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Quick Draft HBG 3 August 2022

3 August 05:07 - AtOn 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (8)
2 Mephit's Enthusiasm image
2 Improvised Weaponry image
1 You Hear Something on Watch image
1 You Come to the Gnoll Camp image
1 Patriar's Humiliation image
1 You're Ambushed on the Road image
Creature (16)
1 Liara of the Flaming Fist image
1 Pegasus Guardian image
1 Genasi Rabble-Rouser image
1 Young Red Dragon image
1 Soldiers of the Watch image
1 Warriors of Tiamat image
1 Rasaad, Monk of Selune image
1 Giant Fire Beetles image
1 Red Dragon image
1 Rescuer Chwinga image
1 Flaming Fist Duskguard image
1 Blessed Hippogriff image
1 Dawnbringer Cleric image
1 Flaming Fist Officer image
1 Goblin Trapfinder image
1 Monk of the Open Hand image
Land (16)
8 Mountain image
8 Plains image
Sideboard
1 Celestial Unicorn image
1 Kobold Warcaller image
1 Hoard Robber image
2 Guardian Naga image
1 Jaded Sell-Sword image
1 Grim Wanderer image
1 Manticore image
1 Navigation Orb image
1 Incessant Provocation image
1 Farideh's Fireball image
1 Summon Undead image
1 Poison the Blade image
1 Unexpected Windfall image
1 You Find Some Prisoners image
1 Armor of Shadows image
1 Blur image
1 Dream Fracture image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Mephit's Enthusiasm
Eldritch Pact image 2.0 This has a cool design…one that is sort of hard to evaluate. This can potentially kill your opponent or mill them out, or you can use it on yourself if it’s a situation where drawing a whole bunch of cards However, it feels like there will be too many situations where doing either of these things is worth it, and its brutal having a 7 drop that just doesn’t do something useful. It sort of feels like this needs to be winning you the game when you cast it, or it isn’t worth it. It does seem like it could be a real win condition in some control decks, but I’m pretty skeptical of this thing.
Mephit's Enthusiasm image 4.0 This is premium removal. Two mana for 4 damage is great, even on a Sorcery, so the fact that you’ll sometimes get to buff your next creature is the cherry on top.
Gate to Manorborn 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.
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.
Young Red Dragon image 3.0 This is a pretty nice Common. It makes you a treasure early, which can actually allow you to play this very Dragon on turn three, which is pretty nice! It can also be used for other purposes too of course. The creature you get can’t block, which is a liability sometimes, but it looks like an effective enough attacker that I’m not too concerned about that.
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.
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.
Thieves' Tools image 1.5 This was underwhelming in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here too. The UB deck in the format is about making creatures unblockable, and the BR deck likes treasure – but both of those were true in Forgotten Realms and this still didn’t really do enough to make the cut with regularity.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Guildsworn Prowler image 3.0 I think this is a good Common. A two mana 2/1 with death touch is generally going to be a 2.5, since it is fairly cheap and can trade for anything. When you can draw a card off of this, it will feel particularly absurd. Obviously, if it would draw you a card even if it was blocking, it would probably be a B because it would always be a 2-for-1. But if you do find a way to draw that card, it will feel pretty nice! It can be a nice sacrifice outlet, in addition to being a nice attacker and blocker.
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 1 Pick 2: Liara of the Flaming Fist
Yuan-Ti Scaleshield image 1.5 This kind of effect always looks like it would be amazing, especially among less experienced players. I mean, Indestructible and Hexproof, what can possibly stop you! And yeah, there are situations where it can be good. But there are also lots of situations where it just doesn’t do enough. Yes, you can list off a lot of situations where this does something: like if you are in combat and you can save several creatures and kill a few of theres, or in response to removal – and while that is a lot of different situations, things don’t line up for this to do its thing often enough to be worth playing. A lot of the time, this just feels like an overcosted Fog, and Fog doesn’t tend to be good in Limited, because you go down a card without any impact on the board. We’ve seen this effect at two mana before and it wasn’t very good in Limited, so upping the cost to three doesn’t really interest me. Now, this does draw you a creature card if your opponent has cast a big enough spell, and when you can net a card and get the indestructible effect you’re going to be in business, even if you have to use this as a Fog, because the card replaces itself. But I’m still concerned there will be too many situations where you can’t really fire this off effectively.
