Melira, the Living Cure
3.5 This is a pretty sweet two-mana creature! Obviously she has above-rate stats, but the fact that she weakens the Toxic mechanic is nice upside, as is her ability to reanimate a creature or artifact that has died during your turn. That second part is definitely going to be more important, but what we’re looking at here is still a two mana 3/3 with substantial upside
Drown in Ichor
4.0 This is great removal. -4/-4 is enough to kill the majority of creatures, and this is cheap enough that you can trade up in a big way. If you get value out of Proliferate too it will feel truly absurd
Feed the Infection
1.5 Lately, Sorcery-speed card draw effects that make you lose life have felt pretty bad, since you spend a significant amount of mana, don’t add to the board, and actually help out your aggressive opponent. However, I do think making your opponent lose 3 as well is a significant upgrade, but it still might be too slow
Serum-Core Chimera
3.0 As usual, Blue/Red is into spells – but there is an oil counter theme too! Like most signposts, this looks pretty nice. A 4-mana 2/4 Flyer isn’t amazing, but is actually a solid stat-line – so the upside of drawing a card and bolting a creature or planeswalker every three spells is pretty massive. The thing I don’t love here is that there are often going to be times where you just can’t get that third oil counter, even with proliferate around
Charge of the Mites
2.5 While you’re overpaying a bit for each of these modes individually, the modality here is definitely nice! If you’re good at going wide – and if you’re in White you probably are – it can be a reasonable removal spell. If you’re having a hard time getting your board going, it can give you a couple of mites!
Rustvine Cultivator
1.5 This doesn’t look very good. The best thing about a mana dork is that it can play you more powerful spells every turn. This can’t do that. It will finally untap a land on turn three, and while the boost is nice, the fact you had to tap this twice to get it is no small thing. Sure, you can proliferate and stuff to have to tap it less, but you’re jumping through some pretty serious hoops to make your one drop work.
Forgehammer Centurion
2.5 This isn’t as good as some Common Red cards that can make something unable to block, because the set up is fairly significant, but when it can use that ability it will really open the floodgates on your opponent.
Myr Kinsmith
0.0 // 2.0 There aren’t really that many Myrs in the set, so I mostly don’t see this getting off the ground. If you have at least three Myr, it is probably worth playing, as it will be able to generate a 2-for-1. And if you have Myr Convert, this will sort of fix your mana too. It is probably unplayable in most Limited decks, and playable if you have a couple of Converts.
Duelist of Deep Faith
3.0 This is going to be a pain to block all game long, and that goes really well alongside Toxic. That makes this a pretty high quality Common
Axiom Engraver
1.5 This has a mediocre stat-line, and a card that can rummage a couple of times isn’t exactly something you’re going to go after. You’ll probably play this when you’re desperate for a two drop or some oil counters, but otherwise it won’t make the cut.
The Fair Basilica
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Pestilent Syphoner
2.0 This seems solid enough. It represents a real threat thanks to toxic, and is likely to contribute a few poison early. Some decks will just want to turn on their corrupted effects and not actually win with poison, and this will probably be at its best in that type of deck
Prologue to Phyresis
2.0 This isn’t especially powerful on its own, as a poison counter isn’t worth a ton on its own – but this is a spell that replaces itself, and the UR deck will make decent use of it
Thrill of Possibility
1.5 We’ve seen this before, and it is often the kind of card that spell decks will run, but no one else really wants to play, and even the spell decks would be happier with a lot of other instants and sorceries that draw them cards!
Pack 1 Pick 2: Ruthless Predation
Darkslick Shores
2.5 These all offer great fixing, like most dual lands, and the fact that they enter untapped early is pretty nice.
Tamiyo's Immobilizer
3.5 This is trying to do an impression of Icy Manipulator – and its doing a pretty solid job. It isn’t colorless, which is bummer – but it doesn’t cost mana to tap things. You can eventually run out of oil counters, but there is enough Proliferate in this set – not to mention oil counter payoffs – that this certainly seems playable. It is going to feel pretty bad if the game reaches a point where you run out of counters, but tapping something down 4 times is often enough to get you there anyway
Magmatic Sprinter
3.5 This looks really good. A three mana 3/2 with Haste is easily a C, and this comes with some pretty real upside! You can use this to put oil counters all over the place by casting it every turn, and there are definitely reasons to do that. Or, you can choose to have this stick in play for a couple of turns at a time if you need the board presence
Meldweb Strider
2.0 A 5-mana 5/5 Vigilance Vehicle with Crew 3 is probably a 1.5. That’s just not a very good rate for a card that isn’t a creature unless you do some extra work! The fact this comes with an oil counter does matter though, as it does make it so this can be a creature all on its one for one turn, and if you proliferate it can become a real problem. Of course, the upside there is still that this is just a 5-mana 5/5 with Vigilance – which is nice, but again – there is work to be done to even get it to the point where it does that consistently.
The Fair Basilica
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Thrill of Possibility
1.5 We’ve seen this before, and it is often the kind of card that spell decks will run, but no one else really wants to play, and even the spell decks would be happier with a lot of other instants and sorceries that draw them cards!
Mandible Justiciar
3.0 A two mana 2/1 with Lifelink is usually playable anyway, and this will often be a 3/2 or larger on your turn. Seems like a great two drop for aggressive decks that care about artifacts.
Surgical Skullbomb
2.5 Like the others, this cycles at worst, and can have a real impact on the board that still nets you a card.
Cruel Grimnarch
1.5 Oftentimes a creature that makes your opponent discard really drops off in the late game, because your opponent is in top deck mode. So, its nice that this can gain you 4 life in that situation. We’re still talking about a creature that is fairly below-rate. Adding deathtouch to a 5/5 isn’t a huge upgrade, and if your opponent just holds on to a land in the late game this will still have the usual downside this type of card has
Ruthless Predation
3.5 This is basically Epic Confrontation, which is a great Limited Common. +1/+2 enables a lot more of your creatures to Fight successfully, and you can often knock a blocker out of the way and swing in with your buffed creature.
Barbed Batterfist
2.5 Two mana 3/1s tend to play pretty well in aggro decks, and that’s what you get up front here – and then you have the option of moving the Equipment to other stuff – like if you really want your token to be a 2/2, or if something else can benefit from the stat boost. +1/-1 certainly isn’t amazing, but this is really cheap to play and equip, which will be especially nice with Equipment payoffs in the set.
Offer Immortality
2.5 This trick is always decent. It doesn’t have the upside of helping you do more damage to your opponent, but it trades that in for the flexibility of winning virtually any combat and saving your creature from most removal
Ichorspit Basilisk
1.5 A three mana 1/3 Deathtouch isn’t the most impressive thing ever, but it does provide a pretty good road block. Adding Toxic to a death toucher is nice upside, since blocking this can be a real pain
Pack 1 Pick 3: Basilica Shepherd
Seachrome Coast
2.5 These all offer great fixing, like most dual lands, and the fact that they enter untapped early is pretty nice.
Exuberant Fuseling
2.0 If you play this on turn one, and can back it up with tricks, Equipment, and the like, it is going to be a real problem. But that’s a lot of stuff you have to do, and if you draw this late it is going to be pretty terrible.
Prosthetic Injector
1.5 This is cheap to play and Equip, but it doesn’t feel like it is worth a whole card to me. +0/+2 is a pretty meager boost, and while Toxic and Equipment have synergy in this format, there are better options for both of those of things that are also at lower rarities!
Basilica Shepherd
4.0 Say hello to the white Diregraf Horde! This is a great Common that adds a ton to the board for the cost. While the Pests being unable to block is definitely a downside, there is a lot you can do with those Artifact tokens – including sacrificing them or simply using them to go wide. This is probably White’s best Common.
Compleat Devotion
2.0 Two mana for +2/+2 is a mediocre boost, but the 2-for-1 upside you get when you use this on a Toxic creature is definitely real upside. There’s enough Toxic in White that I feel like this is a 2.0
Sheoldred's Headcleaver
1.5 A 4-mana 2/4 with Menace is probably a 1.0 at best, and while adding Toxic to the mix is nice, this still dies to a whole lot of common double blocks
Kuldotha Cackler
2.5 This will be able to attack with higher power a decent chunk of the time for sure, but the times where it is just a lowly 2/3 will feel pretty rough.
Eye of Malcator
2.0 One of Blue’s big themes is Artifacts, and this is certainly a payoff for playing them. It is nice that it Scries up front, which means you can make sure you are more likely to hit Artifacts on your next couple turns. Still, most of these cards we see that aren’t always creatures but temporarily become creatures when X happens have been sort of underwhelming. Its just rough that the card is near irrelevant on your opponents’ turn, and often doesn’t do enough on your turn either.
Quicksilver Fisher
2.5 This has reasonable Flying stats and a solid ETB ability. Looting is always a nice effect to tack on to a reasonable creature.
Free from Flesh
2.0 One mana for +2/+2 tends to be a pretty solid boost, as you can very cheaply allow your creature to win a lot of combats. The oil counters really matter for some cards too, though sometimes you’ll end up adding oil counters on something that can’t really do anything with them.
Hazardous Blast
1.5 // 2.5 We’ve seen this card before, more or less, and in the right deck it can be a pretty good way to end the game, as turning off all blocking can really allow you to do a ton of damage. In a pinch, it can also sweep away a bunch of X/1s, like Mite tokens and the like – so it sort of has an alternate mode, but certainly the most powerful thing to do with it is use it to let you alpha strike for the win. With Toxic in the format, it may be easier than normal to set up lethal too, since you can threaten with both poison counters and damage
Meldweb Strider
2.0 A 5-mana 5/5 Vigilance Vehicle with Crew 3 is probably a 1.5. That’s just not a very good rate for a card that isn’t a creature unless you do some extra work! The fact this comes with an oil counter does matter though, as it does make it so this can be a creature all on its one for one turn, and if you proliferate it can become a real problem. Of course, the upside there is still that this is just a 5-mana 5/5 with Vigilance – which is nice, but again – there is work to be done to even get it to the point where it does that consistently.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Sinew Dancer
Awaken the Sleeper
1.0 // 3.0 Here’s the usual Threaten effect! It is interesting its an Uncommon, which means consistently getting it when you have sacrifice outlets is going to be harder than normal. It is also kind of a bummer that it destroys the equipment immediately, instead of you getting a swing in first. But hey, the Equipment destruction angle does mean that you get to trade 1-for-1 in that situation, and that’s not too bad on top of all the other things that this can allow. As usual, this kind of a card is a build around. If you can’t consistently get that full card of value – by destroying Equipment or by sacrificing what you steal – you’re looking at a card that is pretty much only useful in one situation: When you can use it and win on the spot
Charforger
4.0 A three mana ⅔ that makes a 1/1 is already a great rate, so the fact that this can save up oil counters and use them to draw cards is pretty amazing. It takes some work to do of course, but as usual Black-Red has ways to make its own stuff die, so it is certainly doable. I think it has the potential to be the best signpost Uncommon in the set between the great rate and ability to draw cards.
