Ongoing Strixhaven Limited Review Notes (Last updated 4/01/2021 @ 5:20 p.m. ET) (Patreon)

Strixhaven Set Review:

Note - I am including the Mystic Archives cards within each of their colors.  This is because we will see them enough (especially those at lower rarities), that making decisions between picking one and picking something else will come up pretty regularly.

White:

Academic Probation - F / D

You’re mostly gonna want to leave this in your lessonboard.  It is the kind of card that you use up, but it doesn’t do anything to even trade with an opponent.  In the right situation, grabbing this lesson could feel pretty nice, since it can turn off a creature or a card you know your opponent has, but if you play this in your deck it is pretty much an F.  These types of effects just don’t do well in Limited.  If you’re looking for a lesson, you could do worse, but in most scenarios the common Colorless ones will probably be better, so I’ll say it is a D as a lesson.

Ageless Guardian - D+

This has reasonable defensive stats. You’ll play it in a deck that wants that sometimes, but I imagine you’ll cut it pretty often.  I’m giving it a D+.

Approach of the Second Sun (Mystical Archive) - C

So, if you have a really controlling deck, this is a very real win condition.  The life it gains you can really help you make it through the next few turns to cast Approach again and win the game.  This set also seems ot have a reasonable number of cantrips and draw spells, which can accelerate the process.  Now, there will be plenty of decks where this is unplayable -- and I think I would rather have a win condition that adds to the board in most cases.  But at the same time, it DOES work as a win condition, and can’t be stopped by removal and the like, so that’s some upside.  Still, last time we saw this in Limited it wasn’t good -- although that format was pretty fast.  But, I think this could be useful in some Limited decks.  I’m giving it a C.

Beaming Defiance - C

This is a solid trick, it gives a good enough stats boost to win most combats, and the Hexproof part makes it so that you can also use it to effectively counter removal.  Like I always say, it IS still a trick, which means you will only be running it in aggro decks, and it comes with various risks -- like getting 2-for-1’d, so it is difficult to go higher than a C.

Clever Luminancer - C

So for the Luminancer, its Magecraft effect is basically Super Prowess.  It reminds me quite a bit of Steppe Lynx, in that they are both one mana 0/1s that want you to jump through some hoops to make them really efficient creatures.  Thing is, Steppe Lynx isn’t great in a format like Limited, where games tend to go long , and making the creature big enough consistently just isn’t that easy.  I think this will have a similar problem.  It might be great in the early going, but keeping it relevant just won’t be that easy, and it will quickly fade as the game goes on.  Now, if you are an aggro deck with a bunch of tricks, the Luminancer is going to be probably be at its best, but still, I think its just a C.

Combat Professor - B-

This is a pretty good Common.  On its own, it is a 4-mana ⅔ with Flying that can be a ¾ with Vigilance on your turn.  That’s a pretty darn good rate for the mana investment, and you can actually put the Vigilance other places, which is just better! I think this is a Common you can consider with a first pick I’m giving it a B-.

Day of Judgment (Mystical Archive) - A

This is a great board sweeper, and while they can be awkward if you’re the more aggressive deck, they have a game-changing enough ability that you’ll always play it and always take it highly.  It just isn’t replaceable, and if you cast this you’re going to win the game in most situations.  This is something you snatch up virtually every time you see it.  I’m giving it an A.

Defiant Strike (Mystical Archive) - C-

So, we saw this card before in Tarkir, where it was pretty nice for triggering Prowess.  Prowess isn’t in this set, but MAgecraft is, and they are similar enough mechanics that I imagine Defiant Strike will be better here than it would be in your typical format.  A card that triggers MAgecraft AND draws you a card is going to feel pretty nice, and you evne get a small stats boost too!  That might all sounds like I think this is a great card -- but I don’t.  I just think it is a solid playable, and that’s more than I can say for it in most formats.  I’m giving it a C-.

Defend the Campus - C

I actually really like this design.  We see this as two separate cards in many formats, and both of them are often cards you cut, just because they are a little too narrow.  HOWEVER, by putting both of these effects on a single card, you end up with a better card.  The effects are still narrow of course, but between the two effects one of them is going to be useful pretty often.  This might all sounds like I think this is incredible -- but I just get excited about modal cards.  It is a solid card that will actually make the cut a reasonable chunk of the time.  I’m giving it a C.

Despark (Mystical Archive) - B-

This blows up expensive permanents really efficiently, but it was honestly kind of a disappointment when we saw it in War of the Spark.  Still,   Most people will have 5+ permanents that this can hit, and that’s plenty for this to be a really good card.  There will be times where it does nothing, but I think it makes up for it with its efficiency.  I’m giving this a B-.

Devastating Mastery - B

You’ll mostly just want to play this for the full 6 mana, as allowing your opponent to return permanents to their hand basically guarantees they will come ahead in the exchange.  Like always, board sweepers are really strong and have absolutely irreplaceable effects, and that makes them cards that you can go after pretty highly.  Sure, they are a little less ideal if you’re an aggro deck, but even then, you should never really be cutting a boardsweeper.  There just aren’t many things that can reshape the game this way.  Still, the mana cost here is difficult, and probably keeps it from being a straight up bomb.  I’m giving it a B.

Dueling Coach - C+

Four mana for a 2/2 that puts a counter somewhere is alright, but not great.  This does come with a late game mana sink that will be able to give you some value most of the time, and that’s nice.  I’m giving this a C+.

Eager First Year - C

This seems like your typical solid White two-drop.  It starts out with a fine base line and has some decent upside.  Could be particularly nice with combat tricks, since it will get the extra bonus.  It is a solid card, but not much else.  I’m giving it a C.

Elite Spellbinder - B

For the first time in a while a Magic player who won a big tournament got to design their own card and it has their likeness, and PV did not disappoint, this is a cool AND strong design.  A 3-mana 3/1 flyer is already something you’ll always play in most formats, and the ETB ability here is some nice disruption for White to get.  Sure, it doesn’t take the card away forever, but making it take more mana and take longer for your opponent to cast that spell is great, it is a cool take on a tax effect.  The efficient body and relatively nice disruption ability make this a card you first pick most of the time.  I’m giving it a B.

Ephemerate (Mystical Archive) - C

This kind of effect is sort of flexible...but also sort of narrow at the same time?  It can be used to trigger an ETB ability, or to help a creature dodge removal...but those things don’t come up as often as you’d think.  The rebound is some serious additional value, and if you ARE trigger an ETB ability a couple of extra times with it it is going to feel great!  How good this is will really depend on what the ETB abilities look like at lower rarities, but for now I think this is just a C.

Expel - C+

White always gets a reasonably efficient removal spell that can hit tapped creatures, and that is what we have here.  Unless you leave mana up for it, you have to take a hit first, and leaving mana up for it can be a real pain if your opponent plays around it.  It also isn’t great in aggro decks, because it doesn’t remove blockers.  Still, it is reasonable removal, and I’m giving it a C+.

Gift of Estates (Mystical Archive) - F

This is situational, but the times where it lets you search up three Plains do feel pretty darn good -- three cards is three cards, even if they are lands!  The problem is that this is a blank card in situations where your opponent has the same or fewer lands than you.  And yeah, you can control this to some extent, but skipping a land drop just to do this doesn’t seem worth it to me.  I don’t think I want to play this.  I’m giving it an F.

God’s Willing - C+

This tends to be pretty nice whenever we see it.  Protection is just such a nice keyword -- you can use it to make your creature unblockable, save it from removal, or survive combat.  Being a cheap spell looks pretty good in this format too because of Magecraft, and having Scry 1 in the mix is nice too.  This is usually about a C+, and I think that’s what it will be here too.

