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Premier Draft LCI 24 November 2023

24 November 11:41 - Mimic 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Creature (13)
1 Glorifier of Suffering image
1 Sunshot Militia image
1 Thousand Moons Crackshot image
1 Adaptive Gemguard image
1 Malamet War Scribe image
1 Goblin Tomb Raider image
1 Guardian of the Great Door image
1 Oltec Cloud Guard image
1 Sanguine Evangelist image
1 Belligerent Yearling image
1 Attentive Sunscribe image
1 Miner's Guidewing image
1 Ironpaw Aspirant image
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (10)
1 Etali's Favor image
1 Acrobatic Leap image
1 Abrade image
1 Unstable Glyphbridge // Sandswirl Wanderglyph image
1 Dire Flail // Dire Blunderbuss image
1 Petrify image
1 Careening Mine Cart image
2 Sunfire Torch image
1 Tinker's Tote image
Land (17)
8 Mountain image
8 Plains image
1 Hidden Volcano image
Sideboard
1 Thrashing Brontodon image
2 Seismic Monstrosaur image
1 Oaken Siren image
1 Brazen Blademaster image
2 Thousand Moons Crackshot image
1 Primordial Gnawer image
1 Hotfoot Gnome image
1 Compass Gnome image
1 Vito's Inquisitor image
1 Acrobatic Leap image
1 Oteclan Landmark image
1 Bloodthorn Flail image
1 Grasping Shadows image
1 Cosmium Blast image
1 Echoing Deeps image
1 Pit of Offerings image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Unstable Glyphbridge
Unstable Glyphbridge image 5.0 It’s a board sweeper that will almost always allow you to come out way ahead. First, you get to make the choices, so you can give your opponent their worst 2 power or less creature while keeping your best one, and then this can transform into a flying threat that forces them to choose between attacking or casting spells every turn
Enterprising Scallywag image 3.0 A two mana 2/2 that makes a treasure every end step is close to a 3.5, especially in a format with lots of artifact stuff going on. This doesn’t quite do that of course, but I think it will spit out treasure reasonably often
Diamond Pick-Axe image 2.5 It looks a lot like Goldvein Pick, a piece of equipment that really overperformed in Kaldheim. The stats boost is modest, but generating treasure is a huge deal, especially in decks that care about artifacts, but it isn’t hard to find uses for them in any deck
Coati Scavenger image 3.5 This does a pretty good impression of Eternal Witness. You have to set it up of course, but when you do get a permanent back it will feel amazing, and if you have to play it on curve, you don’t feel too bad about things
Idol of the Deep King image 3.0 The front side of this is a playable, albeit inefficient removal spell. It’s nice it can hit the opponent too! The thing it transforms into…is….very mediocre, though. The free equip is nice, but +2/+0 isn’t much to write home about, and this won’t quite feel like a 2-for-1 most of the time, because the Equipment side just isn’t worth a card. Still, it’s removal with some real upside
Waylaying Pirates image 3.0 I love creatures that ETB and stun something, and while this makes you jump through a hoop – I think that hoop is pretty easy to jump through in Blue. Adding a decent body to the board and getting a blocker out of the way at the same time is going to be pretty strong. If you’re in the Pirate-Artifact deck, and you just curve out and play this on turn four, your opponent is going to be in serious trouble.
Tinker's Tote image 3.0 Three mana for two 1/1s is almost a passable rate, and this one card gives you THREE artifacts, something that is valuable in White in this format, as we’ve seen throughout this video. The added life gain bonus is nice to have too. I think this looks like a quality common because of all the stuff it enables – whether it be tapping, carfting, or sacrificing artifacts
Runaway Boulder image 1.5 Lots of decks want to run as many permanents as possible because of Descend, and the Boulder gives you a removal spell that is still a permanent. Now…it is very far from being efficient, but it does deal with most things, and you can also cycle it away – which also matters for Descend. With all that in mind, it will definitely make the cut a decent chunk of the time
Envoy of Okinec Ahau image 2.5 Solid base stats, and a passable mana sink ability. Not much more to say about it.
Plundering Pirate image 3.0 Creatures that make treasures on ETB virtually always over perform, and the stat-line here is a bit better than what we usually see. Treasure brings extra value in an artifact format too. I think this is one of Red’s better commons
Join the Dead image 4.0 This is great without Descend, and with it it’s incredible. Always remember that double Black ends up being a problem sometimes, but this is so efficient that it doesn’t matter much.
Brackish Blunder image 2.0 Just the bounce part of the card is usually a passable card, so getting a map token if the creature is tapped makes this pretty appealing. Now…not being a permanent in Blue does hurt a card a little bit because of Descent stuff, but the fact this gives you a Map helps check some boxes for artifact decks.
Malamet Scythe image 2.0 When you use this as a combat trick, it’s going to feel pretty good. After all, it helps your creature win combat and keeps +2/+2 sticking around. After that initial equip, having to pay 4 at a time to move this will feel rough, but if you’ve already traded one-for-one, we’re just talking about upside at that point.
Petrify image 2.0 They really are giving Pacifism upside these days! This one can shut off abilities and hit artifacts too! The problem with this card in this format is that there is a prominent sacrifice theme, and even an entire mechanic – in Craft – that lets you exile permanents you control, there’s also a bunch of cards that let you tap your creatures and artifacts for value, and so on. In other words, Petrify will have a hard time giving you a full card of value consistently, because your opponent will still be able to do enough stuff with their permanents that this doesn’t shut the card down entirely
Captivating Cave image 2.0 Filter lands have been performing better, of late, at least in sets with multicolor themes, and while this set one doesn’t have a strong one of those, the fact this has a useful sub type and can be used to put some counters on stuff, while also setting up Descend, probably means it’s decent enough
Pack 1 Pick 2: Abrade
Deep-Cavern Bat image 3.0 While you can’t really call this type of an effect a 2-for-1, since your opponent can get the card back with relative ease, the kind of disruption this card gives you is pretty serious. If you play it on turn two and take your opponents only two or three drop (depending on who went first), you’re already getting some serious value out of this, and this thing even comes with Flying and Lifelink!
Market Gnome image 3.0 This is great sacrifice and craft fodder. Both of those look doable in White.
Diamond Pick-Axe image 2.5 It looks a lot like Goldvein Pick, a piece of equipment that really overperformed in Kaldheim. The stats boost is modest, but generating treasure is a huge deal, especially in decks that care about artifacts, but it isn’t hard to find uses for them in any deck
Inverted Iceberg image 3.5 The front side of the card has a useful card type, loads your graveyard, and replaces itself. It would probably be a C all on its own. And in the late game you can transform it into a creature that your opponent is going to have to do something about. Even if it doesn’t impact the board on turn two, I think it does enough for the cost and the upside is big
Armored Kincaller image 3.0 This will gain you three pretty often in Green, and that’s a pretty good ETB to have on a three mana 3/3
Etali's Favor image 1.0 You just don’t want to pay for that stats boost when you’re seriously risking getting 2-for-1’d. The Discover part does mean that this makes sure to give you back a card, but the card you get back won’t be impressive enough to offset this card’s weak effect, at least not enough for this to be the kind of Red card you’re interesting in playing consistently
Poison Dart Frog image 3.0 This fixes your mana, ramps you, and can even trade for anything. That last part is nice, because mana dorks have diminishing returns the longer the game goes, but this one will also do something
Another Chance image 2.5 Playing one copy of this effect is usually a good idea in Black decks in Limited, but that’s even more the case in this format, since milling yourself and loading the graveyard in general is easier than normal, and there are more payoffs than normal for doing it too. You still probably don’t want more than one of these, but that first copy is something I’m going to value pretty highly for a common
Thousand Moons Infantry image 2.0 A three mana 2/4 with kind-of sort-of vigilance is decent, and the idea here is to get multiple taps out of the Infantry for your cards that want you tap creatures or artifacts for effects. I can see this performing that role decently enough
Abrade image 4.0 This is great every time it gets printed, and it might actually be better here. Two for 3 damage at instant speed is already premium, but this format has a ton of artifacts and artifact creatures too, and this can also destroy those outright.
Daring Discovery image 1.5 If you hit a two drop creature with this, it feels like a 5-mana 2/2 that makes three things unable to block. That’s not too shabby, and sometimes it will be better. Of course, sometimes you’ll also not get a creature at all. Additionally, this effect is highly situational, and not really worth using except in the situation where it allows you to win the game anyway, so I think we have to look at the Discover part almost as an alternate mode that you use when the creatures can’t block part is irrelevant, which will be often
Shipwreck Sentry image 2.0 We see two mana 3/3s with Defender that can only attack when X happens in a turn, and they always end up being decent. Even when they can’t attack, they have nice bodies that your opponent usually can’t just attack into, and on the turns they can rumble, they are pretty good at that too
Disturbed Slumber image 0.0 This effect is basically never worth it. I get it, you can ambush your opponent’s attacker with a land, or suddenly do 4 out of nowhere, but the times where that’s actually worth a card are infrequent. I’d rather have something that permanently adds to the board
Hidden Courtyard image 2.5 Entering tapped is certainly a problem sometimes, but they more than make up for it by getting you a card back in the later game thanks to Discover. The Cave type matters some too! I think you’re pretty much always playing the first copy of one of these. Obviously, if you have a bunch of one drops you’ll be less interested in them
Pack 1 Pick 3: Guardian of the Great Door
Zoyowa's Justice image 0.0 I'm not interested in this kind of justice. I get it, you can use it an attempt to get yourself a better card, or downgrade an opposing one, but too much is left up to chance. You have no idea how it will go, and it will backfire far too often
Coati Scavenger image 3.5 This does a pretty good impression of Eternal Witness. You have to set it up of course, but when you do get a permanent back it will feel amazing, and if you have to play it on curve, you don’t feel too bad about things
Guardian of the Great Door image 2.5 A two mana 4/4 flyer is nuts, but this obviously takes serious set up, and will never come down on turn two. The good news is, a 4/4 flyer is relevant all game long, and if you play this on like turn five when you also play a three drop, that’s still a pretty great turn. As we’ve already seen, white is definitely able to go wide with tokens of the map and gnome varieties too, so that isn’t far-fetched.
Oteclan Landmark image 3.0 One mana to scry 2 isn’t very good, even in a format where you can sacrifice or tap this for value. But…this is way more than that, because crafting it isn’t a hug challenge, and the creature you get is a legitimate threat, because giving flying to your other attackers makes for a powerful effect. Between the format’s artifact synergy, and this card’s upside, this looks like a really nice Common to me
Vito's Inquisitor image 3.0 The starting stat-line is bad, but growing this and making it evasive seems doable enough for this to perform reasonably well. Especially because you can do it at instant speed and whenever you want
Thousand Moons Crackshot image 1.5 Sometimes you’ll be able to attack with this and really open the floodgates on your opponent by getting their best blocker out of the way, but three mana is a lot, and your opponent also always knows this is coming, making it a lot less useful. You’re rarely going to use this ability early, and by the late game it has some diminishing returns.
Brazen Blademaster image 2.0 The starting stats are rough, but it seems like this will attack as a reasonably often
Volatile Wanderglyph image 2.0 This will let you rummage when you attack or crew a vehicle, but perhaps most importantly, it lets you do it when you tap it using one of the many cards in this format that lets you tap artifacts and creatures for value. It doesn’t seem essential for that type of deck, but it certainly seems useful.
Seismic Monstrosaur image 2.0 This probably isn’t as good as the land cyclers in Blue, Black, and Green, as those are the colors that are best with the graveyard, but Red isn’t completely uninterested in the ‘yard, and the creature you get here isn’t the most inefficient thing either. The ability to throw away lands late when you’re flooding out comes in handy too
In the Presence of Ages image 2.5 I think you’ll want one of these in most Green decks. It helps you load the yard while drawing you a couple of cards in most cases
Waylaying Pirates image 3.0 I love creatures that ETB and stun something, and while this makes you jump through a hoop – I think that hoop is pretty easy to jump through in Blue. Adding a decent body to the board and getting a blocker out of the way at the same time is going to be pretty strong. If you’re in the Pirate-Artifact deck, and you just curve out and play this on turn four, your opponent is going to be in serious trouble.
