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Quick Draft ELD 15 April 2021

15 April 01:53 - Polarklint 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Creature (16)
1 Wishful Merfolk image
1 Oakhame Adversary image
1 Queen of Ice image
1 Sage of the Falls image
3 Shambling Suit image
2 Merfolk Secretkeeper image
1 Thunderous Snapper image
2 Wildwood Tracker image
2 Garenbrig Paladin image
1 Sporecap Spider image
1 Syr Elenora, the Discerning image
Planeswalker (1)
1 Oko, Thief of Crowns image
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (7)
2 Outmuscle image
1 Opt image
1 Unexplained Vision image
2 Run Away Together image
1 Rosethorn Halberd image
Land (16)
8 Forest image
7 Island image
1 Mystic Sanctuary image
Sideboard
1 Garenbrig Squire image
1 Corridor Monitor image
1 Garenbrig Paladin image
1 Locthwain Gargoyle image
1 Wandermare image
1 Ardenvale Paladin image
1 Signpost Scarecrow image
1 Opt image
1 Mantle of Tides image
1 Insatiable Appetite image
1 Giant Opportunity image
1 Weapon Rack image
1 The Circle of Loyalty image
1 Outflank image
1 Thrill of Possibility image
2 Memory Theft image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Oko, Thief of Crowns
So Tiny image 1.0 // 2.5 This isn’t a great removal spell, and is pretty close to unplayable if you’re not a mill deck. -2/-0 just isn’t enough to deal with most creatures, so you end up spending a card just to downgrade one. If you can consistently get it to -6/-0, like you can in the mill deck, it gets better – but you are still downgrading a creature, not removing it.
Forever Young image 2.0 This is kind of like a Black Anticipate. For two mana you aren’t really gaining card advantage, but you will be improving your future draws, and you will draw one of the cards you put on top right away. Sometimes it will feel amazing because of cards in your graveyard, other times it won’t do much – but hey, you get to draw the card either way so the fail case could be worse. This is the kind of effect people frequently overrate, because their mind immediately goes to the scenario where you put your bomb back on top of your deck – but there will certainly be times you have this and nothing in your graveyard is worth putting on top.
Crashing Drawbridge image 1.5 I never like walls that try to do aggressive things, and that’s what this is. You’ll play it in some aggro decks, but the fact that you’re playing a creature who can’t attack in your aggro deck is annoying.
Run Away Together image 1.0 This kind of weird symmetrical bounce effect is mostly not worth it. Bouncing something your opponent doesn’t want to be bounced and something of yours that you DO want to bounce can be good, but that is a little too situational.
Insatiable Appetite image 0.5 This is an ok trick, but this set has Adventure creatures who are tricks at Common, and they are just way better.
Steelgaze Griffin image 2.0 Yet another payoff for drawing an extra card each turn, Steelgaze Griffin has some pretty bad base stats as a 5-mana 2/4 with Flying. But the upside it comes with is nice – becoming a 4/4 on turns you draw an extra card is pretty serious. A 5-mana 4/4 with Flying – you know, like Air elemental – is usually in the lower part of the B range. Obviously, this is worse because it won’t always be a 4/4, but it seems like a reasonable payoff for drawing extra cards in the UR deck.
Flutterfox image 3.0 This is a nice two drop. 2-mana 2/2s are nothing special these days, but the fact that this can gain flying -- and do it relatively easily in this format -- makes it a two drop that is relevant all game long.
Embereth Paladin image 1.5 A 4-mana 4/1 with Haste isn’t anything special these days – you have to find the right opening for it to do something significant, or risk it just being traded with by a much cheaper creature. Even when you add Adamant to the mix, you’re getting a 5/2 with Haste for 4, which if that’s what this was 100% of the time would be solid, but it just won’t be.
Wicked Guardian image 2.0 So, a 4-mana 4/2 that damages one of your guys and draws you a card is sort of an interesting design. Sure, it might kill your guy, but I think a 4-mana 4/2 that sacrifices a creature and draws you a card would be a solid card, and this is better than that, because sometimes it won’t actually kill your creature at all, in which case you’re just netting a straight-up 2-for-1.
Searing Barrage image 2.5 This is solid removal for Red, but like to Reduce to Ashes and command the Storm before that, it isn’t premium. Costing 5 is a ton, and most of the time it is going to feel a little clunky. It will frequently cost more mana than whatever you kill with it, and that does put you behind the eight ball a little bit.
Slaying Fire image 4.0 This is an excellent removal spell, we have had many 3 mana do 3 damage instants over the years, and they are always premium removal. This comes with the added bonus of the Adamant mechanic, which if you can pull it off, make sit so this can do 4 damage instead, and that’s pretty nice.
Mystical Dispute image 1.5 A 3-mana Mana Leak is close to unplayable in Limited. Having to leave up 3 mana for a counterspell is a big ask, especially when your counter isn’t a hard counter. The later the game goes, the weaker something like this gets, and it is way easier to play around this type of counterspell than a hard counter. Still, I think you can get away with mainboarding this, because a one-mana Mana Leak is pretty solid, and that’s what it will be sometimes. I think in an ideal world it starts in your sideboard, though.
Savvy Hunter image 3.5 A 3-mana 3/3 brings solid stats, and making Food whether attacking or Blocking is nice. It means that even if you just trade with it, you’re going to be getting some extra value. Then, if your deck has a ton of ways to make Food, this can just start drawing you cards – and there are absolutely going ot be games where Savvy Hutner takes over late, and just wins you the game.
Oko, Thief of Crowns image 4.5 The turn you play him, you can get him up to 6 loyalty by making a Food token. So, while he won’t always be able to immediately protect himself, getting to 6 loyalty does a good job of that, especially if you’re actually playing him on turn 3. I think most of the time, one probably alternates between the Food token ability, and the +1 ability, which lets you turn stuff into Elks. This is particularly nice with his Food tokens, because he can use them to protect himself, but his +2 has a wide range of useful abilities – it can be used to downgrade the opponent’s scary creatures or upgrade yours, in addition to the fact that it can make non-creature artifacts – like food tokens – into creatures. For his mana cost, Oko is really powerful, and can rapidly take over games. In the late game, it is worth noting that in Limited, he isn’t quite as impressive.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Outmuscle
Outmuscle image 3.0 This is a strictly better Hunt the Weak, and that’s not a bad place to be. Hunt the Weak is always a solid removal spell -- but not premium. It isn’t premium because of how clunky it is at 4 mana and Sorcery speed, and because Fight effects are removal spells that are really easy to interact with, since killing the creature in response to the removal spell, or pumping their creature in response to it, results in a pretty savage blow out. If you can consistently trigger Adamant with this, it gets really scary, because you can now attack your opponent with it without being worried about the creature dying.
Raging Redcap image 2.0 So, a 3-mana ½ with Double Strike is an ok deal. This set also has a pretty heavy theme of auras and equipment, and he is a good place to put those.
Forever Young image 2.0 This is kind of like a Black Anticipate. For two mana you aren’t really gaining card advantage, but you will be improving your future draws, and you will draw one of the cards you put on top right away. Sometimes it will feel amazing because of cards in your graveyard, other times it won’t do much – but hey, you get to draw the card either way so the fail case could be worse. This is the kind of effect people frequently overrate, because their mind immediately goes to the scenario where you put your bomb back on top of your deck – but there will certainly be times you have this and nothing in your graveyard is worth putting on top.
Redcap Raiders image 2.5 Frequently you won’t have an untapped non-human creature for the buff, and even if you do, it isn’t like it makes this creature into a world beater. A 4/3 with trample is nice, but not a major problem.
Mantle of Tides image 1.0 I don’t think I like this very much. Sure, equipping it to stuff for free, especially at Instant speed seems nice. But that “ideal” situation isn’t going to come up as often as we would like – you need to have creatures of the right size, and instant speed ways to draw an extra card.
Barge In image 2.0 This trick only works if you are attacking, which does hurt it a little bit, because losing the flexibility to save a creature from some removal spells, or using it when you’re blocking matters – but like 90% of the time you use a trick, you’re attacking anyway, so it isn’t a huge hit. And I think it mostly makes up for that problem with the fact that it can grant all your non-human creatures trample, which is a nice additional line of text to have.
Malevolent Noble image 2.5 This guy is a serious underperformer. He isn’t BAD per se, but looking at him at first, I thought he would be a pretty powerful common. Being able to sacrifice your food or creatures to make him bigger seemed nice! And he starts out as a two-mana 2/2, so that’s not too bad! Problem is, having the mana and resources around to use his ability a lot just doesn’t happen much. He’s still fine, but he isn’t even close to one of Black’s best commons.
Garenbrig Carver image 3.5 This often ends up netting you a 2-for-1. The Trick Adventure helps you run over a blocker, and then you get a 3/2 in play who can trade. This is a very good Common.
Silverflame Squire image 3.5 All of these adventure creatures with a trick on one side and a reasonably costed creature on the other are pretty darn good. You can use the trick half to help a creature win combat, and then play the creature side on a later turn, which can get you a 2-for-1 in many cases.
Idyllic Grange image 2.0 If your deck has 10+ Plains it, you’ll run this for the upside of getting a +1/+1 counter.
Clockwork Servant image 3.0 This will draw you a card pretty often, and while that’s ideal, you can also play it as a reasonably efficient creature.
Sorcerer's Broom image 2.0 This was designed to be a food payoff, and it is certainly that. I am not ultra impressed with it, but if in the late game it will be a sweet mana sink, where you can spend 5 mana – 2 for the food and 3 for this trigger – to gain 3 life and make a 2/1. The fact it has being a 2/1 as a fail case is nice, but the fact that its as expensive as it is keeps it from being some really exciting Food payoff for most decks, instead it will mostly be a 2/1 that might make a copy or two of itself late.
Deafening Silence image 0.0. This is unplayable, because it was printed to be a sideboard card in constructed formats. Most opponents just won’t have enough non-creature spells for this to do anything relevant.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Opt
Roving Keep image 1.0 I mean, if you really need a finisher in your defensive control deck, I guess this does the job? You really need to find something better, though.
Tempting Witch image 2.5 She seems alright to me. A 3-mana ⅓ is pretty abyssmal on the vanilla test, but since she also gives you Food, AND is a food payoff, I can let that slide. She can give your deck some nice reach in the late game if you have food laying around, and she represents a nice clock for Food decks.
Blow Your House Down image 1.0 This is the kind of effect hyper aggressive decks will be able to end the game with. The problem with a card like this, though, is that it is only good in a specific situation – one where you can deal lethal, basically, and mediocre at all other times. It is sort of nice it can blow up Walls – there are a few playable ones in this format (we’re about to see one shortly, actually), but still, this is the kind of corner-case cards that only the most aggro decks around will want to play.
So Tiny image 1.0 // 2.5 This isn’t a great removal spell, and is pretty close to unplayable if you’re not a mill deck. -2/-0 just isn’t enough to deal with most creatures, so you end up spending a card just to downgrade one. If you can consistently get it to -6/-0, like you can in the mill deck, it gets better – but you are still downgrading a creature, not removing it.