Guiding Voice - D+

A counter for one mana at Sorcery speed is not usually worth playing -- pretty much an F if that’s all it is.  It just isn’t worth a card.  This overcomes some of that thanks to Learn.  Adding rummage/get a lesson from your sideboard is definitely some nice additional upside.  Right now, though, I still feel like this isn’t something that will be worth playing most of the time -- if they reveal some crazy lessons that might change, but for now? I think this is a D+.

Leonin Lightscribe - B

This is a powerful Magecraft ability, basically giving prowess to your whole board is pretty silly!  Especially because the floor is a two-mana 2/2.  This will often make combat math a real pain for yoru opponent, and that’s always a good thing.  I’m giving this a B.

Mana Tithe (Mystical Archive) - F

This type of effect plays well in constructed, but not so well in Limited.  You have to hope your opponent has only the exact mana to pay for a spell for this to do something, otherwise it is useless.  Sniping an opposing card in the early game does feel great, but you have to think about this will be doing about 80% of the time -- pretty much nothing!  I think you should just steer clear of playing this.  I’m giving it an F.

Pilgrim of the Ages - C

This doesn’t exactly fix for you, since it is White and can only get Plains, but it does make sure you hit your land drops, and that’s always a nice thing to do with a 3-drop creature.  It also gets extra value from the fact that it isn’t interested in staying in the graveyard, and in the late game it can give you a nice mana sink creature that can block all day and continue to thin out your deck.  RW is the best home for this, since it likes to leave the graveyard and has the Spirit type.  I think this is a solid Common.  I’m giving it a C.

Professor of Symbology - B-

I like this card a fair bit.  So, even if you have 0 lessons, this is a two-mana 2/1 that rummages, and that’s not too bad. Probably like a C anyway.  But, it will be right a decent chunk of the time to grab a Lesson from your sideboard.  Most of the lower rarity lessons aren’t especially impressive cards if you look at them in a vacuum, but by having them in your sideboard you’re upgrading cards like this one, as you get far better card selection out of the deal, and you actually net a card instead of having to discard one too.  The card you get may not be the best thing ever, but it is a free card, and you’ll gladly take it.  I think this is close enough to being a two mana 2/1 with a “Draw a carD” ETB ability, that I’m going to be taking this pretty early.  I’m giving it a B-.

Reduce to Memory - D // C

So, you can kind of sort of play this in your main deck, if you feel like you really need some removal.  Obviously, giving your opponent a 3/2 isn’t good -- it basically sets you up to get 2-for-1’d, but it can deal with any nonland permanent which is good I guess.  You can use it on your own guy in a pinch too.  But its probably a D if you’re main decking it, and like a C in your lessonboard.  Being able to sort of toolbox it up is way better, because if you can choose to get it from among other choices, that’s just a way different deal, and you can grab it when you really need it.

Revitalize (Mystical Archive) - C-

In most formats, this card is pretty underwhelming.  With spellcraft being a thing in this set, it will probably be a little bit better than normal -- and that’s probably true of all cnatrips, but it still isn’t something you should go after that hard, and you’ll cut it more than you’ll play it.  I’m giving it a C-.

Secret Rendezvous - F

You’ll usually come up behind when you use this.  You’re the one casting it, and using up a card and mana, your opponent gets the three card for free -- they don’t spend a card or mana to get them.  Now, if you have extra mana you will be taking advantage of the new cards first, but chances are also good your opponent will have an easier time doing that, because...again, they spent 0 mana to draw 3.  I think that means I’m out on this card, it just seems bad.  I’m giving it an F.

Semester’s End - B-

This is a weird card, but one that I think is probably pretty good.  There will be times where you don’t have much of a board and it sucks, so keep that in mind, but I think being able to use this effectively will happen often enough.  It is good if you just set up blocks and use it, its good in response to removal too, and the fact it pumps all your guys when they come back is particularly good.  It is easy to imagine the ideal situation where you really destroy your opponent with this by turning a big attack of theirs into basically nothing, while also getting all of your creatures back untapped and larger, and then kill them on your turn -- but temper your expectations.  This will do that sometimes, but not often enough for this to be completely insane.  Still, I think I like it enough to first pick it in some weaker packs.  I’m giving it a B-.

Show of Confidence -C

So, if you can’t make any copies of this it isn’t really going to be especially worthwhile, that boost just isn’t worth the investment.  However, if you can get two copies of it or more, it will feel pretty good. It is also further augmented by the Magecraft mechanic, which will trigger off of the copies too.  Getting two copies of it is definitely doable, but you’ve gotta keep in mind that it is some real set up, and it won’t always work out.  Getting more than two copies will happen some, but I wouldn’t count on it.  Overall, I think this is a C.

Sparring Regimen - B-

So, if this didn’t have the Learn clause, it would be a decent card.  Putting a counter on an attacker and untapping it isn’t too bad as far as repeatable effects go.  It will frequently enable an attack right away, even.  That would probably be good enough for a C+.  With Learn added, I think this card sneaks into the bottom part of first pickable, since that will often allow it to replace itself since you’ll get a Lesson out of the sideboard. I think this is a B-.

Stonbinder’s Familiar - B-

It seems to me that it will be very doable to set up Stormbinder’s Familiar to gain a few counters, and that’s a pretty good deal for only one mana!  It reminds me a little bit of Flourishing Fox -- and how good that card was is maybe why they decided to add the “Only once per turn” clause, since things could get out of hand.  Right now, I think this is actually a pretty high pick, and one of hte better payoffs for RW.  I’m giving it a B-.

Strict Proctor - C

So, a two-mana ⅓ Flyer is sort of borderline playable already, and this comes with some extra action.  Taxing ETB abilities is pretty strong, as there are lots of creatures in Limited who derive a fair bit of their power from doing something when they ETB.  Problem is, it is symmetrical.  And sure, you can plan around that by waiting to play it until you’re done taking advantage of ETBs, but you can’t count on the fact that you won’t draw more things with ETB abilities, or that playing it late will even bother your opponent!  This isn’t a bad card by any means, but I don’t think it is that great either.  Sometimes it will really cause your opponent some problems, but sometimes it will do the same to you!  Obviously, should you find yourself in a deck this doesn’t hurt at all, it does get better, but that’s not going to be easy.  This is just a C.

Study Break - D+

I’m never a huge fan of cards with this effect, they are just too situational.  Sure, you can use it to stop an attack and/or a block I guess, but there are also way too many situations where it is a blank card.  Now, because it has “Learn” it does mean you’ll usually get something out of it no matter what, but right now I don’t feel like that’s enough fo rme to want to run this.  I’m giving it a D+.

Swords to Plowshares (Mystical Archive) - A

This is one of the greatest removal spells in the history of Magic, so obviously it is quite good in Limited.  One mana to exile any creature is an absolutely incredible deal, and your opponent gaining life equal to the power of the creature is a small price to pay.  You’ll take this almost all the regular cards in this set.  I’m giving it an A.

Teferi’s Protection (Mystical Archive) - D

Some of this Mystical Archive cards are really wacky, because nobody really designed them with Limited in mind, and that’s the case here too -- it is from a Commander set.  While the effect this card has does seem really cool, in a lot of ways, it is just a really fancy Fog in Limited.  Sure, it counters removal to some extent, and especially board sweepers.  But in combat it really will just feel like Fog, and I’m not a very big fan of that.  I don’t think you want to play this most of the time in Limited.  I’m giving it a d.