Drider image 2.5 This was decent in Forgotten Realms. Obviously when you can get in with it, it generates some very serious value, but it does have a stat-line that makes it kind of challenging to do that with regularity. There are of course ways to make it evasive, especially in UB.
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.
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.
You Line Up the Shot image 1.5 So, this is the usual “Crushing Canopy” type effect we see, but it is actually a little bit better. This is because instead of paying three up front, you can choose to pay in installments. It is also better because it can also just be cycled away for one mana. This card does suffer a bit from the fact there are some adventures in this set that let you deal with the same sorts of things, and they turn into creatures, so those are probably just better than You Line Up the Shot. But still, any time you add Cycling to a card that can be situationally useful, it tends to be playable, and I think that’s what we have here.
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.
Thieves' Tools image 1.5 This was underwhelming in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here too. The UB deck in the format is about making creatures unblockable, and the BR deck likes treasure – but both of those were true in Forgotten Realms and this still didn’t really do enough to make the cut with regularity.
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.
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.
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.
Celestial Unicorn image 2.5 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint, and it is a solid little life gain payoff, that goes especially well in the GW deck. It was never super impressive or anything, but hey – it can definitely grow throughout the game in a good GW 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.
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.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Pegasus Guardian
Grim Wanderer image 1.5 This was in Forgotten Realms, and it wasn’t very good. While the creature is obviously above rate, setting it up so you can cast it is harder than you might think, so most of the time when you do finally cast it, it isn’t really that imposing as a 5/3. Lots of three drops in the format can easily trade with it.
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.
Sarevok the Usurper image 4.0 Before this Specializes, it is a pretty nice card. Even if you only have a single creature in your graveyard, being able to offer that boost every turn is pretty relevant. Saervok can even pump himself! Then, if your graveyard has some more going on, it becomes even more potent. And obviously, once Saervok specializes, he becomes even more impressive. I don’t actually love the Blue-Black versino of Saervok, but the other three – and especially the Menace one – are pretty scary. A 4/4 Menace that gives Menace and a stats boost to another creature every turn is going to end a lot of games.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Kobold Warcaller image 2.0 We have seen a lot of one mana 1/1s that can tap and give haste to things, and they tend to be pretty decent. This is obviously an upgrade, because you don’t actually have to cast your creature for it to get the Haste – you can use this during your opponents end step and then cast the Haste creature on your turn, for example. Plus, the creature will keep haste no matter where it goes! It still isn’t amazing or anything, but seems like a fine one 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.
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.
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.
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.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Farideh's Fireball
Gate to Manorborn 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Incessant Provocation image 1.0 // 3.0 As usual, the Threaten effect in this set is a build around. There is sacrifice stuff around - Seplucher Ghoul at Common can sacrifice things for free, and if you have cards like that the Provocation will be something you want to play, since you can get rid of their creature permanently and get a bonus on the way there! If you don’t have 3+ ways to sacrifice creatures though, you hope you’re not playing this. It does perpetually force the creature to attack, but that really isn’t going to feel like enough most of the time.
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.
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.
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.
Sylvan Shepherd image 2.0 This has passable stats and it is a repeatable source of life gain, which GW is especially interested in.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Genasi Rabble-Rouser
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.
Korlessa, Scale Singer image 3.5 As Korlessa tells you, UG is a dragon tribal deck, and this is quite the payoff! The format has enough cheap Dragons that casting them from the top – even in the mid-game is very doable. This also gives you a nice defensive creature who can stall things till you can start casting bigger dragons, and the info it gives you about the top of your library is pretty important too.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Young Red Dragon
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Young Red Dragon image 3.0 This is a pretty nice Common. It makes you a treasure early, which can actually allow you to play this very Dragon on turn three, which is pretty nice! It can also be used for other purposes too of course. The creature you get can’t block, which is a liability sometimes, but it looks like an effective enough attacker that I’m not too concerned about that.
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.
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 7: Soldiers of the Watch
Dragon's Fire image 4.0 This was a premium removal spell in Forgotten Realms, and it will probably be even better here, since this set is way more into Dragon than that one was. Two mana to do 3 at instant speed is already premium, so the dragon upside is pretty amazing.
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!
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.
