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Quick Draft NEO 3 April 2023

3 April 07:25 - Sleepygrizzzly 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (17)
1 Boseiju Reaches Skyward // Branch of Boseiju image
2 Invigorating Hot Spring image
1 Thundersteel Colossus image
1 The Shattered States Era // Nameless Conqueror image
2 Commune with Spirits image
1 Harmonious Emergence image
1 Ambitious Assault image
1 Tamiyo's Safekeeping image
2 Gift of Wrath image
1 Roaring Earth image
2 Storyweave image
2 Master's Rebuke image
Creature (6)
1 Iron Apprentice image
1 Akki Ember-Keeper image
1 Generous Visitor image
1 Bamboo Grove Archer image
1 Fang of Shigeki image
1 Akki Ronin image
Land (17)
8 Mountain image
9 Forest image
Sideboard
1 Circuit Mender image
1 Peerless Samurai image
1 Simian Sling image
1 Cloudsteel Kirin image
1 Leech Gauntlet image
1 Go-Shintai of Ancient Wars image
1 Searchlight Companion image
1 Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion image
2 Dramatist's Puppet image
1 Geothermal Kami image
1 Rabbit Battery image
1 Jukai Preserver image
1 Soul Transfer image
1 Reckoner's Bargain image
1 Spell Pierce image
1 Favor of Jukai image
1 Kindled Fury image
1 Akki War Paint image
1 Azusa's Many Journeys image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Soul Transfer
Soul Transfer image 4.0 Even if you never have an Artifact and Enchantment together, you have a 3-mana spell that can exile any creature. That’s the mode you’ll almost always choose if you have to choose, though having the other option tacked on is certainly upside. When you do have an Artifact and Enchantment in play, this will feel absolutely insane, as you’ll get a very efficient and powerful 2-for-1.
Go-Shintai of Hidden Cruelty image 3.0 A 4-mana 2/2 with death touch is not a great statline, but obviously being able to pick off 1 toughness creatures when your opponent has one is definitely going to feel pretty huge, and there will be a decent number of them lying around. Once you get to where you can kill X/2s, though, is where this thing can really get silly. Like the other Shrines in this set, this card is perfectly fine even if its your only shrine, and I’m glad they designed them this way, as opposed to the way we’ve seen them in the past. Because yeah, the fail case of a 4-mana 2/2 that can trade with anything and pick off X/1s is a pretty good floor, while the ceiling is pretty amazing.
Enormous Energy Blade image 1.0 The buff to power is a ton, and does make it so a whole lot of creatures can become good attackers, but because it taps the creature when it equips to it, you have to wait an entire turn to actually make that happen. I think that’s too big of a cost when you’re already paying 3 to play it and 2 to equip. This card definitely has a bit of potential, as +4/+0 can really be a big deal, but I have a hard time seeing it work out.
Behold the Unspeakable image 4.0 While it of course doesn’t add to the board immediately, Chapter One will make it a lot harder for you opponent to punish you for that being the case, so you are very likely to still be in a decent position by the time you untap and get Chapter II, which will either draw you FOUR cards, or let you scry 2 and draw 2 – both of those outcomes are pretty great. The creature it transforms into always won’t be that imposing - and in some cases it may not be able to stick around very, but it is likely to be able to do something at least, and I think that’s acceptable after what you got from Chapter II.
High-Speed Hoverbike image 3.5 This looks quite nice. It is easy to Crew, has good evasive stats, and it even has Flash and the ability to tap a thing down when it ETBs. It doesn’t do any of those things super impressively, but it does a whole lot for the mana investment.
Kami of Terrible Secrets image 1.5 // 3.0 A 4-mana ¾ is not a great stat-line these days, so you are going to want to be drawing a card off of this around half the time for it to be worth it. And…that’s not going to be automatic in every Black deck in the format, since this asks you to have both an Artifact and Enchantment. That’s certainly easier to do in this format than it is in most, but if you’re in say, UB Ninjas or the BG graveyard deck – that’s not something you’re going to be focused on. In a lot of ways, this is a BW gold card, because that’s the deck that has a whole bunch of reasons to get both an Artifact and an Enchantment in play.
Dramatist's Puppet image 1.5 There’s a lot of counters in this set, so taking them away from your opponent or adding them to your own things is definitely relevant, but it still won’t always actually be able to do a thing, and when it can’t it will still be a 4-mana 2/4, which is pretty bad.
Grafted Growth image 1.5 We have seen similar cards before, and the fact they fix and ramp for you while adding a little something to the board always makes them pretty reasonable, especially if you’re in the market for mana of any color. You probably don’t play it in a two-color deck, though.
Akki Ronin image 1.5 If you need a two drop Samurai it is certainly that, though adding rummage to an attack isn’t super exciting in this format, it does allow you to sift through your library a bit.
Chainflail Centipede image 2.0 This is a Gray Ogre who attacks as a 4/2, with some reconfigure upside. I’m not ultra impressed with this as a creature or Equipment you put on something else. I mean, its fine, but I think you end up cutting it more than you’ll play it. It just isn’t very efficient no matter how you use it, and the stats boost is only useful if you’re the attacker.
Debt to the Kami image 2.5 Keep in mind, your opponent chooses what gets exiled when you use this. So, mostly, it will feel like a three mana edict effect, and those have waning value as the game goes on and your opponent is more and more likely to have something very expendable to give up. It can be pretty potent early. And, because you choose the option, you can at least choose the one that is the toughest for them to decide – for example if they have only one creature or one enchantment the choice is easy – but its also pretty easy if they only have two of one of them and so forth. The fact its an Instant means you can deploy it at the exact right time a little more easily too – but still. Its removal that you don’t really have enough control over.
Network Disruptor image 3.0 This does enough to be a nice little one drop. Tapping a permanent won’t always matter, but there will be turns where doing that allows you to get a much better attack in. Meanwhile, being a one mana 1/1 Flyer in this set is better than normal anyway – both because of Ninjutsu and the plethora of ways that there are to modify creatures. Its also an artifact, and that’s a nice thing to have too. This seems like a Common that overlaps into tons of different Blue archetypes, and that’s great.
Heir of the Ancient Fang image 2.5 This is a 3-mana ⅔ that will sometimes be a 3-mana ¾, and in a curve out in a RG deck there’s a good chance it goes that way.
Light the Way image 1.0 We see cards with two modal effects like this a lot, and they are almost always underwhelming. It seems like you’ll always be able to do something meaningful with one of the modes, but it just doesn’t work out that way all that often. When you can use it as a trick to help your creature win combat, or help a creature dodge removal, or you rebuy an ETB ability it will feel good, but mostly this won’t give you a full card worth of value often enough.
Plains image
Pack 1 Pick 2: Boseiju Reaches Skyward
Spinning Wheel Kick image 3.0 This is a neat take on this type of Green removal. It has a way higher ceiling than most cards like it, but it also has a pretty disappointing floor. You have to pay 4 mana to do the damage to one thing – and at Sorcery speed. That’s something we have gotten pretty regularly for about 3 mana of late and at Instant speed. It not being an Instant matters for sure too, because with this type of spell you have to pick your spots carefully, as a removal spell will utterly blow you out. So yeah, the floor here…not great. However, if you pay 6 for this, and it lets you take down TWO creatures, you’re going to feel pretty awesome, and in the extreme late game it can do even more work than that. I don’t quite think it is premium, though. The baseline is too inefficient and clunky, and the requirements that a card like this already asks you for – that is, having a creature with high power, and your opponent not being able to interact in response – those things it asks for you are already a big enough hurdle.
Mech Hangar image 3.0 This looks like a nice utility land. It will mostly only tap for colorless, but the ability to crew a Vehicle for three mana is quite nice in a format that has a ton of Vehicles. I can accept the fact that this might hurt my mana base a little bit for that kind of upside. And hey, sometimes it may even help you splash a Vehicle or something.
Prosperous Thief image 3.5 This looks pretty nice. A 3-mana 3/2 that made Treasure when it hit the opponent would already be playable, so adding the Ninjutsu angle, and the fact that it is more generally a Ninja/Rogue payoff, and you have something even nicer!
Boseiju Reaches Skyward image 3.0 I’m always pretty concerned about a 4-mana card that doesn’t immediately add to the board in any way – and that’s certainly what we have going on here. Searching up a couple of Forests will be nice, but it isn’t that impactful in the immediate future. Chapter II may be something you don’t even want to do because you may not want to draw another land. Ultimately it will add to the board though, and usually with quite the formidable creature, but like with a lot of these – it taking a couple of turns can be a bit brutal in games where you need something that does something more immediately. Still, if you are able to draw the two lands, and then transform this a couple turns later, it will be a real presence on the board.
Moon-Circuit Hacker image 3.0 Ninjutsu for one is quite the deal, especially because it will be drawing you a card if you ninjutsu it in. After that, you’ll only get to loot when it hits the opponent, but that’s okay – the initial use of the card will allow you to set up a 2-for-1, and that’s pretty nice. It is sort of a more convoluted Elvish Visionary that comes with an additional power.
Iron Apprentice image 2.0 This format has plenty of counters, so putting more on this thing isn’t a huge stretch. It also gives you a creature that enters the battlefield modified, which powers up a bunch of cards in this format.
Peerless Samurai image 3.0 This is a nice little Common. A 3-mana ⅔ with Menace is a decent starting point, and adding an “attack alone” payoff to the card is nice, and the one you get here is going to be pretty relevant, especially if you play the Samurai on turn 3. It is likely to help you either double spell or play a 4-drop on turn 4, and either of those are pretty appealing.
Jukai Trainee image 2.0 They decided to give this samurai the old Bushido mechanic. It’s a two mana 2/2 that is harder than most two mana 2/2s to block or attack through, and that’s probably enough of an upside for you to play it a decent chunk of the time.
Clawing Torment image 2.0 This can outright kill X/1s, and takes away the ability of all creatures to block – while also slowly bleeding the opponent out. If you’re in a really aggressive Black deck, I can see playing this, but in situations where you aren’t the beatdown, it isn’t going to be very good. Your opponent just won’t always care about their creature getting a little smaller and being unable to block. It is notable that it is an Enchantment you can keep around on the table for awhile, and you kind of want to because it hurts your opponent – and that goes well in the Black-White deck, which wants an Artifact and Enchantment to be around for its various effects This is probably mostly an aggro deck special.
Seven-Tail Mentor image 2.5 This will immediately add a counter to the board, which can really alter the way your turn goes in your favor, and you get another counter out of it when it dies. Sure, it would be nice if it was like the Armorer from a few sets back and you got both counters right away – but I still think this is a quality card. Having a useful creature type and also “Modifying” creatures gets some extra points too.
Disruption Protocol image 2.0 If you have enough Artifacts around and consistent access to Blue mana, this seems reasonable. If you are paying 1UU for it, then you’re not getting a very good deal – Cancel is just so much worse than Counterspell! There are enough Artifacts in this set, though, that I think this will be Counterspell often enough that I just want to give it a C. Counterspells have their problems in Limited – namely that you have to have the mana up at the right time – which in a way makes them very conditional removal – but when the mana you need to leave up is two or less, we see the Counterspells end up being fairly playable, and I think that’s what we have here.
Akki Ronin image 1.5 If you need a two drop Samurai it is certainly that, though adding rummage to an attack isn’t super exciting in this format, it does allow you to sift through your library a bit.
Repel the Vile image 2.5 This is much better in this format than it would be in your typical one. There are so many Enchantments around that that mode might actually be the one that is available to you the most often, and the fact it can take down large creatures is no small thing either. It isn’t quite premium, giving the restrictions and the cost, but it seems like a fine Common.
Island image
Pack 1 Pick 3: Invigorating Hot Spring
Go-Shintai of Shared Purpose image 3.5 I like that the shrines this time around are creatures, as it is a lot easier to get value of them, and that’s certainly the case here. A 4-mana ⅓ with Vigilance that lets you pay one to make a 1/1 during your end step is a card that I would always be pretty happy with in Limited. Sure, the stat-line isn’t impressive, but cranking out a 1/1 every now and then is pretty nice. If you combine this with some of the other shrines, it is going to get particularly silly. It is probably ideal to wait to play this until you can use its ability in the same turn, that way you got something that added to the board either way. The stat-line does hold it back a bit, but I think this still might be something you take with a pretty high pick.
Invigorating Hot Spring image 4.0 This definitely has the most interesting design of all of the signpost Uncommons. It also has some pretty awesome art! I think it is probably also the one that is the hardest to gauge. That said, I think it looks pretty good. RG is about modifying stuff, so this gives you a payoff for Modifying your creatures by giving them haste, and it also provides a way for you to modify your creatures, since it can move counters from itself on to creatures. This will also give the creature Haste, obviously enough. It is basically an Enchantment that gives you one +1/+1 counter a turn over four turns – generally, an Enchantment that gives you a counter every turn tends to be pretty powerful, and while this will eventually run out of counters, being able to do it 4 times ia pretty big deal. This format has a fair bit of synergy for Modifications too, in addition to what Invigorating Thermal Springs has to offer, so being able to put a counter on a thing carries some extra weight here.
Storyweave image 2.0 This is a really interesting design. The +1/+1 counter part of it can be a passable combat trick for sure, although the more powerful mode is assuredly the one where you accelerate your Saga and make a larger Enchantment creature. For pretty much every saga in the set, this will immeidatley make it into a creature with those two extra counters, and doing at Instant speed can let you ambush your opponent. Now, that use won’t always be possible – and as always we have to look at what this card will do on average – but I think it will do something nice with one of these modes often enough that it is at least a decent playable.
Ecologist's Terrarium image 2.5 Having colorless fixing at Common is pretty nice, and could definitely help decks splash a third color, and the fact this can only give you a counter once its done its job in fetching you a land is pretty solid.
Grafted Growth image 1.5 We have seen similar cards before, and the fact they fix and ramp for you while adding a little something to the board always makes them pretty reasonable, especially if you’re in the market for mana of any color. You probably don’t play it in a two-color deck, though.
Akki Ember-Keeper image 3.0 This is a nice little two drop. It has passable stats and a nice ability that makes sure your board stays populated when your modified creatures die. There are a plethora of ways to modify them, so getting a creature token or two out of this isn’t far-fetched at all, and that’s some pretty great value.
Guardians of Oboro image 2.0 A 3-mana ¾ with Defender is kind of okay in a more controlling deck, and if you modify this one – or other creatures with Defender – they can attack. That’s kind of cool, though not exactly an incredible payoff. This seems fine.
Crackling Emergence image 1.5 This is a neat take on a land animation spell – making it so the land doesn’t die when the creature does is definitely a nice little upgrade, but these types of spells basically always underperform. They are the most impressive in the early game in a lot of ways – but you also don’t want to be hindering the way you develop your board, and by turning a land into a creature, you might be doing just that. It is kind of exciting to think about your opponent trading a real creature for this, but it isn’t as good of a deal as it seems – you’re still just trading 1-for-1.
Harmonious Emergence image 1.5 Animating a land is always less powerful than it might seem, and even adding the indestructible angle here isn’t that exciting. It does give you a reasonably efficient creature, but its also one that effectively makes you give up mana if you want to be attacking with it. I do think it’s a little better than the Red one, because this one is going to be more formidable in the later stages of the game, and it snice that they are such a pain in combat thanks to the indestructibility.