Thunderous Orator - C+

This is a kind of reasonable card just as a French Vanilla creature, so when you add the rest to the mix it gets quite good.  Being able to gain whatever key words it friends has will sometimes be awesome.  That said, he will also sometimes be a two mana 2/2 with Vigilance and that’s it -- which is fine.  Just don’t expect him to always be taking to the sky or anything.  I think for now I’m going to start him at a C+.  If it turns out that it is easier than I’m expecting to get enough cards with keywords to make this insane, it could be even better.

Blue

Abstract Subtraction - C-

I’m not  the biggest fan of this type of card.  Lowering a creatures’ power only has some narrow uses.  However, the Learn effect being part of it, and the fact that it is a cheap spell in a format with lots of spell triggers, keeps this from being a D.  I’m giving it a C-.

Archmage Emeritus - B

This might be a super inefficient creature that dies to all the removal, but it has a great Magecraft ability.  Drawing a card off of every instant or sorcery is no joke -- even if you only net one card with this, you’ll feel fine about the situation, and if your opponent doesn’t kill it and you draw 3+ cards with it? Well, they probably lose.  Being a 4-mana 2/2 is definitely something that holds it back, but it is still a really good card that you’ll first pick most of the time.  I’m giving it a B.

Blue Sun’s Zenith (Mystical Archive) - C

So, if there is a slow control deck int his format, I could see this being pretty good -- but it does ask for a ton of mana, and that’s just not something you’ll be able to do.  Even if you cast this for 5, you aren’t really getting there on efficiency -- you have to go a lot higher than that.  For now, I’m not very optimistic about how useful this card will be, though as I said, it does depend ont he speed of the format.  For now, I think its just a C.

Brainstorm (Mystical Archive) - C+

Look, we get to play with an Eternal format staple in this format!  So, brainstorm is a pretty good draw spell overall.  When you use it you really just break even on cards, but the card selection it gives you is quite good.  Now, just like in the Eternal formats, this will get better if you can pair it with shuffle effects, since you can then get rid of whatever you put on top that you didn’t really want, but even without them, Brainstorm is a card that I think you’ll always play in your Blue decks -- especially since this set has such a big spell theme.  That said, because shuffle effects won’t be easy to come by most likely, this probably only tops out at a C+ in this Limited format.

Burrog Scrambler - C

This seems like a solid two-drop.  Flash + the ability to lower a creature’s power will sometimes give you a pretty attractive blocking situation, but even if this just prevents one damage and lets you add to the board with a two-mana 2/1, that’s fine too.  I think this is a C.

Bury in Books - C

Totally Lost is usually a kind of passable card, and this is mostly a better version of it.  Sure, it can only target creatures, but Totally Lost does that 90% of hte time anyway, and the fact that this gets discounted to only three mana when you hit an attacking creature is pretty good.  Remember, when you put something back in your opponent’s deck, you’re actually trading 1-for-1, not just getting tempo out of the deal, and the fact they will usually have to wait a whole turn to get that card is nice.  This seems like a pretty good Blue common, I think you always run the first copy.  I’m giving it a C.

Compulsive Research - C+

This is a pretty good draw spell, as it is often pretty easy to discard a land to it, in which case you’re basically getting a better Divination, and Divination tends to be fine.  This isn’t anything special, though.  Its just a C+.

Counterspell - B-

Ah, Counterspell.  It can counter any spell! No questions asked! That’s not something we get in Limited these days, so I’m glad the Mystical Archive is giving us a chance to do it.  Now, counter-magic in Limited is generally worse than it is in constructed, mostly because building a “draw-go” type deck is much harder to do in Limited than in constructed, where you can choose to have a deck of all instant speed stuff, and that’s just hard to do.  Still, this is very efficient and it counters anything, and that is enough to get over the downside of countermagic in Limited.  Leaving mana up and then not countering something CAn be pretty rough, but it won’t happen that often with something this cheap.  I think you’ll first pick this sometimes. I’m giving it a b-.

Curate - D

I’m not super interested in this.  It is just another Anticipate variant, and those are always really replaceable.  It does help you load your graveyard I guess if that’s what you want, and give you some card selection, but that’s just some an underwhelming effect and not often worth a card. I’m giving it a D.

Dream Strix - B-

This has some nice stats for the cost, and I would probably think this was well worth your while even without the Learn effect attached to it.  That kind of efficiency allows you to do a lot of damage in the air in a hurry, so it dying to any spell is worth it.  Adding Learn to the mix makes it even better, and most of the time you’ll be able to get a card out of that too.  I think this is something you can first pick in weaker packs.  I’m giving it a B-.

Frost Trickster - B

This is a very strong Common.  It is probably Blue’s best Common, and a contender for best Common in the set.  Now, I am somewhat biased here, if you’ve watch my set reviews or drafts before, you know I love tempo creatures like this -- Blue creatures with ETB abilities that either tap something down or bounce something -- but there’s a reason I love them! They’re really good in Limited.  They add to your board while effectively taking something away from your opponent.  You make their best creature unable to block and attack for an entire cycle, and that has a pretty massive effect on a race.  Frost Lynx is already a card that you first pick sometimes, and this adds FLYING to the mix, which is a great addition. I’m giving this a B -- I see myself first picking it a lot.

Kelpie Guide - B-

So the main thing this does, is help you ramp, which is a pretty nice effect, even on a 3-mana 2/2. Then, in the late game, it will gain a very powerful ability, becoming an Icy Manipulator of sorts, which means it is going to be able to basically stop whatever your opponents most powerful permanent is in most cases, since it can tap them down. One of the downsides of creatures that help you ramp mana is how bad they are in the extreme late game, when they tend to be undersized and their mana is unnecessary, but the Kelpie gets around that with that ability.  I think overall, this is a pretty strong card -- it helps you ramp early, and then becomes one of the best cards on the table late.  I’m giving it a B-.

Memory Lapse (Mystical Archive) - C+

This can counter any kind of spell really efficiently.  The bad news, though, is that your opponent will likely be drawing that card AGAIN on their next turn.  Now, you are still trading 1-for-1 and probably coming out ahead on tempo, but sometimes this will feel pretty bad because you countered your opponents’ bomb...but they’re going to get it back anyway.  Still, most of the time it is well worth it because of its efficiency.  I thinkt his is a C+.

Mercurial Transformation - F // C

Neither mode on this is super awesome, but making an opposing creature into a 1/1, or one of yours into a 4/4 will sometimes be a reasonable thing to do, especially because you get this kind of for free in your hand off of a “Learn” effect.  I don’t think I would ever main deck this -- it mostly just lets you attack better on a single turn, and that isn’t often worth a whole card in a Blue deck.  But its fine as far as something to get when you Learn.

Mentor’s Guidance - C+

Having one of these creature types in play is reasonably likely in this set, and when you do, it is a souped up Divination, and that’s something I’m interested in.  Three mana to see up to 4 cards, and get some card selection sounds nice to me!  Now, when you can’t get this to make a copy it won’t feel nearly as good, but at least its passable.  I’m giving this a C+.

Mind’s Desire (Mystical Archive) -  F

This is one of the most powerful cards in the entire history of Magic!  But it probably won’t be that good in this Limtied format.  Six mana is a lot, so getting your storm count high enough for Mind’s Desire to really do something relevant is going to be a challenge.  It is worth noting that Storm will trigger Magecraft, since it counts copies of spells too -- but you just won’t get your storm count high enough to abuse this.  Its probably an F.

