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Premier Draft MID 9 October 2021

9 October 04:54 - Bails 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (8)
1 Tapping at the Window image
1 Blood Pact image
1 Duel for Dominance image
1 Eaten Alive image
1 Shadowbeast Sighting image
1 Howl of the Hunt image
1 Silver Bolt image
1 Olivia's Midnight Ambush image
Creature (15)
1 Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia image
2 Timberland Guide image
1 Snarling Wolf image
2 Tireless Hauler // Dire-Strain Brawler image
1 Baneblade Scoundrel // Baneclaw Marauder image
1 Morbid Opportunist image
1 Dreadhound image
1 Stromkirk Bloodthief image
1 Vengeful Strangler // Strangling Grasp image
1 Pestilent Wolf image
1 Grizzly Ghoul image
1 Burly Breaker // Dire-Strain Demolisher image
1 Ecstatic Awakener // Awoken Demon image
Land (17)
9 Forest image
8 Swamp image
Sideboard
1 Vampire Interloper image
1 Odric's Outrider image
1 Galedrifter image
1 Malevolent Hermit image
2 Arrogant Outlaw image
1 Storm Skreelix image
1 Ritual Guardian image
1 Voldaren Stinger image
1 Harvesttide Sentry image
1 Crossroads Candleguide image
2 Might of the Old Ways image
1 Heirloom Mirror image
1 Flare of Faith image
1 Stuffed Bear image
1 Immolation image
1 No Way Out image
1 Candletrap image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia
Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia image 3.5 So, this is a two mana 1/1 that will also give you a 2/2 on your end step. That’s a pretty great deal, even if the creature comes with “decayed.” You can just send that 2/2 in every single turn, since you’ll get it back for free. There will definitely be times where a 2/2 Zombie that can’t block isn’t awesome, but there will be lots of times where its pretty nice. If you can find a way to sacrifice it every turn, you’re going to have an engine on your hands!
Cathartic Pyre image 4.0 Two mana for 3 damage is always premium, even on a Sorcery! And this is an Instant! And in a pinch you can also use it to rummage twice! You won’t be choosing that second option a ton, but sometimes that’s what you’ll be doing.
Join the Dance image 3.0 Don’t underestimate the Flashback here. Like a lot of Flashback cards, neither the original cost nor the flashback cost is efficient, but the fact remains that over the course of a normal game of Limited, this will give you 4 tokens for only one card, and that’s pretty nice. Just having the Flashback cost to do in the later part of the game is a nice mana sink too. Obviously, GW is all about going wide too, so it will be extra useful there.
Mysterious Tome image 3.0 This has a really neat design, since it will constantly go back and forth. Both sides of the card have a relatively efficient ability. 2 to draw a card, or 1 to tap down a nonland permanent, is pretty nice! Now, you do pay 3 mana up front for something that often won’t impact the board right away -- and keep in mind even when it transforms it stays tapped, so you can never use both abilities in one turn. You’ll use one or the other, and there will definitely be times where you wish you could just stick on one side of the card. But still, this looks like it will grind out value over the course of a long game, both drawing you cards and either slowing down your opponent or allowing you to pressure them thanks to the tap ability. If this format is really fast, this might nto be great -- but with Flashback and Disturbed, it seems kind of unlikely this format will be super fast.
Jack-o'-Lantern image 1.5 Well, if this set wasn’t screaming “Halloween!” at you already, it is now! This card looks kind of alright for Limited. Exiling a problem card in a graveyard and drawing a card for a total investment of two mana really isn’t that bad, and then it is fixing from your graveyard too, which seems fine. I definitely don’t think you always run this, but it seems like it will be your 23rd card sometimes, especially if you’re interested in the fixing.
Bladebrand image 1.5 This is a reprint, and it is one that is pretty mediocre. Giving death touch + a cantrip is pretty nice in combat, but it is a very narrow card overall because it is only useful in combat. Sure, I guess you can cast it just to cycle it, but that’s pretty rough! There are some silly things you can do with it sometimes, like give death touch to something that is being triple blocked, but a lot of the time you just use this and trade a creature on the table for one in your library. And, while that’s fine, it is certainly not a great card, and not one that makes the cut more than half the time.
Brimstone Vandal image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ with Menace is already something you play a decent chunk of the time, so the addition Night and Day value here is pretty great! On its own, it is a 3-mana ⅔ with Menace, and will do a a bit of damage over the course of the game. This is a quality common.
Eccentric Farmer image 1.5 Lands will end up in your graveyard more often than normal in this format because of self-mill, and the Farmer brings some of that mill with him! You’ll get a land out of this reasonably often, and making sure you hit your next land drop and loading your graveyard has decent value.
Rotten Reunion image 1.5 Hating on a couple graveyard cards and getting a couple of Zombies that can either pressure your opponent or act as sacrifice fodder seems alright for a three mana investment.
Drownyard Amalgam image 2.0 This sets up some graveyard value for you and has a decent defensive body, not to mention an ability that will sometimes help you close out a game. A lot of the time though, it just won’t do enough. Seems reasonable in some controlling decks.
Electric Revelation image 1.5 This is an expensive Tormenting Voice, buts it’s an instant and it has flashback. This format does have a graveyard theme for sure, so discarding cards to cast this isn’t a huge deal. Still, it doesn’t impact the board in any way, and is replaceable overall.
Snarling Wolf image 2.0 Rootwalla is back, albeit in Wolf form! This kind of card tends to feel pretty good early, as your opponent just can’t block it because of the threat of activation, and then the fact it can become a 3/3 keeps it relevant in the later game too. Seems like a solid playable for aggressive Green decks.
Flare of Faith image 2.0 This seems like a decent trick if you’re a White aggro deck with lots of Humans in it. It gives a decent stats boost that will often allow your creature to win combat. Two mana for just +2/+2 is pretty mediocre for a trick, but the Human upside will make it worth running often enough
Galedrifter image 3.0 This isn’t quite a hard counter, but its pretty close, and adding to the board while you counter a thing isn’t bad, even if what you’re adding is a token that can’t block and can only attack once. 55 – Galedrifter – 3.0 A 4-mana 3/2 Flyer is a 1.5, so getting a second body out of this, even if it isn’t the most efficient one when you Disturb it, is going to be some nice additional value.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Odric's Outrider
Odric's Outrider image 3.5 This is pretty good. First, it counts itself dying, so most of the time the Outrider will give you some value, even if he isn’t long for this world. The BW deck is all about sacrificing and the GW deck is all about going wide, partially with tokens, and it is a good fit in either of those decks since creatures will be dying a whole lot. And really, creatures just die all the time in Magic anyway! So yeah, I think the whole package here looks pretty strong, like the kind of engine that can really win you a game, and the floor is pretty reasonable.
Necrosynthesis image 1.5 If this was just an Aura with the “Whenever another creature dies” bit, it would be close to unplayable. It doesn’t give an immediate stats boost, and it doesn’t do anything to mitigate against card disadvantage. However, it comes with an additional effect that does help mitigate against that disadvantage, since it will give you some pretty serious card selection when it dies. It is nice too that it doesn’t look at counters alone, it looks at the creature’s power, and that means you’ll always be netting a card when the thing dies. Now, it does still have the very real downside of not buffing the creature at all at first, but the creature will grow over the course of the game. Still, this isn’t great. Sure it replaces itself, but the effect of the Aura isn’t that great in the first place. Even with Zombies dying left and right, this doesn’t seem worth it.
Heirloom Mirror image 4.0 So, this is not a flip card that does anything with “nightbound” or “daybound,” so it will always be Heirloom Mirror when you first play it. That part of the card isn’t amazing. It lets you rummage and stock your graveyard, and both of those things matter in this format, but if that’s all this was, I have my doubts that it would be worth a slot in your deck. However, what’s nice here, is that you can use the Mirror to help improve your draws and stock your graveyard for a while, and then it can just turn into a straight up win condition! A 4/4 Flyer that can get bigger by exiling things from graveyards is very, very real, and you actually pay a pretty reasonable rate overall -- between casting the MIrror and using the ability three times, and you get a pretty scary threat. I think its really nice that this has an early game mode that can be decently useful, and then turns into a demon.
Morkrut Behemoth image 2.5 The idea here is to sacrifice something to it that isn’t a big deal, like a Zombie token, and if you do that then yeah – a 7/6 with Menace on turn 5 is pretty imposing. You can also just straight up pay 7 for it, which isn’t great but its not a disaster either. This seems like some decent top curve for some Black decks in the format – especially UB and BW – but I think you’ll find you cut it a pretty significant chunk of the time for cards that are just better.
Bird Admirer image 2.5 A 3 mana ¼ with Reach makes the cut reasonably often in most Limited formats, and this will sometimes be a much larger creature. Seems like a solid Common to me! I’m giving it a 2.5.
Jack-o'-Lantern image 1.5 Well, if this set wasn’t screaming “Halloween!” at you already, it is now! This card looks kind of alright for Limited. Exiling a problem card in a graveyard and drawing a card for a total investment of two mana really isn’t that bad, and then it is fixing from your graveyard too, which seems fine. I definitely don’t think you always run this, but it seems like it will be your 23rd card sometimes, especially if you’re interested in the fixing.
Component Collector image 1.5 This has decent stats and an ability that will give you a bit of value, though it certainly isn’t exciting
Arrogant Outlaw image 2.0 When this is just a 3-mana 3/2, it won’t feel great. But sometimes, it will drain the opponent two life, which will feel like you’re getting your mana’s worth. You’ll probably cut this a significant chunk of the time, but playing it isn’t a disaster.
Novice Occultist image 2.5 It won’t always be easy to trade with this and get a 2-for-1 since it’s a ½, so ideally you will sacrifice this to something for value, in which case you don’t really go down a card at all! I could see this ending up as a key common for both BW and UB.
Mounted Dreadknight image 2.0 This has a decent baseline, and sometimes it will be especially big. Not a bad thing to have at the top of your curve.
Clarion Cathars image 2.5 We see this basic card a lot, and its always solid. Two bodies for four mana is nice, and the reasonable stats distributed across them is pretty good.
Locked in the Cemetery image 3.0 So, if this always tapped the thing you attached it to, it would probably be premium removal. Two mana for that effect is pretty great! However, in the early game, making it do that is going to be pretty challenging. By the mid-game it becomes much more doable. Overall, I think having to have a loaded up graveyard to make this work does keep it from being premium, but it still a pretty good Blue common.
Pestilent Wolf image 2.5 That’s a lot of mana to give a bear Deathtouch! Still, it starts out as a two mana 2/2, and has the ability to trade with anything later in the game. Wolf is also a somewhat useful creature type. I think the whole package is probably a 2.5
Pack 1 Pick 3: Eaten Alive
Ludevic, Necrogenius image 3.5 Like a lot of DFCs, this has some great flavor! Its also a pretty good card. A two mana ⅔ that mills you is exactly what a lot of decks in this format will want, since the graveyard can really be abused as a resource. Then, when the game gets late, Ludevic can transform into Olag. The cost to transform is a little steep with double blue and double black, but it is definitely doable. And, as long as you exile at least one thing, Olag will be a 5/5 copy of that card, and that definitely has some potential. It takes a long time to really to get to where you can transform Ludevic, but its nice that he’s useful before his Hubris takes over as a more imposing creature.
Contortionist Troupe image 3.5 This will never have the most efficient stats ever, but the fact that it can be really big in the late game and also be something you cast early is alright. What really makes it interesting though in the Coven mechanic. Because its Power is somewhat customizable, it will be able to make sure that you are triggering Coven reasonably often -- AND it does the Coven thing during your end step, which means it will often be able to give you some value even if your opponent untaps and kills it. Now, you won’t always be able to get Coven going, but it becomes a pretty impressive engine when you can, one that can win you the game if left unchecked.
Unnatural Moonrise image 2.0 The idea here is that if you’re in RG, making it Night is going to transform all of your scary werewolves, and there will certainly be times where that will be devastating! The small stats boost and trample matter too, especially because it can also draw you a card, allowing you to let this card replace itself, which seems especially nice, because sometimes you must go down a card for an effect like this. Then it has Flashback, which means it can happen all over again! Obviously, you have to have lots of creatures who are nightbound for this to really do its job, but because this is RG, it seems pretty likely you’ll have at least 5 of those most drafts without even trying, and that’s probably enough. This looks to have the potential to just end games in some situations. However, it isn’t very good in situations where that’s not the case.
