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Quick Draft WOE 2 February 2025

2 February 06:31 - u51010cze 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Creature (16)
1 Talion's Messenger image
2 Conceited Witch image
3 Obyra, Dreaming Duelist image
2 Beluna's Gatekeeper image
2 Sweettooth Witch image
1 High Fae Negotiator image
1 Faerie Dreamthief image
1 Scarecrow Guide image
1 Stingblade Assassin image
1 Specter of Mortality image
1 Snaremaster Sprite image
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (7)
1 Prophetic Prism image
1 The Witch's Vanity image
1 Stab Wound image
1 Not Dead After All image
1 Feed the Cauldron image
1 Bitter Chill image
1 Rat Out image
Land (17)
1 Crystal Grotto image
8 Swamp image
8 Island image
Sideboard
1 Charmed Clothier image
2 Tuinvale Guide image
1 Stockpiling Celebrant image
1 Sweettooth Witch image
1 Splashy Spellcaster image
1 Threadbind Clique image
1 Scarecrow Guide image
1 Mocking Sprite image
1 Living Lectern image
1 Archon's Glory image
1 Break the Spell image
1 Sugar Rush image
1 Ego Drain image
1 Spreading Seas image
1 Return Triumphant image
1 Plunge into Winter image
1 Kindled Heroism image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Talion's Messenger
Utopia Sprawl image 3.0 This offers nice fixing and ramp at a very efficient rate. It lets you play three mana things on turn two which is always nice. It does only Enchant forests, which comes up sometimes, but this is still a pretty great way to get a mana advantage early. It does get worse later in the game when mana is less meaningful, but that early game upside is enough for this to be pretty good
Talion's Messenger image 5.0 This is really strong, even on its own. Looting on attack is a powerful thing as we just saw in Lord of the Rings, and this also feels kind of like Connive, another strong mechanic from the recent past. Basically, this improves your card quality while growing on its own, and then there’s the fact that it lends the ability to other Faeries too. I think you’ll have another Faerie in play often enough when you play the Messenger that it will have an immediate impact on the board, and that combined with it’s ability to snowball makes it a bomb
Ashiok's Reaper image 2.5 This seems like it may be a little too clunky. The stats are bad, and while getting Enchantments into the graveyard is more doable in this format than most, it isn’t going to just happen so often that this entirely makes up for that very real problem.
Collector's Vault image 1.5 This is probably a little too clunky to be worth it. Looting and treasure is nice of course, but the number of turns where you have the time and mana to activated this ability will be surprisingly limited
Sharae of Numbing Depths image 3.5 It’s a 4-mana 2/3 that stuns something down and draws you a card. I’m always playing that. Stunning something isn’t quite as good as bouncing, but it feels pretty close! Then it works well with other tap effects too
Mintstrosity image 2.0 Two mana 3/1s tend to be solid for aggro decks, and getting a Food when this goes down is nice upside to have
Obyra's Attendants image 3.5 This has two-for-one potential, though it isn’t always going to be accessible. You need a board of some sort to turn Desperate Parry into a full card, but there are a number of ways you can. For example, you can triple block something and then use the Parry to make it so all your stuff survives and they lose their creature. Then you get a serviceable flyer later
Feed the Cauldron image 2.0 This will never let you trade up, and that’s one of the best things to do with removal spells. With this, you’ll kill something that cost the same or less. Getting that Food helps, but you don’t even always get it.
Plunge into Winter image 1.5 I think you end up with a decent rate when you cast this card, one that means you won’t feel bad about playing it. Tapping doesn’t always matter, but you do always get Scry 1 draw a card, and when tapping does matter – or even better – when you have a tap payoff in play – this gets significantly better.
Bellowing Bruiser image 2.0 I’m high on most of the Adventure creatures in the set – this one doesn’t seem quite as good as the others. This is because it doesn’t really generate 2-for-1 type value or even close to it. It isn’t bad by any means, but the Adventure side is a highly situational card. It can be powerful in the right spot of course, and if you ever 8 mana to cast both halves that will feel pretty awesome, but overall, I don’t see Beat a Path being that impressive, and the same is true of a 5-mana 4/4 Haste. It’s still a solid card that will make the cut a decent chunk of the time – but most of the adventures in this set are a little better than that
Spell Stutter image 1.0 // 2.5 One of the downsides with counter magic that gives your opponent the option of paying mana to ignore it is that it gets worse as the game goes longer, but the Faerie upside here helps hedge against that. This probably needs a build around grade though, because if you’re in Blue and you’re short on Faeries it’s a lot worse
Rootrider Faun image 3.0 This has decent stats, it offers decent ramp, and it offers decent fixing. None of the things it does are very exciting, but ramp does seem like a real strategy in Green
Prophetic Prism image 2.0 This is pretty solid every time we see it. It’s not going to be as good here as it would be an artifact-heavy set, but it replaces itself and does an okay job of fixing your mana
Fell Horseman image 3.0 Like most of the Common adventure creatures, both sides of this look super underwhelming, but they do in fact often result in a 2-for-1, so it’s better than it looks
Pack 1 Pick 2: Conceited Witch
Garruk's Uprising image 2.5 The Red/Green and Blue/Green decks in this format can probably make decent use of this. One of the nice things about it is that it rewards you some for already having big things in play and then rewards you as well when you play them afterward, that means most of the time it will do something
Succumb to the Cold image 1.5 This can be a nice tempo card that you can use to close out your opponent, and that’s especially true in Blue/White, which can get some extra value from the tapping. Still, it is fairly situational – if you can’t use it to finish your opponent off, or you have to use it defensively, it feels pretty bad
Three Bowls of Porridge image 1.5 None of these modes is going to feel very efficient, but they do all do…something. Picking of a small creature will probably feel the best, but tapping things is certainly nice on the right board state, especially if you have a payoff for tapping something. Then it can of course do the Food thing. Still, the ability is expensive enough that having the mana around to actually use it isn’t guaranteed, and it isn’t like any of these modes is really going to make you feel like you’re getting there
Splashy Spellcaster image 3.5 This is a powerful spell payoff, and it has high enough toughness to be difficult to deal with and attack through. It is a little sad it can’t give itself a Sorcerer Role, but upgrading all your other stuff seems pretty good to me. I think this will feel like an impressive engine, even in a Blue deck with like five spells you’ll be running this.
Water Wings image 2.0 This looks like a solid trick. It gives a big enough buff that it will make your creature win most combats, and the hexproof part means it also works well against removal. Flying also gives it a third mode, where sometimes you can send a creature into the air to do lethal
Charmed Clothier image 2.5 A 5-mana 3/3 flyer is not a good rate. Getting a role token does make a difference, and a card like this also triggers Celebration, so it does some nice stuff for a couple different decks in the format.
Return from the Wilds image 2.0 A three mana 1/1 that rampant growths is a solid enough card, and ramping does look fairly viable in this format. This can also give you food when you reach the part of the game where more lands doesn’t do you any good
Witch's Mark image 2.0 This is a nice Tormenting Voice variant. Even without the Role token this card is usually in the D+ or C- range, especially in a format with some graveyard stuff and a spell deck, and that’s true in this format. Actually adding to the board while digging deeper into your deck is going to feel pretty nice. You probably don’t desperately want more than one of these, although perhaps if you’re in the spell deck going deeper than that first copy might be worth it
Conceited Witch image 3.0 A 3 mana ⅔ with Menace is passable, and you can augment one of your creatures with this on an earlier turn – or the same turn, if you have happen to have four mana. It just seems like plenty of value to get out of a single card, and it even seems reasonably efficient
Bellowing Bruiser image 2.0 I’m high on most of the Adventure creatures in the set – this one doesn’t seem quite as good as the others. This is because it doesn’t really generate 2-for-1 type value or even close to it. It isn’t bad by any means, but the Adventure side is a highly situational card. It can be powerful in the right spot of course, and if you ever 8 mana to cast both halves that will feel pretty awesome, but overall, I don’t see Beat a Path being that impressive, and the same is true of a 5-mana 4/4 Haste. It’s still a solid card that will make the cut a decent chunk of the time – but most of the adventures in this set are a little better than that
Cooped Up image 2.5 Pacifism does not seem at its best in this format. There will be main deck ways to destroy Enchantments for one thing, for another all of the Adventure creatures feel pretty bad when you use up a whole card on them to remove them. It also has the usual downsides of pacifism that are true in every format – like the fact it doesn’t stop static abilities. It isn’t terrible – after all it’s removal, and it can put itself in the graveyard which the Black-White deck especially is interested in. But this feels well below “premium” removal these days.
Spell Stutter image 1.0 // 2.5 One of the downsides with counter magic that gives your opponent the option of paying mana to ignore it is that it gets worse as the game goes longer, but the Faerie upside here helps hedge against that. This probably needs a build around grade though, because if you’re in Blue and you’re short on Faeries it’s a lot worse
Living Lectern image 3.0 It feels like giving this up for a card and a Sorcerer role is going to generate some serious value, and the fact it can sit around as a reasonable blocker until you feel like doing that seems pretty good
Pack 1 Pick 3: Obyra, Dreaming Duelist
Leyline of Sanctity image 0.0 Giving yourself hexproof almost never matters in Limited
Obyra, Dreaming Duelist image 4.0 A two mana 2/2 with Flash and Flying always makes the cut, so the fact that this will also chip in and make your opponent lose life while you play out other Faeries is nice, especially because so many Faeries are evasive that chipping in for one damage here and there makes it a lot easier for them to do lethal
Korvold and the Noble Thief image 1.0 The turn you play this is going to feel really rough, because paying FOUR and not getting anything meaningful on the board is a pain. Especially because the next chapter does the same thing! But chapter III is a pretty nice payoff. You can use all that treasure to up your chances of playing your opponent’s stuff. It is a bit of a bummer that if you don’t make sure to hold on to that treasure, and your opponent is in different colors than you, you’re going to be out of luck when it comes to casting off-color things. Overall…I’m kind of skeptical here. I love the value Chapter III can generate, but it’s really slow, and I think that will make this a liability
Ice Out image 2.0 This is Cancel when you don’t Bargain it, and Counterspell when you do. 1 mana may not seem like much, but the chasm between those two cards is massive. The fact this has double blue in the cost really matters too, as Limited mana bases aren’t good enough for you to consistently be able to leave up two Blue mana for this.
Merfolk Coralsmith image 2.0 Creatures who can modulate their power always play a little better than they look, as that flexibility lets them do a wide range of things. This can trade with things that have as much as 4 toughness and hit pretty hard when you want it to. The Scry trigger is a nice additional effect too
Archon's Glory image 2.0 One mana for +2/+2 generally makes for a decent trick that will allow a creature to win combat fairly often – and at a very low cost, and the added bargain upside here will come up sometimes. It sort of gives it a mode where you can send a creature into the air to do lethal.