Scheming Aspirant
3.5 Proliferate is already a good thing to be doing in this format, so the fact this also lets you drain your opponent for two when you do it is great. There’s enough proliferate in the format that I think this will be a good inclusion in most Black decks
Offer Immortality
2.5 This trick is always decent. It doesn’t have the upside of helping you do more damage to your opponent, but it trades that in for the flexibility of winning virtually any combat and saving your creature from most removal
The Autonomous Furnace
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Experimental Augury
2.5 Anticipate usually isn’t great in Limited, but tacking Proliferate on to is a pretty big deal. There are lots of counters in this set, and even payoffs for prolfierating specifically! On top of that, UR likes spells, and this kind of instant that replaces itself always gets a boost there. Basically, this will actually effect the board reasonably often thanks to the synergies in the set, while also giving you some solid card selection.
Bladegraft Aspirant
2.5 A three mana 2/3 with Menace is usuallya lready playable, but this also gives you some big Equipment upside! Making it cheaper to play and cheaper to put on the Aspirant is pretty serious. A menace creature is great for suiting up too
Sheoldred's Headcleaver
1.5 A 4-mana 2/4 with Menace is probably a 1.0 at best, and while adding Toxic to the mix is nice, this still dies to a whole lot of common double blocks
Dross Skullbomb
2.5 This one can get a creature back from your graveyard and draw you a card, and once it does that you get a pretty nice 2-for-1
Carnivorous Canopy
1.5 There are enough Artifacts and Enchantments in this set that this it probably isn’t a disaster to run this, especially with that Proliferate upside. It is a bit of a bummer that all this Artifact spot removal is a little worse in a world with the “For Mirrodin!” mechanic, because your opponent still holds on to a token, and being a Sorcery is pretty rough too. This is mostly a sideboard card, though. I think you’ll be disappointed if this makes your main deck.
Sinew Dancer
2.0 So, if you don’t get Corrupted going, this is a pretty bad card. While Master Decoy-type creatures are nice, we’ve seen in the past that asking for four mana for such an effect is just too much, and not an effective way to use your mana on most turns. Obviously, if you can get some poison on your opponent, it gets a lot better – as one mana a turn to tap something often just feels like removal. There is some interesting synergy to be had here, as if you have three poison on your opponent, you probably have some Toxic creatures in play, in which case tapping down a blocker is going to be increasingly problematic for your opponent. That said, getting three poison on your opponent is significant set up, and the baseline card is pretty bad
Pack 1 Pick 5: Paladin of Predation
Red Sun's Twilight
3.5 While this format has a lot of artifacts, and sometimes this can just wreck your opponent – there aren’t so many that this card is amazing. Destroying For Mirrodin equipment will be sweet, because you get to keep the 2/2 – and destroying creatures is likely to give you some nice value too since you can attack with them, but on average, I don’t think this card will be a bomb like the three Twilights we saw earlier this week
Necrosquito
3.0 4-mana 2/2 Flyers have felt pretty bad lately – mostly because they can die to common one mana removal. However, this can grow quite quickly, especially if you combine it with sacrifice effects. But even combat can lead to this being an impressive flyer.
Paladin of Predation
2.0 This is hard to chump block, and it can end the game in two swings thanks to Toxic. The stat-line isn’t amazing for the cost though, and there will still be enough boards where your opponent can just double block it to take it down. It also doesn’t deliver any bonus value you get to hold on to in the event it gets destroyed, and if I’m going to spend 7 mana, I feel like I should get something, even a bit of life or a 1/1 token would make a big difference.
Offer Immortality
2.5 This trick is always decent. It doesn’t have the upside of helping you do more damage to your opponent, but it trades that in for the flexibility of winning virtually any combat and saving your creature from most removal
Molten Rebuke
2.0 This is red’s usual really mediocre modal removal spell. 5 mana for 5 damage at Sorcery speed isn’t anywhere close to premium – it is super clunky and firing it off on something that is cheaper than it is rough. Destroying Equipment matters a little for sure, but the fact that most Equipment in this format has “For Mirrodin!” probably means you don’t even get a full card of value if you do that
Vanish into Eternity
1.5 Six mana to exile a creature is pretty far from an ideal rate, even on an instant. It just isn’t easy for a spell that expensive to ever be premium, because you will usually overpay to kill a cheaper creature. But the fact that this can deal with other permanent types much more efficiently helps things even out. Basically this is going to be a more expensive Disenchant early, and late it can deal with anything. It definitely isn’t premium, even with its modality, but I think the first copy will make the cut in a lot of White decks.
Gitaxian Anatomist
1.5 A 4-mana 2/5 is passable, and having the option to Proliferate can be nice, especially because Blue has lots of oil counters running around – and some poison too! It is definitely awkward you have to tap this to Proliferate, since the thing this card is best at in terms of combat is blocking, and not being able to do that for a turn might be a liability.
Ichor Synthesizer
1.5 A two mana 1/3 is below-rate these days, but this does eventually become an unblockable 3/3, and that’s certainly something your opponent has to contend with. What I don’t like, is that if you don’t get this down early, your chances of getting to four oil counters are significantly curtailed, in which case you’re just playing something that is pretty close to a two mana 1/3, and I don’t like that.
Forgehammer Centurion
2.5 This isn’t as good as some Common Red cards that can make something unable to block, because the set up is fairly significant, but when it can use that ability it will really open the floodgates on your opponent.
Quicksilver Fisher
2.5 This has reasonable Flying stats and a solid ETB ability. Looting is always a nice effect to tack on to a reasonable creature.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Zenith Chronicler
Zenith Chronicler
1.5 A two mana 3/1 isn’t a terrible baseline, and the Chronicler comes with an interesting effect. Obviously, it is going to be at its best in a deck with very multicolored cards, since you make the effect one sided. This is not a set with a huge multicolored theme, with only the signpost uncommons and some rares and mythics actually being multicolored, so the Chronicler’s effect will only be coming up zero to 2 times in most games. Once nice thing is that even if you do have multicolored cards of your own, you can play with that knowledge – in other words, you can trade it off or something so you don’t give your opponent a card. That’s something else that makes this feel more beneficial than not.
Font of Progress
0.0 Mill strategies rarely work out in Limited, mostly because actually effecting the board is all important, and mill has almost no effect on the game until your opponent actually runs out of cards. There is a card we’ll see later in this video that can really help you win with mill, but I don’t think this one will. You don’t really want to spend your mana on this ability – you want to be playing things that are more meaningful. Even proliferating to get this to where it mills more cards isn’t going to be good enough
Goldwarden's Helm
2.0 You get a three mana 2/3 up front here, which isn’t the worst baseline – especially when you have Equipment and Artifact payoffs in the format. The Boost this offers on its own is certainly very meager, though.
Bonepicker Skirge
3.0 A three mana 2/2 Flyer isn’t quite as good as it used to be – but it is still decent enough, so adding some additional effects usually makes for a nice card, and that’s what we have here. If this always had deathtouch and lifelink it would be a 4.0, but you do have to jump through some hoops here.
Bring the Ending
2.5 This starts out as a bad mana leak, and by the later stages of the game becomes a really efficient hard counter. I actually like that design, because this type of counterspell is usually good earlier in the game and horrible late. So, adding Corrupted to the mix means that this will be good for a huge chunk of the game.
Basilica Skullbomb
2.0 Glad to see a Phyrexian variant of the Mirrodin Spellbomb! At worst, these all cycle away while giving you some artifact synergy, and that makes it hard for them to be terrible. Then, when you have the mana, it does something reasonably significant while still replacing itself. +2/+2 and Flying is the kind of boost that matters a big chunk of the time.
Escaped Experiment
2.0 On its own, this is a two mana 2/1 that gives -1/-0 to an opposing creature when it attacks, and its ability can lower power a lot more than that! This can often enable nice attacks not just for the Experiment, but the board. That said, it doesn’t really change the ability of your opponent’s creatures to block effectively. They may not be able to kill things they tussle with, but if they could already block your stuff and survive – that will still be true.
Blazing Crescendo
2.0 This is somewhat similar to Enthusiastic Study from Strixhaven, in that it gives a +3/+1 boost and draws you a card. Enthusiastic Study gave trample too, which makes it better, but I think this is still a nice trick. Now, a +3/+1 boost isn’t great, as many creatures will still die because the toughness boost is so low – but this offsets that downside by getting you that card back. And, if you do manage to make your creature survive and get the card, it will feel great
Vulshok Splitter
2.0 So, this is effectively a 4-mana 4/2 when it comes down – one that leaves behind a pretty clunky piece of equipment. Neither of these things is that impressive for 4 mana, but the initial creature you get out of this definitely softens the blow, especially in a format with lots of payoffs for Equipment.
Pack 1 Pick 7: The Fair Basilica
Whisper of the Dross
1.5 If you can kill something with this, or have it help you win combat, it will feel pretty good since you’re only spending a single mana! Problem is, those situations won’t be that easy to manufacture
Copper Longlegs
1.5 A two mana 1/3 Reach isn’t very good. This can give itself up to Proliferate which is nice, since it will often not be a very relevant body on the board. Still, it doesn’t seem like this will be making the cut with regularity
Basilica Skullbomb
2.0 Glad to see a Phyrexian variant of the Mirrodin Spellbomb! At worst, these all cycle away while giving you some artifact synergy, and that makes it hard for them to be terrible. Then, when you have the mana, it does something reasonably significant while still replacing itself. +2/+2 and Flying is the kind of boost that matters a big chunk of the time.
Mirran Bardiche
2.0 This one gives you a 5-mana 4/3 with Vigilance up front. As is the case for most of the Common For Mirrodin! Artifacts, that rate wouldn’t really be acceptable all on its own – but being able to move the boost around when you need to is nice.
Duress
0.5 This is a sideboard card. Against someone who isn’t a creature heavy deck, it is worth using. Against your typical Limited deck, though, it isn’t. It will just wiff far too often, and going down a card for no effect is brutal.
The Fair Basilica
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Quicksilver Fisher
2.5 This has reasonable Flying stats and a solid ETB ability. Looting is always a nice effect to tack on to a reasonable creature.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Basilica Shepherd
Minor Misstep
0.0 This is a nice callback to Mental Misstep, and probably has some legs in Modern – but in Limited this just doesn’t counter enough stuff
Whisper of the Dross
1.5 If you can kill something with this, or have it help you win combat, it will feel pretty good since you’re only spending a single mana! Problem is, those situations won’t be that easy to manufacture
Indoctrination Attendant
2.5 A 4-mana ¾ with Toxic is acceptable, and there are certainly some nice ETBs to rebuy in this format. Its nice that this can do that for you while also generating a Mite. You can even bounce a land if you want to get the 1/1!
Cruel Grimnarch
1.5 Oftentimes a creature that makes your opponent discard really drops off in the late game, because your opponent is in top deck mode. So, its nice that this can gain you 4 life in that situation. We’re still talking about a creature that is fairly below-rate. Adding deathtouch to a 5/5 isn’t a huge upgrade, and if your opponent just holds on to a land in the late game this will still have the usual downside this type of card has
Escaped Experiment
2.0 On its own, this is a two mana 2/1 that gives -1/-0 to an opposing creature when it attacks, and its ability can lower power a lot more than that! This can often enable nice attacks not just for the Experiment, but the board. That said, it doesn’t really change the ability of your opponent’s creatures to block effectively. They may not be able to kill things they tussle with, but if they could already block your stuff and survive – that will still be true.
