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Quick Draft LCI 13 January 2024

13 January 12:48 - BulkrekTheOrc 7 Wins - 1 Losses
Maindeck
Creature (16)
2 Sentinel of the Nameless City image
1 Chupacabra Echo image
1 Pathfinding Axejaw image
2 Screaming Phantom image
1 Thrashing Brontodon image
2 Skullcap Snail image
2 River Herald Guide image
1 Akawalli, the Seething Tower image
2 Acolyte of Aclazotz image
1 Poison Dart Frog image
1 Goblin Tomb Raider image
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (10)
1 Throne of the Grim Captain // The Grim Captain image
1 Malamet Battle Glyph image
2 Tithing Blade // Consuming Sepulcher image
1 Glowcap Lantern image
2 Fungal Fortitude image
2 Over the Edge image
1 Twists and Turns // Mycoid Maze image
Land (14)
2 Captivating Cave image
1 Hidden Nursery image
6 Swamp image
5 Forest image
Sideboard
1 Vito's Inquisitor image
1 Malamet Veteran image
1 Dauntless Dismantler image
1 Another Chance image
1 Malamet Scythe image
3 Mephitic Draught image
2 Disturbed Slumber image
1 Fungal Fortitude image
1 Defossilize image
1 Bloodthorn Flail image
1 Song of Stupefaction image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Sentinel of the Nameless City
Sentinel of the Nameless City image 4.0 A good stat-line for the cost, a nice keyword for a ¾ and it gives you at least some value no matter what? And sometimes all kinds of value? Yeah, this is 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.
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
Glowcap Lantern image 1.5 I like exploring repeatedly, but this doesn’t do much to improve the creature up front
Twists and Turns image 3.5 Scry 1 before you explore is a big upgrade, and obviously this can help you find the lands you need to transform it, and once transformed it's a great late game mana sink. The fact it explores when it ETBs is awesome too! I don't really think this needs a build around grade, since even on its own it seems playable, provided you're a slowish Green deck. And you're pretty likely to have more explore without even trying too
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.
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.
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
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
Screaming Phantom image 2.5 It has passable stats and helps enable all of your graveyard shenanigans that you’re almost guaranteed to have in Black
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
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.
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
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
Forest image
Pack 1 Pick 2: Throne of the Grim Captain
Throne of the Grim Captain image 0.0 // 4.5 This is a super cool design, and I think you’ll actually be able to pull this off in Limited. Normally, a two mana Artifact that mills two wouldn’t be playable on its own, but there are going to be some decks in this format so reliant on Craft and/or Descend, that this delivers some pretty real value. And ending up with a reasonable mix of these four creature types isn’t impossible either. Still, you shouldn’t be playing this unless you can get value out of that front side – apart from hoping you mill creatures with the right types. So, this really feels like a build around
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
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.
Saheeli's Lattice image 3.5 This might be the best Tormenting Voice effect we’ve ever seen. That type of card is always fine, as it lets you dig deeper in your deck, but this one has a ton of upside. First, it’s an artifact in a format where that matters. It’s also a permanent in a format where that matters more than being an instant or sorcery, And this is a format where you can get extra value out of discard, and on top of that, this can turn into a very real creature in the later stages of the game. Playing this on two and then getting a creature later sounds awesome
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.
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
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
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
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
Ironpaw Aspirant image 2.5 We see two mana 1/1s with this ETB all the time, and they tend to be solid or better. So, getting a ½ instead is amazing. This makes it a 2/3 with nothing else around, which makes for a great two turn play, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more meaningful. Obviously, this works well with the Green-White theme of having higher base power, too. I think this a great Common.
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
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
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
Island image
Pack 1 Pick 3: Malamet Battle Glyph
Malamet Battle Glyph image 3.5 One mana for fight is often a playable card in Green, but this one comes with serious upside! Because it’s so cheap, resolving a creature and then using this to fight in the same turn will be a regular occurrence, and getting a permanent boost that makes your creature more capable of surviving and winning a fight with an opposing creature is awesome
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
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
Plains image
Pack 1 Pick 4: Chupacabra Echo
Stinging Cave Crawler image 2.5 A three mana ⅓ with death touch isn’t good. It isn’t a disaster either, since it can trade for stuff, but it isn’t something thar would make the cut every time either. So, for this to be worth it, you're hoping to get Descend going. And once you do, your opponent is going to have a hard time not getting 2 for 1'd. The card does work well with itself, as sometimes a ⅓ death toucher will buy you the time you need to get to the point where you have Descend 4
Forgotten Monument image 2.0 This tries to address the problem that most caves only produce colorless, and that’s a huge hit to your mana base if you’re not careful. If you do have enough Caves, this provides some nice fixing, but if you’re really reliant on getting this for your fixing your’e going to be in some trouble
Chupacabra Echo image 4.5 Giving something -2/-2 when this enters seems eminently doable, and that’s already a good card. After all, it's a 2-for-1 most of the time. By the mid to late game, it will feel a lot like the original chupacabra
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
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
Huatli's Final Strike image 3.5 We see this kind of effect all the time at Common in Green, and it’s always one of Green’s must commons. It’s great removal that has occasional 2-for-1 upside thanks to the stats boost. You always have to be a little careful, in case your opponent can respond to you casting it, but the fact it’s an instant means you can find a nice window more often than not
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
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
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
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.
