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Quick Draft THB 01.mars 2021

1 March 02:51 - giant5 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (13)
1 Rise to Glory image
2 Pharika's Libation image
1 Shadowspear image
1 Commanding Presence image
1 Elspeth's Nightmare image
1 Agonizing Remorse image
1 Sentinel's Eyes image
1 Omen of the Sun image
2 Indomitable Will image
1 Aspect of Lamprey image
1 Eat to Extinction image
Creature (10)
1 Enemy of Enlightenment image
1 Pharika's Spawn image
1 Alseid of Life's Bounty image
1 Heliod's Pilgrim image
1 Scavenging Harpy image
1 Transcendent Envoy image
1 Daybreak Chimera image
1 Lagonna-Band Storyteller image
1 Nyxborn Courser image
1 Captivating Unicorn image
Land (17)
8 Swamp image
9 Plains image
Sideboard
2 Thaumaturge's Familiar image
1 Grim Physician image
2 Rage-Scarred Berserker image
2 Rumbling Sentry image
1 Oread of Mountain's Blaze image
1 Lagonna-Band Storyteller image
1 Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath image
1 Underworld Charger image
1 Discordant Piper image
1 Temple Thief image
1 Omen of the Dead image
1 Relentless Pursuit image
1 Chain to Memory image
2 Sweet Oblivion image
1 Traveler's Amulet image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Shadowspear
Shadowspear image 4.5 This is a great efficient piece of Equipment that makes just about any creature into a problem. Lifelink is always a nightmare to play against, especially when your opponent can just keep a card on the table that can give life link to anything! Meanwhile, trample suddenly makes your big dumb guys a lot harder for your opponent to stop. Believe it or not, the turn of hexproof and indestructible part of the card will actually come up every now and again too, which is hilarious, because most people forget about that part of the card when you play against it.
Minion's Return image 1.5 Situational cards are not your friend in Limited, and that’s definitely what this ends up being. It is tempting to imagine using this to steal your opponents’ bomb, or keep yours alive, but there are plenty of games where things just won’t line up the way you want them to and this ends up being an underwhelming or worse – useless card.
The Triumph of Anax image 1.0 first three chapters help make it so your creatures can attack harder and give them trample, and if you play this on turn 3 and your opponent has an empty board you can start doing a ton of damage. But, that’s the kind of ability that normally won’t scale very well as the game goes on -- sure, if you have creatures who are challenging to block it gets more interesting, but the boost to only power and Trample just isn’t something I’m that interested in. I feel like most aggro decks would rather just play a 3-mana creature than this. Now, the fourth chapter of this Saga is the most interesting one, since it gives you a fight effect -- but the fact your opponent KNOWS it is coming, means they can play around it to some extent -- it just takes so long for you to get to chapter 4 too.
Shimmerwing Chimera image 3.5 A 4-mana 3/2 with Flying is a good starting point, and adding the ability to bounce your stuff is nice. Now, it is important to note that it says “up to one” which means you don’t have to bounce any Enchantments if you don’t want to, and that’s good, because it means that the upkeep ability of the Chimera is only ever going to be upside, and upside on a 4-mana 3/2 Flyer is pretty nice. Now, there will be plenty of times where this is nothing more than a 3/2 Flyer, but you can combine this with some other things to be pretty nasty – this includes the Omen cycle, as well as Sagas, Constellation, and Enchantment creatures with ETB abilities.
Skola Grovedancer image 2.0 This is a decent enough two-drop. None of its text is especially impressive, but at least it has a man sink ability that can help fuel your Escape.
Chain to Memory image 1.0 Adding Scry 2 to this effect does make it more appealing than some variants of this we’ve seen before, but overall these types of power-reduction effects are too situational, and difficult to get a full card of value out of.
Brine Giant image 1.5 This is basically affinity for Enchantments. I think you need to consistently only be paying 5 for this for it to be worth it, and even 5 isn’t anything impressive. Lower than that and it starts to be a little more passable.
Fruit of Tizerus image 0.0 This card is a trap. People look at it and think it will be a worthwhile win condition in a control deck, but setting up is way too hard, the resources it asks for basically put you behind the eight-ball, even as a control deck. You’d much rather just be adding to the board and using your graveyard resources to do so.
Warbriar Blessing image 3.5 This gives a large enough boost to toughness that this enables a number of creatures to fight and survive than would have been able to without it. This often feels like a removal spell that leaves behind a permanent stats boost for one of your creatures, and that tends to feel pretty good – though it does have the usual downsides that Fight spells do – if you’re not careful, you might get 2-for-1’d.
Portent of Betrayal image 0.0 // 2.5 There is a real sacrifice deck in this format, and that means this Threaten effect is actually worthwhile sometimes! Stealing an opposing creature and then sacrificing it is one of the sweetest things you’ll ever do in Magic, and because there are good sacrifice outlets in this format, you’ll actually set that up sometimes. It is unplayable pretty much everywhere else, though.
Deny the Divine image 2.5 This is quality counter-magic in this format. It is capable of countering the vast majority of spells that you’ll run into, it does it relatively efficiently, and it even exiles the card cutting down on Escape shenanigans.
Triumphant Surge image 1.5 This kind of “Kill a big thing” removal spell is always fine, but generally not more than that.
Rage-Scarred Berserker image 2.0 This has okay stats and an ETB ability that will frequently allow you to make an attack you couldn’t before. He’s not bad.
Nylea's Huntmaster image 2.0 This has alright stats and a decent ETB trigger, though it is kind of a bummer it only increases power. This makes it harder for it to create an attack for you where a creature is now able to survive combat, instead it will just make it hit harder.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Commanding Presence
Stinging Lionfish image 2.0 Tapping down an opponent’s creature isn’t terrible, as it can both allow you to avoid an attack from your opponent’s best creature, and allow you to have better attacks on your turn. That said, the payoff here isn’t ultra impressive. UR is definitely going to be interested in having a bunch of Instants and cards with Flash, but I don’t think this will be one of the cards you really desperately want for that deck to work -- but it will be a solid roleplayer.
Anax, Hardened in the Forge image 4.0 At worst, he is a 3-mana 2/3 with a powerful ability who churns out creature tokens when stuff dies. Now, the fact that those creature tokens can’t block is no small thing – part of the value of creature tokens in a lot of games is that they can provide chump blockers, and these can’t do that – they are all about attacking. So yes, that is definitely a downgrade, but still – you’re getting creature tokens when stuff dies, and that’s nice value. Plus, he also likes it when extra big creatures die, and he can make two tokens. It is nice too that this ability includes himself, so it basically impossible for your opponent to straight up trade with Anax – he can even potentially get his power up to 4, in which case he would make two tokens! I think that Anax brings a lot of power for an uncommon, especially as a three drop.
Commanding Presence image 3.0 This set has lots of good Auras in it, and this is one of them. This is expensive, but the stats boost it offers is big enough that it completely alters your game plan, and once you start getting tokens out of it you’ll be far ahead of your opponent.
Omen of the Hunt image 2.5 This is nice fixing and ramp, and like all Omens it can be cashed in to Scry later in the game. If you aren’t splashing it probably isn’t something you’re super interested in playing.
Revoke Existence image 2.5 So, your first instinct might be to think that this is just a sideboard card -- but in this set, where tons of creatures also happen to be enchantments, and there are just more Enchantments than usual in most sets, this is a reasonable card to play one of in your deck.
Underworld Rage-Hound image 3.0 This is a key common for Red aggro decks in this format. It has reasonably aggressive stats and doesn’t tend to stay dead, and can really represent inevitability.
Rage-Scarred Berserker image 2.0 This has okay stats and an ETB ability that will frequently allow you to make an attack you couldn’t before. He’s not bad.
Venomous Hierophant image 2.5 This loads your graveyard in a format that is interested in that, and it can trade for anything!
Rumbling Sentry image 1.5 This has good defensive stats, you’ll play it in more controlling decks.
Nyxborn Brute image 0.5 This is a big dumb creature who can die to almost all the removal in the set despite costing 5 mana. I think most of the time you won't be playing him.
Witness of Tomorrows image 2.5 Witness of Tomorrows tends to overperform. It lines up really well against most other flyers in the format as a ¾, and can be a really threatening presence in the air, and it doesn’t have the worst manasink ability either.
Heliod's Pilgrim image 3.0 This set has so many Enchantments that Heliod’s Pilgrim is a nice card in virtually every White deck, as its ETB reads “Draw your best Aura.” This can let you grab removal, or powerful offensive auras, either way, you’re getting a very meaningful card out of the trigger.
Fruit of Tizerus image 0.0 This card is a trap. People look at it and think it will be a worthwhile win condition in a control deck, but setting up is way too hard, the resources it asks for basically put you behind the eight-ball, even as a control deck. You’d much rather just be adding to the board and using your graveyard resources to do so.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Elspeth's Nightmare
Elspeth's Nightmare image 3.5 This can kill a large percentage of the creatures in the format with chapter I, and chapter II going after a card is some nice additional value. Chapter III is the one that really overperforms here because of the context of the format. Exiling a whole graveyard is a big deal, because there are a lot of graveyard things in this format. This is actually really good both early and late – early because it basically guarantees a 2-for-1, and late because it will kill something and then nuke the graveyard.
Entrancing Lyre image 3.5 This basically amounts to being colorless removal – and colorless removal that is pretty darn flexible! You can use this to lock down an opposing creature, and keep it locked down as long as you want – but once something more problematic shows up, you can shift the Lyre to locking that creature down. This might sound mostly defensive, but you can also use this quite offensively – like tap something on your opponents end step, and then again on your turn, and suddenly your opponent has no blockers!
