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Quick Draft ZNR 01.februar 2021

1 February 12:03 - Bingu76 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Creature (16)
1 Murasa Rootgrazer image
1 Kor Celebrant image
1 Scute Swarm image
2 Territorial Scythecat image
1 Fearless Fledgling image
1 Gnarlid Colony image
2 Tajuru Blightblade image
2 Kazandu Stomper image
2 Joraga Visionary image
2 Canyon Jerboa image
1 Sea Gate Banneret image
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (7)
2 Nahiri's Binding image
1 Bala Ged Recovery image
1 Makindi Stampede image
1 Kabira Takedown image
1 Reclaim the Wastes image
1 Scale the Heights image
Land (17)
9 Forest image
8 Plains image
Sideboard
3 Taunting Arbormage image
1 Dauntless Survivor image
1 Brushfire Elemental image
1 Scourge of the Skyclaves image
1 Cascade Seer image
1 Tajuru Snarecaster image
2 Dauntless Unity image
1 Scale the Heights image
1 Vanquish the Weak image
1 Adventure Awaits image
1 Sizzling Barrage image
1 Pressure Point image
1 Strength of Solidarity image
1 Zof Consumption image
1 Tormenting Voice image
1 Needleverge Pathway image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Scute Swarm
Scute Swarm image 4.5 This thing starts with a very unimpressive body, but the army of insects it can make you is no joke. Generally, I would advise waiting to play this until you can also play a land on a turn, because that way you ensure you get at least some value out of it before it eats a removal spell. Even better is waiting until you have 6+ lands, because then you will get exponentially more insects, and spot removal won’t do a thing.
Lithoform Blight image 1.0 If you’re desperate for fixing, this does the job. If you’re not, don’t play it.
Skyclave Pick-Axe image 2.0 Sometimes this won’t give your creature a boost at all, and that will hurt, but on most turns early, this will be giving a creature +2/+2 for an initial investment of two mana, and if your deck has ways to abuse landfall, giving your creature +4/+4 on occasion won’t be that hard either! Like all the equipment in this set that equips for free the first time, this does have a steep Equip cost after that first time, but I think the initial Equip being free is enough to sort of counteract that.
Bala Ged Recovery image 3.0 This is not an efficient way to get something back from your graveyard, but that’s ok, because it can be a land when that effect is underwhelming. Similarly, it is at least better than drawing a land when you’re in top deck mode, right? That mediocre spell doesn’t look so bad in that scenario, right? Keep in mind that landfall is a big deal in this set too, so sometimes the triggers you get from playing a land will just be better than casting this.
Sizzling Barrage image 1.0 This removal is way too conditional, you should only be running if it you have no other removal.
Practiced Tactics image 3.0 It bothers me a ton that sometimes it will literally be a blank card, but that won’t happen a TON, and it also has some serious upside - though it is too bad they didn’t decide to make this one of the DFC lands. It is situational, but if it is typically doing 4 damage for one mana to a blocking or attacking creature, well, you’re getting a great deal.
Roil Eruption image 4.0 Two mana to do 3 to something is premium removal, even as a Sorcery. You’re just going to trade up with it a lot, and that feels great, and hey, sometimes you can go after your opponent and end the game that way. Obviously the kicked version of this is far from efficient, but it is really just upside tacked on to an already premium removal spell, and having a direct damage spell that can do 5 is going to end some games.
Scale the Heights image 2.0 This does several little things, and they are generally enough for this to make the cut in your deck a significant chunk of the time, but they are also little enough that you won’t always play this.
Shell Shield image 2.5 Because of all the kicker payoffs in this format, Shell Shield really overperforms. It allows you to save your creatures fairly cheaply, and it can sometimes also work more as a combat trick.
Tajuru Blightblade image 2.5 We see this card in lots of sets, and it is always fine. It can trade for anything, giving it relevance all game long, but it is never particularly impactful.
Tazeem Roilmage image 3.0 A two mana 2/1 is a D+ at best these days, we just expect better stats for a two mana investment. However, the kicker upside here is quite strong in the late game.
Subtle Strike image 2.5 Because you can both weaken a creature and make yours bigger, it has two-for-one potential, and that can’t be overlooked. That situation won’t always be how it works out -- but sometimes, you’ll be able to kill an X/1 and pump your creature to win combat against something else, and it is great that the boost is permanent. Even if that doesn’t line up, the flexibility of this card does usually mean it will help your creatures win combat one way or another.
Spare Supplies image 1.0 Two mana to draw a card, and 4 to draw two over the course of a couple of turns is..a thing? But in a set without artifact or sacrifice payoffs, I don’t see this making the cut most of the time.
Blood Price image 1.5 Black always gets a draw spell like this one, and this one is a little overcosted. Two cards for two life and four mana just doesn’t seem worth it to me for the most part.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Territorial Scythecat
Skyclave Plunder image 2.0 This tends to be a little bit too clunky in this format to be great. It is nice drawing cards, but tapping and not adding to the board is rough.
Thundering Rebuke image 4.0 This is premium removal. Two mana to do 4 is always a great rate – it is efficient enough that you can pretty much always trade up with it.
Skyclave Cleric image 3.0 Here is another flexible DFC creature-land. On one side, you have a card that impacts the board -- and frequently thats what you want. On the other, you have land -- and sometimes you need that more. Basically, this helps you whether you are flooding out or mana screwed, and there aren’t many cards that can say that -- this will make your deck run much more smoothly as a result, even if the two mana ⅓ that gains you 2 life is nothing special, and the land comes into play tapped, the flexibility here is for real. And it also has a useful creature type and gains you life, all things BW wants.
Dauntless Unity image 2.0 This is basically a better Inspired Charged – when you kick it, it is identical to the Charge, and it has the upside of also being usable for a slightly weaker effect for two mana.
Glacial Grasp image 2.0 So, on a base level, this is Divination, a card that is a decent playable in most Limited formats -- somewhere between a C- and a C. But, this becomes more powerful in the late game, drawing you three cards if you have the spare mana around to do it. Now, 6-mana at Sorcery speed to draw 3 cards is pretty clunky, but it is attached to what is already a reasonable card, which means being able to cast it with Kicker is all upside.
Territorial Scythecat image 3.0 This will get large without a whole lot of effort, and that is really nice because it also happens to have Trample! It does die to just about everything initially, and sometimes it will be better to play it and then a land in the same turn to make it so fewer spells can take it down.
Chilling Trap image 0.0 // 2.0 If you can’t consistently turn this into a cantrip it is unplayable. But, if you’re a UR deck that is interested in both spells and Wizards, this is a solid playable.
Scale the Heights image 2.0 This does several little things, and they are generally enough for this to make the cut in your deck a significant chunk of the time, but they are also little enough that you won’t always play this.
Practiced Tactics image 3.0 It bothers me a ton that sometimes it will literally be a blank card, but that won’t happen a TON, and it also has some serious upside - though it is too bad they didn’t decide to make this one of the DFC lands. It is situational, but if it is typically doing 4 damage for one mana to a blocking or attacking creature, well, you’re getting a great deal.
Bubble Snare image 3.5 Getting away with just paying one for this on a creature that is already tapped is going to feel great, and when you are the more defensive player, that is probably often how you’ll use it, since it will enable you to do some other things on your turn. Sometimes, you need to just be able to lock down an opposing creature, and you can pay the Kicker when that’s necessary to get a blocker out of the way, or a creature your opponent just won’t attack with that is cause you all kinds of problems.
Zulaport Duelist image 2.0 This isn’t Faerie Duelist, but its kind of a similar creature. You can sometimes use it to really mess up combat for your opponent, and even when you can’t you do at least get a creature that can prevent some damage while also milling a bit.
Tormenting Voice image 1.5 As usual this is fine as the last card in your deck. It is probably a little less good in this set because of the DFC lands, and landfall, because the main thing it is nice for is to avoid flooding out – but flooding out is going to be harder than normal in this format. This is a little appealing in the UR deck because it gives you a spell trigger, but you’ll cut it more than you play it.
Drana's Silencer image 1.0 This doesn’t line up well very often, and just tends to be expensive and not have much of an impact.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Fearless Fledgling
Fearless Fledgling image 3.5 This is pretty good. It might start out as a fragile 1/1, but if you drop this on turn two and trigger landfall the next 3 or so turns, you’re going to be in business, because this thing will take the sky and get larger, doing tons of damage in the process. It is vulnerable to be sure, but also a two drop that can win games.
Attended Healer image 3.5 This is a powerful life gain AND cleric payoff. Getting a cat token the first time you gain life each turn is nice, especially because the Healer can make sure you are gaining that life, provided there are some other Clerics lying around. The activated ability isn’t exactly cheap, so I think that for the Healer to really shine, you are hoping to have some other ways to trigger the life gain clause. The good news is that is very doable in this format.
Malakir Rebirth image 3.0 So, like most of these, it has one side that is pretty situational -- you have to have a creature die on your turn for it to even do anything, but when things line up that way, getting your creature back can feel pretty nice, especially if that creature has an ETB ability, because this will trigger it again, which is some sweet value. But things won’t always line up that way, and sometimes you’ll use this to save a creature, but you’re going down a card to do it since your creature can’t win combat anyway. But, you can just play it as a land if that’s true!
Field Research image 2.5 So, on a base level, this is Divination, a card that is a decent playable in most Limited formats -- somewhere between a C- and a C. But, this becomes more powerful in the late game, drawing you three cards if you have the spare mana around to do it. Now, 6-mana at Sorcery speed to draw 3 cards is pretty clunky, but it is attached to what is already a reasonable card, which means being able to cast it with Kicker is all upside.
Tuktuk Rubblefort image 0.5 I’m not the biggest fan of creatures with defender who want you to be aggressive – as those two things seem odd together, so I’m not interested.
Stonework Packbeast image 3.5 This is a huge overachiever. It helps tie together Tribal or Party decks, and even the fixing it offers can be quite helpful.
Fissure Wizard image 2.5 This is pretty unexciting. It does a bunch of meh stuff. It has bad stats for the cost, it lets you rummage, and it has a creature type that matters in this format. While none of that is exciting, it coming all together does make it a decent enough playable.
Might of Murasa image 1.5 So, this is an overcosted Giant Growth without kicker, and with it -- well, it still isn’t all that efficient. 5-mana for +5/+5 doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, sometimes it will turn damage lethal and all that, and it will certainly win combat for you, but to go that route you usually have to give up on developing the board for a turn, which just won’t be worth it a lot.
