Draft Deck Meta

The Brothers' War Draft Deck Metagame

Draft deck metagame only consists of decks with the maximum number of wins (3 wins in Traditional and 7 wins in Quick and Premier drafts).
Select an archetype to see the popular cards used in winning decks of that group.

Grixis card breakdown - 24 decks, 0.41% of meta

Creatures

2.5 A three mana 2/1 that rummages when it ETBS is probably a 1.5, and I think adding Unearth to the mix is some real upside, since you get the ETB all over again. This looks like it can nicely set up graveyard and artifact payoffs. 3.6 1x in 21%

4.0 This is a quality thing to ramp into with your Powerstones. It is huge, hard to kill, and can play offense and defense! Plus, if it dies, it gives you a whole bunch of mana, and this format has a decent number of mana sinks around since they wanted you to have stuff to do with your power stones 2.8 1x in 21%

3.0 In addition to having a cost reduction built in, this activated ability will feel cheaper in this format than it would normally thanks to power stones. This seems like a nice win condition for the graveyard decks in the format. 3.1 1x in 21%

3.0 A three mana 1/3 with Vigilance that can loot is a card you’ll always play, so I love the upside you get when you discard artifacts. You won’t always want to do that of course, so I mostly see the ability as sort of softening the blow of having to discard a real card instead of a land – though you will go for the powerstone when you have something amazing to ramp into. 3.2 1x in 21%

4.0 This is a very impressive Uncommon. The Blue-Black deck in the format is all about drawing extra cards and getting value out of it, and this is going to be your premier payoff for doing so, because its crazy! Not only does it get larger and larger – which is great on a Flyer – it also lets you reanimate something when it dies. Directly to the board! And sure, your creature needs to have high enough power to make it happen, but because it is “less than or equal to” just getting it to 2 power will often allow you to reap the benefits and get that 2-for-1. So yeah, if it stays in play it wins the game by attacking, and if your opponent deals with it they get 2-for-1’d. Yeah, I wouldn’t have been surprised if this were a rare – but its an Uncommon..one that I think is better than most rares. 3.7 1x in 21%

4.0 A two mana 2/2 with Menace is a pretty sweet rate, so the fact this hooks you up with a powerstone is big upside – even if you have to give up a powerstone when the Stoneeker goes down 4 1x in 21%

3.0 This looks pretty sweet. There are plenty of artifacts to sacrifice, including the powerstones that can help pay for the ability, which effectively makes this say “Sacrifice a powerstone: It gets +1/+1 and deals 1 damage to an opponent.” The ability is just very affordable, and this creature attacking with a few artifacts in play is going to be a pretty sizable problem. Love that it also damages the opponent, giving it the capability of doing some very significant damage if it goes unblocked 2.9 1x in 25%

2.0 This has a very powerful ability that draws you cards late, and if you’re flooding out or have a bunch of powerstones, that’s a nice ability to help get you out of it. It has a pretty bad stat-line until you get to that point, though. 1.8 1x in 25%

3.0 This is a fun reference to Phyrexian Rager. When you cast it, it is a little bit worse, since you pay one more mana for the same effect – but the Unearth side of things means this bad boy gives you a 2-for-1, and that’s pretty nice. 3.3 1x in 25%

3.5 As usual, Black-Red has a sacrifice theme – one that feels a lot like what we saw in Forgotten Realms, a few sets back. It can sacrifice creatures, but can also sacrifice a plentiful artifact token resource in the set – in this case, Powerstones. This comes with one of those stones, so you can use this ability without any extra help, and it is a pretty strong one! +1/+0 and Menace makes a board a heck of a lot more imposing, and there is plenty of other sacrifice support in the set. The one thing this doesn’t have going for it is the awful stat-line, but it largely overcomes that to be a pretty powerful signpost Uncommon 3.5 1x in 25%

3.5 A two mana ⅔ that loots on ETB is a nice card. It is also nice that this is both an enabler and a payoff for the draw extra cards deck, though it is a little sad that it will technically trigger the turn you play it, it just won’t matter 3.1 1x in 29%