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
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 1 Pick 5: Pathfinding Axejaw
Caparocti Sunborn image 3.5 So, Red-white is good at making map tokens and creature tokens, so the idea here is yo’ull be tapping those. And when you can, Caparocti will feel crazy good, and you’ll be talking about a 2-for-1. The fact it has decent base stats to go alongside that makes me very impressed with this signpost Uncommon
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.
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.
Pirate Hat image 2.5 If you can Equip this for one consistently, it looks pretty solid to me. The stats boost isn’t the best thing ever, but if you’re sticking it on things for 1 mana it will feel plenty good, especially because artifacts and loot triggers are better than normal in this format
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mountain image
Pack 1 Pick 6: Screaming Phantom
Hermitic Nautilus image 2.5 A two mana ¼ with Vigilance is kind of passable, so it's nice this comes with a useful type and has the option of sometimes being a 4/1
Spelunking image 1.0 // 2.5 You really need to be playing a Cave for this to feel worth it most of the time, because you're gonna need to gain life to offset the downside of playing something that doesn't impact the board at all. It is kind of passable if you can't, but if you don’t have at least 3 caves, you probably shouldn't play it
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.
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.
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
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
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
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.
Screaming Phantom image 2.5 It has passable stats and helps enable all of your graveyard shenanigans that you’re almost guaranteed to have in Black
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
Pack 1 Pick 7: Tithing Blade
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
Helping Hand image 1.5 This feels reasonably efficient when you get back a three mana creature, and there is certainly graveyard stuff in the set, but this is still a card that feels a bit too situational to be anything special. It feels pretty bad in your opening hand, for example. Entering tapped definitely hurts too.
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
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
Screaming Phantom image 2.5 It has passable stats and helps enable all of your graveyard shenanigans that you’re almost guaranteed to have in Black
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
Ray of Ruin image 2.0 We always get a super clunky Black Sorcery removal spell at Common, and they are always kind of meh. It can deal with a lot of things, but it will basically never do it efficiently, and Scry 1 being tacked on isn’t exciting enough for this to rise above a 2.0
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.
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 1 Pick 8: Captivating Cave
Bartolomé del Presidio image 3.0 Gobbling up expendable creatures and map tokens to get bigger is pretty nice. The best thing about this card is that it doesn’t have the restrictions we often see on this kind of effect these days – you can use it as many times a turn as you want, and it doesn’t cost any mana. This means just attacking with Bartolome is going to give your opponent a headache, as things could go very wrong no matter what they decide to do. Sacrificing to this also triggers things that care about descend
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
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.
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.
Broodrage Mycoid image 3.0 This will make a 1/1 on a decent number of turns and it has passable stats
Ray of Ruin image 2.0 We always get a super clunky Black Sorcery removal spell at Common, and they are always kind of meh. It can deal with a lot of things, but it will basically never do it efficiently, and Scry 1 being tacked on isn’t exciting enough for this to rise above a 2.0
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
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 9: Glowcap Lantern
Glowcap Lantern image 1.5 I like exploring repeatedly, but this doesn’t do much to improve the creature up front
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.
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
Screaming Phantom image 2.5 It has passable stats and helps enable all of your graveyard shenanigans that you’re almost guaranteed to have in Black
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.
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
Forest image
Pack 1 Pick 10: Another Chance
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.
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
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
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
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
Island image
Pack 1 Pick 11: Malamet Scythe
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
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.
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
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
Plains image
Pack 1 Pick 12: Vito's Inquisitor
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
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
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
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
Pack 1 Pick 13: Mephitic Draught
Pirate Hat image 2.5 If you can Equip this for one consistently, it looks pretty solid to me. The stats boost isn’t the best thing ever, but if you’re sticking it on things for 1 mana it will feel plenty good, especially because artifacts and loot triggers are better than normal in this format
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.