Lambholt Harrier image 2.0 This is a Bear that stays relevant all game long thanks to its ability. Now, that ability is pretty pricey, and you’ll normally only be able to make one thing unable to block, but it is an ability your opponent has to account for in the late game, as making one thing unable to block can really help someone find lethal out of nowhere.
Falkenrath Perforator image 2.5 In a set where this had no synergy at all, this would probably be a 1.5. The stats aren’t good, and the 1 damage just isn’t enough to make up for that. However, this set’s BR archetype has a lot of cards that give you extra effects if your opponent lost life, and this is one way you can make that happen. Plus, its a vampire, and while the tribal themes for vampires aren’t massive int his set, they are still there! I think all of that is enough to bump this up to a solid playable.
Eaten Alive image 3.5 There is a lot of sacrifice fodder int his format, so casting this for only one Black is very real, and the fail case is that you pay 5, which is perfectly fine. Exiling stuff has extra value in the format too.
Tireless Hauler image 3.0 Like with most of the werewolves, just the front side of the card is reasonable – a 4/5 with Vigilance can do some decent work! But it also has its werewolf side, where it has the potential to really dominate a board.
Sungold Barrage image 2.5 This is far from premium removal, as cards with 4 toughness aren’t incredibly common to see on the table. They will be a little more common in this set thanks to DFC creatures, who tend to be larger on one side. It can kill a lot of scary things for sure, but it is too situational to be anything more than solid.
Clarion Cathars image 2.5 We see this basic card a lot, and its always solid. Two bodies for four mana is nice, and the reasonable stats distributed across them is pretty good.
Geistwave image 2.5 This is a neat design for a bounce spell.. Bouncing an opposing nonland permanent for two mana is usually a decent card. It doesn’t give you the value of a whole card unless you use it in response to a trick or something, but it gives you some reasonable tempo and has that blow out upside. Using this to bounce your own thing is actually pretty interesting, since you do net a card, and if what you’re bouncing gives you some value from bouncing it, that’s going to feel pretty good! Especially if you do it in response to removal or something like that. Its probably just a C, but the “bounce your own stuff” upside is very real.
Return to Nature image 0.5 Its nice that this does three different things, making it a more reasonable main deck card, but I’m still pretty skeptical about main decking it on a regular basis. This format has artifacts and enchantments, but not a ton of them, and while exiling something from a graveyard is nice, yo’ure often only getting half a card of value when you do it, since your opponent already cast their spell with flashback or their creature with disturb. I think this should probably still start in your sideboard.
Evolving Wilds image 3.0 This is always really nice fixing, and I tend to like it even more than the rare dual lands here, especially because it throws itself in the graveyard and that definitely matters in this set.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Shadowbeast Sighting
Grizzly Ghoul image 3.0 A 4-mana 4/3 with Trample is already pretty decent, though not incredible, especially for two colors of mana. Still, that’s the baseline of this card. On a lot of turn 4s, creatures go down, so this being a 5/4 or even a 6/5 after a trade isn’t exactly far-fetched. There will also be times where it is just absolutely massive, but don’t count on that happening super often. So yeah, there’s a reasonable baseline here, and a pretty nice ceiling.
Fading Hope image 2.5 One mana to bounce a creature is a pretty nice deal. You don’t trade card-for-card of course, but there is massive tempo to be gained when you bounce something larger. And, the nice thing is, this lets you get a little value back from Scry if you find yourself having to bump something smaller. It is also nice its a cheap spell for UR and for Day/Night purposes.
Burn the Accursed image 2.5 This isn’t exactly premium, but is an instant that kills most stuff, damages your opponent, and even exiles creatures, which certainly matters here.
Consider image 1.5 This format has a spells matter deck in UR and it has various graveyard synergies, so this seems like a decent inclusion. It is a lot like Opt, and that’s not a bad comparison! That said, it is also pretty darn replaceable, especially if you’re not in a deck that cares about the graveyard or spells, and it will often be an easy card to cut in those situations.
Snarling Wolf image 2.0 Rootwalla is back, albeit in Wolf form! This kind of card tends to feel pretty good early, as your opponent just can’t block it because of the threat of activation, and then the fact it can become a 3/3 keeps it relevant in the later game too. Seems like a solid playable for aggressive Green decks.
Homestead Courage image 1.0 This gives a nice, efficient boost twice. It isn’t a boost that always makes a difference, though, and even when it does, I’m not sure it will always feel like you’re getting a full card worth of value. Being cheap to flashback is good for flashback payoffs, and also makes it easy to turn it back into day, and that matters.
Pack's Betrayal image 1.0 Rummaging a few times a came with this seems fine, but not exactly game breaking. It does have decent stats to go along with that ability.
Siege Zombie image 2.0 This seems passable, as in the early game it has alright stats, and in the late game it can be a real source of reach. It can also help you activate cards that give you a bonus if an opponent has lost life. Still, it does ask for a lot to make the opponent lose that 1 life, and it just won’t always be doable.
Might of the Old Ways image 2.0 This looks like a decent enough trick. Two mana for +2/+2 isn’t incredible, but when you can make the Coven thing happen, it turns into a draw spell, which will often mean a 2-for-1. You’ll end up playing this in aggressive Green decks.
Crossroads Candleguide image 1.0 You’ll play it you’re desperate for a creature or fixing, but you really hope you don’t have to, because it doesn’t do either thing particularly well.
Shadowbeast Sighting image 3.0 This is decently efficient when you first cast it, and when you cast it the second time you’re going to be getting a 2-for-1.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Vampire Interloper
Curse of Shaken Faith image 0.5 This isn’t really here for Limited. The effect it has won’t come up enough for it to be worth it. All it does is damage too, and doing damage alone and not adding to the board in any way is very rarely worth it in Limited. This does have sideboard potential, to be used against someone going crazy with Flashback or Disturb, but that’s about it. Even then, its unlikely they have enough for this to punish them enough.
Delver of Secrets image 1.0 // 3.0 Obviously, this is a multi-format all star in constructed and one of the best creatures ever printed. This is because in constructed, you can make a deck where it is trivially easy to flip this, effectively making it a one mana 3/2 with Flying. In Limited that’s...not going to be quite as easy. Even a spell deck that really gets there probably has 10 Instants and Sorceries, so yeah. It will usually take a few triggers to flip. The good news is, a 3/2 Flyer is relevant pretty much all game long, so even if you play this on turn one and it doesn’t flip until turn 4, you’re going to feel okay about it. Thing is, though, if you’ve just got like 3-5 spells, this is unplayable. I think this needs a buildaround grade as a result. It is probably going to be a D or worse in your typical Blue deck, but if you 10+ Instants and Sorceries, it is a quality card.
Hungry for More image 2.5 For a total investment of 5 mana, you get 6/2 worth of stats with a whole bunch of keyword abilities. Those creatures of course die at the end of your end step, but the life swing they will allow for will often make it a pretty reasonable deal. You also won’t always (or even usually) trade one of these vampires for a card, so in a way you’re sort of Lava Axing your opponent here, though obviously it is significantly better than that! There are some other useful synergies too -- the vampire creature type for one thing, and the fact that you can use the tokens for fodder in your second main phase. Still, even with all of that in mind, I don’t feel like this is a signpost Uncommon that really pulls you into its color pair. In fact, I don’t think it gets particularly close to getting there.
No Way Out image 1.0 Tacking a Decay zombie on to Mind Rot isn’t that great, especially in a format where people will happily discard many of their cards.
Candletrap image 3.0 This is pretty cheap removal. Before you get Coven online, it definitely isn’t great removal, because allowing the creature to still block is usually not what you want to be doing. It can’t do damage at least, but it still a presence on the board, and that means you aren’t trading a full 1-for-1. But its nice than in the later game, you can just get rid of that creature entirely. Still, it is probably a little too slow and clunky to be premium.
Ritual Guardian image 2.0 If this was a 3-mana 3/2 that always had Lifelink, it would probably be a 2.5 or 3.0. The fact this won’t always have it, and in fact probably won’t have it a decent chunk of the time, makes this significanlty worse than that, because a 3-mana 3/2 is just an ugly stat line these days.
Lambholt Harrier image 2.0 This is a Bear that stays relevant all game long thanks to its ability. Now, that ability is pretty pricey, and you’ll normally only be able to make one thing unable to block, but it is an ability your opponent has to account for in the late game, as making one thing unable to block can really help someone find lethal out of nowhere.
Vampire Interloper image 2.5 This has nice aggressive stats, and looks like a decent enabler for all the Black-Red cards that care about your opponent losing life.
Path to the Festival image 2.0 This is pretty clunky since it doesn't add to the board at all. It can do it again from the graveyard though, which can potentially really turbo your mana. It is also reasonable fixing, and if you're splashing a third color, that Scry will be nice.
Flare of Faith image 2.0 This seems like a decent trick if you’re a White aggro deck with lots of Humans in it. It gives a decent stats boost that will often allow your creature to win combat. Two mana for just +2/+2 is pretty mediocre for a trick, but the Human upside will make it worth running often enough
Pack 1 Pick 6: Galedrifter
Hallowed Respite image 1.0 This being a sorcery is a pretty huge bummer. It takes away part of the advantage of blink/flicker effects, which is casting them after blocking or in response to removal. You can still use this to remove an Aura from one of your creatures, but that’s pretty narrow. Mostly, this has two modes, and they are both pretty unexciting. One of them lets you make your creature bigger and rebuy an ETB ability if the creature has one, and the other lets you tap down an opposing creature – which hopefully won’t have an ETB ability or something. You can use it to reset Disturb creatures, but I’m still not feeling it.
Arcane Infusion image 2.0 This is UR’s signpost uncommon, and it tells you that you want to jam a ton of instants and sorceries into your deck. If you can do that, you end up with something pretty nice. If you can’t do that, this will be pretty ugly, because you can’t really afford to wiff with it on either activation. Still, getting 10ish spells is pretty doable, especially in UR. Over the course of a game, you can end up getting a 2-for-1 thanks to the Flashback too! I could give it a build around grade, but I think that UR decks will naturally find themselves with the right composition often enough that we don’t need to go there. That said, it also isn’t a signpost uncommon that pulls you into the color pair, either.
Geistwave image 2.5 This is a neat design for a bounce spell.. Bouncing an opposing nonland permanent for two mana is usually a decent card. It doesn’t give you the value of a whole card unless you use it in response to a trick or something, but it gives you some reasonable tempo and has that blow out upside. Using this to bounce your own thing is actually pretty interesting, since you do net a card, and if what you’re bouncing gives you some value from bouncing it, that’s going to feel pretty good! Especially if you do it in response to removal or something like that. Its probably just a C, but the “bounce your own stuff” upside is very real.
Consider image 1.5 This format has a spells matter deck in UR and it has various graveyard synergies, so this seems like a decent inclusion. It is a lot like Opt, and that’s not a bad comparison! That said, it is also pretty darn replaceable, especially if you’re not in a deck that cares about the graveyard or spells, and it will often be an easy card to cut in those situations.
Electric Revelation image 1.5 This is an expensive Tormenting Voice, buts it’s an instant and it has flashback. This format does have a graveyard theme for sure, so discarding cards to cast this isn’t a huge deal. Still, it doesn’t impact the board in any way, and is replaceable overall.
Galedrifter image 3.0 This isn’t quite a hard counter, but its pretty close, and adding to the board while you counter a thing isn’t bad, even if what you’re adding is a token that can’t block and can only attack once. 55 – Galedrifter – 3.0 A 4-mana 3/2 Flyer is a 1.5, so getting a second body out of this, even if it isn’t the most efficient one when you Disturb it, is going to be some nice additional value.
Howl of the Hunt image 2.5 This kind of card pretty much always performs. Combat tricks and Auras both have some pretty serious problems. The chief one is that you can get totally blown out if you’re not careful. However, Auras with Flash tend to play reasonably well every time we see them, provided they are reasonably costed, and I think this one is. You have to be careful about when you play it of course, but if your opponent has no way to interact, this is basically a combat trick that takes something down, and then the Aura itself sticks around. The fact it works this way helps you mitigate the potential card disadvantage, since you’ll use the Aura to help you kill something up front. The werewolf upside here matters too. You usually want to be the aggressor with a trick, but giving your Wolf or Werewolf pseudo-vigilance is pretty nice, and having the option to ambush block is okay too.
Lambholt Harrier image 2.0 This is a Bear that stays relevant all game long thanks to its ability. Now, that ability is pretty pricey, and you’ll normally only be able to make one thing unable to block, but it is an ability your opponent has to account for in the late game, as making one thing unable to block can really help someone find lethal out of nowhere.
