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Premier Draft MKM 18 March 2024

18 March 03:01 - brunoalzuguir 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Creature (17)
1 Fugitive Codebreaker image
1 Red Herring image
2 Person of Interest image
1 Museum Nightwatch image
1 Haazda Vigilante image
2 Dog Walker image
2 Inside Source image
1 Marketwatch Phantom image
1 Novice Inspector image
2 Seasoned Consultant image
1 Frantic Scapegoat image
1 Offender at Large image
1 Ranger-Captain of Eos image
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (6)
1 Makeshift Binding image
2 Auspicious Arrival image
1 On the Job image
1 Due Diligence image
1 Case of the Gateway Express image
Land (17)
1 Escape Tunnel image
8 Mountain image
8 Plains image
Sideboard
1 Crimestopper Sprite image
1 Judith, Carnage Connoisseur image
1 Haazda Vigilante image
1 Absolving Lammasu image
1 Forum Familiar image
1 Kylox, Visionary Inventor image
1 Suspicious Detonation image
1 Expose the Culprit image
1 Felonious Rage image
1 Demand Answers image
1 Airtight Alibi image
1 Fae Flight image
1 Millstone image
1 Case of the Ransacked Lab image
1 Behind the Mask image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Fugitive Codebreaker
Absolving Lammasu image 4 A 5-mana 4/3 flyer that gains 3 life when it dies is a card you’re already pretty happy with. This is because it pressures your opponent effectively, and the fail case is that it trades with a removal spell or a creature and gains you 3. So, the fact this also shuts of suspect across the board is pretty sweet. If you’re in White, you’re probably not using suspect a whole lot yourself, so if that ability it does something, it will usually power down the opposing board. Then, on top of all of that, the Lammasu also lets you suspect an opposing creature when it dies. Sure, there’s both upside and downside associated with that, but because you’re making the choice you can usually find an advantageous way to use it. This does a ton for the mana cost while sporting a fairly good stat-line – making it a very good uncommon.
Fugitive Codebreaker image 4 A two mana 2/1 with Haste and Prowess is an amazing starting point – and, if you have this turn two that’s what you’re going to be doing. Then, later in the game this can completely reload your hand. In short, this is pretty awesome no matter when you play it.
Raucous Theater image
Sumala Sentry image 4 Two counters is a big deal, and the fact you can turn them face up at instant speed can really make this a beating.
Case of the Filched Falcon image 3 It’s nice you get a clue up front, and if your deck has enough artifacts in it, you can definitely end up animating that clue or something else into a 4/4 flyer. Blue is adept enough at making clues that I don’t think this needs a build around grade.
Call a Surprise Witness image 2.5 We’ve seen two mana spells that reanimate small creatures and give them a little buff work out reasonably well of late, and I think this is another one of those. It does take set up, and a deck made up of the right composition, but I don’t think it will be hard to feel like you’re getting a good deal when you can cast this.
Tunnel Tipster image 4 A two mana 1/1 that can tap for green is already a C-level card, and this has legitimate potential to grow throughout the game, which means it can stay more relevant than most mana dorks. Of course, if you draw it late it isn’t the most impressive thing ever, but playing this on turn two and playing a couple of Disguise creatures seems like a super common play pattern. This Common looks quite good.
Bubble Smuggler image 2 If you need to play a two drop well…it is one. A pretty bad one, but one nonetheless. Then if you need something on three you can disguise it, and then in the late game it can become a big monster. Now, this card isn’t ever going to make you feel like you’re doing something busted, as it’s kind of medium at all three points in the game, but the fact it can do all those things is enough for it to be fine.
Haazda Vigilante image 2.5 If you can get a counter of this, the rate on this will feel fine. Doing so doesn’t seem like a big stretch with all the Disguise creatures, either. It’s nice he does it on attacks too, so getting two counters of him is a real possibility.
Auspicious Arrival image 2 This is a solid trick – one that represents a 2-for-1 thanks to that Clue. +2/+2 for two isn’t the most impressive boost-to-cost ratio, but it’s enough.
Nervous Gardener image 3 A two mana 2/2 isn’t what it used to be, but that’s the fail case here, and this has the upside of fixing your mana. Note, by the way, that it can grab this format’s dual lands, should you pick one up.
Felonious Rage image 2 We've seen this card before, more or less, and it’s a nice trick. The power boost lets your creature take down most stuff, and you come out ahead thanks to the token, and at only one mana it is really priced to move.
Extract a Confession image 3.5 This looks like a great common. Edicts tend to be at their best when your opponent has the fewest creatures. That usually means the early game. But thanks to collevt evidence here, this stays pretty good by the mid to late game, as getting rid of your opponents highest power creature will also mean their best creature loke 80 percent of the time.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Red Herring
Suspicious Detonation image 2.5 If this was always 5 mana, it’d probably be a 1.5. That’s a really clunky Sorcery that usually can’t trade up. But, this will cost two fairly often in Red decks. Sacrificing a Clue is all you need to be able to do, and as we’ve seen there are otherwise to sacrifice artifacts too. It can also go after Disguised creatures since it can’t be countered.
Clandestine Meddler image 3 A three mana 3/2 that makes one of your creatures gain menace is something in the market for, even if that creature also can’t block. Especially because getting to Surveil 1 when a suspect attacks is pretty relevant. Frequently, you’ll get that Surveil trigger the turn you play it too. This seems like it gives you some impressive value for the cost.
Crime Novelist image 3 It has a pretty ugly starting point, but if you have Clues and other artifacts and sacrifice stuff, this can get big. And because Clues draw you cards, the mana might actually matter too.
Nightdrinker Moroii image 3 A 4 mana 4/2 flyer that makes you lose 3 is probably a C. The stat-line is aggressive enough to be worth the downside. So, the fact you can play it face down first and then turn it face up - without losing that life, is pretty nice. It ends up costing one more, but you pay in installments, and it also means that if you happen to be at very low life, this card won't mean the end of you.
Mistway Spy image 3.5 Playing this on turn one is pretty acceptable, because it has evasion and a useful creature type – but the Disguise ability here is pretty impressive too. It counts every creature that hits your opponent, so you can get more than one clue. Obviously enough, because the Spy has evasion itself, you can turn it face up, crack in with it and get that Clue, which seems like a pretty normal play pattern.
Granite Witness image 2.5 A 4-mana 3/2 with Flying and Vigilance is sort of passable, so the Disguise upside here is a nice thing to have around. Tapping or untapping things isn’t always gonna be useful, but when it is, it can be pretty awesome.
Slice from the Shadows image 3.5 Uncounterability actually matters in this set because of all the Disguise creatures with Ward. –X/-X is never going to feel super efficient, but it’s an instant and it scales all game, so I think it’s premium.
Vitu-Ghazi Inspector image 2.5 You're not usually going to be able to unlock this cards full power on turn two, and while a ⅓ with reach isn't a disaster for two mana, it isn't remotely close to good either. The good news is that the ETB is useful pretty much all game long.
Red Herring image 1.5 This can do some serious work if you play it on turn two, and if you get it later in the game you can give it up to get a card. It’s an artifact and a clue, so it’s got some synergy in the format too, especially in Blue-Red. Still…the card’s fail case doesn’t exactly excite me. Paying 4 to draw a card, even in installments isn’t exactly awesome.
Magnifying Glass image 1 This is a bad mana rock that is way too slow at making Clues.
Make Your Move image 2 We see this type of removal that only hits big creatures all the time, and it’s usually pretty mediocre, simply because its too narrow. They usually don’t even make the cut in your main deck. But, stapling Disenchant to it is a pretty big upgrade, especially in a set that has a fair number of both, probably makes this into a solid playable, and I think it even has a shot at being better than that.
Griffnaut Tracker image 2 4-mana 3/2 flyers aren’t what they once were, but hating on the graveyard has value, and the stat-line isn’t a complete disaster. I’m giving this a C. 
Pack 1 Pick 3: Person of Interest
Slice from the Shadows image 3.5 Uncounterability actually matters in this set because of all the Disguise creatures with Ward. –X/-X is never going to feel super efficient, but it’s an instant and it scales all game, so I think it’s premium.
Scene of the Crime image 3 This looks like a pretty solid source of fixing. You’re not always gonna want to tap your creatures to make mana, as that can be a very real cost, but at least this can also produce colorless mana normally, it has useful typing as both an artifact and a clue, and you can of course throw it away for a card. This means all your eggs aren’t in that mana-fixing basket, so it will almost never feel terrible, while still having the upside of shoring up your mana.
Case of the Pilfered Proof image 1.5 I don't think this is very good. You have to play it ahead of your detectives to get the counters, and there’s where most of the value is, because getting an extra clue here and there isn’t the most impressive payoff.
Vengeful Tracker image 2.5 This has a solid baseline, and against some opponents relying on Clues it can be really punishing.
Haazda Vigilante image 2.5 If you can get a counter of this, the rate on this will feel fine. Doing so doesn’t seem like a big stretch with all the Disguise creatures, either. It’s nice he does it on attacks too, so getting two counters of him is a real possibility.
Red Herring image 1.5 This can do some serious work if you play it on turn two, and if you get it later in the game you can give it up to get a card. It’s an artifact and a clue, so it’s got some synergy in the format too, especially in Blue-Red. Still…the card’s fail case doesn’t exactly excite me. Paying 4 to draw a card, even in installments isn’t exactly awesome.