Plague Nurse
2.0 A 4-mana ¾ with Toxic 2 is fine, and adding more Toxic to your Toxic creatures can definitely cause problems. The threat of activation is something that your opponent really has to consider on a board with a few other Toxic creatures.
Basilica Shepherd
4.0 Say hello to the white Diregraf Horde! This is a great Common that adds a ton to the board for the cost. While the Pests being unable to block is definitely a downside, there is a lot you can do with those Artifact tokens – including sacrificing them or simply using them to go wide. This is probably White’s best Common.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Feed the Infection
Feed the Infection
1.5 Lately, Sorcery-speed card draw effects that make you lose life have felt pretty bad, since you spend a significant amount of mana, don’t add to the board, and actually help out your aggressive opponent. However, I do think making your opponent lose 3 as well is a significant upgrade, but it still might be too slow
Forgehammer Centurion
2.5 This isn’t as good as some Common Red cards that can make something unable to block, because the set up is fairly significant, but when it can use that ability it will really open the floodgates on your opponent.
Myr Kinsmith
0.0 // 2.0 There aren’t really that many Myrs in the set, so I mostly don’t see this getting off the ground. If you have at least three Myr, it is probably worth playing, as it will be able to generate a 2-for-1. And if you have Myr Convert, this will sort of fix your mana too. It is probably unplayable in most Limited decks, and playable if you have a couple of Converts.
The Fair Basilica
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Prologue to Phyresis
2.0 This isn’t especially powerful on its own, as a poison counter isn’t worth a ton on its own – but this is a spell that replaces itself, and the UR deck will make decent use of it
Thrill of Possibility
1.5 We’ve seen this before, and it is often the kind of card that spell decks will run, but no one else really wants to play, and even the spell decks would be happier with a lot of other instants and sorceries that draw them cards!
Pack 1 Pick 10: Offer Immortality
Meldweb Strider
2.0 A 5-mana 5/5 Vigilance Vehicle with Crew 3 is probably a 1.5. That’s just not a very good rate for a card that isn’t a creature unless you do some extra work! The fact this comes with an oil counter does matter though, as it does make it so this can be a creature all on its one for one turn, and if you proliferate it can become a real problem. Of course, the upside there is still that this is just a 5-mana 5/5 with Vigilance – which is nice, but again – there is work to be done to even get it to the point where it does that consistently.
The Fair Basilica
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Thrill of Possibility
1.5 We’ve seen this before, and it is often the kind of card that spell decks will run, but no one else really wants to play, and even the spell decks would be happier with a lot of other instants and sorceries that draw them cards!
Cruel Grimnarch
1.5 Oftentimes a creature that makes your opponent discard really drops off in the late game, because your opponent is in top deck mode. So, its nice that this can gain you 4 life in that situation. We’re still talking about a creature that is fairly below-rate. Adding deathtouch to a 5/5 isn’t a huge upgrade, and if your opponent just holds on to a land in the late game this will still have the usual downside this type of card has
Offer Immortality
2.5 This trick is always decent. It doesn’t have the upside of helping you do more damage to your opponent, but it trades that in for the flexibility of winning virtually any combat and saving your creature from most removal
Pack 1 Pick 11: Prosthetic Injector
Prosthetic Injector
1.5 This is cheap to play and Equip, but it doesn’t feel like it is worth a whole card to me. +0/+2 is a pretty meager boost, and while Toxic and Equipment have synergy in this format, there are better options for both of those of things that are also at lower rarities!
Sheoldred's Headcleaver
1.5 A 4-mana 2/4 with Menace is probably a 1.0 at best, and while adding Toxic to the mix is nice, this still dies to a whole lot of common double blocks
Kuldotha Cackler
2.5 This will be able to attack with higher power a decent chunk of the time for sure, but the times where it is just a lowly 2/3 will feel pretty rough.
Hazardous Blast
1.5 // 2.5 We’ve seen this card before, more or less, and in the right deck it can be a pretty good way to end the game, as turning off all blocking can really allow you to do a ton of damage. In a pinch, it can also sweep away a bunch of X/1s, like Mite tokens and the like – so it sort of has an alternate mode, but certainly the most powerful thing to do with it is use it to let you alpha strike for the win. With Toxic in the format, it may be easier than normal to set up lethal too, since you can threaten with both poison counters and damage
Pack 1 Pick 12: Sheoldred's Headcleaver
Offer Immortality
2.5 This trick is always decent. It doesn’t have the upside of helping you do more damage to your opponent, but it trades that in for the flexibility of winning virtually any combat and saving your creature from most removal
The Autonomous Furnace
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Sheoldred's Headcleaver
1.5 A 4-mana 2/4 with Menace is probably a 1.0 at best, and while adding Toxic to the mix is nice, this still dies to a whole lot of common double blocks
Pack 1 Pick 13: Vanish into Eternity
Vanish into Eternity
1.5 Six mana to exile a creature is pretty far from an ideal rate, even on an instant. It just isn’t easy for a spell that expensive to ever be premium, because you will usually overpay to kill a cheaper creature. But the fact that this can deal with other permanent types much more efficiently helps things even out. Basically this is going to be a more expensive Disenchant early, and late it can deal with anything. It definitely isn’t premium, even with its modality, but I think the first copy will make the cut in a lot of White decks.
Gitaxian Anatomist
1.5 A 4-mana 2/5 is passable, and having the option to Proliferate can be nice, especially because Blue has lots of oil counters running around – and some poison too! It is definitely awkward you have to tap this to Proliferate, since the thing this card is best at in terms of combat is blocking, and not being able to do that for a turn might be a liability.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Font of Progress
Font of Progress
0.0 Mill strategies rarely work out in Limited, mostly because actually effecting the board is all important, and mill has almost no effect on the game until your opponent actually runs out of cards. There is a card we’ll see later in this video that can really help you win with mill, but I don’t think this one will. You don’t really want to spend your mana on this ability – you want to be playing things that are more meaningful. Even proliferating to get this to where it mills more cards isn’t going to be good enough
Pack 2 Pick 1: Tyvar's Stand
Jor Kadeen, First Goldwarden
3.5 A two mana 2/2 with Trample is probably a 2.0 – it isn’t like that’s a scary statline for a trampler, but it does incentivize you to enhance it – and especially with Equipment in this case, since Jor Kadeen gives you a pretty nice upgrade if you can do it! If it has one EQuipment on it, it is likely to get to at least 4 power, making it a formidable attacker that also draws you a card. RW is enough about Equipment in this format that I don’t really think this needs a build around grade.
Rebel Salvo
4.0 This is a great removal spell. Even in a deck with 0 Equipment, it is premium. It kills almost everything and can very easily trade up. Once you have some Equipment in your deck it can get really silly.
Chittering Skitterling
2.5 A three mana ¼ isn’t great, but this does end up with a pretty nice ability if you can get Corrupted going. Cashing in irrelevant artifacts or creatures for cards is always nice. It also has the potential to combine quite well with the format’s Threaten effect, since it sacrifices stuff for free!
Tyvar's Stand
3.5 Two mana for +1/+1, hexproof, and indestructible is a pretty solid trick, and this has the upside of both scaling as the game goes on and being castable for only mana when that’s useful for you. The best tricks have the ability to win combat and protect a creature from removal, giving them broad situations where you want to use them, and this definitely does that, and can even give you lethal out of nowhere! This is one of the best Limited combat tricks we’ve ever seen.
Hexgold Slash
3.5 Even without the Toxic-hating upside this card has, it would be quite good! One mana for 2 damage just tends to be a great deal, even allowing you to trade up for lots of 3 and 4 mana cards. Toxic is really everywhere in the format too, so you’re going to be able to do the 4 damage with this at some point in most games.
Furnace Strider
3.0 A 5-mana 4/5 isn’t the worst rate ever, especially because this can give itself haste! On your next turn whatever you cast gains haste too if you want it to, so it feels like you’re getting a pretty solid return on your investment with this.
Predation Steward
2.0 This seems like a fine two drop. The ability isn’t exactly efficient, and it is definitely clunky as a sorcery speed only effect, but it can certainly allow you to send in an attacker that couldn’t attack otherwise.
Ichor Synthesizer
1.5 A two mana 1/3 is below-rate these days, but this does eventually become an unblockable 3/3, and that’s certainly something your opponent has to contend with. What I don’t like, is that if you don’t get this down early, your chances of getting to four oil counters are significantly curtailed, in which case you’re just playing something that is pretty close to a two mana 1/3, and I don’t like that.
Meldweb Curator
1.5 This has a mediocre stat-line, and its ability isn’t that impressive either. Getting back removal is nice of course, but putting it on top of your library isn’t that powerful. You’ll usually have to wait a turn to get it, and if you didn’t have something worth getting out of the graveyard, you’re even more out of luck.
Charge of the Mites
2.5 While you’re overpaying a bit for each of these modes individually, the modality here is definitely nice! If you’re good at going wide – and if you’re in White you probably are – it can be a reasonable removal spell. If you’re having a hard time getting your board going, it can give you a couple of mites!
Axiom Engraver
1.5 This has a mediocre stat-line, and a card that can rummage a couple of times isn’t exactly something you’re going to go after. You’ll probably play this when you’re desperate for a two drop or some oil counters, but otherwise it won’t make the cut.
Sawblade Scamp
2.5 This is kind of close to being Thermo-Alchemist, and that card has been great in spell decks in several different formats at this point. This does die super easy, but it only costs one, so your opponent won’t really be able to trade up for it or anything, and if it sits around in play in your spell-heavy deck, it is going to chip in for a ton of damage. Now, it is worse that the Alchemist, because the Alchemist can do damage without the help of spells, it just does more when you have them. The Scamp doesn’t do anything when you can’t find your spells, which happens
Anoint with Affliction
4.0 This is great. Even without Corrupted, this would be a very nice removal spell – so, the fact that this will be able to remove anything by the mid-to-late game in most Black decks is great. This is certainly premium removal you can spent a high pick on..
Quicksilver Fisher
2.5 This has reasonable Flying stats and a solid ETB ability. Looting is always a nice effect to tack on to a reasonable creature.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Venomous Brutalizer
Cinderslash Ravager
3.5 Paying five for this seems eminently doable, and I think that will feel like a pretty good deal! Sometimes you’ll be able to get it out there even earlier, and there are enough 1/1 tokens and X/1s in the set that you’ll get to pick off at least one creature a decent chunk of the time when you play this.
Venomous Brutalizer
4.0 This looks really good. It gives you a good rate, and Toxic 3 is legit, as is the fact you can kick this to Proliferate, something that will have a real impact by that stage of the game more often than not.