Celestial Unicorn image 2.5 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint, and it is a solid little life gain payoff, that goes especially well in the GW deck. It was never super impressive or anything, but hey – it can definitely grow throughout the game in a good GW deck.
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.
Soldiers of the Watch image 2.5 It feels pretty hard to give Double Team cards anything lower than a 2.5. This is because they all have serious 2-for-1 potential, and even this fairly underwhelming Double Team creature seems 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!
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.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Warriors of Tiamat
Jade Orb of Dragonkind image 2.5 I think this is the best card in this cycle. A +1/+1 counter is no joke, and Green decks have more general interest in ramping than the other two colors have. It is still a three mana mana rock, and those can be a real liability – you need to add to the board after all!
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.
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.
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.
Thieves' Tools image 1.5 This was underwhelming in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here too. The UB deck in the format is about making creatures unblockable, and the BR deck likes treasure – but both of those were true in Forgotten Realms and this still didn’t really do enough to make the cut with regularity.
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 1 Pick 9: Navigation Orb
Gate to Manorborn 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.
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.
Thieves' Tools image 1.5 This was underwhelming in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here too. The UB deck in the format is about making creatures unblockable, and the BR deck likes treasure – but both of those were true in Forgotten Realms and this still didn’t really do enough to make the cut with regularity.
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.
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.
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 1 Pick 10: Celestial Unicorn
You Line Up the Shot image 1.5 So, this is the usual “Crushing Canopy” type effect we see, but it is actually a little bit better. This is because instead of paying three up front, you can choose to pay in installments. It is also better because it can also just be cycled away for one mana. This card does suffer a bit from the fact there are some adventures in this set that let you deal with the same sorts of things, and they turn into creatures, so those are probably just better than You Line Up the Shot. But still, any time you add Cycling to a card that can be situationally useful, it tends to be playable, and I think that’s what we have here.
Thieves' Tools image 1.5 This was underwhelming in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here too. The UB deck in the format is about making creatures unblockable, and the BR deck likes treasure – but both of those were true in Forgotten Realms and this still didn’t really do enough to make the cut with regularity.
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.
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.
Celestial Unicorn image 2.5 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint, and it is a solid little life gain payoff, that goes especially well in the GW deck. It was never super impressive or anything, but hey – it can definitely grow throughout the game in a good GW deck.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Kobold Warcaller
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.
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.
Kobold Warcaller image 2.0 We have seen a lot of one mana 1/1s that can tap and give haste to things, and they tend to be pretty decent. This is obviously an upgrade, because you don’t actually have to cast your creature for it to get the Haste – you can use this during your opponents end step and then cast the Haste creature on your turn, for example. Plus, the creature will keep haste no matter where it goes! It still isn’t amazing or anything, but seems like a fine one drop for aggressive Red decks.
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.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Incessant Provocation
Incessant Provocation image 1.0 // 3.0 As usual, the Threaten effect in this set is a build around. There is sacrifice stuff around - Seplucher Ghoul at Common can sacrifice things for free, and if you have cards like that the Provocation will be something you want to play, since you can get rid of their creature permanently and get a bonus on the way there! If you don’t have 3+ ways to sacrifice creatures though, you hope you’re not playing this. It does perpetually force the creature to attack, but that really isn’t going to feel like enough most of the time.
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.
Sylvan Shepherd image 2.0 This has passable stats and it is a repeatable source of life gain, which GW is especially interested in.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Summon Undead
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.
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.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Poison the Blade
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 2 Pick 1: Rasaad, Monk of Selune
Verdant Rejuvenation image 2.5 If ramp is a viable strategy in this format, this is a pretty spicy win condition! You need to have something on the board, but if you just have a 4-drop in play this is usually going to do some serious work! Sure, you don’t pick what gets sought, but it kind of doesn’t matter at that point. There is enough ramp in Green that it seems like this might actually be a possibility. This card could end up 0.0 or a 4.0, depending on how viable ramp is.
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.
