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Quick Draft LTR 7 July 2023

7 July 12:07 - Vyniel 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (13)
1 Smite the Deathless image
1 Flame of Anor image
1 Oath of the Grey Host image
2 Soothing of Sméagol image
1 Council's Deliberation image
1 Isolation at Orthanc image
1 Rally at the Hornburg image
1 Glorious Gale image
1 Saruman's Trickery image
2 Birthday Escape image
1 Lórien Revealed image
Creature (10)
2 Snarling Warg image
1 Willow-Wind image
1 Nazgûl image
1 Éomer of the Riddermark image
1 Gorbag of Minas Morgul image
1 Bilbo, Retired Burglar image
1 Mirkwood Bats image
1 Uglúk of the White Hand image
1 Rohirrim Lancer image
Land (17)
1 Shire Terrace image
5 Mountain image
5 Swamp image
6 Island image
Sideboard
1 Knights of Dol Amroth image
1 Esquire of the King image
1 Generous Ent image
1 Pelargir Survivor image
2 Isolation at Orthanc image
1 March from the Black Gate image
2 Rush the Room image
1 Glorious Gale image
1 Phial of Galadriel image
2 The Black Breath image
1 Dreadful as the Storm image
1 One Ring to Rule Them All image
1 Cast into the Fire image
1 Swarming of Moria image
1 Surrounded by Orcs image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Smite the Deathless
Mithril Coat image 1.0 Just indestructibility really isn’t that impressive of a boost. The main problem being that a creature needs to already be good otherwise it isn’t worth making it indestructible. For this to be worth it, it really needs to have a legendary creature to attach to for free at instant speed, because at that point you’re probably saving your creature from removal and/or helping it win combat. Even in a set with this many legendaries, though, you can’t count on that, and this will feel clunky as heck when you have to pay 3 to play it and equip it. This just seems like it will be too clunky too often to make the cut in your deck consistently
Gandalf, Friend of the Shire image 3.5 A 4-mana 2/4 with Flash and the ability to turn your sorceries into Instants isn’t too bad, but what really makes this impressive is the fact that you get to draw a card every time you choose a non-Gandalf creature as your ringbearer. That’s some massive value, and even if you only draw 1 card with Gandalf, that’s going to feel amazing.
Council's Deliberation image 3.5 This is kind of an interesting take on Think Twice and similar cards. Drawing a card for two mana isn’t really worth it, but if you have a few cards with Scry in your deck, this suddenly turns into an impressive 2-for-1 that you only spend two mana on. Scry is definitely available in the set too, and it seems very doable to make this work in most Blue decks.
Tale of Tinúviel image 2.0 This has a pretty high ceiling, mostly as a result of Chapter II. If you can set it up to reanimate something nice, that’s going to be great. Chapter I and III deliver some value too of course, and is value that is more easily accessible, but it is decidedly less. Making something indestructible for a couple of turns is usually going to have at least some impact on the game, whether it allows you to attack or block more effectively, and lifelink can help alter a race. However, if you aren’t able to reanimate something reasonable with Chapter II, this is going to feel pretty bad overall. I think that really limits just how good this Saga can be. Sometimes it will feel amazing, when you reanimate a bomb or something – other times it will have two medium effects that don’t really get close to being worth the mana.
Smite the Deathless image 4.0 As usual, Red has a really good Common removal spell. Two mana for 3 damage at instant speed is always premium, so the fact this can exile the things it kills and shut down indestructibility is just gravy
Shire Terrace image 2.5 This can’t grab you a land for no mana the way Evolving Wilds can, but the fact it can tap for mana in the mean time makes up for that.
Dunland Crebain image 3.5 This looks like a nice Common. A three mana 1/1 Flyer that also gives you a 2/2, or alternatively, puts two counters on a creature you already control, is a very nice rate.
Eagles of the North image 2.5 The stat-line is ugly, but the ETB ability will often be enough to drastically alter combat. +1/+0 and First Strike together makes a whole lot of your board into effective attackers. Of course, you do need to have a significant board for it to really make a difference, but that’s not the biggest ask by the time you have six mana. The fact it has Plainscycling is really nice, because in the early game this is going to feel really bad in your opening hand, especially when you need to get your hands on some more land drops.
Enraged Huorn image 2.0 A 5-mana 4/5 Trample is probably a 1.5 these days, but the ring tempting you does mean that at the very least, you can give the Huorn some extra abilities – or do the same for some other creature
Knights of Dol Amroth image 2.0 We’ve seen this card before by a different name, and it was pretty underwhelming. Starting out as a Hill Giant is pretty rough these days, and even in a deck built around drawing extra cards, getting this to 4/4 isn’t always going to happen – and even if it does you don’t really feel like you’re getting there
East-Mark Cavalier image 1.5 This has passable stats as a two mana 2/2 with Vigilance, but the other upside it has is very underwhelming. There will be some occasions where it lines up nicely since it can trade with a larger Goblin or Orc, but a lot of the time the ability doesn’t matter, and even when your opponent does have a creature with one of those types, they are often already just going to trade with the cavalier.
Gimli's Axe image 2.0 +3/+0 and Menace is enough to make just about anything into a threat, but even in a set with this many legendaries, you aren’t going to be able to always count on that. After all, they only appear at Uncommon or higher, and when this isn’t granting menace it seems pretty bad, especially when you take the casting and equip cost into account.
Mordor Trebuchet image 2.0 Obviously you’re going to be happiest with this in a Black-Red deck, but in that deck this seems like a pretty legit payoff. A three mana ¼ isn’t anything to write home about, but throwing a 2/1 Boulder at your opponent every time you attack with a Goblin or Orc is pretty sweet. It also works quite well alongside sacrifice outlets
Brandywine Farmer image 2.0 The stat-line is horrendous, but getting two foods out of one card is a nice thing in Green, and especially in Green-White, where you can find many uses for Food
Pack 1 Pick 2: Flame of Anor
Flame of Anor image 4.0 This card would be awesome even without the Wizard upside. Three mana to do 5 damage to a creature is premium, and it offers additional options! If you do have a Wizard it can feel truly insane, as drawing 2 and killing a creature, or destroying an artifact for three mana is nuts!
Stone of Erech image 0.5 There’s some graveyard stuff going on in this format, but not really enough for this to be main deck material. Sure, it replaces itself in a worst case, but that’s not really enough
Peregrin Took image 4.0 There are many ways to make tokens in this set, and lots of Food and Food payoffs, so Peregrin’s ability to give you more Food and cash in that food for cards is pretty impressive. The stats are underwhelming to be sure, but this is a very real value engine
Denethor, Ruling Steward image 3.5 Playing this in your second main phase after something died in combat is going to feel pretty good, as at that point Denethor is a three mana 2/4 and a 1/1 token, which is an amazing rate! Plus, he can give up creatures to drain life, and you can do that once every turn without really giving anything up, because he can just sacrifice the token every time
Mirkwood Spider image 2.5 One mana 1/1 deathtouchers are pretty much always playable, since they are relevant all game long thanks to their ability to trade with anything. Sometimes this will also be able to grant a problematic legendary creature death touch, and that’s some nice additional upside
Escape from Orthanc image 2.0 This gives a reasonable boost for only one mana, and the toughness means it will do enough to save it from a decent amount of removal too. The fact it gives Flying also means you can use this sometimes before you attack to get in for lethal. It is cheap and has enough different uses that it seems like a quality trick for white aggressive deck.
Generous Ent image 2.5 A 6-mana 5/7 with Reach that gives you a treasure isn’t a terrible late game play. In fact, it is the kind of body that can help you stablize, especially because the Food can gain you life! And if you draw it early and need a land drop, you can always cycle it away
Haradrim Spearmaster image 2.0 It is a little sad it can’t buff itself, as that would have made it significantly better, but offering +1/+0 to something every turn does do enough to improve combat for you often enough for this to be fine
Soothing of Sméagol image 2.0 Two mana to bounce a nontoken creature isn’t an amazing deal these days. Remember, you’re only getting tempo and are actually going down a card. Still, this does allow you to impact the board and getting tempted by the ring is never a bad thing.
Revive the Shire image 1.5 This type of effect usually isn’t anything special, as 9 times out of 10 you’d rather just be adding to the board, and the fact that this is almost a blank card in the early game is an issue. Using it to get back a bomb or some other powerful permanent is definitely nice, and the Food makes it a little more attractive, but this seems like the kind of card that just doesn’t make the cut most of the time because it doesn’t usually do enough
Errand-Rider of Gondor image 2.5 If you don’t control a legendary creature this gives you some decent card selection, and if you do control one, we’re talking about a 2-for-1. Generally that seems like that means if you play this on turn three it is probably just card selection, but by the mid to late game it will usually draw you a card straight up. The stats aren’t great of course, but this definitely does enough to make the cut pretty often.
Knights of Dol Amroth image 2.0 We’ve seen this card before by a different name, and it was pretty underwhelming. Starting out as a Hill Giant is pretty rough these days, and even in a deck built around drawing extra cards, getting this to 4/4 isn’t always going to happen – and even if it does you don’t really feel like you’re getting there
Many Partings image 2.5 This offers some quality fixing while also helping you up your deck’s Food count, something that certainly matters in Green
Pack 1 Pick 3: March from the Black Gate
Frodo Baggins image 3.0 This card has a really strange design. A two mana ⅓ that has the ring tempt you is a solid enough card, but the fact Frodo forces things to block him is really weird, especially because the very first effect you get from The Ring is that your creature can’t be blocked by creatures with more power than it has. So uh..in other words, Frodo will be very difficult to block most of the time anyway, thus forcing things to block him doesn’t really matter very much. The Ring does eventually give you some effects that like it when your opponent blocks, but again – if Frodo is your ring-bearer, very few creatures will be able to block him anyway. This doesn’t make the card bad at all, because the Ring is a nice thing to get going, or a nice thing to upgrade…just a very strange design
March from the Black Gate image 2.5 So if you don’t already have an army this gives you a one mana 1/1, and if you already have one, it puts a counter on your army, and then can put another counter on it when it attacks. That sounds pretty good, though there will certainly be times where neither effect really helps you do much, as if you aren’t able to attack with an Army this will feel pretty bad
Uruk-hai Berserker image 2.0 These are definitely below-rate stats these days, and if this didn’t do anything else it would be a 1.0, even with a useful creature type. Getting tempted by the Ring is real upside, but it also isn’t so insane that I’m thrilled about the idea of playing this
Nasty End image 1.5 This type of spell is never amazing, but it does often find a niche. If you have a legendary creature that is worth sacrificing this can feel particularly good, but the problem with this kind of card is always that you don’t always have something worth giving up. Using it in response to removal is often the ideal situation, and that can potentially be quite impressive. However, it still ends up being too situational to be anything special.
Shower of Arrows image 0.5 We see this type of effect all the time, and it is generally better to leave it in your sideboard. You just don’t have enough targets consistently enough.
Dúnedain Blade image 2.5 If you are paying three to equip this, it is basically unplayable. If you’re paying one to equip it enough of the time, it becomes a solid playable. There are certainly enough Humans in White, as well as some equipment synergies in the set.
Bewitching Leechcraft image 3.0 Obviously, this doesn’t work super well against Armies, since they will have counters to remove that allows this to untap, and there are other +1/+1 counters in the set too. However, I do think this will effectively lock down most creatures in the set, and it isn’t like if they have +1/+1 counters this goes away entirely anyway, because they have to keep removing counters from it to untap it. Obviously you want to use it on things that don’t have those counters at all, I’m just saying that even in the worst case it can be a problem for your opponent. I think this actually gets pretty close to being premium removal because it is so cheap, but even ignoring the whole +1/+1 counter part of the card, this doesn’t ever fully deal with a creature.