Murder image 3.5 Murder is still a pretty good Magic card in Limited. The double black can be a pain, but this is still premium.
Person of Interest image 3.5 4-mana for a 2/2 and a 2/2 Menace that can’t block is a pretty amazing rate. Not much more to say there, but this is a really good Common.
They Went This Way image 2 I like that this can ultimately give you a 2-for-1. I don’t like that it’s a Sorcery that doesn’t add to the board in any meaningful way. It definitely fixes your mana, and in games that go long enough that Clue is gonna feel pretty nice, but not doing anything to add to the board on turn three has been a liability in most formats of late. I kind of hope this is a format where you can do stuff like this, but I’m going to err on the side of caution.
Gravestone Strider image 2.5 When one mana filtering is attached to a creature, it has performed pretty well, and this even comes with the addition of graveyard hate, something that certainly matters in the format.
Reasonable Doubt image 2 This can hit any type of spell, but your opponent can also ignore it with spare mana. As usual, that type of card is never amazing, although it can feel pretty nice in the early game.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Crimestopper Sprite
Crimestopper Sprite image 2.5 A three mana 2/2 flyer isn’t too bad, and one that stuns something on ETB is probably a 3.0, it’s just a great tempo play to add to the board while getting a creature out of the way. This won’t always stun stuff, and isn’t that likely to do it on turn three, but I think it will do it often enough.
Illicit Masquerade image 2 This is a neat design, but it seems a little too finicky to be great in Limited. You need a few things to line up correctly for this to do its thing: First, you need a board state. Probably the smallest thing it asks you for, but…if you don’t have a couple of creatures in play, this isn’t going to feel very good. After that, you need your creatures to die – something you can certainly manufacture. And third, you need stuff in your graveyard. Now, all of that is fairly doable, at least individually, but you need them all to line up with the right timing for Illicit Masquerade to work. It is nice it has Flash, which makes it easier for you to find that timing, but I think there are going to be too many situations where the Masquerade either does nothing, or is too slow at doing something.
Expose the Culprit image 0 This is too narrow, and the effect it typically gives you won't be worth a card.
Festerleech image 3 This is going to feel quite nice on turn one, especially because if you’re in Black you’re probably a graveyard deck, and this certainly enables things early. You’re almost guaranteed an attack on turn two, since even if your opponent played their own one drop, they aren’t going to be able to block this when you have two mana up, and a 3/3 can stay relevant pretty much all game long, though it does have somewhat diminishing returns the later the game goes.
Hotshot Investigators image 1 I’m not very impressed with this overall. It just doesn’t give you enough for 6 mana these days. It seems super clunky, no matter which mode you go with.
Bubble Smuggler image 2 If you need to play a two drop well…it is one. A pretty bad one, but one nonetheless. Then if you need something on three you can disguise it, and then in the late game it can become a big monster. Now, this card isn’t ever going to make you feel like you’re doing something busted, as it’s kind of medium at all three points in the game, but the fact it can do all those things is enough for it to be fine.
Alley Assailant image 2.5 Both modes seem fairly acceptable here, and I think the design is actually really interesting. Most of the time on turn 3 you’re probably just going to want to play it as a 3-mana 3/3 that enters tapped, but sometimes you’re in a spot where you really need to be able to block, and you can play it Disguised when that’s the case, and draining 3 life from your opponent is a pretty real effect.
Deduce image 2.5 This is a nice little card draw spell, because it ultimately gives you a 2-for-1, and there’s lots of additional upside for making Clue tokens in the format. You probably don’t want too many of these because they don’t really add to the board.
Sanguine Savior image 3 A three mana 2/1 with Flying and Lifelink is pretty solid. It won’t always be able to get in there, but it will fairly often, and evasive lifelinkers are pretty sweet because they really shift a race in your favor. So, the fact that you can also play it first down first and give something else lifelink too is nice upside.
Airtight Alibi image 2 When you can use this correctly, it can be an absolute beating. It can work as a decent trick that leaves the buff behind, and it can blank removal. Turning off Suspect will usually be more upside than downside, too. Still, it's tricky to leave up this much mana.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Judith, Carnage Connoisseur
Judith, Carnage Connoisseur image 3.5 giving it death touch and lifelink doesn’t really matter. But if it does do damage
Underground Mortuary image
Absolving Lammasu image 4 A 5-mana 4/3 flyer that gains 3 life when it dies is a card you’re already pretty happy with. This is because it pressures your opponent effectively, and the fail case is that it trades with a removal spell or a creature and gains you 3. So, the fact this also shuts of suspect across the board is pretty sweet. If you’re in White, you’re probably not using suspect a whole lot yourself, so if that ability it does something, it will usually power down the opposing board. Then, on top of all of that, the Lammasu also lets you suspect an opposing creature when it dies. Sure, there’s both upside and downside associated with that, but because you’re making the choice you can usually find an advantageous way to use it. This does a ton for the mana cost while sporting a fairly good stat-line – making it a very good uncommon.
Concealed Weapon image 1.5 +3/+0 can make just about any creature into a better attacker, but the lack of a toughness boost limits just how useful it can be, unless you’re equipping an evasive creature. Adding Disguise to the mix is important, because the worst thing in the world is drawing Equipment when you have nothing worth equipping it too, so this gives you a decent fail case, and can even work as a combat trick later in the game. 
Rubblebelt Maverick image 3.5 These days, they give us lots of Common one drops that do a whole bunch of little things, and almost all of them have been impressive in Limited – I think this is another one of those. A one mana 1/1 with Surveil 2 is probably playable to begin with, especially if you’re a graveyard deck. Add to that the ability to put a counter on something, and this card just feels like it will do a ton of work.
Hotshot Investigators image 1 I’m not very impressed with this overall. It just doesn’t give you enough for 6 mana these days. It seems super clunky, no matter which mode you go with.
Museum Nightwatch image 2.5 Spending 4 mana to get a 3/2 and a 2/2 is decent, and you can Disguise this to keep your opponent from knowing that it will leave value behind.
Unscrupulous Agent image 3 We see this card a lot lately, and it’s always pretty nice. Goes after a card in your opponents hand while adding to the board, and then you can sacrifice it or otherwise utilize it for other purposes, sometimes it even feels like you’re getting a 2-for-1.
Escape Tunnel image 3 This is Evolving Wilds with upside, and that upside can allow you send in an unblockable Disguise creature.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Makeshift Binding
Undercity Sewers image
Clandestine Meddler image 3 A three mana 3/2 that makes one of your creatures gain menace is something in the market for, even if that creature also can’t block. Especially because getting to Surveil 1 when a suspect attacks is pretty relevant. Frequently, you’ll get that Surveil trigger the turn you play it too. This seems like it gives you some impressive value for the cost.
Lead Pipe image 2 One to play and two to equip isn’t a complete disaster for +2/+0. You can use it to really give you a better attack than you would otherwise have, and the life loss effect gives you some inevitability. That said, if the card ended there I’m not sure I’d think it was worth playing very often. It just doesn’t feel like it would have enough of an impact to be worth a card, even as cheap as it is. However, by giving you the ability to sacrifice the Pipe to draw a card, you’re really mitigating against that problem. Your Equipment can be pretty bad if you run out of creatures, or if you really need something more impactful, you can just throw it away. I’m still not ultra impressed here, but I think if you’ve got lots of creatures in a black deck, playing this seems fine.
Push image
Makeshift Binding image 4 This is an excellent Common. Even if it didn’t gain you 2 life, it’d be premium removal, and once you tack on that life gain we’re talking about arguably the best White Common in the set. Removing something and gaining life a the same time is one of the best ways to get back ahead from behind.
Hotshot Investigators image 1 I’m not very impressed with this overall. It just doesn’t give you enough for 6 mana these days. It seems super clunky, no matter which mode you go with.
Slime Against Humanity image 0.0 // 3.0 You need at least three of these before they are worth playing, and 4 is better.
Auspicious Arrival image 2 This is a solid trick – one that represents a 2-for-1 thanks to that Clue. +2/+2 for two isn’t the most impressive boost-to-cost ratio, but it’s enough.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Museum Nightwatch
Sudden Setback image 3.5 We’ve seen a lot of 4 mana blue cards lately that let you get rid of a nonland permanent by giving your opponent the option of put it on top or bottom of the library, and they’ve fared pretty well. None of them have been amazing, but they let you trade 1-for-1 and you can do it at instant speed. So, add in the ability to also do this with spells on the stack, and I think we’re talking about a fairly high quality card.
Insidious Roots image 0.0 // 3.0 You’re likely to have a few tokens around sometimes in Black-Green, but you’re really going to need to be able to get the Plant stuff going on Insidious Roots for it to be worthwhile. The good news is, Black-Green has a critical mass of “Collect Evidence” cards which will trigger Insidious Roots, but this still kind of asks a lot of you. You need a stocked graveyard, you need the things in your graveyard to be creatures, and you need to collect evidence. I think that’s doable, but still hard enough that this probably needs a build around grade.