Johann's Stopgap image 2.5 4 mana to bounce something and draw a card is usually playable. It lets you break even on cards while setting your opponent back a little. With bargain in the mix, this moves up another notch – probably to the point where the first copy is something you feel decent about having in all of your Blue decks
Brave the Wilds image 2.0 One green mana to search up a basic land is a borderline playable, especially if you’re playing more than two colors. The upside of animating a land means it can add to the board sometimes too
Frantic Firebolt image 3.5 The base form of this card is mediocre, but if you can just get it to do 3 damage you’re talking about premium removal. That’s not a huge ask at all, especially in Red decks in the format, and that also means it has a really high ceiling. Basically, this has a bad floor, but it will almost never be that bad, and I think that means it does enough to be premium removal you take highly
Barrow Naughty image 2.0 A two mana 1/3 with lifelink is a solid card, and that’s what this well be a decent chunk of the time, especially in Blue-Black. The buff effect is expensive and really only the kind of thing you use when you have nothing else to do
Frostbridge Guard image 1.5 This has somewhat passable stats, and it has an ability that is useful, albeit expensive. Tapping things does bring some extra value in this format, but three for the effect is kind of brutal. I miss the days of Master Decoy
Rootrider Faun image 3.0 This has decent stats, it offers decent ramp, and it offers decent fixing. None of the things it does are very exciting, but ramp does seem like a real strategy in Green
Pack 1 Pick 4: Obyra, Dreaming Duelist
Obyra, Dreaming Duelist image 4.0 A two mana 2/2 with Flash and Flying always makes the cut, so the fact that this will also chip in and make your opponent lose life while you play out other Faeries is nice, especially because so many Faeries are evasive that chipping in for one damage here and there makes it a lot easier for them to do lethal
Collector's Vault image 1.5 This is probably a little too clunky to be worth it. Looting and treasure is nice of course, but the number of turns where you have the time and mana to activated this ability will be surprisingly limited
Gingerbrute image 2.5 He’s back! He wasn’t too bad as a beater last time around, and that will be pretty true here too with all of the Role tokens. Putting one on him and going to town with him is definitely going to be a way to close out a game
Johann's Stopgap image 2.5 4 mana to bounce something and draw a card is usually playable. It lets you break even on cards while setting your opponent back a little. With bargain in the mix, this moves up another notch – probably to the point where the first copy is something you feel decent about having in all of your Blue decks
Tuinvale Guide image 2.5 This is mediocre without Celebration, and pretty nice when it is a 3/3 flying lifelinker. Triggering celebration is something you can do, but not so often that this will be anything special
Beluna's Gatekeeper image 2.5 A restricted Sorcery speed bounce effect isn’t amazing, but you’ll usually have something you can bounce with this early. Usually, a bounce effect is card disadvantage, but because you get a big vanilla creature out of this later, that isn’t really the case. While it doesn’t quite deliver the two cards of value that make some adventures really strong, this does do a whole lot for a single card
Shatter the Oath image 2.5 5 mana Sorcery speed removal isn’t anything special. It’s just too expensive and clunky for that to ever be the case. This can go after two card types and it does upgrade your board a tiny bit, but overall it still seems a little too slow to be anything special
Skewer Slinger image 1.5 This makes X/1s pretty miserable as they can neither attack through it or block it effectively. Overall, it is definitely a defensive card more than anything, and that’s always a little awkward
Sleight of Hand image 2.0 Seeing two cards for one mana tends to be a nice rate, and this will be especially good in this format’s spell deck, but running the first copy of this seems decent in most Blue decks. It is true that you only have so much space for cards that don’t impact the board, but this is efficient enough that it will make the cut a decent chunk of the time.
Spell Stutter image 1.0 // 2.5 One of the downsides with counter magic that gives your opponent the option of paying mana to ignore it is that it gets worse as the game goes longer, but the Faerie upside here helps hedge against that. This probably needs a build around grade though, because if you’re in Blue and you’re short on Faeries it’s a lot worse
Return from the Wilds image 2.0 A three mana 1/1 that rampant growths is a solid enough card, and ramping does look fairly viable in this format. This can also give you food when you reach the part of the game where more lands doesn’t do you any good
Pack 1 Pick 5: Beluna's Gatekeeper
Season of Growth image 2.0 The Scry effect alone isn’t enough to run this, but the good news is there are several green cards in the set that will trigger this, even at lower rarities. They are combat tricks of course, but this also works pretty well with all the fight and bite spells, as it will make them into 2-for-1s, which is actually pretty nuts. So, I think you can actually play one of these in most Green decks and have it do something, and in some of them it might be really nuts
Ash, Party Crasher image 3.0 A two mana 2/2 with Haste is a solid starting point, and getting a +1/+1 counter or two on Ash is doable. You can get Celebration going relatively often in Red/White, with cards that make Monster Role Auras, cards that make food, or cards that make creature tokens. It isn’t automatic to get it going but even triggering this once seems pretty nice
Beluna's Gatekeeper image 2.5 A restricted Sorcery speed bounce effect isn’t amazing, but you’ll usually have something you can bounce with this early. Usually, a bounce effect is card disadvantage, but because you get a big vanilla creature out of this later, that isn’t really the case. While it doesn’t quite deliver the two cards of value that make some adventures really strong, this does do a whole lot for a single card
Diminisher Witch image 2.5 Cursing an opposing creature isn’t the most powerful thing in the world, but when you Bargain this does upgrade your board and downgrade your opponents reasonably effectively.
Titanic Growth image 2.0 We’ve seen this a ton and it’s always a playable trick. It makes it so most creatures can win combat against most other creatures, and the stats boost is even good against some removal
Stockpiling Celebrant image 1.5 This can be used to rebuy ETBs and Adventures, which is cool. But if it’s not doing not doing that? Well, you’re playing an inefficient creature
Evolving Wilds image 2.5 As usual, this provides nice fixing. Makes it pretty easy to splash a single card if you have one Evolving Wilds, since it effectively gives you two sources of your splash color
Not Dead After All image 1.5 This is an interesting take on this type of effect since the creature gets to return with a buff. Unfortunately, when we see this effect completely absent of an upfront power boost, it hasn’t really played super well. It does work well against removal, but not working that well in combat is a an issue.
Hopeful Vigil image 2.5 You get a reasonable body up front, and then you can sacrifice this to Bargain or other sacrifice effects. That does seem pretty doable, and the fact that you get a decent creature up front really makes this intriguing as far as two drops go. It also happens to trigger Celebration on its own.
Obyra's Attendants image 3.5 This has two-for-one potential, though it isn’t always going to be accessible. You need a board of some sort to turn Desperate Parry into a full card, but there are a number of ways you can. For example, you can triple block something and then use the Parry to make it so all your stuff survives and they lose their creature. Then you get a serviceable flyer later
Pack 1 Pick 6: Sweettooth Witch
Spreading Seas image 0.0 This doesn’t do much in Limited. Sure, if your opponent happens to only have one land that can produce one of their colors and you stick this on it, it can be pretty hilarious, but most of the time that’s not going to happen to them. Replacing itself just isn’t’ enough these days, it needs to actually…do something too, and this just won’t
Tenacious Tomeseeker image 3.5 I like this. Getting a spell to your hand when you play a creature with passable stats sounds really good, and there are enough expendable things around in this format for that to work out pretty well. I will say Blue is probably lighter on expendable things to Bargain than any other color – it doesn’t have much in the way of treasure or food, and it even has fewer role tokens, so this won’t work out quite as well as some other Bargain cards in other colors. That said, you won’t be playing monoblue, so you may have access to that stuff anyway, and when you give up something like that, Tenacious Tomeseeker is going to be a 2-for-1
Cheeky House-Mouse image 3.0 You can look at this as a two mana 2/1 with the Adventure side as an ETB ability, and that makes for a pretty nice card. Especially because it’s far more flexible than it would be if it was just a two drop.
Mocking Sprite image 2.5 This has almost reasonable stats, and reducing the costs of spells has some extra weight in this format thanks to Adventures, in addition to the fact that it just plays well in any Blue/Red deck.
Scream Puff image 2.0 This is pretty beefy, although I think it would be much better if it made the food on ETB. That would allow it to be one of these big creatures that helps slower decks stabilize. It can still help you do that of course, but having to rumble with it in order to get food makes the card a little bit awkward
Break the Spell image 2.0 This is probably going to be something that can stay in your main deck. There are many Enchantments in this set, including the Role tokens. Destroying those normally wouldn’t be that good, but because this draws you a card when you hit one, the effect is much better. The times where you hit a legitimate Enchantment are going to feel nice too. There are plenty of expendable enchantments around and sometimes you’ll just target one of yours for value too.
Gingerbrute image 2.5 He’s back! He wasn’t too bad as a beater last time around, and that will be pretty true here too with all of the Role tokens. Putting one on him and going to town with him is definitely going to be a way to close out a game
Spider Food image 0.5 This format has a lot of targets for this, but there are also two lower rarity ways to Naturalize stuff in this format that are way better in the main deck. So, this is a sideboard card but one you probably won’t use very often
Sweettooth Witch image 3.0 Giving up food to hurt your opponent can definitely have a place, and even be a win condition, and the base line of the card as a three mana 3/2 that makes a food isn’t a disaster
Pack 1 Pick 7: Splashy Spellcaster
Impact Tremors image 0.0 // 2.5 Like Goblin Bombardment, if your deck can make a lot of bodies, this does represent a pretty big problem for your opponent, although it is a very awkward top deck unlike Bombardment. Bombardment rewards you for already having things in play, Impact Tremors doesn’t
Splashy Spellcaster image 3.5 This is a powerful spell payoff, and it has high enough toughness to be difficult to deal with and attack through. It is a little sad it can’t give itself a Sorcerer Role, but upgrading all your other stuff seems pretty good to me. I think this will feel like an impressive engine, even in a Blue deck with like five spells you’ll be running this.
Three Bowls of Porridge image 1.5 None of these modes is going to feel very efficient, but they do all do…something. Picking of a small creature will probably feel the best, but tapping things is certainly nice on the right board state, especially if you have a payoff for tapping something. Then it can of course do the Food thing. Still, the ability is expensive enough that having the mana around to actually use it isn’t guaranteed, and it isn’t like any of these modes is really going to make you feel like you’re getting there
Rimefur Reindeer image 2.5 This has some serious potential, as tapping down just one thing a turn is often pretty great at allowing your aggressive deck to rumble, and that’s especially true if the enchantment augmented one of your creatures. But, when you aren’t triggering this regularly, it is a well below rate creature.