Mirrormere Guardian image 2.5 3-mana 4/2s tend to be reasonable, and in this set there are several cards that like it when you have a creature with 4 or more power, and this is one of the earliest ways you can meet that requirement. The ring tempting you when it dies is some very nice additional upside, too
Quarrel's End image 1.5 This is an interesting take on the obligatory Tormenting Voice effect. It costs one more, but you also get to add something to the board, and I think that’s pretty nice. Still, it is the kind of card that gets cut a lot as it doesn’t actually do that much
Mordor Muster image 3.0 Two mana 1/1s that draw you a card are always solid in Limited, and that’s certainly the case here, especially because the format has extra Orc and Army synergy all over the place
Orcish Medicine image 1.5 This trick isn’t that likely to help your creature win combat, but it does blank an attack and gain you some life at worst, and the fact it blanks most removal isn’t too bad either. Add Amass to the mix and I think you have a card that makes the cut in your deck sometimes, but for a trick to really be worthwhile it does need to be more useful in combat than this is
Isolation at Orthanc image 3.0 This is nice removal. You always trade 1-for-1 with it, and because it is an Instant, sometimes you’ll be able to really get your opponent if you cast it in response to a trick or something.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Oath of the Grey Host
Oath of the Grey Host image 2.5 I don’t love giving my opponent a Food token, but the end result of this card is very efficient. You get three 1/1 Flyers, a treasure token, your opponent loses 3 life, and you get a Food – though that part is kind of a wash because your opponent does too. So, its kind of slow, but each chapter does deliver real value, and getting those 1/1s at the end is going to feel great. They do enter tapped, which makes this a lot clunkier than it would otherwise be, but I still think this looks pretty nice
Stern Scolding image 0.0 This is definitely here for constructed formats, as it is far too narrow to ever be worth including in a Limited deck. It just won’t have enough targets. There may be a corner case where your opponent has tons of creatures with 2 or less toughness and you side it in.
Banish from Edoras image 2.0 This is passable removal, but certainly not premium. 5 mana is a lot to exile a creature at sorcery speed, and even though it gets a discount on a tapped creature, cards that can only kill tapped creatures at Sorcery speed are kind of rough, because it usually means your opponent got to hit you with the thing that you want to remove. It is still removal, and answers pretty much all creatures, but its so clunky it isn’t the kind of removal you’re going to prioritize.
Nimrodel Watcher image 3.0 This is a nice Common payoff for scrying. There seems to be a critical mass of Scry at lower rarities, so imagining that you can get in with this an unblockable 3/1 a couple of times isn’t a pipe dream. Sometimes it will be a very real win condition.
Grey Havens Navigator image 2.0 We’ve seen three mana 3/2s with Flash that Scry a lot lately, and they haven’t been that good – but in the other sets there wasn’t a Scry deck like there is in this one. That probably does enough for this to be solid
Oliphaunt image 2.0 A 6-mana 6/4 with Trample isn’t very good, but offering +2/+0 and Trample to something else when it attacks can result in some pretty potent attacks. Adding Mountcycling for only one mana to the mix is a big deal though, as it means you can use this to help you hit a land drop early, and if you get it later in the game it can come down and impact the board
Great Hall of the Citadel image 1.5 This can certainly help you splash some powerful legendary creatures, but I’m a little skeptical. Most of these lands that normally only produce colorless, but can produce colored mana for a certain type of card end up not being worth it. Producing only colorless for the majority of cards in your deck can be a liability for your mana base, so it ends up sort of canceling out any upside you might get out of it when you have your legendaries around. You’re going to want to go after different fixing than this most of the time
Ent's Fury image 3.5 This looks like a nice removal spell for Green. +1/+1 + Fight for two mana is a good enough rate for this to be a nice card, so the 4 toughness or greater upside is enough to push this into “premium removal” range. You do always need to be careful with fight spells and choose a spot where you don’t risk getting completely blown out – like if your opponent removes your fighter in response – but there are plenty of windows where casting this will have a big impact
Snarling Warg image 2.5 A 4-mana ¾ Menace isn’t the worst stat-line, and this will be a 4/4 sometimes
Eastfarthing Farmer image 2.5 A three mana ⅔ that makes a food is probably already playable, so giving +1/+1 to something when this ETBs is nice too, and sometimes it will be more than +1/+1!
Orcish Medicine image 1.5 This trick isn’t that likely to help your creature win combat, but it does blank an attack and gain you some life at worst, and the fact it blanks most removal isn’t too bad either. Add Amass to the mix and I think you have a card that makes the cut in your deck sometimes, but for a trick to really be worthwhile it does need to be more useful in combat than this is
Pack 1 Pick 5: Soothing of Sméagol
Friendly Rivalry image 3.5 This card would be awesome even without the Wizard upside. Three mana to do 5 damage to a creature is premium, and it offers additional options! If you do have a Wizard it can feel truly insane, as drawing 2 and killing a creature, or destroying an artifact for three mana is nuts!
Fog on the Barrow-Downs image 3.0 This is solid removal. Three mana Pacifisms tend to be fine, though they aren’t usually amazing because they don’t entirely get rid of 100% of creatures, since they don’t stop things like activated or triggered abilities. Enchantment-based removal also isn’t great against things like bounce or flicker effects. Still, this does shut down most creatures for a fairly reasonable cost.
Oliphaunt image 2.0 A 6-mana 6/4 with Trample isn’t very good, but offering +2/+0 and Trample to something else when it attacks can result in some pretty potent attacks. Adding Mountcycling for only one mana to the mix is a big deal though, as it means you can use this to help you hit a land drop early, and if you get it later in the game it can come down and impact the board
Soothing of Sméagol image 2.0 Two mana to bounce a nontoken creature isn’t an amazing deal these days. Remember, you’re only getting tempo and are actually going down a card. Still, this does allow you to impact the board and getting tempted by the ring is never a bad thing.
Warbeast of Gorgoroth image 2.0 On its own, this is a 5-mana 5/4 that Amasses 2 when it dies. That’s not bad, but not really anything to write home about either. Obviously, it does get better the more 4 power or more creatures you have, and it makes any trades you make with those creatures into a pretty decent deal, but its still expensive and has mediocre stats
Bombadil's Song image 2.5 The stats boost here isn’t great, and that means there are a more narrow number of creatures who can win a previously unwinnable combat with the help of Bombadil’s Song. It makes up for that some by also being capable of blanking removal spells and tempting you with the ring, so in the end I think you get a reasonable return on your investment
Grey Havens Navigator image 2.0 We’ve seen three mana 3/2s with Flash that Scry a lot lately, and they haven’t been that good – but in the other sets there wasn’t a Scry deck like there is in this one. That probably does enough for this to be solid
Shire Terrace image 2.5 This can’t grab you a land for no mana the way Evolving Wilds can, but the fact it can tap for mana in the mean time makes up for that.
Knights of Dol Amroth image 2.0 We’ve seen this card before by a different name, and it was pretty underwhelming. Starting out as a Hill Giant is pretty rough these days, and even in a deck built around drawing extra cards, getting this to 4/4 isn’t always going to happen – and even if it does you don’t really feel like you’re getting there
Rush the Room image 1.5 +1/+0 and First Strike can help a creature win a decent number of combats, but not so many that I’m super excited about this as a trick. The extra Goblin/Orc upside is good, and occasionally giving something Haste will make a difference, but this seems pretty weak overall
Pack 1 Pick 6: Snarling Warg
Shortcut to Mushrooms image 2.5 Normally this kind of enchantment is kind of rough to get going. Sure, things you control leave the battlefield in Magic – no doubt about it, but they have to do it a lot for this to really deliver. There will be many turns when this does nothing, and the times where you do a counter don’t always make up for it. However, the Ring Tempting you does mean this always does something up front, and you can also wait to play the shortcut until your second main phase when it is clear it will spit out a +1/+1 counter, in which case it doesn’t feel too bad. It also works well with Food!
Shadowfax, Lord of Horses image 2.5 This is nothing fancy, but it is a pretty amazing rate. They do enter tapped, which matters – as this will feel pretty miserable when you’re behind. Playing this on turn two will apply some serious pressure on your opponent, though
Errand-Rider of Gondor image 2.5 If you don’t control a legendary creature this gives you some decent card selection, and if you do control one, we’re talking about a 2-for-1. Generally that seems like that means if you play this on turn three it is probably just card selection, but by the mid to late game it will usually draw you a card straight up. The stats aren’t great of course, but this definitely does enough to make the cut pretty often.
Dreadful as the Storm image 1.0 Lately, we’ve finally been seeing cards with this type of effect actually be playable, but that’s because they have drawn a card. Once that’s the case, a boost like this can be a 2-for-1 and that’s a big deal! The Ring tempting you isn’t nearly as good as drawing a card, so I don’t think this does enough. The problem with this type of boost is that you end up overpaying for it on most creatures – like a 3/3 that gets +2/+2 from this is not a good deal. Sure, on 1/1s it feels better, but that makes this overly situational
Snarling Warg image 2.5 A 4-mana ¾ Menace isn’t the worst stat-line, and this will be a 4/4 sometimes
Esquire of the King image 1.5 This ability costing only three mana is pretty sweet, especially if you’ve gone wide enough – and doing that in White certainly seems doable. The bad news is, as a one mana 1/1 it is pretty irrelevant up until the point it can use its ability, and paying 5 for that ability isn’t nearly as appealing.
Fog on the Barrow-Downs image 3.0 This is solid removal. Three mana Pacifisms tend to be fine, though they aren’t usually amazing because they don’t entirely get rid of 100% of creatures, since they don’t stop things like activated or triggered abilities. Enchantment-based removal also isn’t great against things like bounce or flicker effects. Still, this does shut down most creatures for a fairly reasonable cost.
Erebor Flamesmith image 2.5 We see this type of spell payoff pretty often, and they are always pretty reasonable, especially when you can get multiples of them. Pinging your opponent can really add up if you’re doing a good job casting instants and sorceries.
Ent's Fury image 3.5 This looks like a nice removal spell for Green. +1/+1 + Fight for two mana is a good enough rate for this to be a nice card, so the 4 toughness or greater upside is enough to push this into “premium removal” range. You do always need to be careful with fight spells and choose a spot where you don’t risk getting completely blown out – like if your opponent removes your fighter in response – but there are plenty of windows where casting this will have a big impact
Pack 1 Pick 7: Willow-Wind
Quickbeam, Upstart Ent image 3.5 On its own, Quickbeam is a 6-mana 5/6 that can give two things +2/+2 and trample until end of turn. That’s enough to make the board a lot more favorable for you to attack. Even if Quickbeam hase bad base-stats, I think that ETB ability is enough to make this a nice card. One that gets even better if you have some more Treefolk
The Bath Song image 2.5 I don’t love that none of what this does impacts the board in any way, and that’s a pretty big liability when you’re at 4 mana. Sure, it does net you a couple of cards and then gives you a mana boost, but I’m not sure that’s enough for me. It does trigger the cards in the set that like it when you draw extra cards, but the mana this can give you is often going to go unused. There is some value in shuffling a bunch of nonlands back into your deck, both keeping you from decking and improving your spell density, but this is expensive enough and slow enough that I think its just decent.
Willow-Wind image 3.0 The last time we saw a 5-mana ¾ Flyer that Scried 2 on ETB it really over-performed, and that wasn’t even in a set with a Scry deck. This is probably one of Blue’s best Commons.
