Kiora, the Rising Tide
4.5 Even without threshold I'd be very excited about a three mana 3/2 that loots twice when it enters, and that threshold trigger is a game-ender.
Revenge of the Rats
1 / 3.5 This is definitely a buildaround, but a legit one for graveyard decks. Making a bunch of tokens is a good way to win the game once you've dumped your library in the graveyard.
Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen
3 The baseline here is solid and there are enough Elves in the format for this to buff a few of the creatures in your deck.
Stroke of Midnight
0 This is never good. It's tempting to see it as efficient and flexible, but giving your opponent a 1/1 means you always end up behind. You really have to always be killing a huge bomb for that cost to be worth it, and that's not how it pans out.
Cathar Commando
2.5 This has a passable stat-line and Flash can allow it to trade up sometimes, and having disenchant in your main deck is nice.
Infestation Sage
3 Getting two 1/1 bodies -- including one that can fly -- for only one mana is nice. Makes it good sacrifice fodder and a good Raid enabler.
Hare Apparent
1.5 // 2.5 You can't really play this if you only have one, but if you have 4+, you'll get enough tokens for them to be worthwhile.
Sower of Chaos
1.5 The stat-line's mediocre and the ability is too expensive.
Apothecary Stomper
2.5 This is pretty solid for the cost. The counters will augment your board in a pretty big way, and even as a 4/4 the stomper isn't really a creature that can be ignored.
Elementalist Adept
2 1 toughness prowess creatures can underperform, since they often need two triggers to survive being block by a 2/2, but Flash being in the mix helps make it more likely you can find a window to get in with it.
Wind-Scarred Crag
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
Fake Your Own Death
2.5 This is a quality trick that almost always wins combat and/or blanks removal, while generating extra value with a treasure.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Helpful Hunter
Wardens of the Cycle
3 Just getting the Morbid trigger once is enough to feel good about things, and that's good -- but don't expect to make this go off one very turn.
Burnished Hart
2 This ramps and fixes your mana pretty well, while also providing a body that can chump block. Not all decks want that, but I think enough of them will.
Joust Through
3 It's narrow, but it's so efficient that I think that's acceptable.
Helpful Hunter
3.5 Two mana 1/1s that draw a card are also quality Limited cards, and there's no reason that won't be true here.
Cackling Prowler
2.5 A 4-mana 4/3 with Ward 2 is pretty decent, as the Ward heps offset some of the problems of that stat-line, and it gives it more time to grow.
Fleeting Flight
2 This is a solid trick, it'll win combat most of the time and has the "oops I win" upside of sending your big creature into the air.
Think Twice
2.5 This is never super efficient, but it does draw you 2 cards, and if you mill it, it's like adding the card to your hand which is pretty sweet.
Spitfire Lagac
2 This has mediocre stats and an underwhelming landfall trigger.
Thrill of Possibility
2 This is always a decent card, especially in spell decks that can use it to chain multiple spell triggers together.
Luminous Rebuke
2.5 This is either too narrow or too expensive, but having the choice between the modes makes it greater than the sum of its parts.
Fake Your Own Death
2.5 This is a quality trick that almost always wins combat and/or blanks removal, while generating extra value with a treasure.
Bloodfell Caves
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
Soulstone Sanctuary
3 This hurts your mana base for sure, but having a land that can permanently turn into a creature is a big deal in the late game.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Mischievous Mystic
Fishing Pole
1.5 Turning one of your creatures into a 1/1 Fish factory can be good, but it's frequently better to attack with a creature than it is to mess with this.
Diregraf Ghoul
2 Entering tapped is a big downside unless you drop this on turn one, but at least a 2/2 body is sort of relevant on most boards.
Mischievous Mystic
4 This has good stats, and even if you only get one token out of it you're going to feel great.
Tolarian Terror
1.5 // 4 If you're in a spell heavy deck like UR, or a UB deck that's good at milling itself, the Terror is going to be a super powerful card that can often end games.
Spitfire Lagac
2 This has mediocre stats and an underwhelming landfall trigger.
Soul-Shackled Zombie
2.5 Draining 2 with this is going to be pretty close to automatic, and the body does a decent job of trading.
Bushwhack
2.5 Each of these modes is kind of medium, but having a card that can fix your mana when you need it or be a mediocre removal spell is fine.
Make Your Move
0.5 There aren't enough artifacts or enchantments in this format for this to be main deck material.
Fanatical Firebrand
2.5 This is really nice on turn one, and it's ping ability keeps it at least somewhat relevant all game long.
Bigfin Bouncer
3 Adding a 3/2 to the board and bouncing your opponent's best creature feels pretty nice -- although it can be a little rough against "enters" triggers.