Kellan's Lightblades image 2.5 This kind of removal is never amazing, since it is as restrictive as it is. For example, if you’re trying to be aggressive, something that can only target an attacker of blocker is a lot worse. And that’s definitely true here. The Bargain upside is nice, as it makes it less restrictive. It can only kill attackers or blockers, but at least it can take down those with more than three toughness. Still, this isn’t premium removal, though it does get closer to being that in a slower deck
Misleading Motes image 3.0 We just saw this card but with a Lord of the Ringsy name, and it ended up being solid. It’s a 4 mana instant that removes…pretty much any creature. Keep in mind it is your opponent who decides where the creature goes
Candy Trail image 1.5 Scry 2 on turn one doesn’t sound like a bad idea in a lot of situations, although using up a whole card to do it definitely isn’t appealing. However, the fact you can cash this in for a card and life later means you don’t use up a whole card. Still, in a format without a big artifact theme, these artifacts that have tiny effects have been fairly underwhelming
Living Lectern image 3.0 It feels like giving this up for a card and a Sorcerer role is going to generate some serious value, and the fact it can sit around as a reasonable blocker until you feel like doing that seems pretty good
Pack 1 Pick 8: Threadbind Clique
Threadbind Clique image 4.0 Both sides of this card have been fairly underwhelming when we’ve seen them lately. Destroying only tapped creatures is highly restrictive and not especially useful when you’re the beat down. But at least it does let you do it at instant speed, so a creature doesn’t have to hit you first. Then, a 4-mana 3/3 Flyer just isn’t what it used to be. However…like with all of these, even two medium cards stapled together is two cards making the Clique really good. It’s another adventure creature with an accessible 2-for-1.
Collector's Vault image 1.5 This is probably a little too clunky to be worth it. Looting and treasure is nice of course, but the number of turns where you have the time and mana to activated this ability will be surprisingly limited
Titanic Growth image 2.0 We’ve seen this a ton and it’s always a playable trick. It makes it so most creatures can win combat against most other creatures, and the stats boost is even good against some removal
Into the Fae Court image 1.5 A draw spell that adds to the board sounds attractive. It’s too bad that the thing it adds to the board is so insignificant though, and it makes me think this is probably a little bit too clunky to be something that always makes the cut in your Blue decks
Break the Spell image 2.0 This is probably going to be something that can stay in your main deck. There are many Enchantments in this set, including the Role tokens. Destroying those normally wouldn’t be that good, but because this draws you a card when you hit one, the effect is much better. The times where you hit a legitimate Enchantment are going to feel nice too. There are plenty of expendable enchantments around and sometimes you’ll just target one of yours for value too.
Verdant Outrider image 2.0 A three mana 4/2 usually has the big problem of dying to 2 power creatures, but obviously enough, Verdant Outrider can get around that. You won’t always have the time or mana to use that ability of course, but it definitely does enough for this to be solid filler
Protective Parents image 2.5 This has passable stats and a decent death trigger.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Prophetic Prism
Collector's Vault image 1.5 This is probably a little too clunky to be worth it. Looting and treasure is nice of course, but the number of turns where you have the time and mana to activated this ability will be surprisingly limited
Plunge into Winter image 1.5 I think you end up with a decent rate when you cast this card, one that means you won’t feel bad about playing it. Tapping doesn’t always matter, but you do always get Scry 1 draw a card, and when tapping does matter – or even better – when you have a tap payoff in play – this gets significantly better.
Spell Stutter image 1.0 // 2.5 One of the downsides with counter magic that gives your opponent the option of paying mana to ignore it is that it gets worse as the game goes longer, but the Faerie upside here helps hedge against that. This probably needs a build around grade though, because if you’re in Blue and you’re short on Faeries it’s a lot worse
Rootrider Faun image 3.0 This has decent stats, it offers decent ramp, and it offers decent fixing. None of the things it does are very exciting, but ramp does seem like a real strategy in Green
Prophetic Prism image 2.0 This is pretty solid every time we see it. It’s not going to be as good here as it would be an artifact-heavy set, but it replaces itself and does an okay job of fixing your mana
Fell Horseman image 3.0 Like most of the Common adventure creatures, both sides of this look super underwhelming, but they do in fact often result in a 2-for-1, so it’s better than it looks
Pack 1 Pick 10: Charmed Clothier
Succumb to the Cold image 1.5 This can be a nice tempo card that you can use to close out your opponent, and that’s especially true in Blue/White, which can get some extra value from the tapping. Still, it is fairly situational – if you can’t use it to finish your opponent off, or you have to use it defensively, it feels pretty bad
Three Bowls of Porridge image 1.5 None of these modes is going to feel very efficient, but they do all do…something. Picking of a small creature will probably feel the best, but tapping things is certainly nice on the right board state, especially if you have a payoff for tapping something. Then it can of course do the Food thing. Still, the ability is expensive enough that having the mana around to actually use it isn’t guaranteed, and it isn’t like any of these modes is really going to make you feel like you’re getting there
Water Wings image 2.0 This looks like a solid trick. It gives a big enough buff that it will make your creature win most combats, and the hexproof part means it also works well against removal. Flying also gives it a third mode, where sometimes you can send a creature into the air to do lethal
Charmed Clothier image 2.5 A 5-mana 3/3 flyer is not a good rate. Getting a role token does make a difference, and a card like this also triggers Celebration, so it does some nice stuff for a couple different decks in the format.
Living Lectern image 3.0 It feels like giving this up for a card and a Sorcerer role is going to generate some serious value, and the fact it can sit around as a reasonable blocker until you feel like doing that seems pretty good
Pack 1 Pick 11: Archon's Glory
Ice Out image 2.0 This is Cancel when you don’t Bargain it, and Counterspell when you do. 1 mana may not seem like much, but the chasm between those two cards is massive. The fact this has double blue in the cost really matters too, as Limited mana bases aren’t good enough for you to consistently be able to leave up two Blue mana for this.
Merfolk Coralsmith image 2.0 Creatures who can modulate their power always play a little better than they look, as that flexibility lets them do a wide range of things. This can trade with things that have as much as 4 toughness and hit pretty hard when you want it to. The Scry trigger is a nice additional effect too
Archon's Glory image 2.0 One mana for +2/+2 generally makes for a decent trick that will allow a creature to win combat fairly often – and at a very low cost, and the added bargain upside here will come up sometimes. It sort of gives it a mode where you can send a creature into the air to do lethal.
Frostbridge Guard image 1.5 This has somewhat passable stats, and it has an ability that is useful, albeit expensive. Tapping things does bring some extra value in this format, but three for the effect is kind of brutal. I miss the days of Master Decoy
Pack 1 Pick 12: Tuinvale Guide
Tuinvale Guide image 2.5 This is mediocre without Celebration, and pretty nice when it is a 3/3 flying lifelinker. Triggering celebration is something you can do, but not so often that this will be anything special
Sleight of Hand image 2.0 Seeing two cards for one mana tends to be a nice rate, and this will be especially good in this format’s spell deck, but running the first copy of this seems decent in most Blue decks. It is true that you only have so much space for cards that don’t impact the board, but this is efficient enough that it will make the cut a decent chunk of the time.
Spell Stutter image 1.0 // 2.5 One of the downsides with counter magic that gives your opponent the option of paying mana to ignore it is that it gets worse as the game goes longer, but the Faerie upside here helps hedge against that. This probably needs a build around grade though, because if you’re in Blue and you’re short on Faeries it’s a lot worse
Pack 1 Pick 13: Stockpiling Celebrant
Titanic Growth image 2.0 We’ve seen this a ton and it’s always a playable trick. It makes it so most creatures can win combat against most other creatures, and the stats boost is even good against some removal
Stockpiling Celebrant image 1.5 This can be used to rebuy ETBs and Adventures, which is cool. But if it’s not doing not doing that? Well, you’re playing an inefficient creature
Pack 1 Pick 14: Break the Spell
Break the Spell image 2.0 This is probably going to be something that can stay in your main deck. There are many Enchantments in this set, including the Role tokens. Destroying those normally wouldn’t be that good, but because this draws you a card when you hit one, the effect is much better. The times where you hit a legitimate Enchantment are going to feel nice too. There are plenty of expendable enchantments around and sometimes you’ll just target one of yours for value too.
Pack 2 Pick 1: The Witch's Vanity
Garruk's Uprising image 2.5 The Red/Green and Blue/Green decks in this format can probably make decent use of this. One of the nice things about it is that it rewards you some for already having big things in play and then rewards you as well when you play them afterward, that means most of the time it will do something
Questing Druid image 3.0 One important thing to note here is that Seek the Beast doesn’t give you as much time to play the card as we’ve seen lately, as you only have until your next end step. The good news is, it’s an Instant, so you can cast it at the end of your opponent’s turn, and then take advantage of those cards you reveal with all the mana you still have. And obviously, if you can play the Druid and then a non-green card on that turn, it’s going to feel pretty good. I will say that buffing the druid isn’t really going to be that easy. Sure, a decent chunk of your deck will buff it – but far more of it won’t, and it’s an extremely unimpressive creature if you can’t buff it consistently. Still, this certainly has 3-for-1 potential and is quite efficient
Three Bowls of Porridge image 1.5 None of these modes is going to feel very efficient, but they do all do…something. Picking of a small creature will probably feel the best, but tapping things is certainly nice on the right board state, especially if you have a payoff for tapping something. Then it can of course do the Food thing. Still, the ability is expensive enough that having the mana around to actually use it isn’t guaranteed, and it isn’t like any of these modes is really going to make you feel like you’re getting there
The Witch's Vanity image 4.0 This looks strong. Sure, the three things it does are kind of small – but it’s almost always going to feel like you get two cards worth of value out of it. There will be situations where chapter 1 can’t kill something, but most of the time it will, and the Food and Role are going to feel like the cherry on top of a two-mana removal spell, which is pretty awesome
Two-Headed Hunter image 4.5 This looks really good. The combat trick side will alter combat significantly, usually enough for it to be in your favor, and then in the later game you get a reasonably efficient creature. This is another Adventure that has very real 2-for-1 potential.
Tuinvale Guide image 2.5 This is mediocre without Celebration, and pretty nice when it is a 3/3 flying lifelinker. Triggering celebration is something you can do, but not so often that this will be anything special
Cooped Up image 2.5 Pacifism does not seem at its best in this format. There will be main deck ways to destroy Enchantments for one thing, for another all of the Adventure creatures feel pretty bad when you use up a whole card on them to remove them. It also has the usual downsides of pacifism that are true in every format – like the fact it doesn’t stop static abilities. It isn’t terrible – after all it’s removal, and it can put itself in the graveyard which the Black-White deck especially is interested in. But this feels well below “premium” removal these days.
Spider Food image 0.5 This format has a lot of targets for this, but there are also two lower rarity ways to Naturalize stuff in this format that are way better in the main deck. So, this is a sideboard card but one you probably won’t use very often
Quick Study image 2.0 Instant speed Divination isn’t too shabby, though it doesn’t add to the board and that can always be a problem in Limited.
Frantic Firebolt image 3.5 The base form of this card is mediocre, but if you can just get it to do 3 damage you’re talking about premium removal. That’s not a huge ask at all, especially in Red decks in the format, and that also means it has a really high ceiling. Basically, this has a bad floor, but it will almost never be that bad, and I think that means it does enough to be premium removal you take highly
Sugar Rush image 1.5 This replaces itself, but the buff is highly unlikely to be that useful in combat. Sure, it probably lets you kill something, but most of the time whatever you cast this on will die two. Drawing the card does keep you from getting 2-for-1’d, but it doesn’t really make up for the tempo you lose. It does get a little better with Rat tokens, but I’d still steer clear of it most of the time
Eriette's Whisper image 1.5 4 mana to Mind Rot isn’t great, even if you do get a Role out of the deal. Spending this much and adding minimally to the board is just something you want to do in most formats.