Compass Gnome image 2.0 We’ve seen this card before, more or less, and its always kind of mediocre. Putting the land on top is miles away from putting it in your hand. This offers passable fixing, but I think it will be especially attractive to Cave decks. As we’ll see in just a little bit, the set has a lot of caves, but still, getting your hands on enough to make the various Cave payoffs work is a little tricky – something like Compass Gnome helps make that easier
Swamp image
Pack 1 Pick 4: Goblin Tomb Raider
Self-Reflection image 2.5 Paying 6 to copy a creature is pretty rough. Hard to consistently get your man's worth there. However, with Flashback in the mix this has 2-for-1 potential, and Blue mills itself enough for this to give you nice value out of the graveyard
Synapse Necromage image 3.5 The stat-line is bad, but this replaces itself with two bodies which are really valuable in this format, even if they can’t block. There’s just so much you can do with them in the format, with sacrificing the most notable. I think this ends up giving you a ton for the mana you invest
Goblin Tomb Raider image 2.0 This will be a one mana 2/2 with Haste fairly frequently, especially in the mid-to-late game, and that kind of body matters surpsingly often, even at that stage of the game. It’s also a solid enough play on turn one.
Brazen Blademaster image 2.0 The starting stats are rough, but it seems like this will attack as a reasonably often
Waylaying Pirates image 3.0 I love creatures that ETB and stun something, and while this makes you jump through a hoop – I think that hoop is pretty easy to jump through in Blue. Adding a decent body to the board and getting a blocker out of the way at the same time is going to be pretty strong. If you’re in the Pirate-Artifact deck, and you just curve out and play this on turn four, your opponent is going to be in serious trouble.
Walk with the Ancestors image 2.0 5 mana to return a permanent to your hand is rough, but getting to cast something else while you do helps soften that blow
Thousand Moons Crackshot image 1.5 Sometimes you’ll be able to attack with this and really open the floodgates on your opponent by getting their best blocker out of the way, but three mana is a lot, and your opponent also always knows this is coming, making it a lot less useful. You’re rarely going to use this ability early, and by the late game it has some diminishing returns.
Greedy Freebooter image 1.0 // 3.0 This is some amazing sacrifice fodder, especially because the sacrifice effects in this format let you sacrifice creature or artifacts, and this one card gives you two of those. It does get a lot worse in situations where you can’t sacrifice it easily, as it will be a little more difficult to get a card of value out of it. I think that probably makes it a build around
Burning Sun Cavalry image 2.5 I like that this triggers when you’re a blocker too, as it makes the card far better when you’re behind
Seeker of Sunlight image 0.0 A one mana 1/1 just isn’t’ a stat-line that stays relevant, and while this has the ability to stay more relevant thanks to it’s activated ability, it’s costly enough and clunky enough at sorcery speed that it is only something you’re going to start using in the extreme late game. This is bad at virtually every other stage
River Herald Guide image 3.0 This is another Explore ETB creature that gives you a really good rate, regardless of which Explore thing happens
Forest image
Pack 1 Pick 5: Thrashing Brontodon
Thrashing Brontodon image 3.0 This is a reprint. Like last time, it has efficient stats and has upside that lets you blow up some key permanents
Sinuous Benthisaur image 0.0 // 4.0 This has some insane potential. Even if you just have two caves, this is a 6-mana 4/4 that draws you two cards. That’s really amazing, and even with one cave it’s a passible card. Now…if there are no Caves around it’s awful, but if your deck has 4 or more caves in it, you’re going to be happy to play this most of the time
Staggering Size image 2.0 This offers a big enough boost to make a creature win combat pretty often, and trample can result in some pretty serious damage to your opponent too. I think you’ll play one of these in lots of aggressive Green decks
Deconstruction Hammer image 3.0 One to play and one to equip for +1/+1 is a borderline playable, and this set has more than enough targets for the disenchant effect for this to turn into a removal spell. I think this will be a surprisingly good Common, because it can destroy so many permanents in the format.
Attentive Sunscribe image 2.5 There are some vehicles in the set, in addition to many White cards that like it when you tap your stuff. This adds a decent bonus to those effects, while also being an early artifact to get those kinds of things going.
Hotfoot Gnome image 2.0 A three mana 3/1 with Haste with a useful card type in Artifact is probably a 1.5, but it’s nice this can tap to give things haste. Once it isn’t a very good attacker on its own – which will be often – it can at least make your other creatures into better attackers. Still, this isn’t nearly as good as one mana 1/1s with this ability that we’ve seen in the recent past
Echo of Dusk image 2.0 It’s fine on turn two, and Black decks will get it to 3/3 and lifelink pretty often, and once it’s there there’s a good chance it has at least some relevance on just about any board
Compass Gnome image 2.0 We’ve seen this card before, more or less, and its always kind of mediocre. Putting the land on top is miles away from putting it in your hand. This offers passable fixing, but I think it will be especially attractive to Cave decks. As we’ll see in just a little bit, the set has a lot of caves, but still, getting your hands on enough to make the various Cave payoffs work is a little tricky – something like Compass Gnome helps make that easier
Acolyte of Aclazotz image 2.5 There are plenty of expendable artifacts and creatures to be had in Black, and this also works well with Descend stuff. Draining 1 life at a time might sound small, but it really can keep you alive while pressuring your opponent
Acrobatic Leap image 1.5 One mana tricks that give +1/+3 are rarely worthwhile in Limited. The boost is enough to save a creature in combat, but not enough to help it win combat often enough. The flying and untap angle here do make it so you can both punch in for lethal in the air or ambush a flyer, but those use cases are all much too frequent for this to be something that makes the cut in all your white aggro decks.
Forest image
Pack 1 Pick 6: Seismic Monstrosaur
Goldfury Strider image 2.0 The base stats here are very underwhelming, and the idea here is that you can use some combination of artifacts and creature tokens that are available in the set to make this a 5/5 trampler, in which case you’re talking about something significantly more impressive. It is a pretty big bummer that you have to do it at sorcery speed, as the threat of activation here would make it a lot better. You’re just…not always going to have the extra stuff around to buff this, and even when you do, I don’t think you’re going to feel like you’re doing something all that impressive.
Oteclan Landmark image 3.0 One mana to scry 2 isn’t very good, even in a format where you can sacrifice or tap this for value. But…this is way more than that, because crafting it isn’t a hug challenge, and the creature you get is a legitimate threat, because giving flying to your other attackers makes for a powerful effect. Between the format’s artifact synergy, and this card’s upside, this looks like a really nice Common to me
Greedy Freebooter image 1.0 // 3.0 This is some amazing sacrifice fodder, especially because the sacrifice effects in this format let you sacrifice creature or artifacts, and this one card gives you two of those. It does get a lot worse in situations where you can’t sacrifice it easily, as it will be a little more difficult to get a card of value out of it. I think that probably makes it a build around
Thousand Moons Crackshot image 1.5 Sometimes you’ll be able to attack with this and really open the floodgates on your opponent by getting their best blocker out of the way, but three mana is a lot, and your opponent also always knows this is coming, making it a lot less useful. You’re rarely going to use this ability early, and by the late game it has some diminishing returns.
Ancestors' Aid image 2.0 +2/+0 and First Strike is going to win combat a huge percentage of the time, and in addition to the value treasure normally gives you in the form of mana, there’s lots of other stuff you can do with it in the format
Seismic Monstrosaur image 2.0 This probably isn’t as good as the land cyclers in Blue, Black, and Green, as those are the colors that are best with the graveyard, but Red isn’t completely uninterested in the ‘yard, and the creature you get here isn’t the most inefficient thing either. The ability to throw away lands late when you’re flooding out comes in handy too
Basking Capybara image 2.5 This seems like a solid two drop. Obviously a 1/3 isn’t where you want to be, but a two mana 4/3 is some serious business, and Green is good enough at getting there on Descend that you can expect this to have a very relevant body by the mid game
Primordial Gnawer image 2.0 This is an ugly stat-line, but it does make sure you get a 2-for-1. Still…the stat-line is bad enough that I don’t think this ends up always making the cut.
Acolyte of Aclazotz image 2.5 There are plenty of expendable artifacts and creatures to be had in Black, and this also works well with Descend stuff. Draining 1 life at a time might sound small, but it really can keep you alive while pressuring your opponent
Promising Vein image 2.5 In the Lord of the Rings set, we saw that an Evolving Wilds that can tap for mana, but costs 1 generic to sacrifice, was a pretty big downgrade from a traditional Evolving Wilds. Having to pay one just makes a world of difference. That said, it does have a useful subtype in this set, and that probably means it will be a bit more useful than its predecessor.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Ironpaw Aspirant
Calamitous Cave-In image 0.0 // 4.0 Cave decks look pretty legit in this format, and this feels like a card that can really enable that type of deck – it reminds me a lot of Gates Ablaze, a card with a similar sweeper effect that checked for Gates. It will be great if you have lots of Caves, and terrible if you don’t
Cogwork Wrestler image 2.5 This can Flash in and kill just about any X/1, which tends to feel pretty good.. If you can combine it with some other creatures, it can even take down bigger things. You do need to have that mode work out more often than not to make it worth it, because just using this to blank a couple of damage isn’t nearly as good, but that’s not the worst fail case either.
Hunter's Blowgun image 1.0 While I like that this gives you two different keywords depending on whether you’re being defensive or aggressive, they are also keywords that really only matter on the right creature. I think you end up not playing this most of the time, it’s just hard to get a full card of value here
Child of the Volcano image 2.0 Hill Giant statlines have been bad lately. But, if this can consistently come down as a 4/4, it will feel pretty nice, and that seems doable. After all, all that needs to happen is you attack and your opponent decides to trade, things like that. Then, it has the potential to grow easily on subsequent turns too, especially when paired with the more graveyard-oriented colors like Black and Blue
Acolyte of Aclazotz image 2.5 There are plenty of expendable artifacts and creatures to be had in Black, and this also works well with Descend stuff. Draining 1 life at a time might sound small, but it really can keep you alive while pressuring your opponent
Oaken Siren image 2.5 A two mana ½ with Flying and Vigilance that happens to be an artifact would probably be borderline playable in this format, so I think adding in the mana for artifact stuff does enough to make it a card that will make the cut in many Blue decks
Rampaging Spiketail image 2.5 We recently saw cards with landcycling for two really underperform, but they have some advantages in this format. Like all land cyclers, this has the upside of getting you a land when you draw it early, and being a reasonably relevant card in the later stages of the game. And in this case, the Spiketail is likely to enable a pretty good attack when you cast it. But the extra value of land cyclers comes as a result of this format’s graveyard-heavy theme. Cycling this counts as descending, and it also makes it more likely you get to Descend 4 or 8, and you can also exile it from your graveyard for Craft
Hidden Necropolis image 2.5 Entering tapped is certainly a problem sometimes, but they more than make up for it by getting you a card back in the later game thanks to Discover. The Cave type matters some too! I think you’re pretty much always playing the first copy of one of these. Obviously, if you have a bunch of one drops you’ll be less interested in them
Pack 1 Pick 8: Oaken Siren
Calamitous Cave-In image 0.0 // 4.0 Cave decks look pretty legit in this format, and this feels like a card that can really enable that type of deck – it reminds me a lot of Gates Ablaze, a card with a similar sweeper effect that checked for Gates. It will be great if you have lots of Caves, and terrible if you don’t
Cogwork Wrestler image 2.5 This can Flash in and kill just about any X/1, which tends to feel pretty good.. If you can combine it with some other creatures, it can even take down bigger things. You do need to have that mode work out more often than not to make it worth it, because just using this to blank a couple of damage isn’t nearly as good, but that’s not the worst fail case either.