2.0 This is a bear with some decent upside – giving up a creature or artifact to draw a card is nice, though I don’t love paying three mana for the effect – but powerstones will soften the blow some 2.5 1x in 29%

3.5 This is basically a gold version of Young Pyromancer – it is harder to cast than the ‘mancer, but it also counts all noncreature spells and not just instants and sorceries! This thing can generate quite the army and make all of your spells significantly better 3.8 1x in 33%

3.0 A 5-mana 3/3 with Flash and Flying is usually playable, as it not only allows you to leave mana up for other stuff, you can flash it in to ambush something – so I’m pretty happy that this also adds a powerstone to the mix. Because of Flash, you’ll also be able to use that powerstone most of the time when you untap. 2.1 1x in 38%
Instant, Sorcery

1.5 This is a solid trick, as it will usually keep your creature alive, kill the opposing creature, and even do some trample damage! It gets better in a set with Prowess and other spell payoffs 2 1x in 12%

3.0 5 mana is a lot, but at least its an Instant! It can deal with most creatures in the format too, and Shocking your opponent in the face when you use it is definitely some decent additional upside. The problem with paying 5 for this effect is you’’ll often have to use it on a creature that costs less, and you’re losing some serious tempo when you do that – and sometimes you just can’t get the mana to deal with a cheap creature and that’s a problem too. You don’t really want more than one of these most of the time, because they are so expensive, but I do think the first copy should be valued reasonably highly 2.8 1x in 12%

2.0 5 mana is a lot, and while this does let you trade 1-for-1, since it doesn’t just bounce the permanent – it puts it on top or bottom of your opponent’s library – it also doesn’t do a great job of dealing with some really problematic permanents, which your opponent can just draw again. 0.9 1x in 12%

3.5 This is a really cool design for a reanimation spell. We see 5 mana reanimation spells all the time, and most of them are duds because the set up of having something worth reanimating in your graveyard is surprisingly challenging in formats without a dedicated reanimator-type deck. This makes up for that in a big way, since you can reanimate 3 mana things for only two mana. In other words, setting this up so it is actually worth using is way, way easier than most versions of this effect we have seen before, and it still has the same super powerful top end of being able to reanimate a massive bomb or something. Black decks look well-positioned to take advantage of this. I’m pretty high on this 3 1x in 12%

1.5 Coercion is basically never good in Limited, and that’s what the first part of this card is. Paying three to trade one-for-one and not do anything on the board is a real problem, even if you do get to disrupt your opponent. This gives you a little thing back in the form of a powerstone, which certainly makes it better – but I still don’t like this. 1.9 1x in 17%

3.0 Gravedigger is always a nice card in Limited, this costs half as much for a creature half the size, and still returns something from your graveyard to your hand. Getting a 2-for-1 is harder with a 1/1, but a two mana 1/1 with this effect seems pretty nice 2.7 1x in 17%

2.5 This is a solid card that will slot nicely into the spell decks and the artifact decks – especially the ramp-oriented artifact deck. Three mana to draw two and discard one on its own on an instant is usually kind of alright, and I do think the Powerstone upside here is enough for this to be a one-of in most Blue decks in the format. Any noncreature spell that draws you cards will be welcome in Blue-Red too. 2.7 1x in 25%

2.5 This format does have a ton of Artifacts, so this will usually have a target, many of which will be creatures. And its also nice that it can draw you a card when it hits a cheap artifact. In a pinch you could even go after your own powerstone! However…it is a little overcosted and clunky to be that good. Three mana to kill only one permanent type, even one that is relatively plentiful in the set, just isn’t a great rate. The uncounterable clause only matters a tiny bit here too. I mean, I don’t think this is bad at all – but I think some people will see this and think it is premium, but it just won’t be 1.6 1x in 33%

4.0 This is great removal. Two mana for 4 damage is an incredible deal as always, and the exile clause carries real value in this format 4.4 1x in 33%

4.0 As usual, this is a premium removal spell. Yes, the set has lots of Artifact creatures – but that was true last time we saw this card too. It still kills 80+% of the creatures in the set at a very efficient rate 4.4 1x in 38%

