here. +1/+1 and Vigilance isn’t a boost that set’s the world on fire, but when you can get it with a one mana Equip cost, I’m definitely interested.
Island image
Pack 1 Pick 8: Traumatic Revelation
Akki Scrapchomper image 1.0 I’d generally rather be able to sacrifice creatures than lands, since there are so many good expendable ones out there. Sure, if you have too many lands this provides flood insurance, but it is a pretty mediocre card early and not even that good in the late game.
Ichor Drinker image 2.5 This one drop brings a lot of value. A one mana 1/1 with Lifelink isn’t amazing, but in a format with +1/+1 counters around, among other ways to augment your creatures, it will probably play a little better than it looks. Additionally, if you mill this thing in your Blue-Black deck, or it ends up in your graveyard in any other way, it does deliver some real value in the format of the incubate token. One drops lately have pretty much all overperformed, and I think this is another one that will. It is really cheap and does stuff that all the decks in the format can take advantage of.
Eyes of Gitaxias image 2.0 You can sort of look at this as a 5-mana 3/3 that draws you a card, and you can pay for it in installments. That’s not too bad, but it isn’t exactly something special either.
Alabaster Host Intercessor image 3.5 This is a large version of Banisher Priest, and while it isn’t the most efficient thing ever, that’s still a strong effect. What makes it especially nice, though, is that it has Plainscycling. This means if you draw this early when you are really far from casting it, you can get rid of it and search up a land. This really offsets the downside of this being a 6-mana card. Basically, this gets a land when you need it, and if you have the mana to cast it, it is going to have a big impact on the board. I think this is one of White’s best Commons.
Beamtown Beatstick image 2.0 +1/+0 and Menace isn’t a terrible boost for the casting and equip cost here, and the fact it gives you treasure will also mean it will be a little easier to move around than it might look at first. Seems like a solid inclusion for Red aggro decks.
Enduring Bondwarden image 2.5 A one mana ½ that puts its counter somewhere when it dies is playable in this format because there are so many nice payoffs for doing things with counters. The ability to put the counter elsewhere is good too, and you can even get away with attacking into a trade if you have Backed up the creature, because if your opponent blocks you’re going to come out ahead since you keep all those counters
Traumatic Revelation image 1.5 Hitting creatures and battles means you can hit most nonlands in your opponent’s deck, and if you wiff you sort of end up with a Hill Giant. While that’s not awesome, the main problem with discard spells is how weak they are when you get them late or you wiff, and the consolation prize is enough here for this to be a 1.5. Basically you get the upside discard spells offer with very minimal downside.
Scoured Barrens image 2.5 These always enter tapped, but producing two different colors and gaining a life is always nice value. If you’re in their two colors or trying to splash something, you’re going to be happy playing these.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Eyes of Gitaxias
Radha, Coalition Warlord image 2.0 Radha isn’t going to be as good in this format as she was in Dominaria United. That format was well set up for you to get multiple land types in play. This one’s not. So she is mostly a Hill Giant that offers +2/+2 when she attacks.
Sculpted Perfection image 3.0 BW is a Phyrexia Tribal deck, with special focus on the Incubator tokens. Most creatures in Black and White are Phyrexians in the set, so this ends up feeling like an anthem a decent chunk of the time – and one that brings a creature along for the ride, even if that creature is kind of inefficient
Eyes of Gitaxias image 2.0 You can sort of look at this as a 5-mana 3/3 that draws you a card, and you can pay for it in installments. That’s not too bad, but it isn’t exactly something special either.
Onakke Javelineer image 3.0 A 5-mana 5/4 Reach is probably a 2.0 at best, but this activated ability means business. Using it to hurt javelins at your opponent’s dome can be a very real threat, and the fact thise can allow you to defeat battles without having to attack – and it can defeat them at instant speed – is great.
Placid Rottentail image 1.5 A 1/1 with Vigilance isn’t really setting the world on fire, but it does make it a nice spot to put +1/+1 counters, and once it goes down it can provide you with some counters all on its own.
Halo Hopper image 1.5 A three mana 3/2 is pretty bad, but the convoke upside here certainly makes this playable, though I’m still not very impressed.
Flitting Guerilla image 1.5 Wind Drakes aren’t what they used to be, and this ability is something you’ll only use a small percentage of the time.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Expedition Lookout
Juri, Master of the Revue image 3.5 Again, sacrifice decks in this format look legit, so this is an incredibly nice payoff for that deck. Even if it never grows, the fail case is a two mana 1/1 that pings something when it dies. That isn’t great, but that’s the fail case, and this becomes more and more of a problem as the game goes on.
Flywheel Racer image 2.5 This is a reasonably efficient vehicle, and the fact it fixes and ramps is nice too, even if you do have to Crew it.
Mirran Banesplitter image 1.5 The fact this Equips for free the first time is nice, and definitely has the ability to make just about anything into a much better attacker. With Flash, you may even find a way to trade a smaller creature for something larger. The fact it costs three to Equip thereafter is rough.
Disturbing Conversion image 2.0 Blue-Black is interested in milling both players, so this seems like a decent card for that type of deck. Only lowering a creature’s power is pretty far from actually removing that creature, but this does enable your other graveyard stuff reasonably well.
Blighted Burgeoning image 2.0 If you play this on an untapped land, you can immediately transform the Incubator, and that’s nice – it means you can actually add something to the board when you play this, and the problem with most cards like this is they don’t do that. This also does a pretty good job of fixing and ramping your mana.
Expedition Lookout image 2.5 This is a two drop that lots of creatures can’t attack through, and eventually it becomes an unblockable 2/3. That’s pretty nice, because it might take awhile before you get there – since it can’t be blocked, it will be relevant on any board.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Disturbing Conversion
Change the Equation image 0.5 The base level of this card isn’t very good, since most opponents won’t really have enough spells this can counter. Obviously, against Red and/or Green opponents it is great, but the floor is pretty bad.
Arachnoid Adaptation image 1.5 One mana for +2/+2 always has me a little bit interested, since it offers a big enough boost for a creature to win a significant number of combats, and It comes at a very low cost. The tempo you get when you use this kind of trick can be amazing! The creature even gets pseudo-vigilance. You can also use this defensively of course, and that’s the only way that Reach will be useful, but you should really only do that in an emergency. It is always dangerous to use a trick on your opponents turn, since during combat they probably have lots of mana untapped. In the end, this seems solid for aggressive Green decks, though I don’t think it will always make the cut.
Disturbing Conversion image 2.0 Blue-Black is interested in milling both players, so this seems like a decent card for that type of deck. Only lowering a creature’s power is pretty far from actually removing that creature, but this does enable your other graveyard stuff reasonably well.
Shatter the Source image 3.0 This looks pretty nice. 6 mana for 6 damage at Instant speed is usually a 2.0, and with Convoke you’re going to be able to cast this in many more situations than you would normally be able to. Sometimes you can blow up a problem Artifact with this too.
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Pack 1 Pick 12: Realmbreaker's Grasp
Kwende, Pride of Femeref image 2.0 A 4-mana 2/2 with Double Strike isn’t a complete disaster, and this does upgrade a few other cards. Unfortunately, there aren’t very many First Strikers in this set.
Scrappy Bruiser image 1.5 This can definitely make something else – or itself – into a much better attacker, but I actually don’t love that it makes you return the thing you target to your hand. Sometimes you’ll get some sweet value as a result of that, like if you return something with Backup, but the tempo you lose is a big deal.
Realmbreaker's Grasp image 3.5 White’s usual premium Common removal spell Is here! It shuts down most creatures entirely, though as usual cards with static ability, sacrifice effects, and bounce effects hurt when you play this card – and those things are in this set, of course.
Hangar Scrounger image 2.0 This is either a three mana 3/2 that rummages when it taps, or a three mana 2/1 that puts a counter somewhere else that lets you rummage when it taps that turn. That’s certainly fine, but I’m also not blown away by either option.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Unseal the Necropolis
Unseal the Necropolis image 3.0 Black usually gets a nice common that returns creatures from your graveyard to your hand, and this looks like a really good version of that to me. Milling three for both players gets your pretty close to meeting the “reverse threshold” type requirements that several cards have, and it also increases your chance of being able to get back two creatures. It is also an Instant which isn’t something we often see. This means you can use this on the end of your opponent’s turn, and then cast something you get back on your turn which is nice. You don’t usually want more than one of these, because they are so bad in the early game – but honestly, the first copy of this card looks like a must-have for most Black decks, and especially Black-Blue.
Ichor Shade image 2.0 Its nice that this looks at both graveyard, as sometimes when we see this sort of effect it only checks yours. This will gain a counter on a significant number of turns, especially if you’re a Sacrifice deck. It does have a pretty bad baseline, but I you can definitely hold this and then play it in second main phase after something dies, and it will quickly become a ¾, and things can go crazy from there.
Coming In Hot image 1.5 This is a decent trick that we’ve seen before. +1/+0 and First Strike is enough to help a lot of creatures kill an opposing creature and survive combat, the Scry is some nice additional upside. It IS a trick that is only useful in combat, which certainly hurts its stock a bit, but its fine.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Burning Sun's Fury
Burning Sun's Fury image 1.5 As a trick, this isn’t especially good. +2/+0 might help a creature take down something bigger, but you still end up losing your creature in most situations, and obviously to take advantage of Haste you have to cast it in your main phase. This is really cheap, and with Convoke in the picture it will be even easier to cast than it looks at first – but I think the card’s main uses will be for sending in one of your new creatures and/or finishing the opponent off, and those uses are a little too narrow. It can definitely help you do a ton of damage out of nowhere.