Locthwain Gargoyle image 1.0 A one mana 0/3 can block sort of decently in the early going, and this isn’t a terrible mana sink in the late game, when the Gargoyle can start threatening the opponent in the air. This format also has some artifact synergy going around, especially in UW, so having one of these in that deck seems fine. Still, I don’t think you play this unless you’re in desperation mode for early creature or artifacts.
Return to Nature image 1.5 This is reasonably mainboardable in this format, as it often has a target. Still an easy cut, though, and better in your sideboard.
Beloved Princess image 1.5 A one mana 1/1 with lifelink that is kind of evasive doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, big creatures can’t block it, but it is small and dies to basically any blocker. And if you pump her things might get interesting, but mostly it doesn’t seem worth it.
Prized Griffin image 2.5 5-mana ¾ flyers have played pretty well lately. Obviously it isn’t a great rate for those stats, but we have seen several of these lately, and they have always been reasonable 5-drops.
Flutterfox image 3.0 This is a nice two drop. 2-mana 2/2s are nothing special these days, but the fact that this can gain flying -- and do it relatively easily in this format -- makes it a two drop that is relevant all game long.
Opt image 2.0 Opt is pretty much the definition of a fine but easily cuttable Limited card. It gives you some card selection, but doesn’t impact the board or give you card advantage. This set doesn’t really have a spell theme, or it would be a little better.
Cauldron's Gift image 2.0 5 mana to reanimate something with a +1/+1 counter isn’t awesome. And yeah, this helps you if you get Adamant going by milling some of your cards, which will make it better, but you’ll cut this a lot.
Improbable Alliance image 3.5 This is a powerful engine for UR decks. It is also nice that it can start cranking out the Faeries on its own, once you get to the 6 mana activated ability anyway – and that is certainly an advantage it has over other payoffs for drawing extra cards. UR decks will have enough ways to draw extra cards, though, that it shouldn’t be too difficul to get Faeries out of this a few times a game, and that’s no joke – Faerie tokens can really end games. It is hard to stop a bunch of flyers!
Pack 1 Pick 4: Queen of Ice
Henge Walker image 1.0 This won’t be a 3/3 often enough to be worth it in most decks, unless you’re close to monocolored.
Rosethorn Halberd image 2.0 I think this seems decent. One mana for +2/+1 stats boost, provided you have a non-human in play – is a pretty nice rate. BUT your deck has to have enough non-humans around for this to be worth it, and man – after that first creature, the Equip cost is super steep.
Beloved Princess image 1.5 A one mana 1/1 with lifelink that is kind of evasive doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, big creatures can’t block it, but it is small and dies to basically any blocker. And if you pump her things might get interesting, but mostly it doesn’t seem worth it.
Reaper of Night image 2.0 This can be a decent discard spell early, and then a very real threat late. It isn’t super good at being either of those things, but it isn’t too shabby.
Queen of Ice image 2.5 This is no Frost Lynx, but it can do a pretty good impression. Like with all ADventures, you have lots of different ways you can use this. You can cast each half on separate turns, or -- if you get it later in the game, you can play this as a 5-mana ⅔ that taps down one of your opponent’s creatures for a turn. That’s not awesome, but it is nice that it can work that way late. She also makes sure to give you some value, even when she chump blocks, since she’ll lock that creature down for a turn at least.
Youthful Knight image 3.0 Two mana 2/1 first strikers tend to play really well in aggressive decks -- but they really aren’t bad in less aggressive ones, as they are great blockers against smaller creatures. There is a lot of Equipment in this set too, and obviously it plays well with a creature with first strike. Definitely matters that this has a useful creature type too!
Prized Griffin image 2.5 5-mana ¾ flyers have played pretty well lately. Obviously it isn’t a great rate for those stats, but we have seen several of these lately, and they have always been reasonable 5-drops.
Tempting Witch image 2.5 She seems alright to me. A 3-mana ⅓ is pretty abyssmal on the vanilla test, but since she also gives you Food, AND is a food payoff, I can let that slide. She can give your deck some nice reach in the late game if you have food laying around, and she represents a nice clock for Food decks.
Embereth Paladin image 1.5 A 4-mana 4/1 with Haste isn’t anything special these days – you have to find the right opening for it to do something significant, or risk it just being traded with by a much cheaper creature. Even when you add Adamant to the mix, you’re getting a 5/2 with Haste for 4, which if that’s what this was 100% of the time would be solid, but it just won’t be.
Shinechaser image 3.0 So, the UW signpost uncommon is all about Artifacts and Enchantments, and it becomes a 3-mana 3/3 with Flying and Vigilance if you control both. As long as you can consistently have either an Artifact or Enchantment in play, Shinechaser is going to be good, and if you can do both, well you’re golden.
Arcanist's Owl image 3.5 A 4-mana 3/3 flyer is already great, and this one will draw you a card a decent chunk of the time, since UW decks will already be loaded up with artifacts and enchantments for other purposes.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Sage of the Falls
Ardenvale Paladin image 2.0 Honestly a 4-mana ⅖ does pretty well on the Vanilla test, and will be capable of blocking the vast majority of the creatures in this format and surviving. If you throw in Adamant, which will give you a 4-mana 3/6 a decent chunk of the time -- or, you know -- all the time, if you happen to be in mono-white -- and you have a much more attractive card.
Tempting Witch image 2.5 She seems alright to me. A 3-mana ⅓ is pretty abyssmal on the vanilla test, but since she also gives you Food, AND is a food payoff, I can let that slide. She can give your deck some nice reach in the late game if you have food laying around, and she represents a nice clock for Food decks.
Shining Armor image 1.5 This is an equipment with Flash that attaches itself to Knights for free when it comes down, but the bonus it gives isn’t anything special. Good combat tricks pump your creatures power, so that it can take down creatures in combat it couldn’t before – this one doesn’t. And sure, it does stick around and give your guy Vigilance, and that’s ok I guess – but once you have to start paying 3 mana to put this on stuff, it is really going to hurt.
Scalding Cauldron image 1.0 You’ll only play this if you have artifact synergies and/or you are short on removal. It just isn’t efficient at all.
Opt image 2.0 Opt is pretty much the definition of a fine but easily cuttable Limited card. It gives you some card selection, but doesn’t impact the board or give you card advantage. This set doesn’t really have a spell theme, or it would be a little better.
Garenbrig Squire image 2.0 This is not the most exciting Adventure payoff around, but hey -- it is a Grizzly Bears with upside that will allow it to attack as a 3/3 sometimes. These days a vanilla Grizzly bear is a C- at best, and a D+ in a lot of formats, but the upside here is nice. Most Green decks will have at least 4 or 5 adventures without trying too hard, and that’s plenty for him to be worth playing. In most formats, decks need a few two drops, and this one seems like a solid option.
Searing Barrage image 2.5 This is solid removal for Red, but like to Reduce to Ashes and command the Storm before that, it isn’t premium. Costing 5 is a ton, and most of the time it is going to feel a little clunky. It will frequently cost more mana than whatever you kill with it, and that does put you behind the eight ball a little bit.
Idyllic Grange image 2.0 If your deck has 10+ Plains it, you’ll run this for the upside of getting a +1/+1 counter.
All That Glitters image 1.0 The UW deck in this format is focused on having artifacts and enchantments which is nice and all, but this doesn’t seem like the payoff you want. It has the downside of most auras, in that it opens you up to a bad 2-for-1, and in addition to that, it isn’t going to be very good in the early game, even if you ARE an artifact/enchantment deck. Sometimes Auras that are ultra aggressive early can be good, because they make your creature do so much extra damage that it doesn’t matter when you get 2-for-1’d. This won’t be one of those most of the time.
Sage of the Falls image 3.0 5-mana for a ⅖ that loots would probably already be kind of ok and this also lets you loot any time you play a huge number of creatures in this format -- since the majority are inf act non-human. Looting is powerful as the game goes on, because it improves the quality of your draws drastically. Additionally, the UR deck especially is interested in drawing you extra cards so you can get various bonuses, and the Sage helps there too.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Shambling Suit
Silverflame Ritual image 1.5 If you have like 6 White cards in your deck, you’re not going to be getting the adamant part here. That said, this card on its own, without Adamant would already be kind of playable. Sure, you need some set up, and you have to be going wide, but that seems doable in this set. Giving Vigilance with Adamant is very real upside, because it means that you can attack with everyone, and still leave blockers behind – turns like that can really turn the tide in games. But yeah, it is a little clunky at 4 mana, and it won’t always be giving your guys Vigilance unless you’re mono-colored.
Locthwain Paladin image 2.0 4-mana for a 3/2 with Menace isn’t a great rate but is almost passable. Obviousy, though, this comes with additional upside thanks to Adamant – and a 4-mana 4/3 with Menace is some serious business.
Youthful Knight image 3.0 Two mana 2/1 first strikers tend to play really well in aggressive decks -- but they really aren’t bad in less aggressive ones, as they are great blockers against smaller creatures. There is a lot of Equipment in this set too, and obviously it plays well with a creature with first strike. Definitely matters that this has a useful creature type too!
Mistford River Turtle image 1.0 This guy has mediocre stats and a mediocre ability. Even as a 1/5, you’ll find it hard to want to attack with this just to make something else you have unblockable. Sometimes it works out, but it is actually a pretty real cost to have to attack with the Turtle too, especially if they can just block it with three 2/2s.
Ogre Errant image 2.0 This is harder to get going than you might think, and even when it does, it finds itself on boards where it still doesn’t have a good attack.
Fell the Pheasant image 0.5 This is mostly just sideboard hate to bring in against someone who has a lot of flyers.
Knight of the Keep image 1.0 A vanilla 3 mana 3/2 just isn’t really what you want to be doing. There are just so many better things you can do with 3 mana. You’ll only play it begrudgingly, if you need a 3 drop, or more knights in your deck, or you are way too short on creatures in your deck.
Weapon Rack image 1.0 You might think this isn’t bad in an aggro deck, as it ends up making your creatures better attackers, but if you played it instead of playing a creature, you’re also hurting your chances as an aggro deck.
Shambling Suit image 2.5 There’s enough Food, artifacts, and Enchantments in this set that Shambling Suit often has enough power to be worth playing.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Unexplained Vision
Unexplained Vision image 2.0 This is the kind of card that Blue control decks will be interested in having one of. After they manage to stabilize the board, casting something like this allows them to really pull ahead -- one card getting them three cards is no joke, and would already be an okayish card if that’s all it was. If you can get Adamant with this and add Scry 3 you’re really doing something interesting, as you’re seeing up to 6 cards in your deck, which is a huge number in Limited.
Weapon Rack image 1.0 You might think this isn’t bad in an aggro deck, as it ends up making your creatures better attackers, but if you played it instead of playing a creature, you’re also hurting your chances as an aggro deck.
Beloved Princess image 1.5 A one mana 1/1 with lifelink that is kind of evasive doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, big creatures can’t block it, but it is small and dies to basically any blocker. And if you pump her things might get interesting, but mostly it doesn’t seem worth it.
Barge In image 2.0 This trick only works if you are attacking, which does hurt it a little bit, because losing the flexibility to save a creature from some removal spells, or using it when you’re blocking matters – but like 90% of the time you use a trick, you’re attacking anyway, so it isn’t a huge hit. And I think it mostly makes up for that problem with the fact that it can grant all your non-human creatures trample, which is a nice additional line of text to have.