Hunter's Blowgun image 1.0 While I like that this gives you two different keywords depending on whether you’re being defensive or aggressive, they are also keywords that really only matter on the right creature. I think you end up not playing this most of the time, it’s just hard to get a full card of value here
Child of the Volcano image 2.0 Hill Giant statlines have been bad lately. But, if this can consistently come down as a 4/4, it will feel pretty nice, and that seems doable. After all, all that needs to happen is you attack and your opponent decides to trade, things like that. Then, it has the potential to grow easily on subsequent turns too, especially when paired with the more graveyard-oriented colors like Black and Blue
Acolyte of Aclazotz image 2.5 There are plenty of expendable artifacts and creatures to be had in Black, and this also works well with Descend stuff. Draining 1 life at a time might sound small, but it really can keep you alive while pressuring your opponent
Oaken Siren image 2.5 A two mana ½ with Flying and Vigilance that happens to be an artifact would probably be borderline playable in this format, so I think adding in the mana for artifact stuff does enough to make it a card that will make the cut in many Blue decks
Rampaging Spiketail image 2.5 We recently saw cards with landcycling for two really underperform, but they have some advantages in this format. Like all land cyclers, this has the upside of getting you a land when you draw it early, and being a reasonably relevant card in the later stages of the game. And in this case, the Spiketail is likely to enable a pretty good attack when you cast it. But the extra value of land cyclers comes as a result of this format’s graveyard-heavy theme. Cycling this counts as descending, and it also makes it more likely you get to Descend 4 or 8, and you can also exile it from your graveyard for Craft
Hidden Necropolis image 2.5 Entering tapped is certainly a problem sometimes, but they more than make up for it by getting you a card back in the later game thanks to Discover. The Cave type matters some too! I think you’re pretty much always playing the first copy of one of these. Obviously, if you have a bunch of one drops you’ll be less interested in them
Pack 1 Pick 9: Tinker's Tote
Inverted Iceberg image 3.5 The front side of the card has a useful card type, loads your graveyard, and replaces itself. It would probably be a C all on its own. And in the late game you can transform it into a creature that your opponent is going to have to do something about. Even if it doesn’t impact the board on turn two, I think it does enough for the cost and the upside is big
Etali's Favor image 1.0 You just don’t want to pay for that stats boost when you’re seriously risking getting 2-for-1’d. The Discover part does mean that this makes sure to give you back a card, but the card you get back won’t be impressive enough to offset this card’s weak effect, at least not enough for this to be the kind of Red card you’re interesting in playing consistently
Another Chance image 2.5 Playing one copy of this effect is usually a good idea in Black decks in Limited, but that’s even more the case in this format, since milling yourself and loading the graveyard in general is easier than normal, and there are more payoffs than normal for doing it too. You still probably don’t want more than one of these, but that first copy is something I’m going to value pretty highly for a common
Thousand Moons Infantry image 2.0 A three mana 2/4 with kind-of sort-of vigilance is decent, and the idea here is to get multiple taps out of the Infantry for your cards that want you tap creatures or artifacts for effects. I can see this performing that role decently enough
Daring Discovery image 1.5 If you hit a two drop creature with this, it feels like a 5-mana 2/2 that makes three things unable to block. That’s not too shabby, and sometimes it will be better. Of course, sometimes you’ll also not get a creature at all. Additionally, this effect is highly situational, and not really worth using except in the situation where it allows you to win the game anyway, so I think we have to look at the Discover part almost as an alternate mode that you use when the creatures can’t block part is irrelevant, which will be often
Disturbed Slumber image 0.0 This effect is basically never worth it. I get it, you can ambush your opponent’s attacker with a land, or suddenly do 4 out of nowhere, but the times where that’s actually worth a card are infrequent. I’d rather have something that permanently adds to the board
Pack 1 Pick 10: Etali's Favor
Inverted Iceberg image 3.5 The front side of the card has a useful card type, loads your graveyard, and replaces itself. It would probably be a C all on its own. And in the late game you can transform it into a creature that your opponent is going to have to do something about. Even if it doesn’t impact the board on turn two, I think it does enough for the cost and the upside is big
Etali's Favor image 1.0 You just don’t want to pay for that stats boost when you’re seriously risking getting 2-for-1’d. The Discover part does mean that this makes sure to give you back a card, but the card you get back won’t be impressive enough to offset this card’s weak effect, at least not enough for this to be the kind of Red card you’re interesting in playing consistently
Another Chance image 2.5 Playing one copy of this effect is usually a good idea in Black decks in Limited, but that’s even more the case in this format, since milling yourself and loading the graveyard in general is easier than normal, and there are more payoffs than normal for doing it too. You still probably don’t want more than one of these, but that first copy is something I’m going to value pretty highly for a common
Thousand Moons Infantry image 2.0 A three mana 2/4 with kind-of sort-of vigilance is decent, and the idea here is to get multiple taps out of the Infantry for your cards that want you tap creatures or artifacts for effects. I can see this performing that role decently enough
Daring Discovery image 1.5 If you hit a two drop creature with this, it feels like a 5-mana 2/2 that makes three things unable to block. That’s not too shabby, and sometimes it will be better. Of course, sometimes you’ll also not get a creature at all. Additionally, this effect is highly situational, and not really worth using except in the situation where it allows you to win the game anyway, so I think we have to look at the Discover part almost as an alternate mode that you use when the creatures can’t block part is irrelevant, which will be often
Disturbed Slumber image 0.0 This effect is basically never worth it. I get it, you can ambush your opponent’s attacker with a land, or suddenly do 4 out of nowhere, but the times where that’s actually worth a card are infrequent. I’d rather have something that permanently adds to the board
Pack 1 Pick 11: Brazen Blademaster
Oteclan Landmark image 3.0 One mana to scry 2 isn’t very good, even in a format where you can sacrifice or tap this for value. But…this is way more than that, because crafting it isn’t a hug challenge, and the creature you get is a legitimate threat, because giving flying to your other attackers makes for a powerful effect. Between the format’s artifact synergy, and this card’s upside, this looks like a really nice Common to me
Thousand Moons Crackshot image 1.5 Sometimes you’ll be able to attack with this and really open the floodgates on your opponent by getting their best blocker out of the way, but three mana is a lot, and your opponent also always knows this is coming, making it a lot less useful. You’re rarely going to use this ability early, and by the late game it has some diminishing returns.
Brazen Blademaster image 2.0 The starting stats are rough, but it seems like this will attack as a reasonably often
Compass Gnome image 2.0 We’ve seen this card before, more or less, and its always kind of mediocre. Putting the land on top is miles away from putting it in your hand. This offers passable fixing, but I think it will be especially attractive to Cave decks. As we’ll see in just a little bit, the set has a lot of caves, but still, getting your hands on enough to make the various Cave payoffs work is a little tricky – something like Compass Gnome helps make that easier
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Pack 1 Pick 12: Thousand Moons Crackshot
Self-Reflection image 2.5 Paying 6 to copy a creature is pretty rough. Hard to consistently get your man's worth there. However, with Flashback in the mix this has 2-for-1 potential, and Blue mills itself enough for this to give you nice value out of the graveyard
Thousand Moons Crackshot image 1.5 Sometimes you’ll be able to attack with this and really open the floodgates on your opponent by getting their best blocker out of the way, but three mana is a lot, and your opponent also always knows this is coming, making it a lot less useful. You’re rarely going to use this ability early, and by the late game it has some diminishing returns.
Seeker of Sunlight image 0.0 A one mana 1/1 just isn’t’ a stat-line that stays relevant, and while this has the ability to stay more relevant thanks to it’s activated ability, it’s costly enough and clunky enough at sorcery speed that it is only something you’re going to start using in the extreme late game. This is bad at virtually every other stage
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Pack 1 Pick 13: Acrobatic Leap
Greedy Freebooter image 1.0 // 3.0 This is some amazing sacrifice fodder, especially because the sacrifice effects in this format let you sacrifice creature or artifacts, and this one card gives you two of those. It does get a lot worse in situations where you can’t sacrifice it easily, as it will be a little more difficult to get a card of value out of it. I think that probably makes it a build around
Primordial Gnawer image 2.0 This is an ugly stat-line, but it does make sure you get a 2-for-1. Still…the stat-line is bad enough that I don’t think this ends up always making the cut.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Primordial Gnawer
Greedy Freebooter image 1.0 // 3.0 This is some amazing sacrifice fodder, especially because the sacrifice effects in this format let you sacrifice creature or artifacts, and this one card gives you two of those. It does get a lot worse in situations where you can’t sacrifice it easily, as it will be a little more difficult to get a card of value out of it. I think that probably makes it a build around
Primordial Gnawer image 2.0 This is an ugly stat-line, but it does make sure you get a 2-for-1. Still…the stat-line is bad enough that I don’t think this ends up always making the cut.
Pack 1 Pick 15: Plains
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Pack 2 Pick 1: Sanguine Evangelist
Sanguine Evangelist image 4.0 A three mana 2/1 that makes a 1/1 Flyer is already a great Limited card, but this tacks on so much additional value! Getting a flyer when it dies too means your opponent can basically never remove this profitably, and they are kind of going to want to remove it because Battlecry is a pretty big problem on some board states. This just gives you so much value for the mana cost, and it has an incredibly high floor thanks to its ETB and death triggers.
Gargantuan Leech image 0.0 // 3.0 This is very much a build around. You want to cast this for five or less, or it won't feel good. It's unplayable in a deck with 2 or fewer caves, mediocre with 3, and probably only solid with five or more
Curator of Sun's Creation image 2.0 Even if this is potentially powerful, the fact your opponent can probably attack into it with impunity, or kill it for two mana, makes it hard for me to get excited
Dauntless Dismantler image 2.5 Two mana ¼s aren't the worst thing, and this has some genuine upside. This set has a ton of artifacts, including Map tokens, and making those things all enter tapped seems relevant, as does the ability to potentially destroy more than one artifact at a time.
Lodestone Needle image 1.0 If this were only the card on the front, it would be a 0.0. Spending a card to stun something for two turns…just isn’t worth it. But it does have another side! And it lets you explore on the cheap, which…I like. But I still feel like the front is so ineffectual, and crafting it takes enough work that I'm not very impressed.
Acrobatic Leap image 1.5 One mana tricks that give +1/+3 are rarely worthwhile in Limited. The boost is enough to save a creature in combat, but not enough to help it win combat often enough. The flying and untap angle here do make it so you can both punch in for lethal in the air or ambush a flyer, but those use cases are all much too frequent for this to be something that makes the cut in all your white aggro decks.
Staggering Size image 2.0 This offers a big enough boost to make a creature win combat pretty often, and trample can result in some pretty serious damage to your opponent too. I think you’ll play one of these in lots of aggressive Green decks
Greedy Freebooter image 1.0 // 3.0 This is some amazing sacrifice fodder, especially because the sacrifice effects in this format let you sacrifice creature or artifacts, and this one card gives you two of those. It does get a lot worse in situations where you can’t sacrifice it easily, as it will be a little more difficult to get a card of value out of it. I think that probably makes it a build around
Hotfoot Gnome image 2.0 A three mana 3/1 with Haste with a useful card type in Artifact is probably a 1.5, but it’s nice this can tap to give things haste. Once it isn’t a very good attacker on its own – which will be often – it can at least make your other creatures into better attackers. Still, this isn’t nearly as good as one mana 1/1s with this ability that we’ve seen in the recent past
Buried Treasure image 1.5 Paying two mana for a treasure is terrible, but this can at least give you an actual card from out of the graveyard, and that certainly matters in this format, where this is likely to get milled or sacrificed for value. I’m still not sure I really want to be playing this on turn two, basically ever, so maybe you mostly want to mill it. For now, I’m not very interested in this
Quicksand Whirlpool image 2.5 Casting this for six is kind of rough, but casting it for three is solid enough, especially in less aggressive decks.
