Knight of the White Orchid
3 This costing double white really holds it back, as you're unlikely to be able to consistently cast it on turn two. However, it does help with Devotion and a 2/2 first strike is pretty much always relevant.
Zulaport Cutthroat
3 There are several free sacrifice outlets in the format that can run wild with this, and the effect is pretty solid anyway.
Mogis's Warhound
2.0 Neither mode on this is especially exciting, but they are both passable. Playing it as an Aura on your creature does usually give you the best value. On occasion, you can put it on an opposing creature to force an attack, which is kind of funny.
Clear Shot
4 This is always an excellent Uncommon. It's very easy to destroy creatures with on most board states, and sometimes you even get a 2-for-1.
Tomebound Lich
3.5 This will always improve your hand while giving you a body that gains you life and can trade with anything -- that's all stuff Blue/Black decks are happy to do.
Keening Apparition
2 This has okay stats, and the format has enough Enchantments for this ability to be relevant sometimes.
Opal Lake Gatekeepers
0 // 2.5 This is a solid build around for gates decks, where it's virtually always a 2-for-1.
Gurmag Angler
1 // 3.0 If you are good at loading your graveyard, the Angler is a pretty nice payoff. It's just a big vanilla creature, but playing one of those for 1-3 mana is pretty nice.
Witch's Mark
2.5 You get a pretty good return on your two mana investment + a card, since you add something to the board while digging deeper into your deck.
Courier's Briefcase
2 This fixes your mana pretty effectively while also adding a body to the board. I wouldn't count on cashing it in for 3 cards, though.
Artful Maneuver
1.5 This is pretty expensive for the buff, and while Rebound does mean you get it twice -- the second time your opponent knows it's coming.
Darksteel Ingot
1.5 3-mana mana rocks are rarely good in Limited, but if you really need fixing or ramp, you'll use this.
Gladecover Scout
1 // 3.5 This is a great creature to augment thanks to hexproof, but it's very bad if you can't do that.
Boros Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Stampeding Elk Herd
2.5 This brings 5 power to the baord on it's own, so getting Formidable is certainly doable.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Draconic Roar
Draconic Roar
4 Two mana deal 3s are always great, and sometimes you'll be able to bolt your opponent in the face, too.
Stormchaser Mage
3.5 This is tough to block all game long because of Prowess, and if you get it down early it can put the game away on it's own.
Kraul Harpooner
2.5 This ETB usually results in the Harpooner dying too, but if you're paying 2 to kill a big flyer you're going to be happy with that. And when you can't use the ETB, it's still a solid 2 drop.
Sphere of Safety
0 Even if you have lots of Enchantments, this is a card that doesn't add to the board in any meaningful way, and it's not even guaranteed to keep your opponent from killing you.
Courier's Briefcase
2 This fixes your mana pretty effectively while also adding a body to the board. I wouldn't count on cashing it in for 3 cards, though.
Boundary Lands Ranger
3 This has a solid baseline and can really let you dig deeper into your deck by the mid-game.
Halo Scarab
1.5 This was pretty weak last time we saw it, and it will be here too. It has bad stats, and while getting Treasure can be nice, paying 2 mana for it isn't.
Basilica Screecher
2 Extort is never as good as it looks, mostly because it's tough having the extra mana available at the right time.
Nivix Cyclops
2 This will be able to rumble as a 4/4 a decent chunk of the time in Blue-Red, but you're only getting a slightly above-rate deal when that's the case.
Hero of Iroas
3.5 The baseline here is nice, and the format has enough ways to target him -- including Auras -- that the upside is very accessible.
Nimbus Naiad
2 Wind Drake isn't that exciting, but it's sort of passable, and in the late game putting this on just about any creature makes it a major threat.
Silundi Vision
2 This is super situational, and not all decks will really be able to get a card out of it. But in decks that can, it's a land with some pretty solid upside.
Rakdos Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Cavern Lampad
2 As with many Bestow cards, both modes are kind of underwhelming, but the modality keeps it from being terrible.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Wild Slash
Thunderclap Wyvern
3.5 This can Flash in and buff a few creatures, and just adding a 2/3 to the board out of nowhere means it can ambush block 2/2s pretty effectively.
Labyrinth Champion
2 The stat-line is bad, but Shocking something every time you trigger Heroic is pretty nice.
Crypt Incursion
0 This can gain you a bunch of life, but a graveyard has to be well-stocked, and just gaining life is rarely worth a card anyway.
Nantuko Husk
3 Free sacrifice outlets always have a ton of potential, and the threat of activation on the Nantuko makes it hard for your opponent to block it.
Martial Glory
2 This is here to enable Heroic stuff in the Red-White deck, and it's a passable combat trick even when you're not pulling that off.
Consider
2.5 This is always a nice card selection spell, and in a format with plenty of Prowess and similar effects, it'll be solid.
Gnarlback Rhino
3.5 This has a nice baseline, and while it doesn't technically have "Heroic" it works the same way. Combat tricks and fight spells are the Rhino's best friend, and there's enough of that in the format for this to be pretty amazing.
Imperious Oligarch
3.5 This is ultimately 2 mana for a 2/1 with Vigilance and a 1/1 Flyer. While you don't get both of those at the same time, the fact remains that you are getting a great rate.
Knightly Valor
2.5 This effectively adds 4/4 worth of Vigilance stats to the board, and 2/2 of it basically has Haste. Adding that body to the board really helps offset the downside Auras usually have.
Wild Slash
3.5 Shock is always great in Limited, and this is Shock with upside. Killing 3 or 4 mana creatures with this can swing a game wildly in your favor.
Devour Flesh
2 Edicts are nice, but letting your opponent gain life isn't the best. You can use it to gain life yourself in a pinch, but if you're forced to 2-for-1 yourself like that, you're probably losing.
Dimir Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Sage's Reverie
1.5 Even in a format with an Aura theme, I'm skeptical of this. On it's own it's terrible, and putting a ton of Auras on a single creature is a good way to lose -- although, there is a decent amount of hexproof in the format.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Witch's Mark
Ashen Rider
4.5 This is hard to cast, but well worth the effort. It adds a big evasive body to the board that permanently eliminates a permanent, and even if your opponent kills it, they lose another one. Make sure to take Orzhov gates when you see them, though.
Rescue from the Underworld
1.5 This is a reanimation spell that requires you to have a creature for it to do it's thing -- with the added upside of potentially triggering that creature's death and/or enters trigger. Still, it's way too fiddly to work out very often.
Archway Angel
1.5 // 4 This was a pretty legit buildaround last time we saw it. Gate decks really want this card, since they often have slow starts because they are playing so many colors and so many tap lands, the Angel helps even things out on turn 5, and often pulls you ahead. If you don't have lots of gates though, she's pretty bad.