Forum Familiar image 2.5 This is a Disguise creature that you’re going to want to play face down about 99% of the time., since if you don’t, it’s just a vanilla one mana 1/1 and those tend to get irrelevant quickly. However, if you play this face down it’s going to be pretty darn relevant thanks to its ability to bounce your permanents. You can do this to rebuy ETBs or help a creature dodge removal and stuff like that, but you can even just return a land if you just want the Familiar to be a 2/2. Obviously that’s not optimal, but it’s something. I think this will lie in wait and have big impacts on many games. This also gives us back-to-back white Disguise creatures who can turn face up and blank removal, so that’s something your’e going to have to keep in mind.
Evidence Examiner image 2.5 So, if you’ve got some spare stuff in your graveyard, this can turn it into cards, and it gives you a repeatable way to collect evidence, something that seems particularly useful for payoffs that give you something when cards leave your graveyard. Still, I do wish this was both an enabler and a payoff for collecting evidence. As is, it doesn’t feel strong enough to pull me into the color pair.
Thinking Cap image 2 If this were always 1 to Equip, it would probably be a 2.5, just because that’s a fairly efficient boost – one that’s easy to move around. Detectives are plentiful enough in this format that this still looks solid.
Rubblebelt Braggart image 3 So, when this attacks you can choose to give it menace and make it unable to block, and a 5/5 menace isn’t something your opponent can just shrug about in most cases.
Museum Nightwatch image 2.5 Spending 4 mana to get a 3/2 and a 2/2 is decent, and you can Disguise this to keep your opponent from knowing that it will leave value behind.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Haazda Vigilante
Agency Coroner image 2 This is a lot of mana for the usual sacrifice a creature draw a card effect, but the fact you’ll sometimes draw two helps soften that blow.
Innocent Bystander image 1.5 A two mana 2/1 that always gives you a clue when it dies is probably a C, but obviously enough this doesn’t always do it. In fact, in a lot of situations where it takes three, your opponent’s creature probably survives. That means this will often just be trading with another two drop or, worse – a 1/1 token.
Agency Coroner image 2 This is a lot of mana for the usual sacrifice a creature draw a card effect, but the fact you’ll sometimes draw two helps soften that blow.
Haazda Vigilante image 2.5 If you can get a counter of this, the rate on this will feel fine. Doing so doesn’t seem like a big stretch with all the Disguise creatures, either. It’s nice he does it on attacks too, so getting two counters of him is a real possibility.
Faerie Snoop image 3 A three mana ¼ flyer isn’t a disaster, and the Disguise upside here is pretty real. Drawing a card is always nice, and there’s plenty of incentive for putting things in the graveyard too. These hybrid Disguise costs also mean these are going to be playable in a wider variety of decks than just Blue-Black.
Gravestone Strider image 2.5 When one mana filtering is attached to a creature, it has performed pretty well, and this even comes with the addition of graveyard hate, something that certainly matters in the format.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Auspicious Arrival
Call a Surprise Witness image 2.5 We’ve seen two mana spells that reanimate small creatures and give them a little buff work out reasonably well of late, and I think this is another one of those. It does take set up, and a deck made up of the right composition, but I don’t think it will be hard to feel like you’re getting a good deal when you can cast this.
Bubble Smuggler image 2 If you need to play a two drop well…it is one. A pretty bad one, but one nonetheless. Then if you need something on three you can disguise it, and then in the late game it can become a big monster. Now, this card isn’t ever going to make you feel like you’re doing something busted, as it’s kind of medium at all three points in the game, but the fact it can do all those things is enough for it to be fine.
Haazda Vigilante image 2.5 If you can get a counter of this, the rate on this will feel fine. Doing so doesn’t seem like a big stretch with all the Disguise creatures, either. It’s nice he does it on attacks too, so getting two counters of him is a real possibility.
Auspicious Arrival image 2 This is a solid trick – one that represents a 2-for-1 thanks to that Clue. +2/+2 for two isn’t the most impressive boost-to-cost ratio, but it’s enough.
Extract a Confession image 3.5 This looks like a great common. Edicts tend to be at their best when your opponent has the fewest creatures. That usually means the early game. But thanks to collevt evidence here, this stays pretty good by the mid to late game, as getting rid of your opponents highest power creature will also mean their best creature loke 80 percent of the time.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Suspicious Detonation
Suspicious Detonation image 2.5 If this was always 5 mana, it’d probably be a 1.5. That’s a really clunky Sorcery that usually can’t trade up. But, this will cost two fairly often in Red decks. Sacrificing a Clue is all you need to be able to do, and as we’ve seen there are otherwise to sacrifice artifacts too. It can also go after Disguised creatures since it can’t be countered.
Mistway Spy image 3.5 Playing this on turn one is pretty acceptable, because it has evasion and a useful creature type – but the Disguise ability here is pretty impressive too. It counts every creature that hits your opponent, so you can get more than one clue. Obviously enough, because the Spy has evasion itself, you can turn it face up, crack in with it and get that Clue, which seems like a pretty normal play pattern.
Magnifying Glass image 1 This is a bad mana rock that is way too slow at making Clues.
Griffnaut Tracker image 2 4-mana 3/2 flyers aren’t what they once were, but hating on the graveyard has value, and the stat-line isn’t a complete disaster. I’m giving this a C. 
Pack 1 Pick 11: Haazda Vigilante
Haazda Vigilante image 2.5 If you can get a counter of this, the rate on this will feel fine. Doing so doesn’t seem like a big stretch with all the Disguise creatures, either. It’s nice he does it on attacks too, so getting two counters of him is a real possibility.
Gravestone Strider image 2.5 When one mana filtering is attached to a creature, it has performed pretty well, and this even comes with the addition of graveyard hate, something that certainly matters in the format.
Reasonable Doubt image 2 This can hit any type of spell, but your opponent can also ignore it with spare mana. As usual, that type of card is never amazing, although it can feel pretty nice in the early game.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Expose the Culprit
Expose the Culprit image 0 This is too narrow, and the effect it typically gives you won't be worth a card.
Airtight Alibi image 2 When you can use this correctly, it can be an absolute beating. It can work as a decent trick that leaves the buff behind, and it can blank removal. Turning off Suspect will usually be more upside than downside, too. Still, it's tricky to leave up this much mana.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Absolving Lammasu
Absolving Lammasu image 4 A 5-mana 4/3 flyer that gains 3 life when it dies is a card you’re already pretty happy with. This is because it pressures your opponent effectively, and the fail case is that it trades with a removal spell or a creature and gains you 3. So, the fact this also shuts of suspect across the board is pretty sweet. If you’re in White, you’re probably not using suspect a whole lot yourself, so if that ability it does something, it will usually power down the opposing board. Then, on top of all of that, the Lammasu also lets you suspect an opposing creature when it dies. Sure, there’s both upside and downside associated with that, but because you’re making the choice you can usually find an advantageous way to use it. This does a ton for the mana cost while sporting a fairly good stat-line – making it a very good uncommon.
Pack 2 Pick 1: Auspicious Arrival
Proft's Eidetic Memory image 3.5 The fact this draws a card up front is a pretty big deal, especially because if you play it before combat on your turn, this amounts to being a two mana draw 1 that puts a +1/+1 counter on something, and that in itself is a solid card. So, if you can combine this with Clues and other draw effects, it can really augment your board. Still, getting that going is easier said than done, and I think most of this card’s value comes from what it gives you on that first turn – but that’s a pretty nice baseline.
Doppelgang image 3 5 mana to make a token copy of a permanent isn’t that great. Obviously, it’s highly dependent on what you copy, but when you’re evaluating a card like this you have to think about how often you’re getting that 5 mana worth of value and, there will probably be more times where you don’t get your mana’s worth. Still, when you cast this you’re going to get a copy of whatever the best permanent on the battlefield is – most of the time you’ll be going after creature, and that means you either have a copy of your best creature, or a copy of your opponent’s best creature.
Glint Weaver image 2.5 Here’s this format big ol’ green creature that gains you life, which can help you stabilize from behind. If the Weaver is alone, it’s a 7-mana 6/6 with Reach that gains you 6 life – that’s not amazing, but it’s passable – and because you can distribute the counters in any number of ways, it’s often going to be better than that. This is because you’ll be able to put it on creatures who can already attack and/or gain even more life than 6. Still, this is a 7-drop, something that gives me a little pause in today’s limited formats. I do think it’s the right kind of 7-drop because it gives you value on board almost no matter what and gains you life.
A Killer Among Us image 2.5 A 4-mana 3/3 that makes a Clue is fine, and this will be a 4/4 Vigilance from time to time.
Forensic Researcher image 3 The most useful thing this can do is ramp your mana, but untapping permanents has other uses too. Having access to the tap effect in the mid-to-late game is nice too, as it can start allowing you to really manufacture situations where you have great attacks no matter what your opponent is doing.
Nervous Gardener image 3 A two mana 2/2 isn’t what it used to be, but that’s the fail case here, and this has the upside of fixing your mana. Note, by the way, that it can grab this format’s dual lands, should you pick one up.
Bubble Smuggler image 2 If you need to play a two drop well…it is one. A pretty bad one, but one nonetheless. Then if you need something on three you can disguise it, and then in the late game it can become a big monster. Now, this card isn’t ever going to make you feel like you’re doing something busted, as it’s kind of medium at all three points in the game, but the fact it can do all those things is enough for it to be fine.
