Case of the Shattered Pact

A colorless source of fixing is a nice thing to have around, and this format has enough multicolored stuff going on that solving this isn’t impossible, and obviously the Case itself increases your chances of having a deck that lets you solve this, but I still think this will be hard enough to solve that most of the value just comes from its ability to fix your mana, with some occasional late-game upside.

Absolving Lammasu

A 5-mana 4/3 flyer that gains 3 life when it dies is a card you’re already pretty happy with. This is because it pressures your opponent effectively, and the fail case is that it trades with a removal spell or a creature and gains you 3. So, the fact this also shuts of suspect across the board is pretty sweet. If you’re in White, you’re probably not using suspect a whole lot yourself, so if that ability it does something, it will usually power down the opposing board. Then, on top of all of that, the Lammasu also lets you suspect an opposing creature when it dies. Sure, there’s both upside and downside associated with that, but because you’re making the choice you can usually find an advantageous way to use it. This does a ton for the mana cost while sporting a fairly good stat-line – making it a very good uncommon.

Assemble the Players

This is better than it looks at first. This is because it will let you cast Disguise creatures from the top of your library. It only cares what the spell is, not what the power of the card is, so it ends up working out. So, i think having a deck where you have enough creatures that naturally have 2 power and Disguise creatures is doable, but this is still probably a buildaround. If you only have like 5 cards that meet this requirement, it isn’t worth playing.

Aurelia's Vindicator

A 4-mana 4/2 with flying, lifelink and ward 2 can do a ton of work, and if your opponent can’t find a way to deal with it quickly – something that is difficult thanks to Ward, it’s going to end up causing all kinds of problems for your opponent. The race will get completely out of control! You’re frequently just going to play this face up because of that. But it also has some really insane late game upside, where you play it face down and then turn it face up. The exile effect is reminiscent of Angel of Serenity, in that the stuff it exiles can go back to player’s hands. This means that you can do double duty with that type of effect. You can use it to remove stuff of your opponents – but for insurance, you can also exile some of your own graveyard stuff, so that if your opponent does find a way to kill the Vindicator, you’re going to get some cards back too.  I think the whole package here is a bomb.

Auspicious Arrival

This is a solid trick – one that represents a 2-for-1 thanks to that Clue. +2/+2 for two isn’t the most impressive boost-to-cost ratio, but it’s enough.

Call a Surprise Witness

We’ve seen two mana spells that reanimate small creatures and give them a little buff work out reasonably well of late, and I think this is another one of those. It does take set up, and a deck made up of the right composition, but I don’t think it will be hard to feel like you’re getting a good deal when you can cast this.

Case of the Gateway Express

The ETB will be a reasonable removal spell most of the time, and sometimes a really good one – and this case is easier to solve than most. The reward isn’t exactly game-breaking, but it’s certainly relevant, especially because it’s effectively stapled to a solid removal spell.

Case of the Pilfered Proof

I don't think this is very good. You have to play it ahead of your detectives to get the counters, and there’s where most of the value is, because getting an extra clue here and there isn’t the most impressive payoff.

Case of the Uneaten Feast

Solving this gives you an incredible payoff. The only problem is this format doesn’t have a major life gain theme, and the Feast doesn’t gain you enough life on its own to get it done. It’s not going to be impossible to solve this and start casting stuff from your graveyard, but this does need a build around grade. This life gain effect just doesn’t do enough when that’s all your card is doing. But, if you have a few ways to gain life, and maybe a few cards that make multiple bodies, you’re going to end up being able to make this work, though I think the chances of doing that are unfortunately kind of low.

Defenestrated Phantom

No matter how you cast this, you’re really not getting a very good deal. You do still have the upside of having this big ol’ flyer you can cast in the early game, but like I said, it’s never going to feel that good. It isn’t terrible either. I’m giving it a C-. 

Delney, Streetwise Lookout

The evasiveness this grants is decent, though there will be plenty of situations where it doesn’t do anything. As a result, you’re really going to need to be getting extra triggers out of this for it be something you want and…I just don’t see things lining up well enough to make this Gray Ogre worth playing most of the time, since you need creatures of the right size and they have to have the right kind of abilities, and that’s asking a lot in Limited. It does double your Ward, but that's still not enough to move the needle.

Doorkeeper Thrull

Your deck is pretty likely to have effects that this shuts down, so you have to be careful about when you play it. That said, you do get to decide when you play it, and casting it in response to a creature with an ETB or something is likely to feel pretty good. Especially with the reasonable stat-line.

Due Diligence

Without the ETB this would be really bad. If you throw the ETB in the mix, it gets more interesting. There are going to be times where you cast this and end up with two great attacks as a result, and the Vigilance makes it so you don’t have to give up on defending yourself either, so chances are better than normal that those attacks are worth taking. Alternatively, making one thing get +4/+4 and Vigilance for a turn doesn’t sound bad either. You do need to be careful about casting this, as you do with most Auras, but this one does enough to be make the cut a decent chunk of the time.

Essence of Antiquity

A 5-mana 1/10 is…kind of okay. It can block for days, although the lower power will make it unable to kill stuff all that often. The Disguise part is pretty sweet here, though. You’re usually going to play this face down and have it lie in wait as a 2/2, up until you reach a point where transforming it is advantageous. This will most frequently be when you can use it to blank a removal spell, but turning it into a 1/10 can be valuable all on its own, and untapping your whole board can have benefits too.

Forum Familiar

This is a Disguise creature that you’re going to want to play face down about 99% of the time., since if you don’t, it’s just a vanilla one mana 1/1 and those tend to get irrelevant quickly. However, if you play this face down it’s going to be pretty darn relevant thanks to its ability to bounce your permanents. You can do this to rebuy ETBs or help a creature dodge removal and stuff like that, but you can even just return a land if you just want the Familiar to be a 2/2. Obviously that’s not optimal, but it’s something. I think this will lie in wait and have big impacts on many games. This also gives us back-to-back white Disguise creatures who can turn face up and blank removal, so that’s something your’e going to have to keep in mind.

Griffnaut Tracker

4-mana 3/2 flyers aren’t what they once were, but hating on the graveyard has value, and the stat-line isn’t a complete disaster. I’m giving this a C. 

Haazda Vigilante

If you can get a counter of this, the rate on this will feel fine. Doing so doesn’t seem like a big stretch with all the Disguise creatures, either. It’s nice he does it on attacks too, so getting two counters of him is a real possibility.

Inside Source

Three mana for a 2/2 and a 1/1 is always a pretty good rate in Limited, so when you tack on this card’s ability to buff your detectives – albeit inefficiently – I think we’re talking about a very nice Common.

Karlov Watchdog

This is a pretty nice Battalion trigger. Red/White in the format should be able to get this going pretty effectively, and obviously the boost it gives is at its best when you have a bunch of creatures anyway. The stats boost also makes it very likely that you’ll keep enough stuff alive to do it all over again the next turn. The card’s big downside is being a 4-mana card with 2-toughness that can be killed by almost every removal spell in the format, many of which cost one mana or are stapled to creatures, and that’s a miserable feeling.

Krovod Haunch

One to play and two to equip for +2/+0 is kind of alright, and when it isn’t meaningful enough for you, this basically becomes 4 mana to make two 1/1 tokens and gain you three life. Neither mode is crazy of course, but the modality this gives you makes it a decent inclusion. I’m giving it a C. 

Make Your Move

We see this type of removal that only hits big creatures all the time, and it’s usually pretty mediocre, simply because its too narrow. They usually don’t even make the cut in your main deck. But, stapling Disenchant to it is a pretty big upgrade, especially in a set that has a fair number of both, probably makes this into a solid playable, and I think it even has a shot at being better than that.

Makeshift Binding

This is an excellent Common. Even if it didn’t gain you 2 life, it’d be premium removal, and once you tack on that life gain we’re talking about arguably the best White Common in the set. Removing something and gaining life a the same time is one of the best ways to get back ahead from behind.

Marketwatch Phantom

This feels like a very important common for aggressive White decks. That type of deck will have tons of cards that trigger this. It doesn't seem like it will be rare for this to crack in as a flyer on turns 3 and 4.

Museum Nightwatch

Spending 4 mana to get a 3/2 and a 2/2 is decent, and you can Disguise this to keep your opponent from knowing that it will leave value behind.

Neighborhood Guardian

The boost is nice and all but…it’s not amazing when you have to jump through some pretty specific hoops to make it happen. And sure, there’s lots of Diguise in this set that will trigger this, not to mention creature tokens and the like, but this still seems pretty medium. 

No Witnesses

So, this is Wrath of God, but a little worse if your opponent has the most creatures, and a little better if you do. Sweepers are obviously enormously powerful, but they do get awkward in Limited if you’re the aggro deck. They are at their best when you're behind, and uncastable if you're ahead, so they are always hard to evaluate.

Not on My Watch

If you’re in the market for this kind of effect, it’s super efficient. The problem is, lots of decks aren’t really in on this kind of effect. If you’re an aggro deck, this isn’t very good, because you want removal that lets you get blockers out of the way. If you’re not aggressive, though, this ends up feeling like premium removal.

Novice Inspector

This is a functional reprint of Thraben Inspector, which was amazing. Two pieces of material for one mana is awesome.