Quicken
1.5 It replace itself so that it's not a complete dud, but you just don't have this and a Sorcery worth giving Flash to in your hand often enough for it to be very good.
Savage Punch
3 When you have Ferocious this is incredible. When you don't, it's pretty bad. Good news is, Green decks will often get there on Ferocious.
Zendikar Incarnate
2 This is just a big vanilla creature. It'll never feel bad, but it'll never feel great either.
Witch's Mark
2.5 You get a pretty good return on your two mana investment + a card, since you add something to the board while digging deeper into your deck.
Compulsory Rest
3 This is solid removal spell, though not shutting off static and activated abilities can be a problem sometimes.
Mizzium Skin
2.5 This is a nice cheap way to blank removal, and sometimes it can even win combat.
Halo Scarab
1.5 This was pretty weak last time we saw it, and it will be here too. It has bad stats, and while getting Treasure can be nice, paying 2 mana for it isn't.
Gruul Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Skyreaping
0.5 Your deck needs to not have flyers and you need to be able to get your devotion reasonably high AND your opponent has to have a decent number of flyers, otherwise this is irrelevant.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Akroan Crusader
Brineborn Cutthroat
2 A two mana 2/1 with Flash really isn't worth playing, but if you have enough ways to grow it, it ends up being a solid card.
Clear Shot
4 This is always an excellent Uncommon. It's very easy to destroy creatures with on most board states, and sometimes you even get a 2-for-1.
Destructive Revelry
0.5 This is a great sideboard card, but even though this format has a decent number of Enchantments, it isn't really enough for you to ever want this in your main deck.
Akroan Crusader
2 This is a solid Heroic trigger, but the ones that make a creature better in combat are the truly backbreaking ones.
Akoum Warrior
2.5 You'd never play a card that's always a 6-mana 4/5 trample, but this is a land in the early game -- and it's a land that if you draw late, adds a pretty real body to the board.
Nessian Asp
2 A 4-mana 4/5 with Reach plays reasonably well, and in the late game it turns into a very big monster.
Fallaji Archaeologist
3 This was a SUPER good common last time we saw it. If you're in Blue with lots of spells, you're going to frequently make this a two mana 0/3 that draws a card on ETB, and the fail case is a two mana 1/4 that helps you load the graveyard.
Halo Scarab
1.5 This was pretty weak last time we saw it, and it will be here too. It has bad stats, and while getting Treasure can be nice, paying 2 mana for it isn't.
Undead Butler
2.5 This sets up the graveyard nicely, and even has a decent effect to take advantage of that fact.
Nivix Cyclops
2 This will be able to rumble as a 4/4 a decent chunk of the time in Blue-Red, but you're only getting a slightly above-rate deal when that's the case.
Boros Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Valakut Awakening
Valakut Awakening
3 This is a great design for a MDFC, since early you'll just play it as a land -- and late, it can become a pretty nice draw spell.
Rapid Hybridization
0 This is terrible in Limited. If you use it on your opponent's creature, you effectively 2-for-1 yourself, and using it on your own is only moderately better.
Baleful Eidolon
2 This doesn't feel great either way you cast it, but the flexibility keeps it from being too bad.
Heliod's Pilgrim
0 // 3 If you don't have a few Enchantments to get with this, it's unplayable. If you do have some Enchantments -- especially if they are creatures or removal spells -- this ends up being a really good Common.
Evolving Wilds
2.5 These give you good fixing, though there isn't much additional synergy in the format for it.
Halo Scarab
1.5 This was pretty weak last time we saw it, and it will be here too. It has bad stats, and while getting Treasure can be nice, paying 2 mana for it isn't.
Savage Punch
3 When you have Ferocious this is incredible. When you don't, it's pretty bad. Good news is, Green decks will often get there on Ferocious.
Courier's Briefcase
2 This fixes your mana pretty effectively while also adding a body to the board. I wouldn't count on cashing it in for 3 cards, though.
Orzhov Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Retraction Helix
2 This doesn't have the silly combo potential it has in 60-card formats, but it is a roundabout way to bounce something for one mana. Granted, having an untapped creature is a requirement, and that holds it back -- but it's a playable card.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Boundary Lands Ranger
Crackdown Construct
0 The base stat-line is awful, and buffing the Construct isn't particularly easy.
Guild Summit
0 // 2.5 This is a decent gate buildaround, though not usually one of the premium ones you're after. It is nice that it gives you value whether you already have Gates when it comes into play or if you play them after.
Returned Centaur
1.5 The stat-line is bad, and there are better ways to load the graveyard in the format.
Halo Scarab
1.5 This was pretty weak last time we saw it, and it will be here too. It has bad stats, and while getting Treasure can be nice, paying 2 mana for it isn't.
Boundary Lands Ranger
3 This has a solid baseline and can really let you dig deeper into your deck by the mid-game.
Unravel the Aether
0.5 This is mostly sideboard material in the format. You can't count on there being a permanent it can hit.
Dreg Mangler
3 Scavenge means this gives you value in addition to being a solid three mana 3/3 haste. While it's not quite a 2-for-1, getting 3 +1/+1 counters is pretty close to a card of value.
Golgari Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Audacity
Destructive Revelry
0.5 This is a great sideboard card, but even though this format has a decent number of Enchantments, it isn't really enough for you to ever want this in your main deck.
Imperious Oligarch
3.5 This is ultimately 2 mana for a 2/1 with Vigilance and a 1/1 Flyer. While you don't get both of those at the same time, the fact remains that you are getting a great rate.
Mizzium Skin
2.5 This is a nice cheap way to blank removal, and sometimes it can even win combat.
Boundary Lands Ranger
3 This has a solid baseline and can really let you dig deeper into your deck by the mid-game.
Audacity
3 This offers a buff that makes most creatures into decent attackers, and it doesn't really matter if your opponent trades for that creature because you get to draw a card.
Purphoros's Emissary
2.5 A 4-mana 3/3 Menace is passable, and if you draw it late, it's likely to drastically improve your attack.
Selesnya Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Call the Gatewatch
0 // 1.5 There's going to be a planeswalker bonus sheet during part of this set's run, and when that's the case it might be sort of kind of playable, but you're still basically paying 3 extra mana for it, which tends to make a card a lot worse.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Gladecover Scout
Keening Apparition
2 This has okay stats, and the format has enough Enchantments for this ability to be relevant sometimes.
Opal Lake Gatekeepers
0 // 2.5 This is a solid build around for gates decks, where it's virtually always a 2-for-1.