Dismal Backwater
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
Hungry Ghoul
2.5 It has passable starting point and it's activated ability has some good applications in the format, in addition to just being solid on it's own.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Mischievous Mystic
Juggernaut
1.5 If you need a 4-drop you can probably do worse, but how often are you desperate for a 4 drop in Limited?
Snakeskin Veil
3 Always a great trick, it's solid in combat and great against removal. Spending one mana to win combat or blank a removal spell is a great feeling.
Mischievous Mystic
4 This has good stats, and even if you only get one token out of it you're going to feel great.
Involuntary Employment
1.0 // 2.5 You can't really play this unless you're crazy aggressive or you have good sacrifice outlets. If you do have those things, it can be solid.
Fake Your Own Death
2.5 This is a quality trick that almost always wins combat and/or blanks removal, while generating extra value with a treasure.
Vanguard Seraph
2 It's been awhile since a 4-mana 3/3 Flyer was exciting, and this life gain payoff is underwhelming.
Lightshell Duo
2.5 This'll never be great, but it slots in nicely to your spell and graveyard decks.
Goldvein Pick
3 This is great Equipment. It offers a good buff for the cost, and the treasure makes it very easy to move around -- while also giving you a mana boost that you might have access to every turn.
Squad Rallier
2.5 The stat-line is a bit underwhelming, but that activated ability is exactly what you want in the mid-to-late game. It's some serious flood insurance.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Cephalid Inkmage
Burnished Hart
2 This ramps and fixes your mana pretty well, while also providing a body that can chump block. Not all decks want that, but I think enough of them will.
Cephalid Inkmage
2.5 This is pretty good at enabling threshold, making it more likely it will be unblockable.
Fishing Pole
1.5 Turning one of your creatures into a 1/1 Fish factory can be good, but it's frequently better to attack with a creature than it is to mess with this.
Refute
2 Cancel is usually not a card that always makes the cut, and this probably doesn't quite get there either -- although adding Loot to the mix is definitely better.
Infestation Sage
3 Getting two 1/1 bodies -- including one that can fly -- for only one mana is nice. Makes it good sacrifice fodder and a good Raid enabler.
Hare Apparent
1.5 // 2.5 You can't really play this if you only have one, but if you have 4+, you'll get enough tokens for them to be worthwhile.
Run Away Together
1.5 It's temping to imagine scenarios where you bounce a creature with an "enters" trigger or help a creature dodge removal, but this is mostly just an awkward bounce spell.
Involuntary Employment
1.0 // 2.5 You can't really play this unless you're crazy aggressive or you have good sacrifice outlets. If you do have those things, it can be solid.
Fleeting Flight
2 This is a solid trick, it'll win combat most of the time and has the "oops I win" upside of sending your big creature into the air.
Swiftwater Cliffs
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Aetherize
Brass's Bounty
0 You never need 7 treasure in Limited when you already have 7 mana.
Aetherize
1.5 It's temping to imagine bouncing an entire alpha strike, but that won't happen very often. Can feel good in response to combat tricks, but if that's not the case, you're going down a card and your opponent isn't.
Revenge of the Rats
1 / 3.5 This is definitely a buildaround, but a legit one for graveyard decks. Making a bunch of tokens is a good way to win the game once you've dumped your library in the graveyard.
Macabre Waltz
2.5 Giving up a land late to get two good creatures back from the yard is a good way to win those games, although this is pretty bad when you get it early.
Campus Guide
1.5 This is the fixing you play when you're desperate. Or the two drop you play when you're desperate. Mostly, it's bad at being either of those things, so you hope you don't play it.
Sower of Chaos
1.5 The stat-line's mediocre and the ability is too expensive.
Apothecary Stomper
2.5 This is pretty solid for the cost. The counters will augment your board in a pretty big way, and even as a 4/4 the stomper isn't really a creature that can be ignored.
Campus Guide
1.5 This is the fixing you play when you're desperate. Or the two drop you play when you're desperate. Mostly, it's bad at being either of those things, so you hope you don't play it.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Lightshell Duo
Bigfin Bouncer
3 Adding a 3/2 to the board and bouncing your opponent's best creature feels pretty nice -- although it can be a little rough against "enters" triggers.
Soul-Shackled Zombie
2.5 Draining 2 with this is going to be pretty close to automatic, and the body does a decent job of trading.
Fleeting Distraction
1 // 2.5 This is only going to make the cut regularly in spell decks that love the idea of a card that triggers prowess and replaces itself.
Marauding Blight-Priest
2 This isn't the most exciting payoff, but it's fine -- and it's a two-card combo with Bloodthirsty Conqueror.
Lightshell Duo
2.5 This'll never be great, but it slots in nicely to your spell and graveyard decks.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Refute
Billowing Shriekmass
3 This helps set up graveyard stuff while also frequently becoming a 4/4 flyer as a result of it's trigger.
Ravenous Amulet
1.5 This is too slow to work out very well. If you have lots of fodder you might be able to go off, though.
Luminous Rebuke
2.5 This is either too narrow or too expensive, but having the choice between the modes makes it greater than the sum of its parts.