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Pack 1 Pick 15: Island
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Pack 2 Pick 1: Jin-Gitaxias
Horobi, Death's Wail image 2.0 A 4-mana 4/4 flyer is a pretty nice rate, the rest of this card’s text has its pros and cons. It turns basically everything that targets into a removal spell, and that may benefit your opponent more than it benefits you! It is fairly hard to control how things will go there. Obviously, you can build around it to some extent, but you still can’t count on your opponent being capable of targeting anything.
Jin-Gitaxias image 4.0 Transforming this in Limited isn’t going to be super easy, but that’s okay – a 5-mana 5/5 with Ward 2 that draws you extra cards is still really great, and on the off chance you do manage to flip it into a Saga, well – you’re just going to win the game on the spot. The extra cards Jin-Gitaxias helps you draw can help you get there, but generally in Limited if you’re holding on to that many cards, you’re going to fall way behind.
Invasion of Regatha image 3.5 Doing some direct damage with this is pretty nice, and it will feel really good when you can also pick off a small creature and/or defeat a Battle. As with most of these, the creature when you transform this is pretty amazing.
Glistening Deluge image 0.5 This card annoys me. Mostly because it ends up being even more narrow than the other cards in this cycle. This is because it has a symmetrical effect, which means if you’re playing Black-White or Black-Green you really don’t want to play this or even side it in. If you’re in one of the other three Black decks, it is a nice sideboard card that might sometimes be a one-sided wrath, but the base effect does seem underpowered enough that it should still start in your sideboard
Halo Forager image 3.5 UB is a mill deck in this format – interested both in self-mill and milling the opponent and getting value out of it, so that does mean having cards in your graveyard for this is pretty likely. A three mana 3/1 flyer is already passable, and the fact that you can cast an instant or Sorcery from either graveyard is a pretty big deal. You won’t always have the mana to do that, and the graveyard’s won’t always be stocked even in Blue-Black, but even just getting a one mana spell out of it is going to feel amazing, and it sort of scales the longer the game goes.
Sandstalker Moloch image 3.0 A three mana 4/2 with Flash is something you’ll pretty much always play, so the fact that this will be a straight up 2-for-1 against some opponents is amazing. If this always drew you a card it would be a 4.0. In Limited, the chances you run into someone playing one of these colors is pretty significant, too. Basically, this will feel amazing against the right opponent and solid against everyone else.
Etched Familiar image 2.5 Trading this off and draining 2 life from your opponent is going to feel like a good deal all the time, and it isn’t terrible sacrifice fodder either.
Disturbing Conversion image 2.0 Blue-Black is interested in milling both players, so this seems like a decent card for that type of deck. Only lowering a creature’s power is pretty far from actually removing that creature, but this does enable your other graveyard stuff reasonably well.
Blighted Burgeoning image 2.0 If you play this on an untapped land, you can immediately transform the Incubator, and that’s nice – it means you can actually add something to the board when you play this, and the problem with most cards like this is they don’t do that. This also does a pretty good job of fixing and ramping your mana.
Beamtown Beatstick image 2.0 +1/+0 and Menace isn’t a terrible boost for the casting and equip cost here, and the fact it gives you treasure will also mean it will be a little easier to move around than it might look at first. Seems like a solid inclusion for Red aggro decks.
Bladed Battle-Fan image 2.0 +1/+0 and indestructible isn’t a terrible trick-like effect, because it saves a creature in combat while helping them punch up, and it saves the creature from most removal too. Any time a card can do both of those they end up seeing play. The Equipment itself definitely isn’t exciting after the turn you cast it, and that does make it awkward in some situations, but the threat this presents as a trick is nice, and its flexible too.
Searing Barb image 2.0 Three mana for 2 damage at Sorcery speed isn’t very good, but you can sort of look at this as a 5-mana 2/2 that does 2 damage to something. Which…well, still isn’t that good. Still, it does have 2-for-1 potential and can hit battles.
Failed Conversion image 2.0 This isn’t a terrible rate - against most creatures it will be a 5-mana spell that kills the creature and then you Surveil 2. It also isn’t premium, though, as a 5-mana sorcery speed removal spell should probably be able to kill more stuff!
Sunder the Gateway image 1.5 So at worst, this is a two mana 2/2, and sometimes you’ll have another Incubator around who is bigger, and you’ll choose to turn that one into a creature. That’s probably usually what this will do, because there aren’t a boatload of targets for this in the format. When you do get to kill an artifact or Enchantment with this it will feel like a pretty sweet 2-for-1, and I think the baseline is solid. Having Artifact and Enchantment hate in your main deck is nice too.
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Pack 2 Pick 2: Halo Forager
Renata, Called to the Hunt image 3.5 Renata giving your creatures a +1/+1 counter when they enter is great, especially because this set has +1/+1 counter synergy, and sometimes Renate will also have pretty high power.
Invasion of Kamigawa image 3.5 Stunning something for a turn is a nice effect, especially when it can help you more quickly get Rooftop Saboteurs on the battlefield. Once you’ve done that, you have a great creature that will net you impressive card advantage.
Halo Forager image 3.5 UB is a mill deck in this format – interested both in self-mill and milling the opponent and getting value out of it, so that does mean having cards in your graveyard for this is pretty likely. A three mana 3/1 flyer is already passable, and the fact that you can cast an instant or Sorcery from either graveyard is a pretty big deal. You won’t always have the mana to do that, and the graveyard’s won’t always be stocked even in Blue-Black, but even just getting a one mana spell out of it is going to feel amazing, and it sort of scales the longer the game goes.
Kami of Whispered Hopes image 3.5 This being a three mana 1/1 is a big liability. It dies to basically everything, and the tempo hit can be rough. That said, it does come with some strong abilities! Giving things extra counters and ramping mana is great, and if you are putting counters on it, it will get quite large and produce lots of mana.
Bonded Herdbeast image 3.0 A 5-mana 4/5 is a 2.0 at the very best, but this one transforms into a pretty scary 7/5 with Menace, something that is going to be a problem on most boards.
Swordsworn Cavalier image 2.5 A two mana 3/1 is usually a borderline playable in Limited, and this will have First Strike a big chunk of the time. If you play this on turn two, and a knight on turn three, your opponent really has no hope of blocking effectively.
Final Flourish image 3.0 This is a nice removal spell. The base card is probably a C, but the kicker upside here is massive. As we’ve seen, Black has good sacrifice outlets and lots of other good reasons to sacrifice creatures, so this card will be right at home in that type of deck. That said, this will probably only be capable of -2/-2 a little too often to be an amazing removal spell.
Akki Scrapchomper image 1.0 I’d generally rather be able to sacrifice creatures than lands, since there are so many good expendable ones out there. Sure, if you have too many lands this provides flood insurance, but it is a pretty mediocre card early and not even that good in the late game.
Saiba Cryptomancer image 2.5 Been awhile since they gave us a creature at a lower rarity that just straight up has Hexproof, and I’m not sure how I feel about it! Obviously, this can lend hexproof to another creature temporarily, but because this always has Hexproof this might just be a case where you’d rather take the two mana ½ Hexproof since your opponent won’t be dealing with it that well. This is a spicy place to put +1/+1 counters and Auras, and there are going to be some games determined by someone just sticking an Aura on this in the early game and going to town.
Etched Host Doombringer image 2.5 This is an interesting design. Obviously the stats are bad, but even if this could only drain 2 life on ETB it would probably be playable, so having this Battle upside is pretty nice. If you can use this to defeat a battle and transform it, its going to feel pretty close to a 2-for-1 – and the fact you can also use it to subtract counters from your battles or add counters to your opponents battles is pretty sweet. If you can use this to defeat a battle on ETB, it is going to feel pretty close to a 2-for-1
Aerial Boost image 2.0 This is the kind of trick you always need to keep in mind, because your opponent will be able to cast this even with no lands untapped! It offers a reasonable boost and the upside of sometimes just letting a creature get in there because of Flying.
Temporal Cleansing image 2.0 A Sorcery that always did this for four mana would probably be a 1.5. It is definitely removal, but very clunky, and the fact it can’t be a more permanent answer for many creatures is definitely a problem.
Wildwood Escort image 3.0 I like this. It is a built-in 2-for-1, and the first copy of this is going to be something you virtually always want in Green.
Wind-Scarred Crag image 2.5 These always enter tapped, but producing two different colors and gaining a life is always nice value. If you’re in their two colors or trying to splash something, you’re going to be happy playing these.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Tranquil Cove
Rona, Sheoldred's Faithful image 3.0 Adding some incidental life loss to your spells can be nice, and Blue/Black in this format mills itself enough that her recursive ability matters too.
Invasion of Pyrulea image 3.0 Two mana for a Scry 3 that is likely to draw you a card isn’t a terrible rate, and while this doesn’t directly help you add to the board, it is a passable rate. If you find yourself in a situation where you can attack the Invasion, you’re going to get yourself a very impressive creature too, especially because UG is the color pair the most interested in transformed creatures, so there’s lots of synergy there.