Gnoll Hunting Party image 4.0 I think if you can make this cost 5, you feel fine about that, and anything less than that is pretty amazing. The whole Double Team thing will give you another copy of this fairly large creature, and that second copy is going to cost five at the worst, because you had to attack with the Hunting Party to get Double Team to do its thing. A 4/4 with First Strike is not something that can be ignored, and you can get two of them here! This looks pretty good in a deck with lots of creatures.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Minimus Containment image 2.5 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint. It is decent removal – being able to deal with any permanent type is pretty nice. Still, it never really felt premium, since you are giving your opponent back some very real value, especially when you use this early, as it can ramp them into more powerful spells.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Unexpected Windfall image 1.5 This is a card that is great in constructed, but much less impressive in Limited. Spending 4 mana and giving up two cards to get back two cards and a couple of treasure just isn’t as impactful. That doesn’t mean this is bad – but it definitely isn’t something you run in all of your Red decks.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Giant Fire Beetles
Gate to Tumbledown 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.
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.
Sarevok the Usurper image 4.0 Before this Specializes, it is a pretty nice card. Even if you only have a single creature in your graveyard, being able to offer that boost every turn is pretty relevant. Saervok can even pump himself! Then, if your graveyard has some more going on, it becomes even more potent. And obviously, once Saervok specializes, he becomes even more impressive. I don’t actually love the Blue-Black versino of Saervok, but the other three – and especially the Menace one – are pretty scary. A 4/4 Menace that gives Menace and a stats boost to another creature every turn is going to end a lot of games.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Improvised Weaponry
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.
Breath Weapon image 0.5 These sorts of tribal payoff board sweepers always disappoint in Limited, and that’s because there are too many situations where they don’t do enough. Sure, you can have a super Dragon-centric deck, but there are enough Dragons that most opponents will have them too. So, the number of dragons and creatures with 3 or more toughness your opponent has just really isn’t something you can control, and generally speaking they will have a whole lot of stuff that doesn’t die to this. This is mostly a sideboard card, I think. If you go up against someone who is really aggressive and has lots of creatures that this dies to, you definitely want to bring it in.
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.
A-Sepulcher Ghoul image
Gnoll Hunter image 3.0 This was a great two drop in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pack 2 Pick 4: You Find Some Prisoners
Gate to Tumbledown 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.
Mind Spike image 1.5 This is a neat take on Duress – and that’s what this is for the most part. You do get less info about your opponents hand, because they only reveal cards you can hit. Normally Duress isn’t really playable in your main deck in limited, however this adds the bonus of just turning into a one mana draw one when you don’t hit something. That gets around the main problem with Duress, which is that it does stone nothing way too often. Still, you do pay 2 life, and this isn’t exactly a hugely impactful card regardless of which thing happens, so you’re going to cut it a lot. But you’ll play it more than Duress!
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Pack 2 Pick 5: Mephit's Enthusiasm
Mind Spike image 1.5 This is a neat take on Duress – and that’s what this is for the most part. You do get less info about your opponents hand, because they only reveal cards you can hit. Normally Duress isn’t really playable in your main deck in limited, however this adds the bonus of just turning into a one mana draw one when you don’t hit something. That gets around the main problem with Duress, which is that it does stone nothing way too often. Still, you do pay 2 life, and this isn’t exactly a hugely impactful card regardless of which thing happens, so you’re going to cut it a lot. But you’ll play it more than Duress!
Mephit's Enthusiasm image 4.0 This is premium removal. Two mana for 4 damage is great, even on a Sorcery, so the fact that you’ll sometimes get to buff your next creature is the cherry on top.
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.
Minimus Containment image 2.5 This is a Forgotten Realms reprint. It is decent removal – being able to deal with any permanent type is pretty nice. Still, it never really felt premium, since you are giving your opponent back some very real value, especially when you use this early, as it can ramp them into more powerful spells.
You Line Up the Shot image 1.5 So, this is the usual “Crushing Canopy” type effect we see, but it is actually a little bit better. This is because instead of paying three up front, you can choose to pay in installments. It is also better because it can also just be cycled away for one mana. This card does suffer a bit from the fact there are some adventures in this set that let you deal with the same sorts of things, and they turn into creatures, so those are probably just better than You Line Up the Shot. But still, any time you add Cycling to a card that can be situationally useful, it tends to be playable, and I think that’s what we have 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.
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.
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.
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.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Red Dragon
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.
