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Premier Draft MID 30 September 2021

30 September 10:46 - ColinReed 7 Wins - 1 Losses
Maindeck
Creature (20)
1 Morkrut Behemoth image
1 Sungold Sentinel image
1 Beloved Beggar // Generous Soul image
1 Search Party Captain image
1 Bereaved Survivor // Dauntless Avenger image
1 Clarion Cathars image
1 Briarbridge Tracker image
2 Siege Zombie image
1 Ecstatic Awakener // Awoken Demon image
1 Arrogant Outlaw image
1 Fleshtaker image
1 Ritual Guardian image
1 Celestus Sanctifier image
1 Cathar Commando image
1 Liesa, Forgotten Archangel image
1 Mourning Patrol // Morning Apparition image
1 Lunarch Veteran // Luminous Phantom image
2 Gavony Silversmith image
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (8)
1 Borrowed Time image
1 Crawl from the Cellar image
1 Infernal Grasp image
1 Rise of the Ants image
1 Ghoulish Procession image
1 Sungold Barrage image
1 Curse of Leeches // Leeching Lurker image
1 Defenestrate image
Land (17)
8 Swamp image
8 Plains image
1 Evolving Wilds image
Sideboard
1 Briarbridge Tracker image
1 Ritual Guardian image
2 Celestus Sanctifier image
1 Cathar Commando image
1 Mourning Patrol image
1 Timberland Guide image
1 Bat Whisperer image
3 Arrogant Outlaw image
1 Rise of the Ants image
2 Hedgewitch's Mask image
2 Flare of Faith image
1 Sacred Fire image
1 Blessed Defiance image

Pack 1 Pick 1: Briarbridge Tracker
Briarbridge Tracker image 4.0 This isn’t the bomb that Tireless Tracker was, but it is still a very good card. It will be a 3-mana 4/3 with Vigilance that gives you a valuable Clue, and that means it will often represent a 2-for-1. Ideally, you are hoping that you can cash in the clue and still hold on to the stats boost, and that seems reasonably doable with other tokens in this set.
Spellrune Painter image 3.5 A 3-mana ⅔ that gets +1/+1 when you cast an instant or sorcery is a pretty solid little card to begin with. It has the kind of stats that make it kind of a pain to block or attack into against an opponent who has mana up and cards in hand. It would probably be a C if that’s all this card was. But, of course, its a werewolf, and if its night time, you get a bigger creature that gets even bigger when you cast an Instant or Sorcery! This thing looks like it will be a real beating.
Clear Shot image 4.0 This is a reprint from our last visit to Innistrad, where it was an excellent removal spell. The stats boost + punch effect is great, and you can even use it sometimes to create a 2-for-1 situation. As always with this type of card, you have to pick your spot with it wisely, because you get blown out sometimes if your opponent can interact, but its still premium, and potential Green’s best Uncommon.
Lunar Frenzy image 2.5 This seems like a solid trick for aggro decks. For one Red, it can give first Strike and Trample, and sometimes that’s all you need! But if you have extra mana lying around, it can turn a situation into a nightmare for your opponent, since it will allow pretty much any creature to win combat and do significant damage. The fact it is customizable is quite nice! Still, its a trick -- and those tend to only be worth it in really aggressive decks, and even then can be risky.
Silver Bolt image 1.5 If you need removal really badly, you’ll play this in your main deck where it can be kind of passable. Especially because when you end up against werewolves, it will actually be a pretty good deal.
No Way Out image 1.0 Tacking a Decay zombie on to Mind Rot isn’t that great, especially in a format where people will happily discard many of their cards.
Celestus Sanctifier image 2.0 If you are changing between night and day a lot, this gives you some decent card selection, and even lets you load the graveyard a bit -- like with Flashback or Disturb cards. That said, it has mediocre stats, and the ability isn’t incredible, and it won’t always be easy to get going in the first place.
Morkrut Behemoth image 2.5 The idea here is to sacrifice something to it that isn’t a big deal, like a Zombie token, and if you do that then yeah – a 7/6 with Menace on turn 5 is pretty imposing. You can also just straight up pay 7 for it, which isn’t great but its not a disaster either. This seems like some decent top curve for some Black decks in the format – especially UB and BW – but I think you’ll find you cut it a pretty significant chunk of the time for cards that are just better.
Shadowbeast Sighting image 3.0 This is decently efficient when you first cast it, and when you cast it the second time you’re going to be getting a 2-for-1.
Vampire Interloper image 2.5 This has nice aggressive stats, and looks like a decent enabler for all the Black-Red cards that care about your opponent losing life.
Ritual Guardian image 2.0 If this was a 3-mana 3/2 that always had Lifelink, it would probably be a 2.5 or 3.0. The fact this won’t always have it, and in fact probably won’t have it a decent chunk of the time, makes this significanlty worse than that, because a 3-mana 3/2 is just an ugly stat line these days.
Mounted Dreadknight image 2.0 This has a decent baseline, and sometimes it will be especially big. Not a bad thing to have at the top of your curve.
Locked in the Cemetery image 3.0 So, if this always tapped the thing you attached it to, it would probably be premium removal. Two mana for that effect is pretty great! However, in the early game, making it do that is going to be pretty challenging. By the mid-game it becomes much more doable. Overall, I think having to have a loaded up graveyard to make this work does keep it from being premium, but it still a pretty good Blue common.
Ecstatic Awakener image 2.5 One mana 1/1s are pretty bad, they just lose relevance quickly. The Awakener gets around that to some extent as a result of its ability to transform into Awoken Demon. Transforming it is a little bit steep at 3 mana and sacrificing something, but there is going to be some significant sacrifice fodder in both Black/White and Blue/Black, so it won’t hurt quite as much as it might look at first. Still, you aren’t really doing incredible when you transform this into a 4/4.
Pack 1 Pick 2: Infernal Grasp
Infernal Grasp image 4.0 This is obviously incredible. An Instant that kills a creature for only two mana is incredible, and there aren’t even any limitations here like we usually see. Now, you do have to have 2 life, but that’s not really a big ask. This is a candidate for best Uncommon in the set.
Loyal Gryff image 2.5 A Wind Drake with Flash is already something that would pretty much always make the cut, and this comes with the additional upside of allowing to bounce one of your creatures. This can help a creature avoid removal, or allow you to retrigger an ETB ability, among other things. It isn’t always going to happen that you line up the ETB ability to actually do something, of course -- sometimes you’ll just need the creature here, but it is still nice upside on a solid card.
Cathar's Call image 1.5 mana is a lot for an Enchantment that offers only a very minimal stats boost to the creature you put it on. Vigilance just isn’t something to get excited about. Its nice that it churns out a token every turn, but you probably need to get at least 2 of them before the investment feels reasonable, and you’re going to get blown out in a big way if your opponent just kills the creature you stick this on. Green/White definitely wants to go wide, but there are less risky ways of doing that.
Startle image 2.0 I don’t normally play most Blue “combat tricks” that shrink the power of a creature, but this tacks on enough additional stuff that it seems like it will be pretty solid. The problem with this kind of card is it isn’t always possible for you to trade card-for-card with it, since your creature has to already be big enough to kill the other creature. However, this lets you draw a card and makes you a Decay Zombie, and that’s quite a bit for only two mana! The times where you are able to use this card to help you kill an opposing creature it will feel insane!
Festival Crasher image 0.5 // 2.5 This has a very mediocre baseline. A two mana ⅓ these days is probably a D-. It does have some real upside though, and the threat of activation is pretty real! If your opponent just has a 2/2, and you attack with this and leave mana up, they just can’t afford to block it! Chaining multiple spells together is obviously the dream, but don’t count on doing that a ton in Limited. This will make the cut in decks with a decent number of spells, and probably be something you pass on in any other deck.
Galedrifter image 3.0 This isn’t quite a hard counter, but its pretty close, and adding to the board while you counter a thing isn’t bad, even if what you’re adding is a token that can’t block and can only attack once. 55 – Galedrifter – 3.0 A 4-mana 3/2 Flyer is a 1.5, so getting a second body out of this, even if it isn’t the most efficient one when you Disturb it, is going to be some nice additional value.
Drownyard Amalgam image 2.0 This sets up some graveyard value for you and has a decent defensive body, not to mention an ability that will sometimes help you close out a game. A lot of the time though, it just won’t do enough. Seems reasonable in some controlling decks.
Stuffed Bear image 1.0 This set doesn’t have much of an Artifact theme. If it did, the BEar would be a little more interesting. As it is, it is a creature that you have to pay mana for every turn to actually make into a creature. And, while that activation isn’t so bad the first time around, you eventually end up having to pay a ton of mana for this to actually be a card on the board that matters, and I don’t really think you want to be doing that.
Abandon the Post image 0.0 // 2.5 I’m not a huge fan of this type of card, mostly because it basically does nothing unless you win the game with it. That said, if you have six mana available to cast it both times in a single turn, it does stand a pretty good chance of stealing a win out of nowhere. A card like this is soo all-in on aggro though that I think we do need to give it a buildaround grade If you are an aggro deck, you’ll probably play one copy of this and feel alright about it. Otherwise you pretty much can’t play it.
Gavony Silversmith image 2.5 If you have at least one other creature in play, you’re getting a 4-mana ¾ and putting another counter on a creature who can attack that turn, and that’s a solid enough deal. Sometimes you’ll be able to add 2/2 to the board that can attack right away too. It can also help you get coven by diversifying your creatures’ power.
Duel for Dominance image 2.5 This isn’t going to be premium removal. It will simply be 1G to Fight often enough that it just can’t get there. When you do get the +1/+1 bonus it will feel good for sure, and if it always did that, it would be premium, but as it is, I think it falls short of that designation. Its still decent Green removal of course, but not the kind you go after super hard.
Olivia's Midnight Ambush image 3.5 This is decent removal if it is day time or neither night nor day, and when it is night time, its just insane. If it was only the night time mode it would be an easy 4.5! As it is, I think it has a reasonable enough base line and a high enough ceiling that we can call it premium.
Clarion Cathars image 2.5 We see this basic card a lot, and its always solid. Two bodies for four mana is nice, and the reasonable stats distributed across them is pretty good.
Pack 1 Pick 3: Rise of the Ants
Rise of the Ants image 3.0 This is a nice little card. Don’t get me wrong, 6 mana for two 3/3s and 2 life isn’t incredible, but it is pasasble, and can enable a 2-for-1 on the right board. Casting this the first time will often do enough to help you stabilize between the two bodies and that life too. Flashing it Back will feel really good too, and if you manage to get to that point, this will have given you 4 bodies, all of which can conceivably trade for something. And yeah, it isn’t exactly efficient, but it is effectively card advantage! Still, it is expensive and clunky, so I can’t imagine taking it super early, but having one of these in most of your grindy Green decks seems pretty nice.
Skaab Wrangler image 2.5 This is a two mana 2/1 with some reasonable upside. In the later part of the game that ability can actually do some work, though you won’t always be in a position to activate it.
Burn the Accursed image 2.5 This isn’t exactly premium, but is an instant that kills most stuff, damages your opponent, and even exiles creatures, which certainly matters here.
Famished Foragers image 3.0 A 4-mana 4/3 is sort of passable already, and this will often be able to come down and give you some mana, which -- if nothing else, you can use to rummage using its ability. Sometimes, it will enable a pretty impressive double spell turn too, which will feel amazing. You won’t always be making that happen, but the card has a very reasonable baseline and a pretty nice ceiling.
Candlegrove Witch image 2.5 This is a Bear that will often, though not always, have flying in the late game. Flying helps it stay relevant throughout the game, which is nice. Seems like a solid two drop.
Might of the Old Ways image 2.0 This looks like a decent enough trick. Two mana for +2/+2 isn’t incredible, but when you can make the Coven thing happen, it turns into a draw spell, which will often mean a 2-for-1. You’ll end up playing this in aggressive Green decks.
Devious Cover-Up image 1.0 This is a hard counter, but four mana is a ton to have to have available at the right time, and the additional value this gives you just isn’t going to make up for that.
Stolen Vitality image 1.5 This is a decent trick that give you lethal out of nowhere on an attacking creature, and one that can also be used defensive quite effectly thanks to the First Strike. Now, using this kind of card defensively is definitely not optimal, but it is upside for sure. I don’t love that it only bumps toughness by 1, since if you’re the one attacking, there’s still a good chance your creature will die.