Acolyte of Affliction image 4.0 This loads your graveyard for you while also returning a permanent, and that effect feels pretty great in a format with lots of graveyard antics. It has reasonable enough stats to represent a 2-for-1, too.
Transcendent Envoy image 2.5 There are lots of playable Auras in this set, and the Envoy makes them cheaper, and also happens to be a really good place to stick those Auras thanks to Flying.
Starlit Mantle image 2.0 The flexibility of this to feel like a combat trick that sticks around OR a counterspell against removal is pretty nice, especially in a set loaded with Enchantment payoffs.
Bronze Sword image 1.0 1 to play and 3 to equip is too much for this stats boost in most cases.
Gift of Strength image 1.0 This is an alright trick, but in a format with lots of playable offensive Auras, tricks are a little less valuable.
Sentinel's Eyes image 2.5 This Aura gets around the classic problem that many of them have – the danger of a 2-for-1. With Escape, you can avoid that ever being a real problem, and enjoy the benefits of a pretty efficient stats boost on your creatures.
Nylea's Forerunner image 2.5 This is a solid creature that is especially good in the 4-power deck, as giving Trample to everybody is likely to have an immediate impact in a deck with enough larger creatures, and of course the Forerunner packs more than 4 power itself!
Venomous Hierophant image 2.5 This loads your graveyard in a format that is interested in that, and it can trade for anything!
Triton Waverider image 2.0 It is tempting to look at this as a 4-mana 3/3 Flyer, and it isn’t that hard to trigger Constellation, but the key is triggering it consistently, and at a time when a 3/3 Flyer matters, and it seems like that doesn’t happen nearly as often as you’d hope.
Arena Trickster image 2.0 Red, and especially Red-Blue, has several payoffs for playing stuff on your opponent’s turn, and Arena Trickster is one of those – and he seems like he will be a solid card in that type of deck. Even getting one counter on this is pretty nice, and anything beyond that you start to feel really good about things. It also doesn’t hurt that you make it bigger at Instant speed, as sometimes that will really allow you to manufacture a blow out. Still, the UR deck doesn’t come together often enough for this to be great.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Agonizing Remorse
Commanding Presence image 3.0 This set has lots of good Auras in it, and this is one of them. This is expensive, but the stats boost it offers is big enough that it completely alters your game plan, and once you start getting tokens out of it you’ll be far ahead of your opponent.
Agonizing Remorse image 3.0 This is a great discard spell. It allows you to really disrupt your opponent early, and in the late game it can still do something – like exile a creature from Escape from their graveyard. That gets pretty close to still being a 1-for-1 late, and that’s what allows this to be a discard spell you actually feel good about in Limited – it does something all game long.
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This is always nice in every format we see it in. It gives you serious fixing, and if your curve is low enough you can count it as a land in your deck, allowing you to play more meaningful cards.
Naiad of Hidden Coves image 2.5 Reducing the cost of your instants and cards with Flash is pretty nice – as it will enable you to trigger your other payoffs more easily, and cast more powerful spells sooner. The fact that this also comes with a semi-reasonable body is nice too – they could easily have printed this as a 2/2 and it still would have been decent, so I’m pretty happy with 2/3 here.
Mogis's Favor image 2.5 This is surprisingly useful for a one mana card! You can use it to kill X/1s, and its relatively cheap Escape cost means you can threaten X/1s with it all game long. You can also put it on one of your evasive creatures as a way of doing significantly more damage.
Triton Waverider image 2.0 It is tempting to look at this as a 4-mana 3/3 Flyer, and it isn’t that hard to trigger Constellation, but the key is triggering it consistently, and at a time when a 3/3 Flyer matters, and it seems like that doesn’t happen nearly as often as you’d hope.
Transcendent Envoy image 2.5 There are lots of playable Auras in this set, and the Envoy makes them cheaper, and also happens to be a really good place to stick those Auras thanks to Flying.
Warbriar Blessing image 3.5 This gives a large enough boost to toughness that this enables a number of creatures to fight and survive than would have been able to without it. This often feels like a removal spell that leaves behind a permanent stats boost for one of your creatures, and that tends to feel pretty good – though it does have the usual downsides that Fight spells do – if you’re not careful, you might get 2-for-1’d.
Elite Instructor image 1.5 This has bad stats but a decent ETB ability. Looting does mean that it does something kind of relevant all game long, although it isn’t the most impressive thing.
Infuriate image 1.5 This is an alright trick. You’ll play it sometimes in aggro decks.
Omen of the Sun image 2.0 If we just pretended like Omen of the Sun were an Instant – that created two 1/1 soldiers and gained you 2 life, it would be in the lower range of playable – probably something you cut more often than not. The nice thing about making the tokens at Instant speed is that sometimes you can ambush an opponent’s 3/1 or something, at which point you’re really coming out ahead. But obviously, Omen of the Sun has more going on than just that – since it can be cashed in for Scry later in the game, and it is also an Enchantment in a set where that’s important.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Alseid of Life's Bounty
Underworld Fires image 0.5 This is mostly a sideboard card. It just doesn’t kill enough in this format to really make it worth it in the main deck.
Alseid of Life's Bounty image 3.0 This one drop has an ability that keeps it relevant all game long. Early on, it can attack and get in for some damage, and it has lifelink so putting Auras on it feels pretty good! But once it can no longer attack effectively, its ability to give Protection to thinks will be a huge boon. You can use it to help a creature get in lethal, wreak havoc on combat, or save a creature from removal.
Daxos, Blessed by the Sun image 3.0 On his own, with no help, he is a 2-mana 2/2 with a nice lifegain ability. With just a few more White symbols lying around on your board, he becomes a fairly reasonable blocker who can also do some attacking if he needs to. Meanwhile, he is also gaining you a bit of life here and there. That’s all nice value on a two-drop, even if he does cost double White.
Mogis's Favor image 2.5 This is surprisingly useful for a one mana card! You can use it to kill X/1s, and its relatively cheap Escape cost means you can threaten X/1s with it all game long. You can also put it on one of your evasive creatures as a way of doing significantly more damage.
Setessan Training image 2.5 This replaces itself, and that’s quite nice. The +1/+0 and Trample boost probably wouldn’t have been enough, even in a format with Enchantmetn synergy, but because it draws you a card, you get to avoid the danger of a 2-for-1.
Final Flare image 1.5 There aren’t many formats where removal spells that involve you sacrificing a creature end up working out in Limited, and this isn’t one of them, even with a fairly legit sacrifice deck around.
Gift of Strength image 1.0 This is an alright trick, but in a format with lots of playable offensive Auras, tricks are a little less valuable.
Omen of the Sun image 2.0 If we just pretended like Omen of the Sun were an Instant – that created two 1/1 soldiers and gained you 2 life, it would be in the lower range of playable – probably something you cut more often than not. The nice thing about making the tokens at Instant speed is that sometimes you can ambush an opponent’s 3/1 or something, at which point you’re really coming out ahead. But obviously, Omen of the Sun has more going on than just that – since it can be cashed in for Scry later in the game, and it is also an Enchantment in a set where that’s important.
Deny the Divine image 2.5 This is quality counter-magic in this format. It is capable of countering the vast majority of spells that you’ll run into, it does it relatively efficiently, and it even exiles the card cutting down on Escape shenanigans.
Oread of Mountain's Blaze image 1.5 This has decent stats and it can loot – though for a significant mana investment. Still, being an Enchantment and loading the graveyard are two relevant things in this format.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Heliod's Pilgrim
Sweet Oblivion image 0.5 You can use this to mill yourself -- something that might be worth doing in a deck with lots of graveyard synergy -- or you can mill your opponent, something that might be worth doing in a control deck that plans on winning hte game by milling the opponent. Mill decks don’t always come together in formats, but it is nice that this particular mill card can be repeatedly cast from the graveyard. In other words, if you are really good at milling yourself, and you can provide the cards to fuel Escape, this one card could be enough to win you the game by milling your opponent. If this were at Common, it would kind of be a nightmare, since Mill decks would be pretty easy to draft, since getting 2 or 3 of these would be no problem -- at uncommon, getting multiples of this might be tricky.
Gift of Strength image 1.0 This is an alright trick, but in a format with lots of playable offensive Auras, tricks are a little less valuable.
Heliod's Pilgrim image 3.0 This set has so many Enchantments that Heliod’s Pilgrim is a nice card in virtually every White deck, as its ETB reads “Draw your best Aura.” This can let you grab removal, or powerful offensive auras, either way, you’re getting a very meaningful card out of the trigger.
Naiad of Hidden Coves image 2.5 Reducing the cost of your instants and cards with Flash is pretty nice – as it will enable you to trigger your other payoffs more easily, and cast more powerful spells sooner. The fact that this also comes with a semi-reasonable body is nice too – they could easily have printed this as a 2/2 and it still would have been decent, so I’m pretty happy with 2/3 here.
Nexus Wardens image 2.5 This is a real overperformer in this format. The stats line up quite well against the aggressive decks, and gaining life also makes their lives pretty difficult. This tends to be a pretty key Common for the more controlling decks in this format.
Relentless Pursuit image 2.0 This is a solid draw spell for Green, and it is nice that it puts at least three cards in the graveyard when you use it, because that will help you fuel Escape.
Incendiary Oracle image 3.0 This has nice stats and some really significant text. Pumping power is nice, because it allows it to threaten to hit hard when you have all your mana open, and can trade for lots of stuff, and the exile clause also comes up in this graveyard-heavy format.