Spitfire Lagac
2 This has mediocre stats and an underwhelming landfall trigger.
Courageous Goblin
2.5 This'll be able to rumble on turn 3 as a 3/2 Menace reasonably often in this format.
Refute
2 Cancel is usually not a card that always makes the cut, and this probably doesn't quite get there either -- although adding Loot to the mix is definitely better.
Tranquil Cove
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Balmor, Battlemage Captain
Revenge of the Rats
1 / 3.5 This is definitely a buildaround, but a legit one for graveyard decks. Making a bunch of tokens is a good way to win the game once you've dumped your library in the graveyard.
Fake Your Own Death
2.5 This is a quality trick that almost always wins combat and/or blanks removal, while generating extra value with a treasure.
Sower of Chaos
1.5 The stat-line's mediocre and the ability is too expensive.
Wind-Scarred Crag
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
Fake Your Own Death
2.5 This is a quality trick that almost always wins combat and/or blanks removal, while generating extra value with a treasure.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Thrill of Possibility
Cackling Prowler
2.5 A 4-mana 4/3 with Ward 2 is pretty decent, as the Ward heps offset some of the problems of that stat-line, and it gives it more time to grow.
Spitfire Lagac
2 This has mediocre stats and an underwhelming landfall trigger.
Thrill of Possibility
2 This is always a decent card, especially in spell decks that can use it to chain multiple spell triggers together.
Luminous Rebuke
2.5 This is either too narrow or too expensive, but having the choice between the modes makes it greater than the sum of its parts.
Bloodfell Caves
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Fanatical Firebrand
Spitfire Lagac
2 This has mediocre stats and an underwhelming landfall trigger.
Fanatical Firebrand
2.5 This is really nice on turn one, and it's ping ability keeps it at least somewhat relevant all game long.
Bigfin Bouncer
3 Adding a 3/2 to the board and bouncing your opponent's best creature feels pretty nice -- although it can be a little rough against "enters" triggers.
Dismal Backwater
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Lightshell Duo
Involuntary Employment
1.0 // 2.5 You can't really play this unless you're crazy aggressive or you have good sacrifice outlets. If you do have those things, it can be solid.
Lightshell Duo
2.5 This'll never be great, but it slots in nicely to your spell and graveyard decks.
Involuntary Employment
1.0 // 2.5 You can't really play this unless you're crazy aggressive or you have good sacrifice outlets. If you do have those things, it can be solid.
Swiftwater Cliffs
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
High-Society Hunter
4.5 This has good stats and can take over the game with that first swing, since it'll grow to an even more massive size and draw you a card.
Blanchwood Armor
0 You would need a mono-green deck with lots of hexproof for this to be a thing, and you can't pull that off in this format.
Mischievous Pup
1.5 This was underwhelming last time we saw it -- it has a bad stat-line and a narrow enters trigger, so it's not going to make the cut all the time.
Seeker's Folly
1.5 This has two weak, narrow effects. And while having the option to choose the most useful one is nice, it's not enough to make it something that makes the cut consistently.
Bulk Up
1.5 The ceiling here is real -- you can spend 8 mana and quadruple power. The flower is awful -- since it doesnt' buff toughness at all, it's not much of a combat trick.
Axgard Cavalry
1.5 This stat-line is pretty bad these days, and Haste is too narrow of a keyword ability for this to be very useful.
Stab
4 This is super efficient removal that can often trade up.
Healer's Hawk
3 This is a great one drop, especially in a format with lots of ways to buff the Hawk.
Fanatical Firebrand
2.5 This is really nice on turn one, and it's ping ability keeps it at least somewhat relevant all game long.
Fleeting Flight
2 This is a solid trick, it'll win combat most of the time and has the "oops I win" upside of sending your big creature into the air.
Think Twice
2.5 This is never super efficient, but it does draw you 2 cards, and if you mill it, it's like adding the card to your hand which is pretty sweet.
Cackling Prowler
2.5 A 4-mana 4/3 with Ward 2 is pretty decent, as the Ward heps offset some of the problems of that stat-line, and it gives it more time to grow.
Scoured Barrens
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
An Offer You Can't Refuse
0 One mana to counter a noncreature spell is great! Giving your opponent a huge mana boost, though? Not so much. You basically 2-for-1 yourself when you cast this.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Refute
Clinquant Skymage
2 This starting stat-line is absolutely abyssmal, but the text box does mean it can grow in a hurry.
Diregraf Ghoul
2 Entering tapped is a big downside unless you drop this on turn one, but at least a 2/2 body is sort of relevant on most boards.
Frenzied Goblin
2.5 This can definitely let an aggro deck get through for a big attack, even in the late game.
Eager Trufflesnout
3 Getting one food out of this feels good, and if you get more than that you're going to be thrilled.
Thrill of Possibility
2 This is always a decent card, especially in spell decks that can use it to chain multiple spell triggers together.
Refute
2 Cancel is usually not a card that always makes the cut, and this probably doesn't quite get there either -- although adding Loot to the mix is definitely better.