On the Job

As usual with Inspiring Charge effects, this is a build around. Red/White decks look the most well-positioned for this as they can go the widest, but you really need to be all in on curving out and going wide, or this isn’t worth it, even with the clue. It’s probably a D in your typical White deck, but a card you’re usually going to be happy with one of in your more aggressive decks.

Perimeter Enforcer

A two mana 1/1 with flying and lifelink is already pretty nice, and a great creature to enhance, and this will often enhance itself in a format with this many detectives.

Sanctuary Wall

The tap effect here isovercosted, even with a stun counter – especially because the wall stuns itself too! Still, if you use it on your opponent’s turn, you’re going to get rid of that stun counter first and the wall will be ready to go by the time your opponent’s stunned creature gets untapped again. Overall, though, I think this is too overcosted for what it is and the baseline isn’t impressive either. I don’t think this makes the cut very often.

Seasoned Consultant

This will feel pretty nice attacking as a 3/3, but it probably won’t be doing that until turn 4 at the earliest, so it isn’t going to be lighting the world on fire either.

Tenth District Hero

This is an awesome two drop. The ⅔ stat-line is a nice one, and if you have the mana you can also make it a 4/4 Vigilance right away – or even a 7-mana 5/5 that makes your creatures indestructible. Obviously enough, you’re usually going to pay in installments, but the fact that you can draw this early and have it be an amazing threat or draw it late and have it be an amazing threat makes it an excellent card.

Unyielding Gatekeeper

The best thing to do with this when you turn it face up is to help your creature dodge removal, but just rebuying ETBs, flipping disguised creatures, or getting rid of a problematic nonland permanent an opponent controls and giving them a detective instead makes this into a bit of a swiss army knife.

Wrench

All of these Cluequipments are solid or better, because they offer a decent effect, while also having the ability to be thrown away for something else when the Equipment doesn’t do enough. The stats boost here isn’t the most efficient thing ever, and the tap effect is expensive, but it certainly isn’t a bad mana sink – and the fact you can swing with something, keep it untapped, and leave mana up for the effect is nice.

Agency Outfitter

The idea here is that you search up these two cards and use the Glass to equip the Cap, in which case the Outfitter is effectively a 5/5 Flyer. The problem is that you need those cards in your deck to make it happen, and Magnifying Glass is pretty terrible to have in your deck.

Behind the Mask

This type of card rarely works out in Limited, and I think even at one mana I’m not super interested in this. It’s easy to look at this and see it as a trick with multiple modes – and that is what it is, but reducing a creature to 1/1 or growing a creature to 4/3, or turning a clue into a 4/3, while possibilities is only useful situationally. You need stat-lines to line up just right, and if you’re turning your 2/2 or something into a 4/3 it’s really not worth it. Furthermore, shrinking an opposing creature to a 1/1 is only relevant or useful when your opponent attacks with the right creature that you actually want to remove. Basically, this is too situational to do something worthwhile very often.

Benthic Criminologists

These are some medium stats, but giving up Clues or other artifacts to draw cards is certainly worthwhile. And this can do it a couple of times in most cases.

Bubble Smuggler

If you need to play a two drop well…it is one. A pretty bad one, but one nonetheless. Then if you need something on three you can disguise it, and then in the late game it can become a big monster. Now, this card isn’t ever going to make you feel like you’re doing something busted, as it’s kind of medium at all three points in the game, but the fact it can do all those things is enough for it to be fine.

Burden of Proof

This is a very interesting version of this “Frogify”-type effect. Lately it seems like they are doing their darnedest to design one that’s actually solid in Limited, and they’ve had some success with that lately. I think they’ve done it again here. The usual problem with this type of card is that you don’t really entirely remove a creature when you turn it into a 1/1, so you’re often coming out behind. However, this adds a couple of important wrinkles. First, it has Flash – so you can turn something into a 1/1 at instant speed, which all-but-guarantees that it’s going down. Second, if your creature is a detective, this is a powerful combat trick. It’s also really nice that they made it only buff detectives you control, otherwise this card would be super frustrating.

Candlestick

The Cluequipments in Blue and Red might just be the best since the Blue-Red deck is so into sacrificing artifacts, but lots of decks in the format like Clues too, and this one can help set up collect evidence.

Case of the Filched Falcon

It’s nice you get a clue up front, and if your deck has enough artifacts in it, you can definitely end up animating that clue or something else into a 4/4 flyer. Blue is adept enough at making clues that I don’t think this needs a build around grade.

Case of the Ransacked Lab

If you don't solve this, it's unplayable. And you're not solving it.

Cold Case Cracker

A 4-mana 3/3 Flyer isn’t what it once was, but it’s not a bad stat-line, and this one replaces itself with a valuable Clue and it has a useful creature type.

Conspiracy Unraveler

So, if you have a well-stocked graveyard the turn you cast this, things can get pretty spicy, since you could cast the unraveler and then fire off a spell for free. Of course, as is usually the case for expensive cards that let you cast things from your hand for free, or put a permanent into play from your hand –  by the time you get to 7 mana you aren’t especially likely to have that many more cards in hand, and if you don’t have one the turn you play the Unraveler, you’re just playing an expensive flyer.

Coveted Falcon

The most common play is going to be to turn it face up, give your opponent one of your permanents, and then attack with the Falcon to get it back right away. That way you draw a card without any real downside. But…the late game upside is interesting here, because by that stage giving your opponent lands often doesn’t matter, and at that point you can draw a ton of cards. It’ll also be sort of funny to give your opponent creatures that they removed using Auras and stuff like that. And…in addition to all of that, a three mana ¼ flyer is fine. Basically, it’s solid in the early and mid game, and game-breaking late.

Crimestopper Sprite

A three mana 2/2 flyer isn’t too bad, and one that stuns something on ETB is probably a 3.0, it’s just a great tempo play to add to the board while getting a creature out of the way. This won’t always stun stuff, and isn’t that likely to do it on turn three, but I think it will do it often enough.

Cryptic Coat

This is an unblockable three mana 3/2 with all kinds of upside. Upside because it might actually grab you a creature you want to turn face up, and upside because it can bounce back to your hand and make a new body for itself even when you don’t have any other creatures around.

Curious Inquiry

Auras that cost one blue and give a creature +1/+1 and the ability to draw you a card when they hit your opponent have a pretty good track record in Limited. This is because it can allow you to ensure that you’re going to at least break even on cards even by hitting your opponent once, and the card advantage can quickly bury your opponent. Getting a clue is a bit worse than drawing a card straight up, even in a format with clue payoffs, but this still looks like a nice card, especially in decks that have cheap evasive creatures.

Deduce

This is a nice little card draw spell, because it ultimately gives you a 2-for-1, and there’s lots of additional upside for making Clue tokens in the format. You probably don’t want too many of these because they don’t really add to the board.

Dramatic Accusation

Three mana Blue Auras that tap a creature down usually aren’t anything special. The problem is that they don’t entirely remove the creature in all situations, so abilities are still relevant, and if your opponent has a way to sacrifice or otherwise utilize the tapped down creature you end up feeling like you’re really far behind. The Accusation’s activated ability adds an interesting wrinkle to this, since now you can get rid of the creature if it has problematic abilities and everything. The downside is your opponent might draw it again later.

Eliminate the Impossible

I’m not the biggest fan of this type of effect – but when they tack card draw on to it, it starts to get more interesting. The usual problem is that this is only useful in fairly narrow situations, and getting a trade to happen is hard. It can sort of function as a bad fog, or a bad combat trick, but obviously…neither of those are things you want to be going after. But, because it Investigates – and it’s relatively cheap – those problems are more acceptable.

Exit Specialist

If this didn’t have Disguise, it wouldn’t be very good. The stat-line is bad and the type of evasion it has just…doesn’t do enough most of the time. But, when you mix in the Disguise part, you end up with a Man-O’-War of sorts, and that seems pretty sweet. Bounce effects have gotten worse over the years, in a world of ETB abilities and the like, but this still looks pretty nice to me. It adds to the board while giving you some tempo, and the fact you can do it at instant speed gives you some serious blowout potential.

Fae Flight

This Aura looks quite good. Obviously, the ideal situation is to cast it in response to removal, in which case you’re left with a buffed evasive creature, and you’ve already taken a card of value away from your opponent. But this also has the upside all Flying auras do, w hich is that you can just…slap it on some big monster and quickly win the game.

Forensic Gadgeteer

This is purpose-built for the Blue/Red deck for the most part, as it’s the deck most interested in artifacts. It won’t be terrible in decks that mostly only have clues as artifacts, since you can start popping them for one mana, but the Artifact deck is where this will really be an engine.

Forensic Researcher

The most useful thing this can do is ramp your mana, but untapping permanents has other uses too. Having access to the tap effect in the mid-to-late game is nice too, as it can start allowing you to really manufacture situations where you have great attacks no matter what your opponent is doing.

Furtive Courier

This will be unblockable a decent chunk of the time in Blue decks with th and looting on every attack is pretty powerful.

Hotshot Investigators

I’m not very impressed with this overall. It just doesn’t give you enough for 6 mana these days. It seems super clunky, no matter which mode you go with.

Intrude on the Mind

This will usually either be a 5-mana 2/2 with Flash that draws 3, or a 5-mana 3/3 with Flash that draws 2, and in both cases it also stocks the graveyard. That's nuts.

Jaded Analyst

It feels like every single one of these creatures that has defender but loses defender when X happens has been really unimpressive, and I kind of thing this is too. I get it, you can give up a clue and attack with it, but by the time you can set that up, it isn’t like a 3/2 is going to light the world on fire. Most of the time this type of card is a 3/3, so at least it is a reasonable blocker, but a 3/2 is substantially worse.