3.5 As usual, this is premium removal. It can kill a pretty wide spectrum of things for only one mana, giving you a great deal 3.5 1x in 42%

4.0 This looks pretty great, even as a Sorcery! Three mana to do three to anything is always nice – you can usually break even or better on the mana you spend, and this actually gives you some mana back in the form of a powerstone 4.3 1x in 42%

3.5 A card that was always 5 for this effect is probably a 3.0, and this will often cost significantly less, especially in graveyard decks. Just getting it down to 4 is pretty much getting you to the premium level, and it will often be even cheaper 4.2 1x in 42%

2.5 In case you didn’t get it from the card’s name, the ideal thing to do here is going to be to sacrifice a powerstone. In that case, you aren’t using up a real card – and that’s good, because giving up a real card to cast this is pretty bad. It is basically a wore bone splinters, and it isn’t like bone splinters is an incredible card. I still think this falls below premium removal because of the set up needed to make it decent 3.3 1x in 54%
Enchantment, Artifact

3.0 I really like this design, and think it actually makes for a really good Blue removal spell. Only paying one mana when the creature is tapped is perfectly reasonable, and sort of “kicking it” to tap the creature down for 4 mana is fine too. The creature can still do all kinds of stuff, unfortunately – like use abilities, be sacrificed, and so on – so it isn’t really premium. 3.1 1x in 8%

2.0 This is another artifact that replaces itself, making it useful in the format. It also hates on the graveyard – something else of value in a format with Unearth and a couple of graveyard decks. You can main deck this pretty happily 2.7 1x in 8%

5.0 This costs a bunch of mana, but powerstones in this format are going to make it easier to cast this than it would be in most formats. Forcing the opponent to lose three creatures can be pretty sweet of course, though sometimes by the time you hit 9 mana the effect can be minimal! However, on your next turn, you get to start reanimating something every single turn, and it is likely that the ETB on the card has allowed you to insure that you will be able to get some creatures back. In short, I think ramping into this is doable here, it does impact the board immediately, and it is certainly going to win you games. 5 1x in 8%

2.0 +1/+0 and Flying is enough to make a creature a problem for your opponent, even if two to play and two to equip will feel a little clunky. 1.9 1x in 8%

3.0 The Boots are pretty nice on the right creature, though the downside they always have is that the creature you put it on already has to be pretty impressive, otherwise it makes very little difference! That said, once you have a creature worth protecting, the Boots are a nightmare for your opponent! It doesn’t hurt that they can also give haste, something that can really change your attacks. 2.6 1x in 8%

2.5 We’ve seen some spell payoffs like this in the past, and they have always been kind of underwhelming. This is because for much of the game, casting this seems like it didn’t accomplish much. After all, it is just a hunk of metal on the battlefield until you pay mana to animate it, and that’s a pretty big bummer, even in a world of powerstones. Then you jump through hoops to make it grow too. It is nice that it can sort of sit around and accumulate counters before starting to threaten your opponent, and there are certainly games where things will work out that way, but I think there will enough situations where it really lets you down 3.7 1x in 12%

3.5 This is quite the Aura! +1/+0 and Flying is going to make a lot of creatures problematic, and because you get to draw a card when your creature attacks, it helps get around the dangerous 2-for-1 downside that is inherent with an Aura. If the creature you put this on is allowed to continue unchecked, you’re just going to win. 3.3 1x in 12%

2.5 This is another 2 mana artifact that replaces itself, and that’s nice – especially because you can also sacrifice it and turn it into a 2-for-1, something that feels pretty doable, especially in Black-Red 3.6 1x in 12%

1.5 This replaces itself, and that is enough in this format for it to be decent enough, since the UR deck likes casting nocnreature spells and several decks like artifacts. It can also fix your mana a bit, but that’s a small part of what this card does. 2.9 1x in 12%

2.0 Because this is a noncreature spell and an artifact that replaces itself, it is going to be very playable, as multiple decks in this format care about that stuff. It also fixes your mana of course, though it is a bit clunky if you’re just using it for those purposes 3.5 1x in 12%