Innocent Bystander image 1.5 A two mana 2/1 that always gives you a clue when it dies is probably a C, but obviously enough this doesn’t always do it. In fact, in a lot of situations where it takes three, your opponent’s creature probably survives. That means this will often just be trading with another two drop or, worse – a 1/1 token.
Basilica Stalker image 2.5 It's never going to feel like you’re getting great value with the Stalker, whether you disguise it first or otherwise. But it probably won't feel bad either.
Make Your Move image 2 We see this type of removal that only hits big creatures all the time, and it’s usually pretty mediocre, simply because its too narrow. They usually don’t even make the cut in your main deck. But, stapling Disenchant to it is a pretty big upgrade, especially in a set that has a fair number of both, probably makes this into a solid playable, and I think it even has a shot at being better than that.
Auspicious Arrival image 2 This is a solid trick – one that represents a 2-for-1 thanks to that Clue. +2/+2 for two isn’t the most impressive boost-to-cost ratio, but it’s enough.
Felonious Rage image 2 We've seen this card before, more or less, and it’s a nice trick. The power boost lets your creature take down most stuff, and you come out ahead thanks to the token, and at only one mana it is really priced to move.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Dog Walker
Expedited Inheritance image 0 This is symmetrical, and its pretty tough to break the symmetry here. You and your opponent are both going to effectively draw a bunch of cards once this is in play, but you’re the one who spent two mana and a card on the Enchantment in the first place, so you’re starting out behind.
Bolrac-Clan Basher image 2.5 The Basher is a case where you’re most frequently want to play it face down, because turning it face up for 5 is a much better deal, and a double-striking trampler is the exact creature you want to surprise your opponent with. It can take down almost anything, and it can frequently survive while it does and chip in for some serious damage. This also makes it more likely the Basher does some work before going down, unlike if you play it face up.
Hustle image
Hard-Hitting Question image 3.5 They have really been pushing these punch effects lately. There once was a time where one mana for a straight up fight effect was a nice Limited card, but now we get a one-sided fight for the same cost! Obviously, it’s pretty darn good. You do need to have a sizable enough creature around to make it do its thing the best, and you have to pick your spots because removal is an utter blowout, but we’re still talking about a one mana removal spell…this’ll feel like a Green Swords to Plowshares pretty often.
Slimy Dualleech image 2.5 This can buff itself, and if you have tokens or disguise creatures to send in, you can put your opponent in a pretty bad spot.
Public Thoroughfare image 2.5 This is another nice source of fixing, even if it does require you to jump through a few hoops. Being able to only tap a Clue or something once when you play it is nice.
Haazda Vigilante image 2.5 If you can get a counter of this, the rate on this will feel fine. Doing so doesn’t seem like a big stretch with all the Disguise creatures, either. It’s nice he does it on attacks too, so getting two counters of him is a real possibility.
Unauthorized Exit image 2 This card is always pretty decent. You go down a card in most cases, but you get some nice tempo, and Surveil 1 can improve your next draw and/or load your graveyard. It is hurt a little bit by the absence of a dedicated spell deck in the format.
Murder image 3.5 Murder is still a pretty good Magic card in Limited. The double black can be a pain, but this is still premium.
Dog Walker image 3.5 Obviously, you get the most value out of just casting it face down and turning it face up – at which point you paid 5 mana for a 3/1 Vigilance and two 1/1s, and paying it in installments will make it feel more efficient than that. But, the fact you can just slam it on turn two if you’re more interested in curving out is pretty nice.
Tunnel Tipster image 4 A two mana 1/1 that can tap for green is already a C-level card, and this has legitimate potential to grow throughout the game, which means it can stay more relevant than most mana dorks. Of course, if you draw it late it isn’t the most impressive thing ever, but playing this on turn two and playing a couple of Disguise creatures seems like a super common play pattern. This Common looks quite good.
On the Job image 1.5 // 3.0 As usual with Inspiring Charge effects, this is a build around. Red/White decks look the most well-positioned for this as they can go the widest, but you really need to be all in on curving out and going wide, or this isn’t worth it, even with the clue. It’s probably a D in your typical White deck, but a card you’re usually going to be happy with one of in your more aggressive decks.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Inside Source
Magnetic Snuffler image 2.5 This set does have some Equipment that sacrifice themselves and draw you a card, and that’s kind of what it’s supposed to interact with. There’s also a decent amount of self-mill in the format. But…I still wouldn’t count on triggering that ETB all that often. When you can, it will feel nice. I think most of the value of the Snuffler comes from the fact that it grows when you sacrifice clues or other artifacts – but, the fact it starts out so inefficiently makes it hard for me to really feel great about this card.
Commercial District image 3 Dual lands always provide excellent fixing, and Surveil has extra synergy in the format. Green also has a few cards that can grab these because of their typing.
Caught Red-Handed image 1 At first an instant speed threaten sounds really good, but because this one suspects the creature you grab, it can’t actually be used to block an opposing attacker or anything like that, so it being an instant isn’t a huge deal. 5 mana for a threaten just feels like too much, even if the creature does get menace. The “can’t be countered” line of text does mean you can go after Disguise creatures, but this format doesn’t even have that prominent of a creature sacrifice them.
Curious Cadaver image 3 A 4-mana 3/1 Flyer is kind of a liability. Sure, it can hit the opponent reasonably hard for the cost, but it also dies to everything, including lots of cheap removal and creature ETB abilities. This offsets that a little bit because it can come back from your graveyard, but don’t underestimate how much of a pain it is that you have to keep recasting it every time. Still, it’s an evasive creature with reasonably high power that just doesn’t stay dead, and overall that’s something I’m interested in. I could see this underwhelming in the end if that 1 toughness is extra easy to deal with in this format.
Tin Street Gossip image 3.5 A 4-mana 4/4 with Vigilance is a great starting point, and this has upside that is very useful in this format. Red-Green especially has an interest in big ol’ Disguise creatures too. That Vigilance of course means it can swing and then tap for mana in the same turn, which is a nice combination.
Quintorius, Field Historian image 4.0 This guy is a great payoff for the RW deck. Now, one thing that’s kind of a bummer is that he doesn’t give you any value all on his own, but if you’re doing the stuff that RW wants you to do in this format, he is going to be a crazy good value engine. I do think the fact that he doesn’t have self-contained power all on his own holds him back some, but I still imagine I’ll be taking him early and often.
Reasonable Doubt image 2 This can hit any type of spell, but your opponent can also ignore it with spare mana. As usual, that type of card is never amazing, although it can feel pretty nice in the early game.
Rubblebelt Braggart image 3 So, when this attacks you can choose to give it menace and make it unable to block, and a 5/5 menace isn’t something your opponent can just shrug about in most cases.
Inside Source image 3.5 Three mana for a 2/2 and a 1/1 is always a pretty good rate in Limited, so when you tack on this card’s ability to buff your detectives – albeit inefficiently – I think we’re talking about a very nice Common.
Due Diligence image 2 Without the ETB this would be really bad. If you throw the ETB in the mix, it gets more interesting. There are going to be times where you cast this and end up with two great attacks as a result, and the Vigilance makes it so you don’t have to give up on defending yourself either, so chances are better than normal that those attacks are worth taking. Alternatively, making one thing get +4/+4 and Vigilance for a turn doesn’t sound bad either. You do need to be careful about casting this, as you do with most Auras, but this one does enough to be make the cut a decent chunk of the time.
Rubblebelt Maverick image 3.5 These days, they give us lots of Common one drops that do a whole bunch of little things, and almost all of them have been impressive in Limited – I think this is another one of those. A one mana 1/1 with Surveil 2 is probably playable to begin with, especially if you’re a graveyard deck. Add to that the ability to put a counter on something, and this card just feels like it will do a ton of work.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Marketwatch Phantom
The Chase Is On image 2 This is expensive for a trick, but your creature is likely to win combat and you even get a 2-for-1 in the long run.
Festerleech image 3 This is going to feel quite nice on turn one, especially because if you’re in Black you’re probably a graveyard deck, and this certainly enables things early. You’re almost guaranteed an attack on turn two, since even if your opponent played their own one drop, they aren’t going to be able to block this when you have two mana up, and a 3/3 can stay relevant pretty much all game long, though it does have somewhat diminishing returns the later the game goes.
Hustle image
Agency Outfitter image 2.5 The idea here is that you search up these two cards and use the Glass to equip the Cap, in which case the Outfitter is effectively a 5/5 Flyer. The problem is that you need those cards in your deck to make it happen, and Magnifying Glass is pretty terrible to have in your deck.
Vengeful Creeper image 2.5 A 5-mana 5/5 is pretty beefy, and this one has some Disenchant upside. Feels like most Green decks will want one of these. 
Marketwatch Phantom image 3 This feels like a very important common for aggressive White decks. That type of deck will have tons of cards that trigger this. It doesn't seem like it will be rare for this to crack in as a flyer on turns 3 and 4.
Shady Informant image 2.5 If you could only play this face up, it would be a pretty nice card. It has high enough power to trade with a whole lot of stuff, and the death trigger is likely to let you kill something else too – and that’s a 2-for-1. So, the fact you can get it on the board earlier in the game without your opponent knowing it’s lurking there makes it even nicer.
