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Premier Draft WAR 24.mars 2021

24 March 05:24 - rubypenguin 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Creature (13)
1 Kiora's Dambreaker image
1 Sky Theater Strix image
1 God-Eternal Oketra image
2 Law-Rune Enforcer image
1 Loxodon Sergeant image
1 Massacre Girl image
1 Elite Guardmage image
1 Sunblade Angel image
2 War Screecher image
1 Merfolk Skydiver image
1 Tithebearer Giant image
Planeswalker (3)
1 Tamiyo, Collector of Tales image
1 Kaya, Bane of the Dead image
1 Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter image
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (7)
1 Gideon's Triumph image
1 Wanderer's Strike image
1 Time Wipe image
1 Tamiyo's Epiphany image
1 Guild Globe image
1 Despark image
1 Mana Geode image
Land (17)
3 Swamp image
4 Island image
6 Plains image
4 Forest image
Sideboard
1 Law-Rune Enforcer image
1 Teyo's Lightshield image
1 Herald of the Dreadhorde image
1 Turret Ogre image
2 Jaya's Greeting image
1 Pledge of Unity image
1 Courage in Crisis image
1 Gideon's Sacrifice image
2 No Escape image
1 Nahiri's Stoneblades image
2 Price of Betrayal image
1 Steady Aim image
1 Blindblast image
1 Dovin, Hand of Control image
1 Teyo, the Shieldmage image
1 Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner image

Pack 1 Pick 1: God-Eternal Oketra
God-Eternal Oketra image 5.0 A 6-mana 3/6 with double strike is a card you always play, so that’s the baseline here. Then Oketra just churns out 4/4 zombies every time you play a creature spell – which by the way the typical limited deck usually has at least 15 of, so this isn’t really a build around. And then of course there is the “god” clause for this cycle that means even if your opponent kills it, its coming back in a few turns. This is pretty tough to beat.
Dovin, Hand of Control image 2.0 The static ability here looks kind of nice, making your opponent pay more for stuff. Unfortunately, there are lots of games where that effect won’t make much of a difference, since most decks don’t run THAT many cards in those three categories – wish they had included planeswalkers too at least! His loyalty ability might be a nice way to slow down the game for control decks, and can help you find answers, but mostly he seems like he is a mediocre fog effect to me. Sometimes that’s something you want, but it isn’t anything special.
Eternal Skylord image 4.0 So, you pay 5 mana here to always get 5/5 worth of stats, and 2/2 of that will have flying. If you already have an Army in play, it getting flying and +2/+2 right away is great. You can play this and have it be great in a deck with 0 other ways to make Armies, too, because it is just efficient on its own. Because of all that, this is one of the better uncommons in the set.
Sunblade Angel image 2.5 This is like a mini-Akroma. Packed full of keyword abilities that all work well together – Flying and First Strike make it hard to block, meaning it will get in for damage frequently and gain you life with lifelink which makes it incredibly difficult for your opponent to race you. Meanwhile, Vigilance make sure that she can hang back to block, and as a 3 power hexproof creature she will be pretty good at that. The one thing she doesn’t have going for her is her low toughness, meaning lots of cheap removal spells can take her down.
Herald of the Dreadhorde image 2.0 A 4-mana 3/2 isn’t great, but hey – it can trade with plenty of 4 drops, and if you’re trading with this your’e probably going to come out ahead, because it comes with Amass 2. Whether this makes you a 2/2 creature or makes your Army a bigger, it is a good deal, since it is coming in addition to a trade.
Shriekdiver image 1.5 A 3-mana 2/1 with Flying is kind of ok, and you can make this one into a 4-mana 2/1 with Flying and Haste which is…also ok.
Band Together image 3.0 Just up front: note this does not let you target two different creatures of your opponent's. Instead, you target two of your creatures, who then do damage equal to their power to one creature your opponent controls. Now that that's clear -- this is still an excellent common for Green. We have seen instant speed versions of this effect before, and they all only allowed you to target one creature on your side to do the damage -- this lets you do even more damage, allowing your two smallish creatures to take down one of your opponent's much larger creatures.
Totally Lost image 1.5 We've seen this card a lot, and it is always kind of ok. Putting something on top of your library is better than just bouncing something, because it means you are replacing your opponent's draw, meaning you are trading one card for one card -- which is not the guess with regular bounce spells. Still, at 5 mana this is a bit clunky, though it can enable some nice blowouts in response to combat tricks and will be nice against Amass tokens.
Turret Ogre image 2.5 This has decent stats + Reach, and an ETB ability that will trigger a good chunk of the time. That is a solid playable.
War Screecher image 1.5 2-mana 1/3 flyers are usually alright, and this can pump your whole team in the late game. It is decent filler.
Teyo's Lightshield image 2.5 A 3-mana ¼ is an ok deal, and a 3-mana 0/3 that puts a counter on something a little more meaningful is even better.
Bulwark Giant image 1.5 Well, this is the kind of card that really stabilize you against an aggressive deck. 5 life is huge against decks intent on ending the game quickly, and a 3/6 is no small roadblock. Obviously, this is primarily a defensive card, and not something every White deck is after.
Giant Growth image 2.0 We don’t see combat tricks like this very often anymore. A single mana giving such a massive P/T boost is great, and will make a creature capable of winning almost any combat. The opportunity cost of leaving up one Green mana is really low, and the upside here is very high. It is still a combat trick, so it has some issues of being situational and easy to get blown out on.
Bloom Hulk image 3.5 This has good stats and it proliferates. You’ll usually feel like you’re getting more than 4 mana’s worth of value out of this. This is one of Green’s best commons.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Jaya's Greeting
Vizier of the Scorpion image 3.0 So, this will typically be a 3-mana 1/1 that makes a 1/1 with Deathtouch, and that’s pretty good. Sometimes it will make your Army already in play gain +1/+1 and give it deathtouch, and I’m reasonably happy with that too.
Pledge of Unity image 3.5 So, this is a nice signpost uncommon for GW, where you want to be both going wide and making +1/+1 counters, and obviously this helps on both fronts! This, plus Proliferate is pretty crazy!
Huatli, the Sun's Heart image 1.0 This is a high toughness build around in a set that doesn’t really have anything else pushing you in that direction. Gaining life with the loyalty ability isn’t that great, and the static ability normally won’t be upgrading your board.
Relentless Advance image 1.5 You have two possibilities here: one is that you just paid 4 to put 3 +1/+1 counters onto a Zombie Army token you already have, the other is that you paid 4 mana for a 3/3 – in other words, a Hill Giant. Sure, it has some synergy with populate and other cards with Amass, but neither of those deals would be a particularly attractive card in Limited.
Duskmantle Operative image 1.5 This is a bear with some reasonable but unexciting upside.
Snarespinner image 1.5 This blocks fliers really well for a two-drop, but it isn’t that great at anything else.
Mana Geode image 1.5 If you need fixing you could do worse than playing this.
Kronch Wrangler image 2.5 So a 2-mana 2/1 with trample is not very good. Add this other text to it, though and it obviously gets a good deal better. Obviously best suited to RG, where there are the most “ferocious” pay offs, but the fact that this gets bigger in the late game is nice when coupled with the fact that it can do some damage or trade early.
Enforcer Griffin image 2.5 A 5-mana ¾ with Flying might not seem great, but it has just the right size in this format, outclassing most of the non-rare Flyers in the set. It isn’t anything special, but it is better than it looks.
Charity Extractor image 1.5 This is a pretty good defensive card, and not a bad place to counters thanks to lifelink. But you’ll cut it a lot. It just doesn’t do enough.
Blindblast image 1.5 Adding a card-draw effect to a card always makes it way more attractive, and I think that is certainly the case here. This can kill some small creatures, in which case you get a straight-up two-for-one, but my guess is that you'll usually just use this to make your opponent's best creature unable to block. That kind of effect is quite strong in aggressive Red decks, as sometimes you go from not being able to attack at all, to being able to attack with everything after a problem creature is removed from the equation. It still isn’t something you probably ever want more than one of, and you don’t want it all if you aren’t aggressive.
Jaya's Greeting image 4.0 Two mana to do 3 to something at Instant speed is already premium, so adding Scry is just icing on the cake.
Guild Globe image 1.5 This replaces itself and gives you some fixing. If you’re interested in splashing something this can help you do it.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Jaya's Greeting
Rubblebelt Rioters image 3.0 This can often attack pretty hard right away, but it also becomes less relevant as the game goes long as a result of not really having any evasion.
Flux Channeler image 1.5 // 3.5 A 3-mana 2/2, which is a horrendous statline, and it doesn’t get to help you proliferate right away or anything, at least not most of the time. That said, as soon as you play noncreatures – including planeswalkers, being able to add counters to stuff as a repeatable effect seems pretty nice. This is sort of a double build around – you need lots of counters and lots of non-creature spells to make it work, but when you can, it is a pretty great engine.
Ral's Outburst image 3.5 4 mana to do 3 at Instant speed is already playable, but the fact that this not only draws you a card, but even gives you a bit of card selection makes this great. It will always be a 2-for-1, and if you can’t kill a creature with it, you can still hit your opponent and try to dig for something.
Lazotep Behemoth image 1.0 A 5-mana 5/4 is some ok stats. Better than some vanilla stat lines. But you still mostly wont play this.
Kiora's Dambreaker image 2.0 A 6-mana 5/6 isn’t great, but it is passable stats, especially in Blue. Add Proliferate to that and it certainly gets better – especially in a set whose cup runneth over with various types of counters.
Relentless Advance image 1.5 You have two possibilities here: one is that you just paid 4 to put 3 +1/+1 counters onto a Zombie Army token you already have, the other is that you paid 4 mana for a 3/3 – in other words, a Hill Giant. Sure, it has some synergy with populate and other cards with Amass, but neither of those deals would be a particularly attractive card in Limited.
Jaya's Greeting image 4.0 Two mana to do 3 to something at Instant speed is already premium, so adding Scry is just icing on the cake.
Ironclad Krovod image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with okayish stats. You hope you aren’t playing it.
Nahiri's Stoneblades image 0.0 I don't like tricks that don't help my creature survive combat. Only bumping power with no keyword added just isn’t worth it, even if you can pump two creatures.
Stealth Mission image 1.0 I don’t like most versions of this card we see. Sure, you get a free swing in, and sometimes that will win you the game. But a lot of the time it just doesn’t matter. And it is super risky because it opens you up to the dreaded 2-for-1 in many situations if you aren’t careful.
Law-Rune Enforcer image 4.0 Any time we have seen master decoy around, it has been great – and in some ways, this is even better. For one thing, it is one fewer mana to cast for the same stats, and it only asks for colorless mana to tap things. Of course, the original Master Decoy can tap any creature – but tapping things with CMC 2 or greater is what you do with this kind of card any way, so that isn’t a huge downgrade. Being able to lock down your opponent’s best creature, or get problem blockers out of the way is huge, and in a lot of ways a card like Law-Rune Enforcer becomes a removal spell. This is an absolutely excellent common.