Embereth Paladin image 1.5 A 4-mana 4/1 with Haste isn’t anything special these days – you have to find the right opening for it to do something significant, or risk it just being traded with by a much cheaper creature. Even when you add Adamant to the mix, you’re getting a 5/2 with Haste for 4, which if that’s what this was 100% of the time would be solid, but it just won’t be.
Silverflame Squire image 3.5 All of these adventure creatures with a trick on one side and a reasonably costed creature on the other are pretty darn good. You can use the trick half to help a creature win combat, and then play the creature side on a later turn, which can get you a 2-for-1 in many cases.
Festive Funeral image 2.0 This is a conditional removal spell that will almost never be efficient. But hey, it IS still removal.
Inquisitive Puppet image 1.0 This has a lot of text, but doesn’t really do enough to be worth a card.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Merfolk Secretkeeper
Merfolk Secretkeeper image 3.0 This is a key Common in this set, and it really enables mill strategies. The adventure mills a hefty 4 cards, and the creature itself can come down and block and protect you. If you can get multiple secretkeepers, you are in business – especially if you also have bounce to use them repeatedly. It is a weird card, though, in the sense that it is pretty terrible everywhere else. Still, value these highly early, as they can be a very real path to victory.
Foreboding Fruit image 2.0 Black card draw spells like this are pretty much always a reasonable inclusion as a one-of. The card on the face of it is a two-for-one, but you do have to be careful since it doesn’t impact the board at all, and sometimes doing this early can be dangerous when you could be playing a creature that will help you survive. The Adamant here is a nice bonus, but it doesn’t add a ton to the card – though it will be nice gaining life back after you cast this.
Beloved Princess image 1.5 A one mana 1/1 with lifelink that is kind of evasive doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, big creatures can’t block it, but it is small and dies to basically any blocker. And if you pump her things might get interesting, but mostly it doesn’t seem worth it.
Gingerbread Cabin image 2.5 If your deck has 10+ Forests in it, you’ll run this for the upside of getting Food, which might actually synergize more broadly with your deck.
Mistford River Turtle image 1.0 This guy has mediocre stats and a mediocre ability. Even as a 1/5, you’ll find it hard to want to attack with this just to make something else you have unblockable. Sometimes it works out, but it is actually a pretty real cost to have to attack with the Turtle too, especially if they can just block it with three 2/2s.
Rimrock Knight image 3.0 This is a huge overperformer. The Adventure side of the card often becomes a burn spell to the opponents’ face, and sometimes it can even help a creature win combat. Then, you get a nice efficient, aggressive creature that also happens to be a knight!
Inquisitive Puppet image 1.0 This has a lot of text, but doesn’t really do enough to be worth a card.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Run Away Together
Forever Young image 2.0 This is kind of like a Black Anticipate. For two mana you aren’t really gaining card advantage, but you will be improving your future draws, and you will draw one of the cards you put on top right away. Sometimes it will feel amazing because of cards in your graveyard, other times it won’t do much – but hey, you get to draw the card either way so the fail case could be worse. This is the kind of effect people frequently overrate, because their mind immediately goes to the scenario where you put your bomb back on top of your deck – but there will certainly be times you have this and nothing in your graveyard is worth putting on top.
Crashing Drawbridge image 1.5 I never like walls that try to do aggressive things, and that’s what this is. You’ll play it in some aggro decks, but the fact that you’re playing a creature who can’t attack in your aggro deck is annoying.
Run Away Together image 1.0 This kind of weird symmetrical bounce effect is mostly not worth it. Bouncing something your opponent doesn’t want to be bounced and something of yours that you DO want to bounce can be good, but that is a little too situational.
Insatiable Appetite image 0.5 This is an ok trick, but this set has Adventure creatures who are tricks at Common, and they are just way better.
Embereth Paladin image 1.5 A 4-mana 4/1 with Haste isn’t anything special these days – you have to find the right opening for it to do something significant, or risk it just being traded with by a much cheaper creature. Even when you add Adamant to the mix, you’re getting a 5/2 with Haste for 4, which if that’s what this was 100% of the time would be solid, but it just won’t be.
Mystical Dispute image 1.5 A 3-mana Mana Leak is close to unplayable in Limited. Having to leave up 3 mana for a counterspell is a big ask, especially when your counter isn’t a hard counter. The later the game goes, the weaker something like this gets, and it is way easier to play around this type of counterspell than a hard counter. Still, I think you can get away with mainboarding this, because a one-mana Mana Leak is pretty solid, and that’s what it will be sometimes. I think in an ideal world it starts in your sideboard, though.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Mantle of Tides
Redcap Raiders image 2.5 Frequently you won’t have an untapped non-human creature for the buff, and even if you do, it isn’t like it makes this creature into a world beater. A 4/3 with trample is nice, but not a major problem.
Mantle of Tides image 1.0 I don’t think I like this very much. Sure, equipping it to stuff for free, especially at Instant speed seems nice. But that “ideal” situation isn’t going to come up as often as we would like – you need to have creatures of the right size, and instant speed ways to draw an extra card.
Barge In image 2.0 This trick only works if you are attacking, which does hurt it a little bit, because losing the flexibility to save a creature from some removal spells, or using it when you’re blocking matters – but like 90% of the time you use a trick, you’re attacking anyway, so it isn’t a huge hit. And I think it mostly makes up for that problem with the fact that it can grant all your non-human creatures trample, which is a nice additional line of text to have.
Idyllic Grange image 2.0 If your deck has 10+ Plains it, you’ll run this for the upside of getting a +1/+1 counter.
Deafening Silence image 0.0. This is unplayable, because it was printed to be a sideboard card in constructed formats. Most opponents just won’t have enough non-creature spells for this to do anything relevant.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Locthwain Gargoyle
Roving Keep image 1.0 I mean, if you really need a finisher in your defensive control deck, I guess this does the job? You really need to find something better, though.
Blow Your House Down image 1.0 This is the kind of effect hyper aggressive decks will be able to end the game with. The problem with a card like this, though, is that it is only good in a specific situation – one where you can deal lethal, basically, and mediocre at all other times. It is sort of nice it can blow up Walls – there are a few playable ones in this format (we’re about to see one shortly, actually), but still, this is the kind of corner-case cards that only the most aggro decks around will want to play.
Locthwain Gargoyle image 1.0 A one mana 0/3 can block sort of decently in the early going, and this isn’t a terrible mana sink in the late game, when the Gargoyle can start threatening the opponent in the air. This format also has some artifact synergy going around, especially in UW, so having one of these in that deck seems fine. Still, I don’t think you play this unless you’re in desperation mode for early creature or artifacts.
Beloved Princess image 1.5 A one mana 1/1 with lifelink that is kind of evasive doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, big creatures can’t block it, but it is small and dies to basically any blocker. And if you pump her things might get interesting, but mostly it doesn’t seem worth it.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Rosethorn Halberd
Henge Walker image 1.0 This won’t be a 3/3 often enough to be worth it in most decks, unless you’re close to monocolored.
Rosethorn Halberd image 2.0 I think this seems decent. One mana for +2/+1 stats boost, provided you have a non-human in play – is a pretty nice rate. BUT your deck has to have enough non-humans around for this to be worth it, and man – after that first creature, the Equip cost is super steep.
Shinechaser image 3.0 So, the UW signpost uncommon is all about Artifacts and Enchantments, and it becomes a 3-mana 3/3 with Flying and Vigilance if you control both. As long as you can consistently have either an Artifact or Enchantment in play, Shinechaser is going to be good, and if you can do both, well you’re golden.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Garenbrig Squire
Shining Armor image 1.5 This is an equipment with Flash that attaches itself to Knights for free when it comes down, but the bonus it gives isn’t anything special. Good combat tricks pump your creatures power, so that it can take down creatures in combat it couldn’t before – this one doesn’t. And sure, it does stick around and give your guy Vigilance, and that’s ok I guess – but once you have to start paying 3 mana to put this on stuff, it is really going to hurt.
Garenbrig Squire image 2.0 This is not the most exciting Adventure payoff around, but hey -- it is a Grizzly Bears with upside that will allow it to attack as a 3/3 sometimes. These days a vanilla Grizzly bear is a C- at best, and a D+ in a lot of formats, but the upside here is nice. Most Green decks will have at least 4 or 5 adventures without trying too hard, and that’s plenty for him to be worth playing. In most formats, decks need a few two drops, and this one seems like a solid option.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Weapon Rack
Weapon Rack image 1.0 You might think this isn’t bad in an aggro deck, as it ends up making your creatures better attackers, but if you played it instead of playing a creature, you’re also hurting your chances as an aggro deck.
Pack 2 Pick 1: The Circle of Loyalty
Weaselback Redcap image 1.5 I’m not usually interested in cards like this. Sure, it is a one mana 1/1 with upside, but the upside it has isn’t especially good. People often overrate cards like this – but what makes it not so good is that literally any creature blocking it kills it, and you might think you can trade up with this, but in most cases, the total mana you spend on your Weaselback Redcap to take down a creature with more than one toughness will almost always be more than your opponent spent on that creature, so really – in most scenarios you’re coming out behind.
Lonesome Unicorn image 3.0 Neither half of this card is particularly efficient. A sorcery that was 3 mana for a 2/2 token with Vigilance isn’t something you’d play and neither, and a 5-mana 3/3 with Vigilance.. BUT -- this card can do both of those things, and that’s the beauty of Adventures. Becuase it can make both of those things happen, and that can allow for a 2-for-1 without too much effort. Ideally you want to be doing both halves of this, and sometimes you will just need to cast the 3/3 Unicorn, which won’t feel too good, but I still think this is a really nice common for White.
Locthwain Paladin image 2.0 4-mana for a 3/2 with Menace isn’t a great rate but is almost passable. Obviousy, though, this comes with additional upside thanks to Adamant – and a 4-mana 4/3 with Menace is some serious business.
Garenbrig Paladin image 2.0 A 5-mana 4/4 that can’t be blocked by small dudes is kind of ok. The more Green your deck is though, the better this gets.
Faerie Guidemother image 3.5 The Adventure side of this lets you get in for some damage in the air, something that can be pretty nice early, and something that can close out games late. Then, it can come down as a 1/1 flyer itself. The whole package here ends up being pretty good in aggro decks.
Run Away Together image 1.0 This kind of weird symmetrical bounce effect is mostly not worth it. Bouncing something your opponent doesn’t want to be bounced and something of yours that you DO want to bounce can be good, but that is a little too situational.
Prized Griffin image 2.5 5-mana ¾ flyers have played pretty well lately. Obviously it isn’t a great rate for those stats, but we have seen several of these lately, and they have always been reasonable 5-drops.
Mystic Sanctuary image 2.5 If your deck has 10+ Islands in it, you’ll run this so that you can put removal back on top of your library.
Crystal Slipper image 1.5 The initial cost of the card – 2 to play and 1 to equip is pretty steep. That said, being able to sort of pay a kicker on your creatures of one mana to give them +1/+0 and Haste seems alright. I think you probably play one of these in aggro decks sometimes, but I feel like you’ll cut it pretty regularly too.
