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Quick Draft HBG 31 July 2022

31 July 05:42 - Spreto 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Creature (16)
1 Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter image
2 Priest of Ancient Lore image
1 Meteor Golem image
1 Pilgrim's Eye image
1 Vladimir and Godfrey image
1 Black Dragon image
1 Minthara of the Absolute image
1 A-Sepulcher Ghoul image
1 Flaming Fist Duskguard image
1 Skullport Merchant image
2 Viconia, Nightsinger's Disciple image
1 Flaming Fist Officer image
1 Shambling Ghast image
1 Icewind Stalwart image
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (7)
2 Grim Bounty image
1 Grave Choice image
1 Summon Undead image
1 Cast Down image
1 Patriar's Humiliation image
1 Prophetic Prism image
Land (17)
1 Mountain image
8 Swamp image
8 Plains image
Sideboard
2 Dawnbringer Cleric image
1 Manticore image
1 Oji, the Exquisite Blade image
1 Vampire Spawn image
1 Devoted Paladin image
1 Baleful Beholder image
1 Guild Thief image
1 Kagha, Shadow Archdruid image
1 Dragonborn Looter image
1 Portable Hole image
1 Undersimplify image
1 Valiant Farewell image
1 Seek New Knowledge image
1 Hypnotic Pattern image
1 Lapis Orb of Dragonkind image
1 You Find the Villains' Lair image
1 Wild Shape image
1 You Hear Something on Watch image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter
Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter image 4.0 So, this thing loves Artifacts, and pays you off reasonably well for them. One kind of fun thing you can do with him is give up an artifact creature, get two treasure tokens, and then turn those tokens into more bodies. Basically, he can help you go wide with your tokens and/or fix your mana, and the various sacrifice synergies around make him even better! Like the other three color legendaries in this set – he is definitely a build around, but when you get there, he’s going to be good! You need a good number of artifacts and good mana to play him. That will probably be somewhat easy, because the BR deck is a treasure deck in this format, so splashing Jan Jansen won’t be that hard there. As a result, this probably doesn’t really need a build around grade, as a whole deck in the format will very easily slot this in.
Chardalyn Dragon image 1.5 This is not a great stat-line in Limited, but it has a useful creature type, I guess? You probably only run this if you’ve whiffed on all the better Dragons out there.
Emerald Dragon image 2.0 Neither half of this card is super exciting. Only countering activated or triggered abilities from noncreatures just won’t come up very much, so you’re mostly paying for a clunky Dragon that will occasionally be able to use its adventure.
Split the Spoils image 2.0 This is basically a Green Fact or Fiction, which is pretty wild. It takes a whole lot more set up than Fact or Fiction though! You need to have 5 permanent cards in your graveyard to make casting this worth it, since you want to maximize the number of cards you get out of it, and while Black/Green is good at loading up the graveyard, that’s still a pretty big requirement. The upside here is that you’re probably getting at least 2 cards back for three mana, and sometimes you’ll really put your opponent in a tough spot. Basically, this is kind of a roundabout version of the kind of card that returns creatures form your graveyard to your hand – and one that takes extra set up. I think this is probably a nice one-of in graveyard decks in the format, but still not amazing.
Icewind Stalwart image 1.5 Hill Giant stats aren’t something I love, and I’m not sure the ETB ability here will do something often enough to really overcome that. There are certainly creatures with ETB abilities to abuse and the like, but you still won’t have this matter often enough for it to be anything special.
Clever Conjurer image 2.0 This is another Forgotten Realms reprint, and it was fairly unimpressive in that format. It can help you ramp, which is cool, but the fact you can’t use the ability at instant speed is a huge bummer, as it makes the card wayyy worse. It can’t be used to threaten to untap things when your opponent attacks you and things like that.
Rimeshield Frost Giant image 2.0 Another reprint, and a pretty medium one. This has some decent-sized ground stats, and Ward 3 does make it hard to get this thing out of the way, but it isn’t a GREAT 5-drop, and really you’re hoping for a better one.
Ettercap image 2.5 Always nice to have a main deck Plummet that can also be a creature when you don’t have a target. Like most of the Commone Adventure creatures in this set, neither side of the card is anything special, but the fact this can do both – and sometimes get you a 2-for-1 – makes this very playable.
Dragonborn Looter image 2.0 Having to pay mana to loot is a pretty big downgrade from a merfolk looter type card, even if it is only one mana. Looting is good of course, because it improves the quality of your draws. However, We’ve seen a lot of these lately and they have felt like a 1.5- type card. However, this is a cheap Dragon, something that both UR and UG a going to be interested in, and that definitely matters.
Pilgrim's Eye image 3.0 This is pretty sweet at Common. It provides nice fixing while actually adding to the board, and a 1/1 Flyer can even chip in for some damage sometimes. Also another good card to blink over and over for value.
Eyes of the Beholder image 2.0 This was a mediocre removal spell in Forgotten Realms, and that’s probably what it will be here, too. Six mana is a ton, and while this can kill a whole lot of things, you’ll usually be spending more mana than your opponent spent to cast the creature that you kill. It is something you end up playing when you need the removal, but you basically never want more than one – it just isn’t anywhere close to premium.
Earth-Cult Elemental image 1.5 This was a bit of a disappointment in Forgotten Realms. It has passable stats, but six drops that didn’t like…gain you life, were kind of a liability in that format. It will probably be a little bit better here, but its ETB ability isn’t that great either. By the time this comes down many players have expendable permanents, so it is mostly the kind of thing your opponent will shrug about. It is passable as a top-curve creature, but that’s about it.
Warriors of Tiamat image 2.5 A 5-mana 4/2 with Haste isn’t something you want to play, but combining haste with Double Team is pretty spicy, since it means unlike other Double Team creatures, you can get that extra copy of the card before your opponent has a chance to untap. The downside, of course, is lots of cheap creatures and removal can trade with this thing, but they still have to find a way to deal with it twice, and that’s pretty nice.
Spiked Pit Trap image 1.5 This was not particularly good in Forgotten Realms. You spend a lot of mana for a mediocre removal spell, and even getting the treasure back isn’t enough.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Grim Bounty
Minthara of the Absolute image 3.0 Minthara of the Absolute – 3.0 This is the signpost Uncommon for BW, a color pair all about permanents leaving the battlefield, so you’ll be able to ratchet up the intensity on this pretty easily. I mean, a 4-mana 2/4 that gives +1/+0 to your whole board is a card you always play, and while it isn’t that immediately most of the time, it will get there relatively easily, and then beyond. It is nice that if you get multiple copies of this they feed off of each other too. I don’t feel like this is a signpost Uncommon that really puls you into its deck – but it is a card you’ll never cut if you ARE Black/White.
Dream Fracture image 1.5 I don’t think I’m in for this. This is basically Cancel, a card that usually just isn’t good enough in Limited most of the time. A three mana hard counter needs to do something extra usually to be playable in Limited, and the extra here isn’t that great – both you and your opponent draw a card, so you sort of break even. The cost of leaving mana up, especially two mana of the same color, can be a pretty big one. And yeah, you probably get to untap and use your new card first, but this is still basically just Cancel.
Grave Choice image 2.5 This has a neat design, because it tries to get around the downsides most Edict effects have. They tend to feel pretty good early, but when the board gets wide enough, you end up killing something pretty irrelevant. Grave Choice takes away the ability to sacrifice tokens, and now your opponent giving up their weakest creature could come with consequences – and that is that you get a duplicate of the card in your hand. Now, there will be plenty of times when your opponent can just sacrifice something that’s not a big deal and you get nothing, and sometimes getting a copy of their mediocre two drop won’t matter either – but I think the upgrades to this Edict make it better than most of them tend to be in Limited. It isn’t premium removal, but its not bad either.
Blessed Hippogriff image 3.5 So, if you took the Adventure away here, you’d have a 3.0 Reasonably costed Flyers that can send another creature into the air always play quite well. The Adventure part of the card isn’t always going to come up, but it is nice that if you find a way to use it ahead of turn 4, you get some pretty real value – maybe even a 2-for-1! Even just setting up a chump block that your creature survives is pretty decent use of the card, since you get a whole creature later. Does having the Adventure do enough to get this to a B-? I don’t quite think it does. The problem is just that indestructible isn’t as useful as often as you’d think. Still, this is one of White’s best Commons.
Circle of the Land Druid image 1.0 // 2.5 So, this really enables the Black/Green decks in the format, and that’s good – because a two mana 1/1 that returns a land from the graveyard to your hand just…does not seem that good to me. It does mean it is nice to sacrifice and stuff, but this probably needs a build around grade. If you’re in Black/Green this is a solid Common – in the other decks? You don’t want to be playing it.
Shambling Ghast image 3.0 This was a very nice common for Black in Forgotten Realms. It can really keep your opponent from attacking you early, especially because it can generate 2-for-1s against two X/1s, but just the fact it can block and kill two drops is pretty sweet too. Being able to get treasure out of it is really nice too.
Genasi Rabble-Rouser image 3.0 This is a pretty strong Common. A two mana ⅓ with the ability to pump its power for one and a Red is probably pretty close to a 2.5, so obviously adding Double Team to the mix is pretty nice. This is a nice two drop for aggressive Red decks.
Hoard Robber image 2.5 This was a big overperformer in Forgotten Realms, where its stat-line really lined up in such a way that actually blocking it early was a challenge in a sea of 2/1 creatures, so it would generate a fair bit of treasure. It will probably be a little less good here, as part of what made it great was fairly format specific, but it is still a pretty nice Common.
Undersimplify image 1.5 This is a pretty neat design. So, a counterspell that lets your opponent ignore it for two isn’t usually great in Limited, since you have to have the mana up at the right time and your opponent also has to not have the mana to pay for it. But they soften the blow of your opponent paying 2 to ignore it, since you weaken a creature when you target it with this, whether the spell actually gets countered or not. Now, that’s mostly just a consolation prize, but it does at least mean this does something when your opponent has the mana, unlike most counterspells like this. I think you’ll still cut this reasonably often, though.
Grim Bounty image 3.5 This is a little clunky at 4 mana, but being able to kill anything for that cost was pretty good in Forgotten Realms, and it will be pretty good here too. It is a removal spell that even helps you splash, and gives you the treasure synergy you need.
You Come to the Gnoll Camp image 1.5 Neither option here is great. Individually, they would probably both be a 1.0. +3/+1 for two mana just isn’t a big enough boost, and making a couple of things unable to block doesn’t always matter either. It isn’t the worst thing in the world to run in your deck, but you probably do cut it more than you play it.
Dueling Rapier image 1.5 This ended up being surprisingly solid in Forgotten Realms, but that format turned out to be fairly aggressive, and there was an Equipment deck. Without that synergy, this is basically a one mana trick that gives +2/+0 and then the boost sticks around. That can definitely be good, but because it doesn’t offer any boost that will assist your creature in SURVIVING combat, it is a bit more limited. Your creature will usually just go down, even if it takes another creature with it. Then, you have to deal with Equip 4, which is pretty ugly. I mean, you definitely end up playing one of these in really aggressive Red decks, but you cut it a fair bit too.
Lantern of Revealing image 2.0 This is another pretty nice source of fixing. A three mana mana rock can definitely be clunky, but this turns into a pretty nice mana sink in the later game, since it can effectively draw you lands and put them into play, or at least let you Scry 1. It will certainly improve your draws in the late game, while helping you fix and ramp early.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Priest of Ancient Lore
Trelasarra, Moon Dancer image 3.5 This is our last signpost Uncommon, and it is another one that is a reprint from Forgotten Realms. It offers a very strong Life gain payoff, as it is basically a better Ajani’s Pridemate, since you get to Scry in addition to getting a counter! A turn two Trelassara can quickly get out of control in a Green/White deck, and it can even be very valuable in the late game.
Portable Hole image 1.5 This is a reprint from Forgotten Realms, and it was pretty mediocre in that Limited format. You can definitely play it in your White decks and it usually won’t feel horrible, but there will be some games where you have no real targets for this. Your typical Limited deck will probably have 4-5 things it can hit, and that’s a little too narrow.
Krydle of Baldur's Gate image 3.0 Like Kalain, Krydle was a signpost Uncommon in Forgotten Realms, and he’s a signpost Uncommon here too. He offers a ton of value for a two drop, since he lets you get through your opponents defenses, and if it is Krydle getting through, you get to drain a life and Scry 1 every time, which is a pretty big deal. In the late game, he can send in much larger creatures to be unblockable. He’s basically a great early-game threat that also works as a late-game win condition.
Band Together image 3.5 We have seen cards that cost the same and only let one creature do damage equal to their power to something, and they tend to be pretty close to premium. This lets you have two creatures do the damage, which is significant for two reasons. First, it means you can find more situations where this will function as removal. Second, it makes you less vulnerable to your opponent interacting, since now they can kill one of your creatures and you can still do some damage. I think the whole “two creature” side of things is enough to make this premium.
Hill Giant Herdgorger image 2.5 In Forgotten Realms, if you were in Green, you really needed one of these to help you stabilize against the formats aggro decks, and it did a pretty darn good job between its size and the life gain effect. It will likely fill a similar role in Green decks int his format. All of these big ol’ green creatures that gain you life have been pretty solid in recent formats, and I think that’s true here.
Contact Other Plane image 2.0 Another Forgotten Realms reprint! Over the last year or so, most cards that JUST draw you two cards for 4 mana, even at instant speed, have been really disappointing. Limited has become more and more about adding to the board when you spend mana, and this just doesn’t do it. Now, it isn’t terrible, if you roll a 10 through 20 it is a pretty nice draw spell, and I don’t hate the idea of running one of these in your Blue decks, but you really can’t have that many cards that don’t add to the board and hope to do well.
