Kambal, Profiteering Mayor
3.5 Black/white makes enough tokens on its own for this trigger to be pretty good, and your opponent is likely to generate some tokens too.
Trash the Town
3 This is kind of a medium trick if you only use the first mode, but gaining access to the other two in the mid-game is pretty amazing, and it's the kind of card that can really swing a game in your favor between running over an opposing creature and drawing cards.
Outlaw Stitcher
4 The baseline is great, and you'll often be able to get the extra large zombie out of the deal.
Caught in the Crossfire
2 Sweepers are tough to get to work in Limited, but this one is trying it's hardest. The two modes should mean that you can choose one that hurts your opponent more than it hurts you a decent chunk of the time.
Marauding Sphinx
3.5 This is a very real body that is good whether you're ahead or behind, and the Surveil trigger is plenty accessible.
Reach for the Sky
1.5 It's great that this replaces itself, but it's too expensive for it to be a trick/aura that I'm interested in using.
Deadeye Duelist
2 This lets you repeat crimes repeatedly, but the stat-line isn't great.
Desert's Due
3 Two mana for -2/-2 is passable enough, and this will give -3/-3 in the mid to late game pretty consistently.
Harrier Strix
2.5 This is a nice turn one play, and in the later game it's ETB can do some work -- especially if you need to commit some crimes.
Steer Clear
2.5 This is conditional but efficient, especially if you have a Mount.
Daring Thunder-Thief
2 This is a fairly beefy creature, and the fact it has flash should work nicely in UW decks.
Abraded Bluffs
3 They provide awesome fixing, give you extra value in the form of a ping, commit crimes, and there's even deserts-matter cards in the set. These might just be better than the rare cycle in the format.
Archmage's Newt
2 This has decent stats and an ability that can do some work in the late game. But, actually getting value out of the saddle early is hard, and actually hitting your opponent with it late is hard too.
Thornado
0.5 Even with a cycling mode, Plummet just isn't worth it in the main deck.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Greed's Gambit
Stubborn Burrowfiend
2.5 This'll definitely get big sometimes, but I don't love how conditional the buff is. It's going to be at it's best in a B/G deck, but I'm also not sure how much they want to be saddling.
Take for a Ride
2//3.5 Being able to cast this at instant speed will feel insane sometimes, because if the stats line up right, you can make two of your opponents creatures destroy one another. That gives this a higher floor than most versions of this kind of effect, while it still has big sacrifice upside.
Full Steam Ahead
1.5 Overruns aren't as good as they used to be. There just aren't board stalls as much. This could end up overperforming if this format bucks that trend, though.
Slickshot Vault-Buster
1.5 A 4-mana 3/4 with Vigilance 100% of the time is a 2.5 at the very best, and this isn't pretty far from having those stats all the time.
Desert's Due
3 Two mana for -2/-2 is passable enough, and this will give -3/-3 in the mid to late game pretty consistently.
Spinewoods Paladin
3 The rate on this is pretty crazy for a Common! It's a very real body that gains you life, and that can go a long way towards helping you stabilize.
Inventive Wingsmith
2 Getting this to Fly isn't too challenging, especially in Blue-White.
Corrupted Conviction
2 If you have lots of Mercenary tokens, this isn't a bad way to cash them in.
Tinybones Joins Up
1 The discard effect isn't very good, and the legendary creature upside can be hard to access. Even when you do, it's pretty weak.
Greed's Gambit
0 This gives you a ton up front, but quickly takes it away and then some.
Festering Gulch
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Seize the Secrets
2.5 A two mana draw 2 is pretty serious business, and that mode will be accessible enough.
Decimate
0.5 You have to start this in your sideboard, because you just won't have targets for all four modes often enough.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Binding Negotiation
Obeka, Splitter of Seconds
0 This is a hard-to-cast 4-mana 2/5 with Menace and the ability is virtually useless in Limited. This means she isn't worth splashing.
Failed Fording
2 This style of card is virtually always a 2, even with a little bit of upside. It's nice that you can interact, but the price you pay is often card disadvantage.
Thunder Salvo
3 The baseline here is a playable card, and doing three with this seems pretty easy in Red between having a low curve and the Plot mechanic.
Iron-Fist Pulverizer
1.5 The stat-line's mediocre, and the second spell trigger isn't great either. Especially because second spell decks are going to want pretty low curves, so I'm not sure this really has a home.
Stagecoach Security
2.5 Buffing your whole board and giving it Vigilance is great, as it allows you to attack a lot better while not giving anything up on defense.
Binding Negotiation
2 It's nice that this can go after Plotted cards. When you do that it will almost feel like Time Walk. It still has the downside of most discard spells of course -- it doesn't impact the board and has dimnishing returns the later games get, but it's efficient enough to be solid.