Luminous Rebuke
2.5 This is either too narrow or too expensive, but having the choice between the modes makes it greater than the sum of its parts.
Sure Strike
1.5 This is a good trick in combat, but it's a little bit expensive and not useful against most removal.
Beast-Kin Ranger
2.5 Making tokens can make this hit really hard, but a 3-mana 3/3 trampler isn't anythign special.
Bake into a Pie
3.5 It's a little expensive but makes up for that in a big way with that food token.
Firebrand Archer
1.5 // 2.5 You can only play this if you lots and lots of noncreature spells, since the stat-line is so bad. You need a few triggers to make up for that.
Dismal Backwater
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
Erudite Wizard
1.5 This has a weak starting stat-line and isn't that easy to grow.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Burst Lightning
Seismic Rupture
0.5 This is mostly sideboard material. Most decks won't be equipped to abuse it, and most opponents won't have the right deck for it to be useful.
Aetherize
1.5 It's temping to imagine bouncing an entire alpha strike, but that won't happen very often. Can feel good in response to combat tricks, but if that's not the case, you're going down a card and your opponent isn't.
Zombify
2 It's rare for reanimation effects to be great in Limited, especially at 4+ mana. It's just tough to get your mana's worth.
Courageous Goblin
2.5 This'll be able to rumble on turn 3 as a 3/2 Menace reasonably often in this format.
Quick-Draw Katana
2 This only offers a buff during your turn, and if you're an aggro deck you're probably more interested in playing more creatures than playing this thing.
Gutless Plunderer
1.5 Three-mana 2/2s with death touch aren't anything special and even if you get this Raid trigger it's hard to feel good about casting this.
Refute
2 Cancel is usually not a card that always makes the cut, and this probably doesn't quite get there either -- although adding Loot to the mix is definitely better.
Burst Lightning
4 This is Shock with upside, and the upside is real -- since in the late game it can deal with much larger creatures or finish the opponent off.
Goldvein Pick
3 This is great Equipment. It offers a good buff for the cost, and the treasure makes it very easy to move around -- while also giving you a mana boost that you might have access to every turn.
Inspiring Paladin
3 Even without the +1/+1 counter upside this would be a solid card, and with it becomes a very good Common.
Blossoming Sands
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
Witness Protection
1 This is a removal spell that gives you less than a 1-for-1. Leaving a 1/1 creature around is brutal since it can still attack and block, and if you have any X/1s it can be super miserable.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Think Twice
Lunar Insight
1.5 This has some nice extreme late game upside, but int he early game it's pretty close to a blank card.
Ravenous Amulet
1.5 This is too slow to work out very well. If you have lots of fodder you might be able to go off, though.
An Offer You Can't Refuse
0 One mana to counter a noncreature spell is great! Giving your opponent a huge mana boost, though? Not so much. You basically 2-for-1 yourself when you cast this.
Resolute Reinforcements
3 This is just a good rate, and it gets better if you've got some ways to blink or recur the Reinforcements.
Luminous Rebuke
2.5 This is either too narrow or too expensive, but having the choice between the modes makes it greater than the sum of its parts.
Spitfire Lagac
2 This has mediocre stats and an underwhelming landfall trigger.
Beast-Kin Ranger
2.5 Making tokens can make this hit really hard, but a 3-mana 3/3 trampler isn't anythign special.
Squad Rallier
2.5 The stat-line is a bit underwhelming, but that activated ability is exactly what you want in the mid-to-late game. It's some serious flood insurance.
Think Twice
2.5 This is never super efficient, but it does draw you 2 cards, and if you mill it, it's like adding the card to your hand which is pretty sweet.
Perforating Artist
2.5 This has mediocre stats and while the Raid trigger can be pretty good if you can get it going multiple times, I'm skeptical you'll be able to.
Burnished Hart
2 This ramps and fixes your mana pretty well, while also providing a body that can chump block. Not all decks want that, but I think enough of them will.
Cathar Commando
2.5 This has a passable stat-line and Flash can allow it to trade up sometimes, and having disenchant in your main deck is nice.
Apothecary Stomper
2.5 This is pretty solid for the cost. The counters will augment your board in a pretty big way, and even as a 4/4 the stomper isn't really a creature that can be ignored.
Prideful Parent
3.5 Three mana 2/2s that make 1/1s are always quality cards in Limited, and the 2/2 in this case even comes with Vigilance.
Axgard Cavalry
1.5 This stat-line is pretty bad these days, and Haste is too narrow of a keyword ability for this to be very useful.
Crypt Feaster
2 The floor is mediocre and so is the ceiling. This isn't really the graveyard payoff you're looking for, but you'll play it.