Priest of Ancient Lore image 4.0 This is a Forgotten Realms Reprint, and it was White’s best Common in that set, and I think that will be true here too. It will give you a lot of 2-for-1s, and it gains you life which the GW deck is extra interested in. Sure, it doesn’t have Flying like inspiring Overseer, but that card was absurd – this one is merely a very very good Common, instead of a format-warping one.
Blur image 2.0 This is a decent way to blink a creature. Adding “Draw a Card” to it makes a big difference, because it means it replaces itself – and that’s good, because you won’t always have a way to use this card effectively enough. The UW deck is about blinking creatures and stuff, and obviously this can get the job done in that deck.
Poison the Blade image 2.0 I’m never super high on this kind of trick. Yes, it makes any creature trade for anything, and then you draw a card, which is nice. But your creature you use this on is usually also going to be dying in combat, so the advantage you get out of this is less impressive. I mean, it is definitely fine, but I don’t plan on going after it that early, or even always playing it.
Flaming Fist Duskguard image 2.0 The boon you get here isn’t that exciting, but yeah – it is staples to a two mana 3/1, and that’s a decent aggressive stat-line. This is probably a bread and butter type two drop for White decks.
Demogorgon's Clutches image 1.5 This is an underwhelming reprint. It is a Mind Rot with some added value, but the added value is too minimal for it to really be that much better than Mind Rot.
Steadfast Unicorn image 2.0 We’ve seen a lot of one drops with this sort of mass pump ability kind of underwhelm in the past, but that Vigilance makes a difference! Your board becoming better at attacking and hanging around to block can really alter races. Now, this still isn’t amazing or anything, but it seems like a solid one drop, where most similar cards were cards you cut more often than you played.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Meteor Golem
Jaheira, Harper Emissary image 3.5 This starts with solid stats, and has hexproof that will actually matter on occasion. Then, when she specializes, you get to naturalize and get an additional effect. That’s some pretty nice artifact and enchantment hate to run in your main deck, and because it starts out as such a solid two drop, I like the overall package here. Even if you don’t have something to naturalize, her other specialize effects offer decent value.
Grave Choice image 2.5 This has a neat design, because it tries to get around the downsides most Edict effects have. They tend to feel pretty good early, but when the board gets wide enough, you end up killing something pretty irrelevant. Grave Choice takes away the ability to sacrifice tokens, and now your opponent giving up their weakest creature could come with consequences – and that is that you get a duplicate of the card in your hand. Now, there will be plenty of times when your opponent can just sacrifice something that’s not a big deal and you get nothing, and sometimes getting a copy of their mediocre two drop won’t matter either – but I think the upgrades to this Edict make it better than most of them tend to be in Limited. It isn’t premium removal, but its not bad either.
Meteor Golem image 2.5 7 is definitely a lot, but the fact it can come down and kill any nonland permanent is a big deal. Not all decks will really want a 7 drop, but it does seem like ramping is a pretty legit strategy in this format, in which case this will be pretty sweet. It also benefits from lots of cards that let you abuse enter the battlefield abilities.
Deadly Dispute image 3.0 This is a powerful reprint. Giving up a creature or artifact for two cards and a treasure is an excellent deal, especially if you are sacrificing a treasure in the first place, and that’s something you’ll be able to do, especially in Black-Red. This also enables you to discard stuff you want to reanimate or whatever.
Dawnbringer Cleric image 2.0 This is another reprint from Forgotten Realms. It is a decent little two drop. If you’re the life gain deck, it can get those triggers going, and the format has enough artifacts and Enchantments that those modes are reasonable too.
Poison the Blade image 2.0 I’m never super high on this kind of trick. Yes, it makes any creature trade for anything, and then you draw a card, which is nice. But your creature you use this on is usually also going to be dying in combat, so the advantage you get out of this is less impressive. I mean, it is definitely fine, but I don’t plan on going after it that early, or even always playing it.
Earth-Cult Elemental image 1.5 This was a bit of a disappointment in Forgotten Realms. It has passable stats, but six drops that didn’t like…gain you life, were kind of a liability in that format. It will probably be a little bit better here, but its ETB ability isn’t that great either. By the time this comes down many players have expendable permanents, so it is mostly the kind of thing your opponent will shrug about. It is passable as a top-curve creature, but that’s about it.
Manticore image 2.0 This wasn’t very impressive in forgotten Realms, and it probably won’t be that good here either. This sort of “kill a damaged creature” effect ends up being pretty narrow, and even when you give the creature Flash, you’ll have a harder time than you might think getting it to do its thing. When you can kill something with this it feels pretty amazing. When you end up having to cast it without triggering the ability, it feels pretty bad.
Arcane Archery image 2.0 I don’t normally like 3 mana tricks, even if they give sizable boosts and trample like this. One and two mana tricks are usually where its at. Three mana is a ton, and it means that you have less opening to use a trick, and it means you are taking a greater risk if things go sideways. However, this trick definitely gives back for the risk that you take, since it substantially upgrades your next creature spell.
Hill Giant Herdgorger image 2.5 In Forgotten Realms, if you were in Green, you really needed one of these to help you stabilize against the formats aggro decks, and it did a pretty darn good job between its size and the life gain effect. It will likely fill a similar role in Green decks int his format. All of these big ol’ green creatures that gain you life have been pretty solid in recent formats, and I think that’s true here.
Rimeshield Frost Giant image 2.0 Another reprint, and a pretty medium one. This has some decent-sized ground stats, and Ward 3 does make it hard to get this thing out of the way, but it isn’t a GREAT 5-drop, and really you’re hoping for a better one.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Oji, the Exquisite Blade
Oji, the Exquisite Blade image 3.0 This signpost Uncommon tells us UW is all about abusing ETB abilities. I’m already pretty happy with a 4-mana 2/3 that gains me 2 life and scries 2, so the fact that double spelling lets you blink something is some nice additional value. It can target itself with that effect, which is pretty nice – but it can also help you abuse those abilities on other creatures. Now…double-spelling isn’t always super easy in Limited, but even if you just get that value going once you’re going to feel pretty happy with this.
Ambitious Dragonborn image 1.5 It is a pretty big deal that this checks the graveyard, because if it didn’t, it would be pretty challenging to make this big enough. That said, even with it checking the graveyard, there are going to be times where this is a Hill Giant or worse, and that’s brutal – and the big payoff in the end is just a big vanilla creature – which is fine, but it isn’t the most impressive ceiling either.
Undercellar Myconid image 3.5 I like this common a lot. A 3-mana ½ that gives you a 1/1 token is probably a 2.0 and a 3-mana ½ that taps for mana of any color is probably a 2.5. Stapling both of those together and adding another token to the mix is pretty dang impressive. Even if your opponent takes this down before it can make mana, it leaves two 1/1s around, and if they don’t, you can probably ramp into your 5 drop on turn 4, which is pretty sweet.
Hook Horror image 2.5 This is kind of an Alchemy version of Persist. Basically, you get a 5-mana 3/3 that gives you a 2/2 when it dies, and when that 2/2 dies, you get a 1/1. That’s three bodies on one card, which is great for sacrifice effects and the like. It can also just represent a 2-for-1 or even 3-for-1 in a regular deck.
Inspiring Bard image 2.5 Neither mode here is amazing, but you’ll almost always be in a situation where one of them is useful. If you’re behind, you’ll gain life, and if you’re ahead, you’ll buff something so you can send it in.
Scaled Nurturer image 2.5 Even without the Dragon upside, this would probably be a 2.5. Mana dorks are just really nice, since you get to add to the board and pull ahead of your opponent in mana at the same time.
Guardian Naga image 2.5 Another Adventure where neither half is especially good. The ADventure is an expensive Disenchant, and the creature has underwhelming stats for 7, even with Vigilance and its ability to not take damage during your turn. You won’t always have something to use the Adventure side on, but it is pretty nice that you can run this in your main deck without a huge cost. After all, you do still get a creature eventually, even if it is overcosted.
Manticore image 2.0 This wasn’t very impressive in forgotten Realms, and it probably won’t be that good here either. This sort of “kill a damaged creature” effect ends up being pretty narrow, and even when you give the creature Flash, you’ll have a harder time than you might think getting it to do its thing. When you can kill something with this it feels pretty amazing. When you end up having to cast it without triggering the ability, it feels pretty bad.
You Come to a River image 2.0 This was a fine card in Forgotten Realms, and it probably will be here. Neither mode is anything special. The bounce mode will come up the most, and the times where you can use it in response to a combat trick and blow your opponent out will feel nice, as will the times where you can generate some tempo, but keep in mind bouncing things is always card disadvantage. The second mode this has also doesn’t generally net you a card – but sometimes it can close out a game. You’ll end up playing one of these in Blue decks and you’ll feel fine about it.
You Find Some Prisoners image 1.5 So, this either lets you Shatter something, or it lets you take the best card from your opponents top three. While that latter option is definitely sweet, it isn’t actually that powerful, because you’re still just getting back one card with it, and you still have to cast the card you choose. There are enough Artifacts in this set that I think this is actually a pretty reasonable main deck card, where you can just use the “Interrogate” option against an opponent who doesn’t have a target.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Grave Choice
Grave Choice image 2.5 This has a neat design, because it tries to get around the downsides most Edict effects have. They tend to feel pretty good early, but when the board gets wide enough, you end up killing something pretty irrelevant. Grave Choice takes away the ability to sacrifice tokens, and now your opponent giving up their weakest creature could come with consequences – and that is that you get a duplicate of the card in your hand. Now, there will be plenty of times when your opponent can just sacrifice something that’s not a big deal and you get nothing, and sometimes getting a copy of their mediocre two drop won’t matter either – but I think the upgrades to this Edict make it better than most of them tend to be in Limited. It isn’t premium removal, but its not bad either.
Lizardfolk Librarians image 3.0 Like all the Double Team cards, this has a built-in 2-for-1. Now, the 2/4 stats aren’t exactly exciting, but the fact you end up Scrying 4 and only using up one card to do it isn’t too bad when added to the statline. You don’t always want to attack with a 2/4, because obviously it has better stats for blocking – but it is hard for most of these Double Team cards to not be solid or better.
You Come to the Gnoll Camp image 1.5 Neither option here is great. Individually, they would probably both be a 1.0. +3/+1 for two mana just isn’t a big enough boost, and making a couple of things unable to block doesn’t always matter either. It isn’t the worst thing in the world to run in your deck, but you probably do cut it more than you play it.
Circle of the Moon Druid image 2.5 This was alright last time around. The 4/2 side was nice for getting pack tactics on line, and being a 2/4 when on defense is pretty good too. It basically gives you two nice, but unexciting stat-lines, and you get the optimal one for whether you’re attacking or blocking.
Druidic Ritual image 1.0 // 2.0 Another Green card that enables the graveyard payoffs, and it also lets you return something to your hand. That’s..not amazing for a three mana Sorcery. This is probably another build around, because outside of the Black/Green deck I don’t really know why you run this thing. It just gives you some card selection for a clunky cost, so you really need other reasons to load the yard.
You're Ambushed on the Road image 1.0 This was not really playable in Forgotten Realms. It is tempting to look at a card like this and think of all the ways you can use those two modes – but too often neither of the modes is actually worth using up a card. Now, this format does have more reasons to return your own stuff to your hand, but I don’t think that makes this all that much better.
Contact Other Plane image 2.0 Another Forgotten Realms reprint! Over the last year or so, most cards that JUST draw you two cards for 4 mana, even at instant speed, have been really disappointing. Limited has become more and more about adding to the board when you spend mana, and this just doesn’t do it. Now, it isn’t terrible, if you roll a 10 through 20 it is a pretty nice draw spell, and I don’t hate the idea of running one of these in your Blue decks, but you really can’t have that many cards that don’t add to the board and hope to do well.
Undersimplify image 1.5 This is a pretty neat design. So, a counterspell that lets your opponent ignore it for two isn’t usually great in Limited, since you have to have the mana up at the right time and your opponent also has to not have the mana to pay for it. But they soften the blow of your opponent paying 2 to ignore it, since you weaken a creature when you target it with this, whether the spell actually gets countered or not. Now, that’s mostly just a consolation prize, but it does at least mean this does something when your opponent has the mana, unlike most counterspells like this. I think you’ll still cut this reasonably often, though.
Summon Undead image 1.5 // 3.0 Here’s another pretty solid reanimation spell. It also mills you, to set up your cards that care about cards in the graveyard, and I like that. There are enough ways to discard cards in this format that I think setting this up is very doable. It probably does need a build around grade, because if you aren’t in a deck with any targets WORTH reanimating, it isn’t worth playing.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Valiant Farewell
Sigil of Myrkul image 1.0 // 3.5 So, we’ve already seen a few cards that check for creature cards in your graveyard, and Sigil of Myrkul is both an enabler and a payoff, which is pretty nice. Now, when this Enchantment is doing nothing it will feel pretty miserable, but it looks like BG and ot a lesser extent Black-White will be able to set this card up, and once you are getting a counter and death touch on a creature every turn, this looks like a pretty darn good card. I think it is something of a build around – you need to make sure you have a lot of creatures to take full advantage of this, and you need other ways to mill yourself – and not every BG or BW deck will be able to do it.
Water Weird image 3.0 When you hit your opponent with this, you get a pretty good trigger. You either get to grow the Weird, or Surveil 1, and both are pretty nice options.