Crawl from the Cellar image 2.0 This is an interesting take on the usual Sorcery that lets you return two creatures to your hand. The first time you cast this, the value is going to be pretty nice, provided you have a zombie, as it effectively replaces itself while making a creature bigger. The second time is less efficient, but in the you pay 5 mana for a 2-for-1 and two +1/+1 counters, which actually isn’t too bad. Now, you really would prefer to be putting these counters on zombies that don’t have decay to get full value out of them, but a significant chunk of the time that’s probably where the counter goes, and you may also just not have anywhere to put the counter in the first place.
Hedgewitch's Mask image 1.5 This is a decent, albeit unimpressive, piece of Equipment. One to play and two to equip is kind of alright, and the upside of being unblockable by bigger stuff doesn’t hurt. It can help you get Coven. Still, this format doesn’t seem to have a huge equipment theme, and that probably means this gets cut a lot.
Galedrifter image 3.0 This isn’t quite a hard counter, but its pretty close, and adding to the board while you counter a thing isn’t bad, even if what you’re adding is a token that can’t block and can only attack once. 55 – Galedrifter – 3.0 A 4-mana 3/2 Flyer is a 1.5, so getting a second body out of this, even if it isn’t the most efficient one when you Disturb it, is going to be some nice additional value.
Consider image 1.5 This format has a spells matter deck in UR and it has various graveyard synergies, so this seems like a decent inclusion. It is a lot like Opt, and that’s not a bad comparison! That said, it is also pretty darn replaceable, especially if you’re not in a deck that cares about the graveyard or spells, and it will often be an easy card to cut in those situations.
Pack 1 Pick 4: Siege Zombie
Vampire Socialite image 4.0 The baseline of a two mana 2/2 with Menace is a pretty good starting point, and then you add in all the vampire and pseudo-bloodthirst upside, and you have a pretty nice signpost uncommon. One really nice thing here is that you get paid off if you already have vampires in play when you play it and if you play it first. This looks like a strong signpost uncommon. One that might be worth taking with a first pick sometimes.
Rite of Oblivion image 3.0 Its nice this can exile any nonland permanent, and even nicer that it has flashback! However, the cost of giving up your own nonland permanent is very real. Now, if you have some Clues and/or Zombie tokens, it won’t hurt too badly, but a lot of the time you’ll be straight up 2-for-1ing yourself. And, that’s something that it is worth doing sometimes. Giving up your worst permanent for their best is reasonable, but going down the full card is still pretty rough. I think the first copy of this looks like an auto-include in BW decks, but beyond that first one, I’d be skeptical.
Harvesttide Infiltrator image 2.5 This has a decent fail case as a 3-mana 3/2 with Trample, and sometimes it will be bigger.
Startle image 2.0 I don’t normally play most Blue “combat tricks” that shrink the power of a creature, but this tacks on enough additional stuff that it seems like it will be pretty solid. The problem with this kind of card is it isn’t always possible for you to trade card-for-card with it, since your creature has to already be big enough to kill the other creature. However, this lets you draw a card and makes you a Decay Zombie, and that’s quite a bit for only two mana! The times where you are able to use this card to help you kill an opposing creature it will feel insane!
Siege Zombie image 2.0 This seems passable, as in the early game it has alright stats, and in the late game it can be a real source of reach. It can also help you activate cards that give you a bonus if an opponent has lost life. Still, it does ask for a lot to make the opponent lose that 1 life, and it just won’t always be doable.
Tapping at the Window image 2.5 This gives some decent card selection while also loading your graveyard, and you end up with a 2-for-1 after you cast it the second time – and you’ve also seen a ton of cards!
Electric Revelation image 1.5 This is an expensive Tormenting Voice, buts it’s an instant and it has flashback. This format does have a graveyard theme for sure, so discarding cards to cast this isn’t a huge deal. Still, it doesn’t impact the board in any way, and is replaceable overall.
Ardent Elementalist image 3.0 This will get you a pretty nice 2-for-1 most of the time, especially since as a 2/1, it stands a pretty good chance of trading with something in addition to getting you back a key instant or sorcery.
Might of the Old Ways image 2.0 This looks like a decent enough trick. Two mana for +2/+2 isn’t incredible, but when you can make the Coven thing happen, it turns into a draw spell, which will often mean a 2-for-1. You’ll end up playing this in aggressive Green decks.
Celestus Sanctifier image 2.0 If you are changing between night and day a lot, this gives you some decent card selection, and even lets you load the graveyard a bit -- like with Flashback or Disturb cards. That said, it has mediocre stats, and the ability isn’t incredible, and it won’t always be easy to get going in the first place.
Path to the Festival image 2.0 This is pretty clunky since it doesn't add to the board at all. It can do it again from the graveyard though, which can potentially really turbo your mana. It is also reasonable fixing, and if you're splashing a third color, that Scry will be nice.
Pack 1 Pick 5: Ghoulish Procession
Ghoulish Procession image 3.0 If your deck has a decent number of non-token creatures and/or lots of way to take down opposing creatures, this looks pretty nice. And doing either of those things in Black doesn’t look crazy difficult! Sure, the tokens are temporary, but paying two mana for a token factory like this seems very nice, even if they are decaying.
Search Party Captain image 3.5 A 4-mana 2/2 that draws you a card is like a 2.0, and decreasing that cost even by 1 is a huge upgrade. So, the fact that sometimes you can play this for two or one mana and then cast what you draw seems really good. This is one of White’s better Commons.
Rotten Reunion image 1.5 Hating on a couple graveyard cards and getting a couple of Zombies that can either pressure your opponent or act as sacrifice fodder seems alright for a three mana investment.
Otherworldly Gaze image 0.5 Loading the graveyard is important in this format, its true, but a card that pretty much only does that, while giving you some card selection, isn’t something I’m interested in. You never get the card back. There are so many cards that load the graveyard while doing actual other things!
Harvesttide Infiltrator image 2.5 This has a decent fail case as a 3-mana 3/2 with Trample, and sometimes it will be bigger.
Timberland Guide image 3.0 This is a reprint, and even if it wasn’t, we see cards like this a lot, and I also like them a decent amount. They are nice as two drops, as they can be two mana 2/2s, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more relevant. There isn’t a +1/+1 counter deck in this format, but the counter this guy brings with him can really help you set up Coven, since you add him to the board and put the counter somewhere else, and you’re already 2/3 of the way there!
Might of the Old Ways image 2.0 This looks like a decent enough trick. Two mana for +2/+2 isn’t incredible, but when you can make the Coven thing happen, it turns into a draw spell, which will often mean a 2-for-1. You’ll end up playing this in aggressive Green decks.
Evolving Wilds image 3.0 This is always really nice fixing, and I tend to like it even more than the rare dual lands here, especially because it throws itself in the graveyard and that definitely matters in this set.
Silver Bolt image 1.5 If you need removal really badly, you’ll play this in your main deck where it can be kind of passable. Especially because when you end up against werewolves, it will actually be a pretty good deal.
Cathar Commando image 2.5 You can flash this in to ambush block an X/3, and most X/3s will cost more than the Commando, so that’s nice! The additional utility of blowing up artifacts and enchantments doesn’t hurt either. This is a solid Common.
Pack 1 Pick 6: Ecstatic Awakener
Loyal Gryff image 2.5 A Wind Drake with Flash is already something that would pretty much always make the cut, and this comes with the additional upside of allowing to bounce one of your creatures. This can help a creature avoid removal, or allow you to retrigger an ETB ability, among other things. It isn’t always going to happen that you line up the ETB ability to actually do something, of course -- sometimes you’ll just need the creature here, but it is still nice upside on a solid card.
Shipwreck Sifters image 1.5 A two mana ½ who loots is fine, and this one can get bigger. I don’t think you’ll want to discard a spirit or a card with Disturb to it all that often, since the power of those cards is often in the fact that you get the two bodies, but you’ll discard those things sometimes and it’ll get bigger.
Stolen Vitality image 1.5 This is a decent trick that give you lethal out of nowhere on an attacking creature, and one that can also be used defensive quite effectly thanks to the First Strike. Now, using this kind of card defensively is definitely not optimal, but it is upside for sure. I don’t love that it only bumps toughness by 1, since if you’re the one attacking, there’s still a good chance your creature will die.
Candletrap image 3.0 This is pretty cheap removal. Before you get Coven online, it definitely isn’t great removal, because allowing the creature to still block is usually not what you want to be doing. It can’t do damage at least, but it still a presence on the board, and that means you aren’t trading a full 1-for-1. But its nice than in the later game, you can just get rid of that creature entirely. Still, it is probably a little too slow and clunky to be premium.
Unblinking Observer image 2.5 This will help you cast enough stuff that it seems like a solid Common. It fits nicely in the UR spells deck and the UW deck, which will be the most disturb heavy deck in the format. I’m giving it a 2.5.
Flare of Faith image 2.0 This seems like a decent trick if you’re a White aggro deck with lots of Humans in it. It gives a decent stats boost that will often allow your creature to win combat. Two mana for just +2/+2 is pretty mediocre for a trick, but the Human upside will make it worth running often enough
Raze the Effigy image 1.5 This format doesn’t have a ton of artifacts, but having the option to destroy an artifact on a decent combat trick certainly makes it more flexible.
Ecstatic Awakener image 2.5 One mana 1/1s are pretty bad, they just lose relevance quickly. The Awakener gets around that to some extent as a result of its ability to transform into Awoken Demon. Transforming it is a little bit steep at 3 mana and sacrificing something, but there is going to be some significant sacrifice fodder in both Black/White and Blue/Black, so it won’t hurt quite as much as it might look at first. Still, you aren’t really doing incredible when you transform this into a 4/4.
Brimstone Vandal image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ with Menace is already something you play a decent chunk of the time, so the addition Night and Day value here is pretty great! On its own, it is a 3-mana ⅔ with Menace, and will do a a bit of damage over the course of the game. This is a quality common.
Pack 1 Pick 7: Arrogant Outlaw
Seize the Storm image 2.5 So, you kind of need to be getting a 5/5 with this before you’ll feel like you’re getting there, and that’s asking kind of a lot. I suppose a 4/4 is passable, but yeah. The fact it has Flashback is certainly nice, but you still just need so many instants and sorceries in your graveyard to make it work, and even in the UR spell deck, I’m not very confident you’ll be able to do that consistently enough.
Soul-Guide Gryff image 2.5 This has decent Flying stats, and exiling a card with Flashback or Disturb is pretty relevant in the format.
Jack-o'-Lantern image 1.5 Well, if this set wasn’t screaming “Halloween!” at you already, it is now! This card looks kind of alright for Limited. Exiling a problem card in a graveyard and drawing a card for a total investment of two mana really isn’t that bad, and then it is fixing from your graveyard too, which seems fine. I definitely don’t think you always run this, but it seems like it will be your 23rd card sometimes, especially if you’re interested in the fixing.
Drownyard Amalgam image 2.0 This sets up some graveyard value for you and has a decent defensive body, not to mention an ability that will sometimes help you close out a game. A lot of the time though, it just won’t do enough. Seems reasonable in some controlling decks.
Electric Revelation image 1.5 This is an expensive Tormenting Voice, buts it’s an instant and it has flashback. This format does have a graveyard theme for sure, so discarding cards to cast this isn’t a huge deal. Still, it doesn’t impact the board in any way, and is replaceable overall.
Revenge of the Drowned image 2.5 4 mana to Time Ebb a creature isn’t amazing. It does let you trade 1-for-1 with what you target, since your opponent has to redraw that card again, and that’s nice. The 2/2 Zombie of course can’t block, so you can’t really manufacture a huge blowout most of the time. It is a body that will be relevant when you untap though.
Arrogant Outlaw image 2.0 When this is just a 3-mana 3/2, it won’t feel great. But sometimes, it will drain the opponent two life, which will feel like you’re getting your mana’s worth. You’ll probably cut this a significant chunk of the time, but playing it isn’t a disaster.
Bounding Wolf image 2.0 Reach is extra good in this format because there are a ton of flyers as a result that everything that has disturb comes back as a Flyer. So if you’re in Green, you’re going to need a way to stop that. Bounding Wolf can do it, and it even ambush block thanks to flash!
Pack 1 Pick 8: Fleshtaker
Fleshtaker image 4.0 This looks like a pretty strong signpost Uncommon. It starts with solid base stats, and every time it attacks your opponent really has to take stock of just how big it might become! On top of that, it is a more general sacrifice payoff, which works with itself as well as other cards, and gaining life and scrying is pretty nice additional value to add to sacrifices.