Courier's Briefcase
2 This fixes your mana pretty effectively while also adding a body to the board. I wouldn't count on cashing it in for 3 cards, though.
Darksteel Ingot
1.5 3-mana mana rocks are rarely good in Limited, but if you really need fixing or ramp, you'll use this.
Gladecover Scout
1 // 3.5 This is a great creature to augment thanks to hexproof, but it's very bad if you can't do that.
Boros Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Stampeding Elk Herd
2.5 This brings 5 power to the baord on it's own, so getting Formidable is certainly doable.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Boundary Lands Ranger
Boundary Lands Ranger
3 This has a solid baseline and can really let you dig deeper into your deck by the mid-game.
Halo Scarab
1.5 This was pretty weak last time we saw it, and it will be here too. It has bad stats, and while getting Treasure can be nice, paying 2 mana for it isn't.
Nimbus Naiad
2 Wind Drake isn't that exciting, but it's sort of passable, and in the late game putting this on just about any creature makes it a major threat.
Silundi Vision
2 This is super situational, and not all decks will really be able to get a card out of it. But in decks that can, it's a land with some pretty solid upside.
Rakdos Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Cavern Lampad
2 As with many Bestow cards, both modes are kind of underwhelming, but the modality keeps it from being terrible.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Sage's Reverie
Labyrinth Champion
2 The stat-line is bad, but Shocking something every time you trigger Heroic is pretty nice.
Crypt Incursion
0 This can gain you a bunch of life, but a graveyard has to be well-stocked, and just gaining life is rarely worth a card anyway.
Nantuko Husk
3 Free sacrifice outlets always have a ton of potential, and the threat of activation on the Nantuko makes it hard for your opponent to block it.
Imperious Oligarch
3.5 This is ultimately 2 mana for a 2/1 with Vigilance and a 1/1 Flyer. While you don't get both of those at the same time, the fact remains that you are getting a great rate.
Sage's Reverie
1.5 Even in a format with an Aura theme, I'm skeptical of this. On it's own it's terrible, and putting a ton of Auras on a single creature is a good way to lose -- although, there is a decent amount of hexproof in the format.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Gruul Guildgate
Zendikar Incarnate
2 This is just a big vanilla creature. It'll never feel bad, but it'll never feel great either.
Halo Scarab
1.5 This was pretty weak last time we saw it, and it will be here too. It has bad stats, and while getting Treasure can be nice, paying 2 mana for it isn't.
Gruul Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Skyreaping
0.5 Your deck needs to not have flyers and you need to be able to get your devotion reasonably high AND your opponent has to have a decent number of flyers, otherwise this is irrelevant.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Akoum Warrior
Akoum Warrior
2.5 You'd never play a card that's always a 6-mana 4/5 trample, but this is a land in the early game -- and it's a land that if you draw late, adds a pretty real body to the board.
Nessian Asp
2 A 4-mana 4/5 with Reach plays reasonably well, and in the late game it turns into a very big monster.
Halo Scarab
1.5 This was pretty weak last time we saw it, and it will be here too. It has bad stats, and while getting Treasure can be nice, paying 2 mana for it isn't.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Halo Scarab
Baleful Eidolon
2 This doesn't feel great either way you cast it, but the flexibility keeps it from being too bad.
Halo Scarab
1.5 This was pretty weak last time we saw it, and it will be here too. It has bad stats, and while getting Treasure can be nice, paying 2 mana for it isn't.
Pack 1 Pick 15: Unravel the Aether
Unravel the Aether
0.5 This is mostly sideboard material in the format. You can't count on there being a permanent it can hit.
Pack 2 Pick 1: Ordeal of Purphoros
Temporal Trespass
0 // 3.5 This is tough to cast in Limited, but not impossible. There are graveyard decks in the format, and they'll be able to fire this off, and oftentimes it will be gamewinning, as Time Walk effects so often are.
Hopeful Eidolon
2.5 Neither mode of this card is all that good individually, but the flexibility is nice.
Crackdown Construct
0 The base stat-line is awful, and buffing the Construct isn't particularly easy.
Gates Ablaze
0 // 3 This is a nice build around if you have a controlling version of the 5-color gates deck, but unplayable otherwise.
Ordeal of Purphoros
1 This is just way too slow. Sure, making your creature bigger and casting Lightning Bolt for two mana is great, but you need a creature who can already attack, and if your opponent finds removal before it goes off, you get brutally 2-for-1'd.
Akoum Warrior
2.5 You'd never play a card that's always a 6-mana 4/5 trample, but this is a land in the early game -- and it's a land that if you draw late, adds a pretty real body to the board.
Skyrider Elf
2.5 This is a two mana 2/2 Flyer at worst, and with Gates in the format it isn't impossible for it to be a 4-mana 4/4 flyer or a 5-mana 5/5 flyer.
Gateway Plaza
2.5 This is a bit clunky since you need to effectively spend a mana on it, but the gate typing definitely matters.
Swift Reckoning
2.5 It's efficient, but when it doesn't have Flash it's pretty bad -- since it means that your opponent will force you to deal with an attack before you kill their thing.
Windrider Patrol
2 This is a bit overcosted, but the combat damage trigger is nice.
Unravel the Aether
0.5 This is mostly sideboard material in the format. You can't count on there being a permanent it can hit.
Selesnya Charm
3.5 Making a 2/2 for two is fine, and while the other two modes are more situational, they are both great in the right situation.
Supernatural Stamina
2.5 This is a very nice trick because it's so cheap, and great in combat or against removal.
Selesnya Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Oath of Gideon
2 This has a kind of passable baseline, and while the Planeswalker bonus sheet is active, you might actually be able to get some additional value out of it.
Pack 2 Pick 2: Chasm Skulker
Chasm Skulker
3.5 Starting out as a 3-mana 1/1 is rough, but as soon as you get one counter on it you're in business, since it's unlikely your opponent can ever deal with it without giving you serious value -- and left unchecked it can just win the game.
Valakut Awakening
3 This is a great design for a MDFC, since early you'll just play it as a land -- and late, it can become a pretty nice draw spell.
Humble Defector
2.5 This is better than it looks! Sure, symmetrical draw isn't awesome -- nor is giving your opponent a card, but you always get to draw cards with it first, and that makes a huge difference. It can get especially nice if you sacrifice it in response to the ability.
Artisan of Forms
2 This certainly has some blowout potential, and it can permanently change into another creature -- but it's also a 2-mana 1/1 that takes some significant set up to be relevant.
Jwari Disruption
3.5 A land that can also counter spells is amazing. Basically, if you have this early you can hold on to it and hope to snipe a spell in the first few turns -- and once you need a land, it can do that too.
