Roxanne, Starfall Savant
4.5 A 5-mana 4/3 that gives you a mana and Shock when it enters and attacks is some awesome value. The mana multiplier effect won't matter much by the time you play here, but that's okay.
Shackle Slinger
3 It's nice that this commits crimes for no additional mana, and stunning and tapping things has some pretty real value, especially if you're curving out, which the Slinger really likes.
Honest Rutstein
4 I'd play a card that just had one of these abilities, having both makes this is an incredibly powerful signpost uncommon.
Hellspur Brute
2.5 There are lots and lots ouf outlaws in this set, and if you can cast this for 4 you're going to feel fine about it. If you cast it for less, you'll feel great.
Rise of the Varmints
1 // 4.0 This looks like a legit win condition for Black/Green decks, but pretty mediocre for everyone else.
Blacksnag Buzzard
2.5 If you get the counter, this'll feel pretty good. If you don't...it's pasasble. That makes it solid filler over all.
Thunder Salvo
3 The baseline here is a playable card, and doing three with this seems pretty easy in Red between having a low curve and the Plot mechanic.
Daring Thunder-Thief
2 This is a fairly beefy creature, and the fact it has flash should work nicely in UW decks.
Iron-Fist Pulverizer
1.5 The stat-line's mediocre, and the second spell trigger isn't great either. Especially because second spell decks are going to want pretty low curves, so I'm not sure this really has a home.
Bridled Bighorn
2 This has decent base stats, and spitting out a token is sometimes valuable.
Throw from the Saddle
3.5 This is a great "bite" effect that allows smaller creatures to punch up, and you're going to have enough mounts in Green for that bonus to come up.
Lush Oasis
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Primal Might
4 This is a great fight spell that scales all game long, and often allows for a way better attack after clearing out a blocker.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Bonny Pall, Clearcutter
Nimble Brigand
3 The stats are bad, but if you get in with this once you'll feel pretty good ,and getting it with it is pretty easy. Get in with it more than once, and the game might just be over.
Mobile Homestead
2 The rate isn't very good, but I think the upside of ramping your mana sometimes makes it playable.
Congregation Gryff
3.5 This can become a 2/5 with lifelink even if it's your only mount, and it's not going to be your only mount.
Bonny Pall, Clearcutter
5 This is 6 mana for a 6/5 and a 6/6 that will get bigger and she draws you cards. She's an insane bomb.
Nezumi Linkbreaker
3 One mana for two 1/1s is a good deal, even when you don't get them at the same time. It makes this good sacrifice fodder too.
Take Up the Shield
3 This was a very strong trick last time, and it will be this time too. It helps a creature win combat, can blank more removal, and leaves behind a permanent buff.
Take the Fall
2.5 This looks like it's well-positioned in this format. It's good if you're trying to play two spells a turn in UR, it's good if you're trying to commit crimes in UB, it's good if you're trying to only do stuff on your opponent's turn if you're in Blue-White. It's definitely a small effect, but it replacing itself and having a real effect seems doable.
Fake Your Own Death
2.5 This type of trick is always solid. It's good in combat, good against removal, and has the upside of working well with ETB.
Cactarantula
2.5 This has decent stats and it's hard for your opponent to interact with it outside of combat without giving you some serious value.
Explosive Derailment
4 This is a great removal spell. Even if it was always just the first mode, it would be a card that always makes the cut -- and one you take highly. But the added Spree upside means that you can achieve a 2-for-1 sometimes.
Rakish Crew
2 This drain life trigger can feel pretty good, but setting combat up just right to take advantage of them is surprisingly difficult.
Thornado
0.5 Even with a cycling mode, Plummet just isn't worth it in the main deck.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Lotus Ring
Return the Favor
3 This is situational of course, but if you can cast it with both Spree effects, it's kind of insane. If you can copy an opposing removal spell and then change the target of another, you get a 3-for-1.
Spinewoods Armadillo
3.5 This is an imposing presence when it's on the board, and fixing your mana early is awesome. That life gain is no small thing either, as you need to counteract the fact that you don't impact the board when you cycle it.
Silver Deputy
2 Grabbing a dual desert is pretty good, and it has a useful creature type and a relevant ability.
Loan Shark
3 When you draw a card with this it will feel like a 4.0, when you don't, it will feel like a 1.0. I think it will be easy enough to draw with to get up to a 3.
Voracious Varmint
2 This has solid stats and an ability with some utility. This isn't a format loaded up with artifacts and enchantments, though.
Sterling Supplier
3 It's a 5-drop so you don't want a bunch of them, but 5-mana for 4/5 worth of stats, 3/4 of which has Flying, is a really good deal. You probably don't want more than one of these, though.
Failed Fording
2 This style of card is virtually always a 2, even with a little bit of upside. It's nice that you can interact, but the price you pay is often card disadvantage.
Three Steps Ahead
4 Each of these modes individually is playable enough, and if you access all of them you can get some pretty ridiculous value.
Lotus Ring
2 The boost it offers is pretty solid, but the ability to gain mana isn't going to do much.
Peerless Ropemaster
1.5 It's a decent body, but bounce effects have been getting worse lately with all the ETB abilities and the like. Plus, not being able to bounce a creature that can block is a big problem.