1.5 This is a neat take on a Tormented Voice-type effect. While the UR deck in this format cares about spells, it actually cares about all non-creature spells, so this will still trigger them like Tormented Voice would. The ability to give haste to your whole board will come up sometimes too. I think you probably cut this most of the time in any deck that doesn’t care about spells, and even in the spell deck it probably isn’t the card you’re happily shoving in your deck 1.8 1x in 17%

1.5 This is a free artifact that replaces itself, though it does take a whole turn to actually replace itself, so the UR deck won’t be quite as excited about this one 3.5 1x in 17%

3.0 In most formats this kind of effect is overwhelming, but THIS format has a ton of Powerstones running around, and paying 4 to make one into a 4/4 is definitely something you can do, especially because this can replace itself. In a pinch, you can even put it on something that is already a creature, but generally for full value you’ll want to stick this on a powerstone or other noncreature artifact, as that is far more of an upgrade. The card draw effect will also trigger the draw 2 payoffs for the Blue-Black deck. 2.5 1x in 21%

$Energy Refractor$ 1.5 It is a good thing this replaces itself, because it is pretty bad at filtering mana! Two mana for one mana of any color just isn’t a very good rate, though it can do it multiple times a turn because it doesn’t tap. The format does care about artifacts and noncreature spells, and one that replaces itself has some inhererent value, with the filtering part just some minor upside. It does let you make your powerstones produce colored mana, but still not efficient at all. 2.9 1x in 29%
Planeswalkers

5.0 This is a bomb. The 0 ability is effectively a +1, and he gains 1 loyalty every time you draw a card in general, so he’s going to be able to gain loyalty pretty effectively, especially if you have some other draw effects. Meanwhile, his -2 creates a very real creature who does a great job of protecting him – and it also grows throughout the game. The ultimate probably isn’t going to happen very often in Limited, but obviously if you do get there it stands a pretty good chance of winning you the game, since it takes away everything but a single nonland permanent. 4.8 1x in 8%

5.0 This looks like a bomb planeswalker to me! Her -2 generates two nice bodies to protect her, and because they are artifacts, they bring all sorts of extra synergy – including with her other two loyalty abilities! Drawing with her +1 seems very doable in the format, and her ultimate will certainly impact the game, even if it isn’t the strongest thing ever. 4.8 1x in 33%
Lands

2.5 This is going to be pretty sweet if you’re in UW. Soldiers are plentiful in the color pair, meaning you can have it entered untapped a reasonable chunk of the time, and it can buff your soldiers too! If you’re not in UW, this gives you a decent way to improve your mana base if you’re trying to splash something. 3.9 1x in 4%

2.5 Filter lands aren’t good in most formats, as the cost of producing that mana is just too high. However, I think adding the ability to make powerstones certainly matters, as powerstone ramp decks look pretty leg 3.9 1x in 4%

1.5 This isn’t great for your mana, but having a repeatable source of Surveil is going to be worth it in some decks, because it can both laid your graveyard and improve your card quality. Three mana is a lot for sure, and that’s an ability you’ll only be using when you have nothing better to do – but hey, it will find you something to do eventually! 1.2 1x in 8%

2.5 These do a good job of fixing your mana for you. They will probably be a little better here than in Dominaria United, because this format doesn’t have Domain and a cycle of common dual lands that are better! 2.9 1x in 12%

3.0 We see this all the time, and its always a pretty nice land. It does an excellent job of fixing for you. If you’re splashing something, just a single Wilds and a basic land in that splash color is enough, and that’s pretty great! Its at pretty much the same level as the Rare dual lands we just saw. 3.2 1x in 38%
Top Rated Cards

4.5 This is super cool. Having two mana of each Grixis color isn’t going to line up perfectly most of the time, but the fact of the matter is, even if you can only make one of these triggers happen a single time, you’re getting a reasonable deal. A 6-mana 5/4 that draws you a card, or makes your opponent discard, or a 6 mana 6/5 with trample and Haste are all cards you are always pretty happy with in Limited, and the ceiling here gets really insane, since you can trigger these things together and potentially do it multiple times! Like I said, you shouldn’t count on lining things up perfectly, but I think getting 2 out of 3 going, or triggering one of them twice is pretty doable. 4.9 1x in 4%