Lazav, Familiar Stranger
3.5 Growing Lazav won't be hard, and sometimes making him into a copy of a graveyard creature will be real upside.
Scorching Shot
3.5 This is efficient, but a little hard to cast, and being Sorcery speed will make it harder to generate 2-for-1s.
Ertha Jo, Frontier Mentor
3.5 I'd be happy just getting a 2/4 and a 1/1 for this cost, but doubling abilities -- including the mercenary token tap abilty, can really alter combat.
Full Steam Ahead
1.5 Overruns aren't as good as they used to be. There just aren't board stalls as much. This could end up overperforming if this format bucks that trend, though.
Repulse
3 Drawing and bouncing for three mana at instant speed is a very good rate. You end up with tempo and you break even on cards, but it has blowout potential too.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Desert's Due
Map the Frontier
1 It's been awhile since a 4-mana spell that ramps your mana and doesn't help your board state has been something you play with regularity.
Jolene, Plundering Pugilist
3 Getting treasure to power out more big stuff is pretty nice, and being able to throw treasure away for pings is great, especially once they outlive their usefuleness in the late game.
Wrangler of the Damned
3.5 This is a pretty insane payoff for plotting and doing things at instant speed, and Flash makes it easy to get that first token.
Desperate Bloodseeker
2.5 A two mana 2/2 Lifelink is a card you pretty much always play, so it's nice that this can commit a crime or load your graveyard too.
Blacksnag Buzzard
2.5 If you get the counter, this'll feel pretty good. If you don't...it's pasasble. That makes it solid filler over all.
Slickshot Vault-Buster
1.5 A 4-mana 3/4 with Vigilance 100% of the time is a 2.5 at the very best, and this isn't pretty far from having those stats all the time.
Giant Beaver
3 A 4-mana 4/4 Vigilance is a great starting point, and it's Saddle can come in handy in the mid to late game.
Quick Draw
2 This is a solid trick, but it's only useful in combat, which makes it hard for it to be one you really want to seek out.
Desert's Due
3 Two mana for -2/-2 is passable enough, and this will give -3/-3 in the mid to late game pretty consistently.
Hypothesizzle
3 You can just draw two with this if you want, but turning one of those cards into a deal 4 is pretty good.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Servant of the Stinger
Cactusfolk Sureshot
3.5 This has great stats, and trample and haste are a very real bonus for your 4 power creatures.
Caught in the Crossfire
2 Sweepers are tough to get to work in Limited, but this one is trying it's hardest. The two modes should mean that you can choose one that hurts your opponent more than it hurts you a decent chunk of the time.
Thunder Salvo
3 The baseline here is a playable card, and doing three with this seems pretty easy in Red between having a low curve and the Plot mechanic.
Loan Shark
3 When you draw a card with this it will feel like a 4.0, when you don't, it will feel like a 1.0. I think it will be easy enough to draw with to get up to a 3.
Bristlepack Sentry
3 This is going to overperform because it counts itself. This means buffing it with a mercenary allows it to attack, as do buffs from counters and equipment.
Holy Cow
3.5 This delivers a ton of value for the cost, and the fact it has Flash is extra good in UW.
Servant of the Stinger
2.5 This is a nice stat-line. And, while the other ability can be kind of hard to access -- it's nice upside to have.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Blacksnag Buzzard
Magebane Lizard
1.5 This is a weirdly defensive stat-line on a creature with an aggressive ability. It's also pretty awkward that Red is one of the colors that wants to cast multiple spells in a turn, and the effect is symmetrical.
Bandit's Haul
1 Three mana rocks rarely work in Limited, and while this can draw you cards it only does it very slowly.
Treasure Dredger
2 This give Black access to some repeatable fixing, which we don't see every day. Still, the stat-line and ability are both pretty medium.
Highway Robbery
2 Because you can sacrifice lands to this, it's much better in the late game than most Tormenting Voice-like effects.
Stagecoach Security
2.5 Buffing your whole board and giving it Vigilance is great, as it allows you to attack a lot better while not giving anything up on defense.
Geyser Drake
3 This looks like a very nice Common. It has decent enough stats, and it's ability at a minimum makes your Instants easier to cast, but the set also has a ton of Flash that Geyser Drake can help you with.
Mine Raider
2.5 You'll get the treasure a significant percentage of the time, and the fail-case isn't too bad.
Blacksnag Buzzard
2.5 If you get the counter, this'll feel pretty good. If you don't...it's pasasble. That makes it solid filler over all.
Jagged Barrens
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Skulduggery
Magebane Lizard
1.5 This is a weirdly defensive stat-line on a creature with an aggressive ability. It's also pretty awkward that Red is one of the colors that wants to cast multiple spells in a turn, and the effect is symmetrical.
