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Traditional Draft SIR 24 March 2023

24 March 06:53 - tgtoggi 3 Wins - 0 Losses
Maindeck
Creature (6)
1 Docent of Perfection // Final Iteration image
2 Stromkirk Occultist image
1 Wretched Gryff image
1 Drunau Corpse Trawler image
1 Geralf's Masterpiece image
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (16)
1 Lightning Axe image
1 Galvanic Bombardment image
2 Take Inventory image
2 Uncaged Fury image
1 Incendiary Flow image
1 Cryptolith Fragment // Aurora of Emrakul image
1 Rise from the Tides image
1 Terrarion image
1 Traveler's Amulet image
1 Compelling Deterrence image
1 Deny Existence image
2 Tormenting Voice image
1 Imprisoned in the Moon image
Planeswalker (1)
1 Arlinn Kord // Arlinn, Embraced by the Moon image
Land (17)
1 Highland Lake image
2 Forest image
7 Mountain image
7 Island image
Sideboard
1 Geist of the Archives image
1 Ulrich's Kindred image
1 Epitaph Golem image
1 Morkrut Necropod image
1 Bloodmad Vampire image
1 Sanitarium Skeleton image
1 Insolent Neonate image
1 Laboratory Brute image
1 Thraben Foulbloods image
2 Spontaneous Mutation image
1 Make Mischief image
1 Merciless Resolve image
2 Vampiric Fury image
1 Convolute image
1 Ruthless Disposal image
1 Brain in a Jar image
1 True-Faith Censer image
1 Magmatic Chasm image
1 Explosive Apparatus image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Docent of Perfection
Immerwolf image 3.5 Obviously, this buffs most creatures in Red/Green, and making all of your werewolves stay stuck in their more powerful form is awesome.
Docent of Perfection image 5.0 A 5-mana 5/4 that spits out a token every time you cast a spell is already a bomb, so the fact that this transforms into an even larger creature that also buffs all of your Wizards is absolutely incredible.
Gatstaf Arsonists image 2.5 This is a solid finisher. A 5-mana 5/4 is obviously not great, but a 5-mana 6/5 with Menace? Yeah, that closes out a lot of games.
Fleeting Memories image 1.0 Clues are good and all, but this isn’t a great format to try and mill your opponent out in. Several decks in this format want cards in their graveyard. Turning on their delirium and Flashback cards isn’t really something you want to be doing. There are some clue-heavy control decks where this can work out as a win condition, but you’re really playing with fire.
Faith Unbroken image 2.5 This card is incredibly swingy. 4 mana to exile something and give a creature +2/+2 is an incredible rate, and if the creature and Enchantment stay around, your opponent loses. However, if your opponent finds a way to kill the Enchanted creature, they probably win, because you get absolutely blown out.
Ironclad Slayer image 2.5 This format has some quality Auras and Equipment, especially in Green-White, so this is able to return a quality card a decent chunk of the time, and the fail case isn’t too terrible.
Grapple with the Past image 2.5 You usually want one of these in Green. It helps you get delirium and helps you get value out of the graveyard.
Tattered Haunter image 2.0 This is a reasonable two-drop, though it does suffer from the fact that it is awful against the format’s flying tokens.
Dead Weight image 3.5 This is premium removal, kills many things for only one mana. It is also a little better than normal in this format because of Delirium.
True-Faith Censer image 3.0 This is a very efficient Equipment, especially if you’re in Green-White and have lots of humans. +2/+1 and Vigilance is enough to make just about any creature into a problem.
Deranged Whelp image 2.5 This is a solid little two-drop and it has a useful creature type.
Incendiary Flow image 4.0 Two mana to do 3 to a creature is always premium removal, and this has exile upside that really matters.
Make Mischief image 2.0 In a roundabout way, this does give you three damage for three mana. If you look at this as a three mana 1/1 devil that does 1 to something on ETB it sounds a lot better, as you get to add to the board while picking something off. If you can’t kill something with the 1 damage it does get a lot worse.
Steadfast Cathar image 2.5 This is a solid two drop, as attacking as a ⅔ in the early game is pretty nice.
Aim High image 1.5 This type of trick is rarely good. The stats boost is medium for two mana, and Reach and untapping are mostly only relevant on defense, which is the worst possible time to use a trick.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Lightning Axe
Drogskol Captain image 3.5 This is an amazing spirit payoff that has solid base stats as a Wind Drake. While it doesn’t grant hexproof to itself, granting to all of your spirits is no joke.
Graf Rats image 1.0 You don’t play this unless you’re very desperate for a two drop or you have Midnight Scavengers.
Drunau Corpse Trawler image 3.5 Four mana for a 2/2 and a 1/1 isn’t a great rate – but the ability to give deathtouch to zombies is pretty nice. This gets a big upgrade from the fact that it is great to sacrifice to Emerge creatures, too.
Lightning Axe image 3.5 There’s lots of stuff in this format that you want to be discarding, and you will often find yourself able to cast this for only a single mana and cast whatever you discard. At that point, you’re really negating the downside of the Axe, and it just becomes an incredibly efficient removal spell with major upside. You won’t always be able to do that of course, but it happens often enough that this is premium removal.
Mockery of Nature image 2.5 This format has a decent number of Artifacts and Enchantments, and if you have a target, the Mockery will feel amazing. However, there aren’t so many of them in the set that this will consistently give you that sweet 2-for-1.
Swift Spinner image 1.5 This is a passable creature that can ambush block some stuff, but it doesn’t always make the cut.
Faithbearer Paladin image 2.0 This is better than it looks. A ¾ with lifelink is pretty beefy in this format, and represents a very real road block for aggro decks.
Insatiable Gorgers image 2.5 A 4-mana 5/3 isn’t too bad, even if it has to always attack, and the Madness upside is nice to have.
Jace's Scrutiny image 2.0 This is a little better than it might look at first, largely because the format has both a Spell deck and an Investigate deck. This ultimately replaces itself thanks to the Clue, and the -4/-0 can end up blanking an attack at worst, and sometimes you can even set up a really advantageous combat situation where your opponent actually loses a card.
Aim High image 1.5 This type of trick is rarely good. The stats boost is medium for two mana, and Reach and untapping are mostly only relevant on defense, which is the worst possible time to use a trick.
Liliana's Elite image 1.5 Even in this graveyard-centric format, Liliana’s Elite often isn’t worth it. The upside here is that it is a large vanilla creature, and the downside is that it is awful in the early game, and mediocre in the mid-game.
Make Mischief image 2.0 In a roundabout way, this does give you three damage for three mana. If you look at this as a three mana 1/1 devil that does 1 to something on ETB it sounds a lot better, as you get to add to the board while picking something off. If you can’t kill something with the 1 damage it does get a lot worse.
Sigardian Priest image 2.5 This format has a ton of humans in it, so you often can’t tap creatures that you desperately want to tap. That makes this a lot worse than something like Master Decoy, but its still solid.
Fiend Binder image 2.5 The stat-line is ugly for the cost, but tapping down an opposing creature every time it attacks can allow you to do tons of damage.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Geist of the Archives
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This nicely fixes your mana, while also giving you an Artifact in the graveyard for Delirium.
Conduit of Storms image 3.0 A three mana ⅔ that gives you a mana every time it attacks isn’t too bad, and this can transform into a fairly impressive Eldrazi Werewolf.
Reaper of Flight Moonsilver image 2.5 The base stats here aren’t good – but if you have Delirium going, the Reaper can represent lethal on a lot of board states.
Spectral Shepherd image 3.0 UW is all about spirits, and it has a sub-theme of abusing ETB abilities. The Shepherd’s activated abilities can help you trigger them, while also allowing you to save your Spirits from removal.
Ravenous Bloodseeker image 2.5 This is a nice discard outlet that can be pretty obnoxious to block in the early game.
Merciless Resolve image 1.5 There are some expendable bodies in this format for sure, and the fact you can sacrifice a land is nice. But this is still fairly clunky for the effect, which often amounts to you breaking even on cards. That’s not especially exciting.
Terrarion image 1.5 This does a solid job of fixing your mana, and it helps you get delirium early by putting an Artifact in the graveyard.
Dawn Gryff image 2.0 A three mana 2/2 Flyer was a lot better back in 2016, and I think this format is similar enough for this to be solid.
Alms of the Vein image 1.0 Even if you can consistently cast this for its Madness cost, Alms of the Vein is fairly disappointing. The six point life swing is nice, but doesn’t feel worth a card most of the time.
True-Faith Censer image 3.0 This is a very efficient Equipment, especially if you’re in Green-White and have lots of humans. +2/+1 and Vigilance is enough to make just about any creature into a problem.
Intrepid Provisioner image 3.0 This is a solid Human payoff. The +2/+2 it offers often gives you a much better situation to attack with, and the 3/3 Trample body isn’t the worst thing.