Shelob's Ambush image 2.5 This is a really nice trick. Death touch and the toughness boost for only one mana means many creatures will be capable of taking down an opposing creature and surviving to tell the tale, and that’s likely to give you some pretty awesome tempo since it only costs a single mana. Its great that you also get some Food out of the deal!
Chance-Met Elves image 3.0 This looks like another quality Scry payoff. Starting as a 3/2 obviously isn’t very good, but there’s definitely a critical mass of Scry in the set, so this will do a good job of accumulating counters throughout the game.
Surrounded by Orcs image 2.0 This is either a 4-mana 3/3 that mills three, or it makes an army you already have bigger, while milling even more. Neither of those are amazing deals, but if you’re doing graveyard stuff or your opponent is low and cards, this card can do something.
Cast into the Fire image 0.5 This has two modes that aren’t useful often enough, and while the fact that you can choose between them helps offset how narrow each effect is, we’re still looking at a card that won’t do anything meaningful far too often. This feels like sideboard material.
Now for Wrath, Now for Ruin! image 1.0 // 3.0 This is a nice payoff for going wide. Vigilance is a great addition to the counters, because it makes it a lot easier for you to play offense and defense with your newly buffed board. The Ring Tempting you will usually also mean you get to upgrade one of your creatures too. This probably needs a build around grade. Because if you aren’t a deck playing tons of creatures and cards that make multiple bodies, you probably don’t play this most of the time, and if you are a deck that’s good at that, you probably always want the first copy of this.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Soothing of Sméagol
Inherited Envelope image 1.5 Manalith doesn’t tend to be very good in Limited. Using up a card just for inefficient fixing and ramp can be rough, though adding “The Ring Tempts You” to the mix probably does enough for this to be fixing you turn to when you’re desperate
Took Reaper image 2.0 This has mediocre stats that would make it a 1.0 at best these days. Getting tempted by the ring is nice upside, and does mean you’ll come out ahead in most trades, but it also isn’t the type of upside to get that excited over.
Wose Pathfinder image 3.0 This is fragile and inefficient when it comes to stats, but it also fixes and ramps your mana, and in the extreme late game it has an effect that isn’t a terrible one to sink your mana into
Revive the Shire image 1.5 This type of effect usually isn’t anything special, as 9 times out of 10 you’d rather just be adding to the board, and the fact that this is almost a blank card in the early game is an issue. Using it to get back a bomb or some other powerful permanent is definitely nice, and the Food makes it a little more attractive, but this seems like the kind of card that just doesn’t make the cut most of the time because it doesn’t usually do enough
Esquire of the King image 1.5 This ability costing only three mana is pretty sweet, especially if you’ve gone wide enough – and doing that in White certainly seems doable. The bad news is, as a one mana 1/1 it is pretty irrelevant up until the point it can use its ability, and paying 5 for that ability isn’t nearly as appealing.
Nimble Hobbit image 2.0 Tapping opposing creatures tends to be pretty good in aggro decks, but paying three for the effect is kind of rough. Giving up a Food is more appealing, but you’re still attacking with a 1/3, and there’s a pretty good chance that even when you tap down an opposing creature with this, your opponent can easily take it down in combat, especially after the early stages of the game.
Soothing of Sméagol image 2.0 Two mana to bounce a nontoken creature isn’t an amazing deal these days. Remember, you’re only getting tempo and are actually going down a card. Still, this does allow you to impact the board and getting tempted by the ring is never a bad thing.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Council's Deliberation
Council's Deliberation image 3.5 This is kind of an interesting take on Think Twice and similar cards. Drawing a card for two mana isn’t really worth it, but if you have a few cards with Scry in your deck, this suddenly turns into an impressive 2-for-1 that you only spend two mana on. Scry is definitely available in the set too, and it seems very doable to make this work in most Blue decks.
Shire Terrace image 2.5 This can’t grab you a land for no mana the way Evolving Wilds can, but the fact it can tap for mana in the mean time makes up for that.
Enraged Huorn image 2.0 A 5-mana 4/5 Trample is probably a 1.5 these days, but the ring tempting you does mean that at the very least, you can give the Huorn some extra abilities – or do the same for some other creature
Knights of Dol Amroth image 2.0 We’ve seen this card before by a different name, and it was pretty underwhelming. Starting out as a Hill Giant is pretty rough these days, and even in a deck built around drawing extra cards, getting this to 4/4 isn’t always going to happen – and even if it does you don’t really feel like you’re getting there
East-Mark Cavalier image 1.5 This has passable stats as a two mana 2/2 with Vigilance, but the other upside it has is very underwhelming. There will be some occasions where it lines up nicely since it can trade with a larger Goblin or Orc, but a lot of the time the ability doesn’t matter, and even when your opponent does have a creature with one of those types, they are often already just going to trade with the cavalier.
Brandywine Farmer image 2.0 The stat-line is horrendous, but getting two foods out of one card is a nice thing in Green, and especially in Green-White, where you can find many uses for Food
Pack 1 Pick 10: Knights of Dol Amroth
Mirkwood Spider image 2.5 One mana 1/1 deathtouchers are pretty much always playable, since they are relevant all game long thanks to their ability to trade with anything. Sometimes this will also be able to grant a problematic legendary creature death touch, and that’s some nice additional upside
Generous Ent image 2.5 A 6-mana 5/7 with Reach that gives you a treasure isn’t a terrible late game play. In fact, it is the kind of body that can help you stablize, especially because the Food can gain you life! And if you draw it early and need a land drop, you can always cycle it away
Revive the Shire image 1.5 This type of effect usually isn’t anything special, as 9 times out of 10 you’d rather just be adding to the board, and the fact that this is almost a blank card in the early game is an issue. Using it to get back a bomb or some other powerful permanent is definitely nice, and the Food makes it a little more attractive, but this seems like the kind of card that just doesn’t make the cut most of the time because it doesn’t usually do enough
Knights of Dol Amroth image 2.0 We’ve seen this card before by a different name, and it was pretty underwhelming. Starting out as a Hill Giant is pretty rough these days, and even in a deck built around drawing extra cards, getting this to 4/4 isn’t always going to happen – and even if it does you don’t really feel like you’re getting there
Many Partings image 2.5 This offers some quality fixing while also helping you up your deck’s Food count, something that certainly matters in Green
Pack 1 Pick 11: Isolation at Orthanc
Shower of Arrows image 0.5 We see this type of effect all the time, and it is generally better to leave it in your sideboard. You just don’t have enough targets consistently enough.
Bewitching Leechcraft image 3.0 Obviously, this doesn’t work super well against Armies, since they will have counters to remove that allows this to untap, and there are other +1/+1 counters in the set too. However, I do think this will effectively lock down most creatures in the set, and it isn’t like if they have +1/+1 counters this goes away entirely anyway, because they have to keep removing counters from it to untap it. Obviously you want to use it on things that don’t have those counters at all, I’m just saying that even in the worst case it can be a problem for your opponent. I think this actually gets pretty close to being premium removal because it is so cheap, but even ignoring the whole +1/+1 counter part of the card, this doesn’t ever fully deal with a creature.
Mirrormere Guardian image 2.5 3-mana 4/2s tend to be reasonable, and in this set there are several cards that like it when you have a creature with 4 or more power, and this is one of the earliest ways you can meet that requirement. The ring tempting you when it dies is some very nice additional upside, too
Isolation at Orthanc image 3.0 This is nice removal. You always trade 1-for-1 with it, and because it is an Instant, sometimes you’ll be able to really get your opponent if you cast it in response to a trick or something.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Snarling Warg
Nimrodel Watcher image 3.0 This is a nice Common payoff for scrying. There seems to be a critical mass of Scry at lower rarities, so imagining that you can get in with this an unblockable 3/1 a couple of times isn’t a pipe dream. Sometimes it will be a very real win condition.
Grey Havens Navigator image 2.0 We’ve seen three mana 3/2s with Flash that Scry a lot lately, and they haven’t been that good – but in the other sets there wasn’t a Scry deck like there is in this one. That probably does enough for this to be solid
Snarling Warg image 2.5 A 4-mana ¾ Menace isn’t the worst stat-line, and this will be a 4/4 sometimes
Pack 1 Pick 13: Rush the Room
Bombadil's Song image 2.5 The stats boost here isn’t great, and that means there are a more narrow number of creatures who can win a previously unwinnable combat with the help of Bombadil’s Song. It makes up for that some by also being capable of blanking removal spells and tempting you with the ring, so in the end I think you get a reasonable return on your investment
Rush the Room image 1.5 +1/+0 and First Strike can help a creature win a decent number of combats, but not so many that I’m super excited about this as a trick. The extra Goblin/Orc upside is good, and occasionally giving something Haste will make a difference, but this seems pretty weak overall
Pack 1 Pick 14: Esquire of the King
Esquire of the King image 1.5 This ability costing only three mana is pretty sweet, especially if you’ve gone wide enough – and doing that in White certainly seems doable. The bad news is, as a one mana 1/1 it is pretty irrelevant up until the point it can use its ability, and paying 5 for that ability isn’t nearly as appealing.
Pack 2 Pick 1: Phial of Galadriel
Phial of Galadriel image 3.0 A three-mana mana rock that can tap for one mana of any color usually isn’t very good in Limited. If a format turns out to be more ramp or multicolor heavy it gets better, but Manalith on its own definitely isn’t very good. This does have additional upside, but both are pretty narrow. The life gain part especially so, since you need to both have 5 or less life and something to gain you life. It will happen sometimes, but not very often. I’m more interested in the Phial drawing extra cards, as that’s where the real power is. Most games that go relatively long result in you having an empty hand, and it also means that you’ll probably be able to play both things you draw a lot of the time and keep on drawing extra. So, early this is an almost-passable mana rock, and then in the late game it can grind you out a win, and maybe gain you some extra life
Dúnedain Rangers image 3.0 A 4-mana 4/4 is a solid stat-line, but the landfall trigger isn’t amazing. If it was just straight up you get tempted every time you play a land that would be awesome, but this only triggers if you don’t already have a Ringbearer. That said, getting The Ring going or offering a big upgrade to a creature if you already have been tempted a bunch is pretty big. Still, sometimes this landfall trigger is meaningless, and I don’t love that
Reprieve image 2.5 This is basically a White Remand, and that’s pretty nice! Sure, your opponent gets the card back and can cast it in the future, but Reprieve also replaces itself, so getting some nice tempo is actually a reasonable deal. There will be times in the late game where your opponent can just cast the thing you bounce without a whole lot of effort, but the fail case is still that you get to draw a card.
Celeborn the Wise image 3.0 Scrying is a well-supported theme in Blue-Green, and Celeborn is another nice payoff for doing so. He will always attack as a 4/4, since he counts himself, and there are going to plenty of times where you can Scry additional times to buff him, especially because his Scry ability will theoretically allow you to find even more Scry! He will largely be a Hill Giant on your opponents turn, but some instant speed scry can also cause some problems for your opponent
Ithilien Kingfisher image 3.0 This isn’t quite as good as a three mana 2/1 with Flying that draws when it enters the battlefield, but it is still quite good. It is a reasonable threat in the air, and it can deliver a two-for-one pretty often.
Elven Farsight image 2.5 This is a surprisingly powerful draw spell for green. You get to see up to four cards and you should be able to make sure you draw a creature most of the time when you play it. On top of that, Scrying is something you’re going to want to do a lot of when you’re playing Green. It doesn’t effect the board, but this feels like it is going to do such a good job of making your draws smoother and more consistent for so little mana that I’m tempted to go all the way up to a 3
Battle-Scarred Goblin image 2.5 This isn’t the most exciting upside, but it does mean it can trade with X/3s and it basically can’t be blocked at all by X/1s. It can also be kind of funny to pair with death touch. It also has a useful creature type, which matters.