Living Conundrum

A 5-mana ⅖ with Hexproof is pretty interesting, especially at Uncommon. As usual, pairing hexproof with Auras and other enhancements can be a real beating for your opponent. The rest of the card’s effect isn’t going to come up a ton in Limited, but Blue does have enough graveyard stuff going on that turning this into a 10/10 isn’t impossible, and obviously the hexproof keeps you from really getting punished for milling your whole library.

Lost in the Maze

This sort of has two modes, and you can access both at the same time. You can use it to stun your opponent’s board, which can be useful when you’re trying to close out a game – but you can also use it to protect your creatures. It also just sticks around and gives your tapped creatures hexproof after that point. Still, those modes are all situational enough that this doesn’t seem amazing.

Mistway Spy

Playing this on turn one is pretty acceptable, because it has evasion and a useful creature type – but the Disguise ability here is pretty impressive too. It counts every creature that hits your opponent, so you can get more than one clue. Obviously enough, because the Spy has evasion itself, you can turn it face up, crack in with it and get that Clue, which seems like a pretty normal play pattern.

Out Cold

I’m not always a huge fan of cards that just Stun things, as it often doesn’t feel like they do enough to be worth a card. Sure, you can get two creatures out of the way for two attacks and two blocks, but if you don’t have the game in-hand by the time they untap, you’re going to be in trouble.  But because this gives you a Clue, it gives you that card back. I still don’t really think you want more than one, but this looks like a pretty good version of this effect. It can even hit Disguised creatures without you having to worry about Ward.

Proft's Eidetic Memory

The fact this draws a card up front is a pretty big deal, especially because if you play it before combat on your turn, this amounts to being a two mana draw 1 that puts a +1/+1 counter on something, and that in itself is a solid card. So, if you can combine this with Clues and other draw effects, it can really augment your board. Still, getting that going is easier said than done, and I think most of this card’s value comes from what it gives you on that first turn – but that’s a pretty nice baseline.

Projektor Inspector

A three mana 3/2 that loots on ETB is decent, and looting with this more than once isn’t impossible.

Reasonable Doubt

This can hit any type of spell, but your opponent can also ignore it with spare mana. As usual, that type of card is never amazing, although it can feel pretty nice in the early game.

Reenact the Crime

This is mana intensive and only works in a very narrow window. Those two things combine for a Limited card you won't be able to cast very often.

Steamcore Scholar

A three mana 2/2 with Flying and Vigilance that has you draw 2 and discard 2 is pretty great, so it’s nice that sometimes you can choose to only discard one.

Unauthorized Exit

This card is always pretty decent. You go down a card in most cases, but you get some nice tempo, and Surveil 1 can improve your next draw and/or load your graveyard. It is hurt a little bit by the absence of a dedicated spell deck in the format.

Agency Coroner

This is a lot of mana for the usual sacrifice a creature draw a card effect, but the fact you’ll sometimes draw two helps soften that blow.

Alley Assailant

Both modes seem fairly acceptable here, and I think the design is actually really interesting. Most of the time on turn 3 you’re probably just going to want to play it as a 3-mana 3/3 that enters tapped, but sometimes you’re in a spot where you really need to be able to block, and you can play it Disguised when that’s the case, and draining 3 life from your opponent is a pretty real effect.

Barbed Servitor

Obviously, because it’s a suspect, it can’t block – that means you’re going to be rumbling with this 1/1 menace every turn and your opponent will have to make a decision between letting you draw a card or losing some life. The good news is, because it has menace, they are going to have to lose a substantial amount of life most of the time if they do choose to block it. The bad news is that letting your opponent make that decision means they’re always going to choose what’s best for them, and that will often be something that doesn’t help you win the game, and playing a 4-mana 1/1 that can’t block can be a huge liability when it comes to the race. Still, this does pressure your opponent every time you turn it sideways, and it gets a little more interesting if you can take suspect away from it, which there are a few ways to do in this format. I’m kind of skeptical this will be amazing, though.

Basilica Stalker

It's never going to feel like you’re getting great value with the Stalker, whether you disguise it first or otherwise. But it probably won't feel bad either.

Case of the Stashed Skeleton

The fact this one gives you a body up front is pretty nice, even if that body is  a two mana 2/1 with menace that can’t block. In some decks it’s going to be hard to solve this, because your opponent just won’t kill this and let you turn the Case into a tutor – but if that’s the case that probably means they are taking two to turn, so it isn’t like that’s a huge fail case. Running a few sacrifice outlets is probaby the best way to solve this one. I don’t normally love tutors in Limited, but that’s because most of them don’t do anything else – this does by giving you that body, though it is a little awkward you have to get rid of that body in most cases to solve it.

Cerebral Confiscation

So…this is either Mind Rot or Coercion, and neither of those is a great card these days, mostly because they don’t do anything in the late game and don’t add to the board.

Deadly Cover-Up

When it comes to Limited, most of this card’s value comes from just being a sweeper. It can effectively let you exile one of the creatures you kill (or something else in the graveyard), which will matter sometimes, but the whole lobotomy effect thing doesn’t really matter in your typical Limited game. Sweepers are powerful, but really only worthwhile if you’re behind, making them kind of awkward cards, but still – they can win you the game from behind in a way basically nothing else can.

Extract a Confession

This looks like a great common. Edicts tend to be at their best when your opponent has the fewest creatures. That usually means the early game. But thanks to collevt evidence here, this stays pretty good by the mid to late game, as getting rid of your opponents highest power creature will also mean their best creature loke 80 percent of the time.

Festerleech

This is going to feel quite nice on turn one, especially because if you’re in Black you’re probably a graveyard deck, and this certainly enables things early. You’re almost guaranteed an attack on turn two, since even if your opponent played their own one drop, they aren’t going to be able to block this when you have two mana up, and a 3/3 can stay relevant pretty much all game long, though it does have somewhat diminishing returns the later the game goes.

Homicide Investigator

Getting a clue when your stuff dies isn't as good as drawing a card, but it isn't  super far off either. It also counts itself, so playing this usually means you can count on a 2-for-1.

Hunted Bonebrute

casting this as a 3-mana 6/2 Menace that gives your opponent a couple of creature tokens isn’t the best deal

Illicit Masquerade

This is a neat design, but it seems a little too finicky to be great in Limited. You need a few things to line up correctly for this to do its thing: First, you need a board state. Probably the smallest thing it asks you for, but…if you don’t have a couple of creatures in play, this isn’t going to feel very good. After that, you need your creatures to die – something you can certainly manufacture. And third, you need stuff in your graveyard. Now, all of that is fairly doable, at least individually, but you need them all to line up with the right timing for Illicit Masquerade to work. It is nice it has Flash, which makes it easier for you to find that timing, but I think there are going to be too many situations where the Masquerade either does nothing, or is too slow at doing something.

It Doesn't Add Up

This lets you reanimated something at instant speed. Of course…because you are forces to suspect the creature, it can't ambush block stuff, and that’s a big part of what would make this sweet. As is, it's an expensive removal spell with an effect that has just as mich downside as upside, and this kind of thing even with upside isn't always useful. That doesn't add up to a very good grade.

Lead Pipe

One to play and two to equip isn’t a complete disaster for +2/+0. You can use it to really give you a better attack than you would otherwise have, and the life loss effect gives you some inevitability. That said, if the card ended there I’m not sure I’d think it was worth playing very often. It just doesn’t feel like it would have enough of an impact to be worth a card, even as cheap as it is. However, by giving you the ability to sacrifice the Pipe to draw a card, you’re really mitigating against that problem. Your Equipment can be pretty bad if you run out of creatures, or if you really need something more impactful, you can just throw it away. I’m still not ultra impressed here, but I think if you’ve got lots of creatures in a black deck, playing this seems fine.

Leering Onlooker

I’m reasonably happy with a two mana ⅓ Flyer, and this one gives you a couple bodies out of the graveyard. This means that if you’re milling yourself it still gives you value, and just casting it normally and getting the bodies back later is a nice feeling too.

Long Goodbye

The uncounterable part actually matters in limited, because it means this can hit Disguise creatures and you don’t have to worry about Ward. Apart from that, this can trade up for stuff in general. It’s premium removal.

Macabre Reconstruction

Paying two for this is very doable, and when you do that it feels great. You probably don't want more than one, though.

Massacre Girl, Known Killer

A 4-mana 4/4 Menace is something you always play, and she brings some amazing upside! Wither will make life hard for your opponent, since their creatures will now lose stats even when they successfully block something. And it combos particularly well with her other ability – if a creature dies against something that has wither, it’s always going to have toughness less than 1, and that ability will trigger. In other words, any time you attack you’re putting a ton of pressure on your opponent where they have to choose between taking the damage or potentially giving you cards.

Murder

Murder is still a pretty good Magic card in Limited. The double black can be a pain, but this is still premium.

Nightdrinker Moroii

A 4 mana 4/2 flyer that makes you lose 3 is probably a C. The stat-line is aggressive enough to be worth the downside. So, the fact you can play it face down first and then turn it face up - without losing that life, is pretty nice. It ends up costing one more, but you pay in installments, and it also means that if you happen to be at very low life, this card won't mean the end of you.

