Disallow
1.5 This is an alright counterspell for Limited since it can deal with so many different things, but you still won’t play it that often.
Shielded Aether Thief
2.5 This blocks a lot of stuff in this format pretty well, and makes you energy while doing it! Drawing a card with energy is a pretty nice payoff too.
Weldfast Engineer
3.5 This asks not only for Artifacts, but artifact creatures in particular. However, you’ll have them in this format, since there are lots of Servos among the other artifacts. And, making a servo into a 3/1 every turn can be a real problem for your opponent on many board states.
Blossoming Defense
2.0 This is a nice trick that has additional utility against removal spells thanks to Hexproof.
Hijack
1.0 While there are aggressive decks in this format, I haven’t really found that Hijack is worth it most of the time, even in them. It is basically a blank card until you can use it to do lethal, and that’s too inconsistent.
Workshop Assistant
2.0 It isn’t super difficult to have an Artifact in your graveyard for this to return, but because of its mediocre stats, it will mostly just be chump blocking and returning an artifact, which isn’t amazing.
Destructive Tampering
0.5 // 2.5 This looks like something you’d never play in most formats, but two things make this actually an okay card in really aggressive decks. One of these is simply the fact that it often has targets to destroy with the first option, the other is just that turning off (almost) all blockers is often enough for the aggro decks to finish off an opponent who has stabilized. You really only want it in that one deck, but you’re kind of always on the look out for that one copy if that’s what your deck looks like.
Attune with Aether
3.0 This card is sneaky good. It is basically one mana to draw a card and gain two energy, and that’s a great deal. And sure, the card you draw is a land, but that’s fine! It basically lets you play fewer lands in your deck, gives you energy for all the cards that care about that and fixes your mana. It just does so much for only one Green.
Prophetic Prism
3.0 The fac this replaces itself is a pretty big deal. Most of the time filter artifacts aren’t worth a card, but this is literally worth a card and then some because of that. And, this format really cares about artifacts.
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Fen Hauler
2.5 This is a solid finisher for Black decks with a decent number of Artifacts. It is quite large, paying 5 for it is pretty realistic, and it can’t be blacked by a ton of creatures in the format, including most of the creature tokens.
Ice Over
2.5 It is a bummer that this doesn’t tap down the thing you attach it too, but it is still some serviceable removal.
Eddytrail Hawk
2.5 Giving other stuff flying can have a pretty big impact, and the Hawk can do it twice without any outside help, making it a decent card.
Consulate Skygate
0.5 Yeah, you mostly won’t play this. It just doesn’t do anything but block, and it doesn’t even do that very well.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Fatal Push
Fatal Push
4.0 So, even without Revolt, Fatal Push would be an okay removal spell in this format. It kills lots of stuff! Obviously though, you want to be getting revolt going, and when you do, it is going to be one of the best cards in your deck. It can’t kill anything, but it only costs one mana and kills most things, so I’ll take it.
Fabrication Module
3.5 If you’re good at making Energy, this is a pretty darn powerful payoff for it, as getting those +1/+1 counters is a big deal. In the late game, its ability basically gives you an energy AND a +1/+1 counter too, and that’s not a terrible mana sink.
Quicksmith Genius
2.5 A three mana 3/2 that rummages sometimes is fine, but not much more than that.
Metallic Rebuke
1.0 Even in an artifact deck, this isn’t great. Not being a hard counter gives it diminishing returns as the game goes on.
Spireside Infiltrator
2.5 This can crew most of the vehicles worth playing in the format while also doing 1 damage to your opponent, and even if it isn’t crewing, it is a 3-mana 3/2 that does 1 to the opponent every time it attacks. It does surprisingly well in aggressive decks.
Lifecraft Cavalry
2.0 This is kind of alright even when you don’t revolt, and pretty scary when you can. It isn’t terrible top curve.
Defiant Salvager
1.5 Only being able to sacrifice things at Sorcery speed is rough, even in a format that has a lot of Servos to gobble up.
Narnam Cobra
2.5 Like the rest of this cycle, this is reasonably costed, is an artifact, and can gain a useful keyword. In this case, it can trade.
Kujar Seedsculptor
3.0 You have to be careful with this, because your opponent killing the creature you put the counter on will just blow you out of the game. However, when the coast is clear, permanently pumping a creature and killing an opposing creature is quite strong, especially in a set that has +1/+1 counter payoffs.
Revoke Privileges
4.0 This is a really effective removal spell, capable of completely shutting down a whole lot of cards in the format for only three mana. The fact it stops Crewing from happening is really important.
Sky Skiff
2.5 The mana and crew cost here are both quite low, and thanks to Flying this can attack pretty much all game long.
Reservoir Walker
1.5 3 life and 3 energy isn’t really enough to offset the bad stats this has. It isn’t unplayable, but you won’t play it very often.
Cogworker's Puzzleknot
2.5 This can really help you go wide in a hurry, which is useful for White decks, and it also gives you two artifacts on turn two, which can really help out cards with Improvise.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Chandra's Pyrohelix
Fretwork Colony
2.5 If you can play this early, it can take over the game pretty effectively – at least, if your opponent isn’t crazy aggressive. Because, if they are, the Colony and their creatures will quickly lower your life total, and the Colony can’t block! Still, most of the time, you’re going to be favored when you play this early. And, even if you play it late, it usually only takes a couple of turns to become relevant. It is definitely a super swingy card – you will see games won and lost as a result of the Colony on both sides. It has a pretty nice ceiling, but also a pretty bad floor.
Ravenous Intruder
2.0 This is a pretty threatening attacker even with just a single artifact on the table, and if you have more, it can be a real problem for the opponent. Problem is, you don’t always have artifacts you want to give up to pump the Intruder.
Blossoming Defense
2.0 This is a nice trick that has additional utility against removal spells thanks to Hexproof.
Chandra's Pyrohelix
3.0 At worst, this kills an X/2 for two mana, which is fine – and sometimes you can take out 2 X/1s, which will feel amazing. It can also go after your opponent when necessary.
Self-Assembler
0.5 // 3.0 If you have one Self Assembler, don’t play it. If you manage to get a second one, you’re actually kind of in business. A 5-mana 4/4 isn’t good, but it does draw you another one, and making sure you have those plays on back to back turns is pretty nice. Because of the mana cost running more than 3 probably isn’t a great idea, but chaining those three together is pretty nice, even with mediocre stats.
Weldfast Monitor
2.5 Like the rest of this cycle, this is a pretty solid creature to have in your Red decks.
Fourth Bridge Prowler
1.5 You can play this and kill something with the ETB a decent chunk of the time, but it does tend to get worse as the game goes on.
Impeccable Timing
2.5 This is situational, but the format does have a significant number of small creatures, and people will inevitably be attacking or blocking, so you’ll find yourself playing this a decent chunk of the time.
Kujar Seedsculptor
3.0 You have to be careful with this, because your opponent killing the creature you put the counter on will just blow you out of the game. However, when the coast is clear, permanently pumping a creature and killing an opposing creature is quite strong, especially in a set that has +1/+1 counter payoffs.