Redcap Raiders image 2.5 Frequently you won’t have an untapped non-human creature for the buff, and even if you do, it isn’t like it makes this creature into a world beater. A 4/3 with trample is nice, but not a major problem.
Wandermare image 3.5 A 3-mana 3/3 as a base level is already good, and if you can put even one +1/+1 counter on this, I think you’ll be pretty happy. Anything more than that and things get silly. Keep in mind, too, that like most Adventure build arounds in this set, it doesn’t matter whether or not the creature has gone on its Adventure to trigger this – you can just cast a creature that has an Adventure option, even if you never used the Adventure half, and Wandermare will be getting a +1/+1 counter. GW will have no problems getting cards with Adventure, I don’t think it is unreasonable to assume 5-7 is kind of a guarantee.
Embereth Shieldbreaker image 3.0 So, here we have some Artifact hate that is actually mainboardable – and that’s probably a good thing, because there are a decent number of artifacts in this set. We can think of this as a 3-mana 2/1 that destroys an Artifact – and that’s a nice deal, pretty easy to get a 2-for-1 if you actually get to destroy the artifact. There are enough Artifacts in this set to make the Shieldbreaker quite good.
Arcanist's Owl image 3.5 A 4-mana 3/3 flyer is already great, and this one will draw you a card a decent chunk of the time, since UW decks will already be loaded up with artifacts and enchantments for other purposes.
The Circle of Loyalty image 4.0 A 6 mana anthem effect isn’t the greatest deal, but permanents who pump your whole board are not to be underestimated – in any creature based deck that is a very real effect, and one that most of the time is going to impact the board immediately. In addition to that, it is a nice mana sink that allows you to produce a Knight every turn. There are legendary spells at uncommon in this format, and that means getting a Knight from the legendary part of the card isn’t a pipe dream. But yeah, with the cost reduction part, even one knight being in play makes this substantially better. I think this falls a little short of bomb status, but not by much.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Merfolk Secretkeeper
Merfolk Secretkeeper image 3.0 This is a key Common in this set, and it really enables mill strategies. The adventure mills a hefty 4 cards, and the creature itself can come down and block and protect you. If you can get multiple secretkeepers, you are in business – especially if you also have bounce to use them repeatedly. It is a weird card, though, in the sense that it is pretty terrible everywhere else. Still, value these highly early, as they can be a very real path to victory.
Foreboding Fruit image 2.0 Black card draw spells like this are pretty much always a reasonable inclusion as a one-of. The card on the face of it is a two-for-one, but you do have to be careful since it doesn’t impact the board at all, and sometimes doing this early can be dangerous when you could be playing a creature that will help you survive. The Adamant here is a nice bonus, but it doesn’t add a ton to the card – though it will be nice gaining life back after you cast this.
Run Away Together image 1.0 This kind of weird symmetrical bounce effect is mostly not worth it. Bouncing something your opponent doesn’t want to be bounced and something of yours that you DO want to bounce can be good, but that is a little too situational.
Rimrock Knight image 3.0 This is a huge overperformer. The Adventure side of the card often becomes a burn spell to the opponents’ face, and sometimes it can even help a creature win combat. Then, you get a nice efficient, aggressive creature that also happens to be a knight!
Wildwood Tracker image 2.0 In the early game, this can be a nice attacker. I the later parts of the game it just won’t matter much that it becomes a 2/2.
Crashing Drawbridge image 1.5 I never like walls that try to do aggressive things, and that’s what this is. You’ll play it in some aggro decks, but the fact that you’re playing a creature who can’t attack in your aggro deck is annoying.
Youthful Knight image 3.0 Two mana 2/1 first strikers tend to play really well in aggressive decks -- but they really aren’t bad in less aggressive ones, as they are great blockers against smaller creatures. There is a lot of Equipment in this set too, and obviously it plays well with a creature with first strike. Definitely matters that this has a useful creature type too!
Bloodhaze Wolverine image 2.5 A two-mana 2/1 isn’t so good these days, but it is the kind of card you’ll run when you really need a two-drop. But this does something extra – gaining +1/+1 and First Strike is no joke, it makes the Wolverine go from an easy card to block, to being a creature that it is hard to block profitably in any way. If you have something like Opt, you can even do it at Instant speed, making for a pretty nasty trick.
Golden Egg image 1.5 So, we’ve seen cards a lot like this before, and they’re always alright. Mana filtering that replaces itself isn’t a bad thing to have a round, since it can help you splash, and you don’t end up using a whole card for it since it draws you one. If you don’t need the fixing during your game, it can also gain you life I guess, but that isn’t so good. Note also that it is technically “Food” so any cards that interact with Food tokens will make this better. I think this is an easy-to-cut last card in your deck.
Inspiring Veteran image 3.0 RW is about knights. This is a Knight lord. It is one of the better Knight payoffs in the set, and you’ll always play it in RW, but I don’t think it does enough on its own to be the kind of signpost uncommon that pulls you into its color.
Deathless Knight image 4.0 A 4-mana 4/2 with Haste isn’t anything special – but a creature like this with Haste and high power, is really a scary thing when it just won’t stay dead – and this Knight won’t be doing a whole lot of that. It reminds me a lot of Ovalchase Daredevil – a 4-mana 4/2 from Kaladesh who could return from the graveyard when you played an Artifact. Deathless Knight can come back any time you gain life – something that will be pretty easy thanks to Food tokens, and this is especially true in BG, the color pair that has the most ways to make and use Food to its advantage. A 4/2 is hard to kill without trading, and that’s what makes it coming back over and over again so good.
Foulmire Knight image 3.5 3-mana to draw one and lose one life isn’t very good – however, a one mana 1/1 with Deathtouch is playable in every format, and pretty much guarantees you’re going to get to 2-for-1 your opponent if you went on an Adventure first.
Worthy Knight image 4.0 So, this is sort of a build around in that it gets better the more knights you have – but if you are playing White, you’re going to end up with enough Knights for this to be quite good, and if you end up in any of the Mardu colors, it will be even easier to get knights. A two mana 2/2 with serious upside is pretty awesome, as this can really change games even by just getting a couple of tokens out of it.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Shambling Suit
Eye Collector image 1.5 In general, one mana 1/1 flyers that don’t do anything else – and this mostly doesn’t do anything else – aren’t that good. This is sort of reasonable in the mill deck, but that’s about it.
Giant's Skewer image 2.0 This Equipment gives a fairly efficient boost, and the fact that it can give you Food is pretty nice. While that’s not quite lifelink, it does feel that way sometimes.
Insatiable Appetite image 0.5 This is an ok trick, but this set has Adventure creatures who are tricks at Common, and they are just way better.
Wishful Merfolk image 2.0 One mana to Scry 2 isn’t the worst deal ever, Scrying 2 is pretty close to drawing a card – and then, the fact that you can sacrifice it later in the game to draw 2 cards is nice. Sometimes, you’ll pay 5 mana for this and Scry 2 and then draw 2 cards right away – and that’s not a bad place to be, really.
Knight of the Keep image 1.0 A vanilla 3 mana 3/2 just isn’t really what you want to be doing. There are just so many better things you can do with 3 mana. You’ll only play it begrudgingly, if you need a 3 drop, or more knights in your deck, or you are way too short on creatures in your deck.
Ardenvale Tactician image 3.0 If Ardenvale Tactician was only the Adventure part of the card it would be kind of a passable card for a really aggressive deck. Taking away the ability to both attack and block for a whole round has its uses. Then, we look at the creature half – 3 mana for a 2/3 with flying is pretty nice. That’s just above rate for more list Limited formats. Then when we put it all together – a total investment of 5 mana to tap a couple things down and play a 2/3 flyer seems nice. Then, you factor in the flexibility – that it can come into play as a creature without going on an Adventure – and sometimes you’ll certainly want to do that – for example if you’re just trying to curve out – and I think we’re looking at a pretty good Common.
Ardenvale Paladin image 2.0 Honestly a 4-mana ⅖ does pretty well on the Vanilla test, and will be capable of blocking the vast majority of the creatures in this format and surviving. If you throw in Adamant, which will give you a 4-mana 3/6 a decent chunk of the time -- or, you know -- all the time, if you happen to be in mono-white -- and you have a much more attractive card.
Fortifying Provisions image 1.0 Adding toughness to your creatures is a lot worse than adding power in most cases, and also getting Food out of the deal doesn’t make this seem any better to me. It is nice that it us a card that gives you both an artifact and enchantment, making it a bit more interesting in a UW deck that cares about having both of those in play.
Brimstone Trebuchet image 2.5 Any time we have a creature like this they turn out being pretty good – look at cards like Nettle Drone and Thermo-Alchemist. Now, this is more specific than either of those, but it will still be nice. A 3-mana 1/3 with Reach that does damage to your opponent one at a time isn’t incredible – but is close to solid. Most Red decks will probably have a few knights no matter what, and obviously it gets even better when you have a ton.
Shambling Suit image 2.5 There’s enough Food, artifacts, and Enchantments in this set that Shambling Suit often has enough power to be worth playing.
Wandermare image 3.5 A 3-mana 3/3 as a base level is already good, and if you can put even one +1/+1 counter on this, I think you’ll be pretty happy. Anything more than that and things get silly. Keep in mind, too, that like most Adventure build arounds in this set, it doesn’t matter whether or not the creature has gone on its Adventure to trigger this – you can just cast a creature that has an Adventure option, even if you never used the Adventure half, and Wandermare will be getting a +1/+1 counter. GW will have no problems getting cards with Adventure, I don’t think it is unreasonable to assume 5-7 is kind of a guarantee.
Rampart Smasher image 3.0 This is mostly just a big vanilla creature, which is nice, but not overly exciting.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Shambling Suit
Searing Barrage image 2.5 This is solid removal for Red, but like to Reduce to Ashes and command the Storm before that, it isn’t premium. Costing 5 is a ton, and most of the time it is going to feel a little clunky. It will frequently cost more mana than whatever you kill with it, and that does put you behind the eight ball a little bit.
Ardenvale Paladin image 2.0 Honestly a 4-mana ⅖ does pretty well on the Vanilla test, and will be capable of blocking the vast majority of the creatures in this format and surviving. If you throw in Adamant, which will give you a 4-mana 3/6 a decent chunk of the time -- or, you know -- all the time, if you happen to be in mono-white -- and you have a much more attractive card.
Youthful Knight image 3.0 Two mana 2/1 first strikers tend to play really well in aggressive decks -- but they really aren’t bad in less aggressive ones, as they are great blockers against smaller creatures. There is a lot of Equipment in this set too, and obviously it plays well with a creature with first strike. Definitely matters that this has a useful creature type too!
Steelgaze Griffin image 2.0 Yet another payoff for drawing an extra card each turn, Steelgaze Griffin has some pretty bad base stats as a 5-mana 2/4 with Flying. But the upside it comes with is nice – becoming a 4/4 on turns you draw an extra card is pretty serious. A 5-mana 4/4 with Flying – you know, like Air elemental – is usually in the lower part of the B range. Obviously, this is worse because it won’t always be a 4/4, but it seems like a reasonable payoff for drawing extra cards in the UR deck.
Rosethorn Acolyte image 2.5 So, the Acolyte’s Adventure effect is one of the more underwhelming ones around, essentially just letting you filter mana. But hey, sometimes that does matter. Most of the time though you’re going to get value out of it being a creature, as a 3-mana 2/3 that fixes and ramps for you is a pretty nice thing to have around.