Glistening Deluge image 0.5 This card annoys me. Mostly because it ends up being even more narrow than the other cards in this cycle. This is because it has a symmetrical effect, which means if you’re playing Black-White or Black-Green you really don’t want to play this or even side it in. If you’re in one of the other three Black decks, it is a nice sideboard card that might sometimes be a one-sided wrath, but the base effect does seem underpowered enough that it should still start in your sideboard
Pyretic Prankster image 3.0 A two mana 2/1 is below rate these days, but this can transform into a 3/2 that virtually always forces a 2-for-1, and it can transform pretty quickly.
Converter Beast image 2.5 You can look at this as a 6-mana 0/1 that makes a 5/5. That’s an acceptable rate, and this has the usual upside Incubator tokens have – you have the option of paying for it in installments. The downside here is the times where you can’t get that 5/5 really quickly, you’re playing a 0/1 for a 4 which will feel like you are barely adding to the board.
Redcap Heelslasher image 3.0 A 4-mana ¾ with First Strike performs reasonably well, and having the ability to offer +1/+1 and temporary first strike to something already in play will usually mean that creature can attack far more effectively that turn.
Bladed Battle-Fan image 2.0 +1/+0 and indestructible isn’t a terrible trick-like effect, because it saves a creature in combat while helping them punch up, and it saves the creature from most removal too. Any time a card can do both of those they end up seeing play. The Equipment itself definitely isn’t exciting after the turn you cast it, and that does make it awkward in some situations, but the threat this presents as a trick is nice, and its flexible too.
Tidal Terror image 3.0 This 6-mana 5/6 plays well with all the token stuff going on in Blue/white, as it can sometimes be unblockable. Islandcycling is a great thing to have, as it allows you to throw this away in the early game so that you hit your land drop, and if you play it late, it isn’t a bad threat to have.
Bola Slinger image 3.0 This type of creature is always nice in an aggro deck, since getting blockers out of the way really changes how well you can attack. So, this is either a 4-mana 3/3 with this ability, or a 4-mana 2/2 that puts a counter on something else and gives it that ability right away.
Mirrodin Avenged image 1.5 This is a functional reprint of You Are Already Dead, which we saw in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty. That card was kind of underwhelming. When it worked, you got a pretty sweet 2-for-1. It can’t really be an amazing card though, because there aren’t enough situations where you can do damage to something without already having to give up a card. If you can do that, this gets a lot better.
Kitesail image 2.0 This offers a reasonable boost for how much it takes to Equip. Adding Flying to creatures is a nice upgrade.
Timberland Ancient image 3.0 A 6-mana 6/5 with Reach and Trample is right around a 2.0 these days, but don’t underestimate Forestcycling! Unlike your other 6 drops, you can throw this one away if you draw it early and grab a land drop you desperately need, and when it comes time to cast it, it isn’t usually a creature your opponent can just ignore.
Tranquil Cove image 2.5 These always enter tapped, but producing two different colors and gaining a life is always nice value. If you’re in their two colors or trying to splash something, you’re going to be happy playing these.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Vanquish the Weak
Shivan Branch-Burner image 3.0 You probably need to paying 5 or less actual mana for this to really feel like you’re getting there. Luckily, that’s quite doable! And getting this down even easier than that isn’t impossible either.
Herbology Instructor image 3.5 A two mana ⅓ that gains 3 on ETB is usually a 2.5, so the fact this has late game upside that turns it into a 3/3 that will kill something is pretty nice.
Invasion of Dominaria image 3.0 Three mana for 4 life and a card isn’t the worst deal ever, and you have the potential to get a Serra Angel. Obviously that’s insane value for the investment, but I do think it will take some work to transform this.
Placid Rottentail image 1.5 A 1/1 with Vigilance isn’t really setting the world on fire, but it does make it a nice spot to put +1/+1 counters, and once it goes down it can provide you with some counters all on its own.
Knight of the New Coalition image 3.0 4-mana for two 2/2s with Vigilance is an excellent rate – this helps you go wide like the RW deck wants you to do, while also producing two bodies with a very useful creature type. I think this looks like a very good Common.
Disturbing Conversion image 2.0 Blue-Black is interested in milling both players, so this seems like a decent card for that type of deck. Only lowering a creature’s power is pretty far from actually removing that creature, but this does enable your other graveyard stuff reasonably well.
Vanquish the Weak image 3.0 This can sometimes trade up, but more often than not you break even on mana or worse when you cast this – for me, that keeps it from being a premium-level removal spell – instead it is merely solid.
Ichor Shade image 2.0 Its nice that this looks at both graveyard, as sometimes when we see this sort of effect it only checks yours. This will gain a counter on a significant number of turns, especially if you’re a Sacrifice deck. It does have a pretty bad baseline, but I you can definitely hold this and then play it in second main phase after something dies, and it will quickly become a ¾, and things can go crazy from there.
Cosmic Hunger image 3.5 We have seen this card before, only without the battle part, and it is always premium removal for Green because it can deal with things so efficiently. You always run the risk of getting 2-for-1’d when you cast it if you aren’t careful, but because this is an Instant, finding a spot where your opponent can’t respond is relatively easy.
Stasis Field image 2.0 This type of removal never feels great. This is mostly because it allows your opponent to hold on to at least some value from their creature. Sure, the best it can do most of the time is chump block, and that may not sound like much, but that makes this a lot worse than it might look.
Searing Barb image 2.0 Three mana for 2 damage at Sorcery speed isn’t very good, but you can sort of look at this as a 5-mana 2/2 that does 2 damage to something. Which…well, still isn’t that good. Still, it does have 2-for-1 potential and can hit battles.
Bloodfell Caves image 2.5 These always enter tapped, but producing two different colors and gaining a life is always nice value. If you’re in their two colors or trying to splash something, you’re going to be happy playing these.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Flitting Guerilla
Copper Host Crusher image 1.0 This is a big hard-to-kill monster, but it also costs 8 mana which simply isn’t an amount of mana you get to very consistently in Limited.
Ramosian Greatsword image 3.5 This is a stats boost that makes basically any creature into a threat, and the fact you can Convoke this helps soften the blow that this costs so much mana. The Equip cost itself is super reasonable for the boost after you get it into play, too!
Nezumi Informant image 2.0 Adding to the board and taking an opposing card is pretty sweet. This isn’t exactly Virus Beetle though, which is probably the best version of these we’ve ever seen. That particular card happened to be an Artifact in a format where that mattered, and it was also in a format with lots of Ninjas so it was easier to abuse the ETB. In this format this does provide some decent sacrifice fodder, since it gives you a 1-for-1 up front, but it does have diminishing returns the longer that games go on.
Attentive Skywarden image 2.5 This has passable base stats, and sometimes it will let you transform an incubator for free.
Flitting Guerilla image 1.5 Wind Drakes aren’t what they used to be, and this ability is something you’ll only use a small percentage of the time.
Saiba Cryptomancer image 2.5 Been awhile since they gave us a creature at a lower rarity that just straight up has Hexproof, and I’m not sure how I feel about it! Obviously, this can lend hexproof to another creature temporarily, but because this always has Hexproof this might just be a case where you’d rather take the two mana ½ Hexproof since your opponent won’t be dealing with it that well. This is a spicy place to put +1/+1 counters and Auras, and there are going to be some games determined by someone just sticking an Aura on this in the early game and going to town.
Karsus Depthguard image 2.0 Just one +1/+1 counter allows this to start rumbling, and those aren’t exactly hard to come by in Red, and a 3-mana 4/3 Defender isn’t a terrible fail case.
Timberland Ancient image 3.0 A 6-mana 6/5 with Reach and Trample is right around a 2.0 these days, but don’t underestimate Forestcycling! Unlike your other 6 drops, you can throw this one away if you draw it early and grab a land drop you desperately need, and when it comes time to cast it, it isn’t usually a creature your opponent can just ignore.
Enduring Bondwarden image 2.5 A one mana ½ that puts its counter somewhere when it dies is playable in this format because there are so many nice payoffs for doing things with counters. The ability to put the counter elsewhere is good too, and you can even get away with attacking into a trade if you have Backed up the creature, because if your opponent blocks you’re going to come out ahead since you keep all those counters
Angelic Intervention image 2.5 Two mana for a counter and protection gives your creature the ability to both dodge removal spells and succeed in combat more often.
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Pack 2 Pick 6: Flitting Guerilla
Dina, Soul Steeper image 2.5 Life gain is not a huge theme in the format, which really limits how good Dina can be. There is incidental life gain around that she certainly takes advantage of, and her ability to buff herself can be useful sometimes too.
Sun-Blessed Guardian image 3.0 A two mana 2/2 is underwhelming these days, but this transforms into a creature who can be a major problem, and the fact it requires Phyrexian mana means you can end up only paying 5 for it – and you can do it even if you never have Red. The base form of the card is underwhelming enough that this isn’t amazing, but it isn’t really a two drop you’ll ever cut either.
Storm the Seedcore image 3.0 Granting a big stats boost to a few creatures, and giving all creatures Vigilance and Trample seems like a nice deal. This lets you really upgrade your board without sacrificing the ability to block on the following turn, and that can really help turn a race around. As usual, this type of card has the downside of being very mediocre if you don’t have a well-developed board, but even then the fail case isn’t the worst.