Imperial Subduer image 2.5 Tapping an opposing creature tends to be a pretty nice effect for aggro decks in Limited, as it can often enable some attacks you didn’t have without the tap. This does have an additional restriction, in that your Warrior or Samurai has to attack alone to do it – but it still seems pretty nice. The Subduer itself is a Warrior, so it triggers its own ability. The Samurai/Warrior deck seems to have other payoffs for attacking with one creature at a time too, so this seems like a solid Common.
Shrine Steward image 1.0 // 2.5 This has some ugly stats, but if your deck has even 2 Shrines and/or Auras, it is probably worth running. While this set does have plenty of Enchantments, it doesn’t have so many Auras and Shrines that you’ll always end up with enough of them to run the Steward.
Return to Action image 2.0 Black often gets this kind of trick that returns a creature to the battlefield when it dies these days, and then tend to be alright, although I prefer it when they cost a single Black mana. Still, this one does actually increase your creature’s power, which means you can use it to help you take down the other creature in combat a little more effectively, and it will even gain you some life! Its useful against removal too, of course. But, its still situational enough that I’m not super high on it.
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Pack 1 Pick 4: Circuit Mender
Circuit Mender image 3.5 This is a nice little card. A 3-mana ⅔ that gains you 2 life is already kind of playable, especially i a set with lots of artifact payoffs, and then it even replaces itself when it dies! Its large enough to enable a 2-for-1 every once and a while – and if you combine it with blink or bounce it gets even sillier, because it lets you draw the card when it leaves the battlefield, and that means if it leaves in any way! Combining it with Ninjutsu could be especially back-breaking.
Fang of Shigeki image 2.5 One mana 1/1s with Deathtouch are always playable, mostly because they have the ability to trade up with just about anything. This one also comes with Enchantment and Ninja upside, though in Green probably only the former matters. Still, you probably won’t ever cut the first few copies of these from your Green decks.
Brute Suit image 2.5 This is a nice little Vehicle at Common. 1 to crew is super easy, and its no joke as an attacker. As we’ve seen, there’s lots of Vehicle stuff going on this set too.
Moonsnare Prototype image 2.0 Without channel, this would be pretty close to unplayable. A one mana mana-rock is kind of exciting, but having to tap both the Prototype and something else to make a colorless mana just isn’t going to be that great in Limited most of the time. It might do something really early, but it is just a dud late. But, this card helps mitigate against that because in the late game you can turn it into a Time Ebb-type effect. Paying 5 for that effect isn’t amazing – and like with a lot of Channel cards neither card individually would be very good, but together? I think this ends up being a reasonable enough playable, albeit one you end up cutting a decent chunk of the time. Modality really improves the card, though.
Mukotai Ambusher image 2.0 This seems like a solid little Ninja if you’re in the market for those. The Ninjutsu is very nicely costed, though keeping in mind that you have to return a thing to your hand does make it seem a bit less efficient. And really, neither casting this the normal way nor Ninjutsuing it is going to make you feel like you’re doing a great job. Its solid, and Lifelink makes it a good creature to Modify.
Ecologist's Terrarium image 2.5 Having colorless fixing at Common is pretty nice, and could definitely help decks splash a third color, and the fact this can only give you a counter once its done its job in fetching you a land is pretty solid.
Explosive Entry image 3.0 This is better in this format than it is in most, because there are artifacts everywhere. I think you can count on most opponents having at least 5 targets for this, and many will have more. Adding the +1/+1 counter to the mix is pretty nice. Against the most artifact-centric of decks it is just going to feel like one of your best cards, and against an opponent only playing a few artifacts, it will feel a bit like Plummet – but I think that range is still enough to play the first copy in the main deck of most Red decks.
Imperial Oath image 1.5 Three bodies + Scry 3 for six isn’t the worst thing ever, but it also isn’t quite as impactful as I’d like a six mana spell to be. Those three bodies can help, but there are also plenty of board states where they don’t do a whole lot for you.
Tales of Master Seshiro image 3.5 Chapter I and II actually give a fairly significant buff. +1/+1 counter + Vigilance for a turn is pretty sweet, because it not only enables a better attack, it allows you to alter how a race is going. Now, sometimes paying 5 for chapter one is going to feel pretty rough – like if getting the counter and vigilance doesn’t do much for you, but at the stage in the game that you play this, it is pretty likely to be useful. Then, you end up with a pretty nice creature – with haste and Vigilance – which will mean it can swing right away, unlike most of these saga-creatures. I think this might be Green’s best Common. It gives you a ton of very real value up front, and then a very nice creature.
Ambitious Assault image 2.0 Adding a conditional cantrip to Trumpet Blast is definitely interesting. This effect is really situational, but because it replaces itself, you end up with a card that – at worst – cycles for three mana, and you can also find more useful situations to use it in, since the card does replace itself.
Favor of Jukai image 2.0 Channeling this will be the better deal most of the time, as the tricks we see that offer that same boost and reach always tend to be pretty playable, but it is nice that you can also use this as a more permanent boost in situations where that’s better.
Tranquil Cove image 2.5 Like always, these provide some very nice fixing, and its nice to see them at Common, as it will make splashing a third color pretty simple. Fixing is great, even if you aren’t going three colors – a dual land really helps your mana base in a two color deck.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Thundersteel Colossus
Rabbit Battery image 3.5 This is an aggressively costed one drop. Raging Goblin normally isn’t a great card in Limited, but this version of the card has a very reasonable Reconfigure cost that both buffs and grants haste, in a lot of ways it will feel like you can pay a reasonable kicker cost to buff and give haste to your creatures in the late game, and because Reconfigure is so cheap, the Rabbit Battery can just keep going…and going…and going on to new creatures.
Hotshot Mechanic image 3.0 So in the early game this has nice efficient stats, and once it can’t attack effectively any more, it can crew stuff. And…it can crew virtually any vehicle in the format, which means it is going to have a late of late-game viability, especially in the UW deck – but most White decks will have enough Vehicles that he will be good late.
Voltage Surge image 3.0 One mana to do two to a creature is usually pretty close to premium removal – you will be able to pay one mana to kill many creatures that cost more! This having the additional “sacrifice an artifact” option to upgrade it to doing 4 damage is definitely enough for it to be premium, as doing 4 for one mana is a really good deal, though you may not always have an expendable artifact to give up.
Heir of the Ancient Fang image 2.5 This is a 3-mana ⅔ that will sometimes be a 3-mana ¾, and in a curve out in a RG deck there’s a good chance it goes that way.
Commune with Spirits image 1.0 This is cheap and gives you some decent card selection. But…it also doesn’t really do a whole lot, and cards like that seem to be getting worse and worse in Limited these days. It seems like it will be easy to cut this.
Thundersteel Colossus image 2.0 This is a pretty neat design for an Equipment. It isn’t nearly as discounted as most of them are, but it is also massive and very easy to crew – coming with Trample and Haste generally means it is going to wreck face pretty significantly the turn it comes down, and it’s a big enough threat that your opponent will usually need to find a way to deal with it. I don’t think the most aggressive decks will be remotely interested in this, but as a top-curve win condition for grindier or controlling decks, I could see this pulling some weight.
Mirrorshell Crab image 1.5 This is either an overcosted 5/7 or an overcosted Mana Leak. As is usually the case with these Channel cards, though, having the option between those things is much better than those things are individually! In this case, I do think both of the options are pretty underwhelming, though.
Ancestral Katana image 3.0 This reminds me a bit of Pirate’s Cutlass, a card that really overperformed in its Limited format. Now, this isn’t colorless, and it doesn’t equip for free – and it equipping at a discount is also more conditional for sure – but I think this will still be a really nice Common. If you’re just Equipping this the old fashioned way it won’t be great, but if you have Warriors and Samurai around, the fact that this can just keep moving on to your best attacker for only one mana is going to feel pretty good, and it doesn’t hurt that it can still be Equipped the normal way when that works out for you. Plus, Equipment have some additional upside in this format.
Reckoner's Bargain image 2.0 This type of effect tends to do alright, especially in decks with a sacrifice theme – which in this format will mostly mean Black-Red. It is sort of an Instant speed Tormenting Voice, in the sense that you give up two cards to draw two cards – its just that one of them is an artifact or creature in play. Using this in response to a removal spell, or to get rid of something expendable will always feel nice, but there are also situations where you can’t find a spot to use this because you just don’t have the resources to make it worth it. The life gain is a nice addition, but doesn’t power it up a ton.
Clawing Torment image 2.0 This can outright kill X/1s, and takes away the ability of all creatures to block – while also slowly bleeding the opponent out. If you’re in a really aggressive Black deck, I can see playing this, but in situations where you aren’t the beatdown, it isn’t going to be very good. Your opponent just won’t always care about their creature getting a little smaller and being unable to block. It is notable that it is an Enchantment you can keep around on the table for awhile, and you kind of want to because it hurts your opponent – and that goes well in the Black-White deck, which wants an Artifact and Enchantment to be around for its various effects This is probably mostly an aggro deck special.
Swamp image
Pack 1 Pick 6: The Shattered States Era
Bronze Cudgels image 1.5 This has a unique design, but the lack of a boost to toughness and the requirement to pump mana into it is pretty hefty. I can sort of see late game situations where you just have all the mana in the world to use on this, and at that stage of the game its going to be pretty nice, as you can just put in on anything and that creature will have to be blocked. But what about the rest of the game? In the early going, it is pretty close to useless, because you just won’t have enough mana to make it do anything significant. So I have a hard time getting behind this with any enthusiasm. There’s an equipment and an artifact theme in this set that definitely give it some bonus points.
Go-Shintai of Ancient Wars image 3.5 A 3-mana 2/2 with First Strike is already pretty playable, especially in a format with lots of ways to modify creatures, and the fact you get to do some additional damage to the opponent or (more rarely) a planeswalker if you have spare mana lying around is pretty nice. Obviously it gets spicier if you have more Shrines around.
Short Circuit image 1.5 This is fairly mediocre. It doesn’t stop enough of what a card can do for it to be that effective as removal. Sure, it has less power and it can’t fly – but it still lets the creature block, it can still have a death trigger, it can still have an activated ability, it can still have a static ability, and heck – it can even still attack, just less effectively! It having Flash does mean sometimes you can set this up so that you can kill an attacking creature with a double block, and when you can do that it will feel alright, but you just won’t always be able to make that happen.
Thundersteel Colossus image 2.0 This is a pretty neat design for an Equipment. It isn’t nearly as discounted as most of them are, but it is also massive and very easy to crew – coming with Trample and Haste generally means it is going to wreck face pretty significantly the turn it comes down, and it’s a big enough threat that your opponent will usually need to find a way to deal with it. I don’t think the most aggressive decks will be remotely interested in this, but as a top-curve win condition for grindier or controlling decks, I could see this pulling some weight.
Light the Way image 1.0 We see cards with two modal effects like this a lot, and they are almost always underwhelming. It seems like you’ll always be able to do something meaningful with one of the modes, but it just doesn’t work out that way all that often. When you can use it as a trick to help your creature win combat, or help a creature dodge removal, or you rebuy an ETB ability it will feel good, but mostly this won’t give you a full card worth of value often enough.
The Shattered States Era image 1.5 I like most of these creature-sagas a reasonable amount. Most of them are at least a 2.5…but not this one. 5 mana for a Threaten is costly. That type of effect is always so situational. Sometimes it will let you attack in ways you couldn’t before – and unlike a lot of Threatens you do eventually actually add to the board with this one – but I still don’t love it. Chapter II will only be meaningful on like half of your board states. You do ultimately get a 3/3 with Trample and Haste, but that’s not exactly a big deal by turn 7, and Chapters I and II are highly situational.
Grafted Growth image 1.5 We have seen similar cards before, and the fact they fix and ramp for you while adding a little something to the board always makes them pretty reasonable, especially if you’re in the market for mana of any color. You probably don’t play it in a two-color deck, though.
Lethal Exploit image 3.0 Two mana for -2/-2 at Instant speed isn’t exactly premium, though it can kill a lot of stuff. And you can even use it combined with a block to take something down – though that’s always a little risky. That said, I think you’ll be able to do -3/-3 with this often enough that it sneaks into the lower B range. If it was always -3/-3 it would be a 3.5. And sometimes this will be even more than -3/-3 – though I think we have to accept the wide range of outcomes with this, and the fact that -2/-2 is probably going to happen a lot.
Peerless Samurai image 3.0 This is a nice little Common. A 3-mana ⅔ with Menace is a decent starting point, and adding an “attack alone” payoff to the card is nice, and the one you get here is going to be pretty relevant, especially if you play the Samurai on turn 3. It is likely to help you either double spell or play a 4-drop on turn 4, and either of those are pretty appealing.
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Pack 1 Pick 7: Commune with Spirits
Bronze Cudgels image 1.5 This has a unique design, but the lack of a boost to toughness and the requirement to pump mana into it is pretty hefty. I can sort of see late game situations where you just have all the mana in the world to use on this, and at that stage of the game its going to be pretty nice, as you can just put in on anything and that creature will have to be blocked. But what about the rest of the game? In the early going, it is pretty close to useless, because you just won’t have enough mana to make it do anything significant. So I have a hard time getting behind this with any enthusiasm. There’s an equipment and an artifact theme in this set that definitely give it some bonus points.
The Shattered States Era image 1.5 I like most of these creature-sagas a reasonable amount. Most of them are at least a 2.5…but not this one. 5 mana for a Threaten is costly. That type of effect is always so situational. Sometimes it will let you attack in ways you couldn’t before – and unlike a lot of Threatens you do eventually actually add to the board with this one – but I still don’t love it. Chapter II will only be meaningful on like half of your board states. You do ultimately get a 3/3 with Trample and Haste, but that’s not exactly a big deal by turn 7, and Chapters I and II are highly situational.
Careful Cultivation image 2.5 In a lot of formats, a two mana 1/1 that can tap for Green mana is very playable, and this is better than that in a lot of ways, since you can stick it out there at Instant speed. Meanwhile, the Aura side of things does a pretty good of ramping you too, and offers a solid stat boost. I do sort of feel like you’re going to be more interesting in Channeling this the most of the time, as I think that’s the best deal you can get here.
Kami of Industry image 1.5 There will be too many situations where you either have no Artifact to reanimate, or you have one that you can bring back but it doesn’t really do anything on the board at the stage of the game yo’ure in. A five mana 3/6 as a baseline doesn’t help the card out either, even though that isn’t disastrous. I think the idea is that in the BR deck, you can easily sacrifice whatever it is you bring back, but I still have a hard time seeing this work out often enough.
Heir of the Ancient Fang image 2.5 This is a 3-mana ⅔ that will sometimes be a 3-mana ¾, and in a curve out in a RG deck there’s a good chance it goes that way.
Unstoppable Ogre image 2.0 The enter the battlefield trigger on the card won’t always do something for you, but there will be a decent number of situations where it allows you to attack more effectively with your board. It can also crew everything which is nice.
Commune with Spirits image 1.0 This is cheap and gives you some decent card selection. But…it also doesn’t really do a whole lot, and cards like that seem to be getting worse and worse in Limited these days. It seems like it will be easy to cut this.
Reckoner's Bargain image 2.0 This type of effect tends to do alright, especially in decks with a sacrifice theme – which in this format will mostly mean Black-Red. It is sort of an Instant speed Tormenting Voice, in the sense that you give up two cards to draw two cards – its just that one of them is an artifact or creature in play. Using this in response to a removal spell, or to get rid of something expendable will always feel nice, but there are also situations where you can’t find a spot to use this because you just don’t have the resources to make it worth it. The life gain is a nice addition, but doesn’t power it up a ton.