Vanquish the Weak image 2.5 This can kill stuff at Instant speed, but it is a bit situational. It falls short of premium removal.
Makindi Ox image 1.5 This is too expensive for the aggro decks that might normally be interested in tapping something down, and not impactful enough for control deck, so you don’t play it very often.
Drana's Silencer image 1.0 This doesn’t line up well very often, and just tends to be expensive and not have much of an impact.
Kazandu Stomper image 2.0 This is a surprisingly decent card for stalling if you’re in a controlling deck, as the statline and the life help make you harder to kill.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Nahiri's Binding
Demon's Disciple image 2.0 This kind of card is always great when you are the one with more creatures -- making your opponent give up a key creature while you lose something irrelevant is a nice feeling. BUT, it won’t always work out that way. Sometimes you’ll just wish you could play this for the body, but you can’t always, since if it is your only creature, it sacrifices itself. Sometimes your opponent will have the better board than you, and them losing one thing won’t hurt them a whole lot.
Vastwood Fortification image 3.0 Another Modal card, we have seen cards similar to the Fortification in the past and they haven’t been super impressive. Sure, sometimes they help you win combat or your creature survive a removal spell, but a lot of the time what a card like this does just isn’t worth the card. It would probably be like a D+ at best. However, this format has a strong +1/+1 counter theme in BG, AND this is a modal DFC, which means it can be a land when putting a counter on something doesn’t seem meaningful enough.
Joraga Visionary image 3.5 Cantrip creatures are always good when they are reasonably costed, and a 3/2 body is big enough that it can represent something that is actually relevant on the board, and is perfectly capable of trading, and it’s a 2-for-1 when you can make that happen.
Dauntless Unity image 2.0 This is basically a better Inspired Charged – when you kick it, it is identical to the Charge, and it has the upside of also being usable for a slightly weaker effect for two mana.
Negate image 0.5 This doesn’t counter enough things to be something you want in your main deck.
Grotag Bug-Catcher image 3.0 This is a key common for aggressive Party decks. It often attacks as a 3/2 on turn two, and in the later game can big enough to just keep swinging.
Kazandu Nectarpot image 1.5 This is a surprisingly decent card for stalling if you’re in a controlling deck, as the statline and the life help make you harder to kill.
Feed the Swarm image 3.5 Look, a Black card that can hit Enchantments! That’s pretty weird. Anyway, this is a good removal spell. It is cheap and kills two permanent types, no questions asked. Now, the damage it does to you certainly matters -- but if you are paying two mana to blow up their 5 drop, paying 5 life for that is a reasonable cost most of the time. Now, playing more than one of these can be a little risky – you only have so much life after all, but value the first copy pretty highly.
Nahiri's Binding image 4.0 This is basically arrest – it is a little harder to cast, but it can also go after planeswalkers. That upside won’t come up much, but that’s fine – having an Enchantment removal spell that can shut down just about everything about a creature is great. As awesome as Pacifism always is, it can sometimes be really frustrating that you can’t take away a powerful activated ability with it, and Binding does that!
Seafloor Stalker image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ isn’t good, and paying 4 to make it unblockable and give it a power boost does mean it stays relevant in the late game. And obviously you can end up paying even less -- paying 3 or 2 for the boost is much better, and obviously turning this into Blue firebreathing with a full party is kind of funny. This isn’t a bad way to close out games in this format.
Utility Knife image 1.0 Even with an Equipment deck in this format, Utility Knife isn’t really worth it. It gives an okay boost to start with, but the equip cost after that is just exorbitant.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Gnarlid Colony
Fireblade Charger image 3.5 Woo boy, talk about an Equipment payoff! So, a one mana 1/1 that does 1 damage to something when it dies is passable. It provides a nice little creature that can trade up for X/2s, and really make your opponent rethinking attacking or blocking when they have a couple of X/1s. But this will get absolutely insane with equipment – or combat tricks for that matter. It is going to be doing 3+ damage with regularity in this format – there’s enough good Equipment around for that to be the case, and that means it will have Haste reasonably often too. Basically, it is good on turn one – and if you get in the late game and can give it some Equipment, it is going to be great.
Grotag Night-Runner image 2.5 The damage trigger here is nice, but with the stats it has, it really isn’t that easy to get in with it.
Risen Riptide image 2.5 This is a surprisingly serviceable payoff for the Kicker deck, as getting whatever value out of what you kicked AND making this a 5/5 feels great, as it is often a very difficult creature to block effectively.
Adventure Awaits image 1.0 We see a Green card like this in most sets, and they are always kind of meh. They give you some nice card selection, and it is also kind of nice that if you wiff on a creature, you still get a card out of it. Whiffing on a creature is unlikely in most limited decks, but it DOES happen sometimes, so having protection from this doing absolutely nothing is nice. That said, this type of card, especially at two mana, generally feels like it is easy to cut in most decks.
Cliffhaven Sell-Sword image 1.5 Two mana 3/1s tend to be fine for aggro decks. This one is also a Warrior, so it gives you some Party synergy.
Stonework Packbeast image 3.5 This is a huge overachiever. It helps tie together Tribal or Party decks, and even the fixing it offers can be quite helpful.
Vanquish the Weak image 2.5 This can kill stuff at Instant speed, but it is a bit situational. It falls short of premium removal.
Pyroclastic Hellion image 2.5 This seems solid enough. Returning a land is a may clause here, so you only need to do it when you really want those 2 damage, or if returning a land otherwise benefits you.
Subtle Strike image 2.5 Because you can both weaken a creature and make yours bigger, it has two-for-one potential, and that can’t be overlooked. That situation won’t always be how it works out -- but sometimes, you’ll be able to kill an X/1 and pump your creature to win combat against something else, and it is great that the boost is permanent. Even if that doesn’t line up, the flexibility of this card does usually mean it will help your creatures win combat one way or another.
Gnarlid Colony image 3.0 This is a nice Common. Having a Grizzly Bear with a +1/+1 counter payoff as a base form isn’t bad when you have other late game option of paying 5-mana for a 4/4 with Trample. Neither side of this is especially efficient -- but that often doesn’t matter with creatures who have Kicker, as we’ve seen in the past. Just having an alternate option in the late game to make this a more imposing creature is nice, even if the rate isn’t great.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Bala Ged Recovery
Bala Ged Recovery image 3.0 This is not an efficient way to get something back from your graveyard, but that’s ok, because it can be a land when that effect is underwhelming. Similarly, it is at least better than drawing a land when you’re in top deck mode, right? That mediocre spell doesn’t look so bad in that scenario, right? Keep in mind that landfall is a big deal in this set too, so sometimes the triggers you get from playing a land will just be better than casting this.
Ghastly Gloomhunter image 2.0 This isn’t very efficient cast normally OR with Kicker, but the flexibility to choose either is enough to make that inefficiency matter less, as is the fact that it can gain you some life, which the BW deck really cares about.
Kor Celebrant image 3.0 This has nice defensive stats, and it is one of the key Commons for the BW Cleric deck. It provides you with a repeatable source of life gain, which triggers all sorts of powerful cards. Even outside of that deck, this is serviceable as a defensive creature.
Blood Price image 1.5 Black always gets a draw spell like this one, and this one is a little overcosted. Two cards for two life and four mana just doesn’t seem worth it to me for the most part.
Synchronized Spellcraft image 2.0 Removal this is, but premium it is not. 5 mana to do 4 at instant speed just isn’t going to get you there most of the time -- you will frequently be trading down. And sure, it has party upside, and yeah if you are doing 2+ to your opponent at the same time you are ending up with a more reasonable spell, but even with a full party, this isn’t incredible -- and good luck setting that up.
Sizzling Barrage image 1.0 This removal is way too conditional, you should only be running if it you have no other removal.
Ardent Electromancer image 3.0 This is a key common for party decks, and it can really help you set up a double-spell turn three, which often is what you need to quickly win a game.
Stonework Packbeast image 3.5 This is a huge overachiever. It helps tie together Tribal or Party decks, and even the fixing it offers can be quite helpful.
Utility Knife image 1.0 Even with an Equipment deck in this format, Utility Knife isn’t really worth it. It gives an okay boost to start with, but the equip cost after that is just exorbitant.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Vanquish the Weak
Relic Vial image 3.0 This is a great Cleric payoff, as it makes it very difficult for your opponent to race you. If you attack with a board full of clerics, this creates a nightmare situation. There are plenty of payoffs in this set for gaining life, and that’s what really puts the Vial over the edge.
Fissure Wizard image 2.5 This is pretty unexciting. It does a bunch of meh stuff. It has bad stats for the cost, it lets you rummage, and it has a creature type that matters in this format. While none of that is exciting, it coming all together does make it a decent enough playable.
Nimana Skitter-Sneak image 2.0 So, a 4-mana ¾ is kind of okayish, especially with a decent creature type. Then, if you are milling your opponent a bit, this can become a 4-mana 4/4 with Menace, which can make it into a real threat.
Strength of Solidarity image 1.0 This can potentially give you a whole lot for only one mana! But…it can also potentially be blank card. The likelihood of it being blank is about as likely as it is that you have a full party. On average, it will probably give somewhere between 1 and 2 tokens, and that hardly seems worth it to me.
Makindi Ox image 1.5 This is too expensive for the aggro decks that might normally be interested in tapping something down, and not impactful enough for control deck, so you don’t play it very often.
Mesa Lynx image 1.5 This is a 2-mana 2/1 as an attacker, and a two-mana ⅔ as a blocker. In this day and age, even a vanilla two-mana ⅔ would probably not be much more than a C, so a card that is only one half of the time is considerably worse. I would actually prefer it was a ⅔ during your turn than the other way around, since White is more often than not a color that wants to be attacking well early.
Vanquish the Weak image 2.5 This can kill stuff at Instant speed, but it is a bit situational. It falls short of premium removal.