Out of Air image 2.0 So, this is either a Harder-to-cast Essence Scatter, or a harder-to-cast Counterspell. I’m not super enthusiastic about either of those modes. Countermagic that costs double blue can be rough in Limited, because you are far from guaranteed to have it up when you need to. That’s sort of true of all counterspells, but one with more mana intensive requirements in a format where your mana just isn’t very good is extra hard to use
Acolyte of Aclazotz image 2.5 There are plenty of expendable artifacts and creatures to be had in Black, and this also works well with Descend stuff. Draining 1 life at a time might sound small, but it really can keep you alive while pressuring your opponent
Pathfinding Axejaw image 3.5 This will either be a 4-mana 5/4 with Surveil 1, or a 4-mana 4/3 that draws you a card. Both of those are pretty nice for the cost.
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Pack 2 Pick 2: Careening Mine Cart
Terror Tide image 4.5 Sweepers are powerful, but they can be awkward in aggressive Limited decks. This one also takes some serious set up, but it does seem like a pretty insane card in any controlling black deck. That puts this in a weird spot. You first pick this almost any time you see it, but if you're an aggro deck by pack 2 or 3, you probably don't want to take it very highly
Uchbenbak, the Great Mistake image 3.5 A 5-mana 6/4 with Vigilance and Menace is already a pretty imposing creature, and this one can come back in the later stages of the game. Having to deal with this problematic of a body twice in a game isn’t going to be easy. That said, Descend 8 is pretty intense, and even with Blue-Black being good at milling itself, it isn’t exactly something you should always count on. Still, this looks like a really nice signpost Uncommon
Careening Mine Cart image 2.0 A 3 mana 3/3 vehicle with Crew 1 isn’t very good. I like getting Treasure, and that saves this from being actively bad, especially because it is a colorless source of fixing
Akawalli, the Seething Tower image 3.0 This has solid base stats and it is a really great payoff for Descend. After all, it ends up being a 7/7 with trample that can’t be blocked by more than one creature when you have Descend 8! I do wish it helped you get descend, so it was both a payoff and an enabler – those often make the best signpost uncommons, but it’s such a good payoff for loading the graveyard with permanents that it still looks like a nice signpost Uncommon
Oteclan Landmark image 3.0 One mana to scry 2 isn’t very good, even in a format where you can sacrifice or tap this for value. But…this is way more than that, because crafting it isn’t a hug challenge, and the creature you get is a legitimate threat, because giving flying to your other attackers makes for a powerful effect. Between the format’s artifact synergy, and this card’s upside, this looks like a really nice Common to me
Thousand Moons Crackshot image 1.5 Sometimes you’ll be able to attack with this and really open the floodgates on your opponent by getting their best blocker out of the way, but three mana is a lot, and your opponent also always knows this is coming, making it a lot less useful. You’re rarely going to use this ability early, and by the late game it has some diminishing returns.
Goblin Tomb Raider image 2.0 This will be a one mana 2/2 with Haste fairly frequently, especially in the mid-to-late game, and that kind of body matters surpsingly often, even at that stage of the game. It’s also a solid enough play on turn one.
Cosmium Blast image 2.5 We see a card like this in most sets, and as usual – it’s efficient, but situational enough that it definitely isn’t premium. It’s far better when you’re not an aggro deck, since in that type of deck you want removal that lets you get rid of a creature before they ever get to block.
Hotfoot Gnome image 2.0 A three mana 3/1 with Haste with a useful card type in Artifact is probably a 1.5, but it’s nice this can tap to give things haste. Once it isn’t a very good attacker on its own – which will be often – it can at least make your other creatures into better attackers. Still, this isn’t nearly as good as one mana 1/1s with this ability that we’ve seen in the recent past
Tectonic Hazard image 0.5 This is sideboard material, your opponent has to have a ton of X/1s for this to be worth it.
Poison Dart Frog image 3.0 This fixes your mana, ramps you, and can even trade for anything. That last part is nice, because mana dorks have diminishing returns the longer the game goes, but this one will also do something
Deep Goblin Skulltaker image 2.0 The Gray Ogre statline is ugly, even with Menace, but this can grow without a ton of effort, and obviously the bigger it gets, the better Menace feels
Malamet Brawler image 2.0 The awkward thing about this card is that by the time you can attack with something else that is worth giving trample to, your Brawler is probably not going to uh…brawl very well. I mean, it’s a fine two drop, but not one I’m excited about
Hidden Cataract image 2.5 Entering tapped is certainly a problem sometimes, but they more than make up for it by getting you a card back in the later game thanks to Discover. The Cave type matters some too! I think you’re pretty much always playing the first copy of one of these. Obviously, if you have a bunch of one drops you’ll be less interested in them
Pack 2 Pick 3: Malamet War Scribe
Restless Vents image 3.5 This creature’s hard to block and lets you rummage. A 2/3 is a little less relevant all game long than the other creature lands we’ve seen, but it’s still quite good
Malamet War Scribe image 3.0 This is quite the boost. We see white creatures that give +1/+1 all the time, and that additional power is a significant upgrade. You don't even have to be going that wide for this to have an impact on the board, as it will make just about any board better at attacking.
Zoyowa Lava-Tongue image 3.0 A two mana 2/2 death touch is a solid enough starting point, so the fact that Zoyowa gives you such a huge bonus for descending is amazing. ESPECIALLY if you manage to start triggering him in the early game, which looks more than doable in the format. If your opponent can’t deal with him and you start making your opponent make these choices, none of them are going to feel very good. In the late game, they get a lot less impressive
Tithing Blade image 3.0 Two mana for an Edict effect is usually a 2.0 or so in Limited. Good in the early game, not so good later in the game. But this is an artifact that will be great to sacrifice, and obviously the Craft upside is big here too. Once transformed, this creates a life difference of two between you and your opponent during your upkeep, and that makes your opponent’s life very difficult. Crafting this is relatively easy too
Dinotomaton image 3.0 A 4-mana 4/3 Menace is pretty close to a 2.5, so the upside of giving something else menace right away is pretty nice! It won’t always enable a good attack, but it will pretty frequently, especially if you’re curving out
Plundering Pirate image 3.0 Creatures that make treasures on ETB virtually always over perform, and the stat-line here is a bit better than what we usually see. Treasure brings extra value in an artifact format too. I think this is one of Red’s better commons
Echo of Dusk image 2.0 It’s fine on turn two, and Black decks will get it to 3/3 and lifelink pretty often, and once it’s there there’s a good chance it has at least some relevance on just about any board
Ancestors' Aid image 2.0 +2/+0 and First Strike is going to win combat a huge percentage of the time, and in addition to the value treasure normally gives you in the form of mana, there’s lots of other stuff you can do with it in the format
Basking Capybara image 2.5 This seems like a solid two drop. Obviously a 1/3 isn’t where you want to be, but a two mana 4/3 is some serious business, and Green is good enough at getting there on Descend that you can expect this to have a very relevant body by the mid game
Hotfoot Gnome image 2.0 A three mana 3/1 with Haste with a useful card type in Artifact is probably a 1.5, but it’s nice this can tap to give things haste. Once it isn’t a very good attacker on its own – which will be often – it can at least make your other creatures into better attackers. Still, this isn’t nearly as good as one mana 1/1s with this ability that we’ve seen in the recent past
Waterwind Scout image 3.5 Wind Drake + Map token for three mana seems like a quality Common to me. Explore and artifacts both matter in Blue, and this helps you do both of those. This looks like a pretty good deal
Tinker's Tote image 3.0 Three mana for two 1/1s is almost a passable rate, and this one card gives you THREE artifacts, something that is valuable in White in this format, as we’ve seen throughout this video. The added life gain bonus is nice to have too. I think this looks like a quality common because of all the stuff it enables – whether it be tapping, carfting, or sacrificing artifacts
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Pack 2 Pick 4: Sunshot Militia
Bitter Triumph image 3.5 Paying life for this is going to be the better option, but doing stuff with the graveyard is a good idea in this format, so sometimes you can discard things for very real value, like triggering descent stuff. I think it will be easy enough to make the additional cost not matter much for this to be premium removal. After all, it deals with anything for two mana
Bloodthorn Flail image 1.5 Without the discard option, this would be a 1.0 With it, in a set that has heavy graveyard stuff going on, especially in Black, it's probably a 1.5. It does seem like it will be hard to consistently get a card worth of value out of it
Mineshaft Spider image 2.0 This has mediocre stats, but it does help you with graveyard stuff
Disruptor Wanderglyph image 1.0 There’s enough graveyard hate in this format that you don’t need to run something this inefficient and slow
Mephitic Draught image 1.5 // 3.0 This is another card that is great sacrifice fodder, but not really worth it if you’re not consistently available to get rid of it. When you can it feels awesome, because it gives you a very efficient 2-for-1. But there will be enough Black decks that aren’t that good at sacrificing that I think this needs a build around grade.
Cosmium Blast image 2.5 We see a card like this in most sets, and as usual – it’s efficient, but situational enough that it definitely isn’t premium. It’s far better when you’re not an aggro deck, since in that type of deck you want removal that lets you get rid of a creature before they ever get to block.
Sunshot Militia image 2.0 This seems like a decent way to finish your opponent off in Red artifact decks. Even if they stabilize, this two drop can make it impossible for them provided you have artifacts and creatures around, and that’s not a huge ask. This only being Sorcery speed, like most of these effects, certainly matters, as being able to wait until the end of your opponents turn would mean you can keep all our blocks up – but still, I think this will do enough to warrant a slot in your deck
Hunter's Blowgun image 1.0 While I like that this gives you two different keywords depending on whether you’re being defensive or aggressive, they are also keywords that really only matter on the right creature. I think you end up not playing this most of the time, it’s just hard to get a full card of value here
Runaway Boulder image 1.5 Lots of decks want to run as many permanents as possible because of Descend, and the Boulder gives you a removal spell that is still a permanent. Now…it is very far from being efficient, but it does deal with most things, and you can also cycle it away – which also matters for Descend. With all that in mind, it will definitely make the cut a decent chunk of the time
River Herald Scout image 3.0 You would happily play a two mana 2/3 with Surveil one, and you’d happily play a two mana ½ that draws you a card, and you’re getting one of those every time you cast it
In the Presence of Ages image 2.5 I think you’ll want one of these in most Green decks. It helps you load the yard while drawing you a couple of cards in most cases
Captivating Cave image 2.0 Filter lands have been performing better, of late, at least in sets with multicolor themes, and while this set one doesn’t have a strong one of those, the fact this has a useful sub type and can be used to put some counters on stuff, while also setting up Descend, probably means it’s decent enough
Pack 2 Pick 5: Belligerent Yearling
Echoing Deeps image 1.5 There aren’t that many lands it will be exciting to copy, but I guess copying some of the Discover lands isn’t too bad. Still, this will only produce colorless mana if you get it early and that’s pretty rough
Malicious Eclipse image 0.5 This type of card is always pretty awkward in Limited. The effect has a really high ceiling for sure, but the floor is bad because you just don’t end up in decks very often where you can be certain it will hurt your opponent more than you when you cast it. If you find yourself in a control deck that doesn’t have many creatures that die to this, it can work out reasonably well, but that kind of deck just doesn’t come together often enough. This is mostly sideboard material.
