The Best Wilds of Eldraine Cards... according to Popularity

So, how are people digging Wilds of Eldraine one week after its release? Aside from the obligatory faeries n' stuff, I'm pretty sure that most of the testable and workable cards within the set have already made their way into the most viable decks. And, of course, some of these will be far more popular than the rest.

Below is a list of some of the most notable cards within the set, particularly those that made it into the most decks in MTG Arena. There will be no specific themes whatsoever, just a set of cards that immediately found their respective decks in the Standard meta, one way or another.

(DISCLAIMER: The list is NOT based on any statistical data. Instead, the entries are collected from personal matches, online discussions, and trending multimedia content. Some of the entries will might also be affected by how often they pop up in Aetherhub decklists as well.)

Wilds of Eldraine Popular Cards Overview

^{(one week after release, arranged left-to-right by entry ranking, main WOE set only)}

Description List

10. Sleep-Cursed Faerie

Obligatory basic component of the current Faerie tribal deck, regardless of inherent "drawbacks". The fact that it made it to the top 10 shows the sheer popularity of the deck at the moment, somewhat overwhelming this specific popularity poll. As expected, not only are its weaknesses relatively easy to work around, but the mere fact that it exists on the field is already a plus when using the rest of the main Faerie support cards, especially Faerie Fencing.

9. Spell Stutter

Another technical piece of the Faerie tribal deck, but is incorporated in far more types of builds, hence the better popularity both within its build and among Wilds of Eldraine MTG cards in general. Current Standard-wise, it essentially functions similarly to Protect the Negotiators. But is far more potent, as opposed to being more versatile. Might as well treat it as a straight-up counterspell for the first four turns of the game.

8. Beseech the Mirror

A major upgrade in any black-oriented decks, even if you don't pair it with any other Wilds of Eldraine mechanic. With the top spots in the meta commonly occupied by Rakdos Mono-Black, Dimir, and Esper decks, it immediately rose through the popularity list as an immediate addition for a good amount of players. Even worse, four mana is just the sweet spot to impact the board significantly, regardless of the color you eventually decide to pull out. That being said, it sits quite low on the list due to its mana restrictions.

7. The End

An absolute clutch for the color that loves life investments, yet still being powerful enough to be used normally. It may not have replaced any of the normal removal cards, but it created a slot for itself by eliminating threats once and for all in one swoop. As hinted by its name and flavor, it is best used on legendary targets, since another copy cannot exist normally on the field (to evade its effect). Still somewhat easier to handle than Beseech the Mirror, making it one spot higher.

6. Restless Cottage

Yup, it really only takes one good gimmick or payback to get the ball rolling for any type of manland. Is it just a fleeting trend? Maybe. But at least for now, the popularity award goes to the Golgari version. Not only do the colors check out, but the body created and extra effect is highly relevant to any of the new mechanics of the recent set within the colors aligned. And it's a land, of course, so a lot of people will be incentivized to use it if there is enough thematic efficiency for it.

5. Goddric, Cloaked Reveler

Just how often can Mono Red cast two permanents in the same turn? Pretty much always? Then you might as well treat Goddric as a 4/4 dragon-boosting flyer with Haste. Even if you don't, his stats are still a heck of a lot useful for its target meta. With Mono Red dominating BO1 and lingering around the upper spots of BO3, expect to see more and more of this guy in action.

4. Ashiok, Wicked Manipulator

In Limited matches, Ashiok's default loyalty abilities are already potent enough to be the instant focus of attention on the board. So naturally, the nightmare planeswalker is set to impress again in constructed formats with cumulative advantages that would make Teferi Think Twice. Though, I guess part of this card's popularity is also just due to being the one and only planeswalker in Wilds of Eldraine, as many content creators a week post-launch are very eager to showcase relevant builds.

3. Charming Scoundrel

Two-to-cast and features three modal abilities. The card just fits a very wide variety of builds that are red-aligned, and so she became highly used to the point of being the third most popular card of Wilds of Eldraine. Doesn't help that each of these effects become very synergistic with other mechanics available in the latest set.

2. Monstrous Rage

A one-drop red spell with nigh-universal utility. The card simply begs to be added to Mono Red decks. And no, not just as an obligatory addition, but a very powerful new tool that potentially offers many strategic avenues. As a pump spell, it has limitations, of course. But as of this article's publishing, a build already made its way to the absolute top spot of BO1, an undeniable proof of its massive popularity (meta-wise).

1. Virtue of Persistence

But alas, Mono Red is just but one type of deck, even if it occasionally occupies two or more spots in BO1's top 8 each month. If you want something really universal that would drive up popularity in current Standard, it would definitely be a black card. And that is none other than Virtue of Persistence. Unlike Virtue of Courage which surprisingly got shafted by the popularity poll, this one rose to the top because... both sides are meta-viable.

Whether it's a midrange, tempo, or control build, you will eventually find strategic use of both sides. It's not just a +2. The longer the game lingers, the better it gets. Kind of like that other seven mana black bomb that annoyed players over the last few months.

Honorable Mentions

These are the MTG cards that almost made it to the list. Maybe I could have included some of these if I further restricted accepting Faerie support cards. But... that's going to be a long list of omitted entries, as Faerie Fencing and Ego Drain still beat these four by a long shot through sheer (temporary trending) tribal popularity alone.

How About White and Green?

The top list only shows the first ten cards that are the most used or discussed. Unfortunately, the total result was centered toward Blue, Black, and Red. If we try to include White and Green, these are the results:

Oddities

Some of the cards that either I personally saw often, or expected to be more popular, but strangely ended up a bit short in the final result. Make no mistake, they still see a good-ish amount of use, but the ones above just beat them to the punch. Has the potential to suddenly spike in popularity several more weeks later.

Wait, Where is my Great Lord Skitter?

No rats in WOE made it into the lists, unfortunately. There were complete builds, videos, and several discussions here and there. But not as prevalent as the top ten shown. Only time will tell before everyone learns of his true power.