Makindi Sliderunner
2 A two mana 2/1 trample is bad -- and a two mana 3/2 trample isn't insane either. This makes you jump through hoops to get there.
Devour Flesh
2 Edicts are nice, but letting your opponent gain life isn't the best. You can use it to gain life yourself in a pinch, but if you're forced to 2-for-1 yourself like that, you're probably losing.
Read the Bones
2.5 This is always a nice draw spell. You can see up to 4 cards, which is great for 3 mana.
Nivix Cyclops
2 This will be able to rumble as a 4/4 a decent chunk of the time in Blue-Red, but you're only getting a slightly above-rate deal when that's the case.
Fallaji Archaeologist
3 This was a SUPER good common last time we saw it. If you're in Blue with lots of spells, you're going to frequently make this a two mana 0/3 that draws a card on ETB, and the fail case is a two mana 1/4 that helps you load the graveyard.
Sanitarium Skeleton
0 // 2.5 If you've got a sacrifice deck, this is a decent build around since it can constantly give you fodder, albeit inefficiently.
Savage Punch
3 When you have Ferocious this is incredible. When you don't, it's pretty bad. Good news is, Green decks will often get there on Ferocious.
Orzhov Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Cavern Lampad
2 As with many Bestow cards, both modes are kind of underwhelming, but the modality keeps it from being terrible.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Draconic Roar
Anchor to the Aether
3 This is some nice 1-for-1 removal that even improves your card quality.
Draconic Roar
4 Two mana deal 3s are always great, and sometimes you'll be able to bolt your opponent in the face, too.
Kiora's Follower
3 This is good at ramping your mana, and it can also give creatures pseudo-vigilance or help you reuse activated abilities.
Commune with the Gods
1.5 This can load your graveyard while giving you some card selection, but you need to be a graveyard deck and/or enchantment deck for this to get there, and that's not going to happen often enough. Most of the time it's better to play a two mana 2/2.
Pelakka Predation
3 Having a free discard spell attached to a land is surprisingly good. You won't always hit something with Predation, but it's great disruption when you can -- and if you're pretty sure that effect won't do anything, you can always play it as a land.
Mizzium Skin
2.5 This is a nice cheap way to blank removal, and sometimes it can even win combat.
Audacity
3 This offers a buff that makes most creatures into decent attackers, and it doesn't really matter if your opponent trades for that creature because you get to draw a card.
Ghostblade Eidolon
1.5 A three mana 1/1 with double strike is way too fragile to be great, and paying 6 for +1/+1 and double strike doesn't really move the needle either.
Nivix Cyclops
2 This will be able to rumble as a 4/4 a decent chunk of the time in Blue-Red, but you're only getting a slightly above-rate deal when that's the case.
Akoum Warrior
2.5 You'd never play a card that's always a 6-mana 4/5 trample, but this is a land in the early game -- and it's a land that if you draw late, adds a pretty real body to the board.
Nantuko Husk
3 Free sacrifice outlets always have a ton of potential, and the threat of activation on the Nantuko makes it hard for your opponent to block it.
Dreg Mangler
3 Scavenge means this gives you value in addition to being a solid three mana 3/3 haste. While it's not quite a 2-for-1, getting 3 +1/+1 counters is pretty close to a card of value.
Simic Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Treasure Cruise
Archway Angel
1.5 // 4 This was a pretty legit buildaround last time we saw it. Gate decks really want this card, since they often have slow starts because they are playing so many colors and so many tap lands, the Angel helps even things out on turn 5, and often pulls you ahead. If you don't have lots of gates though, she's pretty bad.
Rogue's Passage
1.5 This is a decent late-game mana sink, but it hurts your mana base in the mean time.
Dreadbore
4 Two mana to kill any creature or planeswalker is an incredible deal. This will be extra good when the Planeswalker bonus sheet is around.
Savage Punch
3 When you have Ferocious this is incredible. When you don't, it's pretty bad. Good news is, Green decks will often get there on Ferocious.
Pilgrim's Eye
3.5 The body you get is bad, but it draws you a card that usually fixes your mana. It's great fixing.
Baleful Eidolon
2 This doesn't feel great either way you cast it, but the flexibility keeps it from being too bad.
Treasure Cruise
0 // 3.5 You need a graveyard deck, but if you have a good enough one this basically becomes Ancestral Recall.
Ghostblade Eidolon
1.5 A three mana 1/1 with double strike is way too fragile to be great, and paying 6 for +1/+1 and double strike doesn't really move the needle either.
Purphoros's Emissary
2.5 A 4-mana 3/3 Menace is passable, and if you draw it late, it's likely to drastically improve your attack.
Windrider Patrol
2 This is a bit overcosted, but the combat damage trigger is nice.
Simic Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Oath of Gideon
2 This has a kind of passable baseline, and while the Planeswalker bonus sheet is active, you might actually be able to get some additional value out of it.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Cloudfin Raptor
Painful Truths
2.5 A three mana draws 2 that loses you 2 life is a passable card in many Black decks, and this has some serious additional upside. Of course, sometimes it'll only draw you 1 card, too.
Crypt Incursion
0 This can gain you a bunch of life, but a graveyard has to be well-stocked, and just gaining life is rarely worth a card anyway.
Ghor-Clan Rampager
3.5 The "Bloodrush" here is the more potent part of the card, as that buff helps basically any creature win any combat. The creature does have to be attacking though, and if you're behind on board and you can't attack, you can just play this out as a decent creature.
Heart-Piercer Manticore
1.5 This underperformed pretty hard last time we saw it. It's because it has some awkward tension. If you have a creature that is big enough to kill something big of your opponent's well...you probably don't want to sacrifice it. And sacrificing something that is fodder is likely to result in a very minimal effect.
Keening Apparition
2 This has okay stats, and the format has enough Enchantments for this ability to be relevant sometimes.
Courier's Briefcase
2 This fixes your mana pretty effectively while also adding a body to the board. I wouldn't count on cashing it in for 3 cards, though.
Sanitarium Skeleton
0 // 2.5 If you've got a sacrifice deck, this is a decent build around since it can constantly give you fodder, albeit inefficiently.
Cloudfin Raptor
2 This is awesome on turn one -- and a lot less awesome the rest of the game, since it's unlikely to grow quite as much. It's a terrible topdeck, too.
Tah-Crop Skirmisher
2.5 You get two bodies out of one card which is always nice, even if they are overcosted in both cases.
Bloodfire Enforcers
2 If you have a nice mix of instants and sorceries this can be decent -- it becomes very difficult to block or attack into in combat. But it still dies to super cheap removal, and it frequently won't have these two keywords.