Reckless Fireweaver
2.5 This has alright stats and does often chip in a few damage with its ability, especially if you’re making servos.
Prakhata Pillar-Bug
2.5 Yet another efficient artifact creature that can gain a useful keyword, and yet another 2.5.
Lifecraft Cavalry
2.0 This is kind of alright even when you don’t revolt, and pretty scary when you can. It isn’t terrible top curve.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Chandra's Revolution
Creeping Mold
1.0 This does kill a lot of Artifacts, but as a 4 mana Sorcery, it is too clunky to be worth it most of the time.
Whirlermaker
1.5 This is really slow, but if you’re a control deck, it does a decent job as a win condition.
Chandra's Revolution
3.0 4 mana for 4 damage at Sorcery speed isn’t the most amazing thing, and the land tap down part of the card doesn’t give it much of an upgrade. Still, it is reasonably efficient removal.
Riparian Tiger
2.0 This isn’t the greatest finisher ever for Green energy decks, but you could do worse too. Even without any other help, it is a 5-mana 4/4 Trampler that attacks as a 6/6 the first time it attacks, and that’s a creature that is very difficult to effectively block.
Built to Last
2.0 This is a decent trick that gets even better if you’re rumbling with artifact creatures. It is a decent inclusion in aggro decks.
Sky Skiff
2.5 The mana and crew cost here are both quite low, and thanks to Flying this can attack pretty much all game long.
Eddytrail Hawk
2.5 Giving other stuff flying can have a pretty big impact, and the Hawk can do it twice without any outside help, making it a decent card.
Fragmentize
2.0 This is actually mainboardable in this format, as there are plenty of targets for it. In an ideal world, you probably start it in your sideboard in best of 3, though.
Consulate Turret
1.0 This format has some nice Energy payoffs. This isn’t one of them. Only hitting players is a big problem, and even though it can just tap to give you energy, it usually doesn’t feel like its worth a card.
Revoke Privileges
4.0 This is a really effective removal spell, capable of completely shutting down a whole lot of cards in the format for only three mana. The fact it stops Crewing from happening is really important.
Fen Hauler
2.5 This is a solid finisher for Black decks with a decent number of Artifacts. It is quite large, paying 5 for it is pretty realistic, and it can’t be blacked by a ton of creatures in the format, including most of the creature tokens.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Filigree Familiar
Filigree Familiar
3.5 This little fox gives you a ton of value. It gains you life, can trade for an X/2, and draws you a card when it does! And its an artifact in a set that loves them.
Prakhata Pillar-Bug
2.5 Yet another efficient artifact creature that can gain a useful keyword, and yet another 2.5.
Aether Inspector
2.0 This whole cycle is pretty nice, but the Inspector is probably the worst of the bunch. It starts out with worse stats and feels a little bit overcosted. But still, it’s a reasonable playable.
Conviction
1.0 This Aura just isn’t worth it. The stats boost isn’t great, and being able to return it to your hand doesn’t really help make it much better.
Reckless Fireweaver
2.5 This has alright stats and does often chip in a few damage with its ability, especially if you’re making servos.
Unbridled Growth
1.0 This is something you’ll play if you’re really hard up for fixing, but will avoid most of the time.
Self-Assembler
0.5 // 3.0 If you have one Self Assembler, don’t play it. If you manage to get a second one, you’re actually kind of in business. A 5-mana 4/4 isn’t good, but it does draw you another one, and making sure you have those plays on back to back turns is pretty nice. Because of the mana cost running more than 3 probably isn’t a great idea, but chaining those three together is pretty nice, even with mediocre stats.
Aether Poisoner
3.5 This is another very good Common in this cycle. With death touch, it is a real pain to block or attack through, and that means it often has no problem making that 1/1 token. Attacking with it into a block and making that 1/1 feels pretty good, and it can obviously get even more out of hand!
Riparian Tiger
2.0 This isn’t the greatest finisher ever for Green energy decks, but you could do worse too. Even without any other help, it is a 5-mana 4/4 Trampler that attacks as a 6/6 the first time it attacks, and that’s a creature that is very difficult to effectively block.
Kujar Seedsculptor
3.0 You have to be careful with this, because your opponent killing the creature you put the counter on will just blow you out of the game. However, when the coast is clear, permanently pumping a creature and killing an opposing creature is quite strong, especially in a set that has +1/+1 counter payoffs.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Chandra's Revolution
Trophy Mage
0.0 // 2.5 You do need some Instants and Sorceries in your graveyard to make the most of the Gearhulk, but that’s not a big ask by turn 6. The Gearhulk often represents a completely absurd three-for-one, since it can Flash in and ambush an opposing attacker, then cast a spell for free from your graveyard, and then leave behind a 5/6 body that generally has to be answered somehow. Even if the spell it gives you for free is mediocre, it is likely that it is worth a whole card, and if you copy removal, well, you just broke the game even more.
Workshop Assistant
2.0 It isn’t super difficult to have an Artifact in your graveyard for this to return, but because of its mediocre stats, it will mostly just be chump blocking and returning an artifact, which isn’t amazing.
Audacious Infiltrator
2.5 This ability comes up more than you might think with all the thopters and servos running around. One of the big downsides about being an X/1 is usually that you die to something like a token, but that’s not a problem here, so it is just a creature with a decent aggressive statline.
Implement of Examination
2.0 So, you basically pay a total of 4 mana for two cards, which isn’t completely terrible – and you can spread it out over a couple of turns. It is also an artifact, and one that can get Revolt going.
Chandra's Revolution
3.0 4 mana for 4 damage at Sorcery speed isn’t the most amazing thing, and the land tap down part of the card doesn’t give it much of an upgrade. Still, it is reasonably efficient removal.
Hijack
1.0 While there are aggressive decks in this format, I haven’t really found that Hijack is worth it most of the time, even in them. It is basically a blank card until you can use it to do lethal, and that’s too inconsistent.
Highspire Artisan
2.5 The two choices you have here are pretty nice. A 3-mana ¼ with Reach can block a lot of stuff all game long while also turning on +1/+1 counter synergies, and a 3-mana 0/3 with Reach that also gives you a 1/1 token isn’t too shabby either.
Fireforger's Puzzleknot
1.5 So, this can kill a couple of X/1s or an X/2 for 4 mana. That’s not exactly incredible, but hey – its an artifact, and that helps elevate it a bit.
Night Market Lookout
1.5 If you’re really aggressive or plan on crewing vehicles a lot – or both – this can be an alright inclusion, but most of the time you’ll stay away from it.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Rush of Vitality
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Commencement of Festivities
0.5 Fog is slightly better in this format than in most, where I would give it a 0.0. This is because there are decks in the format that try to win the game in a single swing either after pumping their whole board or casting Destructive Revelry, and siding this in against those decks is actually kind of reasonable.
Malfunction
3.0 4 mana is a little clunky, but this shuts down most creatures and artifacts in the format.
Rush of Vitality
1.5 This is a decent trick that you’ll run in some of your aggro decks.
Bastion Mastodon
2.5 Being an artifact matters in this set, and this offers a decent body that can gain Vigilance. Like the rest of this cycle, Bastion Mastodon is pretty solid.
Implement of Examination
2.0 So, you basically pay a total of 4 mana for two cards, which isn’t completely terrible – and you can spread it out over a couple of turns. It is also an artifact, and one that can get Revolt going.