Howlpack Wolf image 2.0 This has decent stats, and if you're in Red/Green it basically has no downside.
Geist of the Archives image 3.0 This is surprisingly good. It can block lots of creatures in the format, and a free Scry every upkeep does a great job of improving the quality of your cards.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Galvanic Bombardment
Moonmist image 0.5 Even with all this additional upside, this is still a fog, and those are rarely worth it in Limited.
Rattlechains image 4.0 This starts with great aggressive stats, and offers a significant upgrade to your spirits. It feels especially incredible when you flash this in to blank an opposing removal spell.
Ulvenwald Captive image 3.0 As is true in most formats, ramping your mana is pretty good! Even when it is attached to a two mana ½ with Defender. Its transformation isn’t the most impressive, but it does let you ramp mana even more, it gets bigger, and it loses defender.
Shreds of Sanity image 2.0 If you’re in Red there’s a good chance you have a nice mix of Instants and Sorceries, and if you do, this is a pretty nice way to get back some removal spells.
Forsaken Sanctuary image 2.5 Playing these untapped is fairly easy, and they do a good job of fixing your mana.
Explosive Apparatus image 1.5 This is by no means efficient, but if you’re hurting for Artifacts to get Delirium going more consistently, it can do the job.
Olivia's Dragoon image 3.0 This card would be solid in any format, but in this one it is even better! It has a useful creature type and can help you get Delirium and Madness cards going.
Strength of Arms image 2.5 This is a nice trick. One mana for +2/+2 tends to play pretty well, and the times you can get a 1/1 token out of this feel really insane, and its very doable, especially in GW.
Galvanic Bombardment image 2.5 // 4.0 You’ll always play this even if you only have one copy, and it becomes far better the more copies you have. If you have 4+, it becomes one of the best cards in your deck.
Wretched Gryff image 4.0 This is one of the best Commons in the set. Casting it for the full 7 mana is totally passable, and if you can sacrifice something that gives you value and cast the Gryff for three or four mana – which happens all the time – it feels particularly amazing.
True-Faith Censer image 3.0 This is a very efficient Equipment, especially if you’re in Green-White and have lots of humans. +2/+1 and Vigilance is enough to make just about any creature into a problem.
Byway Courier image 3.5 This is good at trading off for things, and the Clue it gives you means you’re going to get a 2-for-1.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Take Inventory
Ghoulraiser image 3.0 Gravedigger for three mana is a nice card, even if you can only get back Zombies and it is entirely random! This delivers a nice 2-for-1 in most Black decks.
Woodland Stream image 2.5 These always enter tapped, which is a little bit of a bummer, but they still provide some quality fixing.
Murderer's Axe image 1.0 This mostly isn’t worth it. Sure, you want to be discarding in this format to set up Delirium and cast things for their Madness cost, but there are lots of better ways to do that. The fact there isn’t any other Equip cost on this at all is rough, because even in this format there are situations where you just can’t move this.
Uncaged Fury image 2.5 This is a very nice trick. It is a little expensive, but it makes most creatures win combat, and it has the potential to allow an unblocked creature to just finish off your opponent. The first copy should be valued fairly highly.
Magmatic Chasm image 0.0 // 2.0 You’re not going to play this unless you’re an all-in aggro deck, and even then it is sometimes a real problem that flyers can still block.
Take Inventory image 1.0 // 3.5 This card can get really silly, especially in Blue-Red decks that can generate awesome value from spells that draw cards. Obviously, you want to get multiples of these, so that they can scale as the game goes on. Even if you only have two, you probably play them – and if you end up with 4+, it feels amazing.
Epitaph Golem image 0.0 // 2.5 This is better than it looks! This is a format where you can actually end up milling yourself out, especially in Black-Green. Once your library is out of cards, the Golem not only helps you avoid losing because you’re out of cards – it also effectively lets you draw whatever card you want every single turn. It takes a fairly particular deck for this to make the cut, though.
Gavony Unhallowed image 2.0 This starts with some pretty bad stats, but it can definitely grow in this format, especially in a deck like Black-White, which has a substantial amount of Sacrifice stuff.
Borrowed Grace image 1.5 So you can pay for +2/+2 to the whole board, or three mana for just one of these effects. Neither is very exciting.
Weirding Wood image 2.0 This fixes your mana and generates a Clue, and some decks are definitely in the market for that.
Howlpack Wolf image 2.0 This has decent stats, and if you're in Red/Green it basically has no downside.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Ulrich's Kindred
Vampiric Fury image 1.0 // 2.5 This is cheaper than most Trumpet-Blast type effects, but only buffing Vampires is enough of a restriction that I’m not that thrilled about it. If you really got their on vampires, it isn’t a bad inclusion, but there are lots of Red decks that won’t play this.
Pieces of the Puzzle image 2.5 If your deck is spell heavy enough (so, mostly UR) this ends up being better than divination, especially because it loads your graveyard too! Outside of Blue-Red it becomes more questionable, though.
Ulrich's Kindred image 3.0 This has a solid baseline, and granting indestructibility to your werewolves can be great! That said, the ability is fairly costly, and if your opponent has mana up when you try to use it, prepare to get blown out.
Faithbearer Paladin image 2.0 This is better than it looks. A ¾ with lifelink is pretty beefy in this format, and represents a very real road block for aggro decks.
Grapple with the Past image 2.5 You usually want one of these in Green. It helps you get delirium and helps you get value out of the graveyard.
Alms of the Vein image 1.0 Even if you can consistently cast this for its Madness cost, Alms of the Vein is fairly disappointing. The six point life swing is nice, but doesn’t feel worth a card most of the time.
Tattered Haunter image 2.0 This is a reasonable two-drop, though it does suffer from the fact that it is awful against the format’s flying tokens.
Field Creeper image 1.5 This is a little better than it looks. It is both an Artifact and a Creature, which means it gets you halfway to Delirium all on its own.
Steadfast Cathar image 2.5 This is a solid two drop, as attacking as a ⅔ in the early game is pretty nice.
Howlpack Wolf image 2.0 This has decent stats, and if you're in Red/Green it basically has no downside.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Stromkirk Occultist
Battleground Geist image 2.5 There are lots of Spirits in this set, and this will be doubly true while Battleground Geist is in the format. It has passable stats and impacts the board right away.
Village Messenger image 2.5 This is great on turn one, especially if you’re on the play. You get to play this and get in for a damage, and if your opponent doesn’t have a one drop, this turns into a 2/2 Menace – and it's going to stay that way for quite some time. If you get it later in the game, it is significantly less impressive, but a 2/2 Menace can at least be relevant on most board states.
Stromkirk Occultist image 4.0 They downshifted this to Rare, which is pretty spicy! A three mana 3/2 Trample isn’t a bad starting point, so when you add in the Madness upside and the fact that this can effectively draw you cards, and we’re talking about an incredibly efficient and powerful creature.
Rush of Adrenaline image 2.0 This is a decent trick. The toughness boost of only 1 does mean your creature will die more often with this than you might like, but +2 power and trample for one mana can also result in huge blowouts.
Ember-Eye Wolf image 2.5 This overperformed last time. A lot of the time, this sort of creature that can buff its power for mana isn’t very impressive, because you end up having to spend a lot of mana just to make it trade. However, adding Haste to the mix, along with a useful creature type, makes a significant difference. This even has a bit of Fireball potential in the late game.
Pyre Hound image 1.0 // 3.5 This is a buildaround, but it is also an incredibly important and powerful Common for the Blue-Red deck. It gets massive in that deck, and the Trample is a real problem for your opponent.
Morkrut Necropod image 2.5 This is a pretty scary creature. A 7/7 with Menace is a real pain to block! It does come with a pretty big downside, but giving up expendable creatures or lands to swing with this thing isn’t too shabby.
Moonlight Hunt image 2.5 This is a fairly effective removal spell, as you can often use it effectively even with just a single Wolf or Werewolf. Your deck does need to be loaded up with them for this to be at its best, though – as if you don’t have a wolf or werewolf in play, this does stone nothing.
Macabre Waltz image 2.5 You want one of these in virtually every Black deck. It is great at bringing back your best creatures, and it can even help you load the graveyard!
Pack 1 Pick 8: Spontaneous Mutation
Foul Orchard image 2.5 Playing these untapped is fairly easy, and they do a good job of fixing your mana.
Apothecary Geist image 3.0 This was a big overperformer last time around. Its stats line up reasonably well in the format, and it gains you that 3 life pretty often.
Macabre Waltz image 2.5 You want one of these in virtually every Black deck. It is great at bringing back your best creatures, and it can even help you load the graveyard!