You Come to a River image 2.0 This was a fine card in Forgotten Realms, and it probably will be here. Neither mode is anything special. The bounce mode will come up the most, and the times where you can use it in response to a combat trick and blow your opponent out will feel nice, as will the times where you can generate some tempo, but keep in mind bouncing things is always card disadvantage. The second mode this has also doesn’t generally net you a card – but sometimes it can close out a game. You’ll end up playing one of these in Blue decks and you’ll feel fine about it.
Rimeshield Frost Giant image 2.0 Another reprint, and a pretty medium one. This has some decent-sized ground stats, and Ward 3 does make it hard to get this thing out of the way, but it isn’t a GREAT 5-drop, and really you’re hoping for a better one.
Dread Linnorm image 3.0 Like a lot of Adventure cards, neither side of this thing blows you away. The trick is expensive for what it does, and fairly situational, and the creature is big and only sort of hard to block. But when you get both on one card, it is a completely different thing. It isn’t that difficult to generate a 2-for-1 with it. You have to pick your spots for the trick to work well to be sure, but it can help your creature win combat and it can even counter a removal spell. So, using that trick in the mid-game, and then slamming this 7/6 late is going to feel pretty good. You probably don’t want more than one copy of this in the end, but I do think that first copy is a pretty nice Common.
Valiant Farewell image 2.0 This doesn’t seem like an amazing combat trick. That’s because it costs two mana and only offers +2/+0 to your creature, and without a toughness boost, that means your creature’s chances of surviving combat are significantly lower. Now, it does replace itself, and it also offers a permanent boost to your next creature. And that value certainly helps this card out, but it still means that in a lot of situations you’ll use up this trick and a creature, and end up not really gaining anything on the board. So the tempo doesn’t seem awesome. The times where you can use this and keep your creature alive will feel absurd, though!
Gnoll Hunter image 3.0 This was a great two drop in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here too.
You Find the Villains' Lair image 1.5 This wasn’t especially good in Forgotten Realms. Sure, it has two modes and everything, but neither of them is especially good, and both are fairly situational. This can be Cancel, or a three mana Faithless Looting, and that just isn’t something you’re always in the market for.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Seek New Knowledge
Ambition's Cost image 1.5 4 mana to draw three is nice and all, but as a sorcery that loses you three life as well, this seems way too clunky. You can’t not add to the board at all while you’re spending four mana, unless the game is getting really long.
Bag of Holding image 1.5 This is a pretty cool card, but not a particularly good one most of the time. It is sweet that you can loot and get your cards back later, but you just have to spend so much mana to make those things happen, you’ll find yourself unable to spend it pretty frequently until the late game.
Seek New Knowledge image 2.5 So, you end up only getting a 1-for-1 in the end, but because it always gets you two nonlands, that makes it significantly better than most draw spells which you can hit lands with. Now, the downside is you can’t use this to help you hit your third land drop – and that’s something that you usually want to use this sort of card for early, but this is mostly a mid-to-late game card, and that’s certainly a bit awkward on a two mana draw spell. Still, the card selection seems powerful and efficient enough that I think I would be interested in playing the first copy.
Rimeshield Frost Giant image 2.0 Another reprint, and a pretty medium one. This has some decent-sized ground stats, and Ward 3 does make it hard to get this thing out of the way, but it isn’t a GREAT 5-drop, and really you’re hoping for a better one.
Lantern of Revealing image 2.0 This is another pretty nice source of fixing. A three mana mana rock can definitely be clunky, but this turns into a pretty nice mana sink in the later game, since it can effectively draw you lands and put them into play, or at least let you Scry 1. It will certainly improve your draws in the late game, while helping you fix and ramp early.
Iron Golem image 1.0 This has solid stats, but the whole has to block and attack thing is a pretty big downside. You end up in situations where the trades are super ugly for you, or worse – you can’t even trade because they have a large creature.
Mace of Disruption image 1.0 The idea is that you have duplicates created by Double Team, and while that is going to happen, the fact that the perpetual +1/+0 is so conditional makes this pretty bad, as the initial boost isn’t really enough to make the card worth playing.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Pilgrim's Eye
Chardalyn Dragon image 1.5 This is not a great stat-line in Limited, but it has a useful creature type, I guess? You probably only run this if you’ve whiffed on all the better Dragons out there.
Split the Spoils image 2.0 This is basically a Green Fact or Fiction, which is pretty wild. It takes a whole lot more set up than Fact or Fiction though! You need to have 5 permanent cards in your graveyard to make casting this worth it, since you want to maximize the number of cards you get out of it, and while Black/Green is good at loading up the graveyard, that’s still a pretty big requirement. The upside here is that you’re probably getting at least 2 cards back for three mana, and sometimes you’ll really put your opponent in a tough spot. Basically, this is kind of a roundabout version of the kind of card that returns creatures form your graveyard to your hand – and one that takes extra set up. I think this is probably a nice one-of in graveyard decks in the format, but still not amazing.
Clever Conjurer image 2.0 This is another Forgotten Realms reprint, and it was fairly unimpressive in that format. It can help you ramp, which is cool, but the fact you can’t use the ability at instant speed is a huge bummer, as it makes the card wayyy worse. It can’t be used to threaten to untap things when your opponent attacks you and things like that.
Rimeshield Frost Giant image 2.0 Another reprint, and a pretty medium one. This has some decent-sized ground stats, and Ward 3 does make it hard to get this thing out of the way, but it isn’t a GREAT 5-drop, and really you’re hoping for a better one.
Dragonborn Looter image 2.0 Having to pay mana to loot is a pretty big downgrade from a merfolk looter type card, even if it is only one mana. Looting is good of course, because it improves the quality of your draws. However, We’ve seen a lot of these lately and they have felt like a 1.5- type card. However, this is a cheap Dragon, something that both UR and UG a going to be interested in, and that definitely matters.
Pilgrim's Eye image 3.0 This is pretty sweet at Common. It provides nice fixing while actually adding to the board, and a 1/1 Flyer can even chip in for some damage sometimes. Also another good card to blink over and over for value.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Shambling Ghast
Dream Fracture image 1.5 I don’t think I’m in for this. This is basically Cancel, a card that usually just isn’t good enough in Limited most of the time. A three mana hard counter needs to do something extra usually to be playable in Limited, and the extra here isn’t that great – both you and your opponent draw a card, so you sort of break even. The cost of leaving mana up, especially two mana of the same color, can be a pretty big one. And yeah, you probably get to untap and use your new card first, but this is still basically just Cancel.
Shambling Ghast image 3.0 This was a very nice common for Black in Forgotten Realms. It can really keep your opponent from attacking you early, especially because it can generate 2-for-1s against two X/1s, but just the fact it can block and kill two drops is pretty sweet too. Being able to get treasure out of it is really nice too.
Hoard Robber image 2.5 This was a big overperformer in Forgotten Realms, where its stat-line really lined up in such a way that actually blocking it early was a challenge in a sea of 2/1 creatures, so it would generate a fair bit of treasure. It will probably be a little less good here, as part of what made it great was fairly format specific, but it is still a pretty nice Common.
Undersimplify image 1.5 This is a pretty neat design. So, a counterspell that lets your opponent ignore it for two isn’t usually great in Limited, since you have to have the mana up at the right time and your opponent also has to not have the mana to pay for it. But they soften the blow of your opponent paying 2 to ignore it, since you weaken a creature when you target it with this, whether the spell actually gets countered or not. Now, that’s mostly just a consolation prize, but it does at least mean this does something when your opponent has the mana, unlike most counterspells like this. I think you’ll still cut this reasonably often, though.
Dueling Rapier image 1.5 This ended up being surprisingly solid in Forgotten Realms, but that format turned out to be fairly aggressive, and there was an Equipment deck. Without that synergy, this is basically a one mana trick that gives +2/+0 and then the boost sticks around. That can definitely be good, but because it doesn’t offer any boost that will assist your creature in SURVIVING combat, it is a bit more limited. Your creature will usually just go down, even if it takes another creature with it. Then, you have to deal with Equip 4, which is pretty ugly. I mean, you definitely end up playing one of these in really aggressive Red decks, but you cut it a fair bit too.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Portable Hole
Portable Hole image 1.5 This is a reprint from Forgotten Realms, and it was pretty mediocre in that Limited format. You can definitely play it in your White decks and it usually won’t feel horrible, but there will be some games where you have no real targets for this. Your typical Limited deck will probably have 4-5 things it can hit, and that’s a little too narrow.
Krydle of Baldur's Gate image 3.0 Like Kalain, Krydle was a signpost Uncommon in Forgotten Realms, and he’s a signpost Uncommon here too. He offers a ton of value for a two drop, since he lets you get through your opponents defenses, and if it is Krydle getting through, you get to drain a life and Scry 1 every time, which is a pretty big deal. In the late game, he can send in much larger creatures to be unblockable. He’s basically a great early-game threat that also works as a late-game win condition.
Blur image 2.0 This is a decent way to blink a creature. Adding “Draw a Card” to it makes a big difference, because it means it replaces itself – and that’s good, because you won’t always have a way to use this card effectively enough. The UW deck is about blinking creatures and stuff, and obviously this can get the job done in that deck.
Poison the Blade image 2.0 I’m never super high on this kind of trick. Yes, it makes any creature trade for anything, and then you draw a card, which is nice. But your creature you use this on is usually also going to be dying in combat, so the advantage you get out of this is less impressive. I mean, it is definitely fine, but I don’t plan on going after it that early, or even always playing it.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Dawnbringer Cleric
Dawnbringer Cleric image 2.0 This is another reprint from Forgotten Realms. It is a decent little two drop. If you’re the life gain deck, it can get those triggers going, and the format has enough artifacts and Enchantments that those modes are reasonable too.
Poison the Blade image 2.0 I’m never super high on this kind of trick. Yes, it makes any creature trade for anything, and then you draw a card, which is nice. But your creature you use this on is usually also going to be dying in combat, so the advantage you get out of this is less impressive. I mean, it is definitely fine, but I don’t plan on going after it that early, or even always playing it.
Manticore image 2.0 This wasn’t very impressive in forgotten Realms, and it probably won’t be that good here either. This sort of “kill a damaged creature” effect ends up being pretty narrow, and even when you give the creature Flash, you’ll have a harder time than you might think getting it to do its thing. When you can kill something with this it feels pretty amazing. When you end up having to cast it without triggering the ability, it feels pretty bad.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Manticore
Manticore image 2.0 This wasn’t very impressive in forgotten Realms, and it probably won’t be that good here either. This sort of “kill a damaged creature” effect ends up being pretty narrow, and even when you give the creature Flash, you’ll have a harder time than you might think getting it to do its thing. When you can kill something with this it feels pretty amazing. When you end up having to cast it without triggering the ability, it feels pretty bad.
You Find Some Prisoners image 1.5 So, this either lets you Shatter something, or it lets you take the best card from your opponents top three. While that latter option is definitely sweet, it isn’t actually that powerful, because you’re still just getting back one card with it, and you still have to cast the card you choose. There are enough Artifacts in this set that I think this is actually a pretty reasonable main deck card, where you can just use the “Interrogate” option against an opponent who doesn’t have a target.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Undersimplify
Undersimplify image 1.5 This is a pretty neat design. So, a counterspell that lets your opponent ignore it for two isn’t usually great in Limited, since you have to have the mana up at the right time and your opponent also has to not have the mana to pay for it. But they soften the blow of your opponent paying 2 to ignore it, since you weaken a creature when you target it with this, whether the spell actually gets countered or not. Now, that’s mostly just a consolation prize, but it does at least mean this does something when your opponent has the mana, unlike most counterspells like this. I think you’ll still cut this reasonably often, though.
Pack 2 Pick 1: Vladimir and Godfrey
Vladimir and Godfrey image 3.5 This looks pretty good. Sure, a 3-mana 3/2 is nothing special, but the fact you can bring them back later in the game is pretty amazing. Obviously, your deck will need some 1/1s to make them worth it, but even just having 3 or 4 1/1s or 1/1 tokens will make this card worth running in Limited. Just bringing it back once is amazing value.
Lurking Roper image 3.0 This was solid in Forgotten Realms. Even if you aren’t that good at gaining life, if you’re in a more controlling deck or a ramp deck, this can be a real road block because of its size. Obviously it is way better when you’re gaining life, because you can also start rumbling with it and effectively giving it Vigilance.
Draconic Lore image 3.0 Six mana to draw three is probably a 1.5 at best, and a 4-mana Draw 3 is probably a 3.5. So obviously, you need to be in UG or UR to take full advantage of this, as those are both Dragon tribal decks. Because those are really focused archetypes in the format, I don’t really think this needs a build around grade.
Draconic Muralists image 3.5 This is a 4-mana 4/3 that draws you any Dragon in your deck, and this format has a lot of dragons, including some bombs! This is a great 2-for-1, especially in the Dragon tribal decks.
Reckless Barbarian image 2.5 This is a bear that has a useful creature type and it has some pretty real upside too. These creatures who can sac for mana are generally not as good as they look. They give you fast mana for sure, but you also have to use up a whole card just to get that mana, and that kind of thing is significantly worse in Limited than it is in constructed formats. You definitely use this mana when it gives you a nice advantage, but giving up something on the board for mana is a very real cost! We’ve seen that with cards like Treasure Hound and Skirk Prospector, and I think that’s probably going to be true here too.