Paladin of Predation
2.0 This is hard to chump block, and it can end the game in two swings thanks to Toxic. The stat-line isn’t amazing for the cost though, and there will still be enough boards where your opponent can just double block it to take it down. It also doesn’t deliver any bonus value you get to hold on to in the event it gets destroyed, and if I’m going to spend 7 mana, I feel like I should get something, even a bit of life or a 1/1 token would make a big difference.
Myr Custodian
1.5 If this only Scried 2 for you, it would probably be a 2.5. Scry 2 is pretty nice card selection Letting your opponent also Scry 1 obviously makes it worse, especially because your opponent can take advantage of their Scry before you can.
Plague Nurse
2.0 A 4-mana ¾ with Toxic 2 is fine, and adding more Toxic to your Toxic creatures can definitely cause problems. The threat of activation is something that your opponent really has to consider on a board with a few other Toxic creatures.
Goldwarden's Helm
2.0 You get a three mana 2/3 up front here, which isn’t the worst baseline – especially when you have Equipment and Artifact payoffs in the format. The Boost this offers on its own is certainly very meager, though.
Stinging Hivemaster
3.5 This is a very nice common. A three mana 3/2 with Toxic 1 is already probably playable, so the fact it spits out a Mite when it dies is sweet. It is worth noting that the token’s inability to block does lower the value of the token – more than adding Toxic 1 makes up for
Sawblade Scamp
2.5 This is kind of close to being Thermo-Alchemist, and that card has been great in spell decks in several different formats at this point. This does die super easy, but it only costs one, so your opponent won’t really be able to trade up for it or anything, and if it sits around in play in your spell-heavy deck, it is going to chip in for a ton of damage. Now, it is worse that the Alchemist, because the Alchemist can do damage without the help of spells, it just does more when you have them. The Scamp doesn’t do anything when you can’t find your spells, which happens
The Dross Pits
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Free from Flesh
2.0 One mana for +2/+2 tends to be a pretty solid boost, as you can very cheaply allow your creature to win a lot of combats. The oil counters really matter for some cards too, though sometimes you’ll end up adding oil counters on something that can’t really do anything with them.
Mesmerizing Dose
3.0 This looks really good to me. Three mana to lock a creature down is usually a playable card. Sure, it doesn’t fully remove a creature, and that can be a liability sometimes – and there are lots of ways your opponent can get around this card – like by bouncing their creature. Adding Proliferate is pretty serious, though!
Infectious Inquiry
2.0 Black usually gets a three mana Common that does some version of draw 2 lose 2, and it is usually a passable card. Not adding to the board can be a liability, and this format does feel like it will be a fast one – so you never really want more than one of these. That first copy seems alright, though.
Copper Longlegs
1.5 A two mana 1/3 Reach isn’t very good. This can give itself up to Proliferate which is nice, since it will often not be a very relevant body on the board. Still, it doesn’t seem like this will be making the cut with regularity
Pack 2 Pick 3: Bladehold War-Whip
Prosthetic Injector
1.5 This is cheap to play and Equip, but it doesn’t feel like it is worth a whole card to me. +0/+2 is a pretty meager boost, and while Toxic and Equipment have synergy in this format, there are better options for both of those of things that are also at lower rarities!
Bladehold War-Whip
3.5 This gives you a three mana 2/2 with double strike up front, and that’s great, as is reducing the cost of your other Equipment. The bad news is that once that 2/2 goes down, you have to pay five to put this on something. That’s a downside, but it will still feel pretty close to a 2-for-1.
Oil-Gorger Troll
3.0 A 5-mana ¾ that gains you 3 life when it enters the battlefield is not especially good, so how good this card is comes down to how often you get to draw. I think it is definitely accessible, and one this card is gaining you life and netting you a card, it is going to feel pretty sweet. This is another Green card that feels like it can do a reasonable job of throwing a monkey wrench into the plans of aggro decks, as is often the case for creatures that gain life on ETB.
Glistener Seer
2.0 One mana 0/3s are pretty underwhelming. This one does Scry a few times though, and that can be useful all game long.
Blightbelly Rat
3.0 A two mana 2/2 is a passable place to start – so adding both Toxic and a nice death trigger to the mix probably makes this one of the best Black Commons
Basilica Shepherd
4.0 Say hello to the white Diregraf Horde! This is a great Common that adds a ton to the board for the cost. While the Pests being unable to block is definitely a downside, there is a lot you can do with those Artifact tokens – including sacrificing them or simply using them to go wide. This is probably White’s best Common.
Escaped Experiment
2.0 On its own, this is a two mana 2/1 that gives -1/-0 to an opposing creature when it attacks, and its ability can lower power a lot more than that! This can often enable nice attacks not just for the Experiment, but the board. That said, it doesn’t really change the ability of your opponent’s creatures to block effectively. They may not be able to kill things they tussle with, but if they could already block your stuff and survive – that will still be true.
The Fair Basilica
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Maze's Mantle
2.0 A three mana Flash Aura that gives +2/+2 is a card we’ve seen before, and it was playable. If you look at this only as a combat trick it doesn’t seem that efficient, as you can usually get +2/+2 for a single mana. However, the fact this stays around to enhance that creature beyond that turn makes a big difference. The hexproof upside is going to come up sometimes too!
Leonin Lightbringer
2.5 Equipping this won’t be particularly hard in this format, but it isn’t like the payoff here is amazing or anything. Ward 2 does make it a nice place to put Equipment too, since it feels awful if your opponent kills something in response to you Equipping it, and this makes that a lot harder.
Forgehammer Centurion
2.5 This isn’t as good as some Common Red cards that can make something unable to block, because the set up is fairly significant, but when it can use that ability it will really open the floodgates on your opponent.
Prophetic Prism
2.5 We’ve seen this before and it is always surprisingly good. Filtering mana is of course in efficient, and this doesn’t actually net you mana – but the fact this fixes your mana and replaces itself is no small thing. Actually getting a card worth of value is a big deal.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Ruthless Predation
Minor Misstep
0.0 This is a nice callback to Mental Misstep, and probably has some legs in Modern – but in Limited this just doesn’t counter enough stuff
Nahiri's Sacrifice
1.0 Obviously this has some potential. Dividing damage is always great, as you get the ability to take down multiple things, but that certainly gets less attractive when you 2-for-1 yourself upfront, and that’s what you’ll be doing here. You can’t even do something like give up a token, since it won’t really do any damage. So, what you need to do here is sacrifice something with a high mana value that maybe has a death trigger or ETB ability. At that point, you’re mitigating against 2-for-1ing yourself – but that is still kind of a narrow subset of cards for you to sacrifice
Adaptive Sporesinger
2.5 Both of these triggers can be pretty nice. +2/+2 and Vigilance is a boost that can really allow you to have a much better turn, since it can allow a creature to attack more effectively and stay on defense, and when Proliferate can add a bunch of counters to stuff, that will feel good too.
Forgehammer Centurion
2.5 This isn’t as good as some Common Red cards that can make something unable to block, because the set up is fairly significant, but when it can use that ability it will really open the floodgates on your opponent.
Ruthless Predation
3.5 This is basically Epic Confrontation, which is a great Limited Common. +1/+2 enables a lot more of your creatures to Fight successfully, and you can often knock a blocker out of the way and swing in with your buffed creature.
The Surgical Bay
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Aspirant's Ascent
2.0 One mana tricks have been some pretty serious business of late, and I think this looks like another solid one. This kind of gives you two separate uses, which is great for such a low cost! First it can be used as a traditional trick to help your creature win combat with the +1/+3 boost – but you can also use it before your opponent blocks to make a big creature take to the air and crack in for a bunch of damage – along with some toxic upside
Escaped Experiment
2.0 On its own, this is a two mana 2/1 that gives -1/-0 to an opposing creature when it attacks, and its ability can lower power a lot more than that! This can often enable nice attacks not just for the Experiment, but the board. That said, it doesn’t really change the ability of your opponent’s creatures to block effectively. They may not be able to kill things they tussle with, but if they could already block your stuff and survive – that will still be true.
Phyrexian Atlas
1.5 In most formats, a three mana mana rock just isn’t worth it. You need to add more meaningfully to the board, and using a card to get a small mana boost can be pretty rough. In theory, this does start doing something in the middle part of the game, but I’m still not in on this.
Charge of the Mites
2.5 While you’re overpaying a bit for each of these modes individually, the modality here is definitely nice! If you’re good at going wide – and if you’re in White you probably are – it can be a reasonable removal spell. If you’re having a hard time getting your board going, it can give you a couple of mites!
Meldweb Strider
2.0 A 5-mana 5/5 Vigilance Vehicle with Crew 3 is probably a 1.5. That’s just not a very good rate for a card that isn’t a creature unless you do some extra work! The fact this comes with an oil counter does matter though, as it does make it so this can be a creature all on its one for one turn, and if you proliferate it can become a real problem. Of course, the upside there is still that this is just a 5-mana 5/5 with Vigilance – which is nice, but again – there is work to be done to even get it to the point where it does that consistently.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Adaptive Sporesinger
Graaz, Unstoppable Juggernaut
1.5 This is a cool call back to the old school Juggernaut, and it can certainly enhance your board state. Your average creature is likely to be worse than a 5/3 – making the whole board hit that hard is pretty real, and at the stage of the game when you cast Graaz, your opponent probably can’t be hit by more than one of them. All that said, Graaz costs a ton of mana, and also comes with some downside – making all your stuff attack isn’t always a good thing.
Resistance Reunited
1.5 +2/+2 can definitely win you some combats, but it isn’t that efficient and doesn’t have that much additional upside, and you need tricks to be flexible and powerful to counteract the downside of a 2-for-1 risk, and +2/+2 for 2 doesn’t really get you there. The Equipment upside is nice – and once you’re doing that, you can turn it in to a card that blanks removal too. Even in this set, with lots of Equipment, I think you’re going to cut this a decent chunk of the time
Oxidda Finisher
2.5 Paying 7 for this is bad, 6 is medium, and 5 is solid. Getting it lower than that is sort of unlikely, although with For Mirrodin!, it will be easier to play more Equipment in this format than in most. Normally you can’t run a ton of it because you need the creatures to put it on, but most of the Equipment in this set gives you both. Still, getting this to 5 is a reasonable expectation, getting below that probably isn’t.
Thrill of Possibility
1.5 We’ve seen this before, and it is often the kind of card that spell decks will run, but no one else really wants to play, and even the spell decks would be happier with a lot of other instants and sorceries that draw them cards!
Meldweb Curator
1.5 This has a mediocre stat-line, and its ability isn’t that impressive either. Getting back removal is nice of course, but putting it on top of your library isn’t that powerful. You’ll usually have to wait a turn to get it, and if you didn’t have something worth getting out of the graveyard, you’re even more out of luck.
Forgehammer Centurion
2.5 This isn’t as good as some Common Red cards that can make something unable to block, because the set up is fairly significant, but when it can use that ability it will really open the floodgates on your opponent.
Axiom Engraver
1.5 This has a mediocre stat-line, and a card that can rummage a couple of times isn’t exactly something you’re going to go after. You’ll probably play this when you’re desperate for a two drop or some oil counters, but otherwise it won’t make the cut.