Hero of the Games image 2.0 This has decent stats, and targeting it with stuff pumps your whole board, which is nice.
Final Flare image 1.5 There aren’t many formats where removal spells that involve you sacrificing a creature end up working out in Limited, and this isn’t one of them, even with a fairly legit sacrifice deck around.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Thaumaturge's Familiar
Entrancing Lyre image 3.5 This basically amounts to being colorless removal – and colorless removal that is pretty darn flexible! You can use this to lock down an opposing creature, and keep it locked down as long as you want – but once something more problematic shows up, you can shift the Lyre to locking that creature down. This might sound mostly defensive, but you can also use this quite offensively – like tap something on your opponents end step, and then again on your turn, and suddenly your opponent has no blockers!
Sleep of the Dead image 1.5 So, temporary tap effects like this are often not super impressive, especially at Sorcery speed! But this only costs a single mana to do it, and it comes with Escape. Sometimes you’ll have enough fuel in your graveyard to cast this 2-3 times, and if you do, it usually means you did lethal. Still, it really only tends to work out in more aggressive decks, and that is a pretty big limitation.
Wrap in Flames image 1.5 This is alright in aggro decks, as it can let you close out a game, but it is still highly situational – it doesn’t tend to do much unless you have lethal.
Thaumaturge's Familiar image 1.0 This has bad stats for the cost, and Scry doesn’t really change that.
Karametra's Blessing image 1.5 This is a decent trick with nice Enchantment upside – it IS still a trick though, and you’ll only play it in the most aggressive of decks.
Elite Instructor image 1.5 This has bad stats but a decent ETB ability. Looting does mean that it does something kind of relevant all game long, although it isn’t the most impressive thing.
Gift of Strength image 1.0 This is an alright trick, but in a format with lots of playable offensive Auras, tricks are a little less valuable.
Nyxborn Marauder image 1.5 This is an Enchantment that has alright stats and contributes to your devotion. You’ll play it sometimes.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Grim Physician
Field of Ruin image 0.0 This is unplayable, as usual. There aren’t enough non-basics in this set for it to be worth running. If there were, it would actually be kind of interesting -- since it can also fix for you, but if it doesn’t’ have a target, it is just a land that produces only colorless mana, and that’s liability in Limited, where mana bases usually aren’t very good to begin with.
Escape Velocity image 2.0 This is a cheap Aura with Escape, and Escape really helps it get around the downside some Auras have – you won’t really be getting 2-for-1’d if they kill the creature you put this on, because it will keep coming back!
Unknown Shores image 1.0 Filterlands that don’t do anything else tend to be pretty bad, but you’ll run this if you’re desperate for fixing.
Grim Physician image 1.0 This can trade for X/2s, or threaten a 2-for-1 against two X/1s. It isn’t a terrible thing to sacrifice. But you mostly won’t play it.
Setessan Training image 2.5 This replaces itself, and that’s quite nice. The +1/+0 and Trample boost probably wouldn’t have been enough, even in a format with Enchantmetn synergy, but because it draws you a card, you get to avoid the danger of a 2-for-1.
Elite Instructor image 1.5 This has bad stats but a decent ETB ability. Looting does mean that it does something kind of relevant all game long, although it isn’t the most impressive thing.
Oread of Mountain's Blaze image 1.5 This has decent stats and it can loot – though for a significant mana investment. Still, being an Enchantment and loading the graveyard are two relevant things in this format.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Rage-Scarred Berserker
Minion's Return image 1.5 Situational cards are not your friend in Limited, and that’s definitely what this ends up being. It is tempting to imagine using this to steal your opponents’ bomb, or keep yours alive, but there are plenty of games where things just won’t line up the way you want them to and this ends up being an underwhelming or worse – useless card.
Skola Grovedancer image 2.0 This is a decent enough two-drop. None of its text is especially impressive, but at least it has a man sink ability that can help fuel your Escape.
Chain to Memory image 1.0 Adding Scry 2 to this effect does make it more appealing than some variants of this we’ve seen before, but overall these types of power-reduction effects are too situational, and difficult to get a full card of value out of.
Fruit of Tizerus image 0.0 This card is a trap. People look at it and think it will be a worthwhile win condition in a control deck, but setting up is way too hard, the resources it asks for basically put you behind the eight-ball, even as a control deck. You’d much rather just be adding to the board and using your graveyard resources to do so.
Portent of Betrayal image 0.0 // 2.5 There is a real sacrifice deck in this format, and that means this Threaten effect is actually worthwhile sometimes! Stealing an opposing creature and then sacrificing it is one of the sweetest things you’ll ever do in Magic, and because there are good sacrifice outlets in this format, you’ll actually set that up sometimes. It is unplayable pretty much everywhere else, though.
Rage-Scarred Berserker image 2.0 This has okay stats and an ETB ability that will frequently allow you to make an attack you couldn’t before. He’s not bad.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Rumbling Sentry
Underworld Rage-Hound image 3.0 This is a key common for Red aggro decks in this format. It has reasonably aggressive stats and doesn’t tend to stay dead, and can really represent inevitability.
Rage-Scarred Berserker image 2.0 This has okay stats and an ETB ability that will frequently allow you to make an attack you couldn’t before. He’s not bad.
Rumbling Sentry image 1.5 This has good defensive stats, you’ll play it in more controlling decks.
Nyxborn Brute image 0.5 This is a big dumb creature who can die to almost all the removal in the set despite costing 5 mana. I think most of the time you won't be playing him.
Fruit of Tizerus image 0.0 This card is a trap. People look at it and think it will be a worthwhile win condition in a control deck, but setting up is way too hard, the resources it asks for basically put you behind the eight-ball, even as a control deck. You’d much rather just be adding to the board and using your graveyard resources to do so.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Sentinel's Eyes
Starlit Mantle image 2.0 The flexibility of this to feel like a combat trick that sticks around OR a counterspell against removal is pretty nice, especially in a set loaded with Enchantment payoffs.
Bronze Sword image 1.0 1 to play and 3 to equip is too much for this stats boost in most cases.
Gift of Strength image 1.0 This is an alright trick, but in a format with lots of playable offensive Auras, tricks are a little less valuable.
Sentinel's Eyes image 2.5 This Aura gets around the classic problem that many of them have – the danger of a 2-for-1. With Escape, you can avoid that ever being a real problem, and enjoy the benefits of a pretty efficient stats boost on your creatures.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Transcendent Envoy
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This is always nice in every format we see it in. It gives you serious fixing, and if your curve is low enough you can count it as a land in your deck, allowing you to play more meaningful cards.
Naiad of Hidden Coves image 2.5 Reducing the cost of your instants and cards with Flash is pretty nice – as it will enable you to trigger your other payoffs more easily, and cast more powerful spells sooner. The fact that this also comes with a semi-reasonable body is nice too – they could easily have printed this as a 2/2 and it still would have been decent, so I’m pretty happy with 2/3 here.
Transcendent Envoy image 2.5 There are lots of playable Auras in this set, and the Envoy makes them cheaper, and also happens to be a really good place to stick those Auras thanks to Flying.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Oread of Mountain's Blaze
Underworld Fires image 0.5 This is mostly a sideboard card. It just doesn’t kill enough in this format to really make it worth it in the main deck.
Oread of Mountain's Blaze image 1.5 This has decent stats and it can loot – though for a significant mana investment. Still, being an Enchantment and loading the graveyard are two relevant things in this format.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Sweet Oblivion
Sweet Oblivion image 0.5 You can use this to mill yourself -- something that might be worth doing in a deck with lots of graveyard synergy -- or you can mill your opponent, something that might be worth doing in a control deck that plans on winning hte game by milling the opponent. Mill decks don’t always come together in formats, but it is nice that this particular mill card can be repeatedly cast from the graveyard. In other words, if you are really good at milling yourself, and you can provide the cards to fuel Escape, this one card could be enough to win you the game by milling your opponent. If this were at Common, it would kind of be a nightmare, since Mill decks would be pretty easy to draft, since getting 2 or 3 of these would be no problem -- at uncommon, getting multiples of this might be tricky.
Pack 2 Pick 1: Eat to Extinction
Eat to Extinction image 4.0 4 mana to kill something at Instant speed is already something you always, and this adds Surveil to the mix, which certainly doesn’t hurt. Killing something and then doing what you can to improve the quality of your next draw is going to feel pretty great. The fact you can put the card in the graveyard might actually be useful sometimes too. The fact it only has one Black in its cost is nice too, since it means splashing it won’t be that hard. Obviously the ability to kill planeswalkers is nice, but won’t come up for often in this format. you see it.
Cling to Dust image 0.0 This isn’t worth a slot in your deck. The Escape cost is too high – in both mana and cards you have to exile – so ever being able to use this repeatedly is unlikely.
Klothys's Design image 1.0 Six mana for a board pump effect like this honestly isn’t that impressive, especially because the boost it gives is so inconsistent, and it doesn’t even offer a keyword ability to sweeten the deal. You’ll play this in some of your Green decks, especially if you’re close to mono-green and going wide, but you’ll barely every play this.
Careless Celebrant image 3.5 A two mana 2/1 that is relevant all game long is always nice, and that’s what we have here. You can set up two-for-ones pretty easily with this, and that’s the ideal situation, but even if you can’t do that, you can just trade up with it – since it can take down anything with 4 toughness all on its own! Situations will be created where your opponent’s attacks just don’t work for them because of this two drop, and that’s going to feel pretty good.