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Pack 1 Pick 8: Simian Sling
Anchor to Reality image 0.0 // 2.5 Your typical Tutor tends to not be great in Limited…and I think that’s mostly the case here. You pay four mana, use up the Anchor and an artifact or creature in play to search up an Equipment or Vehicle and put it on to the battlefield. In other words, you are 2-for-1ing yourself. Now, there are some scenarios where maybe you run this – like if you have an absurd bomb this either an Equipment or Vehicle – but that’s pretty much it. So, if you have some really high costed card that has either of those types, this starts to get pretty interesting, but that’s a very narrow use, and this shouldn’t really be played in your typical Limited deck.
Virus Beetle image 1.5 Adding to the board and taking something away from your opponents’ hand isn’t a bad play in the early to mid game, though it does get less impressive late. It comes with the Artifact type too, which is a useful thing.
Planar Incision image 1.0 This kind of card always seems to underperform. Sure, you can reuse an ETB ability, or save a creature from removal, but those situations aren’t exactly a dime a dozen, and you have to have the mana up at precisely the right time! There are a few cards in the set – like Circuit Mender – that have abilities that trigger when they leave play, and I guess if you end up with a few of those, this starts to get a little more interesting, since you rebuy the leaves play ability as well as the enters the battlefield ability, but I’m still not really convinced.
Reckoner's Bargain image 2.0 This type of effect tends to do alright, especially in decks with a sacrifice theme – which in this format will mostly mean Black-Red. It is sort of an Instant speed Tormenting Voice, in the sense that you give up two cards to draw two cards – its just that one of them is an artifact or creature in play. Using this in response to a removal spell, or to get rid of something expendable will always feel nice, but there are also situations where you can’t find a spot to use this because you just don’t have the resources to make it worth it. The life gain is a nice addition, but doesn’t power it up a ton.
Simian Sling image 3.0 This compares really favorably with Tormentor’s Helm for Kaldheim. It gives the same stats boost and the same ability that punishes blocking. The difference is this is a bit more expensive to Equip – or in this case Reconfigure, but the fact you can just play t his as a creature is a huge upgrade. They’ve given us a lot of nice one drops of late, and this looks like one to me. It can attack effectively early, and then when it can no longer do that, you can suit up another creature who can take advantage of the ability more effectively.
Ecologist's Terrarium image 2.5 Having colorless fixing at Common is pretty nice, and could definitely help decks splash a third color, and the fact this can only give you a counter once its done its job in fetching you a land is pretty solid.
Papercraft Decoy image 2.0 This is another card where the trigger only requires it to leave the battlefield, so it getting blinked, or going back to your hand for ninjutsu will also give you the option of paying 2 to draw a card. You won’t always have the mana vailable to do it of course, but I think you’ll have it often enough that this is a pretty solid two drop in most decks.
Wind-Scarred Crag image 2.5 Like always, these provide some very nice fixing, and its nice to see them at Common, as it will make splashing a third color pretty simple. Fixing is great, even if you aren’t going three colors – a dual land really helps your mana base in a two color deck.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Akki Ronin
Enormous Energy Blade image 1.0 The buff to power is a ton, and does make it so a whole lot of creatures can become good attackers, but because it taps the creature when it equips to it, you have to wait an entire turn to actually make that happen. I think that’s too big of a cost when you’re already paying 3 to play it and 2 to equip. This card definitely has a bit of potential, as +4/+0 can really be a big deal, but I have a hard time seeing it work out.
Kami of Terrible Secrets image 1.5 // 3.0 A 4-mana ¾ is not a great stat-line these days, so you are going to want to be drawing a card off of this around half the time for it to be worth it. And…that’s not going to be automatic in every Black deck in the format, since this asks you to have both an Artifact and Enchantment. That’s certainly easier to do in this format than it is in most, but if you’re in say, UB Ninjas or the BG graveyard deck – that’s not something you’re going to be focused on. In a lot of ways, this is a BW gold card, because that’s the deck that has a whole bunch of reasons to get both an Artifact and an Enchantment in play.
Dramatist's Puppet image 1.5 There’s a lot of counters in this set, so taking them away from your opponent or adding them to your own things is definitely relevant, but it still won’t always actually be able to do a thing, and when it can’t it will still be a 4-mana 2/4, which is pretty bad.
Akki Ronin image 1.5 If you need a two drop Samurai it is certainly that, though adding rummage to an attack isn’t super exciting in this format, it does allow you to sift through your library a bit.
Debt to the Kami image 2.5 Keep in mind, your opponent chooses what gets exiled when you use this. So, mostly, it will feel like a three mana edict effect, and those have waning value as the game goes on and your opponent is more and more likely to have something very expendable to give up. It can be pretty potent early. And, because you choose the option, you can at least choose the one that is the toughest for them to decide – for example if they have only one creature or one enchantment the choice is easy – but its also pretty easy if they only have two of one of them and so forth. The fact its an Instant means you can deploy it at the exact right time a little more easily too – but still. Its removal that you don’t really have enough control over.
Light the Way image 1.0 We see cards with two modal effects like this a lot, and they are almost always underwhelming. It seems like you’ll always be able to do something meaningful with one of the modes, but it just doesn’t work out that way all that often. When you can use it as a trick to help your creature win combat, or help a creature dodge removal, or you rebuy an ETB ability it will feel good, but mostly this won’t give you a full card worth of value often enough.
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Pack 1 Pick 10: Iron Apprentice
Mech Hangar image 3.0 This looks like a nice utility land. It will mostly only tap for colorless, but the ability to crew a Vehicle for three mana is quite nice in a format that has a ton of Vehicles. I can accept the fact that this might hurt my mana base a little bit for that kind of upside. And hey, sometimes it may even help you splash a Vehicle or something.
Iron Apprentice image 2.0 This format has plenty of counters, so putting more on this thing isn’t a huge stretch. It also gives you a creature that enters the battlefield modified, which powers up a bunch of cards in this format.
Peerless Samurai image 3.0 This is a nice little Common. A 3-mana ⅔ with Menace is a decent starting point, and adding an “attack alone” payoff to the card is nice, and the one you get here is going to be pretty relevant, especially if you play the Samurai on turn 3. It is likely to help you either double spell or play a 4-drop on turn 4, and either of those are pretty appealing.
Disruption Protocol image 2.0 If you have enough Artifacts around and consistent access to Blue mana, this seems reasonable. If you are paying 1UU for it, then you’re not getting a very good deal – Cancel is just so much worse than Counterspell! There are enough Artifacts in this set, though, that I think this will be Counterspell often enough that I just want to give it a C. Counterspells have their problems in Limited – namely that you have to have the mana up at the right time – which in a way makes them very conditional removal – but when the mana you need to leave up is two or less, we see the Counterspells end up being fairly playable, and I think that’s what we have here.
Akki Ronin image 1.5 If you need a two drop Samurai it is certainly that, though adding rummage to an attack isn’t super exciting in this format, it does allow you to sift through your library a bit.
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Pack 1 Pick 11: Harmonious Emergence
Ecologist's Terrarium image 2.5 Having colorless fixing at Common is pretty nice, and could definitely help decks splash a third color, and the fact this can only give you a counter once its done its job in fetching you a land is pretty solid.
Crackling Emergence image 1.5 This is a neat take on a land animation spell – making it so the land doesn’t die when the creature does is definitely a nice little upgrade, but these types of spells basically always underperform. They are the most impressive in the early game in a lot of ways – but you also don’t want to be hindering the way you develop your board, and by turning a land into a creature, you might be doing just that. It is kind of exciting to think about your opponent trading a real creature for this, but it isn’t as good of a deal as it seems – you’re still just trading 1-for-1.
Harmonious Emergence image 1.5 Animating a land is always less powerful than it might seem, and even adding the indestructible angle here isn’t that exciting. It does give you a reasonably efficient creature, but its also one that effectively makes you give up mana if you want to be attacking with it. I do think it’s a little better than the Red one, because this one is going to be more formidable in the later stages of the game, and it snice that they are such a pain in combat thanks to the indestructibility.
Return to Action image 2.0 Black often gets this kind of trick that returns a creature to the battlefield when it dies these days, and then tend to be alright, although I prefer it when they cost a single Black mana. Still, this one does actually increase your creature’s power, which means you can use it to help you take down the other creature in combat a little more effectively, and it will even gain you some life! Its useful against removal too, of course. But, its still situational enough that I’m not super high on it.
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Pack 1 Pick 12: Ambitious Assault
Moonsnare Prototype image 2.0 Without channel, this would be pretty close to unplayable. A one mana mana-rock is kind of exciting, but having to tap both the Prototype and something else to make a colorless mana just isn’t going to be that great in Limited most of the time. It might do something really early, but it is just a dud late. But, this card helps mitigate against that because in the late game you can turn it into a Time Ebb-type effect. Paying 5 for that effect isn’t amazing – and like with a lot of Channel cards neither card individually would be very good, but together? I think this ends up being a reasonable enough playable, albeit one you end up cutting a decent chunk of the time. Modality really improves the card, though.
Ecologist's Terrarium image 2.5 Having colorless fixing at Common is pretty nice, and could definitely help decks splash a third color, and the fact this can only give you a counter once its done its job in fetching you a land is pretty solid.
Explosive Entry image 3.0 This is better in this format than it is in most, because there are artifacts everywhere. I think you can count on most opponents having at least 5 targets for this, and many will have more. Adding the +1/+1 counter to the mix is pretty nice. Against the most artifact-centric of decks it is just going to feel like one of your best cards, and against an opponent only playing a few artifacts, it will feel a bit like Plummet – but I think that range is still enough to play the first copy in the main deck of most Red decks.
Ambitious Assault image 2.0 Adding a conditional cantrip to Trumpet Blast is definitely interesting. This effect is really situational, but because it replaces itself, you end up with a card that – at worst – cycles for three mana, and you can also find more useful situations to use it in, since the card does replace itself.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Reckoner's Bargain
Ancestral Katana image 3.0 This reminds me a bit of Pirate’s Cutlass, a card that really overperformed in its Limited format. Now, this isn’t colorless, and it doesn’t equip for free – and it equipping at a discount is also more conditional for sure – but I think this will still be a really nice Common. If you’re just Equipping this the old fashioned way it won’t be great, but if you have Warriors and Samurai around, the fact that this can just keep moving on to your best attacker for only one mana is going to feel pretty good, and it doesn’t hurt that it can still be Equipped the normal way when that works out for you. Plus, Equipment have some additional upside in this format.
Reckoner's Bargain image 2.0 This type of effect tends to do alright, especially in decks with a sacrifice theme – which in this format will mostly mean Black-Red. It is sort of an Instant speed Tormenting Voice, in the sense that you give up two cards to draw two cards – its just that one of them is an artifact or creature in play. Using this in response to a removal spell, or to get rid of something expendable will always feel nice, but there are also situations where you can’t find a spot to use this because you just don’t have the resources to make it worth it. The life gain is a nice addition, but doesn’t power it up a ton.
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Pack 1 Pick 14: Peerless Samurai
Peerless Samurai image 3.0 This is a nice little Common. A 3-mana ⅔ with Menace is a decent starting point, and adding an “attack alone” payoff to the card is nice, and the one you get here is going to be pretty relevant, especially if you play the Samurai on turn 3. It is likely to help you either double spell or play a 4-drop on turn 4, and either of those are pretty appealing.
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Pack 1 Pick 15: Swamp
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Pack 2 Pick 1: Cloudsteel Kirin
Cloudsteel Kirin image 4.5 So, take away the whole Equipment thing here, and we have a 3-mana 3/2 with Flying. That’s a great rate in Limited, and enough for a 3.5 on its own. With Reconfigure in the mix, it is obviously even better, as it can lend Flying to a different creature, and give it the ability to keep you from losing or your opponent from winning. That’s obviously a pretty powerful line of text, though keep in mind if your opponent ever kills the thing this is attached to, or blows up the Kirin, it goes away, and if you’re in a losing position – like at negative life – you’ll lose the game. Still, the base level here is a very good card, and having that additional upside is enough for me to put this into the lower bomb range. Your opponent has to kill the thing you put this on in the late game, and in the early game it is a great flyer.
Dokuchi Silencer image 3.5 This looks pretty good. If you ninjutsu it in, you’ll always have a card to discard to the effect. It sort of makes it a Bone Splinters on a stick, which is pretty good overall. Obviously, if it is able to get in more than once, it can really wreck the opposing board. Turning random creatures in hand to removal spells will usually be worth it.
Colossal Skyturtle image 3.5 This has three pretty nice modes! If you get it late and cast it as a creature, its big enough that it can close out a game, and Ward 2 provides it a bit of protection. UG is the color pair that has the most channel in it, and the Skyturtle does a pretty good of making tha clear with its two channel abilities – and they are both abilities that do a thing that might let you get back a card with Channel. Even absent that channel synergy, the fact that you can use this to get back any card from your graveyard, or to bounce a permanent is pretty nice. For most stuff with channel, if you chopped the card up, each card individually wouldn’t be that impressive, but because this card basically has three very different modes, the flexibility is well worth it.
Storyweave image 2.0 This is a really interesting design. The +1/+1 counter part of it can be a passable combat trick for sure, although the more powerful mode is assuredly the one where you accelerate your Saga and make a larger Enchantment creature. For pretty much every saga in the set, this will immeidatley make it into a creature with those two extra counters, and doing at Instant speed can let you ambush your opponent. Now, that use won’t always be possible – and as always we have to look at what this card will do on average – but I think it will do something nice with one of these modes often enough that it is at least a decent playable.
Coiling Stalker image 3.0 If you Ninjutsu this in, you end up paying two for a 2/1 that puts a counter somewhere. Note, by the way, that “somewhere” can be on itself, too! Now you obviously also returned a thing to your hand, so it isn’t all upside, but still, it seems like a reasonable deal. And it is the kind of creature that is a pretty real problem if your opponent can’t get blocks in front of it.
Tamiyo's Compleation image 3.5 This is a more powerful take on this type of removal than we usually get. Usually, the bummer with this type of Blue removal spell is that you simply lock down a creature and it doesn’t untap – you don’t stap activated abilities and static abilities – but you actually do with this, and that’s a massive upgrade. Its nice that it can even turn off Equipment – as sometimes that will be worth doing.
Moonfolk Puzzlemaker image 2.0 This has decent stats and repeatedly Scrying does make your draws better. Its also an artifact for the decks that care about that, and a relatively cheap flyer for Ninjutsu.
Network Disruptor image 3.0 This does enough to be a nice little one drop. Tapping a permanent won’t always matter, but there will be turns where doing that allows you to get a much better attack in. Meanwhile, being a one mana 1/1 Flyer in this set is better than normal anyway – both because of Ninjutsu and the plethora of ways that there are to modify creatures. Its also an artifact, and that’s a nice thing to have too. This seems like a Common that overlaps into tons of different Blue archetypes, and that’s great.
Crackling Emergence image 1.5 This is a neat take on a land animation spell – making it so the land doesn’t die when the creature does is definitely a nice little upgrade, but these types of spells basically always underperform. They are the most impressive in the early game in a lot of ways – but you also don’t want to be hindering the way you develop your board, and by turning a land into a creature, you might be doing just that. It is kind of exciting to think about your opponent trading a real creature for this, but it isn’t as good of a deal as it seems – you’re still just trading 1-for-1.
Mnemonic Sphere image 2.5 This is basically an Artifact-based version of Hieroglyphic Illumination, which was an Instant you could pay 4 for to draw two cards, and it had cycling for one Blue mana. Hard for a card like this to ever be bad, since at worst it replaces itself really efficiently. Then there’s this format artifact synergy and so forth!
