Ongoing Core Set 2020 Limited Review Notes (Last Update 6/22/2019 @9:26 a.m. ET) (Patreon)

Core Set 2020 spoiler season is underway! As patrons, you get access to my notes that I try to update daily as spoiler season progresses -- these are all my extra early thoughts on the cards that will eventually evolve into my set review.  Enjoy!

Core set 2020 Limited Review Notes

White:

Aerial Assault – C+

So, this sort of sorcery speed situational removal spell is certainly not premium, but it is pretty solid. It isn’t in that “firs tpickable removal” range, though, because you have to let a creature swing and do damage to you or maybe chump block it, before you’ll really get a chance to kill it. Now, this does make up for that fact a bit by having a minor flying payoff clause on it, and certainly gaining a 1 or 2 life when you cast this does take away that downside a bit. But it is still sorcery speed, and not particularly good when you are the aggressor, since it can’t get a blocker out of your way. I think you probably play one of these in all of your White decks, but probably only play more than one of them if you’re really desperate for removal. I’m giving it a C+.

Ajani, Strength of the Pride – B+

This Ajani is pretty good. At first glance his +1 is the kind of +1 that you aren’t excited about, but once you see that his -2 makes an Ajani’s pridemate token, things start looking up. Any planeswalker who can come down and put a body in play to protect it tends to be pretty good, and Ajani can do that. What’s more is, he can actually make two of them if he just stays in play for 2 turns, and guess what – two ajani’s pridemates for 4 mana is not a bad deal. Then obviously his +1 can grow the Pridemates. His ultimate is kind of silly, and seems unlikely to come up in Limited, but if you can pull it off it is the kind that can win you the game. Still, I do think Ajani falls short of the “A” range, which I am usually pretty stingy with. He gets close though – he is a B+, and it is pretty unlikely there are any uncommons or commons you should take over it in this set. 

Angelic Cleric – C // B+

Well, this is interesting – this is an incredibly powerful Angel buildaround. But the question is: Are there enough Angels for this to really shine? I’m guessing there are probably a handful of them at Common and Uncommon, and a few at higher rarities and that’s probably enough for this to be decent. I’m actually a pretty huge fan of two-mana 1/4s – that is a stat line that blocks really well, and keeps lots of 2 drops at bay. Obviously if that’s all this was it wouldn’t be great, probably a D+, and slightly better out of your sideboard against opponents who have lots of X/1s. But even if your deck only has 2 or so Angels, this is going to move up to a C or so. Gaining life from every Angel, and getting a spirit token from each one that dies is incredibly powerful! This grade may improve as more of the set gets spoiled – but for now I’m just going to say that this is a C on its base level in most White decks, and a B+ in a deck with lots of Angels. 

Angel of Vitality – C+

So Wind Drakes are always fine, though I do feel like power creep on creatures has probably made just a regular old 2W 2/2 flyer have a baseline of about a C-, that’s still pretty good for a fail case. Especially because Angel of Vitality has some serious upside, gaining extra life from stuff that gains you life is nice, and if you get enough life she can just get completely out of control. In this early stage of spoiler season, I’m going to guess that this means that BW Lifegain is an archetype, and if that’s true, this Angel seems pretty good. I don’t think quite “first pickable” good, but definitely a card you play in just about any White deck, and one that gets a bit better in a lifegain deck. I’m giving it a C+.

Cavalier of Dawn – B

There is a cycle of cavaliers in this set, and they all look pretty sweet – though this one might be the least good of the bunch. The cards in this cycle all cost 5 mana, including 3 of their color, have a color appropriate keyword ability and all do something when they come down, and when they die. Here, you get a 5 mana 4/6 with Vigilance, which on its own is probably about a C+. The ETB ability here is nice, giving you the ability to blow up your opponents problem permanents at times where a 3/3 Elephant is preferable, but keep in mind that it also lets you blow up your own permanents, if you really need to have a 3/3 Elephant yourself. Destroying a creature token, or a creature with Pacifism on it seems pretty sweet. The fact you get an enchantment or artifact back when it dies is nice – there do seem to be a reasonable number of Enchantments in this set, especially in White, so triggering it isn’t going to be an irregular thing. Overall, I thinkt his card is very good – but not quite a bomb. I’m giving it a B – you should first pick it in most cases. 

Devout Decree – F // B

There is a whole cycle of cards in this set that hate on other colors, and most of them are horrible to play mainboard because they are so targeted on specific colors, but absolutely incredible out of the sideboard. This might just be the best of the bunch. These cards are interesting, because most of them are straight Fs in your 40-card deck, but become one of the best cards in your entire deck against the right opponents. I mean, this is basically a better Doomblade against players who are playing both colors, and still pretty great against people playing one of the colors. 2 mana to exile a creature or planeswalker is incredibly strong, and it even has Scry attached! These cards get weird grades – this is an F as a mainboard card, but a B in your sideboard – if you draft one of these, it is almost guaranteed you will side it in at least once during your matches. This means that unlike most sideboard cards, I think you can start picking these up around mid pack and feel pretty good about it. 

Disenchant – D // C

Disenchant has been sideboard material in the countless sets it has appeared in. Most opponents just won’t have enough targets for this to warrant playing it in your 40-card deck, though if you are desperate for a 40th card you could do worse. It is great to bring in against someone after you know they have a few targets. This is a D in your mainboard, and a C sideboard card. 

Eternal Isolation – C- // B

We see a White card that hates on big creatures in just about every set, but this is one of the better ones we have seen in a while. Usually this effect costs 3 mana, and usually it just straight up kills the creature – this only costs 2, and it puts it on the bottom of their library – most of the time, putting something on the bottom of their library is going to be better than just putting it into their graveyard. This kind of card is never great as a mainboard card, but it isn’t horrendous there either, and it has a high ceiling. I think ideally, you hope you can start this in your sideboard, but if you can’t – it is probably a C- in your mainboard – there will be opponents who have 0-2 creatures that this can target, and it is going to feel pretty terrible against them, so be ready to side it out. But then, of course, there will also be opponents who have 7+ targets, at which point it will be excellent. So, yeah – I think a C- mainboard, and a B as a card out of your sideboard. 

Hanged Executioner – B

3 mana for two 1/1 flyers isn’t a bad deal, would probably be a C+ on its own. But then, the fact that in the later part of the game the Executioner can take down a problem creature, pushes this into the B range and makes it a card you first pick most of the time you see it. Worth noting it is also an easy splash, making the risk of taking it even lower.  This is a solid B, a nice card for any deck.

Herald of the Sun – C+

A 6-mana 4/4 flyer is something like a C- in most formats, and the fact that this one is also a nice Flying payoff obviously makes it better.  4 mana is kind of a lot for a counter, so this is usually the kind of thing you’ll start doing once you really run out of things to do – in other words, it is a mana sink – but that’s usually a nice thing to have.  The threat of activation of an effect like this is real too, so sometimes you’ll just get to damage, or your opponent won’t attack, and you don’t even have to use the ability!  Still, the high mana cost of the card and the ability means that I don’t think I really want to first pick it, though having one of these in most White decks seems pretty nice.  I’m giving it a C+.

Leyline of Sanctity – F

Most of the time, this just won’t be good in Limited. A card like this is good in constructed because there are plenty of decks that are loaded up with spells that target the opponent, like burn decks – but in Limited it is hard for anyone to ever have enough spells or effects that target the player for this to be worth siding in. I think you want to see around 4 cards your opponent targets you with – and they have to be things that can only target you, because if they can still use it effectively on your creatures than it doesn’t matter. I just don’t see that happening. I’m just giving this an F.

Loxodon Lifechanter – C+

This seems pretty nice. Obviously, his ETB trigger won’t always be worth doing, but since he brings 6 toughness on the board on his own, him getting you back up to 10 life or so when he comes down doesn’t seem farfetched. His activated ability is expensive, and he doesn’t have evasion, but it still seems like a nice thing to threaten to activate. A lot of opponents will just be forced to take 4 from this because they can’t block it profitably. Of course, that lack of evasion also means it can be chump-blocked forever. Lacking evasion of some kind is what keeps this from getting into the “I would usually first pick this” range. But if you get this guy, I imagine you play him almost every time you’re in white. I’m giving him a C+.

Loyal Pegasus – F // C

So, you really can’t play this in all White decks. For it to be worth it, you have to be really aggressive – and when you are, this is a solid card. I think the places that will make the most sense are in Flyers decks and Aggro decks, but it will be pretty horrible in more controlling decks that want to play the long game. That means I want to give this a buildaround. It is pretty much an F in decks that aren’t aggressive, but a C in decks that are.

Pacifism – B

Well, its back again. Been a bit since we’ve seen it, but when we do – Pacifism is one of the best commons not only in its color, but in the entire set. Two mana to shut down the two most important things a creature can do in most cases – attacking or blocking – is just insanely efficient. It has some problems to be sure – it doesn’t stop static or activated abilities, and if the opponent has ways to bounce or blink their own stuff it gets worse – and it looks like the Bant colors have a fair bit of that going on. But still, this will be very good in this set, and is certainly premium removal. I’m giving it a B, as I usually do.

Planar Cleansing – B-

This is a powerful reprint – it has been awhile since we’v ehad a reasonably costed board sweeper that also hits nonland permanents. Now, as always, a board sweeper is not something every deck wants – if you’re really aggressive and you see this P2P1 or something, you may want to steer clear – but this type of effect is pretty much irreplaceable, and I think that makes it worth taking P1P1 some of the time. If you do that, you can avoid going aggressive for the rest of the draft. It does cause triple White, but asking for that on turn 6 or later isn’t really insane. It has its limitations, but I think that Planar Cleansing is a B-.

Raise the Alarm – C+

This is a nice common every time we see it. Two mana to makes two 1/1s at Instant speed is pretty efficient, and it can be used as a pseudo-removal spell sometimes – you can use the soldiers to double block an X/2, or in a dream scenario – block an X/1 with each of them and get that 2-for-1. But it is also useful as just a way to make your board go wide, too – and that is definitely something White will be interested in here. This is oen of White’ sbetter commons, but not the kind you first pick – I’m giving it a C+

Rule of Law – F

This is a reprint that has been a nice sideboard card in the past…but for constructed. I have a hard time seeing this as something worth playing in Limited. Sure, people double spell in Limited a time or two a game, but that’s not often enough for Rule of Law to be worth it. Now, there could end up being some wacky deck that draws a ton of cards or something and then Rule of Law might be worth bringing in from your sideboard, but most of the time? That’s where it will stay. I’m giving it an F.