Candy Trail image 1.5 Scry 2 on turn one doesn’t sound like a bad idea in a lot of situations, although using up a whole card to do it definitely isn’t appealing. However, the fact you can cash this in for a card and life later means you don’t use up a whole card. Still, in a format without a big artifact theme, these artifacts that have tiny effects have been fairly underwhelming
Shatter the Oath image 2.5 5 mana Sorcery speed removal isn’t anything special. It’s just too expensive and clunky for that to ever be the case. This can go after two card types and it does upgrade your board a tiny bit, but overall it still seems a little too slow to be anything special
Pack 2 Pick 2: High Fae Negotiator
Curiosity image 1.0 For this to do anything, the creature you put it on generally already has to be good, and when an Aura needs that from you it gets a lot worse. If you have a lot of flyers this isn’t a bad role player, but most of the time you won’t play it
High Fae Negotiator image 3.5 That ETB really is powerful, as the gap in life between you and your opponent becomes 6, and that can drastically alter a race. Then this big body can attack and block reasonably well
Solitary Sanctuary image 1.0 // 3.0 Three mana for a stun counter and a +1/+1 counter all on its own would be a card that is pretty close to playable, and the fact this adds a counter to every tap effect definitely makes this intriguing. It probably needs a build around grade though, as your typical White deck probably just won’t be tapping things enough to make this really do its thing.
Ashiok's Reaper image 2.5 This seems like it may be a little too clunky. The stats are bad, and while getting Enchantments into the graveyard is more doable in this format than most, it isn’t going to just happen so often that this entirely makes up for that very real problem.
Cut In image 2.5 A 4-mana deal 4 sorcery isn’t premium removal, and I don’t think adding a Young Hero Role token to the mix gets this there. Still, it can kill a decent number of things and it does add to the board a tiny bit too.
Eriette's Whisper image 1.5 4 mana to Mind Rot isn’t great, even if you do get a Role out of the deal. Spending this much and adding minimally to the board is just something you want to do in most formats.
Feed the Cauldron image 2.0 This will never let you trade up, and that’s one of the best things to do with removal spells. With this, you’ll kill something that cost the same or less. Getting that Food helps, but you don’t even always get it.
Skybeast Tracker image 1.5 A 4-mana 2/4 with Reach is not very good these days, though you could do worse if you need something defensive. This will make some food sometimes, which certainly has its uses in the format
Scarecrow Guide image 2.0 This is another way to fix your mana that is solid, but certainly not exciting
Voracious Vermin image 2.0 Three mana for a 2/1 and a 1/1 isn’t bad, and this will definitely be growing, especially in Black/Red where you throw rats at your opponent a lot of the time. Just blocking those rats will make the Vermin grow.
Vantress Transmuter image 3.0 This doesn’t quite give you two cards, but I think it gets close enough, even with Croaking Curse being Sorcery speed. It lets you downgrade a creature and up your ability to attack, and then you get a decent creature on a future turn
Skewer Slinger image 1.5 This makes X/1s pretty miserable as they can neither attack through it or block it effectively. Overall, it is definitely a defensive card more than anything, and that’s always a little awkward
Armory Mice image 2.0 A two mana 3/1 is usually acceptable, and this will be a 3/3 some percentage of the time. I’m giving this a 2.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Crystal Grotto
Leyline of Abundance image 0.0 This format does have a few creatures who can tap for mana, but not really enough to make this card worth it. It isn’t worth just having this activated ability either. Most of the time this just won’t do anything.
Twisted Fealty image 1.5 This format doesn’t really have a sacrifice deck, and that’s usually the place for a Threaten effect. It isn’t unplayable, though. It will have a home in some really aggressive decks
Twisted Sewer-Witch image 4.5 This reminds me a little of Diregraf Horde, and that’s very good company to keep. You pay 5 mana here for at least 5/6 worth of stats across two bodies. And sure, one of those bodies can’t block, but that’s still completely insane! Especially because should you have any other Rats around, the Witch buffs them too. And…I think it’s safe to say you’ll have at least one other one a huge chunk of the time when you play her. This may just be the best Uncommon in the set.
Stingblade Assassin image 1.5 This ETB ability almost always underperforms. It’s just hard to consistently find a way to do damage to a creature without using up some resource you didn’t really want to use up. It might be interesting with Rat tokens, because your opponent is going to be willing to block those a lot with their 2/2s or whatever, but this probably doesn’t end up being able to destroy something often enough for this to be very good
Charmed Clothier image 2.5 A 5-mana 3/3 flyer is not a good rate. Getting a role token does make a difference, and a card like this also triggers Celebration, so it does some nice stuff for a couple different decks in the format.
Flick a Coin image 2.0 Each thing this does individually isn’t that impressive but getting them all for three mana seems like a decent enough deal, especially if you’re in the market for fixing. Still, it’s a fairly low impact card that probably won’t always make the cut.
Grand Ball Guest image 2.0 A vanilla two mana 2/2 is probably a 1.0 these days, and while I think triggering celebration is doable, it isn’t going to happen so much that this will be a 3/3 with trample every turn or anything
Redtooth Genealogist image 3.0 This looks like a very good rate to me – it is basically a better version of a three mana 2/3 that puts a +1/+1 counter somewhere, and that card is usually quite good in Limited. I think this is one of Green’s best Commons
Crystal Grotto image 1.0 Mana filter lands usually aren’t very good in Limited. It’s just really costly to have to tap two lands for one mana, and that’s effectively what happens when you need to filter using a land. The fact that Prophetic Prism and that Scarecrow are in the set probably also means that the demand for this will be even lower, as those two can filter your mana and you only have to tap one land to do it. Crystal Grotto is usually a 1.5, and with better Common colorless fixing around, this will probably drop down to a 1.0
Freeze in Place image 2.0 While it isn’t quite removal, stunning a creature for three turns will feel like it is sometimes. Scry 2 combines nicely too, because you can use it to find whatever it is you desperately need, now that you bought yourself some time. The Blue/White deck in the format likes tapping things too, so getting some additional value here isn’t impossible.
Wicked Visitor image 2.0 This has passable base stats and a passable payoff for the Black/White deck, which will be the most adept at putting enchantments in the graveyard
Tuinvale Guide image 2.5 This is mediocre without Celebration, and pretty nice when it is a 3/3 flying lifelinker. Triggering celebration is something you can do, but not so often that this will be anything special
Pack 2 Pick 4: Faerie Dreamthief
Knightly Valor image 3.0 I’ve liked this Aura every time we’ve seen it. This is because it adds a body to the board in addition to offering a significant buff. Because of that body, this Aura helps get around the inherent downside they have, as it becomes much harder for you to get 2-for-1’d when the Aura gives you a token. It also triggers Celebration
Faerie Dreamthief image 3.5 think I’m already in on a one mana 1/1 flyer that Surveils 1. So, the fact this can cash itself in from the graveyard and give you back a whole card is nice
Dream Spoilers image 1.0 4-mana 2/2 flyer do not fair well in Limited. This is mostly because there are multiple one mana spells in each set that can deal with them, so paying FOUR often results in a huge tempo hit. The ability here is nice, especially if you can cast multiple spells, but triggering it is far from automatic and even when you do sometimes it won’t do anything. I don’t think this makes the cut very often
Kellan's Lightblades image 2.5 This kind of removal is never amazing, since it is as restrictive as it is. For example, if you’re trying to be aggressive, something that can only target an attacker of blocker is a lot worse. And that’s definitely true here. The Bargain upside is nice, as it makes it less restrictive. It can only kill attackers or blockers, but at least it can take down those with more than three toughness. Still, this isn’t premium removal, though it does get closer to being that in a slower deck
Ice Out image 2.0 This is Cancel when you don’t Bargain it, and Counterspell when you do. 1 mana may not seem like much, but the chasm between those two cards is massive. The fact this has double blue in the cost really matters too, as Limited mana bases aren’t good enough for you to consistently be able to leave up two Blue mana for this.
Break the Spell image 2.0 This is probably going to be something that can stay in your main deck. There are many Enchantments in this set, including the Role tokens. Destroying those normally wouldn’t be that good, but because this draws you a card when you hit one, the effect is much better. The times where you hit a legitimate Enchantment are going to feel nice too. There are plenty of expendable enchantments around and sometimes you’ll just target one of yours for value too.
Armory Mice image 2.0 A two mana 3/1 is usually acceptable, and this will be a 3/3 some percentage of the time. I’m giving this a 2.
Savior of the Sleeping image 2.5 As we’ve seen there are a decent number of ways to get enchantments in the graveyard, so it isn’t that unreasonable to think getting a counter or two on this is doable
Ratcatcher Trainee image 3.0 A two mana 2/1 with first strike when it attacks is a great aggressive creature in Limited, and this one can make you a couple of 1/1s too. It is a bit odd as far as adventures go, because this is one where you probably cast it fairly often without ever using the Adventure part, where with most of them it makes a lot of sense to try to get the full value. Here, you’re not going to do that as often, but it still has big upside because if you draw it late you can get the tokens and the 2/1 all in a single turn. The Adventure side can also get celebration going all on its own
Spider Food image 0.5 This format has a lot of targets for this, but there are also two lower rarity ways to Naturalize stuff in this format that are way better in the main deck. So, this is a sideboard card but one you probably won’t use very often
Not Dead After All image 1.5 This is an interesting take on this type of effect since the creature gets to return with a buff. Unfortunately, when we see this effect completely absent of an upfront power boost, it hasn’t really played super well. It does work well against removal, but not working that well in combat is a an issue.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Stab Wound
Stab Wound image 3.0 This has been a nice Limited card every time we’ve seen it. It feels good to outright kill something with it, but it feels even better to put it on a creature that doesn’t die because the Aura usually does enough to make that creature irrelevant while it also starts quickly pressuring your opponent’s life
Ego Drain image 0.0 This card is awful when you don’t control a Faerie. When you do, it offers some powerful disruption, but it gets a lot less powerful when you aren’t able to use it on turn one. Even a Faerie deck will find itself without Faeries in play in the early game, and this card’s value certainly diminishes when you can’t cast it during that time.
Living Lectern image 3.0 It feels like giving this up for a card and a Sorcerer role is going to generate some serious value, and the fact it can sit around as a reasonable blocker until you feel like doing that seems pretty good
Leaping Ambush image 1.0 They put a trick like this in almost every format, and it is almost always bad. Tricks are at their best when you use them offensively, because your opponent is less likely to have mana up to blow you out – so a trick that gets like 2/3s of its value from being used defensively just isn’t worth it
Armory Mice image 2.0 A two mana 3/1 is usually acceptable, and this will be a 3/3 some percentage of the time. I’m giving this a 2.
Bellowing Bruiser image 2.0 I’m high on most of the Adventure creatures in the set – this one doesn’t seem quite as good as the others. This is because it doesn’t really generate 2-for-1 type value or even close to it. It isn’t bad by any means, but the Adventure side is a highly situational card. It can be powerful in the right spot of course, and if you ever 8 mana to cast both halves that will feel pretty awesome, but overall, I don’t see Beat a Path being that impressive, and the same is true of a 5-mana 4/4 Haste. It’s still a solid card that will make the cut a decent chunk of the time – but most of the adventures in this set are a little better than that
Territorial Witchstalker image 1.5 A two mana 2/3 with defender isn’t great, but in a defensive deck it isn’t unplayable, but the ceiling on this card just isn’t very high, and neither is the floor.