4.5 This is great. It can make itself a 4/3 in a pinch, and you’ll often have some better bodies to put it on, especially because you’re kind of interested in trading this off so you can Unearth it and get those counters again! 4.9 1x in 4%

4.5 This is great either way you cast it! Both give you fairly efficient bodies for the cost, and both can put counters on themselves. There are a few other Assembly-Workers in the set too, of course, but most of the time you’ll just be putting the counter on the Assembler. This can get out of hand in a hurry, especially because thanks to VIgilance, it can attack, block and use its ability every turn cycle 5 1x in 4%

4.5 Like the other commands, this looks pretty darn good. You’ll frequently want to make your opponent sacrifice their big creature, and that effect alone isn’t worth much less than five mana – so everything else you can get is pretty sweet, and most of it is very impactful. Making a creature bigger and giving it lifelink until end of turn can really change the game, as can sweeping away small creatures or returning two creatures to your hand from the graveyard! This can give you a 3-for-1 a few different ways, which is sweet – even if it is a bit clunky as a 5-mana Sorcery. 4.9 1x in 8%

4.5 This looks great – it is a two drop that has to be answered, or you just lose. You can basically make this an unblockable three mana 3/2, and that’s a card you always play in Limited – but it is even better than that, because you can pay that three mana in two separate installments and it has two other abilities! A 5/4 that can’t be blocked ends the game quickly, and if it isn’t doing enough on its own, you can even draw cards with it! 5 1x in 8%

4.5 This is great. It has a nice stat-line, cranks out soldier tokens, and can even draw you cards! Obviously, it makes soldiers on its own and is a soldier itself, but there are plenty of other soldiers in the set too. This can quickly get out of hand. 4.7 1x in 8%

5.0 This sort of feels like a fixed version of Skullclamp. It isn’t quite as busted as that card was of course, but this is a very powerful card, especially if you can consistently only pay a single mana to equip it! +2/+0 is enough to make many creatures a threat, and your opponent will absolutely hate the idea of trading with anything this is equipped too. So, you’ll put them in a bad spot – where they have to take a bunch of damage, or get 2-for-1’d! Sometimes they will be able to chump of course, but you’re still coming out ahead there. Because the equip is so cheap you can also move it in the second main phase very commonly, making another creature a better blocker that can generate a 2-for-1. Even paying two to equip it is pretty darn good, so you’ll always end up playing this 4.9 1x in 4%

5.0 Every single time you have a creature hit your opponent, you can pay 1 life and draw a card. And that ability gets going right away, so the turn you play Gix you can try to take advantage of the ability – and that set up just means having played a two drop, so it isn’t asking for much! You probably win the game with the insane card advantage this gives you before you ever really need to use the other ability – but obviously, you are going to draw a bunch of cards, so you can also discard a bunch and pay 7 to cast cards from your opponent’s library for free, which is insane. This is a bomb – it isn’t that hard to generate value with it before your opponent ever untaps, and if they don’t kill it quickly, it will end the game in your favor 4.9 1x in 4%

5.0 A 6-mana 6/6 with Deathtouch and Lifelink is easily a 4.0, and this comes with the absurd effect of leaving behind two 3/3 tokens – each with one of those keywords – when it dies. So, your opponent either gets killed by this massive 6/6 that puts the game out of reach thanks to lifelink, or they get 3-for-1’d. Yeah, that’s a bomb – and definitely an A. Keep in mind exile effects and Aura-based removal do make the Engine a little sad, but yeah – still a bomb 4.9 1x in 4%