Beloved Princess image 1.5 A one mana 1/1 with lifelink that is kind of evasive doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, big creatures can’t block it, but it is small and dies to basically any blocker. And if you pump her things might get interesting, but mostly it doesn’t seem worth it.
Memory Theft image 1.0 Coercion usually isn’t a very good card in Limited – you pay a significant amount of mana and don’t impact the board at all. This does come with the ability to get rid of creatures sitting around in the Adventure Zone, and when you can do that it will almost feel like a 2-for-1, but there’s no guarantee it will line up that way.
Roving Keep image 1.0 I mean, if you really need a finisher in your defensive control deck, I guess this does the job? You really need to find something better, though.
Redcap Melee image 3.5 So, I think this is pretty good – even if you are sacrificing a land for it. One mana to do 4 at Instant speed is incredibly efficiency, and not the kind of thing we see very often. I will gladly sacrifice a land for that type of efficiency. I think even without the clause that makes it better against Red permanents it is already premium removal.
Shambling Suit image 2.5 There’s enough Food, artifacts, and Enchantments in this set that Shambling Suit often has enough power to be worth playing.
Witch's Cottage image 2.5 If your deck has 10+ Swamps, you’ll run this so you can get back powerful creatures from your graveyard.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Outmuscle
Signpost Scarecrow image 2.0 This isn’t efficient as a creature or as mana fixing.
Garenbrig Carver image 3.5 This often ends up netting you a 2-for-1. The Trick Adventure helps you run over a blocker, and then you get a 3/2 in play who can trade. This is a very good Common.
Wildwood Tracker image 2.0 In the early game, this can be a nice attacker. I the later parts of the game it just won’t matter much that it becomes a 2/2.
Crystal Slipper image 1.5 The initial cost of the card – 2 to play and 1 to equip is pretty steep. That said, being able to sort of pay a kicker on your creatures of one mana to give them +1/+0 and Haste seems alright. I think you probably play one of these in aggro decks sometimes, but I feel like you’ll cut it pretty regularly too.
Witching Well image 2.0 One mana to Scry 2 isn’t the worst deal ever, Scrying 2 is pretty close to drawing a card – and then, the fact that you can sacrifice it later in the game to draw 2 cards is nice. Sometimes, you’ll pay 5 mana for this and Scry 2 and then draw 2 cards right away – and that’s not a bad place to be, really.
So Tiny image 1.0 // 2.5 This isn’t a great removal spell, and is pretty close to unplayable if you’re not a mill deck. -2/-0 just isn’t enough to deal with most creatures, so you end up spending a card just to downgrade one. If you can consistently get it to -6/-0, like you can in the mill deck, it gets better – but you are still downgrading a creature, not removing it.
Insatiable Appetite image 0.5 This is an ok trick, but this set has Adventure creatures who are tricks at Common, and they are just way better.
Outmuscle image 3.0 This is a strictly better Hunt the Weak, and that’s not a bad place to be. Hunt the Weak is always a solid removal spell -- but not premium. It isn’t premium because of how clunky it is at 4 mana and Sorcery speed, and because Fight effects are removal spells that are really easy to interact with, since killing the creature in response to the removal spell, or pumping their creature in response to it, results in a pretty savage blow out. If you can consistently trigger Adamant with this, it gets really scary, because you can now attack your opponent with it without being worried about the creature dying.
Into the Story image 1.0 // 3.0 So, is 7 mana to draw 4 at Instant speed playable? Honestly – it probably is in really controlling decks. It isn’t the most efficient thing ever, but drawing 4 cards with one card is a pretty real way to win a game. Obviously it will be horrible in and against aggressive decks. In the mill decks this can legit cost 4, and when you do that it will feel really good.
Oakhame Adversary image 2.5 Even if we take the line away about your opponent having Green permanents, this would have been a nice card. A 4-mana 2/3 with Deathtouch that can draw you a card when it hits your opponent is going to be good enough to make the cut in most Green decks anyway. Those two effects combined is always pretty potent, because your opponent is put in a difficult situation, especially if the only blockers they have are large. And, you know, death touch means it can trade with anything anyway.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Thunderous Snapper
Signpost Scarecrow image 2.0 This isn’t efficient as a creature or as mana fixing.
Beloved Princess image 1.5 A one mana 1/1 with lifelink that is kind of evasive doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, big creatures can’t block it, but it is small and dies to basically any blocker. And if you pump her things might get interesting, but mostly it doesn’t seem worth it.
Lash of Thorns image 1.0 This is an alright trick, but this format has lots of tricks attached to creatures thanks to Adventures, and that’s way better than a card that is JUST a trick. For that reason, the Lash isn’t something you play very often.
Maraleaf Rider image 2.0 A two mana 3/1 is fine, and this comes with some decent upside. It isn’t the most exciting Food payoff, but being able to make your opponenet’s X/3 have to block this when you know you’re going to trade up doesn’t hurt.
Outflank image 2.5 This is a very conditional removal spell. Not only does the creature have to be attacking or blocking, you also have to have enough creatures in play to kill it. That will not always be a possibility. This can also be interfered with relatively easily, namely by killing one of your creatures, so that the damage this does drops to the point it doesn’t kill your target anymore And sure, it does only cost a single White mana, and it will probably feel nice when you’re the beat down, but with all the conditions it requires, it isn’t the kind of removal spell you take very early at all.
Barge In image 2.0 This trick only works if you are attacking, which does hurt it a little bit, because losing the flexibility to save a creature from some removal spells, or using it when you’re blocking matters – but like 90% of the time you use a trick, you’re attacking anyway, so it isn’t a huge hit. And I think it mostly makes up for that problem with the fact that it can grant all your non-human creatures trample, which is a nice additional line of text to have.
Vantress Paladin image 2.5 The difference between a 4-mana 2/2 flyer and a 4-mana 3/3 flyer is pretty big in terms of efficiency. This is a card that will be awesome in a deck that is mostly Blue, and a card that will be kind of ok in a deck that is at least half Blue.
Thunderous Snapper image 3.0 What you get here is a 4-mana 4/4 who draws you cards for big spells. Now, most Limited decks aren’t loaded up with 5 mana spells – since that would be a really bad idea for your curve – BUT, even if you just draw a single card off of this, you’re going to be happy, since you already have a reasonably efficient creature.
Sorcerer's Broom image 2.0 This was designed to be a food payoff, and it is certainly that. I am not ultra impressed with it, but if in the late game it will be a sweet mana sink, where you can spend 5 mana – 2 for the food and 3 for this trigger – to gain 3 life and make a 2/1. The fact it has being a 2/1 as a fail case is nice, but the fact that its as expensive as it is keeps it from being some really exciting Food payoff for most decks, instead it will mostly be a 2/1 that might make a copy or two of itself late.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Run Away Together
Eye Collector image 1.5 In general, one mana 1/1 flyers that don’t do anything else – and this mostly doesn’t do anything else – aren’t that good. This is sort of reasonable in the mill deck, but that’s about it.
Run Away Together image 1.0 This kind of weird symmetrical bounce effect is mostly not worth it. Bouncing something your opponent doesn’t want to be bounced and something of yours that you DO want to bounce can be good, but that is a little too situational.
Redcap Raiders image 2.5 Frequently you won’t have an untapped non-human creature for the buff, and even if you do, it isn’t like it makes this creature into a world beater. A 4/3 with trample is nice, but not a major problem.
Garenbrig Squire image 2.0 This is not the most exciting Adventure payoff around, but hey -- it is a Grizzly Bears with upside that will allow it to attack as a 3/3 sometimes. These days a vanilla Grizzly bear is a C- at best, and a D+ in a lot of formats, but the upside here is nice. Most Green decks will have at least 4 or 5 adventures without trying too hard, and that’s plenty for him to be worth playing. In most formats, decks need a few two drops, and this one seems like a solid option.
Didn't Say Please image 1.5 I’m never a big fan of Cancel variants, unless they bring something big to the table. The good news for Didn’t Say Please is that there is a legit mill deck in this format, so its effect is actually kind of useful. The problem with a 3 mana counter spell is that you find yourself having to leave up a considerably percentage of your mana to be able to use it. I think sometimes people make the mistake of thinking of a counterspell like a removal spell, but in a lot of ways, they are worse, at least in Limited. This is because you have a smaller window to use this card where it will actually get rid of something -- you HAVE to have the mana up when they play whatever it is you want to get rid of. With removal spells, it doesn’t matter when you cast it, so you have a much wider window to use them. This means that top-decking removal tends to be way better, for example. You’ll play this in your controlling mill decks, but not anywhere else.
Ardenvale Paladin image 2.0 Honestly a 4-mana ⅖ does pretty well on the Vanilla test, and will be capable of blocking the vast majority of the creatures in this format and surviving. If you throw in Adamant, which will give you a 4-mana 3/6 a decent chunk of the time -- or, you know -- all the time, if you happen to be in mono-white -- and you have a much more attractive card.
Idyllic Grange image 2.0 If your deck has 10+ Plains it, you’ll run this for the upside of getting a +1/+1 counter.
Tempting Witch image 2.5 She seems alright to me. A 3-mana ⅓ is pretty abyssmal on the vanilla test, but since she also gives you Food, AND is a food payoff, I can let that slide. She can give your deck some nice reach in the late game if you have food laying around, and she represents a nice clock for Food decks.
Pack 2 Pick 8: Corridor Monitor
Unexplained Vision image 2.0 This is the kind of card that Blue control decks will be interested in having one of. After they manage to stabilize the board, casting something like this allows them to really pull ahead -- one card getting them three cards is no joke, and would already be an okayish card if that’s all it was. If you can get Adamant with this and add Scry 3 you’re really doing something interesting, as you’re seeing up to 6 cards in your deck, which is a huge number in Limited.
Bloodhaze Wolverine image 2.5 A two-mana 2/1 isn’t so good these days, but it is the kind of card you’ll run when you really need a two-drop. But this does something extra – gaining +1/+1 and First Strike is no joke, it makes the Wolverine go from an easy card to block, to being a creature that it is hard to block profitably in any way. If you have something like Opt, you can even do it at Instant speed, making for a pretty nasty trick.
Signpost Scarecrow image 2.0 This isn’t efficient as a creature or as mana fixing.
Roving Keep image 1.0 I mean, if you really need a finisher in your defensive control deck, I guess this does the job? You really need to find something better, though.
Insatiable Appetite image 0.5 This is an ok trick, but this set has Adventure creatures who are tricks at Common, and they are just way better.
Corridor Monitor image 1.5 A two mana ¼ blocks fairly well early, and this one lets you untap a dude or artifact when you play it, which is some ok upside. However, it isn’t exactly impactful – even in the late game untapping something doesn’t always come with significant value.
Prophet of the Peak image 1.5 This isn’t great, but if you need top curve, you could do worse.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Wandermare
Lonesome Unicorn image 3.0 Neither half of this card is particularly efficient. A sorcery that was 3 mana for a 2/2 token with Vigilance isn’t something you’d play and neither, and a 5-mana 3/3 with Vigilance.. BUT -- this card can do both of those things, and that’s the beauty of Adventures. Becuase it can make both of those things happen, and that can allow for a 2-for-1 without too much effort. Ideally you want to be doing both halves of this, and sometimes you will just need to cast the 3/3 Unicorn, which won’t feel too good, but I still think this is a really nice common for White.