Outlaw Medic
2.5 This has solid stats that are good for augmenting, and it's good sacrifie fodder.
Spring Splasher
2 Pretty nice on turn two, as there isn't much that can block it in the early game. It isn't terrible in the mid to late game either, as it can really improve an attack for you.
Rodeo Pyromancers
2.5 In a format with Plot, this looks pretty good. It helps you have the mana to plot things, and casting something with Plot for free on your next turn and netting two red mana is sweet too. You won't always be able to use it, but I think you'll be able to often enough.
Skulduggery
3 Generating a two-for-one with this is surprisingly easy, and even when you can't it makes for a good combat trick that efficiently commits crime.
Explosive Derailment
4 This is a great removal spell. Even if it was always just the first mode, it would be a card that always makes the cut -- and one you take highly. But the added Spree upside means that you can achieve a 2-for-1 sometimes.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Corrupted Conviction
Resilient Roadrunner
3.5 This is great on turn two, and it's often going to be unblockable in the late game.
Shifting Grift
0 Even with three options an the ability to choose all of them, it's too hard to line this up so it does something worth a card.
Seize the Secrets
2.5 A two mana draw 2 is pretty serious business, and that mode will be accessible enough.
Corrupted Conviction
2 If you have lots of Mercenary tokens, this isn't a bad way to cash them in.
Geyser Drake
3 This looks like a very nice Common. It has decent enough stats, and it's ability at a minimum makes your Instants easier to cast, but the set also has a ton of Flash that Geyser Drake can help you with.
Discerning Peddler
2 Red doesn't have much of a discard theme in this set. So, this is mostly just a card with a mediocre statline and a mediocre ETB.
Tyrant's Scorn
3 Neither mode is incredible for the cost, but if you can't kill a small creature with it, at least you can bounce it.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Caught in the Crossfire
Caught in the Crossfire
2 Sweepers are tough to get to work in Limited, but this one is trying it's hardest. The two modes should mean that you can choose one that hurts your opponent more than it hurts you a decent chunk of the time.
Reach for the Sky
1.5 It's great that this replaces itself, but it's too expensive for it to be a trick/aura that I'm interested in using.
Deadeye Duelist
2 This lets you repeat crimes repeatedly, but the stat-line isn't great.
Harrier Strix
2.5 This is a nice turn one play, and in the later game it's ETB can do some work -- especially if you need to commit some crimes.
Daring Thunder-Thief
2 This is a fairly beefy creature, and the fact it has flash should work nicely in UW decks.
Thornado
0.5 Even with a cycling mode, Plummet just isn't worth it in the main deck.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Corrupted Conviction
Take for a Ride
2//3.5 Being able to cast this at instant speed will feel insane sometimes, because if the stats line up right, you can make two of your opponents creatures destroy one another. That gives this a higher floor than most versions of this kind of effect, while it still has big sacrifice upside.
Slickshot Vault-Buster
1.5 A 4-mana 3/4 with Vigilance 100% of the time is a 2.5 at the very best, and this isn't pretty far from having those stats all the time.
Corrupted Conviction
2 If you have lots of Mercenary tokens, this isn't a bad way to cash them in.
Festering Gulch
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Seize the Secrets
2.5 A two mana draw 2 is pretty serious business, and that mode will be accessible enough.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Lazav, Familiar Stranger
Failed Fording
2 This style of card is virtually always a 2, even with a little bit of upside. It's nice that you can interact, but the price you pay is often card disadvantage.
Iron-Fist Pulverizer
1.5 The stat-line's mediocre, and the second spell trigger isn't great either. Especially because second spell decks are going to want pretty low curves, so I'm not sure this really has a home.
Lazav, Familiar Stranger
3.5 Growing Lazav won't be hard, and sometimes making him into a copy of a graveyard creature will be real upside.
Slickshot Vault-Buster
1.5 A 4-mana 3/4 with Vigilance 100% of the time is a 2.5 at the very best, and this isn't pretty far from having those stats all the time.
Quick Draw
2 This is a solid trick, but it's only useful in combat, which makes it hard for it to be one you really want to seek out.
Magebane Lizard
1.5 This is a weirdly defensive stat-line on a creature with an aggressive ability. It's also pretty awkward that Red is one of the colors that wants to cast multiple spells in a turn, and the effect is symmetrical.
Pack 2 Pick 1: Frontier Seeker
Pitiless Carnage
0 This can have a super powerful effect in the extreme late game. But it's pretty awful the rest of the game, so you really can't play it.
Outlaw Stitcher
4 The baseline is great, and you'll often be able to get the extra large zombie out of the deal.
Marauding Sphinx
3.5 This is a very real body that is good whether you're ahead or behind, and the Surveil trigger is plenty accessible.
Frontier Seeker
3 This is going to be a 2-for-1 most of the time, and is especially good in the GW color pair.
Outlaws' Fury
2.5 A mass board pump that draws you a card tends to play pretty well, and Red is quite good at going wide in this format.