Nimrodel Watcher image 3.0 This is a nice Common payoff for scrying. There seems to be a critical mass of Scry at lower rarities, so imagining that you can get in with this an unblockable 3/1 a couple of times isn’t a pipe dream. Sometimes it will be a very real win condition.
Haunt of the Dead Marshes image 2.0 Having a legendary creature isn’t a guarantee in this format, but it is easier than normal because of both the Ring Tempts You and a large number of legendary creatures in general. I like that you get to Scry 1 every time too!
Captain of Umbar image 2.0 This has below-rate states, but looting for one mana isn’t too bad, especially in a format with lots of payoffs for drawing an extra card during your turn.
Haradrim Spearmaster image 2.0 It is a little sad it can’t buff itself, as that would have made it significantly better, but offering +1/+0 to something every turn does do enough to improve combat for you often enough for this to be fine
Revive the Shire image 1.5 This type of effect usually isn’t anything special, as 9 times out of 10 you’d rather just be adding to the board, and the fact that this is almost a blank card in the early game is an issue. Using it to get back a bomb or some other powerful permanent is definitely nice, and the Food makes it a little more attractive, but this seems like the kind of card that just doesn’t make the cut most of the time because it doesn’t usually do enough
Glorious Gale image 2.5 This is a strictly better Essence Scatter, and Essence Scatter is always decent in Limited. It is cheap and counters the most common type of spell in your typical game.
Hobbit's Sting image 3.0 White has a decent amount of food and lots of cards that help it go wide, so this will often have no problem doing at leas three damage. There are of course the awkward times where your board isn’t where it needs to be to take full advantage, and that probably prevents this from being premium removal.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Nazgûl
Nazgûl image 3.5 This is effectively a three mana ⅔ with Deathtouch, and because the ring tempts you you’re also going to have the option of giving it or something else some additional abilities. Black has a lot of tempted by the ring effects for it to feed off of, too.
Bill the Pony image 3.0 Not killing everything is a little bit of a bummer, but this will usually be able to kill the best things on the battlefield. You can build around it to some extent too, but not having a bunch of creatures who get destroyed by it, and it isn’t like that’s super hard to do in White. Getting some Food is some nice upside to have too. Overall I think this looks pretty good. IT will be a bit awkward sometimes, as sweepers often are in Limited, and there will be times where it hurts you more than your opponent. However, you will find enough board states where you come out ahead when the dust settles.
Shadowfax, Lord of Horses image 2.5 This is nothing fancy, but it is a pretty amazing rate. They do enter tapped, which matters – as this will feel pretty miserable when you’re behind. Playing this on turn two will apply some serious pressure on your opponent, though
Erebor Flamesmith image 2.5 We see this type of spell payoff pretty often, and they are always pretty reasonable, especially when you can get multiples of them. Pinging your opponent can really add up if you’re doing a good job casting instants and sorceries.
Westfold Rider image 2.0 This has passable base stats and an ability that will actually do something sometimes. It is nice to be able to have a Disenchant in your main deck without having to pay much of a cost.
Dreadful as the Storm image 1.0 Lately, we’ve finally been seeing cards with this type of effect actually be playable, but that’s because they have drawn a card. Once that’s the case, a boost like this can be a 2-for-1 and that’s a big deal! The Ring tempting you isn’t nearly as good as drawing a card, so I don’t think this does enough. The problem with this type of boost is that you end up overpaying for it on most creatures – like a 3/3 that gets +2/+2 from this is not a good deal. Sure, on 1/1s it feels better, but that makes this overly situational
Isolation at Orthanc image 3.0 This is nice removal. You always trade 1-for-1 with it, and because it is an Instant, sometimes you’ll be able to really get your opponent if you cast it in response to a trick or something.
Bombadil's Song image 2.5 The stats boost here isn’t great, and that means there are a more narrow number of creatures who can win a previously unwinnable combat with the help of Bombadil’s Song. It makes up for that some by also being capable of blanking removal spells and tempting you with the ring, so in the end I think you get a reasonable return on your investment
East-Mark Cavalier image 1.5 This has passable stats as a two mana 2/2 with Vigilance, but the other upside it has is very underwhelming. There will be some occasions where it lines up nicely since it can trade with a larger Goblin or Orc, but a lot of the time the ability doesn’t matter, and even when your opponent does have a creature with one of those types, they are often already just going to trade with the cavalier.
Haunt of the Dead Marshes image 2.0 Having a legendary creature isn’t a guarantee in this format, but it is easier than normal because of both the Ring Tempts You and a large number of legendary creatures in general. I like that you get to Scry 1 every time too!
Enraged Huorn image 2.0 A 5-mana 4/5 Trample is probably a 1.5 these days, but the ring tempting you does mean that at the very least, you can give the Huorn some extra abilities – or do the same for some other creature
Improvised Club image 1.5 Giving up a real creature for this is not very good, as you end up 2-for-1ing yourself, but if you have a treasure or food, or expendable body to sacrifice, this will do a decent job. Its nice that it can go after the opponent, and that will sometimes close out games. Still, it takes enough set up to actually be worthwhile that you’re not always going to play it
Glorious Gale image 2.5 This is a strictly better Essence Scatter, and Essence Scatter is always decent in Limited. It is cheap and counters the most common type of spell in your typical game.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Éomer of the Riddermark
Éomer of the Riddermark image 4.0 A 5-mana 5/4 Haste is decent, so the fact this can spit out a 1/1 a decent chunk of the time is pretty nice. Since Eomer himself has 5 power, there’s a pretty good chance he’ll be making that first token the turn you play him, which is great.
Strider, Ranger of the North image 4.0 This has solid base stats and a really strong landfall effect. He can always give the boost to himself, which means he can rumble as a 5/5 with First Strike, something that is formidable on virtually every board state! He can also spread the love around, of course, which is great because it can enable you to attack with more of your creatures
Lash of the Balrog image 3.0 This is another nice removal spell for Black decks. This is Bone Splinters when that’s what you need, but having the option of paying 5 to kill something with it is nice, since it means in the later stages of the game you don’t need to give up a creature. Neither mode is super efficient of course – individually each of those cards is probably a 2.0 or a 2.5, but I think the modality – plus the presence of good sacrifice fodder makes it a 3.
Oliphaunt image 2.0 A 6-mana 6/4 with Trample isn’t very good, but offering +2/+0 and Trample to something else when it attacks can result in some pretty potent attacks. Adding Mountcycling for only one mana to the mix is a big deal though, as it means you can use this to help you hit a land drop early, and if you get it later in the game it can come down and impact the board
Protector of Gondor image 2.5 We see versions of this card a lot, and its always fine. It is pretty much exactly what you expect to get from a 4-mana Common – 4/4 of stats spread across two bodies.
Rally at the Hornburg image 3.0 Two mana for two 1/1s with Haste would be good in any format, but there are many cards in the format – especially in Red/White, that both like going wide and having Humans around. It can be specially spicy with the cards that give you an effect for each human who enters the battlefield
Warbeast of Gorgoroth image 2.0 On its own, this is a 5-mana 5/4 that Amasses 2 when it dies. That’s not bad, but not really anything to write home about either. Obviously, it does get better the more 4 power or more creatures you have, and it makes any trades you make with those creatures into a pretty decent deal, but its still expensive and has mediocre stats
Second Breakfast image 2.0 Sometimes this kind of trick can generate a 2-for-1, which is obviously great – but with a toughness boost of only one, more often than not at least one of the creatures is going to die. Three mana is a lot to spend on a trick too! It is nice it gives you some food at least.
East-Mark Cavalier image 1.5 This has passable stats as a two mana 2/2 with Vigilance, but the other upside it has is very underwhelming. There will be some occasions where it lines up nicely since it can trade with a larger Goblin or Orc, but a lot of the time the ability doesn’t matter, and even when your opponent does have a creature with one of those types, they are often already just going to trade with the cavalier.
Glorious Gale image 2.5 This is a strictly better Essence Scatter, and Essence Scatter is always decent in Limited. It is cheap and counters the most common type of spell in your typical game.
Cast into the Fire image 0.5 This has two modes that aren’t useful often enough, and while the fact that you can choose between them helps offset how narrow each effect is, we’re still looking at a card that won’t do anything meaningful far too often. This feels like sideboard material.
Galadhrim Guide image 2.0 Stats aren’t good, but there are enough Scry payoffs for the first copy of this to make the cut pretty often
Pack 2 Pick 4: Gorbag of Minas Morgul
Gorbag of Minas Morgul image 3.0 This has decent base stats and a useful creature type, and the ability isn’t bad either. You aren’t always going to be in a spot to sacrifice a goblin or an orc for one of these effects, but there are definitely times where you’d be happy to turn a creature into a card or a Treasure
Council's Deliberation image 3.5 This is kind of an interesting take on Think Twice and similar cards. Drawing a card for two mana isn’t really worth it, but if you have a few cards with Scry in your deck, this suddenly turns into an impressive 2-for-1 that you only spend two mana on. Scry is definitely available in the set too, and it seems very doable to make this work in most Blue decks.
Shire Scarecrow image 1.5 A two mana 0/3 defender doesn’t tend to be very good, but this does a reasonable job of filtering your mana
Galadhrim Guide image 2.0 Stats aren’t good, but there are enough Scry payoffs for the first copy of this to make the cut pretty often
Erebor Flamesmith image 2.5 We see this type of spell payoff pretty often, and they are always pretty reasonable, especially when you can get multiples of them. Pinging your opponent can really add up if you’re doing a good job casting instants and sorceries.
Mordor Trebuchet image 2.0 Obviously you’re going to be happiest with this in a Black-Red deck, but in that deck this seems like a pretty legit payoff. A three mana ¼ isn’t anything to write home about, but throwing a 2/1 Boulder at your opponent every time you attack with a Goblin or Orc is pretty sweet. It also works quite well alongside sacrifice outlets
Pippin's Bravery image 2.0 One mana for +2/+2 is usually a decent enough trick, and the food upside here is very real. This can allow your creature to win combat very efficiently, and that’s always what you want from a combat trick
Dreadful as the Storm image 1.0 Lately, we’ve finally been seeing cards with this type of effect actually be playable, but that’s because they have drawn a card. Once that’s the case, a boost like this can be a 2-for-1 and that’s a big deal! The Ring tempting you isn’t nearly as good as drawing a card, so I don’t think this does enough. The problem with this type of boost is that you end up overpaying for it on most creatures – like a 3/3 that gets +2/+2 from this is not a good deal. Sure, on 1/1s it feels better, but that makes this overly situational
Knights of Dol Amroth image 2.0 We’ve seen this card before by a different name, and it was pretty underwhelming. Starting out as a Hill Giant is pretty rough these days, and even in a deck built around drawing extra cards, getting this to 4/4 isn’t always going to happen – and even if it does you don’t really feel like you’re getting there
Haradrim Spearmaster image 2.0 It is a little sad it can’t buff itself, as that would have made it significantly better, but offering +1/+0 to something every turn does do enough to improve combat for you often enough for this to be fine
Fog on the Barrow-Downs image 3.0 This is solid removal. Three mana Pacifisms tend to be fine, though they aren’t usually amazing because they don’t entirely get rid of 100% of creatures, since they don’t stop things like activated or triggered abilities. Enchantment-based removal also isn’t great against things like bounce or flicker effects. Still, this does shut down most creatures for a fairly reasonable cost.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Rally at the Hornburg
Tale of Tinúviel image 2.0 This has a pretty high ceiling, mostly as a result of Chapter II. If you can set it up to reanimate something nice, that’s going to be great. Chapter I and III deliver some value too of course, and is value that is more easily accessible, but it is decidedly less. Making something indestructible for a couple of turns is usually going to have at least some impact on the game, whether it allows you to attack or block more effectively, and lifelink can help alter a race. However, if you aren’t able to reanimate something reasonable with Chapter II, this is going to feel pretty bad overall. I think that really limits just how good this Saga can be. Sometimes it will feel amazing, when you reanimate a bomb or something – other times it will have two medium effects that don’t really get close to being worth the mana.