Bladed Battle-Fan image 2.0 +1/+0 and indestructible isn’t a terrible trick-like effect, because it saves a creature in combat while helping them punch up, and it saves the creature from most removal too. Any time a card can do both of those they end up seeing play. The Equipment itself definitely isn’t exciting after the turn you cast it, and that does make it awkward in some situations, but the threat this presents as a trick is nice, and its flexible too.
Flitting Guerilla image 1.5 Wind Drakes aren’t what they used to be, and this ability is something you’ll only use a small percentage of the time.
Wrenn's Resolve image 2.5 This is Reckless Impulse with a different name, and that was a quality draw spell in Innistrad: Crimson Vow. You’re almost always going to be able to play both cards that you hit with this before the end of your next turn, and this ends up being a two mana draw two most of the time.
Chomping Kavu image 2.5 This is either a 4-mana 4/4 that can’t be blocked by small stuff, or a 4-mana 3/3 that gives something else a counter and makes it harder to block for a turn. I think both of those modes are going to feel like a pretty good investment.
Onakke Javelineer image 3.0 A 5-mana 5/4 Reach is probably a 2.0 at best, but this activated ability means business. Using it to hurt javelins at your opponent’s dome can be a very real threat, and the fact thise can allow you to defeat battles without having to attack – and it can defeat them at instant speed – is great.
Inspired Charge image 1.5 // 3.0 We see this all the time, and its always a build around-type card that works great in decks that can go wide, and pretty bad everywhere else. The good news is, both Red/White and Blue/White look like they’ll be interested in this.
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Pack 2 Pick 7: Stasis Field
Invasion of Vryn image 2.5 A Sorcery speed Sift isn’t a terrible card, though if this is a format where you really need to add more meaningfully to the board, it might be a little bit too clunky. The things this transforms into also isn’t amazing, but if you double a removal spell with it, it will certainly feel pretty good.
Phyrexian Censor image 2.5 This has decent base stats, and you’ll be able to make this effect one-sided enough, especially in Black-White, that this seems like a solid card.
Bonded Herdbeast image 3.0 A 5-mana 4/5 is a 2.0 at the very best, but this one transforms into a pretty scary 7/5 with Menace, something that is going to be a problem on most boards.
Blighted Burgeoning image 2.0 If you play this on an untapped land, you can immediately transform the Incubator, and that’s nice – it means you can actually add something to the board when you play this, and the problem with most cards like this is they don’t do that. This also does a pretty good job of fixing and ramping your mana.
Wildwood Escort image 3.0 I like this. It is a built-in 2-for-1, and the first copy of this is going to be something you virtually always want in Green.
Swordsworn Cavalier image 2.5 A two mana 3/1 is usually a borderline playable in Limited, and this will have First Strike a big chunk of the time. If you play this on turn two, and a knight on turn three, your opponent really has no hope of blocking effectively.
Stasis Field image 2.0 This type of removal never feels great. This is mostly because it allows your opponent to hold on to at least some value from their creature. Sure, the best it can do most of the time is chump block, and that may not sound like much, but that makes this a lot worse than it might look.
Placid Rottentail image 1.5 A 1/1 with Vigilance isn’t really setting the world on fire, but it does make it a nice spot to put +1/+1 counters, and once it goes down it can provide you with some counters all on its own.
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Pack 2 Pick 8: Omen Hawker
Daxos, Blessed by the Sun image 3.0 On its own, Daxos is a 2/2, and it will often have higher toughness than that – plus all the incidental life gain is nice. That said, this format doesn’t have a life gain deck in it – nor does it really have an Enchantment deck, nor does it have very many other cards that care about Devotion. So, it doesn’t do
Omen Hawker image 2.0 This format does have a decent number of activated abilities, between Incubate and creatures who can transform for some amount of mana. Accelerating those things is definitely nice, but it still feels like this might be a little too narrow, even in this format.
Invasion of New Capenna image 3.0 I don’t love that this does stone nothing on turn two a lot of the time. It would be nice to set this up on turn two and get a little something, which is what a lot of the cheap Battles do – but this one is far more situational. That said, the thing that it can do is certainly powerful, especially if you have some expendable bodies around, which isn’t a huge ask if you’re in Black-White, since that’s the color pair the most interested in Incubating. This also means that the Equipment you ultimately get can do a pretty nice job of enhancing your board.
Urn of Godfire image 1.0 This is horrible at fixing your mana and is a wildly inefficient removal spell. You might run it if you’re desperate for removal, but if that’s where you’re at things really didn’t go well in the draft.
Unseal the Necropolis image 3.0 Black usually gets a nice common that returns creatures from your graveyard to your hand, and this looks like a really good version of that to me. Milling three for both players gets your pretty close to meeting the “reverse threshold” type requirements that several cards have, and it also increases your chance of being able to get back two creatures. It is also an Instant which isn’t something we often see. This means you can use this on the end of your opponent’s turn, and then cast something you get back on your turn which is nice. You don’t usually want more than one of these, because they are so bad in the early game – but honestly, the first copy of this card looks like a must-have for most Black decks, and especially Black-Blue.
Marauding Dreadship image 1.5 So in the end, you pay 5 mana for a 2/2 and a 4/1 Vehicle with Haste and Crew 2. That’s not….the worst thing ever, but it doesn’t seem like you’re doing a great job either. The Vehicle can simply be blocked by a token or something, and Crew 2 is kind of high for a 1 toughness vehicle. It can definitely come down and do some surprise damage, but the fact that you have to tap something significant to crew it makes that a lot less appealing.
Beamtown Beatstick image 2.0 +1/+0 and Menace isn’t a terrible boost for the casting and equip cost here, and the fact it gives you treasure will also mean it will be a little easier to move around than it might look at first. Seems like a solid inclusion for Red aggro decks.
Enduring Bondwarden image 2.5 A one mana ½ that puts its counter somewhere when it dies is playable in this format because there are so many nice payoffs for doing things with counters. The ability to put the counter elsewhere is good too, and you can even get away with attacking into a trade if you have Backed up the creature, because if your opponent blocks you’re going to come out ahead since you keep all those counters
Pack 2 Pick 9: Etched Familiar
Glistening Deluge image 0.5 This card annoys me. Mostly because it ends up being even more narrow than the other cards in this cycle. This is because it has a symmetrical effect, which means if you’re playing Black-White or Black-Green you really don’t want to play this or even side it in. If you’re in one of the other three Black decks, it is a nice sideboard card that might sometimes be a one-sided wrath, but the base effect does seem underpowered enough that it should still start in your sideboard
Etched Familiar image 2.5 Trading this off and draining 2 life from your opponent is going to feel like a good deal all the time, and it isn’t terrible sacrifice fodder either.
Blighted Burgeoning image 2.0 If you play this on an untapped land, you can immediately transform the Incubator, and that’s nice – it means you can actually add something to the board when you play this, and the problem with most cards like this is they don’t do that. This also does a pretty good job of fixing and ramping your mana.
Beamtown Beatstick image 2.0 +1/+0 and Menace isn’t a terrible boost for the casting and equip cost here, and the fact it gives you treasure will also mean it will be a little easier to move around than it might look at first. Seems like a solid inclusion for Red aggro decks.
Bladed Battle-Fan image 2.0 +1/+0 and indestructible isn’t a terrible trick-like effect, because it saves a creature in combat while helping them punch up, and it saves the creature from most removal too. Any time a card can do both of those they end up seeing play. The Equipment itself definitely isn’t exciting after the turn you cast it, and that does make it awkward in some situations, but the threat this presents as a trick is nice, and its flexible too.
Sunder the Gateway image 1.5 So at worst, this is a two mana 2/2, and sometimes you’ll have another Incubator around who is bigger, and you’ll choose to turn that one into a creature. That’s probably usually what this will do, because there aren’t a boatload of targets for this in the format. When you do get to kill an artifact or Enchantment with this it will feel like a pretty sweet 2-for-1, and I think the baseline is solid. Having Artifact and Enchantment hate in your main deck is nice too.
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Pack 2 Pick 10: Saiba Cryptomancer
Renata, Called to the Hunt image 3.5 Renata giving your creatures a +1/+1 counter when they enter is great, especially because this set has +1/+1 counter synergy, and sometimes Renate will also have pretty high power.
Invasion of Kamigawa image 3.5 Stunning something for a turn is a nice effect, especially when it can help you more quickly get Rooftop Saboteurs on the battlefield. Once you’ve done that, you have a great creature that will net you impressive card advantage.
Bonded Herdbeast image 3.0 A 5-mana 4/5 is a 2.0 at the very best, but this one transforms into a pretty scary 7/5 with Menace, something that is going to be a problem on most boards.
Saiba Cryptomancer image 2.5 Been awhile since they gave us a creature at a lower rarity that just straight up has Hexproof, and I’m not sure how I feel about it! Obviously, this can lend hexproof to another creature temporarily, but because this always has Hexproof this might just be a case where you’d rather take the two mana ½ Hexproof since your opponent won’t be dealing with it that well. This is a spicy place to put +1/+1 counters and Auras, and there are going to be some games determined by someone just sticking an Aura on this in the early game and going to town.