Daring Thunder-Thief
2 This is a fairly beefy creature, and the fact it has flash should work nicely in UW decks.
Skulduggery
3 Generating a two-for-one with this is surprisingly easy, and even when you can't it makes for a good combat trick that efficiently commits crime.
Sterling Keykeeper
2 These "Master Decoy"-type creatures have been a lot worse as of late, and I don't really see that changing here. This does have passable stats and an ability that is good sometimes, though.
Mourner's Surprise
2.5 This will feel close enough to a two-mana 2-for-1 that I'm definitely playing the first copy in most Black decks.
Oasis Gardener
2 If you need fixing, this can do it. While the stat-line isn't especially good, the life gain helps even that out a tiny bit.
Reach for the Sky
1.5 It's great that this replaces itself, but it's too expensive for it to be a trick/aura that I'm interested in using.
Geyser Drake
3 This looks like a very nice Common. It has decent enough stats, and it's ability at a minimum makes your Instants easier to cast, but the set also has a ton of Flash that Geyser Drake can help you with.
Clear Shot
3.5 This is great removal that can sometimes create a 2-for-1.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Unfortunate Accident
Concealed Courtyard
3 It's nice to have awesome fixing that enters the battlefield untapped.
Unfortunate Accident
4 Destroying your opponent's best creature and adding to the board is very powerful, and the fail case here is Murder.
Prosperity Tycoon
3.5 This gives you two bodies for a reasonable cost, and it's abilty to become indestructible is a real problem for your opponent. Blocking this is kind of a nightmare.
Cunning Coyote
4 This is a great two drop that can do a ton of damage if it comes down on turn two -- especially if you played a one drop. But it also has nice late game upside that allows it to always stay relevant.
Snakeskin Veil
2.5 This is a great trick since it can efficiently blank removal and help your creature win combat.
Desperate Bloodseeker
2.5 A two mana 2/2 Lifelink is a card you pretty much always play, so it's nice that this can commit a crime or load your graveyard too.
Throw from the Saddle
3.5 This is a great "bite" effect that allows smaller creatures to punch up, and you're going to have enough mounts in Green for that bonus to come up.
Wanted Griffin
2.5 4-mana 3/2s can be abyssmal, since there is one mana removal that can deal with it, but this leaves a body behind to make up for that.
Quilled Charger
2 This has a passable baseline, and it's saddle ability means it can attack effectively at most stages of the game.
Peerless Ropemaster
1.5 It's a decent body, but bounce effects have been getting worse lately with all the ETB abilities and the like. Plus, not being able to bounce a creature that can block is a big problem.
Eroded Canyon
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Stop Cold
2 Blue's usual passable removal spell that you kind of hope you don't have to use, but it's fine if you do.
Fling
1 It's very hard to make Fling work in Limited. Maybe in a format with a bunch of mercenaries it will fair better?
Pack 2 Pick 3: Shoot the Sheriff
Lavaspur Boots
1 This buff looks tempting, but if it's anything like other cheap haste-granting Equipment, it isn't going to be worth a card.
Slickshot Lockpicker
4 When you can cast a spell with this it will feel incredible, and thanks to Plot you can set it aside until you do have one. The fail-case isn't amazing, but not a complete disaster, either.
Shoot the Sheriff
4 This can kill almost everything in the format efficiently. There will be times where an Outlaw is your biggest problem, but most of the time, this'll do the job.
Reckless Lackey
3 This is a pretty pushed stat-line, making it a great play on turn one and a great place to put Equipment, counters, and tricks. And if it ever becomes useless you can just cash it in.
Mine Raider
2.5 You'll get the treasure a significant percentage of the time, and the fail-case isn't too bad.
Harrier Strix
2.5 This is a nice turn one play, and in the later game it's ETB can do some work -- especially if you need to commit some crimes.
Vengeful Townsfolk
2.5 This is more efficient than most creatures with this ability that we've seen. A 3-mana 3/3 really won't feel terrible, like the two-mana 1/1s and 4-mana 3/3s we usually see.
Hardbristle Bandit
3 I wouldn't count on getting a benefit out of untapping this with regularity, but doing it once per game isn't a stretch, and a two mana 1/1 that taps for mana of any color is always playable anyway.
Sterling Keykeeper
2 These "Master Decoy"-type creatures have been a lot worse as of late, and I don't really see that changing here. This does have passable stats and an ability that is good sometimes, though.
Overzealous Muscle
2 This only working on your turn is kind of sad, but it's a fairly capable attacker thanks to it's ability to gain indestructibility.