Mountain image
Pack 1 Pick 14: Disturbed Slumber
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.
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 15: Screaming Phantom
Screaming Phantom image 2.5 It has passable stats and helps enable all of your graveyard shenanigans that you’re almost guaranteed to have in Black
Pack 2 Pick 1: Sentinel of the Nameless City
Sentinel of the Nameless City image 4.0 A good stat-line for the cost, a nice keyword for a ¾ and it gives you at least some value no matter what? And sometimes all kinds of value? Yeah, this is good.
Digsite Conservator image 2.5 Graveyard hate is really legit in this format, as keeping your opponent from being able to craft or take advantage of Descent is going to really matter, so I think a two mana 2/1 that hates on the graveyard is probably already kind of playable. Add in the Discover upside and we’re talking about something that is perfectly solid. You won’t always have that 4 mana of course, but when you do you might generate a two-for-one, or at least really make your graveyard-loving opponent’s life a lot more difficult while getting a card to replace the Conservator
Glimpse the Core image 1.5 It has been a long time since they gave us a two mana ramp spell like this. It can't grab any basic land like Rampant growth, but it still gets you to 4 on turn three, and even has Cave upside. The question becomes "Would it just be better to play a two mana 2/2, though?" And given what formats have looked like lately, the answer is usually gonna be yes, especially because this is pretty bad when you get it late. If there is a legit ramp deck in the format, this is likely to play a role in it, but I am very skeptical given that we haven't seen a legit ramp deck work out in Limited since like…Strixhaven
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.
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
Marauding Brinefang image 2.5 The common landcyclers feel like they will be extra good in the graveyard decks in the format, and Blue is definitely interested in the graveyard. This is because you can get extra value out of landycling these early – as it puts a permanent into your graveyard. Then, like usual with landcyclers, in the later stage of the game you get a beefy creature
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
Cavern Stomper image 2.5 This thing means business, and in addition to adding such a nice body to the board, it also improves your next draw significantly. The ability is costly, but there are certainly times where it matters
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
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.
Envoy of Okinec Ahau image 2.5 Solid base stats, and a passable mana sink ability. Not much more to say about it.
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
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
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
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 2 Pick 2: Thrashing Brontodon
Market Gnome image 3.0 This is great sacrifice and craft fodder. Both of those look doable in White.
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
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.
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
Envoy of Okinec Ahau image 2.5 Solid base stats, and a passable mana sink ability. Not much more to say about it.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
Ironpaw Aspirant image 2.5 We see two mana 1/1s with this ETB all the time, and they tend to be solid or better. So, getting a ½ instead is amazing. This makes it a 2/3 with nothing else around, which makes for a great two turn play, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more meaningful. Obviously, this works well with the Green-White theme of having higher base power, too. I think this a great Common.
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 2 Pick 3: Skullcap Snail
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
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
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
Cavern Stomper image 2.5 This thing means business, and in addition to adding such a nice body to the board, it also improves your next draw significantly. The ability is costly, but there are certainly times where it matters
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.
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
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
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 2 Pick 4: Captivating Cave
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
Dreadmaw's Ire image 3.0 This is a high-quality combat trick. One mana for +2/+2 and trample tends to play quite well on its own when we see it. It helps many a creature efficiently win combat while inflicting some damage on the opponent, and in this case you’ve even got a great shot at destroying a random artifact. It will feel truly busted when you can pull that off, and it also means it has sort of an alternate mode where you turn it into Shatter sometimes when your creature goes unblocked. I can’t imagine you ever cut this trick from any aggressive Red deck, and I think I even want to take it fairly early. This just does so much for one mana
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
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
Brazen Blademaster image 2.0 The starting stats are rough, but it seems like this will attack as a reasonably often
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
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
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.
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
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
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.
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: River Herald Guide
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
Helping Hand image 1.5 This feels reasonably efficient when you get back a three mana creature, and there is certainly graveyard stuff in the set, but this is still a card that feels a bit too situational to be anything special. It feels pretty bad in your opening hand, for example. Entering tapped definitely hurts too.
Dowsing Device image 2.0 Playing an artifact creature to trigger this is best, because then you can guarantee that the Haste part matters, so you get the most value. Transforming this seems very doable, and the land is obviously relevant if you managed to transform it in the first place
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
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.
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
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
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
Brazen Blademaster image 2.0 The starting stats are rough, but it seems like this will attack as a reasonably often
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.
Swamp image
Pack 2 Pick 6: Akawalli, the Seething Tower
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
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.
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
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.
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.