Cutthroat Centurion
2.0 This can threaten to become a 4/4 any time it swings, which is pretty nice. This kind of card often gets through without you actually having to sacrifice anything to it, because the opponent just can’t muster a good block. This also combines well with the various sacrifice synergies, and being a free Sacrifice effect means it has the upside of working really well with Red’s usual Threaten effect.
Volt Charge
3.5 This is a reprint of a card that was great last time! Three mana for 3 damage at instant speed is usually premium. It isn’t always going to be able to trade up, but being able to go after your opponent and being Instant speed means you’re usually getting a good deal. Proliferate is a big addition, though, as this format has plenty of counters you can get an advantage out of.
Adaptive Sporesinger
2.5 Both of these triggers can be pretty nice. +2/+2 and Vigilance is a boost that can really allow you to have a much better turn, since it can allow a creature to attack more effectively and stay on defense, and when Proliferate can add a bunch of counters to stuff, that will feel good too.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Flensing Raptor
Gleeful Demolition
3.0 This format has a lot of Artifacts including Artifact creatures, so a card that can destroy them for one mana is already a card you’ll always play. That is definitely the mode you’re going to choose most frequently, but sometimes destroying your own thing is more beneficial. Like if you need extra bodies to go wide to win the game, or if you need those bodies to block
Thrill of Possibility
1.5 We’ve seen this before, and it is often the kind of card that spell decks will run, but no one else really wants to play, and even the spell decks would be happier with a lot of other instants and sorceries that draw them cards!
The Autonomous Furnace
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Branchblight Stalker
2.5 A two mana 3/1 with upside will usually make the cut in aggro decks, but it isn’t anything special
Tyrranax Atrocity
2.5 Toxic 3 is a lot, as it will immediately give you Corrupted if you don’t already have it, and if you do already have it 3 poison is going to get your opponent in the red zone. Toxic pairs really well with Haste too, as it makes it easier to get in that first time, or at the very least set up a situation where your opponent’s options are a bad chump block or taking the hit.
Flensing Raptor
2.5 You’ll often have another Toxic creature around, and when you do this ETB ability is some serious business. When you don’t, you still get a Wind Drake with Toxic 1. I’m giving this a 2.5
Skyscythe Engulfer
1.5 If you’re behind, it can hang back and block even flyers, and if you’re ahead, it can attack pretty hard. I wish there was some sort of ETB associated with it so you got some permanent value, though. Six mana is a lot to not get something like that!
Blazing Crescendo
2.0 This is somewhat similar to Enthusiastic Study from Strixhaven, in that it gives a +3/+1 boost and draws you a card. Enthusiastic Study gave trample too, which makes it better, but I think this is still a nice trick. Now, a +3/+1 boost isn’t great, as many creatures will still die because the toughness boost is so low – but this offsets that downside by getting you that card back. And, if you do manage to make your creature survive and get the card, it will feel great
Furnace Strider
3.0 A 5-mana 4/5 isn’t the worst rate ever, especially because this can give itself haste! On your next turn whatever you cast gains haste too if you want it to, so it feels like you’re getting a pretty solid return on your investment with this.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Compleat Devotion
Quicksilver Fisher
2.5 This has reasonable Flying stats and a solid ETB ability. Looting is always a nice effect to tack on to a reasonable creature.
Maze's Mantle
2.0 A three mana Flash Aura that gives +2/+2 is a card we’ve seen before, and it was playable. If you look at this only as a combat trick it doesn’t seem that efficient, as you can usually get +2/+2 for a single mana. However, the fact this stays around to enhance that creature beyond that turn makes a big difference. The hexproof upside is going to come up sometimes too!
Thirsting Roots
2.5 This is a solid modal card. It can help you fix your mana or just hit a land drop, and it is the kind of card that can almost stand in for a land in your deck, since it is almost a modal double-faced land card! Once you have the lands you need, you can Proliferate for some nice value. Sometimes neither mode will be useful, which is a bummer – but most of the time you’ll be getting something worthwhile for the investment.
Chimney Rabble
3.0 I like the rate here. 4/4 of stats for 4, including 3 power that rumbles right away. Going wide is definitely a thing in this format, too
Compleat Devotion
2.0 Two mana for +2/+2 is a mediocre boost, but the 2-for-1 upside you get when you use this on a Toxic creature is definitely real upside. There’s enough Toxic in White that I feel like this is a 2.0
The Hunter Maze
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Furnace Skullbomb
1.5 I think this is probably the worst of the bunch, mostly because its effect is more niche than the others. If you don’t have a permanent that cares about oil counters, it doesn’t do anything, while the others have effects that pretty much always do something. It still can be cycled away easily, and when you can get value out of the counters it is fine, but it is a bit worse than the others.
Zealot's Conviction
2.5 A one mana Aura with Flash that gives +1/+1 is already somewhat acceptable. The boost isn’t massive, so it can’t win that many combats, but the fact that it leaves a permanent buff behind really matters, because it means you effect the board in the short-term and long-term when you can win combat. Then, when you get Corrupted going, this becomes really good, as +2/+1 and First Strike is going to win you most combats, and the boost is once again permanent! One mana tricks really tend to overperform, even when the lack the ability to save a creature from most removal like this
Pack 2 Pick 8: Furnace Strider
Titanic Growth
2.0 +4/+4 will win you most combats, and two mana isn’t a terrible amount to spend for the boost. It can also sneak in lethal out of nowhere.
Gulping Scraptrap
2.5 This proliferates twice which is definitely some serious upside in this set. Of course, it also happens to a dismal 5-mana 4/4.
Furnace Strider
3.0 A 5-mana 4/5 isn’t the worst rate ever, especially because this can give itself haste! On your next turn whatever you cast gains haste too if you want it to, so it feels like you’re getting a pretty solid return on your investment with this.
The Autonomous Furnace
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Tyrranax Atrocity
2.5 Toxic 3 is a lot, as it will immediately give you Corrupted if you don’t already have it, and if you do already have it 3 poison is going to get your opponent in the red zone. Toxic pairs really well with Haste too, as it makes it easier to get in that first time, or at the very least set up a situation where your opponent’s options are a bad chump block or taking the hit.
Meldweb Curator
1.5 This has a mediocre stat-line, and its ability isn’t that impressive either. Getting back removal is nice of course, but putting it on top of your library isn’t that powerful. You’ll usually have to wait a turn to get it, and if you didn’t have something worth getting out of the graveyard, you’re even more out of luck.
Zealot's Conviction
2.5 A one mana Aura with Flash that gives +1/+1 is already somewhat acceptable. The boost isn’t massive, so it can’t win that many combats, but the fact that it leaves a permanent buff behind really matters, because it means you effect the board in the short-term and long-term when you can win combat. Then, when you get Corrupted going, this becomes really good, as +2/+1 and First Strike is going to win you most combats, and the boost is once again permanent! One mana tricks really tend to overperform, even when the lack the ability to save a creature from most removal like this
Pack 2 Pick 9: Predation Steward
Chittering Skitterling
2.5 A three mana ¼ isn’t great, but this does end up with a pretty nice ability if you can get Corrupted going. Cashing in irrelevant artifacts or creatures for cards is always nice. It also has the potential to combine quite well with the format’s Threaten effect, since it sacrifices stuff for free!
Furnace Strider
3.0 A 5-mana 4/5 isn’t the worst rate ever, especially because this can give itself haste! On your next turn whatever you cast gains haste too if you want it to, so it feels like you’re getting a pretty solid return on your investment with this.
Predation Steward
2.0 This seems like a fine two drop. The ability isn’t exactly efficient, and it is definitely clunky as a sorcery speed only effect, but it can certainly allow you to send in an attacker that couldn’t attack otherwise.
Meldweb Curator
1.5 This has a mediocre stat-line, and its ability isn’t that impressive either. Getting back removal is nice of course, but putting it on top of your library isn’t that powerful. You’ll usually have to wait a turn to get it, and if you didn’t have something worth getting out of the graveyard, you’re even more out of luck.
Axiom Engraver
1.5 This has a mediocre stat-line, and a card that can rummage a couple of times isn’t exactly something you’re going to go after. You’ll probably play this when you’re desperate for a two drop or some oil counters, but otherwise it won’t make the cut.
Sawblade Scamp
2.5 This is kind of close to being Thermo-Alchemist, and that card has been great in spell decks in several different formats at this point. This does die super easy, but it only costs one, so your opponent won’t really be able to trade up for it or anything, and if it sits around in play in your spell-heavy deck, it is going to chip in for a ton of damage. Now, it is worse that the Alchemist, because the Alchemist can do damage without the help of spells, it just does more when you have them. The Scamp doesn’t do anything when you can’t find your spells, which happens
Pack 2 Pick 10: Plague Nurse
Paladin of Predation
2.0 This is hard to chump block, and it can end the game in two swings thanks to Toxic. The stat-line isn’t amazing for the cost though, and there will still be enough boards where your opponent can just double block it to take it down. It also doesn’t deliver any bonus value you get to hold on to in the event it gets destroyed, and if I’m going to spend 7 mana, I feel like I should get something, even a bit of life or a 1/1 token would make a big difference.
Myr Custodian
1.5 If this only Scried 2 for you, it would probably be a 2.5. Scry 2 is pretty nice card selection Letting your opponent also Scry 1 obviously makes it worse, especially because your opponent can take advantage of their Scry before you can.
Plague Nurse
2.0 A 4-mana ¾ with Toxic 2 is fine, and adding more Toxic to your Toxic creatures can definitely cause problems. The threat of activation is something that your opponent really has to consider on a board with a few other Toxic creatures.
Sawblade Scamp
2.5 This is kind of close to being Thermo-Alchemist, and that card has been great in spell decks in several different formats at this point. This does die super easy, but it only costs one, so your opponent won’t really be able to trade up for it or anything, and if it sits around in play in your spell-heavy deck, it is going to chip in for a ton of damage. Now, it is worse that the Alchemist, because the Alchemist can do damage without the help of spells, it just does more when you have them. The Scamp doesn’t do anything when you can’t find your spells, which happens
Free from Flesh
2.0 One mana for +2/+2 tends to be a pretty solid boost, as you can very cheaply allow your creature to win a lot of combats. The oil counters really matter for some cards too, though sometimes you’ll end up adding oil counters on something that can’t really do anything with them.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Leonin Lightbringer
Maze's Mantle
2.0 A three mana Flash Aura that gives +2/+2 is a card we’ve seen before, and it was playable. If you look at this only as a combat trick it doesn’t seem that efficient, as you can usually get +2/+2 for a single mana. However, the fact this stays around to enhance that creature beyond that turn makes a big difference. The hexproof upside is going to come up sometimes too!
Leonin Lightbringer
2.5 Equipping this won’t be particularly hard in this format, but it isn’t like the payoff here is amazing or anything. Ward 2 does make it a nice place to put Equipment too, since it feels awful if your opponent kills something in response to you Equipping it, and this makes that a lot harder.
Forgehammer Centurion
2.5 This isn’t as good as some Common Red cards that can make something unable to block, because the set up is fairly significant, but when it can use that ability it will really open the floodgates on your opponent.