Boros Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Cloudfin Raptor
Furious Rise
1.5 This wasn't very good last time, and I don't think it will be here, either. It does stone nothing on it's own, and that's a pretty big liability.
Labyrinth Champion
2 The stat-line is bad, but Shocking something every time you trigger Heroic is pretty nice.
Purphoros's Emissary
2.5 A 4-mana 3/3 Menace is passable, and if you draw it late, it's likely to drastically improve your attack.
Scion of Ugin
1 A 6-mana 4/4 flyer doesn't real move the needle in Limited these days.
Unravel the Aether
0.5 This is mostly sideboard material in the format. You can't count on there being a permanent it can hit.
Ghostblade Eidolon
1.5 A three mana 1/1 with double strike is way too fragile to be great, and paying 6 for +1/+1 and double strike doesn't really move the needle either.
Cloudfin Raptor
2 This is awesome on turn one -- and a lot less awesome the rest of the game, since it's unlikely to grow quite as much. It's a terrible topdeck, too.
Gurmag Angler
1 // 3.0 If you are good at loading your graveyard, the Angler is a pretty nice payoff. It's just a big vanilla creature, but playing one of those for 1-3 mana is pretty nice.
Oath of Jace
1.5 This is a mediocre draw spell as a baseline, so you probably need some Planeswalkers to get it going. Even with the "Planeswalker" bonus sheet, though, it's unlikely you have more than 2.
Pack 2 Pick 7: Jwari Disruption
Jwari Disruption
3.5 A land that can also counter spells is amazing. Basically, if you have this early you can hold on to it and hope to snipe a spell in the first few turns -- and once you need a land, it can do that too.
Humble Defector
2.5 This is better than it looks! Sure, symmetrical draw isn't awesome -- nor is giving your opponent a card, but you always get to draw cards with it first, and that makes a huge difference. It can get especially nice if you sacrifice it in response to the ability.
Boundary Lands Ranger
3 This has a solid baseline and can really let you dig deeper into your deck by the mid-game.
Treasure Cruise
0 // 3.5 You need a graveyard deck, but if you have a good enough one this basically becomes Ancestral Recall.
Supernatural Stamina
2.5 This is a very nice trick because it's so cheap, and great in combat or against removal.
Makindi Sliderunner
2 A two mana 2/1 trample is bad -- and a two mana 3/2 trample isn't insane either. This makes you jump through hoops to get there.
Artful Maneuver
1.5 This is pretty expensive for the buff, and while Rebound does mean you get it twice -- the second time your opponent knows it's coming.
Nivix Cyclops
2 This will be able to rumble as a 4/4 a decent chunk of the time in Blue-Red, but you're only getting a slightly above-rate deal when that's the case.
Darksteel Ingot
1.5 3-mana mana rocks are rarely good in Limited, but if you really need fixing or ramp, you'll use this.
Pack 2 Pick 8: Witch's Mark
Catacomb Sifter
4 This gives you so much value for three mana. Just getting a 2/3 and a 1/1 for that cost is a slam dunk, and this 1/1 can produce mana and you get some Scry triggers, too.
Extricator of Sin
3 Turning a land or something else expendable into a 3/2 is pretty sweet, and once it transforms it maintains the ability to churn out tokens while granting itself and all those tokens Vigilance.
Witch's Mark
2.5 You get a pretty good return on your two mana investment + a card, since you add something to the board while digging deeper into your deck.
Pilgrim's Eye
3.5 The body you get is bad, but it draws you a card that usually fixes your mana. It's great fixing.
Unravel the Aether
0.5 This is mostly sideboard material in the format. You can't count on there being a permanent it can hit.
Ob Nixilis's Cruelty
4 This kills almost anything for three mana, and even turns off graveyard shenanigans -- including death triggers.
Artful Maneuver
1.5 This is pretty expensive for the buff, and while Rebound does mean you get it twice -- the second time your opponent knows it's coming.
Hidden Strings
0 This is here for Pioneer constructed, not Pioneer Remastered draft. This does very little in your typical game of Limited Magic.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Windrider Patrol
Crackdown Construct
0 The base stat-line is awful, and buffing the Construct isn't particularly easy.
Gateway Plaza
2.5 This is a bit clunky since you need to effectively spend a mana on it, but the gate typing definitely matters.
Swift Reckoning
2.5 It's efficient, but when it doesn't have Flash it's pretty bad -- since it means that your opponent will force you to deal with an attack before you kill their thing.
Windrider Patrol
2 This is a bit overcosted, but the combat damage trigger is nice.
Unravel the Aether
0.5 This is mostly sideboard material in the format. You can't count on there being a permanent it can hit.
Supernatural Stamina
2.5 This is a very nice trick because it's so cheap, and great in combat or against removal.
Oath of Gideon
2 This has a kind of passable baseline, and while the Planeswalker bonus sheet is active, you might actually be able to get some additional value out of it.
Pack 2 Pick 10: Artisan of Forms
Humble Defector
2.5 This is better than it looks! Sure, symmetrical draw isn't awesome -- nor is giving your opponent a card, but you always get to draw cards with it first, and that makes a huge difference. It can get especially nice if you sacrifice it in response to the ability.
Artisan of Forms
2 This certainly has some blowout potential, and it can permanently change into another creature -- but it's also a 2-mana 1/1 that takes some significant set up to be relevant.
Makindi Sliderunner
2 A two mana 2/1 trample is bad -- and a two mana 3/2 trample isn't insane either. This makes you jump through hoops to get there.
Read the Bones
2.5 This is always a nice draw spell. You can see up to 4 cards, which is great for 3 mana.
Fallaji Archaeologist
3 This was a SUPER good common last time we saw it. If you're in Blue with lots of spells, you're going to frequently make this a two mana 0/3 that draws a card on ETB, and the fail case is a two mana 1/4 that helps you load the graveyard.
Cavern Lampad
2 As with many Bestow cards, both modes are kind of underwhelming, but the modality keeps it from being terrible.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Mizzium Skin
Pelakka Predation
3 Having a free discard spell attached to a land is surprisingly good. You won't always hit something with Predation, but it's great disruption when you can -- and if you're pretty sure that effect won't do anything, you can always play it as a land.
Mizzium Skin
2.5 This is a nice cheap way to blank removal, and sometimes it can even win combat.
Ghostblade Eidolon
1.5 A three mana 1/1 with double strike is way too fragile to be great, and paying 6 for +1/+1 and double strike doesn't really move the needle either.
Akoum Warrior
2.5 You'd never play a card that's always a 6-mana 4/5 trample, but this is a land in the early game -- and it's a land that if you draw late, adds a pretty real body to the board.