Synchronized Spellcraft image 2.0 Removal this is, but premium it is not. 5 mana to do 4 at instant speed just isn’t going to get you there most of the time -- you will frequently be trading down. And sure, it has party upside, and yeah if you are doing 2+ to your opponent at the same time you are ending up with a more reasonable spell, but even with a full party, this isn’t incredible -- and good luck setting that up.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Dauntless Survivor
Malakir Rebirth image 3.0 So, like most of these, it has one side that is pretty situational -- you have to have a creature die on your turn for it to even do anything, but when things line up that way, getting your creature back can feel pretty nice, especially if that creature has an ETB ability, because this will trigger it again, which is some sweet value. But things won’t always line up that way, and sometimes you’ll use this to save a creature, but you’re going down a card to do it since your creature can’t win combat anyway. But, you can just play it as a land if that’s true!
Dauntless Survivor image 2.5 We have seen this card a lot, and it is always solid. At worst, it is a two mana 2/2 -- and it has the upside of being able to make some other more relevant creature get a +1/+1 counter in the later part of the game. The BG deck in this format also has +1/+1 counter synergies, AND it has a creature type relevant for partying, so it will be a nice two drop in multiple decks in this format.
Nimana Skydancer image 2.5 A 3-mana 2/1 with Flying and Flash is already a reasonable card, but this is also a Rogue that mills your opponent, and that’s something that the UB decks are pretty interested in.
Molten Blast image 1.5 3-mana to do two damage at instant speed is not so good – I mean, it is removal, but it is not efficient – you’ll basically always be trading down with it. But the modality here really matters. This set has plenty of good artifacts – not like, a million of them or anything – but enough that this will be blowing up artifacts on occasion too, and being able to have that in your main deck is real upside.
Smite the Monstrous image 2.0 We see this a lot. It is always an ok removal spell. It is conditional, but at least it is an instant, and it can kill some big stuff.
Expedition Healer image 3.0 This just turns out to have lifelink a significant chunk of the time, and with the powerful lifegain payoffs around, that feels pretty good.
Scorch Rider image 2.0 So, a 4-man 4/3 is generally a C- these days. It is reasonable stats to be sure, but not anything special either. The Kicker here isn’t super exciting either, as a 6-mana 4/3 with Haste is not especially good -- BUT that’s not really the way to look at cards with Kicker. If it has a reasonable base line, as this does -- the fact it can have Haste later in the game is just upside.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Tajuru Blightblade
Lithoform Blight image 1.0 If you’re desperate for fixing, this does the job. If you’re not, don’t play it.
Sizzling Barrage image 1.0 This removal is way too conditional, you should only be running if it you have no other removal.
Scale the Heights image 2.0 This does several little things, and they are generally enough for this to make the cut in your deck a significant chunk of the time, but they are also little enough that you won’t always play this.
Tajuru Blightblade image 2.5 We see this card in lots of sets, and it is always fine. It can trade for anything, giving it relevance all game long, but it is never particularly impactful.
Spare Supplies image 1.0 Two mana to draw a card, and 4 to draw two over the course of a couple of turns is..a thing? But in a set without artifact or sacrifice payoffs, I don’t see this making the cut most of the time.
Blood Price image 1.5 Black always gets a draw spell like this one, and this one is a little overcosted. Two cards for two life and four mana just doesn’t seem worth it to me for the most part.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Dauntless Unity
Skyclave Plunder image 2.0 This tends to be a little bit too clunky in this format to be great. It is nice drawing cards, but tapping and not adding to the board is rough.
Dauntless Unity image 2.0 This is basically a better Inspired Charged – when you kick it, it is identical to the Charge, and it has the upside of also being usable for a slightly weaker effect for two mana.
Practiced Tactics image 3.0 It bothers me a ton that sometimes it will literally be a blank card, but that won’t happen a TON, and it also has some serious upside - though it is too bad they didn’t decide to make this one of the DFC lands. It is situational, but if it is typically doing 4 damage for one mana to a blocking or attacking creature, well, you’re getting a great deal.
Zulaport Duelist image 2.0 This isn’t Faerie Duelist, but its kind of a similar creature. You can sometimes use it to really mess up combat for your opponent, and even when you can’t you do at least get a creature that can prevent some damage while also milling a bit.
Drana's Silencer image 1.0 This doesn’t line up well very often, and just tends to be expensive and not have much of an impact.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Kazandu Stomper
Tuktuk Rubblefort image 0.5 I’m not the biggest fan of creatures with defender who want you to be aggressive – as those two things seem odd together, so I’m not interested.
Might of Murasa image 1.5 So, this is an overcosted Giant Growth without kicker, and with it -- well, it still isn’t all that efficient. 5-mana for +5/+5 doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, sometimes it will turn damage lethal and all that, and it will certainly win combat for you, but to go that route you usually have to give up on developing the board for a turn, which just won’t be worth it a lot.
Makindi Ox image 1.5 This is too expensive for the aggro decks that might normally be interested in tapping something down, and not impactful enough for control deck, so you don’t play it very often.
Kazandu Stomper image 2.0 This is a surprisingly decent card for stalling if you’re in a controlling deck, as the statline and the life help make you harder to kill.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Joraga Visionary
Joraga Visionary image 3.5 Cantrip creatures are always good when they are reasonably costed, and a 3/2 body is big enough that it can represent something that is actually relevant on the board, and is perfectly capable of trading, and it’s a 2-for-1 when you can make that happen.
Negate image 0.5 This doesn’t counter enough things to be something you want in your main deck.
Utility Knife image 1.0 Even with an Equipment deck in this format, Utility Knife isn’t really worth it. It gives an okay boost to start with, but the equip cost after that is just exorbitant.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Adventure Awaits
Adventure Awaits image 1.0 We see a Green card like this in most sets, and they are always kind of meh. They give you some nice card selection, and it is also kind of nice that if you wiff on a creature, you still get a card out of it. Whiffing on a creature is unlikely in most limited decks, but it DOES happen sometimes, so having protection from this doing absolutely nothing is nice. That said, this type of card, especially at two mana, generally feels like it is easy to cut in most decks.
Cliffhaven Sell-Sword image 1.5 Two mana 3/1s tend to be fine for aggro decks. This one is also a Warrior, so it gives you some Party synergy.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Sizzling Barrage
Sizzling Barrage image 1.0 This removal is way too conditional, you should only be running if it you have no other removal.
Pack 2 Pick 1: Needleverge Pathway
Needleverge Pathway image 3.0 Pathway lands offer good fixing and will be strict upgrades over basic lands in your deck, and that is worth something.
Shadow Stinger image 2.5 A ¼ with deathtouch is usually a pretty nice body -- it really prevents opponents from being able to swing with their ground creatures in many scenarios, and it attacks reasonably well too. This won’t always have it though, and overall isn’t that impressive. Yes, it mills some stuff, and the UB deck is certainly interested in doing that, but I think this card isn’t much more than solid, and if you can threaten death touch it will often get in for damage.
Taunting Arbormage image 2.5 A three mana ⅔ is usually not very good in Limited, but adding a good Kicker effect is a good way to make a card like that worthwhile. Now, make no mistake, kicking this wont’ always be worthwhile -- Lure effects are highly situational, and sometimes it will be useless. But sometimes it will also be gamebreaking, because it makes the rest of your board unblocked, or wipes out your opponent’s board by forcing them to block.
Cinderclasm image 2.0 Being able to do one to everything at instant speed for one mana, or two to everything for three, seems like an okay deal to me. Obviously, if your deck is loaded up with little guys you’re going to want to be playing it, but if you are in a grinder Red deck, this will feel pretty good. Just killing one thing with it is kind of ok, and doing more than that will feel really good.
Utility Knife image 1.0 Even with an Equipment deck in this format, Utility Knife isn’t really worth it. It gives an okay boost to start with, but the equip cost after that is just exorbitant.
Teeterpeak Ambusher image 2.0 This has decent starting stats, a party creature type, and an ability that can keep it relevant. Seems fine.
Canopy Baloth image 2.5 This has decent starting stats and attacks pretty hard when you trigger landfall. It is a solid Common.
Kabira Outrider image 2.0 Those Hill Giant stats aren’t pretty, and that ETB isn’t super impressive either, though it can often enable an attack you just didn’t have before. But the Party upside here is nice, if you can get +2/+2 out of the trigger you end up with a much nicer card, and obviously, there’s a chance you can go even bigger. I think this is decent enough for White decks to play the first copy most of the time.
Anticognition image 0.0 // 2.5 This ends up being a hard counter a significant chunk of the time, especially in UB which does a good job of milling. If you can’t consistently get this to be a hard counter, you probably don’t play it, but if you can it ends being a pretty nice card to have around.
Malakir Blood-Priest image 3.0 This is a key common for party decks, as draining 2+ life with it is pretty easy to do in those decks, even just play it on curve.
Scorch Rider image 2.0 So, a 4-man 4/3 is generally a C- these days. It is reasonable stats to be sure, but not anything special either. The Kicker here isn’t super exciting either, as a 6-mana 4/3 with Haste is not especially good -- BUT that’s not really the way to look at cards with Kicker. If it has a reasonable base line, as this does -- the fact it can have Haste later in the game is just upside.
Tajuru Blightblade image 2.5 We see this card in lots of sets, and it is always fine. It can trade for anything, giving it relevance all game long, but it is never particularly impactful.
Seafloor Stalker image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ isn’t good, and paying 4 to make it unblockable and give it a power boost does mean it stays relevant in the late game. And obviously you can end up paying even less -- paying 3 or 2 for the boost is much better, and obviously turning this into Blue firebreathing with a full party is kind of funny. This isn’t a bad way to close out games in this format.
Chilling Trap image 0.0 // 2.0 If you can’t consistently turn this into a cantrip it is unplayable. But, if you’re a UR deck that is interested in both spells and Wizards, this is a solid playable.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Makindi Stampede
Relic Golem image 3.0 This is going to be pretty terrible in the early game – a 3-mana 6/6 that can’t attack or block and has a mill ability just isn’t very good, even with reputable mill, and even WITH mill being a real thing in this format. Now, obviously, eventually it will make itself able to attack and block, and a 6/6 is a significant body all game long, and that makes it into a much better card.
Veteran Adventurer image 3.5 As a 6-mana 5/5 with Vigilance that can fill whichever party role you need, this would probably be a C, perhaps even a C+ -- but it of course can also reduce its cost, and it isn’t crazy to imagine playing this for 5 mana, and playing it for 4 won’t be super rare either, and in those cases this is going to feel really good. A creature this size with Vigilance is always really nice in Limited, as it really makes it harder for opponents to effectively race you if you have a big creature who can play both offense and defense.