Briarbridge Patrol image 3.0 This isn’t quite as good as it looks, which is partly why they downshifted it from Uncommon. A 4-mana 3/3 isn’t very good, and while this has a big text box, it doesn’t do anything that good. It does generate Clues for you whether it blocks or gets blocked, which means you do ultimately get a 2-for-1 out of it pretty often. I wouldn’t count on being able to effectively utilize the card’s other ability, though. These sorts of effects always underperform in Limited, partly because you can’t really build a deck with enough monsters to cheat into play. So, you don’t often have something worth putting into play with the effect – oftentimes, it is better to just hold on to all of your clues.
Thornhide Wolves image 2.0 Last time around, this vanilla 4-mana ⅘ played surprisingly well. It is quite large for the format, and has a useful creature type.
Rush of Adrenaline image 2.0 This is a decent trick. The toughness boost of only 1 does mean your creature will die more often with this than you might like, but +2 power and trample for one mana can also result in huge blowouts.
Spontaneous Mutation image 1.5 Like most -X/-0 Auras, this isn’t very good – even with Flash! It doesn’t get close enough to removing an entire card to feel like its worth it. It does get a small boost because of all the Prowess in the set, but you’re still hoping to play something better.
Borrowed Malevolence image 2.0 This doesn’t feel amazing no matter how you cast it. If you can Escalate it, the boost it offers your creature and the -1/-1 it gives an opponent’s can be pretty nice, but three mana is steep enough that I don’t love this.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Make Mischief
Gatstaf Arsonists image 2.5 This is a solid finisher. A 5-mana 5/4 is obviously not great, but a 5-mana 6/5 with Menace? Yeah, that closes out a lot of games.
Ironclad Slayer image 2.5 This format has some quality Auras and Equipment, especially in Green-White, so this is able to return a quality card a decent chunk of the time, and the fail case isn’t too terrible.
Grapple with the Past image 2.5 You usually want one of these in Green. It helps you get delirium and helps you get value out of the graveyard.
Dead Weight image 3.5 This is premium removal, kills many things for only one mana. It is also a little better than normal in this format because of Delirium.
True-Faith Censer image 3.0 This is a very efficient Equipment, especially if you’re in Green-White and have lots of humans. +2/+1 and Vigilance is enough to make just about any creature into a problem.
Make Mischief image 2.0 In a roundabout way, this does give you three damage for three mana. If you look at this as a three mana 1/1 devil that does 1 to something on ETB it sounds a lot better, as you get to add to the board while picking something off. If you can’t kill something with the 1 damage it does get a lot worse.
Aim High image 1.5 This type of trick is rarely good. The stats boost is medium for two mana, and Reach and untapping are mostly only relevant on defense, which is the worst possible time to use a trick.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Drunau Corpse Trawler
Graf Rats image 1.0 You don’t play this unless you’re very desperate for a two drop or you have Midnight Scavengers.
Drunau Corpse Trawler image 3.5 Four mana for a 2/2 and a 1/1 isn’t a great rate – but the ability to give deathtouch to zombies is pretty nice. This gets a big upgrade from the fact that it is great to sacrifice to Emerge creatures, too.
Insatiable Gorgers image 2.5 A 4-mana 5/3 isn’t too bad, even if it has to always attack, and the Madness upside is nice to have.
Aim High image 1.5 This type of trick is rarely good. The stats boost is medium for two mana, and Reach and untapping are mostly only relevant on defense, which is the worst possible time to use a trick.
Liliana's Elite image 1.5 Even in this graveyard-centric format, Liliana’s Elite often isn’t worth it. The upside here is that it is a large vanilla creature, and the downside is that it is awful in the early game, and mediocre in the mid-game.
Make Mischief image 2.0 In a roundabout way, this does give you three damage for three mana. If you look at this as a three mana 1/1 devil that does 1 to something on ETB it sounds a lot better, as you get to add to the board while picking something off. If you can’t kill something with the 1 damage it does get a lot worse.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Merciless Resolve
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This nicely fixes your mana, while also giving you an Artifact in the graveyard for Delirium.
Merciless Resolve image 1.5 There are some expendable bodies in this format for sure, and the fact you can sacrifice a land is nice. But this is still fairly clunky for the effect, which often amounts to you breaking even on cards. That’s not especially exciting.
Terrarion image 1.5 This does a solid job of fixing your mana, and it helps you get delirium early by putting an Artifact in the graveyard.
Alms of the Vein image 1.0 Even if you can consistently cast this for its Madness cost, Alms of the Vein is fairly disappointing. The six point life swing is nice, but doesn’t feel worth a card most of the time.
True-Faith Censer image 3.0 This is a very efficient Equipment, especially if you’re in Green-White and have lots of humans. +2/+1 and Vigilance is enough to make just about any creature into a problem.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Wretched Gryff
Moonmist image 0.5 Even with all this additional upside, this is still a fog, and those are rarely worth it in Limited.
Explosive Apparatus image 1.5 This is by no means efficient, but if you’re hurting for Artifacts to get Delirium going more consistently, it can do the job.
Olivia's Dragoon image 3.0 This card would be solid in any format, but in this one it is even better! It has a useful creature type and can help you get Delirium and Madness cards going.
Wretched Gryff image 4.0 This is one of the best Commons in the set. Casting it for the full 7 mana is totally passable, and if you can sacrifice something that gives you value and cast the Gryff for three or four mana – which happens all the time – it feels particularly amazing.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Epitaph Golem
Ghoulraiser image 3.0 Gravedigger for three mana is a nice card, even if you can only get back Zombies and it is entirely random! This delivers a nice 2-for-1 in most Black decks.
Epitaph Golem image 0.0 // 2.5 This is better than it looks! This is a format where you can actually end up milling yourself out, especially in Black-Green. Once your library is out of cards, the Golem not only helps you avoid losing because you’re out of cards – it also effectively lets you draw whatever card you want every single turn. It takes a fairly particular deck for this to make the cut, though.
Gavony Unhallowed image 2.0 This starts with some pretty bad stats, but it can definitely grow in this format, especially in a deck like Black-White, which has a substantial amount of Sacrifice stuff.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Vampiric Fury
Vampiric Fury image 1.0 // 2.5 This is cheaper than most Trumpet-Blast type effects, but only buffing Vampires is enough of a restriction that I’m not that thrilled about it. If you really got their on vampires, it isn’t a bad inclusion, but there are lots of Red decks that won’t play this.
Alms of the Vein image 1.0 Even if you can consistently cast this for its Madness cost, Alms of the Vein is fairly disappointing. The six point life swing is nice, but doesn’t feel worth a card most of the time.
Pack 1 Pick 15: Morkrut Necropod
Morkrut Necropod image 2.5 This is a pretty scary creature. A 7/7 with Menace is a real pain to block! It does come with a pretty big downside, but giving up expendable creatures or lands to swing with this thing isn’t too shabby.
Pack 2 Pick 1: Arlinn Kord
Elder Cathar image 3.0 This is a pretty nice payoff for Humans. Paying 3 mana for 4/4 worth of stats feels pretty good, and also makes the Cathar good sacrifice fodder.
Splendid Reclamation image 0.0 You do mill lands into your graveyard in this format, but this still isn’t worth it.
Arlinn Kord image 5.0 Arlinn is a fairly cheap planeswalker, and all of her abilities are great. Her +1 and 0 on the frontside do a good job of protecting her, and when she transforms she can give you a massive board buff or Bolt opposing creatures. You won’t always get to her ultimate, but alternate between her two sides is incredibly powerful, and hard for anyone to overcome.
Clear Shot image 4.0 This is great removal. Because of the stats boost, it makes most creatures capable of taking something down, and sometimes you can even get a 2-for-1 – like if the +1/+1 helps a creature win combat.
Stromkirk Occultist image 4.0 They downshifted this to Rare, which is pretty spicy! A three mana 3/2 Trample isn’t a bad starting point, so when you add in the Madness upside and the fact that this can effectively draw you cards, and we’re talking about an incredibly efficient and powerful creature.
Woodland Stream image 2.5 These always enter tapped, which is a little bit of a bummer, but they still provide some quality fixing.
Convolute image 1.5 This is passable counter magic, and performs especially well in the early game, but the fact it gets worse the longer the game goes on is rough.
Faithbearer Paladin image 2.0 This is better than it looks. A ¾ with lifelink is pretty beefy in this format, and represents a very real road block for aggro decks.
Fiend Binder image 2.5 The stat-line is ugly for the cost, but tapping down an opposing creature every time it attacks can allow you to do tons of damage.
Sanitarium Skeleton image 1.0 // 2.5 If you need sacrifice fodder, this is pretty nice. If you don’t, you aren’t playing it.
Strength of Arms image 2.5 This is a nice trick. One mana for +2/+2 tends to play pretty well, and the times you can get a 1/1 token out of this feel really insane, and its very doable, especially in GW.
Rush of Adrenaline image 2.0 This is a decent trick. The toughness boost of only 1 does mean your creature will die more often with this than you might like, but +2 power and trample for one mana can also result in huge blowouts.