Intercessor's Arrest image 3.5 This is premium removal. The fact it shuts down blocking, attacking, crewing vehicles, and activated abilities is great. This format does have more ways to blow up Enchantments than normal, but it also has more payoffs for Enchantments than normal, so its probably a wash.
Undercity Scrounger image 1.5 This gives Black some access to fixing and ramp, which is nice, but the stats are underwhelming and the death requirement won’t always line up for you.
Era of Enlightenment image 2.0 Like most of these saga-creatures, it is slow at adding to the board – so getting in the late game will sometimes be a bummer, but at least this one has some use right away, even late, as Scry 2 can help you dry what you really need to draw. The life gain can also help you survive the fact that you couldn’t add to the board right away too. Then, it becomes a 2/2 with First Strike, and that’s a creature is relevant all game long in most cases. While its a bit slow, the value this generates will feel nice – its spread out, but ultimately you get a 2/2 with First Strike that scries 2 and gains you 2 life, and that’s a pretty nice investment.
Ninja's Kunai image 2.5 You pay a total of 3 mana for Lightning, and that’s not a bad rate in Limited. What’s more is, it also lets you get some synergy – and not only the obvious artifact and Equipment synergy – but also some sacrifice synergy for the RB deck
Thornwood Falls image 2.5 Like always, these provide some very nice fixing, and its nice to see them at Common, as it will make splashing a third color pretty simple. Fixing is great, even if you aren’t going three colors – a dual land really helps your mana base in a two color deck.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Invigorating Hot Spring
Thirst for Knowledge image 3.0 Drawing three and discarding two has you break even on cards with some pretty good card selection, while also maybe loading the graveyard. And if you have a random artifact you don’t really need in your current situation, this ends up feeling even more potent. I think Blue decks will usually play their first copy of this.
Invigorating Hot Spring image 4.0 This definitely has the most interesting design of all of the signpost Uncommons. It also has some pretty awesome art! I think it is probably also the one that is the hardest to gauge. That said, I think it looks pretty good. RG is about modifying stuff, so this gives you a payoff for Modifying your creatures by giving them haste, and it also provides a way for you to modify your creatures, since it can move counters from itself on to creatures. This will also give the creature Haste, obviously enough. It is basically an Enchantment that gives you one +1/+1 counter a turn over four turns – generally, an Enchantment that gives you a counter every turn tends to be pretty powerful, and while this will eventually run out of counters, being able to do it 4 times ia pretty big deal. This format has a fair bit of synergy for Modifications too, in addition to what Invigorating Thermal Springs has to offer, so being able to put a counter on a thing carries some extra weight here.
Prosperous Thief image 3.5 This looks pretty nice. A 3-mana 3/2 that made Treasure when it hit the opponent would already be playable, so adding the Ninjutsu angle, and the fact that it is more generally a Ninja/Rogue payoff, and you have something even nicer!
Searchlight Companion image 3.0 This gives you some reasonable value for the cost, and its also a great card to combine with Ninjas, since it is not only evasive, but it also has an ETB ability, so recasting it will give you another token, and that’s some nice value to get on top of whatever it is you did with Ninjutsu.
Scrapyard Steelbreaker image 2.0 This will slot pretty well into the Black-Red deck, which is mosty about sacrificing artifacts. With enough mana and artifacts in play, this creature becomes a real pain to block.
Okiba Reckoner Raid image 2.5 Giving us a one mana saga like this is pretty interesting! You obviously get insane value for the investment of one mana, as you drain 2 life and get a 2/2 with Menace that gives vehicles Menace! This is going to feel like a pretty good turn one play, and even in the late game this can do some work. The life drain helps you survive until it becomes a creature, and its great that as soon as it transforms you can send in a vehicle in that is hard to block. Having to wait for the body a couple of turns is going to be a little frustrating, though.
Careful Cultivation image 2.5 In a lot of formats, a two mana 1/1 that can tap for Green mana is very playable, and this is better than that in a lot of ways, since you can stick it out there at Instant speed. Meanwhile, the Aura side of things does a pretty good of ramping you too, and offers a solid stat boost. I do sort of feel like you’re going to be more interesting in Channeling this the most of the time, as I think that’s the best deal you can get here.
Kami of Restless Shadows image 1.0 // 3.0 If you aren’t returning a Ninja or Rogue to your hand consistently with this, it is going to be much worse. Putting your best graveyard creature on top of your library is nice, but not nearly as good, because you aren’t actually gaining a card, you’re just doing some card selection, and that’s just a massive step down. Returning a creature to your hand is likely to give you a 2-for-1, while that’s not possible if you’re putting something on top. Obviously, if the creature you put back is a bomb or something you’ll still be pretty happy, but if that’s all this is doing, it probably isn’t worth it, as a 5-mana 3/3 is a pretty bad statline.
Sunblade Samurai image 3.0 If you have 5 mana, you can cast it as a fairly reasonable body with Vigilance – and if you’re having problem finding mana in the early part of the game, you can Channel it away to find another land. And it even gains you some life! It isn’t that far from being a 5-mana 4/4 with Vigilance that has cycling for 2 mana. Flexibility like this really trumps the fact that neither half of this card would be amazing on its own.
Moon-Circuit Hacker image 3.0 Ninjutsu for one is quite the deal, especially because it will be drawing you a card if you ninjutsu it in. After that, you’ll only get to loot when it hits the opponent, but that’s okay – the initial use of the card will allow you to set up a 2-for-1, and that’s pretty nice. It is sort of a more convoluted Elvish Visionary that comes with an additional power.
Reckoner's Bargain image 2.0 This type of effect tends to do alright, especially in decks with a sacrifice theme – which in this format will mostly mean Black-Red. It is sort of an Instant speed Tormenting Voice, in the sense that you give up two cards to draw two cards – its just that one of them is an artifact or creature in play. Using this in response to a removal spell, or to get rid of something expendable will always feel nice, but there are also situations where you can’t find a spot to use this because you just don’t have the resources to make it worth it. The life gain is a nice addition, but doesn’t power it up a ton.
Dokuchi Shadow-Walker image 2.0 This seems like the kind of Ninja who will only make your deck if you’re really loaded up with payoffs for Ninjas and Ninjutsu. It just isn’t that impressive either way you play it.
Wanderer's Intervention image 2.5 This is restrictive about what it can kill – both because of the 4 damage and the “attacking or blocking” restriction, but it will often feel reasonably efficient. I don’t quite consider something like this premium because of how restrictive it is, but I think you end up playing the first copy pretty often in your White decks
Scoured Barrens image 2.5 Like always, these provide some very nice fixing, and its nice to see them at Common, as it will make splashing a third color pretty simple. Fixing is great, even if you aren’t going three colors – a dual land really helps your mana base in a two color deck.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Akki Ember-Keeper
Go-Shintai of Ancient Wars image 3.5 A 3-mana 2/2 with First Strike is already pretty playable, especially in a format with lots of ways to modify creatures, and the fact you get to do some additional damage to the opponent or (more rarely) a planeswalker if you have spare mana lying around is pretty nice. Obviously it gets spicier if you have more Shrines around.
Dokuchi Silencer image 3.5 This looks pretty good. If you ninjutsu it in, you’ll always have a card to discard to the effect. It sort of makes it a Bone Splinters on a stick, which is pretty good overall. Obviously, if it is able to get in more than once, it can really wreck the opposing board. Turning random creatures in hand to removal spells will usually be worth it.
Careful Cultivation image 2.5 In a lot of formats, a two mana 1/1 that can tap for Green mana is very playable, and this is better than that in a lot of ways, since you can stick it out there at Instant speed. Meanwhile, the Aura side of things does a pretty good of ramping you too, and offers a solid stat boost. I do sort of feel like you’re going to be more interesting in Channeling this the most of the time, as I think that’s the best deal you can get here.
Automated Artificer image 2.0 There are enough artifacts in this set that this will actually be able to ramp your mana reasonably well, and it has some decent stats.
Towashi Songshaper image 2.0 It won’t be hard for it to be a 3/2 attacker on many turns, and that’s not too shabby as an artifact payoff.
Return to Action image 2.0 Black often gets this kind of trick that returns a creature to the battlefield when it dies these days, and then tend to be alright, although I prefer it when they cost a single Black mana. Still, this one does actually increase your creature’s power, which means you can use it to help you take down the other creature in combat a little more effectively, and it will even gain you some life! Its useful against removal too, of course. But, its still situational enough that I’m not super high on it.
Armguard Familiar image 2.5 This is a very solid playable. A two mana 2/1 with Ward 2 is already pretty close to passable, so adding the Reconfigure upside is really nice. It is a nice little creature early, and in the late game it can lend a much-needed stats boost, as well as a little bit of protection, for a more relevant creature.
Kami of Terrible Secrets image 1.5 // 3.0 A 4-mana ¾ is not a great stat-line these days, so you are going to want to be drawing a card off of this around half the time for it to be worth it. And…that’s not going to be automatic in every Black deck in the format, since this asks you to have both an Artifact and Enchantment. That’s certainly easier to do in this format than it is in most, but if you’re in say, UB Ninjas or the BG graveyard deck – that’s not something you’re going to be focused on. In a lot of ways, this is a BW gold card, because that’s the deck that has a whole bunch of reasons to get both an Artifact and an Enchantment in play.
Akki Ember-Keeper image 3.0 This is a nice little two drop. It has passable stats and a nice ability that makes sure your board stays populated when your modified creatures die. There are a plethora of ways to modify them, so getting a creature token or two out of this isn’t far-fetched at all, and that’s some pretty great value.
Clawing Torment image 2.0 This can outright kill X/1s, and takes away the ability of all creatures to block – while also slowly bleeding the opponent out. If you’re in a really aggressive Black deck, I can see playing this, but in situations where you aren’t the beatdown, it isn’t going to be very good. Your opponent just won’t always care about their creature getting a little smaller and being unable to block. It is notable that it is an Enchantment you can keep around on the table for awhile, and you kind of want to because it hurts your opponent – and that goes well in the Black-White deck, which wants an Artifact and Enchantment to be around for its various effects This is probably mostly an aggro deck special.
Okiba Reckoner Raid image 2.5 Giving us a one mana saga like this is pretty interesting! You obviously get insane value for the investment of one mana, as you drain 2 life and get a 2/2 with Menace that gives vehicles Menace! This is going to feel like a pretty good turn one play, and even in the late game this can do some work. The life drain helps you survive until it becomes a creature, and its great that as soon as it transforms you can send in a vehicle in that is hard to block. Having to wait for the body a couple of turns is going to be a little frustrating, though.
Imperial Subduer image 2.5 Tapping an opposing creature tends to be a pretty nice effect for aggro decks in Limited, as it can often enable some attacks you didn’t have without the tap. This does have an additional restriction, in that your Warrior or Samurai has to attack alone to do it – but it still seems pretty nice. The Subduer itself is a Warrior, so it triggers its own ability. The Samurai/Warrior deck seems to have other payoffs for attacking with one creature at a time too, so this seems like a solid Common.
Swamp image
Pack 2 Pick 4: Leech Gauntlet
Leech Gauntlet image 3.0 A two mana 2/2 with Lifelink always makes the cut, and this one can reconfigure to give something else lifelink later in the game. It is a little sad it doesn’t also give a stats boost, but the idea is that you’ll have something sizable enough to put it on late – and if you don’t this can still just sit around as a creature.
Reito Sentinel image 1.0 Milling doesn’t seem to be a major component of this format for the most part, whether you’re miling yourself or someone else. BG definitely has some graveyard stuff going on, and that’s probably where this will be at its best, but I’m still not overly impressed with a 3-mana 3/3 Defender. The cool thing you can do with it in the extreme late game is start using its ability to draw whatever you want to every single turn, but I’m always skeptical that type of strategy will end up working out in Limited. It doesn’t very often!
The Long Reach of Night image 2.5 I never love effects that give the opponent a choice between two things – especially when the options are discard or sacrifice a creature, because there are many board states where doing one or the other is no problem for your opponent, and because they have a choice, that means chapter I and II won’t always feel that great. That said, there will certainly be times where it is “pick your poison” for your opponent and have they have no good option, and because you do it two turns in a row, you’re more likely to produce that situation than you might otherwise be. The creature you eventually get can be pretty tough, and Chapters I and II do make it pretty likely there’s at least a few creatures in the graveyard.
Runaway Trash-Bot image 1.5 // 3.0 Obviously enough, you need to really get there on a graveyard-centric artifact/enchantment deck or this is going to be a pretty disappointing card. If you do get there, this looks like a pretty reasonable payoff. As long as it is like, a 2/4 you’re going to feel alright, especially because its likely to grow from there.
Suit Up image 1.5 These types of effects are almost always not worth it – they keep pushing them on us, though! What makes them bad is the fact that you only resize a creature. Making one into a 4/5 for 3 mana is not normally going to be a very good rate, and that’s even if you’re including the ability to turn Vehicles on like this can. You’re going to get a small stats boost in most cases, and that just isn’t worth the risk of getting blown out by removal. They did do one thing here that’s pretty interesting though: They added a cantrip. That certainly makes this better, as at worst you can sort of cycle this for three mana, and if you do manage to resize a creature and win combat you’ll actually feel like you’re doing something – but it still isn’t very good for the same reasons these effects never are: They don’t do enough for their cost and they are also very risky!
Papercraft Decoy image 2.0 This is another card where the trigger only requires it to leave the battlefield, so it getting blinked, or going back to your hand for ninjutsu will also give you the option of paying 2 to draw a card. You won’t always have the mana vailable to do it of course, but I think you’ll have it often enough that this is a pretty solid two drop in most decks.
Mukotai Ambusher image 2.0 This seems like a solid little Ninja if you’re in the market for those. The Ninjutsu is very nicely costed, though keeping in mind that you have to return a thing to your hand does make it seem a bit less efficient. And really, neither casting this the normal way nor Ninjutsuing it is going to make you feel like you’re doing a great job. Its solid, and Lifelink makes it a good creature to Modify.
Lucky Offering image 1.5 This is actually passable in your main deck in this format, since there are so many artifacts, and many of them can be blown up by this. It is still narrow enough that I don’t love putting in the main deck.
Thundersteel Colossus image 2.0 This is a pretty neat design for an Equipment. It isn’t nearly as discounted as most of them are, but it is also massive and very easy to crew – coming with Trample and Haste generally means it is going to wreck face pretty significantly the turn it comes down, and it’s a big enough threat that your opponent will usually need to find a way to deal with it. I don’t think the most aggressive decks will be remotely interested in this, but as a top-curve win condition for grindier or controlling decks, I could see this pulling some weight.
Moonfolk Puzzlemaker image 2.0 This has decent stats and repeatedly Scrying does make your draws better. Its also an artifact for the decks that care about that, and a relatively cheap flyer for Ninjutsu.
Favor of Jukai image 2.0 Channeling this will be the better deal most of the time, as the tricks we see that offer that same boost and reach always tend to be pretty playable, but it is nice that you can also use this as a more permanent boost in situations where that’s better.
Rugged Highlands image 2.5 Like always, these provide some very nice fixing, and its nice to see them at Common, as it will make splashing a third color pretty simple. Fixing is great, even if you aren’t going three colors – a dual land really helps your mana base in a two color deck.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Generous Visitor
Generous Visitor image 4.0 This looks like a really good one drop. This set has a ton of Enchantments across the board – but especially in Green – so you end up with a one drop that can add a whole lot of +1/+1 counters to the board over the course of a game. And sure, it is quite fragile on its own, but even if you only get a single counter out of it, you’re getting good value – and sometimes this will be capable of just taking over games.