Outrageous Robbery

So, this is effectively an X draw spell, except you get to steal your opponents stuff instead. I wouldn’t count on milling your opponent out with it, but there is a chance of it. Because it’s an Instant you can exile a bunch of stuff and then start playing it on your turn. Obviously it doesn’t add to the board and its expensive to really get there with it, but I think it’s powerful enough to be a 4.0

Persuasive Interrogators

There’s not enough poison in this format for the Interrogators to poison someone out very often. Obviously, you’re going to need a ton of Clues to get there. So, most of the card’s value is just being a 6-mana ⅚ that Investigates and that’s…passable, especially with the poison upside.

Polygraph Orb

We usually see this card draw effect at or even 3 mana, so paying five for it, and at Sorcery speed is rough. It does load your graveyard to set up Collect Evidence, which it itself has, but I’m not that impressed with the activated ability either. Giving your opponent three options on this kind of effect oftens amounts to them being able to choose one that just doesn’t do anything. Speaking of not doing anything, that’s what this card does when it comes to the board, so I think this is kind of a liability.

Presumed Dead

This type of trick always performs fairly well, as it does enough to make a creature punch above it’s weight class, yet it still survives. It even works well against removal, and it gets particularly interesting with creatures that have ETB abilities. Suspect won’t always feel like upside, but I think it will more often than not.

Repeat Offender

This has an almost-passable baseline and ability that will make for a good mana sink in the later stages of the game. I like that you can use it at instant speed, so threat of activation will be pretty real. 

Rot Farm Mortipede

The boost that the Mortipede gets is legit, as a 4/4 menace lifelinker is far better than a ¾. Getting stuff to leave your graveyard isn’t a huge ask in the format either, as the entire “Collect Evidence” mechanic is all about doing that. Putting cards from your graveyard to your hand and all of that will trigger this too. I think most Black decks will realistically be able to trigger this once or twice a game, and that’s really all you need for this to pull its weight.

Slice from the Shadows

Uncounterability actually matters in this set because of all the Disguise creatures with Ward. –X/-X is never going to feel super efficient, but it’s an instant and it scales all game, so I think it’s premium.

Slimy Dualleech

This can buff itself, and if you have tokens or disguise creatures to send in, you can put your opponent in a pretty bad spot.

Snarling Gorehound

A one mana 1/1 Menace feels pretty nice on turn one, and this is likely to give you some card selection and graveyard synergy throughout the game. Seems like nice value for one mana.

Soul Enervation

This is a good removal spell, even without the creatures leaving your graveyard upside, and that means even if your deck has absolutely 0 ways to remove creatures from your graveyard, this will perform well enough to be included. And, most Black decks will be able to trigger the drain life effect on this at least a couple of times a game, and once you’ve done that you’re going to feel like you’ve really gotten there.

Toxin Analysis

This is really cheap, and cheap tricks are often real good for their ability to punch above their weight class – and this one even gives you a clue! But…there’s a problem. It doesn’t offer anything that can help your creature survive combat. Sure, your creature can always trade thanks to this, but it’s still going to feel close enough to a 2-for-1 to sting when you have to use it that way. It does work nicely with Suspect, but I don't think that's enough.

Undercity Eliminator

If you can exile a creature with this, it’s gonna feel pretty awesome – but only if you’re giving up something expendable. The ideal thing to give up is a clue, but there are other things around worth sacrificing. It isn’t going to work amazingly in every deck, but I think this will feel close enough to Ravenous Chupacabra often enough.

Unscrupulous Agent

We see this card a lot lately, and it’s always pretty nice. Goes after a card in your opponents hand while adding to the board, and then you can sacrifice it or otherwise utilize it for other purposes, sometimes it even feels like you’re getting a 2-for-1.

Vein Ripper

This huge flyer can end games quickly, and it’s Ward makes it impossible for your opponent to deal with it in a way that doesn’t cost them something significant. Not only will they lose a creature, you’ll also drain 2 life. The Ripper also turns combat into a nightmare for your opponent the turn it comes down, because you can just throw all of your creatures at your opponent, and then they have to do a bunch of math, because any creature dying drains 2, not just yours! The triple black is the biggest downside here, but you’ve got a decent shot at getting to it by the time you have six mana.

Anzrag's Rampage

I actually think this has some applications, albeit mostly as a sideboard card. If you’re up against a Blue-Red deck especially, they are likely to have a ton of Artifacts because that’s what the color pair is all about. Against them, this will destroy 3 things and probably grab you a random creature, which is well worth 5 mana. At that point the game is over. Even though this format has a lot of Clues, they aren’t plentiful enough in all the color pairs for this to be main deck material though.

Bolrac-Clan Basher

The Basher is a case where you’re most frequently want to play it face down, because turning it face up for 5 is a much better deal, and a double-striking trampler is the exact creature you want to surprise your opponent with. It can take down almost anything, and it can frequently survive while it does and chip in for some serious damage. This also makes it more likely the Basher does some work before going down, unlike if you play it face up.

Case of the Burning Masks

Even if it didn’t have anything after it’s ETB, it would be a very good card, so everything else is just gravy – and it’s pretty good gravy, too, since it ends up being a 2-for-1 if you manage to solve it – and solving this is easier than most of the Cases. Three sources of damage can just mean you attack with three creatures after all, and the turn you play this the Case will count as a source too. So, killing something and attacking with two creatures is enough to get you there. 

Case of the Crimson Pulse

This gives you a more expensive Tormenting Voice up front, and once you solve it, it becomes a pretty insane card advantage engine. If you’re a low-to-the-ground Red deck, it isn’t going to be that hard to solve this quickly, and the card’s baseline is already fairly acceptable – and once it’s fully unlocked it is very likely to win you the game. The card’s biggest downside is that it doesn’t impact the board, but the upside is so much that I think that's fine.

Caught Red-Handed

At first an instant speed threaten sounds really good, but because this one suspects the creature you grab, it can’t actually be used to block an opposing attacker or anything like that, so it being an instant isn’t a huge deal. 5 mana for a threaten just feels like too much, even if the creature does get menace. The “can’t be countered” line of text does mean you can go after Disguise creatures, but this format doesn’t even have that prominent of a creature sacrifice them.

The Chase Is On

This is expensive for a trick, but your creature is likely to win combat and you even get a 2-for-1 in the long run.

Concealed Weapon

+3/+0 can make just about any creature into a better attacker, but the lack of a toughness boost limits just how useful it can be, unless you’re equipping an evasive creature. Adding Disguise to the mix is important, because the worst thing in the world is drawing Equipment when you have nothing worth equipping it too, so this gives you a decent fail case, and can even work as a combat trick later in the game. 

Connecting the Dots

This is a win-more card. If you can draw a lot of cards with this, you're probably winning. And, if you're behind, it doesn't do much.

Convenient Target

One red for +1/+1 and Menace isn't the worst, and because you can get this back it isn't going to 2-for-1 you. You can also use it to get a blocker out of the way in a pinch.

Cornered Crook

There are no shortage of Clues in the format, and even giving up a full card for the bolt effect is going to be worthwhile a big chunk of the time. This will feel like a 2-for-1 when you can give up a clue, and you’ll still come out ahead most of the time if you have to give up something else.

Crime Novelist

It has a pretty ugly starting point, but if you have Clues and other artifacts and sacrifice stuff, this can get big. And because Clues draw you cards, the mana might actually matter too.

Demand Answers

We’ve come a long way since Tormenting Voice. This is an Instant and you can choose to sacrifice an artifact or discard a card as an additional cost. That’s actually a pretty big deal, because this format has so many Clues.

Expedited Inheritance

This is symmetrical, and its pretty tough to break the symmetry here. You and your opponent are both going to effectively draw a bunch of cards once this is in play, but you’re the one who spent two mana and a card on the Enchantment in the first place, so you’re starting out behind.

Expose the Culprit

This is too narrow, and the effect it typically gives you won't be worth a card.

Felonious Rage

We've seen this card before, more or less, and it’s a nice trick. The power boost lets your creature take down most stuff, and you come out ahead thanks to the token, and at only one mana it is really priced to move.

Frantic Scapegoat

A one mana 1/1 with Haste and Menace is going to feel pretty great on turn one, and this can lend its suspect-status to other creatures, helping it stay relevant all game long.

Fugitive Codebreaker

A two mana 2/1 with Haste and Prowess is an amazing starting point – and, if you have this turn two that’s what you’re going to be doing. Then, later in the game this can completely reload your hand. In short, this is pretty awesome no matter when you play it.

Galvanize

Two mana instant deal threes are always great, and this one will do 5 a chunk of the time.

Gearbane Orangutan

If you can either destroy an opposing artifact, or give up an expendable artifact when you play this, it’ll be fine. Ideally of course, you give up a clue. Still, I think there are going to be enough situations where neither mode is useful and this is a miserable card when that happens.

Goblin Maskmaker

So, if you get this on exactly turn one and you have some Disguise creatures in your hand, this can feel pretty good – as dropping a 2/2 Ward 2 on turn two – one that will have all kinds of upside – is pretty awesome. The problem is that this has diminishing returns as the game goes on, especially because it has to attack to give you that discount.

Harried Dronesmith

Pumping out a temporary 1/1 thopter every turn is plenty good. Remember to play the dronesmith in your first main phase so you can get the value of the trigger the turn you play it! Not only does it give you a way to chip in for damage, but Red – and especially Blue/Red has a boat load of payoffs for sacrificing artifacts too, and this will feel like an engine in that type of deck.