Gandalf's Sanction image 3.5 This looks like a nice signpost Uncommon. It can be kind of a blank card in the early game, but by the mid-to-late game, this is going to be capable of killing most stuff. Doing excess damage to the opponent is pretty sweet too, because sometimes when we see cards like this you’re doing crazy overkill damage with them in the later stages of the game, and this gives you something extra when that happens.
Strider, Ranger of the North image 4.0 This has solid base stats and a really strong landfall effect. He can always give the boost to himself, which means he can rumble as a 5/5 with First Strike, something that is formidable on virtually every board state! He can also spread the love around, of course, which is great because it can enable you to attack with more of your creatures
Quarrel's End image 1.5 This is an interesting take on the obligatory Tormenting Voice effect. It costs one more, but you also get to add something to the board, and I think that’s pretty nice. Still, it is the kind of card that gets cut a lot as it doesn’t actually do that much
Galadhrim Guide image 2.0 Stats aren’t good, but there are enough Scry payoffs for the first copy of this to make the cut pretty often
Rally at the Hornburg image 3.0 Two mana for two 1/1s with Haste would be good in any format, but there are many cards in the format – especially in Red/White, that both like going wide and having Humans around. It can be specially spicy with the cards that give you an effect for each human who enters the battlefield
Lash of the Balrog image 3.0 This is another nice removal spell for Black decks. This is Bone Splinters when that’s what you need, but having the option of paying 5 to kill something with it is nice, since it means in the later stages of the game you don’t need to give up a creature. Neither mode is super efficient of course – individually each of those cards is probably a 2.0 or a 2.5, but I think the modality – plus the presence of good sacrifice fodder makes it a 3.
Mirkwood Bats image 3.0 This stat-line is well below rate these days, but this ability has the potential to be fairly strong, especially if you have some Food or Treasure tokens around since they are tokens that you create with built-in sacrifice effects
Gimli's Axe image 2.0 +3/+0 and Menace is enough to make just about anything into a threat, but even in a set with this many legendaries, you aren’t going to be able to always count on that. After all, they only appear at Uncommon or higher, and when this isn’t granting menace it seems pretty bad, especially when you take the casting and equip cost into account.
Banish from Edoras image 2.0 This is passable removal, but certainly not premium. 5 mana is a lot to exile a creature at sorcery speed, and even though it gets a discount on a tapped creature, cards that can only kill tapped creatures at Sorcery speed are kind of rough, because it usually means your opponent got to hit you with the thing that you want to remove. It is still removal, and answers pretty much all creatures, but its so clunky it isn’t the kind of removal you’re going to prioritize.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Bilbo, Retired Burglar
Celeborn the Wise image 3.0 Scrying is a well-supported theme in Blue-Green, and Celeborn is another nice payoff for doing so. He will always attack as a 4/4, since he counts himself, and there are going to plenty of times where you can Scry additional times to buff him, especially because his Scry ability will theoretically allow you to find even more Scry! He will largely be a Hill Giant on your opponents turn, but some instant speed scry can also cause some problems for your opponent
Bilbo, Retired Burglar image 3.5 Bilbo is going to be tough to block most of the time, since once the Ring tempts you a single time, your ring-bearer becomes very difficult to block. This means getting treasure out of Bilbo is fairly easy, and its great that even if he goes down, he makes sure you can get an additional effect and choose a new ring-bearer.
The Black Breath image 0.5 A one-sided -1/-1 effect can be good in the right match-up, but I mostly think this needs a sideboard grade. If you’re not able to take down creatures with it consistently it just isn’t going to be worth it, as the Ring tempts you alone just won’t be enough for the cost.
Many Partings image 2.5 This offers some quality fixing while also helping you up your deck’s Food count, something that certainly matters in Green
Escape from Orthanc image 2.0 This gives a reasonable boost for only one mana, and the toughness means it will do enough to save it from a decent amount of removal too. The fact it gives Flying also means you can use this sometimes before you attack to get in for lethal. It is cheap and has enough different uses that it seems like a quality trick for white aggressive deck.
Rush the Room image 1.5 +1/+0 and First Strike can help a creature win a decent number of combats, but not so many that I’m super excited about this as a trick. The extra Goblin/Orc upside is good, and occasionally giving something Haste will make a difference, but this seems pretty weak overall
Took Reaper image 2.0 This has mediocre stats that would make it a 1.0 at best these days. Getting tempted by the ring is nice upside, and does mean you’ll come out ahead in most trades, but it also isn’t the type of upside to get that excited over.
Improvised Club image 1.5 Giving up a real creature for this is not very good, as you end up 2-for-1ing yourself, but if you have a treasure or food, or expendable body to sacrifice, this will do a decent job. Its nice that it can go after the opponent, and that will sometimes close out games. Still, it takes enough set up to actually be worthwhile that you’re not always going to play it
Mordor Trebuchet image 2.0 Obviously you’re going to be happiest with this in a Black-Red deck, but in that deck this seems like a pretty legit payoff. A three mana ¼ isn’t anything to write home about, but throwing a 2/1 Boulder at your opponent every time you attack with a Goblin or Orc is pretty sweet. It also works quite well alongside sacrifice outlets
Pack 2 Pick 7: Rush the Room
Shadowfax, Lord of Horses image 2.5 This is nothing fancy, but it is a pretty amazing rate. They do enter tapped, which matters – as this will feel pretty miserable when you’re behind. Playing this on turn two will apply some serious pressure on your opponent, though
Gimli's Axe image 2.0 +3/+0 and Menace is enough to make just about anything into a threat, but even in a set with this many legendaries, you aren’t going to be able to always count on that. After all, they only appear at Uncommon or higher, and when this isn’t granting menace it seems pretty bad, especially when you take the casting and equip cost into account.
Brandywine Farmer image 2.0 The stat-line is horrendous, but getting two foods out of one card is a nice thing in Green, and especially in Green-White, where you can find many uses for Food
East-Mark Cavalier image 1.5 This has passable stats as a two mana 2/2 with Vigilance, but the other upside it has is very underwhelming. There will be some occasions where it lines up nicely since it can trade with a larger Goblin or Orc, but a lot of the time the ability doesn’t matter, and even when your opponent does have a creature with one of those types, they are often already just going to trade with the cavalier.
Captain of Umbar image 2.0 This has below-rate states, but looting for one mana isn’t too bad, especially in a format with lots of payoffs for drawing an extra card during your turn.
Rush the Room image 1.5 +1/+0 and First Strike can help a creature win a decent number of combats, but not so many that I’m super excited about this as a trick. The extra Goblin/Orc upside is good, and occasionally giving something Haste will make a difference, but this seems pretty weak overall
Many Partings image 2.5 This offers some quality fixing while also helping you up your deck’s Food count, something that certainly matters in Green
Cirith Ungol Patrol image 2.5 This is a fairly powerful sacrifice effect. Normally we just get “draw a card” on this type of thing and that ends up being fine, so also getting a Food out of it is some serious business. Gaining life on top of drawing a card can be a powerful way to pull ahead in a game. This has sort of decent stats too, and a useful creature type, and there’s plenty of good sacrifice fodder around
Pack 2 Pick 8: Shire Terrace
Fog on the Barrow-Downs image 3.0 This is solid removal. Three mana Pacifisms tend to be fine, though they aren’t usually amazing because they don’t entirely get rid of 100% of creatures, since they don’t stop things like activated or triggered abilities. Enchantment-based removal also isn’t great against things like bounce or flicker effects. Still, this does shut down most creatures for a fairly reasonable cost.
Breaking of the Fellowship image 1.5 We have seen cards like this before, and they are always surprisingly difficult to set up correctly. First your opponent needs to have two creatures, second one has to be able to kill the other. That sounds simple enough, but the stat-lines don’t always line up correctly. The fact this is a Sorcery makes it even harder to make it work. Basically, this is a removal spell that asks too much to be very good. Especially because you don’t have that much control over what its asking for
Stalwarts of Osgiliath image 2.5 This starts out with bad stats, but it does have the ability to grow reasonably well. The fact the Ring tempts you could actually help you get the Stalwarts going too, since one of the Ring’s bonuses is that your creature loots when it attacks, which will mean the Stalwarts get a counter.
The Black Breath image 0.5 A one-sided -1/-1 effect can be good in the right match-up, but I mostly think this needs a sideboard grade. If you’re not able to take down creatures with it consistently it just isn’t going to be worth it, as the Ring tempts you alone just won’t be enough for the cost.
Bag End Porter image 3.0 This starts with solid stats, and there are enough legendary creatures in this set for this to attack as a 5/5 or 6/6 a decent chunk of the time.
Shire Terrace image 2.5 This can’t grab you a land for no mana the way Evolving Wilds can, but the fact it can tap for mana in the mean time makes up for that.
Treason of Isengard image 2.0 A three mana 2/2 that puts a spell on top of your library is an okay card. This is an effect players often overrate, as they imagine getting back a really great spell – and when you can do that it is pretty good. However, the fact you have to wait to draw that card really makes it significantly worse
Pack 2 Pick 9: Glorious Gale
Ithilien Kingfisher image 3.0 This isn’t quite as good as a three mana 2/1 with Flying that draws when it enters the battlefield, but it is still quite good. It is a reasonable threat in the air, and it can deliver a two-for-one pretty often.
Elven Farsight image 2.5 This is a surprisingly powerful draw spell for green. You get to see up to four cards and you should be able to make sure you draw a creature most of the time when you play it. On top of that, Scrying is something you’re going to want to do a lot of when you’re playing Green. It doesn’t effect the board, but this feels like it is going to do such a good job of making your draws smoother and more consistent for so little mana that I’m tempted to go all the way up to a 3
Nimrodel Watcher image 3.0 This is a nice Common payoff for scrying. There seems to be a critical mass of Scry at lower rarities, so imagining that you can get in with this an unblockable 3/1 a couple of times isn’t a pipe dream. Sometimes it will be a very real win condition.
Captain of Umbar image 2.0 This has below-rate states, but looting for one mana isn’t too bad, especially in a format with lots of payoffs for drawing an extra card during your turn.
Revive the Shire image 1.5 This type of effect usually isn’t anything special, as 9 times out of 10 you’d rather just be adding to the board, and the fact that this is almost a blank card in the early game is an issue. Using it to get back a bomb or some other powerful permanent is definitely nice, and the Food makes it a little more attractive, but this seems like the kind of card that just doesn’t make the cut most of the time because it doesn’t usually do enough
Glorious Gale image 2.5 This is a strictly better Essence Scatter, and Essence Scatter is always decent in Limited. It is cheap and counters the most common type of spell in your typical game.
Pack 2 Pick 10: Isolation at Orthanc
Erebor Flamesmith image 2.5 We see this type of spell payoff pretty often, and they are always pretty reasonable, especially when you can get multiples of them. Pinging your opponent can really add up if you’re doing a good job casting instants and sorceries.