Skewer the Critics
3.5 This is fine if you pay three for it, and paying one is awesome and very attainable.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Holy Cow
Cunning Coyote
4 This is a great two drop that can do a ton of damage if it comes down on turn two -- especially if you played a one drop. But it also has nice late game upside that allows it to always stay relevant.
Lively Dirge
1.5 If you can get two bodies back with this it can feel reasonable, but setting your graveyard up just right isn't super easy, even with the tutor effect.
Holy Cow
3.5 This delivers a ton of value for the cost, and the fact it has Flash is extra good in UW.
Quick Draw
2 This is a solid trick, but it's only useful in combat, which makes it hard for it to be one you really want to seek out.
Desperate Bloodseeker
2.5 A two mana 2/2 Lifelink is a card you pretty much always play, so it's nice that this can commit a crime or load your graveyard too.
Loan Shark
3 When you draw a card with this it will feel like a 4.0, when you don't, it will feel like a 1.0. I think it will be easy enough to draw with to get up to a 3.
Freestrider Commando
2 Neither mode on this is much more than a decent vanilla creature. A 4-mana 5/5 might sound amazing, but getting a turn later makes it a lot less impressive.
Sterling Keykeeper
2 These "Master Decoy"-type creatures have been a lot worse as of late, and I don't really see that changing here. This does have passable stats and an ability that is good sometimes, though.
Mourner's Surprise
2.5 This will feel close enough to a two-mana 2-for-1 that I'm definitely playing the first copy in most Black decks.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Armored Armadillo
Shoot the Sheriff
4 This can kill almost everything in the format efficiently. There will be times where an Outlaw is your biggest problem, but most of the time, this'll do the job.
Silver Deputy
2 Grabbing a dual desert is pretty good, and it has a useful creature type and a relevant ability.
Boneyard Desecrator
2 A 4-mana 3/4 with Menace is okay, but this ability is generally too expensive to be worthwhile often enough.
Holy Cow
3.5 This delivers a ton of value for the cost, and the fact it has Flash is extra good in UW.
Armored Armadillo
1 A one mana 0/4 is largely irrelevant, and the ability is too expensive.
Slickshot Vault-Buster
1.5 A 4-mana 3/4 with Vigilance 100% of the time is a 2.5 at the very best, and this isn't pretty far from having those stats all the time.
Tumbleweed Rising
2 This doesn't do anything on its own, and while you can Plot it when you're stuck in a spot like that, the upside isn't insane here.
Jagged Barrens
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Decisive Denial
3 Neither mode here absolutely blows you away, but being able to fight or counter stuff is pretty nice.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Forlorn Flats
Peerless Ropemaster
1.5 It's a decent body, but bounce effects have been getting worse lately with all the ETB abilities and the like. Plus, not being able to bounce a creature that can block is a big problem.
Bridled Bighorn
2 This has decent base stats, and spitting out a token is sometimes valuable.
Fake Your Own Death
2.5 This type of trick is always solid. It's good in combat, good against removal, and has the upside of working well with ETB.
Giant Beaver
3 A 4-mana 4/4 Vigilance is a great starting point, and it's Saddle can come in handy in the mid to late game.
Failed Fording
2 This style of card is virtually always a 2, even with a little bit of upside. It's nice that you can interact, but the price you pay is often card disadvantage.
Forlorn Flats
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Steer Clear
2.5 This is conditional but efficient, especially if you have a Mount.
Hindering Light
2 This feels good when you can cast it, but it is a little too narrow to be good.
Oasis Gardener
2 If you need fixing, this can do it. While the stat-line isn't especially good, the life gain helps even that out a tiny bit.
Freestrider Commando
2 Neither mode on this is much more than a decent vanilla creature. A 4-mana 5/5 might sound amazing, but getting a turn later makes it a lot less impressive.
Seize the Secrets
2.5 A two mana draw 2 is pretty serious business, and that mode will be accessible enough.
Armored Armadillo
1 A one mana 0/4 is largely irrelevant, and the ability is too expensive.
Iron-Fist Pulverizer
1.5 The stat-line's mediocre, and the second spell trigger isn't great either. Especially because second spell decks are going to want pretty low curves, so I'm not sure this really has a home.
Humiliate
2 This is a reasonable discard spell, as it will usually hit something and add a little to your board.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Mourner's Surprise
Outlaws' Fury
2.5 A mass board pump that draws you a card tends to play pretty well, and Red is quite good at going wide in this format.
Daring Thunder-Thief
2 This is a fairly beefy creature, and the fact it has flash should work nicely in UW decks.
Skulduggery
3 Generating a two-for-one with this is surprisingly easy, and even when you can't it makes for a good combat trick that efficiently commits crime.