Sunmane Pegasus image 3.0 This card really overperforms. It might have some underwhelming stats to begin with, but the ability to gain Vigilance and Lifelink in the mid-to-late game turns out to be pretty good, as it makes it hard for your opponent to race you, and you can even keep it back to block!
Iroas's Blessing image 3.5 This is a removal spell that also gives one of your creatures a stats boost, and that’s pretty nice. It isn’t the most efficient at removing things, but it is nice that it actually impacts your side of the board too, even if +1/+1 isn’t always going to be a major thing.
Chain to Memory image 1.0 Adding Scry 2 to this effect does make it more appealing than some variants of this we’ve seen before, but overall these types of power-reduction effects are too situational, and difficult to get a full card of value out of.
Indomitable Will image 1.5 This is basically a combat trick that sticks around, and if you can use it to kill an opponent’s creature and keep yours alive, you are out of 2-for-1 territory. Now, it is still risky -- your opponent can kill your creature in response and then you’re the one getting 2-for-1’d -- but if you play this wisely, it seems like it is a reasonable inclusion in a creature-based deck.
Deny the Divine image 2.5 This is quality counter-magic in this format. It is capable of countering the vast majority of spells that you’ll run into, it does it relatively efficiently, and it even exiles the card cutting down on Escape shenanigans.
Setessan Skirmisher image 2.5 This is a two-drop that is often a 4/3, and that’s not too shabby. It is an especially good place to stick an Aura, as the boost it will get on the turn you play it will be awesome.
Omen of the Dead image 2.0 This is nice and cheap, which is good news for Constellation. That said, unlike the other Omens, which can largely be played at any time for decent value, Omen of the Dead demands you have a creature in your graveyard, which means it can be a dead card for the first several turns. Like the other Omens, it can cash in and Scry, which isn’t too bad.
Mire's Grasp image 3.5 This is premium removal. Two mana for -3/-3 is a good deal, and while I would probably prefer it to be an Instant rather than an Enchantment, the fact that you can only cast it at Sorcery speed is made up for, at least a little bit, by having the useful Enchantment type.
Rumbling Sentry image 1.5 This has good defensive stats, you’ll play it in more controlling decks.
Underworld Charger image 2.5 This is a fairly efficient aggressive creature who refuses to stay dead, and when it comes back it does so quite large! You can’t really play this anywhere but an aggro deck since it can’t block, but it works out pretty nicely there.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Daybreak Chimera
Phalanx Tactics image 2.0 This is the kind of trick that can really produce a blowout when things line up correctly! Pumping multiple creatures with one trick can be really strong, and this is especially good if you’re going fairly wide.
Siona, Captain of the Pyleas image 3.5 Siona makes it clear that GW is all about Enchantments, and more specifically - Auras. It is going to be pretty hard to wiff entirely on Enchantments in your top 7 cards in this format, so generally Siona will at least be a 3-mana 2/2 that draws you a card, something that is always solid. But then, it comes with the ability to make a creature token every time you put an Aura on one of your creatures, and that’s a nice payoff too. Auras can sometimes be risky because if your opponent has removal, you get 2-for-1’d -- but making a creature token every time you put an Aura on something helps soften the blow if that’s what happens, because at least you have a 1/1 left behind. Siona is going to draw you a card and make 1-2 creature tokens without a whole lot of help.
Glimpse of Freedom image 1.5 This isn’t the most efficient card-draw spell ever – for 5 mana you end up drawing only two cards. It tries to make up for that by having Escape, but in a typical game you’re not going to have the time or resources to do it more than once anyway.
Setessan Training image 2.5 This replaces itself, and that’s quite nice. The +1/+0 and Trample boost probably wouldn’t have been enough, even in a format with Enchantmetn synergy, but because it draws you a card, you get to avoid the danger of a 2-for-1.
Skola Grovedancer image 2.0 This is a decent enough two-drop. None of its text is especially impressive, but at least it has a man sink ability that can help fuel your Escape.
Plummet image 0.5 This is mostly a sideboard card, but one you end up bringing a significant chunk of the time, provided you see a few flyers in game one.
Aspect of Lamprey image 2.0 Lifelink + Mind Rot turns out to be a pretty decent combination in this set. This is another Discard spell that still does a thing in the late game, and that’s nice, because it gets around some significant downside.
Triton Waverider image 2.0 It is tempting to look at this as a 4-mana 3/3 Flyer, and it isn’t that hard to trigger Constellation, but the key is triggering it consistently, and at a time when a 3/3 Flyer matters, and it seems like that doesn’t happen nearly as often as you’d hope.
Naiad of Hidden Coves image 2.5 Reducing the cost of your instants and cards with Flash is pretty nice – as it will enable you to trigger your other payoffs more easily, and cast more powerful spells sooner. The fact that this also comes with a semi-reasonable body is nice too – they could easily have printed this as a 2/2 and it still would have been decent, so I’m pretty happy with 2/3 here.
Arena Trickster image 2.0 Red, and especially Red-Blue, has several payoffs for playing stuff on your opponent’s turn, and Arena Trickster is one of those – and he seems like he will be a solid card in that type of deck. Even getting one counter on this is pretty nice, and anything beyond that you start to feel really good about things. It also doesn’t hurt that you make it bigger at Instant speed, as sometimes that will really allow you to manufacture a blow out. Still, the UR deck doesn’t come together often enough for this to be great.
Daybreak Chimera image 3.0 This isn’t great if you have 0 devotion to White, but all you need is one devotion for this to become a 4-mana 3/3 Flyer, which is a great deal in Limited, and sometimes it will only cost three!
Karametra's Blessing image 1.5 This is a decent trick with nice Enchantment upside – it IS still a trick though, and you’ll only play it in the most aggressive of decks.
Thrill of Possibility image 2.0 This gives you some nice card selection, loads your graveyard, and provides an instant speed effect for the UR deck, so it fits into most decks in this format reasonably well.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Lagonna-Band Storyteller
Medomai's Prophecy image 2.5 This gives you a bunch of small effects, but taken together they make for a reasonable card. The one thing that bothers me about is that sometimes you just can’t cast what you named with Chapter II, because the state of the game demands you do something else, but I think you draw 2 off of it often enough that it turns out to be a solid card.
Lagonna-Band Storyteller image 2.5 This ETB trigger is pretty nice! There are lots of good Enchantments in this set, including Sagas which throw themselves in the graveyard, so getting something back with the Storyteller isn’t that hard to set up. People often overrate how good putting something on top of your library is – keep in mind that it is just card selection, and not card advantage. That doesn’t make the Storyteller bad, just not as good as some might think.
Alseid of Life's Bounty image 3.0 This one drop has an ability that keeps it relevant all game long. Early on, it can attack and get in for some damage, and it has lifelink so putting Auras on it feels pretty good! But once it can no longer attack effectively, its ability to give Protection to thinks will be a huge boon. You can use it to help a creature get in lethal, wreak havoc on combat, or save a creature from removal.
Fruit of Tizerus image 0.0 This card is a trap. People look at it and think it will be a worthwhile win condition in a control deck, but setting up is way too hard, the resources it asks for basically put you behind the eight-ball, even as a control deck. You’d much rather just be adding to the board and using your graveyard resources to do so.
Setessan Skirmisher image 2.5 This is a two-drop that is often a 4/3, and that’s not too shabby. It is an especially good place to stick an Aura, as the boost it will get on the turn you play it will be awesome.
Thaumaturge's Familiar image 1.0 This has bad stats for the cost, and Scry doesn’t really change that.
Discordant Piper image 2.5 This starts as a two-mana 2/1, which is fine, and making an additional body is always a nice upgrade, even if the body is as irrelevant as a 0/1 goat. That is still a useful resource – either because you can use it to chump block, or maybe you can sacrifice it to something for value.
Rumbling Sentry image 1.5 This has good defensive stats, you’ll play it in more controlling decks.
Mogis's Favor image 2.5 This is surprisingly useful for a one mana card! You can use it to kill X/1s, and its relatively cheap Escape cost means you can threaten X/1s with it all game long. You can also put it on one of your evasive creatures as a way of doing significantly more damage.
Revoke Existence image 2.5 So, your first instinct might be to think that this is just a sideboard card -- but in this set, where tons of creatures also happen to be enchantments, and there are just more Enchantments than usual in most sets, this is a reasonable card to play one of in your deck.
Nyxborn Seaguard image 1.5 This is a vanilla creature with the Enchantment type and it also contributes to your devotion. The stats here aren’t too shabby, so you’ll play it sometimes.
Skophos Warleader image 2.0 This is another cheap sacrifice outlet, which works quite well in the BR deck. It is pretty inefficient other than that, though.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Nyxborn Courser
Heliod's Punishment image 3.5 This is a very efficient removal spell, capable of completely shutting down a creature – at least for a few turns. Obviously it would be better if your opponent couldn’t eventually get rid of it, but it takes them time to remove those task counters, and generally a creature being out of commission for 3+ turns will be worth the mana here.
Nylea's Huntmaster image 2.0 This has alright stats and a decent ETB trigger, though it is kind of a bummer it only increases power. This makes it harder for it to create an attack for you where a creature is now able to survive combat, instead it will just make it hit harder.
Wings of Hubris image 1.5 Granting flying to things is always a reasonable thing to do with Equipment, and the additional upside here of making the equipped creature unblockable doesn’t hurt, though you probably only do that if you can do lethal.
Wrap in Flames image 1.5 This is alright in aggro decks, as it can let you close out a game, but it is still highly situational – it doesn’t tend to do much unless you have lethal.