Incinerator of the Guilty

If this hits your opponent, it's game over for them. That's definitely a bomb.

Innocent Bystander

A two mana 2/1 that always gives you a clue when it dies is probably a C, but obviously enough this doesn’t always do it. In fact, in a lot of situations where it takes three, your opponent’s creature probably survives. That means this will often just be trading with another two drop or, worse – a 1/1 token.

Knife

+1/+0 and first strike does make almost any creature into a decent attacker, but the fact this is irrelevant on your opponent's turn is a bummer. There are definitely payoffs for sacrificing artifacts though, and this triggers those while always doing something by drawing you a card. D138

Krenko, Baron of Tin Street

A three mana 3/3 with Haste is a great starting point, and this has great upside in a set with Clues everywhere. He's going to be able to crank out goblins and buff them on many boards. He even buffs himself!

Krenko's Buzzcrusher

In Limited, you’re mostly just paying for a 4-mana 4/4 with Flying and Trample, and that’s like a 3.5. Occasionally you’ll hit a nonbasic, but the value of doing that in Limited even when it does happen isn’t usually going to be very high since he lets that player search up a land to replace it anyway.

Lamplight Phoenix

A three mana 3/3 Flyer is great, and this one can refuse to die when you have some action in the graveyard, and bringing this back the first time doesn’t seem like a huge stretch in many situations. I think this sneaks into the lower bomb range – it’s hard not to love a creature this efficient that isn’t that hard to keep around.

Offender at Large

Just playing this face up is going to be the play more often than not, and when you do it has a reasonable shot at giving you an attack you didn’t have before. This is the type of disguise creature you probably only play face down when you’ve got nothing else going on on turn three. Either way, this card looks like it will have trouble making the cut sometimes.

Person of Interest

4-mana for a 2/2 and a 2/2 Menace that can’t block is a pretty amazing rate. Not much more to say there, but this is a really good Common.

Pyrotechnic Performer

So, you can just play this on curve if you’re trying to finish your opponent off as quickly as possible, or you can disguise it, and end up paying 4 mana for a 3/2 that does 3 to your opponent – which is a card you’d probably play, and obviously it’s way better than that, both because you pay in installments and it makes your other face down creatures do the same thing!

Reckless Detective

It’s nice that you have two different ways to make this a ⅔, and both options are pretty reasonable. If you discard, you’re rummaging, which itself isn’t a bad effect, and if you have an expendable artifact it will feel more like you’re netting a card. It won’t be able to attack effectively all game, but playing this on two seems pretty good, and it isn’t like it can be completely ignored in the mid-to-late game either.

Red Herring

This can do some serious work if you play it on turn two, and if you get it later in the game you can give it up to get a card. It’s an artifact and a clue, so it’s got some synergy in the format too, especially in Blue-Red. Still…the card’s fail case doesn’t exactly excite me. Paying 4 to draw a card, even in installments isn’t exactly awesome.

Rubblebelt Braggart

So, when this attacks you can choose to give it menace and make it unable to block, and a 5/5 menace isn’t something your opponent can just shrug about in most cases.

Shock

Shock is a 3.5 as it usual is. It’s definitely premium because you can spend only a single mana to kill significantly more expensive creatures – and you can do it at instant speed! Plus, it can even finish off your opponent.

Suspicious Detonation

If this was always 5 mana, it’d probably be a 1.5. That’s a really clunky Sorcery that usually can’t trade up. But, this will cost two fairly often in Red decks. Sacrificing a Clue is all you need to be able to do, and as we’ve seen there are otherwise to sacrifice artifacts too. It can also go after Disguised creatures since it can’t be countered.

Vengeful Tracker

This has a solid baseline, and against some opponents relying on Clues it can be really punishing.

Aftermath Analyst

This is a great early game enabler for Collect Evidence decks that I would already be interested in playing if it just had the ETB. So, the fact it can also snag you some lands out of your graveyard is nice too, especially because lands don’t help you collect evidence anyway.

Airtight Alibi

When you can use this correctly, it can be an absolute beating. It can work as a decent trick that leaves the buff behind, and it can blank removal. Turning off Suspect will usually be more upside than downside, too. Still, it's tricky to leave up this much mana.

Analyze the Pollen

So, this is a new take on Traverse the Ulvenwald, which isn't as good in Limited as it is in constructed. Still, it provides good fixing early and in the late game it can tutor up your best creature.

Archdruid's Charm

The +1/+1 counter + Fight mode is the one most likely to be the most useful and most efficient, but tutoring up lands and creature or taking out enchantments or artifacts is sometimes nice. If this cost 2 generic and a Green to cast, it would be a premium-level removal spell with big upside – I’d probably give it a 4.0. But you can’t really overlook that casting cost. Getting three mana of one color is pretty hard in Limited, and isn’t even guaranteed by turn 6 in most decks. If youre deck has like 12 green sources in it, casting this becomes easier, but the upside also isn’t so great that it’s worth distorting your deck that way for the Charm alone.

Audience with Trostani

At worst this is three mana for a 0/1 that draws you a card. That’s not good, but as a fail case it could be worse. This set does have a bunch of different creature tokens, but it still feels like drawing two with this is pretty medium, and expecting more than that is an unreasonable expectation. You can set it up sometimes, sure, but not often enough.

Axebane Ferox

Nothing super fancy here, just a super efficient creature that your opponent won’t always be able to target with stuff, especially in the early game. 

Bite Down on Crime

If you aren't collecting evidence, this is pretty darn clunky. And clunky is dangerous on a removal spell like this, since your opponent interacting can 2-for-1 you. Still, if you choose your spot carefully, this is likely to kill most opposing stuff, and the stats boost might also really improve your attacks. Combine that with the Evidence upside and I think this manages to just sneak into “premium removal” range.

Case of the Locked Hothouse

Solving this is inevitable in many Magic games, and once you do it’s pretty darn powerful. It even lets you get more than one card per turn! But, here’s the problem: This is an awful Enchantment that doesn’t add to the board up until that point, and that’s a pretty big liability for a 4-mana card. Extra land drops are very hard to take advantage of in Limited, especially by the turn you play this, because you just run out of lands to play. Basically, this is great in the late game and awful the rest of the game, and that makes it really hard for it to get a great grade. 

Case of the Trampled Garden

What this gives you up front is fairly acceptable, and Green decks will certainly be capable of solving this. Once you do, buffing an attacking creature every turn is going to feel pretty good. Still, it doesn’t do a ton up front. 

Chalk Outline

The idea here is to play cards with Collect Evidence alongside this, and if you have enough of that going on – and enough creatures in your deck – this has the potential to be a fairly absurd engine, since it effectively gives you 2 cards every time you Collect Evidence. The problem is that this does absolutely nothing up front. Still, the upside is kind of insane, and I think accessible enough in some decks for this to get a buildaround grade. 

Culvert Ambusher

This kind of effect doesn’t always play well. There just aren’t always situations where it matters. Still, when it does matter, it feels a bit like situational removal, and it’s stapled to a creature with okayish stats, not to mention Disguise upside.

Fanatical Strength

We’ve seen Run Amok in the past, and it has a strictly worse text box because it can only target attacking creatures, and Run Amok was an absolute beating in aggro decks. I think this will be too. The stats boost + trample can just wreck combat in so many ways, and make damage lethal out of nowhere. The boost is enough to save a creature from some removal spells in a pinch too.  You’re going to want to keep this card in the back of your mind any time you’re playing someone who is in Green.

Flourishing Bloom-Kin

This is best in a heavy green deck, but even outside of that, it helps you ramp your mana and will be a reasonable size.

Get a Leg Up

This trick gives +1/+1 as a floor, and it can give a way bigger boost than that. We've seen this card before without the Reach, and it's always a good trick.

Glint Weaver

Here’s this format big ol’ green creature that gains you life, which can help you stabilize from behind. If the Weaver is alone, it’s a 7-mana 6/6 with Reach that gains you 6 life – that’s not amazing, but it’s passable – and because you can distribute the counters in any number of ways, it’s often going to be better than that. This is because you’ll be able to put it on creatures who can already attack and/or gain even more life than 6. Still, this is a 7-drop, something that gives me a little pause in today’s limited formats. I do think it’s the right kind of 7-drop because it gives you value on board almost no matter what and gains you life.

Greenbelt Radical

4-mana for a 4/4 is still a decent stat-line, and then this has huge Diguise upside. Sure, you can’t access it until the late game, but having instant speed Overrun in the late game is going to be an absolute beating. Now, don’t expect to reach that stage of the game every time you play the Orator, but because the card has a solid fail-case and insane upside.

Hard-Hitting Question

They have really been pushing these punch effects lately. There once was a time where one mana for a straight up fight effect was a nice Limited card, but now we get a one-sided fight for the same cost! Obviously, it’s pretty darn good. You do need to have a sizable enough creature around to make it do its thing the best, and you have to pick your spots because removal is an utter blowout, but we’re still talking about a one mana removal spell…this’ll feel like a Green Swords to Plowshares pretty often.

Hedge Whisperer

This ability is reasonably powerful once you get there, but in the meantime you’ve got a one mana 0/3, something that just isn’t relevant on most boards. It’s also a little annoying the ability is as expensive as it is, and you can still only have one animated land at a time. You have to jump through some very real hoops and play an otherwise sub-par creature.