Thundering Ceratok image 2.0 So a 5-mana 4/5 with Trample is already passable, it is a body big enough that trample really means something. Making it so this also gives trample to your whole team is nice, though it is worth noting that I would guess that around 50% of the time you play this, that won’t matter. There will also be plenty of times when it does, just don’t expect it to be a huge play all the time, and don’t value it that way, because it won’t.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Dovin, Hand of Control
Dovin, Hand of Control image 2.0 The static ability here looks kind of nice, making your opponent pay more for stuff. Unfortunately, there are lots of games where that effect won’t make much of a difference, since most decks don’t run THAT many cards in those three categories – wish they had included planeswalkers too at least! His loyalty ability might be a nice way to slow down the game for control decks, and can help you find answers, but mostly he seems like he is a mediocre fog effect to me. Sometimes that’s something you want, but it isn’t anything special.
Sarkhan's Catharsis image 1.0 Even in a set with this many Planeswalkers I’m not very interested in a Lava Axe variant.
Courage in Crisis image 2.0 If this was just 3-mana to put a counter on something at Sorcery speed, it would be an F or close to it. But you add proliferate to the mix and things get more interesting. Basically, at its worse, this gives you two +1/+1 counters at sorcery speed, and there will be plenty of times where it will add counters some other places too. That said, it does come with some pretty huge risk in that it can open you up to a 2-for-1 if you're not careful.
Snarespinner image 1.5 This blocks fliers really well for a two-drop, but it isn’t that great at anything else.
Arlinn's Wolf image 2.0 A 3-mana 3/2 that can’t be blocked by smaller creatures is nice. Sometimes your 3/2 gets in trouble against a couple of 1/3s or something, and this prevents that. It isn’t anything special, but it is definitely a 3-drop you’ll play without feeling bad about.
Wall of Runes image 1.5 If you’re a defensive deck, you’ll play this and it will be passable. If you’re not defensive, don’t play it.
Prismite image 1.0 This is a creature with bad stats that also doesn’t filter mana very well. If your deck is desperately in need of a two drop AND some mana fixing, it can do those things, but again – it doesn’t do either of them well.
Battlefield Promotion image 1.0 Even though this set has a long of payoffs for +1/+1 counters, and a few for gaining life, I’m normally not interested in this. This is a relatively grindy format, and combat tricks like this just don’t work like you’d hope they would in other formats. You should mostly avoid this.
Stealth Mission image 1.0 I don’t like most versions of this card we see. Sure, you get a free swing in, and sometimes that will win you the game. But a lot of the time it just doesn’t matter. And it is super risky because it opens you up to the dreaded 2-for-1 in many situations if you aren’t careful.
Samut's Sprint image 1.5 This is just red’s obligatory solid combat trick that will be nice in aggro decks. +2/+1 is enough of a boost for a creature to win a lot of combats, and the additional Haste upside doesn’t hurt. Still, it IS a combat trick and it comes with all the inherent risks that combat tricks have they are inherently situational and come with the risk of a 2-for-1 that blows you out.
Lazotep Behemoth image 1.0 A 5-mana 5/4 is some ok stats. Better than some vanilla stat lines. But you still mostly wont play this.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Teyo, the Shieldmage
Bolt Bend image 0.0 Too situational to ever do anything consistently enough to be worth putting in your deck.
Teyo, the Shieldmage image 2.0 Basically, you are paying 3 for a 0/3 wall, and maybe he makes you a second one too. With most of these walkers, if you get to use their ability the second time, they sound pretty good. In this case? Not so much. 3 mana for two 0/3s is something, but not anything special. It isn’t like 0/3s are even that hard to bust through in the long run.
Dovin's Veto image 0.5 This is definitely a card that was printed with constructed in mind. Negate is usually pretty nice in constructed, it is not nearly as nice in Limited. Your typical Limited deck will only have about 5 cards that this can counter, and that’s not nearly enough for you to ever want to play this in your main 40 cards.
Iron Bully image 2.5 This card really overperforms thanks to all the Proliferate in the set. Even if it just puts its counter on itself, it doesn’t tend to only be a 2/2 with Menace for very long!
Defiant Strike image 1.0 Last time we saw this card, it was surprisingly good because it was in Khans of Tarkir, and the Prowess mechanic was all over the place, including on White cards. Not the case here though. +1/+0 is the kind of stat boost that will have very little impact on combat the majority of the time, and normally you want your combat tricks to make it more likely your creature wins combat against larger creatures-- and sure, this cycles itself, and that's what keeps it from being unplayable, but it still isn't very good.
Teferi's Time Twist image 1.0 This can do a variety of things, but most of the time they won’t be worth doing. Because this is an Instant, if your opponent tries to take down a planeswalker, you can use the Time Twist, both saving it and setting its loyalty back to what it was when it came into play. On top of that, Teferi’s Time Twist is also good with ETB creatures, can help your creature dodge a removal spell, and so on. I still am not very interested in playing it.
Chainwhip Cyclops image 1.5 This guy is decent. There are tons of board states where an ability like that really opens the flood gates – get that one problem blocker out of the way, and now the best your opponent can do is chump or trade! It does cost a lot of mana here, at 4, and it comes on an inefficient creature as a 5-mana 4/4, but that effect can be a good mana sink.
Steady Aim image 1.0 This will make your creature survive combat frequently, and can be used in response to damage-based removal. What I don’t love is that it isn’t that exciting offensively, and generally you want your combat tricks to produce blowouts on the attack, like blowing up double blocks – which this won’t do as often. I think it is an ok trick, but I don’t want more than one in an ideal world.
Goblin Assault Team image 1.5 So, a 4-mana 4/1 with Haste would normally not be so good -- maybe it can get in for 4 once or something, but then it dies to literally everything. However, because this also leaves a +1/+1 counter behind, it helps you get around that downside. There is also additional upside here in the fact that it can trade for a ton of stuff with 4 power -- any time you can trade for something decently sized with this and get the counter, you're going to feel ok about things. I'm not sure you'll ever want more than one of these, but the first of these seems like a reasonable inclusion in most Red decks.
Loxodon Sergeant image 2.0 This starts out with reasonablish stats, and it also has a useful ability. Obviously, Vigilance for your whole team when this comes down is decent, but it is the kind of ETB ability that I would guess won't matter about 50% of the time. Don't get me wrong, it makes a difference, but I don't feel like enough of one. I think this is a card that you don't feel bad about having in your deck, but you probably don't want more than one.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Merfolk Skydiver
Merfolk Skydiver image 3.5 This can be a two-mana 2/2 flyer, or you can put the counter somewhere else if that’s more impactful – but either way, that’s a good deal, much like Pollenbright Druid. What pushes this past the Druid is that it can Proliferate repeatedly, which even in a worst case scenario will mean you are Proliferating the +1/+1 counter of this thing over and over, and in most scenarios you will have +1/+1 counters or Loyalty counters elsewhere too. It is a great late game manasink.
Davriel's Shadowfugue image 1.0 4 mana to make the opponent discard 2 and lose 2 life just isn’t a good deal. Mind Rot, which makes the opponent discard 2 for 3 mana is often not good enough for Limited, and this costs one more and adds a negligible effect.
Relentless Advance image 1.5 You have two possibilities here: one is that you just paid 4 to put 3 +1/+1 counters onto a Zombie Army token you already have, the other is that you paid 4 mana for a 3/3 – in other words, a Hill Giant. Sure, it has some synergy with populate and other cards with Amass, but neither of those deals would be a particularly attractive card in Limited.
Tithebearer Giant image 3.0 Because this is fairly expensive and has mediocre stats you don’t normally want more than one of these, but the first copy is pretty nice. Because it draws you a card and has a reasonable body, you’re virtually always going to get a 2-for-1 out of this, and 2-for-1s go a long way towards helping you win.
Crush Dissent image 1.5 As good as Amass is in this format, I don’t like this card a whole lot. Counters that let your opponent pay mana to ignore them have to be really efficient in Limited, since they will become weaker and weaker as the game goes on. Now, the fail case here is that you still get to Amass, and that keeps it from being unplayable.
Herald of the Dreadhorde image 2.0 A 4-mana 3/2 isn’t great, but hey – it can trade with plenty of 4 drops, and if you’re trading with this your’e probably going to come out ahead, because it comes with Amass 2. Whether this makes you a 2/2 creature or makes your Army a bigger, it is a good deal, since it is coming in addition to a trade.
Pollenbright Druid image 3.5 A 2-mana 1/1 that puts a counter anywhere – including on itself, is usually a pretty decent card already. At worst it is going to be a Grizzly Bears, and there are other times where putting the counter elsewhere makes a big deal, like on an evasive creature. But this has the additional ability to also just Proliferate, which you will be doing if you already have other counters in play. Either way, you’re going to get some value out of your 2 drop in the late game, and that’s not always easy to come by.
Nahiri's Stoneblades image 0.0 I don't like tricks that don't help my creature survive combat. Only bumping power with no keyword added just isn’t worth it, even if you can pump two creatures.
Loxodon Sergeant image 2.0 This starts out with reasonablish stats, and it also has a useful ability. Obviously, Vigilance for your whole team when this comes down is decent, but it is the kind of ETB ability that I would guess won't matter about 50% of the time. Don't get me wrong, it makes a difference, but I don't feel like enough of one. I think this is a card that you don't feel bad about having in your deck, but you probably don't want more than one.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Gideon's Triumph
Gideon's Triumph image 3.0 This is situational, but efficient. Keep in mind, by the way, that you can wait to use this until after combat is over – like if your opponent double blocks and you can only kill one of their creatures in combat, if you use this after the one creature died in combat, you can also get the second creature. Generally, your opponent will be attacking with and blocking with their largest creature, so I think overall this will do what you need it to.
Totally Lost image 1.5 We've seen this card a lot, and it is always kind of ok. Putting something on top of your library is better than just bouncing something, because it means you are replacing your opponent's draw, meaning you are trading one card for one card -- which is not the guess with regular bounce spells. Still, at 5 mana this is a bit clunky, though it can enable some nice blowouts in response to combat tricks and will be nice against Amass tokens.
Unlikely Aid image 2.0 This is a solid trick. The stats boost and indestructibility is going to be enough for your creature to win most combats, and you can even use it in response to (most) removal to save your creature. Now, it IS still a trick, which is something only aggro decks are really interested in, and it is a bit risky since your opponent interacting in response to it is really bad.
Honor the God-Pharaoh image 2.0 Tormenting Voice + Amass isn’t too bad. You get to add to the board while improving card quality, and that seems fine.
