Tracker App

Premier Draft M19 27.mars 2021

27 March 09:44 - SmoakPipeMTG 7 Wins - 2 Losses
Maindeck
Creature (13)
1 Roaming Ghostlight image
1 Mystic Archaeologist image
2 Leafkin Druid image
1 Ferocious Pup image
1 Silverback Shaman image
1 Brineborn Cutthroat image
1 Thicket Crasher image
1 Burlfist Oak image
1 Stormwing Entity image
1 Llanowar Visionary image
1 Spined Megalodon image
1 Trufflesnout image
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (10)
1 Essence Scatter image
1 Prodigious Growth image
1 Recollect image
1 Disperse image
2 Unsummon image
1 Negate image
1 Capture Sphere image
1 Frost Breath image
1 Opt image
Land (17)
8 Forest image
9 Island image
Sideboard
1 Ferocious Pup image
1 Aviation Pioneer image
1 Snapping Drake image
1 Salvager of Secrets image
1 Aven Wind Mage image
1 Rhox Oracle image
1 Highland Game image
1 Bristling Boar image
1 Wall of Mist image
1 Scholar of the Ages image
1 Vorstclaw image
1 Moat Piranhas image
1 Teferi's Protege image
1 Ornery Dilophosaur image
1 Staunch Shieldmate image
1 Garruk's Gorehorn image
1 Essence Scatter image
1 Knightly Valor image
1 Bone to Ash image
1 Moment of Heroism image
1 Sanctum of All image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Mystic Archaeologist
Mystic Archaeologist image 4.0 This is a pretty sweet card. You can play it early if you need the two drop, and then in the late game it is the kind of mana sink that will just win games for you. If you’re flooding out, that will quickly end thanks to the extra cards, and that card advantage will let you bury your opponent. Obviously it does die to pretty much everything, but its worth it for this much power.
Druid of Horns image 2.5 So, this is supposed to be here to support the GW deck in the format, but that deck just has a really hard time coming together, and it is partly because of cards like this. Sure, if you can get an Aura on this, it will feel pretty good – but it starts out incredibly efficiently! One nice thing about it is that even if your opponent does kill it in response to an Aura, you still get the 3/3, because it only has to be targeted by an Aura. It isn’t a bad card exactly, it is just supposed to be one of the key cards for the GW deck, and it just doesn’t usually feel that special.
Volcanic Dragon image 2.5 6-mana for a 4/4 with flying and Haste seems pretty good to me. Not the most interesting card to talk about – just some good stats and keyword abilities. Still, it is a 6 drop and isn’t super impressive or anything.
Skilled Animator image 2.5 You generally need to be animating something with this for it to be worthwhile, and it isn’t as easy as you’d think, just because there aren’t an overwhelming number of great artifacts in this format. Still, it does the job often enough that it tends to be pretty solid.
Sure Strike image 2.0 This is always a serviceable combat trick that basically wins you any combat. In exchange, it isn’t the kind of trick that can save your creature for removal.
Macabre Waltz image 2.0 This kind of card is always one you would like one of in your Black decks, but you don’t want to go after them too early. They aren’t very good early, but in the late game they can really help you restock your hand and get ahead of your opponent.
Electrify image 3.5 This tends to be premium removal in most formats (though..maybe not when we saw it in Amonkhet). 4-mana for 4 damage at Instant speed is a solid deal.
Talons of Wildwood image 2.0 This is a fairly reasonable Aura. It doesn’t give an impressive boost, but it gets around the downsides of 2-for-1s by being able to come back whenever you need it.
Bogstomper image 1.0 This is a big vanilla boi who you’ll play if you’re desperate for top curve.
Salvager of Secrets image 2.5 We’ve seen other cards like this, and they’re basically always nice cards for Blue decks in Limited – buying back removal spells is unsurprisingly quite good. That said, it doesn’t fit into every deck ever – you’ll play this in all your control decks, though.
Luminous Bonds image 4.0 Bonds is premium removal and one of the best commons in this set.
Giant Spider image 2.0 This card has been in, by my estimation, one million Limited formats, and it is always serviceable but unexciting. A 4-mana 2/4 is a little below what you want stats wise, but the Reach is great and can shut down a lot of flyers.
Mighty Leap image 2.0 This is a playable combat trick, and it offers more upside than most combat tricks because sometimes it can just end the game for you out of nowhere. I mean, I guess all combat tricks can do that – but not all of them offer you flying, which can just make a stable board into game over for your opponent sometimes. Still, it’s just a combat trick and it has the inherent risks that they all have – serious blowout potential – you’ll play one in any white deck with like 15 creatures in most cases, but it isn’t going to be great most of the time.
Dwindle image 2.5 This is not the best removal, but it is kind of passable. Three mana to give something -6/-0 is not the greatest rate ever, since the creature can still use abilities and block, but at least it will only do that last thing once, since it will die when it blocks. Still, 3 mana is a lot to not be able to really get rid of a creature. Don’t underestimate how much worse it is to let a creature you have “removed” block, even if it does die right away.
Mountain image
Pack 1 Pick 2: Knightly Valor
Diregraf Ghoul image 1.5 One mana 2/2s already aren’t great in Limited because they can get outclassed so quickly. They are pretty good in constructed because you can have a critical mass of cards that allows your deck to consistently curve out, but that doesn’t happen in MOST limited formats. This one-mana 2/2 also comes with a downside – and it is actually a significant one. If you get him late and he has to come into play tapped it could really cost you. Obviously coming down as a one-mana 2/2 on turn one it won’t really matter that he’s tapped, but at all other stages it definitely does.
Knightly Valor image 3.0 I always complain about the 2-for-1 risk that Auras can bring you, but Knightly Valor is the type of Aura that gets around that problem. It does this by creating a 2/2 creature token. This means that even if your opponent untaps and kills the thing that you put the Valor on, you’re going to still have that token. Basically you pay 5 mana here to add 4/4 of Vigilance to the board, and 2/2 of that can attack right away. That turns out to be a good deal, especially in a format with both token payoffs and Aura payoffs.
Lightning Mare image 2.5 This is a reasonably efficient creature with some reasonable upside. Firebreathing is nice, but obviously it will die in combat to most things – unless of course your opponent has a board full of Blue creatures!
Boggart Brute image 3.0 This type of creature is always pretty solid in aggro decks. 3-mana 3/2 with menace just tends to play pretty well, and get in for lots of damage early.
Skymarch Bloodletter image 3.0 A 3-mana 2/2 with flying is solid stats, and the ETB trigger here is also nice. There is even a lifegain deck in this format to take advantage of that ETB trigger. This is one of Black’s better commons.
Aven Wind Mage image 3.0 3-mana for a 2/2 flyer is already a good rate, so adding the “pseudo-prowess” ability this thing has makes it a pretty nice common. Your opponent will have to think twice before attacking into or blocking this if they have X/3s, because who knows what you might have in your hand!
Mighty Leap image 2.0 This is a playable combat trick, and it offers more upside than most combat tricks because sometimes it can just end the game for you out of nowhere. I mean, I guess all combat tricks can do that – but not all of them offer you flying, which can just make a stable board into game over for your opponent sometimes. Still, it’s just a combat trick and it has the inherent risks that they all have – serious blowout potential – you’ll play one in any white deck with like 15 creatures in most cases, but it isn’t going to be great most of the time.
Macabre Waltz image 2.0 This kind of card is always one you would like one of in your Black decks, but you don’t want to go after them too early. They aren’t very good early, but in the late game they can really help you restock your hand and get ahead of your opponent.
Loxodon Line Breaker image 1.0 This is just a vanilla creature with mediocre stats. You’ll play this in a world where you can’t seem to find yourself enough playables or enough creatures, but in an ideal world you’re never playing it.
Cavalry Drillmaster image 3.0 A two-mana 2/1 isn’t great, but this card gets some serious points for also being relevant in the latter part of the game. +2/+0 and first strike is enough to make most creatures a problem for your opponent to block, so chances are he’s going to come down and get you an attack you wouldn’t have had otherwise, in addition to offering up a body that can trade with a ton of things.
Act of Treason image 0.0 // 2.5 This is bad in a lot of decks, but in can be good in a couple scenarios: one of these is that your deck is incredibly aggressive, and Act of Treason can consistently end games for you. The other is that you have sacrifice outlets that let you actually kill your opponent’s creature in addition to stealing it.
Walking Corpse image 1.0 This is a Black Grizzly Bear and nothing more. The Zombie type has some small upside in this format, but not enough to make this worth putting in your deck most of the time.
Oakenform image 1.5 This gives a nice stats boost for the mana, but I think steering clear of this Aura is the right thing most of the time. Unless you have Vine Mare of course.
Timber Gorge image 2.5 These are all good fixing, and are worth playing even in two-color decks because making your mana better is a big deal.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Essence Scatter
Fountain of Renewal image 2.0 There is a lifegain archetype and an artifact archetype, and this work well in both. Sure, gaining life doesn’t have the biggest impact, especially only one a turn – but being able to eventually pitch this for a new card makes up for that.
Gargoyle Sentinel image 2.5 This has decent stats, and while it has Defender, the fact it can gain flying and lose defender in the later part of the game makes it a real threat.
Fiery Finish image 2.5 This is clunky removal, but at least it does enough to kill pretty much everything. Still, a 6-mana Sorcery is an expensive one, and that certainly makes it less of a priority than more efficient removal spells.
Centaur Courser image 2.0 This is a boring vanilla creature, but the stats are good enough for it to be solid.
Scholar of Stars image 2.5 You can draw a card off of this often enough for it to be solid.
Thornhide Wolves image 1.5 This is a vanilla creature with passable stats, so you’ll play it at the top of your curve sometimes.
Rhox Oracle image 3.0 5 mana for a 4/2 certainly isn’t good, but making this draw you a card is a big deal! With 4 power, it means you can get easy 2-for-1s with this, even trading up for more imposing X/4 creatures. It is true it dies to basically everything, but you still get a 2-for-1 if that’s what happens.
Vampire Neonate image 2.0 This is a kind of okay card pretty much all game long. Early, it can do some blocking, and late it can help you trigger life gain payoffs and even serve as a win condition. It is fragile and slow, but it does do the job sometimes.
Act of Treason image 0.0 // 2.5 This is bad in a lot of decks, but in can be good in a couple scenarios: one of these is that your deck is incredibly aggressive, and Act of Treason can consistently end games for you. The other is that you have sacrifice outlets that let you actually kill your opponent’s creature in addition to stealing it.
Essence Scatter image 2.5 Creatures are the most common type of spell in Limited, and Essence Scatter will always have lots of targets, and it does the job efficiently enough to be pretty nice.
Invoke the Divine image 1.5 // 3.0 You can main deck this in this format if you’re really in need of playables, as there are enough good Artifacts and Enchantments running around, but it is still going to be more well-suited to your sideboard, where it will feel pretty good to bring in against some opponents.
Trusty Packbeast image 1.5 This has ok stats as a 3-mana 2/3, but you won’t really play this without a few artifacts. The good news is, the UW deck will be interested in running those.
Forest image
Pack 1 Pick 4: Prodigious Growth
Prodigious Growth image 2.5 This does give the kind of boost that makes any creature into a problem for your opponent, but it is also super risky, as a 2-for-1 would destroy you tempo-wise as well as card-wise. In other words, this is a high-risk high-reward type card, and that’s not something I love in Limited, but it definitely makes decks because of the upside.
Arcane Encyclopedia image 1.5 This is not an efficient way to draw cards, and playing something like this early is usually a bad idea because you don’t add to your board. However, in the late game, it can grind out some nice value, and it will sometimes make it in your UW deck.