Multiple Choice - A-

This is really good, and has a neat design!  So, the ideal thing is obviously to have X be = 4, at which point you get a 5-mana 4/4, bounce one of their creatures, and Scry and draw a card.  If that’s just what this always was, it would be a really good card.  Basically a huge Man-O’-War type creature that also draws you a card.  But because this can be used earlier than that in a pinch, it is significantly better than that.  I think between the powerful X =4, and the earlier flexibility, this is something that gets in the lower range of bomb status.  I’m giving it an A-.

Negate - C (Mystical Archive)

Normally Negate isn’t very good in Limited because its so narrow -- but I think it might actually be solid here, since Strixhaven is all about spells, and it has way more than a normal set.  I think that means you’ll play the first copy of this in most Blue decks, but it is still probably not more than a C.

Novice Dissector - C

This starts out as a Hill GIant, which is not so good, but it does have a pretty reasonable ability.  Note, by the way, it lets you put the counter wherever.  Lots of times when we see this effect only the creature who does the Sacrificing ends up getting the counters, but that’s not true here, and that’s good news for sure, as putting the counters on flyers and stuff sounds pretty good.  I think this is a solid playable. I’m giving it a C.

Opt (Mystical Archive) - C

Another solid draw spell that will be a bit better here as a result of Magecraft and other spell payoffs.  This is something you’ll basically always play the first copy of.  I’m giving it a C.

Pop Quiz - C

So, without a Lesson in your sideboard, you pay 3 mana to draw a card and then rummage.  That’s actually not the worst card ever, especially at Instant speed.  Then, if you have a Lesson to grab -- which you should do in most cases if you can -- you end up netting a whole card, instead of just rummaging.  This seems like a quality Blue draw spell that you’ll play the first copy of most of the time.  These cantrips all get better in a world of magecraft, too.  I’m giving it a C.

Resculpt - D

People always overrate this type of card.  They think of scenarios where you will exile one of your own artifacts or creatures and get a 4/4 out of the deal at Instant speed, and then you block an attacker or something.  Or you use it in response to a removal spell and still get a 4/4 and all of that.  But every time we see a card like this, even the one that made a 4/4 Angel, they just never line up as well as you might think at first.  That situation I described just won’t happen as much as you want it to, and you’ll often find yourself in situations where this just isn’t worth casting.  Now, it does have the ability to also go after opposing permanents, but giving your opponent a 4/4 in that case isn’t especially good either.  Basically, this is flexible, but what it does isn’t nearly as impressive as it looks.  I’m giving it a D.

Serpentine Curve - D+

This won’t be efficient until the late game, even in a spell heavy deck.  If the game goes SUPER long, the token could even be a win condition of sorts, but overall I’m not  impressed here.  I’m giving this a d+.

Solve the Equation - F

Tutors that cost three are pretty bad in Limited.  Generally in Limited Magic, you want to be adding to the board with the mana you spend, and the more cards you have that don’t do that, the more trouble you’re in.  Cards can overcome that by giving you card advantage or something like that, but they can’t normally overcome it with just card selection, and that’s what this is. 3 mana to get an instant or sorcery from your deck isn’t going to be worth doing.  We’ve seen BETTER 3 mana tutors -- like Grim Tutor -- be bad in Limited, and this will be to.  I can maybe see cornercases where you have some incredible spell bombs, but even then I’m not super interested here.

Soothe Sayer - C-

This card has okay stats and it can loot, and that’s enough for it to be a reasonable inclusion in most decks.  Looting isn’t a bad mana sink to have late, as it can really improve your draws.  That said, this card is also nothing special.  I’m giving it a C-.

Symmetry Sage - C

So the idea here is that you can make this into a one mana 2/2 flyer if you have enough instants and sorceries lying around.  For the most part, giving others of your creatures base power 2 probably won’t be an upgrade, or if it is one, it will be a very small one, and that certainly hurts this card’s case a little bit.  I like that this can rumble in the air when you use spells and all that, but I’m not overly impressed here.  I’m giving it a C.

Strategic Planning (Mystical Archive) - D

We just saw this card in Kaldheim and...it was pretty mediocre.  Granted, Kaldheim was a weird set, and this set has more of a spell theme, but still.  This was frequently a card you saw as the last card in booster packs, that’s how much people wanted it.  It DOEs load your graveyard and give you decent card selection, but being a Sorcery is kind of killer.  I think you’ll play this sometimes, but you’ll probably cut it more.  I’m giving it a D.

Teachings of the Archive - D+ // B

I really love the designs of some of these Lessons! They tend to be cards that are super situational or underpowered, but because you can get them when you “Learn,” and theoretically you’ll have a few options when you do that, you can grab them when they are at their best, and TEaching of the Archaics is a great example of that.  If you’re an aggressive Blue deck, you might actually consider running it in your main deck, since you’ll empty out your hands before your opponent in most cases.  Even in a deck like that, though, you’ll end up with this being a dead card sometimes, and that’s rough.  HOWEVER, when you Learn, and take a look at your opponents hand and realize you can turn this into Divination or something even better, you’ll definitely grab it as your Lesson when you Learn.  I think this is like a D+ in your main deck, but a B in your sideboard.

Test of Talent - C

I normally am not the biggest fan of counterspells in Limited, but this one actually seems alright.  This set has a ton of instants and sorceries, and countering those no questions asked for only two mana actually seems like a decent thing here, assuming there are as many instants and sorceries as I’m expecting.  The fact you then take out all the other copies of a card you counter is upside, but it isn’t exactly huge.  I think this is just a solid playable.  I’m giving it a C.

Waterfall Aerialist - C+

A 4-mana 3/1 flyer is generally a playable card, it hits pretty hard in the air for the mana cost.  1 toughness is certainly a liability though, since it can die to everything, even the cheapest removal spells! The Aerliast gets around that, though, with Ward, which means that it will be tough for your opponent to get a great deal on their removal spell.   If this set has 1/1 flying tokens, this will certainly get worse, but for now, I think adding Ward to this makes it a quality card for Blue decks.  I’m giving it a C+.

Whirlwind Deanial (Mystical Archive) - C

We saw this card not too long ago in Theros Beyond Death, and it was decent enough there.  Mostly, it was a 3-mana counterspell, it wasn’t often countering more than one thing -- and, it was like a C there.  Now, this set does have some spell copying that will probably make it better, but unless there’s a ton of it around, I don’t think it will have a huge impact on how good this is.  Its probably just a C.

Black:

Agonizing Remorse - C+

This was a good discard spell the last time we saw it, and I think it will be pretty good here too.  It can disrupt the opponent pretty much all game long, and having af ail case to exile a card in their graveyard isn’t too shabby.I think Black decks will always play their first copy of this.  I’m giving it a C+.

Ambitious Poet - C

This is a nice aggressive creature that reminds me of the “Suicide Black” days of Magic.  We have seen lots of two mana 2/1s that gain flying when they attack be pretty good, and while this is admittedly worse as a result of having to pay life to make that happen, it will still be a nice card to have in Black Aggressive decks.  BG is probably the best place for it, because that deck likes to gain life, which will make paying for this a little less painful.  I’m giving this a C.

Baleful Domain - B

Even if you can only cast this for 3B, it would be premium removal, since it straight up exiles creatures at instant speed for 4 mana.  The fact you can also cast this for 1B in a pinch is nice, even with the downside of your opponent drawing a card.  Sometimes you’ll only have 1B up and just HAVE To use it to not die or something, and that will feel good in those situations.  I’m giving this a B.

Confront the Past - F / D

This card is not especially good in Limited, even if you have cards with Learn.  There just aren’t enough planeswalkers for this card to matter.  I mean, sure, if you see this late and you have some Learn going on, having this ready to get out of your sideboard will definitely be some upside for your Learn cards, but you’re not going to run into planeswalkers very often, and that’s why I thinkt his is a straight F as a main board card, and like a D out of your Lessonboard.