Ambitious Dragonborn image 1.5 It is a pretty big deal that this checks the graveyard, because if it didn’t, it would be pretty challenging to make this big enough. That said, even with it checking the graveyard, there are going to be times where this is a Hill Giant or worse, and that’s brutal – and the big payoff in the end is just a big vanilla creature – which is fine, but it isn’t the most impressive ceiling either.
Hypnotic Pattern image 0.0 These Blue cards that just lower power don’t tend to be very good, and I think that’s true here, even with the perpetual -2/-0. Sure, it costs one, but most of the time you don’t get a card worth of value out of a card like this. Looking at it as “removal” is pretty dangerous, because the creature you use it on will still be able to do pretty much everything a creature can do. Sure, maybe it doesn’t attack or block as well – but it can do both of them. And, using this as a trick isn’t great either, because your creature still needs enough power to kill the thing you use it on.
Genasi Rabble-Rouser image 3.0 This is a pretty strong Common. A two mana ⅓ with the ability to pump its power for one and a Red is probably pretty close to a 2.5, so obviously adding Double Team to the mix is pretty nice. This is a nice two drop for aggressive Red decks.
Pilgrim's Eye image 3.0 This is pretty sweet at Common. It provides nice fixing while actually adding to the board, and a 1/1 Flyer can even chip in for some damage sometimes. Also another good card to blink over and over for value.
Circle of the Land Druid image 1.0 // 2.5 So, this really enables the Black/Green decks in the format, and that’s good – because a two mana 1/1 that returns a land from the graveyard to your hand just…does not seem that good to me. It does mean it is nice to sacrifice and stuff, but this probably needs a build around grade. If you’re in Black/Green this is a solid Common – in the other decks? You don’t want to be playing it.
Chain Devil image 2.0 We see these creatures that ETB and make both players sacrifice something a lot, and they are usually pretty medium. It is nice that this one says “nontoken,” as your opponent having a token when you play an effect like this is pretty brutal. Of course, it also means that you can’t sacrifice a token to it either! There are decks in this format that will have good sacrifice fodder and stuff, and I think this will slot in as a decent card in most Black decks.
Patriar's Humiliation image 2.5 So, a one mana instant that does damage to a creature equal to the number of creatures you have in play is usually about a 2.0. It can be really efficient removal, but it requires enough set up that it isn’t premium. This adds the “creature loses all abilities” text to the mix, which means that you can get a bonus effect that keeps that creature from ever having abilities again, which can matter sometimes. More importantly, it means that even in a situation where you can’t quite kill a creature this can do still do something. You do still need to be killing things with this for it to be worth a slot in your deck, but basically the fail case is less awful than usual.
Demogorgon's Clutches image 1.5 This is an underwhelming reprint. It is a Mind Rot with some added value, but the added value is too minimal for it to really be that much better than Mind Rot.
Owlbear image 3.5 This was pretty good in Forgotten Realms. This easily sets up a 2-for-1 because of its ETB ability and its size, and it really isn’t too shabby as an attacker.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Black Dragon
Dream Fracture image 1.5 I don’t think I’m in for this. This is basically Cancel, a card that usually just isn’t good enough in Limited most of the time. A three mana hard counter needs to do something extra usually to be playable in Limited, and the extra here isn’t that great – both you and your opponent draw a card, so you sort of break even. The cost of leaving mana up, especially two mana of the same color, can be a pretty big one. And yeah, you probably get to untap and use your new card first, but this is still basically just Cancel.
Bonecaller Cleric image 3.0 So, here is one of the reanimation effects that I mentioned earlier. It is pretty nice that this is a two drop that can do two-drop things early, and then if you load up the ‘yard it can reanimate something like Black Dragon or something even better! This will work the best in BG, which is quite good at milling itself.
Black Dragon image 3.5 Forgotten Realms ended up being fast enough that this big dragon really underperformed. In most formats, this would have been really good, and I fully expect this to be better in this format than in that one. This comes down with a very real body and kills something, and you definitely get 7 mana’s worth of value. This format also has some pretty legitimate reanimator stuff going on, so getting this to come into play early is a real possibility.
Lizardfolk Librarians image 3.0 Like all the Double Team cards, this has a built-in 2-for-1. Now, the 2/4 stats aren’t exactly exciting, but the fact you end up Scrying 4 and only using up one card to do it isn’t too bad when added to the statline. You don’t always want to attack with a 2/4, because obviously it has better stats for blocking – but it is hard for most of these Double Team cards to not be solid or better.
Earth-Cult Elemental image 1.5 This was a bit of a disappointment in Forgotten Realms. It has passable stats, but six drops that didn’t like…gain you life, were kind of a liability in that format. It will probably be a little bit better here, but its ETB ability isn’t that great either. By the time this comes down many players have expendable permanents, so it is mostly the kind of thing your opponent will shrug about. It is passable as a top-curve creature, but that’s about it.
Summon Undead image 1.5 // 3.0 Here’s another pretty solid reanimation spell. It also mills you, to set up your cards that care about cards in the graveyard, and I like that. There are enough ways to discard cards in this format that I think setting this up is very doable. It probably does need a build around grade, because if you aren’t in a deck with any targets WORTH reanimating, it isn’t worth playing.
Undercellar Myconid image 3.5 I like this common a lot. A 3-mana ½ that gives you a 1/1 token is probably a 2.0 and a 3-mana ½ that taps for mana of any color is probably a 2.5. Stapling both of those together and adding another token to the mix is pretty dang impressive. Even if your opponent takes this down before it can make mana, it leaves two 1/1s around, and if they don’t, you can probably ramp into your 5 drop on turn 4, which is pretty sweet.
Sylvan Shepherd image 2.0 This has passable stats and it is a repeatable source of life gain, which GW is especially interested in.
Charmed Sleep image 3.0 This is a reprint, and last time we saw it was a pretty good removal spell. In a format with lots of blink effects and some sacrifice stuff this probably gets a little worse, but it still costs three mana to deal with pretty much any threat. Not turning off all its activated or static abilities can be a bummer, but this still looks pretty good for a Blue deck.
Valiant Farewell image 2.0 This doesn’t seem like an amazing combat trick. That’s because it costs two mana and only offers +2/+0 to your creature, and without a toughness boost, that means your creature’s chances of surviving combat are significantly lower. Now, it does replace itself, and it also offers a permanent boost to your next creature. And that value certainly helps this card out, but it still means that in a lot of situations you’ll use up this trick and a creature, and end up not really gaining anything on the board. So the tempo doesn’t seem awesome. The times where you can use this and keep your creature alive will feel absurd, though!
Farideh's Fireball image 2.0 This is another Forgotten Realms reprint. It was a solid removal spell in that format, though it turned out to be a little clunky. It definitely isn’t premium removal, but I think chances are good that this will perform better in this format than it did in Forgotten Realms.
Baleful Beholder image 1.5 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint. It was pretty mediocre in that set. There were too many situations where neither ETB mattered, and when this is a 6-mana 6/5 and not much else, it feels pretty bad. I think it looks like it will perform similarly in this set.
Armor of Shadows image 1.5 This is a solid trick. Any time one costs only a single mana, it warrants some serious consideration to make your deck. +1/+0 isn’t the greatest thing ever – your creature really needs decent size already to fully take advantage of this as a trick, but it IS a power boost that will upgrade enough creatures and let them do lethal to an opposing creature. On top of that, it can also save a creature from damage or destroy removal, which is some nice secondary upside.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Grim Bounty
Kenku Artificer image 1.0 // 3.5 Artifacts are far from a big theme in the format, but there are enough of them around that this having a target is kind of doable. But I think your typical Blue deck in the format probably has 1-2 Artifacts, and that just..isn’t going to be enough. If you are in UB or UR you will have access to some treasure, but those color pairs still aren’t that into artifacts in general. So…if you end up in a deck that can consistently make this into a 3-mana 1/1 that makes a 3/3 Flyer, you’re going to be super happy, but that deck just won’t happen very often. Drawing this early and not having an artifact to target is going to be an awful feeling.
Meteor Golem image 2.5 7 is definitely a lot, but the fact it can come down and kill any nonland permanent is a big deal. Not all decks will really want a 7 drop, but it does seem like ramping is a pretty legit strategy in this format, in which case this will be pretty sweet. It also benefits from lots of cards that let you abuse enter the battlefield abilities.
Rasaad, Monk of Selune image 4.0 So, this is a Banisher Priest-type creature, and that’s always a great card in Limited! The downside is of course that your opponent can find removal and get their thing back, but you usually still took their creature for a few turns. The good news too, is that Rasaad can Specialize into a larger creature – making it harder to kill, and all of them also give you an effect that helps soften the blow if your opponent does get rid of him. The White one makes it a vanilla 1/1, and the others all give you a death trigger that gives you some value on the board. Specialize 5 is pretty darn high, but the front of the card alone is probably a 3.5, so this looks great.
Dawnbringer Cleric image 2.0 This is another reprint from Forgotten Realms. It is a decent little two drop. If you’re the life gain deck, it can get those triggers going, and the format has enough artifacts and Enchantments that those modes are reasonable too.
Contact Other Plane image 2.0 Another Forgotten Realms reprint! Over the last year or so, most cards that JUST draw you two cards for 4 mana, even at instant speed, have been really disappointing. Limited has become more and more about adding to the board when you spend mana, and this just doesn’t do it. Now, it isn’t terrible, if you roll a 10 through 20 it is a pretty nice draw spell, and I don’t hate the idea of running one of these in your Blue decks, but you really can’t have that many cards that don’t add to the board and hope to do well.
Grim Bounty image 3.5 This is a little clunky at 4 mana, but being able to kill anything for that cost was pretty good in Forgotten Realms, and it will be pretty good here too. It is a removal spell that even helps you splash, and gives you the treasure synergy you need.
A-Sepulcher Ghoul image
Hobgoblin Captain image 3.0 This was one of the great two drops in Forgotten Realms, and it will probably be quite good here too! It gets you half way to Pack Tactics on its own, and getting to attack with First Strike is surprisingly easy. This is going to be one of Red’s best commons.
Undersimplify image 1.5 This is a pretty neat design. So, a counterspell that lets your opponent ignore it for two isn’t usually great in Limited, since you have to have the mana up at the right time and your opponent also has to not have the mana to pay for it. But they soften the blow of your opponent paying 2 to ignore it, since you weaken a creature when you target it with this, whether the spell actually gets countered or not. Now, that’s mostly just a consolation prize, but it does at least mean this does something when your opponent has the mana, unlike most counterspells like this. I think you’ll still cut this reasonably often, though.
Follow the Tracks image 3.0 This is an interesting take on ramp and fixing. You get to choose one of the Uncommon gates, meaning you can effectively get a land that produces whatever color you need, while also ramping – and the Gate lands all can draw you a card in the late game too. This is certainly a little clunky, but the ramp and fixing it offers is a pretty big deal.
Gnoll Hunter image 3.0 This was a great two drop in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here too.
Circle of the Land Druid image 1.0 // 2.5 So, this really enables the Black/Green decks in the format, and that’s good – because a two mana 1/1 that returns a land from the graveyard to your hand just…does not seem that good to me. It does mean it is nice to sacrifice and stuff, but this probably needs a build around grade. If you’re in Black/Green this is a solid Common – in the other decks? You don’t want to be playing it.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Priest of Ancient Lore
Pegasus Guardian image 3.0 I don’t normally love “blink” or “flicker” cards in Limited – but that’s usually only when that’s all a card can do. This card gets the situational benefits of that kind of effect, while also being a nice creature. It can save a creature from removal, or rebuy an ETB trigger, and those things are neat, but still too narrow if its all a card does. It is certainly an overcosted creature, but you’ll often be able to play it and also get the 1/1 Flyer the turn you play it, since it looks at a creature leaving the battlefield in any way, so generating those tokens is going to be pretty nice. I really like that it is both an enabler and a payoff for those types of effects.
Guiding Bolt image 2.5 We see this effect a lot, and it is usually worth playing in your main deck, though not terribly exciting. Most decks have targets for a removal spell like this, but not so many you can look at this as premium, even with Scry 2 attached. Still, the first copy seems pretty solid.
Priest of Ancient Lore image 4.0 This is a Forgotten Realms Reprint, and it was White’s best Common in that set, and I think that will be true here too. It will give you a lot of 2-for-1s, and it gains you life which the GW deck is extra interested in. Sure, it doesn’t have Flying like inspiring Overseer, but that card was absurd – this one is merely a very very good Common, instead of a format-warping one.
Soulknife Spy image 3.0 Another Forgotten Realms reprint, and this was one of the few Blue Commons in that set that I would describe as “Good.” A card that draws you a card when it hits the opponent is pretty sweet when it comes with solid stats, and this definitely does. If you can give it evasion in some way, it becomes a must kill, and even when you aren’t able to do that, it still becomes something your opponent better trade for.
Blessed Hippogriff image 3.5 So, if you took the Adventure away here, you’d have a 3.0 Reasonably costed Flyers that can send another creature into the air always play quite well. The Adventure part of the card isn’t always going to come up, but it is nice that if you find a way to use it ahead of turn 4, you get some pretty real value – maybe even a 2-for-1! Even just setting up a chump block that your creature survives is pretty decent use of the card, since you get a whole creature later. Does having the Adventure do enough to get this to a B-? I don’t quite think it does. The problem is just that indestructible isn’t as useful as often as you’d think. Still, this is one of White’s best Commons.
Water Weird image 3.0 When you hit your opponent with this, you get a pretty good trigger. You either get to grow the Weird, or Surveil 1, and both are pretty nice options.