Nantuko Husk
3 Free sacrifice outlets always have a ton of potential, and the threat of activation on the Nantuko makes it hard for your opponent to block it.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Dreadbore
Dreadbore
4 Two mana to kill any creature or planeswalker is an incredible deal. This will be extra good when the Planeswalker bonus sheet is around.
Baleful Eidolon
2 This doesn't feel great either way you cast it, but the flexibility keeps it from being too bad.
Ghostblade Eidolon
1.5 A three mana 1/1 with double strike is way too fragile to be great, and paying 6 for +1/+1 and double strike doesn't really move the needle either.
Purphoros's Emissary
2.5 A 4-mana 3/3 Menace is passable, and if you draw it late, it's likely to drastically improve your attack.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Bloodfire Enforcers
Crypt Incursion
0 This can gain you a bunch of life, but a graveyard has to be well-stocked, and just gaining life is rarely worth a card anyway.
Tah-Crop Skirmisher
2.5 You get two bodies out of one card which is always nice, even if they are overcosted in both cases.
Bloodfire Enforcers
2 If you have a nice mix of instants and sorceries this can be decent -- it becomes very difficult to block or attack into in combat. But it still dies to super cheap removal, and it frequently won't have these two keywords.
Pack 2 Pick 14: Furious Rise
Furious Rise
1.5 This wasn't very good last time, and I don't think it will be here, either. It does stone nothing on it's own, and that's a pretty big liability.
Purphoros's Emissary
2.5 A 4-mana 3/3 Menace is passable, and if you draw it late, it's likely to drastically improve your attack.
Pack 2 Pick 15: Nivix Cyclops
Nivix Cyclops
2 This will be able to rumble as a 4/4 a decent chunk of the time in Blue-Red, but you're only getting a slightly above-rate deal when that's the case.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Murmuring Mystic
Dictate of Erebos
3.5 If you have a decent board state, this wreaks a ton of havoc on the game, and the fact you can flash it in is really important, because you can surprise your opponent by turning every chump block into a removal spell out of nowhere. It does need you to have a decent board state, though.
Fight with Fire
4 Three mana to deal 5 is already a card you'd always play, and this has absolutely absurd late-game upside.
Murmuring Mystic
1.5 // 3.5 This is a pretty great spell build around. A 1/1 flyer is worth pretty close to an entire card, so stapling that to a spell is pretty amazing.
Thunderclap Wyvern
3.5 This can Flash in and buff a few creatures, and just adding a 2/3 to the board out of nowhere means it can ambush block 2/2s pretty effectively.
Monastery Swiftspear
3.5 While not as good in Limited as it is in 60-card formats, the Swiftspear is still very good. It does a ton of damage early, and prowess helps keep it relevant all game.
Windrider Patrol
2 This is a bit overcosted, but the combat damage trigger is nice.
Sanitarium Skeleton
0 // 2.5 If you've got a sacrifice deck, this is a decent build around since it can constantly give you fodder, albeit inefficiently.
Witch's Mark
2.5 You get a pretty good return on your two mana investment + a card, since you add something to the board while digging deeper into your deck.
Zendikar Incarnate
2 This is just a big vanilla creature. It'll never feel bad, but it'll never feel great either.
Evolving Wilds
2.5 These give you good fixing, though there isn't much additional synergy in the format for it.
Pilgrim's Eye
3.5 The body you get is bad, but it draws you a card that usually fixes your mana. It's great fixing.
Swift Reckoning
2.5 It's efficient, but when it doesn't have Flash it's pretty bad -- since it means that your opponent will force you to deal with an attack before you kill their thing.
Izzet Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Crumble to Dust
0.0 Land destruction is rarely where you want to be in Limited, and even with a Gate theme this will typically be a blank and/or irrelevant card.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Garruk, Caller of Beasts
Sylvan Caryatid
4 Hexproof means you're always always going to get that mana on your next turn. You don't have to worry about the bird getting bolted, and that's a huge deal.
War Oracle
2 A 4-mana 3/3 lifelink isn't very good, and that stat-line also means it'll be tough for this to ever become renowned.
Shipbreaker Kraken
2 A 6-mana 6/6 is a reasonable top-curve creature -- and if this ever goest Monstrous you probably win the game, as it's probably smashing in for 10 all on it's own. Problem is, getting to 8 mana doesn't happen that often in Limited.
Phalanx Leader
2.5 The Heroic trigger is strong, but it's hard to cast and super vulnerable when it comes down.
Zendikar Incarnate
2 This is just a big vanilla creature. It'll never feel bad, but it'll never feel great either.
Akroan Crusader
2 This is a solid Heroic trigger, but the ones that make a creature better in combat are the truly backbreaking ones.
Dreg Mangler
3 Scavenge means this gives you value in addition to being a solid three mana 3/3 haste. While it's not quite a 2-for-1, getting 3 +1/+1 counters is pretty close to a card of value.
Tah-Crop Skirmisher
2.5 You get two bodies out of one card which is always nice, even if they are overcosted in both cases.
Silumgar Butcher
2.5 The stat-line is bad, but there's plenty of fodder in the format -- and in a pinch it can sacrifice itself for the effect.
Leafcrown Dryad
2.5 This feels fine on two, and Bestowing it for 4 is often going to make one of your creatures much more effective.
Devour Flesh
2 Edicts are nice, but letting your opponent gain life isn't the best. You can use it to gain life yourself in a pinch, but if you're forced to 2-for-1 yourself like that, you're probably losing.
Heliod's Pilgrim
0 // 3 If you don't have a few Enchantments to get with this, it's unplayable. If you do have some Enchantments -- especially if they are creatures or removal spells -- this ends up being a really good Common.
Dimir Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Garruk, Caller of Beasts
3.5 That -3 isn't very good in Limited. You just don't have stuff worth cheating into play most of the time. So you're mostly leaning on the +1 -- which is usually going to draw you 1-2 cards, and that advantage is pretty sweet! Garruk is pretty bad at protecting himself or impacting the board in general, though.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Gust of Wind
Dictate of Erebos
3.5 If you have a decent board state, this wreaks a ton of havoc on the game, and the fact you can flash it in is really important, because you can surprise your opponent by turning every chump block into a removal spell out of nowhere. It does need you to have a decent board state, though.
Ultimate Price
4 This can't hit artifact creature or multicolored creatures, but that still means it can kill almost everything in the format at instant speed for only 2 mana.
Bassara Tower Archer
2.0 // 3.5 This is where you want to put your Auras, counters, and equipment -- but without those things, it's pretty mediocre.