Etched Host Doombringer image 2.5 This is an interesting design. Obviously the stats are bad, but even if this could only drain 2 life on ETB it would probably be playable, so having this Battle upside is pretty nice. If you can use this to defeat a battle and transform it, its going to feel pretty close to a 2-for-1 – and the fact you can also use it to subtract counters from your battles or add counters to your opponents battles is pretty sweet. If you can use this to defeat a battle on ETB, it is going to feel pretty close to a 2-for-1
Aerial Boost image 2.0 This is the kind of trick you always need to keep in mind, because your opponent will be able to cast this even with no lands untapped! It offers a reasonable boost and the upside of sometimes just letting a creature get in there because of Flying.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Mirrodin Avenged
Bladed Battle-Fan image 2.0 +1/+0 and indestructible isn’t a terrible trick-like effect, because it saves a creature in combat while helping them punch up, and it saves the creature from most removal too. Any time a card can do both of those they end up seeing play. The Equipment itself definitely isn’t exciting after the turn you cast it, and that does make it awkward in some situations, but the threat this presents as a trick is nice, and its flexible too.
Bola Slinger image 3.0 This type of creature is always nice in an aggro deck, since getting blockers out of the way really changes how well you can attack. So, this is either a 4-mana 3/3 with this ability, or a 4-mana 2/2 that puts a counter on something else and gives it that ability right away.
Mirrodin Avenged image 1.5 This is a functional reprint of You Are Already Dead, which we saw in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty. That card was kind of underwhelming. When it worked, you got a pretty sweet 2-for-1. It can’t really be an amazing card though, because there aren’t enough situations where you can do damage to something without already having to give up a card. If you can do that, this gets a lot better.
Kitesail image 2.0 This offers a reasonable boost for how much it takes to Equip. Adding Flying to creatures is a nice upgrade.
Timberland Ancient image 3.0 A 6-mana 6/5 with Reach and Trample is right around a 2.0 these days, but don’t underestimate Forestcycling! Unlike your other 6 drops, you can throw this one away if you draw it early and grab a land drop you desperately need, and when it comes time to cast it, it isn’t usually a creature your opponent can just ignore.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Ichor Shade
Placid Rottentail image 1.5 A 1/1 with Vigilance isn’t really setting the world on fire, but it does make it a nice spot to put +1/+1 counters, and once it goes down it can provide you with some counters all on its own.
Knight of the New Coalition image 3.0 4-mana for two 2/2s with Vigilance is an excellent rate – this helps you go wide like the RW deck wants you to do, while also producing two bodies with a very useful creature type. I think this looks like a very good Common.
Disturbing Conversion image 2.0 Blue-Black is interested in milling both players, so this seems like a decent card for that type of deck. Only lowering a creature’s power is pretty far from actually removing that creature, but this does enable your other graveyard stuff reasonably well.
Ichor Shade image 2.0 Its nice that this looks at both graveyard, as sometimes when we see this sort of effect it only checks yours. This will gain a counter on a significant number of turns, especially if you’re a Sacrifice deck. It does have a pretty bad baseline, but I you can definitely hold this and then play it in second main phase after something dies, and it will quickly become a ¾, and things can go crazy from there.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Attentive Skywarden
Attentive Skywarden image 2.5 This has passable base stats, and sometimes it will let you transform an incubator for free.
Karsus Depthguard image 2.0 Just one +1/+1 counter allows this to start rumbling, and those aren’t exactly hard to come by in Red, and a 3-mana 4/3 Defender isn’t a terrible fail case.
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Pack 2 Pick 14: Onakke Javelineer
Onakke Javelineer image 3.0 A 5-mana 5/4 Reach is probably a 2.0 at best, but this activated ability means business. Using it to hurt javelins at your opponent’s dome can be a very real threat, and the fact thise can allow you to defeat battles without having to attack – and it can defeat them at instant speed – is great.
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Pack 2 Pick 15: Island
Island image
Pack 3 Pick 1: Artistic Refusal
Horobi, Death's Wail image 2.0 A 4-mana 4/4 flyer is a pretty nice rate, the rest of this card’s text has its pros and cons. It turns basically everything that targets into a removal spell, and that may benefit your opponent more than it benefits you! It is fairly hard to control how things will go there. Obviously, you can build around it to some extent, but you still can’t count on your opponent being capable of targeting anything.
Progenitor Exarch image 4.5 Even if you just pay three total mana for this, it is really good, and obviously it can scale the longer the game goes on. This is basically a one man army, and it does a great job of making it easier to transform your Incubators.
Merciless Repurposing image 3.0 6 mana is a lot, even for removal – mostly because you end up paying more than your opponent did for their creature a lot of the time, and that tempo hit can be rough. However, this is an Instant, and it gives you something that will eventually be a creature. If you have 8 mana lying around, this will feel like an 8-mana 3/3 that exiles something on ETB, and the fact you can spread it out in two installments is nice.
Artistic Refusal image 2.0 Paying six for this is in no way worth it, but with Convoke around you can really discount this – heck, if your board is wide enough this can effectively be a free counterspell that gives you some card selection! Still, the set up cost is real – this is pretty bad in the early stages of the game when you can’t get your board set up, and counterspells are inherently quite narrow in Limited. Still, the option to make the cost much lower and the fact you can even just choose the draw two discard 1 option in a pinch makes it at least a solid card.
Invasion of Lorwyn image 3.5 The front side of this is a removal spell that will kill almost everything, and when it transforms it is a creature that is all but guaranteed to be the biggest thing on the field. Six mana is a lot, but the fact this is removal is great, since it also means you’ve got a good chance to attack the Battle right away.
Order of the Mirror image 3.0 A two mana 2/1 is below rate these days, but this can transform the turn after you play it, and a 3/3 with this ability does tend to stay relevant for most of the game.
Aerial Boost image 2.0 This is the kind of trick you always need to keep in mind, because your opponent will be able to cast this even with no lands untapped! It offers a reasonable boost and the upside of sometimes just letting a creature get in there because of Flying.
Ephara's Dispersal image 2.5 One mana to bounce an attacking creature and Surveil 2 is quite the deal, so the fact you can also target non attacking creatures for 3 mana is nice. Most of the time you don’t get an actual trade, but the card selection and tempo are nice, and the times where you do cast this in response to a trick or something will feel truly amazing.
Urn of Godfire image 1.0 This is horrible at fixing your mana and is a wildly inefficient removal spell. You might run it if you’re desperate for removal, but if that’s where you’re at things really didn’t go well in the draft.
Kitesail image 2.0 This offers a reasonable boost for how much it takes to Equip. Adding Flying to creatures is a nice upgrade.
Iridescent Blademaster image 1.5 This is a bear that can buff itself when you have some extra mana lying around. We’ve seen many cards like this in recent years, and most of them haven’t been especially impressive. You just don’t find yourself with a bunch of mana lying around until the later stages of the game, so this is often irrelevant between about turn 2 and turn 10, and that’s a problem.
Karsus Depthguard image 2.0 Just one +1/+1 counter allows this to start rumbling, and those aren’t exactly hard to come by in Red, and a 3-mana 4/3 Defender isn’t a terrible fail case.
Ichor Drinker image 2.5 This one drop brings a lot of value. A one mana 1/1 with Lifelink isn’t amazing, but in a format with +1/+1 counters around, among other ways to augment your creatures, it will probably play a little better than it looks. Additionally, if you mill this thing in your Blue-Black deck, or it ends up in your graveyard in any other way, it does deliver some real value in the format of the incubate token. One drops lately have pretty much all overperformed, and I think this is another one that will. It is really cheap and does stuff that all the decks in the format can take advantage of.
Cosmic Hunger image 3.5 We have seen this card before, only without the battle part, and it is always premium removal for Green because it can deal with things so efficiently. You always run the risk of getting 2-for-1’d when you cast it if you aren’t careful, but because this is an Instant, finding a spot where your opponent can’t respond is relatively easy.
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Pack 3 Pick 2: Halo Forager
Urabrask the Hidden image 4.0 A 5-mana 4/4 with Haste is decent, and the upside of Haste to everything is pretty real on subsequent turns – and if your opponent’s stuff has to enter tapped, your things with Haste are even more likely to be able to get in there for damage.
Halo Forager image 3.5 UB is a mill deck in this format – interested both in self-mill and milling the opponent and getting value out of it, so that does mean having cards in your graveyard for this is pretty likely. A three mana 3/1 flyer is already passable, and the fact that you can cast an instant or Sorcery from either graveyard is a pretty big deal. You won’t always have the mana to do that, and the graveyard’s won’t always be stocked even in Blue-Black, but even just getting a one mana spell out of it is going to feel amazing, and it sort of scales the longer the game goes.
Invasion of Kamigawa image 3.5 Stunning something for a turn is a nice effect, especially when it can help you more quickly get Rooftop Saboteurs on the battlefield. Once you’ve done that, you have a great creature that will net you impressive card advantage.
Furnace Reins image 1.5 // 4.0 A Threaten effect seems particularly interesting in this set, because getting a blocker out of the way and sending it at your opponent for a single turn is going to be more meaningful in a world where you can attack Battles. I think this does make this type of effect better, but the best place for this card will still be a deck that can also sacrifice the creature you can steal. The format does have a ton of cheap sacrifice outlets, especially in Black – and in the Black-Red deck this will be amazing. It has the upside these all have – that it can produce lethal out of nowhere – but in a Black-Red sacrifice deck you can use it earlier in the game and sacrifice the thing you steal, meaning you can use this a lot more often and a lot more effectively.