Back for More
2.5 The ceiling here is incredibly high. You reanimate something at instant speed, use it to ambush block, and then have it fight something else. If the creature is big enough, it can survive all of that! But setting that up and getting the stats to line up correctly is pretty tough.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Voracious Varmint
Stubborn Burrowfiend
2.5 This'll definitely get big sometimes, but I don't love how conditional the buff is. It's going to be at it's best in a B/G deck, but I'm also not sure how much they want to be saddling.
Lively Dirge
1.5 If you can get two bodies back with this it can feel reasonable, but setting your graveyard up just right isn't super easy, even with the tutor effect.
Demonic Ruckus
2.5 This Aura seems pretty pushed. It offers a stats-boost that makes just about any creature into a legit threat, it replaces itself, and it's really efficient.
Spring Splasher
2 Pretty nice on turn two, as there isn't much that can block it in the early game. It isn't terrible in the mid to late game either, as it can really improve an attack for you.
Jailbreak Scheme
2 Just the bounce option is a decent card, so the fact you have a whole other option for later in the game is pretty nice.
Voracious Varmint
2 This has solid stats and an ability with some utility. This isn't a format loaded up with artifacts and enchantments, though.
Desert's Due
3 Two mana for -2/-2 is passable enough, and this will give -3/-3 in the mid to late game pretty consistently.
Reckless Lackey
3 This is a pretty pushed stat-line, making it a great play on turn one and a great place to put Equipment, counters, and tricks. And if it ever becomes useless you can just cash it in.
Lonely Arroyo
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Fake Your Own Death
2.5 This type of trick is always solid. It's good in combat, good against removal, and has the upside of working well with ETB.
Hindering Light
2 This feels good when you can cast it, but it is a little too narrow to be good.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Shackle Slinger
Desperate Bloodseeker
2.5 A two mana 2/2 Lifelink is a card you pretty much always play, so it's nice that this can commit a crime or load your graveyard too.
Fake Your Own Death
2.5 This type of trick is always solid. It's good in combat, good against removal, and has the upside of working well with ETB.
Stagecoach Security
2.5 Buffing your whole board and giving it Vigilance is great, as it allows you to attack a lot better while not giving anything up on defense.
Make Your Own Luck
2.5 This doesn't effect the board initially, but in theory Make Your Own Luck should give you a huge turn on your next turn. At the same time, spending your turn 5 doing this might mean you're dead before you ever get there, and if you don't reveal at least two spells in your top three, this doesn't feel like it will do enough to make up for it's problems. Most of the time you will draw two real cards with it and get one for free, but you're sort of spinning the roulette wheel every time you cast it, and I don't love that.
Shackle Slinger
3 It's nice that this commits crimes for no additional mana, and stunning and tapping things has some pretty real value, especially if you're curving out, which the Slinger really likes.
Fomori Vault
0 There aren't enough artifacts in this format for this to be worth the hit to your mana.
Humiliate
2 This is a reasonable discard spell, as it will usually hit something and add a little to your board.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Hardbristle Bandit
Spirebluff Canal
3 It's nice to have awesome fixing that enters the battlefield untapped.
Reach for the Sky
1.5 It's great that this replaces itself, but it's too expensive for it to be a trick/aura that I'm interested in using.
Daring Thunder-Thief
2 This is a fairly beefy creature, and the fact it has flash should work nicely in UW decks.
Blacksnag Buzzard
2.5 If you get the counter, this'll feel pretty good. If you don't...it's pasasble. That makes it solid filler over all.
Iron-Fist Pulverizer
1.5 The stat-line's mediocre, and the second spell trigger isn't great either. Especially because second spell decks are going to want pretty low curves, so I'm not sure this really has a home.
Sterling Supplier
3 It's a 5-drop so you don't want a bunch of them, but 5-mana for 4/5 worth of stats, 3/4 of which has Flying, is a really good deal. You probably don't want more than one of these, though.
Hardbristle Bandit
3 I wouldn't count on getting a benefit out of untapping this with regularity, but doing it once per game isn't a stretch, and a two mana 1/1 that taps for mana of any color is always playable anyway.
Hindering Light
2 This feels good when you can cast it, but it is a little too narrow to be good.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Eroded Canyon
Wrangler of the Damned
3.5 This is a pretty insane payoff for plotting and doing things at instant speed, and Flash makes it easy to get that first token.
Make Your Own Luck
2.5 This doesn't effect the board initially, but in theory Make Your Own Luck should give you a huge turn on your next turn. At the same time, spending your turn 5 doing this might mean you're dead before you ever get there, and if you don't reveal at least two spells in your top three, this doesn't feel like it will do enough to make up for it's problems. Most of the time you will draw two real cards with it and get one for free, but you're sort of spinning the roulette wheel every time you cast it, and I don't love that.
Riku of Many Paths
4 Modal spells are all over the place in Limited these days, and the Spree mechanic in this format even appears at Common. This means that most decks that can cast Riku will probably have 2-4 modal spells, and that's more than enough, as just getting a trigger once is amazing.
Explosive Derailment
4 This is a great removal spell. Even if it was always just the first mode, it would be a card that always makes the cut -- and one you take highly. But the added Spree upside means that you can achieve a 2-for-1 sometimes.