Conviction
1.0 This Aura just isn’t worth it. The stats boost isn’t great, and being able to return it to your hand doesn’t really help make it much better.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Eager Construct
Fireforger's Puzzleknot
1.5 So, this can kill a couple of X/1s or an X/2 for 4 mana. That’s not exactly incredible, but hey – its an artifact, and that helps elevate it a bit.
Ice Over
2.5 It is a bummer that this doesn’t tap down the thing you attach it too, but it is still some serviceable removal.
Eager Construct
1.5 If you need a two drop or an Artifact, you could do worse.
Reservoir Walker
1.5 3 life and 3 energy isn’t really enough to offset the bad stats this has. It isn’t unplayable, but you won’t play it very often.
Conviction
1.0 This Aura just isn’t worth it. The stats boost isn’t great, and being able to return it to your hand doesn’t really help make it much better.
Live Fast
2.0 Drawing some cards and getting some energy is something you’ll want in some Black decks, but not all of them.
Thriving Turtle
2.5 If you play this on turn one, it can become a very real creature on the board. It generally won’t be able to attack forever because its power starts so low, but by the time it has to stop attacking, it has the kind of size that isn’t easy to attack through.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Fen Hauler
Hijack
1.0 While there are aggressive decks in this format, I haven’t really found that Hijack is worth it most of the time, even in them. It is basically a blank card until you can use it to do lethal, and that’s too inconsistent.
Workshop Assistant
2.0 It isn’t super difficult to have an Artifact in your graveyard for this to return, but because of its mediocre stats, it will mostly just be chump blocking and returning an artifact, which isn’t amazing.
Destructive Tampering
0.5 // 2.5 This looks like something you’d never play in most formats, but two things make this actually an okay card in really aggressive decks. One of these is simply the fact that it often has targets to destroy with the first option, the other is just that turning off (almost) all blockers is often enough for the aggro decks to finish off an opponent who has stabilized. You really only want it in that one deck, but you’re kind of always on the look out for that one copy if that’s what your deck looks like.
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Fen Hauler
2.5 This is a solid finisher for Black decks with a decent number of Artifacts. It is quite large, paying 5 for it is pretty realistic, and it can’t be blacked by a ton of creatures in the format, including most of the creature tokens.
Consulate Skygate
0.5 Yeah, you mostly won’t play this. It just doesn’t do anything but block, and it doesn’t even do that very well.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Spireside Infiltrator
Spireside Infiltrator
2.5 This can crew most of the vehicles worth playing in the format while also doing 1 damage to your opponent, and even if it isn’t crewing, it is a 3-mana 3/2 that does 1 to the opponent every time it attacks. It does surprisingly well in aggressive decks.
Lifecraft Cavalry
2.0 This is kind of alright even when you don’t revolt, and pretty scary when you can. It isn’t terrible top curve.
Defiant Salvager
1.5 Only being able to sacrifice things at Sorcery speed is rough, even in a format that has a lot of Servos to gobble up.
Reservoir Walker
1.5 3 life and 3 energy isn’t really enough to offset the bad stats this has. It isn’t unplayable, but you won’t play it very often.
Cogworker's Puzzleknot
2.5 This can really help you go wide in a hurry, which is useful for White decks, and it also gives you two artifacts on turn two, which can really help out cards with Improvise.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Self-Assembler
Self-Assembler
0.5 // 3.0 If you have one Self Assembler, don’t play it. If you manage to get a second one, you’re actually kind of in business. A 5-mana 4/4 isn’t good, but it does draw you another one, and making sure you have those plays on back to back turns is pretty nice. Because of the mana cost running more than 3 probably isn’t a great idea, but chaining those three together is pretty nice, even with mediocre stats.
Weldfast Monitor
2.5 Like the rest of this cycle, this is a pretty solid creature to have in your Red decks.
Fourth Bridge Prowler
1.5 You can play this and kill something with the ETB a decent chunk of the time, but it does tend to get worse as the game goes on.
Impeccable Timing
2.5 This is situational, but the format does have a significant number of small creatures, and people will inevitably be attacking or blocking, so you’ll find yourself playing this a decent chunk of the time.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Eddytrail Hawk
Built to Last
2.0 This is a decent trick that gets even better if you’re rumbling with artifact creatures. It is a decent inclusion in aggro decks.
Eddytrail Hawk
2.5 Giving other stuff flying can have a pretty big impact, and the Hawk can do it twice without any outside help, making it a decent card.
Fragmentize
2.0 This is actually mainboardable in this format, as there are plenty of targets for it. In an ideal world, you probably start it in your sideboard in best of 3, though.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Aether Inspector
Aether Inspector
2.0 This whole cycle is pretty nice, but the Inspector is probably the worst of the bunch. It starts out with worse stats and feels a little bit overcosted. But still, it’s a reasonable playable.
Conviction
1.0 This Aura just isn’t worth it. The stats boost isn’t great, and being able to return it to your hand doesn’t really help make it much better.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Hijack
Hijack
1.0 While there are aggressive decks in this format, I haven’t really found that Hijack is worth it most of the time, even in them. It is basically a blank card until you can use it to do lethal, and that’s too inconsistent.
Pack 2 Pick 1: Prophetic Prism
Sram's Expertise
4.0 When you can cast this on turn four, it is often going to give you a whole lot of value between the three Servos and the card you cast for free. However, keep in mind that in the later part of the game, that part often won’t matter. Still, 4-mana for 3 1/1s isn’t a terrible fail case.
Daredevil Dragster
2.0 This is fairly easy to crew and decently sized, but the fact it has to give itself up after its second attack is a little bit of a bummer, as there are definitely times where you’d prefer to keep it in play.
Ornithopter
1.0 There aren’t really any shenanigans you can do with Ornithopter in this format, so you mostly don’t play it.
Hazardous Conditions
2.5 So BG likes +1/+1 counters, so the idea here is that you’re only weakening opposing creatures, but that idea quickly disintegrates for two reasons: First, not all of your creatures will have counters, even in a BG deck, and second, your opponent is reasonably likely to have some counters too! And it isn’t like -2/-2 really does enough on all board states anyway. You don’t even always play this in BG, which is a sad thing to say about a signpost uncommon.
Salivating Gremlins
2.5 This will be a 4/3 with Trample on lots of turns, and that’s a relevant body all game long. If you’re really good at making servos, sometimes it will be even bigger!
Hinterland Drake
2.5 This has pretty aggressive flying stats, and that’s enough to offset the fact that it can’t block Artifact creatures – it will mostly be attacking anyway.
Cathartic Reunion
1.0 This mostly isn’t worth it. It is just some clunky card selection that asks for significant set up. There isn’t enough of a graveyard theme in the format for it to be more than that.
Consulate Turret
1.0 This format has some nice Energy payoffs. This isn’t one of them. Only hitting players is a big problem, and even though it can just tap to give you energy, it usually doesn’t feel like its worth a card.
Aether Theorist
2.0 This has decent stats and can improve your draws for no mana – in addition to the fact that it might give you energy to use elsewhere. Its pretty decent.