Mourner's Surprise
2.5 This will feel close enough to a two-mana 2-for-1 that I'm definitely playing the first copy in most Black decks.
Reach for the Sky
1.5 It's great that this replaces itself, but it's too expensive for it to be a trick/aura that I'm interested in using.
Snakeskin Veil
2.5 This is a great trick since it can efficiently blank removal and help your creature win combat.
Wanted Griffin
2.5 4-mana 3/2s can be abyssmal, since there is one mana removal that can deal with it, but this leaves a body behind to make up for that.
Quilled Charger
2 This has a passable baseline, and it's saddle ability means it can attack effectively at most stages of the game.
Peerless Ropemaster
1.5 It's a decent body, but bounce effects have been getting worse lately with all the ETB abilities and the like. Plus, not being able to bounce a creature that can block is a big problem.
Fling
1 It's very hard to make Fling work in Limited. Maybe in a format with a bunch of mercenaries it will fair better?
Pack 2 Pick 11: Overzealous Muscle
Lavaspur Boots
1 This buff looks tempting, but if it's anything like other cheap haste-granting Equipment, it isn't going to be worth a card.
Sterling Keykeeper
2 These "Master Decoy"-type creatures have been a lot worse as of late, and I don't really see that changing here. This does have passable stats and an ability that is good sometimes, though.
Overzealous Muscle
2 This only working on your turn is kind of sad, but it's a fairly capable attacker thanks to it's ability to gain indestructibility.
Slickshot Vault-Buster
1.5 A 4-mana 3/4 with Vigilance 100% of the time is a 2.5 at the very best, and this isn't pretty far from having those stats all the time.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Goldvein Hydra
Goldvein Hydra
4 As long as you pay 3 or more for X, this'll feel pretty efficient. But running it out early isn't a disaster either, as trading it off and getting some treasure can really jumpstart your game.
Gila Courser
3.5 This saddle trigger is super strong, and saddling this is easy. If you get to attack, you're all but guaranteed a 2-for-1.
Hollow Marauder
3 This ETB is powerful no matter what happens, so the only hurdle here is the casting cost. I think reducing the cost by 2-3 mana is pretty doable, though.
Magebane Lizard
1.5 This is a weirdly defensive stat-line on a creature with an aggressive ability. It's also pretty awkward that Red is one of the colors that wants to cast multiple spells in a turn, and the effect is symmetrical.
Spinewoods Paladin
3 The rate on this is pretty crazy for a Common! It's a very real body that gains you life, and that can go a long way towards helping you stabilize.
Giant Beaver
3 A 4-mana 4/4 Vigilance is a great starting point, and it's Saddle can come in handy in the mid to late game.
Voracious Varmint
2 This has solid stats and an ability with some utility. This isn't a format loaded up with artifacts and enchantments, though.
Mine Raider
2.5 You'll get the treasure a significant percentage of the time, and the fail-case isn't too bad.
Stagecoach Security
2.5 Buffing your whole board and giving it Vigilance is great, as it allows you to attack a lot better while not giving anything up on defense.
Desert's Due
3 Two mana for -2/-2 is passable enough, and this will give -3/-3 in the mid to late game pretty consistently.
Lush Oasis
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Trick Shot
2.5 This is a little expensive, but it'll have a token to hit reasonably often and it can kill just about anything at instant speed. You probably don't want more than one of them, though.
The Key to the Vault
0 The trigger is powerful, but you have to go through the trouble of casting and equipping this clunky thing, and then you still don't get anything until the equipped creature hits the opponent. That's too many hoops.
Boom Box
1 Don't let this tempt you too much. It's too expensive and too slow, and the destroy creature part is generally all that will actually matter.
Intimidation Campaign
2.5 I really want this to be good, and it has the potential. But if this is like other formats of late, paying three mana over and over again for this effect might be too slow.
Irascible Wolverine
3 This is a great ETB trigger. Plot allows you to take full advantage, but even without Plot this can help you hit a land drop in the early stages of the game, and if you draw it late you can just cast it right away because you'll be able to use the card either way.
Mystical Tether
3.5 This is really good even without the Flash upside. With it, it has blow-out potential and some synergy in the UW color pair.
Outlaw Medic
2.5 This has solid stats that are good for augmenting, and it's good sacrifie fodder.
Corrupted Conviction
2 If you have lots of Mercenary tokens, this isn't a bad way to cash them in.
Discerning Peddler
2 Red doesn't have much of a discard theme in this set. So, this is mostly just a card with a mediocre statline and a mediocre ETB.
Failed Fording
2 This style of card is virtually always a 2, even with a little bit of upside. It's nice that you can interact, but the price you pay is often card disadvantage.
Giant Beaver
3 A 4-mana 4/4 Vigilance is a great starting point, and it's Saddle can come in handy in the mid to late game.
Abraded Bluffs
3 They provide awesome fixing, give you extra value in the form of a ping, commit crimes, and there's even deserts-matter cards in the set. These might just be better than the rare cycle in the format.