Chain to Memory image 1.0 Adding Scry 2 to this effect does make it more appealing than some variants of this we’ve seen before, but overall these types of power-reduction effects are too situational, and difficult to get a full card of value out of.
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Nyxborn Courser image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with reasonable stats and the Enchantment type, as well as two White mana its cost for Devotion. You’ll play it sometimes when you need one or all of those things.
Relentless Pursuit image 2.0 This is a solid draw spell for Green, and it is nice that it puts at least three cards in the graveyard when you use it, because that will help you fuel Escape.
Lampad of Death's Vigil image 3 This ended up being a key card in this format. Its cheap sacrifice effect made sacrifice decks a lot better than they would otherwise have been, and the fact it drains life often allows you to get to lethal a full turn or more before you would have had it otherwise.
Glory Bearers image 1.5 This has kind of okay stats and a kind of okay ability. Pumping toughness on attacks isn’t a huge deal, but it makes a difference sometimes.
Skola Grovedancer image 2.0 This is a decent enough two-drop. None of its text is especially impressive, but at least it has a man sink ability that can help fuel your Escape.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Lagonna-Band Storyteller
Skophos Maze-Warden image 3.0 So, a 4-mana ¾ that can raise its power while lowering its toughness is probably already something you’d play a reasonable chunk of the time. That ability means it can trade with anything, and also that every time you attack with it, if your opponent doesn’t block, they could be about to eat 6 damage. But the Guardian also comes with the very specific upside of making your Labyrinth of Skophos way better, since the Minotaur will now fight anything you target with it. Now, the Labyrinth is a rare and this is an uncommon, so the chances of getting them both together are pretty low, but when you do, it will feel pretty good.
Lagonna-Band Storyteller image 2.5 This ETB trigger is pretty nice! There are lots of good Enchantments in this set, including Sagas which throw themselves in the graveyard, so getting something back with the Storyteller isn’t that hard to set up. People often overrate how good putting something on top of your library is – keep in mind that it is just card selection, and not card advantage. That doesn’t make the Storyteller bad, just not as good as some might think.
Nyxborn Courser image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with reasonable stats and the Enchantment type, as well as two White mana its cost for Devotion. You’ll play it sometimes when you need one or all of those things.
Underworld Rage-Hound image 3.0 This is a key common for Red aggro decks in this format. It has reasonably aggressive stats and doesn’t tend to stay dead, and can really represent inevitability.
Rumbling Sentry image 1.5 This has good defensive stats, you’ll play it in more controlling decks.
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Omen of the Hunt image 2.5 This is nice fixing and ramp, and like all Omens it can be cashed in to Scry later in the game. If you aren’t splashing it probably isn’t something you’re super interested in playing.
Thaumaturge's Familiar image 1.0 This has bad stats for the cost, and Scry doesn’t really change that.
Scavenging Harpy image 2.0 Three mana 2/1 flyers are fine and this has some minor upside that will probably be a little bit less minor in this set -- since it has the ability to exile a card from the graveyard, so taking an Escape card seems pretty nice.
Lampad of Death's Vigil image 3 This ended up being a key card in this format. Its cheap sacrifice effect made sacrifice decks a lot better than they would otherwise have been, and the fact it drains life often allows you to get to lethal a full turn or more before you would have had it otherwise.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Captivating Unicorn
Skophos Maze-Warden image 3.0 So, a 4-mana ¾ that can raise its power while lowering its toughness is probably already something you’d play a reasonable chunk of the time. That ability means it can trade with anything, and also that every time you attack with it, if your opponent doesn’t block, they could be about to eat 6 damage. But the Guardian also comes with the very specific upside of making your Labyrinth of Skophos way better, since the Minotaur will now fight anything you target with it. Now, the Labyrinth is a rare and this is an uncommon, so the chances of getting them both together are pretty low, but when you do, it will feel pretty good.
Funeral Rites image 2.5 This is Black’s solid-but-unexciting draw spell in this format. It is nice it adds three cards to the graveyard for Escape.
Pious Wayfarer image 2.5 This is a pretty nice one-drop. In the early going, it can pump itself with its Constellation trigger, but in the later part of the game he can start pumping more meaningful creatures – the kind that can attack as a result of the stats boost they receive. That helps keep him relevant all game long.
Captivating Unicorn image 1.5 The Constellation Trigger here is alright, and the stats of the creature are passable. You’ll play this at the top of your curve in some aggressive decks.
Nyxborn Marauder image 1.5 This is an Enchantment that has alright stats and contributes to your devotion. You’ll play it sometimes.
Chain to Memory image 1.0 Adding Scry 2 to this effect does make it more appealing than some variants of this we’ve seen before, but overall these types of power-reduction effects are too situational, and difficult to get a full card of value out of.
Skophos Warleader image 2.0 This is another cheap sacrifice outlet, which works quite well in the BR deck. It is pretty inefficient other than that, though.
Loathsome Chimera image 3.0 Another nice Escape creature, the Chimera offers the ability to trade as a result of its high power, and then it can just keep coming back and threatening the opponent as a 5/2.
Hero of the Pride image 2.0 A bear with a decent upside.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Omen of the Sun
Skophos Maze-Warden image 3.0 So, a 4-mana ¾ that can raise its power while lowering its toughness is probably already something you’d play a reasonable chunk of the time. That ability means it can trade with anything, and also that every time you attack with it, if your opponent doesn’t block, they could be about to eat 6 damage. But the Guardian also comes with the very specific upside of making your Labyrinth of Skophos way better, since the Minotaur will now fight anything you target with it. Now, the Labyrinth is a rare and this is an uncommon, so the chances of getting them both together are pretty low, but when you do, it will feel pretty good.
Soul-Guide Lantern image 1.5 This format has a lot of graveyard stuff, so this is a little better than it usually is. Worst case, it can sort of just cycle itself, best case, it really interferes with your opponents’ plans.
Inspire Awe image 0.0 Fogs are unplayable in Limited 99% of the time. You use up a card for no real effect. This is not the 1% where that’s not true.
Oread of Mountain's Blaze image 1.5 This has decent stats and it can loot – though for a significant mana investment. Still, being an Enchantment and loading the graveyard are two relevant things in this format.
Arena Trickster image 2.0 Red, and especially Red-Blue, has several payoffs for playing stuff on your opponent’s turn, and Arena Trickster is one of those – and he seems like he will be a solid card in that type of deck. Even getting one counter on this is pretty nice, and anything beyond that you start to feel really good about things. It also doesn’t hurt that you make it bigger at Instant speed, as sometimes that will really allow you to manufacture a blow out. Still, the UR deck doesn’t come together often enough for this to be great.
Omen of the Sun image 2.0 If we just pretended like Omen of the Sun were an Instant – that created two 1/1 soldiers and gained you 2 life, it would be in the lower range of playable – probably something you cut more often than not. The nice thing about making the tokens at Instant speed is that sometimes you can ambush an opponent’s 3/1 or something, at which point you’re really coming out ahead. But obviously, Omen of the Sun has more going on than just that – since it can be cashed in for Scry later in the game, and it is also an Enchantment in a set where that’s important.
Nyxborn Brute image 0.5 This is a big dumb creature who can die to almost all the removal in the set despite costing 5 mana. I think most of the time you won't be playing him.
Starlit Mantle image 2.0 The flexibility of this to feel like a combat trick that sticks around OR a counterspell against removal is pretty nice, especially in a set loaded with Enchantment payoffs.
Pack 2 Pick 8: Omen of the Dead
Underworld Dreams image 1.0 Devotion is generally not a big enough theme in this set for Underworld Dreams to be worth it. It is too hard to cast and too slow for such a lame effect.
Rumbling Sentry image 1.5 This has good defensive stats, you’ll play it in more controlling decks.
Gift of Strength image 1.0 This is an alright trick, but in a format with lots of playable offensive Auras, tricks are a little less valuable.
Nexus Wardens image 2.5 This is a real overperformer in this format. The stats line up quite well against the aggressive decks, and gaining life also makes their lives pretty difficult. This tends to be a pretty key Common for the more controlling decks in this format.
Relentless Pursuit image 2.0 This is a solid draw spell for Green, and it is nice that it puts at least three cards in the graveyard when you use it, because that will help you fuel Escape.
Omen of the Dead image 2.0 This is nice and cheap, which is good news for Constellation. That said, unlike the other Omens, which can largely be played at any time for decent value, Omen of the Dead demands you have a creature in your graveyard, which means it can be a dead card for the first several turns. Like the other Omens, it can cash in and Scry, which isn’t too bad.
Setessan Training image 2.5 This replaces itself, and that’s quite nice. The +1/+0 and Trample boost probably wouldn’t have been enough, even in a format with Enchantmetn synergy, but because it draws you a card, you get to avoid the danger of a 2-for-1.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Indomitable Will
Cling to Dust image 0.0 This isn’t worth a slot in your deck. The Escape cost is too high – in both mana and cards you have to exile – so ever being able to use this repeatedly is unlikely.
Klothys's Design image 1.0 Six mana for a board pump effect like this honestly isn’t that impressive, especially because the boost it gives is so inconsistent, and it doesn’t even offer a keyword ability to sweeten the deal. You’ll play this in some of your Green decks, especially if you’re close to mono-green and going wide, but you’ll barely every play this.
Indomitable Will image 1.5 This is basically a combat trick that sticks around, and if you can use it to kill an opponent’s creature and keep yours alive, you are out of 2-for-1 territory. Now, it is still risky -- your opponent can kill your creature in response and then you’re the one getting 2-for-1’d -- but if you play this wisely, it seems like it is a reasonable inclusion in a creature-based deck.