Baleful Beholder image 1.5 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint. It was pretty mediocre in that set. There were too many situations where neither ETB mattered, and when this is a 6-mana 6/5 and not much else, it feels pretty bad. I think it looks like it will perform similarly in this set.
Pseudodragon Familiar image 2.5 This is solid cheap Dragon. A three mana 2/1 Flyer isn’t the most impressive rate, but the ability to send your other creatures into the sky in the mid to late game definitely matters. This seems like a nice Common for Blue.
Eyes of the Beholder image 2.0 This was a mediocre removal spell in Forgotten Realms, and that’s probably what it will be here, too. Six mana is a ton, and while this can kill a whole lot of things, you’ll usually be spending more mana than your opponent spent to cast the creature that you kill. It is something you end up playing when you need the removal, but you basically never want more than one – it just isn’t anywhere close to premium.
Flaming Fist Duskguard image 2.0 The boon you get here isn’t that exciting, but yeah – it is staples to a two mana 3/1, and that’s a decent aggressive stat-line. This is probably a bread and butter type two drop for White decks.
You Come to the Gnoll Camp image 1.5 Neither option here is great. Individually, they would probably both be a 1.0. +3/+1 for two mana just isn’t a big enough boost, and making a couple of things unable to block doesn’t always matter either. It isn’t the worst thing in the world to run in your deck, but you probably do cut it more than you play it.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Minthara of the Absolute
Minthara of the Absolute image 3.0 Minthara of the Absolute – 3.0 This is the signpost Uncommon for BW, a color pair all about permanents leaving the battlefield, so you’ll be able to ratchet up the intensity on this pretty easily. I mean, a 4-mana 2/4 that gives +1/+0 to your whole board is a card you always play, and while it isn’t that immediately most of the time, it will get there relatively easily, and then beyond. It is nice that if you get multiple copies of this they feed off of each other too. I don’t feel like this is a signpost Uncommon that really puls you into its deck – but it is a card you’ll never cut if you ARE Black/White.
Unexpected Allies image 1.0 I’m not a huge fan of this, mostly because at Sorcery speed, it is very easy to disrupt. Your opponent need only respond in any number of ways to get a 2-for-1. Now, if you wait until your opponent’s shields are down, this can do some work, since it makes your creature hit harder, and gives double team to whatever you want – and sometimes there will be spicy options. The +2/+0 means that it will be easier for you to at least get a trade with the attack, and the fact you get First Strike sometimes is a nice bonus that makes the creature very hard to block. However, this set seems to have a high power level, and I’m not sure how much value I see in playing something that is easy to mess up.
Deadly Dispute image 3.0 This is a powerful reprint. Giving up a creature or artifact for two cards and a treasure is an excellent deal, especially if you are sacrificing a treasure in the first place, and that’s something you’ll be able to do, especially in Black-Red. This also enables you to discard stuff you want to reanimate or whatever.
Undersimplify image 1.5 This is a pretty neat design. So, a counterspell that lets your opponent ignore it for two isn’t usually great in Limited, since you have to have the mana up at the right time and your opponent also has to not have the mana to pay for it. But they soften the blow of your opponent paying 2 to ignore it, since you weaken a creature when you target it with this, whether the spell actually gets countered or not. Now, that’s mostly just a consolation prize, but it does at least mean this does something when your opponent has the mana, unlike most counterspells like this. I think you’ll still cut this reasonably often, though.
Vampire Spawn image 3.0 This was a nice little common in Forgotten Realms. It has passable stats and creates a life point difference of 4 just from entering the battlefield. That is surprisingly good!
Patriar's Humiliation image 2.5 So, a one mana instant that does damage to a creature equal to the number of creatures you have in play is usually about a 2.0. It can be really efficient removal, but it requires enough set up that it isn’t premium. This adds the “creature loses all abilities” text to the mix, which means that you can get a bonus effect that keeps that creature from ever having abilities again, which can matter sometimes. More importantly, it means that even in a situation where you can’t quite kill a creature this can do still do something. You do still need to be killing things with this for it to be worth a slot in your deck, but basically the fail case is less awful than usual.
Follow the Tracks image 3.0 This is an interesting take on ramp and fixing. You get to choose one of the Uncommon gates, meaning you can effectively get a land that produces whatever color you need, while also ramping – and the Gate lands all can draw you a card in the late game too. This is certainly a little clunky, but the ramp and fixing it offers is a pretty big deal.
Baleful Beholder image 1.5 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint. It was pretty mediocre in that set. There were too many situations where neither ETB mattered, and when this is a 6-mana 6/5 and not much else, it feels pretty bad. I think it looks like it will perform similarly in this set.
Demogorgon's Clutches image 1.5 This is an underwhelming reprint. It is a Mind Rot with some added value, but the added value is too minimal for it to really be that much better than Mind Rot.
You're Ambushed on the Road image 1.0 This was not really playable in Forgotten Realms. It is tempting to look at a card like this and think of all the ways you can use those two modes – but too often neither of the modes is actually worth using up a card. Now, this format does have more reasons to return your own stuff to your hand, but I don’t think that makes this all that much better.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Devoted Paladin
Emerald Dragon image 2.0 Neither half of this card is super exciting. Only countering activated or triggered abilities from noncreatures just won’t come up very much, so you’re mostly paying for a clunky Dragon that will occasionally be able to use its adventure.
Lozhan, Dragons' Legacy image 4.0 So, Blue/Red is into both Dragons and Adventures, and boy – this is a super powerful payoff for both. A 5-mana 4/2 Flyer is actually a solid stat-line, so the fact it staples removal spells to your Dragons and Adventures is pretty insane. It also helps that there are two dragons in the format that are common that ALSO have adventures. So casting either half of those is amazing, and casting both will be close to unbeatable.
Jaheira, Harper Emissary image 3.5 This starts with solid stats, and has hexproof that will actually matter on occasion. Then, when she specializes, you get to naturalize and get an additional effect. That’s some pretty nice artifact and enchantment hate to run in your main deck, and because it starts out as such a solid two drop, I like the overall package here. Even if you don’t have something to naturalize, her other specialize effects offer decent value.
Spiked Pit Trap image 1.5 This was not particularly good in Forgotten Realms. You spend a lot of mana for a mediocre removal spell, and even getting the treasure back isn’t enough.
Undersimplify image 1.5 This is a pretty neat design. So, a counterspell that lets your opponent ignore it for two isn’t usually great in Limited, since you have to have the mana up at the right time and your opponent also has to not have the mana to pay for it. But they soften the blow of your opponent paying 2 to ignore it, since you weaken a creature when you target it with this, whether the spell actually gets countered or not. Now, that’s mostly just a consolation prize, but it does at least mean this does something when your opponent has the mana, unlike most counterspells like this. I think you’ll still cut this reasonably often, though.
Devoted Paladin image 2.0 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint, and it is a pretty solid card, especially if you’re good at going wide, at it looks like Red-White will be able to do that, both with tokens and double team.
You Find the Villains' Lair image 1.5 This wasn’t especially good in Forgotten Realms. Sure, it has two modes and everything, but neither of them is especially good, and both are fairly situational. This can be Cancel, or a three mana Faithless Looting, and that just isn’t something you’re always in the market for.
Pseudodragon Familiar image 2.5 This is solid cheap Dragon. A three mana 2/1 Flyer isn’t the most impressive rate, but the ability to send your other creatures into the sky in the mid to late game definitely matters. This seems like a nice Common for Blue.
You Find Some Prisoners image 1.5 So, this either lets you Shatter something, or it lets you take the best card from your opponents top three. While that latter option is definitely sweet, it isn’t actually that powerful, because you’re still just getting back one card with it, and you still have to cast the card you choose. There are enough Artifacts in this set that I think this is actually a pretty reasonable main deck card, where you can just use the “Interrogate” option against an opponent who doesn’t have a target.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Vampire Spawn
Ray of Frost image 3.0 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint, and a pretty nice one. Against a Red creature it is really absurdly strong, since it shuts off the card’s ability and taps it down at instant speed. If it always did that, it would probably be a 4.0 – it is THAT good of removal. Now, the card is far less powerful against non-Red creatures, since it doesn’t tap the thing down or take away the ability, so you have to wait until your opponent has something tapped down for it to do its work.
Krydle of Baldur's Gate image 3.0 Like Kalain, Krydle was a signpost Uncommon in Forgotten Realms, and he’s a signpost Uncommon here too. He offers a ton of value for a two drop, since he lets you get through your opponents defenses, and if it is Krydle getting through, you get to drain a life and Scry 1 every time, which is a pretty big deal. In the late game, he can send in much larger creatures to be unblockable. He’s basically a great early-game threat that also works as a late-game win condition.
Flaming Fist Duskguard image 2.0 The boon you get here isn’t that exciting, but yeah – it is staples to a two mana 3/1, and that’s a decent aggressive stat-line. This is probably a bread and butter type two drop for White decks.
Undersimplify image 1.5 This is a pretty neat design. So, a counterspell that lets your opponent ignore it for two isn’t usually great in Limited, since you have to have the mana up at the right time and your opponent also has to not have the mana to pay for it. But they soften the blow of your opponent paying 2 to ignore it, since you weaken a creature when you target it with this, whether the spell actually gets countered or not. Now, that’s mostly just a consolation prize, but it does at least mean this does something when your opponent has the mana, unlike most counterspells like this. I think you’ll still cut this reasonably often, though.
Summon Undead image 1.5 // 3.0 Here’s another pretty solid reanimation spell. It also mills you, to set up your cards that care about cards in the graveyard, and I like that. There are enough ways to discard cards in this format that I think setting this up is very doable. It probably does need a build around grade, because if you aren’t in a deck with any targets WORTH reanimating, it isn’t worth playing.
Sylvan Shepherd image 2.0 This has passable stats and it is a repeatable source of life gain, which GW is especially interested in.
Dueling Rapier image 1.5 This ended up being surprisingly solid in Forgotten Realms, but that format turned out to be fairly aggressive, and there was an Equipment deck. Without that synergy, this is basically a one mana trick that gives +2/+0 and then the boost sticks around. That can definitely be good, but because it doesn’t offer any boost that will assist your creature in SURVIVING combat, it is a bit more limited. Your creature will usually just go down, even if it takes another creature with it. Then, you have to deal with Equip 4, which is pretty ugly. I mean, you definitely end up playing one of these in really aggressive Red decks, but you cut it a fair bit too.
Vampire Spawn image 3.0 This was a nice little common in Forgotten Realms. It has passable stats and creates a life point difference of 4 just from entering the battlefield. That is surprisingly good!
Pack 2 Pick 8: Lapis Orb of Dragonkind
Lapis Orb of Dragonkind image 1.0 Three mana rocks usually aren’t that good in Limited, even if they can add mana of any color! And this one can only add Blue. The upside, of course, is you get to scry when you cast a Dragon with it. But that isn’t the most exciting payoff. Sure, Scry 2 is nice, but it isn’t something that pays you off for playing this three mana card that doesn’t add to the board in any real way. I guess if you have some really big dragons to ramp into this gets a little more interesting, but there are better ways to ramp in the format.
Circle of the Moon Druid image 2.5 This was alright last time around. The 4/2 side was nice for getting pack tactics on line, and being a 2/4 when on defense is pretty good too. It basically gives you two nice, but unexciting stat-lines, and you get the optimal one for whether you’re attacking or blocking.
Poison the Blade image 2.0 I’m never super high on this kind of trick. Yes, it makes any creature trade for anything, and then you draw a card, which is nice. But your creature you use this on is usually also going to be dying in combat, so the advantage you get out of this is less impressive. I mean, it is definitely fine, but I don’t plan on going after it that early, or even always playing it.
Dread Linnorm image 3.0 Like a lot of Adventure cards, neither side of this thing blows you away. The trick is expensive for what it does, and fairly situational, and the creature is big and only sort of hard to block. But when you get both on one card, it is a completely different thing. It isn’t that difficult to generate a 2-for-1 with it. You have to pick your spots for the trick to work well to be sure, but it can help your creature win combat and it can even counter a removal spell. So, using that trick in the mid-game, and then slamming this 7/6 late is going to feel pretty good. You probably don’t want more than one copy of this in the end, but I do think that first copy is a pretty nice Common.
Iron Golem image 1.0 This has solid stats, but the whole has to block and attack thing is a pretty big downside. You end up in situations where the trades are super ugly for you, or worse – you can’t even trade because they have a large creature.
Mace of Disruption image 1.0 The idea is that you have duplicates created by Double Team, and while that is going to happen, the fact that the perpetual +1/+0 is so conditional makes this pretty bad, as the initial boost isn’t really enough to make the card worth playing.
Jaded Sell-Sword image 2.0 Ramping into Treasure with this felt decent in Forgotten Realms, but it definitely wasn’t amazing. It can come down and attack on almost any board when you do get it those two keyword abilities, but when it is just a 4-mana 4/3 it feels pretty bad, and that happens a little too often.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Hypnotic Pattern
Reckless Barbarian image 2.5 This is a bear that has a useful creature type and it has some pretty real upside too. These creatures who can sac for mana are generally not as good as they look. They give you fast mana for sure, but you also have to use up a whole card just to get that mana, and that kind of thing is significantly worse in Limited than it is in constructed formats. You definitely use this mana when it gives you a nice advantage, but giving up something on the board for mana is a very real cost! We’ve seen that with cards like Treasure Hound and Skirk Prospector, and I think that’s probably going to be true here too.
