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Quick Draft THB 03.mars 2021

3 March 10:21 - wittekip 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Creature (16)
1 Hateful Eidolon image
1 Witness of Tomorrows image
2 Lampad of Death's Vigil image
1 Blight-Breath Catoblepas image
1 Nyxborn Marauder image
2 Soulreaper of Mogis image
1 Discordant Piper image
1 Atris, Oracle of Half-Truths image
1 Tymaret, Chosen from Death image
1 Shimmerwing Chimera image
1 Vexing Gull image
1 Eidolon of Philosophy image
1 Scavenging Harpy image
1 Pharika's Spawn image
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (8)
2 Mire's Grasp image
3 Final Death image
1 Mogis's Favor image
1 Shadowspear image
1 Aspect of Lamprey image
Land (16)
9 Swamp image
7 Island image
Sideboard
1 Daybreak Chimera image
1 Lagonna-Band Storyteller image
1 Soulreaper of Mogis image
1 Stinging Lionfish image
1 Temple Thief image
1 Moss Viper image
1 Sage of Mysteries image
1 Rage-Scarred Berserker image
1 Scavenging Harpy image
1 Iroas's Blessing image
2 Minion's Return image
1 Aspect of Lamprey image
1 Wrap in Flames image
1 Thrill of Possibility image
1 Relentless Pursuit image
1 Warbriar Blessing image
1 Unknown Shores image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Daybreak Chimera
Temple of Malice image 3.0 These give great fixing while also improving your draw a little bit. That makes it well worth the fact it comes into play tapped.
Hydra's Growth image 1.5 This comes with all the downside of Auras – it can lead to card disadvantage from those 2-for-1s and so forth, and the initial boost it gives for three mana is not worth that risk. A single +1/+1 counter just isn’t enough – and I don’t think two is enough either to offset the risk. This means there are two turns where your investment looks ugly, which gives your opponent extra time to get rid of this before you’ve gotten a reasonable amount of value out of it. Once it has added 4 counters you’re probably getting there, but that just takes so long.
Reverent Hoplite image 2.5 So the fail case here is a 5-mana ½ that makes a 1/1. So, what does your devotion need to be for this to stop being unplayable? 2 devotion still won’t feel so good, but it is probably passable. I think at 3, where you are getting ⅘ worth of power spread across 4 bodies for 5 mana, you feel like you’re doing alright and obviously the ceiling here can go even higher. It does bother me that the fail case here is so bad -- the best Devotion cards are the ones where the fail case is semi-reasonable, but that isn’t what we have here. Still, if your deck has a decent amount of White in it, this will be better than the fail case most of the time, especially because you play it so late.
One with the Stars image 2.5 This is a pretty clunky removal spell, but it is nice that it can shut down most creatures – for the most part. Abilities will still stick around, but it at least makes a creature unable to attack or block, and those are the key things in most Limited games anyway.
Irreverent Revelers image 0.5 There aren’t really enough Artifacts in this set for this to be worth it in your main deck. If you go up against someone with a few targets though, this can become a 2-for-1.
Hyrax Tower Scout image 1.5 This has solid stats, and its ETB ability will occasionally do something, though not usually anything especially meaningful.
Soulreaper of Mogis image 2.0 This has decent stats and an okay mana sink ability. The ability does feel pretty clunky, especially when there are cheaper sacrifice outlets around, like the Lampad.
Karametra's Blessing image 1.5 This is a decent trick with nice Enchantment upside – it IS still a trick though, and you’ll only play it in the most aggressive of decks.
Starlit Mantle image 2.0 The flexibility of this to feel like a combat trick that sticks around OR a counterspell against removal is pretty nice, especially in a set loaded with Enchantment payoffs.
Moss Viper image 2.5 One-mana 1/1 Deathtouchers are always solid playables, they can trade with anything, which is especially appealing for a card that only costs one mana.
Daybreak Chimera image 3.0 This isn’t great if you have 0 devotion to White, but all you need is one devotion for this to become a 4-mana 3/3 Flyer, which is a great deal in Limited, and sometimes it will only cost three!
Thrill of Possibility image 2.0 This gives you some nice card selection, loads your graveyard, and provides an instant speed effect for the UR deck, so it fits into most decks in this format reasonably well.
Final Flare image 1.5 There aren’t many formats where removal spells that involve you sacrificing a creature end up working out in Limited, and this isn’t one of them, even with a fairly legit sacrifice deck around.
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This is always nice in every format we see it in. It gives you serious fixing, and if your curve is low enough you can count it as a land in your deck, allowing you to play more meaningful cards.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Mire's Grasp
Stinging Lionfish image 2.0 Tapping down an opponent’s creature isn’t terrible, as it can both allow you to avoid an attack from your opponent’s best creature, and allow you to have better attacks on your turn. That said, the payoff here isn’t ultra impressive. UR is definitely going to be interested in having a bunch of Instants and cards with Flash, but I don’t think this will be one of the cards you really desperately want for that deck to work -- but it will be a solid roleplayer.
Anax, Hardened in the Forge image 4.0 At worst, he is a 3-mana 2/3 with a powerful ability who churns out creature tokens when stuff dies. Now, the fact that those creature tokens can’t block is no small thing – part of the value of creature tokens in a lot of games is that they can provide chump blockers, and these can’t do that – they are all about attacking. So yes, that is definitely a downgrade, but still – you’re getting creature tokens when stuff dies, and that’s nice value. Plus, he also likes it when extra big creatures die, and he can make two tokens. It is nice too that this ability includes himself, so it basically impossible for your opponent to straight up trade with Anax – he can even potentially get his power up to 4, in which case he would make two tokens! I think that Anax brings a lot of power for an uncommon, especially as a three drop.
Commanding Presence image 3.0 This set has lots of good Auras in it, and this is one of them. This is expensive, but the stats boost it offers is big enough that it completely alters your game plan, and once you start getting tokens out of it you’ll be far ahead of your opponent.
Inspire Awe image 0.0 Fogs are unplayable in Limited 99% of the time. You use up a card for no real effect. This is not the 1% where that’s not true.
Mire's Grasp image 3.5 This is premium removal. Two mana for -3/-3 is a good deal, and while I would probably prefer it to be an Instant rather than an Enchantment, the fact that you can only cast it at Sorcery speed is made up for, at least a little bit, by having the useful Enchantment type.
Naiad of Hidden Coves image 2.5 Reducing the cost of your instants and cards with Flash is pretty nice – as it will enable you to trigger your other payoffs more easily, and cast more powerful spells sooner. The fact that this also comes with a semi-reasonable body is nice too – they could easily have printed this as a 2/2 and it still would have been decent, so I’m pretty happy with 2/3 here.
Indomitable Will image 1.5 This is basically a combat trick that sticks around, and if you can use it to kill an opponent’s creature and keep yours alive, you are out of 2-for-1 territory. Now, it is still risky -- your opponent can kill your creature in response and then you’re the one getting 2-for-1’d -- but if you play this wisely, it seems like it is a reasonable inclusion in a creature-based deck.
Moss Viper image 2.5 One-mana 1/1 Deathtouchers are always solid playables, they can trade with anything, which is especially appealing for a card that only costs one mana.
Wings of Hubris image 1.5 Granting flying to things is always a reasonable thing to do with Equipment, and the additional upside here of making the equipped creature unblockable doesn’t hurt, though you probably only do that if you can do lethal.
Omen of the Forge image 3.0 Two mana to do two to anything at Instant speed is usually a solid card, if not premium removal. Adding some scry to the later game doesn’t hurt either. Then this gets a little bonus for both being an Enchantment, and a card with Flash -- since there are decks in this format interested in both things. This is cheap enough too, that killing 3 and 4 mana creatures who have two toughness with it will happen a decent chunk of the time. Sometimes you’ll break even on it, but I think you’ll trade up enough that this will feel really good.
Nyxborn Brute image 0.5 This is a big dumb creature who can die to almost all the removal in the set despite costing 5 mana. I think most of the time you won't be playing him.
Wrap in Flames image 1.5 This is alright in aggro decks, as it can let you close out a game, but it is still highly situational – it doesn’t tend to do much unless you have lethal.
Grim Physician image 1.0 This can trade for X/2s, or threaten a 2-for-1 against two X/1s. It isn’t a terrible thing to sacrifice. But you mostly won’t play it.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Iroas's Blessing
The Birth of Meletis image 2.5 This might seem like it does 3 kind of minor things -- but I think it is a pretty reasonable inclusion in White decks in this format. Searching up a Plains gurantees you will hit your 3rd land drop, a 0/4 defender is unexciting, but it does add something to the board, and 2 life is unexciting too. But, if you look at this with all the parts together, it is basically Wall of Omens that gains you 2 life, for the same mana cost, and that’s something I want to play, especially in less aggressive White decks.
Threnody Singer image 3.0 This can often lower an attacking creature’s power by a significant amount, and its arrival on the board increases the chances you will have of setting up a block that kills whatever it is you decided to weaken. It really isn’t that hard to find a way to make Threnody Singer and the rest of your board kill a creature, and even when you don’t, you are getting a reasonable creature.
The Triumph of Anax image 1.0 first three chapters help make it so your creatures can attack harder and give them trample, and if you play this on turn 3 and your opponent has an empty board you can start doing a ton of damage. But, that’s the kind of ability that normally won’t scale very well as the game goes on -- sure, if you have creatures who are challenging to block it gets more interesting, but the boost to only power and Trample just isn’t something I’m that interested in. I feel like most aggro decks would rather just play a 3-mana creature than this. Now, the fourth chapter of this Saga is the most interesting one, since it gives you a fight effect -- but the fact your opponent KNOWS it is coming, means they can play around it to some extent -- it just takes so long for you to get to chapter 4 too.