Corrupted Conviction
2 If you have lots of Mercenary tokens, this isn't a bad way to cash them in.
Seize the Secrets
2.5 A two mana draw 2 is pretty serious business, and that mode will be accessible enough.
Freestrider Commando
2 Neither mode on this is much more than a decent vanilla creature. A 4-mana 5/5 might sound amazing, but getting a turn later makes it a lot less impressive.
Eroded Canyon
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Stop Cold
Scorching Shot
3.5 This is efficient, but a little hard to cast, and being Sorcery speed will make it harder to generate 2-for-1s.
Outlaw Medic
2.5 This has solid stats that are good for augmenting, and it's good sacrifie fodder.
Stop Cold
2 Blue's usual passable removal spell that you kind of hope you don't have to use, but it's fine if you do.
Irascible Wolverine
3 This is a great ETB trigger. Plot allows you to take full advantage, but even without Plot this can help you hit a land drop in the early stages of the game, and if you draw it late you can just cast it right away because you'll be able to use the card either way.
Gold Pan
2 You can equip this right away if you want to, thanks to the treasure. Paying one to Equip for this boost is kind of passable, too.
Fake Your Own Death
2.5 This type of trick is always solid. It's good in combat, good against removal, and has the upside of working well with ETB.
Lonely Arroyo
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Shackle Slinger
Shackle Slinger
3 It's nice that this commits crimes for no additional mana, and stunning and tapping things has some pretty real value, especially if you're curving out, which the Slinger really likes.
Rise of the Varmints
1 // 4.0 This looks like a legit win condition for Black/Green decks, but pretty mediocre for everyone else.
Blacksnag Buzzard
2.5 If you get the counter, this'll feel pretty good. If you don't...it's pasasble. That makes it solid filler over all.
Thunder Salvo
3 The baseline here is a playable card, and doing three with this seems pretty easy in Red between having a low curve and the Plot mechanic.
Iron-Fist Pulverizer
1.5 The stat-line's mediocre, and the second spell trigger isn't great either. Especially because second spell decks are going to want pretty low curves, so I'm not sure this really has a home.
Nezumi Linkbreaker
3 One mana for two 1/1s is a good deal, even when you don't get them at the same time. It makes this good sacrifice fodder too.
Take the Fall
2.5 This looks like it's well-positioned in this format. It's good if you're trying to play two spells a turn in UR, it's good if you're trying to commit crimes in UB, it's good if you're trying to only do stuff on your opponent's turn if you're in Blue-White. It's definitely a small effect, but it replacing itself and having a real effect seems doable.
Fake Your Own Death
2.5 This type of trick is always solid. It's good in combat, good against removal, and has the upside of working well with ETB.
Explosive Derailment
4 This is a great removal spell. Even if it was always just the first mode, it would be a card that always makes the cut -- and one you take highly. But the added Spree upside means that you can achieve a 2-for-1 sometimes.
Thornado
0.5 Even with a cycling mode, Plummet just isn't worth it in the main deck.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Failed Fording
Silver Deputy
2 Grabbing a dual desert is pretty good, and it has a useful creature type and a relevant ability.
Failed Fording
2 This style of card is virtually always a 2, even with a little bit of upside. It's nice that you can interact, but the price you pay is often card disadvantage.
Peerless Ropemaster
1.5 It's a decent body, but bounce effects have been getting worse lately with all the ETB abilities and the like. Plus, not being able to bounce a creature that can block is a big problem.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Spring Splasher
Spring Splasher
2 Pretty nice on turn two, as there isn't much that can block it in the early game. It isn't terrible in the mid to late game either, as it can really improve an attack for you.
Fake Your Own Death
2.5 This type of trick is always solid. It's good in combat, good against removal, and has the upside of working well with ETB.
Hindering Light
2 This feels good when you can cast it, but it is a little too narrow to be good.
Kaervek, the Punisher
3.5 His crim trigger is strong, but needing the card to be black is a bit of a letdown. Still, even if you only cast one thing using Kaervek, you'll feel like you're doing a good job.
Shepherd of the Clouds
3 This will typically generate 2-for-1s, and when you can consistently reanimate something to the battlefield, this will feel like one of the best cards in your deck.
Gila Courser
3.5 This saddle trigger is super strong, and saddling this is easy. If you get to attack, you're all but guaranteed a 2-for-1.
Visage Bandit
2.5 Clones that only let you do stuff with your side of the battlefield usually aren't great, but having Plot makes it more intriguing.
Fleeting Reflection
1.5 Hexproof can be nice in the right situation. So can turning your creature into a copy of something else. However, both effects are too narrow for this to make the cut all that often.
Tumbleweed Rising
2 This doesn't do anything on its own, and while you can Plot it when you're stuck in a spot like that, the upside isn't insane here.
Quick Draw
2 This is a solid trick, but it's only useful in combat, which makes it hard for it to be one you really want to seek out.
Desperate Bloodseeker
2.5 A two mana 2/2 Lifelink is a card you pretty much always play, so it's nice that this can commit a crime or load your graveyard too.
Harrier Strix
2.5 This is a nice turn one play, and in the later game it's ETB can do some work -- especially if you need to commit some crimes.