Aegis Turtle
1 This isn't worth a card. All it does is block, and it doesn't do it all that well, since it just absorbs damage and can't trade for anything.
Courageous Goblin
2.5 This'll be able to rumble on turn 3 as a 3/2 Menace reasonably often in this format.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Cephalid Inkmage
Reclamation Sage
0.5 This is a sideboard card because it won't have targets often enough against most decks.
Juggernaut
1.5 If you need a 4-drop you can probably do worse, but how often are you desperate for a 4 drop in Limited?
Stromkirk Bloodthief
1.5 Last time we saw this was in a way more vampire-heavy set and it was not very good. It's probably going to be worse here. The stat-line is bad and the trigger is surprisingly hard to get.
Cephalid Inkmage
2.5 This is pretty good at enabling threshold, making it more likely it will be unblockable.
Axgard Cavalry
1.5 This stat-line is pretty bad these days, and Haste is too narrow of a keyword ability for this to be very useful.
Uncharted Voyage
3 These 4-mana "Time Ebb" effects always tend to perform well. They give you good 1-for-1 removal that can even be disruptive, and adding Surveil to the mix is nice.
Macabre Waltz
2.5 Giving up a land late to get two good creatures back from the yard is a good way to win those games, although this is pretty bad when you get it early.
Spitfire Lagac
2 This has mediocre stats and an underwhelming landfall trigger.
Run Away Together
1.5 It's temping to imagine scenarios where you bounce a creature with an "enters" trigger or help a creature dodge removal, but this is mostly just an awkward bounce spell.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Mocking Sprite
Seeker's Folly
1.5 This has two weak, narrow effects. And while having the option to choose the most useful one is nice, it's not enough to make it something that makes the cut consistently.
Heraldic Banner
1.5 This is an awkward card, because you usually don't want to name the same color for both effects -- but you have no choice here.
Mocking Sprite
2 Last time we saw this, the stat-line really held it back. This format has fewer incidental ways to kill it, but I'm still skeptical of it being able to stick around.
Involuntary Employment
1.0 // 2.5 You can't really play this unless you're crazy aggressive or you have good sacrifice outlets. If you do have those things, it can be solid.
Prideful Parent
3.5 Three mana 2/2s that make 1/1s are always quality cards in Limited, and the 2/2 in this case even comes with Vigilance.
Goblin Surprise
2.5 Neither mode is great. The tokens are a bit below rate and the buff is situational, but having a choice between them is a big upgrade.
Healer's Hawk
3 This is a great one drop, especially in a format with lots of ways to buff the Hawk.
Uncharted Voyage
3 These 4-mana "Time Ebb" effects always tend to perform well. They give you good 1-for-1 removal that can even be disruptive, and adding Surveil to the mix is nice.
Pack 2 Pick 8: Faebloom Trick
Faebloom Trick
3 Even if this didn't tap something, it'd be a pretty nice rate -- adding the tap to the mix makes it a lot more likely your new flyers can get in for a hit, too.
Thrill of Possibility
2 This is always a decent card, especially in spell decks that can use it to chain multiple spell triggers together.
Gleaming Barrier
1 If this format had an artifact theme this might be more useful, as is it's just a bad defensive creature that gives you a little mana back.
Refute
2 Cancel is usually not a card that always makes the cut, and this probably doesn't quite get there either -- although adding Loot to the mix is definitely better.
Burglar Rat
2.5 This is always a solid Limited creature. It's certainly not a full-blown 2-for-1, but it gets a card up front and then you have a body around to block or sacrifice.
Ambush Wolf
2.5 This can trade up when it ambush blocks, and when it doesn't it can add significantly to the board during your opponent's end step, and maybe even hate on the graveyard.
Blanchwood Armor
0 You would need a mono-green deck with lots of hexproof for this to be a thing, and you can't pull that off in this format.
Mischievous Pup
1.5 This was underwhelming last time we saw it -- it has a bad stat-line and a narrow enters trigger, so it's not going to make the cut all the time.
Seeker's Folly
1.5 This has two weak, narrow effects. And while having the option to choose the most useful one is nice, it's not enough to make it something that makes the cut consistently.
Bulk Up
1.5 The ceiling here is real -- you can spend 8 mana and quadruple power. The flower is awful -- since it doesnt' buff toughness at all, it's not much of a combat trick.
Think Twice
2.5 This is never super efficient, but it does draw you 2 cards, and if you mill it, it's like adding the card to your hand which is pretty sweet.
An Offer You Can't Refuse
0 One mana to counter a noncreature spell is great! Giving your opponent a huge mana boost, though? Not so much. You basically 2-for-1 yourself when you cast this.
Pack 2 Pick 10: Dismal Backwater
Thrill of Possibility
2 This is always a decent card, especially in spell decks that can use it to chain multiple spell triggers together.
Sure Strike
1.5 This is a good trick in combat, but it's a little bit expensive and not useful against most removal.
Firebrand Archer
1.5 // 2.5 You can only play this if you lots and lots of noncreature spells, since the stat-line is so bad. You need a few triggers to make up for that.