Pulse of Murasa
3 This is a great recursive spell because it's an instant, and it gains you a ton of life -- which gives you the time to use the card that you brought back.
Dreg Mangler
3 Scavenge means this gives you value in addition to being a solid three mana 3/3 haste. While it's not quite a 2-for-1, getting 3 +1/+1 counters is pretty close to a card of value.
Windrider Patrol
2 This is a bit overcosted, but the combat damage trigger is nice.
Heliod's Pilgrim
0 // 3 If you don't have a few Enchantments to get with this, it's unplayable. If you do have some Enchantments -- especially if they are creatures or removal spells -- this ends up being a really good Common.
Gust of Wind
2.5 Paying two for this feels pretty incredible, as it replaces itself and gives you some nice tempo. Paying 4 makes it a little harder to feel good about the tempo, but that's a passable card too.
Unravel the Aether
0.5 This is mostly sideboard material in the format. You can't count on there being a permanent it can hit.
Nimbus Naiad
2 Wind Drake isn't that exciting, but it's sort of passable, and in the late game putting this on just about any creature makes it a major threat.
Silumgar Butcher
2.5 The stat-line is bad, but there's plenty of fodder in the format -- and in a pinch it can sacrifice itself for the effect.
Artful Maneuver
1.5 This is pretty expensive for the buff, and while Rebound does mean you get it twice -- the second time your opponent knows it's coming.
Golgari Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Ingenious Skaab
Sin Collector
1 This will wiff most of the time, although it'll probably be a little bit better when the spell bonus sheet is around.
Clear Shot
4 This is always an excellent Uncommon. It's very easy to destroy creatures with on most board states, and sometimes you even get a 2-for-1.
Valakut Awakening
3 This is a great design for a MDFC, since early you'll just play it as a land -- and late, it can become a pretty nice draw spell.
War Oracle
2 A 4-mana 3/3 lifelink isn't very good, and that stat-line also means it'll be tough for this to ever become renowned.
Supernatural Stamina
2.5 This is a very nice trick because it's so cheap, and great in combat or against removal.
Courier's Briefcase
2 This fixes your mana pretty effectively while also adding a body to the board. I wouldn't count on cashing it in for 3 cards, though.
Keening Apparition
2 This has okay stats, and the format has enough Enchantments for this ability to be relevant sometimes.
Khalni Ambush
3 The Ambush is a mediocre removal spell, but having a land that can also be a removal spell is amazing.
Ingenious Skaab
3 2/3s with Prowess tend to feel pretty good, as the high toughness that can go even higher makes them tough to block, and the Skaab is a pretty nice threat even when you can't trigger Prowess, because your opponent has to respect it.
Lotus-Eye Mystics
2 The stat-line is bad, and even in a format with a decent number of Enchantments, you frequently don't have one to get back.
Akroan Crusader
2 This is a solid Heroic trigger, but the ones that make a creature better in combat are the truly backbreaking ones.
Azorius Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Wild Slash
Kiora's Follower
3 This is good at ramping your mana, and it can also give creatures pseudo-vigilance or help you reuse activated abilities.
Phalanx Tactics
2 This can help you trigger Heroic while buffing yoru whole board, and certainly has it's moments. However, if you don't have Heroic and/or don't have a built out board, it's just a bad combat trick.
Artful Maneuver
1.5 This is pretty expensive for the buff, and while Rebound does mean you get it twice -- the second time your opponent knows it's coming.
Pelakka Predation
3 Having a free discard spell attached to a land is surprisingly good. You won't always hit something with Predation, but it's great disruption when you can -- and if you're pretty sure that effect won't do anything, you can always play it as a land.
Savage Punch
3 When you have Ferocious this is incredible. When you don't, it's pretty bad. Good news is, Green decks will often get there on Ferocious.
Tah-Crop Skirmisher
2.5 You get two bodies out of one card which is always nice, even if they are overcosted in both cases.
Lyev Skyknight
3.5 This removes a creature from the equation for a whole turn, while adding a pretty solid body to the board. That's some seroius tempo.
Wild Slash
3.5 Shock is always great in Limited, and this is Shock with upside. Killing 3 or 4 mana creatures with this can swing a game wildly in your favor.
Knightly Valor
2.5 This effectively adds 4/4 worth of Vigilance stats to the board, and 2/2 of it basically has Haste. Adding that body to the board really helps offset the downside Auras usually have.
Read the Bones
2.5 This is always a nice draw spell. You can see up to 4 cards, which is great for 3 mana.
Call the Gatewatch
0 // 1.5 There's going to be a planeswalker bonus sheet during part of this set's run, and when that's the case it might be sort of kind of playable, but you're still basically paying 3 extra mana for it, which tends to make a card a lot worse.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Makindi Sliderunner
Sphere of Safety
0 Even if you have lots of Enchantments, this is a card that doesn't add to the board in any meaningful way, and it's not even guaranteed to keep your opponent from killing you.
Thunderclap Wyvern
3.5 This can Flash in and buff a few creatures, and just adding a 2/3 to the board out of nowhere means it can ambush block 2/2s pretty effectively.
Nighthowler
2 This can be huge for sure, but it can also be super underwhelming.
Ghostblade Eidolon
1.5 A three mana 1/1 with double strike is way too fragile to be great, and paying 6 for +1/+1 and double strike doesn't really move the needle either.
Savage Punch
3 When you have Ferocious this is incredible. When you don't, it's pretty bad. Good news is, Green decks will often get there on Ferocious.
Supernatural Stamina
2.5 This is a very nice trick because it's so cheap, and great in combat or against removal.
Skyrider Elf
2.5 This is a two mana 2/2 Flyer at worst, and with Gates in the format it isn't impossible for it to be a 4-mana 4/4 flyer or a 5-mana 5/5 flyer.
Makindi Sliderunner
2 A two mana 2/1 trample is bad -- and a two mana 3/2 trample isn't insane either. This makes you jump through hoops to get there.
Nemesis of Mortals
1 // 3 This is pretty bad in most decks, but if you're good at loading the graveyard it's a pretty slid threat.
Flitterstep Eidolon
2 A two mana 1/1 that can't block isn't very good -- and while casting this as an Aura late can definitely be nice, it's pretty expensive.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Goblin Heelcutter
Blood Scrivener
2.5 This is pretty bad until you reach the point where it draws you cards -- at which point it's pretty amazing. But it's pretty bad an early game play.
Bloodfire Enforcers
2 If you have a nice mix of instants and sorceries this can be decent -- it becomes very difficult to block or attack into in combat. But it still dies to super cheap removal, and it frequently won't have these two keywords.