Patient Naturalist
2.5 This won't be quite as good as Eccentric Farmer was, as this format isn't all about the graveyard. But the B/G deck is, and this will do good work there.
Take Up the Shield
3 This was a very strong trick last time, and it will be this time too. It helps a creature win combat, can blank more removal, and leaves behind a permanent buff.
Vadmir, New Blood
3.5 This will definitely grow, and if he comes into play on turn two and manages to survive, it's not impossible for him to gain Menace and Lifelink.
Decimate
0.5 You have to start this in your sideboard, because you just won't have targets for all four modes often enough.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Throw from the Saddle
Beastbond Outcaster
3.5 You'll draw with this often enough for it to be a very good card. And even if you don't draw, it's not a bad rate.
Luxurious Locomotive
2 This is super easy to crew and pretty big, and sometimes the treasure will be nice, but I have a feeling this'll only really be worth in the Mount/Vehicle decks.
Slickshot Lockpicker
4 When you can cast a spell with this it will feel incredible, and thanks to Plot you can set it aside until you do have one. The fail-case isn't amazing, but not a complete disaster, either.
Desert's Due
3 Two mana for -2/-2 is passable enough, and this will give -3/-3 in the mid to late game pretty consistently.
Eriette's Lullaby
2.5 This is efficient, but having to take a hit before you can use it isn't ideal. The life gain makes up for that a little.
Throw from the Saddle
3.5 This is a great "bite" effect that allows smaller creatures to punch up, and you're going to have enough mounts in Green for that bonus to come up.
Take Up the Shield
3 This was a very strong trick last time, and it will be this time too. It helps a creature win combat, can blank more removal, and leaves behind a permanent buff.
Mine Raider
2.5 You'll get the treasure a significant percentage of the time, and the fail-case isn't too bad.
Corrupted Conviction
2 If you have lots of Mercenary tokens, this isn't a bad way to cash them in.
Stop Cold
2 Blue's usual passable removal spell that you kind of hope you don't have to use, but it's fine if you do.
Ride Down
2.5 This is pretty nice in all-out aggressive Red-White decks, but too situational for anything else.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Snakeskin Veil
Bovine Intervention
0 This is awful removal, you practically 2-for-1 yourself in exchange for some efficiency.
Metamorphic Blast
2.5 This "Frogify" type effect usually isn't very good, so it's a good thing you can also draw with it. When you get to remove a creature and draw two, it will feel pretty awesome.
Highway Robbery
2 Because you can sacrifice lands to this, it's much better in the late game than most Tormenting Voice-like effects.
Outlaw Medic
2.5 This has solid stats that are good for augmenting, and it's good sacrifie fodder.
Silver Deputy
2 Grabbing a dual desert is pretty good, and it has a useful creature type and a relevant ability.
Snakeskin Veil
2.5 This is a great trick since it can efficiently blank removal and help your creature win combat.
Quilled Charger
2 This has a passable baseline, and it's saddle ability means it can attack effectively at most stages of the game.
Take the Fall
2.5 This looks like it's well-positioned in this format. It's good if you're trying to play two spells a turn in UR, it's good if you're trying to commit crimes in UB, it's good if you're trying to only do stuff on your opponent's turn if you're in Blue-White. It's definitely a small effect, but it replacing itself and having a real effect seems doable.
Outlaws' Fury
2.5 A mass board pump that draws you a card tends to play pretty well, and Red is quite good at going wide in this format.
Mindslaver
4 It's a little slow, but if you get to activate it, it's pretty hard for you to lose. You send all of your opponent's creature in for some terrible attacks, point their own removal at their creatures, and so on.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Spinewoods Paladin
Caught in the Crossfire
2 Sweepers are tough to get to work in Limited, but this one is trying it's hardest. The two modes should mean that you can choose one that hurts your opponent more than it hurts you a decent chunk of the time.
Canyon Crab
3 Not a terrible roadblock, and you can loot with it pretty well in this format. It can even go on offense late in the game.
Bristlepack Sentry
3 This is going to overperform because it counts itself. This means buffing it with a mercenary allows it to attack, as do buffs from counters and equipment.
Irascible Wolverine
3 This is a great ETB trigger. Plot allows you to take full advantage, but even without Plot this can help you hit a land drop in the early stages of the game, and if you draw it late you can just cast it right away because you'll be able to use the card either way.
Bridled Bighorn
2 This has decent base stats, and spitting out a token is sometimes valuable.
Mourner's Surprise
2.5 This will feel close enough to a two-mana 2-for-1 that I'm definitely playing the first copy in most Black decks.
Spinewoods Paladin
3 The rate on this is pretty crazy for a Common! It's a very real body that gains you life, and that can go a long way towards helping you stabilize.
Outlaws' Fury
2.5 A mass board pump that draws you a card tends to play pretty well, and Red is quite good at going wide in this format.
Loan Shark
3 When you draw a card with this it will feel like a 4.0, when you don't, it will feel like a 1.0. I think it will be easy enough to draw with to get up to a 3.
Freestrider Commando
2 Neither mode on this is much more than a decent vanilla creature. A 4-mana 5/5 might sound amazing, but getting a turn later makes it a lot less impressive.