Thunder Lasso
2 The turn you play this will feel pretty great, as it can really upgrade your attacks. The problem is how clunky it is when you have to Equip it thereafter.
Murder
2.5 This isn't the premium removal it once was, but it's still pretty solid.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Blood Hustler
Prosperity Tycoon
3.5 This gives you two bodies for a reasonable cost, and it's abilty to become indestructible is a real problem for your opponent. Blocking this is kind of a nightmare.
Boom Box
1 Don't let this tempt you too much. It's too expensive and too slow, and the destroy creature part is generally all that will actually matter.
Blood Hustler
2 This has some serious upside, but I hate the baseline. It's a virtually irrelevant body when it comes down and very easy for your opponent to deal with, even just using incidental damage.
Throw from the Saddle
3.5 This is a great "bite" effect that allows smaller creatures to punch up, and you're going to have enough mounts in Green for that bonus to come up.
Geyser Drake
3 This looks like a very nice Common. It has decent enough stats, and it's ability at a minimum makes your Instants easier to cast, but the set also has a ton of Flash that Geyser Drake can help you with.
Take Up the Shield
3 This was a very strong trick last time, and it will be this time too. It helps a creature win combat, can blank more removal, and leaves behind a permanent buff.
Intimidation Campaign
2.5 I really want this to be good, and it has the potential. But if this is like other formats of late, paying three mana over and over again for this effect might be too slow.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Ambush Gigapede
Metamorphic Blast
2.5 This "Frogify" type effect usually isn't very good, so it's a good thing you can also draw with it. When you get to remove a creature and draw two, it will feel pretty awesome.
Rambling Possum
3 The saddle is really easy here, but don't put too much value into the bounce part of the card.
Omenport Vigilante
2.5 Your opponent has to respect this thing, as it might gain double strike at instant speed. That's good upside to have on a bear.
Irascible Wolverine
3 This is a great ETB trigger. Plot allows you to take full advantage, but even without Plot this can help you hit a land drop in the early stages of the game, and if you draw it late you can just cast it right away because you'll be able to use the card either way.
Reach for the Sky
1.5 It's great that this replaces itself, but it's too expensive for it to be a trick/aura that I'm interested in using.
Peerless Ropemaster
1.5 It's a decent body, but bounce effects have been getting worse lately with all the ETB abilities and the like. Plus, not being able to bounce a creature that can block is a big problem.
Iron-Fist Pulverizer
1.5 The stat-line's mediocre, and the second spell trigger isn't great either. Especially because second spell decks are going to want pretty low curves, so I'm not sure this really has a home.
Inventive Wingsmith
2 Getting this to Fly isn't too challenging, especially in Blue-White.
Ambush Gigapede
1.5 It's temping to imagine the 2-for-1s this can give you, but it's super expensive and surprisingly ineffective.
Outlaws' Fury
2.5 A mass board pump that draws you a card tends to play pretty well, and Red is quite good at going wide in this format.
Humiliate
2 This is a reasonable discard spell, as it will usually hit something and add a little to your board.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Unfortunate Accident
Full Steam Ahead
1.5 Overruns aren't as good as they used to be. There just aren't board stalls as much. This could end up overperforming if this format bucks that trend, though.
Unfortunate Accident
4 Destroying your opponent's best creature and adding to the board is very powerful, and the fail case here is Murder.
Kraum, Violent Cacophony
3.5 Playing this and casting something with Plot in the same turn will be a big turn, and that's not even close to far-fetched.
Return the Favor
3 This is situational of course, but if you can cast it with both Spree effects, it's kind of insane. If you can copy an opposing removal spell and then change the target of another, you get a 3-for-1.
Geyser Drake
3 This looks like a very nice Common. It has decent enough stats, and it's ability at a minimum makes your Instants easier to cast, but the set also has a ton of Flash that Geyser Drake can help you with.
Quick Draw
2 This is a solid trick, but it's only useful in combat, which makes it hard for it to be one you really want to seek out.
Drover Grizzly
2.5 The stat-line is passable, and don't forget it grants itself trample too.
Explosive Derailment
4 This is a great removal spell. Even if it was always just the first mode, it would be a card that always makes the cut -- and one you take highly. But the added Spree upside means that you can achieve a 2-for-1 sometimes.
Seize the Secrets
2.5 A two mana draw 2 is pretty serious business, and that mode will be accessible enough.
Lazav, Familiar Stranger
3.5 Growing Lazav won't be hard, and sometimes making him into a copy of a graveyard creature will be real upside.
Fleeting Reflection
1.5 Hexproof can be nice in the right situation. So can turning your creature into a copy of something else. However, both effects are too narrow for this to make the cut all that often.