The Fair Basilica
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Forgehammer Centurion
Minor Misstep
0.0 This is a nice callback to Mental Misstep, and probably has some legs in Modern – but in Limited this just doesn’t counter enough stuff
Forgehammer Centurion
2.5 This isn’t as good as some Common Red cards that can make something unable to block, because the set up is fairly significant, but when it can use that ability it will really open the floodgates on your opponent.
Aspirant's Ascent
2.0 One mana tricks have been some pretty serious business of late, and I think this looks like another solid one. This kind of gives you two separate uses, which is great for such a low cost! First it can be used as a traditional trick to help your creature win combat with the +1/+3 boost – but you can also use it before your opponent blocks to make a big creature take to the air and crack in for a bunch of damage – along with some toxic upside
Pack 2 Pick 13: Forgehammer Centurion
Thrill of Possibility
1.5 We’ve seen this before, and it is often the kind of card that spell decks will run, but no one else really wants to play, and even the spell decks would be happier with a lot of other instants and sorceries that draw them cards!
Forgehammer Centurion
2.5 This isn’t as good as some Common Red cards that can make something unable to block, because the set up is fairly significant, but when it can use that ability it will really open the floodgates on your opponent.
Pack 2 Pick 14: Thrill of Possibility
Thrill of Possibility
1.5 We’ve seen this before, and it is often the kind of card that spell decks will run, but no one else really wants to play, and even the spell decks would be happier with a lot of other instants and sorceries that draw them cards!
Pack 3 Pick 1: Crawling Chorus
Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
4.0 Doing noncombat damage isn’t something that is entirely automatic in Limited, so that part of the card won’t always be coming up. You’re likely to have like three cards that this helps, and that’s nice, but not insane or anything. The upside of indestructibility is nice, though you need to have things you want to discard to take full advantage here
Tainted Observer
3.5 This is another strong signpost Uncommon. A three mana ⅔ Flyer with Toxic 1 is something you’ll always play, and the Proliferate upside here is pretty sweet, especially because it works with the Poison counters. You generally won’t have the mana available to proliferate until the mid or late game, but the baseline here is great
Expand the Sphere
1.5 You have a pretty good chance of hitting two lands when you cast this, and that’s some pretty serious ramp – but I love that you can choose some combination of lands and proliferating when you cast this. Sometimes in the late game drawing your ramp spell is pretty awful, and this becomes a 4-mana Sorcery that Proliferates twice in that situation, and that’s often going to have a significant impact on the board. That said, format looks fast enough that there won’t be that many decks looking to take this.
Urabrask's Anointer
1.5 // 4.0 So, the stat-line is bad enough here that you probably want to consistently do 2 or more with this, and that probably makes this a build around. Oil counters are definitely around, especially in Blue-Red, but I don’t feel super confident that your typical deck in the format will have enough of them to make this acceptable. If you do 0 with it, it will be awful – 1 with it is semi-passable, and once you’re at 2 or more you’re going to really feel like you’re really doing it, because you can consistently get a 2-for-1 at that point.
Vivisurgeon's Insight
1.5 Man, I have a hard time believing paying 5 to draw three and Proliferate is going to be worth it here. I love the card advantage of course, but paying that much and likely having only a minimal impact on the board seems like a really bad idea
Lattice-Blade Mantis
3.0 This seems pretty strong for a Common. A 4-mana 4/3 is almost passable, so adding the ability to use oil counters to buff it up to a 5/4 that untaps is really nice. This can hit pretty hard while playing both offense and defense.
Basilica Skullbomb
2.0 Glad to see a Phyrexian variant of the Mirrodin Spellbomb! At worst, these all cycle away while giving you some artifact synergy, and that makes it hard for them to be terrible. Then, when you have the mana, it does something reasonably significant while still replacing itself. +2/+2 and Flying is the kind of boost that matters a big chunk of the time.
Terramorphic Expanse
2.5 This always provides some solid fixing, even for two color decks. It can be particularly appealing when you are splashing one card, as just a single basic land and the Expanse are often enough to make that work.
Crawling Chorus
2.5 One mana 1/1s that replace themselves with 1/1s tend to play reasonably well, but keep in mind that these Mites are worse than most tokens we’re used to – not blocking is a big deal! If you have sacrifice outlets to use alongside this is it can be particularly nice.
Blazing Crescendo
2.0 This is somewhat similar to Enthusiastic Study from Strixhaven, in that it gives a +3/+1 boost and draws you a card. Enthusiastic Study gave trample too, which makes it better, but I think this is still a nice trick. Now, a +3/+1 boost isn’t great, as many creatures will still die because the toughness boost is so low – but this offsets that downside by getting you that card back. And, if you do manage to make your creature survive and get the card, it will feel great
Gulping Scraptrap
2.5 This proliferates twice which is definitely some serious upside in this set. Of course, it also happens to a dismal 5-mana 4/4.
Mandible Justiciar
3.0 A two mana 2/1 with Lifelink is usually playable anyway, and this will often be a 3/2 or larger on your turn. Seems like a great two drop for aggressive decks that care about artifacts.
Escaped Experiment
2.0 On its own, this is a two mana 2/1 that gives -1/-0 to an opposing creature when it attacks, and its ability can lower power a lot more than that! This can often enable nice attacks not just for the Experiment, but the board. That said, it doesn’t really change the ability of your opponent’s creatures to block effectively. They may not be able to kill things they tussle with, but if they could already block your stuff and survive – that will still be true.
The Fair Basilica
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Porcelain Zealot
Against All Odds
1.0 // 2.5 Individually, each of these effects is situational and not worth four mana, especially at Sorcery speed. Blinking a creature is only going to do something in a few situations: like if you have a creature with an ETB ability, or a creature shut down by an Aura. It can give you pseudo-vigilance too, but that really isn’t worth 4 mana. Obviously, reanimating something small only does something when you have a target. Both of these things are far from guaranteed! However, you do have the option of getting both, and I think if you can do something meaningful with both parts, this seems like a fine card. This can be especially true with Enter the Battlefield abilities, because you can potentially get 2 of them going at the same time. There are only a few decks that are super interested in running this, so it probably needs a build around grade.
Porcelain Zealot
3.5 This has bad base stats, but at least it can buff itself in a pinch! +1/+1 every turn can make a difference more often than you might think, and the +2/+2 boost you can give to Toxic creatures really matters, as making them harder to block profitably comes with extra value
Nahiri's Sacrifice
1.0 Obviously this has some potential. Dividing damage is always great, as you get the ability to take down multiple things, but that certainly gets less attractive when you 2-for-1 yourself upfront, and that’s what you’ll be doing here. You can’t even do something like give up a token, since it won’t really do any damage. So, what you need to do here is sacrifice something with a high mana value that maybe has a death trigger or ETB ability. At that point, you’re mitigating against 2-for-1ing yourself – but that is still kind of a narrow subset of cards for you to sacrifice
Sinew Dancer
2.0 So, if you don’t get Corrupted going, this is a pretty bad card. While Master Decoy-type creatures are nice, we’ve seen in the past that asking for four mana for such an effect is just too much, and not an effective way to use your mana on most turns. Obviously, if you can get some poison on your opponent, it gets a lot better – as one mana a turn to tap something often just feels like removal. There is some interesting synergy to be had here, as if you have three poison on your opponent, you probably have some Toxic creatures in play, in which case tapping down a blocker is going to be increasingly problematic for your opponent. That said, getting three poison on your opponent is significant set up, and the baseline card is pretty bad
Oil-Gorger Troll
3.0 A 5-mana ¾ that gains you 3 life when it enters the battlefield is not especially good, so how good this card is comes down to how often you get to draw. I think it is definitely accessible, and one this card is gaining you life and netting you a card, it is going to feel pretty sweet. This is another Green card that feels like it can do a reasonable job of throwing a monkey wrench into the plans of aggro decks, as is often the case for creatures that gain life on ETB.
Chrome Prowler
1.5 None of what this does feels especially meaningful. It has mediocre stats and an ETB ability that is underwhelming. A 3/2 with Flash can ambush block stuff, but not that effectively – it just ends up being a surprise trade or chump block. The tap effect will be nice at times, but this just doesn’t feel like it has enough of an impact to make the cut consistently.
Vanish into Eternity
1.5 Six mana to exile a creature is pretty far from an ideal rate, even on an instant. It just isn’t easy for a spell that expensive to ever be premium, because you will usually overpay to kill a cheaper creature. But the fact that this can deal with other permanent types much more efficiently helps things even out. Basically this is going to be a more expensive Disenchant early, and late it can deal with anything. It definitely isn’t premium, even with its modality, but I think the first copy will make the cut in a lot of White decks.
Free from Flesh
2.0 One mana for +2/+2 tends to be a pretty solid boost, as you can very cheaply allow your creature to win a lot of combats. The oil counters really matter for some cards too, though sometimes you’ll end up adding oil counters on something that can’t really do anything with them.
Fleshless Gladiator
3.0 This seems like a solid Common. You can play it early as a bear, and then in the mid to late game it can start coming back from your graveyard, which can net you a very real advantage
Plague Nurse
2.0 A 4-mana ¾ with Toxic 2 is fine, and adding more Toxic to your Toxic creatures can definitely cause problems. The threat of activation is something that your opponent really has to consider on a board with a few other Toxic creatures.
Aspirant's Ascent
2.0 One mana tricks have been some pretty serious business of late, and I think this looks like another solid one. This kind of gives you two separate uses, which is great for such a low cost! First it can be used as a traditional trick to help your creature win combat with the +1/+3 boost – but you can also use it before your opponent blocks to make a big creature take to the air and crack in for a bunch of damage – along with some toxic upside
Duelist of Deep Faith
3.0 This is going to be a pain to block all game long, and that goes really well alongside Toxic. That makes this a pretty high quality Common
Quicksilver Fisher
2.5 This has reasonable Flying stats and a solid ETB ability. Looting is always a nice effect to tack on to a reasonable creature.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Sylvok Battle-Chair
Tyvar's Stand
3.5 Two mana for +1/+1, hexproof, and indestructible is a pretty solid trick, and this has the upside of both scaling as the game goes on and being castable for only mana when that’s useful for you. The best tricks have the ability to win combat and protect a creature from removal, giving them broad situations where you want to use them, and this definitely does that, and can even give you lethal out of nowhere! This is one of the best Limited combat tricks we’ve ever seen.
Infested Fleshcutter
1.5 I don’t love the cost of casting and equipping this, but the fact it spits out a token is pretty nice. Of course, that token can’t block – but it does mean you have somewhere to stick this thing on the next turn. +2/+0 is enough to make a lot of creatures problematic too. I obviously think this is worse than all the For Mirrodin! Equipment, because with that you get the body right away – but this kind of does a similar thing in the end, since it adds a body to the board
Sylvok Battle-Chair
3.0 This is Colossal Dreadmaw with upside, since it starts out as a 6-mana 6/6 Trampler. The Equip cost is obviously massive here, but once you reach a point where you can just slap this on whatever you want your opponent is going to be in serious trouble. Unlike the Engulfer we just saw, this does leave value on the board no matter what.