Prized Griffin image 2.5 5-mana ¾ flyers have played pretty well lately. Obviously it isn’t a great rate for those stats, but we have seen several of these lately, and they have always been reasonable 5-drops.
Mystic Sanctuary image 2.5 If your deck has 10+ Islands in it, you’ll run this so that you can put removal back on top of your library.
Crystal Slipper image 1.5 The initial cost of the card – 2 to play and 1 to equip is pretty steep. That said, being able to sort of pay a kicker on your creatures of one mana to give them +1/+0 and Haste seems alright. I think you probably play one of these in aggro decks sometimes, but I feel like you’ll cut it pretty regularly too.
Redcap Raiders image 2.5 Frequently you won’t have an untapped non-human creature for the buff, and even if you do, it isn’t like it makes this creature into a world beater. A 4/3 with trample is nice, but not a major problem.
Wandermare image 3.5 A 3-mana 3/3 as a base level is already good, and if you can put even one +1/+1 counter on this, I think you’ll be pretty happy. Anything more than that and things get silly. Keep in mind, too, that like most Adventure build arounds in this set, it doesn’t matter whether or not the creature has gone on its Adventure to trigger this – you can just cast a creature that has an Adventure option, even if you never used the Adventure half, and Wandermare will be getting a +1/+1 counter. GW will have no problems getting cards with Adventure, I don’t think it is unreasonable to assume 5-7 is kind of a guarantee.
Pack 2 Pick 10: Wildwood Tracker
Foreboding Fruit image 2.0 Black card draw spells like this are pretty much always a reasonable inclusion as a one-of. The card on the face of it is a two-for-one, but you do have to be careful since it doesn’t impact the board at all, and sometimes doing this early can be dangerous when you could be playing a creature that will help you survive. The Adamant here is a nice bonus, but it doesn’t add a ton to the card – though it will be nice gaining life back after you cast this.
Rimrock Knight image 3.0 This is a huge overperformer. The Adventure side of the card often becomes a burn spell to the opponents’ face, and sometimes it can even help a creature win combat. Then, you get a nice efficient, aggressive creature that also happens to be a knight!
Wildwood Tracker image 2.0 In the early game, this can be a nice attacker. I the later parts of the game it just won’t matter much that it becomes a 2/2.
Crashing Drawbridge image 1.5 I never like walls that try to do aggressive things, and that’s what this is. You’ll play it in some aggro decks, but the fact that you’re playing a creature who can’t attack in your aggro deck is annoying.
Bloodhaze Wolverine image 2.5 A two-mana 2/1 isn’t so good these days, but it is the kind of card you’ll run when you really need a two-drop. But this does something extra – gaining +1/+1 and First Strike is no joke, it makes the Wolverine go from an easy card to block, to being a creature that it is hard to block profitably in any way. If you have something like Opt, you can even do it at Instant speed, making for a pretty nasty trick.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Insatiable Appetite
Eye Collector image 1.5 In general, one mana 1/1 flyers that don’t do anything else – and this mostly doesn’t do anything else – aren’t that good. This is sort of reasonable in the mill deck, but that’s about it.
Insatiable Appetite image 0.5 This is an ok trick, but this set has Adventure creatures who are tricks at Common, and they are just way better.
Knight of the Keep image 1.0 A vanilla 3 mana 3/2 just isn’t really what you want to be doing. There are just so many better things you can do with 3 mana. You’ll only play it begrudgingly, if you need a 3 drop, or more knights in your deck, or you are way too short on creatures in your deck.
Fortifying Provisions image 1.0 Adding toughness to your creatures is a lot worse than adding power in most cases, and also getting Food out of the deal doesn’t make this seem any better to me. It is nice that it us a card that gives you both an artifact and enchantment, making it a bit more interesting in a UW deck that cares about having both of those in play.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Ardenvale Paladin
Ardenvale Paladin image 2.0 Honestly a 4-mana ⅖ does pretty well on the Vanilla test, and will be capable of blocking the vast majority of the creatures in this format and surviving. If you throw in Adamant, which will give you a 4-mana 3/6 a decent chunk of the time -- or, you know -- all the time, if you happen to be in mono-white -- and you have a much more attractive card.
Beloved Princess image 1.5 A one mana 1/1 with lifelink that is kind of evasive doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, big creatures can’t block it, but it is small and dies to basically any blocker. And if you pump her things might get interesting, but mostly it doesn’t seem worth it.
Witch's Cottage image 2.5 If your deck has 10+ Swamps, you’ll run this so you can get back powerful creatures from your graveyard.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Wildwood Tracker
Wildwood Tracker image 2.0 In the early game, this can be a nice attacker. I the later parts of the game it just won’t matter much that it becomes a 2/2.
Insatiable Appetite image 0.5 This is an ok trick, but this set has Adventure creatures who are tricks at Common, and they are just way better.
Pack 2 Pick 14: Signpost Scarecrow
Signpost Scarecrow image 2.0 This isn’t efficient as a creature or as mana fixing.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Garenbrig Paladin
Queen of Ice image 2.5 This is no Frost Lynx, but it can do a pretty good impression. Like with all ADventures, you have lots of different ways you can use this. You can cast each half on separate turns, or -- if you get it later in the game, you can play this as a 5-mana ⅔ that taps down one of your opponent’s creatures for a turn. That’s not awesome, but it is nice that it can work that way late. She also makes sure to give you some value, even when she chump blocks, since she’ll lock that creature down for a turn at least.
Lonesome Unicorn image 3.0 Neither half of this card is particularly efficient. A sorcery that was 3 mana for a 2/2 token with Vigilance isn’t something you’d play and neither, and a 5-mana 3/3 with Vigilance.. BUT -- this card can do both of those things, and that’s the beauty of Adventures. Becuase it can make both of those things happen, and that can allow for a 2-for-1 without too much effort. Ideally you want to be doing both halves of this, and sometimes you will just need to cast the 3/3 Unicorn, which won’t feel too good, but I still think this is a really nice common for White.
Henge Walker image 1.0 This won’t be a 3/3 often enough to be worth it in most decks, unless you’re close to monocolored.
Witching Well image 2.0 One mana to Scry 2 isn’t the worst deal ever, Scrying 2 is pretty close to drawing a card – and then, the fact that you can sacrifice it later in the game to draw 2 cards is nice. Sometimes, you’ll pay 5 mana for this and Scry 2 and then draw 2 cards right away – and that’s not a bad place to be, really.
Rimrock Knight image 3.0 This is a huge overperformer. The Adventure side of the card often becomes a burn spell to the opponents’ face, and sometimes it can even help a creature win combat. Then, you get a nice efficient, aggressive creature that also happens to be a knight!
Ardenvale Paladin image 2.0 Honestly a 4-mana ⅖ does pretty well on the Vanilla test, and will be capable of blocking the vast majority of the creatures in this format and surviving. If you throw in Adamant, which will give you a 4-mana 3/6 a decent chunk of the time -- or, you know -- all the time, if you happen to be in mono-white -- and you have a much more attractive card.
Tuinvale Treefolk image 2.5 Like a lot of these adventure cards at common, if we look at each part of the card and imagine it as JUST that, neither half is very good. But, like all of these, it has the potential to do both of those things, and that’s not a bad way to be spending your mana. Getting a full two cards worth of value out of this single card seems very doable, and I think this will be a nice big boy to have at the top of your curve, since it can make your guys bigger too.
Garenbrig Paladin image 2.0 A 5-mana 4/4 that can’t be blocked by small dudes is kind of ok. The more Green your deck is though, the better this gets.
Eye Collector image 1.5 In general, one mana 1/1 flyers that don’t do anything else – and this mostly doesn’t do anything else – aren’t that good. This is sort of reasonable in the mill deck, but that’s about it.
Silverflame Squire image 3.5 All of these adventure creatures with a trick on one side and a reasonably costed creature on the other are pretty darn good. You can use the trick half to help a creature win combat, and then play the creature side on a later turn, which can get you a 2-for-1 in many cases.
Giant Opportunity image 2.0 If you can get a Giant out of this, you’re doing pretty well, and if you’re getting the Food, you’re doing alright. You do need a deck with Food payoffs to be worth it, but that’s not too crazy.
Syr Carah, the Bold image 3.5 A 5-mana 3/3 that can ping anything any time it wants is already playable pretty decent. Then, you add the fact that if this pings your opponent – you basically get to draw a card. Yeah, it isn’t EXACTLY draw a card, but it is close – you can even play lands off of this. So basically, you have a source of damage that draws you extra cards, and once you get 2 or 3 cards out of this, your opponent is going to have a hard time coming back. And that’s even if your deck has ZERO ways to do damage to the opponent with instants and sorceries, Syr Carah can do it all on her own. She also has the useful Knight creature type! The one downside she has is the fact that she is kind of small for 5 mana, and is still in range of lots of removal in this format, but the upside here is insane.
Edgewall Innkeeper image 1.0 // 4.0 This card is all about one thing: Adventuring, and it is a dang good payoff for it. I think it won’t be all that difficult to get 4-5 cards with Adventure, and if you have that, you probably want to play this. However, if you really get there on creatures who can Adventure, this is going to be an insane value engine. He might be fragile as a 1/1, but I think even drawing one card off of this makes it worth it, and if you really get going, he is just going to win you the game.
Piper of the Swarm image 4.0 A two-mana 1/3 that can make rats with Menace is pretty solid. It will probably be kind of hard to amass three rats for the Mind control effect, but if you ever do you’re in serious business. I like cards like this – it is decent early game as a 1-mana 1/3, and it can take over the late game as a mana sink. Not many two drops can do both of those things, but this one can!
Pack 3 Pick 2: Sporecap Spider
Wishful Merfolk image 2.0 One mana to Scry 2 isn’t the worst deal ever, Scrying 2 is pretty close to drawing a card – and then, the fact that you can sacrifice it later in the game to draw 2 cards is nice. Sometimes, you’ll pay 5 mana for this and Scry 2 and then draw 2 cards right away – and that’s not a bad place to be, really.
Scorching Dragonfire image 4.0 We see two mana to do 3 a lot, and it is always a premium removal spell. It is cheap enough and kills big enough creatures that you usually are going to break even or come out ahead with your opponent in terms of mana. It is also an Instant, so you’ll be able to get some blowouts to happen in a world of combat tricks and Auras. Exiling stuff it kills is nice additional upside.
Rimrock Knight image 3.0 This is a huge overperformer. The Adventure side of the card often becomes a burn spell to the opponents’ face, and sometimes it can even help a creature win combat. Then, you get a nice efficient, aggressive creature that also happens to be a knight!
Gingerbread Cabin image 2.5 If your deck has 10+ Forests in it, you’ll run this for the upside of getting Food, which might actually synergize more broadly with your deck.
Barrow Witches image 1.5 Getting back a Knight is nice, but the Witches are overall inefficient, and if you don’t have anything going on in your graveyard they are pretty miserable.