Demand Answers image 2.5 We’ve come a long way since Tormenting Voice. This is an Instant and you can choose to sacrifice an artifact or discard a card as an additional cost. That’s actually a pretty big deal, because this format has so many Clues.
Jaded Analyst image 1.5 It feels like every single one of these creatures that has defender but loses defender when X happens has been really unimpressive, and I kind of thing this is too. I get it, you can give up a clue and attack with it, but by the time you can set that up, it isn’t like a 3/2 is going to light the world on fire. Most of the time this type of card is a 3/3, so at least it is a reasonable blocker, but a 3/2 is substantially worse.
Seasoned Consultant image 2 This will feel pretty nice attacking as a 3/3, but it probably won’t be doing that until turn 4 at the earliest, so it isn’t going to be lighting the world on fire either.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Novice Inspector
Repeat Offender image 2 This has an almost-passable baseline and ability that will make for a good mana sink in the later stages of the game. I like that you can use it at instant speed, so threat of activation will be pretty real. 
Cease image
Wispdrinker Vampire image 4 This has respectable stats, and the life drain effect is going to be easier than normal trigger in this format because of Disguise creatures. I like that it has an ability for the extreme late-game too.
Riftburst Hellion image 2.5 This isn’t going to feel amazing either way you get the 6/7 with Reach, but the fact that it IS a huge creature with the upside of being castable as a three mana 2/2 Ward 2 makes it worthwhile.
Novice Inspector image 3.5 This is a functional reprint of Thraben Inspector, which was amazing. Two pieces of material for one mana is awesome.
Airtight Alibi image 2 When you can use this correctly, it can be an absolute beating. It can work as a decent trick that leaves the buff behind, and it can blank removal. Turning off Suspect will usually be more upside than downside, too. Still, it's tricky to leave up this much mana.
Projektor Inspector image 2.5 A three mana 3/2 that loots on ETB is decent, and looting with this more than once isn’t impossible.
Cerebral Confiscation image 1 So…this is either Mind Rot or Coercion, and neither of those is a great card these days, mostly because they don’t do anything in the late game and don’t add to the board.
Vitu-Ghazi Inspector image 2.5 You're not usually going to be able to unlock this cards full power on turn two, and while a ⅓ with reach isn't a disaster for two mana, it isn't remotely close to good either. The good news is that the ETB is useful pretty much all game long.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Inside Source
Concealed Weapon image 1.5 +3/+0 can make just about any creature into a better attacker, but the lack of a toughness boost limits just how useful it can be, unless you’re equipping an evasive creature. Adding Disguise to the mix is important, because the worst thing in the world is drawing Equipment when you have nothing worth equipping it too, so this gives you a decent fail case, and can even work as a combat trick later in the game. 
Living Conundrum image 2.5 A 5-mana ⅖ with Hexproof is pretty interesting, especially at Uncommon. As usual, pairing hexproof with Auras and other enhancements can be a real beating for your opponent. The rest of the card’s effect isn’t going to come up a ton in Limited, but Blue does have enough graveyard stuff going on that turning this into a 10/10 isn’t impossible, and obviously the hexproof keeps you from really getting punished for milling your whole library.
Alley Assailant image 2.5 Both modes seem fairly acceptable here, and I think the design is actually really interesting. Most of the time on turn 3 you’re probably just going to want to play it as a 3-mana 3/3 that enters tapped, but sometimes you’re in a spot where you really need to be able to block, and you can play it Disguised when that’s the case, and draining 3 life from your opponent is a pretty real effect.
Inside Source image 3.5 Three mana for a 2/2 and a 1/1 is always a pretty good rate in Limited, so when you tack on this card’s ability to buff your detectives – albeit inefficiently – I think we’re talking about a very nice Common.
Reasonable Doubt image 2 This can hit any type of spell, but your opponent can also ignore it with spare mana. As usual, that type of card is never amazing, although it can feel pretty nice in the early game.
Due Diligence image 2 Without the ETB this would be really bad. If you throw the ETB in the mix, it gets more interesting. There are going to be times where you cast this and end up with two great attacks as a result, and the Vigilance makes it so you don’t have to give up on defending yourself either, so chances are better than normal that those attacks are worth taking. Alternatively, making one thing get +4/+4 and Vigilance for a turn doesn’t sound bad either. You do need to be careful about casting this, as you do with most Auras, but this one does enough to be make the cut a decent chunk of the time.
Granite Witness image 2.5 A 4-mana 3/2 with Flying and Vigilance is sort of passable, so the Disguise upside here is a nice thing to have around. Tapping or untapping things isn’t always gonna be useful, but when it is, it can be pretty awesome.
Rubblebelt Braggart image 3 So, when this attacks you can choose to give it menace and make it unable to block, and a 5/5 menace isn’t something your opponent can just shrug about in most cases.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Seasoned Consultant
Felonious Rage image 2 We've seen this card before, more or less, and it’s a nice trick. The power boost lets your creature take down most stuff, and you come out ahead thanks to the token, and at only one mana it is really priced to move.
Polygraph Orb image 1 We usually see this card draw effect at or even 3 mana, so paying five for it, and at Sorcery speed is rough. It does load your graveyard to set up Collect Evidence, which it itself has, but I’m not that impressed with the activated ability either. Giving your opponent three options on this kind of effect oftens amounts to them being able to choose one that just doesn’t do anything. Speaking of not doing anything, that’s what this card does when it comes to the board, so I think this is kind of a liability.
Defenestrated Phantom image 2 No matter how you cast this, you’re really not getting a very good deal. You do still have the upside of having this big ol’ flyer you can cast in the early game, but like I said, it’s never going to feel that good. It isn’t terrible either. I’m giving it a C-. 
Make Your Move image 2 We see this type of removal that only hits big creatures all the time, and it’s usually pretty mediocre, simply because its too narrow. They usually don’t even make the cut in your main deck. But, stapling Disenchant to it is a pretty big upgrade, especially in a set that has a fair number of both, probably makes this into a solid playable, and I think it even has a shot at being better than that.
Seasoned Consultant image 2 This will feel pretty nice attacking as a 3/3, but it probably won’t be doing that until turn 4 at the earliest, so it isn’t going to be lighting the world on fire either.
Felonious Rage image 2 We've seen this card before, more or less, and it’s a nice trick. The power boost lets your creature take down most stuff, and you come out ahead thanks to the token, and at only one mana it is really priced to move.
Fanatical Strength image 3 We’ve seen Run Amok in the past, and it has a strictly worse text box because it can only target attacking creatures, and Run Amok was an absolute beating in aggro decks. I think this will be too. The stats boost + trample can just wreck combat in so many ways, and make damage lethal out of nowhere. The boost is enough to save a creature from some removal spells in a pinch too.  You’re going to want to keep this card in the back of your mind any time you’re playing someone who is in Green.
Pack 2 Pick 8: Frantic Scapegoat
Polygraph Orb image 1 We usually see this card draw effect at or even 3 mana, so paying five for it, and at Sorcery speed is rough. It does load your graveyard to set up Collect Evidence, which it itself has, but I’m not that impressed with the activated ability either. Giving your opponent three options on this kind of effect oftens amounts to them being able to choose one that just doesn’t do anything. Speaking of not doing anything, that’s what this card does when it comes to the board, so I think this is kind of a liability.
Frantic Scapegoat image 2.5 A one mana 1/1 with Haste and Menace is going to feel pretty great on turn one, and this can lend its suspect-status to other creatures, helping it stay relevant all game long.
Knife image 2 +1/+0 and first strike does make almost any creature into a decent attacker, but the fact this is irrelevant on your opponent's turn is a bummer. There are definitely payoffs for sacrificing artifacts though, and this triggers those while always doing something by drawing you a card. D138
Griffnaut Tracker image 2 4-mana 3/2 flyers aren’t what they once were, but hating on the graveyard has value, and the stat-line isn’t a complete disaster. I’m giving this a C. 
Hotshot Investigators image 1 I’m not very impressed with this overall. It just doesn’t give you enough for 6 mana these days. It seems super clunky, no matter which mode you go with.
Felonious Rage image 2 We've seen this card before, more or less, and it’s a nice trick. The power boost lets your creature take down most stuff, and you come out ahead thanks to the token, and at only one mana it is really priced to move.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Felonious Rage
Forensic Researcher image 3 The most useful thing this can do is ramp your mana, but untapping permanents has other uses too. Having access to the tap effect in the mid-to-late game is nice too, as it can start allowing you to really manufacture situations where you have great attacks no matter what your opponent is doing.
Nervous Gardener image 3 A two mana 2/2 isn’t what it used to be, but that’s the fail case here, and this has the upside of fixing your mana. Note, by the way, that it can grab this format’s dual lands, should you pick one up.
Bubble Smuggler image 2 If you need to play a two drop well…it is one. A pretty bad one, but one nonetheless. Then if you need something on three you can disguise it, and then in the late game it can become a big monster. Now, this card isn’t ever going to make you feel like you’re doing something busted, as it’s kind of medium at all three points in the game, but the fact it can do all those things is enough for it to be fine.
Basilica Stalker image 2.5 It's never going to feel like you’re getting great value with the Stalker, whether you disguise it first or otherwise. But it probably won't feel bad either.