Dreadful as the Storm image 1.0 Lately, we’ve finally been seeing cards with this type of effect actually be playable, but that’s because they have drawn a card. Once that’s the case, a boost like this can be a 2-for-1 and that’s a big deal! The Ring tempting you isn’t nearly as good as drawing a card, so I don’t think this does enough. The problem with this type of boost is that you end up overpaying for it on most creatures – like a 3/3 that gets +2/+2 from this is not a good deal. Sure, on 1/1s it feels better, but that makes this overly situational
Isolation at Orthanc image 3.0 This is nice removal. You always trade 1-for-1 with it, and because it is an Instant, sometimes you’ll be able to really get your opponent if you cast it in response to a trick or something.
Bombadil's Song image 2.5 The stats boost here isn’t great, and that means there are a more narrow number of creatures who can win a previously unwinnable combat with the help of Bombadil’s Song. It makes up for that some by also being capable of blanking removal spells and tempting you with the ring, so in the end I think you get a reasonable return on your investment
Enraged Huorn image 2.0 A 5-mana 4/5 Trample is probably a 1.5 these days, but the ring tempting you does mean that at the very least, you can give the Huorn some extra abilities – or do the same for some other creature
Pack 2 Pick 11: Glorious Gale
Second Breakfast image 2.0 Sometimes this kind of trick can generate a 2-for-1, which is obviously great – but with a toughness boost of only one, more often than not at least one of the creatures is going to die. Three mana is a lot to spend on a trick too! It is nice it gives you some food at least.
East-Mark Cavalier image 1.5 This has passable stats as a two mana 2/2 with Vigilance, but the other upside it has is very underwhelming. There will be some occasions where it lines up nicely since it can trade with a larger Goblin or Orc, but a lot of the time the ability doesn’t matter, and even when your opponent does have a creature with one of those types, they are often already just going to trade with the cavalier.
Glorious Gale image 2.5 This is a strictly better Essence Scatter, and Essence Scatter is always decent in Limited. It is cheap and counters the most common type of spell in your typical game.
Cast into the Fire image 0.5 This has two modes that aren’t useful often enough, and while the fact that you can choose between them helps offset how narrow each effect is, we’re still looking at a card that won’t do anything meaningful far too often. This feels like sideboard material.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Dreadful as the Storm
Shire Scarecrow image 1.5 A two mana 0/3 defender doesn’t tend to be very good, but this does a reasonable job of filtering your mana
Pippin's Bravery image 2.0 One mana for +2/+2 is usually a decent enough trick, and the food upside here is very real. This can allow your creature to win combat very efficiently, and that’s always what you want from a combat trick
Dreadful as the Storm image 1.0 Lately, we’ve finally been seeing cards with this type of effect actually be playable, but that’s because they have drawn a card. Once that’s the case, a boost like this can be a 2-for-1 and that’s a big deal! The Ring tempting you isn’t nearly as good as drawing a card, so I don’t think this does enough. The problem with this type of boost is that you end up overpaying for it on most creatures – like a 3/3 that gets +2/+2 from this is not a good deal. Sure, on 1/1s it feels better, but that makes this overly situational
Pack 2 Pick 13: Mirkwood Bats
Mirkwood Bats image 3.0 This stat-line is well below rate these days, but this ability has the potential to be fairly strong, especially if you have some Food or Treasure tokens around since they are tokens that you create with built-in sacrifice effects
Gimli's Axe image 2.0 +3/+0 and Menace is enough to make just about anything into a threat, but even in a set with this many legendaries, you aren’t going to be able to always count on that. After all, they only appear at Uncommon or higher, and when this isn’t granting menace it seems pretty bad, especially when you take the casting and equip cost into account.
Pack 2 Pick 14: The Black Breath
The Black Breath image 0.5 A one-sided -1/-1 effect can be good in the right match-up, but I mostly think this needs a sideboard grade. If you’re not able to take down creatures with it consistently it just isn’t going to be worth it, as the Ring tempts you alone just won’t be enough for the cost.
Pack 3 Pick 1: One Ring to Rule Them All
One Ring to Rule Them All image 4.0 So, since a Ringbearer becomes Legendary, the idea here is that Chapter II will hurt you less than it hurts your opponent, and for the most part that is true. The downside is that there are lots of legendary creatures in this set, and sometimes not being able to kill those is pretty rough. Still, because of Chapter I this will usually hurt you less than your opponent, and Chapter III also makes sure that your opponent will get hurt more by this Saga than you do. Your opponent is likely to have several creatures in the graveyard between Chapter I and II! Still, the fact that this will sometimes not kill multiple creatures your opponent has is a problem, and keeps it from being a straight up bomb
Éomer of the Riddermark image 4.0 A 5-mana 5/4 Haste is decent, so the fact this can spit out a 1/1 a decent chunk of the time is pretty nice. Since Eomer himself has 5 power, there’s a pretty good chance he’ll be making that first token the turn you play him, which is great.
Meneldor, Swift Savior image 3.5 A 4-mana 3/3 Flyer is still a pretty good rate, and at worst this can exile itself when it hits your opponent, which also effectively gives it Vigilance. Obviously, you can get more value out of blinking things with ETB abilities and stuff, but the baseline here is already pretty nice.
Bill Ferny, Bree Swindler image 2.0 So, the Horse effect is some hilarious flavor, but this is mostly just a two mana 2/1 that makes a treasure when it gets blocked. That’s a fairly mediocre two-drop, but not a disaster either.
Grey Havens Navigator image 2.0 We’ve seen three mana 3/2s with Flash that Scry a lot lately, and they haven’t been that good – but in the other sets there wasn’t a Scry deck like there is in this one. That probably does enough for this to be solid
Isolation at Orthanc image 3.0 This is nice removal. You always trade 1-for-1 with it, and because it is an Instant, sometimes you’ll be able to really get your opponent if you cast it in response to a trick or something.
Lembas image 2.5 This seems pretty solid. Scry 1 + Draw 1 when it ETBs is nice, and it is nice that it is Food – not only because it can gain you life, but because the format has lots of payoffs for Food – as well as things like Historic and Artifacts more generally, which it helps you with. The Scry and the extra draw also works well with decks in the format
Haunt of the Dead Marshes image 2.0 Having a legendary creature isn’t a guarantee in this format, but it is easier than normal because of both the Ring Tempts You and a large number of legendary creatures in general. I like that you get to Scry 1 every time too!
The Black Breath image 0.5 A one-sided -1/-1 effect can be good in the right match-up, but I mostly think this needs a sideboard grade. If you’re not able to take down creatures with it consistently it just isn’t going to be worth it, as the Ring tempts you alone just won’t be enough for the cost.
Shower of Arrows image 0.5 We see this type of effect all the time, and it is generally better to leave it in your sideboard. You just don’t have enough targets consistently enough.
Bewitching Leechcraft image 3.0 Obviously, this doesn’t work super well against Armies, since they will have counters to remove that allows this to untap, and there are other +1/+1 counters in the set too. However, I do think this will effectively lock down most creatures in the set, and it isn’t like if they have +1/+1 counters this goes away entirely anyway, because they have to keep removing counters from it to untap it. Obviously you want to use it on things that don’t have those counters at all, I’m just saying that even in the worst case it can be a problem for your opponent. I think this actually gets pretty close to being premium removal because it is so cheap, but even ignoring the whole +1/+1 counter part of the card, this doesn’t ever fully deal with a creature.
Rally at the Hornburg image 3.0 Two mana for two 1/1s with Haste would be good in any format, but there are many cards in the format – especially in Red/White, that both like going wide and having Humans around. It can be specially spicy with the cards that give you an effect for each human who enters the battlefield
Warbeast of Gorgoroth image 2.0 On its own, this is a 5-mana 5/4 that Amasses 2 when it dies. That’s not bad, but not really anything to write home about either. Obviously, it does get better the more 4 power or more creatures you have, and it makes any trades you make with those creatures into a pretty decent deal, but its still expensive and has mediocre stats
Stalwarts of Osgiliath image 2.5 This starts out with bad stats, but it does have the ability to grow reasonably well. The fact the Ring tempts you could actually help you get the Stalwarts going too, since one of the Ring’s bonuses is that your creature loots when it attacks, which will mean the Stalwarts get a counter.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Uglúk of the White Hand
Galadriel of Lothlórien image 4.0 She has decent base stats, and getting to Scry 3 when the ring tempts you is a pretty big deal. Once you are Scrying that much it feels pretty close to drawing a card, because you gain so much control over your next few draws. And on top of that she also lets you effectively draw cards and ramp when you Scry! She seems like a very accessible value engine
Old Man Willow image 4.0 This is a great signpost Uncommon. It is always going to have at least decent stats, and the attack effect is really strong too. You won’t always have something to sacrifice, but there is a lot of Food in this format, and that’s the ideal thing to give up. There are going to be tons of situations where this can attack and easily remove opposing creatures by giving up sacrifice fodder
Shortcut to Mushrooms image 2.5 Normally this kind of enchantment is kind of rough to get going. Sure, things you control leave the battlefield in Magic – no doubt about it, but they have to do it a lot for this to really deliver. There will be many turns when this does nothing, and the times where you do a counter don’t always make up for it. However, the Ring Tempting you does mean this always does something up front, and you can also wait to play the shortcut until your second main phase when it is clear it will spit out a +1/+1 counter, in which case it doesn’t feel too bad. It also works well with Food!
Uglúk of the White Hand image 3.0 Black-Red has lots of creatures with these types, and some sacrifice stuff going on, but I’m still kind of worried that growing this simply won’t be all that easy, and that’s a problem since it starts as a 4-mana 3/3
Slip On the Ring image 1.0 This is cheaper than most versions of this effect that we see, but most versions of this effect also draw you a card, and The Ring Tempts You isn’t quite as good as that. Still, this will be effective in decks that end up with enough cards with ETBs. It is a bit of a bummer it can only hit creatures, as blinking Sagas can be particularly valuable. You can of course use it to help a creature dodge removal and stuff like that too. But Still, it seems like this type of card basically never makes the cut in Limited formats these days. It isn’t a disaster in the right deck, but actually generating a card of value with it is harder than you think. We’ve seen this be the case with basically every version of this effect in countless Limited formats at this point. While the list of situations where this is good seems long, the percentage of the time they come up just isn’t enough.
Ent's Fury image 3.5 This looks like a nice removal spell for Green. +1/+1 + Fight for two mana is a good enough rate for this to be a nice card, so the 4 toughness or greater upside is enough to push this into “premium removal” range. You do always need to be careful with fight spells and choose a spot where you don’t risk getting completely blown out – like if your opponent removes your fighter in response – but there are plenty of windows where casting this will have a big impact
Protector of Gondor image 2.5 We see versions of this card a lot, and its always fine. It is pretty much exactly what you expect to get from a 4-mana Common – 4/4 of stats spread across two bodies.
Nimrodel Watcher image 3.0 This is a nice Common payoff for scrying. There seems to be a critical mass of Scry at lower rarities, so imagining that you can get in with this an unblockable 3/1 a couple of times isn’t a pipe dream. Sometimes it will be a very real win condition.
Birthday Escape image 2.5 This seems like a nice deal for only a single Blue mana. Most of the time getting two effects for one mana ends up being pretty nice, and I think that’s the case here.