Sephara, Sky’s Blade – C+

I’m not super impressed here. Yeah, it is a flying pay off, but even if you’re in a deck with a bunch of flyers, having 4 flyers in play to pay for this is a stretch in Limited. A 7mana 7/7 with Flying and Lifelink is certainly nice, but the triple White and such a high mana cost does it make it a little less attractive to me. Making your other flyers indestructible could be nice, but Sephara still dies to a ton of removal in this set, and that won’t feel so good after paying 7 mana. Basically, because she doesn’t deliver any sort of immediate value in most cases, I don’t think she is a bomb. If she isn’t interfered with at all she certainly can be, but yeah – too much mana for a creature with some problems. I’m not saying she is bad, mind you – just that she isn’t something I’m going to be itnereste din first picking usually. I’m giving her a C+.

Squad Captain – D+

So, this card is going to have huge variance. A 5-mana 2/2 with Vigilance is atrocious, but if you have at least two other creatures in play you are getting a sort of ok deal. More than 2, and you’re going to be reasonably happy with it. The dream is to just curve out with this, and that will certainly happen sometimes. But it feels like if your opponent has removal for even just one early creature, Squad Captain is going to start looking pretty ugly. It is also not a bad card for the extreme late game during a board stall, since it can get quite large. White is of course a color with go-wide stuff and lots of aggressive creatures, but I thinkt his card will be a little too inconsistent for me to want to play most of the time. I’m giving it a D+.

Starfield Mystic – C- // C+

This looks like a fun Enchantment buildaround, and it is nice that at the base level it is still a Grizzly Bear, which is a fine fail case. I think the fact that the Mystic only gets +1/+1 counters when Enchantments go to the graveyard is kind of a pain, because in Limited Enchantments don’t go to the graveyard real often. I think the idea is that you have other creatures you put Auras on, and if you’re doing that and they get killed, well you get a consolation prize. I think most of the Mystic’s value is going to come from reducing the cost of Enchantments, but it remains to be seen if there is enough of an Enchantment sub-theme in this set to make that matter enough. For now, I’m thinking that he is a C- in yoru typical White deck, and a c+ in a deck that does enough with Enchantments.

Blue:

Aether Gust – F // B

There is a cycle of color-hosing cards like this in the set, and they are all pretty great – provided your opponent is playing one or both of the colors that it hates on. Both is deal, but I think these are all powerful enough that you side them in even again an opponent in only one of the colors. Two mana for this effect is a great deal – countering a spell and putting it back in their library, or Time Ebbing something is pretty nice. Note, though,t hat your opponent does decide whether it goes on top or bottom not you. So, where should you pick cards in this cycle? Well, provided you aren’t playing Bo1 on Arena, pretty early. Over the course of a draft you are pretty much guaranteed to play against someone who it is good against, and usually you’ll run into a couple of people that fit the bill there. I don’t think you want to run these mainboard, even though its true that there is something like a 40% chance opponent’s will be affected by this – just because it being a completely dead card is a real possibility, but these are incredible out of the sideboard, and become one of the best cards in your deck. This means that you should take this type of card and the others in the cycle over decent but impressive playables. Anyway, I think this is an F as a mainboard card, but a B out of your sideboard. 

Agent of Treachery – A-

This might cost 7 mana, but there’s a reason it does – stealing an opponent’s permanent is one of the most powerful things you can do in the entire game. It is essentially always going to give you a 2-for-1, because it is effectively a removal spell – since it takes away your opponent’s permanent – and then gives it to you. We see effects like this cost 6 or 7 usually, and many of them are less permanent because they involve an Aura. Those cards are already pretty great, but Agent of Treachery makes sure you keep the creature most of the time – do note that they can still bounce the creature back to their hand. On top of all of that, Blue and White have ways to flicker or blink creatures, letting you use this ETB more than once, at which point your opponent is basically just done. The part about drawing cards if you have 3 or more of your opponent’s permanents is basically win-more, because once you have 3 of their permanents they are effectively dead. So, how do we rate this? In a vacuum, it is one of the most powerful cards in the whole set – but it does cost 7 mana, and that’s not something every deck will be interested in doing. Even with that high mana cost, this is so powerful that I still think it is a bomb – it just completely reshapes the board and is always going to have a massive impact. I’m giving it an a-. 

Atemsis, All-Seing – B

A 6-mana 4/5 flyer isn’t the greatest stats around, but it is passable – probably a C or so. However, I really like Attemsis’ activated ability to draw two cards and discard one. I see two corses of action when you play this Sphinx – one of them is that it dominates the sky and you can just kill them with your big flier. If you can’t attack though and have ot hold Attemsis back? Well, then you can just use that activated ability every turn, and there’s a good chance you find a way to win the game that way too, since it gives you serious card advantage and selection. The alternate win condition thing is cute, but I don’t see it being particularly easy to pull of in Limited, so I wouldn’t put much stock in it. Overall, I think Attemsis is pretty good – maybe a bit clunky, especially with triple Blue, but I think I’m interesting in first picking this in most packs. I’m giving it a B. 

Captivating Gyre – C+

This effect is powerful.  Bouncing three creatures for 6 mana is a way to completely reshape the board, and can often make it so that you have an excellent attack.  You’re going to get tempo out of this too, because chances are good that the 6 mana you paid for this is going to be less than the mana your opponent has to pay to play their creatures again.  Additionally, it comes with the added upside of being able to bounce your own stuff, which can matter from time to time.  This is the kind of card that I think most Blue decks wouldn’t mind having a single copy of, but you are probably pushing it to take more of them, as it is certainly a bit clunky.  I think this is a C+.

Cerulean Drake – F // C+

Some of the cards in this cycle of uncommon creatures with Protection are worth playing in your main deck. Cerulean Drake? Not so much. A two-mana 1/1 flyer with this ability just isn’t very good in Limited, there aren’t enough spells that will target you for it to be something you want. However, it is obviously super good against Red decks thanks to protection, and the fact that if anyone has spells that target you, it is going to be Red decks. So, I think this is an F in your main deck, but a C+ in your sideboard, it is a nice card to bring in against Red decks.

Masterful Replication – B

This seems pretty powerful.  Most of the time you’ll be choosing the Golem option – the other option it gives you won’t really work out most of the time in this set, it just doesn’t seem like it will be artifact heavy enough.  But that’s ok, because 6 mana to make 2 3/3 golems at Instant speed is a pretty great deal – it isn’t a stretch to think that this will give you a 2-for-1 some of the time, where you flash them in and kill three of your opponent’s creatures in combat.  Other times it will just let you go after your opponent.  Whenever you cast it, it is likely to have an effect one way or another, since 3 reasonably sized bodies from one card is pretty nice.  I’m trying to figure out if I think this is a straight up bomb, but I do think it falls a little short of that “A” grade – but, I think it is a B+, which means you’ll take it over pretty much everything in the set apart from a handful of mythics and rares.

Portal of Sancuatary – D

This seems pretty bad to me.  And yes, I know this set has a bit of an “ETB” theme in Blue, but still.  It takes an investment of 4 mana to bounce your first creature, at which point you’ve probably already fallen behind your opponent. Yes, it can turn into a nice engine, and I am sure sometimes you will keep bouncing something sweet with it, but it still seems too clunk to me.  Also the part about the Auras might sound like upside, but it actually takes away something else useful this could do too – if you are playing against someone with Aura-based removal like Pacifism, it would become significantly better if it weren’t for that clause.   But with it? Well, your opponent just gets their Pacifism back.            I can see this being a corner-case playable in a deck that really goes crazy with eTB, but that just won’t happen enough of the time.  I’m giving this a D.      

Cloudkin Seer – B-

This is an excellent common, perhaps Blue’s best. 3 mana for a 2/1 flyer is probably a D+ or C-, and adding card draw is a huge upgrade. This means that this can frequently be a 2-for-1. Even if you play it late and can’t really attack, you’re still getting some use out of this card thanks to the extra card you draw, too. I think you jam as many of these into any blue deck you build, and I think you can first pick it in some situations. I’m giving it a B-. 

Convolute – C-

This is a reprint, and when we’ve seen it before it has been underwhelming. 3 mana is a lot for countermagic, and while that works in some formats (see for example, No Escape in War of the Spark), it doesn’t work in all of them. Additionally, it does lose relevance as the game goe son, because eventually you r opponent can just pay the cost for it. I think you play one of these in your Blue decks sometimes. I’m giving it a C-.

Dungeon Geists – A

This is a reprint, and it was a bomb last time we saw it and I think that’s what it is here too. 4 mana for a 3/3 flyer is usually already good enough for close to a B-, so when you tack on the ability to tap down your opponent’s best creature as long as the Geists stay alive, you’re getting a pretty good deal. This usually ensures that the Geists can go after your opponent, and will often just result in you having more favorable attacks even the turn you play the Geist. The one thing is that the Geist isn’t exactly huge, and it will die to lots of removal – but even when that happens immediately, you’re still getting a tiny bit of value out of tapping the creature down during your turn, and that’s a decent consolation prize. I think this is first pickable pretty much every time you see it – unless your pack has a foil rare or mythic in it maybe – this is an A.

Drawn from Dreams – B-

I think that the play on words here is pretty fun, and I also think the card’s pretty nice. 4 mana to get some serious card selection – while you’re also always going to get a 2-for-1 out of it – seems pretty nice. It is a Sorcery, and sometimes you just wont’ have time to do something like this, because you have to find a way to survive after your opponent’s aggressive start, and you just need to play creatures who can trade – but if you do manage to stabilize, this will go a long way towards helping you out. 7 cards is a ton in a Limited deck, so you have a good chance at hitting whatever card you need to save the day. I think I’m going to start this at B-, with the caveat that, if this format turns out to be pretty fast, this will probably slip. 

Flood of Tears – B

This seems pretty good to me. The downside with this type of symmetrical bounce effect is that your opponent usually gets to rebuild their board before you do. This gets around that by letting you put a permanent back on the battlefield. Now, you do have to set up the board just right to get full value out of it, but I think that your board will have 4 permanents often enough for this to be really powerful. It gets even better in conjunction with ETB triggers and the like. So yeah, you get to hit a reset button and start to rebuild your board first, and any time you can do that, stuff seems pretty great. Now, I do think this falls short of being a bomb because sometimes it just won’t do what you need, but I do think I want to be first picking this most of the time. I’m giving it a B. 

Frost Lynx – B-

Any time Forst Lynx shows up, it ends up being one of Blue’s best commons. It is just an amazing card for tempo, doing a pretty reasonable Man-O-War impression. Adding to the board while also making your opponent’s best creature more or less disappear from it for a couple of turns is great. The Lynx is at its best in aggressive decks – that’s because this type of effect means your opponent can’t block with that creature for two turns, and it only means they can’t attack for a single turn. But still, it is great in either deck – and this format also has ways to abuse ETB abilities like that of the Lynx. This is borderline first pickable in weaker packs, I’m giving it a B-.