Goblin Instigator image 3.0 So I THINK this is basically a better Dragon Fodder or Krenko’s Command. Why better? Because if you can find a way to do it, you can abuse the ETB trigger on these to get more Goblins. Either way, this card’s good. As a two-drop that brings you two bodies, it is good at basically all stages – it also provides sacrifice fodder for the RB deck.
Wall of Vines image 1.0 I don’t usually like do-nothing walls. And I don’t really like this one, either. It does get bonus points for Reach I guess, but meh.
Act of Treason image 0.0 // 2.5 This is bad in a lot of decks, but in can be good in a couple scenarios: one of these is that your deck is incredibly aggressive, and Act of Treason can consistently end games for you. The other is that you have sacrifice outlets that let you actually kill your opponent’s creature in addition to stealing it.
Aven Wind Mage image 3.0 3-mana for a 2/2 flyer is already a good rate, so adding the “pseudo-prowess” ability this thing has makes it a pretty nice common. Your opponent will have to think twice before attacking into or blocking this if they have X/3s, because who knows what you might have in your hand!
Doomed Dissenter image 3.0 This is a pretty key Common for Black decks in this format. In addition to just being a pretty good two-drop in a vacuum – after all, you get 3/3 worth of stats! It gets extra good in situations where you sacrifice it for value, and there a plethora of ways to do that in this format.
Boggart Brute image 3.0 This type of creature is always pretty solid in aggro decks. 3-mana 3/2 with menace just tends to play pretty well, and get in for lots of damage early.
Highland Game image 1.5 This is a pretty unexciting two-drop. Two-mana 2/1s need to do something interesting, and this doesn’t – gaining 2 life doesn’t qualify as interesting – it just isn’t’ enough value. You’ll play it if you need a 2 drop though.
Pegasus Courser image 3.5 This flying horse is great because it offers good defensive stats as long as you need it to, and when it is time to go on the offensive it can send a lot of damage up in the air. You’ll play as many of these as you can get your hands on in creature-heavy white decks.
Walking Corpse image 1.0 This is a Black Grizzly Bear and nothing more. The Zombie type has some small upside in this format, but not enough to make this worth putting in your deck most of the time.
Gallant Cavalry image 3.0 4-mana for two 2/2s with Vigilance is a pretty nice rate – not hard to get a 2-for-1 with them. It fits especially well in decks looking to go wide with creature tokens, which is a big focus of RW in this format.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Aviation Pioneer
Isolate image 0.0 This doesn’t kill enough in Limited to ever be worth it.
Bristling Boar image 2.5 Bristling Boar has anti-menace, and doesn’t like it when creatures team up to block it. That isn’t irrelevant text – it means your opponent HAS to have a 3-power or more creature to kill it in combat, and if they don’t? Well, you have what basically amount to free attacks. IT also does a solid job on the vanilla test as a 4-mana 4/3.
Tormenting Voice image 1.5 This is the kind of card that ends up being your 23rd card in Red a lot of the time. That’s what it has been every time we have seen it. It helps you dig through your deck but with a fairly significant cost. Sure, it gets a little better in the UR deck which cares about spells, but not by a lot.
Essence Scatter image 2.5 Creatures are the most common type of spell in Limited, and Essence Scatter will always have lots of targets, and it does the job efficiently enough to be pretty nice.
Daybreak Chaplain image 2.0 A two-mana 1/3 with lifelink is fine, but not much else. It is definitely an obnoxious blocker for decks with lots of 2/2s or creature tokens, and it carries equipment and auras well – as lifelink creatures always do. It is a fine card, especially if you have life gain payoffs.
Aviation Pioneer image 3.0 Paying 3-mana for 2/3 worth of stats, and the 1/1 has flying is a pretty nice deal. It is also one of the better enablers for the UW artifact deck, since it gives you an evasive artifact creature so cheaply.
Gearsmith Guardian image 2.0 You aren’t going to be playing a 5-mana 3/5 artifact in your deck if it doesn’t have Blue in it, but if you’re in the UW artifact deck, this is a pretty solid inclusion.
Ghostform image 1.0 I’m never a huge fan of this kind of card. It basically pans out as a really risky Blue Lava Axe, and that kind of card tends to not be worth it. You use up a card to do something that won’t generally matter unless it kills your opponent. That’s too situational.
Infernal Scarring image 1.5 No toughness boost means it is kind of difficult for you to make the creature into a better attacker. Sure, unlike a lot of Auras at least this one replaces itself, but it isn’t really worth it.
Lava Axe image 0.5 I’m not usually interested in Lava Axe in Limited. Sure, it can give your aggro deck some reach, but this card is automatic card disadvantage. In other words, it doesn’t impact the board at all, and is basically only good if it kills your opponent – which it just won’t do often enough to make up for the other times where it is an utterly useless sorcery that costs 5 mana.
Highland Lake image 2.5 These are all good fixing, and are worth playing even in two-color decks because making your mana better is a big deal.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Snapping Drake
Siegebreaker Giant image 2.5 This brings some pretty imposing stats, even if it can die in combat fairly easily, it makes sure to make an impact thanks to trample! The unblockable effect isn’t a bad mana sink, but it is pretty costly, and it isn’t as easy to make that ability turn in to a ton of damage as it might seem at first.
Goblin Instigator image 3.0 So I THINK this is basically a better Dragon Fodder or Krenko’s Command. Why better? Because if you can find a way to do it, you can abuse the ETB trigger on these to get more Goblins. Either way, this card’s good. As a two-drop that brings you two bodies, it is good at basically all stages – it also provides sacrifice fodder for the RB deck.
Daggerback Basilisk image 2.0 This can trade with anything, but at 3-mana that won’t always feel like the greatest deal. Still, death touch does keep it relevant all game long.
Hired Blade image 1.5 You can flash this in to kill some stuff, but it isn’t the best ambush blocker as a 3/2. It can only survive blocking one power creatures, so most of the time it is just sort of a super conditional removal spell with some creature upside. Which is fine, but not something that always makes your deck.
Invoke the Divine image 1.5 // 3.0 You can main deck this in this format if you’re really in need of playables, as there are enough good Artifacts and Enchantments running around, but it is still going to be more well-suited to your sideboard, where it will feel pretty good to bring in against some opponents.
Loxodon Line Breaker image 1.0 This is just a vanilla creature with mediocre stats. You’ll play this in a world where you can’t seem to find yourself enough playables or enough creatures, but in an ideal world you’re never playing it.
Highland Game image 1.5 This is a pretty unexciting two-drop. Two-mana 2/1s need to do something interesting, and this doesn’t – gaining 2 life doesn’t qualify as interesting – it just isn’t’ enough value. You’ll play it if you need a 2 drop though.
Snapping Drake image 2.0 This has passable French Vanilla stats, so you’ll play it sometimes.
Bristling Boar image 2.5 Bristling Boar has anti-menace, and doesn’t like it when creatures team up to block it. That isn’t irrelevant text – it means your opponent HAS to have a 3-power or more creature to kill it in combat, and if they don’t? Well, you have what basically amount to free attacks. IT also does a solid job on the vanilla test as a 4-mana 4/3.
Onakke Ogre image 2.0 This might look like a throwaway vanilla creature, but 3-mana for a 4/2 is a passable statline, especially in a set that has a 4 power or more archetype, and this one does!
Pack 1 Pick 7: Recollect
One with the Machine image 0.0 // 2.5 This is pretty hard to make work, even in a format with an artifact archetype. A lot of the Artifacts in this format that you play for that deck are cheap, so you will often pay 4 to draw like 1-2 cards, and you don’t want to do that. There are exceptions to this of course, and sometimes you’ll end up with a deck that can take more advantage, but it is pretty darn hard to do in this format.
Inferno Hellion image 1.0 This is pretty bad. Obviously it is quite efficient, but the fact that it goes away every time it does anything is pretty rough.
Recollect image 1.0 I’m never a huge fan of these sorts of effects. They don’t impact the board at all and the payoff for them is usually minimal. That said, Recollect can be good if your deck has several bombs in it – but guess what, your deck was already good because it has several bombs in it.
Rabid Bite image 3.5 This is a great removal spell for Green, just like every time we see it. Keep in mind that this card doesn’t actually involve “Fighting,” it just punches one of your opponent’s creatures in the face. Ideally your deck has some beefy guys in it to really take advantage, but even killing their 3/3 with yours is a good deal here. You do have to really pay attention to when your opponent has mana up when you cast this though, as you open yourself up to all kinds of blow outs if they mana for a pump or removal spell in response.
Wall of Mist image 1.5 If your deck has a lot of flyers or is interested in being defensive earlier, you will play this on occasion.
Doomed Dissenter image 3.0 This is a pretty key Common for Black decks in this format. In addition to just being a pretty good two-drop in a vacuum – after all, you get 3/3 worth of stats! It gets extra good in situations where you sacrifice it for value, and there a plethora of ways to do that in this format.
Disperse image 2.5 The flexibility of bouncing any nonland permanent at instant speed is nice, and two mana is a fair cost for that. You can just do a ton of things with it. Bounce spells frequently just give you some tempo – that is, they play like an 5-drop and you pay tow mana to make them do it again – and that’s nice. But that’s really just the base of this card. Sometimes you can actually trade cards with your opponent, or blow them out – like if they try to put an aura on something or use a combat trick. Those situations will arise, so be ready for them in this format.
Skeleton Archer image 2.5 A 4-mana 3/3 isn’t great stats, but not too far off from what you expect – something like a 4/3 or a ¾ would be better – but the ETB trigger on it makes up for that. You can use it to do the last damage to a creature your opponent blocked with, to straight up kill an X/1, and in a worst-case scenario, you still get to hit your opponent for one.
Marauder's Axe image 1.5 Not boosting toughness is a big problem for equipment, since it makes your creature hit harder, but doesn’t really help them survive combat in any way. Basically, you need a creature with an evasive ability to make this worth it – so if you have a bunch of fliers this becomes reasonably appealing, but other than that, not so much.
Pack 1 Pick 8: Disperse
Macabre Waltz image 2.0 This kind of card is always one you would like one of in your Black decks, but you don’t want to go after them too early. They aren’t very good early, but in the late game they can really help you restock your hand and get ahead of your opponent.
Talons of Wildwood image 2.0 This is a fairly reasonable Aura. It doesn’t give an impressive boost, but it gets around the downsides of 2-for-1s by being able to come back whenever you need it.
Loxodon Line Breaker image 1.0 This is just a vanilla creature with mediocre stats. You’ll play this in a world where you can’t seem to find yourself enough playables or enough creatures, but in an ideal world you’re never playing it.
Sure Strike image 2.0 This is always a serviceable combat trick that basically wins you any combat. In exchange, it isn’t the kind of trick that can save your creature for removal.
Centaur Courser image 2.0 This is a boring vanilla creature, but the stats are good enough for it to be solid.
Field Creeper image 1.5 This isn’t efficient, but this format has an artifact deck, which means this makes the cut sometimes.
Disperse image 2.5 The flexibility of bouncing any nonland permanent at instant speed is nice, and two mana is a fair cost for that. You can just do a ton of things with it. Bounce spells frequently just give you some tempo – that is, they play like an 5-drop and you pay tow mana to make them do it again – and that’s nice. But that’s really just the base of this card. Sometimes you can actually trade cards with your opponent, or blow them out – like if they try to put an aura on something or use a combat trick. Those situations will arise, so be ready for them in this format.
Mountain image
Pack 1 Pick 9: Salvager of Secrets
Sure Strike image 2.0 This is always a serviceable combat trick that basically wins you any combat. In exchange, it isn’t the kind of trick that can save your creature for removal.
Macabre Waltz image 2.0 This kind of card is always one you would like one of in your Black decks, but you don’t want to go after them too early. They aren’t very good early, but in the late game they can really help you restock your hand and get ahead of your opponent.