Hide in Plain Sight

4-mana for two 2/2s is a pretty nice deal, especially because it’s likely you grabbed a couple of cards that won’t be 2/2s for long.

A Killer Among Us

A 4-mana 3/3 that makes a Clue is fine, and this will be a 4/4 Vigilance from time to time.

Loxodon Eavesdropper

5 mana for three 1/1s isn't great, but you can attack with all three tokens the next turn and really give your opponent a headache. At that point, you are definitely getting your mana's worth.

Nervous Gardener

A two mana 2/2 isn’t what it used to be, but that’s the fail case here, and this has the upside of fixing your mana. Note, by the way, that it can grab this format’s dual lands, should you pick one up.

Pick Your Poison

Even at one mana and with all these modes, this still feels like it won't do enough far too often. I think it's a sideboard card.

Pompous Gadabout

This can't be blocked by disguised creatures, and you can use tricks on it without any fear of interaction.

The Pride of Hull Clade

This will be easy to cast sometimes, but a 2/15 honestly isn't that impressive, and the ability is only useful when you've got good attacks. Keep in mind that's you have to draw too, it isn't a may trigger.

Rope

I think this is the worst card in this cycle. The buffs it offers are underwhelming, especially when you’re paying 3 to equip.

Rubblebelt Maverick

These days, they give us lots of Common one drops that do a whole bunch of little things, and almost all of them have been impressive in Limited – I think this is another one of those. A one mana 1/1 with Surveil 2 is probably playable to begin with, especially if you’re a graveyard deck. Add to that the ability to put a counter on something, and this card just feels like it will do a ton of work.

Sample Collector

This can be put the counter on itself, and it attacking as a ¾ on turn four doesn’t seem impossible but…it’s also not incredible. The ability to put the counter elsewhere does give you some nice flexibility, but the base stat-line here is mediocre and that’s kind of a problem for a creature that has to attack to be something more than a vanilla creature. Especially because you also need to set this up a bit.

Sharp-Eyed Rookie

This starts with passable stats and can grow throughout the game while drawing you cards. The only downside is that if you get it late it's pretty mediocre, but that’s the fail case.

Slime Against Humanity

You need at least three of these before they are worth playing, and 4 is better.

They Went This Way

I like that this can ultimately give you a 2-for-1. I don’t like that it’s a Sorcery that doesn’t add to the board in any meaningful way. It definitely fixes your mana, and in games that go long enough that Clue is gonna feel pretty nice, but not doing anything to add to the board on turn three has been a liability in most formats of late. I kind of hope this is a format where you can do stuff like this, but I’m going to err on the side of caution.

Topiary Panther

This fixes your mana well and sets up Collect Evidence 6 in the early game, and in the late game it's a passable creature.

Tunnel Tipster

A two mana 1/1 that can tap for green is already a C-level card, and this has legitimate potential to grow throughout the game, which means it can stay more relevant than most mana dorks. Of course, if you draw it late it isn’t the most impressive thing ever, but playing this on turn two and playing a couple of Disguise creatures seems like a super common play pattern. This Common looks quite good.

Undergrowth Recon

This isn't here for Limited. It won't ever give you a card worth of value. Don't play it.

Vengeful Creeper

A 5-mana 5/5 is pretty beefy, and this one has some Disenchant upside. Feels like most Green decks will want one of these. 

Vitu-Ghazi Inspector

You're not usually going to be able to unlock this cards full power on turn two, and while a ⅓ with reach isn't a disaster for two mana, it isn't remotely close to good either. The good news is that the ETB is useful pretty much all game long.

Agrus Kos, Spirit of Justice

A 4-mana 2/4 with Vigilance and Double Strike is a quality card already, so adding Suspect to the mix is pretty nice. You can use it to remove an opposing suspect if there is one, and if there’s not you can choose to give something suspect – which can be beneficial when you want to turn off a creature’s ability to block or if giving your guy menace is a big deal. Both of those are really great if you’re on the offensive, although going after your opponents creature is probably best since Agrus can exile it later. Argus can also target himself, so don’t forget that. The efficiency here is amazing, and his ability to remove creatures and/or weaken or augment them makes him a bomb.

Alquist Proft, Master Sleuth

A three mana 3/3 with Vigilance that makes you a clue is an awesome card, and then in the late game he can turn one of your Clues into Sphinx’s Revelation. Gaining life and drawing cards is a powerful combination, as that life helps offset the fact that you just pumped a bunch of mana into something that didn’t impact the board.  You’re not always going to manage to do that, but that’s fine.  His fail-case is that you get a 2-for-1, and the upside is that you pump a bunch of mana into his ability and there’s no way for you to lose. He’s knocking on the door of bomb status, but I think he falls just a little bit short, because there are going to be a lot of games where you don’t have time for the activated ability.

Anzrag, the Quake-Mole

A a 4-mana 8/4 is probably a 3.0 or 3.5. Those are some way above rate stats. And Anzrag comes with a bunch of extra upside too! Getting extra combat phases is notoriously an effect that sounds super powerful but generally underwhelms, but attaching the effect to an 8/4 is pretty sweet. It’s kind of hard for your opponent to just take 8 to the face in most situations, but that’s what they’re going to have to do sometimes. I mean, if they can block Anzrag but not kill him, there’s really no point, since this effect will just keep happening each time they block. And this is only talking about having Anzrag around, by the way – if your board is well developed your opponent is in for even more of a problem. The ability to force stuff to block him is kind of silly, because in the late game it’s pretty likely your opponent can block him with a couple of 2/2s or something. But…still, you get that extra combat phase, which you might just be able to take advantage of.

Assassin's Trophy

This deals with anything, but is dangerous enough to play in the early game that it isn't incredible.

Aurelia, the Law Above

A 5-mana 4/4 with these three keywords is probably already a 4.0 or 4.5, so Aurelia’s Battallion and super duper battalion abilities are pretty great. Because she’s got haste and flying, there’s a pretty significant chance you’ll draw that card the turn you play here. Keep in mind she also triggers when your opponent attacks with 3 or 5 or more creatures.

Blood Spatter Analysis

This is a great removal spell that turns into a 2-for-1 if the game goes long enough. Hard to be upset with that.

Buried in the Garden

Its an Oblivion Ring stapled to a mana ramp Aura. 'Nuff said.

Coerced to Kill

This is pretty great. Mind Control effects are incredibly strong, and even though this one weakenes the creature in most cases, you still remove an opposing creature and get a 1/1 death touch. I mean, imagine this was a 5-mana Sorcery that gives you a 1/1 death touch and destroys a creature – that’s basically what this is, and that’s amazing. The creature actually keeps any abilities it has too, so sometimes it will be better! Importantly, this can get you back ahead from behind.

Crowd-Control Warden

It’ll be at least a 5/5 in most cases, and other times it will be absolutely massive! The whole Disguise thing is a big deal too, when the creature has the potential of being this big.

Curious Cadaver

A 4-mana 3/1 Flyer is kind of a liability. Sure, it can hit the opponent reasonably hard for the cost, but it also dies to everything, including lots of cheap removal and creature ETB abilities. This offsets that a little bit because it can come back from your graveyard, but don’t underestimate how much of a pain it is that you have to keep recasting it every time. Still, it’s an evasive creature with reasonably high power that just doesn’t stay dead, and overall that’s something I’m interested in. I could see this underwhelming in the end if that 1 toughness is extra easy to deal with in this format.

Deadly Complication

Three mana to destroy any creature at sorcery speed is already premium removal, so the fact that you can also sometimes put a counter on one of your creatures is some serious business.

Detective's Satchel

This gives you three artifacts which is great for the Blue-Red sacrifice deck, and then it gives you an amazing payoff for sacrificing those artifacts, since you’ll get a nice token out of the deal. I do’nt love that it doesn’t add meaningfully to the board the turn you play it, but the engine potential here is very real.

Dog Walker

Obviously, you get the most value out of just casting it face down and turning it face up – at which point you paid 5 mana for a 3/1 Vigilance and two 1/1s, and paying it in installments will make it feel more efficient than that. But, the fact you can just slam it on turn two if you’re more interested in curving out is pretty nice.

Doppelgang

5 mana to make a token copy of a permanent isn’t that great. Obviously, it’s highly dependent on what you copy, but when you’re evaluating a card like this you have to think about how often you’re getting that 5 mana worth of value and, there will probably be more times where you don’t get your mana’s worth. Still, when you cast this you’re going to get a copy of whatever the best permanent on the battlefield is – most of the time you’ll be going after creature, and that means you either have a copy of your best creature, or a copy of your opponent’s best creature.

Drag the Canal

If this always made a 2/2, gained you 2, surveiled 2, and investigated for 2, it would probably be a B+. That’s just crazy value for the cost! Obviously it isn’t always going to line up that way, though. Still, the fail case is two mana for a 2/2 flash with a useful creature type, and if you can find a way to make something die before you cast it, it’s going to give you some awesome value.

Etrata, Deadly Fugitive

A ¼ death touch for three is a nice starting point, and her abilities are really interesting. Basically when she (or another assassin) hits an opponent, you make the top card of your opponent’s deck into a 2/2 with ward 2. That’s already something I love – but beyond that, you can actually turn those cards face up! And you can even cast them when they aren’t creatures! Basically, it’s like she gives you a token when that’s what you need, and a card in your hand when that’s what you need, and the combination is great.