Byway Courier image 3.5 This is good at trading off for things, and the Clue it gives you means you’re going to get a 2-for-1.
Weirded Vampire image 1.5 This is bad if you don’t cast it with Madness, and mediocre when you do.
Imprisoned in the Moon image 2.5 This was Rare last time, downshifting it to Common will have a pretty significant impact on the format. That said, it isn’t amazing removal in Limited. Giving your opponent extra mana isn’t great, but it is usually better than whatever their best creature is. Still, you don’t really feel like you get a full card of value when you play this.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Uncaged Fury
Elder Cathar image 3.0 This is a pretty nice payoff for Humans. Paying 3 mana for 4/4 worth of stats feels pretty good, and also makes the Cathar good sacrifice fodder.
Eldritch Evolution image 1.0 This is not very good in Limited. Most of the time, you 2-for-1 yourself for a slightly better creature than what you already had.
Compelling Deterrence image 2.5 Two mana to bounce a non-land permanent is usually playable, especially in a format with a spell deck! The Zombie upside is nice too, especially in situations when your opponent has an empty hand, when this basically feels like Doom Blade!
Faith Unbroken image 2.5 This card is incredibly swingy. 4 mana to exile something and give a creature +2/+2 is an incredible rate, and if the creature and Enchantment stay around, your opponent loses. However, if your opponent finds a way to kill the Enchanted creature, they probably win, because you get absolutely blown out.
Uncaged Fury image 2.5 This is a very nice trick. It is a little expensive, but it makes most creatures win combat, and it has the potential to allow an unblocked creature to just finish off your opponent. The first copy should be valued fairly highly.
Ghoulcaller's Accomplice image 3.0 This has solid base stats, and the fact you can get a Zombie out of it from the graveyard is great! Obviously, the rate on that second body isn’t amazing, but card advantage is card advantage. It also means you can discard or mill this and still get some nice value out of it.
Tormenting Voice image 2.5 This is better in this format than it is in pretty much any other! It helps you get Delirium and discard things with Madness, on top of also being a nice card for the Blue-Red spell deck since it triggers all of your payoffs.
Grapple with the Past image 2.5 You usually want one of these in Green. It helps you get delirium and helps you get value out of the graveyard.
Essence Flux image 0.0 // 2.5 The Blue-White Spirit deck has a blink/flicker sub-theme, as Essence Flux tells you. If you have enough Spirits with ETB abilities, this is playable. But there are many decks it doesn’t work out in, even Blue/White ones!
Terrarion image 1.5 This does a solid job of fixing your mana, and it helps you get delirium early by putting an Artifact in the graveyard.
Dauntless Cathar image 3.5 Trading this off for something and then getting a flying token out of your graveyard feels great. Also works well if you want to sacrifice it or you end up milling it.
Exultant Cultist image 2.5 This is good sacrifice fodder, and can be especially spicy with Emerge. Even in the absence of those things, the fact you can trade this off for a 2-for-1 feels pretty good.
Lunarch Mantle image 1.5 This offers a reasonable boost for the cost, but the downside of getting 2-for-1’d is still very real. This can work alright in really aggressive decks, but won’t always make the cut.
Spontaneous Mutation image 1.5 Like most -X/-0 Auras, this isn’t very good – even with Flash! It doesn’t get close enough to removing an entire card to feel like its worth it. It does get a small boost because of all the Prowess in the set, but you’re still hoping to play something better.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Incendiary Flow
Arlinn Kord image 5.0 Arlinn is a fairly cheap planeswalker, and all of her abilities are great. Her +1 and 0 on the frontside do a good job of protecting her, and when she transforms she can give you a massive board buff or Bolt opposing creatures. You won’t always get to her ultimate, but alternate between her two sides is incredibly powerful, and hard for anyone to overcome.
Ulvenwald Captive image 3.0 As is true in most formats, ramping your mana is pretty good! Even when it is attached to a two mana ½ with Defender. Its transformation isn’t the most impressive, but it does let you ramp mana even more, it gets bigger, and it loses defender.
Pore Over the Pages image 3.0 Paying 5 to draw 3 and discard a card isn’t amazing, but the fact this untapped two lands shouldn’t be overlooked. Most of the time, this allows you to add to the board thanks to the new cards you drew, making it much different than your typical sorcery speed draw spell.
Ruthless Disposal image 2.5 This can definitely kill some stuff, but because it asks for so much, the end result is often still a 3-for-2, which isn’t exactly amazing. Now, if you have good sacrifice fodder and cards you want to discard anyway, you can offset the downside. This has a high ceiling, but also a miserable floor.
Epitaph Golem image 0.0 // 2.5 This is better than it looks! This is a format where you can actually end up milling yourself out, especially in Black-Green. Once your library is out of cards, the Golem not only helps you avoid losing because you’re out of cards – it also effectively lets you draw whatever card you want every single turn. It takes a fairly particular deck for this to make the cut, though.
Lunarch Mantle image 1.5 This offers a reasonable boost for the cost, but the downside of getting 2-for-1’d is still very real. This can work alright in really aggressive decks, but won’t always make the cut.
Certain Death image 2.5 This is certainly clunky, but it deals with anything and drains 2 life, which helps offset how expensive it is.
Spontaneous Mutation image 1.5 Like most -X/-0 Auras, this isn’t very good – even with Flash! It doesn’t get close enough to removing an entire card to feel like its worth it. It does get a small boost because of all the Prowess in the set, but you’re still hoping to play something better.
Bound by Moonsilver image 4.0 This is amazing removal, and it was at Uncommon last time around. Downshifting it is pretty surprising, because it deals with most things in the format quite effectively! Its great you can move it around when you need to, too.
Confront the Unknown image 1.5 This only gives +1/+1 a little too often to be anything special. Some really clue-heavy decks can get some good use out of this, but it isn’t exactly the payoff you’re hoping for.
Byway Courier image 3.5 This is good at trading off for things, and the Clue it gives you means you’re going to get a 2-for-1.
Incendiary Flow image 4.0 Two mana to do 3 to a creature is always premium removal, and this has exile upside that really matters.
Haunted Fengraf image 1.0 This is bad for your mana base, and the fact it is random is a pretty big problem.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Take Inventory
Elder Cathar image 3.0 This is a pretty nice payoff for Humans. Paying 3 mana for 4/4 worth of stats feels pretty good, and also makes the Cathar good sacrifice fodder.
Graf Rats image 1.0 You don’t play this unless you’re very desperate for a two drop or you have Midnight Scavengers.
Howlpack Resurgence image 3.5 This works pretty well if you have lots of Wolves or Werewolves, and even plays quite well with them. Because it has Flash, you can pass the turn, have your wolves and werewolves transform, and then play this on your opponent’s turn. If this can buff most of your board, its great – but you don’t play it until you have 10+ wolves or werewolves.
Ulvenwald Mysteries image 4.0 This is a very powerful value engine, especially in Blue-Green, where you have lots of Clues anyway. Making it so sacrificing a clue generates a 1/1 is a huge upgrade, as it allows you to add to the board while digging deeper into your deck. This is less good if you’re entirely reliant on it to generate your Clues, but even then it can be pretty good.
Take Inventory image 1.0 // 3.5 This card can get really silly, especially in Blue-Red decks that can generate awesome value from spells that draw cards. Obviously, you want to get multiples of these, so that they can scale as the game goes on. Even if you only have two, you probably play them – and if you end up with 4+, it feels amazing.
Bloodmad Vampire image 2.5 A three-mana 4/1 isn’t a terrible rate for an aggro deck, and this has big upside! Sometimes you can cast it for two, and it gets bigger when it gets in for a hit. Madness increases your chance of making that happen, too, since you can effectively flash it in at the end of your opponent’s turn sometimes.
Drogskol Shieldmate image 2.0 This isn’t as impressive as it looks. +0/+1 to your whole board is not impactful in most situations. Still, it is a three mana ⅔ with Flash and upside, so it is super solid.
Lunarch Mantle image 1.5 This offers a reasonable boost for the cost, but the downside of getting 2-for-1’d is still very real. This can work alright in really aggressive decks, but won’t always make the cut.
Deranged Whelp image 2.5 This is a solid little two-drop and it has a useful creature type.
Briarbridge Patrol image 3.0 This isn’t quite as good as it looks, which is partly why they downshifted it from Uncommon. A 4-mana 3/3 isn’t very good, and while this has a big text box, it doesn’t do anything that good. It does generate Clues for you whether it blocks or gets blocked, which means you do ultimately get a 2-for-1 out of it pretty often. I wouldn’t count on being able to effectively utilize the card’s other ability, though. These sorts of effects always underperform in Limited, partly because you can’t really build a deck with enough monsters to cheat into play. So, you don’t often have something worth putting into play with the effect – oftentimes, it is better to just hold on to all of your clues.