Crux of Fate (Mystical Archive) - A-

This is a strong boardsweeper, and while it probably won’t be quite as good as it was back in Tarkir Limited, it will be very good here too.  Tarkir had lots of dragons at lower rarities, so making this one-sided was more of a thing.  There are dragons int his set too, but not a ton, so mostly this will just be a 5-mana sweeper, which is still something I’m pretty interested in.  It is just such a powerful irreplaceable effect.   It can be a little more awkward if you’re an aggro deck, but you’ll still play it every time.  I think this is an A-.

Dark Ritual (Mystical Archive) - C

This is a card that people tend to hugely overrate in Limited, just because they know it was so good in Magic’s past -- but keep in mind, that format was constructed!  And yes, getting a big mana boost on turn one is quite strong, but think about all the other ritual-type effects we have seen in Limited -- basically none of them were very good.  This is because you basically 2-for-1 yourself to get a mana advantage, and that just won’t be worth it in Limited most of the time.  Now, there’s no question that playing a 3-drop on turn one is strong, and I’m not saying that Dark RItual is straight up bad in Limited -- but I would imagine a lot of people will be snatching this up because they think its super powerful...and, it just isn’t in Limited.  Its just a C.

Deep Disappointment - C-

This isn’t amazing.  4-mana to draw 2 at instant speed is alright, and it is nice the life loss is symmetrical, but I tend to have a hard time getting behind this kind of card draw in Limited.  It is pretty inefficient and expensive, and by choosing to spend 4 of you r mana to cast this you probably already paid some life in a way -- since you didn’t add to your board with that mana.  Then, paying more life can be surprisingly painful.  Again, it is nice that it can give you some reach against some opponents, and in BG especially you’ll be able to gain enough life that you don’t need to worry about it, but I still think this is a card that gets cut a reasonable chunk of the time.  I’m giving it a C-.

Demonic Tutor (Mystical Archive) - B-

This is another card that people will likely overrate based on how good it is in other formats. Although, it is definitely better than Dark Ritual in this format, it still won’t be the best card in your deck or anything like that in most cases.  It basically amounts to a two-mana draw spell, and sure, you draw EXACTLY what you want and that is very powerful card selection, but it is really dependent on having actual good things to tutor up.  It will get better the more good tutor targets you have -- and I’m talking removal and bombs.  I do think this tutor is efficient enough that you’ll want to first pick it a decent percentage of the time, but probably only in weaker packs.  I’m giving it a B-.

Doom Blade (Mystical Archive) - B+

This is the first time we’ve seen Doom Blade in a while! It is premium removal, can kill most stuff at instant speed and for only two mana.  This is the kind of Mystical Archive card that you’ll take over most regular cards in the set, because it is just so good at what it does.  I’m giving it a B+.

Essence Fusion - D+

This gives a pretty efficient boost of two +1/+! Counters, and the deathtouch until end of turn is likely to make it so your creature can get in.  However, it is a Sorcery, and not a great card for interacting.  Your opponent can really punish you in response to you using it too, and while the upside is nice, it isn’t so much that I think I want to be risking that very often.  I’m giving this a D+.

Eyebat - C+

.  One-mana 1/1 Flyers often aren’t really worth it in Limited because they are so quickly outclassed, but this has quite the useful death trigger. So you will need to have picked up a few Lessons for cards like this to be at their best, but it is nice you can rummage with them in a pinch.  This will feel like drawing a card often enough that I think it is pretty good! I’m giving it a C+.

Inquisition of Kozilek (Mystical Archive) - C+

This is a good discard spell.  It will be a powerful way to disrupt an opponents’ early game plan when you play it on turn one.  Now, like most discard spells, it often has diminishing returns in the late game, and that is definitely a liability.  Imagine drawing THIS when you and your opponent are in top deck mode -- that’s definitely gonna hurt.  Though I guess if you have some Magecraft at least you can trigger that?  Still, I think this is so disruptive early that I’m willing to take a risk on running it, and will even take it reasonably highly.  I’m giving it a C+.

Go Blank - C-

They keep giving us upgraded Mind Rots lately, and I like it.  Normally Mind Rot effects aren’t so good in Limited.  They don’t impact the board and they get bad in the late game, but by giving these cards something else to do -- in this case, exiling the graveyard, you at least get something out of this card even when it can’t make your opponent discard anything.  In most formats, exiling the graveyard will have at least a small effect on most decks.  Now, all that said, this isn’t great, it just isn’t the D+ that Mind Rot is.  I’m giving it a C-.

Mage Hunter - C

This seems solid.  There are lots of instants and sorceries in this set, but there probably aren’t enough for this to be incredible or anything.  It has alright stats and will punish your opponent some if it sticks around.  I’m giving it a C.

Necrotic Fumes - B-

So, this isn’t the most amazing removal spell ever -- you have to two-for-one yourself to use it AND its a Sorcery, but it would be a kind of passable card.  It will be absolutely great to grab when you “Learn” though, as it is a removal spell that can deal with anything, and that’s a nice thing to be able to Wish for.  I think you should value this as a B-.

Professor Onyx - A-

This new Liliana seems pretty strong.  Her -3 will typically kill whatever your opponent’s best creature is.  And yeah, sometimes it won’t line up that way and that will be annoying, but you’re still getting rid of something pretty good!  If you’re behind, you’ll probably start with that -3 most of the time.  If you’re ahead, you can use her +1 for amazing card selection as well as add some stuff to the graveyard. She’s also got a powerful static ability -- draining your opponent 2 life for every instant or sorcery you play is not a small thing, that can really alter races.  Her ultimate will win win the game most of the time too.  The one thing she lacks is a way to protect herself, but I think having the card draw and removal options + a powerful static ability is enough for me to get over that.  I think she is in the lower range of Bomb territory.  I’m giving her an A-.

Promising Duskmage - C

This is a solid little +1/+1 counter payoff.  Sometimes when you put a counter on something it is a bummer that it gets killed, but this makes sure to give you some value no matter what! I think this is a C.

Sign in Blood - C+

This is a very efficient way to draw two cards -- something that normally costs three mana.  I’ll gladly pay the two life and one less mana!  Keep in mind, a card like this gives you a 2-for-1 right away, and paying tow mana for one of those is quite nice.  Now, it is still a draw spell, and you can only fit so many of those in your deck in most formats since you want to impact the board -- but I think this is a C+.

Tendrils of Agony (Mystical Archive) - D+

So, this is a powerful card in the Eternal formats, but how good is it here?  Well, I would ordinarily not think it was super great, just because making storm happen on a 4-mana card is a bit tricky.  However, because BG is a life gain deck, and because Magecraft counts copied spells, this will probably be a little bit better than it looks.  The set also has lots of cantrips which could help you storm.  It still isn’t going to be great for Limited mind you, it is highly situational and difficult to build around.  But, rather than be a straight up F, I think its probably a D+.

Tenured Inkcaster - C+

It seems like they costed this card a little too high for it to be good. She has terrible stats, and while she can put the counter on herself, that doesn’t help a whole lot.  And sure, her drain effect will feel nice on boards loaded up with +1/+1 counters, but we’ve seen creatures that just drain for any creature that dies on your side of the board at a lot cheaper rates!  I’m not saying she’s bad exactly, just that she feels like kind of an underwhelming +1/+1 counter payoff for an Uncommon that is supposed to push you in that direction.  Is the flavor here that, now that she has tenure, she doesn’t try as hard? Cause that kind of makes sense!  I think she’s a C+.