Leyline of Anticipation – F

Another Leyline gets another F. 4 mana for this effect just usually isn’t worth it – it doesn’t allow you to add to the board at all. Sure, if you can get this in your opening hand it would feel pretty good, but that happening is nowhere close to a guarantee. I think you should just avoid playing it altogether. 

Moat Piranhas – C-

We have seen cards like this before – creatures who are very efficient but have defender, and they are always pretty alright. If you’re a defensive deck, I think you can play a couple of these and feel fine about it, and Blue does look like it can be pretty defensive. It can block really well early, and isn’t that hard to at least use to trade with something even late. However, if you’re an aggro deck, then this is terrible. You’ll only really want this some of the time, and I think that makes it harder to give it anything more than a C.

My Yanling, Sky Dancer – B+

This is an interesting planeswalker. So, she only starts at 2 loyalty, and that means she will not be using her -3 right away – however, here +2 is a pretty good way to protect her – flyers are often a big problem for planeswalkers, and giving something -2/-0 makes it a lot harder for the creature to kill you – it reminds me of Jace, Memory Adept’s ability, which was pretty sweet. So if you can use her +2 ability to help keep her alive, you can then make an Elemental Bird token – and then sort of repeat the pattern. If you get one Bird out of her, your’e already doing pretty well – after that, you’re going to just take over the entire game. I think overall, she is pretty great – but falls a bit short of a bomb for me, because she is so vulnerable on board states when your opponent is going wide. Still, you should take her before all the commons and uncommons in the set. I’m giving her a B+.

Negate – D // C

We have seen this card a thousand times, and it is usually not worth playing mainboard – that could change here, but I think based on past experience starting this as a D mainboard and a C sideboard card to bring against someone who has lots of non-creature spells is about right. 

Octoprophet – C

I like playing creatures with decent stats who let me scry, though I do think those that appear lower in the curve are better, because they allow you to keep a larger percentage of hands. A 4-drop who scries doesn’t do that. However, Scry is still great for smoothing out your draws on turn 4, and that makes him a solid playable at C. 

Renowned Weaponsmith – C-

A two mana 1/3 is a sort of reasonable body, the kind that is marginally playable, and the kind that you side in if your opponent has a bunch of X/1s. This does have a lot going on its text box – last time we saw this card, it didn’t get to be in a format that had both of the artifacts it could search up – it could only find one or the other in Limited. However, this set does have both of them – that said, it may as well not have Heart-Piercer Bow, because it is a pretty terrible card. Vial of Draognfire isn’t incredible – and I’ll go deeper on both of these cards when we get to artifacts in the layer of the week – but the Vial isn’t exactly incredible either – though being able to search it up when you want was pretty alright last time we saw this. I think this is a build around. I think you need either a couple of Vials of Dragonfire and/or a few other artifacts for this to be worth it, and I’m not convinced there’s quite enough going on artifact-wise in this set for that to be an easy thing to do. I’m going to say this is a D in most decks, and maybe a C- in an artifact-heavy deck.

Scholar of the Ages – D // C+

Man, I really hope I get to have some good times with this card. She costs 7 mana for a 3/3, which obviously enough is horrendous – but she does offer the potential for a three-for-one, since she gives you back two spells in your graveyard. I think she really requires a buildaround grade, because I think in most Limited decks in the format she won’t be that good. You need both a deck that is interested in playing the long game, and enough instants and sorceries that you can consistently get back two with it – and that’s just not always going to happen. I think this is a D in your typical Blue deck in the format, and probably a C+ in a deck that gets there on those requirements. I think that, generally, if you play her and get back two removal spells, there’s a good chance you win the game – but that mana cost and the deckbuilding restrictions she puts on you are very real.

Spectral Sailor – C+

I love this kind of card. Most of the time, a one mana 1/1 flyer isn’t anything special, because it quickly becomes outclassed by pretty much every other flyer or card with reach in the set. Spectral Sailor does have the same problem, but once it can’t attack anymore, it has a powerful mana sink ability that just takes over the game if your opponent doesn’t stop it. Basically, the Sailor can do a few damage early in the game, and it can also help you win games that go long. I really want to give this a B-, because I feel like I’m going to be first picking it sometimes to start the format – but I think I am letting my favoritism get the better of me, and I’m going to roll it back to a C+.

Thick Cover – C-

Well, if you know me, you know I don’t normally like Auras – this is because they can easily result in you getting 2-for-1’d. There are some Auras I like though – there are those that replace themselves one way or another – and then there are those that really cheap, so getting 2-for1’d is at least not as big of a tempo hit. Thick Cover is in the latter group. For one Blue mana, making a creature have higher toughness and the ability to loot is actually something I’ll be interested in in some of my decks. I love looting, as it helps you win games through card selection, sifting through lands you don’t need and finding you spells, or helping you hit land drops if that’s what you need. Now, I’m not saying this card is great by any stretch – it is decent, and playable – both things I don’t say about a ton of Auras. I’m giving it a C-. 

Unsummon – C+

Unsummon is often one of the better Blue commons when we see it, and I think that will be the case here, too. One mana to return a creature is great, because you’re basically always going to come out ahead in terms of tempo – since your’e going to be bouncing things that cost a heck of a lot more than one mana most of the time. Additionally, bounce effects let you blow out opponents who are overly reliant on Auras or combat tricks. Finally, in a pinch you can use it to save your own creature, which will be worth it some of the time. I don’t think Unsummon is quite firs tpickable, but I think you feel pretty good about having 2 of these in most of your decks. I’m giving it a C+.

Winged Words – C+

Well, in a worst case scenario this is Divination, a card that is usually somewhere in the C range in most formats. It is the kind of card that helps you dig deeper into your library to hit land drops early, and helps you reload your hand late. In the best case, it draws you 2 for 2 mana, which is a significantly better deal. Blue is, of course, loaded up with flyers – especially if you pair it with white and/or Red, where there is a distinct flying theme, so making this cost 2 really doesn’t seem like a huge challenge. So, if this were 2-mana divination all the time, where would it be? Probably close to a B-. Since it isn’t always that though, I think I’m going to keep in the upper C Range, with a C+.

Black:

Blight Beetle – F // C-

Well, this is weird. I like that there are a bunch of color-hating cards around in this set, but this one seems weaker than a lot of them. Protection from Green is great, but on a two mana 1/1 is nothing special. There are Green cards in this set that do stuff with counters, and this shuts those down. But your opponent needs to be doing 2 things to make this worth bringing in from your sideboard – be in Green AND have a few cards that put +1/+1 counters on their stuff, and I don’t think that will come up with regularity. This is an F as a minaboard card, and a C- out of the sideboard.

Blood Burglaer – C

What would I give this if it were a 2-mana 2/2 with lifelink? Probably a C. I don’t think this is significantly worse than that – sure, he can’t block and gain you life, but that’s not a huge downgrade. I think this is still a C.

Blood for Bones – C-

This is an interesting version of this type of effect. Basically, what you’re getting here is some card selection, albeit in a very weird way. You give up Blood for Bones and a creature in play – that’s 2 cards – and then you get 2 back from your graveyard – one of them comes directly to the battlefield and that has the potential to be particularly nice if your deck has some powerful bombs, and the other goes to your hand. In the end, you’re trading 2 cards for 2 cards. Now, where this can get a little better is in a world where you have creature tokens, so you aren’t giving up 2 full cards. But this requires some set up – both in terms of what you have in play and what’s in your graveyard, and I think that’s asking a lot. It also means this is horrendous in your hand early, and while it gets better as the game goes on, finding an optimal situation to use this might be a bit of a challenge. I can see some decks playing this, but I also think its easy to cut. I’m giving it a C-.

Boneclad Necromancer – C+

I like this card. Obviously, you really don’t want to be casting it when there are no creatures in either graveyard, because he is a 5-mana 3/3, and that’s a straight up F. However, I think usually by turn 5 it usually won’t be a stretch to have a creature to exile. If this were 5 mana for a 3/3 and 2/2 100% of the time, I think it would be a B-, as it is – I think I have to limit it to a C+, because there will be some ugly times where you just have to cast this where it will feel like an F. 

Bloodthirsty Aerialist – C+ // B

This is my kind fo buildaround. On its own, tit is 3mana 2/3, something that is good enough for a C+ or so. Then, if you have ways to gain life – which it looks like BW will have plenty of – it is just going to get better. Even if you don’t go crazy with lifegain and only add one counter to this, you’re going to feel like you’re in business. I think this needs a build around grade, but I think it is a C+ in your typical Black deck in the format, which probably has 1-2 ways to gain life – and a solid B in a deck that can really get a ton of lifegain. I thinkt his reasonable floor and high ceiling means taking this early isn’t a bad plan. 

Bone Splinters – C

This is a reprint we have seen several times, and every time it is pretty solid. You have to 2-for-1 yourself, but the fact that it lets you kill anything makes that worth it in many cases, since you can take down your opponent’s bomb. Its value does go up in situations where you have creature tokens, or creatures who give you value when they die, but I still think it is just a decent removal spell, the kind you play if you don’t pick up some of the better ones that are out there, and that means this is a C. 

Cheeky Thief – C+

This seems like a nice common. Sure, it doesn’t do great on the vanilla test, but if you can attack with this even once on a board where the best your opponent can do is trade, I think you’ll be pretty happy. Even moreso if your opponent chooses not to block at all, because then your card advantage will snowball. Obviously if they do trade with it, you end up netting a 2-for-1. Now, there will be board states where you just can’t attack with it, and it becomes a pretty mediocre blocker in those cases, and obviously that holds it back a bit. But I think you’re still pretty happy to play a couple of these in most Black decks. I’m giving it a C+. 

Disfigure – B-

We have seen this a lot, and it is always good. One mana to give something -2/-2 almost always enables you to trade up, and that is always a powerful thing to do. The other great thing about this type of effect is that unlike a Shock-type effect, you can use it to weaken your opponent’s creature AND you can block the creature and kill it – while probably keeping your blocker alive too, so in some ways it is more flexible than damage. This is premium removal, and a B-.

Dread Presence – B // A

This guy looks really great to me. A 4-mana 3/3 is probably a D- these days, but man – this guy’s triggered abilities are really really good. Provided your deck has Black as ap rimary color, and you’re running 8 or more Swamps, I think this card will be great. If you are mono-colored in Black – if that’s possible – it probably moves into straight up bomb range. I think more often than not, you’ll go with the “Phyrexian Arena” option and draw a card when you play a Swamp, but sometimes draining your opponent will be great too. The one downside this has is that it is horrendous on a splash, but that’s not much of a downside, really. I am going to give this two grades – I think it is first pickable most of the time when you see it, and going to be very good in any deck that is at least half Black or so – and that’s where it will be a B. If you somehow manage to be monoblack? I think he pushes straight up to bomb range. If every land in your deck can trigger Dread Presence, that’s definitely a bomb – and an A.