Maulfist Squad
2.5 Like most of the Fabricate creatures, this is pretty solid, as both options are pretty reasonable. A 4-mana 4/2 with Menace is nice on boards where you are the beat down and your opponent won’t be blocking it any time soon, and 4 mana for a 3/1 and a 1/1 is pretty good when you’re behind.
Riparian Tiger
2.0 This isn’t the greatest finisher ever for Green energy decks, but you could do worse too. Even without any other help, it is a 5-mana 4/4 Trampler that attacks as a 6/6 the first time it attacks, and that’s a creature that is very difficult to effectively block.
Alley Evasion
1.0 This set does have lots of ETB abilities, but this card is still mostly just a dud. Both modes are underpowered and situational.
Prophetic Prism
3.0 The fac this replaces itself is a pretty big deal. Most of the time filter artifacts aren’t worth a card, but this is literally worth a card and then some because of that. And, this format really cares about artifacts.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Harnessed Lightning
Harnessed Lightning
4.0 Two mana for 3 damage is also premium removal, and this has the upside of getting better with more Energy.
Blossoming Defense
2.0 This is a nice trick that has additional utility against removal spells thanks to Hexproof.
Decoction Module
1.5 This gives you a bunch of energy over the course of the game, and can help you rebuy ETB effects, but in most decks it doesn’t really feel worth it.
Lifecraft Cavalry
2.0 This is kind of alright even when you don’t revolt, and pretty scary when you can. It isn’t terrible top curve.
Consulate Turret
1.0 This format has some nice Energy payoffs. This isn’t one of them. Only hitting players is a big problem, and even though it can just tap to give you energy, it usually doesn’t feel like its worth a card.
Built to Smash
2.0 This is a really nice trick for aggro decks, as +3/+3 for one mana is enough to win just about any combat. When you can give an artifact creature Trample, it feels especially absurd! Obviously, since the trick only works on attackers, you’ve really gotta be the beatdown to take advantage of it.
Rush of Vitality
1.5 This is a decent trick that you’ll run in some of your aggro decks.
Welding Sparks
4.0 This is a great Common, one that would be really good even if it always does 3, but will be doing 4+ pretty often.
Conviction
1.0 This Aura just isn’t worth it. The stats boost isn’t great, and being able to return it to your hand doesn’t really help make it much better.
Weldfast Wingsmith
2.0 This has mediocre starting stats, but it does gain Flying often enough to be a decent inclusion in artifact-heavy decks.
Destructive Tampering
0.5 // 2.5 This looks like something you’d never play in most formats, but two things make this actually an okay card in really aggressive decks. One of these is simply the fact that it often has targets to destroy with the first option, the other is just that turning off (almost) all blockers is often enough for the aggro decks to finish off an opponent who has stabilized. You really only want it in that one deck, but you’re kind of always on the look out for that one copy if that’s what your deck looks like.
Defiant Salvager
1.5 Only being able to sacrifice things at Sorcery speed is rough, even in a format that has a lot of Servos to gobble up.
Eddytrail Hawk
2.5 Giving other stuff flying can have a pretty big impact, and the Hawk can do it twice without any outside help, making it a decent card.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Vengeful Rebel
Vengeful Rebel
3.5 If this just also had its ETB effect, it would be completely insane, since you would just add a 3-mana 3/2 to the board and kill something. Obviously, the Revolt requirement makes it significantly less insane, and this will just be the 3/2 a little more often than you’d like. Still, when you do get Revolt going, it will still feel like you’re doing something amazing.
Hazardous Conditions
2.5 So BG likes +1/+1 counters, so the idea here is that you’re only weakening opposing creatures, but that idea quickly disintegrates for two reasons: First, not all of your creatures will have counters, even in a BG deck, and second, your opponent is reasonably likely to have some counters too! And it isn’t like -2/-2 really does enough on all board states anyway. You don’t even always play this in BG, which is a sad thing to say about a signpost uncommon.
Aether Poisoner
3.5 This is another very good Common in this cycle. With death touch, it is a real pain to block or attack through, and that means it often has no problem making that 1/1 token. Attacking with it into a block and making that 1/1 feels pretty good, and it can obviously get even more out of hand!
Pendulum of Patterns
0.5 Yeah, this isn’t really worth it. Early on it gains you some life, but that doesn’t matter a whole lot in this format. Then, later, you can cash it in for a card for a wopping 5 mana. Even in a format that loves artifacts, there isn’t much of a reason to play this thing.
Aether Inspector
2.0 This whole cycle is pretty nice, but the Inspector is probably the worst of the bunch. It starts out with worse stats and feels a little bit overcosted. But still, it’s a reasonable playable.
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Highspire Artisan
2.5 The two choices you have here are pretty nice. A 3-mana ¼ with Reach can block a lot of stuff all game long while also turning on +1/+1 counter synergies, and a 3-mana 0/3 with Reach that also gives you a 1/1 token isn’t too shabby either.
Live Fast
2.0 Drawing some cards and getting some energy is something you’ll want in some Black decks, but not all of them.
Revolutionary Rebuff
1.0 This is cheap, but it also isn’t anywhere close to a hard counter, and the fact that it can’t counter artifacts definitely matters in this set.
Prakhata Pillar-Bug
2.5 Yet another efficient artifact creature that can gain a useful keyword, and yet another 2.5.
Aether Swooper
3.5 This often feels like a two mana ½ that makes a 1/1 token on ETB, and that is a very powerful card. If you play this on turn two, you are virtually guaranteed to get that token, and if you can generate a little bit more Energy, it can really get going. It is also a great place to put Artificer’s Goggles!
Built to Smash
2.0 This is a really nice trick for aggro decks, as +3/+3 for one mana is enough to win just about any combat. When you can give an artifact creature Trample, it feels especially absurd! Obviously, since the trick only works on attackers, you’ve really gotta be the beatdown to take advantage of it.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Live Fast
Demolition Stomper
1.0 Most of the vehicles in this set are solid or better. This isn’t one of them. Yeah, its huge when it gets going, but Crew 5 is massive and even if really small creatures can’t block it, its still very chumpable, and takes a lot of set up.
Universal Solvent
1.5 If you really need Artifacts and/or removal, you can play this, but most of the time you won’t.
Salivating Gremlins
2.5 This will be a 4/3 with Trample on lots of turns, and that’s a relevant body all game long. If you’re really good at making servos, sometimes it will be even bigger!
Live Fast
2.0 Drawing some cards and getting some energy is something you’ll want in some Black decks, but not all of them.
Metallic Rebuke
1.0 Even in an artifact deck, this isn’t great. Not being a hard counter gives it diminishing returns as the game goes on.
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Foundry Screecher
2.5 This has passable stats to begin with, and becomes a 3/1 flyer for 3 if you have an Artifact, and that’s a pretty legitimate threat in the air.
Ornamental Courage
1.0 This isn’t a great trick. The small power boost doesn’t help you win very many combats.
Impeccable Timing
2.5 This is situational, but the format does have a significant number of small creatures, and people will inevitably be attacking or blocking, so you’ll find yourself playing this a decent chunk of the time.