Talons of Wildwood image 2.0 This is a fairly reasonable Aura. It doesn’t give an impressive boost, but it gets around the downsides of 2-for-1s by being able to come back whenever you need it.
Bogstomper image 1.0 This is a big vanilla boi who you’ll play if you’re desperate for top curve.
Salvager of Secrets image 2.5 We’ve seen other cards like this, and they’re basically always nice cards for Blue decks in Limited – buying back removal spells is unsurprisingly quite good. That said, it doesn’t fit into every deck ever – you’ll play this in all your control decks, though.
Giant Spider image 2.0 This card has been in, by my estimation, one million Limited formats, and it is always serviceable but unexciting. A 4-mana 2/4 is a little below what you want stats wise, but the Reach is great and can shut down a lot of flyers.
Dwindle image 2.5 This is not the best removal, but it is kind of passable. Three mana to give something -6/-0 is not the greatest rate ever, since the creature can still use abilities and block, but at least it will only do that last thing once, since it will die when it blocks. Still, 3 mana is a lot to not be able to really get rid of a creature. Don’t underestimate how much worse it is to let a creature you have “removed” block, even if it does die right away.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Aven Wind Mage
Lightning Mare image 2.5 This is a reasonably efficient creature with some reasonable upside. Firebreathing is nice, but obviously it will die in combat to most things – unless of course your opponent has a board full of Blue creatures!
Aven Wind Mage image 3.0 3-mana for a 2/2 flyer is already a good rate, so adding the “pseudo-prowess” ability this thing has makes it a pretty nice common. Your opponent will have to think twice before attacking into or blocking this if they have X/3s, because who knows what you might have in your hand!
Mighty Leap image 2.0 This is a playable combat trick, and it offers more upside than most combat tricks because sometimes it can just end the game for you out of nowhere. I mean, I guess all combat tricks can do that – but not all of them offer you flying, which can just make a stable board into game over for your opponent sometimes. Still, it’s just a combat trick and it has the inherent risks that they all have – serious blowout potential – you’ll play one in any white deck with like 15 creatures in most cases, but it isn’t going to be great most of the time.
Macabre Waltz image 2.0 This kind of card is always one you would like one of in your Black decks, but you don’t want to go after them too early. They aren’t very good early, but in the late game they can really help you restock your hand and get ahead of your opponent.
Loxodon Line Breaker image 1.0 This is just a vanilla creature with mediocre stats. You’ll play this in a world where you can’t seem to find yourself enough playables or enough creatures, but in an ideal world you’re never playing it.
Walking Corpse image 1.0 This is a Black Grizzly Bear and nothing more. The Zombie type has some small upside in this format, but not enough to make this worth putting in your deck most of the time.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Rhox Oracle
Centaur Courser image 2.0 This is a boring vanilla creature, but the stats are good enough for it to be solid.
Rhox Oracle image 3.0 5 mana for a 4/2 certainly isn’t good, but making this draw you a card is a big deal! With 4 power, it means you can get easy 2-for-1s with this, even trading up for more imposing X/4 creatures. It is true it dies to basically everything, but you still get a 2-for-1 if that’s what happens.
Invoke the Divine image 1.5 // 3.0 You can main deck this in this format if you’re really in need of playables, as there are enough good Artifacts and Enchantments running around, but it is still going to be more well-suited to your sideboard, where it will feel pretty good to bring in against some opponents.
Trusty Packbeast image 1.5 This has ok stats as a 3-mana 2/3, but you won’t really play this without a few artifacts. The good news is, the UW deck will be interested in running those.
Forest image
Pack 1 Pick 12: Highland Game
Aven Wind Mage image 3.0 3-mana for a 2/2 flyer is already a good rate, so adding the “pseudo-prowess” ability this thing has makes it a pretty nice common. Your opponent will have to think twice before attacking into or blocking this if they have X/3s, because who knows what you might have in your hand!
Doomed Dissenter image 3.0 This is a pretty key Common for Black decks in this format. In addition to just being a pretty good two-drop in a vacuum – after all, you get 3/3 worth of stats! It gets extra good in situations where you sacrifice it for value, and there a plethora of ways to do that in this format.
Highland Game image 1.5 This is a pretty unexciting two-drop. Two-mana 2/1s need to do something interesting, and this doesn’t – gaining 2 life doesn’t qualify as interesting – it just isn’t’ enough value. You’ll play it if you need a 2 drop though.
Walking Corpse image 1.0 This is a Black Grizzly Bear and nothing more. The Zombie type has some small upside in this format, but not enough to make this worth putting in your deck most of the time.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Essence Scatter
Isolate image 0.0 This doesn’t kill enough in Limited to ever be worth it.
Essence Scatter image 2.5 Creatures are the most common type of spell in Limited, and Essence Scatter will always have lots of targets, and it does the job efficiently enough to be pretty nice.
Ghostform image 1.0 I’m never a huge fan of this kind of card. It basically pans out as a really risky Blue Lava Axe, and that kind of card tends to not be worth it. You use up a card to do something that won’t generally matter unless it kills your opponent. That’s too situational.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Bristling Boar
Highland Game image 1.5 This is a pretty unexciting two-drop. Two-mana 2/1s need to do something interesting, and this doesn’t – gaining 2 life doesn’t qualify as interesting – it just isn’t’ enough value. You’ll play it if you need a 2 drop though.
Bristling Boar image 2.5 Bristling Boar has anti-menace, and doesn’t like it when creatures team up to block it. That isn’t irrelevant text – it means your opponent HAS to have a 3-power or more creature to kill it in combat, and if they don’t? Well, you have what basically amount to free attacks. IT also does a solid job on the vanilla test as a 4-mana 4/3.
Pack 1 Pick 15: Wall of Mist
Wall of Mist image 1.5 If your deck has a lot of flyers or is interested in being defensive earlier, you will play this on occasion.
Pack 2 Pick 1: Leafkin Druid
Marauding Raptor image 1.0 This just isn’t the right format for the Raptor. Red is really about smaller creatures, and it kills most of them.
Lightning Stormkin image 3.0 If you’re in UR I think you’ll pile as many of these as you can get into your deck, but I also don’t feel like it is the kind of card that pulls you into the color pair with an early pick.
Tomebound Lich image 4.0 If you break this card down, and take away parts of it – it is still pretty good. If it was a 3-mana 1/3 with death touch it would be an alright card. The same is true about a 3-mana 1/3 with lifelink? What about a 3-mana 1/3 that loots on ETB or when it does damage? That’s a pretty solid card. If you take all of these “fine” and “solid” cards and jam them together though, I think you end up with a great card. This gives you card selection the minute it comes down, trades with anything, and gains you life as a decent blocker. Then, the whole deathtouch thing can also be used more aggressively, to attack your opponent when they have no good choices to block it, and if they don’t block it, you get to loot again.
Vengeful Warchief image 2.5 It ended up being way harder to make this work than it looked initially. This often ends up just being an inefficient creature. Still, it does actually get big and imposing often enough to be a decent playable.
Inspired Charge image 1.0 // 2.5 Like always, if you’re in the token deck this will be a decent Common for you. If you’re not, don’t play it.
Silverback Shaman image 3.5 This creature does well on the Vanilla test, has evasion, and replaces himself when he dies. That means he is a 2-for-1 that is really threatening – and that’s pretty nice. One thing I could see happening with him is that your 5-drop slot is just too loaded – I mean, you only want so many in most formats – but I have a hard time saying no to a 2-for-1 like this guy.
Audacious Thief image 3.5 This is one of Black’s best Commons. Sure, it doesn’t do great on the vanilla test, but if you can attack with this even once on a board where the best your opponent can do is trade, I think you’ll be pretty happy. Even moreso if your opponent chooses not to block at all, because then your card advantage will snowball. Obviously if they do trade with it, you end up netting a 2-for-1. Now, there will be board states where you just can’t attack with it, and it becomes a pretty mediocre blocker in those cases, and obviously that holds it back a bit --- but there are enough ways in this format to get it evasion or pump it that the Thief is usually able to rumble a lot more often than you’d expect.
Sage's Row Denizen image 1.0 There isn’t really a mill deck in this format, and as a result the Denizen is mostly just an inefficient creature.
Chandra's Outrage image 3.5 This is reasonably efficient removal that also damages the opponent some. That’s enough for it to get into the lower range of “premium” for me.
Vorstclaw image 1.5 This is a vanilla creature, but it has a useful creature type and somewhat reasonable stats, so you’ll find yourself with it a the top of your curve sometimes.
Infuriate image 1.5 This is not a bad boost for only one mana. One mana tricks tend to be the best in Limited, since they are easier to pay for and less risky when you get 2-for-1’d.
Soul Salvage image 2.5 This kind of card is basically always something Black decks want one copy of in Limited. It is basically a Black Divination, but one with powerful card selection, since you know you’re going to get your two best creatures back.
Leafkin Druid image 3.5 Mana dorks are always nice in pretty much every format, and that includes Limited. 0/3 is a nice body to have on a dork, since it actually blocks reasonably well if you need it to. Most of the time, this will just be adding Green mana in the early going, and maybe in the later part of the game you can get some extra mana to pay for mana sinks and the like. It also doesn’t hurt that it happens to have the Elemental creature type, which is well-supported in this set.
Yoked Ox image 0.5 You’re only going to play this if you’re in the slowest, most controlling deck ever. Sure, it blocks well, but that has rapidly diminishing values as the game goes on.
Plains image
Pack 2 Pick 2: Unsummon
Fencing Ace image 2.0 In some formats, the Ace can be quite good – but this isn’t one of them. There just aren’t enough +1/+1 counters or reasonable equipment and Auras for it to be more than just kind of okay.
Chandra, Novice Pyromancer image 4.0 I think uncommon Chandra is actually a lot better than Rare Chandra – though not nearly as good as Mythic Rare Chandra. She will play a lot like Jaya Ballard, who we just saw in War of the Spark. The comparison isn’t perfect – Chandra costs less and doesn’t have that sweet static ability Chandra had – but Chandra comes with the same ability to do 2 damage to any target, as well as actually being able to raise her loyalty and ramp you a bit. I think you’ll be pretty happy any time you can kill two things with her, and if you happen to have a bunch of elementals, she obviously gets even better. Worth noting you can also splash her. I like that she is great in the Elemental deck, but still good in any Red deck, making her a very safe and powerful early pick.
Goblin Ringleader image 0.0 // 2.0 There aren’t really enough Goblins in this set for this to ever be anything special. You need to be drawing a card with this at least half the time to play it, and that just won’t happen in most decks. If you do end up with 5+ Goblins, it probably is an alright inclusion.
Act of Treason image 0.5 // 2.5 Like usual, Act is only going to be worth it in a deck that has cheap sacrifice outlets. This type of card is just too situational otherwise, as you pretty much have to kill your opponent when you use it for it to be worth going down a card for. But, if you can sacrifice the creature you steal, you are rid of it permanently!
Inspired Charge image 1.0 // 2.5 Like always, if you’re in the token deck this will be a decent Common for you. If you’re not, don’t play it.
Agonizing Syphon image 2.5 4 mana for 3 damage is pretty steep, but the fact you can hit any target AND you gain 3 life does enough to make this solid removal, though I wouldn’t say it is premium.
Heart-Piercer Bow image 0.0 // 2.5 This card is kind of a weird one! On its own, it is kind of horrendous – it just doesn’t do enough most of the time but if you can pair it with a bunch of other Bows and some Renowned Weaponsmiths, you suddenly have a very real deck, as getting a bunch of these in play all at once makes it very hard for your opponent to win the game. However, you pretty much need the weaponsmiths to make this strategy work, and they are mostly unplayable otherwise.