Ambitious Dragonborn image 1.5 It is a pretty big deal that this checks the graveyard, because if it didn’t, it would be pretty challenging to make this big enough. That said, even with it checking the graveyard, there are going to be times where this is a Hill Giant or worse, and that’s brutal – and the big payoff in the end is just a big vanilla creature – which is fine, but it isn’t the most impressive ceiling either.
Hypnotic Pattern image 0.0 These Blue cards that just lower power don’t tend to be very good, and I think that’s true here, even with the perpetual -2/-0. Sure, it costs one, but most of the time you don’t get a card worth of value out of a card like this. Looking at it as “removal” is pretty dangerous, because the creature you use it on will still be able to do pretty much everything a creature can do. Sure, maybe it doesn’t attack or block as well – but it can do both of them. And, using this as a trick isn’t great either, because your creature still needs enough power to kill the thing you use it on.
Genasi Rabble-Rouser image 3.0 This is a pretty strong Common. A two mana ⅓ with the ability to pump its power for one and a Red is probably pretty close to a 2.5, so obviously adding Double Team to the mix is pretty nice. This is a nice two drop for aggressive Red decks.
Circle of the Land Druid image 1.0 // 2.5 So, this really enables the Black/Green decks in the format, and that’s good – because a two mana 1/1 that returns a land from the graveyard to your hand just…does not seem that good to me. It does mean it is nice to sacrifice and stuff, but this probably needs a build around grade. If you’re in Black/Green this is a solid Common – in the other decks? You don’t want to be playing it.
Demogorgon's Clutches image 1.5 This is an underwhelming reprint. It is a Mind Rot with some added value, but the added value is too minimal for it to really be that much better than Mind Rot.
Pack 2 Pick 10: Summon Undead
Dream Fracture image 1.5 I don’t think I’m in for this. This is basically Cancel, a card that usually just isn’t good enough in Limited most of the time. A three mana hard counter needs to do something extra usually to be playable in Limited, and the extra here isn’t that great – both you and your opponent draw a card, so you sort of break even. The cost of leaving mana up, especially two mana of the same color, can be a pretty big one. And yeah, you probably get to untap and use your new card first, but this is still basically just Cancel.
Earth-Cult Elemental image 1.5 This was a bit of a disappointment in Forgotten Realms. It has passable stats, but six drops that didn’t like…gain you life, were kind of a liability in that format. It will probably be a little bit better here, but its ETB ability isn’t that great either. By the time this comes down many players have expendable permanents, so it is mostly the kind of thing your opponent will shrug about. It is passable as a top-curve creature, but that’s about it.
Summon Undead image 1.5 // 3.0 Here’s another pretty solid reanimation spell. It also mills you, to set up your cards that care about cards in the graveyard, and I like that. There are enough ways to discard cards in this format that I think setting this up is very doable. It probably does need a build around grade, because if you aren’t in a deck with any targets WORTH reanimating, it isn’t worth playing.
Valiant Farewell image 2.0 This doesn’t seem like an amazing combat trick. That’s because it costs two mana and only offers +2/+0 to your creature, and without a toughness boost, that means your creature’s chances of surviving combat are significantly lower. Now, it does replace itself, and it also offers a permanent boost to your next creature. And that value certainly helps this card out, but it still means that in a lot of situations you’ll use up this trick and a creature, and end up not really gaining anything on the board. So the tempo doesn’t seem awesome. The times where you can use this and keep your creature alive will feel absurd, though!
Baleful Beholder image 1.5 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint. It was pretty mediocre in that set. There were too many situations where neither ETB mattered, and when this is a 6-mana 6/5 and not much else, it feels pretty bad. I think it looks like it will perform similarly in this set.
Pack 2 Pick 11: A-Sepulcher Ghoul
Dawnbringer Cleric image 2.0 This is another reprint from Forgotten Realms. It is a decent little two drop. If you’re the life gain deck, it can get those triggers going, and the format has enough artifacts and Enchantments that those modes are reasonable too.
A-Sepulcher Ghoul image
Undersimplify image 1.5 This is a pretty neat design. So, a counterspell that lets your opponent ignore it for two isn’t usually great in Limited, since you have to have the mana up at the right time and your opponent also has to not have the mana to pay for it. But they soften the blow of your opponent paying 2 to ignore it, since you weaken a creature when you target it with this, whether the spell actually gets countered or not. Now, that’s mostly just a consolation prize, but it does at least mean this does something when your opponent has the mana, unlike most counterspells like this. I think you’ll still cut this reasonably often, though.
Circle of the Land Druid image 1.0 // 2.5 So, this really enables the Black/Green decks in the format, and that’s good – because a two mana 1/1 that returns a land from the graveyard to your hand just…does not seem that good to me. It does mean it is nice to sacrifice and stuff, but this probably needs a build around grade. If you’re in Black/Green this is a solid Common – in the other decks? You don’t want to be playing it.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Flaming Fist Duskguard
Water Weird image 3.0 When you hit your opponent with this, you get a pretty good trigger. You either get to grow the Weird, or Surveil 1, and both are pretty nice options.
Baleful Beholder image 1.5 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint. It was pretty mediocre in that set. There were too many situations where neither ETB mattered, and when this is a 6-mana 6/5 and not much else, it feels pretty bad. I think it looks like it will perform similarly in this set.
Flaming Fist Duskguard image 2.0 The boon you get here isn’t that exciting, but yeah – it is staples to a two mana 3/1, and that’s a decent aggressive stat-line. This is probably a bread and butter type two drop for White decks.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Baleful Beholder
Baleful Beholder image 1.5 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint. It was pretty mediocre in that set. There were too many situations where neither ETB mattered, and when this is a 6-mana 6/5 and not much else, it feels pretty bad. I think it looks like it will perform similarly in this set.
Demogorgon's Clutches image 1.5 This is an underwhelming reprint. It is a Mind Rot with some added value, but the added value is too minimal for it to really be that much better than Mind Rot.
Pack 2 Pick 14: You Find the Villains' Lair
You Find the Villains' Lair image 1.5 This wasn’t especially good in Forgotten Realms. Sure, it has two modes and everything, but neither of them is especially good, and both are fairly situational. This can be Cancel, or a three mana Faithless Looting, and that just isn’t something you’re always in the market for.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Skullport Merchant
Fiendlash image 3.5 So, Two mana to cast and three to equip for +2/+0 and Reach isn’t amazing. That card is probably a 1.5 at best. The whole damage part of the card is pretty spicy, though, and definitely provides an upgrade! Because it bumps the power of the creature, it is likely that it can do some significant damage. So you Equip this to your creature and attack, and your opponent kind of just has to take it, because blocking could lose them a creature and result in a bunch of damage. It is nice that it adds Reach to the mix too, so you can use it somewhat defensively as well. The ideal situation is probably putting this on something to attack, and then moving it to something else that you plan on blocking with. That does cost a whole lot of mana to do of course, so you won’t always pull it off. But yeah, I like the idea of attacking with something with this equipped, since your opponent will be in a world of hurt. You can also do some wacky stuff by damaging your own creature when this is around too!
Skullport Merchant image 3.5 This was nice in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here too. It has nice defensive stats, and it does the kinds of things you want to be doing when you’re a defensive situation – since it can draw you cards. It of course also lets you fix your mana.
Wild Shape image 1.0 This was not good in Forgotten Realms. Sure, it has a bunch of modes, but the only one that tends to matter is the Hexproof one, and that effect is pretty darn narrow. It feels good when you blank removal with it of course, but there are lots of situations where there is just no real way to use this card effectively.
Vhal, Eager Scholar image 4.0 A 3-mana 2/1 that can tap and loot for free is something you’d usually play in Limited. Unlike some of the other Specialize creatures out there, this is one where you have to have it stick around on its front side for awhile if you want to get good value out of it, because when it transforms it consumes the study counters you get for looting and gives you a powerful effect depending on how many counters it had. So it takes a little while to get it going, but because the front is already a nice card, and the specialized versions of it all give you some powerful effects, this still looks really good.
Dragonborn Looter image 2.0 Having to pay mana to loot is a pretty big downgrade from a merfolk looter type card, even if it is only one mana. Looting is good of course, because it improves the quality of your draws. However, We’ve seen a lot of these lately and they have felt like a 1.5- type card. However, this is a cheap Dragon, something that both UR and UG a going to be interested in, and that definitely matters.
Shocking Grasp image 2.0 Normally I’m not a big fan of cards that just lowers power, but if you add a cantrip to pretty much anything, it becomes a substantially better card, and that’s certainly true here! The worst case is you take two less damage and draw a card, and while that’s not amazing, it isn’t the worst thing ever. The times where you manage to actually use this as a full-blown trick that keeps your creature alive and kills theirs is going to feel particularly insane, since you get a two mana 2-for-1! Now, that won’t happen a ton, but it will happen!
Mace of Disruption image 1.0 The idea is that you have duplicates created by Double Team, and while that is going to happen, the fact that the perpetual +1/+0 is so conditional makes this pretty bad, as the initial boost isn’t really enough to make the card worth playing.
Warriors of Tiamat image 2.5 A 5-mana 4/2 with Haste isn’t something you want to play, but combining haste with Double Team is pretty spicy, since it means unlike other Double Team creatures, you can get that extra copy of the card before your opponent has a chance to untap. The downside, of course, is lots of cheap creatures and removal can trade with this thing, but they still have to find a way to deal with it twice, and that’s pretty nice.
Air-Cult Elemental image 2.0 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint, and it was a fairly disappointing card in that format. In fact, Blue in general was very underpowered in that set! I mean, I normally love a creature that enters the battlefield and bounces something, and if this format is slow enough this will probably be better than it was in Forgotten Realms – but it is hard to get away from my skepticism.
Prophetic Prism image 2.0 Mana filters don’t tend to be great in Limited, but adding a cantrip to a card like this definitely makes me interested. We’ve seen this card in some really artifact-centric sets actually be quite good, but this format doesn’t have any big Artifact theme, so it doesn’t have that benefit here. It is probably mostly just solid.
Nefarious Imp image 2.0 This is a decent payoff for creatures leaving the battlefield, especially because it is stapled to such a reasonable creature. Scry 1 isn’t going to let you take over the game or anything, but it definitely helps!
Soulknife Spy image 3.0 Another Forgotten Realms reprint, and this was one of the few Blue Commons in that set that I would describe as “Good.” A card that draws you a card when it hits the opponent is pretty sweet when it comes with solid stats, and this definitely does. If you can give it evasion in some way, it becomes a must kill, and even when you aren’t able to do that, it still becomes something your opponent better trade for.
Dread Linnorm image 3.0 Like a lot of Adventure cards, neither side of this thing blows you away. The trick is expensive for what it does, and fairly situational, and the creature is big and only sort of hard to block. But when you get both on one card, it is a completely different thing. It isn’t that difficult to generate a 2-for-1 with it. You have to pick your spots for the trick to work well to be sure, but it can help your creature win combat and it can even counter a removal spell. So, using that trick in the mid-game, and then slamming this 7/6 late is going to feel pretty good. You probably don’t want more than one copy of this in the end, but I do think that first copy is a pretty nice Common.
Genasi Rabble-Rouser image 3.0 This is a pretty strong Common. A two mana ⅓ with the ability to pump its power for one and a Red is probably pretty close to a 2.5, so obviously adding Double Team to the mix is pretty nice. This is a nice two drop for aggressive Red decks.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Viconia, Nightsinger's Disciple
Gate of the Black Dragon image 2.5 So, these five gates don’t fix mana for you at all, and coming into play tapped can be a liability, but they mostly make up for that by being capable of drawing you a card in the late game – and the card you draw is always a nonland, and that’s a big deal. There is only one Gate payoff in the set, and it isn’t good.
Guiding Bolt image 2.5 We see this effect a lot, and it is usually worth playing in your main deck, though not terribly exciting. Most decks have targets for a removal spell like this, but not so many you can look at this as premium, even with Scry 2 attached. Still, the first copy seems pretty solid.
Viconia, Nightsinger's Disciple image 4.0 This looks pretty nuts for an Uncommon. It starts out with good base stats and a graveyard hate effect, and then with Specialize it can become one of five other creatures depending on the color of the card or the type of land you discard. The fact you can discard lands and get this to turn into one of those other creatures is what really makes them seem awesome. Once it becomes the other form of Viconia, you end up getting back the card of value back that you discarded to specialize anyway, especially if you discarded a land!
Ambitious Dragonborn image 1.5 It is a pretty big deal that this checks the graveyard, because if it didn’t, it would be pretty challenging to make this big enough. That said, even with it checking the graveyard, there are going to be times where this is a Hill Giant or worse, and that’s brutal – and the big payoff in the end is just a big vanilla creature – which is fine, but it isn’t the most impressive ceiling either.
You Find the Villains' Lair image 1.5 This wasn’t especially good in Forgotten Realms. Sure, it has two modes and everything, but neither of them is especially good, and both are fairly situational. This can be Cancel, or a three mana Faithless Looting, and that just isn’t something you’re always in the market for.
Giant Fire Beetles image 2.5 Like all the Double Team cards, I think this looks pretty good. Having Menace means it will be able to effectively attack and get you that copy on a lot of boards. Getting both of them will feel great, and that’s especially true if you can augment them in some way.
Shambling Ghast image 3.0 This was a very nice common for Black in Forgotten Realms. It can really keep your opponent from attacking you early, especially because it can generate 2-for-1s against two X/1s, but just the fact it can block and kill two drops is pretty sweet too. Being able to get treasure out of it is really nice too.