Sporecap Spider image 1.5 Aggressive Green decks won’t really want this, but all the other Green decks should feel fine about playing the first of these. They are good at blocking flyers.
Henge Walker image 1.0 This won’t be a 3/3 often enough to be worth it in most decks, unless you’re close to monocolored.
Signpost Scarecrow image 2.0 This isn’t efficient as a creature or as mana fixing.
Beloved Princess image 1.5 A one mana 1/1 with lifelink that is kind of evasive doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, big creatures can’t block it, but it is small and dies to basically any blocker. And if you pump her things might get interesting, but mostly it doesn’t seem worth it.
Weapon Rack image 1.0 You might think this isn’t bad in an aggro deck, as it ends up making your creatures better attackers, but if you played it instead of playing a creature, you’re also hurting your chances as an aggro deck.
Savvy Hunter image 3.5 A 3-mana 3/3 brings solid stats, and making Food whether attacking or Blocking is nice. It means that even if you just trade with it, you’re going to be getting some extra value. Then, if your deck has a ton of ways to make Food, this can just start drawing you cards – and there are absolutely going ot be games where Savvy Hutner takes over late, and just wins you the game.
Covetous Urge image 3.0 So, if you go after a card in your opponents’ hand with this, you get a 2-for-1, and that feels pretty great! Going after their graveyard is more just card selection than card advantage, but if they have a bomb there, stealing that is going to be worth it anyway.
Joust image 2.5 too – it isn’t like Rabid Bites and other cards we’ve recently seen. Two mana to fight at Sorcery speed is not something that impressive, but it is certainly good enough to have a copy or two in your deck. One of the problems that Fight effects have is that it will only be good with your larger creatures. This helps mitigate against that a bit, since it makes your Knight larger too, so a larger percentage of your deck will be good with this than normal. It also has all the downsides cards like this have – your opponent can kill your creature in response to you targeting it, blowing you out, so you have to be careful. I think this is a going to be fine in a typical Red deck – which will have enough larger creatures and Knights without trying real hard.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Syr Elenora, the Discerning
Return to Nature image 1.5 This is reasonably mainboardable in this format, as it often has a target. Still an easy cut, though, and better in your sideboard.
Bloodhaze Wolverine image 2.5 A two-mana 2/1 isn’t so good these days, but it is the kind of card you’ll run when you really need a two-drop. But this does something extra – gaining +1/+1 and First Strike is no joke, it makes the Wolverine go from an easy card to block, to being a creature that it is hard to block profitably in any way. If you have something like Opt, you can even do it at Instant speed, making for a pretty nasty trick.
Outflank image 2.5 This is a very conditional removal spell. Not only does the creature have to be attacking or blocking, you also have to have enough creatures in play to kill it. That will not always be a possibility. This can also be interfered with relatively easily, namely by killing one of your creatures, so that the damage this does drops to the point it doesn’t kill your target anymore And sure, it does only cost a single White mana, and it will probably feel nice when you’re the beat down, but with all the conditions it requires, it isn’t the kind of removal spell you take very early at all.
Blow Your House Down image 1.0 This is the kind of effect hyper aggressive decks will be able to end the game with. The problem with a card like this, though, is that it is only good in a specific situation – one where you can deal lethal, basically, and mediocre at all other times. It is sort of nice it can blow up Walls – there are a few playable ones in this format (we’re about to see one shortly, actually), but still, this is the kind of corner-case cards that only the most aggro decks around will want to play.
Witching Well image 2.0 One mana to Scry 2 isn’t the worst deal ever, Scrying 2 is pretty close to drawing a card – and then, the fact that you can sacrifice it later in the game to draw 2 cards is nice. Sometimes, you’ll pay 5 mana for this and Scry 2 and then draw 2 cards right away – and that’s not a bad place to be, really.
Searing Barrage image 2.5 This is solid removal for Red, but like to Reduce to Ashes and command the Storm before that, it isn’t premium. Costing 5 is a ton, and most of the time it is going to feel a little clunky. It will frequently cost more mana than whatever you kill with it, and that does put you behind the eight ball a little bit.
Reaper of Night image 2.0 This can be a decent discard spell early, and then a very real threat late. It isn’t super good at being either of those things, but it isn’t too shabby.
Outmuscle image 3.0 This is a strictly better Hunt the Weak, and that’s not a bad place to be. Hunt the Weak is always a solid removal spell -- but not premium. It isn’t premium because of how clunky it is at 4 mana and Sorcery speed, and because Fight effects are removal spells that are really easy to interact with, since killing the creature in response to the removal spell, or pumping their creature in response to it, results in a pretty savage blow out. If you can consistently trigger Adamant with this, it gets really scary, because you can now attack your opponent with it without being worried about the creature dying.
Ogre Errant image 2.0 This is harder to get going than you might think, and even when it does, it finds itself on boards where it still doesn’t have a good attack.
Covetous Urge image 3.0 So, if you go after a card in your opponents’ hand with this, you get a 2-for-1, and that feels pretty great! Going after their graveyard is more just card selection than card advantage, but if they have a bomb there, stealing that is going to be worth it anyway.
Venerable Knight image 2.5 A one mana 2/1 with some upside is nice, mostly because it can trade up with lots of creatures, even those with mana costs of 3 or 4, and it attacks really well early. This comes with some additional value too, since it can put a +1/+1 counter on another Knight when it dies. That’s a pretty solid package.
Syr Elenora, the Discerning image 2.5 At worse you’re paying 5 mana for a ¼ that draws you a card and costs your opponent some extra mana to kill. That isn’t a great card. This has more going on than that though, since it can get larger if you’re holding on to more cards in your hand. The kind of awkward thing, though, is most Limited decks just aren’t clutching cards all the time, so frequently she won’t be much more than 0/4 or a ¼, especially in the late game. Sure, you hold on to lands and she gets bigger once it gets late, and she can progressively get larger once you know that’s your plan, but I still think she is held back in Limited since hand size just doesn’t stay high late in most games.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Oakhame Adversary
Vantress Paladin image 2.5 The difference between a 4-mana 2/2 flyer and a 4-mana 3/3 flyer is pretty big in terms of efficiency. This is a card that will be awesome in a deck that is mostly Blue, and a card that will be kind of ok in a deck that is at least half Blue.
Curious Pair image 2.5 This is solid. Food has a lot of synergy in this set, and the Adventure is very reasonably costed. Similarly, the stats for the Pair are just fine.
Barge In image 2.0 This trick only works if you are attacking, which does hurt it a little bit, because losing the flexibility to save a creature from some removal spells, or using it when you’re blocking matters – but like 90% of the time you use a trick, you’re attacking anyway, so it isn’t a huge hit. And I think it mostly makes up for that problem with the fact that it can grant all your non-human creatures trample, which is a nice additional line of text to have.
Flutterfox image 3.0 This is a nice two drop. 2-mana 2/2s are nothing special these days, but the fact that this can gain flying -- and do it relatively easily in this format -- makes it a two drop that is relevant all game long.
Fell the Pheasant image 0.5 This is mostly just sideboard hate to bring in against someone who has a lot of flyers.
Redcap Raiders image 2.5 Frequently you won’t have an untapped non-human creature for the buff, and even if you do, it isn’t like it makes this creature into a world beater. A 4/3 with trample is nice, but not a major problem.
Reave Soul image 3.0 This is always a nice removal spell when we see it. Two mana to kill something is a good deal, and because this looks at power, it won’t be that hard to trade up with it either. I think it is in the lower range of “premium” removal.
Prophet of the Peak image 1.5 This isn’t great, but if you need top curve, you could do worse.
Thrill of Possibility image 2.0 This is an always alright but also always replaceable card. It gets a little better in this format because it lets you trigger “draw 2” payoffs on your opponents’ turn.
Oakhame Adversary image 2.5 Even if we take the line away about your opponent having Green permanents, this would have been a nice card. A 4-mana 2/3 with Deathtouch that can draw you a card when it hits your opponent is going to be good enough to make the cut in most Green decks anyway. Those two effects combined is always pretty potent, because your opponent is put in a difficult situation, especially if the only blockers they have are large. And, you know, death touch means it can trade with anything anyway.
Wandermare image 3.5 A 3-mana 3/3 as a base level is already good, and if you can put even one +1/+1 counter on this, I think you’ll be pretty happy. Anything more than that and things get silly. Keep in mind, too, that like most Adventure build arounds in this set, it doesn’t matter whether or not the creature has gone on its Adventure to trigger this – you can just cast a creature that has an Adventure option, even if you never used the Adventure half, and Wandermare will be getting a +1/+1 counter. GW will have no problems getting cards with Adventure, I don’t think it is unreasonable to assume 5-7 is kind of a guarantee.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Garenbrig Paladin
Scalding Cauldron image 1.0 You’ll only play this if you have artifact synergies and/or you are short on removal. It just isn’t efficient at all.
Garenbrig Paladin image 2.0 A 5-mana 4/4 that can’t be blocked by small dudes is kind of ok. The more Green your deck is though, the better this gets.
Henge Walker image 1.0 This won’t be a 3/3 often enough to be worth it in most decks, unless you’re close to monocolored.
Redcap Raiders image 2.5 Frequently you won’t have an untapped non-human creature for the buff, and even if you do, it isn’t like it makes this creature into a world beater. A 4/3 with trample is nice, but not a major problem.
Rosethorn Halberd image 2.0 I think this seems decent. One mana for +2/+1 stats boost, provided you have a non-human in play – is a pretty nice rate. BUT your deck has to have enough non-humans around for this to be worth it, and man – after that first creature, the Equip cost is super steep.
Memory Theft image 1.0 Coercion usually isn’t a very good card in Limited – you pay a significant amount of mana and don’t impact the board at all. This does come with the ability to get rid of creatures sitting around in the Adventure Zone, and when you can do that it will almost feel like a 2-for-1, but there’s no guarantee it will line up that way.
Roving Keep image 1.0 I mean, if you really need a finisher in your defensive control deck, I guess this does the job? You really need to find something better, though.
Beloved Princess image 1.5 A one mana 1/1 with lifelink that is kind of evasive doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, big creatures can’t block it, but it is small and dies to basically any blocker. And if you pump her things might get interesting, but mostly it doesn’t seem worth it.
Grumgully, the Generous image 4.0 It isn’t that hard to end up in a RG deck where Grumgully just pumps most of your creatures, and when you do, she is a pretty awesome value engine.
Oakhame Ranger image 3.5 4 mana for two 1/1 Humans isn’t the most efficient thing in the world, but sometimes you need two bodies. Then, the creature side of the card synergizes well with going wide – which this helps you do, since it can pump your whole team by tapping. This is going to be a great card in decks really looking to go wide, but I don’t think it is so powerful you end up moving into GW just because you see this, and that holds it to a 3.5.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Mystic Sanctuary
Forever Young image 2.0 This is kind of like a Black Anticipate. For two mana you aren’t really gaining card advantage, but you will be improving your future draws, and you will draw one of the cards you put on top right away. Sometimes it will feel amazing because of cards in your graveyard, other times it won’t do much – but hey, you get to draw the card either way so the fail case could be worse. This is the kind of effect people frequently overrate, because their mind immediately goes to the scenario where you put your bomb back on top of your deck – but there will certainly be times you have this and nothing in your graveyard is worth putting on top.