Thraben Exorcism image 0.5 Against some opponents this will feel really good -- namely, against UW -- but against other decks it just won’t have targets often enough to be worth it.
Flare of Faith image 2.0 This seems like a decent trick if you’re a White aggro deck with lots of Humans in it. It gives a decent stats boost that will often allow your creature to win combat. Two mana for just +2/+2 is pretty mediocre for a trick, but the Human upside will make it worth running often enough
Arrogant Outlaw image 2.0 When this is just a 3-mana 3/2, it won’t feel great. But sometimes, it will drain the opponent two life, which will feel like you’re getting your mana’s worth. You’ll probably cut this a significant chunk of the time, but playing it isn’t a disaster.
Burn the Accursed image 2.5 This isn’t exactly premium, but is an instant that kills most stuff, damages your opponent, and even exiles creatures, which certainly matters here.
Tapping at the Window image 2.5 This gives some decent card selection while also loading your graveyard, and you end up with a 2-for-1 after you cast it the second time – and you’ve also seen a ton of cards!
Hedgewitch's Mask image 1.5 This is a decent, albeit unimpressive, piece of Equipment. One to play and two to equip is kind of alright, and the upside of being unblockable by bigger stuff doesn’t hurt. It can help you get Coven. Still, this format doesn’t seem to have a huge equipment theme, and that probably means this gets cut a lot.
Pack 1 Pick 9: Ritual Guardian
Silver Bolt image 1.5 If you need removal really badly, you’ll play this in your main deck where it can be kind of passable. Especially because when you end up against werewolves, it will actually be a pretty good deal.
Celestus Sanctifier image 2.0 If you are changing between night and day a lot, this gives you some decent card selection, and even lets you load the graveyard a bit -- like with Flashback or Disturb cards. That said, it has mediocre stats, and the ability isn’t incredible, and it won’t always be easy to get going in the first place.
Morkrut Behemoth image 2.5 The idea here is to sacrifice something to it that isn’t a big deal, like a Zombie token, and if you do that then yeah – a 7/6 with Menace on turn 5 is pretty imposing. You can also just straight up pay 7 for it, which isn’t great but its not a disaster either. This seems like some decent top curve for some Black decks in the format – especially UB and BW – but I think you’ll find you cut it a pretty significant chunk of the time for cards that are just better.
Shadowbeast Sighting image 3.0 This is decently efficient when you first cast it, and when you cast it the second time you’re going to be getting a 2-for-1.
Ritual Guardian image 2.0 If this was a 3-mana 3/2 that always had Lifelink, it would probably be a 2.5 or 3.0. The fact this won’t always have it, and in fact probably won’t have it a decent chunk of the time, makes this significanlty worse than that, because a 3-mana 3/2 is just an ugly stat line these days.
Mounted Dreadknight image 2.0 This has a decent baseline, and sometimes it will be especially big. Not a bad thing to have at the top of your curve.
Pack 1 Pick 10: Gavony Silversmith
Cathar's Call image 1.5 mana is a lot for an Enchantment that offers only a very minimal stats boost to the creature you put it on. Vigilance just isn’t something to get excited about. Its nice that it churns out a token every turn, but you probably need to get at least 2 of them before the investment feels reasonable, and you’re going to get blown out in a big way if your opponent just kills the creature you stick this on. Green/White definitely wants to go wide, but there are less risky ways of doing that.
Drownyard Amalgam image 2.0 This sets up some graveyard value for you and has a decent defensive body, not to mention an ability that will sometimes help you close out a game. A lot of the time though, it just won’t do enough. Seems reasonable in some controlling decks.
Stuffed Bear image 1.0 This set doesn’t have much of an Artifact theme. If it did, the BEar would be a little more interesting. As it is, it is a creature that you have to pay mana for every turn to actually make into a creature. And, while that activation isn’t so bad the first time around, you eventually end up having to pay a ton of mana for this to actually be a card on the board that matters, and I don’t really think you want to be doing that.
Gavony Silversmith image 2.5 If you have at least one other creature in play, you’re getting a 4-mana ¾ and putting another counter on a creature who can attack that turn, and that’s a solid enough deal. Sometimes you’ll be able to add 2/2 to the board that can attack right away too. It can also help you get coven by diversifying your creatures’ power.
Clarion Cathars image 2.5 We see this basic card a lot, and its always solid. Two bodies for four mana is nice, and the reasonable stats distributed across them is pretty good.
Pack 1 Pick 11: Hedgewitch's Mask
Famished Foragers image 3.0 A 4-mana 4/3 is sort of passable already, and this will often be able to come down and give you some mana, which -- if nothing else, you can use to rummage using its ability. Sometimes, it will enable a pretty impressive double spell turn too, which will feel amazing. You won’t always be making that happen, but the card has a very reasonable baseline and a pretty nice ceiling.
Devious Cover-Up image 1.0 This is a hard counter, but four mana is a ton to have to have available at the right time, and the additional value this gives you just isn’t going to make up for that.
Stolen Vitality image 1.5 This is a decent trick that give you lethal out of nowhere on an attacking creature, and one that can also be used defensive quite effectly thanks to the First Strike. Now, using this kind of card defensively is definitely not optimal, but it is upside for sure. I don’t love that it only bumps toughness by 1, since if you’re the one attacking, there’s still a good chance your creature will die.
Hedgewitch's Mask image 1.5 This is a decent, albeit unimpressive, piece of Equipment. One to play and two to equip is kind of alright, and the upside of being unblockable by bigger stuff doesn’t hurt. It can help you get Coven. Still, this format doesn’t seem to have a huge equipment theme, and that probably means this gets cut a lot.
Pack 1 Pick 12: Celestus Sanctifier
Electric Revelation image 1.5 This is an expensive Tormenting Voice, buts it’s an instant and it has flashback. This format does have a graveyard theme for sure, so discarding cards to cast this isn’t a huge deal. Still, it doesn’t impact the board in any way, and is replaceable overall.
Ardent Elementalist image 3.0 This will get you a pretty nice 2-for-1 most of the time, especially since as a 2/1, it stands a pretty good chance of trading with something in addition to getting you back a key instant or sorcery.
Celestus Sanctifier image 2.0 If you are changing between night and day a lot, this gives you some decent card selection, and even lets you load the graveyard a bit -- like with Flashback or Disturb cards. That said, it has mediocre stats, and the ability isn’t incredible, and it won’t always be easy to get going in the first place.
Pack 1 Pick 13: Cathar Commando
Might of the Old Ways image 2.0 This looks like a decent enough trick. Two mana for +2/+2 isn’t incredible, but when you can make the Coven thing happen, it turns into a draw spell, which will often mean a 2-for-1. You’ll end up playing this in aggressive Green decks.
Cathar Commando image 2.5 You can flash this in to ambush block an X/3, and most X/3s will cost more than the Commando, so that’s nice! The additional utility of blowing up artifacts and enchantments doesn’t hurt either. This is a solid Common.
Pack 1 Pick 14: Flare of Faith
Flare of Faith image 2.0 This seems like a decent trick if you’re a White aggro deck with lots of Humans in it. It gives a decent stats boost that will often allow your creature to win combat. Two mana for just +2/+2 is pretty mediocre for a trick, but the Human upside will make it worth running often enough
Pack 2 Pick 1: Curse of Leeches
Curse of Leeches image 4.0 This type of “Drain 1 life every turn” Enchantments tend to over perform, as they can really pressure an opponent or do enough to help you survive an early onslaught. If that’s all this was, it would probably be a 2.0. But, if its night time, you can pay 3 mana for a 4/4 with Lifelink immediately! Obviously if you play it during the day it can still transform later, too. A 3-mana 4/4 with Lifelink would be a 4.0 or so, so yeah. I think we can sort of split the difference here, since it will be each of these some of the time.
Brood Weaver image 2.5 A 4-man 2/4 with Reach is often a fine playable -- something like a 1.5 or a 2.0, and making another Reach spider when it dies is solid enough.
Foul Play image 3.0 So, it is somewhat narrow in what it can kill, but the fact it gives you a Clue token is massive, since it will mean a 2-for-1. This card sort of pulls me in two directions -- on the one hand, there will be a lot of creatures it can’t kill, bu on the other -- there will still be a significant number of creatures it can kill. So, is it premium? I’m inclined to say it falls a little bit short. IT will certainly feel great to kill something with, but even with the extra card, it is narrow enough that it doesn’t quite get there for me.
Sunset Revelry image 1.0 This card has a cool design, but seems pretty awkward. Basically, you have to be behind your opponent in one way or another for it to do something. And yeah, if you get all three modes here, you’re getting a great deal! But if you’re just drawing a card and gaining 4 life, that’s not a great card -- we see that card all the time and it isn’t good! You basically need to be getting the tokens and one of the other modes for this to feel like you’re doing a decent job. And...its just pretty hard to control those sorts of things. It will feel nice if you’re behind, but do stone nothing at parity or if you’re ahead, and that just doesn’t really appeal to me. This card seems too situational and finicky.
Dawnhart Rejuvenator image 3.0 We have basically seen this card before -- Centaur Nurturer in War of the Spark, and it was pretty nice. It gives you fixing, and while it might not be the most imposing creature, the life it gains you can help you get to your next turn, where you can make use of that mana.
Larder Zombie image 1.5 So, a one mana ⅓ isn’t amazing, especially with Defender! But at least it can block and kill X/1s. Its ability asks for several creatures in play, and I guess the idea is that you’ll be making Zombie tokens so doing that might not be too hard! The ability itself isn’t bad -- as it can give you card selection and/or help you load up the graveyard. Still, I don’t see this being especially good overall.
Shady Traveler image 3.0 A 3-mana 2/3 with Menace is a card you’ll play sometimes – probably a 2.5, and it will come into play as or transform into Stalking Predator pretty regularly, in which case you’re getting an amazing deal!
Clarion Cathars image 2.5 We see this basic card a lot, and its always solid. Two bodies for four mana is nice, and the reasonable stats distributed across them is pretty good.
Ardent Elementalist image 3.0 This will get you a pretty nice 2-for-1 most of the time, especially since as a 2/1, it stands a pretty good chance of trading with something in addition to getting you back a key instant or sorcery.
Duress image 0.5 As always, this is a sideboard card. It misses too often to be worth it in your main deck. Even when you can hit stuff with it, it might have Flashback!
Stolen Vitality image 1.5 This is a decent trick that give you lethal out of nowhere on an attacking creature, and one that can also be used defensive quite effectly thanks to the First Strike. Now, using this kind of card defensively is definitely not optimal, but it is upside for sure. I don’t love that it only bumps toughness by 1, since if you’re the one attacking, there’s still a good chance your creature will die.
Silver Bolt image 1.5 If you need removal really badly, you’ll play this in your main deck where it can be kind of passable. Especially because when you end up against werewolves, it will actually be a pretty good deal.
Pack's Betrayal image 1.0 Rummaging a few times a came with this seems fine, but not exactly game breaking. It does have decent stats to go along with that ability.
Component Collector image 1.5 This has decent stats and an ability that will give you a bit of value, though it certainly isn’t exciting
Pack 2 Pick 2: Liesa, Forgotten Archangel
Liesa, Forgotten Archangel image 5.0 A 5-mana ⅘ with Flying and Lifelink would always make the cut in your deck. It would probably be a B at worst -- that’s a great French Vanilla creature! Liesa also has the ability to return creatures of yours that die to your hand, and she also hates on graveyard strategies a bit by exiling your opponents creatures when she dies. That’s a lot of action, and she’s definitely a bomb. She even impacts the board righta way sometimes, where you can suddenly attack because you know your creatures will come back when they trade! And, if you untap with her in play, she’s going to start making the race impossible for your opponent
Vivisection image 2.5 If you can sacrifice a Zombie token to this, its going to feel pretty good, as you aren’t really giving up more than one whole card to draw three cards. There is also other good sacrifice fodder in the format. This doesn’t add to the board at all -- in fact it subtracts from it -- and sometimes that’s going to be a liability. However, the cards it gives you are a pretty big deal, and if you make it to your next turn you’re going to have a significant advantage. I think a lot of Blue decks in this format will be playing the first copy of this.