Mindbreak Trap
0 This is basically an inefficient counterspell. People rarely put enough stuff on the stack in Limited for this to be more than a bad one-for-one.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Nimble Brigand
Slick Sequence
3.5 Two mana to deal two to anything is probably a 2.0, but you're going to draw with this a huge chunk of the time.
Cactarantula
2.5 This has decent stats and it's hard for your opponent to interact with it outside of combat without giving you some serious value.
Overzealous Muscle
2 This only working on your turn is kind of sad, but it's a fairly capable attacker thanks to it's ability to gain indestructibility.
Steer Clear
2.5 This is conditional but efficient, especially if you have a Mount.
Irascible Wolverine
3 This is a great ETB trigger. Plot allows you to take full advantage, but even without Plot this can help you hit a land drop in the early stages of the game, and if you draw it late you can just cast it right away because you'll be able to use the card either way.
Discerning Peddler
2 Red doesn't have much of a discard theme in this set. So, this is mostly just a card with a mediocre statline and a mediocre ETB.
Omenpath Journey
0 Ramping and fixing is cool and all, but spending 4 mana to do nothing isn't. You also aren't likely to have 5 lands with different names in Limited.
Nimble Brigand
3 The stats are bad, but if you get in with this once you'll feel pretty good ,and getting it with it is pretty easy. Get in with it more than once, and the game might just be over.
Skewer the Critics
3.5 This is fine if you pay three for it, and paying one is awesome and very attainable.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Spinewoods Paladin
Vraska Joins Up
1 Deathtouch to your whole board sounds pretty good, but the fact that you have to play them in the right order is a problem. In other words, it only gives deathtouch to the things that are in play when it comes down. This means it's pretty bad early, and probably not great in the mid-game either. The legendary payoff can do some work, but you need both legendaries and a creature to get through unblocked, which is far from guaranteed.
Vial Smasher, Gleeful Grenadier
3 If you play this on two and he sticks around, he's going to chip in tons and tons of damage. The trigger commits a crime, too!
Armored Armadillo
1 A one mana 0/4 is largely irrelevant, and the ability is too expensive.
Vault Plunderer
2.5 Trading off for something means you get a 2-for-1, but the presence of Mercenary tokens limits this somewhat.
Harrier Strix
2.5 This is a nice turn one play, and in the later game it's ETB can do some work -- especially if you need to commit some crimes.
Spinewoods Paladin
3 The rate on this is pretty crazy for a Common! It's a very real body that gains you life, and that can go a long way towards helping you stabilize.
Thunder Salvo
3 The baseline here is a playable card, and doing three with this seems pretty easy in Red between having a low curve and the Plot mechanic.
Forlorn Flats
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Nezumi Linkbreaker
3 One mana for two 1/1s is a good deal, even when you don't get them at the same time. It makes this good sacrifice fodder too.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Decisive Denial
Cunning Coyote
4 This is a great two drop that can do a ton of damage if it comes down on turn two -- especially if you played a one drop. But it also has nice late game upside that allows it to always stay relevant.
Holy Cow
3.5 This delivers a ton of value for the cost, and the fact it has Flash is extra good in UW.
Daring Thunder-Thief
2 This is a fairly beefy creature, and the fact it has flash should work nicely in UW decks.
Nezumi Linkbreaker
3 One mana for two 1/1s is a good deal, even when you don't get them at the same time. It makes this good sacrifice fodder too.
Eriette's Lullaby
2.5 This is efficient, but having to take a hit before you can use it isn't ideal. The life gain makes up for that a little.
Iron-Fist Pulverizer
1.5 The stat-line's mediocre, and the second spell trigger isn't great either. Especially because second spell decks are going to want pretty low curves, so I'm not sure this really has a home.
Stop Cold
2 Blue's usual passable removal spell that you kind of hope you don't have to use, but it's fine if you do.
Decisive Denial
3 Neither mode here absolutely blows you away, but being able to fight or counter stuff is pretty nice.
Pack 2 Pick 8: Harrier Strix
Harrier Strix
2.5 This is a nice turn one play, and in the later game it's ETB can do some work -- especially if you need to commit some crimes.
Eriette's Lullaby
2.5 This is efficient, but having to take a hit before you can use it isn't ideal. The life gain makes up for that a little.
Discerning Peddler
2 Red doesn't have much of a discard theme in this set. So, this is mostly just a card with a mediocre statline and a mediocre ETB.
Slickshot Vault-Buster
1.5 A 4-mana 3/4 with Vigilance 100% of the time is a 2.5 at the very best, and this isn't pretty far from having those stats all the time.
Nezumi Linkbreaker
3 One mana for two 1/1s is a good deal, even when you don't get them at the same time. It makes this good sacrifice fodder too.
Take for a Ride
2//3.5 Being able to cast this at instant speed will feel insane sometimes, because if the stats line up right, you can make two of your opponents creatures destroy one another. That gives this a higher floor than most versions of this kind of effect, while it still has big sacrifice upside.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Visage Bandit
Visage Bandit
2.5 Clones that only let you do stuff with your side of the battlefield usually aren't great, but having Plot makes it more intriguing.