Dismal Backwater
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
Erudite Wizard
1.5 This has a weak starting stat-line and isn't that easy to grow.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Refute
Seismic Rupture
0.5 This is mostly sideboard material. Most decks won't be equipped to abuse it, and most opponents won't have the right deck for it to be useful.
Aetherize
1.5 It's temping to imagine bouncing an entire alpha strike, but that won't happen very often. Can feel good in response to combat tricks, but if that's not the case, you're going down a card and your opponent isn't.
Refute
2 Cancel is usually not a card that always makes the cut, and this probably doesn't quite get there either -- although adding Loot to the mix is definitely better.
Goldvein Pick
3 This is great Equipment. It offers a good buff for the cost, and the treasure makes it very easy to move around -- while also giving you a mana boost that you might have access to every turn.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Spitfire Lagac
Ravenous Amulet
1.5 This is too slow to work out very well. If you have lots of fodder you might be able to go off, though.
Spitfire Lagac
2 This has mediocre stats and an underwhelming landfall trigger.
Aegis Turtle
1 This isn't worth a card. All it does is block, and it doesn't do it all that well, since it just absorbs damage and can't trade for anything.
Spitfire Lagac
2 This has mediocre stats and an underwhelming landfall trigger.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Burst Lightning
Slagstorm
0.5 This is a good sideboard card if you're playing against an aggro deck, but Red control decks don't really look like a thing, so it's hard to envision situations where it works well.
Reclamation Sage
0.5 This is a sideboard card because it won't have targets often enough against most decks.
Spectral Sailor
3 This is a great one drop that can chip in for damage early, and in the late game it has a nice mana sink ability.
Arbiter of Woe
2.5 You're going to need some fodder to make this really work out, but there's plenty of that in the format, and the enters trigger is pretty legit.
Fiery Annihilation
4 This kills most stuff and turns off death triggers and any threat of recursion. Format has a decent number of equipment, too.
Bigfin Bouncer
3 Adding a 3/2 to the board and bouncing your opponent's best creature feels pretty nice -- although it can be a little rough against "enters" triggers.
Burst Lightning
4 This is Shock with upside, and the upside is real -- since in the late game it can deal with much larger creatures or finish the opponent off.
Vampire Soulcaller
2 Not being able to block is a big downside, as it makes it way harder to generate a 2-for-1 with this than with something like Gravedigger.
Broken Wings
0.5 This is a sideboard card. There aren't enough targets in most decks for it to be wortwhile in the main deck.
Luminous Rebuke
2.5 This is either too narrow or too expensive, but having the choice between the modes makes it greater than the sum of its parts.
Goblin Surprise
2.5 Neither mode is great. The tokens are a bit below rate and the buff is situational, but having a choice between them is a big upgrade.
Eaten Alive
3 Not going to be as good here as it was in Crimson Vow, as decayed zombie tokens aren't everywhere, but it's still petty awesome when you do have something expendable to give up.
Goldvein Pick
3 This is great Equipment. It offers a good buff for the cost, and the treasure makes it very easy to move around -- while also giving you a mana boost that you might have access to every turn.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Goblin Surprise
Swiftblade Vindicator
3 You need to do a little bit of extra work with counters, auras, and the like for this to really go off -- but the baseline is fine too.
Soulstone Sanctuary
3 This hurts your mana base for sure, but having a land that can permanently turn into a creature is a big deal in the late game.
Hero's Downfall
3.5 This is premium removal. It's a little hard to cast at times, but answering creatures or planeswalkers for three mana is great on an instant.
Rune-Sealed Wall
1.5 Purely defensive creatures are rarely worth it in Limited, and while this can surveil, that's not enough upside.
Goblin Surprise
2.5 Neither mode is great. The tokens are a bit below rate and the buff is situational, but having a choice between them is a big upgrade.
Armasaur Guide
2.5 You can get a counter from this even when it doesn't attack, and it's nice it can put the counter on itself too, as a 5/5 vigilance is pretty formidable.
Gutless Plunderer
1.5 Three-mana 2/2s with death touch aren't anything special and even if you get this Raid trigger it's hard to feel good about casting this.
Campus Guide
1.5 This is the fixing you play when you're desperate. Or the two drop you play when you're desperate. Mostly, it's bad at being either of those things, so you hope you don't play it.
Fleeting Distraction
1 // 2.5 This is only going to make the cut regularly in spell decks that love the idea of a card that triggers prowess and replaces itself.
Bushwhack
2.5 Each of these modes is kind of medium, but having a card that can fix your mana when you need it or be a mediocre removal spell is fine.
Infestation Sage
3 Getting two 1/1 bodies -- including one that can fly -- for only one mana is nice. Makes it good sacrifice fodder and a good Raid enabler.