Okiba Salvage image 2.0 We see 5 mana reanimation spells a lot, and they tend to be kind of mediocre. This is because you don’t often have something in your graveyard that is worth paying 5 mana to reanimate. In other words, you not only need a large enough creature, it also needs to be in the graveyard. When you add +1/+1 counters to the mix, like this does, it does become easier to feel like you’re getting your 5 mana’s worth out of the card. However, you do need to have an Artifact and Enchantment to get those. I would be much happier with this card if it gave you one +1/+1 counter if you had an artifact, and another if you had an Enchantment, but it is all or nothing – and that certainly hurts it a little bit, even in a format where it seems getting one of each of those is fairly doable. If you have a couple of crazy good bombs, it does get better than that.
Automated Artificer image 2.0 There are enough artifacts in this set that this will actually be able to ramp your mana reasonably well, and it has some decent stats.
Chainflail Centipede image 2.0 This is a Gray Ogre who attacks as a 4/2, with some reconfigure upside. I’m not ultra impressed with this as a creature or Equipment you put on something else. I mean, its fine, but I think you end up cutting it more than you’ll play it. It just isn’t very efficient no matter how you use it, and the stats boost is only useful if you’re the attacker.
Network Terminal image 2.0 3 mana manarocks, even those that tap for any color, are sometimes a bit clunky in Limited – but the ability that is tacked on here isn’t an irrelevant one – it gives you some very real card selection in the late game, and it does it fairly cheaply. You do of course need another artifact around, but that’s not asking that much. Having this around will sort of feel like you are playing the RB Blood deck from Crimson Vow, and it also fixes your mana, so I think this will make the cut reasonably often – though probably only if you’re splashing a third color.
Saiba Trespassers image 2.0 This is a mediocre creature if you cast it that way, but it has the upside of freezing down two opposing creatures, and that’s something that can be pretty nice in the right situation, such as those where your opponent is dead as a result of not being able to block for a couple of turns. That mode is certainly the more powerful one, but it is pretty situational, so the fact it can be a creature if that’s what you really need isn’t too bad.
Greater Tanuki image 3.0 This seems pretty nice. In the early game you can use it to fix and ramp your mana, and in the late game it can be a big beater that helps you close things out. It isn’t super incredible at doing either thing, but effectively being a split card with a worse Rampant Growth on one side and a worse Colossal Dreadmaw on the other gives you a decent option all game long.
Akki Ember-Keeper image 3.0 This is a nice little two drop. It has passable stats and a nice ability that makes sure your board stays populated when your modified creatures die. There are a plethora of ways to modify them, so getting a creature token or two out of this isn’t far-fetched at all, and that’s some pretty great value.
Spell Pierce image 0.0 We see this reprinted a lot, and while it tends to be a key sideboard card in constructed, it is pretty bad in Limited. Most decks have very few things it can actually counter, and you also have to hope that when they do cast something you can counter you have your one Blue mana up and they can’t pay the 2 additional mana. This just won’t do anything far too often. Even as a sideboard card, I’m not interested.
Regent's Authority image 1.5 A 3-mana 3/2 with Vigilance is usually reasonable playable, and this one comes with a very nice ability. You won’t always have an Enchantment in your graveyard of course, but there are enough Enchantments in this set that you’ll have them reasonably often, and obviously casting one off of this ability is like drawing a card, and that’s pretty darn powerful. Like with all of these, its great that they designed them so that they can trigger the ability on their own – but you can also use other Samurais/Warriors to trigger the ability if you’ve got them around. 32 – Regent’s Authority – 1.5 This is a solid trick. One mana for +2/+2 tends to be a good rate in general, and the additional enchantment/legendary creature upside is something you’ll be able to take advantage often enough.
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Pack 2 Pick 6: Tamiyo's Safekeeping
Anchor to Reality image 0.0 // 2.5 Your typical Tutor tends to not be great in Limited…and I think that’s mostly the case here. You pay four mana, use up the Anchor and an artifact or creature in play to search up an Equipment or Vehicle and put it on to the battlefield. In other words, you are 2-for-1ing yourself. Now, there are some scenarios where maybe you run this – like if you have an absurd bomb this either an Equipment or Vehicle – but that’s pretty much it. So, if you have some really high costed card that has either of those types, this starts to get pretty interesting, but that’s a very narrow use, and this shouldn’t really be played in your typical Limited deck.
Tamiyo's Safekeeping image 1.0 I’m not a big fan of this type of card. It can save your creatures from a lot of stuff for sure, but the fact it doesn’t buff the creature at all means that, when it comes to combat, this isn’t necessarily going to do enough to be worth using, since your creature is less likely to be able to kill an opposing creature. So, this is the most useful at countering a removal spell, which is certainly a nice effect, but it’s a narrow enough use that I don’t love running this. If you have some bombs or other late game win conditions it does get a little better, but I don’t think its very good overall.
Regent's Authority image 1.5 A 3-mana 3/2 with Vigilance is usually reasonable playable, and this one comes with a very nice ability. You won’t always have an Enchantment in your graveyard of course, but there are enough Enchantments in this set that you’ll have them reasonably often, and obviously casting one off of this ability is like drawing a card, and that’s pretty darn powerful. Like with all of these, its great that they designed them so that they can trigger the ability on their own – but you can also use other Samurais/Warriors to trigger the ability if you’ve got them around. 32 – Regent’s Authority – 1.5 This is a solid trick. One mana for +2/+2 tends to be a good rate in general, and the additional enchantment/legendary creature upside is something you’ll be able to take advantage often enough.
Thundersteel Colossus image 2.0 This is a pretty neat design for an Equipment. It isn’t nearly as discounted as most of them are, but it is also massive and very easy to crew – coming with Trample and Haste generally means it is going to wreck face pretty significantly the turn it comes down, and it’s a big enough threat that your opponent will usually need to find a way to deal with it. I don’t think the most aggressive decks will be remotely interested in this, but as a top-curve win condition for grindier or controlling decks, I could see this pulling some weight.
Planar Incision image 1.0 This kind of card always seems to underperform. Sure, you can reuse an ETB ability, or save a creature from removal, but those situations aren’t exactly a dime a dozen, and you have to have the mana up at precisely the right time! There are a few cards in the set – like Circuit Mender – that have abilities that trigger when they leave play, and I guess if you end up with a few of those, this starts to get a little more interesting, since you rebuy the leaves play ability as well as the enters the battlefield ability, but I’m still not really convinced.
Kindled Fury image 1.5 We’ve seen this many times before, and its always a passable trick. +1/+0 and First Strike for one mana isn’t a bad deal since it allows many creatures to win combat – first strike just does a great job of turning a trade into something much better for you.
Experimental Synthesizer image 2.0 So, up front it effectively draws you a card, and because this only costs one mana, it won’t usually be hard for you to play that card – and, it very nicely allows you to play lands. Now, this does mean playing it really early isn’t going to feel great, because you are less likely to be able to utilize whatever you hit, but starting around turn 4 it starts to be a nice play, and it effectively ends up as a 2-for-1, because you can also get a Samurai out of it. I do think the awkwardness of playing this early definitely hinders it, but I think you’ll end up playing this often enough in Red decks, perhaps the most in RB, which likes sacrificing them. But it also overlaps a bit into other archetypes – UR likes artifacts in general and RW like Samurai, for example.
Gift of Wrath image 2.0 This is the kind of Aura I feel alright about playing. +2/+2 and Menace is a very real stats boost, and the fact that this leaves behind a creature token when the enchanted creature dies is quite nice – and helps mitigate against the risk of getting 2-for-1’d. Now, it is still an Aura, and probably only one that you run in very aggressive decks, but it will be solid there.
Mukotai Ambusher image 2.0 This seems like a solid little Ninja if you’re in the market for those. The Ninjutsu is very nicely costed, though keeping in mind that you have to return a thing to your hand does make it seem a bit less efficient. And really, neither casting this the normal way nor Ninjutsuing it is going to make you feel like you’re doing a great job. Its solid, and Lifelink makes it a good creature to Modify.
Okiba Reckoner Raid image 2.5 Giving us a one mana saga like this is pretty interesting! You obviously get insane value for the investment of one mana, as you drain 2 life and get a 2/2 with Menace that gives vehicles Menace! This is going to feel like a pretty good turn one play, and even in the late game this can do some work. The life drain helps you survive until it becomes a creature, and its great that as soon as it transforms you can send in a vehicle in that is hard to block. Having to wait for the body a couple of turns is going to be a little frustrating, though.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Gift of Wrath
Oni-Cult Anvil image 3.5 Because it can sacrifice itself, it is – at worst, this is a two mana 1/1 token that drains the opponent one life. That’s not exactly exciting, but that’s pretty much the fail case here. This can also be a pretty sweet engine, since you can just keep giving up the same 1/1 every turn to drain the opponent one life, since it allows you to sacrifice tokens, and that’s pretty spicy – it will feel al little bit like getting Cauldron Familiar and Witch’s Oven together – and you have it all on one card! It is obviously a bit slow at what it does, but the engine aspect seems pretty sweet to me.
Anchor to Reality image 0.0 // 2.5 Your typical Tutor tends to not be great in Limited…and I think that’s mostly the case here. You pay four mana, use up the Anchor and an artifact or creature in play to search up an Equipment or Vehicle and put it on to the battlefield. In other words, you are 2-for-1ing yourself. Now, there are some scenarios where maybe you run this – like if you have an absurd bomb this either an Equipment or Vehicle – but that’s pretty much it. So, if you have some really high costed card that has either of those types, this starts to get pretty interesting, but that’s a very narrow use, and this shouldn’t really be played in your typical Limited deck.
Disruption Protocol image 2.0 If you have enough Artifacts around and consistent access to Blue mana, this seems reasonable. If you are paying 1UU for it, then you’re not getting a very good deal – Cancel is just so much worse than Counterspell! There are enough Artifacts in this set, though, that I think this will be Counterspell often enough that I just want to give it a C. Counterspells have their problems in Limited – namely that you have to have the mana up at the right time – which in a way makes them very conditional removal – but when the mana you need to leave up is two or less, we see the Counterspells end up being fairly playable, and I think that’s what we have here.
Ambitious Assault image 2.0 Adding a conditional cantrip to Trumpet Blast is definitely interesting. This effect is really situational, but because it replaces itself, you end up with a card that – at worst – cycles for three mana, and you can also find more useful situations to use it in, since the card does replace itself.
Repel the Vile image 2.5 This is much better in this format than it would be in your typical one. There are so many Enchantments around that that mode might actually be the one that is available to you the most often, and the fact it can take down large creatures is no small thing either. It isn’t quite premium, giving the restrictions and the cost, but it seems like a fine Common.
Gift of Wrath image 2.0 This is the kind of Aura I feel alright about playing. +2/+2 and Menace is a very real stats boost, and the fact that this leaves behind a creature token when the enchanted creature dies is quite nice – and helps mitigate against the risk of getting 2-for-1’d. Now, it is still an Aura, and probably only one that you run in very aggressive decks, but it will be solid there.
Reckoner Shakedown image 1.5 This is a pretty neat take on a Coercion Effect, as it is effectively a modal card that takes away your opponents best card, or it gives you a look at your opponents hand and puts two +1/+1 counters on one of your creatures or vehicles. Individually, those two effects are probably about a D. The discard effect only allows for a one-for-one trade and doesn’t change your board at all, while putting two +1/+1 counters on a thing for this much mana at Sorcery speed is really clunky. The discard effect is also pretty close to a dead card in the really late game, so having the other option will really matter there.
Bamboo Grove Archer image 2.5 This is a very nice defensive creature. A two mana 3/3 with Reach will slow the board to a grinding halt in the early game, and the fact that you can use it as a Plummet sometimes is nice upside. It isn’t exactly the kind of card all decks will want, but grinder Green decks will probably be happy to play a few of these – while aggro decks probably aren’t playing it at all.
Mirrorshell Crab image 1.5 This is either an overcosted 5/7 or an overcosted Mana Leak. As is usually the case with these Channel cards, though, having the option between those things is much better than those things are individually! In this case, I do think both of the options are pretty underwhelming, though.
Pack 2 Pick 8: Roaring Earth
Roaring Earth image 4.5 This seems like a very strong Uncommon. This will spit out +1/+1 counters all game long, making your board increasingly problematic for your opponent. Adding Channel to the mix is a pretty serious upgrade too, because drawing this in the late game wouldn’t be all that impressive – but when that’s when you see this, you can just Channel it to make one of your lands a creature, something that is far more impactful in situations where you don’t get this until late. This is worth taking pretty highly, and is a definite candidate for the best Uncommon in the set.
Light the Way image 1.0 We see cards with two modal effects like this a lot, and they are almost always underwhelming. It seems like you’ll always be able to do something meaningful with one of the modes, but it just doesn’t work out that way all that often. When you can use it as a trick to help your creature win combat, or help a creature dodge removal, or you rebuy an ETB ability it will feel good, but mostly this won’t give you a full card worth of value often enough.
Akki War Paint image 1.0 Getting an Enchanted creature destroyed is a pretty good way to lose a game because you get 2-for-1’d. Nice Auras tend to do something to offset that risk, and this doesn’t. This does give a pretty nice boost for the cost, and the set has payoffs for "modified" things, but I still have a hard time getting behind this.
Papercraft Decoy image 2.0 This is another card where the trigger only requires it to leave the battlefield, so it getting blinked, or going back to your hand for ninjutsu will also give you the option of paying 2 to draw a card. You won’t always have the mana vailable to do it of course, but I think you’ll have it often enough that this is a pretty solid two drop in most decks.
Golden-Tail Disciple image 2.0 It is an Enchantment, which is good for the format, and the fact it has lifelink means it is a good creature to modify. Its nothing special, but you’ll play it a fair bit.
Short Circuit image 1.5 This is fairly mediocre. It doesn’t stop enough of what a card can do for it to be that effective as removal. Sure, it has less power and it can’t fly – but it still lets the creature block, it can still have a death trigger, it can still have an activated ability, it can still have a static ability, and heck – it can even still attack, just less effectively! It having Flash does mean sometimes you can set this up so that you can kill an attacking creature with a double block, and when you can do that it will feel alright, but you just won’t always be able to make that happen.
Uncharted Haven image 2.5 Coming into play tapped is definitely a downside, but the ability to name a color is great. I do think the dual lands are slightly better, as they always tap for two colors you probably need, and this will only ever tap for one, but if you need fixing, this is fine.
Island image
Pack 2 Pick 9: Storyweave
Colossal Skyturtle image 3.5 This has three pretty nice modes! If you get it late and cast it as a creature, its big enough that it can close out a game, and Ward 2 provides it a bit of protection. UG is the color pair that has the most channel in it, and the Skyturtle does a pretty good of making tha clear with its two channel abilities – and they are both abilities that do a thing that might let you get back a card with Channel. Even absent that channel synergy, the fact that you can use this to get back any card from your graveyard, or to bounce a permanent is pretty nice. For most stuff with channel, if you chopped the card up, each card individually wouldn’t be that impressive, but because this card basically has three very different modes, the flexibility is well worth it.
Storyweave image 2.0 This is a really interesting design. The +1/+1 counter part of it can be a passable combat trick for sure, although the more powerful mode is assuredly the one where you accelerate your Saga and make a larger Enchantment creature. For pretty much every saga in the set, this will immeidatley make it into a creature with those two extra counters, and doing at Instant speed can let you ambush your opponent. Now, that use won’t always be possible – and as always we have to look at what this card will do on average – but I think it will do something nice with one of these modes often enough that it is at least a decent playable.