Icewind Stalwart image 1.5 Hill Giant stats aren’t something I love, and I’m not sure the ETB ability here will do something often enough to really overcome that. There are certainly creatures with ETB abilities to abuse and the like, but you still won’t have this matter often enough for it to be anything special.
Circle of the Moon Druid image 2.5 This was alright last time around. The 4/2 side was nice for getting pack tactics on line, and being a 2/4 when on defense is pretty good too. It basically gives you two nice, but unexciting stat-lines, and you get the optimal one for whether you’re attacking or blocking.
Unexpected Allies image 1.0 I’m not a huge fan of this, mostly because at Sorcery speed, it is very easy to disrupt. Your opponent need only respond in any number of ways to get a 2-for-1. Now, if you wait until your opponent’s shields are down, this can do some work, since it makes your creature hit harder, and gives double team to whatever you want – and sometimes there will be spicy options. The +2/+0 means that it will be easier for you to at least get a trade with the attack, and the fact you get First Strike sometimes is a nice bonus that makes the creature very hard to block. However, this set seems to have a high power level, and I’m not sure how much value I see in playing something that is easy to mess up.
Hook Horror image 2.5 This is kind of an Alchemy version of Persist. Basically, you get a 5-mana 3/3 that gives you a 2/2 when it dies, and when that 2/2 dies, you get a 1/1. That’s three bodies on one card, which is great for sacrifice effects and the like. It can also just represent a 2-for-1 or even 3-for-1 in a regular deck.
Patriar's Humiliation image 2.5 So, a one mana instant that does damage to a creature equal to the number of creatures you have in play is usually about a 2.0. It can be really efficient removal, but it requires enough set up that it isn’t premium. This adds the “creature loses all abilities” text to the mix, which means that you can get a bonus effect that keeps that creature from ever having abilities again, which can matter sometimes. More importantly, it means that even in a situation where you can’t quite kill a creature this can do still do something. You do still need to be killing things with this for it to be worth a slot in your deck, but basically the fail case is less awful than usual.
Young Blue Dragon image 3.5 This is a really good Common for Blue. Again, I know neither side looks that impressive, but being able to use this early as a draw spell, and then playing a meaningful Flyer with a good creature type in the later game is really sweet. After all, it is a 2-for-1!
Pack 3 Pick 3: Flaming Fist Officer
Guiding Bolt image 2.5 We see this effect a lot, and it is usually worth playing in your main deck, though not terribly exciting. Most decks have targets for a removal spell like this, but not so many you can look at this as premium, even with Scry 2 attached. Still, the first copy seems pretty solid.
Guild Thief image 1.5 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint – and not a super impressive one. Starting out as a 1/1 is Brutal, and sure it can get bigger, but it just won’t be very good at attacking, even after coming down on turn two. In the late game you can make it unblockable, but only for a pretty huge cost, and making this into a tapped 2/2 at that stage of the game just isn’t good enough.
Liara of the Flaming Fist image 3.0 This is the Red/White signpost uncommon. Unsurprisingly, it is a go-wide aggro deck – in this case, it is really built around the Double Team mechanic, as that is the easiest way to get cards with the same name. Notably, this also will help you out with tokens! The fact you can give anything double team and first strike is pretty spicy too, as you can give it to your best creature to get another copy – and First Strike helps that creature survive. Note, by the way, that ability can only be used once. Period. Not once per turn! But still, having that ability once seems pretty strong.
Clever Conjurer image 2.0 This is another Forgotten Realms reprint, and it was fairly unimpressive in that format. It can help you ramp, which is cool, but the fact you can’t use the ability at instant speed is a huge bummer, as it makes the card wayyy worse. It can’t be used to threaten to untap things when your opponent attacks you and things like that.
Valiant Farewell image 2.0 This doesn’t seem like an amazing combat trick. That’s because it costs two mana and only offers +2/+0 to your creature, and without a toughness boost, that means your creature’s chances of surviving combat are significantly lower. Now, it does replace itself, and it also offers a permanent boost to your next creature. And that value certainly helps this card out, but it still means that in a lot of situations you’ll use up this trick and a creature, and end up not really gaining anything on the board. So the tempo doesn’t seem awesome. The times where you can use this and keep your creature alive will feel absurd, though!
Flaming Fist Officer image 2.5 This starts as a Gray Ogre, and that’s always a pretty awful statline – mostly because plenty of one mana cards can deal with it. However, it likes it when creatures go away, whether they die or get blinked, and that means it will be useful in both BW and UW. Still, it probably isn’t the payoff that really makes those decks good, it is just sort of a decent card.
Tymora's Invoker image 1.5 This has mediocre stats as a two drop, but it is nice that in the extreme late game it can draw you those two cards. If you just keep drawing lands, this helps you fix that! But, it is still quite expensive, and pretty meaningless in the early game.
Farideh's Fireball image 2.0 This is another Forgotten Realms reprint. It was a solid removal spell in that format, though it turned out to be a little clunky. It definitely isn’t premium removal, but I think chances are good that this will perform better in this format than it did in Forgotten Realms.
Circle of the Land Druid image 1.0 // 2.5 So, this really enables the Black/Green decks in the format, and that’s good – because a two mana 1/1 that returns a land from the graveyard to your hand just…does not seem that good to me. It does mean it is nice to sacrifice and stuff, but this probably needs a build around grade. If you’re in Black/Green this is a solid Common – in the other decks? You don’t want to be playing it.
Deadly Dispute image 3.0 This is a powerful reprint. Giving up a creature or artifact for two cards and a treasure is an excellent deal, especially if you are sacrificing a treasure in the first place, and that’s something you’ll be able to do, especially in Black-Red. This also enables you to discard stuff you want to reanimate or whatever.
Valor Singer image 2.5 This looks like it will be a nice common here, just as it was in Forgotten Realms. +1/+0 doesn’t sound like a lot, but you’d be surprised how often that boost can alter your attacks. It can even pump itself, so it is basically a 3-mana 3/3 if that’s what you need.
Blur image 2.0 This is a decent way to blink a creature. Adding “Draw a Card” to it makes a big difference, because it means it replaces itself – and that’s good, because you won’t always have a way to use this card effectively enough. The UW deck is about blinking creatures and stuff, and obviously this can get the job done in that deck.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Viconia, Nightsinger's Disciple
Navigation Orb image 2.0 This is a pretty solid source of fixing, although paying 5 total mana and not impacting the board might be brutal. It is basically a 5 mana colorless cultivate, and that isn’t amazing.
Viconia, Nightsinger's Disciple image 4.0 This looks pretty nuts for an Uncommon. It starts out with good base stats and a graveyard hate effect, and then with Specialize it can become one of five other creatures depending on the color of the card or the type of land you discard. The fact you can discard lands and get this to turn into one of those other creatures is what really makes them seem awesome. Once it becomes the other form of Viconia, you end up getting back the card of value back that you discarded to specialize anyway, especially if you discarded a land!
Kagha, Shadow Archdruid image 3.5 Here is the Black-Green signpost Uncommon. As is often the case, Black/Green is about the graveyard. Kagha will usually mill something when she attacks that you can use. The downside is, she’s only a ¼, and even with death touch that makes her fairly vulnerable – she can be double blocked and you can still only trade, for example. For that reason, Kagha will be at her best when you have other ways to mill yourself. Luckily, it looks like that’s what BG is about, and that won’t be that difficult.
Scaled Nurturer image 2.5 Even without the Dragon upside, this would probably be a 2.5. Mana dorks are just really nice, since you get to add to the board and pull ahead of your opponent in mana at the same time.
You're Ambushed on the Road image 1.0 This was not really playable in Forgotten Realms. It is tempting to look at a card like this and think of all the ways you can use those two modes – but too often neither of the modes is actually worth using up a card. Now, this format does have more reasons to return your own stuff to your hand, but I don’t think that makes this all that much better.
Reckless Barbarian image 2.5 This is a bear that has a useful creature type and it has some pretty real upside too. These creatures who can sac for mana are generally not as good as they look. They give you fast mana for sure, but you also have to use up a whole card just to get that mana, and that kind of thing is significantly worse in Limited than it is in constructed formats. You definitely use this mana when it gives you a nice advantage, but giving up something on the board for mana is a very real cost! We’ve seen that with cards like Treasure Hound and Skirk Prospector, and I think that’s probably going to be true here too.
Shambling Ghast image 3.0 This was a very nice common for Black in Forgotten Realms. It can really keep your opponent from attacking you early, especially because it can generate 2-for-1s against two X/1s, but just the fact it can block and kill two drops is pretty sweet too. Being able to get treasure out of it is really nice too.
Gnoll Hunter image 3.0 This was a great two drop in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here too.
Steadfast Unicorn image 2.0 We’ve seen a lot of one drops with this sort of mass pump ability kind of underwhelm in the past, but that Vigilance makes a difference! Your board becoming better at attacking and hanging around to block can really alter races. Now, this still isn’t amazing or anything, but it seems like a solid one drop, where most similar cards were cards you cut more often than you played.
Charmed Sleep image 3.0 This is a reprint, and last time we saw it was a pretty good removal spell. In a format with lots of blink effects and some sacrifice stuff this probably gets a little worse, but it still costs three mana to deal with pretty much any threat. Not turning off all its activated or static abilities can be a bummer, but this still looks pretty good for a Blue deck.
Lizardfolk Librarians image 3.0 Like all the Double Team cards, this has a built-in 2-for-1. Now, the 2/4 stats aren’t exactly exciting, but the fact you end up Scrying 4 and only using up one card to do it isn’t too bad when added to the statline. You don’t always want to attack with a 2/4, because obviously it has better stats for blocking – but it is hard for most of these Double Team cards to not be solid or better.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Cast Down
Cast Down image 4.0 This is premium removal. This format does have a lot of legendary creatures, but this can still kill a massive percentage of creatures in the set for only two mana, and that’s really great.
Oji, the Exquisite Blade image 3.0 This signpost Uncommon tells us UW is all about abusing ETB abilities. I’m already pretty happy with a 4-mana 2/3 that gains me 2 life and scries 2, so the fact that double spelling lets you blink something is some nice additional value. It can target itself with that effect, which is pretty nice – but it can also help you abuse those abilities on other creatures. Now…double-spelling isn’t always super easy in Limited, but even if you just get that value going once you’re going to feel pretty happy with this.
Improvised Weaponry image 2.5 This was pretty nice in Forgotten Realms. It could kill enough creatures in that format that it sort of overperformed. It may not be quite as good here, but 3 mana to do 2 to anything and getting a treasure back is a pretty solid deal.
Sewer Plague image 3.0 This is premium removal. Sure, -2/-2 for three mana isn’t great, but the fact that the creature keeps getting -1/-1 every turn means that it will often set things in motion for a larger creature to die. It basically can kill things as big of a 3/3 before your opponent gets a chance to do anything, too.
Circle of the Moon Druid image 2.5 This was alright last time around. The 4/2 side was nice for getting pack tactics on line, and being a 2/4 when on defense is pretty good too. It basically gives you two nice, but unexciting stat-lines, and you get the optimal one for whether you’re attacking or blocking.
Blur image 2.0 This is a decent way to blink a creature. Adding “Draw a Card” to it makes a big difference, because it means it replaces itself – and that’s good, because you won’t always have a way to use this card effectively enough. The UW deck is about blinking creatures and stuff, and obviously this can get the job done in that deck.
Ranger Squadron image 2.5 Without Double Team, this is not a very good card – the stats just don’t look good. But, this is a Double Team creature with Flying, and that means yo’ure pretty likely to get that second copy. And yeah, it is two copies of an inefficient creature, but we’ve seen in many Limited formats that any sort of effect that gives you card advantage tends to be good, even if what you’re getting isn’t efficient.
Lantern of Revealing image 2.0 This is another pretty nice source of fixing. A three mana mana rock can definitely be clunky, but this turns into a pretty nice mana sink in the later game, since it can effectively draw you lands and put them into play, or at least let you Scry 1. It will certainly improve your draws in the late game, while helping you fix and ramp early.
Iron Golem image 1.0 This has solid stats, but the whole has to block and attack thing is a pretty big downside. You end up in situations where the trades are super ugly for you, or worse – you can’t even trade because they have a large creature.
Dawnbringer Cleric image 2.0 This is another reprint from Forgotten Realms. It is a decent little two drop. If you’re the life gain deck, it can get those triggers going, and the format has enough artifacts and Enchantments that those modes are reasonable too.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Patriar's Humiliation
Alora, Rogue Companion image 2.5 // 3.5 This Specialize creature seems a little more build-aroundy than most of them do. On its own, it can make itself unblockable and hit for three, but then it has to return to your hand, and that’s not…amazing. Obviously, making something else unblockable that has an ETB ability or something is super good, but you won’t always pull that off. Then, once Alora specializes, she adds an extra bonus to the creature returning to your hand, but you still really need to be returning something that gives you value already – either by hitting your opponent hard or retriggering ETB – because the bonuses don’t seem that great for the most part. Basically, if your deck doesn’t have much in the way of ETBs to rebuy, this doesn’t seem especially good, and if you do – she’ll be quite good.
You Meet in a Tavern image 2.0 This was way too clunky in Forgotten Realms, but I imagine it will be a little better here. Each of the modes is definitely appealing, since the first option will regularly draw you 2+ cards, and if you already have a developed board, the +2/+2 can do some serious work.
Clever Conjurer image 2.0 This is another Forgotten Realms reprint, and it was fairly unimpressive in that format. It can help you ramp, which is cool, but the fact you can’t use the ability at instant speed is a huge bummer, as it makes the card wayyy worse. It can’t be used to threaten to untap things when your opponent attacks you and things like that.