Fleeting Reflection
1.5 Hexproof can be nice in the right situation. So can turning your creature into a copy of something else. However, both effects are too narrow for this to make the cut all that often.
Tumbleweed Rising
2 This doesn't do anything on its own, and while you can Plot it when you're stuck in a spot like that, the upside isn't insane here.
Quick Draw
2 This is a solid trick, but it's only useful in combat, which makes it hard for it to be one you really want to seek out.
Take Up the Shield
3 This was a very strong trick last time, and it will be this time too. It helps a creature win combat, can blank more removal, and leaves behind a permanent buff.
Luxurious Locomotive
2 This is super easy to crew and pretty big, and sometimes the treasure will be nice, but I have a feeling this'll only really be worth in the Mount/Vehicle decks.
Eriette's Lullaby
2.5 This is efficient, but having to take a hit before you can use it isn't ideal. The life gain makes up for that a little.
Mine Raider
2.5 You'll get the treasure a significant percentage of the time, and the fail-case isn't too bad.
Corrupted Conviction
2 If you have lots of Mercenary tokens, this isn't a bad way to cash them in.
Outlaws' Fury
2.5 A mass board pump that draws you a card tends to play pretty well, and Red is quite good at going wide in this format.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Outlaws' Fury
Bridled Bighorn
2 This has decent base stats, and spitting out a token is sometimes valuable.
Mourner's Surprise
2.5 This will feel close enough to a two-mana 2-for-1 that I'm definitely playing the first copy in most Black decks.
Outlaws' Fury
2.5 A mass board pump that draws you a card tends to play pretty well, and Red is quite good at going wide in this format.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Irascible Wolverine
Irascible Wolverine
3 This is a great ETB trigger. Plot allows you to take full advantage, but even without Plot this can help you hit a land drop in the early stages of the game, and if you draw it late you can just cast it right away because you'll be able to use the card either way.
Armored Armadillo
1 A one mana 0/4 is largely irrelevant, and the ability is too expensive.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Stop Cold
Slickshot Show-Off
3.5 A two mana 1/2 with Flying and Haste is already something you'll play, and this will smash in for more damage pretty often. The Plot upside here isn't something you'll use much in Limited, you just want this down ASAP most of the time.
Rictus Robber
3.5 If you can get the Zombie out of this, it'll feel great. Thanks to Plot, you have a better chance at finding a spot where that works out.
Nimble Brigand
3 The stats are bad, but if you get in with this once you'll feel pretty good ,and getting it with it is pretty easy. Get in with it more than once, and the game might just be over.
Hollow Marauder
3 This ETB is powerful no matter what happens, so the only hurdle here is the casting cost. I think reducing the cost by 2-3 mana is pretty doable, though.
Sterling Supplier
3 It's a 5-drop so you don't want a bunch of them, but 5-mana for 4/5 worth of stats, 3/4 of which has Flying, is a really good deal. You probably don't want more than one of these, though.
Giant Beaver
3 A 4-mana 4/4 Vigilance is a great starting point, and it's Saddle can come in handy in the mid to late game.
Stop Cold
2 Blue's usual passable removal spell that you kind of hope you don't have to use, but it's fine if you do.
Reckless Lackey
3 This is a pretty pushed stat-line, making it a great play on turn one and a great place to put Equipment, counters, and tricks. And if it ever becomes useless you can just cash it in.
Vault Plunderer
2.5 Trading off for something means you get a 2-for-1, but the presence of Mercenary tokens limits this somewhat.
Fomori Vault
0 There aren't enough artifacts in this format for this to be worth the hit to your mana.
Jagged Barrens
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Boneyard Desecrator
2 A 4-mana 3/4 with Menace is okay, but this ability is generally too expensive to be worthwhile often enough.
Primal Command
1.5 This is just too clunky to be worthwhile in most decks. The only way you can imapct the board is with the second mode, but only hitting noncreature permanents is a pretty big problem.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Outcaster Greenblade
Arid Archway
2.5 If you haven't had the pleasure of playing with bounce lands before -- trust me, this is better than it looks. It essentially provides card advantage as you end up with two lands that produce three mana.
Marauding Sphinx
3.5 This is a very real body that is good whether you're ahead or behind, and the Surveil trigger is plenty accessible.
Outcaster Greenblade
3.5 This will provide amazing fixing since it can grab this format's dual lands, so it will often amount to a three mana 2/3 that draws you a very real card. That's amazing, and it has more upside than that.
Freestrider Commando
2 Neither mode on this is much more than a decent vanilla creature. A 4-mana 5/5 might sound amazing, but getting a turn later makes it a lot less impressive.
Trick Shot
2.5 This is a little expensive, but it'll have a token to hit reasonably often and it can kill just about anything at instant speed. You probably don't want more than one of them, though.
Consuming Ashes
2.5 There was a time when this would have been great removal, but once you're paying 4+ mana on removal it needs to do something extra to be premium. Surveil is extra, but not extra enough.
Stop Cold
2 Blue's usual passable removal spell that you kind of hope you don't have to use, but it's fine if you do.
Loan Shark
3 When you draw a card with this it will feel like a 4.0, when you don't, it will feel like a 1.0. I think it will be easy enough to draw with to get up to a 3.