Strength of Arms image 2.5 This is a nice trick. One mana for +2/+2 tends to play pretty well, and the times you can get a 1/1 token out of this feel really insane, and its very doable, especially in GW.
Weirded Vampire image 1.5 This is bad if you don’t cast it with Madness, and mediocre when you do.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Cryptolith Fragment
Cryptolith Fragment image 2.5 This is a source of fixing that can become a very real threat. The situation won’t always allow you to transform it, but if your opponent has 10 or less life and you’ve got the Aurora of Emrakul attacking them, they are going to be in some serious trouble.
Thermo-Alchemist image 3.5 This is a great payoff in Blue-Red, but most Red decks in the format have enough instants and sorceries in them to make the Alchemist playable.
Brain in a Jar image 0.0 Not worth it in Limited, even with a spell deck around. It is too slow and doesn’t really do anything to impact the game most of the time.
Indulgent Aristocrat image 3.5 This is a great Vampire payoff. It is a bit awkward sometimes that you have to sacrifice something to put the counters on your creatures, but if you’ve got enough Vampires in play that is well worth the price.
Olivia's Dragoon image 3.0 This card would be solid in any format, but in this one it is even better! It has a useful creature type and can help you get Delirium and Madness cards going.
Obsessive Skinner image 3.5 Without Delirium, this is a two drop that usually makes the cut. When you get Delirium going, it becomes an impressive value engine, giving you a +1/+1 counter every turn.
Dawn Gryff image 2.0 A three mana 2/2 Flyer was a lot better back in 2016, and I think this format is similar enough for this to be solid.
Crow of Dark Tidings image 3.0 This is a great card for getting Delirium going, and that’s definitely something you want to be doing – especially in Black/Green and Black/White. It even attacks in the air quite effectively!
Make Mischief image 2.0 In a roundabout way, this does give you three damage for three mana. If you look at this as a three mana 1/1 devil that does 1 to something on ETB it sounds a lot better, as you get to add to the board while picking something off. If you can’t kill something with the 1 damage it does get a lot worse.
Moonlight Hunt image 2.5 This is a fairly effective removal spell, as you can often use it effectively even with just a single Wolf or Werewolf. Your deck does need to be loaded up with them for this to be at its best, though – as if you don’t have a wolf or werewolf in play, this does stone nothing.
Drag Under image 2.5 Bouncing something at Sorcery speed and going down a card normally isn’t worth it. However, this replaces itself, which makes a really big difference! It means you still get the tempo but don’t go down a card, and there’s a spell deck in this format, so any spell that draws you a card already gets more value.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Rise from the Tides
Rise from the Tides image 0.0 // 3.5 This is a legit buildaround in the format. Milling yourself is a very real theme, as are Instants and Sorceries, so it isn’t uncommon for Rise from the Tides to work as a nice win condition in a Blue control deck. Obviously it is horrible in any deck that isn’t actually good at both of those things, but the ceiling here is very high.
Choked Estuary image 2.5 Playing these untapped is fairly easy, and they do a good job of fixing your mana.
Make Mischief image 2.0 In a roundabout way, this does give you three damage for three mana. If you look at this as a three mana 1/1 devil that does 1 to something on ETB it sounds a lot better, as you get to add to the board while picking something off. If you can’t kill something with the 1 damage it does get a lot worse.
Rush of Adrenaline image 2.0 This is a decent trick. The toughness boost of only 1 does mean your creature will die more often with this than you might like, but +2 power and trample for one mana can also result in huge blowouts.
Olivia's Dragoon image 3.0 This card would be solid in any format, but in this one it is even better! It has a useful creature type and can help you get Delirium and Madness cards going.
Lunarch Mantle image 1.5 This offers a reasonable boost for the cost, but the downside of getting 2-for-1’d is still very real. This can work alright in really aggressive decks, but won’t always make the cut.
Aim High image 1.5 This type of trick is rarely good. The stats boost is medium for two mana, and Reach and untapping are mostly only relevant on defense, which is the worst possible time to use a trick.
Howlpack Wolf image 2.0 This has decent stats, and if you're in Red/Green it basically has no downside.
Gnarlwood Dryad image 3.0 A one mana 1/1 with deathtouch is always playable, and this has the upside of becoming much more relevant in the mid to late game.
True-Faith Censer image 3.0 This is a very efficient Equipment, especially if you’re in Green-White and have lots of humans. +2/+1 and Vigilance is enough to make just about any creature into a problem.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Terrarion
Graf Rats image 1.0 You don’t play this unless you’re very desperate for a two drop or you have Midnight Scavengers.
Lupine Prototype image 0.0 A 2-mana 5/5 is great, but this is effectively a blank card for most of the game, and by the time it can attack and block, a 5/5 is no longer the most impressive thing.
Foul Orchard image 2.5 Playing these untapped is fairly easy, and they do a good job of fixing your mana.
Epitaph Golem image 0.0 // 2.5 This is better than it looks! This is a format where you can actually end up milling yourself out, especially in Black-Green. Once your library is out of cards, the Golem not only helps you avoid losing because you’re out of cards – it also effectively lets you draw whatever card you want every single turn. It takes a fairly particular deck for this to make the cut, though.
Make Mischief image 2.0 In a roundabout way, this does give you three damage for three mana. If you look at this as a three mana 1/1 devil that does 1 to something on ETB it sounds a lot better, as you get to add to the board while picking something off. If you can’t kill something with the 1 damage it does get a lot worse.
Terrarion image 1.5 This does a solid job of fixing your mana, and it helps you get delirium early by putting an Artifact in the graveyard.
Magmatic Chasm image 0.0 // 2.0 You’re not going to play this unless you’re an all-in aggro deck, and even then it is sometimes a real problem that flyers can still block.
Weirding Wood image 2.0 This fixes your mana and generates a Clue, and some decks are definitely in the market for that.
Sanitarium Skeleton image 1.0 // 2.5 If you need sacrifice fodder, this is pretty nice. If you don’t, you aren’t playing it.
Pack 2 Pick 8: Traveler's Amulet
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This nicely fixes your mana, while also giving you an Artifact in the graveyard for Delirium.
Intrepid Provisioner image 3.0 This is a solid Human payoff. The +2/+2 it offers often gives you a much better situation to attack with, and the 3/3 Trample body isn’t the worst thing.
Magnifying Glass image 1.0 This is a very clunky mana rock. It is nice that it can produce Clues, but it doesn’t exactly do that efficiently either.
Grotesque Mutation image 2.0 This is a decent trick. While the small toughness boost isn’t going to always keep your creature alive, the lifelink can really alter a race in your favor.
Gavony Unhallowed image 2.0 This starts with some pretty bad stats, but it can definitely grow in this format, especially in a deck like Black-White, which has a substantial amount of Sacrifice stuff.
Dead Weight image 3.5 This is premium removal, kills many things for only one mana. It is also a little better than normal in this format because of Delirium.
Ember-Eye Wolf image 2.5 This overperformed last time. A lot of the time, this sort of creature that can buff its power for mana isn’t very impressive, because you end up having to spend a lot of mana just to make it trade. However, adding Haste to the mix, along with a useful creature type, makes a significant difference. This even has a bit of Fireball potential in the late game.
Alms of the Vein image 1.0 Even if you can consistently cast this for its Madness cost, Alms of the Vein is fairly disappointing. The six point life swing is nice, but doesn’t feel worth a card most of the time.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Convolute
Convolute image 1.5 This is passable counter magic, and performs especially well in the early game, but the fact it gets worse the longer the game goes on is rough.
Faithbearer Paladin image 2.0 This is better than it looks. A ¾ with lifelink is pretty beefy in this format, and represents a very real road block for aggro decks.
Fiend Binder image 2.5 The stat-line is ugly for the cost, but tapping down an opposing creature every time it attacks can allow you to do tons of damage.
Sanitarium Skeleton image 1.0 // 2.5 If you need sacrifice fodder, this is pretty nice. If you don’t, you aren’t playing it.
Rush of Adrenaline image 2.0 This is a decent trick. The toughness boost of only 1 does mean your creature will die more often with this than you might like, but +2 power and trample for one mana can also result in huge blowouts.
Byway Courier image 3.5 This is good at trading off for things, and the Clue it gives you means you’re going to get a 2-for-1.
Weirded Vampire image 1.5 This is bad if you don’t cast it with Madness, and mediocre when you do.
Pack 2 Pick 10: Compelling Deterrence
Elder Cathar image 3.0 This is a pretty nice payoff for Humans. Paying 3 mana for 4/4 worth of stats feels pretty good, and also makes the Cathar good sacrifice fodder.
Compelling Deterrence image 2.5 Two mana to bounce a non-land permanent is usually playable, especially in a format with a spell deck! The Zombie upside is nice too, especially in situations when your opponent has an empty hand, when this basically feels like Doom Blade!
Grapple with the Past image 2.5 You usually want one of these in Green. It helps you get delirium and helps you get value out of the graveyard.