Spellkeeper Weird image 2.0 A 3-mana ¼ has some not entirely horrendous defensive stats, and this one comes with the ability to get back key spells – with removal spells being the most interesting. While I think this will probably be best in a UR spells deck, I think most Blue decks in this format will probably run enough instants and sorceries for the Weird to be a solid inclusion in the deck.
Makeshift Battalion image 2.5 You’ll play this in an aggressive deck, but for the most part that type of deck isn’t great in this format. It just won’t always be easy to send in two additional creatures into combat, and it won’t be worth risking trades so much either since the payoff is just a +1/+1 counter. I’m not saying this is bad, just not something you should be excited about.
Invading Manticore image 2.5 Whether or not you already have an army, you are paying 6 mana to add 6/7 to the battlefield, and that's not a bad thing to have at the top of your curve.
Crush Dissent image 1.5 As good as Amass is in this format, I don’t like this card a whole lot. Counters that let your opponent pay mana to ignore them have to be really efficient in Limited, since they will become weaker and weaker as the game goes on. Now, the fail case here is that you still get to Amass, and that keeps it from being unplayable.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Law-Rune Enforcer
Invade the City image 0.0 // 2.5 Obviously enough, this is a buildaround. Like spell payoffs in most formats, your’e not always going to get enough spells together to make playing this work out for you. Basically, you’re not going to feel like this is worth it unless you can get 3+ instants and sorceries in your graveyard, and doing that by turn 3 isn’t going to happen much in Limited, even in decks with lots of instants and sorceries. Sure, it scales as the game goes on, and sometimes will make a huge Army, but hey – an Army is still just a huge vanilla creature – though I’m sure we’re going to see some cards that can enhance your army before spoiler season is over. Either way, this is definitely a build around, and not one that I’m SUPER excited about
Spellkeeper Weird image 2.0 A 3-mana ¼ has some not entirely horrendous defensive stats, and this one comes with the ability to get back key spells – with removal spells being the most interesting. While I think this will probably be best in a UR spells deck, I think most Blue decks in this format will probably run enough instants and sorceries for the Weird to be a solid inclusion in the deck.
Loxodon Sergeant image 2.0 This starts out with reasonablish stats, and it also has a useful ability. Obviously, Vigilance for your whole team when this comes down is decent, but it is the kind of ETB ability that I would guess won't matter about 50% of the time. Don't get me wrong, it makes a difference, but I don't feel like enough of one. I think this is a card that you don't feel bad about having in your deck, but you probably don't want more than one.
Guild Globe image 1.5 This replaces itself and gives you some fixing. If you’re interested in splashing something this can help you do it.
Unlikely Aid image 2.0 This is a solid trick. The stats boost and indestructibility is going to be enough for your creature to win most combats, and you can even use it in response to (most) removal to save your creature. Now, it IS still a trick, which is something only aggro decks are really interested in, and it is a bit risky since your opponent interacting in response to it is really bad.
Honor the God-Pharaoh image 2.0 Tormenting Voice + Amass isn’t too bad. You get to add to the board while improving card quality, and that seems fine.
Law-Rune Enforcer image 4.0 Any time we have seen master decoy around, it has been great – and in some ways, this is even better. For one thing, it is one fewer mana to cast for the same stats, and it only asks for colorless mana to tap things. Of course, the original Master Decoy can tap any creature – but tapping things with CMC 2 or greater is what you do with this kind of card any way, so that isn’t a huge downgrade. Being able to lock down your opponent’s best creature, or get problem blockers out of the way is huge, and in a lot of ways a card like Law-Rune Enforcer becomes a removal spell. This is an absolutely excellent common.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Teyo's Lightshield
Dovin, Hand of Control image 2.0 The static ability here looks kind of nice, making your opponent pay more for stuff. Unfortunately, there are lots of games where that effect won’t make much of a difference, since most decks don’t run THAT many cards in those three categories – wish they had included planeswalkers too at least! His loyalty ability might be a nice way to slow down the game for control decks, and can help you find answers, but mostly he seems like he is a mediocre fog effect to me. Sometimes that’s something you want, but it isn’t anything special.
Shriekdiver image 1.5 A 3-mana 2/1 with Flying is kind of ok, and you can make this one into a 4-mana 2/1 with Flying and Haste which is…also ok.
Totally Lost image 1.5 We've seen this card a lot, and it is always kind of ok. Putting something on top of your library is better than just bouncing something, because it means you are replacing your opponent's draw, meaning you are trading one card for one card -- which is not the guess with regular bounce spells. Still, at 5 mana this is a bit clunky, though it can enable some nice blowouts in response to combat tricks and will be nice against Amass tokens.
Teyo's Lightshield image 2.5 A 3-mana ¼ is an ok deal, and a 3-mana 0/3 that puts a counter on something a little more meaningful is even better.
Bulwark Giant image 1.5 Well, this is the kind of card that really stabilize you against an aggressive deck. 5 life is huge against decks intent on ending the game quickly, and a 3/6 is no small roadblock. Obviously, this is primarily a defensive card, and not something every White deck is after.
Giant Growth image 2.0 We don’t see combat tricks like this very often anymore. A single mana giving such a massive P/T boost is great, and will make a creature capable of winning almost any combat. The opportunity cost of leaving up one Green mana is really low, and the upside here is very high. It is still a combat trick, so it has some issues of being situational and easy to get blown out on.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Pledge of Unity
Pledge of Unity image 3.5 So, this is a nice signpost uncommon for GW, where you want to be both going wide and making +1/+1 counters, and obviously this helps on both fronts! This, plus Proliferate is pretty crazy!
Relentless Advance image 1.5 You have two possibilities here: one is that you just paid 4 to put 3 +1/+1 counters onto a Zombie Army token you already have, the other is that you paid 4 mana for a 3/3 – in other words, a Hill Giant. Sure, it has some synergy with populate and other cards with Amass, but neither of those deals would be a particularly attractive card in Limited.
Mana Geode image 1.5 If you need fixing you could do worse than playing this.
Enforcer Griffin image 2.5 A 5-mana ¾ with Flying might not seem great, but it has just the right size in this format, outclassing most of the non-rare Flyers in the set. It isn’t anything special, but it is better than it looks.
Charity Extractor image 1.5 This is a pretty good defensive card, and not a bad place to counters thanks to lifelink. But you’ll cut it a lot. It just doesn’t do enough.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Law-Rune Enforcer
Lazotep Behemoth image 1.0 A 5-mana 5/4 is some ok stats. Better than some vanilla stat lines. But you still mostly wont play this.
Relentless Advance image 1.5 You have two possibilities here: one is that you just paid 4 to put 3 +1/+1 counters onto a Zombie Army token you already have, the other is that you paid 4 mana for a 3/3 – in other words, a Hill Giant. Sure, it has some synergy with populate and other cards with Amass, but neither of those deals would be a particularly attractive card in Limited.
Stealth Mission image 1.0 I don’t like most versions of this card we see. Sure, you get a free swing in, and sometimes that will win you the game. But a lot of the time it just doesn’t matter. And it is super risky because it opens you up to the dreaded 2-for-1 in many situations if you aren’t careful.
Law-Rune Enforcer image 4.0 Any time we have seen master decoy around, it has been great – and in some ways, this is even better. For one thing, it is one fewer mana to cast for the same stats, and it only asks for colorless mana to tap things. Of course, the original Master Decoy can tap any creature – but tapping things with CMC 2 or greater is what you do with this kind of card any way, so that isn’t a huge downgrade. Being able to lock down your opponent’s best creature, or get problem blockers out of the way is huge, and in a lot of ways a card like Law-Rune Enforcer becomes a removal spell. This is an absolutely excellent common.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Courage in Crisis
Courage in Crisis image 2.0 If this was just 3-mana to put a counter on something at Sorcery speed, it would be an F or close to it. But you add proliferate to the mix and things get more interesting. Basically, at its worse, this gives you two +1/+1 counters at sorcery speed, and there will be plenty of times where it will add counters some other places too. That said, it does come with some pretty huge risk in that it can open you up to a 2-for-1 if you're not careful.
Wall of Runes image 1.5 If you’re a defensive deck, you’ll play this and it will be passable. If you’re not defensive, don’t play it.
Lazotep Behemoth image 1.0 A 5-mana 5/4 is some ok stats. Better than some vanilla stat lines. But you still mostly wont play this.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Loxodon Sergeant
Steady Aim image 1.0 This will make your creature survive combat frequently, and can be used in response to damage-based removal. What I don’t love is that it isn’t that exciting offensively, and generally you want your combat tricks to produce blowouts on the attack, like blowing up double blocks – which this won’t do as often. I think it is an ok trick, but I don’t want more than one in an ideal world.
Loxodon Sergeant image 2.0 This starts out with reasonablish stats, and it also has a useful ability. Obviously, Vigilance for your whole team when this comes down is decent, but it is the kind of ETB ability that I would guess won't matter about 50% of the time. Don't get me wrong, it makes a difference, but I don't feel like enough of one. I think this is a card that you don't feel bad about having in your deck, but you probably don't want more than one.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Nahiri's Stoneblades
Nahiri's Stoneblades image 0.0 I don't like tricks that don't help my creature survive combat. Only bumping power with no keyword added just isn’t worth it, even if you can pump two creatures.
Pack 2 Pick 1: Massacre Girl
Massacre Girl image 5.0 Up front, worth saying a 5-mana 4/4 menace on its own is usually at least a C, maybe a C+ in some formats. But she does wayyy more than that. As her name implies, she comes down and massacres stuff. How much stuff? Well, it depends. Basically, if there is the right distribution of toughness on the table, she can wipe the entire board, as she just keeps triggering her “Whenever a creature dies this turn” effect every time one thing dies, so if a 1/1 dies, it happens again, and now all X/2s die, and then it happens again, and so forth. Also worth noting, that the things don’t have to be killed by her ETB ability, if you have the mana to also play a removal spell, and you were just short of being able to wipe all your opponent’s creatures, you can still make it happen. In general, I think she is amazing – she isn’t THAT far from being a 5-mana 4/4 with Menace that wipes the whole board. I think in plenty of situations she will take down a couple of small creatures, but even if that’s all, you’re looking at a really strong card. The solid stats attached to that ability are what really sells me on her.
Price of Betrayal image 0.5 Even in a set that has a ton of counters, it is pretty hard to consistently use Price of Betrayal to get rid of an opponents’ card. You’ll find yourself downgrading or weakening a card more often, and that just isn’t worth it.
Angrath, Captain of Chaos image 2.5 Menace to your whole team for 4 mana isn’t awesome, but I feel like you’ll feel alright if you can use the loyalty ability twice to get a 4/4 or two 2/2s out of the deal as well.
Chandra's Triumph image 4.0 Two mana to do 3 to something at Instant speed is always a good removal spell. This isn’t quite lightning strike, because it doesn’t hit players, but it is still pretty good. The upside on it will happen on occasion, since Chandra is at Rare instead of Mythic Rare, but it still won’t be happening with any sort of regularity, so mostly – this is just a Lightning Strike that can’t hit players…which is still a really good card.