Knight of the Ebon Legion – C+

This seems pretty nice. Even if it were just a ½ with that activated ability, I would think it would at least be a C+. You can play it early, and then in the later part of the game it is capable of trading with whatever it wants, or getting so big that it just wins any combat. THEN, if you do enough damage in any way, he gets even bigger? Yeah, I think I’m on board for that. I can definitely see games where playing this on turn one just means you win in Limited. This is an excellent one drop – something that is usually in incredibly short supply in Limited. I’m giving it a B-, I think you can first pick it in some weaker packs. 

Legion’s End – C

So, let’s just look at what this card will do most of the time – and that’s pay 2 mana to get rid of a 2-drop at Sorcery speed and let you look at your opponent’s hand. I think that card is already an ok playable – 2-drops tend to be plentiful enough in most limited formats for that to be the case, and gaining information about your opponent’s hand added on to that makes this a solid C. Now, will there be times where you get to kill two creatures with the same name? Probably on rare occasions – against tokens this can be particularly good. But I can’t give it a grade like that will happen more often than rarely, because it just won’t. So I’m giving this a C. 

Leyline of the Void – F

Like pretty much every leyline, this is pretty crappy in Limited. Not enough going on graveyard-wise in this set for this to even be worth siding in most of the time. I’m giving this an F.

Murder – B+

Well, Murder at common is pretty great. This is premium removal in every way – the one thing it doesn’t have going for it is the fact that you can’t splash it very easily, but 3 mana to kill anything at instant speed is insane efficiency in Limited, and you’ll play as many of these in Black decks as you can get your hands on. I’m giving this a B+ -- it is probably the best common in the set. 

Noxious Grasp – F // B+

Like all the cards in this cycle of color haters, Noxious Grasp is kind of a weird card. It is an F in your mainboard, as it will be blank against like 60% of your opponents. However, against someone who is playing Green and/or White, it is pretty incredible – two mana to destroy a creature or planeswalker at instant speed is the kind of efficiency we just don’t see. Kind of silly that it has that 1 life clause attached to it, but hey – that’s additional value I guess. So, like I’ve said with the other parts of this cycle we’ve seen, this might be a blank card against some opponents, but against others it will probably be one of the best cards in your deck. That means this is like a B+ as a sideboard card, especially because you’re going to encounter people playing one or more of those colors in most scenarios. I always like taking these powerful sideboard cards over cards that are below a C+ or so, so keep that in mind. 

Rotting Regisaur – C

The downside here is very real, but a 3-mana 7/6 is some serious action.   Sure, it doesn’t have evasion, but the efficiency here can’t be overlooked.  Playing it on turn 3 is going to be pretty good just because its so big, and playing it later in the game is pretty good because well – its still pretty dang big, and you may not even find yourself having to discard to keep it around in the late game.   It is a little annoying that it isn’t a “may” that causes the REgisaur to be sacrificed, because people putting Pacifism on something like this is just game over.  Anyway, I guess some of that might sound like I’m super high on the card – but I don’t think I am.  I do think it is a solid playable, but certainly held back by that downside.  I’m giving it a C.

Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord – C- // B-

So, this Sorin kind of reminds me of the last Core Set’s Liliana, who was a Zombie build around in a format that generally didn’t have enough Zombies.  The good news about Sorin is that his +1 is still kind of useful when you don’t use it on a Vampire – but the bad news is, his other two abilities are complete garbage without Vampires.  Now, don’t get me wrong – there ARE vampires in this set, and maybe sometimes you’ll be able to make him work.  And hey, if you DO, he is obviously quite strong. Saccing a goblin to Lightning Helix a creature or your opponent is great, and playing a Vamprie for free doesn’t hurt either.  I think I will give him a build around grade, even if I do think it is far-fetched you can actually build around him.  I’m going to say he is like a C- in your typical Black deck in the format – that +1 is decent enough that I think he is actually playable even with 0 vampires.  If your deck can get, let’s say 5 or more Vampires?  Well, he probably moves up to a B-, and even higher if you can do more.  Doing more does some difficult, though.  So, does this mean you can first pick him in some weak packs and hope you get Vampires?  I don’t think I would recommend it, I would take him once I already have a couple of Vampires, or if I see him late.

Vampire of the Dire Moon – C+

I am pretty much always happy with one mana 1/1 death touchers. They are great in more defensive decks, because they can trade for anything. Adding lifelink here is a nice touch, because sometimes you’ll have to go on the offensive with this and force your opponent choose between trading a big creature for it, or just taking it – and now, just taking it has some extra consequences, because you can potentially find yourself a repetable source of lifegain if they do. Still, while this card is efficient at what it does, like more 1/1 deathtouchers, it isn’t like it is gamebreaking – but it is a nice card, one you are generally happy to play multiples of. I’m giving it a C+.

Scheming Symmetry – F

This is a card that is clearly designed for EDH. Tutor effects are cool and all, but letting your opponent also get the best or most useful card out of their deck? That’s not so good. Even if this let both players put the card immediately in their hand, I don’t think Scheming Symmetry would be that good – but the fact that it only puts them on top, which means that your opponent gets to use the card they grabbed first – makes this utterly unplayable. The on situation where this would become good is probably if you are going to play 2-Headed Giant at your Pre-releae, in which case you can target you and your partner with it, instead of you and your opponent. But in all other cases it is a complete dud, and an F – the kind of Rare you should be ready to see left in packs for your 14th or 15th picks.

Thought Distortion – F 

This looks pretty bad in Limited. 6 mana is a ton, and if you’re spending that much you want to be actually accomplishing something. By that late in the game there is no guarantee your opponent will even have a hand, and only exiling noncreature nonland cards from their graveyard is not worth 6 mana. I can’t imagine this format having enough control decks or graveyard-based decks for this card to be worth playing. This is an F.

Vilis, Broker of Blood – C

Vilis costs 8, but he does what an 8-mana creature should do – he is going to win you the game, especially if you are allowed to untap. He is a huge evasive creatures – so he gives you a very good win condition, but if you’re in a situation where you can’t really attack with him, he can still help you out – if your opponent damages you, you get to draw a card for each damage – a good way to help you find a way to become the aggressor. And of course, his activated ability basically reads “Pay one Black mana and 2 life, draw 2 cards and give a creature -1/-1 until end of turn” which is a pretty absurd ability. Now, if you’re super low on life he might not help you a ton, but at least he is still a huge road block. All that said, he is still 8 mana, and not the kind of thing that you want to firs tpick – getting to 8 mana isn’t something a lot of Limited decks do. I do think he is strong enough when he comes down though that he is worth trying to find a wayt o put him in your deck a decent amount of the time. I’m giving him a C. 

Yarok’s Fenlurker – C

I always feel alright about playing a Ravenous Rats or two in my deck, and that’s basically what this is. While it is harder to cast, it also makes the opponent exile the card, and it can pump itself late. Now, that pump effect is incredibly expensive, and I don’t think you should ever play this and count on being able to make it huge, but when it is already attached to a creature who goes after a card in the opponents’ hand, it is a decent thing to add and hey, sometimes late it can just turn into a win condition. I think this is a solid C.

Red:

Cavalier of Flame – A

This seems pretty great to me, triple Red cost or not. There’s just so much good stuff going on here. First, it is a 5-mana 6/5 which is a good deal – though keep in mind, getting three Red by turn 5 is no guarantee in a 2-color deck – but still, that’s a great rate. Then he can pump your whole team and give it haste, and that include shim by the way – so if you have 7 mana, you can play him and use the ability right away and attack with him. Then the next few lines are awesome too – any creature that lets me Rummage is nice, but this guy lets you do it as much as you want! That is a great way to increase the average power of cards in your hand. Most of the time with this type of effect you want to be discarding lands, but that’s REALLLY the case with Cavalier of Flame, because he also comes with a powerful deathtrigger that counts lands in your graveyard and damages your opponent and planeswalkers equal to that number. Yeah, this guy is a bomb – hard for him not to be with such a full and meaningful text box. He is an A.

Chandra, Acolyte of Flame – C+

I’m not all that impressed with Rare Chandra. She only costs 3 and has 4 loyalty, so that’s nice. But her two 0 abilities don’t seem all that great. Note that with the first one, she can raise her own loyalty, but yeah – that’s all it does 99.9% of the time in this format and that’s not so good. Making two 1/1s with Hate might be a nice way to do some additional damage, but I’m not in love with that ability either, though it will probably be a bit better in RG decks, which are going to be Elemental tribal. The best thing you’ll be able to do with her is her -2 ability. If your deck has enough cheap instants and sorceries, and can consistently get value out of that, you’re going to be pretty happy. If she comes down and lets you flashback two spells in your graveyard, you’re probably getting there. Still, she asks for a lot of set up for her best ability to work, and her other two aren’t so impressive. I think she’s just a C+.

Chandra, Awakened Inferno – A

Mythic Rare Chandra is way better than rare Chandra. Sure, she costs 6 mana, but she definitely gives you 6 mana worth of value thanks to her suite of powerful abilities. She can wipe the board of small creatures with her -3, her -X giver spot removal, and she can increase her loyalty by giving your opponent an emblem. One of these emblems isn’t anything special, but the fact that she raises her loyalty and can just keep sticking emblems on your opponent means that things will really snowball. In short, she can protect herself by killing creatures, and she can win you the game with her emblem. Sounds like a pretty great planeswalker ot me, and one of the stronger cards in the entire set. I’m giving her an A.

Chandra’s Embercat – C

So, 2 mana 2/2s are always a decent baseline for a card, but this comes with some significant addition value. I think most Red decks will have 4 or 5 elementals in them without even trying, so it seems like most decks can get use out of it. Then of course, Chandra appears at uncommon and rare, so being able to ramp into one of them isn’t impossible. I think all of that makes this a solid C.

Chandra, Novice Pyromancer – B

I think uncommon Chandra is actually a lot better than Rare Chandra – though not nearly as good as Mythic Rare Chandra. She will play a lot like Jaya Ballard, who we just saw in War of the Spark. The comparison isn’t perfect – Chandra costs less and doesn’t have that sweet static ability Chandra had – but Chandra comes with the same ability to do 2 damage to any target, as well as actually being able to raise her loyalty and ramp you a bit. I think you’ll be pretty happy any time you can kill two things with her, and if you happen to have a bunch of elementals, she obviously gets even better. Worth noting you can also splash her. I like that she is great in the Elemental deck, but still good in any Red deck, making her a very safe and powerful early pick. Overall, I think she is a great uncommon, and going to be first pickable in most packs. I’m giving her a B. 