Umbral Juke - C+

This has two reasonable modes.  Three mana for a 2/1 Flyer is fine, and three mana for an edict is fine, especially because this is an instant.  Individually, the 2/1 flyer would be a C- and the Edict would be a C.  I think having the two options together is enough for this to be a C+.

Village Rites - D+

I’m never a huge fan of this card unless a set has a well-supported sacrifice theme.  You basically trade two cards for two new cards when you use it, and while that is decent card selection, you won’t always have something you even want to sacrifice, and that’s pretty obnoxious.  I think this is a D+, like in most formats.

Red:

Academic Dispute - C

This is a weird card for sure.  It kind of has multiple modes.  One of them is that you use it to force your opponents’ creature to block in a situation where their creature dies and yours survives.  The other is that you can use it defensively to get Reach on one of your guys to block a flier.  Then, there’s the modality of Learn, which will either let you Rummage or grab a Lesson from your sideboard.  Basically it gives you a bunch of small options.  Overall, I think this actually seems like a solid playable.  Doesn’t hurt that it is a cheap spell in a format that cares a lot about you playing spells, either! I’m giving this a C.

Ardent Dustspeaker - B

So, this helps trigger all the cards in RW that like it when things leave your graveyard, AND it will effectively draw you cards at the same time.  That’s pretty powerful, so of course they had to make the creature rather inefficient, as a 5-mana ¾.   Even with that limitation though, this is going to be quite good.  ¾ is enough size to attack on lots of boards, and as long as the best your opponent can do is trade with this, you’re going to be in business, because the cards you get from the effect will help you come out ahead from the trade.  In some situations, even if the Dustspeaker is going to die without killing anything, attacking will still be worth it for the effect.  You can also get serious value by giving it evasion or stats boosts that make things harder on your opponent.  If this gets to use that ability more than once, chances are you just win.  I’m giving this a B.

Blood Age General - C+

This is a Bear with some nice upside for the RW deck, which will have plenty of Spirits.  I think this is a C+.

Claim the Firstborn (Mystical Archive) - D

So, this does really efficiently steal creatures, even if can only go after the smaller ones.  This type of effect can be okay in an aggro deck, but I do think you need some sacrifice outlets to really abuse it, because if you have those, you no tonly get a blocker out of the way for a turn -- you kill it forever!  Outside of those situations, you just don’t want to play this.  I’m giving it a D.

Chaos Warp  (Mystical Archive) - C

This is an interesting card to look at for Limited.  It is random, and sometimes that’s a real liability.  That said, it isn’t the worst answer ever for super powerful cards, and it can hit any permanent type.  When you play this on an opponents’ permanent, the chances are actually reasonably good that they either hit a land or a non-permanent card, and when you do that, this will feel like a B+!  But there will also be times where you just upgrade your opponents’ permanent, and that won’t feel so good. You can also use it on your own stuff in response to removal and things like that, but chances are pretty good you don’t get what you want out of this.  Overall, I think this card is so inconsistent that it is hard for it to be more than a C, even if it will feel both better and worse than that sometimes.

Conspiracy Theorist - B

This is a pretty nice Bear.  It lets you rummage when you attack which would already be a card you usually play, but what really makes it nice is the fact that you can exile the card you discard and cast it during your turn.  It is unfortunate it doesn’t work with lands, but because you make the choice on what to discard, you can make sure to discard something cheap that you can play, at which point you’re no longer rummaging -- you’re just drawing two cards!  Now, sometimes in the early game you’ll find yourself unable to pay the mana and cast the thing you discard, and in the late game you might find that attacking with the Theorist is unwise because he’s so small, but he still has utility all game long, since he helps you Rummage.  I think I’ll be first picking this guy.  I’m giving him a B.

Crackle With Power - B

So, for 5 mana, this does 3 damage to something at sorcery speed, which isn’t so good.  For eight mana, thought, it does 10 damage to two things -- and keep in mind you can hit your opponent with this.  Now, in most formats I would be skeptical about being able to make this work, but UR has such a strong ramp theme with treasure all over the place, that I think this willa actually be castable at 8 mana often enough to be a really great card, and at least it has the fail case of still killing something or doing 3 to the opponent if you don’t get to 8.  I mean, if you are casting it for 8 all the time, obviously it is a bomb -- but we do have to temper our expectations some.  Even in a UR ramp deck, getting to 8 won’t just be a simple thing.  It WILL happen often enough for this card to be an easy first pick though.  I’m giving it a B.

Draconic Intervention - B+

This has quite the powerful effect.  You can use it to wipe the whole board sometimes, or even better, exile something that does enough damage to decimate your opponents’ board, but doesn’t hurt your board quite as much.  Things won’t always line up that way, and this is definitely a sweeper that really demands some set up, but it is still a powerful and somewhat flexible sweeper, and I think that means I want to take it with a first pick pretty often.  I’m giving it a B+.

Dragon’s Approach - F

This is a neat design, but not really one that will work out in Limited.  Even if you get like, six of these in your draft, the chances you have the necessary ones in your graveyard at some point aren’t great -- and that’s without even mentioning that you ALSO need a dragon for that effect do anything.  Basically, this is just a Lava Axe-type effect, and those normally don’t play great in Limited, since they cost you a card and don’t effect the board.  This is an F.

Efreet Flamepainter - B-

So if this gets through for damage, it is going to be pretty crazy.  Because it has double strike, you’ll get to cast two instants or sorceries for free every time!  If you can do that even once, that will win most games.  Now, given that it’s just a ¼, getting through with it won’t always be a cake walk, but its worth remembering that this thing has such a scary combat damage trigger that your opponent will have to be pretty careful, and they will leave back blockers they just wouldn’t have before.  So it is has an impact even in games where it doesn’t get to do its super powerful effect.   Now, you do need spells in your deck to make this work consistently, but I think that’s pretty doable.  I’m giving this a B-.

Enthusiastic Study - C-

Man, after having Run Amok a card like Enthusiastic Study seems so much worse!  It is Brute Strength with Learn upside, and that seems pretty alright as far as tricks go.  I don’t love the only +1 boost to toughness, as that drastically decreases the number of situations where it can help your creature win combat, but it also adds Trample to the mix which can be pretty big in some situations.  Even with the Learn upside though, I’m not overly enthusiastic about this trick -- 3 mana for this boost just doesn’t feel great to me.  I’m giving this a C-.

Explosive Welcome - C+

Eight mana is a whole lot, but the UR deck looks capable of producing that kind of mana.  This will often get you a 2-for-1 which is nice, but the thing I wonder is how often the mana it gives you back will even be usable.  If you just spent a bunch of mana to cast this, it was probably the last card you had in your hand, so where’s that mana going? Probably nowhere most of the time.  This has some serious explosive potential in the later part of the game, but because it probably only fits in UR, I don’t think I see myself first picking it.  I’m giving it a C+.

Faithless Looting (Mystical Archive) - C+

Faithless looting is a very nice draw spell.  Sure, you don’t net any cards -- but one mana to loot twice is actually quite a good deal.  The Flashback effect isn’t exactly efficient, but like all Flashback cards it does mean you have something to do with your mana late.  This gets even better in a deck that wants cards in the graveyard, and even better in a set with Magecraft.  Now, it still doesn’t do anything to impact the board, but I think there’s enough going on for Faithless Looting to be a pretty nice card for Red decks.  I’m giving it a C+.