Moat Piranhas image 1.5 We have seen cards like this before – creatures who are very efficient but have defender, and they are always pretty alright. If you’re a defensive deck, I think you can play a couple of these and feel fine about it, and Blue can be pretty defensive. It can block really well early, and isn’t that hard to at least use to trade with something even late. However, if you’re an aggro deck, then this is terrible.
Anvilwrought Raptor image 1.5 This isn’t particularly good. Sure, first strike keeps it relevant for a while, but 1 toughness is just so bad on something you’re spending 4 mana on. You’ll play this if you could use an Artifact or a flyer.
Unsummon image 2.5 One mana to return a creature is an awesome rate, because you’re basically always going to come out ahead in terms of tempo – since you’re going to be bouncing things that cost a heck of a lot more than one mana most of the time. Additionally, bounce effects let you blow out opponents who are overly reliant on Auras or combat tricks. Finally, in a pinch you can use it to save your own creature, which will be worth it some of the time.
Audacious Thief image 3.5 This is one of Black’s best Commons. Sure, it doesn’t do great on the vanilla test, but if you can attack with this even once on a board where the best your opponent can do is trade, I think you’ll be pretty happy. Even moreso if your opponent chooses not to block at all, because then your card advantage will snowball. Obviously if they do trade with it, you end up netting a 2-for-1. Now, there will be board states where you just can’t attack with it, and it becomes a pretty mediocre blocker in those cases, and obviously that holds it back a bit --- but there are enough ways in this format to get it evasion or pump it that the Thief is usually able to rumble a lot more often than you’d expect.
Wolfkin Bond image 2.5 I have a hard time getting behind auras that don’t add something to the board – but Wolfkin Bond does that. Paying 5 for +2/+2 isn’t great, but adding a 2/2 to the board makes it a lot better. It likely lets you attack with something that couldn’t before, or at the very least lets you attack harder, and it makes sure that a Wolf is around to block and then start attacking the next turn. This helps you from being completely devastated by a 2-for-1 as well, since you at least have the Wolf behind. Though, keep in mind, if your opponent has mana up, they can just blow up your target for the Bond and you don’t get anything – and that’s still a huge risk with this type of card. This is a solid playable, and I think most Green decks will be fine with one of these.
Convolute image 1.0 A three-mana counterspell that isn’t even a hard counter is a hard sell for me. This is just too situational to be worth it in most decks.
Rugged Highlands image 2.5 If you need fixing, this is a decent place to get it. There are also a few cards in the set that care about lifegain, which might mean they are a little more useful than usual in some decks, but mostly they just make your mana better. Even if you’re just 2 colors, taking these over filler is sometimes a good call, since they really make your mana so much better.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Ferocious Pup
Skyknight Vanguard image 3.0 This is the signpost uncommon for RW, a color pair that can focus both on fliers and on going wide, and this really does both for you. A two mana ½ with flying isn’t very good (cue the Storm Crow jokes), but making a 1/1 every time you attack does put some serious pressure on your opponent, though obviously in the later part of the game they can just block the little guy.
Ironroot Warlord image 3.5 Obviously the idea here is to be in a GW go-wide type of deck, and this really pays you off there. So let’s break this down. If this was 1GW for a 1/5 with that activated ability, how good would it be? Well – already pretty nice honestly – he would do a good job of blocking and slowly churning out Warrior tokens. That’s what he is in a worst case, but the fact that this Treefolk gets larger and larger the more creatures you have really seals the deal on this for me.
Woodland Champion image 3.5 This has a very reasonable floor and a very high ceiling. There are lots of ways to make creature tokens in this format, including at lower mana costs, so the Champion can sometimes become absolutely massive.
Angelic Gift image 1.5 Auras can be dangerous in Limited because of the risk for a 2-for-1, but when an Aura cantrips – especially one that gives a valuable keyword like Flying – it definitely crosses into solid playable territory.
Act of Treason image 0.5 // 2.5 Like usual, Act is only going to be worth it in a deck that has cheap sacrifice outlets. This type of card is just too situational otherwise, as you pretty much have to kill your opponent when you use it for it to be worth going down a card for. But, if you can sacrifice the creature you steal, you are rid of it permanently!
Ferocious Pup image 2.5 3-mana for a 0/1 and a 2/2 is a decent deal. Green is interested in going wide, and this helps with that.
Thicket Crasher image 3.0 A 4-mana 4/3 with Trample is already solid, and giving the rest of your Elementals Trample is a big deal in this format.
Mind Rot image 1.0 Mind Rot is never particularly good. It does give you a 2-for-1 in ideal situations, but it is really only good in the mid-game. Early on, paying 3 for this and not adding to the board isn’t ideal, and late, your opponent likely doesn’t have cards. So in the mid-game is the sweet spot, but that’s a bit too narrow for me.
Squad Captain image 1.5 A 5-mana 2/2 with Vigilance is atrocious, but if you have at least two other creatures in play you are getting a sort of ok deal. More than 2, and you’re going to be reasonably happy with it. The dream is to just curve out with this, and that will certainly happen sometimes. If your opponent has removal for even just one early creature, Squad Captain is going to start looking pretty ugly. It is also not a bad card for the extreme late game during a board stall, since it can get quite large, but overall it is really inconsistent.
Tectonic Rift image 1.0 Destroying lands isn’t especially relevant in this format, but you might play this sometimes in red aggro decks as a way to finish off the opponent.
Fortress Crab image 1.0 Here’s a super defensive creature that you will only play on very rare occasions. It just doesn’t do much.
Anvilwrought Raptor image 1.5 This isn’t particularly good. Sure, first strike keeps it relevant for a while, but 1 toughness is just so bad on something you’re spending 4 mana on. You’ll play this if you could use an Artifact or a flyer.
Mountain image
Pack 2 Pick 4: Silverback Shaman
Lightning Stormkin image 3.0 If you’re in UR I think you’ll pile as many of these as you can get into your deck, but I also don’t feel like it is the kind of card that pulls you into the color pair with an early pick.
Yarok's Wavecrasher image 2.5 This has efficient stats, but it has a kind of wonky ETB ability. When you play it, you have to return a creature, it isn’t a may clause like we often see these days. This means there are plenty of board states where playing this just doesn’t make sense, because there isn’t always something that is worth bouncing. It also means that if he’s alone, the Wavecrasher has to bounce himself! Now, that ability does have upside too – like returning creatures with ETB abilities or getting a creature free from an Aura, but the situations where he is awkward to play are often enough that this isn’t anything special.
Goblin Smuggler image 3.0 This card really overperforms, mostly because there are so many creatures with low power in this format who do some impressive stuff – most notably at Common, Audacious Thief and Lavakin Brawler, both of whom pair incredibly well with the Goblin. And apart from those things, the Smuggler is just an okay card anyway, allowing you to push through damage late.
Marauder's Axe image 1.5 Equipment that just boosts power doesn’t tend to be amazing, though it does work well on things like tokens, since they become much more formidable.
Infuriate image 1.5 This is not a bad boost for only one mana. One mana tricks tend to be the best in Limited, since they are easier to pay for and less risky when you get 2-for-1’d.
Silverback Shaman image 3.5 This creature does well on the Vanilla test, has evasion, and replaces himself when he dies. That means he is a 2-for-1 that is really threatening – and that’s pretty nice. One thing I could see happening with him is that your 5-drop slot is just too loaded – I mean, you only want so many in most formats – but I have a hard time saying no to a 2-for-1 like this guy.
Faerie Miscreant image 1.0 // 3.0 One mana 1/1 flyers are some of the most overrated creatures around but they usually aren’t good because of how quickly they get outclassed, so that is the base grade we’re looking at here. However, if you can draw a card off of them you’re talking about a much better card. Because this one has such an ugly baseline, you probably need 3+ Miscreants before they become worth playing, and once we’re talking about 4+ I think it becomes a solid card.
Lavakin Brawler image 3.0 This card really overperforms. There are a ton of Elemental in this set to pump its power, and 4 toughness is enough that it can be a real problem for many decks. Combining it with Goblin Smuggler is particularly nasty.
Bone to Ash image 2.5 I’m not a huge fan of counter-magic in Limited for the most part. It basically feels like bad removal most of the time, because it is removal that only works if you have mana up at the exact right time! And normally I am really out on 4-mana counter spells, but Bone to Ash is a 2-for-1, and that really makes the risk worth it a lot more – especially because it is a hard counter that counters the most common spell-type in Limited. It just isn’t hard to get your opponent with this, though I would advise leaving mana up just to use it when you could be doing something else, and instead just wait until this is all you have left to do, or for a turn where you couldn’t use your mana.
Moment of Heroism image 1.5 Combat tricks are really at their best at one mana. This is because it is much easier to have the mana available to use them, and you get blown out less if your opponent has removal. This costs two, but it does give a decent bonus +2/+2 is enough to win a lot of combats, and lifelink also feels good when you’re racing. Still, this is pretty much limited to aggro decks.
Undead Servant image 0.0 // 2.5 Obviously, like most of this cycle, this is unplayable as one copy. You don’t want to be playing a vanilla 4-mana 3/2, there are countless cards in this set you would play before that. You have to be making a Zombie token pretty regularly with this for it to be worth it. How many copies of this do you need before it is worth playing? Probably around 3, and it gets better if you are good at loading up your graveyard and can get value out of them that way.
Plains image
Pack 2 Pick 5: Unsummon
Cerulean Drake image 1.5 // 3.5 Like most of this cycle, you can main deck this without it being completely terrible, since a reasonable number of opponents will have Red stuff. You can actually also use the sacrifice ability against spells of ANY color, not just Red ones, so that matters. It is still certainly better out of your sideboard, though.
Thought Distortion image 0.0 6 mana is a ton, and if you’re spending that much you want to be actually accomplishing something. By that late in the game there is no guarantee your opponent will even have a hand, and only exiling noncreature nonland cards from their graveyard is not worth 6 mana. This is unplayable.
Gift of Paradise image 2.0 This kind of ramp/fixing Aura doesn’t often feel great, since you use a bunch of mana and don’t add to the board, which is normally pretty crucial in Limited. However, gaining 3 life here is a real bonus, as you basically pay a certain amount of life by casting this instead of playing a creature. It also lets you fix for double-colored things, which isn’t bad upside.
Unsummon image 2.5 One mana to return a creature is an awesome rate, because you’re basically always going to come out ahead in terms of tempo – since you’re going to be bouncing things that cost a heck of a lot more than one mana most of the time. Additionally, bounce effects let you blow out opponents who are overly reliant on Auras or combat tricks. Finally, in a pinch you can use it to save your own creature, which will be worth it some of the time.
Moment of Heroism image 1.5 Combat tricks are really at their best at one mana. This is because it is much easier to have the mana available to use them, and you get blown out less if your opponent has removal. This costs two, but it does give a decent bonus +2/+2 is enough to win a lot of combats, and lifelink also feels good when you’re racing. Still, this is pretty much limited to aggro decks.
Negate image 0.5 This is sideboard material, like usual. Most opponents just don’t have the targets for this to matter.
Heart-Piercer Bow image 0.0 // 2.5 This card is kind of a weird one! On its own, it is kind of horrendous – it just doesn’t do enough most of the time but if you can pair it with a bunch of other Bows and some Renowned Weaponsmiths, you suddenly have a very real deck, as getting a bunch of these in play all at once makes it very hard for your opponent to win the game. However, you pretty much need the weaponsmiths to make this strategy work, and they are mostly unplayable otherwise.
Bladebrand image 2.0 So, your creature is almost always going to kill the opposing one when it gains deathtouch, so that’s nice. And it even draws you a card, so it is something of a 2-for-1! However, it is still really situational, like all tricks, so don’t value it too highly.