Vengeful Strangler image 3.0 This seems pretty nice. Because it can’t block, the only way you can transform it is if your opponent blocks it or decides to kill it, or you sacrifice it yourself. Luckily that last part is pretty doable in the format. Once it transforms it isn’t super incredible, but it does tax your opponent pretty heavily for having whatever their best permanent is, and theoretically it could get to the point where they just decide to sacrifice it. Sometimes your opponent will have to choose between letting the 2/1 through or having to deal with the obnoxious aura, and that’s a nice choice to force on them.
Evolving Wilds image 3.0 This is always really nice fixing, and I tend to like it even more than the rare dual lands here, especially because it throws itself in the graveyard and that definitely matters in this set.
Consider image 1.5 This format has a spells matter deck in UR and it has various graveyard synergies, so this seems like a decent inclusion. It is a lot like Opt, and that’s not a bad comparison! That said, it is also pretty darn replaceable, especially if you’re not in a deck that cares about the graveyard or spells, and it will often be an easy card to cut in those situations.
Olivia's Midnight Ambush image 3.5 This is decent removal if it is day time or neither night nor day, and when it is night time, its just insane. If it was only the night time mode it would be an easy 4.5! As it is, I think it has a reasonable enough base line and a high enough ceiling that we can call it premium.
Cathar Commando image 2.5 You can flash this in to ambush block an X/3, and most X/3s will cost more than the Commando, so that’s nice! The additional utility of blowing up artifacts and enchantments doesn’t hurt either. This is a solid Common.
Candlelit Cavalry image 2.5 On a base level, this is a 5-mana 5/5, something that makes the cut in some Green decks anyway, and it will gain trample sometimes. Seems decent enough.
Ecstatic Awakener image 2.5 One mana 1/1s are pretty bad, they just lose relevance quickly. The Awakener gets around that to some extent as a result of its ability to transform into Awoken Demon. Transforming it is a little bit steep at 3 mana and sacrificing something, but there is going to be some significant sacrifice fodder in both Black/White and Blue/Black, so it won’t hurt quite as much as it might look at first. Still, you aren’t really doing incredible when you transform this into a 4/4.
Eccentric Farmer image 1.5 Lands will end up in your graveyard more often than normal in this format because of self-mill, and the Farmer brings some of that mill with him! You’ll get a land out of this reasonably often, and making sure you hit your next land drop and loading your graveyard has decent value.
Gavony Trapper image 3.0 Master Decoys are always pretty nice in Limited. They can act as removal of sorts and stay relevant all game long. This has the additional upside of being a 0 power creature – which might not sound like upside, but in Coven decks having a creature with 0 power can really matter.
Larder Zombie image 1.5 So, a one mana ⅓ isn’t amazing, especially with Defender! But at least it can block and kill X/1s. Its ability asks for several creatures in play, and I guess the idea is that you’ll be making Zombie tokens so doing that might not be too hard! The ability itself isn’t bad -- as it can give you card selection and/or help you load up the graveyard. Still, I don’t see this being especially good overall.
Raze the Effigy image 1.5 This format doesn’t have a ton of artifacts, but having the option to destroy an artifact on a decent combat trick certainly makes it more flexible.
Pack 2 Pick 3: Defenestrate
Corpse Cobble image 2.0 Giving up a creature for another creature, or several creatures for one creature isn’t something that is super appealing to me. Now, this does combo pretty well with Decay tokens, since you can sacrifice them before they sacrifice themselves at the end of combat, and there are some other nice sacrifice fodder cards around, and it has Flashback. Its also an instant, so you can sacrifice a big thing your opponent is removing and get a big creature all over again, which will feel pretty nice. All of that means it isn’t unplayable, but I’m a bit skeptical this will be the kind of Blue Black card that really pulls you into the color pair.
Join the Dance image 3.0 Don’t underestimate the Flashback here. Like a lot of Flashback cards, neither the original cost nor the flashback cost is efficient, but the fact remains that over the course of a normal game of Limited, this will give you 4 tokens for only one card, and that’s pretty nice. Just having the Flashback cost to do in the later part of the game is a nice mana sink too. Obviously, GW is all about going wide too, so it will be extra useful there.
Devious Cover-Up image 1.0 This is a hard counter, but four mana is a ton to have to have available at the right time, and the additional value this gives you just isn’t going to make up for that.
Silver Bolt image 1.5 If you need removal really badly, you’ll play this in your main deck where it can be kind of passable. Especially because when you end up against werewolves, it will actually be a pretty good deal.
Hedgewitch's Mask image 1.5 This is a decent, albeit unimpressive, piece of Equipment. One to play and two to equip is kind of alright, and the upside of being unblockable by bigger stuff doesn’t hurt. It can help you get Coven. Still, this format doesn’t seem to have a huge equipment theme, and that probably means this gets cut a lot.
Moonrager's Slash image 4.0 3 mana to do 3 to any target is already a premium removal spell, and this will sometimes just be Lightning Bolt! This is easily premium, and easily Red’s best Common.
Bird Admirer image 2.5 A 3 mana ¼ with Reach makes the cut reasonably often in most Limited formats, and this will sometimes be a much larger creature. Seems like a solid Common to me! I’m giving it a 2.5.
Organ Hoarder image 3.5 This is my kind of Blue common! 4-mana for a 3/2 that draws a card is virtually always something you play, and this is better than that in most ways, since it gives you card selection and loads up your graveyard a bit in a set that really cares about that. This is Blue’s best Common.
Olivia's Midnight Ambush image 3.5 This is decent removal if it is day time or neither night nor day, and when it is night time, its just insane. If it was only the night time mode it would be an easy 4.5! As it is, I think it has a reasonable enough base line and a high enough ceiling that we can call it premium.
Defenestrate image 3.5 This looks like premium removal -- and its flavorful too! Throwing a flyer out the window wouldn’t accomplish much. Anyway, this can kill most stuff for only three mana. And yeah, sometimes a flyer will be what you need to kill, but this efficiency is great.
Famished Foragers image 3.0 A 4-mana 4/3 is sort of passable already, and this will often be able to come down and give you some mana, which -- if nothing else, you can use to rummage using its ability. Sometimes, it will enable a pretty impressive double spell turn too, which will feel amazing. You won’t always be making that happen, but the card has a very reasonable baseline and a pretty nice ceiling.
Immolation image 2.5 This is like Red “Dead Weight.” It isn’t quite as good as Dead Weight is, at least as removal, because you don’t really want to pumping the power of a creature -- you want to be outright killing it. But it does have the additional upside of pumping your larger evasive creature so that you can do lethal or something. I do think the ability to kill X/2s for a single mana is pretty nice, but this definitely isn’t premium removal.
Pack 2 Pick 4: Mourning Patrol
Brood Weaver image 2.5 A 4-man 2/4 with Reach is often a fine playable -- something like a 1.5 or a 2.0, and making another Reach spider when it dies is solid enough.
Burly Breaker image 3.0 This thing is pretty burly for the cost whether it is night or day, and adding Ward to the mix makes it so even if your opponent has removal, you’re going to make it a little more challenging for them. Ward 3 on the nightbound side is especially nice. This seems like a great top-curve card for Green decks in the format.
Stuffed Bear image 1.0 This set doesn’t have much of an Artifact theme. If it did, the BEar would be a little more interesting. As it is, it is a creature that you have to pay mana for every turn to actually make into a creature. And, while that activation isn’t so bad the first time around, you eventually end up having to pay a ton of mana for this to actually be a card on the board that matters, and I don’t really think you want to be doing that.
Crawl from the Cellar image 2.0 This is an interesting take on the usual Sorcery that lets you return two creatures to your hand. The first time you cast this, the value is going to be pretty nice, provided you have a zombie, as it effectively replaces itself while making a creature bigger. The second time is less efficient, but in the you pay 5 mana for a 2-for-1 and two +1/+1 counters, which actually isn’t too bad. Now, you really would prefer to be putting these counters on zombies that don’t have decay to get full value out of them, but a significant chunk of the time that’s probably where the counter goes, and you may also just not have anywhere to put the counter in the first place.
Mourning Patrol image 2.5 A 3-mana 2/3 with Vigilance is fine, so the fact that this can come back as a 2/1 with Flying and Vigilance is pretty nice! Both halves in this case very capable of trading, too.
Abandon the Post image 0.0 // 2.5 I’m not a huge fan of this type of card, mostly because it basically does nothing unless you win the game with it. That said, if you have six mana available to cast it both times in a single turn, it does stand a pretty good chance of stealing a win out of nowhere. A card like this is soo all-in on aggro though that I think we do need to give it a buildaround grade If you are an aggro deck, you’ll probably play one copy of this and feel alright about it. Otherwise you pretty much can’t play it.
Crossroads Candleguide image 1.0 You’ll play it you’re desperate for a creature or fixing, but you really hope you don’t have to, because it doesn’t do either thing particularly well.
Timberland Guide image 3.0 This is a reprint, and even if it wasn’t, we see cards like this a lot, and I also like them a decent amount. They are nice as two drops, as they can be two mana 2/2s, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more relevant. There isn’t a +1/+1 counter deck in this format, but the counter this guy brings with him can really help you set up Coven, since you add him to the board and put the counter somewhere else, and you’re already 2/3 of the way there!
Drownyard Amalgam image 2.0 This sets up some graveyard value for you and has a decent defensive body, not to mention an ability that will sometimes help you close out a game. A lot of the time though, it just won’t do enough. Seems reasonable in some controlling decks.
Festival Crasher image 0.5 // 2.5 This has a very mediocre baseline. A two mana ⅓ these days is probably a D-. It does have some real upside though, and the threat of activation is pretty real! If your opponent just has a 2/2, and you attack with this and leave mana up, they just can’t afford to block it! Chaining multiple spells together is obviously the dream, but don’t count on doing that a ton in Limited. This will make the cut in decks with a decent number of spells, and probably be something you pass on in any other deck.
Lambholt Harrier image 2.0 This is a Bear that stays relevant all game long thanks to its ability. Now, that ability is pretty pricey, and you’ll normally only be able to make one thing unable to block, but it is an ability your opponent has to account for in the late game, as making one thing unable to block can really help someone find lethal out of nowhere.
Pack 2 Pick 5: Evolving Wilds
Ritual of Hope image 1.0 // 3.0 This is a nice payoff for going wide, especially if you can get Coven going, since it becomes Inspired Charge for half the cost! The good news is, by the time a card like this tends to be useful, you’re reasonably likely to have Coven online, since you’ll have to have a board with several different creatures on it, and those several different creatures are likely to have 3 or more powers among them. Obviously, you won’t be playing this other than in fairly aggressive decks, but it seems like a nice pump spell for them.
Brood Weaver image 2.5 A 4-man 2/4 with Reach is often a fine playable -- something like a 1.5 or a 2.0, and making another Reach spider when it dies is solid enough.
Lunarch Veteran image 2.5 A two mana 1/1 with the life gain effect certainly isn’t impressive. The Disturb effect really matters though, as getting back a flyer that can also gain you some life. Neither half of this card is going to be letting you trade very often because they are so small, but this still seems like a solid Common.
Larder Zombie image 1.5 So, a one mana ⅓ isn’t amazing, especially with Defender! But at least it can block and kill X/1s. Its ability asks for several creatures in play, and I guess the idea is that you’ll be making Zombie tokens so doing that might not be too hard! The ability itself isn’t bad -- as it can give you card selection and/or help you load up the graveyard. Still, I don’t see this being especially good overall.
Evolving Wilds image 3.0 This is always really nice fixing, and I tend to like it even more than the rare dual lands here, especially because it throws itself in the graveyard and that definitely matters in this set.
Gavony Trapper image 3.0 Master Decoys are always pretty nice in Limited. They can act as removal of sorts and stay relevant all game long. This has the additional upside of being a 0 power creature – which might not sound like upside, but in Coven decks having a creature with 0 power can really matter.
Plummet image 0.5 This format has lots of flyers as a result of Disturb, so Plummet might be a bit better here in the main deck than it is in most formats, but I think you’d still prefer to bring it in out of your sideboard. It is hard to guarantee it will have enough targets against some of the color pairs.
Voldaren Stinger image 2.0 Your opponent does have to respect this as an attacker if you have the mana up, so this gives you a good way to chip in for one damage to activate your Bloodthirst stuff.
Electric Revelation image 1.5 This is an expensive Tormenting Voice, buts it’s an instant and it has flashback. This format does have a graveyard theme for sure, so discarding cards to cast this isn’t a huge deal. Still, it doesn’t impact the board in any way, and is replaceable overall.