Dreadbore
4 Two mana to kill any creature or planeswalker is an incredible deal. This will be extra good when the Planeswalker bonus sheet is around.
Commune with the Gods
1.5 This can load your graveyard while giving you some card selection, but you need to be a graveyard deck and/or enchantment deck for this to get there, and that's not going to happen often enough. Most of the time it's better to play a two mana 2/2.
Sanitarium Skeleton
0 // 2.5 If you've got a sacrifice deck, this is a decent build around since it can constantly give you fodder, albeit inefficiently.
Darksteel Ingot
1.5 3-mana mana rocks are rarely good in Limited, but if you really need fixing or ramp, you'll use this.
Nimbus Naiad
2 Wind Drake isn't that exciting, but it's sort of passable, and in the late game putting this on just about any creature makes it a major threat.
Ghostblade Eidolon
1.5 A three mana 1/1 with double strike is way too fragile to be great, and paying 6 for +1/+1 and double strike doesn't really move the needle either.
Goblin Heelcutter
3.5 This was an excellent Common last time we saw it. Turning off blockers is an aggro deck's dream, and the Heelcutter can Dash in and do it every turn. Your opponent also has to account for it every single turn, or risk dying.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Dragon Mantle
Sin Collector
1 This will wiff most of the time, although it'll probably be a little bit better when the spell bonus sheet is around.
Mogis's Warhound
2.0 Neither mode on this is especially exciting, but they are both passable. Playing it as an Aura on your creature does usually give you the best value. On occasion, you can put it on an opposing creature to force an attack, which is kind of funny.
Read the Bones
2.5 This is always a nice draw spell. You can see up to 4 cards, which is great for 3 mana.
Fallaji Archaeologist
3 This was a SUPER good common last time we saw it. If you're in Blue with lots of spells, you're going to frequently make this a two mana 0/3 that draws a card on ETB, and the fail case is a two mana 1/4 that helps you load the graveyard.
Windrider Patrol
2 This is a bit overcosted, but the combat damage trigger is nice.
Dragon Mantle
2.5 This is a nice way to trigger heroic since it replaces itself, and that also makes it have a very reasonable baseline.
Evolving Wilds
2.5 These give you good fixing, though there isn't much additional synergy in the format for it.
Rakdos Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Witch's Mark
Thunderclap Wyvern
3.5 This can Flash in and buff a few creatures, and just adding a 2/3 to the board out of nowhere means it can ambush block 2/2s pretty effectively.
Windrider Patrol
2 This is a bit overcosted, but the combat damage trigger is nice.
Sanitarium Skeleton
0 // 2.5 If you've got a sacrifice deck, this is a decent build around since it can constantly give you fodder, albeit inefficiently.
Witch's Mark
2.5 You get a pretty good return on your two mana investment + a card, since you add something to the board while digging deeper into your deck.
Pilgrim's Eye
3.5 The body you get is bad, but it draws you a card that usually fixes your mana. It's great fixing.
Swift Reckoning
2.5 It's efficient, but when it doesn't have Flash it's pretty bad -- since it means that your opponent will force you to deal with an attack before you kill their thing.
Crumble to Dust
0.0 Land destruction is rarely where you want to be in Limited, and even with a Gate theme this will typically be a blank and/or irrelevant card.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Shipbreaker Kraken
Shipbreaker Kraken
2 A 6-mana 6/6 is a reasonable top-curve creature -- and if this ever goest Monstrous you probably win the game, as it's probably smashing in for 10 all on it's own. Problem is, getting to 8 mana doesn't happen that often in Limited.
Phalanx Leader
2.5 The Heroic trigger is strong, but it's hard to cast and super vulnerable when it comes down.
Dreg Mangler
3 Scavenge means this gives you value in addition to being a solid three mana 3/3 haste. While it's not quite a 2-for-1, getting 3 +1/+1 counters is pretty close to a card of value.
Silumgar Butcher
2.5 The stat-line is bad, but there's plenty of fodder in the format -- and in a pinch it can sacrifice itself for the effect.
Leafcrown Dryad
2.5 This feels fine on two, and Bestowing it for 4 is often going to make one of your creatures much more effective.
Heliod's Pilgrim
0 // 3 If you don't have a few Enchantments to get with this, it's unplayable. If you do have some Enchantments -- especially if they are creatures or removal spells -- this ends up being a really good Common.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Golgari Guildgate
Dreg Mangler
3 Scavenge means this gives you value in addition to being a solid three mana 3/3 haste. While it's not quite a 2-for-1, getting 3 +1/+1 counters is pretty close to a card of value.
Unravel the Aether
0.5 This is mostly sideboard material in the format. You can't count on there being a permanent it can hit.
Silumgar Butcher
2.5 The stat-line is bad, but there's plenty of fodder in the format -- and in a pinch it can sacrifice itself for the effect.
Artful Maneuver
1.5 This is pretty expensive for the buff, and while Rebound does mean you get it twice -- the second time your opponent knows it's coming.
Golgari Guildgate
3 These offer great fixing, and the format has tons of gate payoffs, too.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Valakut Awakening
Valakut Awakening
3 This is a great design for a MDFC, since early you'll just play it as a land -- and late, it can become a pretty nice draw spell.
Keening Apparition
2 This has okay stats, and the format has enough Enchantments for this ability to be relevant sometimes.
Khalni Ambush
3 The Ambush is a mediocre removal spell, but having a land that can also be a removal spell is amazing.
Lotus-Eye Mystics
2 The stat-line is bad, and even in a format with a decent number of Enchantments, you frequently don't have one to get back.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Tah-Crop Skirmisher
Artful Maneuver
1.5 This is pretty expensive for the buff, and while Rebound does mean you get it twice -- the second time your opponent knows it's coming.
Tah-Crop Skirmisher
2.5 You get two bodies out of one card which is always nice, even if they are overcosted in both cases.
Call the Gatewatch
0 // 1.5 There's going to be a planeswalker bonus sheet during part of this set's run, and when that's the case it might be sort of kind of playable, but you're still basically paying 3 extra mana for it, which tends to make a card a lot worse.
Pack 3 Pick 14: Thunderclap Wyvern
Thunderclap Wyvern
3.5 This can Flash in and buff a few creatures, and just adding a 2/3 to the board out of nowhere means it can ambush block 2/2s pretty effectively.
Nemesis of Mortals
1 // 3 This is pretty bad in most decks, but if you're good at loading the graveyard it's a pretty slid threat.
Pack 3 Pick 15: Ghostblade Eidolon
Ghostblade Eidolon
1.5 A three mana 1/1 with double strike is way too fragile to be great, and paying 6 for +1/+1 and double strike doesn't really move the needle either.