Blood Pact image 2.0 Its nice this is an Instant, it makes it a lot more palatable that it is. Instant speed Divination for three mana is pretty nice, and most Black decks will play the first copy of this. In a pinch, you can also use it to do 2 to your opponent, either to finish them off or trigger a bunch of your pseudo-bloodthirst effects, but mostly you’ll want to be drawing the cards.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Might of the Old Ways
Necrosynthesis image 1.5 If this was just an Aura with the “Whenever another creature dies” bit, it would be close to unplayable. It doesn’t give an immediate stats boost, and it doesn’t do anything to mitigate against card disadvantage. However, it comes with an additional effect that does help mitigate against that disadvantage, since it will give you some pretty serious card selection when it dies. It is nice too that it doesn’t look at counters alone, it looks at the creature’s power, and that means you’ll always be netting a card when the thing dies. Now, it does still have the very real downside of not buffing the creature at all at first, but the creature will grow over the course of the game. Still, this isn’t great. Sure it replaces itself, but the effect of the Aura isn’t that great in the first place. Even with Zombies dying left and right, this doesn’t seem worth it.
Thraben Exorcism image 0.5 Against some opponents this will feel really good -- namely, against UW -- but against other decks it just won’t have targets often enough to be worth it.
Electric Revelation image 1.5 This is an expensive Tormenting Voice, buts it’s an instant and it has flashback. This format does have a graveyard theme for sure, so discarding cards to cast this isn’t a huge deal. Still, it doesn’t impact the board in any way, and is replaceable overall.
Celestus Sanctifier image 2.0 If you are changing between night and day a lot, this gives you some decent card selection, and even lets you load the graveyard a bit -- like with Flashback or Disturb cards. That said, it has mediocre stats, and the ability isn’t incredible, and it won’t always be easy to get going in the first place.
Abandon the Post image 0.0 // 2.5 I’m not a huge fan of this type of card, mostly because it basically does nothing unless you win the game with it. That said, if you have six mana available to cast it both times in a single turn, it does stand a pretty good chance of stealing a win out of nowhere. A card like this is soo all-in on aggro though that I think we do need to give it a buildaround grade If you are an aggro deck, you’ll probably play one copy of this and feel alright about it. Otherwise you pretty much can’t play it.
Might of the Old Ways image 2.0 This looks like a decent enough trick. Two mana for +2/+2 isn’t incredible, but when you can make the Coven thing happen, it turns into a draw spell, which will often mean a 2-for-1. You’ll end up playing this in aggressive Green decks.
Path to the Festival image 2.0 This is pretty clunky since it doesn't add to the board at all. It can do it again from the graveyard though, which can potentially really turbo your mana. It is also reasonable fixing, and if you're splashing a third color, that Scry will be nice.
Pack's Betrayal image 1.0 Rummaging a few times a came with this seems fine, but not exactly game breaking. It does have decent stats to go along with that ability.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Timberland Guide
Field of Ruin image 0.0 We see this a lot, and it’s a card they print mostly to be used in constructed to hate on powerful lands. This format doesn’t really have those, so it isn’t worth playing. And yeah, it fixes for you, but you know what else does that doesn’t also fix for your opponent? Just playing a land that can produce mana that is in one of your colors!
Timberland Guide image 3.0 This is a reprint, and even if it wasn’t, we see cards like this a lot, and I also like them a decent amount. They are nice as two drops, as they can be two mana 2/2s, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more relevant. There isn’t a +1/+1 counter deck in this format, but the counter this guy brings with him can really help you set up Coven, since you add him to the board and put the counter somewhere else, and you’re already 2/3 of the way there!
Rotten Reunion image 1.5 Hating on a couple graveyard cards and getting a couple of Zombies that can either pressure your opponent or act as sacrifice fodder seems alright for a three mana investment.
Abandon the Post image 0.0 // 2.5 I’m not a huge fan of this type of card, mostly because it basically does nothing unless you win the game with it. That said, if you have six mana available to cast it both times in a single turn, it does stand a pretty good chance of stealing a win out of nowhere. A card like this is soo all-in on aggro though that I think we do need to give it a buildaround grade If you are an aggro deck, you’ll probably play one copy of this and feel alright about it. Otherwise you pretty much can’t play it.
Jack-o'-Lantern image 1.5 Well, if this set wasn’t screaming “Halloween!” at you already, it is now! This card looks kind of alright for Limited. Exiling a problem card in a graveyard and drawing a card for a total investment of two mana really isn’t that bad, and then it is fixing from your graveyard too, which seems fine. I definitely don’t think you always run this, but it seems like it will be your 23rd card sometimes, especially if you’re interested in the fixing.
Path to the Festival image 2.0 This is pretty clunky since it doesn't add to the board at all. It can do it again from the graveyard though, which can potentially really turbo your mana. It is also reasonable fixing, and if you're splashing a third color, that Scry will be nice.
Unruly Mob image 2.0 This is a reprint from our other two visits to Innistrad, and it wasn’t very good either time -- a 1.5 at best! It does grow as the game goes on, but it starts really small and grows pretty slowly. Only growing when your creatures die is tricky too. However, this will probably be better in this format than we’ve seen in the past, mostly because BW is a sacrifice deck this time around, and that combos pretty well with the Mob. The GW deck has lots of tokens too, so yeah, I think maybe this ends up being a solid playable this time around.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Snarling Wolf
Bladebrand image 1.5 This is a reprint, and it is one that is pretty mediocre. Giving death touch + a cantrip is pretty nice in combat, but it is a very narrow card overall because it is only useful in combat. Sure, I guess you can cast it just to cycle it, but that’s pretty rough! There are some silly things you can do with it sometimes, like give death touch to something that is being triple blocked, but a lot of the time you just use this and trade a creature on the table for one in your library. And, while that’s fine, it is certainly not a great card, and not one that makes the cut more than half the time.
Rotten Reunion image 1.5 Hating on a couple graveyard cards and getting a couple of Zombies that can either pressure your opponent or act as sacrifice fodder seems alright for a three mana investment.
Drownyard Amalgam image 2.0 This sets up some graveyard value for you and has a decent defensive body, not to mention an ability that will sometimes help you close out a game. A lot of the time though, it just won’t do enough. Seems reasonable in some controlling decks.
Electric Revelation image 1.5 This is an expensive Tormenting Voice, buts it’s an instant and it has flashback. This format does have a graveyard theme for sure, so discarding cards to cast this isn’t a huge deal. Still, it doesn’t impact the board in any way, and is replaceable overall.
Snarling Wolf image 2.0 Rootwalla is back, albeit in Wolf form! This kind of card tends to feel pretty good early, as your opponent just can’t block it because of the threat of activation, and then the fact it can become a 3/3 keeps it relevant in the later game too. Seems like a solid playable for aggressive Green decks.
Flare of Faith image 2.0 This seems like a decent trick if you’re a White aggro deck with lots of Humans in it. It gives a decent stats boost that will often allow your creature to win combat. Two mana for just +2/+2 is pretty mediocre for a trick, but the Human upside will make it worth running often enough
Pack 1 Pick 10: Heirloom Mirror
Heirloom Mirror image 4.0 So, this is not a flip card that does anything with “nightbound” or “daybound,” so it will always be Heirloom Mirror when you first play it. That part of the card isn’t amazing. It lets you rummage and stock your graveyard, and both of those things matter in this format, but if that’s all this was, I have my doubts that it would be worth a slot in your deck. However, what’s nice here, is that you can use the Mirror to help improve your draws and stock your graveyard for a while, and then it can just turn into a straight up win condition! A 4/4 Flyer that can get bigger by exiling things from graveyards is very, very real, and you actually pay a pretty reasonable rate overall -- between casting the MIrror and using the ability three times, and you get a pretty scary threat. I think its really nice that this has an early game mode that can be decently useful, and then turns into a demon.
Jack-o'-Lantern image 1.5 Well, if this set wasn’t screaming “Halloween!” at you already, it is now! This card looks kind of alright for Limited. Exiling a problem card in a graveyard and drawing a card for a total investment of two mana really isn’t that bad, and then it is fixing from your graveyard too, which seems fine. I definitely don’t think you always run this, but it seems like it will be your 23rd card sometimes, especially if you’re interested in the fixing.
Component Collector image 1.5 This has decent stats and an ability that will give you a bit of value, though it certainly isn’t exciting
Novice Occultist image 2.5 It won’t always be easy to trade with this and get a 2-for-1 since it’s a ½, so ideally you will sacrifice this to something for value, in which case you don’t really go down a card at all! I could see this ending up as a key common for both BW and UB.
Mounted Dreadknight image 2.0 This has a decent baseline, and sometimes it will be especially big. Not a bad thing to have at the top of your curve.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Tireless Hauler
Lambholt Harrier image 2.0 This is a Bear that stays relevant all game long thanks to its ability. Now, that ability is pretty pricey, and you’ll normally only be able to make one thing unable to block, but it is an ability your opponent has to account for in the late game, as making one thing unable to block can really help someone find lethal out of nowhere.
Tireless Hauler image 3.0 Like with most of the werewolves, just the front side of the card is reasonable – a 4/5 with Vigilance can do some decent work! But it also has its werewolf side, where it has the potential to really dominate a board.
Clarion Cathars image 2.5 We see this basic card a lot, and its always solid. Two bodies for four mana is nice, and the reasonable stats distributed across them is pretty good.
Return to Nature image 0.5 Its nice that this does three different things, making it a more reasonable main deck card, but I’m still pretty skeptical about main decking it on a regular basis. This format has artifacts and enchantments, but not a ton of them, and while exiling something from a graveyard is nice, yo’ure often only getting half a card of value when you do it, since your opponent already cast their spell with flashback or their creature with disturb. I think this should probably still start in your sideboard.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Might of the Old Ways
Snarling Wolf image 2.0 Rootwalla is back, albeit in Wolf form! This kind of card tends to feel pretty good early, as your opponent just can’t block it because of the threat of activation, and then the fact it can become a 3/3 keeps it relevant in the later game too. Seems like a solid playable for aggressive Green decks.
Pack's Betrayal image 1.0 Rummaging a few times a came with this seems fine, but not exactly game breaking. It does have decent stats to go along with that ability.
Might of the Old Ways image 2.0 This looks like a decent enough trick. Two mana for +2/+2 isn’t incredible, but when you can make the Coven thing happen, it turns into a draw spell, which will often mean a 2-for-1. You’ll end up playing this in aggressive Green decks.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Flare of Faith
Lambholt Harrier image 2.0 This is a Bear that stays relevant all game long thanks to its ability. Now, that ability is pretty pricey, and you’ll normally only be able to make one thing unable to block, but it is an ability your opponent has to account for in the late game, as making one thing unable to block can really help someone find lethal out of nowhere.
Flare of Faith image 2.0 This seems like a decent trick if you’re a White aggro deck with lots of Humans in it. It gives a decent stats boost that will often allow your creature to win combat. Two mana for just +2/+2 is pretty mediocre for a trick, but the Human upside will make it worth running often enough
Pack 1 Pick 14: Howl of the Hunt
Howl of the Hunt image 2.5 This kind of card pretty much always performs. Combat tricks and Auras both have some pretty serious problems. The chief one is that you can get totally blown out if you’re not careful. However, Auras with Flash tend to play reasonably well every time we see them, provided they are reasonably costed, and I think this one is. You have to be careful about when you play it of course, but if your opponent has no way to interact, this is basically a combat trick that takes something down, and then the Aura itself sticks around. The fact it works this way helps you mitigate the potential card disadvantage, since you’ll use the Aura to help you kill something up front. The werewolf upside here matters too. You usually want to be the aggressor with a trick, but giving your Wolf or Werewolf pseudo-vigilance is pretty nice, and having the option to ambush block is okay too.
Pack 2 Pick 1: Baneblade Scoundrel
Angelfire Ignition image 3.5 This is pretty spicy! It isn’t really a combat trick because it’s a sorcery, but when you find a window to cast this, it is going to make any creature you use it on into a big problem. Even if your opponent can just block it, it is indestructible and has lifelink so you get some value. And that’s the fail case here, frequently it will make a creature into a big problem. And then you can flash it back, so the nightmare isn’t over for your opponent! You do have to be very careful about when you use it to avoid getting 2-for-1’d, but the ceiling is pretty insane.