Wanted Griffin
2.5 4-mana 3/2s can be abyssmal, since there is one mana removal that can deal with it, but this leaves a body behind to make up for that.
Mourner's Surprise
2.5 This will feel close enough to a two-mana 2-for-1 that I'm definitely playing the first copy in most Black decks.
Badlands Revival
3 This gives you a 2-for-1, and it even adds to the board. It does need a well-stocked graveyard for you to really get good value, though.
Murder
2.5 This isn't the premium removal it once was, but it's still pretty solid.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Hardbristle Bandit
Bucolic Ranch
0.0 // 2.5 If you have like 10 Mounts, this is worth it. Even just having 5 or so probably isn't enough to make it worth playing.
Fleeting Reflection
1.5 Hexproof can be nice in the right situation. So can turning your creature into a copy of something else. However, both effects are too narrow for this to make the cut all that often.
Seize the Secrets
2.5 A two mana draw 2 is pretty serious business, and that mode will be accessible enough.
Hardbristle Bandit
3 I wouldn't count on getting a benefit out of untapping this with regularity, but doing it once per game isn't a stretch, and a two mana 1/1 that taps for mana of any color is always playable anyway.
Inventive Wingsmith
2 Getting this to Fly isn't too challenging, especially in Blue-White.
Desert's Due
3 Two mana for -2/-2 is passable enough, and this will give -3/-3 in the mid to late game pretty consistently.
Irascible Wolverine
3 This is a great ETB trigger. Plot allows you to take full advantage, but even without Plot this can help you hit a land drop in the early stages of the game, and if you draw it late you can just cast it right away because you'll be able to use the card either way.
Mine Raider
2.5 You'll get the treasure a significant percentage of the time, and the fail-case isn't too bad.
Silver Deputy
2 Grabbing a dual desert is pretty good, and it has a useful creature type and a relevant ability.
Creosote Heath
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Stagecoach Security
2.5 Buffing your whole board and giving it Vigilance is great, as it allows you to attack a lot better while not giving anything up on defense.
Clear Shot
3.5 This is great removal that can sometimes create a 2-for-1.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Ankle Biter
Rise of the Varmints
1 // 4.0 This looks like a legit win condition for Black/Green decks, but pretty mediocre for everyone else.
Omenport Vigilante
2.5 Your opponent has to respect this thing, as it might gain double strike at instant speed. That's good upside to have on a bear.
Shackle Slinger
3 It's nice that this commits crimes for no additional mana, and stunning and tapping things has some pretty real value, especially if you're curving out, which the Slinger really likes.
Gold Rush
2 This is a decent trick that gives you back one mana, and it can even help you splash. There aren't so many treasures in Green that this will often give more than +2/+2.
Blacksnag Buzzard
2.5 If you get the counter, this'll feel pretty good. If you don't...it's pasasble. That makes it solid filler over all.
Razzle-Dazzler
2.5 Growing this will be fairly easy, and even just getting one counter and one swing will make you feel like you are getting there.
Ankle Biter
2.5 Green one mana 1/1s with Deathtouch tend to be a little better than black ones because of bite effects.
Mystical Tether
3.5 This is really good even without the Flash upside. With it, it has blow-out potential and some synergy in the UW color pair.
Trained Arynx
2.5 This has passable stats, and because it can gain first strike, it has the potential to be relevant all game long.
Terminal Agony
2.5 The base mode of this card is pretty mediocre, but if you have a few ways to discard it -- and this format has them -- it gets a lot better.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Loan Shark
Rattleback Apothecary
3 Menace and Lifelink are great keywords in Limited, and it can even grant them to itself.
Beastbond Outcaster
3.5 You'll draw with this often enough for it to be a very good card. And even if you don't draw, it's not a bad rate.
Full Steam Ahead
1.5 Overruns aren't as good as they used to be. There just aren't board stalls as much. This could end up overperforming if this format bucks that trend, though.
Steer Clear
2.5 This is conditional but efficient, especially if you have a Mount.
Harrier Strix
2.5 This is a nice turn one play, and in the later game it's ETB can do some work -- especially if you need to commit some crimes.
Loan Shark
3 When you draw a card with this it will feel like a 4.0, when you don't, it will feel like a 1.0. I think it will be easy enough to draw with to get up to a 3.
Reach for the Sky
1.5 It's great that this replaces itself, but it's too expensive for it to be a trick/aura that I'm interested in using.
Humiliate
2 This is a reasonable discard spell, as it will usually hit something and add a little to your board.
Savage Smash
3.5 This usually punches through a blocker and lets your creature(s) attack far more effectively.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Hypothesizzle
Step Between Worlds
0 Wheel effects don't work too well in Limited, since they are symmetrical. If you Plot this first, it means you can use your new cards right away. However, it also means that you spent six mana to do nothing on your previous turn.
Demonic Ruckus
2.5 This Aura seems pretty pushed. It offers a stats-boost that makes just about any creature into a legit threat, it replaces itself, and it's really efficient.
Mobile Homestead
2 The rate isn't very good, but I think the upside of ramping your mana sometimes makes it playable.
Lively Dirge
1.5 If you can get two bodies back with this it can feel reasonable, but setting your graveyard up just right isn't super easy, even with the tutor effect.