Transcendent Envoy image 2.5 There are lots of playable Auras in this set, and the Envoy makes them cheaper, and also happens to be a really good place to stick those Auras thanks to Flying.
Chain to Memory image 1.0 Adding Scry 2 to this effect does make it more appealing than some variants of this we’ve seen before, but overall these types of power-reduction effects are too situational, and difficult to get a full card of value out of.
Temple Thief image 2.0 This is a Bear that is sometimes unblockable, but not really often enough to be that great.
Stampede Rider image 3.0 This is a great Common payoff for the 4-power deck, as it often will be a ¾, and in a set with lots of Auras, trample is pretty nice! Note by the way that it counts itself when looking for 4 power, so if you have suited him up with an Aura that allows him to have 4-power, it will still get the boost.
Inspire Awe image 0.0 Fogs are unplayable in Limited 99% of the time. You use up a card for no real effect. This is not the 1% where that’s not true.
Warbriar Blessing image 3.5 This gives a large enough boost to toughness that this enables a number of creatures to fight and survive than would have been able to without it. This often feels like a removal spell that leaves behind a permanent stats boost for one of your creatures, and that tends to feel pretty good – though it does have the usual downsides that Fight spells do – if you’re not careful, you might get 2-for-1’d.
Starlit Mantle image 2.0 The flexibility of this to feel like a combat trick that sticks around OR a counterspell against removal is pretty nice, especially in a set loaded with Enchantment payoffs.
Iroas's Blessing image 3.5 This is a removal spell that also gives one of your creatures a stats boost, and that’s pretty nice. It isn’t the most efficient at removing things, but it is nice that it actually impacts your side of the board too, even if +1/+1 isn’t always going to be a major thing.
Setessan Skirmisher image 2.5 This is a two-drop that is often a 4/3, and that’s not too shabby. It is an especially good place to stick an Aura, as the boost it will get on the turn you play it will be awesome.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Lagonna-Band Storyteller
Dawn Evangel image 2.5 The Evangel also helps you avoid the dreaded 2-for-1, since if one of your creatures with an Aura gets killed, you get something back that puts you and your opponent at parity in terms of cards. One kind of weird thing to note about this card, is it doesn’t matter whose creature with an Aura dies, either way, you get the opportunity to put a small creature back into your hand. All that said, I feel like there is a considerable chunk of the time where this is just a 3-mana 2/3.
Devourer of Memory image 3.5 As a two mana 2/1, it doesn’t do so well on the vanilla test, but this set is loaded up with self-mill cards, especially in Blue and Black, and that will make it a 3/2 unblockable on your turn a lot of the time, especially because it comes with a built-in way to start milling yourself, which is not a bad place to sink mana in the later part of the game. The Devourer can represent some serious inevitability, and I am definitely interested in that.
Lagonna-Band Storyteller image 2.5 This ETB trigger is pretty nice! There are lots of good Enchantments in this set, including Sagas which throw themselves in the graveyard, so getting something back with the Storyteller isn’t that hard to set up. People often overrate how good putting something on top of your library is – keep in mind that it is just card selection, and not card advantage. That doesn’t make the Storyteller bad, just not as good as some might think.
Underworld Rage-Hound image 3.0 This is a key common for Red aggro decks in this format. It has reasonably aggressive stats and doesn’t tend to stay dead, and can really represent inevitability.
Bronze Sword image 1.0 1 to play and 3 to equip is too much for this stats boost in most cases.
Nyxborn Marauder image 1.5 This is an Enchantment that has alright stats and contributes to your devotion. You’ll play it sometimes.
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Nylea's Forerunner image 2.5 This is a solid creature that is especially good in the 4-power deck, as giving Trample to everybody is likely to have an immediate impact in a deck with enough larger creatures, and of course the Forerunner packs more than 4 power itself!
Loathsome Chimera image 3.0 Another nice Escape creature, the Chimera offers the ability to trade as a result of its high power, and then it can just keep coming back and threatening the opponent as a 5/2.
Moss Viper image 2.5 One-mana 1/1 Deathtouchers are always solid playables, they can trade with anything, which is especially appealing for a card that only costs one mana.
Skophos Warleader image 2.0 This is another cheap sacrifice outlet, which works quite well in the BR deck. It is pretty inefficient other than that, though.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Lampad of Death's Vigil
Dreamshaper Shaman image 1.0 So, as usual, let’s start with the stats – 6 mana 5/4 is not good. But of course, this guy has a huge block of text, which allows you to sacrifice a permanent at each of your end steps, and then it does a typical Red chaotic thing – you get to put the top nonland card in your library on to the battlefield. Note, by the way, that he can sacrifice himself to the effect – that might come up in some scenarios. Anyway, how good is this type of effect? I don’t love it, mostly because of how random it is. Sure, you could get something awesome – but if you sacrifice a creature and pay 3 mana and get like, a medium Common, that’s not going to feel too good. Remember, when thinking about whether or not you’re getting a discount on getting something into play, you should be adding the CMC of the permanent you sacrifice and the 3 mana – and that just means it will be hard to make this work. Now, there are times when it could – namely, if your deck can make creature tokens, or if it has creatures that have nice abilities that trigger when they die, or even creatures with Escape. But still, I think it will be very difficult to come out ahead with this thing.
Enemy of Enlightenment image 1.5 It is tempting to look at this as a potential finisher in your deck, but it is harder to consistently have it be a threatening presence than you might think, and you also have to contend with the symmetrical discard, which narrows the window in which you can play it. That said, it can be a finisher, but it isn’t a great one.
Thundering Chariot image 2.5 This is pretty easy to crew, but not that easy to cast. It is a pretty good creature though when you can crew it.
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Aspect of Manticore image 2.0 This is another Aura that feels like a combat trick that leaves some value behind, and the boost it often gives is well worth it in aggro decks. Still risky of course, so keep that in mind.
Wrap in Flames image 1.5 This is alright in aggro decks, as it can let you close out a game, but it is still highly situational – it doesn’t tend to do much unless you have lethal.
Rumbling Sentry image 1.5 This has good defensive stats, you’ll play it in more controlling decks.
Lampad of Death's Vigil image 3 This ended up being a key card in this format. Its cheap sacrifice effect made sacrifice decks a lot better than they would otherwise have been, and the fact it drains life often allows you to get to lethal a full turn or more before you would have had it otherwise.
Altar of the Pantheon image 1.5 Devotion is a much smaller theme in Theros this time around, but there are a few cards that care about it. This also fixes and ramps for you, which some decks will want, and it will even gain you life on occasion, which doesn’t hurt!
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This is always nice in every format we see it in. It gives you serious fixing, and if your curve is low enough you can count it as a land in your deck, allowing you to play more meaningful cards.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Discordant Piper
Phalanx Tactics image 2.0 This is the kind of trick that can really produce a blowout when things line up correctly! Pumping multiple creatures with one trick can be really strong, and this is especially good if you’re going fairly wide.
Hero of the Winds image 2.0 So, a 4-mana ¼ with flying is not a playable card most of the time, but this comes with significant upside -- however, for that upside to really be obtained, you need two things: a deck that can go wide, and a deck with lots of cards that target your creatures -- this, of course, includes Auras. And while those things will happen in enough White decks, I don’t think the set up or the payoff here is so good that you take it all that early.
Temple Thief image 2.0 This is a Bear that is sometimes unblockable, but not really often enough to be that great.
Discordant Piper image 2.5 This starts as a two-mana 2/1, which is fine, and making an additional body is always a nice upgrade, even if the body is as irrelevant as a 0/1 goat. That is still a useful resource – either because you can use it to chump block, or maybe you can sacrifice it to something for value.
Thrill of Possibility image 2.0 This gives you some nice card selection, loads your graveyard, and provides an instant speed effect for the UR deck, so it fits into most decks in this format reasonably well.
Altar of the Pantheon image 1.5 Devotion is a much smaller theme in Theros this time around, but there are a few cards that care about it. This also fixes and ramps for you, which some decks will want, and it will even gain you life on occasion, which doesn’t hurt!
Plummet image 0.5 This is mostly a sideboard card, but one you end up bringing a significant chunk of the time, provided you see a few flyers in game one.
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This is always nice in every format we see it in. It gives you serious fixing, and if your curve is low enough you can count it as a land in your deck, allowing you to play more meaningful cards.
Triton Waverider image 2.0 It is tempting to look at this as a 4-mana 3/3 Flyer, and it isn’t that hard to trigger Constellation, but the key is triggering it consistently, and at a time when a 3/3 Flyer matters, and it seems like that doesn’t happen nearly as often as you’d hope.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Blight-Breath Catoblepas
Minion's Return image 1.5 Situational cards are not your friend in Limited, and that’s definitely what this ends up being. It is tempting to imagine using this to steal your opponents’ bomb, or keep yours alive, but there are plenty of games where things just won’t line up the way you want them to and this ends up being an underwhelming or worse – useless card.
Nyxborn Brute image 0.5 This is a big dumb creature who can die to almost all the removal in the set despite costing 5 mana. I think most of the time you won't be playing him.
Underworld Charger image 2.5 This is a fairly efficient aggressive creature who refuses to stay dead, and when it comes back it does so quite large! You can’t really play this anywhere but an aggro deck since it can’t block, but it works out pretty nicely there.