Evidence Examiner

So, if you’ve got some spare stuff in your graveyard, this can turn it into cards, and it gives you a repeatable way to collect evidence, something that seems particularly useful for payoffs that give you something when cards leave your graveyard. Still, I do wish this was both an enabler and a payoff for collecting evidence. As is, it doesn’t feel strong enough to pull me into the color pair.

Ezrim, Agency Chief

Ezrim offers really great stats, and his ability to gain powerful keywords is amazing, especially because he gives you the clues to sacrifice to protect him with hexproof. Most of the time, you’re gonna wanna wait to play Ezrim until you can leave that mana up, because at that point your opponent is probably entirely unable to deal with Ezrim, and that’s a problem because he ends the game in just a few swings.  The card’s biggest downside is the mana cost. Double-white double-blue isn’t always that easy to assemble in Limited, and the longer you have to wait to cast Ezrim, the less impressive it is.

Faerie Snoop

A three mana ¼ flyer isn’t a disaster, and the Disguise upside here is pretty real. Drawing a card is always nice, and there’s plenty of incentive for putting things in the graveyard too. These hybrid Disguise costs also mean these are going to be playable in a wider variety of decks than just Blue-Black.

Gadget Technician

Playing this face up gives you a pretty nice rate, and the Disguise option is pretty nice too. This looks like a really good common.

Gleaming Geardrake

I’m on-board with a two mana 1/1 Flyer that makes a Clue, and this thing will become a pretty real threat if it’s left unchecked, as this format is replete with Clue tokens, not to mention other ways to sacrifice stuff. In short, this card has a nice fail case, and an amazing ceiling.

Granite Witness

A 4-mana 3/2 with Flying and Vigilance is sort of passable, so the Disguise upside here is a nice thing to have around. Tapping or untapping things isn’t always gonna be useful, but when it is, it can be pretty awesome.

Ill-Timed Explosion

So, this sweeper lets you loot a couple of times, and then it gives you some control over just how much damage you do. That seems quite strong to me, as you can choose a mana value that will hurt your opponent more than it hurts you most of the time, while still having the ability to just sweep the whole board, should you have a card with a high enough mana value.

Insidious Roots

You’re likely to have a few tokens around sometimes in Black-Green, but you’re really going to need to be able to get the Plant stuff going on Insidious Roots for it to be worthwhile. The good news is, Black-Green has a critical mass of “Collect Evidence” cards which will trigger Insidious Roots, but this still kind of asks a lot of you. You need a stocked graveyard, you need the things in your graveyard to be creatures, and you need to collect evidence. I think that’s doable, but still hard enough that this probably needs a build around grade.

Izoni, Center of the Web

This reminds me of Ishkanah, and that’s good company to keep. In black green, this will be a 6 mana 5/4 with Menace thar makes two 2/1s with Menace and reach more often than it isn't, and on rate alone that's a bomb. Throw in the ability to make more spiders every time it attacks, and the ability to give up tokens for value, and this might just be the biggest bomb in the set.

Judith, Carnage Connoisseur

giving it death touch and lifelink doesn’t really matter. But if it does do damage

Kaya, Spirits' Justice

All three of her abilities are pretty awesome. The +2 gives you serious card selection, and also makes her loyalty high enough that she won’t be easy to take down right away. Her +1 can protect her and/or pressure your opponent, and her -2 is basically Bone Splinters. Obviously enough, the -2 and +1 synergize with her triggered ability too. The +1 makes sure you have tokens, and the -2 exiles stuff, so you’re going to get some extra value out of that -2.

Kellan, Inquisitive Prodigy

Kylox, Visionary Inventor

This asks way too much of you for a 7-mana card. You have to go behind on board in order to roll the dice and hope you get to cast some spells is a pretty bad idea. Menace, Ward, and Haste do mean you'll get this trigger pretty much every time you play Kylox, and there might be some decks that can get there without, but I don't think most will.

Kylox's Voltstrider

A three mana 4/4 vehicle with crew 2 is a 1.5. Sure, it’s got good stats for the cost, but it doesn’t matter so much when you’re having to tap a two power creature to get it going. However, being able to crew this without tapping anything is pretty nice, though you do need a reasonably well-stocked graveyard to do it. Casting spells it exiles is where the value really comes in, but the fact you still have to pay for those spells is kind of sad.  I think this needs a buildaround grade, even in Blue-Red, because this set’s Blue-Red archetype isn’t spells.

Lazav, Wearer of Faces

Hating on the graveyard certainly has value in this format, as does getting some Clues. There are also going to be times where Lazav can become a pretty insane creature, and if you attack and leave mana up to crack that clue, your opponent is going to be in a miserable situation, provided you exiled a creature. Even without that creature-copying effect, we’re talking about a reasonably efficient creature that has some nice abilities.

Leyline of the Guildpact

This effect isn’t worth a card in Limited, we’ve seen that with cards like Prismatic Omen – even if you put this into play for free, more often than not it’s going to feel like you’re mulliganing because the value it delivers is so minimal.

Lightning Helix

This is a pretty sweet reprint, and an incredibly powerful removal spell. Don’t underestimate just how good it is to simultaneously remove a creature and gain life. That can alter a game in your favor in a big way, and it can even go after the opponent. It’s certainly premium removal.

Meddling Youths

A 5-mana ⅘ Haste is playable, and this can spit out Clues in a format where they really matter. Haste means it’ll be able to come down and make that clue, especially if you’re curving out. While this card is by no means bad, it does feel a bit underwhelming for a signpost Uncommon, at least compared to what we’re used to these days. It doesn’t seem like the kind of singpost that pulls you into a deck, it just seems like one you’re happy to have when you’re already in the deck.

Niv-Mizzet, Guildpact

There’s nice fixing in this set, so casting Niv-Mizzet isn’t impossible, and once he hits your opponent X is fairly likely to be at least one, and it will often be two, and that’s going to generate some awesome value. The problem, of course, is casting Niv, and it is a bit of a bummer that after you work so hard to do that, he doesn’t do something right away – but at least he has protection from multicolored, which means plenty of the removal in the set can’t go after him.

No More Lies

A harder to cast mana leak, even with exile upside, isn't that good in Limited. It can hit some stuff early, but being able to leave up this mana is far from a guarantee. Then, the longer the game goes on, the less useful it is, because your opponent is more likely to be able to pay the tax.

Officious Interrogation

Well…this doesn’t do anything but investigate, but as long as you’re getting two clues out of it you’re going to feel fine about that, and sometimes you’ll get a whole mountain of them for only two or four mana. Don’t forget you can target yourself, too. It’s a little slow perhaps, but this seems like it will also give you a ton of cards in the long run, so I like it a reasonable amount.

Private Eye

The set has plenty of detectives to buff, and plenty of clues that will help you make detectives unblockable. If yo’ure in Blue-White, it’s going to be hard for this not to buff a huge chunk of your deck.

Rakdos, Patron of Chaos

Rakdos can end the game in a hurry, and most of the time when you play him he’s going to give you something before your opponent ever has a chance to remove him. The fact he only lets them sacrifice nontoken/nonlands is important, and it makes the ability significantly stronger. If they choose to give you cards instead, you’re pretty excited about that too.  Rakdos is a huge, fairly efficient creature that will deliver some value even if your opponent has removal in most cases. I think that makes him a bomb.

Rakish Scoundrel

A 4-mana 3/3 death touch is probably a 1.5. It can trade for anything, but that’s really only exciting on cheap death touchers, and this definitely isn’t one. And sure, this can grant indestructibility when it enters, or can do it at instant speed if you have the mana for disguise – which means that it will kill whatever blocks it and survive thanks to death touch and indestructibility, but it seems like you’re just paying too much mana for this no matter how you deploy it.

Relive the Past

So, in theory you end up with three 5/5s that have additional upside when you cast this. In practice…getting more than one sounds like a bit of a challenge, especially because Green-White isn’t exactly graveyard-centric in this format. While Artifacts and Enchantments aren’t around, they aren’t everywhere in this set – artifacts will be especially hard to find in Green/White. But…I think you’ll be able to get two 5/5s out of this often enough, and occasionally get the full three, for it to be a card worth playing at the top of your curve. But, it is expensive and takes some work.

Repulsive Mutation

because leaving up mana and hoping your opponent plays into it can be a really serious problem. You have to be careful about using them.

Riftburst Hellion

This isn’t going to feel amazing either way you get the 6/7 with Reach, but the fact that it IS a huge creature with the upside of being castable as a three mana 2/2 Ward 2 makes it worthwhile.

Rune-Brand Juggler

Suspecting your creature might mean you get a good attack right away, and if nothing else the Juggler can suspect itself. It is nice that it’s a “may” trigger, if you’re in a spot where you need to block. The activated ability is pretty good, especially if you’re making tokens into suspects, something that doesn’t seem particularly far-fetched. It won’t feel quite as good to give up real creatures with that ability, but that’s not a bad fail-case either. If you have a Suspect in play and mana up, your opponent is going to be in a nightmare scenario.

Sanguine Savior

A three mana 2/1 with Flying and Lifelink is pretty solid. It won’t always be able to get in there, but it will fairly often, and evasive lifelinkers are pretty sweet because they really shift a race in your favor. So, the fact that you can also play it first down first and give something else lifelink too is nice upside.