Essence Flux image 0.0 // 2.5 The Blue-White Spirit deck has a blink/flicker sub-theme, as Essence Flux tells you. If you have enough Spirits with ETB abilities, this is playable. But there are many decks it doesn’t work out in, even Blue/White ones!
Terrarion image 1.5 This does a solid job of fixing your mana, and it helps you get delirium early by putting an Artifact in the graveyard.
Spontaneous Mutation image 1.5 Like most -X/-0 Auras, this isn’t very good – even with Flash! It doesn’t get close enough to removing an entire card to feel like its worth it. It does get a small boost because of all the Prowess in the set, but you’re still hoping to play something better.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Ruthless Disposal
Ruthless Disposal image 2.5 This can definitely kill some stuff, but because it asks for so much, the end result is often still a 3-for-2, which isn’t exactly amazing. Now, if you have good sacrifice fodder and cards you want to discard anyway, you can offset the downside. This has a high ceiling, but also a miserable floor.
Epitaph Golem image 0.0 // 2.5 This is better than it looks! This is a format where you can actually end up milling yourself out, especially in Black-Green. Once your library is out of cards, the Golem not only helps you avoid losing because you’re out of cards – it also effectively lets you draw whatever card you want every single turn. It takes a fairly particular deck for this to make the cut, though.
Certain Death image 2.5 This is certainly clunky, but it deals with anything and drains 2 life, which helps offset how expensive it is.
Confront the Unknown image 1.5 This only gives +1/+1 a little too often to be anything special. Some really clue-heavy decks can get some good use out of this, but it isn’t exactly the payoff you’re hoping for.
Haunted Fengraf image 1.0 This is bad for your mana base, and the fact it is random is a pretty big problem.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Bloodmad Vampire
Graf Rats image 1.0 You don’t play this unless you’re very desperate for a two drop or you have Midnight Scavengers.
Bloodmad Vampire image 2.5 A three-mana 4/1 isn’t a terrible rate for an aggro deck, and this has big upside! Sometimes you can cast it for two, and it gets bigger when it gets in for a hit. Madness increases your chance of making that happen, too, since you can effectively flash it in at the end of your opponent’s turn sometimes.
Strength of Arms image 2.5 This is a nice trick. One mana for +2/+2 tends to play pretty well, and the times you can get a 1/1 token out of this feel really insane, and its very doable, especially in GW.
Weirded Vampire image 1.5 This is bad if you don’t cast it with Madness, and mediocre when you do.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Brain in a Jar
Brain in a Jar image 0.0 Not worth it in Limited, even with a spell deck around. It is too slow and doesn’t really do anything to impact the game most of the time.
Olivia's Dragoon image 3.0 This card would be solid in any format, but in this one it is even better! It has a useful creature type and can help you get Delirium and Madness cards going.
Crow of Dark Tidings image 3.0 This is a great card for getting Delirium going, and that’s definitely something you want to be doing – especially in Black/Green and Black/White. It even attacks in the air quite effectively!
Pack 2 Pick 14: True-Faith Censer
Olivia's Dragoon image 3.0 This card would be solid in any format, but in this one it is even better! It has a useful creature type and can help you get Delirium and Madness cards going.
True-Faith Censer image 3.0 This is a very efficient Equipment, especially if you’re in Green-White and have lots of humans. +2/+1 and Vigilance is enough to make just about any creature into a problem.
Pack 2 Pick 15: Sanitarium Skeleton
Sanitarium Skeleton image 1.0 // 2.5 If you need sacrifice fodder, this is pretty nice. If you don’t, you aren’t playing it.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Deny Existence
Stromkirk Captain image 3.5 This offers an impressive boost to your Vampires, which will be the bulk of your creatures in Black/Red.
Triskaidekaphobia image 2.0 Believe it or not, this is better than it looks! The fact you can manipulate life totals until they line up just right means you can actually get this alternate win condition to work. Now, it still isn’t an amazing card, but at first glance it looks unplayable. It is a passable win condition in control decks, and a lot of fun!
Gatstaf Arsonists image 2.5 This is a solid finisher. A 5-mana 5/4 is obviously not great, but a 5-mana 6/5 with Menace? Yeah, that closes out a lot of games.
Fleeting Memories image 1.0 Clues are good and all, but this isn’t a great format to try and mill your opponent out in. Several decks in this format want cards in their graveyard. Turning on their delirium and Flashback cards isn’t really something you want to be doing. There are some clue-heavy control decks where this can work out as a win condition, but you’re really playing with fire.
Hamlet Captain image 3.5 This is a nice Human payoff that can make most boards significantly better. It doesn’t buff itself, though, so it often goes down in one attack.
Call the Bloodline image 0.0 // 3.0 In the right deck, this can be very powerful! There is a lot of Madness in this set, especially in Black-Red, and this is one of the best ways to get Madness going, since it also lets you add a very real body to the board.
Exultant Cultist image 2.5 This is good sacrifice fodder, and can be especially spicy with Emerge. Even in the absence of those things, the fact you can trade this off for a 2-for-1 feels pretty good.
Angelic Purge image 2.5 2-for-1ing yourself to destroy something isn’t great, but there is enough sacrifice fodder in this format that the first copy of Angelic Purge usually makes the cut.
Insolent Neonate image 2.5 This is a solid one drop that can chip in for some nice damage early, and then cash itself in for a card later in the game.
Borrowed Malevolence image 2.0 This doesn’t feel amazing no matter how you cast it. If you can Escalate it, the boost it offers your creature and the -1/-1 it gives an opponent’s can be pretty nice, but three mana is steep enough that I don’t love this.
Deny Existence image 2.0 Most decks have enough creatures for this to be playable, though it is always rough to try to use one of these when your opponent casts a noncreature spell.
Swift Spinner image 1.5 This is a passable creature that can ambush block some stuff, but it doesn’t always make the cut.
Magmatic Chasm image 0.0 // 2.0 You’re not going to play this unless you’re an all-in aggro deck, and even then it is sometimes a real problem that flyers can still block.
Alms of the Vein image 1.0 Even if you can consistently cast this for its Madness cost, Alms of the Vein is fairly disappointing. The six point life swing is nice, but doesn’t feel worth a card most of the time.
Weirded Vampire image 1.5 This is bad if you don’t cast it with Madness, and mediocre when you do.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Geralf's Masterpiece
Ghoulraiser image 3.0 Gravedigger for three mana is a nice card, even if you can only get back Zombies and it is entirely random! This delivers a nice 2-for-1 in most Black decks.
Geralf's Masterpiece image 4.5 This is usually well-worth the five mana you spend, and the fact this massive zombie won’t stay dead often allows it to take over the game.
Neglected Heirloom image 3.5 The base form of the Heirloom is a solid piece of Equipment, and once it transforms it can make any creature into a major threat. Transforming it isn’t always easy of course, and works best in Red-Green, but because it has such a good baseline, it is worth valuing fairly highly.
Subjugator Angel image 2.5 This was an underperformer last time. The idea of tapping down your opponent’s whole board and swinging for lethal is easy to imagine, but there are lots of board states where the ETB ability is actually irrelevant. And in those cases, you’re playing a creature that has a pretty bad stat-line.
Ruthless Disposal image 2.5 This can definitely kill some stuff, but because it asks for so much, the end result is often still a 3-for-2, which isn’t exactly amazing. Now, if you have good sacrifice fodder and cards you want to discard anyway, you can offset the downside. This has a high ceiling, but also a miserable floor.
Ulvenwald Mysteries image 4.0 This is a very powerful value engine, especially in Blue-Green, where you have lots of Clues anyway. Making it so sacrificing a clue generates a 1/1 is a huge upgrade, as it allows you to add to the board while digging deeper into your deck. This is less good if you’re entirely reliant on it to generate your Clues, but even then it can be pretty good.
Borrowed Hostility image 0.0 This is bad. It is a build-your-own Sure Strike, except it costs twice the mana – and it isn’t like Sure Strike is that impressive to begin with.
Faithbearer Paladin image 2.0 This is better than it looks. A ¾ with lifelink is pretty beefy in this format, and represents a very real road block for aggro decks.
Sanitarium Skeleton image 1.0 // 2.5 If you need sacrifice fodder, this is pretty nice. If you don’t, you aren’t playing it.
Explosive Apparatus image 1.5 This is by no means efficient, but if you’re hurting for Artifacts to get Delirium going more consistently, it can do the job.
Geist of the Archives image 3.0 This is surprisingly good. It can block lots of creatures in the format, and a free Scry every upkeep does a great job of improving the quality of your cards.
Insolent Neonate image 2.5 This is a solid one drop that can chip in for some nice damage early, and then cash itself in for a card later in the game.
Wild-Field Scarecrow image 3.0 This is a passable defensive creature that is great at fixing your mana and helping you get Delirium.