Setessan Skirmisher image 2.5 This is a two-drop that is often a 4/3, and that’s not too shabby. It is an especially good place to stick an Aura, as the boost it will get on the turn you play it will be awesome.
Omen of the Dead image 2.0 This is nice and cheap, which is good news for Constellation. That said, unlike the other Omens, which can largely be played at any time for decent value, Omen of the Dead demands you have a creature in your graveyard, which means it can be a dead card for the first several turns. Like the other Omens, it can cash in and Scry, which isn’t too bad.
Rumbling Sentry image 1.5 This has good defensive stats, you’ll play it in more controlling decks.
Pack 2 Pick 10: Aspect of Lamprey
Glimpse of Freedom image 1.5 This isn’t the most efficient card-draw spell ever – for 5 mana you end up drawing only two cards. It tries to make up for that by having Escape, but in a typical game you’re not going to have the time or resources to do it more than once anyway.
Plummet image 0.5 This is mostly a sideboard card, but one you end up bringing a significant chunk of the time, provided you see a few flyers in game one.
Aspect of Lamprey image 2.0 Lifelink + Mind Rot turns out to be a pretty decent combination in this set. This is another Discard spell that still does a thing in the late game, and that’s nice, because it gets around some significant downside.
Naiad of Hidden Coves image 2.5 Reducing the cost of your instants and cards with Flash is pretty nice – as it will enable you to trigger your other payoffs more easily, and cast more powerful spells sooner. The fact that this also comes with a semi-reasonable body is nice too – they could easily have printed this as a 2/2 and it still would have been decent, so I’m pretty happy with 2/3 here.
Thrill of Possibility image 2.0 This gives you some nice card selection, loads your graveyard, and provides an instant speed effect for the UR deck, so it fits into most decks in this format reasonably well.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Thaumaturge's Familiar
Fruit of Tizerus image 0.0 This card is a trap. People look at it and think it will be a worthwhile win condition in a control deck, but setting up is way too hard, the resources it asks for basically put you behind the eight-ball, even as a control deck. You’d much rather just be adding to the board and using your graveyard resources to do so.
Setessan Skirmisher image 2.5 This is a two-drop that is often a 4/3, and that’s not too shabby. It is an especially good place to stick an Aura, as the boost it will get on the turn you play it will be awesome.
Thaumaturge's Familiar image 1.0 This has bad stats for the cost, and Scry doesn’t really change that.
Rumbling Sentry image 1.5 This has good defensive stats, you’ll play it in more controlling decks.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Relentless Pursuit
Wrap in Flames image 1.5 This is alright in aggro decks, as it can let you close out a game, but it is still highly situational – it doesn’t tend to do much unless you have lethal.
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Relentless Pursuit image 2.0 This is a solid draw spell for Green, and it is nice that it puts at least three cards in the graveyard when you use it, because that will help you fuel Escape.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Rumbling Sentry
Rumbling Sentry image 1.5 This has good defensive stats, you’ll play it in more controlling decks.
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Pack 2 Pick 14: Chain to Memory
Chain to Memory image 1.0 Adding Scry 2 to this effect does make it more appealing than some variants of this we’ve seen before, but overall these types of power-reduction effects are too situational, and difficult to get a full card of value out of.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath image 5.0 So, if it doesn’t escape, you basically have a three mana spell that gains you 3 life, draws you a card, and puts a land on to the battlefield. That is already pretty close to a playable card. Then, when this escapes, it gets to be completely absurd -- amounting to a 4-mana 6/6 that will then draw you a card, gain you 3 life, and let you play a land etc., And, true to the “Titan” in its name, then it does it all again every time it attacks! The escape does require double-colored mana, and asks for five other cards in your graveyard, and both of those things are far from completely guaranteed, but it is easier to accomplish than you might think. If Uro escapes, you probably win the game.
Heroes of the Revel image 3.5 So, this is 5-mana for a 4/4 and a 1/1, and it comes with the “Hero” clause – pumping the power of all of your creatures when you target it. That’s a pretty good deal, especially because the Heroes themselves help you go wide in the first place.
Inevitable End image 2.5 I don’t love cards like this in most scenarios. Sure, if your opponent has one creature in play it will feel like premium removal -- but most of the time, your opponent will have other creatures -- including fairly expendable ones, and sometimes playing this card will be irrelevant -- and that isn’t what premium removal is supposed to be. I don’t think this is terrible mind you, especially because this set loves Enchantments, but it should not be taken early, and you should be running a bunch of Black removal over it.
Devourer of Memory image 3.5 As a two mana 2/1, it doesn’t do so well on the vanilla test, but this set is loaded up with self-mill cards, especially in Blue and Black, and that will make it a 3/2 unblockable on your turn a lot of the time, especially because it comes with a built-in way to start milling yourself, which is not a bad place to sink mana in the later part of the game. The Devourer can represent some serious inevitability, and I am definitely interested in that.
Bronze Sword image 1.0 1 to play and 3 to equip is too much for this stats boost in most cases.
Heliod's Pilgrim image 3.0 This set has so many Enchantments that Heliod’s Pilgrim is a nice card in virtually every White deck, as its ETB reads “Draw your best Aura.” This can let you grab removal, or powerful offensive auras, either way, you’re getting a very meaningful card out of the trigger.
Moss Viper image 2.5 One-mana 1/1 Deathtouchers are always solid playables, they can trade with anything, which is especially appealing for a card that only costs one mana.
Starlit Mantle image 2.0 The flexibility of this to feel like a combat trick that sticks around OR a counterspell against removal is pretty nice, especially in a set loaded with Enchantment payoffs.
Omen of the Dead image 2.0 This is nice and cheap, which is good news for Constellation. That said, unlike the other Omens, which can largely be played at any time for decent value, Omen of the Dead demands you have a creature in your graveyard, which means it can be a dead card for the first several turns. Like the other Omens, it can cash in and Scry, which isn’t too bad.
Karametra's Blessing image 1.5 This is a decent trick with nice Enchantment upside – it IS still a trick though, and you’ll only play it in the most aggressive of decks.
Indomitable Will image 1.5 This is basically a combat trick that sticks around, and if you can use it to kill an opponent’s creature and keep yours alive, you are out of 2-for-1 territory. Now, it is still risky -- your opponent can kill your creature in response and then you’re the one getting 2-for-1’d -- but if you play this wisely, it seems like it is a reasonable inclusion in a creature-based deck.
Aspect of Lamprey image 2.0 Lifelink + Mind Rot turns out to be a pretty decent combination in this set. This is another Discard spell that still does a thing in the late game, and that’s nice, because it gets around some significant downside.
Flummoxed Cyclops image 2.5 A 4-mana 4/4 with Reach and downside doesn’t sound amazing, but it actually lines up fairly well in this format. It is a sizable creature, and as long as you’re just always attacking with him, the fact he can’t block a big chunk of the time doesn’t matter! It is a little annoying that he has Reach – a purely defensive ability – but won’t be able to block with it very often. He does do a good job of stonewalling a board that has like…one flyer and not much else, at least.
Ilysian Caryatid image 3.0 This gives you some nice fixing that gets better if you have a big guy around. It is super vulnerable and dies to every removal in the set, which is especially painful when your opponent spend only one mana to kill it, but it is still a high quality common.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Pharika's Spawn
Escape Velocity image 2.0 This is a cheap Aura with Escape, and Escape really helps it get around the downside some Auras have – you won’t really be getting 2-for-1’d if they kill the creature you put this on, because it will keep coming back!
Pharika's Spawn image 4.0 If you can trade using that ¾ body, and then later in the game pay 6 mana and helps this Escape from your graveyard, you end up with a ⅚ body that has an edict effect. One nice thing here is that because the Spawn is a Gorgon itself, if it is your only creature, you won’t have to sacrifice anything. The Spawn also asks for less cards to be exiled than most cards with Escape, so it doesn’t require as much additional effort to load the graveyard as many of these do. So, look -- if this was just a 4-mana ¾ that you could get back in the late game as a 6-mana ⅚, that would be a very playable card. While neither side is efficient, the fact that you get TWO creatures out of one card is some real value. And, obviously enough, this comes with the addition of an Edict effect.
Favored of Iroas image 2.5 This can hit hard on turns when you get the Constellation going, and putting an Aura on him in particular feels pretty great.
Blight-Breath Catoblepas image 3.0 This typically lets you add to the board while subtracting from your opponents – even just killing a 2/2 with it, which it will always be able to do, is reasonable, and if you get your devotion higher it can be even more potent. That said, you don’t usually want more than one copy of this because its so expensive.
Final Flare image 1.5 There aren’t many formats where removal spells that involve you sacrificing a creature end up working out in Limited, and this isn’t one of them, even with a fairly legit sacrifice deck around.
Skola Grovedancer image 2.0 This is a decent enough two-drop. None of its text is especially impressive, but at least it has a man sink ability that can help fuel your Escape.
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This is always nice in every format we see it in. It gives you serious fixing, and if your curve is low enough you can count it as a land in your deck, allowing you to play more meaningful cards.
Triumphant Surge image 1.5 This kind of “Kill a big thing” removal spell is always fine, but generally not more than that.
Voracious Typhon image 4.0 This is an excellent common. A 4-mana 4/4 virtually always makes the cut, but this one gets to come back in the late game much larger, guaranteeing you a 2-for-1, and sometimes just being a straight up win condition.