Snarespinner image 1.5 This blocks fliers really well for a two-drop, but it isn’t that great at anything else.
Lazotep Reaver image 3.0 This is a nice two drop. Two mana for 2/3 of stats divided across two bodies is a great deal, and it stays relevant all game long.
Demolish image 0.0 I always try to give this a sideboard grade, but the reality is – you will never side this in in this set. There aren’t enough artifacts or problem lands, so most of the time this reads “Pay 4 mana, discard this and do almost nothing.”
Aven Eternal image 3.5 3-mana 2/2 flyers tend to be playable if that’s all they are. Adding Amass here is great, and will give you a great deal whether you put a counter on an Army already in play or you make a token.
Goblin Assailant image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with mediocre stats. You’ll only play it if you’re desperate for a two drop.
Heartfire image 1.5 Two mana to do 4 to anything at Instant speed would be premium removal. This asks you to do a little more work than that though, wanting you to sacrifice a creature or planeswalker to use it. Now, it looks like the RB deck is going to be interested in doing some sacrificing, and will also have creatures that are good to sacrifice, so maybe that's the best place for it. But either way, I think this is an alright card -- what saves it from being outright bad is the fact that it is an Instant, and the fact it can go to your opponent' face. As an Instant, it can be used in situations where losing the creature isn't as much of a downside -- like after you block something first, then sacrifice the creature to kill something else. The most attractive time to use this is in response to your opponent's removal of course. But still, even in those "ideal" situations, you're not really getting a 2-for-1. To do that you'll need to be giving up tokens.
Teyo's Lightshield image 2.5 A 3-mana ¼ is an ok deal, and a 3-mana 0/3 that puts a counter on something a little more meaningful is even better.
Herald of the Dreadhorde image 2.0 A 4-mana 3/2 isn’t great, but hey – it can trade with plenty of 4 drops, and if you’re trading with this your’e probably going to come out ahead, because it comes with Amass 2. Whether this makes you a 2/2 creature or makes your Army a bigger, it is a good deal, since it is coming in addition to a trade.
Iron Bully image 2.5 This card really overperforms thanks to all the Proliferate in the set. Even if it just puts its counter on itself, it doesn’t tend to only be a 2/2 with Menace for very long!
Spellgorger Weird image 1.0 // 3.5 I do think this needs two grades, as you need a critical mass of instants and sorceries to really get there. Sure, if you get it to 3/3 you’re doing alright, but obviously you want a deck with 7+ instants and sorceries to fully take advantage of this thing. Doesn’t hurt that it has synergy with proliferate either!
Pack 2 Pick 2: Kaya, Bane of the Dead
Devouring Hellion image 2.0 This has a pretty abysmal floor, as a 3-mana 2/2, but with just one sacrificed creature or planeswalker, it is a 4/4, and it scales up from there. The ideal thing is to sacrifice something that isn’t worth having around anymore – like an uncommon Planeswalker with only 1 loyalty left, or a creature with a death trigger, or a creature token, or a creature with an aura-based removal spell on it. Problem is, you just won’t always be able to set that up, even in the most synergistic of decks there will be times where this just isn’t worth doing, and because of that I have a hard time thinking of it as anything more than a solid playable.
Heartwarming Redemption image 1.0 Sometimes an effect like this can be a nice way to reload your hand, but it is also super awkward. Any time I look at a card and see that it is completely useless if you’re in top deck mode, it makes me really uninterested in playing it, especially because even in an ideal situation where you’re flooding and you use this to get out of that flood, it still isn’t going to feel like it is doing something that impressive.
Kaya, Bane of the Dead image 3.5 She doesn’t do anything fancy – and her static ability will often be irrelevant, but at worse you pay 6 mana to permanently kill any creature. That’s obviously not a great card in terms of how much mana you pay. BUT - a good chunk of the time Kaya will take down two creatures, an excellent deal for 6 mana. If you can add counters to her even once, she can do it 3 times potentially.
Charmed Stray image 1.0 // 2.5 This is only going to be worth it if you end up with 3+ of them, as a one -mana 1/1 with lifelink just doesn’t do enough to be worth a card. If you do have multiple copies, they do get better – but I’d advise not going after them hard, and just picking them up late in packs.
Samut's Sprint image 1.5 This is just red’s obligatory solid combat trick that will be nice in aggro decks. +2/+1 is enough of a boost for a creature to win a lot of combats, and the additional Haste upside doesn’t hurt. Still, it IS a combat trick and it comes with all the inherent risks that combat tricks have they are inherently situational and come with the risk of a 2-for-1 that blows you out.
Naga Eternal image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with mediocre stats. That’s all.
Snarespinner image 1.5 This blocks fliers really well for a two-drop, but it isn’t that great at anything else.
Prismite image 1.0 This is a creature with bad stats that also doesn’t filter mana very well. If your deck is desperately in need of a two drop AND some mana fixing, it can do those things, but again – it doesn’t do either of them well.
Arlinn's Wolf image 2.0 A 3-mana 3/2 that can’t be blocked by smaller creatures is nice. Sometimes your 3/2 gets in trouble against a couple of 1/3s or something, and this prevents that. It isn’t anything special, but it is definitely a 3-drop you’ll play without feeling bad about.
Sorin's Thirst image 2.5 These types of removal spells are always nice. Killing small creatures at Instant speed and gaining some life is a pretty good deal. It isn’t quite premium, but its close.
Ob Nixilis's Cruelty image 4.0 This is is Black’s obligatory premium common removal spell. 3 mana for -5/-5 is a great deal, especially at instant speed, and especially with the exile clause attached to it. The great thing about this kind of card too, is that it doesn’t have to outright kill a creature to give you value, sometimes, you can set up a block and use it to make your opponent’s creature smaller so yours survives in combat. Granted, -5/-5 is going to do the job on its own most of the time, but -X/-X Black removal spells always come with that bit of upside. This is probably the best Common in the set.
Loxodon Sergeant image 2.0 This starts out with reasonablish stats, and it also has a useful ability. Obviously, Vigilance for your whole team when this comes down is decent, but it is the kind of ETB ability that I would guess won't matter about 50% of the time. Don't get me wrong, it makes a difference, but I don't feel like enough of one. I think this is a card that you don't feel bad about having in your deck, but you probably don't want more than one.
Wanderer's Strike image 3.5 5 mana is a lot, but killing something no question asked is a pretty good return at that investment. Being at Sorcery speed hurts a little, but adding Populate in a set that seems to have a plethora of reasons to Populate is nice.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Elite Guardmage
Pledge of Unity image 3.5 So, this is a nice signpost uncommon for GW, where you want to be both going wide and making +1/+1 counters, and obviously this helps on both fronts! This, plus Proliferate is pretty crazy!
Elite Guardmage image 3.5 This gives you a reasonable Flying body while also drawing you a card and gaining you life. This makes it easy for it to get you a glorious 2-for-1, while also giving you a reasonable threat.
Goblin Assault Team image 1.5 So, a 4-mana 4/1 with Haste would normally not be so good -- maybe it can get in for 4 once or something, but then it dies to literally everything. However, because this also leaves a +1/+1 counter behind, it helps you get around that downside. There is also additional upside here in the fact that it can trade for a ton of stuff with 4 power -- any time you can trade for something decently sized with this and get the counter, you're going to feel ok about things. I'm not sure you'll ever want more than one of these, but the first of these seems like a reasonable inclusion in most Red decks.
Arlinn's Wolf image 2.0 A 3-mana 3/2 that can’t be blocked by smaller creatures is nice. Sometimes your 3/2 gets in trouble against a couple of 1/3s or something, and this prevents that. It isn’t anything special, but it is definitely a 3-drop you’ll play without feeling bad about.
Honor the God-Pharaoh image 2.0 Tormenting Voice + Amass isn’t too bad. You get to add to the board while improving card quality, and that seems fine.
Rising Populace image 1.5 This sort of creature always seems to disappoint. 3-mana 2/2 is not a stat line you want to have, but it does slowly get bigger the longer the game goes on.
Snarespinner image 1.5 This blocks fliers really well for a two-drop, but it isn’t that great at anything else.
Bloom Hulk image 3.5 This has good stats and it proliferates. You’ll usually feel like you’re getting more than 4 mana’s worth of value out of this. This is one of Green’s best commons.
Ahn-Crop Invader image 3.0 This is a nice aggressive creature. Because it has First Strike, your opponent will often just not be willing to block it when you attack with it when you have mana up, since it is likely to win most combat even if you just sacrifice one thing to it. It pairs particularly well with Amass tokens.
Gideon's Sacrifice image 0.0 This card is way too finnicky to be worth it in Limited. It is basically a fog that kills one of your creatures – it has a little more upside than Fog, but it just won’t be worth it very often. You have to 2-for-1 or 2-for-none yourself to use it, and I’m gonna pass on that.
Vampire Opportunist image 1.5 This starts with some mediocre stats, and it has a late game ability that is pretty expensive. That said, it isn’t the worst mana sink to have, as it can really close out a game in tight situations.
Contentious Plan image 2.0 A cantrip with Proliferate is nice in this format. You’ll just almost always have something to put more counters on, and that will feel great since this just replaces itself.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Sunblade Angel
Price of Betrayal image 0.5 Even in a set that has a ton of counters, it is pretty hard to consistently use Price of Betrayal to get rid of an opponents’ card. You’ll find yourself downgrading or weakening a card more often, and that just isn’t worth it.
Sunblade Angel image 2.5 This is like a mini-Akroma. Packed full of keyword abilities that all work well together – Flying and First Strike make it hard to block, meaning it will get in for damage frequently and gain you life with lifelink which makes it incredibly difficult for your opponent to race you. Meanwhile, Vigilance make sure that she can hang back to block, and as a 3 power hexproof creature she will be pretty good at that. The one thing she doesn’t have going for her is her low toughness, meaning lots of cheap removal spells can take her down.
Pouncing Lynx image 3.0 Two mana 2/1 first strike is pretty darn good, and yeah – this can only do it when it attacks, but that’s still pretty great. This is a difficult creature to deal with in the early game, and first strike can even pose problems later in games for your opponent. This can be especially good in conjunction with combat tricks.
Spark Reaper image 2.5 A 3-mana 2/3 has somewhat passable stats, and this has a pretty nice activated ability. The fact that you can use it at Instant speed – which we don’t always get with effects like this is what really makes it worthwhile, since you can use it in response to removal or declare a block and then use it, getting some serious value. This is a decent late-game mana sink.
Goblin Assailant image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with mediocre stats. You’ll only play it if you’re desperate for a two drop.
Erratic Visionary image 1.5 This has a decent body and it loots. Looting can improve your draws in the late game, and that’s nice.