Arcane Infusion image 2.0 This is UR’s signpost uncommon, and it tells you that you want to jam a ton of instants and sorceries into your deck. If you can do that, you end up with something pretty nice. If you can’t do that, this will be pretty ugly, because you can’t really afford to wiff with it on either activation. Still, getting 10ish spells is pretty doable, especially in UR. Over the course of a game, you can end up getting a 2-for-1 thanks to the Flashback too! I could give it a build around grade, but I think that UR decks will naturally find themselves with the right composition often enough that we don’t need to go there. That said, it also isn’t a signpost uncommon that pulls you into the color pair, either.
Ritual of Hope image 1.0 // 3.0 This is a nice payoff for going wide, especially if you can get Coven going, since it becomes Inspired Charge for half the cost! The good news is, by the time a card like this tends to be useful, you’re reasonably likely to have Coven online, since you’ll have to have a board with several different creatures on it, and those several different creatures are likely to have 3 or more powers among them. Obviously, you won’t be playing this other than in fairly aggressive decks, but it seems like a nice pump spell for them.
Baneblade Scoundrel image 4.0 This looks really good. If this wasn’t a werewolf, I think Baneblade Scoundrel would be a very nice card. A 4-mana 4/3 that really makes blocking more difficult for your opponent is something I would definitely be on board with, but the fact it turns into a werewolf sometimes -- or, if its night already -- just enters the battlefield as a werewolf -- is pretty awesome. Especially because that Werewolf is bigger and also makes blocking even more difficult for your opponent! This is a high quality Uncommon.
Sungold Barrage image 2.5 This is far from premium removal, as cards with 4 toughness aren’t incredibly common to see on the table. They will be a little more common in this set thanks to DFC creatures, who tend to be larger on one side. It can kill a lot of scary things for sure, but it is too situational to be anything more than solid.
Tireless Hauler image 3.0 Like with most of the werewolves, just the front side of the card is reasonable – a 4/5 with Vigilance can do some decent work! But it also has its werewolf side, where it has the potential to really dominate a board.
Pestilent Wolf image 2.5 That’s a lot of mana to give a bear Deathtouch! Still, it starts out as a two mana 2/2, and has the ability to trade with anything later in the game. Wolf is also a somewhat useful creature type. I think the whole package is probably a 2.5
No Way Out image 1.0 Tacking a Decay zombie on to Mind Rot isn’t that great, especially in a format where people will happily discard many of their cards.
Path to the Festival image 2.0 This is pretty clunky since it doesn't add to the board at all. It can do it again from the graveyard though, which can potentially really turbo your mana. It is also reasonable fixing, and if you're splashing a third color, that Scry will be nice.
Diregraf Horde image 3.0 This is an interesting use of these new Decayed Zombies. Obviously, if this was a 5-mana ¾ that made two 2/2 Zombies and exiled stuff from graveyards it would be like a B+. That’s just a whole lot of bodies for a good cost. To evaluate this card we have to figure out how much worse these Decayed zombies are from your normal tokens. And uh, yeah -- they are substantially worse for sure. They can’t block, so this card won’t stabilize you quite as effectively as other cards like it can, and they can only attack once. But still, imagine this was a 5-mana ¾ that gave you single 2/2 Zombie. That’s still a very nice card for Limited! And that’s probably about what this will feel like. The extra bodies will feel great as sacrifice fodder, or if you have Zombie synergy, too.
Burn the Accursed image 2.5 This isn’t exactly premium, but is an instant that kills most stuff, damages your opponent, and even exiles creatures, which certainly matters here.
Candlelit Cavalry image 2.5 On a base level, this is a 5-mana 5/5, something that makes the cut in some Green decks anyway, and it will gain trample sometimes. Seems decent enough.
Shipwreck Sifters image 1.5 A two mana ½ who loots is fine, and this one can get bigger. I don’t think you’ll want to discard a spirit or a card with Disturb to it all that often, since the power of those cards is often in the fact that you get the two bodies, but you’ll discard those things sometimes and it’ll get bigger.
Soul-Guide Gryff image 2.5 This has decent Flying stats, and exiling a card with Flashback or Disturb is pretty relevant in the format.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Malevolent Hermit
Malevolent Hermit image 3.5 This looks pretty good. On the front, it has passable stats and a very real activated ability that will often interfere with how your opponent wants to play the game, and then once he trades for something or counters a spell, he comes back as a Wind Drake. The fact your stuff can’t be countered isn’t huge in Limited, but it is some significant upside on a very nice card.
Necrosynthesis image 1.5 If this was just an Aura with the “Whenever another creature dies” bit, it would be close to unplayable. It doesn’t give an immediate stats boost, and it doesn’t do anything to mitigate against card disadvantage. However, it comes with an additional effect that does help mitigate against that disadvantage, since it will give you some pretty serious card selection when it dies. It is nice too that it doesn’t look at counters alone, it looks at the creature’s power, and that means you’ll always be netting a card when the thing dies. Now, it does still have the very real downside of not buffing the creature at all at first, but the creature will grow over the course of the game. Still, this isn’t great. Sure it replaces itself, but the effect of the Aura isn’t that great in the first place. Even with Zombies dying left and right, this doesn’t seem worth it.
Lunar Frenzy image 2.5 This seems like a solid trick for aggro decks. For one Red, it can give first Strike and Trample, and sometimes that’s all you need! But if you have extra mana lying around, it can turn a situation into a nightmare for your opponent, since it will allow pretty much any creature to win combat and do significant damage. The fact it is customizable is quite nice! Still, its a trick -- and those tend to only be worth it in really aggressive decks, and even then can be risky.
Fading Hope image 2.5 One mana to bounce a creature is a pretty nice deal. You don’t trade card-for-card of course, but there is massive tempo to be gained when you bounce something larger. And, the nice thing is, this lets you get a little value back from Scry if you find yourself having to bump something smaller. It is also nice its a cheap spell for UR and for Day/Night purposes.
Otherworldly Gaze image 0.5 Loading the graveyard is important in this format, its true, but a card that pretty much only does that, while giving you some card selection, isn’t something I’m interested in. You never get the card back. There are so many cards that load the graveyard while doing actual other things!
Component Collector image 1.5 This has decent stats and an ability that will give you a bit of value, though it certainly isn’t exciting
Pestilent Wolf image 2.5 That’s a lot of mana to give a bear Deathtouch! Still, it starts out as a two mana 2/2, and has the ability to trade with anything later in the game. Wolf is also a somewhat useful creature type. I think the whole package is probably a 2.5
Clarion Cathars image 2.5 We see this basic card a lot, and its always solid. Two bodies for four mana is nice, and the reasonable stats distributed across them is pretty good.
Evolving Wilds image 3.0 This is always really nice fixing, and I tend to like it even more than the rare dual lands here, especially because it throws itself in the graveyard and that definitely matters in this set.
No Way Out image 1.0 Tacking a Decay zombie on to Mind Rot isn’t that great, especially in a format where people will happily discard many of their cards.
Baithook Angler image 3.0 This looks like a nice Common. A two mana 2/1 can trade with lots of stuff, and then the fact that you can get another reasonably costed body out of your graveyard is pretty amazing. I mean, that’s 4 mana for a 2/1 and a ½ Flyer. And sure, you don’t get the bodies at the same time, but that’s still a pretty nice card.
Candlelit Cavalry image 2.5 On a base level, this is a 5-mana 5/5, something that makes the cut in some Green decks anyway, and it will gain trample sometimes. Seems decent enough.
Mounted Dreadknight image 2.0 This has a decent baseline, and sometimes it will be especially big. Not a bad thing to have at the top of your curve.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Morbid Opportunist
Flame Channeler image 2.5 So, in Limited, you generally just won’t have enough spells that do damage for this to be super easy to transform. It is still a two mana 2/2 with the upside of becoming a 3/3, but then you have to cast more burn spells to actually get more than just the 3/3. This definitely feels more like a constructed card than a Limited card because of those limitations.
Morbid Opportunist image 3.5 Drawing when a creature dies is nice, even if they did cap this at only once a turn. The stat line here is pretty ugly, but I think the Opportunist could be a very real engine, especially if you have some Zombie tokens around, trading those in recklessly for cards is going to feel pretty good.
Storm Skreelix image 3.0 This is a pretty nice signpost for Blue Red, as it is simultaneously a cost reduction effect for spells and a win condition for those spell decks. It will often be a 4/4, especially in a set with flashback! It seems strong enough to me that it can pull you into its colors and is worth a first pick sometimes.
Howl of the Hunt image 2.5 This kind of card pretty much always performs. Combat tricks and Auras both have some pretty serious problems. The chief one is that you can get totally blown out if you’re not careful. However, Auras with Flash tend to play reasonably well every time we see them, provided they are reasonably costed, and I think this one is. You have to be careful about when you play it of course, but if your opponent has no way to interact, this is basically a combat trick that takes something down, and then the Aura itself sticks around. The fact it works this way helps you mitigate the potential card disadvantage, since you’ll use the Aura to help you kill something up front. The werewolf upside here matters too. You usually want to be the aggressor with a trick, but giving your Wolf or Werewolf pseudo-vigilance is pretty nice, and having the option to ambush block is okay too.
Soul-Guide Gryff image 2.5 This has decent Flying stats, and exiling a card with Flashback or Disturb is pretty relevant in the format.
Crossroads Candleguide image 1.0 You’ll play it you’re desperate for a creature or fixing, but you really hope you don’t have to, because it doesn’t do either thing particularly well.
Neonate's Rush image 2.5 When you manage to kill a creature with this, it is going to feel incredible. When you can’t, this is less true. However, it is an enabler for all the pseudo-bloodthirst in the format and it replaces itself, AND it will often only cost two mana, making the outcome a lot more palatable.
Diregraf Horde image 3.0 This is an interesting use of these new Decayed Zombies. Obviously, if this was a 5-mana ¾ that made two 2/2 Zombies and exiled stuff from graveyards it would be like a B+. That’s just a whole lot of bodies for a good cost. To evaluate this card we have to figure out how much worse these Decayed zombies are from your normal tokens. And uh, yeah -- they are substantially worse for sure. They can’t block, so this card won’t stabilize you quite as effectively as other cards like it can, and they can only attack once. But still, imagine this was a 5-mana ¾ that gave you single 2/2 Zombie. That’s still a very nice card for Limited! And that’s probably about what this will feel like. The extra bodies will feel great as sacrifice fodder, or if you have Zombie synergy, too.
Duel for Dominance image 2.5 This isn’t going to be premium removal. It will simply be 1G to Fight often enough that it just can’t get there. When you do get the +1/+1 bonus it will feel good for sure, and if it always did that, it would be premium, but as it is, I think it falls short of that designation. Its still decent Green removal of course, but not the kind you go after super hard.
Voldaren Stinger image 2.0 Your opponent does have to respect this as an attacker if you have the mana up, so this gives you a good way to chip in for one damage to activate your Bloodthirst stuff.
Locked in the Cemetery image 3.0 So, if this always tapped the thing you attached it to, it would probably be premium removal. Two mana for that effect is pretty great! However, in the early game, making it do that is going to be pretty challenging. By the mid-game it becomes much more doable. Overall, I think having to have a loaded up graveyard to make this work does keep it from being premium, but it still a pretty good Blue common.
Bird Admirer image 2.5 A 3 mana ¼ with Reach makes the cut reasonably often in most Limited formats, and this will sometimes be a much larger creature. Seems like a solid Common to me! I’m giving it a 2.5.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Dreadhound
Moonsilver Key image 2.5 This gives you fixing, and one is often in the market for that in Limited, since splashing bombs is usually a good idea. You won’t have many artifacts to get with the Key, though there are a few of them.
Dreadhound image 3.5 This looks like some nice top curve to have around. It brings decent stats, and milling three cards can help you out a ton in this format -- and Dreadhound itself loves it, since each creature that is milled by that trigger will make your opponent lose one life. Players will be milling themselves in this format and creatures are going to be dying, so the Dreadhounds ability to slowly bleed the player is pretty darn powerful. Especially in the BR deck, which can do all sorts of extra stuff if it makes the player lose life. This seems like a six drop that is a very real win condition.
Burly Breaker image 3.0 This thing is pretty burly for the cost whether it is night or day, and adding Ward to the mix makes it so even if your opponent has removal, you’re going to make it a little more challenging for them. Ward 3 on the nightbound side is especially nice. This seems like a great top-curve card for Green decks in the format.
Stuffed Bear image 1.0 This set doesn’t have much of an Artifact theme. If it did, the BEar would be a little more interesting. As it is, it is a creature that you have to pay mana for every turn to actually make into a creature. And, while that activation isn’t so bad the first time around, you eventually end up having to pay a ton of mana for this to actually be a card on the board that matters, and I don’t really think you want to be doing that.