5.0 This is a bomb. The 0 ability is effectively a +1, and he gains 1 loyalty every time you draw a card in general, so he’s going to be able to gain loyalty pretty effectively, especially if you have some other draw effects. Meanwhile, his -2 creates a very real creature who does a great job of protecting him – and it also grows throughout the game. The ultimate probably isn’t going to happen very often in Limited, but obviously if you do get there it stands a pretty good chance of winning you the game, since it takes away everything but a single nonland permanent. 4.8 1x in 8%

5.0 This costs a bunch of mana, but powerstones in this format are going to make it easier to cast this than it would be in most formats. Forcing the opponent to lose three creatures can be pretty sweet of course, though sometimes by the time you hit 9 mana the effect can be minimal! However, on your next turn, you get to start reanimating something every single turn, and it is likely that the ETB on the card has allowed you to insure that you will be able to get some creatures back. In short, I think ramping into this is doable here, it does impact the board immediately, and it is certainly going to win you games. 5 1x in 8%

5.0 5 mana for three 2/2s with Trample and Haste is a great deal – that card is probably a 4.0 – and if you happen to get 9 mana, you also get a nice deal of 9-mana for three 4/4s with Trample and Haste. You will be able to get to 9 a decent chunk of the time in the format thanks to powerstones. You do need to be able to prototype this thing to run it in your deck, though, as only limiting your self to the 9 mana option is a massive downgrade 5 1x in 8%

5.0 Take away the enter the Battlefield ability, and the card is a B. Decent flying stats and firebreathing make it a formidable finisher. That ETB is an incredible one though. It will either kill a creature or finish off the opponent, and both are awesome options! This is a 2-for-1 that has a massive impact on the board right away, and then can easily close out games 4.8 1x in 12%

5.0 This looks like a bomb planeswalker to me! Her -2 generates two nice bodies to protect her, and because they are artifacts, they bring all sorts of extra synergy – including with her other two loyalty abilities! Drawing with her +1 seems very doable in the format, and her ultimate will certainly impact the game, even if it isn’t the strongest thing ever. 4.8 1x in 33%

Azorius	6408 matches	782 decks
13.50% of Metagame
Rakdos	6009 matches	732 decks
12.64% of Metagame
Golgari	4732 matches	586 decks
10.12% of Metagame
Selesnya	4491 matches	550 decks
9.50% of Metagame
Boros	4119 matches	501 decks
8.65% of Metagame
Gruul	3961 matches	491 decks
8.48% of Metagame
Orzhov	3160 matches	385 decks
6.65% of Metagame
Izzet	2740 matches	343 decks
5.92% of Metagame
Dimir	2497 matches	308 decks
5.32% of Metagame
Simic	2377 matches	293 decks
5.06% of Metagame
Mono Green	1406 matches	175 decks
3.02% of Metagame
Mono White	968 matches	116 decks
2.00% of Metagame
Mono Red	831 matches	105 decks
1.81% of Metagame
Mono Black	593 matches	72 decks
1.24% of Metagame
Bant	459 matches	54 decks
0.93% of Metagame
Mono Blue	415 matches	51 decks
0.88% of Metagame
Abzan	361 matches	44 decks
0.76% of Metagame
Jund	292 matches	35 decks
0.60% of Metagame
Esper	282 matches	34 decks
0.59% of Metagame
Jeskai	255 matches	30 decks
0.52% of Metagame
Mardu	215 matches	26 decks
0.45% of Metagame
Grixis	198 matches	24 decks
0.41% of Metagame
Sultai	178 matches	22 decks
0.38% of Metagame
Naya	140 matches	17 decks
0.29% of Metagame
Temur	63 matches	8 decks
0.14% of Metagame
Colorless	26 matches	3 decks
0.05% of Metagame
Four Color (Non-white)	17 matches	2 decks
0.03% of Metagame
Five Color	9 matches	1 decks
0.02% of Metagame
Four Color (Non-red)	9 matches	1 decks
0.02% of Metagame

Decks by color

Enter The Battlefield Prepared

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The Brothers' War Draft Deck Metagame

Grixis card breakdown - 24 decks, 0.41% of meta

Creatures

Instant, Sorcery

Enchantment, Artifact

Planeswalkers

Lands

Top Rated Cards

Enter The Battlefield Prepared