Arboreal Grazer image 1.0 This kind of card tends to be pretty terrible in Limited. Getting to put a land in play will feel pretty good in the early game, but you aren’t actually netting a card there. It might get you ahead in the short-term, but it isn’t nearly as good as having a creature that is a mana dork, or one that searches up a land, its way worse. Then, in the late game, it is entirely useless! Mostly, don’t play this.
Vraska's Finisher image 3.0 This type of card does not normally impress me, but Vraska’s Finisher really does well in this format. With all the planeswalkers around, Vraska’s ability to destroy the ones that have been damaged on your turn is pretty great, especially because people often let through damage on a planeswalker if it doesn’t kill it. When you do that, you don’t end up using up a card to kill the walker. Generally, if you are using this to kill a creature, you do use up another card to make it get damaged, but still, sometimes that’s worth doing.
Contentious Plan image 2.0 A cantrip with Proliferate is nice in this format. You’ll just almost always have something to put more counters on, and that will feel great since this just replaces itself.
Ashiok's Skulker image 1.5 2-mana 1/3 flyers are usually alright, and this can pump your whole team in the late game. It is decent filler.
Saheeli's Silverwing image 1.5 There isn’t enough of an artifact sub-theme in the set that you want to play sub-par cards just because they are artifacts, and that’s what this is. 4 mana for a 2/3 flyer is not a good rate, and the ETB ability it has is not the most relevant. It gives you some minor information, and that’s not enough to overcome these bad stats.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner
Interplanar Beacon image 1.0 Filter lands are always only worth playing if you’re utterly desperate to splash something. And this one only lets you do it for planeswalkers! If you are splashing a planeswalker or two you might play it, but you mostly shouldn’t.
Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner image 2.5 That is a lot of starting loyalty! Kiora seems to be all about playing big dudes. Her static ability pays you off for doing so, and her -1 ability can help you ramp. Worth noting, also, that her -1 may help you protect her because it can let you untap a creature to block. I think the additional value she can give you by untapping permanents, especially lands, makes her pretty solid in just about any deck, though nothing special.
Gleaming Overseer image 3.0 So, here’s a card to pay you off for amassing a massive Army on your side of the battlefield. One of the big weaknesses of this Army tokens has to be that they can be removed or bounced relatively easily, at which point dumping a bunch of resources into making one huge creature can feel pretty bad. The other problem they have is they aren’t evasive at all, just big dumb huge creatures. Well, Gleaming Overseer takes care of that, turning your Army into a very difficult to kill creature with Menace! And it helps add to the fun too, either giving you a 1/1 token or making your Army bigger. If we just look at this in a vacuum – as a 3-mana ¼ that makes a 1/1 with hexproof and menace, I’m already in on this being a pretty good card.
Rising Populace image 1.5 This sort of creature always seems to disappoint. 3-mana 2/2 is not a stat line you want to have, but it does slowly get bigger the longer the game goes on.
No Escape image 3.0 This is a pretty good counterspell. Creatures and planeswalkers together are going to make up three quarters or more of most decks, so this has plenty of targets. And it’s a hard counter! And it exiles the things it counters. All of that makes me want to play the first copy of this in most Blue decks.
Bloom Hulk image 3.5 This has good stats and it proliferates. You’ll usually feel like you’re getting more than 4 mana’s worth of value out of this. This is one of Green’s best commons.
Spark Reaper image 2.5 A 3-mana 2/3 has somewhat passable stats, and this has a pretty nice activated ability. The fact that you can use it at Instant speed – which we don’t always get with effects like this is what really makes it worthwhile, since you can use it in response to removal or declare a block and then use it, getting some serious value. This is a decent late-game mana sink.
Davriel's Shadowfugue image 1.0 4 mana to make the opponent discard 2 and lose 2 life just isn’t a good deal. Mind Rot, which makes the opponent discard 2 for 3 mana is often not good enough for Limited, and this costs one more and adds a negligible effect.
Invading Manticore image 2.5 Whether or not you already have an army, you are paying 6 mana to add 6/7 to the battlefield, and that's not a bad thing to have at the top of your curve.
Pouncing Lynx image 3.0 Two mana 2/1 first strike is pretty darn good, and yeah – this can only do it when it attacks, but that’s still pretty great. This is a difficult creature to deal with in the early game, and first strike can even pose problems later in games for your opponent. This can be especially good in conjunction with combat tricks.
Pack 2 Pick 6: War Screecher
Bond of Flourishing image 1.0 This reminds me a lot of cards like Adventurous Impulse and Anticipate – which means it is a fine card to include, can help dig you into whatever you really need, but it isn’t anything amazing. I do like that it gains you 3 life, so that if doing this means you are going behind on board a bit to dig, you at least gain some life to helps often that blow. And yeah, it can only hit permanents, but that’s MOST of your deck, so I think that’s fine.
Price of Betrayal image 0.5 Even in a set that has a ton of counters, it is pretty hard to consistently use Price of Betrayal to get rid of an opponents’ card. You’ll find yourself downgrading or weakening a card more often, and that just isn’t worth it.
Honor the God-Pharaoh image 2.0 Tormenting Voice + Amass isn’t too bad. You get to add to the board while improving card quality, and that seems fine.
Samut's Sprint image 1.5 This is just red’s obligatory solid combat trick that will be nice in aggro decks. +2/+1 is enough of a boost for a creature to win a lot of combats, and the additional Haste upside doesn’t hurt. Still, it IS a combat trick and it comes with all the inherent risks that combat tricks have they are inherently situational and come with the risk of a 2-for-1 that blows you out.
Steady Aim image 1.0 This will make your creature survive combat frequently, and can be used in response to damage-based removal. What I don’t love is that it isn’t that exciting offensively, and generally you want your combat tricks to produce blowouts on the attack, like blowing up double blocks – which this won’t do as often. I think it is an ok trick, but I don’t want more than one in an ideal world.
Wall of Runes image 1.5 If you’re a defensive deck, you’ll play this and it will be passable. If you’re not defensive, don’t play it.
Martyr for the Cause image 3.0 This guy adds proliferate to a Grizzly Bear body, which means that he has some late-game relevance, even if he can just block and add a couple counters to your permanents that’s going to do something.
Band Together image 3.0 Just up front: note this does not let you target two different creatures of your opponent's. Instead, you target two of your creatures, who then do damage equal to their power to one creature your opponent controls. Now that that's clear -- this is still an excellent common for Green. We have seen instant speed versions of this effect before, and they all only allowed you to target one creature on your side to do the damage -- this lets you do even more damage, allowing your two smallish creatures to take down one of your opponent's much larger creatures.
War Screecher image 1.5 2-mana 1/3 flyers are usually alright, and this can pump your whole team in the late game. It is decent filler.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Mana Geode
Bond of Discipline image 1.5 It is easy to imagine the ideal scenario here, where you cast the Bond and swing for lethal, but it just doesn’t line up that way very easily. Sure, you don’t even need lethal because of lifelink, but you still end up using a whole card just to damage your opponent and mess up the race a little. While it is more effective than a Fog, in a lot of ways this card feels like a glorified one.
Rising Populace image 1.5 This sort of creature always seems to disappoint. 3-mana 2/2 is not a stat line you want to have, but it does slowly get bigger the longer the game goes on.
Erratic Visionary image 1.5 This has a decent body and it loots. Looting can improve your draws in the late game, and that’s nice.
Battlefield Promotion image 1.0 Even though this set has a long of payoffs for +1/+1 counters, and a few for gaining life, I’m normally not interested in this. This is a relatively grindy format, and combat tricks like this just don’t work like you’d hope they would in other formats. You should mostly avoid this.
Mana Geode image 1.5 If you need fixing you could do worse than playing this.
Wall of Runes image 1.5 If you’re a defensive deck, you’ll play this and it will be passable. If you’re not defensive, don’t play it.
Primordial Wurm image 1.5 A 6-mana 7/6 is some pretty decent vanilla stats. I still would rather have Colossal Dreadmaw because Trample.
Lazotep Behemoth image 1.0 A 5-mana 5/4 is some ok stats. Better than some vanilla stat lines. But you still mostly wont play this.
Pack 2 Pick 8: Law-Rune Enforcer
Price of Betrayal image 0.5 Even in a set that has a ton of counters, it is pretty hard to consistently use Price of Betrayal to get rid of an opponents’ card. You’ll find yourself downgrading or weakening a card more often, and that just isn’t worth it.
Bond of Flourishing image 1.0 This reminds me a lot of cards like Adventurous Impulse and Anticipate – which means it is a fine card to include, can help dig you into whatever you really need, but it isn’t anything amazing. I do like that it gains you 3 life, so that if doing this means you are going behind on board a bit to dig, you at least gain some life to helps often that blow. And yeah, it can only hit permanents, but that’s MOST of your deck, so I think that’s fine.
Kaya's Ghostform image 1.0 This just isn’t useful. It is nice that it counts being exiled, because it seems like there is a lot of that going around in this set, but still. You open yourself up to a 2-for-1 when you cast it in the first place, and then when it sticks you do get something pretty nice – the creature comes back. But for that to really be worth it you probably need something awesome, or something with a death trigger or ETB trigger. If you can do that, maybe you play it, but mostly I think you should steer clear of this.
Naga Eternal image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with mediocre stats. That’s all.
Martyr for the Cause image 3.0 This guy adds proliferate to a Grizzly Bear body, which means that he has some late-game relevance, even if he can just block and add a couple counters to your permanents that’s going to do something.
Law-Rune Enforcer image 4.0 Any time we have seen master decoy around, it has been great – and in some ways, this is even better. For one thing, it is one fewer mana to cast for the same stats, and it only asks for colorless mana to tap things. Of course, the original Master Decoy can tap any creature – but tapping things with CMC 2 or greater is what you do with this kind of card any way, so that isn’t a huge downgrade. Being able to lock down your opponent’s best creature, or get problem blockers out of the way is huge, and in a lot of ways a card like Law-Rune Enforcer becomes a removal spell. This is an absolutely excellent common.
Giant Growth image 2.0 We don’t see combat tricks like this very often anymore. A single mana giving such a massive P/T boost is great, and will make a creature capable of winning almost any combat. The opportunity cost of leaving up one Green mana is really low, and the upside here is very high. It is still a combat trick, so it has some issues of being situational and easy to get blown out on.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Herald of the Dreadhorde
Price of Betrayal image 0.5 Even in a set that has a ton of counters, it is pretty hard to consistently use Price of Betrayal to get rid of an opponents’ card. You’ll find yourself downgrading or weakening a card more often, and that just isn’t worth it.
Demolish image 0.0 I always try to give this a sideboard grade, but the reality is – you will never side this in in this set. There aren’t enough artifacts or problem lands, so most of the time this reads “Pay 4 mana, discard this and do almost nothing.”
Goblin Assailant image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with mediocre stats. You’ll only play it if you’re desperate for a two drop.