Celestus Sanctifier image 2.0 If you are changing between night and day a lot, this gives you some decent card selection, and even lets you load the graveyard a bit -- like with Flashback or Disturb cards. That said, it has mediocre stats, and the ability isn’t incredible, and it won’t always be easy to get going in the first place.
Tapping at the Window image 2.5 This gives some decent card selection while also loading your graveyard, and you end up with a 2-for-1 after you cast it the second time – and you’ve also seen a ton of cards!
Geistwave image 2.5 This is a neat design for a bounce spell.. Bouncing an opposing nonland permanent for two mana is usually a decent card. It doesn’t give you the value of a whole card unless you use it in response to a trick or something, but it gives you some reasonable tempo and has that blow out upside. Using this to bounce your own thing is actually pretty interesting, since you do net a card, and if what you’re bouncing gives you some value from bouncing it, that’s going to feel pretty good! Especially if you do it in response to removal or something like that. Its probably just a C, but the “bounce your own stuff” upside is very real.
Ritual Guardian image 2.0 If this was a 3-mana 3/2 that always had Lifelink, it would probably be a 2.5 or 3.0. The fact this won’t always have it, and in fact probably won’t have it a decent chunk of the time, makes this significanlty worse than that, because a 3-mana 3/2 is just an ugly stat line these days.
Sungold Barrage image 2.5 This is far from premium removal, as cards with 4 toughness aren’t incredibly common to see on the table. They will be a little more common in this set thanks to DFC creatures, who tend to be larger on one side. It can kill a lot of scary things for sure, but it is too situational to be anything more than solid.
Harvesttide Infiltrator image 2.5 This has a decent fail case as a 3-mana 3/2 with Trample, and sometimes it will be bigger.
Eaten Alive image 3.5 There is a lot of sacrifice fodder int his format, so casting this for only one Black is very real, and the fail case is that you pay 5, which is perfectly fine. Exiling stuff has extra value in the format too.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Stromkirk Bloodthief
Stromkirk Bloodthief image 3.5 Gray Ogre stats are always ugly, but this does some pretty real stuff! If you play it in your second main phase and end your turn, you’ll get that counter a decent chunk of the time. Keep in mind too, it can put the counter on itself, so you don’t even have to be all in on Vampire tribal to make use of the ability. It is a 2/2 that can grow throughout the game, and when you have other vampires around, it gets even better. You won’t always be able to damage your opponent of course, but both Black and Red are pretty well equipped with nice ways to do it.
Falcon Abomination image 3.0 This is a Wind Drake with some reasonable upside. Obviously this Zombie token doesn’t give you quite as much value as most Zombie tokens, but it still adds to the board in a way that will have at least some impact. The two bodies will be nice sacrifice fodder, and they’ll also just be good at pressuring your opponent.
Ritual Guardian image 2.0 If this was a 3-mana 3/2 that always had Lifelink, it would probably be a 2.5 or 3.0. The fact this won’t always have it, and in fact probably won’t have it a decent chunk of the time, makes this significanlty worse than that, because a 3-mana 3/2 is just an ugly stat line these days.
Search Party Captain image 3.5 A 4-mana 2/2 that draws you a card is like a 2.0, and decreasing that cost even by 1 is a huge upgrade. So, the fact that sometimes you can play this for two or one mana and then cast what you draw seems really good. This is one of White’s better Commons.
Cathar Commando image 2.5 You can flash this in to ambush block an X/3, and most X/3s will cost more than the Commando, so that’s nice! The additional utility of blowing up artifacts and enchantments doesn’t hurt either. This is a solid Common.
Candlelit Cavalry image 2.5 On a base level, this is a 5-mana 5/5, something that makes the cut in some Green decks anyway, and it will gain trample sometimes. Seems decent enough.
Lambholt Harrier image 2.0 This is a Bear that stays relevant all game long thanks to its ability. Now, that ability is pretty pricey, and you’ll normally only be able to make one thing unable to block, but it is an ability your opponent has to account for in the late game, as making one thing unable to block can really help someone find lethal out of nowhere.
Tavern Ruffian image 3.0 In most formats, a 4-mana ⅖ isn’t something that Red is interested in, though those are fairly reasonable defensive stats. However, this is a werewolf, and that means that if its already night time you get a 4-mana 6/5, and it also means that it can become one at some point in the game. That’s a pretty nice deal. And yeah, it isn’t always super easy to control what time of day it is, but this still seems like a solid Red Common to me.
Siege Zombie image 2.0 This seems passable, as in the early game it has alright stats, and in the late game it can be a real source of reach. It can also help you activate cards that give you a bonus if an opponent has lost life. Still, it does ask for a lot to make the opponent lose that 1 life, and it just won’t always be doable.
Homestead Courage image 1.0 This gives a nice, efficient boost twice. It isn’t a boost that always makes a difference, though, and even when it does, I’m not sure it will always feel like you’re getting a full card worth of value. Being cheap to flashback is good for flashback payoffs, and also makes it easy to turn it back into day, and that matters.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Vengeful Strangler
Vengeful Strangler image 3.0 This seems pretty nice. Because it can’t block, the only way you can transform it is if your opponent blocks it or decides to kill it, or you sacrifice it yourself. Luckily that last part is pretty doable in the format. Once it transforms it isn’t super incredible, but it does tax your opponent pretty heavily for having whatever their best permanent is, and theoretically it could get to the point where they just decide to sacrifice it. Sometimes your opponent will have to choose between letting the 2/1 through or having to deal with the obnoxious aura, and that’s a nice choice to force on them.
Ecstatic Awakener image 2.5 One mana 1/1s are pretty bad, they just lose relevance quickly. The Awakener gets around that to some extent as a result of its ability to transform into Awoken Demon. Transforming it is a little bit steep at 3 mana and sacrificing something, but there is going to be some significant sacrifice fodder in both Black/White and Blue/Black, so it won’t hurt quite as much as it might look at first. Still, you aren’t really doing incredible when you transform this into a 4/4.
Organ Hoarder image 3.5 This is my kind of Blue common! 4-mana for a 3/2 that draws a card is virtually always something you play, and this is better than that in most ways, since it gives you card selection and loads up your graveyard a bit in a set that really cares about that. This is Blue’s best Common.
No Way Out image 1.0 Tacking a Decay zombie on to Mind Rot isn’t that great, especially in a format where people will happily discard many of their cards.
Voldaren Stinger image 2.0 Your opponent does have to respect this as an attacker if you have the mana up, so this gives you a good way to chip in for one damage to activate your Bloodthirst stuff.
Morkrut Behemoth image 2.5 The idea here is to sacrifice something to it that isn’t a big deal, like a Zombie token, and if you do that then yeah – a 7/6 with Menace on turn 5 is pretty imposing. You can also just straight up pay 7 for it, which isn’t great but its not a disaster either. This seems like some decent top curve for some Black decks in the format – especially UB and BW – but I think you’ll find you cut it a pretty significant chunk of the time for cards that are just better.
Electric Revelation image 1.5 This is an expensive Tormenting Voice, buts it’s an instant and it has flashback. This format does have a graveyard theme for sure, so discarding cards to cast this isn’t a huge deal. Still, it doesn’t impact the board in any way, and is replaceable overall.
Falkenrath Perforator image 2.5 In a set where this had no synergy at all, this would probably be a 1.5. The stats aren’t good, and the 1 damage just isn’t enough to make up for that. However, this set’s BR archetype has a lot of cards that give you extra effects if your opponent lost life, and this is one way you can make that happen. Plus, its a vampire, and while the tribal themes for vampires aren’t massive int his set, they are still there! I think all of that is enough to bump this up to a solid playable.
Timberland Guide image 3.0 This is a reprint, and even if it wasn’t, we see cards like this a lot, and I also like them a decent amount. They are nice as two drops, as they can be two mana 2/2s, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more relevant. There isn’t a +1/+1 counter deck in this format, but the counter this guy brings with him can really help you set up Coven, since you add him to the board and put the counter somewhere else, and you’re already 2/3 of the way there!
Pack 2 Pick 7: Arrogant Outlaw
Obsessive Astronomer image 2.5 Rummaging a few times a came with this seems fine, but not exactly game breaking. It does have decent stats to go along with that ability.
Startle image 2.0 I don’t normally play most Blue “combat tricks” that shrink the power of a creature, but this tacks on enough additional stuff that it seems like it will be pretty solid. The problem with this kind of card is it isn’t always possible for you to trade card-for-card with it, since your creature has to already be big enough to kill the other creature. However, this lets you draw a card and makes you a Decay Zombie, and that’s quite a bit for only two mana! The times where you are able to use this card to help you kill an opposing creature it will feel insane!
Arrogant Outlaw image 2.0 When this is just a 3-mana 3/2, it won’t feel great. But sometimes, it will drain the opponent two life, which will feel like you’re getting your mana’s worth. You’ll probably cut this a significant chunk of the time, but playing it isn’t a disaster.
Harvesttide Infiltrator image 2.5 This has a decent fail case as a 3-mana 3/2 with Trample, and sometimes it will be bigger.
Blessed Defiance image 1.0 This doesn’t seem like a great trick to me. Only increasing power means there’s a good chance your creature will be dying, and while the life that you gain and the 1/1 flyer you get in exchange for that makes a difference, it will still usually feel like you’re getting 2-for-1’d when you use this.
Mounted Dreadknight image 2.0 This has a decent baseline, and sometimes it will be especially big. Not a bad thing to have at the top of your curve.
Lambholt Harrier image 2.0 This is a Bear that stays relevant all game long thanks to its ability. Now, that ability is pretty pricey, and you’ll normally only be able to make one thing unable to block, but it is an ability your opponent has to account for in the late game, as making one thing unable to block can really help someone find lethal out of nowhere.
Soul-Guide Gryff image 2.5 This has decent Flying stats, and exiling a card with Flashback or Disturb is pretty relevant in the format.
Pack 2 Pick 8: Silver Bolt
Field of Ruin image 0.0 We see this a lot, and it’s a card they print mostly to be used in constructed to hate on powerful lands. This format doesn’t really have those, so it isn’t worth playing. And yeah, it fixes for you, but you know what else does that doesn’t also fix for your opponent? Just playing a land that can produce mana that is in one of your colors!
Might of the Old Ways image 2.0 This looks like a decent enough trick. Two mana for +2/+2 isn’t incredible, but when you can make the Coven thing happen, it turns into a draw spell, which will often mean a 2-for-1. You’ll end up playing this in aggressive Green decks.
Harvesttide Infiltrator image 2.5 This has a decent fail case as a 3-mana 3/2 with Trample, and sometimes it will be bigger.
Unruly Mob image 2.0 This is a reprint from our other two visits to Innistrad, and it wasn’t very good either time -- a 1.5 at best! It does grow as the game goes on, but it starts really small and grows pretty slowly. Only growing when your creatures die is tricky too. However, this will probably be better in this format than we’ve seen in the past, mostly because BW is a sacrifice deck this time around, and that combos pretty well with the Mob. The GW deck has lots of tokens too, so yeah, I think maybe this ends up being a solid playable this time around.
Flip the Switch image 1.5 This isn’t quite a hard counter, but its pretty close, and adding to the board while you counter a thing isn’t bad, even if what you’re adding is a token that can’t block and can only attack once.
Abandon the Post image 0.0 // 2.5 I’m not a huge fan of this type of card, mostly because it basically does nothing unless you win the game with it. That said, if you have six mana available to cast it both times in a single turn, it does stand a pretty good chance of stealing a win out of nowhere. A card like this is soo all-in on aggro though that I think we do need to give it a buildaround grade If you are an aggro deck, you’ll probably play one copy of this and feel alright about it. Otherwise you pretty much can’t play it.
Silver Bolt image 1.5 If you need removal really badly, you’ll play this in your main deck where it can be kind of passable. Especially because when you end up against werewolves, it will actually be a pretty good deal.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Tireless Hauler
Arcane Infusion image 2.0 This is UR’s signpost uncommon, and it tells you that you want to jam a ton of instants and sorceries into your deck. If you can do that, you end up with something pretty nice. If you can’t do that, this will be pretty ugly, because you can’t really afford to wiff with it on either activation. Still, getting 10ish spells is pretty doable, especially in UR. Over the course of a game, you can end up getting a 2-for-1 thanks to the Flashback too! I could give it a build around grade, but I think that UR decks will naturally find themselves with the right composition often enough that we don’t need to go there. That said, it also isn’t a signpost uncommon that pulls you into the color pair, either.