Spring Splasher
2 Pretty nice on turn two, as there isn't much that can block it in the early game. It isn't terrible in the mid to late game either, as it can really improve an attack for you.
Mine Raider
2.5 You'll get the treasure a significant percentage of the time, and the fail-case isn't too bad.
Stop Cold
2 Blue's usual passable removal spell that you kind of hope you don't have to use, but it's fine if you do.
Overzealous Muscle
2 This only working on your turn is kind of sad, but it's a fairly capable attacker thanks to it's ability to gain indestructibility.
Hypothesizzle
3 You can just draw two with this if you want, but turning one of those cards into a deal 4 is pretty good.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Giant Beaver
Armored Armadillo
1 A one mana 0/4 is largely irrelevant, and the ability is too expensive.
Spring Splasher
2 Pretty nice on turn two, as there isn't much that can block it in the early game. It isn't terrible in the mid to late game either, as it can really improve an attack for you.
Giant Beaver
3 A 4-mana 4/4 Vigilance is a great starting point, and it's Saddle can come in handy in the mid to late game.
Reckless Lackey
3 This is a pretty pushed stat-line, making it a great play on turn one and a great place to put Equipment, counters, and tricks. And if it ever becomes useless you can just cash it in.
Steer Clear
2.5 This is conditional but efficient, especially if you have a Mount.
Blacksnag Buzzard
2.5 If you get the counter, this'll feel pretty good. If you don't...it's pasasble. That makes it solid filler over all.
Giant Beaver
3 A 4-mana 4/4 Vigilance is a great starting point, and it's Saddle can come in handy in the mid to late game.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Ankle Biter
Take for a Ride
2//3.5 Being able to cast this at instant speed will feel insane sometimes, because if the stats line up right, you can make two of your opponents creatures destroy one another. That gives this a higher floor than most versions of this kind of effect, while it still has big sacrifice upside.
Ankle Biter
2.5 Green one mana 1/1s with Deathtouch tend to be a little better than black ones because of bite effects.
Ambush Gigapede
1.5 It's temping to imagine the 2-for-1s this can give you, but it's super expensive and surprisingly ineffective.
Sterling Keykeeper
2 These "Master Decoy"-type creatures have been a lot worse as of late, and I don't really see that changing here. This does have passable stats and an ability that is good sometimes, though.
Peerless Ropemaster
1.5 It's a decent body, but bounce effects have been getting worse lately with all the ETB abilities and the like. Plus, not being able to bounce a creature that can block is a big problem.
Creosote Heath
1 This weak ability isn't worth the hit to your mana base.
Binding Negotiation
2 It's nice that this can go after Plotted cards. When you do that it will almost feel like Time Walk. It still has the downside of most discard spells of course -- it doesn't impact the board and has dimnishing returns the later games get, but it's efficient enough to be solid.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Nimble Brigand
Rictus Robber
3.5 If you can get the Zombie out of this, it'll feel great. Thanks to Plot, you have a better chance at finding a spot where that works out.
Nimble Brigand
3 The stats are bad, but if you get in with this once you'll feel pretty good ,and getting it with it is pretty easy. Get in with it more than once, and the game might just be over.
Sterling Supplier
3 It's a 5-drop so you don't want a bunch of them, but 5-mana for 4/5 worth of stats, 3/4 of which has Flying, is a really good deal. You probably don't want more than one of these, though.
Vault Plunderer
2.5 Trading off for something means you get a 2-for-1, but the presence of Mercenary tokens limits this somewhat.
Boneyard Desecrator
2 A 4-mana 3/4 with Menace is okay, but this ability is generally too expensive to be worthwhile often enough.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Loan Shark
Arid Archway
2.5 If you haven't had the pleasure of playing with bounce lands before -- trust me, this is better than it looks. It essentially provides card advantage as you end up with two lands that produce three mana.
Stop Cold
2 Blue's usual passable removal spell that you kind of hope you don't have to use, but it's fine if you do.
Loan Shark
3 When you draw a card with this it will feel like a 4.0, when you don't, it will feel like a 1.0. I think it will be easy enough to draw with to get up to a 3.
Mourner's Surprise
2.5 This will feel close enough to a two-mana 2-for-1 that I'm definitely playing the first copy in most Black decks.
Fleeting Reflection
1.5 Hexproof can be nice in the right situation. So can turning your creature into a copy of something else. However, both effects are too narrow for this to make the cut all that often.
Irascible Wolverine
3 This is a great ETB trigger. Plot allows you to take full advantage, but even without Plot this can help you hit a land drop in the early stages of the game, and if you draw it late you can just cast it right away because you'll be able to use the card either way.
Mine Raider
2.5 You'll get the treasure a significant percentage of the time, and the fail-case isn't too bad.
Silver Deputy
2 Grabbing a dual desert is pretty good, and it has a useful creature type and a relevant ability.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Razzle-Dazzler
Razzle-Dazzler
2.5 Growing this will be fairly easy, and even just getting one counter and one swing will make you feel like you are getting there.
Spring Splasher
2 Pretty nice on turn two, as there isn't much that can block it in the early game. It isn't terrible in the mid to late game either, as it can really improve an attack for you.