Titanic Growth image 2.0 We’ve seen this a ton and it’s always a playable trick. It makes it so most creatures can win combat against most other creatures, and the stats boost is even good against some removal
Toadstool Admirer image 0.0 This doesn’t seem very good to me. A one mana 1/1 with Ward 2 just…doesn’t matter, and even though this can eventually put counters on itself, it only does so in the extreme late game, and it will take it way too long for it to ever be relevant
Rowan's Grim Search image 2.0 This is a nice take on the usual Black card raw spell we get. If you don’t bargain, we’re talking about an instant speed draw 2 lose 2, which is playable in all but the fastest of formats. If you have something expendable to bargain, you’re looking at a card that lets you see a ton of cards for the cost – up to six of them, which is dang impressive. It helps you load the graveyard too. Now…it is still a card that doesn’t really impact the board, and you won’t always want to Bargain it, so it isn’t amazing or anything
Pack 2 Pick 6: Conceited Witch
Intangible Virtue image 0.0 // 3.0 There are enough tokens in this set for this to be good in some decks. Rat tokens are probably the most plentiful, and if you’re pairing White with Black or Red, you’re likely to have some of those – in addition to Knight tokens, Bird Tokens, and Human tokens
Johann, Apprentice Sorcerer image 3.5 This effect is really powerful, even when limited to once per turn. If your deck has enough instants and sorceries in it, this will end up drawing you an extra card on many turns and that’s just crazy. This gets even better if you use draw effects or other things to manipulate the top of your library, as you increase your chances of getting that card on top. I like the high toughness here too, as it means Johann is an engine that isn’t super easy to kill
Evolving Wilds image 2.5 As usual, this provides nice fixing. Makes it pretty easy to splash a single card if you have one Evolving Wilds, since it effectively gives you two sources of your splash color
Sugar Rush image 1.5 This replaces itself, but the buff is highly unlikely to be that useful in combat. Sure, it probably lets you kill something, but most of the time whatever you cast this on will die two. Drawing the card does keep you from getting 2-for-1’d, but it doesn’t really make up for the tempo you lose. It does get a little better with Rat tokens, but I’d still steer clear of it most of the time
Stockpiling Celebrant image 1.5 This can be used to rebuy ETBs and Adventures, which is cool. But if it’s not doing not doing that? Well, you’re playing an inefficient creature
Stormkeld Prowler image 1.5 Two +1/+1 counters is pretty nice! But a two-mana 2/1…isn’t, and by the time you play your 5-drop and make this a 4/3, it isn’t like it will be unbeatable. There will also be times where you can’t grow until well beyond that turn.
Kellan's Lightblades image 2.5 This kind of removal is never amazing, since it is as restrictive as it is. For example, if you’re trying to be aggressive, something that can only target an attacker of blocker is a lot worse. And that’s definitely true here. The Bargain upside is nice, as it makes it less restrictive. It can only kill attackers or blockers, but at least it can take down those with more than three toughness. Still, this isn’t premium removal, though it does get closer to being that in a slower deck
Territorial Witchstalker image 1.5 A two mana 2/3 with defender isn’t great, but in a defensive deck it isn’t unplayable, but the ceiling on this card just isn’t very high, and neither is the floor.
Conceited Witch image 3.0 A 3 mana ⅔ with Menace is passable, and you can augment one of your creatures with this on an earlier turn – or the same turn, if you have happen to have four mana. It just seems like plenty of value to get out of a single card, and it even seems reasonably efficient
Pack 2 Pick 7: Mocking Sprite
Prismatic Omen image 2.5 If you need fixing, you could do worse than this as it obviously gives you some pretty perfect mana. You aren’t always in the market for fixing of course, but if you are this works pretty nicely
Three Bowls of Porridge image 1.5 None of these modes is going to feel very efficient, but they do all do…something. Picking of a small creature will probably feel the best, but tapping things is certainly nice on the right board state, especially if you have a payoff for tapping something. Then it can of course do the Food thing. Still, the ability is expensive enough that having the mana around to actually use it isn’t guaranteed, and it isn’t like any of these modes is really going to make you feel like you’re getting there
Mocking Sprite image 2.5 This has almost reasonable stats, and reducing the costs of spells has some extra weight in this format thanks to Adventures, in addition to the fact that it just plays well in any Blue/Red deck.
Savior of the Sleeping image 2.5 As we’ve seen there are a decent number of ways to get enchantments in the graveyard, so it isn’t that unreasonable to think getting a counter or two on this is doable
Freeze in Place image 2.0 While it isn’t quite removal, stunning a creature for three turns will feel like it is sometimes. Scry 2 combines nicely too, because you can use it to find whatever it is you desperately need, now that you bought yourself some time. The Blue/White deck in the format likes tapping things too, so getting some additional value here isn’t impossible.
Vantress Transmuter image 3.0 This doesn’t quite give you two cards, but I think it gets close enough, even with Croaking Curse being Sorcery speed. It lets you downgrade a creature and up your ability to attack, and then you get a decent creature on a future turn
Gnawing Crescendo image 1.0 // 2.5 These effects don’t usually pan out that well in Limited. That said, this format looks like it can go wide in both Black/Red and Red/White, meaning this might have some more uses than usual. It is nice that you get something even if your creatures die, but the 1/1s that can’t block aren’t exactly going to help you on the back swing
Return from the Wilds image 2.0 A three mana 1/1 that rampant growths is a solid enough card, and ramping does look fairly viable in this format. This can also give you food when you reach the part of the game where more lands doesn’t do you any good
Pack 2 Pick 8: Scarecrow Guide
Griffin Aerie image 0.0 // 3.0 I think this has potential, at least in some decks. Food isn’t that readily available in White, but if you’re paired with Black or Green, you’re going to have food – and this basically adds “make a 2/2 flying token” to your food getting sacrificed and that’s honestly…kind of insane. There are other ways to gain life in White too of course, but that’s the one that immediately springs to mind when you see a card that has a threshold of 3 life for it to do something. It needs a build around grade, since not all White decks will trigger it enough, but I think this can make a whole lot of tokens in the right deck
Skewer Slinger image 1.5 This makes X/1s pretty miserable as they can neither attack through it or block it effectively. Overall, it is definitely a defensive card more than anything, and that’s always a little awkward
Scarecrow Guide image 2.0 This is another way to fix your mana that is solid, but certainly not exciting
Fell Horseman image 3.0 Like most of the Common adventure creatures, both sides of this look super underwhelming, but they do in fact often result in a 2-for-1, so it’s better than it looks
Brave the Wilds image 2.0 One green mana to search up a basic land is a borderline playable, especially if you’re playing more than two colors. The upside of animating a land means it can add to the board sometimes too
Quick Study image 2.0 Instant speed Divination isn’t too shabby, though it doesn’t add to the board and that can always be a problem in Limited.
Rowan's Grim Search image 2.0 This is a nice take on the usual Black card raw spell we get. If you don’t bargain, we’re talking about an instant speed draw 2 lose 2, which is playable in all but the fastest of formats. If you have something expendable to bargain, you’re looking at a card that lets you see a ton of cards for the cost – up to six of them, which is dang impressive. It helps you load the graveyard too. Now…it is still a card that doesn’t really impact the board, and you won’t always want to Bargain it, so it isn’t amazing or anything
Pack 2 Pick 9: Tuinvale Guide
Garruk's Uprising image 2.5 The Red/Green and Blue/Green decks in this format can probably make decent use of this. One of the nice things about it is that it rewards you some for already having big things in play and then rewards you as well when you play them afterward, that means most of the time it will do something
Three Bowls of Porridge image 1.5 None of these modes is going to feel very efficient, but they do all do…something. Picking of a small creature will probably feel the best, but tapping things is certainly nice on the right board state, especially if you have a payoff for tapping something. Then it can of course do the Food thing. Still, the ability is expensive enough that having the mana around to actually use it isn’t guaranteed, and it isn’t like any of these modes is really going to make you feel like you’re getting there
Tuinvale Guide image 2.5 This is mediocre without Celebration, and pretty nice when it is a 3/3 flying lifelinker. Triggering celebration is something you can do, but not so often that this will be anything special
Spider Food image 0.5 This format has a lot of targets for this, but there are also two lower rarity ways to Naturalize stuff in this format that are way better in the main deck. So, this is a sideboard card but one you probably won’t use very often
Sugar Rush image 1.5 This replaces itself, but the buff is highly unlikely to be that useful in combat. Sure, it probably lets you kill something, but most of the time whatever you cast this on will die two. Drawing the card does keep you from getting 2-for-1’d, but it doesn’t really make up for the tempo you lose. It does get a little better with Rat tokens, but I’d still steer clear of it most of the time
Eriette's Whisper image 1.5 4 mana to Mind Rot isn’t great, even if you do get a Role out of the deal. Spending this much and adding minimally to the board is just something you want to do in most formats.
Pack 2 Pick 10: Scarecrow Guide
Eriette's Whisper image 1.5 4 mana to Mind Rot isn’t great, even if you do get a Role out of the deal. Spending this much and adding minimally to the board is just something you want to do in most formats.
Skybeast Tracker image 1.5 A 4-mana 2/4 with Reach is not very good these days, though you could do worse if you need something defensive. This will make some food sometimes, which certainly has its uses in the format
Scarecrow Guide image 2.0 This is another way to fix your mana that is solid, but certainly not exciting
Voracious Vermin image 2.0 Three mana for a 2/1 and a 1/1 isn’t bad, and this will definitely be growing, especially in Black/Red where you throw rats at your opponent a lot of the time. Just blocking those rats will make the Vermin grow.
Skewer Slinger image 1.5 This makes X/1s pretty miserable as they can neither attack through it or block it effectively. Overall, it is definitely a defensive card more than anything, and that’s always a little awkward
Pack 2 Pick 11: Stingblade Assassin
Stingblade Assassin image 1.5 This ETB ability almost always underperforms. It’s just hard to consistently find a way to do damage to a creature without using up some resource you didn’t really want to use up. It might be interesting with Rat tokens, because your opponent is going to be willing to block those a lot with their 2/2s or whatever, but this probably doesn’t end up being able to destroy something often enough for this to be very good
Freeze in Place image 2.0 While it isn’t quite removal, stunning a creature for three turns will feel like it is sometimes. Scry 2 combines nicely too, because you can use it to find whatever it is you desperately need, now that you bought yourself some time. The Blue/White deck in the format likes tapping things too, so getting some additional value here isn’t impossible.