Makindi Stampede image 2.5 The downside about a mass pump spell is generally that they don’t do anything too often. Well, when that’s the case, you can have this be a much-needed land. And you still get the upside of having a card that is awesome when you have a good board state.
Sea Gate Colossus image 1.5 You have to be a party deck to really take advantage, because if you are paying any more than 5 for this it isn’t going to feel very good, and even then it is just a big guy with no evasion.
Resolute Strike image 1.5 One mana for +2/+2 is a pretty reasonable trick even if it has nothing else going on. It will usually make your creature win combat, and it will do it cheaply. The additional Warrior and Equipment upside here is nice, and any time you can Equip a creature for free with this you’re going to feel really great.
Scavenged Blade image 2.0 Two mana to give something +2/+0 isn’t an awesome rate, but you can kind of think of it as an Aura that sticks around to be used elsewhere in the later part of the game. Then, you factor in the fact that Equipment is a pretty big theme in this set in Red – and especially in Red/White, and this definitely is a card that will make the cut in your deck a decent chunk of the time.
Kabira Outrider image 2.0 Those Hill Giant stats aren’t pretty, and that ETB isn’t super impressive either, though it can often enable an attack you just didn’t have before. But the Party upside here is nice, if you can get +2/+2 out of the trigger you end up with a much nicer card, and obviously, there’s a chance you can go even bigger. I think this is decent enough for White decks to play the first copy most of the time.
Into the Roil image 3.0 Two mana for an Instant that bounces nonland permanents is always a playable card. Adding Kicker here is just great, because if you kick it, into the Roil goes from being a card that gets you some tempo to being a card that actually trades for a whole card. And obviously as an instant, youc an sometimes blow out Auras or combat tricks too.
Tajuru Blightblade image 2.5 We see this card in lots of sets, and it is always fine. It can trade for anything, giving it relevance all game long, but it is never particularly impactful.
Oblivion's Hunger image 1.0 This doesn’t even seem to be worth it in +1/+1 counter decks, as it is still too situational.
Pressure Point image 0.5 We have seen this before, and it was not very impressive. Tapping a creature is sometimes a useful effect, but it is very rarely worth a whole card, and it is quite situational. Adding a cantrip does keep this from being completely dismal, but I think you don’t play this very often.
Expedition Champion image 2.5 A 4/3 for three mana is a decent creature for sure, though it isn’t really going to be taking over the game or anything like that, and it will still be a ⅔ some of the time. Seems like a solid card for Red Warrior decks, but not much more than that.
Cascade Seer image 1.5 I think this is fine. A 4-mana 3/3 that scries 1 would probably be a C-. We recently had Octoprophet, which was a 4-mana 3/3 that always Scried 2, and that was definitely a solid C -- and that’s what this will be a decent chunk of the time. Obviously with a full party it gets better, but you shouldn’t really look at this as doing that very often, because it won’t.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Nahiri's Binding
Mind Carver image 1.0 This can give a pretty big boost in the late game, but is incredibly mediocre early and expensive to equip. The Rogue decks just generally don’t need this, as they have way better payoffs and evasion.
Umara Mystic image 3.5 Triggering off of spells and Wizards is even better than you might think. It it isn’t far-fetched to imagine your deck having 10+ ways to power this thing, and sometimes multiple times a turn. This will attack as a 3/3 with regularity, and often threaten to be even bigger than that.
Shell Shield image 2.5 Because of all the kicker payoffs in this format, Shell Shield really overperforms. It allows you to save your creatures fairly cheaply, and it can sometimes also work more as a combat trick.
Nahiri's Binding image 4.0 This is basically arrest – it is a little harder to cast, but it can also go after planeswalkers. That upside won’t come up much, but that’s fine – having an Enchantment removal spell that can shut down just about everything about a creature is great. As awesome as Pacifism always is, it can sometimes be really frustrating that you can’t take away a powerful activated ability with it, and Binding does that!
Ghastly Gloomhunter image 2.0 This isn’t very efficient cast normally OR with Kicker, but the flexibility to choose either is enough to make that inefficiency matter less, as is the fact that it can gain you some life, which the BW deck really cares about.
Gnarlid Colony image 3.0 This is a nice Common. Having a Grizzly Bear with a +1/+1 counter payoff as a base form isn’t bad when you have other late game option of paying 5-mana for a 4/4 with Trample. Neither side of this is especially efficient -- but that often doesn’t matter with creatures who have Kicker, as we’ve seen in the past. Just having an alternate option in the late game to make this a more imposing creature is nice, even if the rate isn’t great.
Territorial Scythecat image 3.0 This will get large without a whole lot of effort, and that is really nice because it also happens to have Trample! It does die to just about everything initially, and sometimes it will be better to play it and then a land in the same turn to make it so fewer spells can take it down.
Blood Price image 1.5 Black always gets a draw spell like this one, and this one is a little overcosted. Two cards for two life and four mana just doesn’t seem worth it to me for the most part.
Stonework Packbeast image 3.5 This is a huge overachiever. It helps tie together Tribal or Party decks, and even the fixing it offers can be quite helpful.
Spare Supplies image 1.0 Two mana to draw a card, and 4 to draw two over the course of a couple of turns is..a thing? But in a set without artifact or sacrifice payoffs, I don’t see this making the cut most of the time.
Pressure Point image 0.5 We have seen this before, and it was not very impressive. Tapping a creature is sometimes a useful effect, but it is very rarely worth a whole card, and it is quite situational. Adding a cantrip does keep this from being completely dismal, but I think you don’t play this very often.
Spitfire Lagac image 1.5 This has underwhelming stats and unimpressive landfall trigger. You’ll play it less than you’ll cut it.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Canyon Jerboa
Taunting Arbormage image 2.5 A three mana ⅔ is usually not very good in Limited, but adding a good Kicker effect is a good way to make a card like that worthwhile. Now, make no mistake, kicking this wont’ always be worthwhile -- Lure effects are highly situational, and sometimes it will be useless. But sometimes it will also be gamebreaking, because it makes the rest of your board unblocked, or wipes out your opponent’s board by forcing them to block.
Vine Gecko image 4.0 The Kicker deck is very real, and Vine Gecko is part of the reason for that. If this could JUST reduce the cost of Kicker spells, or JUST gained the counter, it would be good – but it does both, making it pretty great. It can become your win condition if you need it to, as well as enabling Kicker in general.
Canyon Jerboa image 3.5 Well, this seems like a strong uncommon. Sure, he’s a little guy who dies to a lot, but the potential of pumping your entire team multiple times should not be overlooked. You can even get around the danger of it dying before you get to trigger it, at least in the late game, by playing it, and playing a land to get the trigger right away. You do need some board state for this to really shine, but even just pumping 2-3 creatures +1/+1 on multiple turns is pretty awesome for the mana investment.
Sizzling Barrage image 1.0 This removal is way too conditional, you should only be running if it you have no other removal.
Nimana Skitter-Sneak image 2.0 So, a 4-mana ¾ is kind of okayish, especially with a decent creature type. Then, if you are milling your opponent a bit, this can become a 4-mana 4/4 with Menace, which can make it into a real threat.
Joraga Visionary image 3.5 Cantrip creatures are always good when they are reasonably costed, and a 3/2 body is big enough that it can represent something that is actually relevant on the board, and is perfectly capable of trading, and it’s a 2-for-1 when you can make that happen.
Disenchant image 0.5 Look everyone, Disenchant is back! This format has a reasonable number of Enchantments and Artifacts, but probably not enough that you feel ok about mainboarding this. This is a sideboard card, and if you are playing it in your deck, you are probably pretty desperate.
Cunning Geysermage image 2.5 This isn’t quite Roaming Ghostlight, but it seems alright. Early it can be a not completely horrible 3-mana 3/2, and in the later part of the game you can pay 6 for a 3/2 that bounces something That rate is admittedly not great, but any time you can add to the board while subtracting from your opponents’ feels pretty great.
Oblivion's Hunger image 1.0 This doesn’t even seem to be worth it in +1/+1 counter decks, as it is still too situational.
Expedition Diviner image 3.0 This is a nice common. A 4-mana 3/2 Flyer with the Wizard creature type would probably already be at least a C- in this format, and maybe even a C. Those stats are reasonable enough. But, by adding the “draw a card” Wizard payoff, you end up with a card that will be a 2-for-1 a decent chunk of the time, and I definitely like that.
Expedition Champion image 2.5 A 4/3 for three mana is a decent creature for sure, though it isn’t really going to be taking over the game or anything like that, and it will still be a ⅔ some of the time. Seems like a solid card for Red Warrior decks, but not much more than that.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Kabira Takedown
Soaring Thought-Thief image 4.0 A two mana 1/3 with Flash and Flying is already playable, but the fact that it provides an ability that mills the opponent 2 cards as long as at least one rogue is attacking is great, especially because it eventually pumps the power of all of your rogues!
Kabira Takedown image 3.5 I like the idea behind the uncommon Cycle of DFCs too, as they do the same sort of thing the Mythic ones do -- obviously, they are generally less powerful, and the land side comes into play tapped down, but having a card that is nice whether you are flooding or mana screwed is just good. And the spell side of this one is actually a removal spell. Sure, it is somewhat conditional, and wants you to have creatures in play to work, but as long as you are doing 2+ with it, you’re actually going to feel alright about it. Especially because if it isn’t any good with how your board is shaping up, you can just play it as a land.
Scale the Heights image 2.0 This does several little things, and they are generally enough for this to make the cut in your deck a significant chunk of the time, but they are also little enough that you won’t always play this.
Cleric of Chill Depths image 1.5 Look it is a creature that is a really good chump blocker! Unfortunately, that’s not really the kind of card you’ll want most of the time. If you need a two drop, and you’re trying to get there on party, you’ll play it.
Territorial Scythecat image 3.0 This will get large without a whole lot of effort, and that is really nice because it also happens to have Trample! It does die to just about everything initially, and sometimes it will be better to play it and then a land in the same turn to make it so fewer spells can take it down.
Turntimber Ascetic image 2.5 Decent stats +3 life, this will sometimes pull you out of a fire thanks to slowing down an aggressive assault and the life it gives you.
Drana's Silencer image 1.0 This doesn’t line up well very often, and just tends to be expensive and not have much of an impact.