Red Dragon image 2.5 A 6-mana 4/4 Flyer is definitely overcosted, and I do think the ETB ability here does enough to make up for that, but it is still nothing more than a decent playable. You don’t even usually want more than one, even in a dragon deck.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Pack 2 Pick 7: Rescuer Chwinga
Rescuer Chwinga image 3.0 A two mana 2/2 with Flash is already playable, and this has an extra ability that really matter sometimes. You can of course use it to save a permanent from removal, or you can use it to rebuy an ETB ability. You won’t always get to do something with it, but it is pretty good upside on an already solid card.
Jade Orb of Dragonkind image 2.5 I think this is the best card in this cycle. A +1/+1 counter is no joke, and Green decks have more general interest in ramping than the other two colors have. It is still a three mana mana rock, and those can be a real liability – you need to add to the board after all!
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.
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.
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.
Thieves' Tools image 1.5 This was underwhelming in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here too. The UB deck in the format is about making creatures unblockable, and the BR deck likes treasure – but both of those were true in Forgotten Realms and this still didn’t really do enough to make the cut with regularity.
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.
Kobold Warcaller image 2.0 We have seen a lot of one mana 1/1s that can tap and give haste to things, and they tend to be pretty decent. This is obviously an upgrade, because you don’t actually have to cast your creature for it to get the Haste – you can use this during your opponents end step and then cast the Haste creature on your turn, for example. Plus, the creature will keep haste no matter where it goes! It still isn’t amazing or anything, but seems like a fine one drop for aggressive Red decks.
Pack 2 Pick 8: You Hear Something on Watch
Craving of Yeenoghu image 2.0 This seems like a decent aura, especially once you get in the graveyard. The fact it can keep coming back is nice, although after the second time you bring it back you are getting negative stats to go with the Haste, which is far less good – those first two activations will be a pretty nice way to add stats and Haste to a creature you play for only one Red mana though. It is probably at its best if you find a way to discard it early, and you never actually cast it the traditional way.
Young Red Dragon image 3.0 This is a pretty nice Common. It makes you a treasure early, which can actually allow you to play this very Dragon on turn three, which is pretty nice! It can also be used for other purposes too of course. The creature you get can’t block, which is a liability sometimes, but it looks like an effective enough attacker that I’m not too concerned about that.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Unexpected Windfall
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Unexpected Windfall image 1.5 This is a card that is great in constructed, but much less impressive in Limited. Spending 4 mana and giving up two cards to get back two cards and a couple of treasure just isn’t as impactful. That doesn’t mean this is bad – but it definitely isn’t something you run in all of your Red decks.
Pack 2 Pick 10: Guardian Naga
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Jaded Sell-Sword
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pack 2 Pick 12: You Come to the Gnoll Camp
Mind Spike image 1.5 This is a neat take on Duress – and that’s what this is for the most part. You do get less info about your opponents hand, because they only reveal cards you can hit. Normally Duress isn’t really playable in your main deck in limited, however this adds the bonus of just turning into a one mana draw one when you don’t hit something. That gets around the main problem with Duress, which is that it does stone nothing way too often. Still, you do pay 2 life, and this isn’t exactly a hugely impactful card regardless of which thing happens, so you’re going to cut it a lot. But you’ll play it more than Duress!
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.
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!
Pack 2 Pick 13: Guardian Naga
Mind Spike image 1.5 This is a neat take on Duress – and that’s what this is for the most part. You do get less info about your opponents hand, because they only reveal cards you can hit. Normally Duress isn’t really playable in your main deck in limited, however this adds the bonus of just turning into a one mana draw one when you don’t hit something. That gets around the main problem with Duress, which is that it does stone nothing way too often. Still, you do pay 2 life, and this isn’t exactly a hugely impactful card regardless of which thing happens, so you’re going to cut it a lot. But you’ll play it more than Duress!
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.
Pack 2 Pick 14: Hoard Robber
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.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Patriar's Humiliation
Black Market Connections image 3.5 This has a pretty cool design! It can generate a whole lot of value, but at the cost of life. However, all three options are pretty appealing! The card draw effect kind of makes this Phyrexian Arena-like – apart from the fact that it makes you pay twice the life. It does balance out to some extent, since you can also get creatures and treasure with it. It definitely gets better if you have some ways to gain life, as that minimizes the downside, but either way this feels fairly powerful.
Gate to Manorborn 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.
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.