Leonin Lightbringer
2.5 Equipping this won’t be particularly hard in this format, but it isn’t like the payoff here is amazing or anything. Ward 2 does make it a nice place to put Equipment too, since it feels awful if your opponent kills something in response to you Equipping it, and this makes that a lot harder.
Furnace Skullbomb
1.5 I think this is probably the worst of the bunch, mostly because its effect is more niche than the others. If you don’t have a permanent that cares about oil counters, it doesn’t do anything, while the others have effects that pretty much always do something. It still can be cycled away easily, and when you can get value out of the counters it is fine, but it is a bit worse than the others.
Hazardous Blast
1.5 // 2.5 We’ve seen this card before, more or less, and in the right deck it can be a pretty good way to end the game, as turning off all blocking can really allow you to do a ton of damage. In a pinch, it can also sweep away a bunch of X/1s, like Mite tokens and the like – so it sort of has an alternate mode, but certainly the most powerful thing to do with it is use it to let you alpha strike for the win. With Toxic in the format, it may be easier than normal to set up lethal too, since you can threaten with both poison counters and damage
Prologue to Phyresis
2.0 This isn’t especially powerful on its own, as a poison counter isn’t worth a ton on its own – but this is a spell that replaces itself, and the UR deck will make decent use of it
Dune Mover
2.0 This kind of fixing usually isn’t great, because putting the card on top is a pretty massive difference from getting it in your hand or something. But it does have solid stats and brings Toxic to the table.
Surgical Skullbomb
2.5 Like the others, this cycles at worst, and can have a real impact on the board that still nets you a card.
Testament Bearer
2.0 This can give you a 2-for-1 with some nice card selection, but a 4-mana 4/1 is a rough rate
Basilica Skullbomb
2.0 Glad to see a Phyrexian variant of the Mirrodin Spellbomb! At worst, these all cycle away while giving you some artifact synergy, and that makes it hard for them to be terrible. Then, when you have the mana, it does something reasonably significant while still replacing itself. +2/+2 and Flying is the kind of boost that matters a big chunk of the time.
Carnivorous Canopy
1.5 There are enough Artifacts and Enchantments in this set that this it probably isn’t a disaster to run this, especially with that Proliferate upside. It is a bit of a bummer that all this Artifact spot removal is a little worse in a world with the “For Mirrodin!” mechanic, because your opponent still holds on to a token, and being a Sorcery is pretty rough too. This is mostly a sideboard card, though. I think you’ll be disappointed if this makes your main deck.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Porcelain Zealot
Tamiyo's Logbook
1.0 // 3.5 This reminds me a lot of Jodah’s Codex. It can give you some unbeatable card advantage, but there is some serious work you need to do to get there. You’re going to have to get the cost way down on this significantly or it won’t be worth playing. While there are lots of artifacts in the set, I’m skeptical that just any Blue deck can turn this into a card worth playing, so it feels like this needs a buildaround grade.
Porcelain Zealot
3.5 This has bad base stats, but at least it can buff itself in a pinch! +1/+1 every turn can make a difference more often than you might think, and the +2/+2 boost you can give to Toxic creatures really matters, as making them harder to block profitably comes with extra value
Myr Custodian
1.5 If this only Scried 2 for you, it would probably be a 2.5. Scry 2 is pretty nice card selection Letting your opponent also Scry 1 obviously makes it worse, especially because your opponent can take advantage of their Scry before you can.
Annihilating Glare
3.5 This is reminiscent of Eaten Alive, a Common removal spell that played really well in a format that had lots of expendable tokens to sacrifice. You know what this format also has? That’s right, lots of expendable tokens – especially if you’re in Black/White and have access to lots of Mites.
The Autonomous Furnace
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Vanish into Eternity
1.5 Six mana to exile a creature is pretty far from an ideal rate, even on an instant. It just isn’t easy for a spell that expensive to ever be premium, because you will usually overpay to kill a cheaper creature. But the fact that this can deal with other permanent types much more efficiently helps things even out. Basically this is going to be a more expensive Disenchant early, and late it can deal with anything. It definitely isn’t premium, even with its modality, but I think the first copy will make the cut in a lot of White decks.
Maze's Mantle
2.0 A three mana Flash Aura that gives +2/+2 is a card we’ve seen before, and it was playable. If you look at this only as a combat trick it doesn’t seem that efficient, as you can usually get +2/+2 for a single mana. However, the fact this stays around to enhance that creature beyond that turn makes a big difference. The hexproof upside is going to come up sometimes too!
Glistener Seer
2.0 One mana 0/3s are pretty underwhelming. This one does Scry a few times though, and that can be useful all game long.
Barbed Batterfist
2.5 Two mana 3/1s tend to play pretty well in aggro decks, and that’s what you get up front here – and then you have the option of moving the Equipment to other stuff – like if you really want your token to be a 2/2, or if something else can benefit from the stat boost. +1/-1 certainly isn’t amazing, but this is really cheap to play and equip, which will be especially nice with Equipment payoffs in the set.
Thrill of Possibility
1.5 We’ve seen this before, and it is often the kind of card that spell decks will run, but no one else really wants to play, and even the spell decks would be happier with a lot of other instants and sorceries that draw them cards!
Shrapnel Slinger
2.5 This can kill a decent number of creatures in the format, and there’s also plenty of noncreature artifacts it can deal with too. Sacrificing a Mite or something else expendable seems particularly nice. You also have a baseline of a 2-mana 2/2, which you’ll certainly be wanting if you don’t have something else to do on turn two
Pack 3 Pick 5: Crawling Chorus
Distorted Curiosity
3.0 Divination is a 1.5 level card a lot of the time – and that’s what the base form of this card is - not adding to the board is rough, but getting a 2-for-1 is nice, and this has the potential to only cost a single mana in the later stages of the game, which is pretty amazing. Early you can use this to help you hit a land drop or whatever, and then in the mid-to-late game you can cast this for one, and probably play at least one of the things you draw. At that point, it will feel like it is impacting the board.
Duelist of Deep Faith
3.0 This is going to be a pain to block all game long, and that goes really well alongside Toxic. That makes this a pretty high quality Common
Predation Steward
2.0 This seems like a fine two drop. The ability isn’t exactly efficient, and it is definitely clunky as a sorcery speed only effect, but it can certainly allow you to send in an attacker that couldn’t attack otherwise.
Testament Bearer
2.0 This can give you a 2-for-1 with some nice card selection, but a 4-mana 4/1 is a rough rate
Chimney Rabble
3.0 I like the rate here. 4/4 of stats for 4, including 3 power that rumbles right away. Going wide is definitely a thing in this format, too
Zealot's Conviction
2.5 A one mana Aura with Flash that gives +1/+1 is already somewhat acceptable. The boost isn’t massive, so it can’t win that many combats, but the fact that it leaves a permanent buff behind really matters, because it means you effect the board in the short-term and long-term when you can win combat. Then, when you get Corrupted going, this becomes really good, as +2/+1 and First Strike is going to win you most combats, and the boost is once again permanent! One mana tricks really tend to overperform, even when the lack the ability to save a creature from most removal like this
Cutthroat Centurion
2.0 This can threaten to become a 4/4 any time it swings, which is pretty nice. This kind of card often gets through without you actually having to sacrifice anything to it, because the opponent just can’t muster a good block. This also combines well with the various sacrifice synergies, and being a free Sacrifice effect means it has the upside of working really well with Red’s usual Threaten effect.
Crawling Chorus
2.5 One mana 1/1s that replace themselves with 1/1s tend to play reasonably well, but keep in mind that these Mites are worse than most tokens we’re used to – not blocking is a big deal! If you have sacrifice outlets to use alongside this is it can be particularly nice.
Eye of Malcator
2.0 One of Blue’s big themes is Artifacts, and this is certainly a payoff for playing them. It is nice that it Scries up front, which means you can make sure you are more likely to hit Artifacts on your next couple turns. Still, most of these cards we see that aren’t always creatures but temporarily become creatures when X happens have been sort of underwhelming. Its just rough that the card is near irrelevant on your opponents’ turn, and often doesn’t do enough on your turn either.
Ichorspit Basilisk
1.5 A three mana 1/3 Deathtouch isn’t the most impressive thing ever, but it does provide a pretty good road block. Adding Toxic to a death toucher is nice upside, since blocking this can be a real pain
Pack 3 Pick 6: Flensing Raptor
Bladehold War-Whip
3.5 This gives you a three mana 2/2 with double strike up front, and that’s great, as is reducing the cost of your other Equipment. The bad news is that once that 2/2 goes down, you have to pay five to put this on something. That’s a downside, but it will still feel pretty close to a 2-for-1.
Hexgold Hoverwings
3.5 This gives you a 4-mana 3/2 Flyer up front, which is a passable card, so the additional upside here is great. Buffing all your Equipped creatures is going to come up, especially in RW – and just being able to move this Equipment around to whatever creature benefits most from it is pretty great.
Plated Onslaught
1.5 // 3.0 Here is your big payoff for going wide with Mites! Your artifacts make it cheaper, and having a bunch of artifact creatures is going to feel really good when you have a +2/+1 boost. This sort of card usually needs a build around grade, because if you don’t have enough ways to go really wide, you can’t really play it – but when you’re in the right deck, this ends a lot of games
Flensing Raptor
2.5 You’ll often have another Toxic creature around, and when you do this ETB ability is some serious business. When you don’t, you still get a Wind Drake with Toxic 1. I’m giving this a 2.5
Indoctrination Attendant
2.5 A 4-mana ¾ with Toxic is acceptable, and there are certainly some nice ETBs to rebuy in this format. Its nice that this can do that for you while also generating a Mite. You can even bounce a land if you want to get the 1/1!
Meldweb Strider
2.0 A 5-mana 5/5 Vigilance Vehicle with Crew 3 is probably a 1.5. That’s just not a very good rate for a card that isn’t a creature unless you do some extra work! The fact this comes with an oil counter does matter though, as it does make it so this can be a creature all on its one for one turn, and if you proliferate it can become a real problem. Of course, the upside there is still that this is just a 5-mana 5/5 with Vigilance – which is nice, but again – there is work to be done to even get it to the point where it does that consistently.
Duress
0.5 This is a sideboard card. Against someone who isn’t a creature heavy deck, it is worth using. Against your typical Limited deck, though, it isn’t. It will just wiff far too often, and going down a card for no effect is brutal.
Mirran Bardiche
2.0 This one gives you a 5-mana 4/3 with Vigilance up front. As is the case for most of the Common For Mirrodin! Artifacts, that rate wouldn’t really be acceptable all on its own – but being able to move the boost around when you need to is nice.
Dross Skullbomb
2.5 This one can get a creature back from your graveyard and draw you a card, and once it does that you get a pretty nice 2-for-1
Pack 3 Pick 7: Predation Steward
Unnatural Restoration
1.5 We see this effect a lot, and a Regrowth that only gets permanents is not usually very good in Limited, especially if that’s all the card does. It isn’t a disaster to play, but can be underwhelming for a lot of reasons! For one thing, it doesn’t do anything until there’s a permanent in the graveyard – and it doesn’t really feel like you’re accomplishing something until there is a worthwhile permanent, so it can be a dead card for awhile!