Teyo's Lightshield image 2.5 A 3-mana ¼ is an ok deal, and a 3-mana 0/3 that puts a counter on something a little more meaningful is even better.
Herald of the Dreadhorde image 2.0 A 4-mana 3/2 isn’t great, but hey – it can trade with plenty of 4 drops, and if you’re trading with this your’e probably going to come out ahead, because it comes with Amass 2. Whether this makes you a 2/2 creature or makes your Army a bigger, it is a good deal, since it is coming in addition to a trade.
Iron Bully image 2.5 This card really overperforms thanks to all the Proliferate in the set. Even if it just puts its counter on itself, it doesn’t tend to only be a 2/2 with Menace for very long!
Pack 2 Pick 10: Wanderer's Strike
Heartwarming Redemption image 1.0 Sometimes an effect like this can be a nice way to reload your hand, but it is also super awkward. Any time I look at a card and see that it is completely useless if you’re in top deck mode, it makes me really uninterested in playing it, especially because even in an ideal situation where you’re flooding and you use this to get out of that flood, it still isn’t going to feel like it is doing something that impressive.
Naga Eternal image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with mediocre stats. That’s all.
Snarespinner image 1.5 This blocks fliers really well for a two-drop, but it isn’t that great at anything else.
Loxodon Sergeant image 2.0 This starts out with reasonablish stats, and it also has a useful ability. Obviously, Vigilance for your whole team when this comes down is decent, but it is the kind of ETB ability that I would guess won't matter about 50% of the time. Don't get me wrong, it makes a difference, but I don't feel like enough of one. I think this is a card that you don't feel bad about having in your deck, but you probably don't want more than one.
Wanderer's Strike image 3.5 5 mana is a lot, but killing something no question asked is a pretty good return at that investment. Being at Sorcery speed hurts a little, but adding Populate in a set that seems to have a plethora of reasons to Populate is nice.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Gideon's Sacrifice
Pledge of Unity image 3.5 So, this is a nice signpost uncommon for GW, where you want to be both going wide and making +1/+1 counters, and obviously this helps on both fronts! This, plus Proliferate is pretty crazy!
Ahn-Crop Invader image 3.0 This is a nice aggressive creature. Because it has First Strike, your opponent will often just not be willing to block it when you attack with it when you have mana up, since it is likely to win most combat even if you just sacrifice one thing to it. It pairs particularly well with Amass tokens.
Gideon's Sacrifice image 0.0 This card is way too finnicky to be worth it in Limited. It is basically a fog that kills one of your creatures – it has a little more upside than Fog, but it just won’t be worth it very often. You have to 2-for-1 or 2-for-none yourself to use it, and I’m gonna pass on that.
Contentious Plan image 2.0 A cantrip with Proliferate is nice in this format. You’ll just almost always have something to put more counters on, and that will feel great since this just replaces itself.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Price of Betrayal
Price of Betrayal image 0.5 Even in a set that has a ton of counters, it is pretty hard to consistently use Price of Betrayal to get rid of an opponents’ card. You’ll find yourself downgrading or weakening a card more often, and that just isn’t worth it.
Pouncing Lynx image 3.0 Two mana 2/1 first strike is pretty darn good, and yeah – this can only do it when it attacks, but that’s still pretty great. This is a difficult creature to deal with in the early game, and first strike can even pose problems later in games for your opponent. This can be especially good in conjunction with combat tricks.
Contentious Plan image 2.0 A cantrip with Proliferate is nice in this format. You’ll just almost always have something to put more counters on, and that will feel great since this just replaces itself.
Pack 2 Pick 13: No Escape
No Escape image 3.0 This is a pretty good counterspell. Creatures and planeswalkers together are going to make up three quarters or more of most decks, so this has plenty of targets. And it’s a hard counter! And it exiles the things it counters. All of that makes me want to play the first copy of this in most Blue decks.
Pouncing Lynx image 3.0 Two mana 2/1 first strike is pretty darn good, and yeah – this can only do it when it attacks, but that’s still pretty great. This is a difficult creature to deal with in the early game, and first strike can even pose problems later in games for your opponent. This can be especially good in conjunction with combat tricks.
Pack 2 Pick 14: Price of Betrayal
Price of Betrayal image 0.5 Even in a set that has a ton of counters, it is pretty hard to consistently use Price of Betrayal to get rid of an opponents’ card. You’ll find yourself downgrading or weakening a card more often, and that just isn’t worth it.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Time Wipe
Time Wipe image 4.5 So, frequently the problem with a Wrath is that you have to lose all of your creatures too. However, when you can keep your creature alive – like we’ve seen before with Duneblast – you are given something really powerful. This isn’t exactly Duneblast, because you do still have to return your creature, and frequently your opponent will get the first chance to repopulate the board, but the fact that you save your best creature who at worst can come down again next turn is pretty good.
Emergence Zone image 0.0 Don’t play this. It damages your mana base and it doesn’t have an ability that makes that worthwhile.
Narset, Parter of Veils image 2.0 Her static ability will occasionally matter, but mostly what you’re getting out of Narset is the ability to draw a couple of extra cards. So she’s mostly a kind of convoluted Divination with planeswalker upside.
Dreadmalkin image 2.0 This can get pretty big, which is pretty nice with Menace. Even just attacking with it with some mana up will sometimes give your opponent a headache. The sacrifice effect is pretty steep, but the goods is with Amass it will have plenty of tokens to gobble up if it wants them. Still, this kind of “eggs in one basket” strategy can easily backfire in Limited.
Tamiyo's Epiphany image 3.0 This lets you see up to SIX cards in your deck for only 4 mana. That’s some pretty serious card selection, and not usually the kind we see at Common. Now, it is a Sorcery, which will sometimes make it really awkward. Like, you know, if you are getting beat down you don’t really want to be drawing the Epiphany. Still, I think the upside makes it worth playing one copy of in virtually every Blue deck. Going beyond one copy is probably a little dangerous.
Contentious Plan image 2.0 A cantrip with Proliferate is nice in this format. You’ll just almost always have something to put more counters on, and that will feel great since this just replaces itself.
War Screecher image 1.5 2-mana 1/3 flyers are usually alright, and this can pump your whole team in the late game. It is decent filler.
Raging Kronch image 1.5 Usually when we see creatures who can’t attack alone they have more impressive stats than this. That said, usually creatures who can’t attack alone can’t block alone either – but this Kronch can. Obviously a fine card in an aggressive deck, and it cheaply triggers all the “ferocious” pay offs in the set.
Band Together image 3.0 Just up front: note this does not let you target two different creatures of your opponent's. Instead, you target two of your creatures, who then do damage equal to their power to one creature your opponent controls. Now that that's clear -- this is still an excellent common for Green. We have seen instant speed versions of this effect before, and they all only allowed you to target one creature on your side to do the damage -- this lets you do even more damage, allowing your two smallish creatures to take down one of your opponent's much larger creatures.
Battlefield Promotion image 1.0 Even though this set has a long of payoffs for +1/+1 counters, and a few for gaining life, I’m normally not interested in this. This is a relatively grindy format, and combat tricks like this just don’t work like you’d hope they would in other formats. You should mostly avoid this.
Return to Nature image 1.5 This hates on enough things that it is worth playing in your main deck sometimes, though this format does not have a ton of Artifacts.
Vivien's Grizzly image 2.0 Like her Arkbow, her Grizzly also is a nice manasink, though less reliable than the legendary artifacts. But still, this is basically a really bad Duskwatch Recruiter – but the Recruiter was an absurd limited card, so being a bad version of it doesn’t mean the card itself is bad. It has alright stats and the ability to draw you cards sometimes in the late game.
Herald of the Dreadhorde image 2.0 A 4-mana 3/2 isn’t great, but hey – it can trade with plenty of 4 drops, and if you’re trading with this your’e probably going to come out ahead, because it comes with Amass 2. Whether this makes you a 2/2 creature or makes your Army a bigger, it is a good deal, since it is coming in addition to a trade.
Burning Prophet image 2.0 I love scrying, and I always love the UR spell deck, and this does both! Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t incredible at all – but this is pretty close to Prowess, and a 2-mana 1/3 with Prowess is usually a solid, if unexciting, card.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Tamiyo's Epiphany
The Elderspell image 1.5 This set has enough planeswalkers that you can actually main deck this, and it is actually super awesome if you do it when YOU have a planeswalker. That said, most opponents will have around 3 targets for it, so it won’t feel amazing, but the upset does make it worth playing sometimes.
Eternal Taskmaster image 3.0 Two mana for a 2/3 is a nice deal, even coming into play tapped, and the fact that this guy can bring creatures back to your hand from your graveyard is really nice too, and something that gives him usefulness all game long.
Jaya, Venerated Firemage image 4.0 For 5 mana you get to do 3 to something – not the greatest rate ever, but it allows for some impact on the board immediately. Then, if she can make it to your next turn with at least 2 loyalty, she can do it again.5 mana to do 3 to two target creatures would be a great card. And while this isn’t quite that since she can be attacked and taken off of the board that way, it seems like doing 3 to something and then drawing a bunch of attacks is some decent value. On top of all that, if your deck has more red sources of damage – and it almost assuredly will – she brings you even more value. Even if she just makes one combat more difficult for your opponent, she’s doing her job.
Aid the Fallen image 2.0 To play this, you want to be consistently getting back both a creature and a planeswalker. The good news is, that isn’t super hard to do in this format. This is the kind of card that is terrible early but really good late, and most Black decks want one copy of this to help them have that nice late game.
Return to Nature image 1.5 This hates on enough things that it is worth playing in your main deck sometimes, though this format does not have a ton of Artifacts.
Charmed Stray image 1.0 // 2.5 This is only going to be worth it if you end up with 3+ of them, as a one -mana 1/1 with lifelink just doesn’t do enough to be worth a card. If you do have multiple copies, they do get better – but I’d advise not going after them hard, and just picking them up late in packs.
Blindblast image 1.5 Adding a card-draw effect to a card always makes it way more attractive, and I think that is certainly the case here. This can kill some small creatures, in which case you get a straight-up two-for-one, but my guess is that you'll usually just use this to make your opponent's best creature unable to block. That kind of effect is quite strong in aggressive Red decks, as sometimes you go from not being able to attack at all, to being able to attack with everything after a problem creature is removed from the equation. It still isn’t something you probably ever want more than one of, and you don’t want it all if you aren’t aggressive.
Ahn-Crop Invader image 3.0 This is a nice aggressive creature. Because it has First Strike, your opponent will often just not be willing to block it when you attack with it when you have mana up, since it is likely to win most combat even if you just sacrifice one thing to it. It pairs particularly well with Amass tokens.
Steady Aim image 1.0 This will make your creature survive combat frequently, and can be used in response to damage-based removal. What I don’t love is that it isn’t that exciting offensively, and generally you want your combat tricks to produce blowouts on the attack, like blowing up double blocks – which this won’t do as often. I think it is an ok trick, but I don’t want more than one in an ideal world.