Coiling Stalker image 3.0 If you Ninjutsu this in, you end up paying two for a 2/1 that puts a counter somewhere. Note, by the way, that “somewhere” can be on itself, too! Now you obviously also returned a thing to your hand, so it isn’t all upside, but still, it seems like a reasonable deal. And it is the kind of creature that is a pretty real problem if your opponent can’t get blocks in front of it.
Network Disruptor image 3.0 This does enough to be a nice little one drop. Tapping a permanent won’t always matter, but there will be turns where doing that allows you to get a much better attack in. Meanwhile, being a one mana 1/1 Flyer in this set is better than normal anyway – both because of Ninjutsu and the plethora of ways that there are to modify creatures. Its also an artifact, and that’s a nice thing to have too. This seems like a Common that overlaps into tons of different Blue archetypes, and that’s great.
Crackling Emergence image 1.5 This is a neat take on a land animation spell – making it so the land doesn’t die when the creature does is definitely a nice little upgrade, but these types of spells basically always underperform. They are the most impressive in the early game in a lot of ways – but you also don’t want to be hindering the way you develop your board, and by turning a land into a creature, you might be doing just that. It is kind of exciting to think about your opponent trading a real creature for this, but it isn’t as good of a deal as it seems – you’re still just trading 1-for-1.
Mnemonic Sphere image 2.5 This is basically an Artifact-based version of Hieroglyphic Illumination, which was an Instant you could pay 4 for to draw two cards, and it had cycling for one Blue mana. Hard for a card like this to ever be bad, since at worst it replaces itself really efficiently. Then there’s this format artifact synergy and so forth!
Ninja's Kunai image 2.5 You pay a total of 3 mana for Lightning, and that’s not a bad rate in Limited. What’s more is, it also lets you get some synergy – and not only the obvious artifact and Equipment synergy – but also some sacrifice synergy for the RB deck
Pack 2 Pick 10: Searchlight Companion
Prosperous Thief image 3.5 This looks pretty nice. A 3-mana 3/2 that made Treasure when it hit the opponent would already be playable, so adding the Ninjutsu angle, and the fact that it is more generally a Ninja/Rogue payoff, and you have something even nicer!
Searchlight Companion image 3.0 This gives you some reasonable value for the cost, and its also a great card to combine with Ninjas, since it is not only evasive, but it also has an ETB ability, so recasting it will give you another token, and that’s some nice value to get on top of whatever it is you did with Ninjutsu.
Scrapyard Steelbreaker image 2.0 This will slot pretty well into the Black-Red deck, which is mosty about sacrificing artifacts. With enough mana and artifacts in play, this creature becomes a real pain to block.
Kami of Restless Shadows image 1.0 // 3.0 If you aren’t returning a Ninja or Rogue to your hand consistently with this, it is going to be much worse. Putting your best graveyard creature on top of your library is nice, but not nearly as good, because you aren’t actually gaining a card, you’re just doing some card selection, and that’s just a massive step down. Returning a creature to your hand is likely to give you a 2-for-1, while that’s not possible if you’re putting something on top. Obviously, if the creature you put back is a bomb or something you’ll still be pretty happy, but if that’s all this is doing, it probably isn’t worth it, as a 5-mana 3/3 is a pretty bad statline.
Reckoner's Bargain image 2.0 This type of effect tends to do alright, especially in decks with a sacrifice theme – which in this format will mostly mean Black-Red. It is sort of an Instant speed Tormenting Voice, in the sense that you give up two cards to draw two cards – its just that one of them is an artifact or creature in play. Using this in response to a removal spell, or to get rid of something expendable will always feel nice, but there are also situations where you can’t find a spot to use this because you just don’t have the resources to make it worth it. The life gain is a nice addition, but doesn’t power it up a ton.
Dokuchi Shadow-Walker image 2.0 This seems like the kind of Ninja who will only make your deck if you’re really loaded up with payoffs for Ninjas and Ninjutsu. It just isn’t that impressive either way you play it.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Go-Shintai of Ancient Wars
Go-Shintai of Ancient Wars image 3.5 A 3-mana 2/2 with First Strike is already pretty playable, especially in a format with lots of ways to modify creatures, and the fact you get to do some additional damage to the opponent or (more rarely) a planeswalker if you have spare mana lying around is pretty nice. Obviously it gets spicier if you have more Shrines around.
Automated Artificer image 2.0 There are enough artifacts in this set that this will actually be able to ramp your mana reasonably well, and it has some decent stats.
Return to Action image 2.0 Black often gets this kind of trick that returns a creature to the battlefield when it dies these days, and then tend to be alright, although I prefer it when they cost a single Black mana. Still, this one does actually increase your creature’s power, which means you can use it to help you take down the other creature in combat a little more effectively, and it will even gain you some life! Its useful against removal too, of course. But, its still situational enough that I’m not super high on it.
Armguard Familiar image 2.5 This is a very solid playable. A two mana 2/1 with Ward 2 is already pretty close to passable, so adding the Reconfigure upside is really nice. It is a nice little creature early, and in the late game it can lend a much-needed stats boost, as well as a little bit of protection, for a more relevant creature.
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Pack 2 Pick 12: Favor of Jukai
Reito Sentinel image 1.0 Milling doesn’t seem to be a major component of this format for the most part, whether you’re miling yourself or someone else. BG definitely has some graveyard stuff going on, and that’s probably where this will be at its best, but I’m still not overly impressed with a 3-mana 3/3 Defender. The cool thing you can do with it in the extreme late game is start using its ability to draw whatever you want to every single turn, but I’m always skeptical that type of strategy will end up working out in Limited. It doesn’t very often!
Suit Up image 1.5 These types of effects are almost always not worth it – they keep pushing them on us, though! What makes them bad is the fact that you only resize a creature. Making one into a 4/5 for 3 mana is not normally going to be a very good rate, and that’s even if you’re including the ability to turn Vehicles on like this can. You’re going to get a small stats boost in most cases, and that just isn’t worth the risk of getting blown out by removal. They did do one thing here that’s pretty interesting though: They added a cantrip. That certainly makes this better, as at worst you can sort of cycle this for three mana, and if you do manage to resize a creature and win combat you’ll actually feel like you’re doing something – but it still isn’t very good for the same reasons these effects never are: They don’t do enough for their cost and they are also very risky!
Papercraft Decoy image 2.0 This is another card where the trigger only requires it to leave the battlefield, so it getting blinked, or going back to your hand for ninjutsu will also give you the option of paying 2 to draw a card. You won’t always have the mana vailable to do it of course, but I think you’ll have it often enough that this is a pretty solid two drop in most decks.
Favor of Jukai image 2.0 Channeling this will be the better deal most of the time, as the tricks we see that offer that same boost and reach always tend to be pretty playable, but it is nice that you can also use this as a more permanent boost in situations where that’s better.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Spell Pierce
Network Terminal image 2.0 3 mana manarocks, even those that tap for any color, are sometimes a bit clunky in Limited – but the ability that is tacked on here isn’t an irrelevant one – it gives you some very real card selection in the late game, and it does it fairly cheaply. You do of course need another artifact around, but that’s not asking that much. Having this around will sort of feel like you are playing the RB Blood deck from Crimson Vow, and it also fixes your mana, so I think this will make the cut reasonably often – though probably only if you’re splashing a third color.
Spell Pierce image 0.0 We see this reprinted a lot, and while it tends to be a key sideboard card in constructed, it is pretty bad in Limited. Most decks have very few things it can actually counter, and you also have to hope that when they do cast something you can counter you have your one Blue mana up and they can’t pay the 2 additional mana. This just won’t do anything far too often. Even as a sideboard card, I’m not interested.
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Pack 2 Pick 14: Gift of Wrath
Planar Incision image 1.0 This kind of card always seems to underperform. Sure, you can reuse an ETB ability, or save a creature from removal, but those situations aren’t exactly a dime a dozen, and you have to have the mana up at precisely the right time! There are a few cards in the set – like Circuit Mender – that have abilities that trigger when they leave play, and I guess if you end up with a few of those, this starts to get a little more interesting, since you rebuy the leaves play ability as well as the enters the battlefield ability, but I’m still not really convinced.
Gift of Wrath image 2.0 This is the kind of Aura I feel alright about playing. +2/+2 and Menace is a very real stats boost, and the fact that this leaves behind a creature token when the enchanted creature dies is quite nice – and helps mitigate against the risk of getting 2-for-1’d. Now, it is still an Aura, and probably only one that you run in very aggressive decks, but it will be solid there.
Pack 2 Pick 15: Bamboo Grove Archer
Bamboo Grove Archer image 2.5 This is a very nice defensive creature. A two mana 3/3 with Reach will slow the board to a grinding halt in the early game, and the fact that you can use it as a Plummet sometimes is nice upside. It isn’t exactly the kind of card all decks will want, but grinder Green decks will probably be happy to play a few of these – while aggro decks probably aren’t playing it at all.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion
Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion image 4.0 If you can hit your opponent with Nashi just once, you’re probably going to be pretty happy with your investment, as he effectively gives you an extra card that you cast for free. Because he has Ninjutsu, making that hit happen is easier than it might be otherwise. He doesn’t have the greatest stats and he has no evasion beyond Ninjutsu, so getting him in more than once will be hard to do in a lot of games, but he still seems really good.
Asari Captain image 3.0 On its own, on a board with no other creatures, this is a 5-mana 5/3 with Haste. It will often be bigger than that, though, and can do some serious damage out of nowhere – and it of course also offers that bonus to your other lone attackers. But I can’t help feeling like this is a little over costed at 5 mana.
Generous Visitor image 4.0 This looks like a really good one drop. This set has a ton of Enchantments across the board – but especially in Green – so you end up with a one drop that can add a whole lot of +1/+1 counters to the board over the course of a game. And sure, it is quite fragile on its own, but even if you only get a single counter out of it, you’re getting good value – and sometimes this will be capable of just taking over games.
Prosperous Thief image 3.5 This looks pretty nice. A 3-mana 3/2 that made Treasure when it hit the opponent would already be playable, so adding the Ninjutsu angle, and the fact that it is more generally a Ninja/Rogue payoff, and you have something even nicer!
Ironhoof Boar image 2.5 This really reminds me of the Bloodrush Mechanic, which allowed you to pay some mana and discard a creature card for a trick – so, yeah. This isn’t the greatest as a creature or a trick – the small toughness boost does limit the number of combats you can win with the boar’s channel, but it also has the upside of really letting you run over a creature and do a ton of damage. I like the flexibility here.
Master's Rebuke image 3.0 We see versions of this card all the time, and it always ends up being Green premium removal. It allows you to kill a lot of things pretty cheaply, and having a large enough Green creature in play to make it work isn’t that hard. You do have to be a little careful with when you use it, because if they blow up your creature in response it is some really terrible news.
Tamiyo's Compleation image 3.5 This is a more powerful take on this type of removal than we usually get. Usually, the bummer with this type of Blue removal spell is that you simply lock down a creature and it doesn’t untap – you don’t stap activated abilities and static abilities – but you actually do with this, and that’s a massive upgrade. Its nice that it can even turn off Equipment – as sometimes that will be worth doing.
Kaito's Pursuit image 2.0 This trend of them giving us Mind rots that have some other small effect continues! Paying three to make your opponent discard two is usually about a 1.5 It gives you a 2-for-1, but you also don’t add to the board, and it can be a pretty bad top deck in the late game. But, if you’re in a Ninja deck – which will usually mean Blue-Black – the fact this will give Menace to some of your creatures is pretty nice. If you’re in Black in general, you’ll be hard pressed not to end up without at least a few ninjas, so I think you end up playing this a reasonable chunk of the time.
Sunblade Samurai image 3.0 If you have 5 mana, you can cast it as a fairly reasonable body with Vigilance – and if you’re having problem finding mana in the early part of the game, you can Channel it away to find another land. And it even gains you some life! It isn’t that far from being a 5-mana 4/4 with Vigilance that has cycling for 2 mana. Flexibility like this really trumps the fact that neither half of this card would be amazing on its own.
Thundersteel Colossus image 2.0 This is a pretty neat design for an Equipment. It isn’t nearly as discounted as most of them are, but it is also massive and very easy to crew – coming with Trample and Haste generally means it is going to wreck face pretty significantly the turn it comes down, and it’s a big enough threat that your opponent will usually need to find a way to deal with it. I don’t think the most aggressive decks will be remotely interested in this, but as a top-curve win condition for grindier or controlling decks, I could see this pulling some weight.
Unstoppable Ogre image 2.0 The enter the battlefield trigger on the card won’t always do something for you, but there will be a decent number of situations where it allows you to attack more effectively with your board. It can also crew everything which is nice.
The Modern Age image 3.0 So, looting a couple of times is decent card selection, though like with a lot of these, you’re going to kind of wish you were adding to the board right away, instead of having to wait a couple of turns. As is this case with most of these creature-sagas, you get great value for your mana – in this case, a two mana ⅔ Flyer that loots twice – but the trade off is that you have to really wait for it. Still, Chapter I and II are the kinds of things that are at least useful all game long, so this isn’t one where you really need to play it early or you’re going to be disappointed.
Eiganjo Exemplar image 3.0 It counts itself of course, so even without any other samurais around it attacks as a 3/2. One really nice thing is that you can play this, and then on the same turn attack with another Samurai, and +1/+1 is likely to help it attack more effectively.
Futurist Sentinel image 2.0 We have seen a Colorless version of this in the past – I think it was called Irontread Crusher or something – and it was alright, but nothing special. It is pretty reasonably costed both to cast and to crew – it lets you rumble with a much larger creature than you would normally be able to on turn 5!
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Pack 3 Pick 2: Storyweave
Tempered in Solitude image 3.0 This is a great payoff for attacking with a creature alone, something that will of course be well-supported within the RW color pair. Attacking alone basically draws you a card here, so even if you offer up an attack that will be a trade at best, you’re probably still coming out ahead. While it is definitely going to make the most sense in RW, it gives you a pretty good reason to only attack with one creature a turn in most of the Red decks.
When We Were Young image 1.5 This trick has the potential to create some 2-for-1 blow outs, but its also pretty expensive, and we’ve seen similar tricks that always grant key words like lifelink not be all that impressive. I think running one of these in your aggressive White decks with a decent number of artifacts and enchantments is fine, but I can see it getting cut a decent percentage of the time too.
Storyweave image 2.0 This is a really interesting design. The +1/+1 counter part of it can be a passable combat trick for sure, although the more powerful mode is assuredly the one where you accelerate your Saga and make a larger Enchantment creature. For pretty much every saga in the set, this will immeidatley make it into a creature with those two extra counters, and doing at Instant speed can let you ambush your opponent. Now, that use won’t always be possible – and as always we have to look at what this card will do on average – but I think it will do something nice with one of these modes often enough that it is at least a decent playable.
Bearer of Memory image 1.5 This doesn’t have great base stats, and its ability is incredibly costly, and even not that impressive in the extreme late game. This isn’t something you’ll play most of the time.
Clawing Torment image 2.0 This can outright kill X/1s, and takes away the ability of all creatures to block – while also slowly bleeding the opponent out. If you’re in a really aggressive Black deck, I can see playing this, but in situations where you aren’t the beatdown, it isn’t going to be very good. Your opponent just won’t always care about their creature getting a little smaller and being unable to block. It is notable that it is an Enchantment you can keep around on the table for awhile, and you kind of want to because it hurts your opponent – and that goes well in the Black-White deck, which wants an Artifact and Enchantment to be around for its various effects This is probably mostly an aggro deck special.