Unknown Shores image 1.0 Filterlands that don’t do anything else tend to be pretty bad, but you’ll run this if you’re desperate for fixing.
Final Flare image 1.5 There aren’t many formats where removal spells that involve you sacrificing a creature end up working out in Limited, and this isn’t one of them, even with a fairly legit sacrifice deck around.
Blight-Breath Catoblepas image 3.0 This typically lets you add to the board while subtracting from your opponents – even just killing a 2/2 with it, which it will always be able to do, is reasonable, and if you get your devotion higher it can be even more potent. That said, you don’t usually want more than one copy of this because its so expensive.
Skola Grovedancer image 2.0 This is a decent enough two-drop. None of its text is especially impressive, but at least it has a man sink ability that can help fuel your Escape.
Pious Wayfarer image 2.5 This is a pretty nice one-drop. In the early going, it can pump itself with its Constellation trigger, but in the later part of the game he can start pumping more meaningful creatures – the kind that can attack as a result of the stats boost they receive. That helps keep him relevant all game long.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Nyxborn Marauder
Stinging Lionfish image 2.0 Tapping down an opponent’s creature isn’t terrible, as it can both allow you to avoid an attack from your opponent’s best creature, and allow you to have better attacks on your turn. That said, the payoff here isn’t ultra impressive. UR is definitely going to be interested in having a bunch of Instants and cards with Flash, but I don’t think this will be one of the cards you really desperately want for that deck to work -- but it will be a solid roleplayer.
Nyxborn Seaguard image 1.5 This is a vanilla creature with the Enchantment type and it also contributes to your devotion. The stats here aren’t too shabby, so you’ll play it sometimes.
Fruit of Tizerus image 0.0 This card is a trap. People look at it and think it will be a worthwhile win condition in a control deck, but setting up is way too hard, the resources it asks for basically put you behind the eight-ball, even as a control deck. You’d much rather just be adding to the board and using your graveyard resources to do so.
Nyxborn Marauder image 1.5 This is an Enchantment that has alright stats and contributes to your devotion. You’ll play it sometimes.
Bronze Sword image 1.0 1 to play and 3 to equip is too much for this stats boost in most cases.
Riptide Turtle image 1.0 This has Flash, which matters for the UR deck in this format, and it had okay defensive stats, but you still usually won’t play it
Hero of the Games image 2.0 This has decent stats, and targeting it with stuff pumps your whole board, which is nice.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Soulreaper of Mogis
Irreverent Revelers image 0.5 There aren’t really enough Artifacts in this set for this to be worth it in your main deck. If you go up against someone with a few targets though, this can become a 2-for-1.
Hyrax Tower Scout image 1.5 This has solid stats, and its ETB ability will occasionally do something, though not usually anything especially meaningful.
Soulreaper of Mogis image 2.0 This has decent stats and an okay mana sink ability. The ability does feel pretty clunky, especially when there are cheaper sacrifice outlets around, like the Lampad.
Moss Viper image 2.5 One-mana 1/1 Deathtouchers are always solid playables, they can trade with anything, which is especially appealing for a card that only costs one mana.
Thrill of Possibility image 2.0 This gives you some nice card selection, loads your graveyard, and provides an instant speed effect for the UR deck, so it fits into most decks in this format reasonably well.
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This is always nice in every format we see it in. It gives you serious fixing, and if your curve is low enough you can count it as a land in your deck, allowing you to play more meaningful cards.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Stinging Lionfish
Stinging Lionfish image 2.0 Tapping down an opponent’s creature isn’t terrible, as it can both allow you to avoid an attack from your opponent’s best creature, and allow you to have better attacks on your turn. That said, the payoff here isn’t ultra impressive. UR is definitely going to be interested in having a bunch of Instants and cards with Flash, but I don’t think this will be one of the cards you really desperately want for that deck to work -- but it will be a solid roleplayer.
Inspire Awe image 0.0 Fogs are unplayable in Limited 99% of the time. You use up a card for no real effect. This is not the 1% where that’s not true.
Wings of Hubris image 1.5 Granting flying to things is always a reasonable thing to do with Equipment, and the additional upside here of making the equipped creature unblockable doesn’t hurt, though you probably only do that if you can do lethal.
Nyxborn Brute image 0.5 This is a big dumb creature who can die to almost all the removal in the set despite costing 5 mana. I think most of the time you won't be playing him.
Wrap in Flames image 1.5 This is alright in aggro decks, as it can let you close out a game, but it is still highly situational – it doesn’t tend to do much unless you have lethal.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Temple Thief
Chain to Memory image 1.0 Adding Scry 2 to this effect does make it more appealing than some variants of this we’ve seen before, but overall these types of power-reduction effects are too situational, and difficult to get a full card of value out of.
Temple Thief image 2.0 This is a Bear that is sometimes unblockable, but not really often enough to be that great.
Inspire Awe image 0.0 Fogs are unplayable in Limited 99% of the time. You use up a card for no real effect. This is not the 1% where that’s not true.
Setessan Skirmisher image 2.5 This is a two-drop that is often a 4/3, and that’s not too shabby. It is an especially good place to stick an Aura, as the boost it will get on the turn you play it will be awesome.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Moss Viper
Bronze Sword image 1.0 1 to play and 3 to equip is too much for this stats boost in most cases.
Nylea's Forerunner image 2.5 This is a solid creature that is especially good in the 4-power deck, as giving Trample to everybody is likely to have an immediate impact in a deck with enough larger creatures, and of course the Forerunner packs more than 4 power itself!
Moss Viper image 2.5 One-mana 1/1 Deathtouchers are always solid playables, they can trade with anything, which is especially appealing for a card that only costs one mana.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Wrap in Flames
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Wrap in Flames image 1.5 This is alright in aggro decks, as it can let you close out a game, but it is still highly situational – it doesn’t tend to do much unless you have lethal.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Thrill of Possibility
Thrill of Possibility image 2.0 This gives you some nice card selection, loads your graveyard, and provides an instant speed effect for the UR deck, so it fits into most decks in this format reasonably well.
Pack 2 Pick 1: Atris, Oracle of Half-Truths
Atris, Oracle of Half-Truths image 4.0 So, at worst, this is a 4-mana 3/2 with Menace that draws you a card. Thing is, your opponent always has to make two piles, and that means one of them will always have two cards, and more often than not it will be correct to grab the two cards. Atris will actually create a fun little battle of wits, where your opponent tries to decide whether or not it is best to put the best card alone in one pile, and the two lesser cards in the other pile -- or if they try to psych you out one way or another. But, no matter what, Atris will net you one card, and sometimes more -- while also helping stock your gravreyard. Sure, a 4-mana 3/2 with Menace isn’t going to be surviving attacking a whole lot, but that’s ok, since you’ll usually still be able to get a 2-for-1.
Glimpse of Freedom image 1.5 This isn’t the most efficient card-draw spell ever – for 5 mana you end up drawing only two cards. It tries to make up for that by having Escape, but in a typical game you’re not going to have the time or resources to do it more than once anyway.
Pharika's Spawn image 4.0 If you can trade using that ¾ body, and then later in the game pay 6 mana and helps this Escape from your graveyard, you end up with a ⅚ body that has an edict effect. One nice thing here is that because the Spawn is a Gorgon itself, if it is your only creature, you won’t have to sacrifice anything. The Spawn also asks for less cards to be exiled than most cards with Escape, so it doesn’t require as much additional effort to load the graveyard as many of these do. So, look -- if this was just a 4-mana ¾ that you could get back in the late game as a 6-mana ⅚, that would be a very playable card. While neither side is efficient, the fact that you get TWO creatures out of one card is some real value. And, obviously enough, this comes with the addition of an Edict effect.
Favored of Iroas image 2.5 This can hit hard on turns when you get the Constellation going, and putting an Aura on him in particular feels pretty great.
Elite Instructor image 1.5 This has bad stats but a decent ETB ability. Looting does mean that it does something kind of relevant all game long, although it isn’t the most impressive thing.
Temple Thief image 2.0 This is a Bear that is sometimes unblockable, but not really often enough to be that great.
Skola Grovedancer image 2.0 This is a decent enough two-drop. None of its text is especially impressive, but at least it has a man sink ability that can help fuel your Escape.
Unknown Shores image 1.0 Filterlands that don’t do anything else tend to be pretty bad, but you’ll run this if you’re desperate for fixing.
Arena Trickster image 2.0 Red, and especially Red-Blue, has several payoffs for playing stuff on your opponent’s turn, and Arena Trickster is one of those – and he seems like he will be a solid card in that type of deck. Even getting one counter on this is pretty nice, and anything beyond that you start to feel really good about things. It also doesn’t hurt that you make it bigger at Instant speed, as sometimes that will really allow you to manufacture a blow out. Still, the UR deck doesn’t come together often enough for this to be great.
Voracious Typhon image 4.0 This is an excellent common. A 4-mana 4/4 virtually always makes the cut, but this one gets to come back in the late game much larger, guaranteeing you a 2-for-1, and sometimes just being a straight up win condition.
Daybreak Chimera image 3.0 This isn’t great if you have 0 devotion to White, but all you need is one devotion for this to become a 4-mana 3/3 Flyer, which is a great deal in Limited, and sometimes it will only cost three!
Setessan Training image 2.5 This replaces itself, and that’s quite nice. The +1/+0 and Trample boost probably wouldn’t have been enough, even in a format with Enchantmetn synergy, but because it draws you a card, you get to avoid the danger of a 2-for-1.