Leafkin Druid image 3.5 Mana dorks are always nice in pretty much every format, and that includes Limited. 0/3 is a nice body to have on a dork, since it actually blocks reasonably well if you need it to. Most of the time, this will just be adding Green mana in the early going, and maybe in the later part of the game you can get some extra mana to pay for mana sinks and the like. It also doesn’t hurt that it happens to have the Elemental creature type, which is well-supported in this set.
Fortress Crab image 1.0 Here’s a super defensive creature that you will only play on very rare occasions. It just doesn’t do much.
Dismal Backwater image 2.5 If you need fixing, this is a decent place to get it. There are also a few cards in the set that care about lifegain, which might mean they are a little more useful than usual in some decks, but mostly they just make your mana better. Even if you’re just 2 colors, taking these over filler is sometimes a good call, since they really make your mana so much better.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Brineborn Cutthroat
Brineborn Cutthroat image 2.0 There’s some Flash in this set, but not really enough for this to be super impressive. It does work with Instants too, so it will grow sometimes, but not usually at a super rapid rate or anything.
Netcaster Spider image 2.0 This is another decent spider for Green. It doesn’t have as high of toughness as some spiders, but it makes up for that by becoming a 4/3 when it blocks flyers, which will be enough to trade with a lot of them.
Greenwood Sentinel image 2.0 Vigilance is upside, but not crazy upside to have on a bear. This is a decent 2-drop.
Plummet image 0.5 As usual, this is better utilized as a sideboard card once you see enough targets for it.
Leafkin Druid image 3.5 Mana dorks are always nice in pretty much every format, and that includes Limited. 0/3 is a nice body to have on a dork, since it actually blocks reasonably well if you need it to. Most of the time, this will just be adding Green mana in the early going, and maybe in the later part of the game you can get some extra mana to pay for mana sinks and the like. It also doesn’t hurt that it happens to have the Elemental creature type, which is well-supported in this set.
Duress image 0.5 As usual, this is sideboard only material. Not enough things it can hit in the typical deck for it to be in your main deck.
Ripscale Predator image 1.5 A reasonable finisher if you’re in the market for one, but there’s plenty you’d rather have!
Prismite image 1.0 You will play this if you’re desperate for a 2-drop and/or fixing, but that’s about it.
Dawning Angel image 3.0 This card really overperforms. The statline isn’t pretty, but the ETB ability plays quite well. This set has a lifegain archetype, but adding a real threat to the board that also gains you life has a surprisingly big impact on games.
Swamp image
Pack 2 Pick 7: Ferocious Pup
Marauder's Axe image 1.5 Equipment that just boosts power doesn’t tend to be amazing, though it does work well on things like tokens, since they become much more formidable.
Sanitarium Skeleton image 0.5 // 2.5 You really only want to play this if you’re in a Sacrifice deck, everywhere else it is just too slow and silly to do much.
Wolfkin Bond image 2.5 I have a hard time getting behind auras that don’t add something to the board – but Wolfkin Bond does that. Paying 5 for +2/+2 isn’t great, but adding a 2/2 to the board makes it a lot better. It likely lets you attack with something that couldn’t before, or at the very least lets you attack harder, and it makes sure that a Wolf is around to block and then start attacking the next turn. This helps you from being completely devastated by a 2-for-1 as well, since you at least have the Wolf behind. Though, keep in mind, if your opponent has mana up, they can just blow up your target for the Bond and you don’t get anything – and that’s still a huge risk with this type of card. This is a solid playable, and I think most Green decks will be fine with one of these.
Epicure of Blood image 2.5 This is a decent-but-not-great lifegain payoff. It has alright stats too.
Moment of Heroism image 1.5 Combat tricks are really at their best at one mana. This is because it is much easier to have the mana available to use them, and you get blown out less if your opponent has removal. This costs two, but it does give a decent bonus +2/+2 is enough to win a lot of combats, and lifelink also feels good when you’re racing. Still, this is pretty much limited to aggro decks.
Ferocious Pup image 2.5 3-mana for a 0/1 and a 2/2 is a decent deal. Green is interested in going wide, and this helps with that.
Feral Abomination image 1.0 This is a big creature with Deathtouch – which always feels weird on a huge creature like this. If you’re desperate for a finisher, this can do it sometimes.
Angelic Gift image 1.5 Auras can be dangerous in Limited because of the risk for a 2-for-1, but when an Aura cantrips – especially one that gives a valuable keyword like Flying – it definitely crosses into solid playable territory.
Chandra's Embercat image 3.0 So, 2 mana 2/2s are always a decent baseline for a card, but this comes with some significant addition value. I think most Red decks will have 4 or 5 elementals in them without even trying, so it seems like most decks can get use out of it. Elementals are one of the best decks in this format too, and this is a key Common for that deck.
Pack 2 Pick 8: Scholar of the Ages
Portal of Sanctuary image 0.5 This is mostly a trap. It is really hard to set up effectively, and its only use is basically reusing ETB triggers or maybe moving Auras around, and you aren’t always going to have boards where that matters.
Scholar of the Ages image 3.0 She costs 7 mana for a 3/3, which obviously enough is horrendous – but she does offer the potential for a three-for-one, since she gives you back two spells in your graveyard. You need both a deck that is interested in playing the long game, and enough instants and sorceries that you can consistently get back two with it. Luckily, that is relatively easy to pull of in controlling Blue decks in this format, where Scholar of the Ages is often a nice late play that stabilizes you. Still, you can’t really play it anywhere else.
Unsummon image 2.5 One mana to return a creature is an awesome rate, because you’re basically always going to come out ahead in terms of tempo – since you’re going to be bouncing things that cost a heck of a lot more than one mana most of the time. Additionally, bounce effects let you blow out opponents who are overly reliant on Auras or combat tricks. Finally, in a pinch you can use it to save your own creature, which will be worth it some of the time.
Wolfkin Bond image 2.5 I have a hard time getting behind auras that don’t add something to the board – but Wolfkin Bond does that. Paying 5 for +2/+2 isn’t great, but adding a 2/2 to the board makes it a lot better. It likely lets you attack with something that couldn’t before, or at the very least lets you attack harder, and it makes sure that a Wolf is around to block and then start attacking the next turn. This helps you from being completely devastated by a 2-for-1 as well, since you at least have the Wolf behind. Though, keep in mind, if your opponent has mana up, they can just blow up your target for the Bond and you don’t get anything – and that’s still a huge risk with this type of card. This is a solid playable, and I think most Green decks will be fine with one of these.
Octoprophet image 2.5 I like playing creatures with decent stats who let me scry, though I do think those that appear lower in the curve are better, because they allow you to keep a larger percentage of hands. A 4-drop who scries doesn’t do that.
Soul Salvage image 2.5 This kind of card is basically always something Black decks want one copy of in Limited. It is basically a Black Divination, but one with powerful card selection, since you know you’re going to get your two best creatures back.
Soulmender image 1.5 So, this can be an alright inclusion for the life gain deck, but there are so many cards that are just better and feature incidental life gain, that most of the time you hope you’re not playing this.
Befuddle image 1.0 Cards that lower a creature’s power and not do much else aren’t usually very good in Limited, and I think that’s true here. The kinds of situations where that effect is worth using are just so few and far between. This does replace itself, but that’s not really enough to salvage this card.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Vorstclaw
Tomebound Lich image 4.0 If you break this card down, and take away parts of it – it is still pretty good. If it was a 3-mana 1/3 with death touch it would be an alright card. The same is true about a 3-mana 1/3 with lifelink? What about a 3-mana 1/3 that loots on ETB or when it does damage? That’s a pretty solid card. If you take all of these “fine” and “solid” cards and jam them together though, I think you end up with a great card. This gives you card selection the minute it comes down, trades with anything, and gains you life as a decent blocker. Then, the whole deathtouch thing can also be used more aggressively, to attack your opponent when they have no good choices to block it, and if they don’t block it, you get to loot again.
Inspired Charge image 1.0 // 2.5 Like always, if you’re in the token deck this will be a decent Common for you. If you’re not, don’t play it.
Sage's Row Denizen image 1.0 There isn’t really a mill deck in this format, and as a result the Denizen is mostly just an inefficient creature.
Vorstclaw image 1.5 This is a vanilla creature, but it has a useful creature type and somewhat reasonable stats, so you’ll find yourself with it a the top of your curve sometimes.
Soul Salvage image 2.5 This kind of card is basically always something Black decks want one copy of in Limited. It is basically a Black Divination, but one with powerful card selection, since you know you’re going to get your two best creatures back.
Yoked Ox image 0.5 You’re only going to play this if you’re in the slowest, most controlling deck ever. Sure, it blocks well, but that has rapidly diminishing values as the game goes on.
Plains image
Pack 2 Pick 10: Moat Piranhas
Goblin Ringleader image 0.0 // 2.0 There aren’t really enough Goblins in this set for this to ever be anything special. You need to be drawing a card with this at least half the time to play it, and that just won’t happen in most decks. If you do end up with 5+ Goblins, it probably is an alright inclusion.
Inspired Charge image 1.0 // 2.5 Like always, if you’re in the token deck this will be a decent Common for you. If you’re not, don’t play it.
Heart-Piercer Bow image 0.0 // 2.5 This card is kind of a weird one! On its own, it is kind of horrendous – it just doesn’t do enough most of the time but if you can pair it with a bunch of other Bows and some Renowned Weaponsmiths, you suddenly have a very real deck, as getting a bunch of these in play all at once makes it very hard for your opponent to win the game. However, you pretty much need the weaponsmiths to make this strategy work, and they are mostly unplayable otherwise.
Moat Piranhas image 1.5 We have seen cards like this before – creatures who are very efficient but have defender, and they are always pretty alright. If you’re a defensive deck, I think you can play a couple of these and feel fine about it, and Blue can be pretty defensive. It can block really well early, and isn’t that hard to at least use to trade with something even late. However, if you’re an aggro deck, then this is terrible.
Anvilwrought Raptor image 1.5 This isn’t particularly good. Sure, first strike keeps it relevant for a while, but 1 toughness is just so bad on something you’re spending 4 mana on. You’ll play this if you could use an Artifact or a flyer.
Wolfkin Bond image 2.5 I have a hard time getting behind auras that don’t add something to the board – but Wolfkin Bond does that. Paying 5 for +2/+2 isn’t great, but adding a 2/2 to the board makes it a lot better. It likely lets you attack with something that couldn’t before, or at the very least lets you attack harder, and it makes sure that a Wolf is around to block and then start attacking the next turn. This helps you from being completely devastated by a 2-for-1 as well, since you at least have the Wolf behind. Though, keep in mind, if your opponent has mana up, they can just blow up your target for the Bond and you don’t get anything – and that’s still a huge risk with this type of card. This is a solid playable, and I think most Green decks will be fine with one of these.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Thicket Crasher
Ironroot Warlord image 3.5 Obviously the idea here is to be in a GW go-wide type of deck, and this really pays you off there. So let’s break this down. If this was 1GW for a 1/5 with that activated ability, how good would it be? Well – already pretty nice honestly – he would do a good job of blocking and slowly churning out Warrior tokens. That’s what he is in a worst case, but the fact that this Treefolk gets larger and larger the more creatures you have really seals the deal on this for me.
Act of Treason image 0.5 // 2.5 Like usual, Act is only going to be worth it in a deck that has cheap sacrifice outlets. This type of card is just too situational otherwise, as you pretty much have to kill your opponent when you use it for it to be worth going down a card for. But, if you can sacrifice the creature you steal, you are rid of it permanently!
Thicket Crasher image 3.0 A 4-mana 4/3 with Trample is already solid, and giving the rest of your Elementals Trample is a big deal in this format.