Sungold Barrage image 2.5 This is far from premium removal, as cards with 4 toughness aren’t incredibly common to see on the table. They will be a little more common in this set thanks to DFC creatures, who tend to be larger on one side. It can kill a lot of scary things for sure, but it is too situational to be anything more than solid.
Pack 2 Pick 6: Lunarch Veteran
Faithful Mending image 3.0 Looting twice and gaining some life isn’t a bad deal for two mana, and being able to do it again from the graveyard is pretty nice. This will let you see a ton of cards in your deck, while simultaneously helping you put things in your graveyard. It does have the downside of, you know, not doing a whole lot immediately, but the life gain does help out a tiny bit on that front. I think the first copy looks appealing in most UW decks, but you don’t want to stock up on too many cards that don’t affect the board.
Famished Foragers image 3.0 A 4-mana 4/3 is sort of passable already, and this will often be able to come down and give you some mana, which -- if nothing else, you can use to rummage using its ability. Sometimes, it will enable a pretty impressive double spell turn too, which will feel amazing. You won’t always be making that happen, but the card has a very reasonable baseline and a pretty nice ceiling.
Lunarch Veteran image 2.5 A two mana 1/1 with the life gain effect certainly isn’t impressive. The Disturb effect really matters though, as getting back a flyer that can also gain you some life. Neither half of this card is going to be letting you trade very often because they are so small, but this still seems like a solid Common.
Stormrider Spirit image 1.5 This is a reprint from our last trip to Innistrad, where it was mediocre. You can flash it in to ambush block a small thing, and then it is a decent threat in the air, but it isn’t especially efficient.
Timberland Guide image 3.0 This is a reprint, and even if it wasn’t, we see cards like this a lot, and I also like them a decent amount. They are nice as two drops, as they can be two mana 2/2s, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more relevant. There isn’t a +1/+1 counter deck in this format, but the counter this guy brings with him can really help you set up Coven, since you add him to the board and put the counter somewhere else, and you’re already 2/3 of the way there!
Shipwreck Sifters image 1.5 A two mana ½ who loots is fine, and this one can get bigger. I don’t think you’ll want to discard a spirit or a card with Disturb to it all that often, since the power of those cards is often in the fact that you get the two bodies, but you’ll discard those things sometimes and it’ll get bigger.
Flare of Faith image 2.0 This seems like a decent trick if you’re a White aggro deck with lots of Humans in it. It gives a decent stats boost that will often allow your creature to win combat. Two mana for just +2/+2 is pretty mediocre for a trick, but the Human upside will make it worth running often enough
Return to Nature image 0.5 Its nice that this does three different things, making it a more reasonable main deck card, but I’m still pretty skeptical about main decking it on a regular basis. This format has artifacts and enchantments, but not a ton of them, and while exiling something from a graveyard is nice, yo’ure often only getting half a card of value when you do it, since your opponent already cast their spell with flashback or their creature with disturb. I think this should probably still start in your sideboard.
Startle image 2.0 I don’t normally play most Blue “combat tricks” that shrink the power of a creature, but this tacks on enough additional stuff that it seems like it will be pretty solid. The problem with this kind of card is it isn’t always possible for you to trade card-for-card with it, since your creature has to already be big enough to kill the other creature. However, this lets you draw a card and makes you a Decay Zombie, and that’s quite a bit for only two mana! The times where you are able to use this card to help you kill an opposing creature it will feel insane!
Pack 2 Pick 7: Siege Zombie
Village Watch image 2.5 A 5-mana 4/3 with Haste isn’t great, but the fact this can be a 5/4 sometimes is pretty nice. It would be most ideal for it to already be night when it comes down -- if that’s true, you’ll feel like you’re getting your mana’s worth. Though, to be honest, a 5-mana 5/4 with Haste while certainly a nice card isn’t great either, and you have to jump through some serious hoops to keep it that way. It does also give Haste to other werewolves, but still.
Silver Bolt image 1.5 If you need removal really badly, you’ll play this in your main deck where it can be kind of passable. Especially because when you end up against werewolves, it will actually be a pretty good deal.
Blessed Defiance image 1.0 This doesn’t seem like a great trick to me. Only increasing power means there’s a good chance your creature will be dying, and while the life that you gain and the 1/1 flyer you get in exchange for that makes a difference, it will still usually feel like you’re getting 2-for-1’d when you use this.
Falkenrath Perforator image 2.5 In a set where this had no synergy at all, this would probably be a 1.5. The stats aren’t good, and the 1 damage just isn’t enough to make up for that. However, this set’s BR archetype has a lot of cards that give you extra effects if your opponent lost life, and this is one way you can make that happen. Plus, its a vampire, and while the tribal themes for vampires aren’t massive int his set, they are still there! I think all of that is enough to bump this up to a solid playable.
Plummet image 0.5 This format has lots of flyers as a result of Disturb, so Plummet might be a bit better here in the main deck than it is in most formats, but I think you’d still prefer to bring it in out of your sideboard. It is hard to guarantee it will have enough targets against some of the color pairs.
Startle image 2.0 I don’t normally play most Blue “combat tricks” that shrink the power of a creature, but this tacks on enough additional stuff that it seems like it will be pretty solid. The problem with this kind of card is it isn’t always possible for you to trade card-for-card with it, since your creature has to already be big enough to kill the other creature. However, this lets you draw a card and makes you a Decay Zombie, and that’s quite a bit for only two mana! The times where you are able to use this card to help you kill an opposing creature it will feel insane!
Siege Zombie image 2.0 This seems passable, as in the early game it has alright stats, and in the late game it can be a real source of reach. It can also help you activate cards that give you a bonus if an opponent has lost life. Still, it does ask for a lot to make the opponent lose that 1 life, and it just won’t always be doable.
Component Collector image 1.5 This has decent stats and an ability that will give you a bit of value, though it certainly isn’t exciting
Pack 2 Pick 8: Arrogant Outlaw
Homestead Courage image 1.0 This gives a nice, efficient boost twice. It isn’t a boost that always makes a difference, though, and even when it does, I’m not sure it will always feel like you’re getting a full card worth of value. Being cheap to flashback is good for flashback payoffs, and also makes it easy to turn it back into day, and that matters.
Drownyard Amalgam image 2.0 This sets up some graveyard value for you and has a decent defensive body, not to mention an ability that will sometimes help you close out a game. A lot of the time though, it just won’t do enough. Seems reasonable in some controlling decks.
Festival Crasher image 0.5 // 2.5 This has a very mediocre baseline. A two mana ⅓ these days is probably a D-. It does have some real upside though, and the threat of activation is pretty real! If your opponent just has a 2/2, and you attack with this and leave mana up, they just can’t afford to block it! Chaining multiple spells together is obviously the dream, but don’t count on doing that a ton in Limited. This will make the cut in decks with a decent number of spells, and probably be something you pass on in any other deck.
Raze the Effigy image 1.5 This format doesn’t have a ton of artifacts, but having the option to destroy an artifact on a decent combat trick certainly makes it more flexible.
Shadowbeast Sighting image 3.0 This is decently efficient when you first cast it, and when you cast it the second time you’re going to be getting a 2-for-1.
Stuffed Bear image 1.0 This set doesn’t have much of an Artifact theme. If it did, the BEar would be a little more interesting. As it is, it is a creature that you have to pay mana for every turn to actually make into a creature. And, while that activation isn’t so bad the first time around, you eventually end up having to pay a ton of mana for this to actually be a card on the board that matters, and I don’t really think you want to be doing that.
Arrogant Outlaw image 2.0 When this is just a 3-mana 3/2, it won’t feel great. But sometimes, it will drain the opponent two life, which will feel like you’re getting your mana’s worth. You’ll probably cut this a significant chunk of the time, but playing it isn’t a disaster.
Pack 2 Pick 9: Clarion Cathars
Larder Zombie image 1.5 So, a one mana ⅓ isn’t amazing, especially with Defender! But at least it can block and kill X/1s. Its ability asks for several creatures in play, and I guess the idea is that you’ll be making Zombie tokens so doing that might not be too hard! The ability itself isn’t bad -- as it can give you card selection and/or help you load up the graveyard. Still, I don’t see this being especially good overall.
Shady Traveler image 3.0 A 3-mana 2/3 with Menace is a card you’ll play sometimes – probably a 2.5, and it will come into play as or transform into Stalking Predator pretty regularly, in which case you’re getting an amazing deal!
Clarion Cathars image 2.5 We see this basic card a lot, and its always solid. Two bodies for four mana is nice, and the reasonable stats distributed across them is pretty good.
Stolen Vitality image 1.5 This is a decent trick that give you lethal out of nowhere on an attacking creature, and one that can also be used defensive quite effectly thanks to the First Strike. Now, using this kind of card defensively is definitely not optimal, but it is upside for sure. I don’t love that it only bumps toughness by 1, since if you’re the one attacking, there’s still a good chance your creature will die.
Silver Bolt image 1.5 If you need removal really badly, you’ll play this in your main deck where it can be kind of passable. Especially because when you end up against werewolves, it will actually be a pretty good deal.
Component Collector image 1.5 This has decent stats and an ability that will give you a bit of value, though it certainly isn’t exciting
Pack 2 Pick 10: Cathar Commando
Vivisection image 2.5 If you can sacrifice a Zombie token to this, its going to feel pretty good, as you aren’t really giving up more than one whole card to draw three cards. There is also other good sacrifice fodder in the format. This doesn’t add to the board at all -- in fact it subtracts from it -- and sometimes that’s going to be a liability. However, the cards it gives you are a pretty big deal, and if you make it to your next turn you’re going to have a significant advantage. I think a lot of Blue decks in this format will be playing the first copy of this.
Consider image 1.5 This format has a spells matter deck in UR and it has various graveyard synergies, so this seems like a decent inclusion. It is a lot like Opt, and that’s not a bad comparison! That said, it is also pretty darn replaceable, especially if you’re not in a deck that cares about the graveyard or spells, and it will often be an easy card to cut in those situations.
Cathar Commando image 2.5 You can flash this in to ambush block an X/3, and most X/3s will cost more than the Commando, so that’s nice! The additional utility of blowing up artifacts and enchantments doesn’t hurt either. This is a solid Common.
Candlelit Cavalry image 2.5 On a base level, this is a 5-mana 5/5, something that makes the cut in some Green decks anyway, and it will gain trample sometimes. Seems decent enough.
Larder Zombie image 1.5 So, a one mana ⅓ isn’t amazing, especially with Defender! But at least it can block and kill X/1s. Its ability asks for several creatures in play, and I guess the idea is that you’ll be making Zombie tokens so doing that might not be too hard! The ability itself isn’t bad -- as it can give you card selection and/or help you load up the graveyard. Still, I don’t see this being especially good overall.
Pack 2 Pick 11: Hedgewitch's Mask
Corpse Cobble image 2.0 Giving up a creature for another creature, or several creatures for one creature isn’t something that is super appealing to me. Now, this does combo pretty well with Decay tokens, since you can sacrifice them before they sacrifice themselves at the end of combat, and there are some other nice sacrifice fodder cards around, and it has Flashback. Its also an instant, so you can sacrifice a big thing your opponent is removing and get a big creature all over again, which will feel pretty nice. All of that means it isn’t unplayable, but I’m a bit skeptical this will be the kind of Blue Black card that really pulls you into the color pair.
Join the Dance image 3.0 Don’t underestimate the Flashback here. Like a lot of Flashback cards, neither the original cost nor the flashback cost is efficient, but the fact remains that over the course of a normal game of Limited, this will give you 4 tokens for only one card, and that’s pretty nice. Just having the Flashback cost to do in the later part of the game is a nice mana sink too. Obviously, GW is all about going wide too, so it will be extra useful there.
Hedgewitch's Mask image 1.5 This is a decent, albeit unimpressive, piece of Equipment. One to play and two to equip is kind of alright, and the upside of being unblockable by bigger stuff doesn’t hurt. It can help you get Coven. Still, this format doesn’t seem to have a huge equipment theme, and that probably means this gets cut a lot.
Immolation image 2.5 This is like Red “Dead Weight.” It isn’t quite as good as Dead Weight is, at least as removal, because you don’t really want to pumping the power of a creature -- you want to be outright killing it. But it does have the additional upside of pumping your larger evasive creature so that you can do lethal or something. I do think the ability to kill X/2s for a single mana is pretty nice, but this definitely isn’t premium removal.