Hero of the Pride image 2.0 A bear with a decent upside.
Nylea's Forerunner image 2.5 This is a solid creature that is especially good in the 4-power deck, as giving Trample to everybody is likely to have an immediate impact in a deck with enough larger creatures, and of course the Forerunner packs more than 4 power itself!
Pack 2 Pick 2: Shimmerwing Chimera
Dawn Evangel image 2.5 The Evangel also helps you avoid the dreaded 2-for-1, since if one of your creatures with an Aura gets killed, you get something back that puts you and your opponent at parity in terms of cards. One kind of weird thing to note about this card, is it doesn’t matter whose creature with an Aura dies, either way, you get the opportunity to put a small creature back into your hand. All that said, I feel like there is a considerable chunk of the time where this is just a 3-mana 2/3.
Shimmerwing Chimera image 3.5 A 4-mana 3/2 with Flying is a good starting point, and adding the ability to bounce your stuff is nice. Now, it is important to note that it says “up to one” which means you don’t have to bounce any Enchantments if you don’t want to, and that’s good, because it means that the upkeep ability of the Chimera is only ever going to be upside, and upside on a 4-mana 3/2 Flyer is pretty nice. Now, there will be plenty of times where this is nothing more than a 3/2 Flyer, but you can combine this with some other things to be pretty nasty – this includes the Omen cycle, as well as Sagas, Constellation, and Enchantment creatures with ETB abilities.
Sage of Mysteries image 1.0 Mill isn’t really a strategy in this format, the only cards that do it are at Uncommon or higher, so this is a pretty big dud most of the time. You need a critical mass of mill for it to be a real thing, and this format doesn’t have it.
Thirst for Meaning image 2.5 This is a decent draw spell. Sometimes giving up an Enchantment will be worth it, but don’t just do it automatically. Sometimes giving up a couple of lands will just be better.
Blight-Breath Catoblepas image 3.0 This typically lets you add to the board while subtracting from your opponents – even just killing a 2/2 with it, which it will always be able to do, is reasonable, and if you get your devotion higher it can be even more potent. That said, you don’t usually want more than one copy of this because its so expensive.
Triumphant Surge image 1.5 This kind of “Kill a big thing” removal spell is always fine, but generally not more than that.
Transcendent Envoy image 2.5 There are lots of playable Auras in this set, and the Envoy makes them cheaper, and also happens to be a really good place to stick those Auras thanks to Flying.
Warbriar Blessing image 3.5 This gives a large enough boost to toughness that this enables a number of creatures to fight and survive than would have been able to without it. This often feels like a removal spell that leaves behind a permanent stats boost for one of your creatures, and that tends to feel pretty good – though it does have the usual downsides that Fight spells do – if you’re not careful, you might get 2-for-1’d.
Gift of Strength image 1.0 This is an alright trick, but in a format with lots of playable offensive Auras, tricks are a little less valuable.
Aspect of Manticore image 2.0 This is another Aura that feels like a combat trick that leaves some value behind, and the boost it often gives is well worth it in aggro decks. Still risky of course, so keep that in mind.
Karametra's Blessing image 1.5 This is a decent trick with nice Enchantment upside – it IS still a trick though, and you’ll only play it in the most aggressive of decks.
Ilysian Caryatid image 3.0 This gives you some nice fixing that gets better if you have a big guy around. It is super vulnerable and dies to every removal in the set, which is especially painful when your opponent spend only one mana to kill it, but it is still a high quality common.
Fruit of Tizerus image 0.0 This card is a trap. People look at it and think it will be a worthwhile win condition in a control deck, but setting up is way too hard, the resources it asks for basically put you behind the eight-ball, even as a control deck. You’d much rather just be adding to the board and using your graveyard resources to do so.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Pharika's Spawn
Protean Thaumaturge image 3.0 This is incredibly vulnerable at first, but the Constellation ability to turn into whatever the best creature on the battlefield is pretty darn good. It either means you have an additional copy of your best creature, or a creature that can at least compete with your opponents’ best creature.
Pharika's Spawn image 4.0 If you can trade using that ¾ body, and then later in the game pay 6 mana and helps this Escape from your graveyard, you end up with a ⅚ body that has an edict effect. One nice thing here is that because the Spawn is a Gorgon itself, if it is your only creature, you won’t have to sacrifice anything. The Spawn also asks for less cards to be exiled than most cards with Escape, so it doesn’t require as much additional effort to load the graveyard as many of these do. So, look -- if this was just a 4-mana ¾ that you could get back in the late game as a 6-mana ⅚, that would be a very playable card. While neither side is efficient, the fact that you get TWO creatures out of one card is some real value. And, obviously enough, this comes with the addition of an Edict effect.
Siona, Captain of the Pyleas image 3.5 Siona makes it clear that GW is all about Enchantments, and more specifically - Auras. It is going to be pretty hard to wiff entirely on Enchantments in your top 7 cards in this format, so generally Siona will at least be a 3-mana 2/2 that draws you a card, something that is always solid. But then, it comes with the ability to make a creature token every time you put an Aura on one of your creatures, and that’s a nice payoff too. Auras can sometimes be risky because if your opponent has removal, you get 2-for-1’d -- but making a creature token every time you put an Aura on something helps soften the blow if that’s what happens, because at least you have a 1/1 left behind. Siona is going to draw you a card and make 1-2 creature tokens without a whole lot of help.
Transcendent Envoy image 2.5 There are lots of playable Auras in this set, and the Envoy makes them cheaper, and also happens to be a really good place to stick those Auras thanks to Flying.
Return to Nature image 2.5 You can main deck this pretty easily in this format – there are Enchantments everywhere, and sometimes exiling an Escape creature is worth it.
Triton Waverider image 2.0 It is tempting to look at this as a 4-mana 3/3 Flyer, and it isn’t that hard to trigger Constellation, but the key is triggering it consistently, and at a time when a 3/3 Flyer matters, and it seems like that doesn’t happen nearly as often as you’d hope.
Soulreaper of Mogis image 2.0 This has decent stats and an okay mana sink ability. The ability does feel pretty clunky, especially when there are cheaper sacrifice outlets around, like the Lampad.
Final Death image 3.0 It isn’t fancy, but Final Death is a nice common removal spell for Black. 5-mana to exile any creature at instant speed is nice, especially because this format loves the graveyard. For me, I think it still falls a little short of “premium” territory, but not by much.
Infuriate image 1.5 This is an alright trick. You’ll play it sometimes in aggro decks.
Moss Viper image 2.5 One-mana 1/1 Deathtouchers are always solid playables, they can trade with anything, which is especially appealing for a card that only costs one mana.
Skola Grovedancer image 2.0 This is a decent enough two-drop. None of its text is especially impressive, but at least it has a man sink ability that can help fuel your Escape.
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Final Death
Phalanx Tactics image 2.0 This is the kind of trick that can really produce a blowout when things line up correctly! Pumping multiple creatures with one trick can be really strong, and this is especially good if you’re going fairly wide.
Minion's Return image 1.5 Situational cards are not your friend in Limited, and that’s definitely what this ends up being. It is tempting to imagine using this to steal your opponents’ bomb, or keep yours alive, but there are plenty of games where things just won’t line up the way you want them to and this ends up being an underwhelming or worse – useless card.
Nyxborn Colossus image 1.5 This is reasonably efficient, has the Enchantment type, and increases your devotion. You’ll play it at the top of your curve in Green decks sometimes, though you’re probably holding out hope for something better.
Discordant Piper image 2.5 This starts as a two-mana 2/1, which is fine, and making an additional body is always a nice upgrade, even if the body is as irrelevant as a 0/1 goat. That is still a useful resource – either because you can use it to chump block, or maybe you can sacrifice it to something for value.
Glory Bearers image 1.5 This has kind of okay stats and a kind of okay ability. Pumping toughness on attacks isn’t a huge deal, but it makes a difference sometimes.
Omen of the Sun image 2.0 If we just pretended like Omen of the Sun were an Instant – that created two 1/1 soldiers and gained you 2 life, it would be in the lower range of playable – probably something you cut more often than not. The nice thing about making the tokens at Instant speed is that sometimes you can ambush an opponent’s 3/1 or something, at which point you’re really coming out ahead. But obviously, Omen of the Sun has more going on than just that – since it can be cashed in for Scry later in the game, and it is also an Enchantment in a set where that’s important.
Brine Giant image 1.5 This is basically affinity for Enchantments. I think you need to consistently only be paying 5 for this for it to be worth it, and even 5 isn’t anything impressive. Lower than that and it starts to be a little more passable.
Hero of the Games image 2.0 This has decent stats, and targeting it with stuff pumps your whole board, which is nice.
Stampede Rider image 3.0 This is a great Common payoff for the 4-power deck, as it often will be a ¾, and in a set with lots of Auras, trample is pretty nice! Note by the way that it counts itself when looking for 4 power, so if you have suited him up with an Aura that allows him to have 4-power, it will still get the boost.
Final Death image 3.0 It isn’t fancy, but Final Death is a nice common removal spell for Black. 5-mana to exile any creature at instant speed is nice, especially because this format loves the graveyard. For me, I think it still falls a little short of “premium” territory, but not by much.
Hyrax Tower Scout image 1.5 This has solid stats, and its ETB ability will occasionally do something, though not usually anything especially meaningful.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Vexing Gull
Mirror Shield image 0.5 People tend to really overrate equipment that grants Hexproof and doesn’t do much else. The main problem is that you already need your creature to be good for Mirror Shield to matter, and the best equipment helps make any creature good. As it is, Mirror Shield just isn’t worth it. You probably only run this if you have Dalakos.