Fortress Crab image 1.0 Here’s a super defensive creature that you will only play on very rare occasions. It just doesn’t do much.
Anvilwrought Raptor image 1.5 This isn’t particularly good. Sure, first strike keeps it relevant for a while, but 1 toughness is just so bad on something you’re spending 4 mana on. You’ll play this if you could use an Artifact or a flyer.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Bone to Ash
Faerie Miscreant image 1.0 // 3.0 One mana 1/1 flyers are some of the most overrated creatures around but they usually aren’t good because of how quickly they get outclassed, so that is the base grade we’re looking at here. However, if you can draw a card off of them you’re talking about a much better card. Because this one has such an ugly baseline, you probably need 3+ Miscreants before they become worth playing, and once we’re talking about 4+ I think it becomes a solid card.
Bone to Ash image 2.5 I’m not a huge fan of counter-magic in Limited for the most part. It basically feels like bad removal most of the time, because it is removal that only works if you have mana up at the exact right time! And normally I am really out on 4-mana counter spells, but Bone to Ash is a 2-for-1, and that really makes the risk worth it a lot more – especially because it is a hard counter that counters the most common spell-type in Limited. It just isn’t hard to get your opponent with this, though I would advise leaving mana up just to use it when you could be doing something else, and instead just wait until this is all you have left to do, or for a turn where you couldn’t use your mana.
Moment of Heroism image 1.5 Combat tricks are really at their best at one mana. This is because it is much easier to have the mana available to use them, and you get blown out less if your opponent has removal. This costs two, but it does give a decent bonus +2/+2 is enough to win a lot of combats, and lifelink also feels good when you’re racing. Still, this is pretty much limited to aggro decks.
Plains image
Pack 2 Pick 13: Negate
Negate image 0.5 This is sideboard material, like usual. Most opponents just don’t have the targets for this to matter.
Bladebrand image 2.0 So, your creature is almost always going to kill the opposing one when it gains deathtouch, so that’s nice. And it even draws you a card, so it is something of a 2-for-1! However, it is still really situational, like all tricks, so don’t value it too highly.
Fortress Crab image 1.0 Here’s a super defensive creature that you will only play on very rare occasions. It just doesn’t do much.
Pack 2 Pick 14: Leafkin Druid
Plummet image 0.5 As usual, this is better utilized as a sideboard card once you see enough targets for it.
Leafkin Druid image 3.5 Mana dorks are always nice in pretty much every format, and that includes Limited. 0/3 is a nice body to have on a dork, since it actually blocks reasonably well if you need it to. Most of the time, this will just be adding Green mana in the early going, and maybe in the later part of the game you can get some extra mana to pay for mana sinks and the like. It also doesn’t hurt that it happens to have the Elemental creature type, which is well-supported in this set.
Pack 2 Pick 15: Moment of Heroism
Moment of Heroism image 1.5 Combat tricks are really at their best at one mana. This is because it is much easier to have the mana available to use them, and you get blown out less if your opponent has removal. This costs two, but it does give a decent bonus +2/+2 is enough to win a lot of combats, and lifelink also feels good when you’re racing. Still, this is pretty much limited to aggro decks.
Pack 3 Pick 1: Burlfist Oak
Nine Lives image 0.0 So, for 3-mana you get to prevent 8 separate instances of damage. I say 8, because when the 9th instance of damage happens, Nine Lives goes away and you lose the game. So the question is, how much time are you buying yourself by preventing eight sources of damage? It is a hard question to answer, and one that is highly dependent on what your opponent is doing. If they are an aggro deck, every single one of their creatures that hits you puts a counter on this. If they are a more controlly deck, this is probably more effective, because those decks have fewer creatures and thus fewer sources of damage. It is made stranger by the fact that – in a lot of ways – playing it early is not a good call. Generally, if this is in your hand, you’re going to need to take a lot of hits – get down low on life – before you play it, to take full advantage of what the card can do for you. This is weakened by the fact that there are a few cards in this set that cause a loss of life, instead of damage – too. This means if you DO go really low, there are a few cards that can STILL kill you, and that’s going to be a real bummer. I think overall, this just won’t do enough for you most of the time. It will buy you some time, but cards that do that are rarely worth it in Limited – it isn’t like you are going to combo off or something most of the time. Don’t play this.
Burlfist Oak image 3.0 This will always be at least a 4/5 on your turn, and it can always threaten to get even larger with Instant speed draw spells. It is a little less impressive as a blocker, though, and it does die to lots of removal when its vulnerable.
Fierce Empath image 2.0 So, to some extent, we can compare this to Elvish Visionary, a card that is always a solid Limited playable. The Visionary is a two mana 1/1 that draws you a card -- the Empath is a 3-mana 1/1 that draws you a card. Obviously the main difference there is that the Visionary draws you a random card from your deck, while the Empath searches up a big ol’ creature. Additionally, there are some real pros and cons there -- with the Empath, if you don’t have something to find, you’re going to be really sad with what you have -- while the Visionary always does something, but it isn’t guaranteed to draw you a big creature the way the Empath is. So, where does the Empath fall with all that said? Well, I think most Green decks will have 3 or so targets for this, and if that’s the case, the Empath is a solid playable. Grabbing your best big creature with this is going to feel good a lot of the time -- I mean, that’s often what you’re hoping you draw with extra draws in the late game anyway, right? But the downsides of the card do keep it from being more than just a solid playable for me.
Sanctum of Shattered Heights image 0.5 // 3.0 This is not very good unless you’re in a Sanctum deck, where it does two key things. First, it is removal, and second it gives you something to do with your duplicate sanctums.
Capture Sphere image 3.0 This is always pretty good removal for Blue. It doesn’t shut off static abilities, but it does pretty much everything else you’d like from your removal spells.
Forgotten Sentinel image 1.0 This has bad stats and a textbox that is just downside, but it does have 4 power, and some decks care about that.
Bone Pit Brute image 1.5 This isn’t terrible to have at the top of your curve. His own stats aren’t great, but at least he has Menace! The fact he gives +4/+0 to something when he comes down is what keeps him from being completely terrible, though. That will often make an attack happen that just couldn’t before.
Sanguine Indulgence image 2.0 Most Black decks are after the first copy of this, even if they can’t get life gain going. Paying 4 to get back two creatures is pretty reasonable, and the kind of thing that can help you win the long game.
Turn to Slag image 2.5 This is clunky as heck, but it does kill most things, and there is enough good Equipment in this format that you’ll even blow up some Equipment sometimes. It isn’t premium removal, but it is serviceable.
Life Goes On image 0.5 This gains you a bunch of life and that’s all. That’s not something you usually play in Limited. Maybe if you are GW and have some of the White life gain payoffs it can make it, but that won’t happen often.
Spellgorger Weird image 1.5 // 3.5 This is definitely a build around. Most decks can get away with playing it, but it will really only be the UR deck that can take full advantage, turning into a full-fledged win condition.
Spined Megalodon image 1.5 // 2.5 Big hexproof guys like this usually can find a place in Limited. They are at their best in more controlling decks, as it provides a large Blocker who your opponent just can’t interact with. Hexproof creatures also tend to be good places to put Auras, since getting 2-for-1’d when you put it on a hexproof creature is so unlikely. It is a nice bit of additional value that this Scries when you attack with it, too. UB Reanimator is a very real deck in this format, and this is one of the Commons that you’re pretty happy to play there.
Defiant Strike image 0.5 If White doesn’t have some sort of theme built around spells or combat tricks, this card is usually not very good. Sure, it does replace itself, but the stats boost is meaningless or may as well be far too often for me to play this most of the time.
Prismite image 1.0 This has bad stats and it is bad at fixing mana. If you’re desperate for a two drop or fixing you’ll play it, but that’s it.
Forest image
Pack 3 Pick 2: Stormwing Entity
Stormwing Entity image 4.0 I would definitely sign up for a 5-mana 3/3 that had Scry 2 in most decks, but this has a whole bunch of addition text! Prowess means it will often be larger and will really be a nuisance in combat for your opponent, and the fact that it can reduce its cost is pretty crazy too. If you have enough instants and sorceries around, double-spelling this won’t be a crazy thing to do at all -- it will be pretty commonplace, provided you have stuff that costs between 1 and 3, anyway. And if you are casting this for three mana you’re getting an insane deal! So, this gives you a sizable and efficient body in the sky, in addition to smoothing out your draws, and that is a pretty great card for Limited.
Alpine Houndmaster image 3.5 I always like cards that pay you off for having other cards in your deck, or other copies of the card in your deck, and the Huntmaster definitely does. A two mana 2/2 that already has upside, which can potentially draw you 1-2 cards is quite nice. Now, the two creatures you can search up with it are definitely sub-par -- something that I think makes this card even more interesting -- but I still think it will be worth doing. We’ve seen 3-mana 2/2s that can search up other copies of itself turn out to be pretty nice in Limited, so I think this will work well too. Then, it is a payoff for going wide, since it raises its power whenever it attacks -- and obviously, searching up 1-2 cards helps you go wide too!
Unleash Fury image 1.0 This kind of card is pretty bad in Limited. It really only does something worthwhile if your creature goes unblocked and you can kill your opponent. It won’t workout especially well as more of a combat trick, because chances are good your creature is still gonna die. It gets a little better if you have some First Strikers and tramplers, but I still don’t like it very much.
Lorescale Coatl image 3.0 I always like this card when it gets printed! A 3-mana 2/2 that grows progressively larger as the game goes on is nice, especially because you don’t have to contribute any resources to it getting larger. The Coatl gets better the more card draw you have, but even just a +1/+1 counter every turn is pretty nice. Now, the Coatl is pretty inefficient initially, and there will definitely be times where you play this and your opponent can kill it for 1-2 mana, and that’s going to be pretty rough.
Skyscanner image 2.5 Casting this always feels pretty decent. It replaces itself and then gives you a body that you can do something with – whether that’s attacking, trading, chump blocking, or being sacrificed for an effect, it all feel likes gravy at that point.
Wall of Runes image 1.0 This is a decent inclusion if you’re really defensive, but even there it isn’t great.
Goblin Arsonist image 2.0 So, this is a one mana creature that can trade up for X/2s, and even threaten 2-for-1s when your opponent has two X/1s in play. It can also just ping the opponent for one when that is going to be meaningful. It also has a little bit of extra value in the Sacrifice deck, since it will give you some sort of value in addition to whatever the sacrifice effect gives you.
Lofty Denial image 1.0 // 2.0 This is pretty terrible if you don’t have a flier, and if you do have one it is pretty passable, but still not great. Counterspells have serious issues in Limited because of how difficult it is to leave mana up for them, and this isn’t even a hard counter.
Staunch Shieldmate image 0.5 Well, those are some impressive stats on a one mana creature – we’ve never seen a one mana 1/3 with no downsides at all. That said, while he might do well on the vanilla test, he still isn’t all that impressive in Limited. He is quickly outclassed without some help, and you’ll only play him if you really need a one drop for a super aggro deck.
Gnarled Sage image 2.0 This has some decent stats and keywords, and sometimes it gets bigger. It is a surprisingly good road block for decks in this format.
Rise Again image 3.0 5-mana to reanimate is not usually very good in Limited, but this format is the exception to that rule. There is a very real and well-supported reanimation deck, and this Common is one of the key cards for it.
Tome Anima image 1.0 This card seems like it would be solid, but it just isn’t. It has mediocre stats that make it a liability as a blocker in many situations, and even as an unblockable attacker it doesn’t really feel that great.
Roaming Ghostlight image 4.0 My favorite Common in the set, the Ghostlight is great because it adds to the board while you take away from your opponents’, AND it adds a very relevant evasive body to the board. For a Common, it shifts games way in your favor.