Shady Informant

If you could only play this face up, it would be a pretty nice card. It has high enough power to trade with a whole lot of stuff, and the death trigger is likely to let you kill something else too – and that’s a 2-for-1. So, the fact you can get it on the board earlier in the game without your opponent knowing it’s lurking there makes it even nicer.

Soul Search

This hits a wide enough variety of things to not to be an entirely useless discard spell, and the fact that sometimes you can get a token is pretty sweet.

Sumala Sentry

Two counters is a big deal, and the fact you can turn them face up at instant speed can really make this a beating.

Teysa, Opulent Oligarch

You’ll play her and get that first clue in the same turn a decent chunk of the time, and getting a 1/1 flyer when you draw off of your clues – or otherwise sacrifice them – is pretty great too. Being a three mana ⅔ deathtoucher isn’t the worst thing ever either.

Tin Street Gossip

A 4-mana 4/4 with Vigilance is a great starting point, and this has upside that is very useful in this format. Red-Green especially has an interest in big ol’ Disguise creatures too. That Vigilance of course means it can swing and then tap for mana in the same turn, which is a nice combination.

Tolsimir, Midnight's Light

5 mana for a 3/2 lifelink and a 5/5 trampler is an incredible rate. Tolsimir's ability to make stuff block the wolf can be pretty nasty too, but this card gets most of its value from giving you two very real bodies for a very low cost.

Treacherous Greed

If you can set this up, it’s pretty amazing. Three mana for a Lightning Helix to your opponent’s dome and three cards is a big deal. The good news is, this is pretty darn easy to set up too – that’s because the creature you sacrifice just has to have dealt damage. This includes to creatures, so this means most of the time when you turn a creature sideways, that creature will be sacrificable to this, provided that creature survives. So, there is set up here and it isn’t entirely automatic, but it’s very attainable.

Trostani, Three Whispers

This has above-rate stats and the ability to grant these keywords is pretty awesome, especially since it can use the abilities on itself. The threat of activation is very real, and your opponent really has to think about death touch and double strike when making their decisions.

Urgent Necropsy

You’ll almost never have a planeswalker to destroy with this, but you’ll basically always have a creature, and Enchantments and Artifacts aren’t far-fetched either. Most frequently, you’ll probably just take down a creature with it at instant speed, and it takes some pretty real setup. Although that set up does look obtainable in Black-Green decks. This will feel nuts when you hit three permanents, but your opponent both has to have those and you have to have the right cards in your graveyard. So, this has a high ceiling but a miserable floor.

Vannifar, Evolved Enigma

So, she can buff all of your morphs and/or artifact creatures, which there are plenty of in the format! Cloaking things from your hand is pretty nice too. It’ll feel the best in the mid to late game when you don’t really need lands anymore – turning all your excess lands into 2/2s is no joke. Using it on actual creature won’t feel quite as good, but if it’s one that you can’t cast just yet anyway, it’s going to feel fine.

Warleader's Call

Anthems are good when you have lots of creatures and the incidental damage this can chip in can really turn up the heat on your opponent. But still, it’s not the kind of card that does much unless you've already got at least a decent board.

Wispdrinker Vampire

This has respectable stats, and the life drain effect is going to be easier than normal trigger in this format because of Disguise creatures. I like that it has an ability for the extreme late-game too.

Worldsoul's Rage

As with most X damage spells, this is never going to feel especially efficient, but it does scale as the game goes on, and being able to go after your opponent makes it an effective finisher. Additionally, there may be times where you have milled a couple of lands and you just use this to kill an X/2 and ramp your mana, and that’ll feel pretty good too.

Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods

I’m already thrilled about a 4-mana 4/4 that gives Haste to your stuff, so…the fact that this has insane face-down card synergy is amazing. If you’ve got a Disguised creature and you attack with it with Yarus in play, your opponent either has to let it through and let you draw a card, or kill it and pray that the disguised creature won’t be that scary when it comes back. Of course, if the best they can do is trade with a 2 toughness creature, that will be an especially brutal beating. The whole haste thing combos nicely here, because it means your disguised creatures will make your opponent make those decisions even more quickly.

Cease

Flotsam

Fuss

Hustle

Push

Cryptex

This is effectively a blank card if your graveyard doesn’t have what you need, so the fact that you can play this mana rock on turn two doesn’t really matter, because it will rarely be able to produce mana on turn two. It’s exciting to imagine getting those five counters on it and cracking it to draw three, but that’s going to take quite a lot of time if you even do it at all. This won’t do enough 99% of the time.

Gravestone Strider

When one mana filtering is attached to a creature, it has performed pretty well, and this even comes with the addition of graveyard hate, something that certainly matters in the format.

Lumbering Laundry

We’ve seen in past sets with Morph that being able to look at your opponent’s face-down cards isn’t really worth spending mana. Sure, the information is nice, and there’s worse things you could sink your mana into, but until you reach a point where you have literally nothing else you can do, you’re not going to be using this ability. So, what you’re left with is a pretty medium creature with a bit of Disguise upside.

Magnetic Snuffler

This set does have some Equipment that sacrifice themselves and draw you a card, and that’s kind of what it’s supposed to interact with. There’s also a decent amount of self-mill in the format. But…I still wouldn’t count on triggering that ETB all that often. When you can, it will feel nice. I think most of the value of the Snuffler comes from the fact that it grows when you sacrifice clues or other artifacts – but, the fact it starts out so inefficiently makes it hard for me to really feel great about this card.

Magnifying Glass

This is a bad mana rock that is way too slow at making Clues.

Sanitation Automaton

This has mediocre stats and a mediocre ETB.

Thinking Cap

If this were always 1 to Equip, it would probably be a 2.5, just because that’s a fairly efficient boost – one that’s easy to move around. Detectives are plentiful enough in this format that this still looks solid.

Branch of Vitu-Ghazi

If you just need the mana right away, you can play it, but this has two other really nice functions. First, it's flood insurance. The last thing you want to do in the late game is draw a land - but thud one can be a creature when that's the case. And in the mid-game, when you might need the fixing, you can turn it face up. Remember you can do weird stuff like assign this to block and turn it face up, at which point you get the mana and the creature it blocked is still considered blocked, but you don't lose the land.

Commercial District

Dual lands always provide excellent fixing, and Surveil has extra synergy in the format. Green also has a few cards that can grab these because of their typing.

Elegant Parlor

Escape Tunnel

This is Evolving Wilds with upside, and that upside can allow you send in an unblockable Disguise creature.

Hedge Maze

Lush Portico

Meticulous Archive

Public Thoroughfare

This is another nice source of fixing, even if it does require you to jump through a few hoops. Being able to only tap a Clue or something once when you play it is nice.

Raucous Theater

Scene of the Crime

This looks like a pretty solid source of fixing. You’re not always gonna want to tap your creatures to make mana, as that can be a very real cost, but at least this can also produce colorless mana normally, it has useful typing as both an artifact and a clue, and you can of course throw it away for a card. This means all your eggs aren’t in that mana-fixing basket, so it will almost never feel terrible, while still having the upside of shoring up your mana.

Shadowy Backstreet

Thundering Falls

Undercity Sewers

Underground Mortuary

Case File Auditor

So, if can consistently get a hit with this ETB, it’s going to be plenty good. This format has enough Enchantments – including cases – for that to happen a decent chunk of the time. If you have like 5 Enchantments, I think you’ll hit often enough for it to work, and obviously you’re going to need Cases to get the full value out of this, but they aren’t so plentiful that that’s always going to be easy.

Wojek Investigator

A three mana 2/4 with Flying and Vigilance is easily a 3.5, and this can crank out Clues a decent chunk of the time.

Sudden Setback

We’ve seen a lot of 4 mana blue cards lately that let you get rid of a nonland permanent by giving your opponent the option of put it on top or bottom of the library, and they’ve fared pretty well. None of them have been amazing, but they let you trade 1-for-1 and you can do it at instant speed. So, add in the ability to also do this with spells on the stack, and I think we’re talking about a fairly high quality card.

Surveillance Monitor

If this was just straight up a 4-mana 3/3 that made a 1/1 Flyer, it’d be a 4.0. That’s just a great rate and a card you’d take very highly. This won’t always do it up front, but it’ll do it pretty often – and then it’s likely to crank out a few more Thopters if it’s left alone.

Case of the Gorgon's Kiss

If you can solve this the value is insane, and it can certainly set that up for you. On the flip side, it also the potential to do absolutely nothing.

Clandestine Meddler

A three mana 3/2 that makes one of your creatures gain menace is something in the market for, even if that creature also can’t block. Especially because getting to Surveil 1 when a suspect attacks is pretty relevant. Frequently, you’ll get that Surveil trigger the turn you play it too. This seems like it gives you some impressive value for the cost.

Torch the Witness

It’s always going to feel like very efficient removal, and it scales all game long and it’s likely to let you investigate in most situations, so you even get a 2-for-1!

Break Out

This is a two mana card selection spell that gives you an option of adding to the board, and that's pretty awesome.

Kraul Whipcracker

There are lots of tokens in this set for sure, but destroying most of them isn't typically worth a card, and this won't have a target that often on turn two. The stat-line isn't really above rate these days either.

Undercover Crocodelf

So…without Disguise this wouldn’t be very good. A 6-mana 5/5 just doesn’t move the needle, especially one that can only do something if it hits your opponent. Disguise does enough to make this playable, though, because you can get it on the board much earlier of course, but you can also find a way to sneak it in and get that clue more easily.