Disenchant image 0.5 Look everyone, Disenchant is back! This format has a reasonable number of Enchantments and Artifacts, but probably not enough that you feel ok about mainboarding this. This is a sideboard card, and if you are playing it in your deck, you are probably pretty desperate.
Field Research image 2.5 So, on a base level, this is Divination, a card that is a decent playable in most Limited formats -- somewhere between a C- and a C. But, this becomes more powerful in the late game, drawing you three cards if you have the spare mana around to do it. Now, 6-mana at Sorcery speed to draw 3 cards is pretty clunky, but it is attached to what is already a reasonable card, which means being able to cast it with Kicker is all upside.
Spitfire Lagac image 1.5 This has underwhelming stats and unimpressive landfall trigger. You’ll play it less than you’ll cut it.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Brushfire Elemental
Brushfire Elemental image 3.0 So, Red Green is all about aggressive landfall, as this signpost uncommon tells you. He will be a 3/3 on turns where you play a land -- which will usually at least include the first few turns after you play him, and there are various ways in this set to make him a 5/5 too, which is even scarier. Small creatures can’t block it either, and that’s an evasive ability that has overperformed every time we have seen it lately. It is hard to get over the fact that it is only a 1/1 though, that dies to pretty much everything – and in the late game it won’t be growing much either.
Seafloor Stalker image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ isn’t good, and paying 4 to make it unblockable and give it a power boost does mean it stays relevant in the late game. And obviously you can end up paying even less -- paying 3 or 2 for the boost is much better, and obviously turning this into Blue firebreathing with a full party is kind of funny. This isn’t a bad way to close out games in this format.
Mind Drain image 1.5 So, here is a strictly better Mind Rot! It adds draining life and milling a card to the mix, in addition to making your opponent discard the two cards. Playing it early is sometimes a liability because it means you aren’t adding to the board on turn three, and getting it late can be bad too, because your opponent is in top deck mode. Mid-game or so is usually where it is at its best. Mind Drain adds enough extra stuff to the mix to overcome Mind Rot’s usual problem though -- it will do something no matter what. And sure, draining your opponent for 1 and milling their top card for three isn’t a good deal, but it is a heck of a lot better than a dead card, which Mind Rot often is.
Blood Price image 1.5 Black always gets a draw spell like this one, and this one is a little overcosted. Two cards for two life and four mana just doesn’t seem worth it to me for the most part.
Hagra Constrictor image 2.5 On its own, the Constrictor is a 3-mana 2/2 with Menace. However, this set has enough +1/+1 stuff going on, with BG as the +1/+1 counter deck this time going around, that the Constrictor will often immediately impact the board, making one of your other creatures much more difficult to block effectively.
Sea Gate Colossus image 1.5 You have to be a party deck to really take advantage, because if you are paying any more than 5 for this it isn’t going to feel very good, and even then it is just a big guy with no evasion.
Nimana Skitter-Sneak image 2.0 So, a 4-mana ¾ is kind of okayish, especially with a decent creature type. Then, if you are milling your opponent a bit, this can become a 4-mana 4/4 with Menace, which can make it into a real threat.
Strength of Solidarity image 1.0 This can potentially give you a whole lot for only one mana! But…it can also potentially be blank card. The likelihood of it being blank is about as likely as it is that you have a full party. On average, it will probably give somewhere between 1 and 2 tokens, and that hardly seems worth it to me.
Scorch Rider image 2.0 So, a 4-man 4/3 is generally a C- these days. It is reasonable stats to be sure, but not anything special either. The Kicker here isn’t super exciting either, as a 6-mana 4/3 with Haste is not especially good -- BUT that’s not really the way to look at cards with Kicker. If it has a reasonable base line, as this does -- the fact it can have Haste later in the game is just upside.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Taunting Arbormage
Taunting Arbormage image 2.5 A three mana ⅔ is usually not very good in Limited, but adding a good Kicker effect is a good way to make a card like that worthwhile. Now, make no mistake, kicking this wont’ always be worthwhile -- Lure effects are highly situational, and sometimes it will be useless. But sometimes it will also be gamebreaking, because it makes the rest of your board unblocked, or wipes out your opponent’s board by forcing them to block.
Highborn Vampire image 1.5 So yeah, this is a vanilla creature, who comes with some upside because he has a creature type that fits into a “party.” A 4-mana 4/3 isn’t the worst rate for Limited, and I think the Warrior upside does enough to make this a card you’ll play a little more than you won’t.
Risen Riptide image 2.5 This is a surprisingly serviceable payoff for the Kicker deck, as getting whatever value out of what you kicked AND making this a 5/5 feels great, as it is often a very difficult creature to block effectively.
Spitfire Lagac image 1.5 This has underwhelming stats and unimpressive landfall trigger. You’ll play it less than you’ll cut it.
Strength of Solidarity image 1.0 This can potentially give you a whole lot for only one mana! But…it can also potentially be blank card. The likelihood of it being blank is about as likely as it is that you have a full party. On average, it will probably give somewhere between 1 and 2 tokens, and that hardly seems worth it to me.
Akoum Hellhound image 1.5 This is going to be decent in really aggressive decks in this format, since it will usually attack on turn two as a ⅔ with no problem. But it isn’t going to be easy to trigger landfall multiple times a turn in this format, and that means that the Hellhound is going to become irrelevant somewhere around turn three in most cases. That means that less aggressive decks won’t want it at all, and even in the aggro decks it isn’t going to be incredible.
Anticognition image 0.0 // 2.5 This ends up being a hard counter a significant chunk of the time, especially in UB which does a good job of milling. If you can’t consistently get this to be a hard counter, you probably don’t play it, but if you can it ends being a pretty nice card to have around.
Sizzling Barrage image 1.0 This removal is way too conditional, you should only be running if it you have no other removal.
Pack 2 Pick 8: Reclaim the Wastes
Reclaim the Wastes image 2.5 This is a nice card for fixing if you’re a base Green deck. Any time we see this type of card in Limited it is always something you go after if you need fixing, but you probably don’t go after it otherwise. But, having the ability to splash things is inherently powerful in Limited -- provided you’re splashing something that is WORTH splashing -- so I think this should be valued as at least an average card.
Cunning Geysermage image 2.5 This isn’t quite Roaming Ghostlight, but it seems alright. Early it can be a not completely horrible 3-mana 3/2, and in the later part of the game you can pay 6 for a 3/2 that bounces something That rate is admittedly not great, but any time you can add to the board while subtracting from your opponents’ feels pretty great.
Murasa Brute image 1.5 This has decent stats and a party creature type, so it will make the cut sometimes.
Cleansing Wildfire image 1.0 Two mana land destruction, with a cantrip! That would be super crazy if it didn’t also let your opponent replace the land that they lose. Now, that mostly means that, in terms of destroying opposing lands, it will mostly only be worth it if your opponent has powerful non-basics, and while there are some of those in this format, there aren’t enough for this to be used that way very often. In those situations, it is mostly just a cantrip. However, it is kind of a modal card. You can use it to destroy one of your own land to search up a basic land you might need -- like if you’re splashing. That isn’t amazing, but it does give Red decks a way to fix, and tacking a cantrip on to it makes it a little less painful. It can also trigger landfall, but the whole thing is just too situational.
Field Research image 2.5 So, on a base level, this is Divination, a card that is a decent playable in most Limited formats -- somewhere between a C- and a C. But, this becomes more powerful in the late game, drawing you three cards if you have the spare mana around to do it. Now, 6-mana at Sorcery speed to draw 3 cards is pretty clunky, but it is attached to what is already a reasonable card, which means being able to cast it with Kicker is all upside.
Tuktuk Rubblefort image 0.5 I’m not the biggest fan of creatures with defender who want you to be aggressive – as those two things seem odd together, so I’m not interested.
Drana's Silencer image 1.0 This doesn’t line up well very often, and just tends to be expensive and not have much of an impact.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Taunting Arbormage
Taunting Arbormage image 2.5 A three mana ⅔ is usually not very good in Limited, but adding a good Kicker effect is a good way to make a card like that worthwhile. Now, make no mistake, kicking this wont’ always be worthwhile -- Lure effects are highly situational, and sometimes it will be useless. But sometimes it will also be gamebreaking, because it makes the rest of your board unblocked, or wipes out your opponent’s board by forcing them to block.
Utility Knife image 1.0 Even with an Equipment deck in this format, Utility Knife isn’t really worth it. It gives an okay boost to start with, but the equip cost after that is just exorbitant.
Teeterpeak Ambusher image 2.0 This has decent starting stats, a party creature type, and an ability that can keep it relevant. Seems fine.
Scorch Rider image 2.0 So, a 4-man 4/3 is generally a C- these days. It is reasonable stats to be sure, but not anything special either. The Kicker here isn’t super exciting either, as a 6-mana 4/3 with Haste is not especially good -- BUT that’s not really the way to look at cards with Kicker. If it has a reasonable base line, as this does -- the fact it can have Haste later in the game is just upside.
Seafloor Stalker image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ isn’t good, and paying 4 to make it unblockable and give it a power boost does mean it stays relevant in the late game. And obviously you can end up paying even less -- paying 3 or 2 for the boost is much better, and obviously turning this into Blue firebreathing with a full party is kind of funny. This isn’t a bad way to close out games in this format.
Chilling Trap image 0.0 // 2.0 If you can’t consistently turn this into a cantrip it is unplayable. But, if you’re a UR deck that is interested in both spells and Wizards, this is a solid playable.
Pack 2 Pick 10: Tajuru Blightblade
Scavenged Blade image 2.0 Two mana to give something +2/+0 isn’t an awesome rate, but you can kind of think of it as an Aura that sticks around to be used elsewhere in the later part of the game. Then, you factor in the fact that Equipment is a pretty big theme in this set in Red – and especially in Red/White, and this definitely is a card that will make the cut in your deck a decent chunk of the time.
Tajuru Blightblade image 2.5 We see this card in lots of sets, and it is always fine. It can trade for anything, giving it relevance all game long, but it is never particularly impactful.
Oblivion's Hunger image 1.0 This doesn’t even seem to be worth it in +1/+1 counter decks, as it is still too situational.
Pressure Point image 0.5 We have seen this before, and it was not very impressive. Tapping a creature is sometimes a useful effect, but it is very rarely worth a whole card, and it is quite situational. Adding a cantrip does keep this from being completely dismal, but I think you don’t play this very often.