Fervent Mastery - F

So, even with the RW deck liking stuff in the graveyard, I don’t think this is very good.  First, 5 to search up 3 cards and then discard 3 randomly is pretty bad in Limited.  You spin your wheels to search up some stuff, and then you don’t even know if you’ll keep them!  Now, if you cast this for 4 that’s obviously better, and sometimes your opponent won’t actually be able to do the benefit you offer them there, so that’s a thing I guess?  But mostly this is a really bad, expensive tutor, that just won’t do what you want it to way too often.  This is an F.

First Day of Class - C-

Well, this is interesting.  So, if you’re only able to make one creature benefit from this it won’t feel all that good, even if you have a Lesson to grab.  After all, most of the Lessons are actually mediocre cards, but they’re worthwhile because you get them for free when you Learn. So, you kind of need your card with Learn to do something worth close to a card, and if you’re just getting one counter and giving one thing Haste, I’m not sure you’re doing it here.  “Learn” is sort of like “draw a card,” and does give you some card selection, but those cards to choose from just aren’t gonna be awesome.  Keep in mind you can also choose to rummage instead of getting a Lesson, and sometimes that will be best.  Now, where this does start to get interesting is when you play multiple creatures in a turn, which won’t be easy if you’re just casting a regular ol’ creature spell, but if you have ways to make multiple tokens in a turn, this will start to feel pretty good.  All in all, I’m not super high on this to start, just because I don’t think it will be all that easy to make it work, but I could see myself being wrong here.  I’m giving it a C-.

Fuming Effigy - C

This is mostly here for the RW deck, which makes cards leave the graveyard pretty often.  This is likely to do a few damage in that deck, in addition to having reasonable stats to start with.  I think this is a C.

Grinning Ignus - C

This is an interesting reprint to see here.  Basically, the Ignus gives you something of a ritual effect.  It gives you a short-term mana boost, but when you actually look at the mana you spend -- which is 3 to play it and one to use its ability, you actually come out behind!  Still, the UR deck in this format looks interested in getting a bunch of mana in single turns for big crazy spells, so it probably has a home.  I’m giving it a C.

Hall Monitor - B-

Cheap cards that make something unable to block have a pretty good track record in Limited. Making just one thing unable to block is often enough to make your whole board capable of attacking, and, this thing is a Raging Goblin on turn one, which means it will get in for some damage early, and then in the later part of the game really make blocking difficult for your opponent.  Seems like a great aggro card.  I’m giving it a B-.

Heated Debate - B

This is most likely Red’s best common. 3 mana for 4 damage at Instant speed is always great in Limited, and this also can’t be countered, which is reasonable upside.  This is a B.

Igneous Inspiration - B

This will frequently feel like “3 mana, kill something, draw a card” and that’s going to be pretty great.  This is another premium Red removal spell.  I’m giving it a B.

Illuminate History - C / B

This seems like a Lesson that may just be good enough to main deck in this format, since Lorehold is so into the graveyard.   This paying 4 to help you rummage a bit and make a 3/2 will go down a lot, and that’s not a bad deal at all.  If you do have several cards with Learn, it will be better to leave in your sideboard, as it essentially makes all of those cards more flexible, and gives you more windows where you can grab in an ideal situation, because top-decking this with an empty hand for example won’t feel so good.  It is probably a C- in your deck, and a B out of your lessonboard.

Illustrious Historian -C

Nothing this card does is efficient, but that’s kind of not the point.  It is a card you can play early on curve, and then trade with something, and the in the later game you get a 3/2 out of your graveyard.  That could be a 2-for-1, even if it is a kind of expensive one.  This also synergizes well with all the graveyard stuff in RW. I’m giving it a C.

Increasing Vengeance (Mystical Archive) - C

This is an intriguing card to have in this set with all the spells all over the place, not to mention the payoffs for casting spells as well as playing them.  Still, Fork effects like this are notoriously hard to make worthwhile in Limited, and even having a more powerful Flashback form here doesn’t fill me with a whole lot of hope.  This will be wildly inconsistent.  Sometimes it will copy something incredible! Other times you won’t have anything to use it on.  I’m giving it a C.

Mystical Interception - D+

So, there are a reasonable number of tokens in this format -- that’s a product of a set with an instant and sorcery theme, so being able to use this to steal one for only a single mana is some actual real upside.  Note, by the way, if you need to do 2 more damage with your own creature, you can use this on your own guy too, and if its YOUR token, it also only costs one Red.  Still, these Threaten effects tend to be highly situational.  That said, by being so cheap a reasonable chunk of the time, it does overcome some of that downside.  I dunno, I have a hard time believing in Threatens until I see them work out in a format.  They just do not have a good track record.  I’m starting at a D+ here.

Shock (Mystical Archive) - B-

Shock is always premium removal.  Two damage can take down a huge chunk of creature sin most formats, including several creatures with a much higher CMC than one, and it of course comes with the upside of being able to use on the opponent.  This is something you’ll first pick in some weaker packs.  I’m giving it a B-.

Start from Scratch - D+ // C+

Yet another Lesson I’m pretty excited about.  There’s just something about being able to grab these cards with narrow but useful effects out of your sideboard at the ideal time.  Your opponent won’t always have an Artifact, or an X/1 to kill, or be at 1 life, but when any of those things are true, grabbing Start from Scratch when you Learn will feel pretty awesome. I thinkt his is a D+ in your deck, and a C+ in your lesson board.

Stone Rain (Mystical Archive) - F

This kind of effect is basically never good in Limited.  Land destruction can work in constructed because running a critical mass of cards that blow up lands is possible.  That’s not true here.  This is an F.

Storm-Kilin Artist - C+

I think this looks like a nice card, and I like that it has a design that synergizes with itself.  Even if you have no other artifacts, he gets a power boost from the Treasures that he makes you.  If you can get this to a 4/2 I think you’ll feel like you’re getting there.  And, the fact he makes treasure means he gives Red some pretty decent fixing, and that’s always nice to have.  I think this is a C+.

Sudden Breakthrough - C-

This is a decent trick -- it gives a boost large enough for your creature to win combat most of the time -- and it gives you a Treasure for some fixing and ramping.  But you’ll probably cut it a lot, after all, it is still a trick -- and that means it is risky and highly situational.  I’m giving this a C-.

Tome Shredder - C+

This guy can get pretty big on his diet of instants and sorceries, and he’ll work especially well in RW, because that deck can load the graveyard reasonably well, and it also likes it when cards leave the graveyard in any way, and Tome Shredder will do that for you.  Now, this does require some significant set up, and it is a pretty inefficient creature if you don’t get there, but the fact that it can get bigger for no mana investment, and has some synergy with the RW archetype makes this a C+ for me.

Thrill of Possibility (Mystical Archive) - C

Like all draw spells, Thrill of possibility gets a bit of an upgrade in this format as a result of magecraft being a big feature of this format, and that’s good news, because it is a solid card anyway.  Pitching a land to draw two cards feels pretty good.  Probably still not more than a C, though.

Urza’s Rage (Mystical Archive)  - B-

This card is an old favorite of mine, so it is cool to see it in the Mystical Archive.  Three mana to do three to any target at Instant speed is usually in the lower range of premium removal.  Then, this has crazy late-game upside, where if you can kick it, it does TEN damage instead.  Now, 90% of the time this will be doing 3, but because that is such a nice baseline already, having the Kicker upside is awesome.  I think you’ll first pick this in some weaker packs.  I’m giving this a B-.