Tarkir Duneshaper image 2.5 A one mana ½ isn’t very good on its own, but the fact this can become a 4/3 trampler later in the game does mean it tends to have relevance most of the time.
Ephara's Dispersal image 2.5 One mana to bounce an attacking creature and Surveil 2 is quite the deal, so the fact you can also target non attacking creatures for 3 mana is nice. Most of the time you don’t get an actual trade, but the card selection and tempo are nice, and the times where you do cast this in response to a trick or something will feel truly amazing.
Sigiled Sentinel image 2.5 A three mana 3/3 with Vigilance is something you usually play, especially when the creature has a useful creature type – so the upside of putting the counter elsewhere and giving something vigilance for a turn makes this quite attractive.
Seed of Hope image 1.0 Green isn’t that into milling in this format, otherwise this would be a little more interesting. As is, it has a fairly small effect, and since it is restricted only to the two cards you mill, you’re just going to wiff sometimes or get something very underwhelming.
Fertilid's Favor image 2.0 This is an Instant speed way to both ramp your mana and buff a creature. In other words, it can be part combat trick part ramp spell. Ramp spells can be a dangerous proposition in Limited because they usually don’t add to the board at all, but this one does. It doesn’t search up the basic land as efficiently as something like Rampant Growth, but this is better in Limited in a lot of ways, because it is a much better late-game top deck and even has a bit of 2-for-1 potential. I think having both of these effects on a single Instant is enough to make this a quality card.
Chomping Kavu image 2.5 This is either a 4-mana 4/4 that can’t be blocked by small stuff, or a 4-mana 3/3 that gives something else a counter and makes it harder to block for a turn. I think both of those modes are going to feel like a pretty good investment.
Scrollshift image 1.0 // 2.5 There’s definitely some nice stuff you can flicker in the format, and adding “Draw a card” here helps offset the times where this doesn’t really do anything. Still, this is a build around. You shouldn’t really be playing this if your deck doesn’t have some ETBs to abuse, because only utilizing this as a card that can save a creature from removal is a little too narrow.
Furnace Host Charger image 3.0 A 6-mana 5/5 Haster is definitely medium, but it is definitely relevant on most board states, and if you draw it early and would rather have a land drop, it has you covered.
Ichor Shade image 2.0 Its nice that this looks at both graveyard, as sometimes when we see this sort of effect it only checks yours. This will gain a counter on a significant number of turns, especially if you’re a Sacrifice deck. It does have a pretty bad baseline, but I you can definitely hold this and then play it in second main phase after something dies, and it will quickly become a ¾, and things can go crazy from there.
Scoured Barrens image 2.5 These always enter tapped, but producing two different colors and gaining a life is always nice value. If you’re in their two colors or trying to splash something, you’re going to be happy playing these.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Halo Forager
Stormclaw Rager image 4.0 This is a powerful sacrifice outlet, even limited to Sorcery speed only! You get a card back, so it is hard not to get nice value out of this, especially if you’re sacrificing something really expendable. There’s also a cheap Threaten effect in the format that is going to combo absurdly with this, but in general, there’s plenty to sacrifice to this, making it another great signpost
Halo Forager image 3.5 UB is a mill deck in this format – interested both in self-mill and milling the opponent and getting value out of it, so that does mean having cards in your graveyard for this is pretty likely. A three mana 3/1 flyer is already passable, and the fact that you can cast an instant or Sorcery from either graveyard is a pretty big deal. You won’t always have the mana to do that, and the graveyard’s won’t always be stocked even in Blue-Black, but even just getting a one mana spell out of it is going to feel amazing, and it sort of scales the longer the game goes.
Invasion of Belenon image 3.5 This Battle makes you overpay a bit for a 2/2 with Vigilance, but that is a body that can help you pressure your opponent and transform this into an Anthem, which is a powerful thing.
Pyretic Prankster image 3.0 A two mana 2/1 is below rate these days, but this can transform into a 3/2 that virtually always forces a 2-for-1, and it can transform pretty quickly.
Cut Short image 3.0 This is decent removal, especially because it can show up out of nowhere when you’re tapped out. It is restrictive enough that I do think it falls a bit short of premium
Disturbing Conversion image 2.0 Blue-Black is interested in milling both players, so this seems like a decent card for that type of deck. Only lowering a creature’s power is pretty far from actually removing that creature, but this does enable your other graveyard stuff reasonably well.
Wary Thespian image 2.5 Two mana for a 3/1 and a couple of Surveil triggers seems like a solid deal. That is some very nice card selection to come attached to a creature that is already close to playable based on its statline.
Tidal Terror image 3.0 This 6-mana 5/6 plays well with all the token stuff going on in Blue/white, as it can sometimes be unblockable. Islandcycling is a great thing to have, as it allows you to throw this away in the early game so that you hit your land drop, and if you play it late, it isn’t a bad threat to have.
Stasis Field image 2.0 This type of removal never feels great. This is mostly because it allows your opponent to hold on to at least some value from their creature. Sure, the best it can do most of the time is chump block, and that may not sound like much, but that makes this a lot worse than it might look.
Failed Conversion image 2.0 This isn’t a terrible rate - against most creatures it will be a 5-mana spell that kills the creature and then you Surveil 2. It also isn’t premium, though, as a 5-mana sorcery speed removal spell should probably be able to kill more stuff!
Arachnoid Adaptation image 1.5 One mana for +2/+2 always has me a little bit interested, since it offers a big enough boost for a creature to win a significant number of combats, and It comes at a very low cost. The tempo you get when you use this kind of trick can be amazing! The creature even gets pseudo-vigilance. You can also use this defensively of course, and that’s the only way that Reach will be useful, but you should really only do that in an emergency. It is always dangerous to use a trick on your opponents turn, since during combat they probably have lots of mana untapped. In the end, this seems solid for aggressive Green decks, though I don’t think it will always make the cut.
Searing Barb image 2.0 Three mana for 2 damage at Sorcery speed isn’t very good, but you can sort of look at this as a 5-mana 2/2 that does 2 damage to something. Which…well, still isn’t that good. Still, it does have 2-for-1 potential and can hit battles.
Swiftwater Cliffs image 2.5 These always enter tapped, but producing two different colors and gaining a life is always nice value. If you’re in their two colors or trying to splash something, you’re going to be happy playing these.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Halo-Charged Skaab
Yargle, Glutton of Urborg image 1.0 If you want a big vanilla creature, Yargle does the job. But…you really shouldn’t want that. The low toughness makes him a real liability.
Merciless Repurposing image 3.0 6 mana is a lot, even for removal – mostly because you end up paying more than your opponent did for their creature a lot of the time, and that tempo hit can be rough. However, this is an Instant, and it gives you something that will eventually be a creature. If you have 8 mana lying around, this will feel like an 8-mana 3/3 that exiles something on ETB, and the fact you can spread it out in two installments is nice.
Skyclave Aerialist image 4.0 I’m already sold on a two mana 2/1 Flyer, so the fact this can transform into a more durable creature that nets you a card is amazing upside.
Invasion of Regatha image 3.5 Doing some direct damage with this is pretty nice, and it will feel really good when you can also pick off a small creature and/or defeat a Battle. As with most of these, the creature when you transform this is pretty amazing.
Consuming Aetherborn image 2.5 Giving a counter and lifelink until end of turn to something on ETB isn’t too bad, but a 4-mana 3/3 with Lifelink is not a good deal. It sort of feels like both options are a little overcosted here.
Thunderhead Squadron image 2.5 Even if you only tap one creature to help you cast this, you’re getting a passable deal. If you can cast this for significantly less, it will feel even better.
Knight of the New Coalition image 3.0 4-mana for two 2/2s with Vigilance is an excellent rate – this helps you go wide like the RW deck wants you to do, while also producing two bodies with a very useful creature type. I think this looks like a very good Common.
Halo-Charged Skaab image 1.5 This has some bad stats, and I don’t love the ETB ability either. Blue-Black is definitely interested in milling both players and getting value out of it, and this certainly does that, but putting a card on top of your library is always worse than it seems at first.
Burning Sun's Fury image 1.5 As a trick, this isn’t especially good. +2/+0 might help a creature take down something bigger, but you still end up losing your creature in most situations, and obviously to take advantage of Haste you have to cast it in your main phase. This is really cheap, and with Convoke in the picture it will be even easier to cast than it looks at first – but I think the card’s main uses will be for sending in one of your new creatures and/or finishing the opponent off, and those uses are a little too narrow. It can definitely help you do a ton of damage out of nowhere.
Timberland Ancient image 3.0 A 6-mana 6/5 with Reach and Trample is right around a 2.0 these days, but don’t underestimate Forestcycling! Unlike your other 6 drops, you can throw this one away if you draw it early and grab a land drop you desperately need, and when it comes time to cast it, it isn’t usually a creature your opponent can just ignore.
Meeting of Minds image 3.0 This is an Instant, which is kind of a big deal – in many situations it can be a better version of Divination, and in a format with a spell deck that is good at convoking, this seems like exactly what the doctor ordered. You probably don’t want too many of them, as they can get awkward in multiples. But I think the first copy is something you want.
Failed Conversion image 2.0 This isn’t a terrible rate - against most creatures it will be a 5-mana spell that kills the creature and then you Surveil 2. It also isn’t premium, though, as a 5-mana sorcery speed removal spell should probably be able to kill more stuff!