Guardians of Oboro image 2.0 A 3-mana ¾ with Defender is kind of okay in a more controlling deck, and if you modify this one – or other creatures with Defender – they can attack. That’s kind of cool, though not exactly an incredible payoff. This seems fine.
Virus Beetle image 1.5 Adding to the board and taking something away from your opponents’ hand isn’t a bad play in the early to mid game, though it does get less impressive late. It comes with the Artifact type too, which is a useful thing.
Moonfolk Puzzlemaker image 2.0 This has decent stats and repeatedly Scrying does make your draws better. Its also an artifact for the decks that care about that, and a relatively cheap flyer for Ninjutsu.
Gift of Wrath image 2.0 This is the kind of Aura I feel alright about playing. +2/+2 and Menace is a very real stats boost, and the fact that this leaves behind a creature token when the enchanted creature dies is quite nice – and helps mitigate against the risk of getting 2-for-1’d. Now, it is still an Aura, and probably only one that you run in very aggressive decks, but it will be solid there.
Lucky Offering image 1.5 This is actually passable in your main deck in this format, since there are so many artifacts, and many of them can be blown up by this. It is still narrow enough that I don’t love putting in the main deck.
The Modern Age image 3.0 So, looting a couple of times is decent card selection, though like with a lot of these, you’re going to kind of wish you were adding to the board right away, instead of having to wait a couple of turns. As is this case with most of these creature-sagas, you get great value for your mana – in this case, a two mana ⅔ Flyer that loots twice – but the trade off is that you have to really wait for it. Still, Chapter I and II are the kinds of things that are at least useful all game long, so this isn’t one where you really need to play it early or you’re going to be disappointed.
Dramatist's Puppet image 1.5 There’s a lot of counters in this set, so taking them away from your opponent or adding them to your own things is definitely relevant, but it still won’t always actually be able to do a thing, and when it can’t it will still be a 4-mana 2/4, which is pretty bad.
Thundersteel Colossus image 2.0 This is a pretty neat design for an Equipment. It isn’t nearly as discounted as most of them are, but it is also massive and very easy to crew – coming with Trample and Haste generally means it is going to wreck face pretty significantly the turn it comes down, and it’s a big enough threat that your opponent will usually need to find a way to deal with it. I don’t think the most aggressive decks will be remotely interested in this, but as a top-curve win condition for grindier or controlling decks, I could see this pulling some weight.
Swiftwater Cliffs image 2.5 Like always, these provide some very nice fixing, and its nice to see them at Common, as it will make splashing a third color pretty simple. Fixing is great, even if you aren’t going three colors – a dual land really helps your mana base in a two color deck.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Master's Rebuke
Go-Shintai of Boundless Vigor image 3.5 This looks quite good. On its own, it is a two mana 1/1 Trampler that you can put a counter on every end step for one mana, and that’s definitely a quality card. Even without other Shrines, I don’t imagine you’ll ever cut this from your Green decks.
Selfless Samurai image 4.0 This looks like a very nice Uncommon. A two mana 2/2 with Lifelink would be a solid card, a two mana 2/2 that can sacrifice itself to make something indestructible would be solid too – and this does both of those things plus in most ways it is better than just being a two mana 2/2 with Lifelink, since it can let larger creatures attack on their own and gain that useful keyword. The whole package here is just great: Solid stats, and two nice abilities. I think you can first pick this pretty happily.
Shrine Steward image 1.0 // 2.5 This has some ugly stats, but if your deck has even 2 Shrines and/or Auras, it is probably worth running. While this set does have plenty of Enchantments, it doesn’t have so many Auras and Shrines that you’ll always end up with enough of them to run the Steward.
Master's Rebuke image 3.0 We see versions of this card all the time, and it always ends up being Green premium removal. It allows you to kill a lot of things pretty cheaply, and having a large enough Green creature in play to make it work isn’t that hard. You do have to be a little careful with when you use it, because if they blow up your creature in response it is some really terrible news.
Tales of Master Seshiro image 3.5 Chapter I and II actually give a fairly significant buff. +1/+1 counter + Vigilance for a turn is pretty sweet, because it not only enables a better attack, it allows you to alter how a race is going. Now, sometimes paying 5 for chapter one is going to feel pretty rough – like if getting the counter and vigilance doesn’t do much for you, but at the stage in the game that you play this, it is pretty likely to be useful. Then, you end up with a pretty nice creature – with haste and Vigilance – which will mean it can swing right away, unlike most of these saga-creatures. I think this might be Green’s best Common. It gives you a ton of very real value up front, and then a very nice creature.
Commune with Spirits image 1.0 This is cheap and gives you some decent card selection. But…it also doesn’t really do a whole lot, and cards like that seem to be getting worse and worse in Limited these days. It seems like it will be easy to cut this.
Scrapyard Steelbreaker image 2.0 This will slot pretty well into the Black-Red deck, which is mosty about sacrificing artifacts. With enough mana and artifacts in play, this creature becomes a real pain to block.
Unstoppable Ogre image 2.0 The enter the battlefield trigger on the card won’t always do something for you, but there will be a decent number of situations where it allows you to attack more effectively with your board. It can also crew everything which is nice.
Moonsnare Prototype image 2.0 Without channel, this would be pretty close to unplayable. A one mana mana-rock is kind of exciting, but having to tap both the Prototype and something else to make a colorless mana just isn’t going to be that great in Limited most of the time. It might do something really early, but it is just a dud late. But, this card helps mitigate against that because in the late game you can turn it into a Time Ebb-type effect. Paying 5 for that effect isn’t amazing – and like with a lot of Channel cards neither card individually would be very good, but together? I think this ends up being a reasonable enough playable, albeit one you end up cutting a decent chunk of the time. Modality really improves the card, though.
Chainflail Centipede image 2.0 This is a Gray Ogre who attacks as a 4/2, with some reconfigure upside. I’m not ultra impressed with this as a creature or Equipment you put on something else. I mean, its fine, but I think you end up cutting it more than you’ll play it. It just isn’t very efficient no matter how you use it, and the stats boost is only useful if you’re the attacker.
Imperial Subduer image 2.5 Tapping an opposing creature tends to be a pretty nice effect for aggro decks in Limited, as it can often enable some attacks you didn’t have without the tap. This does have an additional restriction, in that your Warrior or Samurai has to attack alone to do it – but it still seems pretty nice. The Subduer itself is a Warrior, so it triggers its own ability. The Samurai/Warrior deck seems to have other payoffs for attacking with one creature at a time too, so this seems like a solid Common.
Dramatist's Puppet image 1.5 There’s a lot of counters in this set, so taking them away from your opponent or adding them to your own things is definitely relevant, but it still won’t always actually be able to do a thing, and when it can’t it will still be a 4-mana 2/4, which is pretty bad.
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Pack 3 Pick 4: Geothermal Kami
Selfless Samurai image 4.0 This looks like a very nice Uncommon. A two mana 2/2 with Lifelink would be a solid card, a two mana 2/2 that can sacrifice itself to make something indestructible would be solid too – and this does both of those things plus in most ways it is better than just being a two mana 2/2 with Lifelink, since it can let larger creatures attack on their own and gain that useful keyword. The whole package here is just great: Solid stats, and two nice abilities. I think you can first pick this pretty happily.
Hotshot Mechanic image 3.0 So in the early game this has nice efficient stats, and once it can’t attack effectively any more, it can crew stuff. And…it can crew virtually any vehicle in the format, which means it is going to have a late of late-game viability, especially in the UW deck – but most White decks will have enough Vehicles that he will be good late.
Kindled Fury image 1.5 We’ve seen this many times before, and its always a passable trick. +1/+0 and First Strike for one mana isn’t a bad deal since it allows many creatures to win combat – first strike just does a great job of turning a trade into something much better for you.
Dramatist's Puppet image 1.5 There’s a lot of counters in this set, so taking them away from your opponent or adding them to your own things is definitely relevant, but it still won’t always actually be able to do a thing, and when it can’t it will still be a 4-mana 2/4, which is pretty bad.
Seven-Tail Mentor image 2.5 This will immediately add a counter to the board, which can really alter the way your turn goes in your favor, and you get another counter out of it when it dies. Sure, it would be nice if it was like the Armorer from a few sets back and you got both counters right away – but I still think this is a quality card. Having a useful creature type and also “Modifying” creatures gets some extra points too.
Geothermal Kami image 2.0 It is a fine 4-mana 4/3 in a worst-case, but it comes with an effect that can be pretty sweet in some situations. Returning something like a Saga you want to go back to chapter one on, or an Aura you wanted to move anyway – will be particularly nice, and the fact this tacks on 3 life is nice too.
Saiba Trespassers image 2.0 This is a mediocre creature if you cast it that way, but it has the upside of freezing down two opposing creatures, and that’s something that can be pretty nice in the right situation, such as those where your opponent is dead as a result of not being able to block for a couple of turns. That mode is certainly the more powerful one, but it is pretty situational, so the fact it can be a creature if that’s what you really need isn’t too bad.
Reckoner's Bargain image 2.0 This type of effect tends to do alright, especially in decks with a sacrifice theme – which in this format will mostly mean Black-Red. It is sort of an Instant speed Tormenting Voice, in the sense that you give up two cards to draw two cards – its just that one of them is an artifact or creature in play. Using this in response to a removal spell, or to get rid of something expendable will always feel nice, but there are also situations where you can’t find a spot to use this because you just don’t have the resources to make it worth it. The life gain is a nice addition, but doesn’t power it up a ton.
Shrine Steward image 1.0 // 2.5 This has some ugly stats, but if your deck has even 2 Shrines and/or Auras, it is probably worth running. While this set does have plenty of Enchantments, it doesn’t have so many Auras and Shrines that you’ll always end up with enough of them to run the Steward.
Scrapyard Steelbreaker image 2.0 This will slot pretty well into the Black-Red deck, which is mosty about sacrificing artifacts. With enough mana and artifacts in play, this creature becomes a real pain to block.
Light the Way image 1.0 We see cards with two modal effects like this a lot, and they are almost always underwhelming. It seems like you’ll always be able to do something meaningful with one of the modes, but it just doesn’t work out that way all that often. When you can use it as a trick to help your creature win combat, or help a creature dodge removal, or you rebuy an ETB ability it will feel good, but mostly this won’t give you a full card worth of value often enough.
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Pack 3 Pick 5: Rabbit Battery
Norika Yamazaki, the Poet image 3.0 A 3-mana 3/2 with Vigilance is usually reasonable playable, and this one comes with a very nice ability. You won’t always have an Enchantment in your graveyard of course, but there are enough Enchantments in this set that you’ll have them reasonably often, and obviously casting one off of this ability is like drawing a card, and that’s pretty darn powerful. Like with all of these, its great that they designed them so that they can trigger the ability on their own – but you can also use other Samurais/Warriors to trigger the ability if you’ve got them around.
Rabbit Battery image 3.5 This is an aggressively costed one drop. Raging Goblin normally isn’t a great card in Limited, but this version of the card has a very reasonable Reconfigure cost that both buffs and grants haste, in a lot of ways it will feel like you can pay a reasonable kicker cost to buff and give haste to your creatures in the late game, and because Reconfigure is so cheap, the Rabbit Battery can just keep going…and going…and going on to new creatures.
Shrine Steward image 1.0 // 2.5 This has some ugly stats, but if your deck has even 2 Shrines and/or Auras, it is probably worth running. While this set does have plenty of Enchantments, it doesn’t have so many Auras and Shrines that you’ll always end up with enough of them to run the Steward.
Ninja's Kunai image 2.5 You pay a total of 3 mana for Lightning, and that’s not a bad rate in Limited. What’s more is, it also lets you get some synergy – and not only the obvious artifact and Equipment synergy – but also some sacrifice synergy for the RB deck
Spell Pierce image 0.0 We see this reprinted a lot, and while it tends to be a key sideboard card in constructed, it is pretty bad in Limited. Most decks have very few things it can actually counter, and you also have to hope that when they do cast something you can counter you have your one Blue mana up and they can’t pay the 2 additional mana. This just won’t do anything far too often. Even as a sideboard card, I’m not interested.
Commune with Spirits image 1.0 This is cheap and gives you some decent card selection. But…it also doesn’t really do a whole lot, and cards like that seem to be getting worse and worse in Limited these days. It seems like it will be easy to cut this.
Experimental Synthesizer image 2.0 So, up front it effectively draws you a card, and because this only costs one mana, it won’t usually be hard for you to play that card – and, it very nicely allows you to play lands. Now, this does mean playing it really early isn’t going to feel great, because you are less likely to be able to utilize whatever you hit, but starting around turn 4 it starts to be a nice play, and it effectively ends up as a 2-for-1, because you can also get a Samurai out of it. I do think the awkwardness of playing this early definitely hinders it, but I think you’ll end up playing this often enough in Red decks, perhaps the most in RB, which likes sacrificing them. But it also overlaps a bit into other archetypes – UR likes artifacts in general and RW like Samurai, for example.
Imperial Subduer image 2.5 Tapping an opposing creature tends to be a pretty nice effect for aggro decks in Limited, as it can often enable some attacks you didn’t have without the tap. This does have an additional restriction, in that your Warrior or Samurai has to attack alone to do it – but it still seems pretty nice. The Subduer itself is a Warrior, so it triggers its own ability. The Samurai/Warrior deck seems to have other payoffs for attacking with one creature at a time too, so this seems like a solid Common.
Guardians of Oboro image 2.0 A 3-mana ¾ with Defender is kind of okay in a more controlling deck, and if you modify this one – or other creatures with Defender – they can attack. That’s kind of cool, though not exactly an incredible payoff. This seems fine.
Moonsnare Prototype image 2.0 Without channel, this would be pretty close to unplayable. A one mana mana-rock is kind of exciting, but having to tap both the Prototype and something else to make a colorless mana just isn’t going to be that great in Limited most of the time. It might do something really early, but it is just a dud late. But, this card helps mitigate against that because in the late game you can turn it into a Time Ebb-type effect. Paying 5 for that effect isn’t amazing – and like with a lot of Channel cards neither card individually would be very good, but together? I think this ends up being a reasonable enough playable, albeit one you end up cutting a decent chunk of the time. Modality really improves the card, though.
Dismal Backwater image 2.5 Like always, these provide some very nice fixing, and its nice to see them at Common, as it will make splashing a third color pretty simple. Fixing is great, even if you aren’t going three colors – a dual land really helps your mana base in a two color deck.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Fang of Shigeki
Blade-Blizzard Kitsune image 3.5 3-mana for a 2/2 Double Striker is actually a great rate, and I kind of think that would probably be a 3.0 in any format. Its just a creature that can punch above its weight class really well, easily take down other cards that are two and three mana, and it hits hard, and it is both a good blocker and attacker. This set has plenty of Auras, +1/+1 counters, and Equipment, all of which go really well with the Kitsune. The Ninjutsu here is some nice additional upside, as sometimes maybe you want to sneak in 4 damage for lethal, or there is some other benefit to casting it that way, but I think you’ll more frequently just cast this for three mana and Ninjutsu it – so, I don’t actually think the Ninja angle here is huge upside.