Ironpaw Aspirant image 2.5 We see two mana 1/1s with this ETB all the time, and they tend to be solid or better. So, getting a ½ instead is amazing. This makes it a 2/3 with nothing else around, which makes for a great two turn play, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more meaningful. Obviously, this works well with the Green-White theme of having higher base power, too. I think this a great Common.
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
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.
Plains image
Pack 2 Pick 7: Skullcap Snail
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
Mountain image
Pack 2 Pick 8: Hidden Nursery
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
Didact Echo image 3.0 A 5-mana 3/2 that draws you a card is already kind of passable – after all, it can generate a 2-for-1. But..if this always had Flying? It would be an amazing Common. While it having flying won't be that automatic, Descend 4 does seem fairly achievable by turn 5 for Blue decks in this format
Oltec Archaeologists image 2.5 I love that they gave this a mode where it does something even if you don’t have an artifact to get back, as this type of card can be pretty bad when you can’t do something with the ETB, and Scry 3 is pretty big, it really improves your next couple of draws. Meanwhile, if you can get an artifact back we’re talking about a two-for-one. This inefficient stat-line definitely holds it back some, but I think most White decks will play the first copy of this.
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
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
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.
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.
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 2 Pick 9: Fungal Fortitude
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
Marauding Brinefang image 2.5 The common landcyclers feel like they will be extra good in the graveyard decks in the format, and Blue is definitely interested in the graveyard. This is because you can get extra value out of landycling these early – as it puts a permanent into your graveyard. Then, like usual with landcyclers, in the later stage of the game you get a beefy creature
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
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
Envoy of Okinec Ahau image 2.5 Solid base stats, and a passable mana sink ability. Not much more to say about it.
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
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
Pack 2 Pick 10: Over the Edge
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.
Envoy of Okinec Ahau image 2.5 Solid base stats, and a passable mana sink ability. Not much more to say about it.
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.
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
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
Ironpaw Aspirant image 2.5 We see two mana 1/1s with this ETB all the time, and they tend to be solid or better. So, getting a ½ instead is amazing. This makes it a 2/3 with nothing else around, which makes for a great two turn play, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more meaningful. Obviously, this works well with the Green-White theme of having higher base power, too. I think this a great Common.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Dauntless Dismantler
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.
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
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
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
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
Pack 2 Pick 12: Malamet Veteran
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
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
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
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.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Acolyte of Aclazotz
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
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.
Swamp image
Pack 2 Pick 14: Disturbed Slumber
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
Plains image
Pack 2 Pick 15: Mountain
Mountain image
Pack 3 Pick 1: Poison Dart Frog
Bonehoard Dracosaur image 5.0 This has incredible stats that will make it so virtually nothing in the set can block or attack through it effectively, and on top of that it has an absolutely insane upkeep trigger. If the Dracosaur only exiled them and let you play them, that would be good. If it only let you exile them and gave you Dinosaurs and Treasure that would be good. But it does both. Even just triggering it a single time is going to be enough to pull you way ahead in most games. The only downside here is that the Dracosaur doesn’t make sure you get some kind of value the turn it comes down. In other words, if your opponent removes it right away, the fail-case is pretty mediocre
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
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
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
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
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
Broodrage Mycoid image 3.0 This will make a 1/1 on a decent number of turns and it has passable stats
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 2: Defossilize
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
Defossilize image 2.0 5 mana reanimation spells normally don't fair well in Limited, they are usually in the D range, even with some extra value tacked on, but I think this one will overperform. First, Black decks are great at loading the graveyard, and second, there are a cycle of big cycling creatures in the set who go great with this
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
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
Oltec Cloud Guard image 3.5 This is a great rate for what you get, especially when you consider artifact synergy.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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
Ironpaw Aspirant image 2.5 We see two mana 1/1s with this ETB all the time, and they tend to be solid or better. So, getting a ½ instead is amazing. This makes it a 2/3 with nothing else around, which makes for a great two turn play, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more meaningful. Obviously, this works well with the Green-White theme of having higher base power, too. I think this a great Common.
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.