Pack 2 Pick 12: Timberland Guide
Abandon the Post image 0.0 // 2.5 I’m not a huge fan of this type of card, mostly because it basically does nothing unless you win the game with it. That said, if you have six mana available to cast it both times in a single turn, it does stand a pretty good chance of stealing a win out of nowhere. A card like this is soo all-in on aggro though that I think we do need to give it a buildaround grade If you are an aggro deck, you’ll probably play one copy of this and feel alright about it. Otherwise you pretty much can’t play it.
Timberland Guide image 3.0 This is a reprint, and even if it wasn’t, we see cards like this a lot, and I also like them a decent amount. They are nice as two drops, as they can be two mana 2/2s, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more relevant. There isn’t a +1/+1 counter deck in this format, but the counter this guy brings with him can really help you set up Coven, since you add him to the board and put the counter somewhere else, and you’re already 2/3 of the way there!
Drownyard Amalgam image 2.0 This sets up some graveyard value for you and has a decent defensive body, not to mention an ability that will sometimes help you close out a game. A lot of the time though, it just won’t do enough. Seems reasonable in some controlling decks.
Pack 2 Pick 13: Sungold Barrage
Ritual of Hope image 1.0 // 3.0 This is a nice payoff for going wide, especially if you can get Coven going, since it becomes Inspired Charge for half the cost! The good news is, by the time a card like this tends to be useful, you’re reasonably likely to have Coven online, since you’ll have to have a board with several different creatures on it, and those several different creatures are likely to have 3 or more powers among them. Obviously, you won’t be playing this other than in fairly aggressive decks, but it seems like a nice pump spell for them.
Sungold Barrage image 2.5 This is far from premium removal, as cards with 4 toughness aren’t incredibly common to see on the table. They will be a little more common in this set thanks to DFC creatures, who tend to be larger on one side. It can kill a lot of scary things for sure, but it is too situational to be anything more than solid.
Pack 2 Pick 14: Flare of Faith
Flare of Faith image 2.0 This seems like a decent trick if you’re a White aggro deck with lots of Humans in it. It gives a decent stats boost that will often allow your creature to win combat. Two mana for just +2/+2 is pretty mediocre for a trick, but the Human upside will make it worth running often enough
Pack 3 Pick 1: Morkrut Behemoth
Curse of Surveillance image 3.0 So in Limited, this will cost 5 mana to draw you one extra card on your opponent’s turn. At least, that’s what it will do 9 times out of 10. Sometimes there might be other curses, but a lot of them aren’t great in this set, so I wouldn’t count on it. Still, 5 mana for an extra card on your opponents turn is kind of alright, and certainly the kind of card advantage that will eventually win you the game. 5 mana is a lot, and you don’t add to the board meaningfully either, which si rough, so it is definitely the kind of card that will suffer against more aggressive opponents. It is going to feel good once you get it going, but the mana cost does make its grade suffer.
Devoted Grafkeeper image 4.0 This is a very strong signpost uncommon, with it really pushing you in the direction of Disturb. It both loads your graveyard a bit and pays you off for disturb -- and flashback, for that matter. And then, it of course has Disturb itself! In the end, you end up paying 5 mana for a 2/1 and a 3/1 Flyer, plus all that other upside, and that’s an excellent deal.
Rise of the Ants image 3.0 This is a nice little card. Don’t get me wrong, 6 mana for two 3/3s and 2 life isn’t incredible, but it is pasasble, and can enable a 2-for-1 on the right board. Casting this the first time will often do enough to help you stabilize between the two bodies and that life too. Flashing it Back will feel really good too, and if you manage to get to that point, this will have given you 4 bodies, all of which can conceivably trade for something. And yeah, it isn’t exactly efficient, but it is effectively card advantage! Still, it is expensive and clunky, so I can’t imagine taking it super early, but having one of these in most of your grindy Green decks seems pretty nice.
Brood Weaver image 2.5 A 4-man 2/4 with Reach is often a fine playable -- something like a 1.5 or a 2.0, and making another Reach spider when it dies is solid enough.
Siege Zombie image 2.0 This seems passable, as in the early game it has alright stats, and in the late game it can be a real source of reach. It can also help you activate cards that give you a bonus if an opponent has lost life. Still, it does ask for a lot to make the opponent lose that 1 life, and it just won’t always be doable.
Stolen Vitality image 1.5 This is a decent trick that give you lethal out of nowhere on an attacking creature, and one that can also be used defensive quite effectly thanks to the First Strike. Now, using this kind of card defensively is definitely not optimal, but it is upside for sure. I don’t love that it only bumps toughness by 1, since if you’re the one attacking, there’s still a good chance your creature will die.
Return to Nature image 0.5 Its nice that this does three different things, making it a more reasonable main deck card, but I’m still pretty skeptical about main decking it on a regular basis. This format has artifacts and enchantments, but not a ton of them, and while exiling something from a graveyard is nice, yo’ure often only getting half a card of value when you do it, since your opponent already cast their spell with flashback or their creature with disturb. I think this should probably still start in your sideboard.
Candlegrove Witch image 2.5 This is a Bear that will often, though not always, have flying in the late game. Flying helps it stay relevant throughout the game, which is nice. Seems like a solid two drop.
Morkrut Behemoth image 2.5 The idea here is to sacrifice something to it that isn’t a big deal, like a Zombie token, and if you do that then yeah – a 7/6 with Menace on turn 5 is pretty imposing. You can also just straight up pay 7 for it, which isn’t great but its not a disaster either. This seems like some decent top curve for some Black decks in the format – especially UB and BW – but I think you’ll find you cut it a pretty significant chunk of the time for cards that are just better.
Olivia's Midnight Ambush image 3.5 This is decent removal if it is day time or neither night nor day, and when it is night time, its just insane. If it was only the night time mode it would be an easy 4.5! As it is, I think it has a reasonable enough base line and a high enough ceiling that we can call it premium.
Shipwreck Sifters image 1.5 A two mana ½ who loots is fine, and this one can get bigger. I don’t think you’ll want to discard a spirit or a card with Disturb to it all that often, since the power of those cards is often in the fact that you get the two bodies, but you’ll discard those things sometimes and it’ll get bigger.
Arrogant Outlaw image 2.0 When this is just a 3-mana 3/2, it won’t feel great. But sometimes, it will drain the opponent two life, which will feel like you’re getting your mana’s worth. You’ll probably cut this a significant chunk of the time, but playing it isn’t a disaster.
Bird Admirer image 2.5 A 3 mana ¼ with Reach makes the cut reasonably often in most Limited formats, and this will sometimes be a much larger creature. Seems like a solid Common to me! I’m giving it a 2.5.
Path to the Festival image 2.0 This is pretty clunky since it doesn't add to the board at all. It can do it again from the graveyard though, which can potentially really turbo your mana. It is also reasonable fixing, and if you're splashing a third color, that Scry will be nice.
Pack 3 Pick 2: Bereaved Survivor
Falkenrath Pit Fighter image 3.0 This is going to be pretty amazing in constructed aggro decks, as one mana 2/1s with upside tend to be! It will also be pretty decent in Limited. It of course has pretty good stats for the cost, though a one mana 2/1 is significantly worse in Limited since games tend to go so long. Still, it comes with a reasonable ability too, though it does come with significant set up! Your opponent has to lose life, you have to have a Vampire, and you have to discard a card -- and pay mana. That’s a lot when all you’re really doing is giving up two cards to get two cards! The good news is, the Vampire that is sacrificed can be the Fighter itself, and improving your hand in the later part of the game can be a big deal.
Odric's Outrider image 3.5 This is pretty good. First, it counts itself dying, so most of the time the Outrider will give you some value, even if he isn’t long for this world. The BW deck is all about sacrificing and the GW deck is all about going wide, partially with tokens, and it is a good fit in either of those decks since creatures will be dying a whole lot. And really, creatures just die all the time in Magic anyway! So yeah, I think the whole package here looks pretty strong, like the kind of engine that can really win you a game, and the floor is pretty reasonable.
Faithful Mending image 3.0 Looting twice and gaining some life isn’t a bad deal for two mana, and being able to do it again from the graveyard is pretty nice. This will let you see a ton of cards in your deck, while simultaneously helping you put things in your graveyard. It does have the downside of, you know, not doing a whole lot immediately, but the life gain does help out a tiny bit on that front. I think the first copy looks appealing in most UW decks, but you don’t want to stock up on too many cards that don’t affect the board.
Bereaved Survivor image 3.0 A 3-mana 2/1 is pretty ugly. Transforming this is fairly doable, though, and once it transforms it is a pretty nice little card, though it won’t always have things worth reanimating.
Sungold Barrage image 2.5 This is far from premium removal, as cards with 4 toughness aren’t incredibly common to see on the table. They will be a little more common in this set thanks to DFC creatures, who tend to be larger on one side. It can kill a lot of scary things for sure, but it is too situational to be anything more than solid.
Siege Zombie image 2.0 This seems passable, as in the early game it has alright stats, and in the late game it can be a real source of reach. It can also help you activate cards that give you a bonus if an opponent has lost life. Still, it does ask for a lot to make the opponent lose that 1 life, and it just won’t always be doable.
Mounted Dreadknight image 2.0 This has a decent baseline, and sometimes it will be especially big. Not a bad thing to have at the top of your curve.
Locked in the Cemetery image 3.0 So, if this always tapped the thing you attached it to, it would probably be premium removal. Two mana for that effect is pretty great! However, in the early game, making it do that is going to be pretty challenging. By the mid-game it becomes much more doable. Overall, I think having to have a loaded up graveyard to make this work does keep it from being premium, but it still a pretty good Blue common.
Celestus Sanctifier image 2.0 If you are changing between night and day a lot, this gives you some decent card selection, and even lets you load the graveyard a bit -- like with Flashback or Disturb cards. That said, it has mediocre stats, and the ability isn’t incredible, and it won’t always be easy to get going in the first place.
Raze the Effigy image 1.5 This format doesn’t have a ton of artifacts, but having the option to destroy an artifact on a decent combat trick certainly makes it more flexible.
Blessed Defiance image 1.0 This doesn’t seem like a great trick to me. Only increasing power means there’s a good chance your creature will be dying, and while the life that you gain and the 1/1 flyer you get in exchange for that makes a difference, it will still usually feel like you’re getting 2-for-1’d when you use this.
Otherworldly Gaze image 0.5 Loading the graveyard is important in this format, its true, but a card that pretty much only does that, while giving you some card selection, isn’t something I’m interested in. You never get the card back. There are so many cards that load the graveyard while doing actual other things!
Bramble Armor image 2.5 This is a pretty decent boost when it equips for free, and it will also help you get coven online if that’s what you need. Equipping it after that first time is a little rough for sure, but if it keeps giving you coven or making creature sin to threats, that is reasonable.
Pack 3 Pick 3: Sungold Sentinel
Sungold Sentinel image 3.5 This is a two mana 3/2 that can take away at least one key graveyard card from your opponent. That’s probably something you’d always play, so the Coven upside is pretty sweet.
Voldaren Ambusher image 2.5 On its own, this will sometimes just be a 3-mana 2/2 that does 1 to a thing. If that’s what it always was, it would be solid, but there are some significant hoops to jump through. First, your opponent has to have lost life some way. Most typically, that will be from an attack, but there are also other means that allow you to do that. Second, you can upgrade it if you have enough vampires. I do think this BR deck will be a real pain to play against sometimes, because you might just end up having to block more riskily in some situations to keep a card like this from being really good. But yeah, this does have a super high ceiling, where it will feel like Flame-Tongue Kavu, but sometimes it will just be a Gray Ogre, and that’s abysmal. I think that awful floor really holds it back.
Sacred Fire image 3.5 This is pretty good. It kills small things and gains you life, which is a good way to respond to your opponents two or three drops. Then, in the late game, you can use it out of your graveyard. And yes, it isn’t efficient when you flash it back, but as I keep saying, that doesn’t really matter! This gives you something to do with your mana late if you run out of gas, and it is a pretty real effect. I think the whole package here is good enough to be premium removal.