Felonious Rage image 2 We've seen this card before, more or less, and it’s a nice trick. The power boost lets your creature take down most stuff, and you come out ahead thanks to the token, and at only one mana it is really priced to move.
Pack 2 Pick 10: On the Job
Expedited Inheritance image 0 This is symmetrical, and its pretty tough to break the symmetry here. You and your opponent are both going to effectively draw a bunch of cards once this is in play, but you’re the one who spent two mana and a card on the Enchantment in the first place, so you’re starting out behind.
Hustle image
Haazda Vigilante image 2.5 If you can get a counter of this, the rate on this will feel fine. Doing so doesn’t seem like a big stretch with all the Disguise creatures, either. It’s nice he does it on attacks too, so getting two counters of him is a real possibility.
On the Job image 1.5 // 3.0 As usual with Inspiring Charge effects, this is a build around. Red/White decks look the most well-positioned for this as they can go the widest, but you really need to be all in on curving out and going wide, or this isn’t worth it, even with the clue. It’s probably a D in your typical White deck, but a card you’re usually going to be happy with one of in your more aggressive decks.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Due Diligence
Tin Street Gossip image 3.5 A 4-mana 4/4 with Vigilance is a great starting point, and this has upside that is very useful in this format. Red-Green especially has an interest in big ol’ Disguise creatures too. That Vigilance of course means it can swing and then tap for mana in the same turn, which is a nice combination.
Rubblebelt Braggart image 3 So, when this attacks you can choose to give it menace and make it unable to block, and a 5/5 menace isn’t something your opponent can just shrug about in most cases.
Due Diligence image 2 Without the ETB this would be really bad. If you throw the ETB in the mix, it gets more interesting. There are going to be times where you cast this and end up with two great attacks as a result, and the Vigilance makes it so you don’t have to give up on defending yourself either, so chances are better than normal that those attacks are worth taking. Alternatively, making one thing get +4/+4 and Vigilance for a turn doesn’t sound bad either. You do need to be careful about casting this, as you do with most Auras, but this one does enough to be make the cut a decent chunk of the time.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Demand Answers
Vengeful Creeper image 2.5 A 5-mana 5/5 is pretty beefy, and this one has some Disenchant upside. Feels like most Green decks will want one of these. 
Demand Answers image 2.5 We’ve come a long way since Tormenting Voice. This is an Instant and you can choose to sacrifice an artifact or discard a card as an additional cost. That’s actually a pretty big deal, because this format has so many Clues.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Airtight Alibi
Airtight Alibi image 2 When you can use this correctly, it can be an absolute beating. It can work as a decent trick that leaves the buff behind, and it can blank removal. Turning off Suspect will usually be more upside than downside, too. Still, it's tricky to leave up this much mana.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Seasoned Consultant
Exit Specialist image 3 If this didn’t have Disguise, it wouldn’t be very good. The stat-line is bad and the type of evasion it has just…doesn’t do enough most of the time. But, when you mix in the Disguise part, you end up with a Man-O’-War of sorts, and that seems pretty sweet. Bounce effects have gotten worse over the years, in a world of ETB abilities and the like, but this still looks pretty nice to me. It adds to the board while giving you some tempo, and the fact you can do it at instant speed gives you some serious blowout potential.
Officious Interrogation image 3 Well…this doesn’t do anything but investigate, but as long as you’re getting two clues out of it you’re going to feel fine about that, and sometimes you’ll get a whole mountain of them for only two or four mana. Don’t forget you can target yourself, too. It’s a little slow perhaps, but this seems like it will also give you a ton of cards in the long run, so I like it a reasonable amount.
Case of the Stashed Skeleton image 2.5 The fact this one gives you a body up front is pretty nice, even if that body is  a two mana 2/1 with menace that can’t block. In some decks it’s going to be hard to solve this, because your opponent just won’t kill this and let you turn the Case into a tutor – but if that’s the case that probably means they are taking two to turn, so it isn’t like that’s a huge fail case. Running a few sacrifice outlets is probaby the best way to solve this one. I don’t normally love tutors in Limited, but that’s because most of them don’t do anything else – this does by giving you that body, though it is a little awkward you have to get rid of that body in most cases to solve it.
Fae Flight image 3 This Aura looks quite good. Obviously, the ideal situation is to cast it in response to removal, in which case you’re left with a buffed evasive creature, and you’ve already taken a card of value away from your opponent. But this also has the upside all Flying auras do, w hich is that you can just…slap it on some big monster and quickly win the game.
Case of the Trampled Garden image 3 What this gives you up front is fairly acceptable, and Green decks will certainly be capable of solving this. Once you do, buffing an attacking creature every turn is going to feel pretty good. Still, it doesn’t do a ton up front.
Case of the Pilfered Proof image 1.5 I don't think this is very good. You have to play it ahead of your detectives to get the counters, and there’s where most of the value is, because getting an extra clue here and there isn’t the most impressive payoff.
Deduce image 2.5 This is a nice little card draw spell, because it ultimately gives you a 2-for-1, and there’s lots of additional upside for making Clue tokens in the format. You probably don’t want too many of these because they don’t really add to the board.
Bite Down on Crime image 3.5 If you aren't collecting evidence, this is pretty darn clunky. And clunky is dangerous on a removal spell like this, since your opponent interacting can 2-for-1 you. Still, if you choose your spot carefully, this is likely to kill most opposing stuff, and the stats boost might also really improve your attacks. Combine that with the Evidence upside and I think this manages to just sneak into “premium removal” range.
Thinking Cap image 2 If this were always 1 to Equip, it would probably be a 2.5, just because that’s a fairly efficient boost – one that’s easy to move around. Detectives are plentiful enough in this format that this still looks solid.
Behind the Mask image 1 This type of card rarely works out in Limited, and I think even at one mana I’m not super interested in this. It’s easy to look at this and see it as a trick with multiple modes – and that is what it is, but reducing a creature to 1/1 or growing a creature to 4/3, or turning a clue into a 4/3, while possibilities is only useful situationally. You need stat-lines to line up just right, and if you’re turning your 2/2 or something into a 4/3 it’s really not worth it. Furthermore, shrinking an opposing creature to a 1/1 is only relevant or useful when your opponent attacks with the right creature that you actually want to remove. Basically, this is too situational to do something worthwhile very often.
Seasoned Consultant image 2 This will feel pretty nice attacking as a 3/3, but it probably won’t be doing that until turn 4 at the earliest, so it isn’t going to be lighting the world on fire either.
Macabre Reconstruction image 2.5 Paying two for this is very doable, and when you do that it feels great. You probably don't want more than one, though.
The Chase Is On image 2 This is expensive for a trick, but your creature is likely to win combat and you even get a 2-for-1 in the long run.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Case of the Gateway Express
Red Herring image 1.5 This can do some serious work if you play it on turn two, and if you get it later in the game you can give it up to get a card. It’s an artifact and a clue, so it’s got some synergy in the format too, especially in Blue-Red. Still…the card’s fail case doesn’t exactly excite me. Paying 4 to draw a card, even in installments isn’t exactly awesome.
Case of the Gateway Express image 4 The ETB will be a reasonable removal spell most of the time, and sometimes a really good one – and this case is easier to solve than most. The reward isn’t exactly game-breaking, but it’s certainly relevant, especially because it’s effectively stapled to a solid removal spell.
Convenient Target image 1.5 One red for +1/+1 and Menace isn't the worst, and because you can get this back it isn't going to 2-for-1 you. You can also use it to get a blocker out of the way in a pinch.
Buried in the Garden image 4 Its an Oblivion Ring stapled to a mana ramp Aura. 'Nuff said.
Millstone image
Loxodon Eavesdropper image 2.5 5 mana for three 1/1s isn't great, but you can attack with all three tokens the next turn and really give your opponent a headache. At that point, you are definitely getting your mana's worth.
Sanitation Automaton image 1.5 This has mediocre stats and a mediocre ETB.
Cerebral Confiscation image 1 So…this is either Mind Rot or Coercion, and neither of those is a great card these days, mostly because they don’t do anything in the late game and don’t add to the board.
Felonious Rage image 2 We've seen this card before, more or less, and it’s a nice trick. The power boost lets your creature take down most stuff, and you come out ahead thanks to the token, and at only one mana it is really priced to move.
Unauthorized Exit image 2 This card is always pretty decent. You go down a card in most cases, but you get some nice tempo, and Surveil 1 can improve your next draw and/or load your graveyard. It is hurt a little bit by the absence of a dedicated spell deck in the format.
Nervous Gardener image 3 A two mana 2/2 isn’t what it used to be, but that’s the fail case here, and this has the upside of fixing your mana. Note, by the way, that it can grab this format’s dual lands, should you pick one up.
Museum Nightwatch image 2.5 Spending 4 mana to get a 3/2 and a 2/2 is decent, and you can Disguise this to keep your opponent from knowing that it will leave value behind.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Dog Walker
Defenestrated Phantom image 2 No matter how you cast this, you’re really not getting a very good deal. You do still have the upside of having this big ol’ flyer you can cast in the early game, but like I said, it’s never going to feel that good. It isn’t terrible either. I’m giving it a C-. 