Betrayal at the Vault
2.5 This has huge blowout potential, but it's too expensive to be something you really prioritize.
Bovine Intervention
0 This is awful removal, you practically 2-for-1 yourself in exchange for some efficiency.
Back for More
2.5 The ceiling here is incredibly high. You reanimate something at instant speed, use it to ambush block, and then have it fight something else. If the creature is big enough, it can survive all of that! But setting that up and getting the stats to line up correctly is pretty tough.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Gold Pan
Gold Rush
2 This is a decent trick that gives you back one mana, and it can even help you splash. There aren't so many treasures in Green that this will often give more than +2/+2.
Magebane Lizard
1.5 This is a weirdly defensive stat-line on a creature with an aggressive ability. It's also pretty awkward that Red is one of the colors that wants to cast multiple spells in a turn, and the effect is symmetrical.
Gold Pan
2 You can equip this right away if you want to, thanks to the treasure. Paying one to Equip for this boost is kind of passable, too.
Ankle Biter
2.5 Green one mana 1/1s with Deathtouch tend to be a little better than black ones because of bite effects.
Inventive Wingsmith
2 Getting this to Fly isn't too challenging, especially in Blue-White.
Iron-Fist Pulverizer
1.5 The stat-line's mediocre, and the second spell trigger isn't great either. Especially because second spell decks are going to want pretty low curves, so I'm not sure this really has a home.
Highway Robbery
2 Because you can sacrifice lands to this, it's much better in the late game than most Tormenting Voice-like effects.
Ride Down
2.5 This is pretty nice in all-out aggressive Red-White decks, but too situational for anything else.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Binding Negotiation
Binding Negotiation
2 It's nice that this can go after Plotted cards. When you do that it will almost feel like Time Walk. It still has the downside of most discard spells of course -- it doesn't impact the board and has dimnishing returns the later games get, but it's efficient enough to be solid.
Daring Thunder-Thief
2 This is a fairly beefy creature, and the fact it has flash should work nicely in UW decks.
Mourner's Surprise
2.5 This will feel close enough to a two-mana 2-for-1 that I'm definitely playing the first copy in most Black decks.
Gold Pan
2 You can equip this right away if you want to, thanks to the treasure. Paying one to Equip for this boost is kind of passable, too.
Ankle Biter
2.5 Green one mana 1/1s with Deathtouch tend to be a little better than black ones because of bite effects.
Ankle Biter
2.5 Green one mana 1/1s with Deathtouch tend to be a little better than black ones because of bite effects.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Stagecoach Security
Magebane Lizard
1.5 This is a weirdly defensive stat-line on a creature with an aggressive ability. It's also pretty awkward that Red is one of the colors that wants to cast multiple spells in a turn, and the effect is symmetrical.
Spinewoods Paladin
3 The rate on this is pretty crazy for a Common! It's a very real body that gains you life, and that can go a long way towards helping you stabilize.
Mine Raider
2.5 You'll get the treasure a significant percentage of the time, and the fail-case isn't too bad.
Stagecoach Security
2.5 Buffing your whole board and giving it Vigilance is great, as it allows you to attack a lot better while not giving anything up on defense.
Trick Shot
2.5 This is a little expensive, but it'll have a token to hit reasonably often and it can kill just about anything at instant speed. You probably don't want more than one of them, though.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Outlaw Medic
Boom Box
1 Don't let this tempt you too much. It's too expensive and too slow, and the destroy creature part is generally all that will actually matter.
Outlaw Medic
2.5 This has solid stats that are good for augmenting, and it's good sacrifie fodder.
Corrupted Conviction
2 If you have lots of Mercenary tokens, this isn't a bad way to cash them in.
Discerning Peddler
2 Red doesn't have much of a discard theme in this set. So, this is mostly just a card with a mediocre statline and a mediocre ETB.
Failed Fording
2 This style of card is virtually always a 2, even with a little bit of upside. It's nice that you can interact, but the price you pay is often card disadvantage.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Intimidation Campaign
Harrier Strix
2.5 This is a nice turn one play, and in the later game it's ETB can do some work -- especially if you need to commit some crimes.
Quick Draw
2 This is a solid trick, but it's only useful in combat, which makes it hard for it to be one you really want to seek out.
Intimidation Campaign
2.5 I really want this to be good, and it has the potential. But if this is like other formats of late, paying three mana over and over again for this effect might be too slow.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Humiliate
Reach for the Sky
1.5 It's great that this replaces itself, but it's too expensive for it to be a trick/aura that I'm interested in using.
Inventive Wingsmith
2 Getting this to Fly isn't too challenging, especially in Blue-White.
Humiliate
2 This is a reasonable discard spell, as it will usually hit something and add a little to your board.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Reach for the Sky
Reach for the Sky
1.5 It's great that this replaces itself, but it's too expensive for it to be a trick/aura that I'm interested in using.