Delver of Secrets image 1.0 // 3.0 Obviously, this is a multi-format all star in constructed and one of the best creatures ever printed. This is because in constructed, you can make a deck where it is trivially easy to flip this, effectively making it a one mana 3/2 with Flying. In Limited that’s...not going to be quite as easy. Even a spell deck that really gets there probably has 10 Instants and Sorceries, so yeah. It will usually take a few triggers to flip. The good news is, a 3/2 Flyer is relevant pretty much all game long, so even if you play this on turn one and it doesn’t flip until turn 4, you’re going to feel okay about it. Thing is, though, if you’ve just got like 3-5 spells, this is unplayable. I think this needs a buildaround grade as a result. It is probably going to be a D or worse in your typical Blue deck, but if you 10+ Instants and Sorceries, it is a quality card.
Abandon the Post image 0.0 // 2.5 I’m not a huge fan of this type of card, mostly because it basically does nothing unless you win the game with it. That said, if you have six mana available to cast it both times in a single turn, it does stand a pretty good chance of stealing a win out of nowhere. A card like this is soo all-in on aggro though that I think we do need to give it a buildaround grade If you are an aggro deck, you’ll probably play one copy of this and feel alright about it. Otherwise you pretty much can’t play it.
Might of the Old Ways image 2.0 This looks like a decent enough trick. Two mana for +2/+2 isn’t incredible, but when you can make the Coven thing happen, it turns into a draw spell, which will often mean a 2-for-1. You’ll end up playing this in aggressive Green decks.
Unruly Mob image 2.0 This is a reprint from our other two visits to Innistrad, and it wasn’t very good either time -- a 1.5 at best! It does grow as the game goes on, but it starts really small and grows pretty slowly. Only growing when your creatures die is tricky too. However, this will probably be better in this format than we’ve seen in the past, mostly because BW is a sacrifice deck this time around, and that combos pretty well with the Mob. The GW deck has lots of tokens too, so yeah, I think maybe this ends up being a solid playable this time around.
Harvesttide Infiltrator image 2.5 This has a decent fail case as a 3-mana 3/2 with Trample, and sometimes it will be bigger.
Geistwave image 2.5 This is a neat design for a bounce spell.. Bouncing an opposing nonland permanent for two mana is usually a decent card. It doesn’t give you the value of a whole card unless you use it in response to a trick or something, but it gives you some reasonable tempo and has that blow out upside. Using this to bounce your own thing is actually pretty interesting, since you do net a card, and if what you’re bouncing gives you some value from bouncing it, that’s going to feel pretty good! Especially if you do it in response to removal or something like that. Its probably just a C, but the “bounce your own stuff” upside is very real.
Brimstone Vandal image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ with Menace is already something you play a decent chunk of the time, so the addition Night and Day value here is pretty great! On its own, it is a 3-mana ⅔ with Menace, and will do a a bit of damage over the course of the game. This is a quality common.
Tapping at the Window image 2.5 This gives some decent card selection while also loading your graveyard, and you end up with a 2-for-1 after you cast it the second time – and you’ve also seen a ton of cards!
Plummet image 0.5 This format has lots of flyers as a result of Disturb, so Plummet might be a bit better here in the main deck than it is in most formats, but I think you’d still prefer to bring it in out of your sideboard. It is hard to guarantee it will have enough targets against some of the color pairs.
Pack 3 Pick 4: Beloved Beggar
Beloved Beggar image 3.5 This looks pretty good. You play it early as a reasonable blocker, until it inevitably dies, and then in the late game it can come out of your graveyard and be a very real win condition. Six mana for a 4/4 with Flying and Vigilance certainly isn’t insanely efficient, but it isn’t that far off from what I’d be willing to pay. The 0/4 side won’t ever allow you to actually trade with anything, but keeping your opponent at bay with has some value, especially since it becomes a win condition later. Also, keep in mind you can put this in your graveyard by other means and just skip the 0/4 part sometimes. It also can help you get Coven!
Sacred Fire image 3.5 This is pretty good. It kills small things and gains you life, which is a good way to respond to your opponents two or three drops. Then, in the late game, you can use it out of your graveyard. And yes, it isn’t efficient when you flash it back, but as I keep saying, that doesn’t really matter! This gives you something to do with your mana late if you run out of gas, and it is a pretty real effect. I think the whole package here is good enough to be premium removal.
Nebelgast Intruder image 3.5 Lately, we’ve seen a lot of Blue creatures with Flash that reduce the power of something when they come down. Some of them have been pretty good -- like Faerie Duelist. Others have been pretty mediocre, like Burrog Befuddler. I think this one ends up being pretty good though. A 3-mana 2/1 with Flash and Flying is already pretty playable, so adding an ability that, at the very least, makes you take less damage, isn’t too shabby. Especially because sometimes reducing a creature’s power will give you a whole card worth of value on its own! This is a very good Uncommon.
Homestead Courage image 1.0 This gives a nice, efficient boost twice. It isn’t a boost that always makes a difference, though, and even when it does, I’m not sure it will always feel like you’re getting a full card worth of value. Being cheap to flashback is good for flashback payoffs, and also makes it easy to turn it back into day, and that matters.
Shipwreck Sifters image 1.5 A two mana ½ who loots is fine, and this one can get bigger. I don’t think you’ll want to discard a spirit or a card with Disturb to it all that often, since the power of those cards is often in the fact that you get the two bodies, but you’ll discard those things sometimes and it’ll get bigger.
Lunarch Veteran image 2.5 A two mana 1/1 with the life gain effect certainly isn’t impressive. The Disturb effect really matters though, as getting back a flyer that can also gain you some life. Neither half of this card is going to be letting you trade very often because they are so small, but this still seems like a solid Common.
Ritual Guardian image 2.0 If this was a 3-mana 3/2 that always had Lifelink, it would probably be a 2.5 or 3.0. The fact this won’t always have it, and in fact probably won’t have it a decent chunk of the time, makes this significanlty worse than that, because a 3-mana 3/2 is just an ugly stat line these days.
Falkenrath Perforator image 2.5 In a set where this had no synergy at all, this would probably be a 1.5. The stats aren’t good, and the 1 damage just isn’t enough to make up for that. However, this set’s BR archetype has a lot of cards that give you extra effects if your opponent lost life, and this is one way you can make that happen. Plus, its a vampire, and while the tribal themes for vampires aren’t massive int his set, they are still there! I think all of that is enough to bump this up to a solid playable.
Gavony Silversmith image 2.5 If you have at least one other creature in play, you’re getting a 4-mana ¾ and putting another counter on a creature who can attack that turn, and that’s a solid enough deal. Sometimes you’ll be able to add 2/2 to the board that can attack right away too. It can also help you get coven by diversifying your creatures’ power.
Candlelit Cavalry image 2.5 On a base level, this is a 5-mana 5/5, something that makes the cut in some Green decks anyway, and it will gain trample sometimes. Seems decent enough.
Bladebrand image 1.5 This is a reprint, and it is one that is pretty mediocre. Giving death touch + a cantrip is pretty nice in combat, but it is a very narrow card overall because it is only useful in combat. Sure, I guess you can cast it just to cycle it, but that’s pretty rough! There are some silly things you can do with it sometimes, like give death touch to something that is being triple blocked, but a lot of the time you just use this and trade a creature on the table for one in your library. And, while that’s fine, it is certainly not a great card, and not one that makes the cut more than half the time.
Pack 3 Pick 5: Borrowed Time
Borrowed Time image 4.0 This is premium removal. It hits any nonland permanent, no questions asked. Like other Oblivion Ringish cards, your opponent can get the thing back if they destroy Respite, but that’s worth the risk -- you’re still trading 1-for-1 in that scenario anyway!
Odric's Outrider image 3.5 This is pretty good. First, it counts itself dying, so most of the time the Outrider will give you some value, even if he isn’t long for this world. The BW deck is all about sacrificing and the GW deck is all about going wide, partially with tokens, and it is a good fit in either of those decks since creatures will be dying a whole lot. And really, creatures just die all the time in Magic anyway! So yeah, I think the whole package here looks pretty strong, like the kind of engine that can really win you a game, and the floor is pretty reasonable.
Brimstone Vandal image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ with Menace is already something you play a decent chunk of the time, so the addition Night and Day value here is pretty great! On its own, it is a 3-mana ⅔ with Menace, and will do a a bit of damage over the course of the game. This is a quality common.
Falkenrath Perforator image 2.5 In a set where this had no synergy at all, this would probably be a 1.5. The stats aren’t good, and the 1 damage just isn’t enough to make up for that. However, this set’s BR archetype has a lot of cards that give you extra effects if your opponent lost life, and this is one way you can make that happen. Plus, its a vampire, and while the tribal themes for vampires aren’t massive int his set, they are still there! I think all of that is enough to bump this up to a solid playable.
Mourning Patrol image 2.5 A 3-mana 2/3 with Vigilance is fine, so the fact that this can come back as a 2/1 with Flying and Vigilance is pretty nice! Both halves in this case very capable of trading, too.
Search Party Captain image 3.5 A 4-mana 2/2 that draws you a card is like a 2.0, and decreasing that cost even by 1 is a huge upgrade. So, the fact that sometimes you can play this for two or one mana and then cast what you draw seems really good. This is one of White’s better Commons.
Larder Zombie image 1.5 So, a one mana ⅓ isn’t amazing, especially with Defender! But at least it can block and kill X/1s. Its ability asks for several creatures in play, and I guess the idea is that you’ll be making Zombie tokens so doing that might not be too hard! The ability itself isn’t bad -- as it can give you card selection and/or help you load up the graveyard. Still, I don’t see this being especially good overall.
Pestilent Wolf image 2.5 That’s a lot of mana to give a bear Deathtouch! Still, it starts out as a two mana 2/2, and has the ability to trade with anything later in the game. Wolf is also a somewhat useful creature type. I think the whole package is probably a 2.5
Rotten Reunion image 1.5 Hating on a couple graveyard cards and getting a couple of Zombies that can either pressure your opponent or act as sacrifice fodder seems alright for a three mana investment.
Immolation image 2.5 This is like Red “Dead Weight.” It isn’t quite as good as Dead Weight is, at least as removal, because you don’t really want to pumping the power of a creature -- you want to be outright killing it. But it does have the additional upside of pumping your larger evasive creature so that you can do lethal or something. I do think the ability to kill X/2s for a single mana is pretty nice, but this definitely isn’t premium removal.
Pack 3 Pick 6: Bat Whisperer
Sacred Fire image 3.5 This is pretty good. It kills small things and gains you life, which is a good way to respond to your opponents two or three drops. Then, in the late game, you can use it out of your graveyard. And yes, it isn’t efficient when you flash it back, but as I keep saying, that doesn’t really matter! This gives you something to do with your mana late if you run out of gas, and it is a pretty real effect. I think the whole package here is good enough to be premium removal.
Howl of the Hunt image 2.5 This kind of card pretty much always performs. Combat tricks and Auras both have some pretty serious problems. The chief one is that you can get totally blown out if you’re not careful. However, Auras with Flash tend to play reasonably well every time we see them, provided they are reasonably costed, and I think this one is. You have to be careful about when you play it of course, but if your opponent has no way to interact, this is basically a combat trick that takes something down, and then the Aura itself sticks around. The fact it works this way helps you mitigate the potential card disadvantage, since you’ll use the Aura to help you kill something up front. The werewolf upside here matters too. You usually want to be the aggressor with a trick, but giving your Wolf or Werewolf pseudo-vigilance is pretty nice, and having the option to ambush block is okay too.
Shadowbeast Sighting image 3.0 This is decently efficient when you first cast it, and when you cast it the second time you’re going to be getting a 2-for-1.
Neonate's Rush image 2.5 When you manage to kill a creature with this, it is going to feel incredible. When you can’t, this is less true. However, it is an enabler for all the pseudo-bloodthirst in the format and it replaces itself, AND it will often only cost two mana, making the outcome a lot more palatable.
Ardent Elementalist image 3.0 This will get you a pretty nice 2-for-1 most of the time, especially since as a 2/1, it stands a pretty good chance of trading with something in addition to getting you back a key instant or sorcery.
Blessed Defiance image 1.0 This doesn’t seem like a great trick to me. Only increasing power means there’s a good chance your creature will be dying, and while the life that you gain and the 1/1 flyer you get in exchange for that makes a difference, it will still usually feel like you’re getting 2-for-1’d when you use this.
Rotten Reunion image 1.5 Hating on a couple graveyard cards and getting a couple of Zombies that can either pressure your opponent or act as sacrifice fodder seems alright for a three mana investment.