Unknown Shores image 1.0 Filterlands that don’t do anything else tend to be pretty bad, but you’ll run this if you’re desperate for fixing.
Scavenging Harpy image 2.0 Three mana 2/1 flyers are fine and this has some minor upside that will probably be a little bit less minor in this set -- since it has the ability to exile a card from the graveyard, so taking an Escape card seems pretty nice.
Leonin of the Lost Pride image 2.0 A two mana 3/1 is already decent enough, and the exile clause here actually comes up in Limited, since there are so many cards with Escape.
Setessan Training image 2.5 This replaces itself, and that’s quite nice. The +1/+0 and Trample boost probably wouldn’t have been enough, even in a format with Enchantmetn synergy, but because it draws you a card, you get to avoid the danger of a 2-for-1.
Triton Waverider image 2.0 It is tempting to look at this as a 4-mana 3/3 Flyer, and it isn’t that hard to trigger Constellation, but the key is triggering it consistently, and at a time when a 3/3 Flyer matters, and it seems like that doesn’t happen nearly as often as you’d hope.
Omen of the Dead image 2.0 This is nice and cheap, which is good news for Constellation. That said, unlike the other Omens, which can largely be played at any time for decent value, Omen of the Dead demands you have a creature in your graveyard, which means it can be a dead card for the first several turns. Like the other Omens, it can cash in and Scry, which isn’t too bad.
Vexing Gull image 2.5 Three mana for a 2/2 flyer used to sort of be the quintessential common for Blue, and these days, as creatures continue to get stronger, that stat-line isn’t quite as impressive – but by adding Flash to the mix here, you have a pretty nice card. Flash creatures can of course be used to come into play and ambush an attacker, but a 2/2 isn’t going to be doing that a ton. Still, being able to play this at Instant speed has its bonuses – the most obvious one being that this set’s UR archetype is all about playing stuff on your opponent’s turn. It also doesn’t hurt that you can flash this in at the end of your opponent’s turn, and, if they are tapped out, you can put an Aura on it on your turn. Then of course, Flash just makes it so you can leave up instants and activated abilities without really taking a hit on tempo, and all of that’s pretty nice!
Stampede Rider image 3.0 This is a great Common payoff for the 4-power deck, as it often will be a ¾, and in a set with lots of Auras, trample is pretty nice! Note by the way that it counts itself when looking for 4 power, so if you have suited him up with an Aura that allows him to have 4-power, it will still get the boost.
Aspect of Manticore image 2.0 This is another Aura that feels like a combat trick that leaves some value behind, and the boost it often gives is well worth it in aggro decks. Still risky of course, so keep that in mind.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Eidolon of Philosophy
Eutropia the Twice-Favored image 4.0 Eutropia is a great payoff for Enchantments. If she could just put counters on things or just give them flying, she would be a good card – but she does both! Keep in mind too, that even if you have nothing on board, Eutropia can pump herself.
Minion's Return image 1.5 Situational cards are not your friend in Limited, and that’s definitely what this ends up being. It is tempting to imagine using this to steal your opponents’ bomb, or keep yours alive, but there are plenty of games where things just won’t line up the way you want them to and this ends up being an underwhelming or worse – useless card.
Warden of the Chained image 3.0 This signpost uncommon feels a bit underwhelming to me. Sure, the guy is efficient and he has trample, but I feel like I should be getting a little something else to make up for the downside here. Sure, even if you don’t have a big enough creature, the Warden is a good blocker, and sure – RG is the color pair all about having high power – but still, just not that impressed here. Will you play him in all your RG decks? Absolutely. But he shouldn’t be the card that pulls you into the color pair.
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Satyr's Cunning image 0.0 Making unblockable tokens over and over again and using up your valuable graveyard resources and mana just isn’t worth it.
Incendiary Oracle image 3.0 This has nice stats and some really significant text. Pumping power is nice, because it allows it to threaten to hit hard when you have all your mana open, and can trade for lots of stuff, and the exile clause also comes up in this graveyard-heavy format.
Rage-Scarred Berserker image 2.0 This has okay stats and an ETB ability that will frequently allow you to make an attack you couldn’t before. He’s not bad.
Nyxborn Marauder image 1.5 This is an Enchantment that has alright stats and contributes to your devotion. You’ll play it sometimes.
Eidolon of Philosophy image 1.5 A one mana ½ just isn’t worth the card most of the time, but having the ability to draw 3 cards in the late game is kind of nice It is also an Enchantment, which certainly will matter in this format. Most decks won’t be interested in this, but if you have a sweet control deck, playing one of those won’t be too bad.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Mogis's Favor
Impending Doom image 2.0 This gives a really nice stats boost for the cost, though it does come with some quite significant upside. If you’re an aggressive deck, slapping this on your one or two drop can often win you the game – but of course you’re going to get 2-for-1’d and Lightning Bolted if your opponent has an answer. This tends to be worth it in those aggro decks, but not really anywhere else.
Rise to Glory image 3.5 So, this can get pretty silly when you can get a graveyard to have both an Aura and a creature, and that isn’t that hard to do in this format. You will pretty much always get more than 5 mana worth of value when you do it, and it gets especially silly with Constellation and bombs. This can help you get back ahead from behind, which is awesome! The trade off is that it can be pretty terrible early, though.
Mogis's Favor image 2.5 This is surprisingly useful for a one mana card! You can use it to kill X/1s, and its relatively cheap Escape cost means you can threaten X/1s with it all game long. You can also put it on one of your evasive creatures as a way of doing significantly more damage.
Setessan Skirmisher image 2.5 This is a two-drop that is often a 4/3, and that’s not too shabby. It is an especially good place to stick an Aura, as the boost it will get on the turn you play it will be awesome.
Ilysian Caryatid image 3.0 This gives you some nice fixing that gets better if you have a big guy around. It is super vulnerable and dies to every removal in the set, which is especially painful when your opponent spend only one mana to kill it, but it is still a high quality common.
Lampad of Death's Vigil image 3 This ended up being a key card in this format. Its cheap sacrifice effect made sacrifice decks a lot better than they would otherwise have been, and the fact it drains life often allows you to get to lethal a full turn or more before you would have had it otherwise.
Thrill of Possibility image 2.0 This gives you some nice card selection, loads your graveyard, and provides an instant speed effect for the UR deck, so it fits into most decks in this format reasonably well.
Sunmane Pegasus image 3.0 This card really overperforms. It might have some underwhelming stats to begin with, but the ability to gain Vigilance and Lifelink in the mid-to-late game turns out to be pretty good, as it makes it hard for your opponent to race you, and you can even keep it back to block!
Pack 2 Pick 8: Scavenging Harpy
The Binding of the Titans image 1.0 This is a super slow Green Anticipate, and I’m not that interested in that.
Fruit of Tizerus image 0.0 This card is a trap. People look at it and think it will be a worthwhile win condition in a control deck, but setting up is way too hard, the resources it asks for basically put you behind the eight-ball, even as a control deck. You’d much rather just be adding to the board and using your graveyard resources to do so.
Scavenging Harpy image 2.0 Three mana 2/1 flyers are fine and this has some minor upside that will probably be a little bit less minor in this set -- since it has the ability to exile a card from the graveyard, so taking an Escape card seems pretty nice.
Skophos Warleader image 2.0 This is another cheap sacrifice outlet, which works quite well in the BR deck. It is pretty inefficient other than that, though.
Riptide Turtle image 1.0 This has Flash, which matters for the UR deck in this format, and it had okay defensive stats, but you still usually won’t play it
Transcendent Envoy image 2.5 There are lots of playable Auras in this set, and the Envoy makes them cheaper, and also happens to be a really good place to stick those Auras thanks to Flying.
Grim Physician image 1.0 This can trade for X/2s, or threaten a 2-for-1 against two X/1s. It isn’t a terrible thing to sacrifice. But you mostly won’t play it.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Unknown Shores
Glimpse of Freedom image 1.5 This isn’t the most efficient card-draw spell ever – for 5 mana you end up drawing only two cards. It tries to make up for that by having Escape, but in a typical game you’re not going to have the time or resources to do it more than once anyway.
Temple Thief image 2.0 This is a Bear that is sometimes unblockable, but not really often enough to be that great.
Skola Grovedancer image 2.0 This is a decent enough two-drop. None of its text is especially impressive, but at least it has a man sink ability that can help fuel your Escape.
Unknown Shores image 1.0 Filterlands that don’t do anything else tend to be pretty bad, but you’ll run this if you’re desperate for fixing.
Setessan Training image 2.5 This replaces itself, and that’s quite nice. The +1/+0 and Trample boost probably wouldn’t have been enough, even in a format with Enchantmetn synergy, but because it draws you a card, you get to avoid the danger of a 2-for-1.
Nylea's Forerunner image 2.5 This is a solid creature that is especially good in the 4-power deck, as giving Trample to everybody is likely to have an immediate impact in a deck with enough larger creatures, and of course the Forerunner packs more than 4 power itself!
Pack 2 Pick 10: Sage of Mysteries
Sage of Mysteries image 1.0 Mill isn’t really a strategy in this format, the only cards that do it are at Uncommon or higher, so this is a pretty big dud most of the time. You need a critical mass of mill for it to be a real thing, and this format doesn’t have it.
Transcendent Envoy image 2.5 There are lots of playable Auras in this set, and the Envoy makes them cheaper, and also happens to be a really good place to stick those Auras thanks to Flying.