Axgard Cavalry
1.5 This stat-line is pretty bad these days, and Haste is too narrow of a keyword ability for this to be very useful.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Sphinx of Forgotten Lore
Sphinx of Forgotten Lore
5 A 4-mana 3/3 with flash and Flying is a very good card, and being able to flash back your spells is massive. Because of Flash, you'll often be able to get one attack in before your opponent ever has a chance to take it down, at which point they are probably too far behind anyway.
Billowing Shriekmass
3 This helps set up graveyard stuff while also frequently becoming a 4/4 flyer as a result of it's trigger.
Abrade
3.5 Two mana deal 3s are always great, and this one can take out an artifact on occasion.
Secluded Courtyard
0 This format doesn't have enough of a typal theme for this to ever make sense. It will rarely produce colored mana.
Sure Strike
1.5 This is a good trick in combat, but it's a little bit expensive and not useful against most removal.
Cackling Prowler
2.5 A 4-mana 4/3 with Ward 2 is pretty decent, as the Ward heps offset some of the problems of that stat-line, and it gives it more time to grow.
Healer's Hawk
3 This is a great one drop, especially in a format with lots of ways to buff the Hawk.
Dwynen's Elite
2.5 This'll just be a two mana 2/2 reasonably often, but it'll also make a 1/1 token a decent chunk of the time, and if it always did that it would be a 4.0.
Soul-Shackled Zombie
2.5 Draining 2 with this is going to be pretty close to automatic, and the body does a decent job of trading.
Aegis Turtle
1 This isn't worth a card. All it does is block, and it doesn't do it all that well, since it just absorbs damage and can't trade for anything.
Make Your Move
0.5 There aren't enough artifacts or enchantments in this format for this to be main deck material.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Bigfin Bouncer
An Offer You Can't Refuse
0 One mana to counter a noncreature spell is great! Giving your opponent a huge mana boost, though? Not so much. You basically 2-for-1 yourself when you cast this.
Heroic Reinforcements
3.5 If you can curve out with this at the top, you usually win the game -- and even if thigns aren't going quite that smoothly, it usually results in a big turn.
Broken Wings
0.5 This is a sideboard card. There aren't enough targets in most decks for it to be wortwhile in the main deck.
Courageous Goblin
2.5 This'll be able to rumble on turn 3 as a 3/2 Menace reasonably often in this format.
Armasaur Guide
2.5 You can get a counter from this even when it doesn't attack, and it's nice it can put the counter on itself too, as a 5/5 vigilance is pretty formidable.
Quick-Draw Katana
2 This only offers a buff during your turn, and if you're an aggro deck you're probably more interested in playing more creatures than playing this thing.
Squad Rallier
2.5 The stat-line is a bit underwhelming, but that activated ability is exactly what you want in the mid-to-late game. It's some serious flood insurance.
Uncharted Voyage
3 These 4-mana "Time Ebb" effects always tend to perform well. They give you good 1-for-1 removal that can even be disruptive, and adding Surveil to the mix is nice.
Marauding Blight-Priest
2 This isn't the most exciting payoff, but it's fine -- and it's a two-card combo with Bloodthirsty Conqueror.
Bigfin Bouncer
3 Adding a 3/2 to the board and bouncing your opponent's best creature feels pretty nice -- although it can be a little rough against "enters" triggers.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Tolarian Terror
Genesis Wave
1 You need a ton of mana for casting this to be worthwhile, and you just can't get there in Limited often enough.
Guarded Heir
3.5 This is expensive, but it delivers what a 6-mana card could. It's virtually impossible for you to win the game the turn after you cast it, even when you're behind -- and it can pull you ahead if you're at parity.
Ravenous Amulet
1.5 This is too slow to work out very well. If you have lots of fodder you might be able to go off, though.
Exsanguinate
1 You need a ton of mana before this is worth casting, and even then it doesn't impact the board.
Firebrand Archer
1.5 // 2.5 You can only play this if you lots and lots of noncreature spells, since the stat-line is so bad. You need a few triggers to make up for that.
Apothecary Stomper
2.5 This is pretty solid for the cost. The counters will augment your board in a pretty big way, and even as a 4/4 the stomper isn't really a creature that can be ignored.
Goldvein Pick
3 This is great Equipment. It offers a good buff for the cost, and the treasure makes it very easy to move around -- while also giving you a mana boost that you might have access to every turn.
Tolarian Terror
1.5 // 4 If you're in a spell heavy deck like UR, or a UB deck that's good at milling itself, the Terror is going to be a super powerful card that can often end games.
Thrill of Possibility
2 This is always a decent card, especially in spell decks that can use it to chain multiple spell triggers together.
Juggernaut
1.5 If you need a 4-drop you can probably do worse, but how often are you desperate for a 4 drop in Limited?
Firespitter Whelp
2.5 Wind Drake stats aren't what they used to be, but the upside is enough to make this solid.
Soul-Shackled Zombie
2.5 Draining 2 with this is going to be pretty close to automatic, and the body does a decent job of trading.
Cathar Commando
2.5 This has a passable stat-line and Flash can allow it to trade up sometimes, and having disenchant in your main deck is nice.