Island image
Pack 3 Pick 3: Llanowar Visionary
Niambi, Esteemed Speaker image 3.0 Okay so, there really aren’t going to be enough legendary cards in this format for her second ability to work, so mostly what you’re paying for here is the 2-mana 2/1 that can bounce one of your creatures and gain you some life. As always with this type of effect, it is particularly nice to bounce something with an ETB ability, or a creature shut down by an aura-based removal spell. So, mostly she is a difficult to cast Goblin Piker with some decent upside.
Quirion Dryad image 1.0 // 3.0 So, a two-mana 1/1 isn’t good, but it is a two mana 1/1 that gets a +1/+1 counter any time you play a spell that isn’t Green. Now, achieving that can be a bit awkward in Limited -- because, theoretically, if you’re playing a two-drop like the Dryad, you’re probably a base-Green deck -- but the good news is that Green in most Limited formats has really good fixing, so you can definitely end up in a deck that is base Green, but a pretty big chunk of your spells are capable of growing the Dryad. Keep in mind too, that it can work a bit like Prowess -- where you can do stuff at Instant speed to grow her, and sometimes manufacture blowouts when you do. At this early stage of spoilers, I am really hoping there is a GX Multi-color archetype, and that the Dryad is a signpost uncommon -- if that’s the case, she could very well turn into a card that takes over games in that type of deck.
Epitaph Golem image 0.5 This has bad stats and an ability that isn’t especially again, unless you’re matched up against a Teferi’s Tutelage deck.
Pitchburn Devils image 1.5 This has terrible stats, but it has a death trigger which allows it to trade for things with 6 power, or – even better, can sometimes allow you to get a 2-for-1. That said, it is hard to overcome the inefficiency here.
Snarespinner image 2.0 This blocks flyers well, outright killing many of them. Green often needs something like this to combat flyers, and the first copy makes the cut reasonably often.
Walking Corpse image 1.0 This is a vanilla two drop that you’ll play only out of desperation.
Warded Battlements image 1.5 This is weird because it is a payoff for go-wide aggro decks, where the boost will be the most effective – but also weird because it has Defender, and that’s not usually what you’re looking for in an aggro deck. The Battlements are probably actually at their best in the UW skies deck – those decks usually need blockers on the ground while they attack in the air, and +1/+0 on a bunch of flyers is pretty nice. Still, you don’t even always run it in those decks.
Skyscanner image 2.5 Casting this always feels pretty decent. It replaces itself and then gives you a body that you can do something with – whether that’s attacking, trading, chump blocking, or being sacrificed for an effect, it all feel likes gravy at that point.
Concordia Pegasus image 1.5 This can attack early, but doesn’t exactly do anything super meaningful most of the time. This format does have +1/+1 counters and a flying archetype, and does help make it better. You will play this for sure, but you’ll also cut it a decent chunk of the time.
Wall of Runes image 1.0 This is a decent inclusion if you’re really defensive, but even there it isn’t great.
Trufflesnout image 3.0 This is a nice little card. Either option is a card you’d probably play. Having an option to choose which of those is ideal makes this a nice Common, and one that has synergy for some of the life gain payoffs in the format, as well as the +1/+1 counter payoffs.
Llanowar Visionary image 3.5 Wow, this is a strong common. If you just had a 3-mana 2/2 that tapped for Green, it would be solid -- if you just had a 3-mana 2/2 that drew you a card when it entered the battlefield, it would be pretty good. This card is basically Llanowar Elves and Elvish Visionary stapled together -- in terms of the name and the effects. So, this ramps you, and can also pretty easily give you a 2-for-1 because of the card it draws.
Blossoming Sands image 2.5 This give you nice fixing and even gain you some life! You should value these over most medium cards if they are in your color or you’re interested in fixing.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Capture Sphere
Transmogrify image 0.0 Well, Red usually gets at least one Rare or Mythic that is a super random card that looks like fun, but isn’t so good in Limited, and that’s what we have here. Most of the ways you could use this, you are really relying on chance. If you use it on your opponent, you have to hope they get a worse creature -- something that is a safe bet if they have a bomb in play, but something that is definitely not guaranteed against most creatures. If you use it on yourself, you kind of have to hope that you hit something better. Now, sure -- you could use this on a creature token, but even in cashing in a token for a random creature for 4 mana isn’t going to be worth it way too often. I think it is best to steer clear of this.
Tormod's Crypt image 0.5 This isn’t usually worth it in Limited, as it can only do one thing. There IS a legit graveyard deck in this format, which makes it a reasonable sideboard card, but you should never put this in your main deck.
Experimental Overload image 4.0 There are a lot of good cheap spells in this format, and that makes this really easy to make work. Even if you just get a 2/2 out of it, you're likely to get a 2-for-1, and by the late game the token you make from this becomes a legitimate win condition. Getting back a removal spell and making a reasonably sized token is a surprisingly powerful turn!
Rookie Mistake image 1.0 It is hard to line this up in an advantageous way, it is just so weird. However, it is cheap, and this format has spell payoffs, so that saves it from being completely unplayable.
Pridemalkin image 3.5 So, worst case scenario you have a 3-mana 3/2 with Trample here. That’s acceptable, but luckily it does even more! For one thing, you can put the counter anywhere -- like on a larger creature who will benefit more from Trample. For another, it gives Trample to any other creatures you control with +1/+1 counters too, so this will often come down and shake up the board. The fact that it can add something to the board right away, no matter what, is always attractive too. +1/+1-adding creatures who are reasonably efficient have always been good in Limited, and that’s what we have here -- in addition to some nice synergy.
Ornery Dilophosaur image 1.5 This card’s main downfall is that it costs 4 and frequently only has two toughness, which makes it die to a whole lot, and you’re usually losing tempo when it happens. It does have Deathtouch, which allows it to trade with whatever, but costing 4 makes that a lot less impressive. Becoming a 4/4 when it attacks is nice additional upside, but it isn’t that impressive, really.
Lofty Denial image 1.0 // 2.0 This is pretty terrible if you don’t have a flier, and if you do have one it is pretty passable, but still not great. Counterspells have serious issues in Limited because of how difficult it is to leave mana up for them, and this isn’t even a hard counter.
Forgotten Sentinel image 1.0 This has bad stats and a textbox that is just downside, but it does have 4 power, and some decks care about that.
Capture Sphere image 3.0 This is always pretty good removal for Blue. It doesn’t shut off static abilities, but it does pretty much everything else you’d like from your removal spells.
Burn Bright image 1.0 I never love this kind of mass pump effect in Limited. I like to get a toughness boost too, because that makes it far more flexible. If your creature was dead when your opponent blocked, it still will be even if you use this, and that means that this is really only worthwhile when you can do straight up lethal, really limiting its prospects.
Daybreak Charger image 3.0 This is a nice aggressive two drop. It starts with reasonable enough stats and then has a very real ETB ability. Giving something +2/+0 is often enough to enable attack that you didn’t have before, and giving the boost to a creature token or an evasive creature feels particularly satisfying. This is a premiere two-drop for White aggressive decks.
Plains image
Pack 3 Pick 5: Frost Breath
Miscast image 0.0 Countermagic that asks for card types that aren’t “creature” generally aren’t worth it in Limited, and this one isn’t either.
Furious Rise image 1.0 // 3.5 This is a nice 4-power payoff. It effectively draws you an extra card every turn, and that’s the kind of advantage that will win you the game after you trigger it a few times -- it is just hard for your opponent to keep up with that. It is obviously a build around -- an aggressive Red deck that doesn’t have creatures with high power won’t play this, and it is unlikely a UR spells type deck would either -- this is mostly here for the RG deck, which is all about 4 or more power.
Frost Breath image 1.0 I am never a huge fan of this type of situational effect. Sure, you can use it offensive, to get some attacks in, or defensively, to make a creature miss two rounds of attacks, but there are too many situations where it doesn’t do anything. For these effects to be worth it they usually need something else going on.
Secure the Scene image 1.5 The flexibility here is pretty nice. However, the mana cost and giving your opponent a 1/1 soldier aren’t so nice – it is especially clunky as a Sorcery. Removing something and then giving your opponent a creature, even a 1/1 creature, is just a huge downside. It really slows you down to not get a whole card of value out of this.
Infernal Scarring image 1.5 I generally don’t like this when we see it. It does replace itself if the creature dies, but it just gives such an underwhelming statsboost. You’ll play it in more aggressive decks, but even then it won’t always make the cut.
Revitalize image 0.5 // 2.0 This card is normally not worth it. However, this does gain you 3 life, which several cards in this set check for, and if you’re in a deck with several of those payoffs, it is probably going to make the cut a reasonable chunk of the time.
Staunch Shieldmate image 0.5 Well, those are some impressive stats on a one mana creature – we’ve never seen a one mana 1/3 with no downsides at all. That said, while he might do well on the vanilla test, he still isn’t all that impressive in Limited. He is quickly outclassed without some help, and you’ll only play him if you really need a one drop for a super aggro deck.
Liliana's Steward image 1.0 I don’t like this very much. Sure, it is a one drop that can kind of stay relevant all game, but its relevance is basically always very small. A one mana ½ is quickly outclassed in Limited, and giving this up to make your opponent discard a card of their choice doesn’t seem great to me either.
Short Sword image 2.0 This gives a reasonable boost for the cost, and in this format it really seems to overperform. It makes a lot of creatures get to 4 power for the RG deck for example.
Hunter's Edge image 3.5 We see cards like this a lot, and they’re always pretty good removal spells for Green decks. They come with the downside of usually being pretty clunky and risking a 2-for-1, so be careful when you cast it. The good news here is that this straight up does damage and isn’t a fight effect, so you don’t need to end up with a creature just the right size to survive fighting something else. It also means that the creature you use it on will be able to attack right away more easily, since it won’t have taken any damage.
Plains image
Pack 3 Pick 6: Sanctum of All
Sanctum of All image 0.0 This is cute but not worth going down the rabbit hole for. You just won’t get enough Sanctums for it to be worth it. Searching them up is cool, but generally by the time you have mana for this you’ll have found the others, and you’re basically never getting six or more shrines in play to get the bonus going.
Bolt Hound image 3.0 A 3-mana 2/2 with Haste usually isn’t anything special, but this is a lot more than that. The Warcry effect here will be adding additional damage to the board, and will often enable creatures to attack who just couldn’t before. The Hound is obviously going to really shine in aggro decks, especially those that go wide. And, if you can keep it alive after that first attack, it will do it again on the next turn! There will definitely be some games that start with 2-drop, bolt hound, and attack for 5 -- and then you can do it again the next turn!
Kitesail Freebooter image 3.0 This is a nice disruptive creature that also comes with some reasonable French Vanilla stats. Even though they get the creature back if they kill him, he will usually have disrupted their plan enough to really cause them problems, while also still getting traded for 1-for-1.
Infernal Scarring image 1.5 I generally don’t like this when we see it. It does replace itself if the creature dies, but it just gives such an underwhelming statsboost. You’ll play it in more aggressive decks, but even then it won’t always make the cut.
Makeshift Battalion image 2.0 This does a good job of supporting both the go-wide deck and the +1/+1 counter deck. But it isn’t stellar – a 3-mana 3/2 won’t be surviving more attacks, and while a 4/3 has a better shot – it isn’t exactly a juggernaut either.
Shock image 3.5 This almost always trades up, and it can even do the last 2 damage to your opponent. This is premium removal.
Turret Ogre image 2.5 This has decent stats to begin with, and then it is a nice 4-power payoff that has 4-power itself, making it slot quite nicely into the RG deck especially.
Blood Glutton image 2.0 This doesn’t have great stats, but trading with it and gaining some life is surprisingly decent, and it is a way to repeatedly gain life, something that the life gain decks really want.