Wicked Visitor image 2.0 This has passable base stats and a passable payoff for the Black/White deck, which will be the most adept at putting enchantments in the graveyard
Tuinvale Guide image 2.5 This is mediocre without Celebration, and pretty nice when it is a 3/3 flying lifelinker. Triggering celebration is something you can do, but not so often that this will be anything special
Pack 2 Pick 12: Not Dead After All
Break the Spell image 2.0 This is probably going to be something that can stay in your main deck. There are many Enchantments in this set, including the Role tokens. Destroying those normally wouldn’t be that good, but because this draws you a card when you hit one, the effect is much better. The times where you hit a legitimate Enchantment are going to feel nice too. There are plenty of expendable enchantments around and sometimes you’ll just target one of yours for value too.
Spider Food image 0.5 This format has a lot of targets for this, but there are also two lower rarity ways to Naturalize stuff in this format that are way better in the main deck. So, this is a sideboard card but one you probably won’t use very often
Not Dead After All image 1.5 This is an interesting take on this type of effect since the creature gets to return with a buff. Unfortunately, when we see this effect completely absent of an upfront power boost, it hasn’t really played super well. It does work well against removal, but not working that well in combat is a an issue.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Ego Drain
Ego Drain image 0.0 This card is awful when you don’t control a Faerie. When you do, it offers some powerful disruption, but it gets a lot less powerful when you aren’t able to use it on turn one. Even a Faerie deck will find itself without Faeries in play in the early game, and this card’s value certainly diminishes when you can’t cast it during that time.
Leaping Ambush image 1.0 They put a trick like this in almost every format, and it is almost always bad. Tricks are at their best when you use them offensively, because your opponent is less likely to have mana up to blow you out – so a trick that gets like 2/3s of its value from being used defensively just isn’t worth it
Pack 2 Pick 14: Sugar Rush
Sugar Rush image 1.5 This replaces itself, but the buff is highly unlikely to be that useful in combat. Sure, it probably lets you kill something, but most of the time whatever you cast this on will die two. Drawing the card does keep you from getting 2-for-1’d, but it doesn’t really make up for the tempo you lose. It does get a little better with Rat tokens, but I’d still steer clear of it most of the time
Pack 3 Pick 1: Specter of Mortality
Spreading Seas image 0.0 This doesn’t do much in Limited. Sure, if your opponent happens to only have one land that can produce one of their colors and you stick this on it, it can be pretty hilarious, but most of the time that’s not going to happen to them. Replacing itself just isn’t’ enough these days, it needs to actually…do something too, and this just won’t
Specter of Mortality image 5.0 If you can exile two things and pick off a bunch of stuff with this it’s going to feel pretty good, especially if it hurts your opponent more than it hurts you. Then, this will have the upside of allowing you to sweep the board of everything apart from the Specter, which is an absurdly powerful effect
Shrouded Shepherd image 4.0 Cleave Shadows is certainly somewhat situational, but I think you’ll be surprised by how many board states there will be where it lets you kill something. And if you’re doing that the shepherd will feel pretty nuts. You can of course Cleave and then cast the creature in the same turn too, in which case their debuffed board and your buffed creature probably mean you have a pretty great attack. Even without the Adventure, Shrouded Shepherd would definitely be playable too, so this is another one of these where the total package is incredibly impressive
Graceful Takedown image 3.5 So, this is another Green removal spell that doesn’t result in your creatures taking damage. Even if you have 0 enchanted creatures, you can have one thing take part in the effect, and if you do have enchanted creatures, you’ll be able to take down almost anything. It also puts you in less danger if you are able to choose multiple creatures, because a blow out is a lot harder for your opponent to produce when multiple creatures are doing the biting
Faerie Fencing image 4.0 Even without the Faerie upside this is an instant speed removal spell that scales all game long. If your deck has 0 Faeries you would always play it, but it does get far better if you do have some faeries around, as it becomes incredibly efficient. Heck, you can pay one to give something -3/-3 when you have a Faerie. There are enough faeries in black that setting this up for the extra value isn’t hard, and the baseline card is already really good
Conceited Witch image 3.0 A 3 mana ⅔ with Menace is passable, and you can augment one of your creatures with this on an earlier turn – or the same turn, if you have happen to have four mana. It just seems like plenty of value to get out of a single card, and it even seems reasonably efficient
Savior of the Sleeping image 2.5 As we’ve seen there are a decent number of ways to get enchantments in the graveyard, so it isn’t that unreasonable to think getting a counter or two on this is doable
Hamlet Glutton image 3.0 I always love a big ol’ green creature that gains me life when it ETBs, because it allows slower decks to stabilize. If this always cost 7 it would be overcosted, but because Bargaining this looks so doable, it will often cost 5 and you won’t have to give up much to make it happen. Red-Green and Blue-Green will both always want at least one copy of this
Flick a Coin image 2.0 Each thing this does individually isn’t that impressive but getting them all for three mana seems like a decent enough deal, especially if you’re in the market for fixing. Still, it’s a fairly low impact card that probably won’t always make the cut.
Ratcatcher Trainee image 3.0 A two mana 2/1 with first strike when it attacks is a great aggressive creature in Limited, and this one can make you a couple of 1/1s too. It is a bit odd as far as adventures go, because this is one where you probably cast it fairly often without ever using the Adventure part, where with most of them it makes a lot of sense to try to get the full value. Here, you’re not going to do that as often, but it still has big upside because if you draw it late you can get the tokens and the 2/1 all in a single turn. The Adventure side can also get celebration going all on its own
Grabby Giant image 2.0 This offers you some decent ramp early, and a mediocre body with an expensive activated ability late. Notably, he can ramp into himself, if you cast the adventure and then him and a 4/3 with Reach on turn three isn’t too bad.
Beanstalk Wurm image 2.0 Extra land effects rarely play well in Limited, especially when not accompanied by a way to draw cards, so the adventure here is often not going to be good. If you have it on turn two and have nothing else to do, it might help you ramp a bit. Even then it isn’t guaranteed though, as a missed land drop makes that advantage disintegrates and by the later stages of the game it is increasingly meaningless, and if you don’t have the extra land to begin with it’s always meaningless. The other side is a passable creature, but I think the overall package here is underwhelming
Besotted Knight image 3.0 Neither half of this card is exactly something you’d play on its own, but the fact of the matter is you can get both of these things! Using the Adventure side is likely to augment one of your early game creatures and make it more of a problem, and then you just sort of have this Hill Giant sitting in your hand, ready to come into play as soon as you don’t have anything else to do with your mana. That might know sound exciting, but I think you definitely get enough value out of this in the end for it to be a nice Common. Worth remembering too that the Role tokens have a lot of synergies in the set.
Ice Out image 2.0 This is Cancel when you don’t Bargain it, and Counterspell when you do. 1 mana may not seem like much, but the chasm between those two cards is massive. The fact this has double blue in the cost really matters too, as Limited mana bases aren’t good enough for you to consistently be able to leave up two Blue mana for this.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Feed the Cauldron
Intruder Alarm image 0.0 This would be kind of interesting if this format had any creatures who can tap and make a free creature token, because obviously that lets you go infinite. There aren’t any of those, though, so mostly what you get out of this is pseudo-vigilance and a pseudo-lock down effect, but you don’t have any actual control over either. So, this isn’t really worth a card
Embereth Veteran image 3.0 A one mana 2/1 can get in for decent damage on the first couple of turns, but tends to become irrelevant fairly quickly. This helps overcome that by letting you put a Young Hero Role on something, and while it’s not the most amazing of the Roles, since it requires the creature to be small to get a buff from it, it does mean the Veteran can significantly augment your creatures in some situations
Frolicking Familiar image 4.0 You’ll often be able to pick off something small with the Adventure, and that means you’re talking about a potential 2-for-1. Then you get a 2/2 Flyer that can become a real problem of an attacker, especially when you leave your mana up, because your opponent has no idea exactly how big the Familiar is going to be
Stroke of Midnight image 3.0 We’ve seen cards like this a lot, and this kind of effect is generally worse than it looks in Limited. Destroying anything for three is nice and all, but in a lot of ways, you can look at this as an Aura that makes a nonland permanent into a 1/1 with no abilities. When you look at it that way, it is much less impressive. Sure, that’s almost always going to downgrade something, and it doesn’t make this card bad, but it also isn’t premium removal for that reason
Cooped Up image 2.5 Pacifism does not seem at its best in this format. There will be main deck ways to destroy Enchantments for one thing, for another all of the Adventure creatures feel pretty bad when you use up a whole card on them to remove them. It also has the usual downsides of pacifism that are true in every format – like the fact it doesn’t stop static abilities. It isn’t terrible – after all it’s removal, and it can put itself in the graveyard which the Black-White deck especially is interested in. But this feels well below “premium” removal these days.
Sugar Rush image 1.5 This replaces itself, but the buff is highly unlikely to be that useful in combat. Sure, it probably lets you kill something, but most of the time whatever you cast this on will die two. Drawing the card does keep you from getting 2-for-1’d, but it doesn’t really make up for the tempo you lose. It does get a little better with Rat tokens, but I’d still steer clear of it most of the time
Return Triumphant image 2.0 This is a lot like recommission from The Brothers’ War. That card ended up being find, but nothing special. Both let you reanimate a mana value 3 or less card and then buff it when you do. The idea is that you increase your chances of reanimating something that is worth the mana thanks to the buff, but the card still requires enough set up that I’m not super excited about it
Beanstalk Wurm image 2.0 Extra land effects rarely play well in Limited, especially when not accompanied by a way to draw cards, so the adventure here is often not going to be good. If you have it on turn two and have nothing else to do, it might help you ramp a bit. Even then it isn’t guaranteed though, as a missed land drop makes that advantage disintegrates and by the later stages of the game it is increasingly meaningless, and if you don’t have the extra land to begin with it’s always meaningless. The other side is a passable creature, but I think the overall package here is underwhelming
Aquatic Alchemist image 1.5 Unfortunately, putting an instant or sorcery on top of your library from your graveyard isn’t a great effect all on its own. In fact, it’s card disadvantage. You go down a card and don’t get one back. This makes up for that some by also giving you a creature, I’m not really blown away by it either. We’ve seen cards with this same instant or sorcery trigger do pretty well, but most of the time they don’t have a restriction on how many times they can get buffed in a turn. Basically, both sides of this are fairly weak and not very impactful
Minecart Daredevil image 3.5 I like this a lot because it resembles some of the Adventures from last Eldraine that were huge overperformers. Yes, you’ve got a medicore trick on one side and a mediocre vanilla creature on the other, but you get both on one card, and both halves of this card can conceivably trade with something and that means you’re getting a 2-for-1.
Rimefur Reindeer image 2.5 This has some serious potential, as tapping down just one thing a turn is often pretty great at allowing your aggressive deck to rumble, and that’s especially true if the enchantment augmented one of your creatures. But, when you aren’t triggering this regularly, it is a well below rate creature.
Feed the Cauldron image 2.0 This will never let you trade up, and that’s one of the best things to do with removal spells. With this, you’ll kill something that cost the same or less. Getting that Food helps, but you don’t even always get it.