Wildwood Tracker image 2.0 In the early game, this can be a nice attacker. I the later parts of the game it just won’t matter much that it becomes a 2/2.
Mystic Sanctuary image 2.5 If your deck has 10+ Islands in it, you’ll run this so that you can put removal back on top of your library.
Weaselback Redcap image 1.5 I’m not usually interested in cards like this. Sure, it is a one mana 1/1 with upside, but the upside it has isn’t especially good. People often overrate cards like this – but what makes it not so good is that literally any creature blocking it kills it, and you might think you can trade up with this, but in most cases, the total mana you spend on your Weaselback Redcap to take down a creature with more than one toughness will almost always be more than your opponent spent on that creature, so really – in most scenarios you’re coming out behind.
Mantle of Tides image 1.0 I don’t think I like this very much. Sure, equipping it to stuff for free, especially at Instant speed seems nice. But that “ideal” situation isn’t going to come up as often as we would like – you need to have creatures of the right size, and instant speed ways to draw an extra card.
True Love's Kiss image 1.0 This set has enough targets for this that you can main deck it sometimes. It gives you a 2-for-1 when you have a target, which is pretty nice. It is probably still better out of your sideboard, though.
Memory Theft image 1.0 Coercion usually isn’t a very good card in Limited – you pay a significant amount of mana and don’t impact the board at all. This does come with the ability to get rid of creatures sitting around in the Adventure Zone, and when you can do that it will almost feel like a 2-for-1, but there’s no guarantee it will line up that way.
Opt image 2.0 Opt is pretty much the definition of a fine but easily cuttable Limited card. It gives you some card selection, but doesn’t impact the board or give you card advantage. This set doesn’t really have a spell theme, or it would be a little better.
Cauldron Familiar image 0.0 // 2.5 So, a one mana 1/1 that just drains life probably isn’t playable. This one is an interesting food build around, though, and if your deck can make a critical mass of Food, you have a Cat that won’t stay dead, and drains your opponent one life over and over again. This is a build around, one you should avoid unless you have like 6 or more ways to make Food.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Garenbrig Paladin
Silverflame Ritual image 1.5 If you have like 6 White cards in your deck, you’re not going to be getting the adamant part here. That said, this card on its own, without Adamant would already be kind of playable. Sure, you need some set up, and you have to be going wide, but that seems doable in this set. Giving Vigilance with Adamant is very real upside, because it means that you can attack with everyone, and still leave blockers behind – turns like that can really turn the tide in games. But yeah, it is a little clunky at 4 mana, and it won’t always be giving your guys Vigilance unless you’re mono-colored.
Tempting Witch image 2.5 She seems alright to me. A 3-mana ⅓ is pretty abyssmal on the vanilla test, but since she also gives you Food, AND is a food payoff, I can let that slide. She can give your deck some nice reach in the late game if you have food laying around, and she represents a nice clock for Food decks.
True Love's Kiss image 1.0 This set has enough targets for this that you can main deck it sometimes. It gives you a 2-for-1 when you have a target, which is pretty nice. It is probably still better out of your sideboard, though.
Gingerbrute image 2.5 A one mana 1/1 with Haste is usually not anything special, but this one can also make itself unblockable, which means it stays relevant late. It can also sacrifice to gain you life, and counts as Food. I think all of that makes this a reasonable inclusion in your deck, especially if you’re aggressive and have ways to make him bigger.
Barge In image 2.0 This trick only works if you are attacking, which does hurt it a little bit, because losing the flexibility to save a creature from some removal spells, or using it when you’re blocking matters – but like 90% of the time you use a trick, you’re attacking anyway, so it isn’t a huge hit. And I think it mostly makes up for that problem with the fact that it can grant all your non-human creatures trample, which is a nice additional line of text to have.
Idyllic Grange image 2.0 If your deck has 10+ Plains it, you’ll run this for the upside of getting a +1/+1 counter.
Henge Walker image 1.0 This won’t be a 3/3 often enough to be worth it in most decks, unless you’re close to monocolored.
Garenbrig Paladin image 2.0 A 5-mana 4/4 that can’t be blocked by small dudes is kind of ok. The more Green your deck is though, the better this gets.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Opt
Brimstone Trebuchet image 2.5 Any time we have a creature like this they turn out being pretty good – look at cards like Nettle Drone and Thermo-Alchemist. Now, this is more specific than either of those, but it will still be nice. A 3-mana 1/3 with Reach that does damage to your opponent one at a time isn’t incredible – but is close to solid. Most Red decks will probably have a few knights no matter what, and obviously it gets even better when you have a ton.
Ogre Errant image 2.0 This is harder to get going than you might think, and even when it does, it finds itself on boards where it still doesn’t have a good attack.
Opt image 2.0 Opt is pretty much the definition of a fine but easily cuttable Limited card. It gives you some card selection, but doesn’t impact the board or give you card advantage. This set doesn’t really have a spell theme, or it would be a little better.
Crashing Drawbridge image 1.5 I never like walls that try to do aggressive things, and that’s what this is. You’ll play it in some aggro decks, but the fact that you’re playing a creature who can’t attack in your aggro deck is annoying.
Prophet of the Peak image 1.5 This isn’t great, but if you need top curve, you could do worse.
Tall as a Beanstalk image 0.0 Lately, they have been printing Auras that are actually playable because of their efficiency, or their ability to mitigate against a 2-for-1. But this isn’t either of those. 4 mana for +3/+3 and Reach really isn’t the most amazing deal in the world, and it leaves you wide open to 2-for-1s that will also get huge tempo on you because of the total mana you spend on the creature and this Aura. Don’t play this.
Henge Walker image 1.0 This won’t be a 3/3 often enough to be worth it in most decks, unless you’re close to monocolored.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Giant Opportunity
Queen of Ice image 2.5 This is no Frost Lynx, but it can do a pretty good impression. Like with all ADventures, you have lots of different ways you can use this. You can cast each half on separate turns, or -- if you get it later in the game, you can play this as a 5-mana ⅔ that taps down one of your opponent’s creatures for a turn. That’s not awesome, but it is nice that it can work that way late. She also makes sure to give you some value, even when she chump blocks, since she’ll lock that creature down for a turn at least.
Lonesome Unicorn image 3.0 Neither half of this card is particularly efficient. A sorcery that was 3 mana for a 2/2 token with Vigilance isn’t something you’d play and neither, and a 5-mana 3/3 with Vigilance.. BUT -- this card can do both of those things, and that’s the beauty of Adventures. Becuase it can make both of those things happen, and that can allow for a 2-for-1 without too much effort. Ideally you want to be doing both halves of this, and sometimes you will just need to cast the 3/3 Unicorn, which won’t feel too good, but I still think this is a really nice common for White.
Henge Walker image 1.0 This won’t be a 3/3 often enough to be worth it in most decks, unless you’re close to monocolored.
Ardenvale Paladin image 2.0 Honestly a 4-mana ⅖ does pretty well on the Vanilla test, and will be capable of blocking the vast majority of the creatures in this format and surviving. If you throw in Adamant, which will give you a 4-mana 3/6 a decent chunk of the time -- or, you know -- all the time, if you happen to be in mono-white -- and you have a much more attractive card.
Eye Collector image 1.5 In general, one mana 1/1 flyers that don’t do anything else – and this mostly doesn’t do anything else – aren’t that good. This is sort of reasonable in the mill deck, but that’s about it.
Giant Opportunity image 2.0 If you can get a Giant out of this, you’re doing pretty well, and if you’re getting the Food, you’re doing alright. You do need a deck with Food payoffs to be worth it, but that’s not too crazy.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Wishful Merfolk
Wishful Merfolk image 2.0 One mana to Scry 2 isn’t the worst deal ever, Scrying 2 is pretty close to drawing a card – and then, the fact that you can sacrifice it later in the game to draw 2 cards is nice. Sometimes, you’ll pay 5 mana for this and Scry 2 and then draw 2 cards right away – and that’s not a bad place to be, really.
Barrow Witches image 1.5 Getting back a Knight is nice, but the Witches are overall inefficient, and if you don’t have anything going on in your graveyard they are pretty miserable.
Signpost Scarecrow image 2.0 This isn’t efficient as a creature or as mana fixing.
Beloved Princess image 1.5 A one mana 1/1 with lifelink that is kind of evasive doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, big creatures can’t block it, but it is small and dies to basically any blocker. And if you pump her things might get interesting, but mostly it doesn’t seem worth it.
Weapon Rack image 1.0 You might think this isn’t bad in an aggro deck, as it ends up making your creatures better attackers, but if you played it instead of playing a creature, you’re also hurting your chances as an aggro deck.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Outflank
Bloodhaze Wolverine image 2.5 A two-mana 2/1 isn’t so good these days, but it is the kind of card you’ll run when you really need a two-drop. But this does something extra – gaining +1/+1 and First Strike is no joke, it makes the Wolverine go from an easy card to block, to being a creature that it is hard to block profitably in any way. If you have something like Opt, you can even do it at Instant speed, making for a pretty nasty trick.
Outflank image 2.5 This is a very conditional removal spell. Not only does the creature have to be attacking or blocking, you also have to have enough creatures in play to kill it. That will not always be a possibility. This can also be interfered with relatively easily, namely by killing one of your creatures, so that the damage this does drops to the point it doesn’t kill your target anymore And sure, it does only cost a single White mana, and it will probably feel nice when you’re the beat down, but with all the conditions it requires, it isn’t the kind of removal spell you take very early at all.
Blow Your House Down image 1.0 This is the kind of effect hyper aggressive decks will be able to end the game with. The problem with a card like this, though, is that it is only good in a specific situation – one where you can deal lethal, basically, and mediocre at all other times. It is sort of nice it can blow up Walls – there are a few playable ones in this format (we’re about to see one shortly, actually), but still, this is the kind of corner-case cards that only the most aggro decks around will want to play.
Reaper of Night image 2.0 This can be a decent discard spell early, and then a very real threat late. It isn’t super good at being either of those things, but it isn’t too shabby.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Thrill of Possibility
Fell the Pheasant image 0.5 This is mostly just sideboard hate to bring in against someone who has a lot of flyers.
Prophet of the Peak image 1.5 This isn’t great, but if you need top curve, you could do worse.
Thrill of Possibility image 2.0 This is an always alright but also always replaceable card. It gets a little better in this format because it lets you trigger “draw 2” payoffs on your opponents’ turn.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Memory Theft
Memory Theft image 1.0 Coercion usually isn’t a very good card in Limited – you pay a significant amount of mana and don’t impact the board at all. This does come with the ability to get rid of creatures sitting around in the Adventure Zone, and when you can do that it will almost feel like a 2-for-1, but there’s no guarantee it will line up that way.
Roving Keep image 1.0 I mean, if you really need a finisher in your defensive control deck, I guess this does the job? You really need to find something better, though.
Pack 3 Pick 14: Memory Theft
Memory Theft image 1.0 Coercion usually isn’t a very good card in Limited – you pay a significant amount of mana and don’t impact the board at all. This does come with the ability to get rid of creatures sitting around in the Adventure Zone, and when you can do that it will almost feel like a 2-for-1, but there’s no guarantee it will line up that way.
Draft Pick Overview