Adaptive Sporesinger
2.5 Both of these triggers can be pretty nice. +2/+2 and Vigilance is a boost that can really allow you to have a much better turn, since it can allow a creature to attack more effectively and stay on defense, and when Proliferate can add a bunch of counters to stuff, that will feel good too.
Orthodoxy Enforcer
2.0 This is a decent Common payoff for having Artifacts, as a 4-mana 4/4 with Vigilance is a formidable body all game long. When you don’t get that going, though, this will feel pretty bad
Zealot's Conviction
2.5 A one mana Aura with Flash that gives +1/+1 is already somewhat acceptable. The boost isn’t massive, so it can’t win that many combats, but the fact that it leaves a permanent buff behind really matters, because it means you effect the board in the short-term and long-term when you can win combat. Then, when you get Corrupted going, this becomes really good, as +2/+1 and First Strike is going to win you most combats, and the boost is once again permanent! One mana tricks really tend to overperform, even when the lack the ability to save a creature from most removal like this
Annihilating Glare
3.5 This is reminiscent of Eaten Alive, a Common removal spell that played really well in a format that had lots of expendable tokens to sacrifice. You know what this format also has? That’s right, lots of expendable tokens – especially if you’re in Black/White and have access to lots of Mites.
Skyscythe Engulfer
1.5 If you’re behind, it can hang back and block even flyers, and if you’re ahead, it can attack pretty hard. I wish there was some sort of ETB associated with it so you got some permanent value, though. Six mana is a lot to not get something like that!
Myr Custodian
1.5 If this only Scried 2 for you, it would probably be a 2.5. Scry 2 is pretty nice card selection Letting your opponent also Scry 1 obviously makes it worse, especially because your opponent can take advantage of their Scry before you can.
Predation Steward
2.0 This seems like a fine two drop. The ability isn’t exactly efficient, and it is definitely clunky as a sorcery speed only effect, but it can certainly allow you to send in an attacker that couldn’t attack otherwise.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Against All Odds
Against All Odds
1.0 // 2.5 Individually, each of these effects is situational and not worth four mana, especially at Sorcery speed. Blinking a creature is only going to do something in a few situations: like if you have a creature with an ETB ability, or a creature shut down by an Aura. It can give you pseudo-vigilance too, but that really isn’t worth 4 mana. Obviously, reanimating something small only does something when you have a target. Both of these things are far from guaranteed! However, you do have the option of getting both, and I think if you can do something meaningful with both parts, this seems like a fine card. This can be especially true with Enter the Battlefield abilities, because you can potentially get 2 of them going at the same time. There are only a few decks that are super interested in running this, so it probably needs a build around grade.
Thirsting Roots
2.5 This is a solid modal card. It can help you fix your mana or just hit a land drop, and it is the kind of card that can almost stand in for a land in your deck, since it is almost a modal double-faced land card! Once you have the lands you need, you can Proliferate for some nice value. Sometimes neither mode will be useful, which is a bummer – but most of the time you’ll be getting something worthwhile for the investment.
Adaptive Sporesinger
2.5 Both of these triggers can be pretty nice. +2/+2 and Vigilance is a boost that can really allow you to have a much better turn, since it can allow a creature to attack more effectively and stay on defense, and when Proliferate can add a bunch of counters to stuff, that will feel good too.
Carnivorous Canopy
1.5 There are enough Artifacts and Enchantments in this set that this it probably isn’t a disaster to run this, especially with that Proliferate upside. It is a bit of a bummer that all this Artifact spot removal is a little worse in a world with the “For Mirrodin!” mechanic, because your opponent still holds on to a token, and being a Sorcery is pretty rough too. This is mostly a sideboard card, though. I think you’ll be disappointed if this makes your main deck.
Quicksilver Fisher
2.5 This has reasonable Flying stats and a solid ETB ability. Looting is always a nice effect to tack on to a reasonable creature.
Bonepicker Skirge
3.0 A three mana 2/2 Flyer isn’t quite as good as it used to be – but it is still decent enough, so adding some additional effects usually makes for a nice card, and that’s what we have here. If this always had deathtouch and lifelink it would be a 4.0, but you do have to jump through some hoops here.
Escaped Experiment
2.0 On its own, this is a two mana 2/1 that gives -1/-0 to an opposing creature when it attacks, and its ability can lower power a lot more than that! This can often enable nice attacks not just for the Experiment, but the board. That said, it doesn’t really change the ability of your opponent’s creatures to block effectively. They may not be able to kill things they tussle with, but if they could already block your stuff and survive – that will still be true.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Basilica Skullbomb
Expand the Sphere
1.5 You have a pretty good chance of hitting two lands when you cast this, and that’s some pretty serious ramp – but I love that you can choose some combination of lands and proliferating when you cast this. Sometimes in the late game drawing your ramp spell is pretty awful, and this becomes a 4-mana Sorcery that Proliferates twice in that situation, and that’s often going to have a significant impact on the board. That said, format looks fast enough that there won’t be that many decks looking to take this.
Vivisurgeon's Insight
1.5 Man, I have a hard time believing paying 5 to draw three and Proliferate is going to be worth it here. I love the card advantage of course, but paying that much and likely having only a minimal impact on the board seems like a really bad idea
Lattice-Blade Mantis
3.0 This seems pretty strong for a Common. A 4-mana 4/3 is almost passable, so adding the ability to use oil counters to buff it up to a 5/4 that untaps is really nice. This can hit pretty hard while playing both offense and defense.
Basilica Skullbomb
2.0 Glad to see a Phyrexian variant of the Mirrodin Spellbomb! At worst, these all cycle away while giving you some artifact synergy, and that makes it hard for them to be terrible. Then, when you have the mana, it does something reasonably significant while still replacing itself. +2/+2 and Flying is the kind of boost that matters a big chunk of the time.
Escaped Experiment
2.0 On its own, this is a two mana 2/1 that gives -1/-0 to an opposing creature when it attacks, and its ability can lower power a lot more than that! This can often enable nice attacks not just for the Experiment, but the board. That said, it doesn’t really change the ability of your opponent’s creatures to block effectively. They may not be able to kill things they tussle with, but if they could already block your stuff and survive – that will still be true.
The Fair Basilica
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Sinew Dancer
Sinew Dancer
2.0 So, if you don’t get Corrupted going, this is a pretty bad card. While Master Decoy-type creatures are nice, we’ve seen in the past that asking for four mana for such an effect is just too much, and not an effective way to use your mana on most turns. Obviously, if you can get some poison on your opponent, it gets a lot better – as one mana a turn to tap something often just feels like removal. There is some interesting synergy to be had here, as if you have three poison on your opponent, you probably have some Toxic creatures in play, in which case tapping down a blocker is going to be increasingly problematic for your opponent. That said, getting three poison on your opponent is significant set up, and the baseline card is pretty bad
Vanish into Eternity
1.5 Six mana to exile a creature is pretty far from an ideal rate, even on an instant. It just isn’t easy for a spell that expensive to ever be premium, because you will usually overpay to kill a cheaper creature. But the fact that this can deal with other permanent types much more efficiently helps things even out. Basically this is going to be a more expensive Disenchant early, and late it can deal with anything. It definitely isn’t premium, even with its modality, but I think the first copy will make the cut in a lot of White decks.
Plague Nurse
2.0 A 4-mana ¾ with Toxic 2 is fine, and adding more Toxic to your Toxic creatures can definitely cause problems. The threat of activation is something that your opponent really has to consider on a board with a few other Toxic creatures.
Aspirant's Ascent
2.0 One mana tricks have been some pretty serious business of late, and I think this looks like another solid one. This kind of gives you two separate uses, which is great for such a low cost! First it can be used as a traditional trick to help your creature win combat with the +1/+3 boost – but you can also use it before your opponent blocks to make a big creature take to the air and crack in for a bunch of damage – along with some toxic upside
Quicksilver Fisher
2.5 This has reasonable Flying stats and a solid ETB ability. Looting is always a nice effect to tack on to a reasonable creature.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Leonin Lightbringer
Leonin Lightbringer
2.5 Equipping this won’t be particularly hard in this format, but it isn’t like the payoff here is amazing or anything. Ward 2 does make it a nice place to put Equipment too, since it feels awful if your opponent kills something in response to you Equipping it, and this makes that a lot harder.
Testament Bearer
2.0 This can give you a 2-for-1 with some nice card selection, but a 4-mana 4/1 is a rough rate
Basilica Skullbomb
2.0 Glad to see a Phyrexian variant of the Mirrodin Spellbomb! At worst, these all cycle away while giving you some artifact synergy, and that makes it hard for them to be terrible. Then, when you have the mana, it does something reasonably significant while still replacing itself. +2/+2 and Flying is the kind of boost that matters a big chunk of the time.
Carnivorous Canopy
1.5 There are enough Artifacts and Enchantments in this set that this it probably isn’t a disaster to run this, especially with that Proliferate upside. It is a bit of a bummer that all this Artifact spot removal is a little worse in a world with the “For Mirrodin!” mechanic, because your opponent still holds on to a token, and being a Sorcery is pretty rough too. This is mostly a sideboard card, though. I think you’ll be disappointed if this makes your main deck.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Maze's Mantle
Maze's Mantle
2.0 A three mana Flash Aura that gives +2/+2 is a card we’ve seen before, and it was playable. If you look at this only as a combat trick it doesn’t seem that efficient, as you can usually get +2/+2 for a single mana. However, the fact this stays around to enhance that creature beyond that turn makes a big difference. The hexproof upside is going to come up sometimes too!
Thrill of Possibility
1.5 We’ve seen this before, and it is often the kind of card that spell decks will run, but no one else really wants to play, and even the spell decks would be happier with a lot of other instants and sorceries that draw them cards!
The Autonomous Furnace
2.5 This seems like a solid utility land cycle. They enter tapped, so you don’t want too many of them, but the fact you can cash them in in the later stages of the game for a card is really nice, and can help when you’re flooding out.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Predation Steward
Predation Steward
2.0 This seems like a fine two drop. The ability isn’t exactly efficient, and it is definitely clunky as a sorcery speed only effect, but it can certainly allow you to send in an attacker that couldn’t attack otherwise.
Zealot's Conviction
2.5 A one mana Aura with Flash that gives +1/+1 is already somewhat acceptable. The boost isn’t massive, so it can’t win that many combats, but the fact that it leaves a permanent buff behind really matters, because it means you effect the board in the short-term and long-term when you can win combat. Then, when you get Corrupted going, this becomes really good, as +2/+1 and First Strike is going to win you most combats, and the boost is once again permanent! One mana tricks really tend to overperform, even when the lack the ability to save a creature from most removal like this
Pack 3 Pick 14: Mirran Bardiche
Mirran Bardiche
2.0 This one gives you a 5-mana 4/3 with Vigilance up front. As is the case for most of the Common For Mirrodin! Artifacts, that rate wouldn’t really be acceptable all on its own – but being able to move the boost around when you need to is nice.