Gift of Strength image 1.0 This is an alright trick, but in a format with lots of playable offensive Auras, tricks are a little less valuable.
Ilysian Caryatid image 3.0 This gives you some nice fixing that gets better if you have a big guy around. It is super vulnerable and dies to every removal in the set, which is especially painful when your opponent spend only one mana to kill it, but it is still a high quality common.
Fruit of Tizerus image 0.0 This card is a trap. People look at it and think it will be a worthwhile win condition in a control deck, but setting up is way too hard, the resources it asks for basically put you behind the eight-ball, even as a control deck. You’d much rather just be adding to the board and using your graveyard resources to do so.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Soulreaper of Mogis
Soulreaper of Mogis image 2.0 This has decent stats and an okay mana sink ability. The ability does feel pretty clunky, especially when there are cheaper sacrifice outlets around, like the Lampad.
Moss Viper image 2.5 One-mana 1/1 Deathtouchers are always solid playables, they can trade with anything, which is especially appealing for a card that only costs one mana.
Skola Grovedancer image 2.0 This is a decent enough two-drop. None of its text is especially impressive, but at least it has a man sink ability that can help fuel your Escape.
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Minion's Return
Minion's Return image 1.5 Situational cards are not your friend in Limited, and that’s definitely what this ends up being. It is tempting to imagine using this to steal your opponents’ bomb, or keep yours alive, but there are plenty of games where things just won’t line up the way you want them to and this ends up being an underwhelming or worse – useless card.
Nyxborn Colossus image 1.5 This is reasonably efficient, has the Enchantment type, and increases your devotion. You’ll play it at the top of your curve in Green decks sometimes, though you’re probably holding out hope for something better.
Glory Bearers image 1.5 This has kind of okay stats and a kind of okay ability. Pumping toughness on attacks isn’t a huge deal, but it makes a difference sometimes.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Scavenging Harpy
Mirror Shield image 0.5 People tend to really overrate equipment that grants Hexproof and doesn’t do much else. The main problem is that you already need your creature to be good for Mirror Shield to matter, and the best equipment helps make any creature good. As it is, Mirror Shield just isn’t worth it. You probably only run this if you have Dalakos.
Scavenging Harpy image 2.0 Three mana 2/1 flyers are fine and this has some minor upside that will probably be a little bit less minor in this set -- since it has the ability to exile a card from the graveyard, so taking an Escape card seems pretty nice.
Pack 2 Pick 14: Minion's Return
Minion's Return image 1.5 Situational cards are not your friend in Limited, and that’s definitely what this ends up being. It is tempting to imagine using this to steal your opponents’ bomb, or keep yours alive, but there are plenty of games where things just won’t line up the way you want them to and this ends up being an underwhelming or worse – useless card.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Shadowspear
Shadowspear image 4.5 This is a great efficient piece of Equipment that makes just about any creature into a problem. Lifelink is always a nightmare to play against, especially when your opponent can just keep a card on the table that can give life link to anything! Meanwhile, trample suddenly makes your big dumb guys a lot harder for your opponent to stop. Believe it or not, the turn of hexproof and indestructible part of the card will actually come up every now and again too, which is hilarious, because most people forget about that part of the card when you play against it.
Pharika's Spawn image 4.0 If you can trade using that ¾ body, and then later in the game pay 6 mana and helps this Escape from your graveyard, you end up with a ⅚ body that has an edict effect. One nice thing here is that because the Spawn is a Gorgon itself, if it is your only creature, you won’t have to sacrifice anything. The Spawn also asks for less cards to be exiled than most cards with Escape, so it doesn’t require as much additional effort to load the graveyard as many of these do. So, look -- if this was just a 4-mana ¾ that you could get back in the late game as a 6-mana ⅚, that would be a very playable card. While neither side is efficient, the fact that you get TWO creatures out of one card is some real value. And, obviously enough, this comes with the addition of an Edict effect.
Shoal Kraken image 2.0 I like looting a fair bit – and it gets some extra value in this set because of the Escape mechanic. This has passable stats too, so you’ll play it in some of the grindier decks.
Hateful Eidolon image 3.0 There are enough Black Aura-based removal spells in this set that Hopeful Eidolon draws you a card a little more often than you might think! That’s the most effective way to trigger its ability, but you can also do it with offensive Auras. And, the Eidolon counts itself, so if you put an Aura on it, it will at least replace itself if it dies. It is already a nice place for Auras too, as a result of lifelink.
Nyxborn Marauder image 1.5 This is an Enchantment that has alright stats and contributes to your devotion. You’ll play it sometimes.
Underworld Charger image 2.5 This is a fairly efficient aggressive creature who refuses to stay dead, and when it comes back it does so quite large! You can’t really play this anywhere but an aggro deck since it can’t block, but it works out pretty nicely there.
Karametra's Blessing image 1.5 This is a decent trick with nice Enchantment upside – it IS still a trick though, and you’ll only play it in the most aggressive of decks.
Flummoxed Cyclops image 2.5 A 4-mana 4/4 with Reach and downside doesn’t sound amazing, but it actually lines up fairly well in this format. It is a sizable creature, and as long as you’re just always attacking with him, the fact he can’t block a big chunk of the time doesn’t matter! It is a little annoying that he has Reach – a purely defensive ability – but won’t be able to block with it very often. He does do a good job of stonewalling a board that has like…one flyer and not much else, at least.
Plummet image 0.5 This is mostly a sideboard card, but one you end up bringing a significant chunk of the time, provided you see a few flyers in game one.
Indomitable Will image 1.5 This is basically a combat trick that sticks around, and if you can use it to kill an opponent’s creature and keep yours alive, you are out of 2-for-1 territory. Now, it is still risky -- your opponent can kill your creature in response and then you’re the one getting 2-for-1’d -- but if you play this wisely, it seems like it is a reasonable inclusion in a creature-based deck.
Final Death image 3.0 It isn’t fancy, but Final Death is a nice common removal spell for Black. 5-mana to exile any creature at instant speed is nice, especially because this format loves the graveyard. For me, I think it still falls a little short of “premium” territory, but not by much.
Glory Bearers image 1.5 This has kind of okay stats and a kind of okay ability. Pumping toughness on attacks isn’t a huge deal, but it makes a difference sometimes.
Naiad of Hidden Coves image 2.5 Reducing the cost of your instants and cards with Flash is pretty nice – as it will enable you to trigger your other payoffs more easily, and cast more powerful spells sooner. The fact that this also comes with a semi-reasonable body is nice too – they could easily have printed this as a 2/2 and it still would have been decent, so I’m pretty happy with 2/3 here.
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Final Death
The Binding of the Titans image 1.0 This is a super slow Green Anticipate, and I’m not that interested in that.
Heliod's Punishment image 3.5 This is a very efficient removal spell, capable of completely shutting down a creature – at least for a few turns. Obviously it would be better if your opponent couldn’t eventually get rid of it, but it takes them time to remove those task counters, and generally a creature being out of commission for 3+ turns will be worth the mana here.
Hydra's Growth image 1.5 This comes with all the downside of Auras – it can lead to card disadvantage from those 2-for-1s and so forth, and the initial boost it gives for three mana is not worth that risk. A single +1/+1 counter just isn’t enough – and I don’t think two is enough either to offset the risk. This means there are two turns where your investment looks ugly, which gives your opponent extra time to get rid of this before you’ve gotten a reasonable amount of value out of it. Once it has added 4 counters you’re probably getting there, but that just takes so long.
Vexing Gull image 2.5 Three mana for a 2/2 flyer used to sort of be the quintessential common for Blue, and these days, as creatures continue to get stronger, that stat-line isn’t quite as impressive – but by adding Flash to the mix here, you have a pretty nice card. Flash creatures can of course be used to come into play and ambush an attacker, but a 2/2 isn’t going to be doing that a ton. Still, being able to play this at Instant speed has its bonuses – the most obvious one being that this set’s UR archetype is all about playing stuff on your opponent’s turn. It also doesn’t hurt that you can flash this in at the end of your opponent’s turn, and, if they are tapped out, you can put an Aura on it on your turn. Then of course, Flash just makes it so you can leave up instants and activated abilities without really taking a hit on tempo, and all of that’s pretty nice!
Riptide Turtle image 1.0 This has Flash, which matters for the UR deck in this format, and it had okay defensive stats, but you still usually won’t play it
Final Death image 3.0 It isn’t fancy, but Final Death is a nice common removal spell for Black. 5-mana to exile any creature at instant speed is nice, especially because this format loves the graveyard. For me, I think it still falls a little short of “premium” territory, but not by much.
Pious Wayfarer image 2.5 This is a pretty nice one-drop. In the early going, it can pump itself with its Constellation trigger, but in the later part of the game he can start pumping more meaningful creatures – the kind that can attack as a result of the stats boost they receive. That helps keep him relevant all game long.
Flummoxed Cyclops image 2.5 A 4-mana 4/4 with Reach and downside doesn’t sound amazing, but it actually lines up fairly well in this format. It is a sizable creature, and as long as you’re just always attacking with him, the fact he can’t block a big chunk of the time doesn’t matter! It is a little annoying that he has Reach – a purely defensive ability – but won’t be able to block with it very often. He does do a good job of stonewalling a board that has like…one flyer and not much else, at least.
Omen of the Hunt image 2.5 This is nice fixing and ramp, and like all Omens it can be cashed in to Scry later in the game. If you aren’t splashing it probably isn’t something you’re super interested in playing.