Cascade Seer image 1.5 I think this is fine. A 4-mana 3/3 that scries 1 would probably be a C-. We recently had Octoprophet, which was a 4-mana 3/3 that always Scried 2, and that was definitely a solid C -- and that’s what this will be a decent chunk of the time. Obviously with a full party it gets better, but you shouldn’t really look at this as doing that very often, because it won’t.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Pressure Point
Shell Shield image 2.5 Because of all the kicker payoffs in this format, Shell Shield really overperforms. It allows you to save your creatures fairly cheaply, and it can sometimes also work more as a combat trick.
Blood Price image 1.5 Black always gets a draw spell like this one, and this one is a little overcosted. Two cards for two life and four mana just doesn’t seem worth it to me for the most part.
Spare Supplies image 1.0 Two mana to draw a card, and 4 to draw two over the course of a couple of turns is..a thing? But in a set without artifact or sacrifice payoffs, I don’t see this making the cut most of the time.
Pressure Point image 0.5 We have seen this before, and it was not very impressive. Tapping a creature is sometimes a useful effect, but it is very rarely worth a whole card, and it is quite situational. Adding a cantrip does keep this from being completely dismal, but I think you don’t play this very often.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Taunting Arbormage
Taunting Arbormage image 2.5 A three mana ⅔ is usually not very good in Limited, but adding a good Kicker effect is a good way to make a card like that worthwhile. Now, make no mistake, kicking this wont’ always be worthwhile -- Lure effects are highly situational, and sometimes it will be useless. But sometimes it will also be gamebreaking, because it makes the rest of your board unblocked, or wipes out your opponent’s board by forcing them to block.
Disenchant image 0.5 Look everyone, Disenchant is back! This format has a reasonable number of Enchantments and Artifacts, but probably not enough that you feel ok about mainboarding this. This is a sideboard card, and if you are playing it in your deck, you are probably pretty desperate.
Oblivion's Hunger image 1.0 This doesn’t even seem to be worth it in +1/+1 counter decks, as it is still too situational.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Scale the Heights
Scale the Heights image 2.0 This does several little things, and they are generally enough for this to make the cut in your deck a significant chunk of the time, but they are also little enough that you won’t always play this.
Cleric of Chill Depths image 1.5 Look it is a creature that is a really good chump blocker! Unfortunately, that’s not really the kind of card you’ll want most of the time. If you need a two drop, and you’re trying to get there on party, you’ll play it.
Pack 2 Pick 14: Strength of Solidarity
Strength of Solidarity image 1.0 This can potentially give you a whole lot for only one mana! But…it can also potentially be blank card. The likelihood of it being blank is about as likely as it is that you have a full party. On average, it will probably give somewhere between 1 and 2 tokens, and that hardly seems worth it to me.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Scourge of the Skyclaves
Scourge of the Skyclaves image 4.0 You can’t actually play it on turn two in most cases -- since one player very likely has 20 life, but don’t overlook how nice it will be to be able to cast this later in the game, at which point it being a 10/10 is not far-fetched. Obviously, it also has the kicker effect, which makes sure he comes down bigger, and while the effect is symmetrical, the fact you are the one playing the Scourge means it is likely to benefit you more. So yeah, this is a weird two drop that isn’t good on turn two, but it tends to be pretty big for the cost in the mid to late game.
Spoils of Adventure image 3.0 So, 6-mana to draw 3 and gain 3 at instant speed would actually already be a playable card in control decks. Now, it wouldn’t be more than something kind of mediocre, but still, that’s our base level here. I like expensive draw spells that gain you life, because they tend to mitigate against the big downside of using a whole turn to cast it, something that usually costs you life since your opponent will probably be attacking you. I really think once you have this down to 5 mana you’re in business, and anything less than that and it will get pretty silly.
Mind Carver image 1.0 This can give a pretty big boost in the late game, but is incredibly mediocre early and expensive to equip. The Rogue decks just generally don’t need this, as they have way better payoffs and evasion.
Zof Consumption image 3.0 I think a lot of people will come into this format underestimating just how good it is to have a land that can actually do something impactful in the late game. It is not dissimilar from having a non-basic land with a sacrifice ability that comes up in the late game -- and that upside is always great. Sure, paying 6 to draw your opponent 4 life would not be a good card if that’s all this was, but the fact that this can also just be a regular old land for you early is a huge upgrade -- just as the fact that it can do something in the later game is a huge upgrade.
Pyroclastic Hellion image 2.5 This seems solid enough. Returning a land is a may clause here, so you only need to do it when you really want those 2 damage, or if returning a land otherwise benefits you.
Sea Gate Banneret image 2.0 This is a one drop with a Party creature type, and that has some nice value in this set. Additionally, in the late game it has an ability that can have a significant impact.
Seafloor Stalker image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ isn’t good, and paying 4 to make it unblockable and give it a power boost does mean it stays relevant in the late game. And obviously you can end up paying even less -- paying 3 or 2 for the boost is much better, and obviously turning this into Blue firebreathing with a full party is kind of funny. This isn’t a bad way to close out games in this format.
Malakir Blood-Priest image 3.0 This is a key common for party decks, as draining 2+ life with it is pretty easy to do in those decks, even just play it on curve.
Territorial Scythecat image 3.0 This will get large without a whole lot of effort, and that is really nice because it also happens to have Trample! It does die to just about everything initially, and sometimes it will be better to play it and then a land in the same turn to make it so fewer spells can take it down.
Prowling Felidar image 2.5 This starts as a rather inefficient creature, but it will get larger throughout the game. Vigilance is always nice on a creature that is both a good attacker and a blocker, and this will certainly become that. I think in an ideal scenario, you play this and then a land in the same turn, that way you put it out of range of a bunch of removal. It does start fragile and inefficient, but it’s a nice Common.
Scorch Rider image 2.0 So, a 4-man 4/3 is generally a C- these days. It is reasonable stats to be sure, but not anything special either. The Kicker here isn’t super exciting either, as a 6-mana 4/3 with Haste is not especially good -- BUT that’s not really the way to look at cards with Kicker. If it has a reasonable base line, as this does -- the fact it can have Haste later in the game is just upside.
Mesa Lynx image 1.5 This is a 2-mana 2/1 as an attacker, and a two-mana ⅔ as a blocker. In this day and age, even a vanilla two-mana ⅔ would probably not be much more than a C, so a card that is only one half of the time is considerably worse. I would actually prefer it was a ⅔ during your turn than the other way around, since White is more often than not a color that wants to be attacking well early.
Feed the Swarm image 3.5 Look, a Black card that can hit Enchantments! That’s pretty weird. Anyway, this is a good removal spell. It is cheap and kills two permanent types, no questions asked. Now, the damage it does to you certainly matters -- but if you are paying two mana to blow up their 5 drop, paying 5 life for that is a reasonable cost most of the time. Now, playing more than one of these can be a little risky – you only have so much life after all, but value the first copy pretty highly.
Bubble Snare image 3.5 Getting away with just paying one for this on a creature that is already tapped is going to feel great, and when you are the more defensive player, that is probably often how you’ll use it, since it will enable you to do some other things on your turn. Sometimes, you need to just be able to lock down an opposing creature, and you can pay the Kicker when that’s necessary to get a blocker out of the way, or a creature your opponent just won’t attack with that is cause you all kinds of problems.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Territorial Scythecat
Moss-Pit Skeleton image 3.5 If this was just a 2-mana 2/2 with kicker that allowed it to be a 5-mana 5/5 in the late game, it would be at least a C+. That might sound underwhelming if you haven’t played with Kicker before, but being able to be either of those reasonably efficient cards is very powerful. Then, you add in the fact that BG is all about +1/+1 counters, so this skeleton having counters when it is kicked matters extra, and THEN you also add in the fact that he is a +1/+1 counter payoff himself, and you have something even better.
Umara Mystic image 3.5 Triggering off of spells and Wizards is even better than you might think. It it isn’t far-fetched to imagine your deck having 10+ ways to power this thing, and sometimes multiple times a turn. This will attack as a 3/3 with regularity, and often threaten to be even bigger than that.
Beyeen Veil image 2.5 The reason this type of effect isn’t great is because it doesn’t do anything, or does far too little way more often than it actually does do something. However, when that window does open, it can do some nasty stuff, like completely wreck combat for your opponent. But, if it is clear it isn’t going to be much use, you can play it as a land to get more mana, and maybe even trigger landfall.
Bubble Snare image 3.5 Getting away with just paying one for this on a creature that is already tapped is going to feel great, and when you are the more defensive player, that is probably often how you’ll use it, since it will enable you to do some other things on your turn. Sometimes, you need to just be able to lock down an opposing creature, and you can pay the Kicker when that’s necessary to get a blocker out of the way, or a creature your opponent just won’t attack with that is cause you all kinds of problems.
Kor Celebrant image 3.0 This has nice defensive stats, and it is one of the key Commons for the BW Cleric deck. It provides you with a repeatable source of life gain, which triggers all sorts of powerful cards. Even outside of that deck, this is serviceable as a defensive creature.
Molten Blast image 1.5 3-mana to do two damage at instant speed is not so good – I mean, it is removal, but it is not efficient – you’ll basically always be trading down with it. But the modality here really matters. This set has plenty of good artifacts – not like, a million of them or anything – but enough that this will be blowing up artifacts on occasion too, and being able to have that in your main deck is real upside.
Sizzling Barrage image 1.0 This removal is way too conditional, you should only be running if it you have no other removal.
Subtle Strike image 2.5 Because you can both weaken a creature and make yours bigger, it has two-for-one potential, and that can’t be overlooked. That situation won’t always be how it works out -- but sometimes, you’ll be able to kill an X/1 and pump your creature to win combat against something else, and it is great that the boost is permanent. Even if that doesn’t line up, the flexibility of this card does usually mean it will help your creatures win combat one way or another.
Canopy Baloth image 2.5 This has decent starting stats and attacks pretty hard when you trigger landfall. It is a solid Common.
Nimana Skydancer image 2.5 A 3-mana 2/1 with Flying and Flash is already a reasonable card, but this is also a Rogue that mills your opponent, and that’s something that the UB decks are pretty interested in.
Fissure Wizard image 2.5 This is pretty unexciting. It does a bunch of meh stuff. It has bad stats for the cost, it lets you rummage, and it has a creature type that matters in this format. While none of that is exciting, it coming all together does make it a decent enough playable.