Ritual of Hope image 1.0 // 3.0 This is a nice payoff for going wide, especially if you can get Coven going, since it becomes Inspired Charge for half the cost! The good news is, by the time a card like this tends to be useful, you’re reasonably likely to have Coven online, since you’ll have to have a board with several different creatures on it, and those several different creatures are likely to have 3 or more powers among them. Obviously, you won’t be playing this other than in fairly aggressive decks, but it seems like a nice pump spell for them.
Tireless Hauler image 3.0 Like with most of the werewolves, just the front side of the card is reasonable – a 4/5 with Vigilance can do some decent work! But it also has its werewolf side, where it has the potential to really dominate a board.
Pestilent Wolf image 2.5 That’s a lot of mana to give a bear Deathtouch! Still, it starts out as a two mana 2/2, and has the ability to trade with anything later in the game. Wolf is also a somewhat useful creature type. I think the whole package is probably a 2.5
Path to the Festival image 2.0 This is pretty clunky since it doesn't add to the board at all. It can do it again from the graveyard though, which can potentially really turbo your mana. It is also reasonable fixing, and if you're splashing a third color, that Scry will be nice.
Candlelit Cavalry image 2.5 On a base level, this is a 5-mana 5/5, something that makes the cut in some Green decks anyway, and it will gain trample sometimes. Seems decent enough.
Pack 2 Pick 10: Pestilent Wolf
Necrosynthesis image 1.5 If this was just an Aura with the “Whenever another creature dies” bit, it would be close to unplayable. It doesn’t give an immediate stats boost, and it doesn’t do anything to mitigate against card disadvantage. However, it comes with an additional effect that does help mitigate against that disadvantage, since it will give you some pretty serious card selection when it dies. It is nice too that it doesn’t look at counters alone, it looks at the creature’s power, and that means you’ll always be netting a card when the thing dies. Now, it does still have the very real downside of not buffing the creature at all at first, but the creature will grow over the course of the game. Still, this isn’t great. Sure it replaces itself, but the effect of the Aura isn’t that great in the first place. Even with Zombies dying left and right, this doesn’t seem worth it.
Fading Hope image 2.5 One mana to bounce a creature is a pretty nice deal. You don’t trade card-for-card of course, but there is massive tempo to be gained when you bounce something larger. And, the nice thing is, this lets you get a little value back from Scry if you find yourself having to bump something smaller. It is also nice its a cheap spell for UR and for Day/Night purposes.
Otherworldly Gaze image 0.5 Loading the graveyard is important in this format, its true, but a card that pretty much only does that, while giving you some card selection, isn’t something I’m interested in. You never get the card back. There are so many cards that load the graveyard while doing actual other things!
Pestilent Wolf image 2.5 That’s a lot of mana to give a bear Deathtouch! Still, it starts out as a two mana 2/2, and has the ability to trade with anything later in the game. Wolf is also a somewhat useful creature type. I think the whole package is probably a 2.5
Mounted Dreadknight image 2.0 This has a decent baseline, and sometimes it will be especially big. Not a bad thing to have at the top of your curve.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Storm Skreelix
Storm Skreelix image 3.0 This is a pretty nice signpost for Blue Red, as it is simultaneously a cost reduction effect for spells and a win condition for those spell decks. It will often be a 4/4, especially in a set with flashback! It seems strong enough to me that it can pull you into its colors and is worth a first pick sometimes.
Crossroads Candleguide image 1.0 You’ll play it you’re desperate for a creature or fixing, but you really hope you don’t have to, because it doesn’t do either thing particularly well.
Neonate's Rush image 2.5 When you manage to kill a creature with this, it is going to feel incredible. When you can’t, this is less true. However, it is an enabler for all the pseudo-bloodthirst in the format and it replaces itself, AND it will often only cost two mana, making the outcome a lot more palatable.
Voldaren Stinger image 2.0 Your opponent does have to respect this as an attacker if you have the mana up, so this gives you a good way to chip in for one damage to activate your Bloodthirst stuff.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Stuffed Bear
Stuffed Bear image 1.0 This set doesn’t have much of an Artifact theme. If it did, the BEar would be a little more interesting. As it is, it is a creature that you have to pay mana for every turn to actually make into a creature. And, while that activation isn’t so bad the first time around, you eventually end up having to pay a ton of mana for this to actually be a card on the board that matters, and I don’t really think you want to be doing that.
Celestus Sanctifier image 2.0 If you are changing between night and day a lot, this gives you some decent card selection, and even lets you load the graveyard a bit -- like with Flashback or Disturb cards. That said, it has mediocre stats, and the ability isn’t incredible, and it won’t always be easy to get going in the first place.
Sungold Barrage image 2.5 This is far from premium removal, as cards with 4 toughness aren’t incredibly common to see on the table. They will be a little more common in this set thanks to DFC creatures, who tend to be larger on one side. It can kill a lot of scary things for sure, but it is too situational to be anything more than solid.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Ritual Guardian
Ritual Guardian image 2.0 If this was a 3-mana 3/2 that always had Lifelink, it would probably be a 2.5 or 3.0. The fact this won’t always have it, and in fact probably won’t have it a decent chunk of the time, makes this significanlty worse than that, because a 3-mana 3/2 is just an ugly stat line these days.
Homestead Courage image 1.0 This gives a nice, efficient boost twice. It isn’t a boost that always makes a difference, though, and even when it does, I’m not sure it will always feel like you’re getting a full card worth of value. Being cheap to flashback is good for flashback payoffs, and also makes it easy to turn it back into day, and that matters.
Pack 2 Pick 14: Voldaren Stinger
Voldaren Stinger image 2.0 Your opponent does have to respect this as an attacker if you have the mana up, so this gives you a good way to chip in for one damage to activate your Bloodthirst stuff.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Olivia's Midnight Ambush
Dennick, Pious Apprentice image 4.0 A two mana ⅔ with lifelink that protects the graveyard is already pretty nice. So, adding an entire card worth of additional value in the form of Disturb is a pretty big deal, especially because that card is so awesome. A 3/2 Flyer is a real threat, and the ability to generate clues is especially powerful, as each clue you make is another card worth of card advantage. If you look at that side of the card, a 4-mana 3/2 flyer that makes clues would be a great card on its own, and this has the upside of being a two drop early. I think this falls a little short of being a bomb, but not by much
Skaab Wrangler image 2.5 This is a two mana 2/1 with some reasonable upside. In the later part of the game that ability can actually do some work, though you won’t always be in a position to activate it.
Dryad's Revival image 1.0 If this were just three mana to return a card from your graveyard to your hand it wouldn’t be very good. That’s just not a great rate most of the time, as that’s a very real amount of mana and you’re only getting one card out of the deal. Basically, it is card selection, and card selection that is contingent upon you having something in your graveyard worth getting back int he first place. Not doing anything to add to the board is a real problem. Adding Flashback does mean this can give you a 2-for-1 in the long run which isn’t too shabby, but I still don’t love this, even in a graveyard set. I thinkt his is a super replaceable card that doesn’t do something real way too often.
Fading Hope image 2.5 One mana to bounce a creature is a pretty nice deal. You don’t trade card-for-card of course, but there is massive tempo to be gained when you bounce something larger. And, the nice thing is, this lets you get a little value back from Scry if you find yourself having to bump something smaller. It is also nice its a cheap spell for UR and for Day/Night purposes.
Stolen Vitality image 1.5 This is a decent trick that give you lethal out of nowhere on an attacking creature, and one that can also be used defensive quite effectly thanks to the First Strike. Now, using this kind of card defensively is definitely not optimal, but it is upside for sure. I don’t love that it only bumps toughness by 1, since if you’re the one attacking, there’s still a good chance your creature will die.
Gavony Silversmith image 2.5 If you have at least one other creature in play, you’re getting a 4-mana ¾ and putting another counter on a creature who can attack that turn, and that’s a solid enough deal. Sometimes you’ll be able to add 2/2 to the board that can attack right away too. It can also help you get coven by diversifying your creatures’ power.
Devious Cover-Up image 1.0 This is a hard counter, but four mana is a ton to have to have available at the right time, and the additional value this gives you just isn’t going to make up for that.
Cathar Commando image 2.5 You can flash this in to ambush block an X/3, and most X/3s will cost more than the Commando, so that’s nice! The additional utility of blowing up artifacts and enchantments doesn’t hurt either. This is a solid Common.
Olivia's Midnight Ambush image 3.5 This is decent removal if it is day time or neither night nor day, and when it is night time, its just insane. If it was only the night time mode it would be an easy 4.5! As it is, I think it has a reasonable enough base line and a high enough ceiling that we can call it premium.
Larder Zombie image 1.5 So, a one mana ⅓ isn’t amazing, especially with Defender! But at least it can block and kill X/1s. Its ability asks for several creatures in play, and I guess the idea is that you’ll be making Zombie tokens so doing that might not be too hard! The ability itself isn’t bad -- as it can give you card selection and/or help you load up the graveyard. Still, I don’t see this being especially good overall.
Shady Traveler image 3.0 A 3-mana 2/3 with Menace is a card you’ll play sometimes – probably a 2.5, and it will come into play as or transform into Stalking Predator pretty regularly, in which case you’re getting an amazing deal!
Brimstone Vandal image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ with Menace is already something you play a decent chunk of the time, so the addition Night and Day value here is pretty great! On its own, it is a 3-mana ⅔ with Menace, and will do a a bit of damage over the course of the game. This is a quality common.
Timberland Guide image 3.0 This is a reprint, and even if it wasn’t, we see cards like this a lot, and I also like them a decent amount. They are nice as two drops, as they can be two mana 2/2s, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more relevant. There isn’t a +1/+1 counter deck in this format, but the counter this guy brings with him can really help you set up Coven, since you add him to the board and put the counter somewhere else, and you’re already 2/3 of the way there!
Sungold Barrage image 2.5 This is far from premium removal, as cards with 4 toughness aren’t incredibly common to see on the table. They will be a little more common in this set thanks to DFC creatures, who tend to be larger on one side. It can kill a lot of scary things for sure, but it is too situational to be anything more than solid.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Grizzly Ghoul
Grizzly Ghoul image 3.0 A 4-mana 4/3 with Trample is already pretty decent, though not incredible, especially for two colors of mana. Still, that’s the baseline of this card. On a lot of turn 4s, creatures go down, so this being a 5/4 or even a 6/5 after a trade isn’t exactly far-fetched. There will also be times where it is just absolutely massive, but don’t count on that happening super often. So yeah, there’s a reasonable baseline here, and a pretty nice ceiling.
Join the Dance image 3.0 Don’t underestimate the Flashback here. Like a lot of Flashback cards, neither the original cost nor the flashback cost is efficient, but the fact remains that over the course of a normal game of Limited, this will give you 4 tokens for only one card, and that’s pretty nice. Just having the Flashback cost to do in the later part of the game is a nice mana sink too. Obviously, GW is all about going wide too, so it will be extra useful there.
Rite of Oblivion image 3.0 Its nice this can exile any nonland permanent, and even nicer that it has flashback! However, the cost of giving up your own nonland permanent is very real. Now, if you have some Clues and/or Zombie tokens, it won’t hurt too badly, but a lot of the time you’ll be straight up 2-for-1ing yourself. And, that’s something that it is worth doing sometimes. Giving up your worst permanent for their best is reasonable, but going down the full card is still pretty rough. I think the first copy of this looks like an auto-include in BW decks, but beyond that first one, I’d be skeptical.
Falkenrath Perforator image 2.5 In a set where this had no synergy at all, this would probably be a 1.5. The stats aren’t good, and the 1 damage just isn’t enough to make up for that. However, this set’s BR archetype has a lot of cards that give you extra effects if your opponent lost life, and this is one way you can make that happen. Plus, its a vampire, and while the tribal themes for vampires aren’t massive int his set, they are still there! I think all of that is enough to bump this up to a solid playable.
Stormrider Spirit image 1.5 This is a reprint from our last trip to Innistrad, where it was mediocre. You can flash it in to ambush block a small thing, and then it is a decent threat in the air, but it isn’t especially efficient.
Shady Traveler image 3.0 A 3-mana 2/3 with Menace is a card you’ll play sometimes – probably a 2.5, and it will come into play as or transform into Stalking Predator pretty regularly, in which case you’re getting an amazing deal!
Candlegrove Witch image 2.5 This is a Bear that will often, though not always, have flying in the late game. Flying helps it stay relevant throughout the game, which is nice. Seems like a solid two drop.