Mourning Patrol image 2.5 A 3-mana 2/3 with Vigilance is fine, so the fact that this can come back as a 2/1 with Flying and Vigilance is pretty nice! Both halves in this case very capable of trading, too.
Bat Whisperer image 2.5 If this always gave you a bat, it would be at least a 3.5. One nice thing about the bat too is that it might help you enable future cards that give you a bonus if your opponent has lost life on a particular turn. Sometimes it will be a 4-mana 4/2 though, and that’s pretty bad.
Pack 3 Pick 7: Crawl from the Cellar
Angelfire Ignition image 3.5 This is pretty spicy! It isn’t really a combat trick because it’s a sorcery, but when you find a window to cast this, it is going to make any creature you use it on into a big problem. Even if your opponent can just block it, it is indestructible and has lifelink so you get some value. And that’s the fail case here, frequently it will make a creature into a big problem. And then you can flash it back, so the nightmare isn’t over for your opponent! You do have to be very careful about when you use it to avoid getting 2-for-1’d, but the ceiling is pretty insane.
Join the Dance image 3.0 Don’t underestimate the Flashback here. Like a lot of Flashback cards, neither the original cost nor the flashback cost is efficient, but the fact remains that over the course of a normal game of Limited, this will give you 4 tokens for only one card, and that’s pretty nice. Just having the Flashback cost to do in the later part of the game is a nice mana sink too. Obviously, GW is all about going wide too, so it will be extra useful there.
Harvesttide Infiltrator image 2.5 This has a decent fail case as a 3-mana 3/2 with Trample, and sometimes it will be bigger.
Jack-o'-Lantern image 1.5 Well, if this set wasn’t screaming “Halloween!” at you already, it is now! This card looks kind of alright for Limited. Exiling a problem card in a graveyard and drawing a card for a total investment of two mana really isn’t that bad, and then it is fixing from your graveyard too, which seems fine. I definitely don’t think you always run this, but it seems like it will be your 23rd card sometimes, especially if you’re interested in the fixing.
Plummet image 0.5 This format has lots of flyers as a result of Disturb, so Plummet might be a bit better here in the main deck than it is in most formats, but I think you’d still prefer to bring it in out of your sideboard. It is hard to guarantee it will have enough targets against some of the color pairs.
Crawl from the Cellar image 2.0 This is an interesting take on the usual Sorcery that lets you return two creatures to your hand. The first time you cast this, the value is going to be pretty nice, provided you have a zombie, as it effectively replaces itself while making a creature bigger. The second time is less efficient, but in the you pay 5 mana for a 2-for-1 and two +1/+1 counters, which actually isn’t too bad. Now, you really would prefer to be putting these counters on zombies that don’t have decay to get full value out of them, but a significant chunk of the time that’s probably where the counter goes, and you may also just not have anywhere to put the counter in the first place.
Thraben Exorcism image 0.5 Against some opponents this will feel really good -- namely, against UW -- but against other decks it just won’t have targets often enough to be worth it.
Howl of the Hunt image 2.5 This kind of card pretty much always performs. Combat tricks and Auras both have some pretty serious problems. The chief one is that you can get totally blown out if you’re not careful. However, Auras with Flash tend to play reasonably well every time we see them, provided they are reasonably costed, and I think this one is. You have to be careful about when you play it of course, but if your opponent has no way to interact, this is basically a combat trick that takes something down, and then the Aura itself sticks around. The fact it works this way helps you mitigate the potential card disadvantage, since you’ll use the Aura to help you kill something up front. The werewolf upside here matters too. You usually want to be the aggressor with a trick, but giving your Wolf or Werewolf pseudo-vigilance is pretty nice, and having the option to ambush block is okay too.
Pack 3 Pick 8: Search Party Captain
Loyal Gryff image 2.5 A Wind Drake with Flash is already something that would pretty much always make the cut, and this comes with the additional upside of allowing to bounce one of your creatures. This can help a creature avoid removal, or allow you to retrigger an ETB ability, among other things. It isn’t always going to happen that you line up the ETB ability to actually do something, of course -- sometimes you’ll just need the creature here, but it is still nice upside on a solid card.
Beloved Beggar image 3.5 This looks pretty good. You play it early as a reasonable blocker, until it inevitably dies, and then in the late game it can come out of your graveyard and be a very real win condition. Six mana for a 4/4 with Flying and Vigilance certainly isn’t insanely efficient, but it isn’t that far off from what I’d be willing to pay. The 0/4 side won’t ever allow you to actually trade with anything, but keeping your opponent at bay with has some value, especially since it becomes a win condition later. Also, keep in mind you can put this in your graveyard by other means and just skip the 0/4 part sometimes. It also can help you get Coven!
Drownyard Amalgam image 2.0 This sets up some graveyard value for you and has a decent defensive body, not to mention an ability that will sometimes help you close out a game. A lot of the time though, it just won’t do enough. Seems reasonable in some controlling decks.
Soul-Guide Gryff image 2.5 This has decent Flying stats, and exiling a card with Flashback or Disturb is pretty relevant in the format.
Timberland Guide image 3.0 This is a reprint, and even if it wasn’t, we see cards like this a lot, and I also like them a decent amount. They are nice as two drops, as they can be two mana 2/2s, and then in the later game you can put the counter somewhere more relevant. There isn’t a +1/+1 counter deck in this format, but the counter this guy brings with him can really help you set up Coven, since you add him to the board and put the counter somewhere else, and you’re already 2/3 of the way there!
Gavony Silversmith image 2.5 If you have at least one other creature in play, you’re getting a 4-mana ¾ and putting another counter on a creature who can attack that turn, and that’s a solid enough deal. Sometimes you’ll be able to add 2/2 to the board that can attack right away too. It can also help you get coven by diversifying your creatures’ power.
Search Party Captain image 3.5 A 4-mana 2/2 that draws you a card is like a 2.0, and decreasing that cost even by 1 is a huge upgrade. So, the fact that sometimes you can play this for two or one mana and then cast what you draw seems really good. This is one of White’s better Commons.
Pack 3 Pick 9: Arrogant Outlaw
Devoted Grafkeeper image 4.0 This is a very strong signpost uncommon, with it really pushing you in the direction of Disturb. It both loads your graveyard a bit and pays you off for disturb -- and flashback, for that matter. And then, it of course has Disturb itself! In the end, you end up paying 5 mana for a 2/1 and a 3/1 Flyer, plus all that other upside, and that’s an excellent deal.
Brood Weaver image 2.5 A 4-man 2/4 with Reach is often a fine playable -- something like a 1.5 or a 2.0, and making another Reach spider when it dies is solid enough.
Return to Nature image 0.5 Its nice that this does three different things, making it a more reasonable main deck card, but I’m still pretty skeptical about main decking it on a regular basis. This format has artifacts and enchantments, but not a ton of them, and while exiling something from a graveyard is nice, yo’ure often only getting half a card of value when you do it, since your opponent already cast their spell with flashback or their creature with disturb. I think this should probably still start in your sideboard.
Shipwreck Sifters image 1.5 A two mana ½ who loots is fine, and this one can get bigger. I don’t think you’ll want to discard a spirit or a card with Disturb to it all that often, since the power of those cards is often in the fact that you get the two bodies, but you’ll discard those things sometimes and it’ll get bigger.
Arrogant Outlaw image 2.0 When this is just a 3-mana 3/2, it won’t feel great. But sometimes, it will drain the opponent two life, which will feel like you’re getting your mana’s worth. You’ll probably cut this a significant chunk of the time, but playing it isn’t a disaster.
Bird Admirer image 2.5 A 3 mana ¼ with Reach makes the cut reasonably often in most Limited formats, and this will sometimes be a much larger creature. Seems like a solid Common to me! I’m giving it a 2.5.
Pack 3 Pick 10: Celestus Sanctifier
Faithful Mending image 3.0 Looting twice and gaining some life isn’t a bad deal for two mana, and being able to do it again from the graveyard is pretty nice. This will let you see a ton of cards in your deck, while simultaneously helping you put things in your graveyard. It does have the downside of, you know, not doing a whole lot immediately, but the life gain does help out a tiny bit on that front. I think the first copy looks appealing in most UW decks, but you don’t want to stock up on too many cards that don’t affect the board.
Sungold Barrage image 2.5 This is far from premium removal, as cards with 4 toughness aren’t incredibly common to see on the table. They will be a little more common in this set thanks to DFC creatures, who tend to be larger on one side. It can kill a lot of scary things for sure, but it is too situational to be anything more than solid.
Mounted Dreadknight image 2.0 This has a decent baseline, and sometimes it will be especially big. Not a bad thing to have at the top of your curve.
Celestus Sanctifier image 2.0 If you are changing between night and day a lot, this gives you some decent card selection, and even lets you load the graveyard a bit -- like with Flashback or Disturb cards. That said, it has mediocre stats, and the ability isn’t incredible, and it won’t always be easy to get going in the first place.
Blessed Defiance image 1.0 This doesn’t seem like a great trick to me. Only increasing power means there’s a good chance your creature will be dying, and while the life that you gain and the 1/1 flyer you get in exchange for that makes a difference, it will still usually feel like you’re getting 2-for-1’d when you use this.
Pack 3 Pick 11: Sacred Fire
Sacred Fire image 3.5 This is pretty good. It kills small things and gains you life, which is a good way to respond to your opponents two or three drops. Then, in the late game, you can use it out of your graveyard. And yes, it isn’t efficient when you flash it back, but as I keep saying, that doesn’t really matter! This gives you something to do with your mana late if you run out of gas, and it is a pretty real effect. I think the whole package here is good enough to be premium removal.
Abandon the Post image 0.0 // 2.5 I’m not a huge fan of this type of card, mostly because it basically does nothing unless you win the game with it. That said, if you have six mana available to cast it both times in a single turn, it does stand a pretty good chance of stealing a win out of nowhere. A card like this is soo all-in on aggro though that I think we do need to give it a buildaround grade If you are an aggro deck, you’ll probably play one copy of this and feel alright about it. Otherwise you pretty much can’t play it.
Harvesttide Infiltrator image 2.5 This has a decent fail case as a 3-mana 3/2 with Trample, and sometimes it will be bigger.
Brimstone Vandal image 2.5 A 3-mana ⅔ with Menace is already something you play a decent chunk of the time, so the addition Night and Day value here is pretty great! On its own, it is a 3-mana ⅔ with Menace, and will do a a bit of damage over the course of the game. This is a quality common.
Pack 3 Pick 12: Gavony Silversmith
Homestead Courage image 1.0 This gives a nice, efficient boost twice. It isn’t a boost that always makes a difference, though, and even when it does, I’m not sure it will always feel like you’re getting a full card worth of value. Being cheap to flashback is good for flashback payoffs, and also makes it easy to turn it back into day, and that matters.
Ritual Guardian image 2.0 If this was a 3-mana 3/2 that always had Lifelink, it would probably be a 2.5 or 3.0. The fact this won’t always have it, and in fact probably won’t have it a decent chunk of the time, makes this significanlty worse than that, because a 3-mana 3/2 is just an ugly stat line these days.
Gavony Silversmith image 2.5 If you have at least one other creature in play, you’re getting a 4-mana ¾ and putting another counter on a creature who can attack that turn, and that’s a solid enough deal. Sometimes you’ll be able to add 2/2 to the board that can attack right away too. It can also help you get coven by diversifying your creatures’ power.
Pack 3 Pick 13: Mourning Patrol
Falkenrath Perforator image 2.5 In a set where this had no synergy at all, this would probably be a 1.5. The stats aren’t good, and the 1 damage just isn’t enough to make up for that. However, this set’s BR archetype has a lot of cards that give you extra effects if your opponent lost life, and this is one way you can make that happen. Plus, its a vampire, and while the tribal themes for vampires aren’t massive int his set, they are still there! I think all of that is enough to bump this up to a solid playable.
Mourning Patrol image 2.5 A 3-mana 2/3 with Vigilance is fine, so the fact that this can come back as a 2/1 with Flying and Vigilance is pretty nice! Both halves in this case very capable of trading, too.
Pack 3 Pick 14: Blessed Defiance
Blessed Defiance image 1.0 This doesn’t seem like a great trick to me. Only increasing power means there’s a good chance your creature will be dying, and while the life that you gain and the 1/1 flyer you get in exchange for that makes a difference, it will still usually feel like you’re getting 2-for-1’d when you use this.
Draft Pick Overview