Chandra’s Regulator – D

This is an interesting one. Obviously enough, this set has 3 Chandras – one is even at Uncommon, so getting a Chandra to go with this isn’t completely a pipe dream. However, I do think to judge this card we really need to decide how good the Rummage ability it has is. Rummaging is always nice, but this rummage effect is very specific – you can also discard Mountains or Red cards, and most of the time when you rummage you just want to discard lands. And, if you are a deck that is more than just Red – and chances are you will be – you just won’t be able to use that effect. That means that this largely amounts to having two effects that are tricky to get anything out of. I think there will be too many games where the Regulator does nothing. Now, if you are a Red deck? This is probably a C+, since it will be completely repeatable rummage. But for everyone else? This is probably a D.

Chandra’s Spitfire – D+ // C+

So, I think this is the kind of card that needs two grades. A 3-mana 1/3 flyer is not especially good on the vanilla test, probably like a D+. However, if your deck has ways to damage your opponent consistently with noncombat damage, obviously this skyrockets in value, since it becomes a 4/3 every time you do that. This also gets some additional value for being an Elemental, but I think it is probably still a D+ in your typical Limited deck, and a C+ in a deck that can get it to 4/3 a few times a game.

Dragon Mage – D

This thing is a pretty wacky reprint to show up here, it sort of feels like someone tried to get it in to Modern Horizons and didn’t, so they stuck it here. Anyhow, a 7 mana 5/5 flyer is not exactly impressive, though getting to wheel of fortune every time you hit your opponent is kind of funny. This type of effect is symmetrical, so you and your opponent will both be reloading their hands. Funnily enough, if he hits the opponent enough, you and your opponent might end up being decked! But yeah, that stuff is all wacky and fun and all, but it isn’t going ot happen very often. I think you’ll only play this in a control deck desperate for a win condition, and that makes it a D.

Demolishing Digger – C+

When I saw this card I thought – please don’t be a Goblin who has an ability that is like Demolish, because that card seems like it is in every set and is horrible. Luckily, it doesn’t really do things like Demolish – it does destroy artifacts or lands, but on your side of the battlefield, and in exchange for a card. I think this guy is a pretty solid little Common, because it also has perfectly reasonable stats, and in the late game can help dig you out of a hole when you start flooding out. This is a nice little Common for Red – I’m going to give it a C+.

Ember Hauler – B-

This is a reprint, and a good on at that. If you haven’t played with Ember Hauler before, it feels pretty similar to Goblin Cratermaker, which we saw a few sets back. In other words, it is a 2-drop that is relevant all game long because of a powerful ability. Early it is nice to play this as a 2/2 that can attack, and late it gives you a way to kill small creature and complicated combat for your opponent, and it can even go after Planeswalkers and your opponent’s face, so that’s pretty nice. The one thing not nice about it? That double Red cost means it may not always be easy to get it down on turn 2 – but as we just said, it is good evne when you don’t. I think this is first pickable in some packs, I’m giving it a B-.

Flame Sweep – C // B

Well, this is interesting. The wording here is kind of awkward, but basically it does 2 to all of your opponent’s creatures, and all of yours except your fliers. This is a really cool design, because for the first time maybe ever Red is a color that is interested in flyers in a Limited format (especially when paired with Blue and/or White), and this is a way to give you a payoff for that that I think still feels really Red. I think if you can kill one thing of your opponent’s with this, without you losing anything, you’re going to feel alright. You can also really build around this too though, making sure you have flyers who can dodge it. There will also be times where you kill a ton of stuff with it because your opponent’s board is small. I think that this will work well in enough Red decks that I’m going to give it a solid C, with a buildaround grade of a B in a deck loaded to the brim with flyers.

Fry – F // B+

Like all the cards in this cycle, this is a sideboard card.  However, it is much different than your typical sideboard card.  Most sideboard cards are Fs or Ds in your mainboard, and maybe a C or C+ against the right opponent.  These cards that hate on two colors are probably just straight Fs mainboard, because against a lot of opponents it will just be a dead card – but if you are playing against someone who is playing both Blue and White, or even just Blue orWhite, it becomes one of the best cards in your whoel deck once you side it in, essentially becoming Doom Blade – a two mana spell that can kill just about anything.  As I’ve said with the others in this cycle, this means that this is a sideboard card you should probably take over most middling C or C+ type cards, because it will be a B or B+ out of your sideboard, and it can kill broad enough things that you’re pretty much guaranteed to side it in during one match, at least.  So yeah,  let’s go with F mainboard, but B+ sideboard.        

Goblin Smuggler – D+

I am not very impressed with either part of this card. A 3-mana 2/2 with Haste is not very good, and this activated ability isn’t all that impressive either. Sure, it can help you push through lethal late, but ti isn’t like makinga small creature unblockable is a big game or anything. I think you’ll really only play this if you’re desperate to fill out your deck, which makes him a D+.

Lavakin Brawler – C

So, on its own, this is a 4-mana ¾ when it attacks, and a 2/4 when it blocks. That’s nothing special. However, getting other elementals in play won’t be a huge challenge in Red, so I think this will fairly reliably attack as at least a 4/4, in which case you’re doing pretty well for yourself. I think that makes this a C. Sometimes it will really perform, but in games where you just can’t get elementals to stick on the battlefield, you’re not going to be very happy with it. 

Marauding Raptor – C

Well, this is weird.  It really feels like this should have just been printed in Ixalan as an awesome Enrage enabler.  In this set, the synergies for doing damage to stuff are pretty nonexistent.  And sure, you get a 2-mana 2/3 who reduces the cost of creature spells, but if any of those creature spells have 2 or fewer toughness your’e going to be in trouble.  If this didn’t have the downside, it would be an easy B – but with that downside?  Well, I think you need to be cautious about putting this in a deck with too many creatures with 2 toughness or less, as too many of those will get you into trouble.  This is admittedly a weird one to grade, but I think I’m just going to start it at C, because the deck building restrictions it puts on you is very real.

Repeated Reverberation - C

This is kind of a difficult one to judge, I think.  4 mana to double Reverberate a spell or a planeswalker loyalty ability is appealing, certainly – doing this with a removal spell for example will be incredible.  However, the fact it costs 4 on its own makes it kind of difficult to find a way to really copy the most powerful spells around.  Still, 3 copies of a 2 or 3 mana spell for the cost of two cards (that is, both the spell and Repeated Reverberation) is a pretty good deal, I think.  Still, it is certainly a bit awkward and clunky, and your deck needs to have a critical mass of instants and sorceries, preferably cheap ones, to make it work.  Having a planeswalker certainly increases the value of the card, because those abilities don’t cost mana, so getting 3 instances of a loyalty ability sounds pretty attractive.  Still, that’s a mix of things that won’t come super easily.  I think this is something you’ll play when the conditions are right, but not something you take early or anything.  I think it is a C.

Goblin Ringleader – F // C

So, this is an exciting reprint for Goblins, especially in Modern – and this, combined with some other recent reprints has me tempted to play Constructed for the first time in a long time – but I think this is a challenge to make work in Limited. There are Goblins around in this set to be sure, but how many do you need to make this worth playing? Well, a 4-mana 2/2 with Haste is pretty horrendous, and sure, even as a failcase it does give you some information about your deck which matters – but I think you need to be hitting a Goblin with this something like 80% of the time for it to be worth it. That means you need to have 6 or 7 Goblins in your deck before you should ever play this, and that doesn’t look super doable to me. I’m going to say this is an F in most Limited decks, and I don’t think it has a particularly high ceiling – Goblins just aren’t going to be plentiful enough in this set – I’m going to say it is a C as a build around. 

Goblin Flyer Guy – C

Like Flame Sweep, this is another really cool design that is a Flying buildaround – something I would think would feel strange in Red – but it doesn’t, it still feels like a Red card in every way. A two mana 2/1 is not good, but I think red decks will be able to reliably send this guy into the air, which makes this a solid C.

Immolation Mask – C

So, this is very similar to Mortarpod, a card that was pretty solid last time we saw it in Limited. There are differences between the two of course – Mortarpod was colorless, and the Mortarpod token was only a 0/1. This set also has a fair bit of elemental support, so the creature type here does matter. What would this be if it were a 2-mana 1/1 Elemental that you could sacrifice to do 1 damage to anything? Probably a D+ or C-. But it is better than that, because you can then equip it to other creatures. Sure, it doesn’t give a stats boost, but being able to do 1 damage in a pinch definitely comes up. There will even be games where you just equip this to 3 of your guys and sacrifice them to finish off your opponent. So, yeah – I think this is a reasonable playable, I don’t know why you wouldn’t play one in most of your Red ecks. I’m giving it a C. 

Infuriate – C

This isn’t quite Giant Growth, but it gives you a great stats boost for only a single mana – the kind of stats boost that often shifts your creature from losing in combat, to destroying the other creature and surviving combat. Like all tricks, it is hard for htem to be anything more than decent, because they are situational and can open you up for 2-for-1s, but a C for a trick is a good place to be – and that’s what this gets. 

Leyline of Combustion – F // D+

Another Leyline, another F. Although, I think I would say this one might be worth siding in sometimes, even if it is a straight F in your mainboard. If you play someone who has tons of removal, this might be a nice way to punish that. But if you don’t get it into your opening hand, you’re still dealing with a 4-mana Enchantment that doesn’t build up your board at all, and that’s pretty bad. I am willing to give this a sideboard grade unlike the rest, but not a very good one – let’s say a D+.

Reckless Airstike – D+ // C+

This is a sideboard card in an ideal world I think, though it is worth noting that three colors have lots of fliers in this set – White and Blue like usual, but also Red – so this may end up being more mainboardable than I expect. But yeah, I like this kind of sideboard card because it is flexible, and the kind you will side in more because it is good against two different types of cards. Still, I don’t think I recommend playing it in your main 40 cards in most scenarios, but it is better than a lot of sideboard cards when you put it there. I’m going to give it a D+ as a mainboard card, and a C+ as a sideboard card.

Treasure Dragon – C+

I like this quite a bit. I like having “Treasure” as a way for Red decks to have fixing going forward, as the effect makes sense color-pie-wise. But yeha, a 5-mana 3/3 flyer is probably a D+ or so, maybe a C- in some sets – but this adds treasure, which both ramps and fixes for you – not to mention there is a bit of an artifact sub-theme in the set. Red having a way to splash off-color bombs and the like is great, especially when it comes with a fairly reasonable body. I could definitely see this ending up in the B range, depending on how the format plays out, but for now I’m going with C+.