Druid of the Emerald Grove image 4.0 This is quite good. A 4-mana 2/2 that always sought up two basic lands and put them in your hand is a card you would play in a whole lot of decks! It ensures you hit land drops, and fixes your mana really well. So, the fact that sometimes you get to put one or both of those on the battlefield is really serious upside. This might be Green’s best Uncommon.
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.
Incessant Provocation image 1.0 // 3.0 As usual, the Threaten effect in this set is a build around. There is sacrifice stuff around - Seplucher Ghoul at Common can sacrifice things for free, and if you have cards like that the Provocation will be something you want to play, since you can get rid of their creature permanently and get a bonus on the way there! If you don’t have 3+ ways to sacrifice creatures though, you hope you’re not playing this. It does perpetually force the creature to attack, but that really isn’t going to feel like enough most of the time.
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.
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.
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.
Sylvan Shepherd image 2.0 This has passable stats and it is a repeatable source of life gain, which GW is especially interested in.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Improvised Weaponry
Goblin Trapfinder image 2.5 This is some pretty nice sacrifice fodder, since it provides you with two separate bodies! This is basically a one mana 1/1 that draws you a card when it dies – and yes, the card you draw is very specific, but it is still giving you a pretty real card most of the time. This is probably at its best in Black-Red, but it seems like a fine inclusion in any Red deck.
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.
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.
Cloak of the Bat image 1.5 This sort of Equipment always seems to underwhelm. It feels like it should actually do something nice pretty often, but it just doesn’t. If you have a big ol’ creature it feels pretty good, but the awkward thing about the card is that if you want to take advantage of the Haste end of thing, you need to have the mana available to equip it to whatever new creature you play. The creature also has to already be pretty good for these keywords to do their job.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Unexpected Windfall image 1.5 This is a card that is great in constructed, but much less impressive in Limited. Spending 4 mana and giving up two cards to get back two cards and a couple of treasure just isn’t as impactful. That doesn’t mean this is bad – but it definitely isn’t something you run in all of your Red decks.
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.
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.
Kobold Warcaller image 2.0 We have seen a lot of one mana 1/1s that can tap and give haste to things, and they tend to be pretty decent. This is obviously an upgrade, because you don’t actually have to cast your creature for it to get the Haste – you can use this during your opponents end step and then cast the Haste creature on your turn, for example. Plus, the creature will keep haste no matter where it goes! It still isn’t amazing or anything, but seems like a fine one drop for aggressive Red decks.
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 3 Pick 3: Flaming Fist Duskguard
Gate to Tumbledown 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.
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.
Mind Spike image 1.5 This is a neat take on Duress – and that’s what this is for the most part. You do get less info about your opponents hand, because they only reveal cards you can hit. Normally Duress isn’t really playable in your main deck in limited, however this adds the bonus of just turning into a one mana draw one when you don’t hit something. That gets around the main problem with Duress, which is that it does stone nothing way too often. Still, you do pay 2 life, and this isn’t exactly a hugely impactful card regardless of which thing happens, so you’re going to cut it a lot. But you’ll play it more than Duress!
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.
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.
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.
Underdark Basilisk image 2.5 This was solid in Forgotten Realms. It gets extra good alongside effects that let it damage things – like Band Together – because the Death touch allows it to take down anything. Outside of that, it does a decent job of deterring attacks early, since it can trade for any of your opponents attacks. It also stays relevant all game long.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Blessed Hippogriff
Drider image 2.5 This was decent in Forgotten Realms. Obviously when you can get in with it, it generates some very serious value, but it does have a stat-line that makes it kind of challenging to do that with regularity. There are of course ways to make it evasive, especially in UB.
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.
Monk of the Open Hand image 2.0 Another Forgotten Realms reprint. This was a decent one drop in that format, as getting the counters on it came a little easier than I expected it to. Getting it in play late doesn’t feel very good, though.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Soldiers of the Watch image 2.5 It feels pretty hard to give Double Team cards anything lower than a 2.5. This is because they all have serious 2-for-1 potential, and even this fairly underwhelming Double Team creature seems solid.
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.