Pack 3 Pick 5: Artistic Refusal
Zada, Hedron Grinder image 1.5 // 3.5 Zada is really sweet if you are a deck that uses combat tricks and goes wide because using a combat trick on every one of your creatures look insane, and that does look like something many Red decks will do in the format. That said, the base level thing you get here is a Hill Giant, and this is probably another one that needs a build around.
Artistic Refusal image 2.0 Paying six for this is in no way worth it, but with Convoke around you can really discount this – heck, if your board is wide enough this can effectively be a free counterspell that gives you some card selection! Still, the set up cost is real – this is pretty bad in the early stages of the game when you can’t get your board set up, and counterspells are inherently quite narrow in Limited. Still, the option to make the cost much lower and the fact you can even just choose the draw two discard 1 option in a pinch makes it at least a solid card.
Furnace Reins image 1.5 // 4.0 A Threaten effect seems particularly interesting in this set, because getting a blocker out of the way and sending it at your opponent for a single turn is going to be more meaningful in a world where you can attack Battles. I think this does make this type of effect better, but the best place for this card will still be a deck that can also sacrifice the creature you can steal. The format does have a ton of cheap sacrifice outlets, especially in Black – and in the Black-Red deck this will be amazing. It has the upside these all have – that it can produce lethal out of nowhere – but in a Black-Red sacrifice deck you can use it earlier in the game and sacrifice the thing you steal, meaning you can use this a lot more often and a lot more effectively.
Bonded Herdbeast image 3.0 A 5-mana 4/5 is a 2.0 at the very best, but this one transforms into a pretty scary 7/5 with Menace, something that is going to be a problem on most boards.
Knight of the New Coalition image 3.0 4-mana for two 2/2s with Vigilance is an excellent rate – this helps you go wide like the RW deck wants you to do, while also producing two bodies with a very useful creature type. I think this looks like a very good Common.
Flywheel Racer image 2.5 This is a reasonably efficient vehicle, and the fact it fixes and ramps is nice too, even if you do have to Crew it.
Etched Host Doombringer image 2.5 This is an interesting design. Obviously the stats are bad, but even if this could only drain 2 life on ETB it would probably be playable, so having this Battle upside is pretty nice. If you can use this to defeat a battle and transform it, its going to feel pretty close to a 2-for-1 – and the fact you can also use it to subtract counters from your battles or add counters to your opponents battles is pretty sweet. If you can use this to defeat a battle on ETB, it is going to feel pretty close to a 2-for-1
Mirran Banesplitter image 1.5 The fact this Equips for free the first time is nice, and definitely has the ability to make just about anything into a much better attacker. With Flash, you may even find a way to trade a smaller creature for something larger. The fact it costs three to Equip thereafter is rough.
Vanquish the Weak image 3.0 This can sometimes trade up, but more often than not you break even on mana or worse when you cast this – for me, that keeps it from being a premium-level removal spell – instead it is merely solid.
Stasis Field image 2.0 This type of removal never feels great. This is mostly because it allows your opponent to hold on to at least some value from their creature. Sure, the best it can do most of the time is chump block, and that may not sound like much, but that makes this a lot worse than it might look.
Consuming Aetherborn image 2.5 Giving a counter and lifelink until end of turn to something on ETB isn’t too bad, but a 4-mana 3/3 with Lifelink is not a good deal. It sort of feels like both options are a little overcosted here.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Vanquish the Weak
Artistic Refusal image 2.0 Paying six for this is in no way worth it, but with Convoke around you can really discount this – heck, if your board is wide enough this can effectively be a free counterspell that gives you some card selection! Still, the set up cost is real – this is pretty bad in the early stages of the game when you can’t get your board set up, and counterspells are inherently quite narrow in Limited. Still, the option to make the cost much lower and the fact you can even just choose the draw two discard 1 option in a pinch makes it at least a solid card.
Nezumi Freewheeler image 4.0 A 4-mana 3/3 Menace isn’t amazing, but this can also give you a bit of graveyard value. Getting cards in the opponent’s graveyard has some upside to it in Black in this format too. This can also transform the turn after you play it into a very exciting creature that can take advantage of the graveyard quite effectively.
Vanquish the Weak image 3.0 This can sometimes trade up, but more often than not you break even on mana or worse when you cast this – for me, that keeps it from being a premium-level removal spell – instead it is merely solid.
Karsus Depthguard image 2.0 Just one +1/+1 counter allows this to start rumbling, and those aren’t exactly hard to come by in Red, and a 3-mana 4/3 Defender isn’t a terrible fail case.
Thunderhead Squadron image 2.5 Even if you only tap one creature to help you cast this, you’re getting a passable deal. If you can cast this for significantly less, it will feel even better.
Flitting Guerilla image 1.5 Wind Drakes aren’t what they used to be, and this ability is something you’ll only use a small percentage of the time.
Beamtown Beatstick image 2.0 +1/+0 and Menace isn’t a terrible boost for the casting and equip cost here, and the fact it gives you treasure will also mean it will be a little easier to move around than it might look at first. Seems like a solid inclusion for Red aggro decks.
Wary Thespian image 2.5 Two mana for a 3/1 and a couple of Surveil triggers seems like a solid deal. That is some very nice card selection to come attached to a creature that is already close to playable based on its statline.
Gloomfang Mauler image 3.0 When you actually cast this thing, it has a big impact on the board – either coming down as a monstrous 7/7 with Menace, or coming down as a 5/5 that gives something else two counters as well as Menace until end of turn. This gives it the ability to immediately impact the board when it comes down, while still sporting a sizable and problematic body. The downside here is that you just don’t always get 7 mana in Limited, but this makes sure that isn’t too much of a problem for you, since you can just pitch it to search up a Swamp if that’s what you need to do
Angelic Intervention image 2.5 Two mana for a counter and protection gives your creature the ability to both dodge removal spells and succeed in combat more often.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Inga Rune-Eyes
Inga Rune-Eyes image 2.5 You’re mostly just paying for a 4-mana 3/3 with Scry 3. Luckily that’s a passable rate. You will be able to trigger her other ability on occasion, but don’t count on it.
Glistening Deluge image 0.5 This card annoys me. Mostly because it ends up being even more narrow than the other cards in this cycle. This is because it has a symmetrical effect, which means if you’re playing Black-White or Black-Green you really don’t want to play this or even side it in. If you’re in one of the other three Black decks, it is a nice sideboard card that might sometimes be a one-sided wrath, but the base effect does seem underpowered enough that it should still start in your sideboard
Stormclaw Rager image 4.0 This is a powerful sacrifice outlet, even limited to Sorcery speed only! You get a card back, so it is hard not to get nice value out of this, especially if you’re sacrificing something really expendable. There’s also a cheap Threaten effect in the format that is going to combo absurdly with this, but in general, there’s plenty to sacrifice to this, making it another great signpost
Invasion of Ergamon image 3.5 Two mana to make a treasure and loot isn’t the most amazing thing, and I’m a little less into all the Battles that don’t actually help you attack the Battle inherently. Now, this can sort of help in that regard by giving you more mana to cast creatures and helping you find more things that attack, but it is still a little too indirect to be great. Still, once you can transform this it becomes amazing, finding you another Battle or a land while having a very relevant body
Halo-Charged Skaab image 1.5 This has some bad stats, and I don’t love the ETB ability either. Blue-Black is definitely interested in milling both players and getting value out of it, and this certainly does that, but putting a card on top of your library is always worse than it seems at first.
Mirrodin Avenged image 1.5 This is a functional reprint of You Are Already Dead, which we saw in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty. That card was kind of underwhelming. When it worked, you got a pretty sweet 2-for-1. It can’t really be an amazing card though, because there aren’t enough situations where you can do damage to something without already having to give up a card. If you can do that, this gets a lot better.
Kitesail image 2.0 This offers a reasonable boost for how much it takes to Equip. Adding Flying to creatures is a nice upgrade.
Gloomfang Mauler image 3.0 When you actually cast this thing, it has a big impact on the board – either coming down as a monstrous 7/7 with Menace, or coming down as a 5/5 that gives something else two counters as well as Menace until end of turn. This gives it the ability to immediately impact the board when it comes down, while still sporting a sizable and problematic body. The downside here is that you just don’t always get 7 mana in Limited, but this makes sure that isn’t too much of a problem for you, since you can just pitch it to search up a Swamp if that’s what you need to do
Mountain image
Pack 3 Pick 8: Expedition Lookout
Tymaret, Chosen from Death image 2.5 Hating on graveyards has some real value in this format, especially against Blue/Black decks, and Theros is basically always going to have a decent stat-line and bring some incidental life gain along for the ride.
Glistening Deluge image 0.5 This card annoys me. Mostly because it ends up being even more narrow than the other cards in this cycle. This is because it has a symmetrical effect, which means if you’re playing Black-White or Black-Green you really don’t want to play this or even side it in. If you’re in one of the other three Black decks, it is a nice sideboard card that might sometimes be a one-sided wrath, but the base effect does seem underpowered enough that it should still start in your sideboard
Nezumi Freewheeler image 4.0 A 4-mana 3/3 Menace isn’t amazing, but this can also give you a bit of graveyard value. Getting cards in the opponent’s graveyard has some upside to it in Black in this format too. This can also transform the turn after you play it into a very exciting creature that can take advantage of the graveyard quite effectively.