Tolarian Terror
1.5 // 4 If you're in a spell heavy deck like UR, or a UB deck that's good at milling itself, the Terror is going to be a super powerful card that can often end games.
Thrill of Possibility
2 This is always a decent card, especially in spell decks that can use it to chain multiple spell triggers together.
Bushwhack
2.5 Each of these modes is kind of medium, but having a card that can fix your mana when you need it or be a mediocre removal spell is fine.
Burst Lightning
4 This is Shock with upside, and the upside is real -- since in the late game it can deal with much larger creatures or finish the opponent off.
An Offer You Can't Refuse
0 One mana to counter a noncreature spell is great! Giving your opponent a huge mana boost, though? Not so much. You basically 2-for-1 yourself when you cast this.
Quick-Draw Katana
2 This only offers a buff during your turn, and if you're an aggro deck you're probably more interested in playing more creatures than playing this thing.
Broken Wings
0.5 This is a sideboard card. There aren't enough targets in most decks for it to be wortwhile in the main deck.
Elementalist Adept
2 1 toughness prowess creatures can underperform, since they often need two triggers to survive being block by a 2/2, but Flash being in the mix helps make it more likely you can find a window to get in with it.
Soul-Shackled Zombie
2.5 Draining 2 with this is going to be pretty close to automatic, and the body does a decent job of trading.
Giant Growth
2 This is always a nice trick. It wins most combats very efficiently and can even blank some removal.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Inspiration from Beyond
Diregraf Ghoul
2 Entering tapped is a big downside unless you drop this on turn one, but at least a 2/2 body is sort of relevant on most boards.
Inspiration from Beyond
0 // 3 This has a nice ceiling, but a miserable floor. You need lots of spells and lots of graveyard stuff going on, and neither of those are guaranteed.
Campus Guide
1.5 This is the fixing you play when you're desperate. Or the two drop you play when you're desperate. Mostly, it's bad at being either of those things, so you hope you don't play it.
Gorehorn Raider
2.5 This is strong when you can Raid, and pretty mediocre when you can't.
Crypt Feaster
2 The floor is mediocre and so is the ceiling. This isn't really the graveyard payoff you're looking for, but you'll play it.
Vampire Soulcaller
2 Not being able to block is a big downside, as it makes it way harder to generate a 2-for-1 with this than with something like Gravedigger.
Bloodfell Caves
2.5 These all offer nice fixing, and the lifegain on the BW can be extra nice.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Slagstorm
Slagstorm
0.5 This is a good sideboard card if you're playing against an aggro deck, but Red control decks don't really look like a thing, so it's hard to envision situations where it works well.
Bigfin Bouncer
3 Adding a 3/2 to the board and bouncing your opponent's best creature feels pretty nice -- although it can be a little rough against "enters" triggers.
Vampire Soulcaller
2 Not being able to block is a big downside, as it makes it way harder to generate a 2-for-1 with this than with something like Gravedigger.
Goblin Surprise
2.5 Neither mode is great. The tokens are a bit below rate and the buff is situational, but having a choice between them is a big upgrade.
Goldvein Pick
3 This is great Equipment. It offers a good buff for the cost, and the treasure makes it very easy to move around -- while also giving you a mana boost that you might have access to every turn.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Fleeting Distraction
Rune-Sealed Wall
1.5 Purely defensive creatures are rarely worth it in Limited, and while this can surveil, that's not enough upside.
Gutless Plunderer
1.5 Three-mana 2/2s with death touch aren't anything special and even if you get this Raid trigger it's hard to feel good about casting this.
Fleeting Distraction
1 // 2.5 This is only going to make the cut regularly in spell decks that love the idea of a card that triggers prowess and replaces itself.
Axgard Cavalry
1.5 This stat-line is pretty bad these days, and Haste is too narrow of a keyword ability for this to be very useful.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Sure Strike
Sure Strike
1.5 This is a good trick in combat, but it's a little bit expensive and not useful against most removal.
Soul-Shackled Zombie
2.5 Draining 2 with this is going to be pretty close to automatic, and the body does a decent job of trading.
Aegis Turtle
1 This isn't worth a card. All it does is block, and it doesn't do it all that well, since it just absorbs damage and can't trade for anything.
An Offer You Can't Refuse
0 One mana to counter a noncreature spell is great! Giving your opponent a huge mana boost, though? Not so much. You basically 2-for-1 yourself when you cast this.
Uncharted Voyage
3 These 4-mana "Time Ebb" effects always tend to perform well. They give you good 1-for-1 removal that can even be disruptive, and adding Surveil to the mix is nice.