Belligerent Yearling image 3.0 This has nice starting stats, and the fact its power can go up can allow it to stay relevant all game long
Sunbird Standard image 2.0 We’ve seen time and time again, a three mana artifact that taps for mana of any color isn’t playable in Limited. It’s just too slow, and a mana boost like this just isn’t worth a card most of the time. However…this obviously has some real upside, since it can turn into a creature. And it can do it fairly flexibly, since it can exile any permanent type. That said, it is usually going to be a 2/2 Flyer that can tap for two mana – which is nice, but the set up cost of getting there is pretty significant. It takes quite the mana investment, even if the Standard itself can be used
Waylaying Pirates image 3.0 I love creatures that ETB and stun something, and while this makes you jump through a hoop – I think that hoop is pretty easy to jump through in Blue. Adding a decent body to the board and getting a blocker out of the way at the same time is going to be pretty strong. If you’re in the Pirate-Artifact deck, and you just curve out and play this on turn four, your opponent is going to be in serious trouble.
Cartographer's Companion image 2.0 This doesn’t feel like a great rate to me. You can sort of look at it as a 4-mana 2/1 that draws you a card or a 4-mana 3/2 with some card selection, and neither of those is very good…but there are some decks in the format that want cards that make two artifacts, as well as decks that want to explore and so forth, so it’s probably not terrible
Fanatical Offering image 2.5 This probably isn’t quite Deadly Dispute, but I think that’s a pretty good comparison. This format has lots and lots of expendable stuff around, and this will often feel like you’re giving up very little to draw two and get a Map token, and that’s some serious value
Cogwork Wrestler image 2.5 This can Flash in and kill just about any X/1, which tends to feel pretty good.. If you can combine it with some other creatures, it can even take down bigger things. You do need to have that mode work out more often than not to make it worth it, because just using this to blank a couple of damage isn’t nearly as good, but that’s not the worst fail case either.
Brackish Blunder image 2.0 Just the bounce part of the card is usually a passable card, so getting a map token if the creature is tapped makes this pretty appealing. Now…not being a permanent in Blue does hurt a card a little bit because of Descent stuff, but the fact this gives you a Map helps check some boxes for artifact decks.
Malamet Scythe image 2.0 When you use this as a combat trick, it’s going to feel pretty good. After all, it helps your creature win combat and keeps +2/+2 sticking around. After that initial equip, having to pay 4 at a time to move this will feel rough, but if you’ve already traded one-for-one, we’re just talking about upside at that point.
Daring Discovery image 1.5 If you hit a two drop creature with this, it feels like a 5-mana 2/2 that makes three things unable to block. That’s not too shabby, and sometimes it will be better. Of course, sometimes you’ll also not get a creature at all. Additionally, this effect is highly situational, and not really worth using except in the situation where it allows you to win the game anyway, so I think we have to look at the Discover part almost as an alternate mode that you use when the creatures can’t block part is irrelevant, which will be often
Pack 2 Pick 6: Attentive Sunscribe
Sinuous Benthisaur image 0.0 // 4.0 This has some insane potential. Even if you just have two caves, this is a 6-mana 4/4 that draws you two cards. That’s really amazing, and even with one cave it’s a passible card. Now…if there are no Caves around it’s awful, but if your deck has 4 or more caves in it, you’re going to be happy to play this most of the time
Abyssal Gorestalker image 1.0 This looks a little too awkward. There are too many situations where it hurts you more than your opponent. Sure, there are also the times where it's amazing, but there aren't enough of those to offset the downside.
Attentive Sunscribe image 2.5 There are some vehicles in the set, in addition to many White cards that like it when you tap your stuff. This adds a decent bonus to those effects, while also being an early artifact to get those kinds of things going.
Dead Weight image 3.5 This is good every time we see it, especially because they tend to put it in formats where you can get some extra value out of it. One mana for -2/-2 is already premium, as you can trade up all the time, but the extra value in this format comes as a result of all of the Descend. Permanents that are removal spells are going to give you some nice extra value, and that’s certainly true here
Broodrage Mycoid image 3.0 This will make a 1/1 on a decent number of turns and it has passable stats
Echo of Dusk image 2.0 It’s fine on turn two, and Black decks will get it to 3/3 and lifelink pretty often, and once it’s there there’s a good chance it has at least some relevance on just about any board
Frilled Cave-Wurm image 2.0 A 4-mana 2/5 is mediocre, but there are definitely worst stat-lines. The Descend upgrade here is a big one too, as it suddenly makes the Cave-Wurm into a formidable attacker. That said, this is never going to feel like anything special. The floor is a very inefficient creature and the ceiling is one with slightly above-rate stats
Walk with the Ancestors image 2.0 5 mana to return a permanent to your hand is rough, but getting to cast something else while you do helps soften that blow
Daring Discovery image 1.5 If you hit a two drop creature with this, it feels like a 5-mana 2/2 that makes three things unable to block. That’s not too shabby, and sometimes it will be better. Of course, sometimes you’ll also not get a creature at all. Additionally, this effect is highly situational, and not really worth using except in the situation where it allows you to win the game anyway, so I think we have to look at the Discover part almost as an alternate mode that you use when the creatures can’t block part is irrelevant, which will be often
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Pack 2 Pick 7: Glorifier of Suffering
Uchbenbak, the Great Mistake image 3.5 A 5-mana 6/4 with Vigilance and Menace is already a pretty imposing creature, and this one can come back in the later stages of the game. Having to deal with this problematic of a body twice in a game isn’t going to be easy. That said, Descend 8 is pretty intense, and even with Blue-Black being good at milling itself, it isn’t exactly something you should always count on. Still, this looks like a really nice signpost Uncommon
Volatile Fault image 0.0 There are many nonbasics in this format, but you still don’t want to run this. Destroying a land and letting your opponent search up any basic and getting it untapped just isn’t worth doing, even with a Treasure token attached.
Cavernous Maw image 2.0 There are enough Caves to get this going in some decks, and if your deck can take the hit to your mana this causes, it’s a pretty good creature land
Glorifier of Suffering image 2.5 Putting a counter on TWO separate creatures is a pretty nice payoff for throwing away a gnome token or a map token, and can really make an attack far more formidable. It can also put a counter on itself, which is nice. This seems like a quality payoff for the aggressive sacrifice decks in the format.
Unlucky Drop image 3.0 Because it puts the creature back in your opponents deck, it does actually let you trade 1-for-1, and that’s important. Keep in mind your opponent makes the choice about where to put the card. This does get a small knock simply for not being a permanent, in a color where permanents really matter
Another Chance image 2.5 Playing one copy of this effect is usually a good idea in Black decks in Limited, but that’s even more the case in this format, since milling yourself and loading the graveyard in general is easier than normal, and there are more payoffs than normal for doing it too. You still probably don’t want more than one of these, but that first copy is something I’m going to value pretty highly for a common
Child of the Volcano image 2.0 Hill Giant statlines have been bad lately. But, if this can consistently come down as a 4/4, it will feel pretty nice, and that seems doable. After all, all that needs to happen is you attack and your opponent decides to trade, things like that. Then, it has the potential to grow easily on subsequent turns too, especially when paired with the more graveyard-oriented colors like Black and Blue
Fungal Fortitude image 2.0 +2/+0 will help a creature win lots of combats, and it doesn’t matter that there isn’t also a toughness boost, because the creature’s coming back! It feels especially busted with ETB abilities. This also helps you trigger descend stuff
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Pack 2 Pick 8: Thousand Moons Crackshot
Sorcerous Spyglass image 0.0 This is an 0.0 every time we see it. Even IF you see a card that you get to name, turning off a card’s activated abilities isn’t worth a card, and we’re talking about the BEST CASE scenario
Waterlogged Hulk image 3.5 A one mana artifact that can load your graveyard is better in this format than it is in most – as we’ve seen Blue cares about artifacts and the graveyard, and this checks the most boxes. Then, when you craft this it becomes a very real easy-to-crew vehicle, that in the really late game can just close it out for you. I think the front does what you want to do in Blue and getting to the point where you get the vehicle is easy enough that this looks quite strong
Fungal Fortitude image 2.0 +2/+0 will help a creature win lots of combats, and it doesn’t matter that there isn’t also a toughness boost, because the creature’s coming back! It feels especially busted with ETB abilities. This also helps you trigger descend stuff
Thousand Moons Infantry image 2.0 A three mana 2/4 with kind-of sort-of vigilance is decent, and the idea here is to get multiple taps out of the Infantry for your cards that want you tap creatures or artifacts for effects. I can see this performing that role decently enough
Disturbed Slumber image 0.0 This effect is basically never worth it. I get it, you can ambush your opponent’s attacker with a land, or suddenly do 4 out of nowhere, but the times where that’s actually worth a card are infrequent. I’d rather have something that permanently adds to the board
Mephitic Draught image 1.5 // 3.0 This is another card that is great sacrifice fodder, but not really worth it if you’re not consistently available to get rid of it. When you can it feels awesome, because it gives you a very efficient 2-for-1. But there will be enough Black decks that aren’t that good at sacrificing that I think this needs a build around grade.
Thousand Moons Crackshot image 1.5 Sometimes you’ll be able to attack with this and really open the floodgates on your opponent by getting their best blocker out of the way, but three mana is a lot, and your opponent also always knows this is coming, making it a lot less useful. You’re rarely going to use this ability early, and by the late game it has some diminishing returns.
Sage of Days image 3.0 This is a nice way to load your graveyard in a hurry, and it isn’t that far from Scry 3 on ETB, which would make for a nice card. The stat-line isn’t good of course, but I think this does the kind of thing you want to be doing in Blue in this format
Pack 2 Pick 9: Acrobatic Leap
Uchbenbak, the Great Mistake image 3.5 A 5-mana 6/4 with Vigilance and Menace is already a pretty imposing creature, and this one can come back in the later stages of the game. Having to deal with this problematic of a body twice in a game isn’t going to be easy. That said, Descend 8 is pretty intense, and even with Blue-Black being good at milling itself, it isn’t exactly something you should always count on. Still, this looks like a really nice signpost Uncommon
Akawalli, the Seething Tower image 3.0 This has solid base stats and it is a really great payoff for Descend. After all, it ends up being a 7/7 with trample that can’t be blocked by more than one creature when you have Descend 8! I do wish it helped you get descend, so it was both a payoff and an enabler – those often make the best signpost uncommons, but it’s such a good payoff for loading the graveyard with permanents that it still looks like a nice signpost Uncommon
Oteclan Landmark image 3.0 One mana to scry 2 isn’t very good, even in a format where you can sacrifice or tap this for value. But…this is way more than that, because crafting it isn’t a hug challenge, and the creature you get is a legitimate threat, because giving flying to your other attackers makes for a powerful effect. Between the format’s artifact synergy, and this card’s upside, this looks like a really nice Common to me
Thousand Moons Crackshot image 1.5 Sometimes you’ll be able to attack with this and really open the floodgates on your opponent by getting their best blocker out of the way, but three mana is a lot, and your opponent also always knows this is coming, making it a lot less useful. You’re rarely going to use this ability early, and by the late game it has some diminishing returns.
Tectonic Hazard image 0.5 This is sideboard material, your opponent has to have a ton of X/1s for this to be worth it.