Pollenbright Druid image 3.5 A 2-mana 1/1 that puts a counter anywhere – including on itself, is usually a pretty decent card already. At worst it is going to be a Grizzly Bears, and there are other times where putting the counter elsewhere makes a big deal, like on an evasive creature. But this has the additional ability to also just Proliferate, which you will be doing if you already have other counters in play. Either way, you’re going to get some value out of your 2 drop in the late game, and that’s not always easy to come by.
No Escape image 3.0 This is a pretty good counterspell. Creatures and planeswalkers together are going to make up three quarters or more of most decks, so this has plenty of targets. And it’s a hard counter! And it exiles the things it counters. All of that makes me want to play the first copy of this in most Blue decks.
Naga Eternal image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with mediocre stats. That’s all.
Tamiyo's Epiphany image 3.0 This lets you see up to SIX cards in your deck for only 4 mana. That’s some pretty serious card selection, and not usually the kind we see at Common. Now, it is a Sorcery, which will sometimes make it really awkward. Like, you know, if you are getting beat down you don’t really want to be drawing the Epiphany. Still, I think the upside makes it worth playing one copy of in virtually every Blue deck. Going beyond one copy is probably a little dangerous.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter
Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter image 3.0 His static ability will be pretty nice in decks that get their on the counters, and the fact that he can make creatures get counters all on his own is nice. He has low starting loyalty, and he asks that a creature already be in play, but having a card that fixes for you while making your creatures better is pretty god.
Challenger Troll image 4.0 On its own it is a 5-mana 6/5 that can’t be blocked by more than one creature. That’s already a very good card, because it is not easy to take down a 6/5 in combat if you can’t double block him. But adding this effect to all your big boys? I’m in for that.
Sky Theater Strix image 1.5 This is a two mana ½ Flyer that will sometimes attack for two. Not great, but not bad either.
Invading Manticore image 2.5 Whether or not you already have an army, you are paying 6 mana to add 6/7 to the battlefield, and that's not a bad thing to have at the top of your curve.
Stealth Mission image 1.0 I don’t like most versions of this card we see. Sure, you get a free swing in, and sometimes that will win you the game. But a lot of the time it just doesn’t matter. And it is super risky because it opens you up to the dreaded 2-for-1 in many situations if you aren’t careful.
Ironclad Krovod image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with okayish stats. You hope you aren’t playing it.
Blindblast image 1.5 Adding a card-draw effect to a card always makes it way more attractive, and I think that is certainly the case here. This can kill some small creatures, in which case you get a straight-up two-for-one, but my guess is that you'll usually just use this to make your opponent's best creature unable to block. That kind of effect is quite strong in aggressive Red decks, as sometimes you go from not being able to attack at all, to being able to attack with everything after a problem creature is removed from the equation. It still isn’t something you probably ever want more than one of, and you don’t want it all if you aren’t aggressive.
Defiant Strike image 1.0 Last time we saw this card, it was surprisingly good because it was in Khans of Tarkir, and the Prowess mechanic was all over the place, including on White cards. Not the case here though. +1/+0 is the kind of stat boost that will have very little impact on combat the majority of the time, and normally you want your combat tricks to make it more likely your creature wins combat against larger creatures-- and sure, this cycles itself, and that's what keeps it from being unplayable, but it still isn't very good.
Wall of Runes image 1.5 If you’re a defensive deck, you’ll play this and it will be passable. If you’re not defensive, don’t play it.
Giant Growth image 2.0 We don’t see combat tricks like this very often anymore. A single mana giving such a massive P/T boost is great, and will make a creature capable of winning almost any combat. The opportunity cost of leaving up one Green mana is really low, and the upside here is very high. It is still a combat trick, so it has some issues of being situational and easy to get blown out on.
Lazotep Behemoth image 1.0 A 5-mana 5/4 is some ok stats. Better than some vanilla stat lines. But you still mostly wont play this.
Saheeli's Silverwing image 1.5 There isn’t enough of an artifact sub-theme in the set that you want to play sub-par cards just because they are artifacts, and that’s what this is. 4 mana for a 2/3 flyer is not a good rate, and the ETB ability it has is not the most relevant. It gives you some minor information, and that’s not enough to overcome these bad stats.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Guild Globe
Teyo, the Shieldmage image 2.0 Basically, you are paying 3 for a 0/3 wall, and maybe he makes you a second one too. With most of these walkers, if you get to use their ability the second time, they sound pretty good. In this case? Not so much. 3 mana for two 0/3s is something, but not anything special. It isn’t like 0/3s are even that hard to bust through in the long run.
Ral's Outburst image 3.5 4 mana to do 3 at Instant speed is already playable, but the fact that this not only draws you a card, but even gives you a bit of card selection makes this great. It will always be a 2-for-1, and if you can’t kill a creature with it, you can still hit your opponent and try to dig for something.
Lazotep Behemoth image 1.0 A 5-mana 5/4 is some ok stats. Better than some vanilla stat lines. But you still mostly wont play this.
Defiant Strike image 1.0 Last time we saw this card, it was surprisingly good because it was in Khans of Tarkir, and the Prowess mechanic was all over the place, including on White cards. Not the case here though. +1/+0 is the kind of stat boost that will have very little impact on combat the majority of the time, and normally you want your combat tricks to make it more likely your creature wins combat against larger creatures-- and sure, this cycles itself, and that's what keeps it from being unplayable, but it still isn't very good.
Honor the God-Pharaoh image 2.0 Tormenting Voice + Amass isn’t too bad. You get to add to the board while improving card quality, and that seems fine.
Prismite image 1.0 This is a creature with bad stats that also doesn’t filter mana very well. If your deck is desperately in need of a two drop AND some mana fixing, it can do those things, but again – it doesn’t do either of them well.
Iron Bully image 2.5 This card really overperforms thanks to all the Proliferate in the set. Even if it just puts its counter on itself, it doesn’t tend to only be a 2/2 with Menace for very long!
Spellgorger Weird image 1.0 // 3.5 I do think this needs two grades, as you need a critical mass of instants and sorceries to really get there. Sure, if you get it to 3/3 you’re doing alright, but obviously you want a deck with 7+ instants and sorceries to fully take advantage of this thing. Doesn’t hurt that it has synergy with proliferate either!
Steady Aim image 1.0 This will make your creature survive combat frequently, and can be used in response to damage-based removal. What I don’t love is that it isn’t that exciting offensively, and generally you want your combat tricks to produce blowouts on the attack, like blowing up double blocks – which this won’t do as often. I think it is an ok trick, but I don’t want more than one in an ideal world.
No Escape image 3.0 This is a pretty good counterspell. Creatures and planeswalkers together are going to make up three quarters or more of most decks, so this has plenty of targets. And it’s a hard counter! And it exiles the things it counters. All of that makes me want to play the first copy of this in most Blue decks.
Guild Globe image 1.5 This replaces itself and gives you some fixing. If you’re interested in splashing something this can help you do it.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Despark
Firemind Vessel image 2.0 This set is not overflowing with fixing for non-Green decks, and this can really help fill that role. That said, I think you only pick it up if you’re interested in fixing or ramping. Playing this on turn 4 and doing nothing else can spell disaster for you, but if you can get past that, the advantage of it will be pretty nice.
Despark image 3.0 When it can kill things, it does it really efficiently. It can’t always though, and it being as situational as it is can be a bummer.
Mana Geode image 1.5 If you need fixing you could do worse than playing this.
Turret Ogre image 2.5 This has decent stats + Reach, and an ETB ability that will trigger a good chunk of the time. That is a solid playable.
Law-Rune Enforcer image 4.0 Any time we have seen master decoy around, it has been great – and in some ways, this is even better. For one thing, it is one fewer mana to cast for the same stats, and it only asks for colorless mana to tap things. Of course, the original Master Decoy can tap any creature – but tapping things with CMC 2 or greater is what you do with this kind of card any way, so that isn’t a huge downgrade. Being able to lock down your opponent’s best creature, or get problem blockers out of the way is huge, and in a lot of ways a card like Law-Rune Enforcer becomes a removal spell. This is an absolutely excellent common.
Crush Dissent image 1.5 As good as Amass is in this format, I don’t like this card a whole lot. Counters that let your opponent pay mana to ignore them have to be really efficient in Limited, since they will become weaker and weaker as the game goes on. Now, the fail case here is that you still get to Amass, and that keeps it from being unplayable.
Nahiri's Stoneblades image 0.0 I don't like tricks that don't help my creature survive combat. Only bumping power with no keyword added just isn’t worth it, even if you can pump two creatures.
Herald of the Dreadhorde image 2.0 A 4-mana 3/2 isn’t great, but hey – it can trade with plenty of 4 drops, and if you’re trading with this your’e probably going to come out ahead, because it comes with Amass 2. Whether this makes you a 2/2 creature or makes your Army a bigger, it is a good deal, since it is coming in addition to a trade.
Relentless Advance image 1.5 You have two possibilities here: one is that you just paid 4 to put 3 +1/+1 counters onto a Zombie Army token you already have, the other is that you paid 4 mana for a 3/3 – in other words, a Hill Giant. Sure, it has some synergy with populate and other cards with Amass, but neither of those deals would be a particularly attractive card in Limited.
Davriel's Shadowfugue image 1.0 4 mana to make the opponent discard 2 and lose 2 life just isn’t a good deal. Mind Rot, which makes the opponent discard 2 for 3 mana is often not good enough for Limited, and this costs one more and adds a negligible effect.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Tithebearer Giant
Tyrant's Scorn image 3.0 This has nice flexibility – it can kill smaller creatures, and it can bounce the ones it can’t kill. That’s a pretty good deal, and allows it to have at least some impact on virtually every creature in the set.
Vampire Opportunist image 1.5 This starts with some mediocre stats, and it has a late game ability that is pretty expensive. That said, it isn’t the worst mana sink to have, as it can really close out a game in tight situations.
Crush Dissent image 1.5 As good as Amass is in this format, I don’t like this card a whole lot. Counters that let your opponent pay mana to ignore them have to be really efficient in Limited, since they will become weaker and weaker as the game goes on. Now, the fail case here is that you still get to Amass, and that keeps it from being unplayable.
Tithebearer Giant image 3.0 Because this is fairly expensive and has mediocre stats you don’t normally want more than one of these, but the first copy is pretty nice. Because it draws you a card and has a reasonable body, you’re virtually always going to get a 2-for-1 out of this, and 2-for-1s go a long way towards helping you win.
Kaya's Ghostform image 1.0 This just isn’t useful. It is nice that it counts being exiled, because it seems like there is a lot of that going around in this set, but still. You open yourself up to a 2-for-1 when you cast it in the first place, and then when it sticks you do get something pretty nice – the creature comes back. But for that to really be worth it you probably need something awesome, or something with a death trigger or ETB trigger. If you can do that, maybe you play it, but mostly I think you should steer clear of this.