Hopeless Nightmare image 2.5 One mana to make your opponent discard and lose 2 life is an acceptable rate, and after that point the Nightmare is great fodder for cards with Bargain. It’s definitely a role-player, but something you probably want one of in Black if you have a few cards that Bargain
Pack 3 Pick 3: Bitter Chill
Curiosity image 1.0 For this to do anything, the creature you put it on generally already has to be good, and when an Aura needs that from you it gets a lot worse. If you have a lot of flyers this isn’t a bad role player, but most of the time you won’t play it
Obyra, Dreaming Duelist image 4.0 A two mana 2/2 with Flash and Flying always makes the cut, so the fact that this will also chip in and make your opponent lose life while you play out other Faeries is nice, especially because so many Faeries are evasive that chipping in for one damage here and there makes it a lot easier for them to do lethal
Bitter Chill image 3.0 This effect at two mana is nice, especially because this comes with some nice insurance most versions of it don’t. One of the big downsides of Aura removal is that if your opponent sacrifices or bounces their thing, it feels horrible. In this case, if you have 1 mana up, it’s going to feel a lot less horrible. So, this really gets around that downside in a significant way, and it’s efficient – so overall, I think this is actually Blue premium removal. Something we don’t see a whole lot of
Night of the Sweets' Revenge image 0.0 This has some serious potential. Turning all your food into mana can be pretty silly, especially because this has a pretty strong effect you can pump all that mana into. Unfortunately though, it doesn’t give your stuff trample, so there will be lots of situations where the buff doesn’t quite accomplish what you need it to. On top of that, add to it the fact that you really need a lot of Food in the first place and probably some other things to spend all that mana on – AND the fact that this doesn’t really add to the board at all and well…I think we’re talking about a pretty bad card. There are way better thing you can do with Food.
Ice Out image 2.0 This is Cancel when you don’t Bargain it, and Counterspell when you do. 1 mana may not seem like much, but the chasm between those two cards is massive. The fact this has double blue in the cost really matters too, as Limited mana bases aren’t good enough for you to consistently be able to leave up two Blue mana for this.
Protective Parents image 2.5 This has passable stats and a decent death trigger.
Into the Fae Court image 1.5 A draw spell that adds to the board sounds attractive. It’s too bad that the thing it adds to the board is so insignificant though, and it makes me think this is probably a little bit too clunky to be something that always makes the cut in your Blue decks
Mocking Sprite image 2.5 This has almost reasonable stats, and reducing the costs of spells has some extra weight in this format thanks to Adventures, in addition to the fact that it just plays well in any Blue/Red deck.
Brave the Wilds image 2.0 One green mana to search up a basic land is a borderline playable, especially if you’re playing more than two colors. The upside of animating a land means it can add to the board sometimes too
Edgewall Pack image 3.0 A 4-mana 3/3 menace that makes a 1/1 that can’t block is pretty decent. Worth noting that it triggers card swith Celebration on its own, and there are definitely some curve outs where you play a two drop and a three drop with Celebration, where then playing the Pack would make for a pretty spicy turn 4.
Wicked Visitor image 2.0 This has passable base stats and a passable payoff for the Black/White deck, which will be the most adept at putting enchantments in the graveyard
Living Lectern image 3.0 It feels like giving this up for a card and a Sorcerer role is going to generate some serious value, and the fact it can sit around as a reasonable blocker until you feel like doing that seems pretty good
Pack 3 Pick 4: Beluna's Gatekeeper
Dark Tutelage image 1.5 Drawing extra cards is good, but mana values get high enough in most Limited decks that this might be a problem. If you have a really low curve this can end up being quite the card advantage engine, but I’m skeptical you’ll end up in a deck like that very often
Discerning Financier image 3.0 If you miss a land drop he steps in and makes sure you don’t fall too far behind, and giving treasure to your opponent in the late game to draw cards is definitely going to be worth it. It does just end up being pretty close to vanilla a decent chunk of the time, though.
Icewrought Sentry image 3.0 This looks pretty good to me. Tapping opposing blockers is always really good, and while paying mana for it isn’t ideal the fact that the Sentry becomes a 4/4 when you do it helps offset that downside. Blue-White has some other cards that involve tapping and getting paid off for it too, making paying that mana all the more appealing. It also doesn’t hurt that simply the threat of activation makes your opponent play the game differently. They have to account for the Sentry when thinking about how they are going to attack on their own turn.
Up the Beanstalk image 2.5 Making it so this draws all on its own is a pretty big deal, because it means it’s never entirely useless. Then if you have enough big spells in your deck – something Red/Green and Blue/Green both want to do, this will turn into a pretty awesome value engine
Plunge into Winter image 1.5 I think you end up with a decent rate when you cast this card, one that means you won’t feel bad about playing it. Tapping doesn’t always matter, but you do always get Scry 1 draw a card, and when tapping does matter – or even better – when you have a tap payoff in play – this gets significantly better.
Witch's Mark image 2.0 This is a nice Tormenting Voice variant. Even without the Role token this card is usually in the D+ or C- range, especially in a format with some graveyard stuff and a spell deck, and that’s true in this format. Actually adding to the board while digging deeper into your deck is going to feel pretty nice. You probably don’t desperately want more than one of these, although perhaps if you’re in the spell deck going deeper than that first copy might be worth it
Unruly Catapult image 1.0 // 3.0 This isn’t quite as impressive as Thermo-Alchemist, but it’s doing a decent impression. This will likely be a premiere payoff in the Blue/Red spells deck, and kind of unplayable everywhere else. It can inflict a ton of extra damage when you have lots of cheap spells, and an 0/4 body is decently stout.
Beluna's Gatekeeper image 2.5 A restricted Sorcery speed bounce effect isn’t amazing, but you’ll usually have something you can bounce with this early. Usually, a bounce effect is card disadvantage, but because you get a big vanilla creature out of this later, that isn’t really the case. While it doesn’t quite deliver the two cards of value that make some adventures really strong, this does do a whole lot for a single card
Territorial Witchstalker image 1.5 A two mana 2/3 with defender isn’t great, but in a defensive deck it isn’t unplayable, but the ceiling on this card just isn’t very high, and neither is the floor.
Warehouse Tabby image 1.5 Take away the Enchantment part of this card and it’s…pretty bad. A one mana 1/1 with death touch is usually pretty solid, as it can trade for anything. This has the capacity to do that, but because you have to have mana up to do it and because you spend extra mana to make it do it, it is way worse than a one mana 1/1 that always has death touch. The fact it cranks out a few 1/1s is nice, but even in this format I don’t imagine this just giving you 1/1 after 1/1.
Grabby Giant image 2.0 This offers you some decent ramp early, and a mediocre body with an expensive activated ability late. Notably, he can ramp into himself, if you cast the adventure and then him and a 4/3 with Reach on turn three isn’t too bad.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Sweettooth Witch
Tanglespan Lookout image 3.5 An Enchantress effect is looking pretty good in this format, even on a card that specifically cares about Auras. One of the big mechanics in the set just makes Aura tokens, so the Lookout is going ot be able to drw you a card pretty often. It’s also nice that it is a ⅔, as I feel like often times we’d get a 2/2 with this text box. That 3rd toughness makes a pretty huge difference in making the card’s baseline a lot less miserable
Gadwick's First Duel image 1.5 // 3.5 Just getting a Cursed token for two mana isn’t terrible…though certainly not good either. It is very easy for your opponent to move the Cursed Role since all they have to do is use an effect that lets them put a role on one of their creatures. So, it’s a good thing it does some other stuff. Scry 2 helps set up chapter III in theory, and if you can copy something like a removal spell with chapter III this card is going to feel pretty insane, especially for two mana! Not all decks will do that consistently, though
Galvanic Giant image 3.0 This Adventure is going to feel nice in the extreme late game. In the earlier stages of the game Galvanic Giant doesn’t seem terrible either. Sure, the stats are bad, but if you can follow it up with a five-mana card on the next turn, you’re going to be in business. Obviously, this is a case where the Adventure isn’t always going to get cast before the creature, but it’s nice having that late game ability to see a bunch of cards
Titanic Growth image 2.0 We’ve seen this a ton and it’s always a playable trick. It makes it so most creatures can win combat against most other creatures, and the stats boost is even good against some removal
Archon's Glory image 2.0 One mana for +2/+2 generally makes for a decent trick that will allow a creature to win combat fairly often – and at a very low cost, and the added bargain upside here will come up sometimes. It sort of gives it a mode where you can send a creature into the air to do lethal.
Living Lectern image 3.0 It feels like giving this up for a card and a Sorcerer role is going to generate some serious value, and the fact it can sit around as a reasonable blocker until you feel like doing that seems pretty good
Redcap Thief image 2.5 This offers some nice fixing and ramp and can trigger celebration all on its own. That seems like something worth doing in Red decks in this format
Sweettooth Witch image 3.0 Giving up food to hurt your opponent can definitely have a place, and even be a win condition, and the base line of the card as a three mana 3/2 that makes a food isn’t a disaster
Cut In image 2.5 A 4-mana deal 4 sorcery isn’t premium removal, and I don’t think adding a Young Hero Role token to the mix gets this there. Still, it can kill a decent number of things and it does add to the board a tiny bit too.
Bespoke Battlegarb image 0.0 This doesn’t look good. Two mana to play and two to equip for +2/+0 just…isn’t where you want to be. The Celebration trigger on it will let you equip it for free, but even when that’s the case I’m not especially interested
Pack 3 Pick 6: Rat Out
Raid Bombardment image 0.0 // 2.5 Another Enchantment that rewards you for having lots of small creatures – things might get interesting if you can get your hands on impact tremors and goblin bombardment along with this. Anyway, like those this probably needs a specific deck – one that makes lots of Rats seems the most appealing. But if you can do that, you can quickly damage your opponent. It’s probably an F in most decks, and a C in a deck that got there on small stuff
Korvold and the Noble Thief image 1.0 The turn you play this is going to feel really rough, because paying FOUR and not getting anything meaningful on the board is a pain. Especially because the next chapter does the same thing! But chapter III is a pretty nice payoff. You can use all that treasure to up your chances of playing your opponent’s stuff. It is a bit of a bummer that if you don’t make sure to hold on to that treasure, and your opponent is in different colors than you, you’re going to be out of luck when it comes to casting off-color things. Overall…I’m kind of skeptical here. I love the value Chapter III can generate, but it’s really slow, and I think that will make this a liability
Rat Out image 2.0 The Rat not being able to block here is obviously a big deal, but if you can pick off an X/1 with this while adding something to your board that’s not…too bad. The problem is a 1/1 that can’t block isn’t exactly the most significant thing to add to your board. In fact, it’s pretty close to the least significant thing you can add
Kindled Heroism image 1.5 We’ve seen this trick many times before and it’s always kind of okay. The boost can allow your creature to win a decent number of combats, and when you can make that happen for only one mana it feels pretty amazing. Still, it is a combat trick and one that isn’t always very impactful
Skybeast Tracker image 1.5 A 4-mana 2/4 with Reach is not very good these days, though you could do worse if you need something defensive. This will make some food sometimes, which certainly has its uses in the format
Besotted Knight image 3.0 Neither half of this card is exactly something you’d play on its own, but the fact of the matter is you can get both of these things! Using the Adventure side is likely to augment one of your early game creatures and make it more of a problem, and then you just sort of have this Hill Giant sitting in your hand, ready to come into play as soon as you don’t have anything else to do with your mana. That might know sound exciting, but I think you definitely get enough value out of this in the end for it to be a nice Common. Worth remembering too that the Role tokens have a lot of synergies in the set.