Uncaged Fury – C

Last time we saw this card, it stole a lot of games out of nowhere – a stats boost plus Double Strike is a nice deal, and it also pretty good at helping you win combat. 3 mana is a significant amount of mana to leave up, and opponents can play around that – but I think that fact is mitigated by the fact that your opponent sometimes will just have to block, because if you have Uncaged Fury mana up and the pump would kill them, they don’t really have a choice. Now, all of this might sound like I’m super high on this card – and I guess I kind of am for a trick, but it is still a trick – an extremely situational card that opens you up to the threat of getting blown out by a 2-for-1, and that makes this just a solid C for me. I think you play one in most Red decks that have lots of creatures but more than 1 is probably pushing it a little ebit. Worth noting that with Red having more of a Flying theme in this set than we have ever seen before, this might be particularly good at winning the game out of nowhere in this set. Still, I think it is just a C. 

Unchained Berserker – C-

So, let’s take away the protection for a moment. What grade would I give a two mana 1/1 that becomes a 3/1 when it attacks? Well – it is worse than just a 2-mana 3/1, which is something I usually give a C- too based on stats alone. So I guess I would say that means this would sit around D+ or so. I do think adding protection to the card matters – most decks are two colors, and chances are decent you encounter a White deck at some point where it matters. I think overall, this is a C- -- some of the time you won’t play this, but the good news is even if you don’t, you have a pretty nice card to bring in against White decks. 

Green: 

XGG Hydra – A-

This looks really good to me. You either get a very efficient creature with Trample – lets say X = 3, that means you get a 5 mana 6/6 with Trample if you choose the “Counters” part, or you get a creature that can function as a fight spell, something that can frequently secure a 2-for-1 for you. Again, lets say X = 3, and that means you get a 3/3 who comes down and eats a 2/2. In a pinch, it can also kill a 3/3, but in most scenarios you want the Hydra to survive. Those two scenarios I just described aren’t even Magical Christmas Land Scenarios, like when you pump absurd amounts of mana into it. Even at X =2, you’re getting a 4 mana 4/4 with Trample or a 4 mana 2/2 who fight something – the latter option there isn’t great, but the fact that you can do that if you have to is nice. It scales as the game goes on, has evasion, and can function as a removal spell – I think all of that makes this a bomb in the lower range of A – meaning I think this is an A-. I think you will find yourself first picking this over every common and uncommon in the set. 

Barkhide Troll – B-

While this is a bit hard to consistently cast on turn two in Limited, I think it is still pretty great. A two manaa 3/3 that is difficult to remove thanks to that activated ability is some serious business. There are also a few other +1/+1 counter synergies around that make him even better. Despite that cost, I think this is first pickable – though keep in mind you probably want around 10 forests to really be happy with it. I’m giving it a B-. 

Cavalier of Thorns – B

I think Green got the worst card in the cavalier cycle, but this card is still really good. It obviously has stats that do very well on the vanilla test, but it has an ETB trigger that is not overly exciting for Limited – loading your graveyard is alright I guess, but there’s not much synergy for that in the format, and you aren’t going to be desperate for lands or anything if you can cast this guy. His death trigger is also not incredible – putting a card on top of your library is fine and all, but it is considerably less powerful than adding a card to your hand, and I think people forget that sometimes. But yeah, while its ETB and death triggers are not impressive, the fact is that they are stapled to a creature who is already highly efficient still means this Cavalier is really good. I’m giving him a B, you’ll usually first pick him. 

Elvish Reclaimer – C

So, a one-mana ½ isn’t all that great in Limited, since it gets outpaced as early as turn 2. But this one does help you fix mana, and in the late game – he gets to be a ¾. Which..you know, by the late game isn’t all that impressive. Mostly, I think you run this as a source of fixing – and keep in mind it does search for any land, including non-basics. I think this is just a solid playable, and not even really the best way to fix your mana, but it will do. I’m giving it a C. 

Ferocious Pup – C

3-mana for a 0/1 and a 2/2 is a decent deal. Green is interested in going wide, and this helps with that. This seems like solid filler for Green decks. I’m giving it a C. 

Growth Cycle – C-

Well, this is an interesting trick. Two mana for +3/+3 is already a kind of good deal, but the fact that it pumps your creature even more if you have Growth Cycles in your graveyard seems pretty cool. The kind of awkward thing here is that most of the time, you don’t want to be running too many tricks. I know I am going to find myself losing to an opponent who casts one of these with 3 others in the graveyard to just do 9 additional damage to me out of nowhere, but I mostly think this is just a decent trick, and it seems a little dangerous to go all in on because of the extra effect. I’m giving it a C-.

Leafkin Druid – B-

Mana dorks are always nice in pretty much every format, and that includes Limited. 0/3 is a nice body to have on a dork, since it actually blocks reasonably well if you need it to. Most of the time, this will just be adding Green mana in the early going, and maybe in the later part of the game you can get some extra mana to pay for mana sinks and the like. It also doesn’t hurt that it happens to have the Elemental creature type, which is well-supported in this set. I have a hard time not giving reasonably efficient mana dorks grades below B-, and I think that’s what this gets – being able to play your 4 drop on turn 3 is just so great in Limited. This is a first pick in some weaker packs.

Leyline of Abundance – F

Another Leyline, another F. There just aren’t enough mana dorks in this format to be worth it, and that ability is incredibly expensive, especially if you also had to 4 mana for this thing at some point too. This is an F. 

Loaming Shaman – C-

This is a reprint, and a card I think people underrate a little bit. I want to start by saying I certainly don’t think this card is incredible, but I do think it has an ETB trigger that matters often enough that it is certainly solid, especially because it is a 3-mana 3/2. While this opponent doesn’t seem to have a lot of graveyard nonsense going on, the best thing to do with this is shuffle nonlands into your deck to increase the density of nonlands you have. This gets better if your deck has bombs, or it is particularly good at drawing cards. Sometimes the effect will impact your opponent too. Now, as I said at the beginning this isn’t particularly good, but I think it does enough to get more than the grade I would give a Vanilla 3-mana 3/2, which is probably a D. Instead, I think this is a C-.

Nightpack Ambusher – A-

So, a 4-mana 4/4 with Flash is already a B- in my book. It is efficient, and can be brought in after your opponent’s attacks to just eat one of their creatures – which means you’re going to get a 2-for-1 out of it. Nightpack Ambusher has a lot more going on than that, though – while Wolves and Werewolves aren’t a HUGE theme in this set, there are a few wolves at lower rarities, so his lord ability will actually come up and pump a couple of your guys every now and then. What really pushes the Ambusher over for me though, is that any time you don’t cast a spell on your turn, it makes sure that you add to your board anyway. Flooding out? That’s ok, have a wolf token. Want to leave up some instant speed stuff? Cool, have a Wolf token. Turns where you can’t or don’t do anything come up enough in Limited that expecting this to make a wolf or two each game isn’t far-fetched – and keep in mind, those wolves will also be 3/3s. So, between being a good card with just those stats and flash, to being a wofl lord, and churning out Wolf tokens – I think this is a bomb, and there isn’t much in the set you should ever take over it. I’m giving it an A-.

Overgrowth Elemental – B-

This looks like a very strong Elemental payoff to me. If you can consistently put a +1/+1 counter on another Elemental you’ll be pretty happy, but a nice thing here is that even if you can’t do that, if you have elementals die later, you can get some value out of them. I think this seems like a strong enough payoff to push me into Green in the early going of a draft, especially in weaker packs – I’m giving this a B-.

Pulse of Murasa – C+

This is a reprint, and one that surprised a lot of people last time we saw it. It is easy to overlook a card like this – we see effects that let us return cards to our hand on a regular basis, and most of them that cost a single mana aren’t anything special unless it is attached to creatures. However, one thing this has that most versions of that effect don’t have is that it is an instant, and it gains you life. Those two things make it significantly stronger. The six life you gain can essentially reverse any tempo you lose by not actually playing a card the turn you play this, and being instant speed means you can keep your options open until the end of your opponent’s turn and then get back your great creature they killed or whatever. Now, I don’t think all of that means that this is something first pickable. Like always, this type of card can be dead for a significant portion of the game, especially because this only lets you return lands or creatures, so running more than one of these can sometimes be a liability. However, I think every Green deck out there probably wants the first copy. I’m giving it a C+.

Season of Growth – D // C+

Oh man, this is definitely a candidate for one of the cards I am most excited to play with in this format. I honeslty think a 2-mana Enchantment that lets you scry every time a creature ETBs would already be sort of playable, like a D or something. Most decks have 15 or more creatures, and Scrying is a great way to find more creatures and continue to improve your draws. This card then asks you to be interesting in casting spells on your own creatures, something that can be dangerous with combat tricks and the like – but this really incentivizes doing so – and helps you avoid 2-for-1s since you get to draw the card even if the creature you target dies. Additionally, the Bant 3-color combination seems especially interested in flickering and bouncing creatures, and you would get to draw a card for doing that too. This is definitely a build around – probably an F in your typical Green deck, and a C+ in a deck that really gets there on ways to draw cards with it.

Shared Summons – C+

I kind of like this. 5 mana to draw 2 cards isn’t a good deal, but 5 mana to draw the two best creatures in your library is a little bit better, especially at Instant speed. While this does compare some to Ignite the Beacon from War of the Spark, paying 5 to get two creatures is just going to be better than getting two planeswalkers most of the time – not because creatures are better, but because it is far easier to construct a deck with enough creatures to make playing this worth it. It also moves up considerably if you have some bombs in your deck. It still costs 5 mana, and it is a pretty big tempo hit to pay 5 and not effect the board at all, and sometimes you just wont’ have the time to do something like that. But, I think you probably feel fine about having one of these in all your Green decks – obviously, it is Rare so that won’t be happening a ton, but still. I wouldn’t take this with an early pick, but it is a solid playable. I’m giving it a C+.

Shifting Ceratops – B+

This seems very good. 4 mana for a vanilla 5/4 is probably a C+ these days, but when we add all the rest of this text, it is obviously considerably better than that. Protection from Blue means a decent chunk of opponents will struggle to interact or block this, and the ability to gain a slew of keyword ability for a small mana investment is nice. This dinosaur has a nice mix of abilities – Haste can help you close out a game out of nowhere, trample can help you in situations where yoru opponent might normally be able to chump block, and Reach is good if your’e trying to stabilize against a board of flyers. It is ready to play a variety of roles, and that flexibility is nice. This is a good card, one that is almost always going to be your first pick if you see it. I’m giving it a B+.

Silverback Shaman – B-

This looks like a really good Common to me. He does well on the Vanilla test, has evasion, and replaces himself when he dies. That means he is a 2-for-1 that is really threatening – and that’s pretty nice. One thing I could see happening with him is that your 5-drop slot is just too loaded – I mean, you only want so many in most formats – but I have a hard time saying no to a 2-for-1 like this guy. I’m going to say he is worth first picking in weaker packs, and a B- , and that you’ll always be happy to have 2 of these in your deck. 