Futurist Operative image 2.5 This has a pretty neat design! It is a 4-mana ¾ when untapped, and an unblockable 1/1 when tapped. Coming with the ability to untap is pretty nice too! Even if we’re just talking about the Agent, you can choose to untap it after your opponent doesn’t block, which means they take 3 now, and you have a ¾ blocker during their turn. One of the big applications of this card, though, will be setting up your Ninjutsu. It does cost 4, which is certainly pricy to recast, but the fact that you know this will get past blockers means you can really find a nice way to utilize ninjutsu with it. Now, there are some downsides too – if you don’t plan on untapping it, it is incredibly vulnerable, dying to virtually everything in the set. It also only attacks for one, which is pretty dismal for a 4 drop.
Akki War Paint image 1.0 Getting an Enchanted creature destroyed is a pretty good way to lose a game because you get 2-for-1’d. Nice Auras tend to do something to offset that risk, and this doesn’t. This does give a pretty nice boost for the cost, and the set has payoffs for "modified" things, but I still have a hard time getting behind this.
Thundersteel Colossus image 2.0 This is a pretty neat design for an Equipment. It isn’t nearly as discounted as most of them are, but it is also massive and very easy to crew – coming with Trample and Haste generally means it is going to wreck face pretty significantly the turn it comes down, and it’s a big enough threat that your opponent will usually need to find a way to deal with it. I don’t think the most aggressive decks will be remotely interested in this, but as a top-curve win condition for grindier or controlling decks, I could see this pulling some weight.
Network Terminal image 2.0 3 mana manarocks, even those that tap for any color, are sometimes a bit clunky in Limited – but the ability that is tacked on here isn’t an irrelevant one – it gives you some very real card selection in the late game, and it does it fairly cheaply. You do of course need another artifact around, but that’s not asking that much. Having this around will sort of feel like you are playing the RB Blood deck from Crimson Vow, and it also fixes your mana, so I think this will make the cut reasonably often – though probably only if you’re splashing a third color.
Fang of Shigeki image 2.5 One mana 1/1s with Deathtouch are always playable, mostly because they have the ability to trade up with just about anything. This one also comes with Enchantment and Ninja upside, though in Green probably only the former matters. Still, you probably won’t ever cut the first few copies of these from your Green decks.
Dragonfly Suit image 2.5 This isn’t the best rate for a vehicle, but it is easy to crew and evasive, so I can see plenty of board states where its getting in through the air.
Moonsnare Prototype image 2.0 Without channel, this would be pretty close to unplayable. A one mana mana-rock is kind of exciting, but having to tap both the Prototype and something else to make a colorless mana just isn’t going to be that great in Limited most of the time. It might do something really early, but it is just a dud late. But, this card helps mitigate against that because in the late game you can turn it into a Time Ebb-type effect. Paying 5 for that effect isn’t amazing – and like with a lot of Channel cards neither card individually would be very good, but together? I think this ends up being a reasonable enough playable, albeit one you end up cutting a decent chunk of the time. Modality really improves the card, though.
Ironhoof Boar image 2.5 This really reminds me of the Bloodrush Mechanic, which allowed you to pay some mana and discard a creature card for a trick – so, yeah. This isn’t the greatest as a creature or a trick – the small toughness boost does limit the number of combats you can win with the boar’s channel, but it also has the upside of really letting you run over a creature and do a ton of damage. I like the flexibility here.
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Pack 3 Pick 7: Jukai Preserver
Reito Sentinel image 1.0 Milling doesn’t seem to be a major component of this format for the most part, whether you’re miling yourself or someone else. BG definitely has some graveyard stuff going on, and that’s probably where this will be at its best, but I’m still not overly impressed with a 3-mana 3/3 Defender. The cool thing you can do with it in the extreme late game is start using its ability to draw whatever you want to every single turn, but I’m always skeptical that type of strategy will end up working out in Limited. It doesn’t very often!
Jukai Preserver image 3.0 At worst, this is a 4-mana 4/4, and its much better than that because it allows you to put counters wherever you want. The Channel part of the card is nice too, because sometimes utilizing this more like a trick, or spreading around the modifications is just better anyway. It slots nicely into the RG Modification deck, as well as Green-White Enchantments.
Scrapyard Steelbreaker image 2.0 This will slot pretty well into the Black-Red deck, which is mosty about sacrificing artifacts. With enough mana and artifacts in play, this creature becomes a real pain to block.
Lethal Exploit image 3.0 Two mana for -2/-2 at Instant speed isn’t exactly premium, though it can kill a lot of stuff. And you can even use it combined with a block to take something down – though that’s always a little risky. That said, I think you’ll be able to do -3/-3 with this often enough that it sneaks into the lower B range. If it was always -3/-3 it would be a 3.5. And sometimes this will be even more than -3/-3 – though I think we have to accept the wide range of outcomes with this, and the fact that -2/-2 is probably going to happen a lot.
Network Terminal image 2.0 3 mana manarocks, even those that tap for any color, are sometimes a bit clunky in Limited – but the ability that is tacked on here isn’t an irrelevant one – it gives you some very real card selection in the late game, and it does it fairly cheaply. You do of course need another artifact around, but that’s not asking that much. Having this around will sort of feel like you are playing the RB Blood deck from Crimson Vow, and it also fixes your mana, so I think this will make the cut reasonably often – though probably only if you’re splashing a third color.
Ancestral Katana image 3.0 This reminds me a bit of Pirate’s Cutlass, a card that really overperformed in its Limited format. Now, this isn’t colorless, and it doesn’t equip for free – and it equipping at a discount is also more conditional for sure – but I think this will still be a really nice Common. If you’re just Equipping this the old fashioned way it won’t be great, but if you have Warriors and Samurai around, the fact that this can just keep moving on to your best attacker for only one mana is going to feel pretty good, and it doesn’t hurt that it can still be Equipped the normal way when that works out for you. Plus, Equipment have some additional upside in this format.
Spell Pierce image 0.0 We see this reprinted a lot, and while it tends to be a key sideboard card in constructed, it is pretty bad in Limited. Most decks have very few things it can actually counter, and you also have to hope that when they do cast something you can counter you have your one Blue mana up and they can’t pay the 2 additional mana. This just won’t do anything far too often. Even as a sideboard card, I’m not interested.
Uncharted Haven image 2.5 Coming into play tapped is definitely a downside, but the ability to name a color is great. I do think the dual lands are slightly better, as they always tap for two colors you probably need, and this will only ever tap for one, but if you need fixing, this is fine.
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Pack 3 Pick 8: Azusa's Many Journeys
Azusa's Many Journeys image 2.5 This isn’t that exciting past the early game. You probably won’t be able to play the extra land if you don’t play it on turn two or three. Gaining 3 life doesn’t hurt, and might help you get to the point where this becomes a creature, but I’m not super impressed with the creature in the later game either. That said, in the early game, this has a decent shot at ramping you and then giving you a nice creature for the board a couple of turns later. So yeah, this is a card where the effectiveness will vary wildly depending on what part of the game it is. Early it will be very nice, in the mid-to-late game it won’t be very impressive.
Voltage Surge image 3.0 One mana to do two to a creature is usually pretty close to premium removal – you will be able to pay one mana to kill many creatures that cost more! This having the additional “sacrifice an artifact” option to upgrade it to doing 4 damage is definitely enough for it to be premium, as doing 4 for one mana is a really good deal, though you may not always have an expendable artifact to give up.
Kindled Fury image 1.5 We’ve seen this many times before, and its always a passable trick. +1/+0 and First Strike for one mana isn’t a bad deal since it allows many creatures to win combat – first strike just does a great job of turning a trade into something much better for you.
Favor of Jukai image 2.0 Channeling this will be the better deal most of the time, as the tricks we see that offer that same boost and reach always tend to be pretty playable, but it is nice that you can also use this as a more permanent boost in situations where that’s better.
Bearer of Memory image 1.5 This doesn’t have great base stats, and its ability is incredibly costly, and even not that impressive in the extreme late game. This isn’t something you’ll play most of the time.
Season of Renewal image 1.0 // 2.5 You need to be getting both a creature and an enchantment back when you use this, or you aren’t going to be getting enough for your investment. While Enchantments are pretty plentiful in this set, especially in Green, I do think this needs a build around.
Futurist Sentinel image 2.0 We have seen a Colorless version of this in the past – I think it was called Irontread Crusher or something – and it was alright, but nothing special. It is pretty reasonably costed both to cast and to crew – it lets you rumble with a much larger creature than you would normally be able to on turn 5!
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Pack 3 Pick 9: Master's Rebuke
Master's Rebuke image 3.0 We see versions of this card all the time, and it always ends up being Green premium removal. It allows you to kill a lot of things pretty cheaply, and having a large enough Green creature in play to make it work isn’t that hard. You do have to be a little careful with when you use it, because if they blow up your creature in response it is some really terrible news.
Kaito's Pursuit image 2.0 This trend of them giving us Mind rots that have some other small effect continues! Paying three to make your opponent discard two is usually about a 1.5 It gives you a 2-for-1, but you also don’t add to the board, and it can be a pretty bad top deck in the late game. But, if you’re in a Ninja deck – which will usually mean Blue-Black – the fact this will give Menace to some of your creatures is pretty nice. If you’re in Black in general, you’ll be hard pressed not to end up without at least a few ninjas, so I think you end up playing this a reasonable chunk of the time.
Sunblade Samurai image 3.0 If you have 5 mana, you can cast it as a fairly reasonable body with Vigilance – and if you’re having problem finding mana in the early part of the game, you can Channel it away to find another land. And it even gains you some life! It isn’t that far from being a 5-mana 4/4 with Vigilance that has cycling for 2 mana. Flexibility like this really trumps the fact that neither half of this card would be amazing on its own.
Thundersteel Colossus image 2.0 This is a pretty neat design for an Equipment. It isn’t nearly as discounted as most of them are, but it is also massive and very easy to crew – coming with Trample and Haste generally means it is going to wreck face pretty significantly the turn it comes down, and it’s a big enough threat that your opponent will usually need to find a way to deal with it. I don’t think the most aggressive decks will be remotely interested in this, but as a top-curve win condition for grindier or controlling decks, I could see this pulling some weight.
Unstoppable Ogre image 2.0 The enter the battlefield trigger on the card won’t always do something for you, but there will be a decent number of situations where it allows you to attack more effectively with your board. It can also crew everything which is nice.
Futurist Sentinel image 2.0 We have seen a Colorless version of this in the past – I think it was called Irontread Crusher or something – and it was alright, but nothing special. It is pretty reasonably costed both to cast and to crew – it lets you rumble with a much larger creature than you would normally be able to on turn 5!
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Pack 3 Pick 10: Dramatist's Puppet
Bearer of Memory image 1.5 This doesn’t have great base stats, and its ability is incredibly costly, and even not that impressive in the extreme late game. This isn’t something you’ll play most of the time.
Guardians of Oboro image 2.0 A 3-mana ¾ with Defender is kind of okay in a more controlling deck, and if you modify this one – or other creatures with Defender – they can attack. That’s kind of cool, though not exactly an incredible payoff. This seems fine.
Gift of Wrath image 2.0 This is the kind of Aura I feel alright about playing. +2/+2 and Menace is a very real stats boost, and the fact that this leaves behind a creature token when the enchanted creature dies is quite nice – and helps mitigate against the risk of getting 2-for-1’d. Now, it is still an Aura, and probably only one that you run in very aggressive decks, but it will be solid there.
Lucky Offering image 1.5 This is actually passable in your main deck in this format, since there are so many artifacts, and many of them can be blown up by this. It is still narrow enough that I don’t love putting in the main deck.
Dramatist's Puppet image 1.5 There’s a lot of counters in this set, so taking them away from your opponent or adding them to your own things is definitely relevant, but it still won’t always actually be able to do a thing, and when it can’t it will still be a 4-mana 2/4, which is pretty bad.
Thundersteel Colossus image 2.0 This is a pretty neat design for an Equipment. It isn’t nearly as discounted as most of them are, but it is also massive and very easy to crew – coming with Trample and Haste generally means it is going to wreck face pretty significantly the turn it comes down, and it’s a big enough threat that your opponent will usually need to find a way to deal with it. I don’t think the most aggressive decks will be remotely interested in this, but as a top-curve win condition for grindier or controlling decks, I could see this pulling some weight.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Dramatist's Puppet
Commune with Spirits image 1.0 This is cheap and gives you some decent card selection. But…it also doesn’t really do a whole lot, and cards like that seem to be getting worse and worse in Limited these days. It seems like it will be easy to cut this.
Scrapyard Steelbreaker image 2.0 This will slot pretty well into the Black-Red deck, which is mosty about sacrificing artifacts. With enough mana and artifacts in play, this creature becomes a real pain to block.
Unstoppable Ogre image 2.0 The enter the battlefield trigger on the card won’t always do something for you, but there will be a decent number of situations where it allows you to attack more effectively with your board. It can also crew everything which is nice.
Dramatist's Puppet image 1.5 There’s a lot of counters in this set, so taking them away from your opponent or adding them to your own things is definitely relevant, but it still won’t always actually be able to do a thing, and when it can’t it will still be a 4-mana 2/4, which is pretty bad.
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Pack 3 Pick 12: Kindled Fury
Hotshot Mechanic image 3.0 So in the early game this has nice efficient stats, and once it can’t attack effectively any more, it can crew stuff. And…it can crew virtually any vehicle in the format, which means it is going to have a late of late-game viability, especially in the UW deck – but most White decks will have enough Vehicles that he will be good late.
Kindled Fury image 1.5 We’ve seen this many times before, and its always a passable trick. +1/+0 and First Strike for one mana isn’t a bad deal since it allows many creatures to win combat – first strike just does a great job of turning a trade into something much better for you.
Light the Way image 1.0 We see cards with two modal effects like this a lot, and they are almost always underwhelming. It seems like you’ll always be able to do something meaningful with one of the modes, but it just doesn’t work out that way all that often. When you can use it as a trick to help your creature win combat, or help a creature dodge removal, or you rebuy an ETB ability it will feel good, but mostly this won’t give you a full card worth of value often enough.
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Pack 3 Pick 13: Commune with Spirits
Spell Pierce image 0.0 We see this reprinted a lot, and while it tends to be a key sideboard card in constructed, it is pretty bad in Limited. Most decks have very few things it can actually counter, and you also have to hope that when they do cast something you can counter you have your one Blue mana up and they can’t pay the 2 additional mana. This just won’t do anything far too often. Even as a sideboard card, I’m not interested.
Commune with Spirits image 1.0 This is cheap and gives you some decent card selection. But…it also doesn’t really do a whole lot, and cards like that seem to be getting worse and worse in Limited these days. It seems like it will be easy to cut this.
Experimental Synthesizer image 2.0 So, up front it effectively draws you a card, and because this only costs one mana, it won’t usually be hard for you to play that card – and, it very nicely allows you to play lands. Now, this does mean playing it really early isn’t going to feel great, because you are less likely to be able to utilize whatever you hit, but starting around turn 4 it starts to be a nice play, and it effectively ends up as a 2-for-1, because you can also get a Samurai out of it. I do think the awkwardness of playing this early definitely hinders it, but I think you’ll end up playing this often enough in Red decks, perhaps the most in RB, which likes sacrificing them. But it also overlaps a bit into other archetypes – UR likes artifacts in general and RW like Samurai, for example.
Pack 3 Pick 14: Akki War Paint
Akki War Paint image 1.0 Getting an Enchanted creature destroyed is a pretty good way to lose a game because you get 2-for-1’d. Nice Auras tend to do something to offset that risk, and this doesn’t. This does give a pretty nice boost for the cost, and the set has payoffs for "modified" things, but I still have a hard time getting behind this.
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Pack 3 Pick 15: Plains
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Draft Pick Overview