Tezzeret's Ambition
1.5 This is a really clunky draw spell, but some decks will be interested in paying 5 to draw 3 with this.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Speedway Fanatic
Oath of Ajani
3.0 The planeswalker part of the card is almost irrelevant in Limited, but putting a +1/+1 counter on all of your creatures is pretty good in GW, so that’s okay.
Speedway Fanatic
2.0 Giving Vehicles haste is nice, and a two mana 2/1 with Haste isn’t the worst thing ever, either.
Fireforger's Puzzleknot
1.5 So, this can kill a couple of X/1s or an X/2 for 4 mana. That’s not exactly incredible, but hey – its an artifact, and that helps elevate it a bit.
Audacious Infiltrator
2.5 This ability comes up more than you might think with all the thopters and servos running around. One of the big downsides about being an X/1 is usually that you die to something like a token, but that’s not a problem here, so it is just a creature with a decent aggressive statline.
Druid of the Cowl
2.5 This has decent stats and ramps your mana, which makes it a solid card.
Wild Wanderer
2.5 This actually provides some reasonable fixing and ramp, and is large enough to trade.
Implement of Malice
2.0 If you consistently can use this to make an opponent discard and you draw, it feels alright. It just won’t always do that. Still, at least it isn’t blank in the late game, since you can basically cash it in for a card. It also gets revolt going.
Fourth Bridge Prowler
1.5 You can play this and kill something with the ETB a decent chunk of the time, but it does tend to get worse as the game goes on.
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Gearseeker Serpent
3.0 This is a very nice Common for Blue decks in this format, which really like Artifacts. It often costs 4 or 5 mana, and is a great finisher in this format thanks to its bulk and potential evasiveness.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Chandra's Pyrohelix
Gearshift Ace
3.5 This has really good base stats, and being able to give Vehicles first strike is very real upside.
Trophy Mage
0.0 // 2.5 You do need some Instants and Sorceries in your graveyard to make the most of the Gearhulk, but that’s not a big ask by turn 6. The Gearhulk often represents a completely absurd three-for-one, since it can Flash in and ambush an opposing attacker, then cast a spell for free from your graveyard, and then leave behind a 5/6 body that generally has to be answered somehow. Even if the spell it gives you for free is mediocre, it is likely that it is worth a whole card, and if you copy removal, well, you just broke the game even more.
Cathartic Reunion
1.0 This mostly isn’t worth it. It is just some clunky card selection that asks for significant set up. There isn’t enough of a graveyard theme in the format for it to be more than that.
Commencement of Festivities
0.5 Fog is slightly better in this format than in most, where I would give it a 0.0. This is because there are decks in the format that try to win the game in a single swing either after pumping their whole board or casting Destructive Revelry, and siding this in against those decks is actually kind of reasonable.
Irontread Crusher
2.0 This vehicle isn’t as exciting as some of the others, but it can do the job.
Weldfast Monitor
2.5 Like the rest of this cycle, this is a pretty solid creature to have in your Red decks.
Mind Rot
1.0 This is basically never good in Limited, and that’s not different here!
Chandra's Pyrohelix
3.0 At worst, this kills an X/2 for two mana, which is fine – and sometimes you can take out 2 X/1s, which will feel amazing. It can also go after your opponent when necessary.
Aviary Mechanic
2.5 This has a solid baseline as a bear, and its ETB ability actually does something like half the time, and that’s pretty nice.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Spireside Infiltrator
Engineered Might
2.5 This card is such a bummer as far as signposts go. Luckily, GW has other ways to pump the whole board that are better, because if this was the card that you were counting on to win you the game when you go wide, you’d be in trouble! Being a sorcery for 5 mana is just really rough, and gives your opponent way more information than you’d like. Pumping one creature as a secondary option is alright I guess, but its still a sorcery that can be easily responded to. I don’t think you even always play this in your GW decks, and that’s pretty sad.
Druid of the Cowl
2.5 This has decent stats and ramps your mana, which makes it a solid card.
Built to Last
2.0 This is a decent trick that gets even better if you’re rumbling with artifact creatures. It is a decent inclusion in aggro decks.
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Countless Gears Renegade
2.5 You’ll get the 1/1 out of this like half the time, and it will feel great when you do. When that doesn’t work out, it will feel pretty mediocre.
Highspire Artisan
2.5 The two choices you have here are pretty nice. A 3-mana ¼ with Reach can block a lot of stuff all game long while also turning on +1/+1 counter synergies, and a 3-mana 0/3 with Reach that also gives you a 1/1 token isn’t too shabby either.
Workshop Assistant
2.0 It isn’t super difficult to have an Artifact in your graveyard for this to return, but because of its mediocre stats, it will mostly just be chump blocking and returning an artifact, which isn’t amazing.
Spireside Infiltrator
2.5 This can crew most of the vehicles worth playing in the format while also doing 1 damage to your opponent, and even if it isn’t crewing, it is a 3-mana 3/2 that does 1 to the opponent every time it attacks. It does surprisingly well in aggressive decks.
Pack 2 Pick 8: Sky Skiff
Renegade Wheelsmith
4.0 This card is great. RW is aggressive enough that blanking a blocker when this attacks can often mean game over for your opponent, and its important to note that it also makes things unable to block when it crews Vehicles, which is nice.
Gearseeker Serpent
3.0 This is a very nice Common for Blue decks in this format, which really like Artifacts. It often costs 4 or 5 mana, and is a great finisher in this format thanks to its bulk and potential evasiveness.
Audacious Infiltrator
2.5 This ability comes up more than you might think with all the thopters and servos running around. One of the big downsides about being an X/1 is usually that you die to something like a token, but that’s not a problem here, so it is just a creature with a decent aggressive statline.
Reckless Fireweaver
2.5 This has alright stats and does often chip in a few damage with its ability, especially if you’re making servos.
Consulate Skygate
0.5 Yeah, you mostly won’t play this. It just doesn’t do anything but block, and it doesn’t even do that very well.
Workshop Assistant
2.0 It isn’t super difficult to have an Artifact in your graveyard for this to return, but because of its mediocre stats, it will mostly just be chump blocking and returning an artifact, which isn’t amazing.
Sky Skiff
2.5 The mana and crew cost here are both quite low, and thanks to Flying this can attack pretty much all game long.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Salivating Gremlins
Ornithopter
1.0 There aren’t really any shenanigans you can do with Ornithopter in this format, so you mostly don’t play it.
Hazardous Conditions
2.5 So BG likes +1/+1 counters, so the idea here is that you’re only weakening opposing creatures, but that idea quickly disintegrates for two reasons: First, not all of your creatures will have counters, even in a BG deck, and second, your opponent is reasonably likely to have some counters too! And it isn’t like -2/-2 really does enough on all board states anyway. You don’t even always play this in BG, which is a sad thing to say about a signpost uncommon.
Salivating Gremlins
2.5 This will be a 4/3 with Trample on lots of turns, and that’s a relevant body all game long. If you’re really good at making servos, sometimes it will be even bigger!
Cathartic Reunion
1.0 This mostly isn’t worth it. It is just some clunky card selection that asks for significant set up. There isn’t enough of a graveyard theme in the format for it to be more than that.
Consulate Turret
1.0 This format has some nice Energy payoffs. This isn’t one of them. Only hitting players is a big problem, and even though it can just tap to give you energy, it usually doesn’t feel like its worth a card.