Discordant Piper image 2.5 This starts as a two-mana 2/1, which is fine, and making an additional body is always a nice upgrade, even if the body is as irrelevant as a 0/1 goat. That is still a useful resource – either because you can use it to chump block, or maybe you can sacrifice it to something for value.
Omen of the Sea image 2.5 Two mana to Scry 2 and draw a card at instant speed is already kind of a reasonable thing -- compare it to Anticipate. Here, the fact that you can use it to Scry later on in the game, and the fact that it will be right at home in a few different decks in this format -- both those interested in Enchantments, and those interested in doing stuff on the opponent’s turn -- is enough for this to be a solid playable.
Incendiary Oracle image 3.0 This has nice stats and some really significant text. Pumping power is nice, because it allows it to threaten to hit hard when you have all your mana open, and can trade for lots of stuff, and the exile clause also comes up in this graveyard-heavy format.
Riptide Turtle image 1.0 This has Flash, which matters for the UR deck in this format, and it had okay defensive stats, but you still usually won’t play it
Pack 3 Pick 3: Scavenging Harpy
Sage of Mysteries image 1.0 Mill isn’t really a strategy in this format, the only cards that do it are at Uncommon or higher, so this is a pretty big dud most of the time. You need a critical mass of mill for it to be a real thing, and this format doesn’t have it.
Thundering Chariot image 2.5 This is pretty easy to crew, but not that easy to cast. It is a pretty good creature though when you can crew it.
Karametra's Blessing image 1.5 This is a decent trick with nice Enchantment upside – it IS still a trick though, and you’ll only play it in the most aggressive of decks.
Chain to Memory image 1.0 Adding Scry 2 to this effect does make it more appealing than some variants of this we’ve seen before, but overall these types of power-reduction effects are too situational, and difficult to get a full card of value out of.
Scavenging Harpy image 2.0 Three mana 2/1 flyers are fine and this has some minor upside that will probably be a little bit less minor in this set -- since it has the ability to exile a card from the graveyard, so taking an Escape card seems pretty nice.
Oread of Mountain's Blaze image 1.5 This has decent stats and it can loot – though for a significant mana investment. Still, being an Enchantment and loading the graveyard are two relevant things in this format.
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This is always nice in every format we see it in. It gives you serious fixing, and if your curve is low enough you can count it as a land in your deck, allowing you to play more meaningful cards.
Aspect of Manticore image 2.0 This is another Aura that feels like a combat trick that leaves some value behind, and the boost it often gives is well worth it in aggro decks. Still risky of course, so keep that in mind.
Moss Viper image 2.5 One-mana 1/1 Deathtouchers are always solid playables, they can trade with anything, which is especially appealing for a card that only costs one mana.
Flummoxed Cyclops image 2.5 A 4-mana 4/4 with Reach and downside doesn’t sound amazing, but it actually lines up fairly well in this format. It is a sizable creature, and as long as you’re just always attacking with him, the fact he can’t block a big chunk of the time doesn’t matter! It is a little annoying that he has Reach – a purely defensive ability – but won’t be able to block with it very often. He does do a good job of stonewalling a board that has like…one flyer and not much else, at least.
Aspect of Lamprey image 2.0 Lifelink + Mind Rot turns out to be a pretty decent combination in this set. This is another Discard spell that still does a thing in the late game, and that’s nice, because it gets around some significant downside.
Glory Bearers image 1.5 This has kind of okay stats and a kind of okay ability. Pumping toughness on attacks isn’t a huge deal, but it makes a difference sometimes.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Rise to Glory
Rise to Glory image 3.5 So, this can get pretty silly when you can get a graveyard to have both an Aura and a creature, and that isn’t that hard to do in this format. You will pretty much always get more than 5 mana worth of value when you do it, and it gets especially silly with Constellation and bombs. This can help you get back ahead from behind, which is awesome! The trade off is that it can be pretty terrible early, though.
Sweet Oblivion image 0.5 You can use this to mill yourself -- something that might be worth doing in a deck with lots of graveyard synergy -- or you can mill your opponent, something that might be worth doing in a control deck that plans on winning hte game by milling the opponent. Mill decks don’t always come together in formats, but it is nice that this particular mill card can be repeatedly cast from the graveyard. In other words, if you are really good at milling yourself, and you can provide the cards to fuel Escape, this one card could be enough to win you the game by milling your opponent. If this were at Common, it would kind of be a nightmare, since Mill decks would be pretty easy to draft, since getting 2 or 3 of these would be no problem -- at uncommon, getting multiples of this might be tricky.
Careless Celebrant image 3.5 A two mana 2/1 that is relevant all game long is always nice, and that’s what we have here. You can set up two-for-ones pretty easily with this, and that’s the ideal situation, but even if you can’t do that, you can just trade up with it – since it can take down anything with 4 toughness all on its own! Situations will be created where your opponent’s attacks just don’t work for them because of this two drop, and that’s going to feel pretty good.
Nyxborn Marauder image 1.5 This is an Enchantment that has alright stats and contributes to your devotion. You’ll play it sometimes.
Indomitable Will image 1.5 This is basically a combat trick that sticks around, and if you can use it to kill an opponent’s creature and keep yours alive, you are out of 2-for-1 territory. Now, it is still risky -- your opponent can kill your creature in response and then you’re the one getting 2-for-1’d -- but if you play this wisely, it seems like it is a reasonable inclusion in a creature-based deck.
Rage-Scarred Berserker image 2.0 This has okay stats and an ETB ability that will frequently allow you to make an attack you couldn’t before. He’s not bad.
Inspire Awe image 0.0 Fogs are unplayable in Limited 99% of the time. You use up a card for no real effect. This is not the 1% where that’s not true.
Infuriate image 1.5 This is an alright trick. You’ll play it sometimes in aggro decks.
Venomous Hierophant image 2.5 This loads your graveyard in a format that is interested in that, and it can trade for anything!
Relentless Pursuit image 2.0 This is a solid draw spell for Green, and it is nice that it puts at least three cards in the graveyard when you use it, because that will help you fuel Escape.
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Underworld Charger
Phalanx Tactics image 2.0 This is the kind of trick that can really produce a blowout when things line up correctly! Pumping multiple creatures with one trick can be really strong, and this is especially good if you’re going fairly wide.
Moss Viper image 2.5 One-mana 1/1 Deathtouchers are always solid playables, they can trade with anything, which is especially appealing for a card that only costs one mana.
Glory Bearers image 1.5 This has kind of okay stats and a kind of okay ability. Pumping toughness on attacks isn’t a huge deal, but it makes a difference sometimes.
Warbriar Blessing image 3.5 This gives a large enough boost to toughness that this enables a number of creatures to fight and survive than would have been able to without it. This often feels like a removal spell that leaves behind a permanent stats boost for one of your creatures, and that tends to feel pretty good – though it does have the usual downsides that Fight spells do – if you’re not careful, you might get 2-for-1’d.
Omen of the Forge image 3.0 Two mana to do two to anything at Instant speed is usually a solid card, if not premium removal. Adding some scry to the later game doesn’t hurt either. Then this gets a little bonus for both being an Enchantment, and a card with Flash -- since there are decks in this format interested in both things. This is cheap enough too, that killing 3 and 4 mana creatures who have two toughness with it will happen a decent chunk of the time. Sometimes you’ll break even on it, but I think you’ll trade up enough that this will feel really good.
Flummoxed Cyclops image 2.5 A 4-mana 4/4 with Reach and downside doesn’t sound amazing, but it actually lines up fairly well in this format. It is a sizable creature, and as long as you’re just always attacking with him, the fact he can’t block a big chunk of the time doesn’t matter! It is a little annoying that he has Reach – a purely defensive ability – but won’t be able to block with it very often. He does do a good job of stonewalling a board that has like…one flyer and not much else, at least.
Voracious Typhon image 4.0 This is an excellent common. A 4-mana 4/4 virtually always makes the cut, but this one gets to come back in the late game much larger, guaranteeing you a 2-for-1, and sometimes just being a straight up win condition.
Underworld Charger image 2.5 This is a fairly efficient aggressive creature who refuses to stay dead, and when it comes back it does so quite large! You can’t really play this anywhere but an aggro deck since it can’t block, but it works out pretty nicely there.
Naiad of Hidden Coves image 2.5 Reducing the cost of your instants and cards with Flash is pretty nice – as it will enable you to trigger your other payoffs more easily, and cast more powerful spells sooner. The fact that this also comes with a semi-reasonable body is nice too – they could easily have printed this as a 2/2 and it still would have been decent, so I’m pretty happy with 2/3 here.
Temple Thief image 2.0 This is a Bear that is sometimes unblockable, but not really often enough to be that great.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Pharika's Libation
The Binding of the Titans image 1.0 This is a super slow Green Anticipate, and I’m not that interested in that.
Sweet Oblivion image 0.5 You can use this to mill yourself -- something that might be worth doing in a deck with lots of graveyard synergy -- or you can mill your opponent, something that might be worth doing in a control deck that plans on winning hte game by milling the opponent. Mill decks don’t always come together in formats, but it is nice that this particular mill card can be repeatedly cast from the graveyard. In other words, if you are really good at milling yourself, and you can provide the cards to fuel Escape, this one card could be enough to win you the game by milling your opponent. If this were at Common, it would kind of be a nightmare, since Mill decks would be pretty easy to draft, since getting 2 or 3 of these would be no problem -- at uncommon, getting multiples of this might be tricky.
Stampede Rider image 3.0 This is a great Common payoff for the 4-power deck, as it often will be a ¾, and in a set with lots of Auras, trample is pretty nice! Note by the way that it counts itself when looking for 4 power, so if you have suited him up with an Aura that allows him to have 4-power, it will still get the boost.