Coming In Hot image 1.5 This is a decent trick that we’ve seen before. +1/+0 and First Strike is enough to help a lot of creatures kill an opposing creature and survive combat, the Scry is some nice additional upside. It IS a trick that is only useful in combat, which certainly hurts its stock a bit, but its fine.
Attentive Skywarden image 2.5 This has passable base stats, and sometimes it will let you transform an incubator for free.
Dreg Recycler image 2.5 Life drain does a great job of helping you stay alive while also pressuring your opponent, and it even has passable stats.
Tenured Oilcaster image 2.0 A 4-mana 2/4 Menace isn’t too bad, so if you add in the fact it mills you and pays you off for milling is pretty nice. The times when this is a 5/4 menace for 4 will feel pretty nice!
Expedition Lookout image 2.5 This is a two drop that lots of creatures can’t attack through, and eventually it becomes an unblockable 2/3. That’s pretty nice, because it might take awhile before you get there – since it can’t be blocked, it will be relevant on any board.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Ichor Drinker
Merciless Repurposing image 3.0 6 mana is a lot, even for removal – mostly because you end up paying more than your opponent did for their creature a lot of the time, and that tempo hit can be rough. However, this is an Instant, and it gives you something that will eventually be a creature. If you have 8 mana lying around, this will feel like an 8-mana 3/3 that exiles something on ETB, and the fact you can spread it out in two installments is nice.
Order of the Mirror image 3.0 A two mana 2/1 is below rate these days, but this can transform the turn after you play it, and a 3/3 with this ability does tend to stay relevant for most of the game.
Urn of Godfire image 1.0 This is horrible at fixing your mana and is a wildly inefficient removal spell. You might run it if you’re desperate for removal, but if that’s where you’re at things really didn’t go well in the draft.
Kitesail image 2.0 This offers a reasonable boost for how much it takes to Equip. Adding Flying to creatures is a nice upgrade.
Karsus Depthguard image 2.0 Just one +1/+1 counter allows this to start rumbling, and those aren’t exactly hard to come by in Red, and a 3-mana 4/3 Defender isn’t a terrible fail case.
Ichor Drinker image 2.5 This one drop brings a lot of value. A one mana 1/1 with Lifelink isn’t amazing, but in a format with +1/+1 counters around, among other ways to augment your creatures, it will probably play a little better than it looks. Additionally, if you mill this thing in your Blue-Black deck, or it ends up in your graveyard in any other way, it does deliver some real value in the format of the incubate token. One drops lately have pretty much all overperformed, and I think this is another one that will. It is really cheap and does stuff that all the decks in the format can take advantage of.
Island image
Pack 3 Pick 10: Ichor Shade
Furnace Reins image 1.5 // 4.0 A Threaten effect seems particularly interesting in this set, because getting a blocker out of the way and sending it at your opponent for a single turn is going to be more meaningful in a world where you can attack Battles. I think this does make this type of effect better, but the best place for this card will still be a deck that can also sacrifice the creature you can steal. The format does have a ton of cheap sacrifice outlets, especially in Black – and in the Black-Red deck this will be amazing. It has the upside these all have – that it can produce lethal out of nowhere – but in a Black-Red sacrifice deck you can use it earlier in the game and sacrifice the thing you steal, meaning you can use this a lot more often and a lot more effectively.
Tarkir Duneshaper image 2.5 A one mana ½ isn’t very good on its own, but the fact this can become a 4/3 trampler later in the game does mean it tends to have relevance most of the time.
Seed of Hope image 1.0 Green isn’t that into milling in this format, otherwise this would be a little more interesting. As is, it has a fairly small effect, and since it is restricted only to the two cards you mill, you’re just going to wiff sometimes or get something very underwhelming.
Fertilid's Favor image 2.0 This is an Instant speed way to both ramp your mana and buff a creature. In other words, it can be part combat trick part ramp spell. Ramp spells can be a dangerous proposition in Limited because they usually don’t add to the board at all, but this one does. It doesn’t search up the basic land as efficiently as something like Rampant Growth, but this is better in Limited in a lot of ways, because it is a much better late-game top deck and even has a bit of 2-for-1 potential. I think having both of these effects on a single Instant is enough to make this a quality card.
Scrollshift image 1.0 // 2.5 There’s definitely some nice stuff you can flicker in the format, and adding “Draw a card” here helps offset the times where this doesn’t really do anything. Still, this is a build around. You shouldn’t really be playing this if your deck doesn’t have some ETBs to abuse, because only utilizing this as a card that can save a creature from removal is a little too narrow.
Ichor Shade image 2.0 Its nice that this looks at both graveyard, as sometimes when we see this sort of effect it only checks yours. This will gain a counter on a significant number of turns, especially if you’re a Sacrifice deck. It does have a pretty bad baseline, but I you can definitely hold this and then play it in second main phase after something dies, and it will quickly become a ¾, and things can go crazy from there.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Stasis Field
Disturbing Conversion image 2.0 Blue-Black is interested in milling both players, so this seems like a decent card for that type of deck. Only lowering a creature’s power is pretty far from actually removing that creature, but this does enable your other graveyard stuff reasonably well.
Tidal Terror image 3.0 This 6-mana 5/6 plays well with all the token stuff going on in Blue/white, as it can sometimes be unblockable. Islandcycling is a great thing to have, as it allows you to throw this away in the early game so that you hit your land drop, and if you play it late, it isn’t a bad threat to have.
Stasis Field image 2.0 This type of removal never feels great. This is mostly because it allows your opponent to hold on to at least some value from their creature. Sure, the best it can do most of the time is chump block, and that may not sound like much, but that makes this a lot worse than it might look.
Failed Conversion image 2.0 This isn’t a terrible rate - against most creatures it will be a 5-mana spell that kills the creature and then you Surveil 2. It also isn’t premium, though, as a 5-mana sorcery speed removal spell should probably be able to kill more stuff!
Arachnoid Adaptation image 1.5 One mana for +2/+2 always has me a little bit interested, since it offers a big enough boost for a creature to win a significant number of combats, and It comes at a very low cost. The tempo you get when you use this kind of trick can be amazing! The creature even gets pseudo-vigilance. You can also use this defensively of course, and that’s the only way that Reach will be useful, but you should really only do that in an emergency. It is always dangerous to use a trick on your opponents turn, since during combat they probably have lots of mana untapped. In the end, this seems solid for aggressive Green decks, though I don’t think it will always make the cut.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Meeting of Minds
Yargle, Glutton of Urborg image 1.0 If you want a big vanilla creature, Yargle does the job. But…you really shouldn’t want that. The low toughness makes him a real liability.
Consuming Aetherborn image 2.5 Giving a counter and lifelink until end of turn to something on ETB isn’t too bad, but a 4-mana 3/3 with Lifelink is not a good deal. It sort of feels like both options are a little overcosted here.
Burning Sun's Fury image 1.5 As a trick, this isn’t especially good. +2/+0 might help a creature take down something bigger, but you still end up losing your creature in most situations, and obviously to take advantage of Haste you have to cast it in your main phase. This is really cheap, and with Convoke in the picture it will be even easier to cast than it looks at first – but I think the card’s main uses will be for sending in one of your new creatures and/or finishing the opponent off, and those uses are a little too narrow. It can definitely help you do a ton of damage out of nowhere.
Meeting of Minds image 3.0 This is an Instant, which is kind of a big deal – in many situations it can be a better version of Divination, and in a format with a spell deck that is good at convoking, this seems like exactly what the doctor ordered. You probably don’t want too many of them, as they can get awkward in multiples. But I think the first copy is something you want.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Consuming Aetherborn
Zada, Hedron Grinder image 1.5 // 3.5 Zada is really sweet if you are a deck that uses combat tricks and goes wide because using a combat trick on every one of your creatures look insane, and that does look like something many Red decks will do in the format. That said, the base level thing you get here is a Hill Giant, and this is probably another one that needs a build around.
Etched Host Doombringer image 2.5 This is an interesting design. Obviously the stats are bad, but even if this could only drain 2 life on ETB it would probably be playable, so having this Battle upside is pretty nice. If you can use this to defeat a battle and transform it, its going to feel pretty close to a 2-for-1 – and the fact you can also use it to subtract counters from your battles or add counters to your opponents battles is pretty sweet. If you can use this to defeat a battle on ETB, it is going to feel pretty close to a 2-for-1
Consuming Aetherborn image 2.5 Giving a counter and lifelink until end of turn to something on ETB isn’t too bad, but a 4-mana 3/3 with Lifelink is not a good deal. It sort of feels like both options are a little overcosted here.
Pack 3 Pick 14: Gloomfang Mauler
Karsus Depthguard image 2.0 Just one +1/+1 counter allows this to start rumbling, and those aren’t exactly hard to come by in Red, and a 3-mana 4/3 Defender isn’t a terrible fail case.
Gloomfang Mauler image 3.0 When you actually cast this thing, it has a big impact on the board – either coming down as a monstrous 7/7 with Menace, or coming down as a 5/5 that gives something else two counters as well as Menace until end of turn. This gives it the ability to immediately impact the board when it comes down, while still sporting a sizable and problematic body. The downside here is that you just don’t always get 7 mana in Limited, but this makes sure that isn’t too much of a problem for you, since you can just pitch it to search up a Swamp if that’s what you need to do
Pack 3 Pick 15: Mountain
Mountain image
Draft Pick Overview