Cascade Seer image 1.5 I think this is fine. A 4-mana 3/3 that scries 1 would probably be a C-. We recently had Octoprophet, which was a 4-mana 3/3 that always Scried 2, and that was definitely a solid C -- and that’s what this will be a decent chunk of the time. Obviously with a full party it gets better, but you shouldn’t really look at this as doing that very often, because it won’t.
Territorial Scythecat image 3.0 This will get large without a whole lot of effort, and that is really nice because it also happens to have Trample! It does die to just about everything initially, and sometimes it will be better to play it and then a land in the same turn to make it so fewer spells can take it down.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Sea Gate Banneret
Paired Tactician image 3.0 His seems like a nice, if not incredible Warrior payoff. The Tactician will often still find itself to be vulnerable to an easy trade on its first attack even in situations where it attacks with a friend, as a 4/3 attacking on turn 4 isn’t exactly game-breaking -- but it can definitely snowball if you can support it.
Ruin Crab image 3.5 So, for Limited purposes, this is mostly just a better Hedron Crab. The O.G. landfall crab can also mill you if you want it to, but you’re not doing that most of the time in Limited anyway. I think Ruin Crab seems reasonable, and is certainly the kind of card that can enable an entire mill archetype -- kind of like Teferi’s Tutelage did in M21. The UB deck in this format is both about Rogues AND milling, so the Crab will have a ready made home. It will likely be the card in this format that is capable of milling the most cards. One really cool thing about this format is that there are mill “payoff” cards that do something before your opponent’s library is empty, and that’s a big deal -- because that’s the usual downside of mill, that it does nothing for a long time.
Jwari Disruption image 3.0 This seems pretty good. It isn’t that far from being Cancel -- a card with the same effect and cost of the Perturbation, but it has Cycling instead of a land on the other side, but what makes Cancel a nice card in Limited also makes this nice. Counterspells can be problematic in Limited because of the tempo hit you take by leaving mana up sometimes, and that gets even truer about a card like this -- which gets worse as the game goes on, since your opponent having that extra mana is likely. However, once you reach that point of the game, you can just play this as a land, and that is some nice upside.
Expedition Healer image 3.0 This just turns out to have lifelink a significant chunk of the time, and with the powerful lifegain payoffs around, that feels pretty good.
Sea Gate Banneret image 2.0 This is a one drop with a Party creature type, and that has some nice value in this set. Additionally, in the late game it has an ability that can have a significant impact.
Expedition Champion image 2.5 A 4/3 for three mana is a decent creature for sure, though it isn’t really going to be taking over the game or anything like that, and it will still be a ⅔ some of the time. Seems like a solid card for Red Warrior decks, but not much more than that.
Seafloor Stalker image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ isn’t good, and paying 4 to make it unblockable and give it a power boost does mean it stays relevant in the late game. And obviously you can end up paying even less -- paying 3 or 2 for the boost is much better, and obviously turning this into Blue firebreathing with a full party is kind of funny. This isn’t a bad way to close out games in this format.
Dauntless Unity image 2.0 This is basically a better Inspired Charged – when you kick it, it is identical to the Charge, and it has the upside of also being usable for a slightly weaker effect for two mana.
Murasa Brute image 1.5 This has decent stats and a party creature type, so it will make the cut sometimes.
Anticognition image 0.0 // 2.5 This ends up being a hard counter a significant chunk of the time, especially in UB which does a good job of milling. If you can’t consistently get this to be a hard counter, you probably don’t play it, but if you can it ends being a pretty nice card to have around.
Blood Price image 1.5 Black always gets a draw spell like this one, and this one is a little overcosted. Two cards for two life and four mana just doesn’t seem worth it to me for the most part.
Broken Wings image 1.5 This seems like it can target enough things that it is a reasonable main deck inclusion, though if you are playing Best of 3, you would probably much rather bring it in out of the sideboard.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Canyon Jerboa
Canyon Jerboa image 3.5 Well, this seems like a strong uncommon. Sure, he’s a little guy who dies to a lot, but the potential of pumping your entire team multiple times should not be overlooked. You can even get around the danger of it dying before you get to trigger it, at least in the late game, by playing it, and playing a land to get the trigger right away. You do need some board state for this to really shine, but even just pumping 2-3 creatures +1/+1 on multiple turns is pretty awesome for the mana investment.
Dreadwurm image 2.0 This will be indestructible sometimes, and that’s nice – but it will often also just be a 5-mana 5/4, and that’s not so nice.
Nahiri's Binding image 4.0 This is basically arrest – it is a little harder to cast, but it can also go after planeswalkers. That upside won’t come up much, but that’s fine – having an Enchantment removal spell that can shut down just about everything about a creature is great. As awesome as Pacifism always is, it can sometimes be really frustrating that you can’t take away a powerful activated ability with it, and Binding does that!
Cascade Seer image 1.5 I think this is fine. A 4-mana 3/3 that scries 1 would probably be a C-. We recently had Octoprophet, which was a 4-mana 3/3 that always Scried 2, and that was definitely a solid C -- and that’s what this will be a decent chunk of the time. Obviously with a full party it gets better, but you shouldn’t really look at this as doing that very often, because it won’t.
Ghastly Gloomhunter image 2.0 This isn’t very efficient cast normally OR with Kicker, but the flexibility to choose either is enough to make that inefficiency matter less, as is the fact that it can gain you some life, which the BW deck really cares about.
Scale the Heights image 2.0 This does several little things, and they are generally enough for this to make the cut in your deck a significant chunk of the time, but they are also little enough that you won’t always play this.
Vanquish the Weak image 2.5 This can kill stuff at Instant speed, but it is a bit situational. It falls short of premium removal.
Sneaking Guide image 1.5 There are definitely some sweet creatures you can make unblockable with this, and maybe if you get some of those it will be worth it. But you cut this a lot.
Cleric of Chill Depths image 1.5 Look it is a creature that is a really good chump blocker! Unfortunately, that’s not really the kind of card you’ll want most of the time. If you need a two drop, and you’re trying to get there on party, you’ll play it.
Adventure Awaits image 1.0 We see a Green card like this in most sets, and they are always kind of meh. They give you some nice card selection, and it is also kind of nice that if you wiff on a creature, you still get a card out of it. Whiffing on a creature is unlikely in most limited decks, but it DOES happen sometimes, so having protection from this doing absolutely nothing is nice. That said, this type of card, especially at two mana, generally feels like it is easy to cut in most decks.
Canopy Baloth image 2.5 This has decent starting stats and attacks pretty hard when you trigger landfall. It is a solid Common.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Kor Celebrant
Umara Mystic image 3.5 Triggering off of spells and Wizards is even better than you might think. It it isn’t far-fetched to imagine your deck having 10+ ways to power this thing, and sometimes multiple times a turn. This will attack as a 3/3 with regularity, and often threaten to be even bigger than that.
Grotag Night-Runner image 2.5 The damage trigger here is nice, but with the stats it has, it really isn’t that easy to get in with it.
Sea Gate Banneret image 2.0 This is a one drop with a Party creature type, and that has some nice value in this set. Additionally, in the late game it has an ability that can have a significant impact.
Nimana Skitter-Sneak image 2.0 So, a 4-mana ¾ is kind of okayish, especially with a decent creature type. Then, if you are milling your opponent a bit, this can become a 4-mana 4/4 with Menace, which can make it into a real threat.
Cliffhaven Sell-Sword image 1.5 Two mana 3/1s tend to be fine for aggro decks. This one is also a Warrior, so it gives you some Party synergy.
Kor Celebrant image 3.0 This has nice defensive stats, and it is one of the key Commons for the BW Cleric deck. It provides you with a repeatable source of life gain, which triggers all sorts of powerful cards. Even outside of that deck, this is serviceable as a defensive creature.
Tajuru Snarecaster image 1.5 We see this card in lots of sets -- it is just usually a Spider. Like all those times, this is something you’ll play in your Green decks because you tend to not have great ways of dealing with flyers, but it won’t even always make the cut.
Practiced Tactics image 3.0 It bothers me a ton that sometimes it will literally be a blank card, but that won’t happen a TON, and it also has some serious upside - though it is too bad they didn’t decide to make this one of the DFC lands. It is situational, but if it is typically doing 4 damage for one mana to a blocking or attacking creature, well, you’re getting a great deal.
Living Tempest image 2.5 This is a functional reprint of cards like Stormrider Spirit and Wind Strider -- and those cards were probably slightly better, because both of them had creature types that had a tribal archetype in those formats, and Living Tempest does not. That said, it is still pretty decent. Flash has serious upside for any deck looking to cast expensive instants or hold up activated abilities, and even if you don’t have that stuff going on, this is large enough that it can flash in and gobble up a 2/2 or something like that, and then threaten the opponent in the air. It isn’t a special card or anything -- it is a solid playable.
Cunning Geysermage image 2.5 This isn’t quite Roaming Ghostlight, but it seems alright. Early it can be a not completely horrible 3-mana 3/2, and in the later part of the game you can pay 6 for a 3/2 that bounces something That rate is admittedly not great, but any time you can add to the board while subtracting from your opponents’ feels pretty great.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Murasa Rootgrazer
Taunting Arbormage image 2.5 A three mana ⅔ is usually not very good in Limited, but adding a good Kicker effect is a good way to make a card like that worthwhile. Now, make no mistake, kicking this wont’ always be worthwhile -- Lure effects are highly situational, and sometimes it will be useless. But sometimes it will also be gamebreaking, because it makes the rest of your board unblocked, or wipes out your opponent’s board by forcing them to block.
Murasa Rootgrazer image 3.0 The goal here is to abuse Landfall with this Beast, and if past visits to Zendikar are any indication, triggering landfall a bunch is a good way to win.
Risen Riptide image 2.5 This is a surprisingly serviceable payoff for the Kicker deck, as getting whatever value out of what you kicked AND making this a 5/5 feels great, as it is often a very difficult creature to block effectively.
Inordinate Rage image 1.5 This is an alright trick. You’ll run it in super aggressive decks but not anywhere else.
Guul Draz Mucklord image 2.0 This has reasonable stats, and it is nice it leaves a counter behind when it dies. Obviously, that isn’t quite worth a whole card, but trading with this and getting that counter of the deal won’t feel too bad.