Stormkeld Prowler image 1.5 Two +1/+1 counters is pretty nice! But a two-mana 2/1…isn’t, and by the time you play your 5-drop and make this a 4/3, it isn’t like it will be unbeatable. There will also be times where you can’t grow until well beyond that turn.
Candy Trail image 1.5 Scry 2 on turn one doesn’t sound like a bad idea in a lot of situations, although using up a whole card to do it definitely isn’t appealing. However, the fact you can cash this in for a card and life later means you don’t use up a whole card. Still, in a format without a big artifact theme, these artifacts that have tiny effects have been fairly underwhelming
Charmed Clothier image 2.5 A 5-mana 3/3 flyer is not a good rate. Getting a role token does make a difference, and a card like this also triggers Celebration, so it does some nice stuff for a couple different decks in the format.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Snaremaster Sprite
Compulsion image 1.0 This is pretty bad. Sure, rummaging can be nice, but having to pay mana to do it is a big downside, and even though this can replace itself you have to invest 4 mana to get there.
Royal Treatment image 2.0 This is really good against removal, less good in combat. +1/+1 just isn’t a boost that will help your creature succeed often enough
Snaremaster Sprite image 3.0 Three mana for a 1/1 flyer that stuns something is probably already a playable card – especially in a format with a Faerie deck and some payoffs for tapping things, so the fact that you also have the option of just playing this on turn one makes this a nice Common
Skewer Slinger image 1.5 This makes X/1s pretty miserable as they can neither attack through it or block it effectively. Overall, it is definitely a defensive card more than anything, and that’s always a little awkward
Stormkeld Prowler image 1.5 Two +1/+1 counters is pretty nice! But a two-mana 2/1…isn’t, and by the time you play your 5-drop and make this a 4/3, it isn’t like it will be unbeatable. There will also be times where you can’t grow until well beyond that turn.
Slumbering Keepguard image 2.0 It is kind of nice that this is a one-drop that can threaten to get significantly larger late, as that means it maintains some relevance all game long. The incidental Scry you get doesn’t hurt either
Protective Parents image 2.5 This has passable stats and a decent death trigger.
Sugar Rush image 1.5 This replaces itself, but the buff is highly unlikely to be that useful in combat. Sure, it probably lets you kill something, but most of the time whatever you cast this on will die two. Drawing the card does keep you from getting 2-for-1’d, but it doesn’t really make up for the tempo you lose. It does get a little better with Rat tokens, but I’d still steer clear of it most of the time
Pack 3 Pick 8: Sweettooth Witch
Season of Growth image 2.0 The Scry effect alone isn’t enough to run this, but the good news is there are several green cards in the set that will trigger this, even at lower rarities. They are combat tricks of course, but this also works pretty well with all the fight and bite spells, as it will make them into 2-for-1s, which is actually pretty nuts. So, I think you can actually play one of these in most Green decks and have it do something, and in some of them it might be really nuts
Sweettooth Witch image 3.0 Giving up food to hurt your opponent can definitely have a place, and even be a win condition, and the base line of the card as a three mana 3/2 that makes a food isn’t a disaster
Aquatic Alchemist image 1.5 Unfortunately, putting an instant or sorcery on top of your library from your graveyard isn’t a great effect all on its own. In fact, it’s card disadvantage. You go down a card and don’t get one back. This makes up for that some by also giving you a creature, I’m not really blown away by it either. We’ve seen cards with this same instant or sorcery trigger do pretty well, but most of the time they don’t have a restriction on how many times they can get buffed in a turn. Basically, both sides of this are fairly weak and not very impactful
Leaping Ambush image 1.0 They put a trick like this in almost every format, and it is almost always bad. Tricks are at their best when you use them offensively, because your opponent is less likely to have mana up to blow you out – so a trick that gets like 2/3s of its value from being used defensively just isn’t worth it
Bespoke Battlegarb image 0.0 This doesn’t look good. Two mana to play and two to equip for +2/+0 just…isn’t where you want to be. The Celebration trigger on it will let you equip it for free, but even when that’s the case I’m not especially interested
Merfolk Coralsmith image 2.0 Creatures who can modulate their power always play a little better than they look, as that flexibility lets them do a wide range of things. This can trade with things that have as much as 4 toughness and hit pretty hard when you want it to. The Scry trigger is a nice additional effect too
Mocking Sprite image 2.5 This has almost reasonable stats, and reducing the costs of spells has some extra weight in this format thanks to Adventures, in addition to the fact that it just plays well in any Blue/Red deck.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Spreading Seas
Spreading Seas image 0.0 This doesn’t do much in Limited. Sure, if your opponent happens to only have one land that can produce one of their colors and you stick this on it, it can be pretty hilarious, but most of the time that’s not going to happen to them. Replacing itself just isn’t’ enough these days, it needs to actually…do something too, and this just won’t
Savior of the Sleeping image 2.5 As we’ve seen there are a decent number of ways to get enchantments in the graveyard, so it isn’t that unreasonable to think getting a counter or two on this is doable
Hamlet Glutton image 3.0 I always love a big ol’ green creature that gains me life when it ETBs, because it allows slower decks to stabilize. If this always cost 7 it would be overcosted, but because Bargaining this looks so doable, it will often cost 5 and you won’t have to give up much to make it happen. Red-Green and Blue-Green will both always want at least one copy of this
Beanstalk Wurm image 2.0 Extra land effects rarely play well in Limited, especially when not accompanied by a way to draw cards, so the adventure here is often not going to be good. If you have it on turn two and have nothing else to do, it might help you ramp a bit. Even then it isn’t guaranteed though, as a missed land drop makes that advantage disintegrates and by the later stages of the game it is increasingly meaningless, and if you don’t have the extra land to begin with it’s always meaningless. The other side is a passable creature, but I think the overall package here is underwhelming
Besotted Knight image 3.0 Neither half of this card is exactly something you’d play on its own, but the fact of the matter is you can get both of these things! Using the Adventure side is likely to augment one of your early game creatures and make it more of a problem, and then you just sort of have this Hill Giant sitting in your hand, ready to come into play as soon as you don’t have anything else to do with your mana. That might know sound exciting, but I think you definitely get enough value out of this in the end for it to be a nice Common. Worth remembering too that the Role tokens have a lot of synergies in the set.
Ice Out image 2.0 This is Cancel when you don’t Bargain it, and Counterspell when you do. 1 mana may not seem like much, but the chasm between those two cards is massive. The fact this has double blue in the cost really matters too, as Limited mana bases aren’t good enough for you to consistently be able to leave up two Blue mana for this.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Return Triumphant
Sugar Rush image 1.5 This replaces itself, but the buff is highly unlikely to be that useful in combat. Sure, it probably lets you kill something, but most of the time whatever you cast this on will die two. Drawing the card does keep you from getting 2-for-1’d, but it doesn’t really make up for the tempo you lose. It does get a little better with Rat tokens, but I’d still steer clear of it most of the time
Return Triumphant image 2.0 This is a lot like recommission from The Brothers’ War. That card ended up being find, but nothing special. Both let you reanimate a mana value 3 or less card and then buff it when you do. The idea is that you increase your chances of reanimating something that is worth the mana thanks to the buff, but the card still requires enough set up that I’m not super excited about it
Aquatic Alchemist image 1.5 Unfortunately, putting an instant or sorcery on top of your library from your graveyard isn’t a great effect all on its own. In fact, it’s card disadvantage. You go down a card and don’t get one back. This makes up for that some by also giving you a creature, I’m not really blown away by it either. We’ve seen cards with this same instant or sorcery trigger do pretty well, but most of the time they don’t have a restriction on how many times they can get buffed in a turn. Basically, both sides of this are fairly weak and not very impactful
Minecart Daredevil image 3.5 I like this a lot because it resembles some of the Adventures from last Eldraine that were huge overperformers. Yes, you’ve got a medicore trick on one side and a mediocre vanilla creature on the other, but you get both on one card, and both halves of this card can conceivably trade with something and that means you’re getting a 2-for-1.
Rimefur Reindeer image 2.5 This has some serious potential, as tapping down just one thing a turn is often pretty great at allowing your aggressive deck to rumble, and that’s especially true if the enchantment augmented one of your creatures. But, when you aren’t triggering this regularly, it is a well below rate creature.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Obyra, Dreaming Duelist
Obyra, Dreaming Duelist image 4.0 A two mana 2/2 with Flash and Flying always makes the cut, so the fact that this will also chip in and make your opponent lose life while you play out other Faeries is nice, especially because so many Faeries are evasive that chipping in for one damage here and there makes it a lot easier for them to do lethal
Ice Out image 2.0 This is Cancel when you don’t Bargain it, and Counterspell when you do. 1 mana may not seem like much, but the chasm between those two cards is massive. The fact this has double blue in the cost really matters too, as Limited mana bases aren’t good enough for you to consistently be able to leave up two Blue mana for this.
Into the Fae Court image 1.5 A draw spell that adds to the board sounds attractive. It’s too bad that the thing it adds to the board is so insignificant though, and it makes me think this is probably a little bit too clunky to be something that always makes the cut in your Blue decks
Living Lectern image 3.0 It feels like giving this up for a card and a Sorcerer role is going to generate some serious value, and the fact it can sit around as a reasonable blocker until you feel like doing that seems pretty good
Pack 3 Pick 12: Plunge into Winter
Plunge into Winter image 1.5 I think you end up with a decent rate when you cast this card, one that means you won’t feel bad about playing it. Tapping doesn’t always matter, but you do always get Scry 1 draw a card, and when tapping does matter – or even better – when you have a tap payoff in play – this gets significantly better.
Unruly Catapult image 1.0 // 3.0 This isn’t quite as impressive as Thermo-Alchemist, but it’s doing a decent impression. This will likely be a premiere payoff in the Blue/Red spells deck, and kind of unplayable everywhere else. It can inflict a ton of extra damage when you have lots of cheap spells, and an 0/4 body is decently stout.
Territorial Witchstalker image 1.5 A two mana 2/3 with defender isn’t great, but in a defensive deck it isn’t unplayable, but the ceiling on this card just isn’t very high, and neither is the floor.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Living Lectern
Living Lectern image 3.0 It feels like giving this up for a card and a Sorcerer role is going to generate some serious value, and the fact it can sit around as a reasonable blocker until you feel like doing that seems pretty good
Bespoke Battlegarb image 0.0 This doesn’t look good. Two mana to play and two to equip for +2/+0 just…isn’t where you want to be. The Celebration trigger on it will let you equip it for free, but even when that’s the case I’m not especially interested
Pack 3 Pick 14: Kindled Heroism
Kindled Heroism image 1.5 We’ve seen this trick many times before and it’s always kind of okay. The boost can allow your creature to win a decent number of combats, and when you can make that happen for only one mana it feels pretty amazing. Still, it is a combat trick and one that isn’t always very impactful
Draft Pick Overview