Thicket Crasher – C+

A 4-mana 4/3 with Trample is probably a C these days, maybe a C+. Giving trample to other elementals is some nice additional upside. This seems like a solid common for Green decks. I’m giving this a C+.

Thrashing Brontodon – C+

This is a reprint from the recent past that was pretty good in its format, and will probably be about the same here. A 3-mana ¾ does great on the vanilla test, and having the ability to blow up artifacts and enchantments in a pinch is nice too, and this is a version of that effect that you don’t feel bad about mainboarding. I think I gave him a B- last time around, and that was when Dinosaurs was a supported tribe, it won’t really be here, so I do think it drops down to around a C+.

Veil of Summer – F // C+

Like all the cards in this cycle, this is a nice sideboard card. Sometimes you might have to cast this against an opponent just to draw a card, but doing that for one mana isn’t too terrible. The ceiling of this card is pretty high – if you cast this in response to your opponent using a Blue or Black removal spell, you net yourself a 2-for-1 for only a single Green mana, which is a pretty absurd rate. What’s nice is, at only one Green mana, you can hold this up without too much trouble and wait for that ideal opening. Like the other cards in this cycle, I think it is dangerous to mainboard this – I think it is an F if you do, there are just too many decks where it may as well be a blank card. Against Blue and/or Black opponents, it is always going ot be worth bringing in, though I do think being as situational as it is makes it less incredibly than the other card sin this cycle, I think it is still a C+ out of the sideboard. 

Wakeroot Elemental – C-

This is a pretty interesting design. A 6-mana 5/5 doesn’t do a good job on the vanilla test – it is probably a D or D+. This DOES have a powerful activated ability, but the fact that it costs 5 Green to use makes this incredibly difficult to use in Limited. Green probably does have a lot of cards that produce mana of any color, and maybe even this card is a sign that mono-colored decks in this format will be a thing? But I think it is more likely that this is just way too difficult to use in most decks, even if it is a powerful effect. I’m giving it a C-, with the caveat that it is probably more like a C+ or B- in a mono-green deck.

Wolfrider’s Saddle – C-

So, this is a nice design for an equipment – one that actually makes it playable more often than not, I think. The problem with equipment is often that they have no immediate impact on the board if you can’t afford to equip them right away, but this gets around that by making a Wolf token that this attaches to. Basically, this gives you a 4-mana 3/3 that can’t be blocked by more than one creature, one that leaves behind an Equipment that you can then move elsewhere. That Equip cost is definitely steep, but the fact that you are already got a body out of the card is pretty nice. What’s more is, there are a few ways to blink or flicker this, and that gives you another Wolf token. Now, don’t get me wrong --= the card is nothing special – I just tend to like formats that have relevant Equipment, and this is definitely that. You’ll play it a decent chunk of the time in Green decks, but probably not more than one. I’m giving it a C-.

Wolfkin Bond – C

Look, another card at a lower rarity that makes a Wolf for your nightpack ambusher! This one is a reprint, and last time we saw it was pretty nice. I have hard time getting behind auras that don’t add something to the board – but Wolfkin Bond does that. Paying 5 for +2/+2 isn’t great, but adding a 2/2 to the board makes it a lot better. It likely lets you attack with something that couldn’t before, or at the very least lets you attack harder, and it makes sure that a Wolf is around to block and then start attacking the next turn. This helps you from being completely devastated by a 2-for-1 as well, since you at least have the Wolf behind. Though, keep in mind, if your opponent has mana up, they can just blow up your target for the Bond and you don’t get anything – and that’s still a huge risk with this type of card. This is a solid playable, and I think most Green decks will be fine with one of these. I’m giving it a C. 

Woodland Champion – C // B

This is a build around, but it is the kind that has a very reasonable floor, and that’s really the best kind of build around. So, your average Green deck in this format will probably have 1-3 ways to make creature tokens, meaning that this is better than just a 2-mana 2/2 even in a deck that isn’t loaded up with tokens – I thinkt his is a C in your typical Limited deck, and a solid B in a deck that can effectively build around it. 

Multi-Colored

Corpse Knight – C+

A two mana 2/2 that makes your opponent lose one life any time a creature comes into play is nice. It is decent as an attacker in the early going, and later in the game he can slowly bleed your opponent to death, making it pretty hard for someone to stabilize. How good this is is probably dependent on how many ways BW decks have to make tokens. I’m giving it a C+ -- you always play it in Black/White, but it doesn’t pull you into the color pair. 

Creeping Trailblazer – B-

This is the signpost uncommon for RG in this set, which focuses on Elementals. If we look at this guy in a vacuum, he is a 2-mana 2/2 that can give itself +1/+1 until end of turn for 4 mana. That card would probably already be something like a C- if its all it was, and maybe even a solid C. But, if you are in RG, getting more elementals probably won’t be much of a challenge, and his activated ability gets stronger the more you have, as does his static ability to pump their power. This seems like a strong signpost uncommon to me, and one I think I would even consider first picking in some weaker packs. It helps that it has a reasonable floor and a high ceiling. I’m giving it a B-.

Empyrean Eagle – C+

I always like when UW skies gets some support, and that’s what we’re seeing here. Doesn’t hurt that it is ab ird either! Anyway, this is nice because at its base level it is a Wind Drake, but chances are good if you’re in UW that anthem effect is really going to matter too. This seems like the kind of card that will be the backbone of UW decks, but not quite the kind of card that pulls you into the color pair – unless you see them pretty late, I guess. I’m giving it a C+. 

Ironroot Warlord – B

I like this signpost uncommon a lot. Obviously the idea here is to be in a GW go-wide type of deck, and this really pays you off there. So let’s break this down. If this was 1GW for a 1/5 with that activated ability, how good would it be? Well – already pretty nice honestly – he would do a good job of blocking and slowly churning out Warrior tokens. That would probably be a C or C+. That’s what he is in a worst case, but the fact that this Treefolk gets larger and larger the more creatures you have really seals the deal on this for me. I think you can feel reasonably confident first picking this even though its Gold.  I’m giving it a B.

Kaalia, Zenith Seeker – C+ // B+

So, she might be hard to cast, but Kaalia brings you some serious power. She has great stats and keyword abilities for the cost, but her real power comes from the triggered ability from her attack. Looking 6 deep in your library for those creature types are serious business, and this format has enough Angels, Demons, and Dragons, that it won’t be too hard to hit with her about half the time. You really only need around 3 or 4 of those to pull that off, and any time she does that she is probably just going to win you the game. I think she is a little dangerous to take with a first pick, just because she does ask for your deck to effectively play 3 colors (there is still a chance that doing so in this format will be easier than usual, since the format seems to be built around overlapping themes for each 3-color pair), and to pick up creatures with the right types. Still, her ceiling is pretty absurd, and I think for that reason she is worth taking a risk on a significant portion of the time. I’m going to give

Kethis, the Hidden Hand – C

Of the cycle of Mythic Rare wedge legends in this set, I think Kethis may be the worst one in Limited. This is because it is the hardest one to successfully build around. Apart from the Uncommon Chandra, all the legendary stuff in this set is at Rare or higher, so you really can’t count on getting legendary creatures, and you will basically never be able to use his activated ability to play Legends from your graveyard, because there is a very small chance you can get 3 legendary cards into your graveyard for it to matter. Basically, I think this is mostly a hard-to-cast 3 mana ¾, and that isn’t really something I’m interested in. Will you play it if you’re in Abzan in this set? Sure. But don’t go out of your way to play 3 colors for this alone, because it isn’t worth it. I’m just giving him a C.

Kykar, Wind’s Fury – C+

This guy is pretty cool. He has decent stats all on his own, and making a spirit token every time you cast a non-creature spell is some serious business. Even if you only get one spirit with this, you’re basically in business. The fact those spirits can be sacked for mana sort of matters, but in Limited usually a squadron of Spirit tokens is better than some random mana, but the flexibility there is nice. While he is a bit of a buildaround, I think most decks – especially in those 3 colors – will have around 5 noncreature spells without trying, so he’ll be good any time you can find the mana to play him. This set has a focus on 3-color archetypes, and that may mean that mana is better than usual to make something like this work, but for now I’m giving him a C+, with the caveat that if mana is super good in this format, he might just be a B. 

Moldervine Reclamation – C

This is an interesting card. On the one hand, I think it looks like a really great engine, allowing you to make any trade profitable, and allowing you to even chump block effectively. On the other hand, it is also a 5 mana enchantment that does nothing on its own, and sometimes playing something like this instead of immediately impacting the board is just going to make you lose. I think both of those scenarios are very realistic ones, so this is a really swingy card. Overall, I think that keeps me from giving it a high grade, or a really low grade – but something in them idle seems fair. I’m giving it a C.

Omnath, Locus of the Roil – A-

So, while Omnath is definitely better in a world where you have a ton of Elementals, let’s look at what he does when he is on his own. He is a 4-mana 3/3 that does 1 damage to any target, who then has a landfall ability that puts a +1/+1 counter on him – and then starts drawing you cards if you get enough lands in play. What would that card be for this same mana cost? Probably at least a B. Then, this set is really loaded up with Elementals – conveniently enough in Omnath’s three colors – and that means that he is much better than that. While his mana cost might be sort of difficult, I think he is a straight up bomb. Sure, you’ll need some fixing to make him work consistently, but the fact that he is partly Green helps with that – plus this set has some pretty solid fixing to begin with! I do think being 3 colors holds him back from a straight A, but I think he is an A-. First picking him seems like the right things to do. 

Ogre Siegebreaker – C+

A mana 4/3 does reasonably well on the vanilla test, and the activated ability here is pretty nice.  It is going to make combat a nightmare for your opponent, since they have to take into account the fact that anything they block with, even if it survives combat, might just die to this ability. It also works when you’re the one blocking by the way, though BR is mostly supposed to be an aggressive color pair in this set, it being able to be used more defensively is nice too. Now, the cost of that ability is a bit high, but probably worth it. I don’t see any reason you wouldn’t play this in a BR deck, but I also don’t think this is the card that has me deciding I really need to go into that color pair. That makes it a C+.

Rienne, Angel of Rebirth – ???

This is a hard one to judge before seeing more of the set. Sometimes we see a multi-color payoff in a set that doesn’t have any real reason to be going in that direction (see: Jodah). And if that’s what she is, she is probably something like a C+ -- she still has great stats but is too hard to cast to want to take early. If there are a reasonable number of multi-colored cards? Well, she may even get to bomb status. Really hard to say, will revisit this one later.