Case of the Ransacked Lab image 0 If you don't solve this, it's unplayable. And you're not solving it.
Magnetic Snuffler image 2.5 This set does have some Equipment that sacrifice themselves and draw you a card, and that’s kind of what it’s supposed to interact with. There’s also a decent amount of self-mill in the format. But…I still wouldn’t count on triggering that ETB all that often. When you can, it will feel nice. I think most of the value of the Snuffler comes from the fact that it grows when you sacrifice clues or other artifacts – but, the fact it starts out so inefficiently makes it hard for me to really feel great about this card.
Furtive Courier image 2.5 This will be unblockable a decent chunk of the time in Blue decks with th and looting on every attack is pretty powerful.
Concealed Weapon image 1.5 +3/+0 can make just about any creature into a better attacker, but the lack of a toughness boost limits just how useful it can be, unless you’re equipping an evasive creature. Adding Disguise to the mix is important, because the worst thing in the world is drawing Equipment when you have nothing worth equipping it too, so this gives you a decent fail case, and can even work as a combat trick later in the game. 
Syr Konrad, the Grim image 4.0 This feels like it should have been a rare, and not just because he is Legendary, but because he is so complex – and also pretty awesome. So a 5-mana 5/4 does alright on the vanilla test, and then this guy has an absolutely massive text box, which lets you damage the opponent any time a creature is put into the graveyard from someone’s hand or their library. Konrad is going to provide some nice late game reach for decks. His ability is pretty cheap, and gives you a chance to do between 0 and 2 damage every time you use it. If this format also has a graveyard deck, I think he will get better, since if you can take advantage of loading your own graveyard, you’re going to like him even more.
Rot Farm Mortipede image 3 The boost that the Mortipede gets is legit, as a 4/4 menace lifelinker is far better than a ¾. Getting stuff to leave your graveyard isn’t a huge ask in the format either, as the entire “Collect Evidence” mechanic is all about doing that. Putting cards from your graveyard to your hand and all of that will trigger this too. I think most Black decks will realistically be able to trigger this once or twice a game, and that’s really all you need for this to pull its weight.
Crimestopper Sprite image 2.5 A three mana 2/2 flyer isn’t too bad, and one that stuns something on ETB is probably a 3.0, it’s just a great tempo play to add to the board while getting a creature out of the way. This won’t always stun stuff, and isn’t that likely to do it on turn three, but I think it will do it often enough.
Dog Walker image 3.5 Obviously, you get the most value out of just casting it face down and turning it face up – at which point you paid 5 mana for a 3/1 Vigilance and two 1/1s, and paying it in installments will make it feel more efficient than that. But, the fact you can just slam it on turn two if you’re more interested in curving out is pretty nice.
Unscrupulous Agent image 3 We see this card a lot lately, and it’s always pretty nice. Goes after a card in your opponents hand while adding to the board, and then you can sacrifice it or otherwise utilize it for other purposes, sometimes it even feels like you’re getting a 2-for-1.
Topiary Panther image 2.5 This fixes your mana well and sets up Collect Evidence 6 in the early game, and in the late game it's a passable creature.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Offender at Large
Blood Spatter Analysis image 4 This is a great removal spell that turns into a 2-for-1 if the game goes long enough. Hard to be upset with that.
Chalk Outline image 0.0 / 3.5 The idea here is to play cards with Collect Evidence alongside this, and if you have enough of that going on – and enough creatures in your deck – this has the potential to be a fairly absurd engine, since it effectively gives you 2 cards every time you Collect Evidence. The problem is that this does absolutely nothing up front. Still, the upside is kind of insane, and I think accessible enough in some decks for this to get a buildaround grade. 
Lumbering Laundry image 2 We’ve seen in past sets with Morph that being able to look at your opponent’s face-down cards isn’t really worth spending mana. Sure, the information is nice, and there’s worse things you could sink your mana into, but until you reach a point where you have literally nothing else you can do, you’re not going to be using this ability. So, what you’re left with is a pretty medium creature with a bit of Disguise upside.
Offender at Large image 2 Just playing this face up is going to be the play more often than not, and when you do it has a reasonable shot at giving you an attack you didn’t have before. This is the type of disguise creature you probably only play face down when you’ve got nothing else going on on turn three. Either way, this card looks like it will have trouble making the cut sometimes.
Rot Farm Mortipede image 3 The boost that the Mortipede gets is legit, as a 4/4 menace lifelinker is far better than a ¾. Getting stuff to leave your graveyard isn’t a huge ask in the format either, as the entire “Collect Evidence” mechanic is all about doing that. Putting cards from your graveyard to your hand and all of that will trigger this too. I think most Black decks will realistically be able to trigger this once or twice a game, and that’s really all you need for this to pull its weight.
Repeat Offender image 2 This has an almost-passable baseline and ability that will make for a good mana sink in the later stages of the game. I like that you can use it at instant speed, so threat of activation will be pretty real. 
Vengeful Creeper image 2.5 A 5-mana 5/5 is pretty beefy, and this one has some Disenchant upside. Feels like most Green decks will want one of these. 
Loxodon Eavesdropper image 2.5 5 mana for three 1/1s isn't great, but you can attack with all three tokens the next turn and really give your opponent a headache. At that point, you are definitely getting your mana's worth.
Behind the Mask image 1 This type of card rarely works out in Limited, and I think even at one mana I’m not super interested in this. It’s easy to look at this and see it as a trick with multiple modes – and that is what it is, but reducing a creature to 1/1 or growing a creature to 4/3, or turning a clue into a 4/3, while possibilities is only useful situationally. You need stat-lines to line up just right, and if you’re turning your 2/2 or something into a 4/3 it’s really not worth it. Furthermore, shrinking an opposing creature to a 1/1 is only relevant or useful when your opponent attacks with the right creature that you actually want to remove. Basically, this is too situational to do something worthwhile very often.
Bite Down on Crime image 3.5 If you aren't collecting evidence, this is pretty darn clunky. And clunky is dangerous on a removal spell like this, since your opponent interacting can 2-for-1 you. Still, if you choose your spot carefully, this is likely to kill most opposing stuff, and the stats boost might also really improve your attacks. Combine that with the Evidence upside and I think this manages to just sneak into “premium removal” range.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Ranger-Captain of Eos
Branch of Vitu-Ghazi image 2.5 If you just need the mana right away, you can play it, but this has two other really nice functions. First, it's flood insurance. The last thing you want to do in the late game is draw a land - but thud one can be a creature when that's the case. And in the mid-game, when you might need the fixing, you can turn it face up. Remember you can do weird stuff like assign this to block and turn it face up, at which point you get the mana and the creature it blocked is still considered blocked, but you don't lose the land.
Kylox, Visionary Inventor image 1.5 This asks way too much of you for a 7-mana card. You have to go behind on board in order to roll the dice and hope you get to cast some spells is a pretty bad idea. Menace, Ward, and Haste do mean you'll get this trigger pretty much every time you play Kylox, and there might be some decks that can get there without, but I don't think most will.
Break Out image 3 This is a two mana card selection spell that gives you an option of adding to the board, and that's pretty awesome.
Ranger-Captain of Eos image
Loxodon Eavesdropper image 2.5 5 mana for three 1/1s isn't great, but you can attack with all three tokens the next turn and really give your opponent a headache. At that point, you are definitely getting your mana's worth.
Escape Tunnel image 3 This is Evolving Wilds with upside, and that upside can allow you send in an unblockable Disguise creature.
Macabre Reconstruction image 2.5 Paying two for this is very doable, and when you do that it feels great. You probably don't want more than one, though.
Crimestopper Sprite image 2.5 A three mana 2/2 flyer isn’t too bad, and one that stuns something on ETB is probably a 3.0, it’s just a great tempo play to add to the board while getting a creature out of the way. This won’t always stun stuff, and isn’t that likely to do it on turn three, but I think it will do it often enough.
Museum Nightwatch image 2.5 Spending 4 mana to get a 3/2 and a 2/2 is decent, and you can Disguise this to keep your opponent from knowing that it will leave value behind.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Person of Interest
Gravestone Strider image 2.5 When one mana filtering is attached to a creature, it has performed pretty well, and this even comes with the addition of graveyard hate, something that certainly matters in the format.
Treacherous Greed image 3.5 If you can set this up, it’s pretty amazing. Three mana for a Lightning Helix to your opponent’s dome and three cards is a big deal. The good news is, this is pretty darn easy to set up too – that’s because the creature you sacrifice just has to have dealt damage. This includes to creatures, so this means most of the time when you turn a creature sideways, that creature will be sacrificable to this, provided that creature survives. So, there is set up here and it isn’t entirely automatic, but it’s very attainable.
Forum Familiar image 2.5 This is a Disguise creature that you’re going to want to play face down about 99% of the time., since if you don’t, it’s just a vanilla one mana 1/1 and those tend to get irrelevant quickly. However, if you play this face down it’s going to be pretty darn relevant thanks to its ability to bounce your permanents. You can do this to rebuy ETBs or help a creature dodge removal and stuff like that, but you can even just return a land if you just want the Familiar to be a 2/2. Obviously that’s not optimal, but it’s something. I think this will lie in wait and have big impacts on many games. This also gives us back-to-back white Disguise creatures who can turn face up and blank removal, so that’s something your’e going to have to keep in mind.