Centaur Nurturer image 3.0 Decent stats, vanilla test wise, gains you life when it comes down and blocks reasonably – and it provides fixing and ramp? I’m all over that for my Green decks.
Burning Prophet image 2.0 I love scrying, and I always love the UR spell deck, and this does both! Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t incredible at all – but this is pretty close to Prowess, and a 2-mana 1/3 with Prowess is usually a solid, if unexciting, card.
Bulwark Giant image 1.5 Well, this is the kind of card that really stabilize you against an aggressive deck. 5 life is huge against decks intent on ending the game quickly, and a 3/6 is no small roadblock. Obviously, this is primarily a defensive card, and not something every White deck is after.
Blindblast image 1.5 Adding a card-draw effect to a card always makes it way more attractive, and I think that is certainly the case here. This can kill some small creatures, in which case you get a straight-up two-for-one, but my guess is that you'll usually just use this to make your opponent's best creature unable to block. That kind of effect is quite strong in aggressive Red decks, as sometimes you go from not being able to attack at all, to being able to attack with everything after a problem creature is removed from the equation. It still isn’t something you probably ever want more than one of, and you don’t want it all if you aren’t aggressive.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Tamiyo, Collector of Tales
Tamiyo, Collector of Tales image 1.5 This Tamiyo is not especially good for Limited. For one thing, actually drawing cards with her +1 is hard. So mostly in Limited, you’ll be +1ing and hoping to draw something while you load the graveyard, and then hoping you can take advantage of the graveyard with her -3 and some other cards. That’s…not great.
Dovin's Veto image 0.5 This is definitely a card that was printed with constructed in mind. Negate is usually pretty nice in constructed, it is not nearly as nice in Limited. Your typical Limited deck will only have about 5 cards that this can counter, and that’s not nearly enough for you to ever want to play this in your main 40 cards.
Erratic Visionary image 1.5 This has a decent body and it loots. Looting can improve your draws in the late game, and that’s nice.
Nahiri's Stoneblades image 0.0 I don't like tricks that don't help my creature survive combat. Only bumping power with no keyword added just isn’t worth it, even if you can pump two creatures.
Kaya's Ghostform image 1.0 This just isn’t useful. It is nice that it counts being exiled, because it seems like there is a lot of that going around in this set, but still. You open yourself up to a 2-for-1 when you cast it in the first place, and then when it sticks you do get something pretty nice – the creature comes back. But for that to really be worth it you probably need something awesome, or something with a death trigger or ETB trigger. If you can do that, maybe you play it, but mostly I think you should steer clear of this.
Sorin's Thirst image 2.5 These types of removal spells are always nice. Killing small creatures at Instant speed and gaining some life is a pretty good deal. It isn’t quite premium, but its close.
Guild Globe image 1.5 This replaces itself and gives you some fixing. If you’re interested in splashing something this can help you do it.
Kronch Wrangler image 2.5 So a 2-mana 2/1 with trample is not very good. Add this other text to it, though and it obviously gets a good deal better. Obviously best suited to RG, where there are the most “ferocious” pay offs, but the fact that this gets bigger in the late game is nice when coupled with the fact that it can do some damage or trade early.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Kiora's Dambreaker
Raging Kronch image 1.5 Usually when we see creatures who can’t attack alone they have more impressive stats than this. That said, usually creatures who can’t attack alone can’t block alone either – but this Kronch can. Obviously a fine card in an aggressive deck, and it cheaply triggers all the “ferocious” pay offs in the set.
Band Together image 3.0 Just up front: note this does not let you target two different creatures of your opponent's. Instead, you target two of your creatures, who then do damage equal to their power to one creature your opponent controls. Now that that's clear -- this is still an excellent common for Green. We have seen instant speed versions of this effect before, and they all only allowed you to target one creature on your side to do the damage -- this lets you do even more damage, allowing your two smallish creatures to take down one of your opponent's much larger creatures.
Steady Aim image 1.0 This will make your creature survive combat frequently, and can be used in response to damage-based removal. What I don’t love is that it isn’t that exciting offensively, and generally you want your combat tricks to produce blowouts on the attack, like blowing up double blocks – which this won’t do as often. I think it is an ok trick, but I don’t want more than one in an ideal world.
Kiora's Dambreaker image 2.0 A 6-mana 5/6 isn’t great, but it is passable stats, especially in Blue. Add Proliferate to that and it certainly gets better – especially in a set whose cup runneth over with various types of counters.
Crush Dissent image 1.5 As good as Amass is in this format, I don’t like this card a whole lot. Counters that let your opponent pay mana to ignore them have to be really efficient in Limited, since they will become weaker and weaker as the game goes on. Now, the fail case here is that you still get to Amass, and that keeps it from being unplayable.
Ob Nixilis's Cruelty image 4.0 This is is Black’s obligatory premium common removal spell. 3 mana for -5/-5 is a great deal, especially at instant speed, and especially with the exile clause attached to it. The great thing about this kind of card too, is that it doesn’t have to outright kill a creature to give you value, sometimes, you can set up a block and use it to make your opponent’s creature smaller so yours survives in combat. Granted, -5/-5 is going to do the job on its own most of the time, but -X/-X Black removal spells always come with that bit of upside. This is probably the best Common in the set.
Primordial Wurm image 1.5 A 6-mana 7/6 is some pretty decent vanilla stats. I still would rather have Colossal Dreadmaw because Trample.
Pack 3 Pick 9: War Screecher
Emergence Zone image 0.0 Don’t play this. It damages your mana base and it doesn’t have an ability that makes that worthwhile.
Contentious Plan image 2.0 A cantrip with Proliferate is nice in this format. You’ll just almost always have something to put more counters on, and that will feel great since this just replaces itself.
War Screecher image 1.5 2-mana 1/3 flyers are usually alright, and this can pump your whole team in the late game. It is decent filler.
Raging Kronch image 1.5 Usually when we see creatures who can’t attack alone they have more impressive stats than this. That said, usually creatures who can’t attack alone can’t block alone either – but this Kronch can. Obviously a fine card in an aggressive deck, and it cheaply triggers all the “ferocious” pay offs in the set.
Return to Nature image 1.5 This hates on enough things that it is worth playing in your main deck sometimes, though this format does not have a ton of Artifacts.
Vivien's Grizzly image 2.0 Like her Arkbow, her Grizzly also is a nice manasink, though less reliable than the legendary artifacts. But still, this is basically a really bad Duskwatch Recruiter – but the Recruiter was an absurd limited card, so being a bad version of it doesn’t mean the card itself is bad. It has alright stats and the ability to draw you cards sometimes in the late game.
Pack 3 Pick 10: No Escape
Return to Nature image 1.5 This hates on enough things that it is worth playing in your main deck sometimes, though this format does not have a ton of Artifacts.
Blindblast image 1.5 Adding a card-draw effect to a card always makes it way more attractive, and I think that is certainly the case here. This can kill some small creatures, in which case you get a straight-up two-for-one, but my guess is that you'll usually just use this to make your opponent's best creature unable to block. That kind of effect is quite strong in aggressive Red decks, as sometimes you go from not being able to attack at all, to being able to attack with everything after a problem creature is removed from the equation. It still isn’t something you probably ever want more than one of, and you don’t want it all if you aren’t aggressive.
Ahn-Crop Invader image 3.0 This is a nice aggressive creature. Because it has First Strike, your opponent will often just not be willing to block it when you attack with it when you have mana up, since it is likely to win most combat even if you just sacrifice one thing to it. It pairs particularly well with Amass tokens.
Steady Aim image 1.0 This will make your creature survive combat frequently, and can be used in response to damage-based removal. What I don’t love is that it isn’t that exciting offensively, and generally you want your combat tricks to produce blowouts on the attack, like blowing up double blocks – which this won’t do as often. I think it is an ok trick, but I don’t want more than one in an ideal world.
No Escape image 3.0 This is a pretty good counterspell. Creatures and planeswalkers together are going to make up three quarters or more of most decks, so this has plenty of targets. And it’s a hard counter! And it exiles the things it counters. All of that makes me want to play the first copy of this in most Blue decks.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Sky Theater Strix
Sky Theater Strix image 1.5 This is a two mana ½ Flyer that will sometimes attack for two. Not great, but not bad either.
Ironclad Krovod image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with okayish stats. You hope you aren’t playing it.
Blindblast image 1.5 Adding a card-draw effect to a card always makes it way more attractive, and I think that is certainly the case here. This can kill some small creatures, in which case you get a straight-up two-for-one, but my guess is that you'll usually just use this to make your opponent's best creature unable to block. That kind of effect is quite strong in aggressive Red decks, as sometimes you go from not being able to attack at all, to being able to attack with everything after a problem creature is removed from the equation. It still isn’t something you probably ever want more than one of, and you don’t want it all if you aren’t aggressive.
Giant Growth image 2.0 We don’t see combat tricks like this very often anymore. A single mana giving such a massive P/T boost is great, and will make a creature capable of winning almost any combat. The opportunity cost of leaving up one Green mana is really low, and the upside here is very high. It is still a combat trick, so it has some issues of being situational and easy to get blown out on.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Steady Aim
Honor the God-Pharaoh image 2.0 Tormenting Voice + Amass isn’t too bad. You get to add to the board while improving card quality, and that seems fine.
Steady Aim image 1.0 This will make your creature survive combat frequently, and can be used in response to damage-based removal. What I don’t love is that it isn’t that exciting offensively, and generally you want your combat tricks to produce blowouts on the attack, like blowing up double blocks – which this won’t do as often. I think it is an ok trick, but I don’t want more than one in an ideal world.
No Escape image 3.0 This is a pretty good counterspell. Creatures and planeswalkers together are going to make up three quarters or more of most decks, so this has plenty of targets. And it’s a hard counter! And it exiles the things it counters. All of that makes me want to play the first copy of this in most Blue decks.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Turret Ogre
Turret Ogre image 2.5 This has decent stats + Reach, and an ETB ability that will trigger a good chunk of the time. That is a solid playable.
Nahiri's Stoneblades image 0.0 I don't like tricks that don't help my creature survive combat. Only bumping power with no keyword added just isn’t worth it, even if you can pump two creatures.
Pack 3 Pick 14: Blindblast
Blindblast image 1.5 Adding a card-draw effect to a card always makes it way more attractive, and I think that is certainly the case here. This can kill some small creatures, in which case you get a straight-up two-for-one, but my guess is that you'll usually just use this to make your opponent's best creature unable to block. That kind of effect is quite strong in aggressive Red decks, as sometimes you go from not being able to attack at all, to being able to attack with everything after a problem creature is removed from the equation. It still isn’t something you probably ever want more than one of, and you don’t want it all if you aren’t aggressive.
Draft Pick Overview