Warded Battlements image 1.5 This is weird because it is a payoff for go-wide aggro decks, where the boost will be the most effective – but also weird because it has Defender, and that’s not usually what you’re looking for in an aggro deck. The Battlements are probably actually at their best in the UW skies deck – those decks usually need blockers on the ground while they attack in the air, and +1/+0 on a bunch of flyers is pretty nice. Still, you don’t even always run it in those decks.
Garruk's Gorehorn image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with huge power and low toughness, and I’m not really looking to play that most of the time.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Opt
Furious Rise image 1.0 // 3.5 This is a nice 4-power payoff. It effectively draws you an extra card every turn, and that’s the kind of advantage that will win you the game after you trigger it a few times -- it is just hard for your opponent to keep up with that. It is obviously a build around -- an aggressive Red deck that doesn’t have creatures with high power won’t play this, and it is unlikely a UR spells type deck would either -- this is mostly here for the RG deck, which is all about 4 or more power.
Opt image 2.0 This is always pretty decent, especially in formats that have spell payoffs, and this one does.
Village Rites image 1.5 I think it is fair to compare this to Tormenting Voice. Both cost you two cards to get you two cards. And yes, there are some differences -- the Rite needs a creature in play and it is an Instant, but I think this will serve a similar purpose. If you have lots of creature tokens, or use it in response to removal, or sacrifice a creature shut down by an Aura, it is going to feel pretty good -- and if you have sacrifice synergies it will be a little better to, but I think that it only makes the cut in your deck about half of the time, and usually just barely as a 23rd or 24th card.
Fetid Imp image 2.5 Creatures with death touch are always nice because they can trade with pretty much anything, and Fetid Imp can trade for way more than to having Flying! And, in the mean time, it isn’t a bad attacker in the air.
Chandra's Magmutt image 3.0 This has Grizzly Bear stats and the ability to do 1 to the opponent every turn, and that ability means that the Magemutt stays relevant all game long, after being a decent play on turn two. This will end up threatening a lot of extra damage on the opponent.
Run Afoul image 0.5 This is mostly just a sideboard card. An edict for only flyers is a dead card too often, and even as a sideboard card it leaves a lot to be desired.
Gloom Sower image 1.0 // 2.0 This card is mostly not very good – it has low toughness for the cost and is very easy to take down. However, it does slot reasonably well into the UB reanimator deck, and that helps make it a more appealing card.
Dub image 2.5 This Aura gives a big enough stats boost and a good enough keyword ability that it is worth the risk of getting 2-for-1’d. It is especially nice on lifelinkers or flyers. Aggro decks will virtually always play the first copy.
Forest image
Pack 3 Pick 8: Teferi's Protege
Angelic Ascension image 2.0 People always overrate this kind of card. It can do a lot of stuff for sure -- you can use it to downgrade one of your opponent’s creature, or to upgrade one of yours -- the latter is more frequently going to be the plan, because a 4/4 Angel won’t be much of a downgrade most of the time. The ideal thing to do with this is going to be to use it at instant speed somehow -- either on a creature that is going to die to removal anyway, or in response to an opponent attacking, so you can turn your smaller creature into a 4/4 that can block more effectively. All that said, this kind of card pretty much always underperforms. It is exciting to think about turning your one drop into a 4/4 angel -- but you are effectively 2-for-1ing yourself to pull that off, which is a bit dangerous. It can win you the game if your opponent doesn’t have an answer, but if they do – you are going to be in trouble tempo-wise. This is just a solid playable, and not much more.
Teferi's Protege image 2.5 Looting is nice because it helps you get through your library and gives you nice card selection. This looter also comes with reasonable stats for the investment as a ⅔. It is somewhat limited as a looter since it asks for two mana every time you do it, but that’s ok -- it is a good place to be spending your mana as the game goes long, and it will definitely have a positive impact on the outcome of long games. This is a solid Blue common.
Goblin Arsonist image 2.0 So, this is a one mana creature that can trade up for X/2s, and even threaten 2-for-1s when your opponent has two X/1s in play. It can also just ping the opponent for one when that is going to be meaningful. It also has a little bit of extra value in the Sacrifice deck, since it will give you some sort of value in addition to whatever the sacrifice effect gives you.
Celestial Enforcer image 2.5 If you don’t have fliers, you probably hope you don’t play this, but as long as you have 4 or 5 Flyers, this probably gets into the playable range, and that isn’t a crazy thing to achieve. Tap down effects are always nice in Limited, and even a situational one like this is well worth playing.
Infernal Scarring image 1.5 I generally don’t like this when we see it. It does replace itself if the creature dies, but it just gives such an underwhelming statsboost. You’ll play it in more aggressive decks, but even then it won’t always make the cut.
Ranger's Guile image 2.0 This is a fairly decent combat trick for Limited. The stats boost isn’t hte mos impressive for the cost -- but Hexproof is where this gets some extra power, since it means you can no tonly use Guile to win combat, you can use it to save your creature.
Dub image 2.5 This Aura gives a big enough stats boost and a good enough keyword ability that it is worth the risk of getting 2-for-1’d. It is especially nice on lifelinkers or flyers. Aggro decks will virtually always play the first copy.
Ornery Dilophosaur image 1.5 This card’s main downfall is that it costs 4 and frequently only has two toughness, which makes it die to a whole lot, and you’re usually losing tempo when it happens. It does have Deathtouch, which allows it to trade with whatever, but costing 4 makes that a lot less impressive. Becoming a 4/4 when it attacks is nice additional upside, but it isn’t that impressive, really.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Spined Megalodon
Nine Lives image 0.0 So, for 3-mana you get to prevent 8 separate instances of damage. I say 8, because when the 9th instance of damage happens, Nine Lives goes away and you lose the game. So the question is, how much time are you buying yourself by preventing eight sources of damage? It is a hard question to answer, and one that is highly dependent on what your opponent is doing. If they are an aggro deck, every single one of their creatures that hits you puts a counter on this. If they are a more controlly deck, this is probably more effective, because those decks have fewer creatures and thus fewer sources of damage. It is made stranger by the fact that – in a lot of ways – playing it early is not a good call. Generally, if this is in your hand, you’re going to need to take a lot of hits – get down low on life – before you play it, to take full advantage of what the card can do for you. This is weakened by the fact that there are a few cards in this set that cause a loss of life, instead of damage – too. This means if you DO go really low, there are a few cards that can STILL kill you, and that’s going to be a real bummer. I think overall, this just won’t do enough for you most of the time. It will buy you some time, but cards that do that are rarely worth it in Limited – it isn’t like you are going to combo off or something most of the time. Don’t play this.
Sanctum of Shattered Heights image 0.5 // 3.0 This is not very good unless you’re in a Sanctum deck, where it does two key things. First, it is removal, and second it gives you something to do with your duplicate sanctums.
Forgotten Sentinel image 1.0 This has bad stats and a textbox that is just downside, but it does have 4 power, and some decks care about that.
Life Goes On image 0.5 This gains you a bunch of life and that’s all. That’s not something you usually play in Limited. Maybe if you are GW and have some of the White life gain payoffs it can make it, but that won’t happen often.
Spined Megalodon image 1.5 // 2.5 Big hexproof guys like this usually can find a place in Limited. They are at their best in more controlling decks, as it provides a large Blocker who your opponent just can’t interact with. Hexproof creatures also tend to be good places to put Auras, since getting 2-for-1’d when you put it on a hexproof creature is so unlikely. It is a nice bit of additional value that this Scries when you attack with it, too. UB Reanimator is a very real deck in this format, and this is one of the Commons that you’re pretty happy to play there.
Defiant Strike image 0.5 If White doesn’t have some sort of theme built around spells or combat tricks, this card is usually not very good. Sure, it does replace itself, but the stats boost is meaningless or may as well be far too often for me to play this most of the time.
Forest image
Pack 3 Pick 10: Roaming Ghostlight
Wall of Runes image 1.0 This is a decent inclusion if you’re really defensive, but even there it isn’t great.
Lofty Denial image 1.0 // 2.0 This is pretty terrible if you don’t have a flier, and if you do have one it is pretty passable, but still not great. Counterspells have serious issues in Limited because of how difficult it is to leave mana up for them, and this isn’t even a hard counter.
Gnarled Sage image 2.0 This has some decent stats and keywords, and sometimes it gets bigger. It is a surprisingly good road block for decks in this format.
Tome Anima image 1.0 This card seems like it would be solid, but it just isn’t. It has mediocre stats that make it a liability as a blocker in many situations, and even as an unblockable attacker it doesn’t really feel that great.
Roaming Ghostlight image 4.0 My favorite Common in the set, the Ghostlight is great because it adds to the board while you take away from your opponents’, AND it adds a very relevant evasive body to the board. For a Common, it shifts games way in your favor.
Island image
Pack 3 Pick 11: Trufflesnout
Epitaph Golem image 0.5 This has bad stats and an ability that isn’t especially again, unless you’re matched up against a Teferi’s Tutelage deck.
Concordia Pegasus image 1.5 This can attack early, but doesn’t exactly do anything super meaningful most of the time. This format does have +1/+1 counters and a flying archetype, and does help make it better. You will play this for sure, but you’ll also cut it a decent chunk of the time.
Wall of Runes image 1.0 This is a decent inclusion if you’re really defensive, but even there it isn’t great.
Trufflesnout image 3.0 This is a nice little card. Either option is a card you’d probably play. Having an option to choose which of those is ideal makes this a nice Common, and one that has synergy for some of the life gain payoffs in the format, as well as the +1/+1 counter payoffs.
Blossoming Sands image 2.5 This give you nice fixing and even gain you some life! You should value these over most medium cards if they are in your color or you’re interested in fixing.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Ornery Dilophosaur
Rookie Mistake image 1.0 It is hard to line this up in an advantageous way, it is just so weird. However, it is cheap, and this format has spell payoffs, so that saves it from being completely unplayable.
Ornery Dilophosaur image 1.5 This card’s main downfall is that it costs 4 and frequently only has two toughness, which makes it die to a whole lot, and you’re usually losing tempo when it happens. It does have Deathtouch, which allows it to trade with whatever, but costing 4 makes that a lot less impressive. Becoming a 4/4 when it attacks is nice additional upside, but it isn’t that impressive, really.
Forgotten Sentinel image 1.0 This has bad stats and a textbox that is just downside, but it does have 4 power, and some decks care about that.
Plains image
Pack 3 Pick 13: Staunch Shieldmate
Furious Rise image 1.0 // 3.5 This is a nice 4-power payoff. It effectively draws you an extra card every turn, and that’s the kind of advantage that will win you the game after you trigger it a few times -- it is just hard for your opponent to keep up with that. It is obviously a build around -- an aggressive Red deck that doesn’t have creatures with high power won’t play this, and it is unlikely a UR spells type deck would either -- this is mostly here for the RG deck, which is all about 4 or more power.
Staunch Shieldmate image 0.5 Well, those are some impressive stats on a one mana creature – we’ve never seen a one mana 1/3 with no downsides at all. That said, while he might do well on the vanilla test, he still isn’t all that impressive in Limited. He is quickly outclassed without some help, and you’ll only play him if you really need a one drop for a super aggro deck.
Plains image
Pack 3 Pick 14: Garruk's Gorehorn
Turret Ogre image 2.5 This has decent stats to begin with, and then it is a nice 4-power payoff that has 4-power itself, making it slot quite nicely into the RG deck especially.
Garruk's Gorehorn image 1.0 This is a vanilla creature with huge power and low toughness, and I’m not really looking to play that most of the time.
Pack 3 Pick 15: Forest
Forest image
Draft Pick Overview