Claim the Precious image 3.5 This is Murder, except it gets downgraded to a Sorcery and you get tempted by the ring in exchange. Either way, this is definitely premium removal as it can deal with almost anything efficiently while giving you a bonus effect. It does cost double black, and that does actually matter on premium removal, because the ones that only have one colored symbol are easily splashable, and that won’t be the case here
Haradrim Spearmaster image 2.0 It is a little sad it can’t buff itself, as that would have made it significantly better, but offering +1/+0 to something every turn does do enough to improve combat for you often enough for this to be fine
Ithilien Kingfisher image 3.0 This isn’t quite as good as a three mana 2/1 with Flying that draws when it enters the battlefield, but it is still quite good. It is a reasonable threat in the air, and it can deliver a two-for-one pretty often.
Stalwarts of Osgiliath image 2.5 This starts out with bad stats, but it does have the ability to grow reasonably well. The fact the Ring tempts you could actually help you get the Stalwarts going too, since one of the Ring’s bonuses is that your creature loots when it attacks, which will mean the Stalwarts get a counter.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Saruman's Trickery
Gimli, Counter of Kills image 2.5 A 4-mana 4/3 Trampler just isn’t enough these days, and while his ability will allow you to get in some extra damage, the only time it will feel significant is when you find yourself in a spot where you can attack with everything, at which point it can wreak havoc on combat. Meanwhile, Gimli dies to lots of cheap removal and that ceiling you’re hoping for just won’t happen that often.
Saruman's Trickery image 2.5 I don’t love the stat-line here, even with Ward 2, but getting to Amass every time you cast a second spell is great.
Rise of the Witch-king image 2.0 4 mana is a lot for a symmetrical edict, but the ability to return any permanent to the battlefield makes up for that some. Since it lets you get any permanent, you have a better chance than usual of having something worth bringing back, although the best thing to bring back is usually still going to be a creature. It does also take something away from your opponent, but it will frequently not be a very meaningful creature
Rush the Room image 1.5 +1/+0 and First Strike can help a creature win a decent number of combats, but not so many that I’m super excited about this as a trick. The extra Goblin/Orc upside is good, and occasionally giving something Haste will make a difference, but this seems pretty weak overall
Cast into the Fire image 0.5 This has two modes that aren’t useful often enough, and while the fact that you can choose between them helps offset how narrow each effect is, we’re still looking at a card that won’t do anything meaningful far too often. This feels like sideboard material.
Grey Havens Navigator image 2.0 We’ve seen three mana 3/2s with Flash that Scry a lot lately, and they haven’t been that good – but in the other sets there wasn’t a Scry deck like there is in this one. That probably does enough for this to be solid
Lembas image 2.5 This seems pretty solid. Scry 1 + Draw 1 when it ETBs is nice, and it is nice that it is Food – not only because it can gain you life, but because the format has lots of payoffs for Food – as well as things like Historic and Artifacts more generally, which it helps you with. The Scry and the extra draw also works well with decks in the format
Westfold Rider image 2.0 This has passable base stats and an ability that will actually do something sometimes. It is nice to be able to have a Disenchant in your main deck without having to pay much of a cost.
Oliphaunt image 2.0 A 6-mana 6/4 with Trample isn’t very good, but offering +2/+0 and Trample to something else when it attacks can result in some pretty potent attacks. Adding Mountcycling for only one mana to the mix is a big deal though, as it means you can use this to help you hit a land drop early, and if you get it later in the game it can come down and impact the board
Wose Pathfinder image 3.0 This is fragile and inefficient when it comes to stats, but it also fixes and ramps your mana, and in the extreme late game it has an effect that isn’t a terrible one to sink your mana into
Slip On the Ring image 1.0 This is cheaper than most versions of this effect that we see, but most versions of this effect also draw you a card, and The Ring Tempts You isn’t quite as good as that. Still, this will be effective in decks that end up with enough cards with ETBs. It is a bit of a bummer it can only hit creatures, as blinking Sagas can be particularly valuable. You can of course use it to help a creature dodge removal and stuff like that too. But Still, it seems like this type of card basically never makes the cut in Limited formats these days. It isn’t a disaster in the right deck, but actually generating a card of value with it is harder than you think. We’ve seen this be the case with basically every version of this effect in countless Limited formats at this point. While the list of situations where this is good seems long, the percentage of the time they come up just isn’t enough.
Great Hall of the Citadel image 1.5 This can certainly help you splash some powerful legendary creatures, but I’m a little skeptical. Most of these lands that normally only produce colorless, but can produce colored mana for a certain type of card end up not being worth it. Producing only colorless for the majority of cards in your deck can be a liability for your mana base, so it ends up sort of canceling out any upside you might get out of it when you have your legendaries around. You’re going to want to go after different fixing than this most of the time
Pack 3 Pick 4: Rohirrim Lancer
Saruman the White image 3.0 I don’t love the stat-line here, even with Ward 2, but getting to Amass every time you cast a second spell is great.
Ringsight image 0.0 Three mana tutors don’t tend to be very good in Limited. After all, the average power level of the cards in your deck isn’t all that high, and you don’t end up netting any cards – you just go down a card and get one back and that doesn’t tend to be worth three mana. Because the ring tempts you, as long as you have a creature, this will tutor for something since your ringbearer becomes legendary, but this still looks really rough
Lothlórien Lookout image 1.5 This card’s pretty awkward, because 1/3 doesn’t exactly scream “Attack with me!” While Scrying is definitely important for Green decks in the format, there are lots of better ways to do it, so I don’t think this will usually make the cut unless you’re desperate for the synergy or two drops
Breaking of the Fellowship image 1.5 We have seen cards like this before, and they are always surprisingly difficult to set up correctly. First your opponent needs to have two creatures, second one has to be able to kill the other. That sounds simple enough, but the stat-lines don’t always line up correctly. The fact this is a Sorcery makes it even harder to make it work. Basically, this is a removal spell that asks too much to be very good. Especially because you don’t have that much control over what its asking for
Many Partings image 2.5 This offers some quality fixing while also helping you up your deck’s Food count, something that certainly matters in Green
Lórien Revealed image 2.0 5 mana to draw 3 at sorcery speed is often a little too clunky to be something every deck wants, but the fact this can island cycle earlier in the game helps make up for that a fairly significant amount. When you do have the time to cast this, the card advantage it can give you is pretty sweet too. The only problem is sometimes tapping out and not adding to the board can mean you’re going to die
Birthday Escape image 2.5 This seems like a nice deal for only a single Blue mana. Most of the time getting two effects for one mana ends up being pretty nice, and I think that’s the case here.
Bewitching Leechcraft image 3.0 Obviously, this doesn’t work super well against Armies, since they will have counters to remove that allows this to untap, and there are other +1/+1 counters in the set too. However, I do think this will effectively lock down most creatures in the set, and it isn’t like if they have +1/+1 counters this goes away entirely anyway, because they have to keep removing counters from it to untap it. Obviously you want to use it on things that don’t have those counters at all, I’m just saying that even in the worst case it can be a problem for your opponent. I think this actually gets pretty close to being premium removal because it is so cheap, but even ignoring the whole +1/+1 counter part of the card, this doesn’t ever fully deal with a creature.
Rohirrim Lancer image 2.0 A one mana 1/1 with Menace can get in for a few swings in the early game, and in the later game you can give this up to get tempted by the ring
Shire Scarecrow image 1.5 A two mana 0/3 defender doesn’t tend to be very good, but this does a reasonable job of filtering your mana
Esquire of the King image 1.5 This ability costing only three mana is pretty sweet, especially if you’ve gone wide enough – and doing that in White certainly seems doable. The bad news is, as a one mana 1/1 it is pretty irrelevant up until the point it can use its ability, and paying 5 for that ability isn’t nearly as appealing.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Birthday Escape
Ent-Draught Basin image 0.0 This looks pretty bad. Sure, one mana to put a counter on a 1/1 isn’t a terrible deal, and as a mana sink you could do worse, but it will eventually be fairly expensive to put counters on things, and the fact it does it only at Sorcery speed is a pretty big problem too. This just seems too clunky
Meriadoc Brandybuck image 3.0 Meriadoc itself is a Halfling so at worst it is a two mana 2/2 that makes a food when it attacks, and that’s a solid card to have around. It gets even better when you’ve got more Halflings and food payoffs, and neither of those seems like a big stretch for Green
Breaking of the Fellowship image 1.5 We have seen cards like this before, and they are always surprisingly difficult to set up correctly. First your opponent needs to have two creatures, second one has to be able to kill the other. That sounds simple enough, but the stat-lines don’t always line up correctly. The fact this is a Sorcery makes it even harder to make it work. Basically, this is a removal spell that asks too much to be very good. Especially because you don’t have that much control over what its asking for
Many Partings image 2.5 This offers some quality fixing while also helping you up your deck’s Food count, something that certainly matters in Green
Stalwarts of Osgiliath image 2.5 This starts out with bad stats, but it does have the ability to grow reasonably well. The fact the Ring tempts you could actually help you get the Stalwarts going too, since one of the Ring’s bonuses is that your creature loots when it attacks, which will mean the Stalwarts get a counter.
Generous Ent image 2.5 A 6-mana 5/7 with Reach that gives you a treasure isn’t a terrible late game play. In fact, it is the kind of body that can help you stablize, especially because the Food can gain you life! And if you draw it early and need a land drop, you can always cycle it away
Wose Pathfinder image 3.0 This is fragile and inefficient when it comes to stats, but it also fixes and ramps your mana, and in the extreme late game it has an effect that isn’t a terrible one to sink your mana into
Birthday Escape image 2.5 This seems like a nice deal for only a single Blue mana. Most of the time getting two effects for one mana ends up being pretty nice, and I think that’s the case here.
Esquire of the King image 1.5 This ability costing only three mana is pretty sweet, especially if you’ve gone wide enough – and doing that in White certainly seems doable. The bad news is, as a one mana 1/1 it is pretty irrelevant up until the point it can use its ability, and paying 5 for that ability isn’t nearly as appealing.
Swarming of Moria image 2.5 A three mana 2/2 that gives you a treasure is decent, as is a three mana spell that puts two counters on something and gives you a Treasure. It is always nice having fixing and ramp in Red, as it doesn’t always have access to it
Pack 3 Pick 6: Swarming of Moria
Bill Ferny, Bree Swindler image 2.0 So, the Horse effect is some hilarious flavor, but this is mostly just a two mana 2/1 that makes a treasure when it gets blocked. That’s a fairly mediocre two-drop, but not a disaster either.
Chance-Met Elves image 3.0 This looks like another quality Scry payoff. Starting as a 3/2 obviously isn’t very good, but there’s definitely a critical mass of Scry in the set, so this will do a good job of accumulating counters throughout the game.
Eastfarthing Farmer image 2.5 A three mana ⅔ that makes a food is probably already playable, so giving +1/+1 to something when this ETBs is nice too, and sometimes it will be more than +1/+1!
Brandywine Farmer image 2.0 The stat-line is horrendous, but getting two foods out of one card is a nice thing in Green, and especially in Green-White, where you can find many uses for Food
Swarming of Moria image 2.5 A three mana 2/2 that gives you a treasure is decent, as is a three mana spell that puts two counters on something and gives you a Treasure. It is always nice having fixing and ramp in Red, as it doesn’t always have access to it
Pelargir Survivor image 2.0 Fixing and ramp for spells is alright, though even in a spell-heavy deck it always seems that this spell-specific ramp underperforms. The other ability is even less meaningful for the most part, as it costs a ton of mana and won’t do something meaningful most of the time.
Shelob's Ambush image 2.5 This is a really nice trick. Death touch and the toughness boost for only one mana means many creatures will be capable of taking down an opposing creature and surviving to tell the tale, and that’s likely to give you some pretty awesome tempo since it only costs a single mana. Its great that you also get some Food out of the deal!