Return to Nature image 0.5 Its nice that this does three different things, making it a more reasonable main deck card, but I’m still pretty skeptical about main decking it on a regular basis. This format has artifacts and enchantments, but not a ton of them, and while exiling something from a graveyard is nice, yo’ure often only getting half a card of value when you do it, since your opponent already cast their spell with flashback or their creature with disturb. I think this should probably still start in your sideboard.
Arrogant Outlaw image 2.0 When this is just a 3-mana 3/2, it won’t feel great. But sometimes, it will drain the opponent two life, which will feel like you’re getting your mana’s worth. You’ll probably cut this a significant chunk of the time, but playing it isn’t a disaster.
Immolation image 2.5 This is like Red “Dead Weight.” It isn’t quite as good as Dead Weight is, at least as removal, because you don’t really want to pumping the power of a creature -- you want to be outright killing it. But it does have the additional upside of pumping your larger evasive creature so that you can do lethal or something. I do think the ability to kill X/2s for a single mana is pretty nice, but this definitely isn’t premium removal.
Howl of the Hunt image 2.5 This kind of card pretty much always performs. Combat tricks and Auras both have some pretty serious problems. The chief one is that you can get totally blown out if you’re not careful. However, Auras with Flash tend to play reasonably well every time we see them, provided they are reasonably costed, and I think this one is. You have to be careful about when you play it of course, but if your opponent has no way to interact, this is basically a combat trick that takes something down, and then the Aura itself sticks around. The fact it works this way helps you mitigate the potential card disadvantage, since you’ll use the Aura to help you kill something up front. The werewolf upside here matters too. You usually want to be the aggressor with a trick, but giving your Wolf or Werewolf pseudo-vigilance is pretty nice, and having the option to ambush block is okay too.
Drownyard Amalgam image 2.0 This sets up some graveyard value for you and has a decent defensive body, not to mention an ability that will sometimes help you close out a game. A lot of the time though, it just won’t do enough. Seems reasonable in some controlling decks.
Siege Zombie image 2.0 This seems passable, as in the early game it has alright stats, and in the late game it can be a real source of reach. It can also help you activate cards that give you a bonus if an opponent has lost life. Still, it does ask for a lot to make the opponent lose that 1 life, and it just won’t always be doable.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Harvesttide Sentry
Falkenrath Pit Fighter image 3.0 This is going to be pretty amazing in constructed aggro decks, as one mana 2/1s with upside tend to be! It will also be pretty decent in Limited. It of course has pretty good stats for the cost, though a one mana 2/1 is significantly worse in Limited since games tend to go so long. Still, it comes with a reasonable ability too, though it does come with significant set up! Your opponent has to lose life, you have to have a Vampire, and you have to discard a card -- and pay mana. That’s a lot when all you’re really doing is giving up two cards to get two cards! The good news is, the Vampire that is sacrificed can be the Fighter itself, and improving your hand in the later part of the game can be a big deal.
Sacred Fire image 3.5 This is pretty good. It kills small things and gains you life, which is a good way to respond to your opponents two or three drops. Then, in the late game, you can use it out of your graveyard. And yes, it isn’t efficient when you flash it back, but as I keep saying, that doesn’t really matter! This gives you something to do with your mana late if you run out of gas, and it is a pretty real effect. I think the whole package here is good enough to be premium removal.
Obsessive Astronomer image 2.5 Rummaging a few times a came with this seems fine, but not exactly game breaking. It does have decent stats to go along with that ability.
Candlegrove Witch image 2.5 This is a Bear that will often, though not always, have flying in the late game. Flying helps it stay relevant throughout the game, which is nice. Seems like a solid two drop.
Immolation image 2.5 This is like Red “Dead Weight.” It isn’t quite as good as Dead Weight is, at least as removal, because you don’t really want to pumping the power of a creature -- you want to be outright killing it. But it does have the additional upside of pumping your larger evasive creature so that you can do lethal or something. I do think the ability to kill X/2s for a single mana is pretty nice, but this definitely isn’t premium removal.
Raze the Effigy image 1.5 This format doesn’t have a ton of artifacts, but having the option to destroy an artifact on a decent combat trick certainly makes it more flexible.
Crossroads Candleguide image 1.0 You’ll play it you’re desperate for a creature or fixing, but you really hope you don’t have to, because it doesn’t do either thing particularly well.
Famished Foragers image 3.0 A 4-mana 4/3 is sort of passable already, and this will often be able to come down and give you some mana, which -- if nothing else, you can use to rummage using its ability. Sometimes, it will enable a pretty impressive double spell turn too, which will feel amazing. You won’t always be making that happen, but the card has a very reasonable baseline and a pretty nice ceiling.
Geistwave image 2.5 This is a neat design for a bounce spell.. Bouncing an opposing nonland permanent for two mana is usually a decent card. It doesn’t give you the value of a whole card unless you use it in response to a trick or something, but it gives you some reasonable tempo and has that blow out upside. Using this to bounce your own thing is actually pretty interesting, since you do net a card, and if what you’re bouncing gives you some value from bouncing it, that’s going to feel pretty good! Especially if you do it in response to removal or something like that. Its probably just a C, but the “bounce your own stuff” upside is very real.
Harvesttide Sentry image 2.5 This has decent base stats and if you can get coven going, it becomes a lot harder to easily block this thing.
Hedgewitch's Mask image 1.5 This is a decent, albeit unimpressive, piece of Equipment. One to play and two to equip is kind of alright, and the upside of being unblockable by bigger stuff doesn’t hurt. It can help you get Coven. Still, this format doesn’t seem to have a huge equipment theme, and that probably means this gets cut a lot.
Plummet image 0.5 This format has lots of flyers as a result of Disturb, so Plummet might be a bit better here in the main deck than it is in most formats, but I think you’d still prefer to bring it in out of your sideboard. It is hard to guarantee it will have enough targets against some of the color pairs.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Burly Breaker
Burly Breaker image 3.0 This thing is pretty burly for the cost whether it is night or day, and adding Ward to the mix makes it so even if your opponent has removal, you’re going to make it a little more challenging for them. Ward 3 on the nightbound side is especially nice. This seems like a great top-curve card for Green decks in the format.
Sunset Revelry image 1.0 This card has a cool design, but seems pretty awkward. Basically, you have to be behind your opponent in one way or another for it to do something. And yeah, if you get all three modes here, you’re getting a great deal! But if you’re just drawing a card and gaining 4 life, that’s not a great card -- we see that card all the time and it isn’t good! You basically need to be getting the tokens and one of the other modes for this to feel like you’re doing a decent job. And...its just pretty hard to control those sorts of things. It will feel nice if you’re behind, but do stone nothing at parity or if you’re ahead, and that just doesn’t really appeal to me. This card seems too situational and finicky.
Seize the Storm image 2.5 So, you kind of need to be getting a 5/5 with this before you’ll feel like you’re getting there, and that’s asking kind of a lot. I suppose a 4/4 is passable, but yeah. The fact it has Flashback is certainly nice, but you still just need so many instants and sorceries in your graveyard to make it work, and even in the UR spell deck, I’m not very confident you’ll be able to do that consistently enough.
Dawnhart Rejuvenator image 3.0 We have basically seen this card before -- Centaur Nurturer in War of the Spark, and it was pretty nice. It gives you fixing, and while it might not be the most imposing creature, the life it gains you can help you get to your next turn, where you can make use of that mana.
Celestus Sanctifier image 2.0 If you are changing between night and day a lot, this gives you some decent card selection, and even lets you load the graveyard a bit -- like with Flashback or Disturb cards. That said, it has mediocre stats, and the ability isn’t incredible, and it won’t always be easy to get going in the first place.
Otherworldly Gaze image 0.5 Loading the graveyard is important in this format, its true, but a card that pretty much only does that, while giving you some card selection, isn’t something I’m interested in. You never get the card back. There are so many cards that load the graveyard while doing actual other things!
Lambholt Harrier image 2.0 This is a Bear that stays relevant all game long thanks to its ability. Now, that ability is pretty pricey, and you’ll normally only be able to make one thing unable to block, but it is an ability your opponent has to account for in the late game, as making one thing unable to block can really help someone find lethal out of nowhere.
Stormrider Spirit image 1.5 This is a reprint from our last trip to Innistrad, where it was mediocre. You can flash it in to ambush block a small thing, and then it is a decent threat in the air, but it isn’t especially efficient.
Vampire Interloper image 2.5 This has nice aggressive stats, and looks like a decent enabler for all the Black-Red cards that care about your opponent losing life.
Immolation image 2.5 This is like Red “Dead Weight.” It isn’t quite as good as Dead Weight is, at least as removal, because you don’t really want to pumping the power of a creature -- you want to be outright killing it. But it does have the additional upside of pumping your larger evasive creature so that you can do lethal or something. I do think the ability to kill X/2s for a single mana is pretty nice, but this definitely isn’t premium removal.
Mourning Patrol image 2.5 A 3-mana 2/3 with Vigilance is fine, so the fact that this can come back as a 2/1 with Flying and Vigilance is pretty nice! Both halves in this case very capable of trading, too.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Duel for Dominance
Village Watch image 2.5 A 5-mana 4/3 with Haste isn’t great, but the fact this can be a 5/4 sometimes is pretty nice. It would be most ideal for it to already be night when it comes down -- if that’s true, you’ll feel like you’re getting your mana’s worth. Though, to be honest, a 5-mana 5/4 with Haste while certainly a nice card isn’t great either, and you have to jump through some serious hoops to keep it that way. It does also give Haste to other werewolves, but still.
Duel for Dominance image 2.5 This isn’t going to be premium removal. It will simply be 1G to Fight often enough that it just can’t get there. When you do get the +1/+1 bonus it will feel good for sure, and if it always did that, it would be premium, but as it is, I think it falls short of that designation. Its still decent Green removal of course, but not the kind you go after super hard.
Raze the Effigy image 1.5 This format doesn’t have a ton of artifacts, but having the option to destroy an artifact on a decent combat trick certainly makes it more flexible.
Blood Pact image 2.0 Its nice this is an Instant, it makes it a lot more palatable that it is. Instant speed Divination for three mana is pretty nice, and most Black decks will play the first copy of this. In a pinch, you can also use it to do 2 to your opponent, either to finish them off or trigger a bunch of your pseudo-bloodthirst effects, but mostly you’ll want to be drawing the cards.
Harvesttide Infiltrator image 2.5 This has a decent fail case as a 3-mana 3/2 with Trample, and sometimes it will be bigger.
Component Collector image 1.5 This has decent stats and an ability that will give you a bit of value, though it certainly isn’t exciting
No Way Out image 1.0 Tacking a Decay zombie on to Mind Rot isn’t that great, especially in a format where people will happily discard many of their cards.
Candletrap image 3.0 This is pretty cheap removal. Before you get Coven online, it definitely isn’t great removal, because allowing the creature to still block is usually not what you want to be doing. It can’t do damage at least, but it still a presence on the board, and that means you aren’t trading a full 1-for-1. But its nice than in the later game, you can just get rid of that creature entirely. Still, it is probably a little too slow and clunky to be premium.
Arrogant Outlaw image 2.0 When this is just a 3-mana 3/2, it won’t feel great. But sometimes, it will drain the opponent two life, which will feel like you’re getting your mana’s worth. You’ll probably cut this a significant chunk of the time, but playing it isn’t a disaster.
Snarling Wolf image 2.0 Rootwalla is back, albeit in Wolf form! This kind of card tends to feel pretty good early, as your opponent just can’t block it because of the threat of activation, and then the fact it can become a 3/3 keeps it relevant in the later game too. Seems like a solid playable for aggressive Green decks.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Ecstatic Awakener
Kessig Naturalist image 3.5 If it is day time, you get a pretty decent two drop that might be able to trade for something and ramp your mana a bit -- or even better, just ramp you mana without dying! If its night, you get a really nice Werewolf/Wolf lord that will be pumping a good chunk of your deck in RG. And, of course, like with all of these, it can go back and forth between the two modes. Additionally, setting thing up on turn two to start keeping track of day and night might be a big deal, too. Overall, I think this is a strong enough signpost Uncommon that it pulls you into its color pair, even very early on.
Obsessive Astronomer image 2.5 Rummaging a few times a came with this seems fine, but not exactly game breaking. It does have decent stats to go along with that ability.