Risen Reef – C+

The UG signpost uncommon also likes Elementals, but it seems a heck of a lot less aggressive than the RG uncommon. Instead of being interested in beating down with Elementals, Risen Reef wants you to enjoy extra cards with every Elemental you play – something that I hope I’ll be enjoying in this format too! Basically you get a land in play or a card in hand every time you trigger this, and of course it triggers when it comes down. Now, the bad news is that Risen Reef is an abysmal 3-mana 1/1, and dies to basically everything. That news though isn’t the worst, since you will be getting a 2-for-1 if your opponent decides to fire off a removal spell on it, at least. This is a nice signpost uncommon, and looks like one of the most fun cards in the whole set, but I don’t think it does enough to pull you into its colors. I’m giving it a C+ -- you always play it in UG.

Tomebound Lich – B-

Maybe I’m letting my own preferences affect how I evaluate this card, but man – I have a hard time not thinking this is incredibly good. If you break this card down, and take away parts of it – it is still pretty good. Let’s say if it was a 3-mana 1/3 with Deathtouch – what would that be? Probably a C. What about a 3-mana 1/3 with lifelink? Probably also a C. What about a 3-mana 1/3 that loots on eTB or when it does damage? Probably also a C. If you take all of these C’s and jam them together though, I think you end up with a card that is worth first picking sometimes. This gives you card selection the minute it comes down, trades with anything, and gains you life as a decent blocker. Then, the whole deathtouch thing can also be used more aggressively, to attack your opponent when they have no good choices to block it, and if they don’t block it, you get to loot again. Yeah, I’m really interested in drafting these. Even though its multi-color, I think you can first pick this in weak packs – so yeah, it’s a B-. 

Yarok – B

So, a 5-mana 3/5 with death touch and lifelink is already a very good card.  It can be a really good blocker that is almost impossible to get through, or it can attack itself when the board state allows it.  Either way, any time your opponent decides to go into combat when you have this thing, they’re going to be pretty frustrated that you are gaining life and always killing something of theirs.  Then you add the rest of the text of this card, and I think you have something very powerful.  The Sultai colors in this set have lots of ETB abilities, and this is going to make them happen twice and that’s great.  Basically, this card has a ncie floor and an incredible ceiling.  Being Green also means that it might be easier to play than some of the other 3-colored mythics in the set.   I think you feel good about first picking this, though you should be ready to abandon it if the colors just aren’t coming together – I think the upside is enough though to take that risk.  I’m giving it a B.

Artifact

Ancestral Icon – D // C+

How good this card is in the format is highly dependent on how easy it is to get a deck that is loaded up with creatures of predominately one type or another. I think that if you’re in Temur, it will be the easiest, because Elementals are a big theme there. There are also some other minor htemes around, like Wolves, but I don’t think you are going to get enough Wolves for this to be worth it. I think most decks in this format will have a hard time having this be worth it, because you probably need 10 or so cards with the same type for that to happen – and because of that I want to give this a D in most decks, but I think it movesup to C+ if you’re in an Elemental deck.

Diamond Knight – C-

This starts as a 3-mana 1/1 with Vigilance, which is obviously horrendous -- it is also the kind of body that dies to pretty much everything, including spells that are one to 2 mana cheaper than it is. Obviously, it starts to get bigger as the game goes on – but the fact that it only counts your spells is kind of a pain. Most of the time, you’re going to have a 2-color deck too, so getting enough counters on this for it to be worthwhile – which is probably 2 of them – isn’t always going to be a cake walk. Between being super vulnerable and clunky when it comes down, and the fact that it will usually only grow slowly, I don’t think this is great – but I do think you play it some of the time. I’m giving it a C-.

Golos, Tireless Pilgrim – C+

So, for Limited purposes, the only thing that wil matter 99.9% of the time is this guy’s ability to fix for you. He ramps too, but by turn 5 if you’re grabbing a land from your library, the ramp won’t matter most of the time. However, the fact he is colorless, brings decent stats to the table, and provides your deck with fixing are all things that matter. But yeah, don’t ever count on actually being able to use his activated ability, though obviously if you do, you’re going to be in good shape. I think he is a C+, and the kind of fixing that is worth going after relatively early.

Heartpiercer Bow – F // D+

This was really bad the last time we saw it. Equipment frequently has issues in Limited, because it has a hard time effecting the board immediately, and it asks for additional mana investments as the game goes on. This only equips for 1, which is nice on that front – but the effect here is really bad most of the time. Doing 1 damage to a creature every time your creature attacks just isn’t going to do enough most of the time, and you basically have to have a creature who is already a good attacker for it to be worth it. The best equipment makes your creature into a better attackers – and that just doesn’t happen here. Now – there is some deathtouch around in this format, in which case this starts to get more interesting – but probably only if you have like 5 or more deathtouchers in your deck. And in that case, I guess I can see playing it – especially if there are enough X/1s in this format for the damage part to matter more anyway. So yeah, putting this on a deathtouch creature is great – but apart from that, pretty awful. I’m going to give this an F for most decks, and a buildaround D+ if you have enough deathtouchers.

Manifold Key – D

I don’t think I like this. There aren’t really enough artifacts in this set to get enough out of untapping artifacts for one mana a turn, so I think most of the value from the Key comes from making one of your dudes unblockable, and there’s no doubt that in the late game, that’s a pretty powerful manasink to have lying around. But really only being good at that stage of the game makes this a liability early and in the middle of the game. I’m giving this a D. 

Punishing Rod – D-

This really reminds of me of Rod of Ruin – and that’s not a great place to be. You have to pay 6 mana to dole out the first one damage this does, and that’s pretty terrible. And paying 3 every time to do one damage to anything isn’t so good either. I do think that this can be a win condition in a deck that is desperate for one and has lots of removal, and maybe in conjunction with a card like Goblin Demolisher – which lets you sacrifice artifacts it could be fun – but my instinct about this card is that you should almost never play it. I’m giving it a D-.

Scuttlemutt – C+

This is a nice reprint that can enable splashes, and is the kidn of thing you should really be going after to splash your off color removal or bombs.  The fact that he changes the color of permanents does matter some in this format too, because there are a few cards with protection, and a few that hate on specific colors – and Scuttlemutt does make those cards worse.  I don’t quite think the efficiency of the creature here is enough to first pick it – I think he is a C+ -- but like I said, if you are trying to splash, this definitely moves up in value for you.               

Steel Overseer – C+ // B

So, there are some artifact creatures in the set of course, though not a ton of them. But that’s ok, because the Overseer is pretty good on its own. A 2 mana 1/1 who can tap to add a counter to itself is nice, and can quickly get out of hand. If you have even one more artifact creature in play with the Overseer, he just gets silly. I think I am going to give him a build around grade, but I do think his floor is perfectly reasonable – probably a C+, and in a deck with 4 or 5 artifacts or more? Probably a solid B. I think this means he is a pretty reasonable first pick.

Treasure Coffer – F

Yeah, I don’t think this is very good. There aren’t enough ways in this set to manipulate the top of your deck for this to its job consistently. In an ideal world, this is 5 mana to draw 3 cards. That is a solid rate, but it isn’t a super incredible one, and I feel like it should be more efficient because this card basically makes you gamble. If you do decide to play this, the best bet is probably to name basic lands, because obviously you have a higher probability of hitting those, but the fact is that even if you do hit on your first try, this isn’t going to have you jumping for joy, and after you miss a couple times you’re going to start to feel pretty miserable. I mean, maybe there is a place for this in some grindy matchups, but I think just avoiding a card that is this inherently risky is probably a good idea. I’m giving it an F. 

 Vial of Dragonfire – C-

This is a reprint, that like Heart-Piercer Bow, can be searched up by Renowned Weaponsmith. Luckily, it is considerably better than the Bow. While certainly not efficient – it takes a total of 4 mana to do 2 damage to a creature – it is the kind of card you run in enough situations – like if you are desperate for removal, or your deck has artifact synergies, like maybe the Weaponsmith. But still, I think this thing gets cut a significant chunk of the time. I’m giving it a C-. 

Lands

Cryptic Cave – C

I like that you can cash this land in for a card later on in the game, but I don’t like that it produces colorless mana only. This means it is worse for your mana base than a basic land in most two color decks. Still, I think the fact that it can provide late game flood insurance means that it is going to be an ok 17th land to run, though if you are splashing or doing other crazy things with your mana, you probably should steer clear. I think it is a C.

Evolving Wilds – C+

It has been a while since we have had Evolving Wilds in a Limited format, and I am very glad that it is back. It is the best land for fixing in the set – better than the Scry lands or the gain lands, which we will get to shortly. What makes it better? Well, how flexible it is. It can be whatever mana you need it to be, whereas the other lands in the format just produce two colors. Evolving Wilds is even worth it in a 2-color deck because it makes your mana so much better, but obviously it is really good in decks with 3 or more colors as well. Running 1 basic land of your splash color along with the Wilds now means you have 2 copies of that land, and that’s pretty nice. All that said, it is still just a card that makes your mana base better, and while that’s nice, it isn’t something you take super early – though obviously it should move up in your pick order if you are trying to splash. Still, I think you take it over most mediocre filler, and before the other lands that fix in this format. I’m giving it a C+.

Field of the Dead – F

This just seems impossible to get going in Limited, unless this set has way more non-basic lands than usual. It is horrible for your manabase, and only pays you off in the super late game, and only if you have a bunch of lands with different names. Even if there ARE more non-basics than normal in this format, this probably still isn’t worth running. I’m giving it an F.

Gainland Cycle – C+

If you need fixing, this is a good place to get it. There are also a few cards in the set that care about lifegain, which might mean they are a little more useful than usual in some decks, but mostly they just make your mana better. Even if you’re just 2 colors, taking these over filler is sometimes a good call, since they really make your mana so much better. I’m giving these a C+.

Lotus Field – C+

Well, this is interesting. It is a fixed version of “Lotus Vale,” a super strong land from Magic’s past. So, the cost of sacrificing two lands is pretty real, but the fact this adds 3 does make it so you sort of come out ahead from it. Ideally, you’ll add mana from those two lands before you play this and be able to use it on something, then drop the Vale and have this powerful land untap on your next turn. That said, I don’t really think you play this unless you’re interested in fixing. If you are there, it is going to be one of the better ways to do it. I’m giving this a C+

Scryland Cycle – C+

Like most rare land cycles, these are great sources of fixing, and adding scry to them is pretty nice. If you are in both colors of one of these, you should consider taking one of them if you see it mid pack or later, as it does improve your mana base significantly. If you’re trying to splash something, I think they can move up even more. I think taking these, when they are on color for you, over middling “c” level cards is the right thing to do. I’m giving them a C+.ht thing to do. I’m giving them a C+.