Built to Smash
2.0 This is a really nice trick for aggro decks, as +3/+3 for one mana is enough to win just about any combat. When you can give an artifact creature Trample, it feels especially absurd! Obviously, since the trick only works on attackers, you’ve really gotta be the beatdown to take advantage of it.
Conviction
1.0 This Aura just isn’t worth it. The stats boost isn’t great, and being able to return it to your hand doesn’t really help make it much better.
Destructive Tampering
0.5 // 2.5 This looks like something you’d never play in most formats, but two things make this actually an okay card in really aggressive decks. One of these is simply the fact that it often has targets to destroy with the first option, the other is just that turning off (almost) all blockers is often enough for the aggro decks to finish off an opponent who has stabilized. You really only want it in that one deck, but you’re kind of always on the look out for that one copy if that’s what your deck looks like.
Defiant Salvager
1.5 Only being able to sacrifice things at Sorcery speed is rough, even in a format that has a lot of Servos to gobble up.
Eddytrail Hawk
2.5 Giving other stuff flying can have a pretty big impact, and the Hawk can do it twice without any outside help, making it a decent card.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Built to Smash
Pendulum of Patterns
0.5 Yeah, this isn’t really worth it. Early on it gains you some life, but that doesn’t matter a whole lot in this format. Then, later, you can cash it in for a card for a wopping 5 mana. Even in a format that loves artifacts, there isn’t much of a reason to play this thing.
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Revolutionary Rebuff
1.0 This is cheap, but it also isn’t anywhere close to a hard counter, and the fact that it can’t counter artifacts definitely matters in this set.
Built to Smash
2.0 This is a really nice trick for aggro decks, as +3/+3 for one mana is enough to win just about any combat. When you can give an artifact creature Trample, it feels especially absurd! Obviously, since the trick only works on attackers, you’ve really gotta be the beatdown to take advantage of it.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Salivating Gremlins
Universal Solvent
1.5 If you really need Artifacts and/or removal, you can play this, but most of the time you won’t.
Salivating Gremlins
2.5 This will be a 4/3 with Trample on lots of turns, and that’s a relevant body all game long. If you’re really good at making servos, sometimes it will be even bigger!
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Fireforger's Puzzleknot
Fireforger's Puzzleknot
1.5 So, this can kill a couple of X/1s or an X/2 for 4 mana. That’s not exactly incredible, but hey – its an artifact, and that helps elevate it a bit.
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Pack 2 Pick 14: Cathartic Reunion
Cathartic Reunion
1.0 This mostly isn’t worth it. It is just some clunky card selection that asks for significant set up. There isn’t enough of a graveyard theme in the format for it to be more than that.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Demon of Dark Schemes
Demon of Dark Schemes
5.0 This demon has great stats, and while the -2/-2 effect is symmetrical, you get to decide when to play it, and you’ll do it when it benefits you and wrecks your opponent – and even if it does take down some of your stuff, at least you get Energy that the Demon can then use to reanimate one of those creatures! Triple Black is pretty real, and not guaranteed all the time, but this is still a stonecold bomb.
Scrapper Champion
3.0 This guy sure is fragile for a 4-mana creature, but if you get to untap and attack with him, he’s not going to be easy to stop, as a 3/3 with double strike demands your opponnet’s respect all game long, and obviously, it can really get out of control if you make some more energy.
Aether Hub
3.5 This gives you really good fixing, especially because having more energy to use on it really isn’t that hard.
Hungry Flames
4.0 3 mana to kill an X/3 and do 2 damage to your opponent is a great rate.
Peema Outrider
3.5 The choice between a 4-mana 4/4 Trample and a 4-mana 3/3 Trample with a 1/1 Servo token is a good decision to have to make, because either option is giving you a great deal.
Defiant Salvager
1.5 Only being able to sacrifice things at Sorcery speed is rough, even in a format that has a lot of Servos to gobble up.
Salivating Gremlins
2.5 This will be a 4/3 with Trample on lots of turns, and that’s a relevant body all game long. If you’re really good at making servos, sometimes it will be even bigger!
Sky Skiff
2.5 The mana and crew cost here are both quite low, and thanks to Flying this can attack pretty much all game long.
Highspire Artisan
2.5 The two choices you have here are pretty nice. A 3-mana ¼ with Reach can block a lot of stuff all game long while also turning on +1/+1 counter synergies, and a 3-mana 0/3 with Reach that also gives you a 1/1 token isn’t too shabby either.
Conviction
1.0 This Aura just isn’t worth it. The stats boost isn’t great, and being able to return it to your hand doesn’t really help make it much better.
Fen Hauler
2.5 This is a solid finisher for Black decks with a decent number of Artifacts. It is quite large, paying 5 for it is pretty realistic, and it can’t be blacked by a ton of creatures in the format, including most of the creature tokens.
Narnam Cobra
2.5 Like the rest of this cycle, this is reasonably costed, is an artifact, and can gain a useful keyword. In this case, it can trade.
Aether Tradewinds
1.0 This effect is supposed to be here to help you abuse ETB abilities, but it often just isn’t worth going down a card to do this.
Woodweaver's Puzzleknot
1.5 If you’re interested in energy, this can give you 6 all on its own while also gaining you 6 life. That life gain actually matters too, because playing this and sacrificing this is pretty slow, but the life gain does offset that a bit. You won’t play this in any but the most all-in energy decks.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Foundry Screecher
Glimmer of Genius
3.0 Scry 2 + Draw 2 lets you see a large percentage of cards in your small Limited deck, and that’s great – and throwing in Energy definitely matters in this format.
Veteran Motorist
3.5 Most of the time, this will kill your opponent’s best creature and bolt your opponent in the face. If that’s not premium removal, I don’t know what is.
Demolition Stomper
1.0 Most of the vehicles in this set are solid or better. This isn’t one of them. Yeah, its huge when it gets going, but Crew 5 is massive and even if really small creatures can’t block it, its still very chumpable, and takes a lot of set up.
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Eddytrail Hawk
2.5 Giving other stuff flying can have a pretty big impact, and the Hawk can do it twice without any outside help, making it a decent card.
Druid of the Cowl
2.5 This has decent stats and ramps your mana, which makes it a solid card.
Metallic Rebuke
1.0 Even in an artifact deck, this isn’t great. Not being a hard counter gives it diminishing returns as the game goes on.
Foundry Screecher
2.5 This has passable stats to begin with, and becomes a 3/1 flyer for 3 if you have an Artifact, and that’s a pretty legitimate threat in the air.
Night Market Aeronaut
1.5 There is a big difference between a 4-mana 2/2 flyer and a 4-mana 3/3 flyer, and Revolt can be difficult enough to get going that this isn’t that great.
Defiant Salvager
1.5 Only being able to sacrifice things at Sorcery speed is rough, even in a format that has a lot of Servos to gobble up.
Cathartic Reunion
1.0 This mostly isn’t worth it. It is just some clunky card selection that asks for significant set up. There isn’t enough of a graveyard theme in the format for it to be more than that.
Shipwreck Moray
1.0 This probably isn’t the Energy payoff you were looking for. It has really mediocre starting stats, and takes a ton of energy to ever actually do anything.