Patriar's Humiliation image 2.5 So, a one mana instant that does damage to a creature equal to the number of creatures you have in play is usually about a 2.0. It can be really efficient removal, but it requires enough set up that it isn’t premium. This adds the “creature loses all abilities” text to the mix, which means that you can get a bonus effect that keeps that creature from ever having abilities again, which can matter sometimes. More importantly, it means that even in a situation where you can’t quite kill a creature this can do still do something. You do still need to be killing things with this for it to be worth a slot in your deck, but basically the fail case is less awful than usual.
Gnoll Hunter image 3.0 This was a great two drop in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here too.
Mace of Disruption image 1.0 The idea is that you have duplicates created by Double Team, and while that is going to happen, the fact that the perpetual +1/+0 is so conditional makes this pretty bad, as the initial boost isn’t really enough to make the card worth playing.
You Find Some Prisoners image 1.5 So, this either lets you Shatter something, or it lets you take the best card from your opponents top three. While that latter option is definitely sweet, it isn’t actually that powerful, because you’re still just getting back one card with it, and you still have to cast the card you choose. There are enough Artifacts in this set that I think this is actually a pretty reasonable main deck card, where you can just use the “Interrogate” option against an opponent who doesn’t have a target.
Dragonborn Looter image 2.0 Having to pay mana to loot is a pretty big downgrade from a merfolk looter type card, even if it is only one mana. Looting is good of course, because it improves the quality of your draws. However, We’ve seen a lot of these lately and they have felt like a 1.5- type card. However, this is a cheap Dragon, something that both UR and UG a going to be interested in, and that definitely matters.
Charmed Sleep image 3.0 This is a reprint, and last time we saw it was a pretty good removal spell. In a format with lots of blink effects and some sacrifice stuff this probably gets a little worse, but it still costs three mana to deal with pretty much any threat. Not turning off all its activated or static abilities can be a bummer, but this still looks pretty good for a Blue deck.
Pack 3 Pick 7: You Hear Something on Watch
Kalain, Reclusive Painter image 4.0 This is one of the cards that comes directly from Forgotten Realms, and boy – it was powerful as the signpost Uncommon for the Black/Red treasure deck, a role it fills again here. The Black/Red deck was the best deck in that format, and while this format is substantially different, I think Kalain will still be quite good. A two mana ½ that makes a treasure is something you’d basically always play, so the fact that you get to buff every creature you cast using treasure is a pretty big deal. This looks to be a super strong signpost common again.
Air-Cult Elemental image 2.0 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint, and it was a fairly disappointing card in that format. In fact, Blue in general was very underpowered in that set! I mean, I normally love a creature that enters the battlefield and bounces something, and if this format is slow enough this will probably be better than it was in Forgotten Realms – but it is hard to get away from my skepticism.
Hoard Robber image 2.5 This was a big overperformer in Forgotten Realms, where its stat-line really lined up in such a way that actually blocking it early was a challenge in a sea of 2/1 creatures, so it would generate a fair bit of treasure. It will probably be a little less good here, as part of what made it great was fairly format specific, but it is still a pretty nice Common.
Gnoll Hunter image 3.0 This was a great two drop in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here too.
You Come to the Gnoll Camp image 1.5 Neither option here is great. Individually, they would probably both be a 1.0. +3/+1 for two mana just isn’t a big enough boost, and making a couple of things unable to block doesn’t always matter either. It isn’t the worst thing in the world to run in your deck, but you probably do cut it more than you play it.
Arcane Archery image 2.0 I don’t normally like 3 mana tricks, even if they give sizable boosts and trample like this. One and two mana tricks are usually where its at. Three mana is a ton, and it means that you have less opening to use a trick, and it means you are taking a greater risk if things go sideways. However, this trick definitely gives back for the risk that you take, since it substantially upgrades your next creature spell.
You Hear Something on Watch image 3.0 This was a solid card for slower decks in Forgotten Realms Limited. Being able to kill a whole lot of creatures in the format for only two mana is nice, even if it is situational – and that is the mode you’ll use the most on this. But the board pump comes up sometimes too!
Vampire Spawn image 3.0 This was a nice little common in Forgotten Realms. It has passable stats and creates a life point difference of 4 just from entering the battlefield. That is surprisingly good!
Pack 3 Pick 8: Prophetic Prism
Rally Maneuver image 1.0 This trick wasn’t very impressive in Forgotten Realms. It has 2-for-1 potential to be sure, but you’ll be surprised by how often things don’t line up the way you need them to for this to actually do something meaningful.
Bag of Holding image 1.5 This is a pretty cool card, but not a particularly good one most of the time. It is sweet that you can loot and get your cards back later, but you just have to spend so much mana to make those things happen, you’ll find yourself unable to spend it pretty frequently until the late game.
Guardian Naga image 2.5 Another Adventure where neither half is especially good. The ADventure is an expensive Disenchant, and the creature has underwhelming stats for 7, even with Vigilance and its ability to not take damage during your turn. You won’t always have something to use the Adventure side on, but it is pretty nice that you can run this in your main deck without a huge cost. After all, you do still get a creature eventually, even if it is overcosted.
Hoard Robber image 2.5 This was a big overperformer in Forgotten Realms, where its stat-line really lined up in such a way that actually blocking it early was a challenge in a sea of 2/1 creatures, so it would generate a fair bit of treasure. It will probably be a little less good here, as part of what made it great was fairly format specific, but it is still a pretty nice Common.
Prophetic Prism image 2.0 Mana filters don’t tend to be great in Limited, but adding a cantrip to a card like this definitely makes me interested. We’ve seen this card in some really artifact-centric sets actually be quite good, but this format doesn’t have any big Artifact theme, so it doesn’t have that benefit here. It is probably mostly just solid.
Shocking Grasp image 2.0 Normally I’m not a big fan of cards that just lowers power, but if you add a cantrip to pretty much anything, it becomes a substantially better card, and that’s certainly true here! The worst case is you take two less damage and draw a card, and while that’s not amazing, it isn’t the worst thing ever. The times where you manage to actually use this as a full-blown trick that keeps your creature alive and kills theirs is going to feel particularly insane, since you get a two mana 2-for-1! Now, that won’t happen a ton, but it will happen!
Eyes of the Beholder image 2.0 This was a mediocre removal spell in Forgotten Realms, and that’s probably what it will be here, too. Six mana is a ton, and while this can kill a whole lot of things, you’ll usually be spending more mana than your opponent spent to cast the creature that you kill. It is something you end up playing when you need the removal, but you basically never want more than one – it just isn’t anywhere close to premium.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Wild Shape
Wild Shape image 1.0 This was not good in Forgotten Realms. Sure, it has a bunch of modes, but the only one that tends to matter is the Hexproof one, and that effect is pretty darn narrow. It feels good when you blank removal with it of course, but there are lots of situations where there is just no real way to use this card effectively.
Dragonborn Looter image 2.0 Having to pay mana to loot is a pretty big downgrade from a merfolk looter type card, even if it is only one mana. Looting is good of course, because it improves the quality of your draws. However, We’ve seen a lot of these lately and they have felt like a 1.5- type card. However, this is a cheap Dragon, something that both UR and UG a going to be interested in, and that definitely matters.
Shocking Grasp image 2.0 Normally I’m not a big fan of cards that just lowers power, but if you add a cantrip to pretty much anything, it becomes a substantially better card, and that’s certainly true here! The worst case is you take two less damage and draw a card, and while that’s not amazing, it isn’t the worst thing ever. The times where you manage to actually use this as a full-blown trick that keeps your creature alive and kills theirs is going to feel particularly insane, since you get a two mana 2-for-1! Now, that won’t happen a ton, but it will happen!
Warriors of Tiamat image 2.5 A 5-mana 4/2 with Haste isn’t something you want to play, but combining haste with Double Team is pretty spicy, since it means unlike other Double Team creatures, you can get that extra copy of the card before your opponent has a chance to untap. The downside, of course, is lots of cheap creatures and removal can trade with this thing, but they still have to find a way to deal with it twice, and that’s pretty nice.
Air-Cult Elemental image 2.0 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint, and it was a fairly disappointing card in that format. In fact, Blue in general was very underpowered in that set! I mean, I normally love a creature that enters the battlefield and bounces something, and if this format is slow enough this will probably be better than it was in Forgotten Realms – but it is hard to get away from my skepticism.
Genasi Rabble-Rouser image 3.0 This is a pretty strong Common. A two mana ⅓ with the ability to pump its power for one and a Red is probably pretty close to a 2.5, so obviously adding Double Team to the mix is pretty nice. This is a nice two drop for aggressive Red decks.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Icewind Stalwart
You Find the Villains' Lair image 1.5 This wasn’t especially good in Forgotten Realms. Sure, it has two modes and everything, but neither of them is especially good, and both are fairly situational. This can be Cancel, or a three mana Faithless Looting, and that just isn’t something you’re always in the market for.
Shambling Ghast image 3.0 This was a very nice common for Black in Forgotten Realms. It can really keep your opponent from attacking you early, especially because it can generate 2-for-1s against two X/1s, but just the fact it can block and kill two drops is pretty sweet too. Being able to get treasure out of it is really nice too.
Icewind Stalwart image 1.5 Hill Giant stats aren’t something I love, and I’m not sure the ETB ability here will do something often enough to really overcome that. There are certainly creatures with ETB abilities to abuse and the like, but you still won’t have this matter often enough for it to be anything special.
Circle of the Moon Druid image 2.5 This was alright last time around. The 4/2 side was nice for getting pack tactics on line, and being a 2/4 when on defense is pretty good too. It basically gives you two nice, but unexciting stat-lines, and you get the optimal one for whether you’re attacking or blocking.
Hook Horror image 2.5 This is kind of an Alchemy version of Persist. Basically, you get a 5-mana 3/3 that gives you a 2/2 when it dies, and when that 2/2 dies, you get a 1/1. That’s three bodies on one card, which is great for sacrifice effects and the like. It can also just represent a 2-for-1 or even 3-for-1 in a regular deck.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Guild Thief
Guild Thief image 1.5 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint – and not a super impressive one. Starting out as a 1/1 is Brutal, and sure it can get bigger, but it just won’t be very good at attacking, even after coming down on turn two. In the late game you can make it unblockable, but only for a pretty huge cost, and making this into a tapped 2/2 at that stage of the game just isn’t good enough.
Clever Conjurer image 2.0 This is another Forgotten Realms reprint, and it was fairly unimpressive in that format. It can help you ramp, which is cool, but the fact you can’t use the ability at instant speed is a huge bummer, as it makes the card wayyy worse. It can’t be used to threaten to untap things when your opponent attacks you and things like that.
Valiant Farewell image 2.0 This doesn’t seem like an amazing combat trick. That’s because it costs two mana and only offers +2/+0 to your creature, and without a toughness boost, that means your creature’s chances of surviving combat are significantly lower. Now, it does replace itself, and it also offers a permanent boost to your next creature. And that value certainly helps this card out, but it still means that in a lot of situations you’ll use up this trick and a creature, and end up not really gaining anything on the board. So the tempo doesn’t seem awesome. The times where you can use this and keep your creature alive will feel absurd, though!
Tymora's Invoker image 1.5 This has mediocre stats as a two drop, but it is nice that in the extreme late game it can draw you those two cards. If you just keep drawing lands, this helps you fix that! But, it is still quite expensive, and pretty meaningless in the early game.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Kagha, Shadow Archdruid
Navigation Orb image 2.0 This is a pretty solid source of fixing, although paying 5 total mana and not impacting the board might be brutal. It is basically a 5 mana colorless cultivate, and that isn’t amazing.
Kagha, Shadow Archdruid image 3.5 Here is the Black-Green signpost Uncommon. As is often the case, Black/Green is about the graveyard. Kagha will usually mill something when she attacks that you can use. The downside is, she’s only a ¼, and even with death touch that makes her fairly vulnerable – she can be double blocked and you can still only trade, for example. For that reason, Kagha will be at her best when you have other ways to mill yourself. Luckily, it looks like that’s what BG is about, and that won’t be that difficult.
Lizardfolk Librarians image 3.0 Like all the Double Team cards, this has a built-in 2-for-1. Now, the 2/4 stats aren’t exactly exciting, but the fact you end up Scrying 4 and only using up one card to do it isn’t too bad when added to the statline. You don’t always want to attack with a 2/4, because obviously it has better stats for blocking – but it is hard for most of these Double Team cards to not be solid or better.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Dawnbringer Cleric
Lantern of Revealing image 2.0 This is another pretty nice source of fixing. A three mana mana rock can definitely be clunky, but this turns into a pretty nice mana sink in the later game, since it can effectively draw you lands and put them into play, or at least let you Scry 1. It will certainly improve your draws in the late game, while helping you fix and ramp early.
Dawnbringer Cleric image 2.0 This is another reprint from Forgotten Realms. It is a decent little two drop. If you’re the life gain deck, it can get those triggers going, and the format has enough artifacts and Enchantments that those modes are reasonable too.
Pack 3 Pick 14: Dragonborn Looter
Dragonborn Looter image 2.0 Having to pay mana to loot is a pretty big downgrade from a merfolk looter type card, even if it is only one mana. Looting is good of course, because it improves the quality of your draws. However, We’ve seen a lot of these lately and they have felt like a 1.5- type card. However, this is a cheap Dragon, something that both UR and UG a going to be interested in, and that definitely matters.
Draft Pick Overview