Sentinel's Eyes image 2.5 This Aura gets around the classic problem that many of them have – the danger of a 2-for-1. With Escape, you can avoid that ever being a real problem, and enjoy the benefits of a pretty efficient stats boost on your creatures.
Satyr's Cunning image 0.0 Making unblockable tokens over and over again and using up your valuable graveyard resources and mana just isn’t worth it.
Return to Nature image 2.5 You can main deck this pretty easily in this format – there are Enchantments everywhere, and sometimes exiling an Escape creature is worth it.
Pharika's Libation image 2.0 Because you can choose what this Edict hits, you can often choose an option that takes out a pretty good permanent. It still has the downside of all Edicts – the bigger the board, the worse it gets.
Aspect of Lamprey image 2.0 Lifelink + Mind Rot turns out to be a pretty decent combination in this set. This is another Discard spell that still does a thing in the late game, and that’s nice, because it gets around some significant downside.
Loathsome Chimera image 3.0 Another nice Escape creature, the Chimera offers the ability to trade as a result of its high power, and then it can just keep coming back and threatening the opponent as a 5/2.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Pharika's Libation
Sweet Oblivion image 0.5 You can use this to mill yourself -- something that might be worth doing in a deck with lots of graveyard synergy -- or you can mill your opponent, something that might be worth doing in a control deck that plans on winning hte game by milling the opponent. Mill decks don’t always come together in formats, but it is nice that this particular mill card can be repeatedly cast from the graveyard. In other words, if you are really good at milling yourself, and you can provide the cards to fuel Escape, this one card could be enough to win you the game by milling your opponent. If this were at Common, it would kind of be a nightmare, since Mill decks would be pretty easy to draft, since getting 2 or 3 of these would be no problem -- at uncommon, getting multiples of this might be tricky.
Sentinel's Eyes image 2.5 This Aura gets around the classic problem that many of them have – the danger of a 2-for-1. With Escape, you can avoid that ever being a real problem, and enjoy the benefits of a pretty efficient stats boost on your creatures.
Captivating Unicorn image 1.5 The Constellation Trigger here is alright, and the stats of the creature are passable. You’ll play this at the top of your curve in some aggressive decks.
Nyxborn Brute image 0.5 This is a big dumb creature who can die to almost all the removal in the set despite costing 5 mana. I think most of the time you won't be playing him.
Temple Thief image 2.0 This is a Bear that is sometimes unblockable, but not really often enough to be that great.
Naiad of Hidden Coves image 2.5 Reducing the cost of your instants and cards with Flash is pretty nice – as it will enable you to trigger your other payoffs more easily, and cast more powerful spells sooner. The fact that this also comes with a semi-reasonable body is nice too – they could easily have printed this as a 2/2 and it still would have been decent, so I’m pretty happy with 2/3 here.
Eidolon of Philosophy image 1.5 A one mana ½ just isn’t worth the card most of the time, but having the ability to draw 3 cards in the late game is kind of nice It is also an Enchantment, which certainly will matter in this format. Most decks won’t be interested in this, but if you have a sweet control deck, playing one of those won’t be too bad.
Pharika's Libation image 2.0 Because you can choose what this Edict hits, you can often choose an option that takes out a pretty good permanent. It still has the downside of all Edicts – the bigger the board, the worse it gets.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Enemy of Enlightenment
Enemy of Enlightenment image 1.5 It is tempting to look at this as a potential finisher in your deck, but it is harder to consistently have it be a threatening presence than you might think, and you also have to contend with the symmetrical discard, which narrows the window in which you can play it. That said, it can be a finisher, but it isn’t a great one.
Funeral Rites image 2.5 This is Black’s solid-but-unexciting draw spell in this format. It is nice it adds three cards to the graveyard for Escape.
Satyr's Cunning image 0.0 Making unblockable tokens over and over again and using up your valuable graveyard resources and mana just isn’t worth it.
Eidolon of Philosophy image 1.5 A one mana ½ just isn’t worth the card most of the time, but having the ability to draw 3 cards in the late game is kind of nice It is also an Enchantment, which certainly will matter in this format. Most decks won’t be interested in this, but if you have a sweet control deck, playing one of those won’t be too bad.
Aspect of Lamprey image 2.0 Lifelink + Mind Rot turns out to be a pretty decent combination in this set. This is another Discard spell that still does a thing in the late game, and that’s nice, because it gets around some significant downside.
Oread of Mountain's Blaze image 1.5 This has decent stats and it can loot – though for a significant mana investment. Still, being an Enchantment and loading the graveyard are two relevant things in this format.
Aspect of Manticore image 2.0 This is another Aura that feels like a combat trick that leaves some value behind, and the boost it often gives is well worth it in aggro decks. Still risky of course, so keep that in mind.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Indomitable Will
Devourer of Memory image 3.5 As a two mana 2/1, it doesn’t do so well on the vanilla test, but this set is loaded up with self-mill cards, especially in Blue and Black, and that will make it a 3/2 unblockable on your turn a lot of the time, especially because it comes with a built-in way to start milling yourself, which is not a bad place to sink mana in the later part of the game. The Devourer can represent some serious inevitability, and I am definitely interested in that.
Bronze Sword image 1.0 1 to play and 3 to equip is too much for this stats boost in most cases.
Starlit Mantle image 2.0 The flexibility of this to feel like a combat trick that sticks around OR a counterspell against removal is pretty nice, especially in a set loaded with Enchantment payoffs.
Omen of the Dead image 2.0 This is nice and cheap, which is good news for Constellation. That said, unlike the other Omens, which can largely be played at any time for decent value, Omen of the Dead demands you have a creature in your graveyard, which means it can be a dead card for the first several turns. Like the other Omens, it can cash in and Scry, which isn’t too bad.
Indomitable Will image 1.5 This is basically a combat trick that sticks around, and if you can use it to kill an opponent’s creature and keep yours alive, you are out of 2-for-1 territory. Now, it is still risky -- your opponent can kill your creature in response and then you’re the one getting 2-for-1’d -- but if you play this wisely, it seems like it is a reasonable inclusion in a creature-based deck.
Aspect of Lamprey image 2.0 Lifelink + Mind Rot turns out to be a pretty decent combination in this set. This is another Discard spell that still does a thing in the late game, and that’s nice, because it gets around some significant downside.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Discordant Piper
Escape Velocity image 2.0 This is a cheap Aura with Escape, and Escape really helps it get around the downside some Auras have – you won’t really be getting 2-for-1’d if they kill the creature you put this on, because it will keep coming back!
Final Flare image 1.5 There aren’t many formats where removal spells that involve you sacrificing a creature end up working out in Limited, and this isn’t one of them, even with a fairly legit sacrifice deck around.
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This is always nice in every format we see it in. It gives you serious fixing, and if your curve is low enough you can count it as a land in your deck, allowing you to play more meaningful cards.
Discordant Piper image 2.5 This starts as a two-mana 2/1, which is fine, and making an additional body is always a nice upgrade, even if the body is as irrelevant as a 0/1 goat. That is still a useful resource – either because you can use it to chump block, or maybe you can sacrifice it to something for value.
Riptide Turtle image 1.0 This has Flash, which matters for the UR deck in this format, and it had okay defensive stats, but you still usually won’t play it
Pack 3 Pick 11: Traveler's Amulet
Sage of Mysteries image 1.0 Mill isn’t really a strategy in this format, the only cards that do it are at Uncommon or higher, so this is a pretty big dud most of the time. You need a critical mass of mill for it to be a real thing, and this format doesn’t have it.
Chain to Memory image 1.0 Adding Scry 2 to this effect does make it more appealing than some variants of this we’ve seen before, but overall these types of power-reduction effects are too situational, and difficult to get a full card of value out of.
Oread of Mountain's Blaze image 1.5 This has decent stats and it can loot – though for a significant mana investment. Still, being an Enchantment and loading the graveyard are two relevant things in this format.
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This is always nice in every format we see it in. It gives you serious fixing, and if your curve is low enough you can count it as a land in your deck, allowing you to play more meaningful cards.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Rage-Scarred Berserker
Rage-Scarred Berserker image 2.0 This has okay stats and an ETB ability that will frequently allow you to make an attack you couldn’t before. He’s not bad.
Inspire Awe image 0.0 Fogs are unplayable in Limited 99% of the time. You use up a card for no real effect. This is not the 1% where that’s not true.
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Temple Thief
Phalanx Tactics image 2.0 This is the kind of trick that can really produce a blowout when things line up correctly! Pumping multiple creatures with one trick can be really strong, and this is especially good if you’re going fairly wide.
Temple Thief image 2.0 This is a Bear that is sometimes unblockable, but not really often enough to be that great.
Pack 3 Pick 14: Sweet Oblivion
Sweet Oblivion image 0.5 You can use this to mill yourself -- something that might be worth doing in a deck with lots of graveyard synergy -- or you can mill your opponent, something that might be worth doing in a control deck that plans on winning hte game by milling the opponent. Mill decks don’t always come together in formats, but it is nice that this particular mill card can be repeatedly cast from the graveyard. In other words, if you are really good at milling yourself, and you can provide the cards to fuel Escape, this one card could be enough to win you the game by milling your opponent. If this were at Common, it would kind of be a nightmare, since Mill decks would be pretty easy to draft, since getting 2 or 3 of these would be no problem -- at uncommon, getting multiples of this might be tricky.
Draft Pick Overview