Glint-Sleeve Artisan
3.0 This is one of White’s best commons. A 3-mana 3/3 or a 3-mana 2/2 and a 1/1 is quite nice, especially because White has lots of ways to pay you off for going wide.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Enraged Giant
Spire Patrol
3.5 This adds a reasonably efficient flyer to the board while locking down your opponent’s best creature for a turn cycle, so it does a great job of helping you stabilize or press an advantage.
Enraged Giant
3.0 If you can cast this for either 4 or 5 mana, you generally feel pretty good about it. 4/4 is pretty nice size in this format.
Veteran Motorist
3.5 Most of the time, this will kill your opponent’s best creature and bolt your opponent in the face. If that’s not premium removal, I don’t know what is.
Subtle Strike
2.5 This can often give you a 2-for-1 for only two mana, and that’s great! It won’t always line up that way, but even when it doesn’t it tends to do a pretty good job of making combat go your way.
Lifecraft Cavalry
2.0 This is kind of alright even when you don’t revolt, and pretty scary when you can. It isn’t terrible top curve.
Eager Construct
1.5 If you need a two drop or an Artifact, you could do worse.
Implement of Examination
2.0 So, you basically pay a total of 4 mana for two cards, which isn’t completely terrible – and you can spread it out over a couple of turns. It is also an artifact, and one that can get Revolt going.
Aether Chaser
3.5 This has great stats to begin with, so adding the ability to make Servo tokens is great. A 2/1 first striker is often relevant pretty much all game, whether you’re the one attacking or blocking, so having that Energy/servo upside is great, especially because going wide is very viable in this set.
Cogworker's Puzzleknot
2.5 This can really help you go wide in a hurry, which is useful for White decks, and it also gives you two artifacts on turn two, which can really help out cards with Improvise.
Maulfist Squad
2.5 Like most of the Fabricate creatures, this is pretty solid, as both options are pretty reasonable. A 4-mana 4/2 with Menace is nice on boards where you are the beat down and your opponent won’t be blocking it any time soon, and 4 mana for a 3/1 and a 1/1 is pretty good when you’re behind.
Fireforger's Puzzleknot
1.5 So, this can kill a couple of X/1s or an X/2 for 4 mana. That’s not exactly incredible, but hey – its an artifact, and that helps elevate it a bit.
Fragmentize
2.0 This is actually mainboardable in this format, as there are plenty of targets for it. In an ideal world, you probably start it in your sideboard in best of 3, though.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Hungry Flames
Era of Innovation
1.0 This looks like it would be a pretty sweet buildaround, but its mostly a dud. The set does have lots of artifacts and artificers, but getting to 6 energy with this is really hard, and it has the problem of not adding to the board in any significant way in the mean time. Sure, if you get to draw those three cards with it you probably win, but by playing a two mana card that doesn’t do anything up front, you are drastically decreasing your chances of lasting long enough to do that in the first place!
Hungry Flames
4.0 3 mana to kill an X/3 and do 2 damage to your opponent is a great rate.
Visionary Augmenter
3.5 With some of these Fabricate creatures, you will pretty frequently choose the +1/+1 counter option – but that’s not true here. A 4-mana 2/1 and two 1/1s is just way better than a 4-mana 4/3, especially in a color that has two nice payoffs for going wide at COMMON (Dawnfeather Eagle and Inspired Charge). But yeah, point is, this card’s very good.
Night Market Aeronaut
1.5 There is a big difference between a 4-mana 2/2 flyer and a 4-mana 3/3 flyer, and Revolt can be difficult enough to get going that this isn’t that great.
Defiant Salvager
1.5 Only being able to sacrifice things at Sorcery speed is rough, even in a format that has a lot of Servos to gobble up.
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Revolutionary Rebuff
1.0 This is cheap, but it also isn’t anywhere close to a hard counter, and the fact that it can’t counter artifacts definitely matters in this set.
Revoke Privileges
4.0 This is a really effective removal spell, capable of completely shutting down a whole lot of cards in the format for only three mana. The fact it stops Crewing from happening is really important.
Built to Smash
2.0 This is a really nice trick for aggro decks, as +3/+3 for one mana is enough to win just about any combat. When you can give an artifact creature Trample, it feels especially absurd! Obviously, since the trick only works on attackers, you’ve really gotta be the beatdown to take advantage of it.
Ornamental Courage
1.0 This isn’t a great trick. The small power boost doesn’t help you win very many combats.
Aether Theorist
2.0 This has decent stats and can improve your draws for no mana – in addition to the fact that it might give you energy to use elsewhere. Its pretty decent.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Aether Chaser
Inventor's Apprentice
1.5 If your deck can have this be a 2/3 reasonably consistently, it is a sort of alright card, as a 2/3 body is at least somewhat relevant even late, but it isn’t exactly blowing your opponent away either.
Illusionist's Stratagem
1.5 This is really situational, though it does feel pretty awesome when you blink two creatures with ETB abilities and draw a card. You’d be surprised how often this does very little, though.
Workshop Assistant
2.0 It isn’t super difficult to have an Artifact in your graveyard for this to return, but because of its mediocre stats, it will mostly just be chump blocking and returning an artifact, which isn’t amazing.
Hinterland Drake
2.5 This has pretty aggressive flying stats, and that’s enough to offset the fact that it can’t block Artifact creatures – it will mostly be attacking anyway.
Herald of the Fair
2.0 This has mediocre stats, but an ETB ability that often lets you attack more effectively. Still, it is pretty replaceable and not remotely impressive.
Die Young
3.0 This is a nice removal spell. At worst, it is two mana to give something -2/-2, and if you have other energy around, it can take down larger things.
Revolutionary Rebuff
1.0 This is cheap, but it also isn’t anywhere close to a hard counter, and the fact that it can’t counter artifacts definitely matters in this set.
Reckless Fireweaver
2.5 This has alright stats and does often chip in a few damage with its ability, especially if you’re making servos.
Eager Construct
1.5 If you need a two drop or an Artifact, you could do worse.
Aether Chaser
3.5 This has great stats to begin with, so adding the ability to make Servo tokens is great. A 2/1 first striker is often relevant pretty much all game, whether you’re the one attacking or blocking, so having that Energy/servo upside is great, especially because going wide is very viable in this set.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Sky Skiff
Siege Modification
1.0 So, this is a crazy swingy card. If you get a vehicle down early and slap this on it, your opponent just dies if they don’t have an answer. Problem is, if they do have that answer, you probably lose as a result of the devastating 2-for-1 you just endured that probably left you with almost no board state. That’s generally too risky for me.
Renegade Wheelsmith
4.0 This card is great. RW is aggressive enough that blanking a blocker when this attacks can often mean game over for your opponent, and its important to note that it also makes things unable to block when it crews Vehicles, which is nice.
Aether Theorist
2.0 This has decent stats and can improve your draws for no mana – in addition to the fact that it might give you energy to use elsewhere. Its pretty decent.
Dukhara Peafowl
2.5 This is an artifact in a set that cares about that, and has decent stats and the ability to gain flying. You’ll play this pretty often in Blue.