Deep Goblin Skulltaker image 2.0 The Gray Ogre statline is ugly, even with Menace, but this can grow without a ton of effort, and obviously the bigger it gets, the better Menace feels
Pack 2 Pick 10: Oteclan Landmark
Uchbenbak, the Great Mistake image 3.5 A 5-mana 6/4 with Vigilance and Menace is already a pretty imposing creature, and this one can come back in the later stages of the game. Having to deal with this problematic of a body twice in a game isn’t going to be easy. That said, Descend 8 is pretty intense, and even with Blue-Black being good at milling itself, it isn’t exactly something you should always count on. Still, this looks like a really nice signpost Uncommon
Akawalli, the Seething Tower image 3.0 This has solid base stats and it is a really great payoff for Descend. After all, it ends up being a 7/7 with trample that can’t be blocked by more than one creature when you have Descend 8! I do wish it helped you get descend, so it was both a payoff and an enabler – those often make the best signpost uncommons, but it’s such a good payoff for loading the graveyard with permanents that it still looks like a nice signpost Uncommon
Oteclan Landmark image 3.0 One mana to scry 2 isn’t very good, even in a format where you can sacrifice or tap this for value. But…this is way more than that, because crafting it isn’t a hug challenge, and the creature you get is a legitimate threat, because giving flying to your other attackers makes for a powerful effect. Between the format’s artifact synergy, and this card’s upside, this looks like a really nice Common to me
Thousand Moons Crackshot image 1.5 Sometimes you’ll be able to attack with this and really open the floodgates on your opponent by getting their best blocker out of the way, but three mana is a lot, and your opponent also always knows this is coming, making it a lot less useful. You’re rarely going to use this ability early, and by the late game it has some diminishing returns.
Tectonic Hazard image 0.5 This is sideboard material, your opponent has to have a ton of X/1s for this to be worth it.
Deep Goblin Skulltaker image 2.0 The Gray Ogre statline is ugly, even with Menace, but this can grow without a ton of effort, and obviously the bigger it gets, the better Menace feels
Pack 2 Pick 11: Hotfoot Gnome
Zoyowa Lava-Tongue image 3.0 A two mana 2/2 death touch is a solid enough starting point, so the fact that Zoyowa gives you such a huge bonus for descending is amazing. ESPECIALLY if you manage to start triggering him in the early game, which looks more than doable in the format. If your opponent can’t deal with him and you start making your opponent make these choices, none of them are going to feel very good. In the late game, they get a lot less impressive
Tithing Blade image 3.0 Two mana for an Edict effect is usually a 2.0 or so in Limited. Good in the early game, not so good later in the game. But this is an artifact that will be great to sacrifice, and obviously the Craft upside is big here too. Once transformed, this creates a life difference of two between you and your opponent during your upkeep, and that makes your opponent’s life very difficult. Crafting this is relatively easy too
Echo of Dusk image 2.0 It’s fine on turn two, and Black decks will get it to 3/3 and lifelink pretty often, and once it’s there there’s a good chance it has at least some relevance on just about any board
Hotfoot Gnome image 2.0 A three mana 3/1 with Haste with a useful card type in Artifact is probably a 1.5, but it’s nice this can tap to give things haste. Once it isn’t a very good attacker on its own – which will be often – it can at least make your other creatures into better attackers. Still, this isn’t nearly as good as one mana 1/1s with this ability that we’ve seen in the recent past
Island image
Pack 2 Pick 12: Bloodthorn Flail
Bloodthorn Flail image 1.5 Without the discard option, this would be a 1.0 With it, in a set that has heavy graveyard stuff going on, especially in Black, it's probably a 1.5. It does seem like it will be hard to consistently get a card worth of value out of it
Mephitic Draught image 1.5 // 3.0 This is another card that is great sacrifice fodder, but not really worth it if you’re not consistently available to get rid of it. When you can it feels awesome, because it gives you a very efficient 2-for-1. But there will be enough Black decks that aren’t that good at sacrificing that I think this needs a build around grade.
Hunter's Blowgun image 1.0 While I like that this gives you two different keywords depending on whether you’re being defensive or aggressive, they are also keywords that really only matter on the right creature. I think you end up not playing this most of the time, it’s just hard to get a full card of value here
In the Presence of Ages image 2.5 I think you’ll want one of these in most Green decks. It helps you load the yard while drawing you a couple of cards in most cases
Pack 2 Pick 13: Echoing Deeps
Echoing Deeps image 1.5 There aren’t that many lands it will be exciting to copy, but I guess copying some of the Discover lands isn’t too bad. Still, this will only produce colorless mana if you get it early and that’s pretty rough
Malicious Eclipse image 0.5 This type of card is always pretty awkward in Limited. The effect has a really high ceiling for sure, but the floor is bad because you just don’t end up in decks very often where you can be certain it will hurt your opponent more than you when you cast it. If you find yourself in a control deck that doesn’t have many creatures that die to this, it can work out reasonably well, but that kind of deck just doesn’t come together often enough. This is mostly sideboard material.
Cogwork Wrestler image 2.5 This can Flash in and kill just about any X/1, which tends to feel pretty good.. If you can combine it with some other creatures, it can even take down bigger things. You do need to have that mode work out more often than not to make it worth it, because just using this to blank a couple of damage isn’t nearly as good, but that’s not the worst fail case either.
Pack 2 Pick 14: Forest
Swamp image
Pack 2 Pick 15: Swamp
Swamp image
Pack 3 Pick 1: Oltec Cloud Guard
Sunken Citadel image 2.5 This isn’t too terrible at fixing your mana, and this format has many more lands around for you to spend extra mana on, but it still isn’t insanely likely that it comes up, so you’re mostly playing this for the fixing
Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar image 3.5 A three mana 3/3 that shuts off your opponent’s spells during your turn is something that always makes the cut, and this comes with some awesome upside, since it will draw you a few cards sometimes. The easiest way to make this do its thing is to get +1/+1 counters with Explore, but any stats boost on your creatures will work
Zoetic Glyph image 3.0 I like this. It reminds me of Mightstone’s Animation. While it doesn’t replace itself up front the way Animation did, this format has lots of random artifact tokens that this can animate into a very real creature, and the Glyph does replace itself if your opponent can ever deal with your creature, and they probably have to in one way or another, since a 5/4 isn’t really the kind of thing you can ignore. I do think drawing a card up front is better than Discovering when the Glyph goes to the graveyard, but this seems like it will be in a good spot in the format, just like Mightstone’s Animation was
Coati Scavenger image 3.5 This does a pretty good impression of Eternal Witness. You have to set it up of course, but when you do get a permanent back it will feel amazing, and if you have to play it on curve, you don’t feel too bad about things
Visage of Dread image 3.0 This will hit a card in your opponent's hand every single time on turn two, and it will often have a card to hit much later than that. It does have the potential of feeling terrible when you wiff, but it makes up for that with the Craft upside, which is likely going to be accessible by the stage of the game when it does wiff. Disrupting the opponent early and getting a big monster late will feel best of course.
Seismic Monstrosaur image 2.0 This probably isn’t as good as the land cyclers in Blue, Black, and Green, as those are the colors that are best with the graveyard, but Red isn’t completely uninterested in the ‘yard, and the creature you get here isn’t the most inefficient thing either. The ability to throw away lands late when you’re flooding out comes in handy too
Rumbling Rockslide image 2.5 This can kill lots of things at 4, and it does scale the longer the game goes. It’s a bit clunky as a 4-mana Sorcery, so it isn’t premium removal, but the first copy of it seems pretty appealing in most Red decks
Cogwork Wrestler image 2.5 This can Flash in and kill just about any X/1, which tends to feel pretty good.. If you can combine it with some other creatures, it can even take down bigger things. You do need to have that mode work out more often than not to make it worth it, because just using this to blank a couple of damage isn’t nearly as good, but that’s not the worst fail case either.
Compass Gnome image 2.0 We’ve seen this card before, more or less, and its always kind of mediocre. Putting the land on top is miles away from putting it in your hand. This offers passable fixing, but I think it will be especially attractive to Cave decks. As we’ll see in just a little bit, the set has a lot of caves, but still, getting your hands on enough to make the various Cave payoffs work is a little tricky – something like Compass Gnome helps make that easier
Nurturing Bristleback image 3.0 This adds a very real presence to the board at 7 mana, and cycling is extra good in a set with Descend
Plundering Pirate image 3.0 Creatures that make treasures on ETB virtually always over perform, and the stat-line here is a bit better than what we usually see. Treasure brings extra value in an artifact format too. I think this is one of Red’s better commons
Disruptor Wanderglyph image 1.0 There’s enough graveyard hate in this format that you don’t need to run something this inefficient and slow
Oltec Cloud Guard image 3.5 This is a great rate for what you get, especially when you consider artifact synergy.
Deathcap Marionette image 2.0 We’ve already seen that descending is a key part of what Black wants to do in this format, and the Marionette helps you do it while being capable of trading with anything thanks to death touch
Plains image
Pack 3 Pick 2: Dire Flail
Dire Flail image 4.0 The front side of this is a playable card, especially in an artifact set. One to play and one to equip for +2/+0 is a solid rate. It stands a good chance of enabling an attack you just wouldn’t have otherwise, so the Craft upside here is pretty big! Especially because it makes the Equipment give an even larger power boost and more importantly, lets you sacrifice stuff to do damage to opposing creatures! That’s pretty insane, and the Craft doesn’t really ask that much of you. This looks fine if you never craft it, and really strong if you do
Eaten by Piranhas image 2.5 This coming with Flash is kind of a game changer. Without it, this would be the usual mediocre Blue removal spell that doesn’t ever entirely remove a creature. Spending a card on removal and having the creature still able to block and attack, even if it’s smaller, is really frustrating. And in this format that’s extra bad because of all the stuff that lets you sacrifice or tap creatures for value, among other things. But, when you add Flash, suddenly you can use this to make the creature you put it on die in combat, before your opponent ever has a chance to get more value out of it
Coati Scavenger image 3.5 This does a pretty good impression of Eternal Witness. You have to set it up of course, but when you do get a permanent back it will feel amazing, and if you have to play it on curve, you don’t feel too bad about things
Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar image 3.5 A three mana 3/3 that shuts off your opponent’s spells during your turn is something that always makes the cut, and this comes with some awesome upside, since it will draw you a few cards sometimes. The easiest way to make this do its thing is to get +1/+1 counters with Explore, but any stats boost on your creatures will work
Grasping Shadows image 2.0 4 mana is kind of a lot for something that just gives a couple of keywords to a creature, and it only gives it to them when the creature attacks alone. That said, deathtouch + lifelink tends to make it so you can attack with something on most turns, and sometimes it offers a really serious boost. Shadows’ Lair drawing you some cards after all that is pretty sweet too, but this does seem rough on board states where you’re not the beat down. I mean…sometimes you just can’t attack, and this will feel blank when that’s the case
Ancestral Reminiscence image 1.5 This is a functional reprint of Sift, which in the olden days of Limited was a pretty good card. But…paying 4 and not impacting the board with a Sorcery can be pretty rough, even if this helps with the graveyard. You might end up running one of these in control decks, but I don’t think it always makes the cut
In the Presence of Ages image 2.5 I think you’ll want one of these in most Green decks. It helps you load the yard while drawing you a couple of cards in most cases
Oltec Cloud Guard image 3.5 This is a great rate for what you get, especially when you consider artifact synergy.
Deathcap Marionette image 2.0 We’ve already seen that descending is a key part of what Black wants to do in this format, and the Marionette helps you do it while being capable of trading with anything thanks to death touch
Etali's Favor image 1.0 You just don’t want to pay for that stats boost when you’re seriously risking getting 2-for-1’d. The Discover part does mean that this makes sure to give you back a card, but the card you get back won’t be impressive enough to offset this card’s weak effect, at least not enough for this to be the kind of Red card you’re interesting in playing consistently
Song of Stupefaction image 1.5 Lowering a creature’s power just isn’t enough to be worth a card most of the time, although I do think milling gives you enough value itself in this format that this isn’t unplayable, but I think you’ll be able to find better enablers and payoffs for milling yourself than this thing
Cogwork Wrestler image 2.5 This can Flash in and kill just about any X/1, which tends to feel pretty good.. If you can combine it with some other creatures, it can even take down bigger things. You do need to have that mode work out more often than not to make it worth it, because just using this to blank a couple of damage isn’t nearly as good, but that’s not the worst fail case either.