Ghoulcaller's Accomplice image 3.0 This has solid base stats, and the fact you can get a Zombie out of it from the graveyard is great! Obviously, the rate on that second body isn’t amazing, but card advantage is card advantage. It also means you can discard or mill this and still get some nice value out of it.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Uncaged Fury
Diregraf Captain image 3.5 This is a better Zombie payoff than the one in the main set. Lords are always quite powerful, and the additions of deathtouch and damaging your opponent when a Zombie dies is great.
Bruna, the Fading Light image 4.0 By the time you cast her, Bruna will usually have something to reanimate, and she brings some pretty nice stats to the board too. Her stat-line isn’t too shabby either.
Fleeting Memories image 1.0 Clues are good and all, but this isn’t a great format to try and mill your opponent out in. Several decks in this format want cards in their graveyard. Turning on their delirium and Flashback cards isn’t really something you want to be doing. There are some clue-heavy control decks where this can work out as a win condition, but you’re really playing with fire.
Uncaged Fury image 2.5 This is a very nice trick. It is a little expensive, but it makes most creatures win combat, and it has the potential to allow an unblocked creature to just finish off your opponent. The first copy should be valued fairly highly.
Explosive Apparatus image 1.5 This is by no means efficient, but if you’re hurting for Artifacts to get Delirium going more consistently, it can do the job.
Bloodmad Vampire image 2.5 A three-mana 4/1 isn’t a terrible rate for an aggro deck, and this has big upside! Sometimes you can cast it for two, and it gets bigger when it gets in for a hit. Madness increases your chance of making that happen, too, since you can effectively flash it in at the end of your opponent’s turn sometimes.
Grapple with the Past image 2.5 You usually want one of these in Green. It helps you get delirium and helps you get value out of the graveyard.
Dauntless Cathar image 3.5 Trading this off for something and then getting a flying token out of your graveyard feels great. Also works well if you want to sacrifice it or you end up milling it.
Dead Weight image 3.5 This is premium removal, kills many things for only one mana. It is also a little better than normal in this format because of Delirium.
Spontaneous Mutation image 1.5 Like most -X/-0 Auras, this isn’t very good – even with Flash! It doesn’t get close enough to removing an entire card to feel like its worth it. It does get a small boost because of all the Prowess in the set, but you’re still hoping to play something better.
Fogwalker image 2.5 This does not tap down a creature – keep that in mind! It only keeps it from untapping, so if the creature isn’t already tapped, its ETB ability doesn’t do anything. A two man ⅓ with Skulk is definitely difficult to block, though, and this even has a useful creature type.
Bloodbriar image 2.5 This is a pretty real payoff for sacrifice decks, and it has passable base stats.
Thornhide Wolves image 2.0 Last time around, this vanilla 4-mana ⅘ played surprisingly well. It is quite large for the format, and has a useful creature type.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Tormenting Voice
Battleground Geist image 2.5 There are lots of Spirits in this set, and this will be doubly true while Battleground Geist is in the format. It has passable stats and impacts the board right away.
Biting Rain image 2.5 If you’re going to end up in a control deck, Biting Rain is a nice inclusion, as it does a great job of keeping aggro decks in check. Obviously, if you’re an aggro deck, you don’t want this.
Ride Down image 3.0 Red-White is all about aggro, and Ride Down fits really well into a deck that is all about attacking. It is basically impossible for your opponent to set up a good block when you have this in your hand, and that’s exactly what you want.
Wolfkin Bond image 3.0 This is a surprisingly good Aura, and one you’re usually going to want one of in your Green decks. 5 mana is a lot, but the fact this gives you a 2/2 means that you do a good job of mitigating against the risk of getting 2-for-1’d.
Tormenting Voice image 2.5 This is better in this format than it is in pretty much any other! It helps you get Delirium and discard things with Madness, on top of also being a nice card for the Blue-Red spell deck since it triggers all of your payoffs.
Magnifying Glass image 1.0 This is a very clunky mana rock. It is nice that it can produce Clues, but it doesn’t exactly do that efficiently either.
Moonlight Hunt image 2.5 This is a fairly effective removal spell, as you can often use it effectively even with just a single Wolf or Werewolf. Your deck does need to be loaded up with them for this to be at its best, though – as if you don’t have a wolf or werewolf in play, this does stone nothing.
Laboratory Brute image 1.5 You want to be milling yourself in this format, but there are lots of better cards out there that can do the job.
Steadfast Cathar image 2.5 This is a solid two drop, as attacking as a ⅔ in the early game is pretty nice.
Thraben Foulbloods image 2.5 A three mana 3/2 isn’t very good, but a three mana 4/3 with Menace is! Delirium is very accessible too, though you won’t usually have it when you’re playing this on turn three.
Certain Death image 2.5 This is certainly clunky, but it deals with anything and drains 2 life, which helps offset how expensive it is.
Liliana's Elite image 1.5 Even in this graveyard-centric format, Liliana’s Elite often isn’t worth it. The upside here is that it is a large vanilla creature, and the downside is that it is awful in the early game, and mediocre in the mid-game.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Stromkirk Occultist
Voldaren Pariah image 4.0 A 5-mana 3/3 Flyer with Madness isn’t too bad, but the Pariah’s ability to transform is what makes it truly frightening. It becomes a 6/5 Flyer that makes your opponent sacrifice three creatures! You sacrificing three of your own creatures to get there can be a big ask, but the fact you can do it at instant speed makes it easier than you might think.
Humble the Brute image 2.5 Between Werewolves and Eldrazi, this has enough targets against most opponents to be worth playing. It offers a very real 2-for-1 when it has a target. But still, there are plenty of times where your opponent doesn’t have anything you can kill with it, and that’s pretty rough.
Stromkirk Occultist image 4.0 They downshifted this to Rare, which is pretty spicy! A three mana 3/2 Trample isn’t a bad starting point, so when you add in the Madness upside and the fact that this can effectively draw you cards, and we’re talking about an incredibly efficient and powerful creature.
Olivia's Dragoon image 3.0 This card would be solid in any format, but in this one it is even better! It has a useful creature type and can help you get Delirium and Madness cards going.
Convolute image 1.5 This is passable counter magic, and performs especially well in the early game, but the fact it gets worse the longer the game goes on is rough.
Apothecary Geist image 3.0 This was a big overperformer last time around. Its stats line up reasonably well in the format, and it gains you that 3 life pretty often.
Bloodmad Vampire image 2.5 A three-mana 4/1 isn’t a terrible rate for an aggro deck, and this has big upside! Sometimes you can cast it for two, and it gets bigger when it gets in for a hit. Madness increases your chance of making that happen, too, since you can effectively flash it in at the end of your opponent’s turn sometimes.
Thraben Foulbloods image 2.5 A three mana 3/2 isn’t very good, but a three mana 4/3 with Menace is! Delirium is very accessible too, though you won’t usually have it when you’re playing this on turn three.
Spontaneous Mutation image 1.5 Like most -X/-0 Auras, this isn’t very good – even with Flash! It doesn’t get close enough to removing an entire card to feel like its worth it. It does get a small boost because of all the Prowess in the set, but you’re still hoping to play something better.
Grapple with the Past image 2.5 You usually want one of these in Green. It helps you get delirium and helps you get value out of the graveyard.
Intrepid Provisioner image 3.0 This is a solid Human payoff. The +2/+2 it offers often gives you a much better situation to attack with, and the 3/3 Trample body isn’t the worst thing.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Imprisoned in the Moon
Vampiric Fury image 1.0 // 2.5 This is cheaper than most Trumpet-Blast type effects, but only buffing Vampires is enough of a restriction that I’m not that thrilled about it. If you really got their on vampires, it isn’t a bad inclusion, but there are lots of Red decks that won’t play this.
Soul Separator image 1.0 You need a nicely stocked graveyard and lots of spare mana to fully utilize this. So, basically, this is a little bit too clunky, and asks too much of you at the same time.
Howlpack Resurgence image 3.5 This works pretty well if you have lots of Wolves or Werewolves, and even plays quite well with them. Because it has Flash, you can pass the turn, have your wolves and werewolves transform, and then play this on your opponent’s turn. If this can buff most of your board, its great – but you don’t play it until you have 10+ wolves or werewolves.
Groundskeeper image 1.0 You do mill yourself a lot in Green, so the idea here is that if you milled a land you need, you can get it back. Mostly, though, that isn’t worth doing.
Grotesque Mutation image 2.0 This is a decent trick. While the small toughness boost isn’t going to always keep your creature alive, the lifelink can really alter a race in your favor.
Wolfkin Bond image 3.0 This is a surprisingly good Aura, and one you’re usually going to want one of in your Green decks. 5 mana is a lot, but the fact this gives you a 2/2 means that you do a good job of mitigating against the risk of getting 2-for-1’d.