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.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Dawnbringer Cleric
Grim Wanderer image 1.5 This was in Forgotten Realms, and it wasn’t very good. While the creature is obviously above rate, setting it up so you can cast it is harder than you might think, so most of the time when you do finally cast it, it isn’t really that imposing as a 5/3. Lots of three drops in the format can easily trade with it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Wizened Githzerai image 1.5 This doesn’t seem that good to me. Sure, it can chump block or trade and make a creature worse, but chumping is not something you want to be doing a whole lot. And yeah, the -2/-0 sticks around no matter what happens to the creature, but I still feel like this is a two drop you will cut pretty often.
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.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Flaming Fist Officer
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.
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!
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 7: You're Ambushed on the Road
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Gnoll Hunter image 3.0 This was a great two drop in Forgotten Realms, and it will be here too.
Kobold Warcaller image 2.0 We have seen a lot of one mana 1/1s that can tap and give haste to things, and they tend to be pretty decent. This is obviously an upgrade, because you don’t actually have to cast your creature for it to get the Haste – you can use this during your opponents end step and then cast the Haste creature on your turn, for example. Plus, the creature will keep haste no matter where it goes! It still isn’t amazing or anything, but seems like a fine one drop for aggressive Red decks.
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 8: Dream Fracture
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 9: Armor of Shadows
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.
Incessant Provocation image 1.0 // 3.0 As usual, the Threaten effect in this set is a build around. There is sacrifice stuff around - Seplucher Ghoul at Common can sacrifice things for free, and if you have cards like that the Provocation will be something you want to play, since you can get rid of their creature permanently and get a bonus on the way there! If you don’t have 3+ ways to sacrifice creatures though, you hope you’re not playing this. It does perpetually force the creature to attack, but that really isn’t going to feel like enough most of the time.
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.
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.
Sylvan Shepherd image 2.0 This has passable stats and it is a repeatable source of life gain, which GW is especially interested in.
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.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Goblin Trapfinder
Goblin Trapfinder image 2.5 This is some pretty nice sacrifice fodder, since it provides you with two separate bodies! This is basically a one mana 1/1 that draws you a card when it dies – and yes, the card you draw is very specific, but it is still giving you a pretty real card most of the time. This is probably at its best in Black-Red, but it seems like a fine inclusion in any Red deck.
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.
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.
Kobold Warcaller image 2.0 We have seen a lot of one mana 1/1s that can tap and give haste to things, and they tend to be pretty decent. This is obviously an upgrade, because you don’t actually have to cast your creature for it to get the Haste – you can use this during your opponents end step and then cast the Haste creature on your turn, for example. Plus, the creature will keep haste no matter where it goes! It still isn’t amazing or anything, but seems like a fine one drop for aggressive Red decks.
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 3 Pick 11: Blur
Mind Spike image 1.5 This is a neat take on Duress – and that’s what this is for the most part. You do get less info about your opponents hand, because they only reveal cards you can hit. Normally Duress isn’t really playable in your main deck in limited, however this adds the bonus of just turning into a one mana draw one when you don’t hit something. That gets around the main problem with Duress, which is that it does stone nothing way too often. Still, you do pay 2 life, and this isn’t exactly a hugely impactful card regardless of which thing happens, so you’re going to cut it a lot. But you’ll play it more than Duress!
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.
Underdark Basilisk image 2.5 This was solid in Forgotten Realms. It gets extra good alongside effects that let it damage things – like Band Together – because the Death touch allows it to take down anything. Outside of that, it does a decent job of deterring attacks early, since it can trade for any of your opponents attacks. It also stays relevant all game long.
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 12: Monk of the Open Hand
Monk of the Open Hand image 2.0 Another Forgotten Realms reprint. This was a decent one drop in that format, as getting the counters on it came a little easier than I expected it to. Getting it in play late doesn’t feel very good, though.
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.
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.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Grim Wanderer
Grim Wanderer image 1.5 This was in Forgotten Realms, and it wasn’t very good. While the creature is obviously above rate, setting it up so you can cast it is harder than you might think, so most of the time when you do finally cast it, it isn’t really that imposing as a 5/3. Lots of three drops in the format can easily trade with it.
Wizened Githzerai image 1.5 This doesn’t seem that good to me. Sure, it can chump block or trade and make a creature worse, but chumping is not something you want to be doing a whole lot. And yeah, the -2/-0 sticks around no matter what happens to the creature, but I still feel like this is a two drop you will cut pretty often.
Pack 3 Pick 14: 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.
Draft Pick Overview