Utility Knife image 1.0 Even with an Equipment deck in this format, Utility Knife isn’t really worth it. It gives an okay boost to start with, but the equip cost after that is just exorbitant.
Reclaim the Wastes image 2.5 This is a nice card for fixing if you’re a base Green deck. Any time we see this type of card in Limited it is always something you go after if you need fixing, but you probably don’t go after it otherwise. But, having the ability to splash things is inherently powerful in Limited -- provided you’re splashing something that is WORTH splashing -- so I think this should be valued as at least an average card.
Tormenting Voice image 1.5 As usual this is fine as the last card in your deck. It is probably a little less good in this set because of the DFC lands, and landfall, because the main thing it is nice for is to avoid flooding out – but flooding out is going to be harder than normal in this format. This is a little appealing in the UR deck because it gives you a spell trigger, but you’ll cut it more than you play it.
Tazeem Raptor image 3.0 This has decent stats and it lets you return lands to your hand, which is useful for trigger landfall, and useful for returning MDFC lands.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Joraga Visionary
Akoum Hellhound image 1.5 This is going to be decent in really aggressive decks in this format, since it will usually attack on turn two as a ⅔ with no problem. But it isn’t going to be easy to trigger landfall multiple times a turn in this format, and that means that the Hellhound is going to become irrelevant somewhere around turn three in most cases. That means that less aggressive decks won’t want it at all, and even in the aggro decks it isn’t going to be incredible.
Dauntless Unity image 2.0 This is basically a better Inspired Charged – when you kick it, it is identical to the Charge, and it has the upside of also being usable for a slightly weaker effect for two mana.
Hagra Constrictor image 2.5 On its own, the Constrictor is a 3-mana 2/2 with Menace. However, this set has enough +1/+1 stuff going on, with BG as the +1/+1 counter deck this time going around, that the Constrictor will often immediately impact the board, making one of your other creatures much more difficult to block effectively.
Field Research image 2.5 So, on a base level, this is Divination, a card that is a decent playable in most Limited formats -- somewhere between a C- and a C. But, this becomes more powerful in the late game, drawing you three cards if you have the spare mana around to do it. Now, 6-mana at Sorcery speed to draw 3 cards is pretty clunky, but it is attached to what is already a reasonable card, which means being able to cast it with Kicker is all upside.
Joraga Visionary image 3.5 Cantrip creatures are always good when they are reasonably costed, and a 3/2 body is big enough that it can represent something that is actually relevant on the board, and is perfectly capable of trading, and it’s a 2-for-1 when you can make that happen.
Marauding Blight-Priest image 3.0 This is a key common for the BW cleric deck, and can often do some serious damage to the opponent, as those decks frequently have a critical mass of ways to gain life.
Nimana Skydancer image 2.5 A 3-mana 2/1 with Flying and Flash is already a reasonable card, but this is also a Rogue that mills your opponent, and that’s something that the UB decks are pretty interested in.
Skyclave Sentinel image 1.5 So, this is mostly a payoff for decks that can put counters on stuff. This is mostly going to be BG, but White has some ways to do it too. It is kind of ok in the absence of +1/+1 counter stuff, as a 3-mana 2/3 with Flying and Defender with the possible option of being a 7 mana ¾ with Flying in the late game.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Kazandu Stomper
Mesa Lynx image 1.5 This is a 2-mana 2/1 as an attacker, and a two-mana ⅔ as a blocker. In this day and age, even a vanilla two-mana ⅔ would probably not be much more than a C, so a card that is only one half of the time is considerably worse. I would actually prefer it was a ⅔ during your turn than the other way around, since White is more often than not a color that wants to be attacking well early.
Scale the Heights image 2.0 This does several little things, and they are generally enough for this to make the cut in your deck a significant chunk of the time, but they are also little enough that you won’t always play this.
Blood Price image 1.5 Black always gets a draw spell like this one, and this one is a little overcosted. Two cards for two life and four mana just doesn’t seem worth it to me for the most part.
Tuktuk Rubblefort image 0.5 I’m not the biggest fan of creatures with defender who want you to be aggressive – as those two things seem odd together, so I’m not interested.
Sea Gate Colossus image 1.5 You have to be a party deck to really take advantage, because if you are paying any more than 5 for this it isn’t going to feel very good, and even then it is just a big guy with no evasion.
Kazandu Stomper image 2.0 This is a surprisingly decent card for stalling if you’re in a controlling deck, as the statline and the life help make you harder to kill.
Teeterpeak Ambusher image 2.0 This has decent starting stats, a party creature type, and an ability that can keep it relevant. Seems fine.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Zof Consumption
Mind Carver image 1.0 This can give a pretty big boost in the late game, but is incredibly mediocre early and expensive to equip. The Rogue decks just generally don’t need this, as they have way better payoffs and evasion.
Zof Consumption image 3.0 I think a lot of people will come into this format underestimating just how good it is to have a land that can actually do something impactful in the late game. It is not dissimilar from having a non-basic land with a sacrifice ability that comes up in the late game -- and that upside is always great. Sure, paying 6 to draw your opponent 4 life would not be a good card if that’s all this was, but the fact that this can also just be a regular old land for you early is a huge upgrade -- just as the fact that it can do something in the later game is a huge upgrade.
Sea Gate Banneret image 2.0 This is a one drop with a Party creature type, and that has some nice value in this set. Additionally, in the late game it has an ability that can have a significant impact.
Seafloor Stalker image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ isn’t good, and paying 4 to make it unblockable and give it a power boost does mean it stays relevant in the late game. And obviously you can end up paying even less -- paying 3 or 2 for the boost is much better, and obviously turning this into Blue firebreathing with a full party is kind of funny. This isn’t a bad way to close out games in this format.
Scorch Rider image 2.0 So, a 4-man 4/3 is generally a C- these days. It is reasonable stats to be sure, but not anything special either. The Kicker here isn’t super exciting either, as a 6-mana 4/3 with Haste is not especially good -- BUT that’s not really the way to look at cards with Kicker. If it has a reasonable base line, as this does -- the fact it can have Haste later in the game is just upside.
Mesa Lynx image 1.5 This is a 2-mana 2/1 as an attacker, and a two-mana ⅔ as a blocker. In this day and age, even a vanilla two-mana ⅔ would probably not be much more than a C, so a card that is only one half of the time is considerably worse. I would actually prefer it was a ⅔ during your turn than the other way around, since White is more often than not a color that wants to be attacking well early.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Cascade Seer
Molten Blast image 1.5 3-mana to do two damage at instant speed is not so good – I mean, it is removal, but it is not efficient – you’ll basically always be trading down with it. But the modality here really matters. This set has plenty of good artifacts – not like, a million of them or anything – but enough that this will be blowing up artifacts on occasion too, and being able to have that in your main deck is real upside.
Sizzling Barrage image 1.0 This removal is way too conditional, you should only be running if it you have no other removal.
Nimana Skydancer image 2.5 A 3-mana 2/1 with Flying and Flash is already a reasonable card, but this is also a Rogue that mills your opponent, and that’s something that the UB decks are pretty interested in.
Fissure Wizard image 2.5 This is pretty unexciting. It does a bunch of meh stuff. It has bad stats for the cost, it lets you rummage, and it has a creature type that matters in this format. While none of that is exciting, it coming all together does make it a decent enough playable.
Cascade Seer image 1.5 I think this is fine. A 4-mana 3/3 that scries 1 would probably be a C-. We recently had Octoprophet, which was a 4-mana 3/3 that always Scried 2, and that was definitely a solid C -- and that’s what this will be a decent chunk of the time. Obviously with a full party it gets better, but you shouldn’t really look at this as doing that very often, because it won’t.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Dauntless Unity
Seafloor Stalker image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ isn’t good, and paying 4 to make it unblockable and give it a power boost does mean it stays relevant in the late game. And obviously you can end up paying even less -- paying 3 or 2 for the boost is much better, and obviously turning this into Blue firebreathing with a full party is kind of funny. This isn’t a bad way to close out games in this format.
Dauntless Unity image 2.0 This is basically a better Inspired Charged – when you kick it, it is identical to the Charge, and it has the upside of also being usable for a slightly weaker effect for two mana.
Murasa Brute image 1.5 This has decent stats and a party creature type, so it will make the cut sometimes.
Broken Wings image 1.5 This seems like it can target enough things that it is a reasonable main deck inclusion, though if you are playing Best of 3, you would probably much rather bring it in out of the sideboard.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Scale the Heights
Cascade Seer image 1.5 I think this is fine. A 4-mana 3/3 that scries 1 would probably be a C-. We recently had Octoprophet, which was a 4-mana 3/3 that always Scried 2, and that was definitely a solid C -- and that’s what this will be a decent chunk of the time. Obviously with a full party it gets better, but you shouldn’t really look at this as doing that very often, because it won’t.
Scale the Heights image 2.0 This does several little things, and they are generally enough for this to make the cut in your deck a significant chunk of the time, but they are also little enough that you won’t always play this.
Adventure Awaits image 1.0 We see a Green card like this in most sets, and they are always kind of meh. They give you some nice card selection, and it is also kind of nice that if you wiff on a creature, you still get a card out of it. Whiffing on a creature is unlikely in most limited decks, but it DOES happen sometimes, so having protection from this doing absolutely nothing is nice. That said, this type of card, especially at two mana, generally feels like it is easy to cut in most decks.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Tajuru Snarecaster
Tajuru Snarecaster image 1.5 We see this card in lots of sets -- it is just usually a Spider. Like all those times, this is something you’ll play in your Green decks because you tend to not have great ways of dealing with flyers, but it won’t even always make the cut.
Practiced Tactics image 3.0 It bothers me a ton that sometimes it will literally be a blank card, but that won’t happen a TON, and it also has some serious upside - though it is too bad they didn’t decide to make this one of the DFC lands. It is situational, but if it is typically doing 4 damage for one mana to a blocking or attacking creature, well, you’re getting a great deal.
Pack 3 Pick 14: Tormenting Voice
Tormenting Voice image 1.5 As usual this is fine as the last card in your deck. It is probably a little less good in this set because of the DFC lands, and landfall, because the main thing it is nice for is to avoid flooding out – but flooding out is going to be harder than normal in this format. This is a little appealing in the UR deck because it gives you a spell trigger, but you’ll cut it more than you play it.
Draft Pick Overview