Imprisoned in the Moon image 2.5 This was Rare last time, downshifting it to Common will have a pretty significant impact on the format. That said, it isn’t amazing removal in Limited. Giving your opponent extra mana isn’t great, but it is usually better than whatever their best creature is. Still, you don’t really feel like you get a full card of value when you play this.
Intrepid Provisioner image 3.0 This is a solid Human payoff. The +2/+2 it offers often gives you a much better situation to attack with, and the 3/3 Trample body isn’t the worst thing.
Magnifying Glass image 1.0 This is a very clunky mana rock. It is nice that it can produce Clues, but it doesn’t exactly do that efficiently either.
Borrowed Grace image 1.5 So you can pay for +2/+2 to the whole board, or three mana for just one of these effects. Neither is very exciting.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Tormenting Voice
Harvest Hand image 4.0 A three mana 2/2 isn’t a great starting point, but trading this off or sacrificing it to something with Emerge is pretty amazing, because it comes back as a very real Equipment that has some Human upside. You end up getting a pretty amazing deal for only three mana.
Haunted Dead image 3.5 4-mana for a 2/2 and a 1/1 Flyer is decent, and this can keep coming back from your graveyard! Discarding two cards might sound steep, but in this format, you can get a ton of upside out of discarding cards.
Magnifying Glass image 1.0 This is a very clunky mana rock. It is nice that it can produce Clues, but it doesn’t exactly do that efficiently either.
Thraben Foulbloods image 2.5 A three mana 3/2 isn’t very good, but a three mana 4/3 with Menace is! Delirium is very accessible too, though you won’t usually have it when you’re playing this on turn three.
Field Creeper image 1.5 This is a little better than it looks. It is both an Artifact and a Creature, which means it gets you halfway to Delirium all on its own.
Insolent Neonate image 2.5 This is a solid one drop that can chip in for some nice damage early, and then cash itself in for a card later in the game.
Tormenting Voice image 2.5 This is better in this format than it is in pretty much any other! It helps you get Delirium and discard things with Madness, on top of also being a nice card for the Blue-Red spell deck since it triggers all of your payoffs.
Laboratory Brute image 1.5 You want to be milling yourself in this format, but there are lots of better cards out there that can do the job.
Haunted Fengraf image 1.0 This is bad for your mana base, and the fact it is random is a pretty big problem.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Highland Lake
Vampiric Fury image 1.0 // 2.5 This is cheaper than most Trumpet-Blast type effects, but only buffing Vampires is enough of a restriction that I’m not that thrilled about it. If you really got their on vampires, it isn’t a bad inclusion, but there are lots of Red decks that won’t play this.
Highland Lake image 2.5 These always enter tapped, which is a little bit of a bummer, but they still provide some quality fixing.
Lupine Prototype image 0.0 A 2-mana 5/5 is great, but this is effectively a blank card for most of the game, and by the time it can attack and block, a 5/5 is no longer the most impressive thing.
Aim High image 1.5 This type of trick is rarely good. The stats boost is medium for two mana, and Reach and untapping are mostly only relevant on defense, which is the worst possible time to use a trick.
Macabre Waltz image 2.5 You want one of these in virtually every Black deck. It is great at bringing back your best creatures, and it can even help you load the graveyard!
Drownyard Explorers image 2.0 This has decent defensive stats, and eventually draws you a card. It is a fine card for the grindy Clue decks, though most other decks aren’t that interested.
Weirded Vampire image 1.5 This is bad if you don’t cast it with Madness, and mediocre when you do.
Magmatic Chasm image 0.0 // 2.0 You’re not going to play this unless you’re an all-in aggro deck, and even then it is sometimes a real problem that flyers can still block.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Magmatic Chasm
Stromkirk Captain image 3.5 This offers an impressive boost to your Vampires, which will be the bulk of your creatures in Black/Red.
Exultant Cultist image 2.5 This is good sacrifice fodder, and can be especially spicy with Emerge. Even in the absence of those things, the fact you can trade this off for a 2-for-1 feels pretty good.
Insolent Neonate image 2.5 This is a solid one drop that can chip in for some nice damage early, and then cash itself in for a card later in the game.
Borrowed Malevolence image 2.0 This doesn’t feel amazing no matter how you cast it. If you can Escalate it, the boost it offers your creature and the -1/-1 it gives an opponent’s can be pretty nice, but three mana is steep enough that I don’t love this.
Magmatic Chasm image 0.0 // 2.0 You’re not going to play this unless you’re an all-in aggro deck, and even then it is sometimes a real problem that flyers can still block.
Alms of the Vein image 1.0 Even if you can consistently cast this for its Madness cost, Alms of the Vein is fairly disappointing. The six point life swing is nice, but doesn’t feel worth a card most of the time.
Weirded Vampire image 1.5 This is bad if you don’t cast it with Madness, and mediocre when you do.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Insolent Neonate
Ghoulraiser image 3.0 Gravedigger for three mana is a nice card, even if you can only get back Zombies and it is entirely random! This delivers a nice 2-for-1 in most Black decks.
Sanitarium Skeleton image 1.0 // 2.5 If you need sacrifice fodder, this is pretty nice. If you don’t, you aren’t playing it.
Explosive Apparatus image 1.5 This is by no means efficient, but if you’re hurting for Artifacts to get Delirium going more consistently, it can do the job.
Insolent Neonate image 2.5 This is a solid one drop that can chip in for some nice damage early, and then cash itself in for a card later in the game.
Wild-Field Scarecrow image 3.0 This is a passable defensive creature that is great at fixing your mana and helping you get Delirium.
Ghoulcaller's Accomplice image 3.0 This has solid base stats, and the fact you can get a Zombie out of it from the graveyard is great! Obviously, the rate on that second body isn’t amazing, but card advantage is card advantage. It also means you can discard or mill this and still get some nice value out of it.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Explosive Apparatus
Fleeting Memories image 1.0 Clues are good and all, but this isn’t a great format to try and mill your opponent out in. Several decks in this format want cards in their graveyard. Turning on their delirium and Flashback cards isn’t really something you want to be doing. There are some clue-heavy control decks where this can work out as a win condition, but you’re really playing with fire.
Explosive Apparatus image 1.5 This is by no means efficient, but if you’re hurting for Artifacts to get Delirium going more consistently, it can do the job.
Bloodmad Vampire image 2.5 A three-mana 4/1 isn’t a terrible rate for an aggro deck, and this has big upside! Sometimes you can cast it for two, and it gets bigger when it gets in for a hit. Madness increases your chance of making that happen, too, since you can effectively flash it in at the end of your opponent’s turn sometimes.
Dead Weight image 3.5 This is premium removal, kills many things for only one mana. It is also a little better than normal in this format because of Delirium.
Bloodbriar image 2.5 This is a pretty real payoff for sacrifice decks, and it has passable base stats.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Laboratory Brute
Laboratory Brute image 1.5 You want to be milling yourself in this format, but there are lots of better cards out there that can do the job.
Thraben Foulbloods image 2.5 A three mana 3/2 isn’t very good, but a three mana 4/3 with Menace is! Delirium is very accessible too, though you won’t usually have it when you’re playing this on turn three.
Certain Death image 2.5 This is certainly clunky, but it deals with anything and drains 2 life, which helps offset how expensive it is.
Liliana's Elite image 1.5 Even in this graveyard-centric format, Liliana’s Elite often isn’t worth it. The upside here is that it is a large vanilla creature, and the downside is that it is awful in the early game, and mediocre in the mid-game.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Spontaneous Mutation
Olivia's Dragoon image 3.0 This card would be solid in any format, but in this one it is even better! It has a useful creature type and can help you get Delirium and Madness cards going.
Thraben Foulbloods image 2.5 A three mana 3/2 isn’t very good, but a three mana 4/3 with Menace is! Delirium is very accessible too, though you won’t usually have it when you’re playing this on turn three.
Spontaneous Mutation image 1.5 Like most -X/-0 Auras, this isn’t very good – even with Flash! It doesn’t get close enough to removing an entire card to feel like its worth it. It does get a small boost because of all the Prowess in the set, but you’re still hoping to play something better.
Pack 3 Pick 14: Vampiric Fury
Vampiric Fury image 1.0 // 2.5 This is cheaper than most Trumpet-Blast type effects, but only buffing Vampires is enough of a restriction that I’m not that thrilled about it. If you really got their on vampires, it isn’t a bad inclusion, but there are lots of Red decks that won’t play this.
Grotesque Mutation image 2.0 This is a decent trick. While the small toughness boost isn’t going to always keep your creature alive, the lifelink can really alter a race in your favor.
Pack 3 Pick 15: Thraben Foulbloods
Thraben Foulbloods image 2.5 A three mana 3/2 isn’t very good, but a three mana 4/3 with Menace is! Delirium is very accessible too, though you won’t usually have it when you’re playing this on turn three.
Draft Pick Overview