Nervous Gardener image 3 A two mana 2/2 isn’t what it used to be, but that’s the fail case here, and this has the upside of fixing your mana. Note, by the way, that it can grab this format’s dual lands, should you pick one up.
Person of Interest image 3.5 4-mana for a 2/2 and a 2/2 Menace that can’t block is a pretty amazing rate. Not much more to say there, but this is a really good Common.
Bubble Smuggler image 2 If you need to play a two drop well…it is one. A pretty bad one, but one nonetheless. Then if you need something on three you can disguise it, and then in the late game it can become a big monster. Now, this card isn’t ever going to make you feel like you’re doing something busted, as it’s kind of medium at all three points in the game, but the fact it can do all those things is enough for it to be fine.
Unscrupulous Agent image 3 We see this card a lot lately, and it’s always pretty nice. Goes after a card in your opponents hand while adding to the board, and then you can sacrifice it or otherwise utilize it for other purposes, sometimes it even feels like you’re getting a 2-for-1.
Auspicious Arrival image 2 This is a solid trick – one that represents a 2-for-1 thanks to that Clue. +2/+2 for two isn’t the most impressive boost-to-cost ratio, but it’s enough.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Escape Tunnel
Exit Specialist image 3 If this didn’t have Disguise, it wouldn’t be very good. The stat-line is bad and the type of evasion it has just…doesn’t do enough most of the time. But, when you mix in the Disguise part, you end up with a Man-O’-War of sorts, and that seems pretty sweet. Bounce effects have gotten worse over the years, in a world of ETB abilities and the like, but this still looks pretty nice to me. It adds to the board while giving you some tempo, and the fact you can do it at instant speed gives you some serious blowout potential.
Cease image
Snarling Gorehound image 2.5 A one mana 1/1 Menace feels pretty nice on turn one, and this is likely to give you some card selection and graveyard synergy throughout the game. Seems like nice value for one mana.
Dramatic Accusation image 2.5 Three mana Blue Auras that tap a creature down usually aren’t anything special. The problem is that they don’t entirely remove the creature in all situations, so abilities are still relevant, and if your opponent has a way to sacrifice or otherwise utilize the tapped down creature you end up feeling like you’re really far behind. The Accusation’s activated ability adds an interesting wrinkle to this, since now you can get rid of the creature if it has problematic abilities and everything. The downside is your opponent might draw it again later.
Escape Tunnel image 3 This is Evolving Wilds with upside, and that upside can allow you send in an unblockable Disguise creature.
Basilica Stalker image 2.5 It's never going to feel like you’re getting great value with the Stalker, whether you disguise it first or otherwise. But it probably won't feel bad either.
Public Thoroughfare image 2.5 This is another nice source of fixing, even if it does require you to jump through a few hoops. Being able to only tap a Clue or something once when you play it is nice.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Forum Familiar
Forum Familiar image 2.5 This is a Disguise creature that you’re going to want to play face down about 99% of the time., since if you don’t, it’s just a vanilla one mana 1/1 and those tend to get irrelevant quickly. However, if you play this face down it’s going to be pretty darn relevant thanks to its ability to bounce your permanents. You can do this to rebuy ETBs or help a creature dodge removal and stuff like that, but you can even just return a land if you just want the Familiar to be a 2/2. Obviously that’s not optimal, but it’s something. I think this will lie in wait and have big impacts on many games. This also gives us back-to-back white Disguise creatures who can turn face up and blank removal, so that’s something your’e going to have to keep in mind.
Shady Informant image 2.5 If you could only play this face up, it would be a pretty nice card. It has high enough power to trade with a whole lot of stuff, and the death trigger is likely to let you kill something else too – and that’s a 2-for-1. So, the fact you can get it on the board earlier in the game without your opponent knowing it’s lurking there makes it even nicer.
Gearbane Orangutan image 1.5 If you can either destroy an opposing artifact, or give up an expendable artifact when you play this, it’ll be fine. Ideally of course, you give up a clue. Still, I think there are going to be enough situations where neither mode is useful and this is a miserable card when that happens.
They Went This Way image 2 I like that this can ultimately give you a 2-for-1. I don’t like that it’s a Sorcery that doesn’t add to the board in any meaningful way. It definitely fixes your mana, and in games that go long enough that Clue is gonna feel pretty nice, but not doing anything to add to the board on turn three has been a liability in most formats of late. I kind of hope this is a format where you can do stuff like this, but I’m going to err on the side of caution.
Deduce image 2.5 This is a nice little card draw spell, because it ultimately gives you a 2-for-1, and there’s lots of additional upside for making Clue tokens in the format. You probably don’t want too many of these because they don’t really add to the board.
Airtight Alibi image 2 When you can use this correctly, it can be an absolute beating. It can work as a decent trick that leaves the buff behind, and it can blank removal. Turning off Suspect will usually be more upside than downside, too. Still, it's tricky to leave up this much mana.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Fae Flight
Fae Flight image 3 This Aura looks quite good. Obviously, the ideal situation is to cast it in response to removal, in which case you’re left with a buffed evasive creature, and you’ve already taken a card of value away from your opponent. But this also has the upside all Flying auras do, w hich is that you can just…slap it on some big monster and quickly win the game.
Deduce image 2.5 This is a nice little card draw spell, because it ultimately gives you a 2-for-1, and there’s lots of additional upside for making Clue tokens in the format. You probably don’t want too many of these because they don’t really add to the board.
Thinking Cap image 2 If this were always 1 to Equip, it would probably be a 2.5, just because that’s a fairly efficient boost – one that’s easy to move around. Detectives are plentiful enough in this format that this still looks solid.
Behind the Mask image 1 This type of card rarely works out in Limited, and I think even at one mana I’m not super interested in this. It’s easy to look at this and see it as a trick with multiple modes – and that is what it is, but reducing a creature to 1/1 or growing a creature to 4/3, or turning a clue into a 4/3, while possibilities is only useful situationally. You need stat-lines to line up just right, and if you’re turning your 2/2 or something into a 4/3 it’s really not worth it. Furthermore, shrinking an opposing creature to a 1/1 is only relevant or useful when your opponent attacks with the right creature that you actually want to remove. Basically, this is too situational to do something worthwhile very often.
Macabre Reconstruction image 2.5 Paying two for this is very doable, and when you do that it feels great. You probably don't want more than one, though.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Millstone
Millstone image
Cerebral Confiscation image 1 So…this is either Mind Rot or Coercion, and neither of those is a great card these days, mostly because they don’t do anything in the late game and don’t add to the board.
Felonious Rage image 2 We've seen this card before, more or less, and it’s a nice trick. The power boost lets your creature take down most stuff, and you come out ahead thanks to the token, and at only one mana it is really priced to move.
Unauthorized Exit image 2 This card is always pretty decent. You go down a card in most cases, but you get some nice tempo, and Surveil 1 can improve your next draw and/or load your graveyard. It is hurt a little bit by the absence of a dedicated spell deck in the format.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Case of the Ransacked Lab
Defenestrated Phantom image 2 No matter how you cast this, you’re really not getting a very good deal. You do still have the upside of having this big ol’ flyer you can cast in the early game, but like I said, it’s never going to feel that good. It isn’t terrible either. I’m giving it a C-. 
Case of the Ransacked Lab image 0 If you don't solve this, it's unplayable. And you're not solving it.
Magnetic Snuffler image 2.5 This set does have some Equipment that sacrifice themselves and draw you a card, and that’s kind of what it’s supposed to interact with. There’s also a decent amount of self-mill in the format. But…I still wouldn’t count on triggering that ETB all that often. When you can, it will feel nice. I think most of the value of the Snuffler comes from the fact that it grows when you sacrifice clues or other artifacts – but, the fact it starts out so inefficiently makes it hard for me to really feel great about this card.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Behind the Mask
Rot Farm Mortipede image 3 The boost that the Mortipede gets is legit, as a 4/4 menace lifelinker is far better than a ¾. Getting stuff to leave your graveyard isn’t a huge ask in the format either, as the entire “Collect Evidence” mechanic is all about doing that. Putting cards from your graveyard to your hand and all of that will trigger this too. I think most Black decks will realistically be able to trigger this once or twice a game, and that’s really all you need for this to pull its weight.
Behind the Mask image 1 This type of card rarely works out in Limited, and I think even at one mana I’m not super interested in this. It’s easy to look at this and see it as a trick with multiple modes – and that is what it is, but reducing a creature to 1/1 or growing a creature to 4/3, or turning a clue into a 4/3, while possibilities is only useful situationally. You need stat-lines to line up just right, and if you’re turning your 2/2 or something into a 4/3 it’s really not worth it. Furthermore, shrinking an opposing creature to a 1/1 is only relevant or useful when your opponent attacks with the right creature that you actually want to remove. Basically, this is too situational to do something worthwhile very often.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Kylox, Visionary Inventor
Kylox, Visionary Inventor image 1.5 This asks way too much of you for a 7-mana card. You have to go behind on board in order to roll the dice and hope you get to cast some spells is a pretty bad idea. Menace, Ward, and Haste do mean you'll get this trigger pretty much every time you play Kylox, and there might be some decks that can get there without, but I don't think most will.
Draft Pick Overview