Sunset Revelry image 1.0 This card has a cool design, but seems pretty awkward. Basically, you have to be behind your opponent in one way or another for it to do something. And yeah, if you get all three modes here, you’re getting a great deal! But if you’re just drawing a card and gaining 4 life, that’s not a great card -- we see that card all the time and it isn’t good! You basically need to be getting the tokens and one of the other modes for this to feel like you’re doing a decent job. And...its just pretty hard to control those sorts of things. It will feel nice if you’re behind, but do stone nothing at parity or if you’re ahead, and that just doesn’t really appeal to me. This card seems too situational and finicky.
Candletrap image 3.0 This is pretty cheap removal. Before you get Coven online, it definitely isn’t great removal, because allowing the creature to still block is usually not what you want to be doing. It can’t do damage at least, but it still a presence on the board, and that means you aren’t trading a full 1-for-1. But its nice than in the later game, you can just get rid of that creature entirely. Still, it is probably a little too slow and clunky to be premium.
Blood Pact image 2.0 Its nice this is an Instant, it makes it a lot more palatable that it is. Instant speed Divination for three mana is pretty nice, and most Black decks will play the first copy of this. In a pinch, you can also use it to do 2 to your opponent, either to finish them off or trigger a bunch of your pseudo-bloodthirst effects, but mostly you’ll want to be drawing the cards.
Devious Cover-Up image 1.0 This is a hard counter, but four mana is a ton to have to have available at the right time, and the additional value this gives you just isn’t going to make up for that.
Ardent Elementalist image 3.0 This will get you a pretty nice 2-for-1 most of the time, especially since as a 2/1, it stands a pretty good chance of trading with something in addition to getting you back a key instant or sorcery.
Tapping at the Window image 2.5 This gives some decent card selection while also loading your graveyard, and you end up with a 2-for-1 after you cast it the second time – and you’ve also seen a ton of cards!
Ecstatic Awakener image 2.5 One mana 1/1s are pretty bad, they just lose relevance quickly. The Awakener gets around that to some extent as a result of its ability to transform into Awoken Demon. Transforming it is a little bit steep at 3 mana and sacrificing something, but there is going to be some significant sacrifice fodder in both Black/White and Blue/Black, so it won’t hurt quite as much as it might look at first. Still, you aren’t really doing incredible when you transform this into a 4/4.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Tapping at the Window
Tapping at the Window image 2.5 This gives some decent card selection while also loading your graveyard, and you end up with a 2-for-1 after you cast it the second time – and you’ve also seen a ton of cards!
Baithook Angler image 3.0 This looks like a nice Common. A two mana 2/1 can trade with lots of stuff, and then the fact that you can get another reasonably costed body out of your graveyard is pretty amazing. I mean, that’s 4 mana for a 2/1 and a ½ Flyer. And sure, you don’t get the bodies at the same time, but that’s still a pretty nice card.
Moonrager's Slash image 4.0 3 mana to do 3 to any target is already a premium removal spell, and this will sometimes just be Lightning Bolt! This is easily premium, and easily Red’s best Common.
Crossroads Candleguide image 1.0 You’ll play it you’re desperate for a creature or fixing, but you really hope you don’t have to, because it doesn’t do either thing particularly well.
No Way Out image 1.0 Tacking a Decay zombie on to Mind Rot isn’t that great, especially in a format where people will happily discard many of their cards.
Stolen Vitality image 1.5 This is a decent trick that give you lethal out of nowhere on an attacking creature, and one that can also be used defensive quite effectly thanks to the First Strike. Now, using this kind of card defensively is definitely not optimal, but it is upside for sure. I don’t love that it only bumps toughness by 1, since if you’re the one attacking, there’s still a good chance your creature will die.
Electric Revelation image 1.5 This is an expensive Tormenting Voice, buts it’s an instant and it has flashback. This format does have a graveyard theme for sure, so discarding cards to cast this isn’t a huge deal. Still, it doesn’t impact the board in any way, and is replaceable overall.
Candletrap image 3.0 This is pretty cheap removal. Before you get Coven online, it definitely isn’t great removal, because allowing the creature to still block is usually not what you want to be doing. It can’t do damage at least, but it still a presence on the board, and that means you aren’t trading a full 1-for-1. But its nice than in the later game, you can just get rid of that creature entirely. Still, it is probably a little too slow and clunky to be premium.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Blood Pact
Fangblade Brigand image 4.0 Just the Human side would be something you always play! It has passable base stats a very real activated ability that will make it a challenge to attack into or block And then, when it transforms, it becomes even more imposing, adding +1/+1 and an additional powerful activated ability.
Blessed Defiance image 1.0 This doesn’t seem like a great trick to me. Only increasing power means there’s a good chance your creature will be dying, and while the life that you gain and the 1/1 flyer you get in exchange for that makes a difference, it will still usually feel like you’re getting 2-for-1’d when you use this.
Moonrager's Slash image 4.0 3 mana to do 3 to any target is already a premium removal spell, and this will sometimes just be Lightning Bolt! This is easily premium, and easily Red’s best Common.
Path to the Festival image 2.0 This is pretty clunky since it doesn't add to the board at all. It can do it again from the graveyard though, which can potentially really turbo your mana. It is also reasonable fixing, and if you're splashing a third color, that Scry will be nice.
Stuffed Bear image 1.0 This set doesn’t have much of an Artifact theme. If it did, the BEar would be a little more interesting. As it is, it is a creature that you have to pay mana for every turn to actually make into a creature. And, while that activation isn’t so bad the first time around, you eventually end up having to pay a ton of mana for this to actually be a card on the board that matters, and I don’t really think you want to be doing that.
Jack-o'-Lantern image 1.5 Well, if this set wasn’t screaming “Halloween!” at you already, it is now! This card looks kind of alright for Limited. Exiling a problem card in a graveyard and drawing a card for a total investment of two mana really isn’t that bad, and then it is fixing from your graveyard too, which seems fine. I definitely don’t think you always run this, but it seems like it will be your 23rd card sometimes, especially if you’re interested in the fixing.
Blood Pact image 2.0 Its nice this is an Instant, it makes it a lot more palatable that it is. Instant speed Divination for three mana is pretty nice, and most Black decks will play the first copy of this. In a pinch, you can also use it to do 2 to your opponent, either to finish them off or trigger a bunch of your pseudo-bloodthirst effects, but mostly you’ll want to be drawing the cards.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Timberland Guide
Dryad's Revival image 1.0 If this were just three mana to return a card from your graveyard to your hand it wouldn’t be very good. That’s just not a great rate most of the time, as that’s a very real amount of mana and you’re only getting one card out of the deal. Basically, it is card selection, and card selection that is contingent upon you having something in your graveyard worth getting back int he first place. Not doing anything to add to the board is a real problem. Adding Flashback does mean this can give you a 2-for-1 in the long run which isn’t too shabby, but I still don’t love this, even in a graveyard set. I thinkt his is a super replaceable card that doesn’t do something real way too often.
Fading Hope image 2.5 One mana to bounce a creature is a pretty nice deal. You don’t trade card-for-card of course, but there is massive tempo to be gained when you bounce something larger. And, the nice thing is, this lets you get a little value back from Scry if you find yourself having to bump something smaller. It is also nice its a cheap spell for UR and for Day/Night purposes.
Stolen Vitality image 1.5 This is a decent trick that give you lethal out of nowhere on an attacking creature, and one that can also be used defensive quite effectly thanks to the First Strike. Now, using this kind of card defensively is definitely not optimal, but it is upside for sure. I don’t love that it only bumps toughness by 1, since if you’re the one attacking, there’s still a good chance your creature will die.
Devious Cover-Up image 1.0 This is a hard counter, but four mana is a ton to have to have available at the right time, and the additional value this gives you just isn’t going to make up for that.
Brimstone Vandal image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ with Menace is already something you play a decent chunk of the time, so the addition Night and Day value here is pretty great! On its own, it is a 3-mana ⅔ with Menace, and will do a a bit of damage over the course of the game. This is a quality common.
Timberland Guide image 3.0 This is a reprint, and even if it wasn’t, we see cards like this a lot, and I also like them a decent amount. They are nice as two drops, as they can be two mana 2/2s, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more relevant. There isn’t a +1/+1 counter deck in this format, but the counter this guy brings with him can really help you set up Coven, since you add him to the board and put the counter somewhere else, and you’re already 2/3 of the way there!
Pack 3 Pick 10: Arrogant Outlaw
Falkenrath Perforator image 2.5 In a set where this had no synergy at all, this would probably be a 1.5. The stats aren’t good, and the 1 damage just isn’t enough to make up for that. However, this set’s BR archetype has a lot of cards that give you extra effects if your opponent lost life, and this is one way you can make that happen. Plus, its a vampire, and while the tribal themes for vampires aren’t massive int his set, they are still there! I think all of that is enough to bump this up to a solid playable.
Stormrider Spirit image 1.5 This is a reprint from our last trip to Innistrad, where it was mediocre. You can flash it in to ambush block a small thing, and then it is a decent threat in the air, but it isn’t especially efficient.
Return to Nature image 0.5 Its nice that this does three different things, making it a more reasonable main deck card, but I’m still pretty skeptical about main decking it on a regular basis. This format has artifacts and enchantments, but not a ton of them, and while exiling something from a graveyard is nice, yo’ure often only getting half a card of value when you do it, since your opponent already cast their spell with flashback or their creature with disturb. I think this should probably still start in your sideboard.
Arrogant Outlaw image 2.0 When this is just a 3-mana 3/2, it won’t feel great. But sometimes, it will drain the opponent two life, which will feel like you’re getting your mana’s worth. You’ll probably cut this a significant chunk of the time, but playing it isn’t a disaster.
Immolation image 2.5 This is like Red “Dead Weight.” It isn’t quite as good as Dead Weight is, at least as removal, because you don’t really want to pumping the power of a creature -- you want to be outright killing it. But it does have the additional upside of pumping your larger evasive creature so that you can do lethal or something. I do think the ability to kill X/2s for a single mana is pretty nice, but this definitely isn’t premium removal.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Crossroads Candleguide
Immolation image 2.5 This is like Red “Dead Weight.” It isn’t quite as good as Dead Weight is, at least as removal, because you don’t really want to pumping the power of a creature -- you want to be outright killing it. But it does have the additional upside of pumping your larger evasive creature so that you can do lethal or something. I do think the ability to kill X/2s for a single mana is pretty nice, but this definitely isn’t premium removal.
Raze the Effigy image 1.5 This format doesn’t have a ton of artifacts, but having the option to destroy an artifact on a decent combat trick certainly makes it more flexible.
Crossroads Candleguide image 1.0 You’ll play it you’re desperate for a creature or fixing, but you really hope you don’t have to, because it doesn’t do either thing particularly well.
Hedgewitch's Mask image 1.5 This is a decent, albeit unimpressive, piece of Equipment. One to play and two to equip is kind of alright, and the upside of being unblockable by bigger stuff doesn’t hurt. It can help you get Coven. Still, this format doesn’t seem to have a huge equipment theme, and that probably means this gets cut a lot.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Immolation
Celestus Sanctifier image 2.0 If you are changing between night and day a lot, this gives you some decent card selection, and even lets you load the graveyard a bit -- like with Flashback or Disturb cards. That said, it has mediocre stats, and the ability isn’t incredible, and it won’t always be easy to get going in the first place.
Lambholt Harrier image 2.0 This is a Bear that stays relevant all game long thanks to its ability. Now, that ability is pretty pricey, and you’ll normally only be able to make one thing unable to block, but it is an ability your opponent has to account for in the late game, as making one thing unable to block can really help someone find lethal out of nowhere.
Immolation image 2.5 This is like Red “Dead Weight.” It isn’t quite as good as Dead Weight is, at least as removal, because you don’t really want to pumping the power of a creature -- you want to be outright killing it. But it does have the additional upside of pumping your larger evasive creature so that you can do lethal or something. I do think the ability to kill X/2s for a single mana is pretty nice, but this definitely isn’t premium removal.
Pack 3 Pick 13: No Way Out
Raze the Effigy image 1.5 This format doesn’t have a ton of artifacts, but having the option to destroy an artifact on a decent combat trick certainly makes it more flexible.
No Way Out image 1.0 Tacking a Decay zombie on to Mind Rot isn’t that great, especially in a format where people will happily discard many of their cards.
Pack 3 Pick 14: Candletrap
Candletrap image 3.0 This is pretty cheap removal. Before you get Coven online, it definitely isn’t great removal, because allowing the creature to still block is usually not what you want to be doing. It can’t do damage at least, but it still a presence on the board, and that means you aren’t trading a full 1-for-1. But its nice than in the later game, you can just get rid of that creature entirely. Still, it is probably a little too slow and clunky to be premium.
Draft Pick Overview