Brazen Blademaster image 2.0 The starting stats are rough, but it seems like this will attack as a reasonably often
Mountain image
Pack 3 Pick 3: Petrify
Spyglass Siren image 3.0 This looks like a great one drop. It reminds me a bit of Voldaren Epicure, and that’s some great company to keep. You get a decent enough one mana 1/1 Flyer, and then some additional value on top of that? Value that has some format-specific synergy? Yeah, this is good
Goldfury Strider image 2.0 The base stats here are very underwhelming, and the idea here is that you can use some combination of artifacts and creature tokens that are available in the set to make this a 5/5 trampler, in which case you’re talking about something significantly more impressive. It is a pretty big bummer that you have to do it at sorcery speed, as the threat of activation here would make it a lot better. You’re just…not always going to have the extra stuff around to buff this, and even when you do, I don’t think you’re going to feel like you’re doing something all that impressive.
Hurl into History image 2.0 5 mana for something that can't even counter everything is sort of brutal. But this set has fewer instants and sorceries than normal, and also getting to Discover means you're getting a 2 for 1
Inverted Iceberg image 3.5 The front side of the card has a useful card type, loads your graveyard, and replaces itself. It would probably be a C all on its own. And in the late game you can transform it into a creature that your opponent is going to have to do something about. Even if it doesn’t impact the board on turn two, I think it does enough for the cost and the upside is big
Oaken Siren image 2.5 A two mana ½ with Flying and Vigilance that happens to be an artifact would probably be borderline playable in this format, so I think adding in the mana for artifact stuff does enough to make it a card that will make the cut in many Blue decks
Petrify image 2.0 They really are giving Pacifism upside these days! This one can shut off abilities and hit artifacts too! The problem with this card in this format is that there is a prominent sacrifice theme, and even an entire mechanic – in Craft – that lets you exile permanents you control, there’s also a bunch of cards that let you tap your creatures and artifacts for value, and so on. In other words, Petrify will have a hard time giving you a full card of value consistently, because your opponent will still be able to do enough stuff with their permanents that this doesn’t shut the card down entirely
Malamet Veteran image 2.5 A 5-mana 5/4 trampler is sort of passable, and the fact that this can hand out +1/+1 counters, including to itself, when you have enough permanents in your graveyard, is pretty nice. Descend 4 is pretty approachable by the time the Veteran comes down too
Cosmium Blast image 2.5 We see a card like this in most sets, and as usual – it’s efficient, but situational enough that it definitely isn’t premium. It’s far better when you’re not an aggro deck, since in that type of deck you want removal that lets you get rid of a creature before they ever get to block.
In the Presence of Ages image 2.5 I think you’ll want one of these in most Green decks. It helps you load the yard while drawing you a couple of cards in most cases
Broodrage Mycoid image 3.0 This will make a 1/1 on a decent number of turns and it has passable stats
Dinotomaton image 3.0 A 4-mana 4/3 Menace is pretty close to a 2.5, so the upside of giving something else menace right away is pretty nice! It won’t always enable a good attack, but it will pretty frequently, especially if you’re curving out
Waylaying Pirates image 3.0 I love creatures that ETB and stun something, and while this makes you jump through a hoop – I think that hoop is pretty easy to jump through in Blue. Adding a decent body to the board and getting a blocker out of the way at the same time is going to be pretty strong. If you’re in the Pirate-Artifact deck, and you just curve out and play this on turn four, your opponent is going to be in serious trouble.
Promising Vein image 2.5 In the Lord of the Rings set, we saw that an Evolving Wilds that can tap for mana, but costs 1 generic to sacrifice, was a pretty big downgrade from a traditional Evolving Wilds. Having to pay one just makes a world of difference. That said, it does have a useful subtype in this set, and that probably means it will be a bit more useful than its predecessor.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Seismic Monstrosaur
Pit of Offerings image 2.5 Hating on the graveyard definitely matters in this format, and this cave will often be able to produce colored mana. It still kind of stinks to have in the early game, but I think it’s good enough early enough to be fine
Cavernous Maw image 2.0 There are enough Caves to get this going in some decks, and if your deck can take the hit to your mana this causes, it’s a pretty good creature land
Kaslem's Stonetree image 1.5 The front side of this isn’t great, although the fact it can hit any land means it can help you dig for Caves if you’re interested in doing that – and you probably are, because the Stonetree crafts with Caves! Later, it can become a beefy enough creature. Overall…I’m not actually that impressed here. It doesn’t add to the board on the front side, and crafting with Caves is challenging enough that you can’t really count on getting the 5/5. There are just so many better cave payoffs in the set, that this isn’t really the one you’re desperate for
Oaken Siren image 2.5 A two mana ½ with Flying and Vigilance that happens to be an artifact would probably be borderline playable in this format, so I think adding in the mana for artifact stuff does enough to make it a card that will make the cut in many Blue decks
Mineshaft Spider image 2.0 This has mediocre stats, but it does help you with graveyard stuff
Shipwreck Sentry image 2.0 We see two mana 3/3s with Defender that can only attack when X happens in a turn, and they always end up being decent. Even when they can’t attack, they have nice bodies that your opponent usually can’t just attack into, and on the turns they can rumble, they are pretty good at that too
Greedy Freebooter image 1.0 // 3.0 This is some amazing sacrifice fodder, especially because the sacrifice effects in this format let you sacrifice creature or artifacts, and this one card gives you two of those. It does get a lot worse in situations where you can’t sacrifice it easily, as it will be a little more difficult to get a card of value out of it. I think that probably makes it a build around
Nurturing Bristleback image 3.0 This adds a very real presence to the board at 7 mana, and cycling is extra good in a set with Descend
Burning Sun Cavalry image 2.5 I like that this triggers when you’re a blocker too, as it makes the card far better when you’re behind
Seismic Monstrosaur image 2.0 This probably isn’t as good as the land cyclers in Blue, Black, and Green, as those are the colors that are best with the graveyard, but Red isn’t completely uninterested in the ‘yard, and the creature you get here isn’t the most inefficient thing either. The ability to throw away lands late when you’re flooding out comes in handy too
Family Reunion image 2.0 I like this take on a mass pump effect. White can go wide, as usual, in this format, so buffing everything is a big game sometimes, but having the hexproof option attached is nice too, as it makes this useful in a wider variety of situations – namely, at times when your opponent tries to remove one of your creatures. The total package is a solid card you’re going to want one of in a lot of your White creature-heavy decks.
Promising Vein image 2.5 In the Lord of the Rings set, we saw that an Evolving Wilds that can tap for mana, but costs 1 generic to sacrifice, was a pretty big downgrade from a traditional Evolving Wilds. Having to pay one just makes a world of difference. That said, it does have a useful subtype in this set, and that probably means it will be a bit more useful than its predecessor.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Miner's Guidewing
Sorcerous Spyglass image 0.0 This is an 0.0 every time we see it. Even IF you see a card that you get to name, turning off a card’s activated abilities isn’t worth a card, and we’re talking about the BEST CASE scenario
Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar image 3.5 A three mana 3/3 that shuts off your opponent’s spells during your turn is something that always makes the cut, and this comes with some awesome upside, since it will draw you a few cards sometimes. The easiest way to make this do its thing is to get +1/+1 counters with Explore, but any stats boost on your creatures will work
Oteclan Landmark image 3.0 One mana to scry 2 isn’t very good, even in a format where you can sacrifice or tap this for value. But…this is way more than that, because crafting it isn’t a hug challenge, and the creature you get is a legitimate threat, because giving flying to your other attackers makes for a powerful effect. Between the format’s artifact synergy, and this card’s upside, this looks like a really nice Common to me
Adaptive Gemguard image 2.5 4-mana 3/3s have not performed well of late. The fact aggro decks can just attack into them with their two and three drops while they hold up a combat trick has been a real problem. This one can get bigger if you have artifacts and creatures lying around, and that’s certainly doable. It even counts itself for the effect.
Miner's Guidewing image 2.0 A one mana 1/1 with Flying and Vigilance isn’t a great card on its own, but getting to explore when it dies is pretty sweet. You do need another creature around for that part to matter, though.
Acolyte of Aclazotz image 2.5 There are plenty of expendable artifacts and creatures to be had in Black, and this also works well with Descend stuff. Draining 1 life at a time might sound small, but it really can keep you alive while pressuring your opponent
Orazca Puzzle-Door image 2.5 It’s an artifact, which some Blue decks care about, and it puts two cards into your graveyard all on its own, something other Blue decks care about. Mix that in with the fact that what this does for the cost is kind of passable anyway, and I think we’re talking about a solid playable
Hunter's Blowgun image 1.0 While I like that this gives you two different keywords depending on whether you’re being defensive or aggressive, they are also keywords that really only matter on the right creature. I think you end up not playing this most of the time, it’s just hard to get a full card of value here
Staggering Size image 2.0 This offers a big enough boost to make a creature win combat pretty often, and trample can result in some pretty serious damage to your opponent too. I think you’ll play one of these in lots of aggressive Green decks
Daring Discovery image 1.5 If you hit a two drop creature with this, it feels like a 5-mana 2/2 that makes three things unable to block. That’s not too shabby, and sometimes it will be better. Of course, sometimes you’ll also not get a creature at all. Additionally, this effect is highly situational, and not really worth using except in the situation where it allows you to win the game anyway, so I think we have to look at the Discover part almost as an alternate mode that you use when the creatures can’t block part is irrelevant, which will be often
Hidden Nursery image 2.5 Entering tapped is certainly a problem sometimes, but they more than make up for it by getting you a card back in the later game thanks to Discover. The Cave type matters some too! I think you’re pretty much always playing the first copy of one of these. Obviously, if you have a bunch of one drops you’ll be less interested in them
Pack 3 Pick 6: Sunfire Torch
Sinuous Benthisaur image 0.0 // 4.0 This has some insane potential. Even if you just have two caves, this is a 6-mana 4/4 that draws you two cards. That’s really amazing, and even with one cave it’s a passible card. Now…if there are no Caves around it’s awful, but if your deck has 4 or more caves in it, you’re going to be happy to play this most of the time
Vanguard of the Rose image 3.0 This has solid aggro stats to start with, and any time you have 1 mana and an artifact or creature available, attacking with it is going to drive your opponent nuts. Especially if you can give up something expendable
Soaring Sandwing image 1.5 So, the landyclers in Blue, Black, and Green all really interest me because of the descent mechanic. White doesn’t really have that going on, though you might be able to use it with craft at least. Still… I think that makes this a little less useful. You can throw this away early to hit a land drop, and in the late game if you gives you a beefy creature that can gain you life, which can sometimes help you stabilize
Sunfire Torch image 2.0 So…this is a really roundabout Shock. It takes some extra steps, and more total mana, but eventually it does 2 to something! You can also keep it around for a meager power boost if you want. Being an artifact and a card that can put itself into the graveyard has extra value here too, but I do think this takes too much work to really be looked at as premium removal.
Skullcap Snail image 2.5 It’s important than this exile instead of letting the opponent discard, as you don’t want to be helping your opponent get Descend stuff going. As usual, a two mana 1/1 with this effect is solid
Thousand Moons Crackshot image 1.5 Sometimes you’ll be able to attack with this and really open the floodgates on your opponent by getting their best blocker out of the way, but three mana is a lot, and your opponent also always knows this is coming, making it a lot less useful. You’re rarely going to use this ability early, and by the late game it has some diminishing returns.
Over the Edge image 2.5 There are enough artifacts and enchantments in this set and – importantly – enough artifact creatures for this to work pretty well as a removal spell. The double Explore mode isn’t too bad either.