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 3 Pick 3: Twists and Turns
Spelunking image 1.0 // 2.5 You really need to be playing a Cave for this to feel worth it most of the time, because you're gonna need to gain life to offset the downside of playing something that doesn't impact the board at all. It is kind of passable if you can't, but if you don’t have at least 3 caves, you probably shouldn't play it
Confounding Riddle image 3.0 We've seen cards before with these two options, more or less, and they have performed pretty well. One of the downsides of counter magic is that if your opponent plays around it after you left mana up, it can feel terrible. This fixes that problem by having another powerful mode - a mode that is extra strong in a format where Blue us so into the graveyard. Getting one card in hand and several in the yard will often feel like two cards of value in this set
Chart a Course image 3.0 It is two mana to draw two reasonably often, and that’s an insane deal. Even when you can’t quite make that happen, two mana to draw two and discard 1 isn’t a bad deal, especially in a format with graveyard stuff all over the place
Twists and Turns image 3.5 Scry 1 before you explore is a big upgrade, and obviously this can help you find the lands you need to transform it, and once transformed it's a great late game mana sink. The fact it explores when it ETBs is awesome too! I don't really think this needs a build around grade, since even on its own it seems playable, provided you're a slowish Green deck. And you're pretty likely to have more explore without even trying 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
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
Cavern Stomper image 2.5 This thing means business, and in addition to adding such a nice body to the board, it also improves your next draw significantly. The ability is costly, but there are certainly times where it matters
Island image
Pack 3 Pick 4: River Herald Guide
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.
Swashbuckler's Whip image 1.5 So, one to play and one to equip to give a creature this tap effect for two mana seems…kind of alright. I’d like to pay one to tap things, but still. It is…kind of weird it also gives Reach. I guess that’s mostly a flavor thing, because the creature you put this on will often tap something before your opponent goes to combat, in which case Reach doesn’t matter. But anyway, this can tap things down for awhile, and then in the late game can just start Discovering, which is nice. Keep in mind, most of the time when you discover 10 for 8 mana, you’re going to get something worth far less, so it won’t ever feel efficient, but it’s a decent late game mana sink. Still…the whole package here seems passable, no matter what stage of the game it is
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
Ray of Ruin image 2.0 We always get a super clunky Black Sorcery removal spell at Common, and they are always kind of meh. It can deal with a lot of things, but it will basically never do it efficiently, and Scry 1 being tacked on isn’t exciting enough for this to rise above a 2.0
Envoy of Okinec Ahau image 2.5 Solid base stats, and a passable mana sink ability. Not much more to say about it.
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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: Tithing Blade
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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.
Pirate Hat image 2.5 If you can Equip this for one consistently, it looks pretty solid to me. The stats boost isn’t the best thing ever, but if you’re sticking it on things for 1 mana it will feel plenty good, especially because artifacts and loot triggers are better than normal in this format
Broodrage Mycoid image 3.0 This will make a 1/1 on a decent number of turns and it has passable stats
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 3 Pick 6: Acolyte of Aclazotz
Master's Guide-Mural image 3.0 A 5-mana 4/4 Golem isn’t exactly great, but keep in mind Blue-White does like having artifacts lying around, and this gives you two of them. If you can craft this in the later stages of the game, you end up with a pretty powerful Artifact that can immediately crank out another 4/4, and can make more later in the game too. I don’t love how expensive this is to craft or how much it costs initially, and I worry it will feel a little too slow, but this definitely has the ability to take over games
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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Pack 3 Pick 7: Goblin Tomb Raider
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
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.
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
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.
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
Cavern Stomper image 2.5 This thing means business, and in addition to adding such a nice body to the board, it also improves your next draw significantly. The ability is costly, but there are certainly times where it matters
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.
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
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Pack 3 Pick 8: Fungal Fortitude
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
Might of the Ancestors image 2.0 This is a boost that can make just about any creature into a much better attacker, and you get the trigger the turn you play it, provided you play it in your first main phase. Still…there are situations where a card like this just doesn’t do enough to make your board state any better, and it feels miserable in those situations.
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.
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
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
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
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
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Pack 3 Pick 9: Fungal Fortitude
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
Broodrage Mycoid image 3.0 This will make a 1/1 on a decent number of turns and it has passable stats
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
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
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
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
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 10: Over the Edge
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
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.
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
Ironpaw Aspirant image 2.5 We see two mana 1/1s with this ETB all the time, and they tend to be solid or better. So, getting a ½ instead is amazing. This makes it a 2/3 with nothing else around, which makes for a great two turn play, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more meaningful. Obviously, this works well with the Green-White theme of having higher base power, too. I think this a great Common.
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.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Mephitic Draught
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
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
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
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.
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Pack 3 Pick 12: Mephitic Draught
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.
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
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.
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 3 Pick 13: 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
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.
Pirate Hat image 2.5 If you can Equip this for one consistently, it looks pretty solid to me. The stats boost isn’t the best thing ever, but if you’re sticking it on things for 1 mana it will feel plenty good, especially because artifacts and loot triggers are better than normal in this format
Pack 3 Pick 14: Song of Stupefaction
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
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Pack 3 Pick 15: Mountain
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Draft Pick Overview