Lampad of Death's Vigil image 3 This ended up being a key card in this format. Its cheap sacrifice effect made sacrifice decks a lot better than they would otherwise have been, and the fact it drains life often allows you to get to lethal a full turn or more before you would have had it otherwise.
Infuriate image 1.5 This is an alright trick. You’ll play it sometimes in aggro decks.
Portent of Betrayal image 0.0 // 2.5 There is a real sacrifice deck in this format, and that means this Threaten effect is actually worthwhile sometimes! Stealing an opposing creature and then sacrificing it is one of the sweetest things you’ll ever do in Magic, and because there are good sacrifice outlets in this format, you’ll actually set that up sometimes. It is unplayable pretty much everywhere else, though.
Pharika's Libation image 2.0 Because you can choose what this Edict hits, you can often choose an option that takes out a pretty good permanent. It still has the downside of all Edicts – the bigger the board, the worse it gets.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Aspect of Lamprey
Alseid of Life's Bounty image 3.0 This one drop has an ability that keeps it relevant all game long. Early on, it can attack and get in for some damage, and it has lifelink so putting Auras on it feels pretty good! But once it can no longer attack effectively, its ability to give Protection to thinks will be a huge boon. You can use it to help a creature get in lethal, wreak havoc on combat, or save a creature from removal.
Blood Aspirant image 3.0 He gets bigger when you sacrifice permanents, and also gives you a way to do that. His ability to ping a creature and make it unable to block is pretty powerful, especially because he will be getting bigger at the same time. He will often make your attacks look much better, if yo’ure willing to give up a creature or an Enchantment. There will of course be times where you just can’t get things going with the Aspirant, and that will hurt -- but there will also be games where activating his ability twice will just win you the game.
Renata, Called to the Hunt image 4.0 At worst she is a 4-mana 2/3 that makes your creatures come down with an additional counter – and that’s a card you would pretty much always play. But, the higher your devotion, the higher the power, and the more impressive she becomes.
Aspect of Lamprey image 2.0 Lifelink + Mind Rot turns out to be a pretty decent combination in this set. This is another Discard spell that still does a thing in the late game, and that’s nice, because it gets around some significant downside.
Skophos Warleader image 2.0 This is another cheap sacrifice outlet, which works quite well in the BR deck. It is pretty inefficient other than that, though.
Thaumaturge's Familiar image 1.0 This has bad stats for the cost, and Scry doesn’t really change that.
Relentless Pursuit image 2.0 This is a solid draw spell for Green, and it is nice that it puts at least three cards in the graveyard when you use it, because that will help you fuel Escape.
Nexus Wardens image 2.5 This is a real overperformer in this format. The stats line up quite well against the aggressive decks, and gaining life also makes their lives pretty difficult. This tends to be a pretty key Common for the more controlling decks in this format.
Arena Trickster image 2.0 Red, and especially Red-Blue, has several payoffs for playing stuff on your opponent’s turn, and Arena Trickster is one of those – and he seems like he will be a solid card in that type of deck. Even getting one counter on this is pretty nice, and anything beyond that you start to feel really good about things. It also doesn’t hurt that you make it bigger at Instant speed, as sometimes that will really allow you to manufacture a blow out. Still, the UR deck doesn’t come together often enough for this to be great.
Captivating Unicorn image 1.5 The Constellation Trigger here is alright, and the stats of the creature are passable. You’ll play this at the top of your curve in some aggressive decks.
Omen of the Hunt image 2.5 This is nice fixing and ramp, and like all Omens it can be cashed in to Scry later in the game. If you aren’t splashing it probably isn’t something you’re super interested in playing.
Setessan Training image 2.5 This replaces itself, and that’s quite nice. The +1/+0 and Trample boost probably wouldn’t have been enough, even in a format with Enchantmetn synergy, but because it draws you a card, you get to avoid the danger of a 2-for-1.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Witness of Tomorrows
Thundering Chariot image 2.5 This is pretty easy to crew, but not that easy to cast. It is a pretty good creature though when you can crew it.
Nyx Herald image 3.5 On its own, this is a 3-mana ¾ with Trample, and in most ways it is better than that, because it can spread that stats boost and keyword ability to other creatures.
Destiny Spinner image 4.0 This little two drop is good all game long. It has good stats, and it can animate your lands into pretty scary attackers in the late game, when it can often take over.
Flicker of Fate image 1.0 Like most similar cards we see, Flicker of Fate is highly situational, and only really worth running in a very narrow number of decks – like those with tons of ETB triggers.
Warbriar Blessing image 3.5 This gives a large enough boost to toughness that this enables a number of creatures to fight and survive than would have been able to without it. This often feels like a removal spell that leaves behind a permanent stats boost for one of your creatures, and that tends to feel pretty good – though it does have the usual downsides that Fight spells do – if you’re not careful, you might get 2-for-1’d.
Naiad of Hidden Coves image 2.5 Reducing the cost of your instants and cards with Flash is pretty nice – as it will enable you to trigger your other payoffs more easily, and cast more powerful spells sooner. The fact that this also comes with a semi-reasonable body is nice too – they could easily have printed this as a 2/2 and it still would have been decent, so I’m pretty happy with 2/3 here.
Omen of the Sun image 2.0 If we just pretended like Omen of the Sun were an Instant – that created two 1/1 soldiers and gained you 2 life, it would be in the lower range of playable – probably something you cut more often than not. The nice thing about making the tokens at Instant speed is that sometimes you can ambush an opponent’s 3/1 or something, at which point you’re really coming out ahead. But obviously, Omen of the Sun has more going on than just that – since it can be cashed in for Scry later in the game, and it is also an Enchantment in a set where that’s important.
Glory Bearers image 1.5 This has kind of okay stats and a kind of okay ability. Pumping toughness on attacks isn’t a huge deal, but it makes a difference sometimes.
Witness of Tomorrows image 2.5 Witness of Tomorrows tends to overperform. It lines up really well against most other flyers in the format as a ¾, and can be a really threatening presence in the air, and it doesn’t have the worst manasink ability either.
Bronze Sword image 1.0 1 to play and 3 to equip is too much for this stats boost in most cases.
Scavenging Harpy image 2.0 Three mana 2/1 flyers are fine and this has some minor upside that will probably be a little bit less minor in this set -- since it has the ability to exile a card from the graveyard, so taking an Escape card seems pretty nice.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Final Death
Nyxborn Seaguard image 1.5 This is a vanilla creature with the Enchantment type and it also contributes to your devotion. The stats here aren’t too shabby, so you’ll play it sometimes.
Rage-Scarred Berserker image 2.0 This has okay stats and an ETB ability that will frequently allow you to make an attack you couldn’t before. He’s not bad.
Warbriar Blessing image 3.5 This gives a large enough boost to toughness that this enables a number of creatures to fight and survive than would have been able to without it. This often feels like a removal spell that leaves behind a permanent stats boost for one of your creatures, and that tends to feel pretty good – though it does have the usual downsides that Fight spells do – if you’re not careful, you might get 2-for-1’d.
Stern Dismissal image 2.5 This bounces things really efficiently, allowing you to come out ahead in terms of tempo virtually all the time. Leaving up the mana for it is pretty easy too, so it is more likely to be used in a blow-out type situation – like in response to a trick or an Aura.
Underworld Charger image 2.5 This is a fairly efficient aggressive creature who refuses to stay dead, and when it comes back it does so quite large! You can’t really play this anywhere but an aggro deck since it can’t block, but it works out pretty nicely there.
Traveler's Amulet image 2.5 This is always nice in every format we see it in. It gives you serious fixing, and if your curve is low enough you can count it as a land in your deck, allowing you to play more meaningful cards.
Aspect of Manticore image 2.0 This is another Aura that feels like a combat trick that leaves some value behind, and the boost it often gives is well worth it in aggro decks. Still risky of course, so keep that in mind.
Skola Grovedancer image 2.0 This is a decent enough two-drop. None of its text is especially impressive, but at least it has a man sink ability that can help fuel your Escape.
Karametra's Blessing image 1.5 This is a decent trick with nice Enchantment upside – it IS still a trick though, and you’ll only play it in the most aggressive of decks.
Final Death image 3.0 It isn’t fancy, but Final Death is a nice common removal spell for Black. 5-mana to exile any creature at instant speed is nice, especially because this format loves the graveyard. For me, I think it still falls a little short of “premium” territory, but not by much.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Tymaret, Chosen from Death
Cling to Dust image 0.0 This isn’t worth a slot in your deck. The Escape cost is too high – in both mana and cards you have to exile – so ever being able to use this repeatedly is unlikely.
Tymaret, Chosen from Death image 3.5 Like a lot of graveyard hate in this format, Tymaret overperforms. He can really mess up the game plan of the many decks in the format that rely on their graveyard, while giving you some pretty efficient stats.
Wings of Hubris image 1.5 Granting flying to things is always a reasonable thing to do with Equipment, and the additional upside here of making the equipped creature unblockable doesn’t hurt, though you probably only do that if you can do lethal.
Sunmane Pegasus image 3.0 This card really overperforms. It might have some underwhelming stats to begin with, but the ability to gain Vigilance and Lifelink in the mid-to-late game turns out to be pretty good, as it makes it hard for your opponent to race you, and you can even keep it back to block!
Naiad of Hidden Coves image 2.5 Reducing the cost of your instants and cards with Flash is pretty nice – as it will enable you to trigger your other payoffs more easily, and cast more powerful spells sooner. The fact that this also comes with a semi-reasonable body is nice too – they could easily have printed this as a 2/2 and it still would have been decent, so I’m pretty happy with 2/3 here.