Ent's Fury image 3.5 This looks like a nice removal spell for Green. +1/+1 + Fight for two mana is a good enough rate for this to be a nice card, so the 4 toughness or greater upside is enough to push this into “premium removal” range. You do always need to be careful with fight spells and choose a spot where you don’t risk getting completely blown out – like if your opponent removes your fighter in response – but there are plenty of windows where casting this will have a big impact
Pippin's Bravery image 2.0 One mana for +2/+2 is usually a decent enough trick, and the food upside here is very real. This can allow your creature to win combat very efficiently, and that’s always what you want from a combat trick
Pack 3 Pick 7: The Black Breath
Long List of the Ents image 1.0 This is a really neat and flavorful design, and sometimes it will give you a ton of value. Imagine playing it on turn one with a hand that can curve out. Theoretically, if you name the right creatures, you can have all of those come down with extra counters. Of course, problem is, getting this late makes it pretty close to a dead card, and it will really only shine if you play it on turn one and have a hand full of creatures. That makes it too narrow
Rush the Room image 1.5 +1/+0 and First Strike can help a creature win a decent number of combats, but not so many that I’m super excited about this as a trick. The extra Goblin/Orc upside is good, and occasionally giving something Haste will make a difference, but this seems pretty weak overall
Nimrodel Watcher image 3.0 This is a nice Common payoff for scrying. There seems to be a critical mass of Scry at lower rarities, so imagining that you can get in with this an unblockable 3/1 a couple of times isn’t a pipe dream. Sometimes it will be a very real win condition.
Gimli's Axe image 2.0 +3/+0 and Menace is enough to make just about anything into a threat, but even in a set with this many legendaries, you aren’t going to be able to always count on that. After all, they only appear at Uncommon or higher, and when this isn’t granting menace it seems pretty bad, especially when you take the casting and equip cost into account.
Second Breakfast image 2.0 Sometimes this kind of trick can generate a 2-for-1, which is obviously great – but with a toughness boost of only one, more often than not at least one of the creatures is going to die. Three mana is a lot to spend on a trick too! It is nice it gives you some food at least.
The Black Breath image 0.5 A one-sided -1/-1 effect can be good in the right match-up, but I mostly think this needs a sideboard grade. If you’re not able to take down creatures with it consistently it just isn’t going to be worth it, as the Ring tempts you alone just won’t be enough for the cost.
Enraged Huorn image 2.0 A 5-mana 4/5 Trample is probably a 1.5 these days, but the ring tempting you does mean that at the very least, you can give the Huorn some extra abilities – or do the same for some other creature
Breaking of the Fellowship image 1.5 We have seen cards like this before, and they are always surprisingly difficult to set up correctly. First your opponent needs to have two creatures, second one has to be able to kill the other. That sounds simple enough, but the stat-lines don’t always line up correctly. The fact this is a Sorcery makes it even harder to make it work. Basically, this is a removal spell that asks too much to be very good. Especially because you don’t have that much control over what its asking for
Pack 3 Pick 8: Surrounded by Orcs
Glorfindel, Dauntless Rescuer image 2.5 This combination of abilities seems pretty good, and makes Glorfindel capable of doing something powerful in a few different situations. For example, if your opponent has a 2/2 around that you can force to block, that feels pretty good. And, if your opponent can only take down Glorfindel with a double block, you can shut that down. It gets really interesting when you scry more than once in a turn and you can choose both, which you’ll want to do in some situations. All that said, while the design is definitely cool, I think it will be hard to line things up consistently with Glorfindel, especially because he demands you Scry for this effect to ever happen in the first place.
Erebor Flamesmith image 2.5 We see this type of spell payoff pretty often, and they are always pretty reasonable, especially when you can get multiples of them. Pinging your opponent can really add up if you’re doing a good job casting instants and sorceries.
Bombadil's Song image 2.5 The stats boost here isn’t great, and that means there are a more narrow number of creatures who can win a previously unwinnable combat with the help of Bombadil’s Song. It makes up for that some by also being capable of blanking removal spells and tempting you with the ring, so in the end I think you get a reasonable return on your investment
Surrounded by Orcs image 2.0 This is either a 4-mana 3/3 that mills three, or it makes an army you already have bigger, while milling even more. Neither of those are amazing deals, but if you’re doing graveyard stuff or your opponent is low and cards, this card can do something.
Pippin's Bravery image 2.0 One mana for +2/+2 is usually a decent enough trick, and the food upside here is very real. This can allow your creature to win combat very efficiently, and that’s always what you want from a combat trick
Treason of Isengard image 2.0 A three mana 2/2 that puts a spell on top of your library is an okay card. This is an effect players often overrate, as they imagine getting back a really great spell – and when you can do that it is pretty good. However, the fact you have to wait to draw that card really makes it significantly worse
Esquire of the King image 1.5 This ability costing only three mana is pretty sweet, especially if you’ve gone wide enough – and doing that in White certainly seems doable. The bad news is, as a one mana 1/1 it is pretty irrelevant up until the point it can use its ability, and paying 5 for that ability isn’t nearly as appealing.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Isolation at Orthanc
Bill Ferny, Bree Swindler image 2.0 So, the Horse effect is some hilarious flavor, but this is mostly just a two mana 2/1 that makes a treasure when it gets blocked. That’s a fairly mediocre two-drop, but not a disaster either.
Grey Havens Navigator image 2.0 We’ve seen three mana 3/2s with Flash that Scry a lot lately, and they haven’t been that good – but in the other sets there wasn’t a Scry deck like there is in this one. That probably does enough for this to be solid
Isolation at Orthanc image 3.0 This is nice removal. You always trade 1-for-1 with it, and because it is an Instant, sometimes you’ll be able to really get your opponent if you cast it in response to a trick or something.
The Black Breath image 0.5 A one-sided -1/-1 effect can be good in the right match-up, but I mostly think this needs a sideboard grade. If you’re not able to take down creatures with it consistently it just isn’t going to be worth it, as the Ring tempts you alone just won’t be enough for the cost.
Shower of Arrows image 0.5 We see this type of effect all the time, and it is generally better to leave it in your sideboard. You just don’t have enough targets consistently enough.
Bewitching Leechcraft image 3.0 Obviously, this doesn’t work super well against Armies, since they will have counters to remove that allows this to untap, and there are other +1/+1 counters in the set too. However, I do think this will effectively lock down most creatures in the set, and it isn’t like if they have +1/+1 counters this goes away entirely anyway, because they have to keep removing counters from it to untap it. Obviously you want to use it on things that don’t have those counters at all, I’m just saying that even in the worst case it can be a problem for your opponent. I think this actually gets pretty close to being premium removal because it is so cheap, but even ignoring the whole +1/+1 counter part of the card, this doesn’t ever fully deal with a creature.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Birthday Escape
Shortcut to Mushrooms image 2.5 Normally this kind of enchantment is kind of rough to get going. Sure, things you control leave the battlefield in Magic – no doubt about it, but they have to do it a lot for this to really deliver. There will be many turns when this does nothing, and the times where you do a counter don’t always make up for it. However, the Ring Tempting you does mean this always does something up front, and you can also wait to play the shortcut until your second main phase when it is clear it will spit out a +1/+1 counter, in which case it doesn’t feel too bad. It also works well with Food!
Slip On the Ring image 1.0 This is cheaper than most versions of this effect that we see, but most versions of this effect also draw you a card, and The Ring Tempts You isn’t quite as good as that. Still, this will be effective in decks that end up with enough cards with ETBs. It is a bit of a bummer it can only hit creatures, as blinking Sagas can be particularly valuable. You can of course use it to help a creature dodge removal and stuff like that too. But Still, it seems like this type of card basically never makes the cut in Limited formats these days. It isn’t a disaster in the right deck, but actually generating a card of value with it is harder than you think. We’ve seen this be the case with basically every version of this effect in countless Limited formats at this point. While the list of situations where this is good seems long, the percentage of the time they come up just isn’t enough.
Ent's Fury image 3.5 This looks like a nice removal spell for Green. +1/+1 + Fight for two mana is a good enough rate for this to be a nice card, so the 4 toughness or greater upside is enough to push this into “premium removal” range. You do always need to be careful with fight spells and choose a spot where you don’t risk getting completely blown out – like if your opponent removes your fighter in response – but there are plenty of windows where casting this will have a big impact
Nimrodel Watcher image 3.0 This is a nice Common payoff for scrying. There seems to be a critical mass of Scry at lower rarities, so imagining that you can get in with this an unblockable 3/1 a couple of times isn’t a pipe dream. Sometimes it will be a very real win condition.
Birthday Escape image 2.5 This seems like a nice deal for only a single Blue mana. Most of the time getting two effects for one mana ends up being pretty nice, and I think that’s the case here.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Cast into the Fire
Rush the Room image 1.5 +1/+0 and First Strike can help a creature win a decent number of combats, but not so many that I’m super excited about this as a trick. The extra Goblin/Orc upside is good, and occasionally giving something Haste will make a difference, but this seems pretty weak overall
Cast into the Fire image 0.5 This has two modes that aren’t useful often enough, and while the fact that you can choose between them helps offset how narrow each effect is, we’re still looking at a card that won’t do anything meaningful far too often. This feels like sideboard material.
Grey Havens Navigator image 2.0 We’ve seen three mana 3/2s with Flash that Scry a lot lately, and they haven’t been that good – but in the other sets there wasn’t a Scry deck like there is in this one. That probably does enough for this to be solid
Slip On the Ring image 1.0 This is cheaper than most versions of this effect that we see, but most versions of this effect also draw you a card, and The Ring Tempts You isn’t quite as good as that. Still, this will be effective in decks that end up with enough cards with ETBs. It is a bit of a bummer it can only hit creatures, as blinking Sagas can be particularly valuable. You can of course use it to help a creature dodge removal and stuff like that too. But Still, it seems like this type of card basically never makes the cut in Limited formats these days. It isn’t a disaster in the right deck, but actually generating a card of value with it is harder than you think. We’ve seen this be the case with basically every version of this effect in countless Limited formats at this point. While the list of situations where this is good seems long, the percentage of the time they come up just isn’t enough.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Lórien Revealed
Lothlórien Lookout image 1.5 This card’s pretty awkward, because 1/3 doesn’t exactly scream “Attack with me!” While Scrying is definitely important for Green decks in the format, there are lots of better ways to do it, so I don’t think this will usually make the cut unless you’re desperate for the synergy or two drops
Many Partings image 2.5 This offers some quality fixing while also helping you up your deck’s Food count, something that certainly matters in Green
Lórien Revealed image 2.0 5 mana to draw 3 at sorcery speed is often a little too clunky to be something every deck wants, but the fact this can island cycle earlier in the game helps make up for that a fairly significant amount. When you do have the time to cast this, the card advantage it can give you is pretty sweet too. The only problem is sometimes tapping out and not adding to the board can mean you’re going to die
Pack 3 Pick 13: Generous Ent
Many Partings image 2.5 This offers some quality fixing while also helping you up your deck’s Food count, something that certainly matters in Green
Generous Ent image 2.5 A 6-mana 5/7 with Reach that gives you a treasure isn’t a terrible late game play. In fact, it is the kind of body that can help you stablize, especially because the Food can gain you life! And if you draw it early and need a land drop, you can always cycle it away
Pack 3 Pick 14: Pelargir Survivor
Pelargir Survivor image 2.0 Fixing and ramp for spells is alright, though even in a spell-heavy deck it always seems that this spell-specific ramp underperforms. The other ability is even less meaningful for the most part, as it costs a ton of mana and won’t do something meaningful most of the time.
Draft Pick Overview