Disruptor Wanderglyph image 1.0 There’s enough graveyard hate in this format that you don’t need to run something this inefficient and slow
Relic's Roar image 0.0 Normally, if we see this effect without card draw attached, it isn’t playable. This is because the stats boost you get for the cost often isn’t worth it, especially because if your creatures are large enough this doesn’t really offer a boost at all. But at one mana? Well…I still don’t think it’s very good. It’s just too variable as to how much of a boost it actually offers. It’s tempting to imagine buffing a 1/1 with it, because it will feel like a Blue giant growth, but the higher the base stats of your creature is, the worse this gets
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Pack 3 Pick 7: Sunfire Torch
Gargantuan Leech image 0.0 // 3.0 This is very much a build around. You want to cast this for five or less, or it won't feel good. It's unplayable in a deck with 2 or fewer caves, mediocre with 3, and probably only solid with five or more
Bloodthorn Flail image 1.5 Without the discard option, this would be a 1.0 With it, in a set that has heavy graveyard stuff going on, especially in Black, it's probably a 1.5. It does seem like it will be hard to consistently get a card worth of value out of it
Visage of Dread image 3.0 This will hit a card in your opponent's hand every single time on turn two, and it will often have a card to hit much later than that. It does have the potential of feeling terrible when you wiff, but it makes up for that with the Craft upside, which is likely going to be accessible by the stage of the game when it does wiff. Disrupting the opponent early and getting a big monster late will feel best of course.
Fanatical Offering image 2.5 This probably isn’t quite Deadly Dispute, but I think that’s a pretty good comparison. This format has lots and lots of expendable stuff around, and this will often feel like you’re giving up very little to draw two and get a Map token, and that’s some serious value
Vito's Inquisitor image 3.0 The starting stat-line is bad, but growing this and making it evasive seems doable enough for this to perform reasonably well. Especially because you can do it at instant speed and whenever you want
Sunfire Torch image 2.0 So…this is a really roundabout Shock. It takes some extra steps, and more total mana, but eventually it does 2 to something! You can also keep it around for a meager power boost if you want. Being an artifact and a card that can put itself into the graveyard has extra value here too, but I do think this takes too much work to really be looked at as premium removal.
Deathcap Marionette image 2.0 We’ve already seen that descending is a key part of what Black wants to do in this format, and the Marionette helps you do it while being capable of trading with anything thanks to death touch
Disturbed Slumber image 0.0 This effect is basically never worth it. I get it, you can ambush your opponent’s attacker with a land, or suddenly do 4 out of nowhere, but the times where that’s actually worth a card are infrequent. I’d rather have something that permanently adds to the board
Hidden Volcano image 2.5 Entering tapped is certainly a problem sometimes, but they more than make up for it by getting you a card back in the later game thanks to Discover. The Cave type matters some too! I think you’re pretty much always playing the first copy of one of these. Obviously, if you have a bunch of one drops you’ll be less interested in them
Pack 3 Pick 8: Hidden Volcano
Hit the Mother Lode image 0.0 Discover 10 sounds exciting, but you’re pretty likely to hit something much cheaper in most Limited decks, and by the time you’re casting this, you’re probably not desperate for treasure
Tithing Blade image 3.0 Two mana for an Edict effect is usually a 2.0 or so in Limited. Good in the early game, not so good later in the game. But this is an artifact that will be great to sacrifice, and obviously the Craft upside is big here too. Once transformed, this creates a life difference of two between you and your opponent during your upkeep, and that makes your opponent’s life very difficult. Crafting this is relatively easy too
Family Reunion image 2.0 I like this take on a mass pump effect. White can go wide, as usual, in this format, so buffing everything is a big game sometimes, but having the hexproof option attached is nice too, as it makes this useful in a wider variety of situations – namely, at times when your opponent tries to remove one of your creatures. The total package is a solid card you’re going to want one of in a lot of your White creature-heavy decks.
Thousand Moons Crackshot image 1.5 Sometimes you’ll be able to attack with this and really open the floodgates on your opponent by getting their best blocker out of the way, but three mana is a lot, and your opponent also always knows this is coming, making it a lot less useful. You’re rarely going to use this ability early, and by the late game it has some diminishing returns.
Dinotomaton image 3.0 A 4-mana 4/3 Menace is pretty close to a 2.5, so the upside of giving something else menace right away is pretty nice! It won’t always enable a good attack, but it will pretty frequently, especially if you’re curving out
Malamet Brawler image 2.0 The awkward thing about this card is that by the time you can attack with something else that is worth giving trample to, your Brawler is probably not going to uh…brawl very well. I mean, it’s a fine two drop, but not one I’m excited about
Primordial Gnawer image 2.0 This is an ugly stat-line, but it does make sure you get a 2-for-1. Still…the stat-line is bad enough that I don’t think this ends up always making the cut.
Hidden Volcano image 2.5 Entering tapped is certainly a problem sometimes, but they more than make up for it by getting you a card back in the later game thanks to Discover. The Cave type matters some too! I think you’re pretty much always playing the first copy of one of these. Obviously, if you have a bunch of one drops you’ll be less interested in them
Pack 3 Pick 9: Compass Gnome
Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar image 3.5 A three mana 3/3 that shuts off your opponent’s spells during your turn is something that always makes the cut, and this comes with some awesome upside, since it will draw you a few cards sometimes. The easiest way to make this do its thing is to get +1/+1 counters with Explore, but any stats boost on your creatures will work
Coati Scavenger image 3.5 This does a pretty good impression of Eternal Witness. You have to set it up of course, but when you do get a permanent back it will feel amazing, and if you have to play it on curve, you don’t feel too bad about things
Visage of Dread image 3.0 This will hit a card in your opponent's hand every single time on turn two, and it will often have a card to hit much later than that. It does have the potential of feeling terrible when you wiff, but it makes up for that with the Craft upside, which is likely going to be accessible by the stage of the game when it does wiff. Disrupting the opponent early and getting a big monster late will feel best of course.
Compass Gnome image 2.0 We’ve seen this card before, more or less, and its always kind of mediocre. Putting the land on top is miles away from putting it in your hand. This offers passable fixing, but I think it will be especially attractive to Cave decks. As we’ll see in just a little bit, the set has a lot of caves, but still, getting your hands on enough to make the various Cave payoffs work is a little tricky – something like Compass Gnome helps make that easier
Nurturing Bristleback image 3.0 This adds a very real presence to the board at 7 mana, and cycling is extra good in a set with Descend
Disruptor Wanderglyph image 1.0 There’s enough graveyard hate in this format that you don’t need to run something this inefficient and slow
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Pack 3 Pick 10: Grasping Shadows
Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar image 3.5 A three mana 3/3 that shuts off your opponent’s spells during your turn is something that always makes the cut, and this comes with some awesome upside, since it will draw you a few cards sometimes. The easiest way to make this do its thing is to get +1/+1 counters with Explore, but any stats boost on your creatures will work
Grasping Shadows image 2.0 4 mana is kind of a lot for something that just gives a couple of keywords to a creature, and it only gives it to them when the creature attacks alone. That said, deathtouch + lifelink tends to make it so you can attack with something on most turns, and sometimes it offers a really serious boost. Shadows’ Lair drawing you some cards after all that is pretty sweet too, but this does seem rough on board states where you’re not the beat down. I mean…sometimes you just can’t attack, and this will feel blank when that’s the case
In the Presence of Ages image 2.5 I think you’ll want one of these in most Green decks. It helps you load the yard while drawing you a couple of cards in most cases
Song of Stupefaction image 1.5 Lowering a creature’s power just isn’t enough to be worth a card most of the time, although I do think milling gives you enough value itself in this format that this isn’t unplayable, but I think you’ll be able to find better enablers and payoffs for milling yourself than this thing
Cogwork Wrestler image 2.5 This can Flash in and kill just about any X/1, which tends to feel pretty good.. If you can combine it with some other creatures, it can even take down bigger things. You do need to have that mode work out more often than not to make it worth it, because just using this to blank a couple of damage isn’t nearly as good, but that’s not the worst fail case either.
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Pack 3 Pick 11: Cosmium Blast
Inverted Iceberg image 3.5 The front side of the card has a useful card type, loads your graveyard, and replaces itself. It would probably be a C all on its own. And in the late game you can transform it into a creature that your opponent is going to have to do something about. Even if it doesn’t impact the board on turn two, I think it does enough for the cost and the upside is big
Cosmium Blast image 2.5 We see a card like this in most sets, and as usual – it’s efficient, but situational enough that it definitely isn’t premium. It’s far better when you’re not an aggro deck, since in that type of deck you want removal that lets you get rid of a creature before they ever get to block.
In the Presence of Ages image 2.5 I think you’ll want one of these in most Green decks. It helps you load the yard while drawing you a couple of cards in most cases
Waylaying Pirates image 3.0 I love creatures that ETB and stun something, and while this makes you jump through a hoop – I think that hoop is pretty easy to jump through in Blue. Adding a decent body to the board and getting a blocker out of the way at the same time is going to be pretty strong. If you’re in the Pirate-Artifact deck, and you just curve out and play this on turn four, your opponent is going to be in serious trouble.
Promising Vein image 2.5 In the Lord of the Rings set, we saw that an Evolving Wilds that can tap for mana, but costs 1 generic to sacrifice, was a pretty big downgrade from a traditional Evolving Wilds. Having to pay one just makes a world of difference. That said, it does have a useful subtype in this set, and that probably means it will be a bit more useful than its predecessor.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Pit of Offerings
Pit of Offerings image 2.5 Hating on the graveyard definitely matters in this format, and this cave will often be able to produce colored mana. It still kind of stinks to have in the early game, but I think it’s good enough early enough to be fine
Kaslem's Stonetree image 1.5 The front side of this isn’t great, although the fact it can hit any land means it can help you dig for Caves if you’re interested in doing that – and you probably are, because the Stonetree crafts with Caves! Later, it can become a beefy enough creature. Overall…I’m not actually that impressed here. It doesn’t add to the board on the front side, and crafting with Caves is challenging enough that you can’t really count on getting the 5/5. There are just so many better cave payoffs in the set, that this isn’t really the one you’re desperate for
Family Reunion image 2.0 I like this take on a mass pump effect. White can go wide, as usual, in this format, so buffing everything is a big game sometimes, but having the hexproof option attached is nice too, as it makes this useful in a wider variety of situations – namely, at times when your opponent tries to remove one of your creatures. The total package is a solid card you’re going to want one of in a lot of your White creature-heavy decks.
Promising Vein image 2.5 In the Lord of the Rings set, we saw that an Evolving Wilds that can tap for mana, but costs 1 generic to sacrifice, was a pretty big downgrade from a traditional Evolving Wilds. Having to pay one just makes a world of difference. That said, it does have a useful subtype in this set, and that probably means it will be a bit more useful than its predecessor.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Adaptive Gemguard
Sorcerous Spyglass image 0.0 This is an 0.0 every time we see it. Even IF you see a card that you get to name, turning off a card’s activated abilities isn’t worth a card, and we’re talking about the BEST CASE scenario
Adaptive Gemguard image 2.5 4-mana 3/3s have not performed well of late. The fact aggro decks can just attack into them with their two and three drops while they hold up a combat trick has been a real problem. This one can get bigger if you have artifacts and creatures lying around, and that’s certainly doable. It even counts itself for the effect.
Acolyte of Aclazotz image 2.5 There are plenty of expendable artifacts and creatures to be had in Black, and this also works well with Descend stuff. Draining 1 life at a time might sound small, but it really can keep you alive while pressuring your opponent
Pack 3 Pick 14: Thousand Moons Crackshot
Thousand Moons Crackshot image 1.5 Sometimes you’ll be able to attack with this and really open the floodgates on your opponent by getting their best blocker out of the way, but three mana is a lot, and your opponent also always knows this is coming, making it a lot less useful. You’re rarely going to use this ability early, and by the late game it has some diminishing returns.
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Pack 3 Pick 15: Vito's Inquisitor
Vito's Inquisitor image 3.0 The starting stat-line is bad, but growing this and making it evasive seems doable enough for this to perform reasonably well. Especially because you can do it at instant speed and whenever you want
Draft Pick Overview