Soulreaper of Mogis image 2.0 This has decent stats and an okay mana sink ability. The ability does feel pretty clunky, especially when there are cheaper sacrifice outlets around, like the Lampad.
Portent of Betrayal image 0.0 // 2.5 There is a real sacrifice deck in this format, and that means this Threaten effect is actually worthwhile sometimes! Stealing an opposing creature and then sacrificing it is one of the sweetest things you’ll ever do in Magic, and because there are good sacrifice outlets in this format, you’ll actually set that up sometimes. It is unplayable pretty much everywhere else, though.
Plummet image 0.5 This is mostly a sideboard card, but one you end up bringing a significant chunk of the time, provided you see a few flyers in game one.
Omen of the Dead image 2.0 This is nice and cheap, which is good news for Constellation. That said, unlike the other Omens, which can largely be played at any time for decent value, Omen of the Dead demands you have a creature in your graveyard, which means it can be a dead card for the first several turns. Like the other Omens, it can cash in and Scry, which isn’t too bad.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Mire's Grasp
Rise to Glory image 3.5 So, this can get pretty silly when you can get a graveyard to have both an Aura and a creature, and that isn’t that hard to do in this format. You will pretty much always get more than 5 mana worth of value when you do it, and it gets especially silly with Constellation and bombs. This can help you get back ahead from behind, which is awesome! The trade off is that it can be pretty terrible early, though.
Sleep of the Dead image 1.5 So, temporary tap effects like this are often not super impressive, especially at Sorcery speed! But this only costs a single mana to do it, and it comes with Escape. Sometimes you’ll have enough fuel in your graveyard to cast this 2-3 times, and if you do, it usually means you did lethal. Still, it really only tends to work out in more aggressive decks, and that is a pretty big limitation.
Mire's Grasp image 3.5 This is premium removal. Two mana for -3/-3 is a good deal, and while I would probably prefer it to be an Instant rather than an Enchantment, the fact that you can only cast it at Sorcery speed is made up for, at least a little bit, by having the useful Enchantment type.
Riptide Turtle image 1.0 This has Flash, which matters for the UR deck in this format, and it had okay defensive stats, but you still usually won’t play it
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Nyxborn Courser image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with reasonable stats and the Enchantment type, as well as two White mana its cost for Devotion. You’ll play it sometimes when you need one or all of those things.
Nexus Wardens image 2.5 This is a real overperformer in this format. The stats line up quite well against the aggressive decks, and gaining life also makes their lives pretty difficult. This tends to be a pretty key Common for the more controlling decks in this format.
Leonin of the Lost Pride image 2.0 A two mana 3/1 is already decent enough, and the exile clause here actually comes up in Limited, since there are so many cards with Escape.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Aspect of Lamprey
Hateful Eidolon image 3.0 There are enough Black Aura-based removal spells in this set that Hopeful Eidolon draws you a card a little more often than you might think! That’s the most effective way to trigger its ability, but you can also do it with offensive Auras. And, the Eidolon counts itself, so if you put an Aura on it, it will at least replace itself if it dies. It is already a nice place for Auras too, as a result of lifelink.
The Triumph of Anax image 1.0 first three chapters help make it so your creatures can attack harder and give them trample, and if you play this on turn 3 and your opponent has an empty board you can start doing a ton of damage. But, that’s the kind of ability that normally won’t scale very well as the game goes on -- sure, if you have creatures who are challenging to block it gets more interesting, but the boost to only power and Trample just isn’t something I’m that interested in. I feel like most aggro decks would rather just play a 3-mana creature than this. Now, the fourth chapter of this Saga is the most interesting one, since it gives you a fight effect -- but the fact your opponent KNOWS it is coming, means they can play around it to some extent -- it just takes so long for you to get to chapter 4 too.
Oread of Mountain's Blaze image 1.5 This has decent stats and it can loot – though for a significant mana investment. Still, being an Enchantment and loading the graveyard are two relevant things in this format.
Flummoxed Cyclops image 2.5 A 4-mana 4/4 with Reach and downside doesn’t sound amazing, but it actually lines up fairly well in this format. It is a sizable creature, and as long as you’re just always attacking with him, the fact he can’t block a big chunk of the time doesn’t matter! It is a little annoying that he has Reach – a purely defensive ability – but won’t be able to block with it very often. He does do a good job of stonewalling a board that has like…one flyer and not much else, at least.
Relentless Pursuit image 2.0 This is a solid draw spell for Green, and it is nice that it puts at least three cards in the graveyard when you use it, because that will help you fuel Escape.
Inspire Awe image 0.0 Fogs are unplayable in Limited 99% of the time. You use up a card for no real effect. This is not the 1% where that’s not true.
Aspect of Lamprey image 2.0 Lifelink + Mind Rot turns out to be a pretty decent combination in this set. This is another Discard spell that still does a thing in the late game, and that’s nice, because it gets around some significant downside.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Hateful Eidolon
Shoal Kraken image 2.0 I like looting a fair bit – and it gets some extra value in this set because of the Escape mechanic. This has passable stats too, so you’ll play it in some of the grindier decks.
Hateful Eidolon image 3.0 There are enough Black Aura-based removal spells in this set that Hopeful Eidolon draws you a card a little more often than you might think! That’s the most effective way to trigger its ability, but you can also do it with offensive Auras. And, the Eidolon counts itself, so if you put an Aura on it, it will at least replace itself if it dies. It is already a nice place for Auras too, as a result of lifelink.
Nyxborn Marauder image 1.5 This is an Enchantment that has alright stats and contributes to your devotion. You’ll play it sometimes.
Underworld Charger image 2.5 This is a fairly efficient aggressive creature who refuses to stay dead, and when it comes back it does so quite large! You can’t really play this anywhere but an aggro deck since it can’t block, but it works out pretty nicely there.
Plummet image 0.5 This is mostly a sideboard card, but one you end up bringing a significant chunk of the time, provided you see a few flyers in game one.
Towering-Wave Mystic image 2.0 This can help you mill your opponent if that’s what you’re interested in doing, but it can also mill you -- milling yourself will probably be more useful most of the time, as this format has lots of graveyard action, as we’ve already said. It is still a creature with sub-par vanilla stats, but I think the fact that it can help stock your graveyard and/or mill your opponent is enough for it to be a card you feel decent about as the 22nd or 23rd card in your deck.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Lampad of Death's Vigil
The Binding of the Titans image 1.0 This is a super slow Green Anticipate, and I’m not that interested in that.
Omen of the Hunt image 2.5 This is nice fixing and ramp, and like all Omens it can be cashed in to Scry later in the game. If you aren’t splashing it probably isn’t something you’re super interested in playing.
Lampad of Death's Vigil image 3 This ended up being a key card in this format. Its cheap sacrifice effect made sacrifice decks a lot better than they would otherwise have been, and the fact it drains life often allows you to get to lethal a full turn or more before you would have had it otherwise.
Infuriate image 1.5 This is an alright trick. You’ll play it sometimes in aggro decks.
Portent of Betrayal image 0.0 // 2.5 There is a real sacrifice deck in this format, and that means this Threaten effect is actually worthwhile sometimes! Stealing an opposing creature and then sacrificing it is one of the sweetest things you’ll ever do in Magic, and because there are good sacrifice outlets in this format, you’ll actually set that up sometimes. It is unplayable pretty much everywhere else, though.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Relentless Pursuit
Relentless Pursuit image 2.0 This is a solid draw spell for Green, and it is nice that it puts at least three cards in the graveyard when you use it, because that will help you fuel Escape.
Nexus Wardens image 2.5 This is a real overperformer in this format. The stats line up quite well against the aggressive decks, and gaining life also makes their lives pretty difficult. This tends to be a pretty key Common for the more controlling decks in this format.
Omen of the Hunt image 2.5 This is nice fixing and ramp, and like all Omens it can be cashed in to Scry later in the game. If you aren’t splashing it probably isn’t something you’re super interested in playing.
Setessan Training image 2.5 This replaces itself, and that’s quite nice. The +1/+0 and Trample boost probably wouldn’t have been enough, even in a format with Enchantmetn synergy, but because it draws you a card, you get to avoid the danger of a 2-for-1.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Warbriar Blessing
Nyx Herald image 3.5 On its own, this is a 3-mana ¾ with Trample, and in most ways it is better than that, because it can spread that stats boost and keyword ability to other creatures.
Warbriar Blessing image 3.5 This gives a large enough boost to toughness that this enables a number of creatures to fight and survive than would have been able to without it. This often feels like a removal spell that leaves behind a permanent stats boost for one of your creatures, and that tends to feel pretty good – though it does have the usual downsides that Fight spells do – if you’re not careful, you might get 2-for-1’d.
Bronze Sword image 1.0 1 to play and 3 to equip is too much for this stats boost in most cases.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Rage-Scarred Berserker
Rage-Scarred Berserker image 2.0 This has okay stats and an ETB ability that will frequently allow you to make an attack you couldn’t before. He’s not bad.
Skola Grovedancer image 2.0 This is a decent enough two-drop. None of its text is especially impressive, but at least it has a man sink ability that can help fuel your Escape.
Pack 3 Pick 14: Soulreaper of Mogis
Soulreaper of Mogis image 2.0 This has decent stats and an okay mana sink ability. The ability does feel pretty clunky, especially when there are cheaper sacrifice outlets around, like the Lampad.
Draft Pick Overview