Reckless Fireweaver
2.5 This has alright stats and does often chip in a few damage with its ability, especially if you’re making servos.
Self-Assembler
0.5 // 3.0 If you have one Self Assembler, don’t play it. If you manage to get a second one, you’re actually kind of in business. A 5-mana 4/4 isn’t good, but it does draw you another one, and making sure you have those plays on back to back turns is pretty nice. Because of the mana cost running more than 3 probably isn’t a great idea, but chaining those three together is pretty nice, even with mediocre stats.
Aviary Mechanic
2.5 This has a solid baseline as a bear, and its ETB ability actually does something like half the time, and that’s pretty nice.
Sky Skiff
2.5 The mana and crew cost here are both quite low, and thanks to Flying this can attack pretty much all game long.
Workshop Assistant
2.0 It isn’t super difficult to have an Artifact in your graveyard for this to return, but because of its mediocre stats, it will mostly just be chump blocking and returning an artifact, which isn’t amazing.
Welding Sparks
4.0 This is a great Common, one that would be really good even if it always does 3, but will be doing 4+ pretty often.
Bastion Mastodon
2.5 Being an artifact matters in this set, and this offers a decent body that can gain Vigilance. Like the rest of this cycle, Bastion Mastodon is pretty solid.
Workshop Assistant
2.0 It isn’t super difficult to have an Artifact in your graveyard for this to return, but because of its mediocre stats, it will mostly just be chump blocking and returning an artifact, which isn’t amazing.
Consulate Skygate
0.5 Yeah, you mostly won’t play this. It just doesn’t do anything but block, and it doesn’t even do that very well.
Audacious Infiltrator
2.5 This ability comes up more than you might think with all the thopters and servos running around. One of the big downsides about being an X/1 is usually that you die to something like a token, but that’s not a problem here, so it is just a creature with a decent aggressive statline.
Shipwreck Moray
1.0 This probably isn’t the Energy payoff you were looking for. It has really mediocre starting stats, and takes a ton of energy to ever actually do anything.
Alley Strangler
1.5 This has alright stats and an evasive keyword ability. You’ll play it sometimes.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Engineered Might
Engineered Might
2.5 This card is such a bummer as far as signposts go. Luckily, GW has other ways to pump the whole board that are better, because if this was the card that you were counting on to win you the game when you go wide, you’d be in trouble! Being a sorcery for 5 mana is just really rough, and gives your opponent way more information than you’d like. Pumping one creature as a secondary option is alright I guess, but its still a sorcery that can be easily responded to. I don’t think you even always play this in your GW decks, and that’s pretty sad.
Lathnu Sailback
0.5 You’re almost never desperate enough to stick this in your deck. A 5-mana 5/4 just doesn’t do anything in this format.
Weldfast Wingsmith
2.0 This has mediocre starting stats, but it does gain Flying often enough to be a decent inclusion in artifact-heavy decks.
Universal Solvent
1.5 If you really need Artifacts and/or removal, you can play this, but most of the time you won’t.
Fourth Bridge Prowler
1.5 You can play this and kill something with the ETB a decent chunk of the time, but it does tend to get worse as the game goes on.
Propeller Pioneer
3.0 This is another nice card that really gets you going wide, and having the option to make it a 4-mana 3/2 Flyer when that’s what you need is pretty nice.
Druid of the Cowl
2.5 This has decent stats and ramps your mana, which makes it a solid card.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Scrapper Champion
Scrapper Champion
3.0 This guy sure is fragile for a 4-mana creature, but if you get to untap and attack with him, he’s not going to be easy to stop, as a 3/3 with double strike demands your opponnet’s respect all game long, and obviously, it can really get out of control if you make some more energy.
Defiant Salvager
1.5 Only being able to sacrifice things at Sorcery speed is rough, even in a format that has a lot of Servos to gobble up.
Salivating Gremlins
2.5 This will be a 4/3 with Trample on lots of turns, and that’s a relevant body all game long. If you’re really good at making servos, sometimes it will be even bigger!
Highspire Artisan
2.5 The two choices you have here are pretty nice. A 3-mana ¼ with Reach can block a lot of stuff all game long while also turning on +1/+1 counter synergies, and a 3-mana 0/3 with Reach that also gives you a 1/1 token isn’t too shabby either.
Conviction
1.0 This Aura just isn’t worth it. The stats boost isn’t great, and being able to return it to your hand doesn’t really help make it much better.
Woodweaver's Puzzleknot
1.5 If you’re interested in energy, this can give you 6 all on its own while also gaining you 6 life. That life gain actually matters too, because playing this and sacrificing this is pretty slow, but the life gain does offset that a bit. You won’t play this in any but the most all-in energy decks.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Defiant Salvager
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Eddytrail Hawk
2.5 Giving other stuff flying can have a pretty big impact, and the Hawk can do it twice without any outside help, making it a decent card.
Druid of the Cowl
2.5 This has decent stats and ramps your mana, which makes it a solid card.
Defiant Salvager
1.5 Only being able to sacrifice things at Sorcery speed is rough, even in a format that has a lot of Servos to gobble up.
Cathartic Reunion
1.0 This mostly isn’t worth it. It is just some clunky card selection that asks for significant set up. There isn’t enough of a graveyard theme in the format for it to be more than that.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Aether Chaser
Aether Chaser
3.5 This has great stats to begin with, so adding the ability to make Servo tokens is great. A 2/1 first striker is often relevant pretty much all game, whether you’re the one attacking or blocking, so having that Energy/servo upside is great, especially because going wide is very viable in this set.
Cogworker's Puzzleknot
2.5 This can really help you go wide in a hurry, which is useful for White decks, and it also gives you two artifacts on turn two, which can really help out cards with Improvise.
Fireforger's Puzzleknot
1.5 So, this can kill a couple of X/1s or an X/2 for 4 mana. That’s not exactly incredible, but hey – its an artifact, and that helps elevate it a bit.
Fragmentize
2.0 This is actually mainboardable in this format, as there are plenty of targets for it. In an ideal world, you probably start it in your sideboard in best of 3, though.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Built to Smash
Ruinous Gremlin
1.5 This is passable in your main deck because there are enough Artifacts it can target, but you sort of hope you have some better artifact hate.
Revolutionary Rebuff
1.0 This is cheap, but it also isn’t anywhere close to a hard counter, and the fact that it can’t counter artifacts definitely matters in this set.
Built to Smash
2.0 This is a really nice trick for aggro decks, as +3/+3 for one mana is enough to win just about any combat. When you can give an artifact creature Trample, it feels especially absurd! Obviously, since the trick only works on attackers, you’ve really gotta be the beatdown to take advantage of it.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Workshop Assistant
Workshop Assistant
2.0 It isn’t super difficult to have an Artifact in your graveyard for this to return, but because of its mediocre stats, it will mostly just be chump blocking and returning an artifact, which isn’t amazing.
Herald of the Fair
2.0 This has mediocre stats, but an ETB ability that often lets you attack more effectively. Still, it is pretty replaceable and not remotely impressive.
Pack 3 Pick 14: Reckless Fireweaver
Reckless Fireweaver
2.5 This has alright stats and does often chip in a few damage with its ability, especially if you’re making servos.