Green:

Abundant Harvest (Mystical Archive) - C

Unlike most of the cards in the Archive, this is a new one, so it is harder to evaluate.  I think it seems pretty decent, kind of like a weird Adventurous Impulse.  If you really need to hit a land drop, this will do it for you, and if you really need to stop flooding, well -- this will do that too.  Like most efficient card selection cards we see, this is probably just a solid playable.  I’m giving it a C.

Accomplished Alechemist - C+

This has nice defensive stats and does a good job ramping and fixing, and sometimes you’ll be able to get even more mana out of it, provided you gained life.  This format does seem like it provides lots of things to do with mana, so this will be pretty solid I think.  I’m giving it a C+.

Adventurous Impulse (Mystical Archive) - C

This is a fine card for Green decks, but not much else.  Its nice that if you’re flooding it can help you get out, and if you’re desperate for a mana drop it can help you there too.  This is a C.

Basic Conjuration - D+ // C+

This will be a nice thing to grab when you “Learn,” since it gives you some pretty nice card selection and gains you some life.  If you end up with no “Learn” at all, it would be a somewhat passable card in your deck too.  It is a bit clunky to be sure, but gaining life off of it helps offset that problem.  It is probably a D+ in your main deck, and a C+ in your sideboard.

Bookworm - C+

This seems like a reasonable finisher for the UG ramp deck in this format.  It isn’t quite Pelakka Wurm, but it does a reasonable impression.  Gaining you life and a card means that no matter what, you’re getting something for your mana investment, and the fact that you can put him back in your deck to draw in a few turns will feel good in some situations.  I think this is a C+.

Channel (Mystical ARchive) - C

This is another one of these Mystical Archive cards that people will drastically overrate in Limited, because it is so powerful in other formats.  And, don’t get me wrong, being able to make a bunch of mana for only two is pretty strong!  The problem is, you won’t have a way to combo off with this basically ever in a Limited deck.  And sure, maybe on turn three it lets you play your 7 drop -- and that’s pretty great for sure! But you go down a card and a bunch of life in the process, and if your oppponetn has removal, they suddenly are outcarding you and you’re in a ton of trouble.  Then, there will be time when Channel is useless or close to it, and that’s always rough too.  In short, it is super inconsistent -- kind of like Dark Ritual.  It will be a super swingy play that sort of makes-or-breaks you -- and that’s the IDEAL scenario, and it is hard to give something so all over the place anything more than a C.

Charge Through - D+

In your typical format, this wouldn’t be close to an F.   It replaces itself, but the effect it has can be useless or close to it a huge chunk of the time.  After all, you need blocks to go a certain way, and you need creatures of a certain size for Trample to even matter.  However, in a format with lots of spells payoffs -- including in Green --, I think this will be pretty alright.  It will trigger those payoffs while replacing itself, and having that small effect, so that’s not too bad.  Still, its probably a card you cut a lot.  I’m giving it a D+.

Cultivate (Mystical Archive) - B-

I always like this card when we see it.  It is great fixing, even helping you splash a card with two colored mana symbols.  It also happens to ramp you which is great too!  Also, being a spell gets a small upgrade in this set.  I think this is a B-, like it is most of the time when see it.  You can take it pretty early.

Dragonguard Elite - B

This is really good.  A two mana 2/2 with Prowess is usually pretty nice, and in most ways, this is an upgrade. Getting a permanent boost is big, and then in the late game it will become too big for most boards thanks to the ability to double counters.  You’ll first pick this most of the time.  I’m giving it a b.

Ecological Approach - C

If you have a bunch of mana lying around, this is going to be pretty sweet.  This format does look like both Green decks and UR decks will be able to make that happen, but even then, I feel like you’ll need so much mana for this to be anything especially powerful.  6 mana will probably net you a couple of 3/3s, which isn’t bad, but isn’t great either.  Once you get to 7 it does start to get a little more interesting, but your deck also needs to have a composition that allows you to get 4 really good cards that cost as much mana as possible, and making that happen seems challenging.  I think this is just a C.

Emergent Sequence - B-

This is strictly better Rampant Growth, and Rampant Growth is pretty solid as far as fixing and ramping go! What’s great is, it actually adds to the board in a meaningful way in addition to ramping and fixing for you, since the land will also be a 1/1 at a minimum, and making it a 2/2 won’t be particularly difficult.  Now, that comes with some downsides, like if you search up your one land for a splash and now your opponent can kill it with a cheap burn spell, but I think its well worth it.  This format has lots of payoffs for ramping too, so the Sequence will be a pretty high pick I think.  I’m giving it a B-.

Empowering Potion - C

This seems like a solid trick to me.  You’ll always get 2 life and at least +2/+2 out of it, and that is something an aggro deck would probably already play a copy of most of the time, but then you factor in the potential for a bigger boost, and you get an even better trick.  Making this be better than Giant Growth isn’t going to be SUPER hard.  Still, its a trick, their situational, and risky, and only aggro decks want them, so it is hard to go higher than a C here.

Exponential Growth - C

Obviously enough, this can make a creature pretty dang huge -- but it is also really freaking clunky.  You need your creature to already have evasion of some kind for this to even matter most of the time, and your opponent can easily just take down the thing you target, so you have to be extra cautious about casting it.  Now, it is worth noting that at a certain point it can make any creature into a threat, more or less, like once you get to 8 mana, but it still has some serious downsides that make me really weary of wanting to value this highly.  I’m giving it a C.

Field Trip - C-

So, this pretty much just ramps for you, it doesn’t provide fixing because you can only get a Forest, and that’s a pretty big bummer.  It does have Learn, which will either let you rummage or get a Lesson from your sideboard, and both of those are nice additional effects, but this card still doesn’t seem too great to me.  I think it is probably a C-.

Harmonize - B-

This may be a bit clunky as a Sorcery, but 4-mana to draw 3 card is a great deal.  You have to find the time to cast it of course -- and sometimes tapping out for this will just be impossible because you need to add to the board, but if you’re able to cast this and survive, it will really help you outcard your opponent, which can get you that win.  I think you first pick this in some weaker packs.  I’m giving it a B-.

Karok Shepherd - B-

This has some mediocre stats, but boy -- it has a very strong Magecraft trigger.  Permanent boosts to your creatures are very real, and it will be great value to tack on to your spells.  I’m giving this a B-.

Krosan Grip (Mystical ARchive) -

How good this is will be very dependent on how many artifacts or enchantments are in the set.  If there are a normal number, this probably is a sideboard card.  If there are more than their normally are, especially at low rarities, it will become a pretty nice mainboard card.  For now, I’m going to avoid giving this a rating since it can change so much depending on the set.

Leyline Invocation - C-

UG is about ramping and lots of lands in this set, but even so, this doesn’t seem especially good to me.  It will make a big vanilla creature that isn’t even that efficient in most cases.  You’ll play this as your top curve if you’re lacking something, but most of the time you probably hope for something better in that role.  I’m giving this a C-

Master of Symmetries - B-

This seems pretty good to me.  It is basically a 4-mana 4/4 with Reach and Trample, since its ability counts itself, and Trample only matters when you attack anyway.  That on its own would be knocking on the door of first pickable, but then granting all of your other creatures with symmetrical power and toughness trample is some nice additional upside.  This is a B-.

Natural Order (Mystical Archive) - D

It is hard to make this work consistently in Limited. To be worthwhile, you need Green creatures worth sacrificing and Green creatures worth cheating into play, and having that happen consistently will be challenging. Is it possible? Sure.  It just doesn’t seem that likely to me that it will line up the way you want it to most of the time.  Two-for-oning yourself for no big payoff seems underwhelming to me.  I’m starting this at a D.

Primal Command (Mystical Archive) -  C

So, this isn’t super impressive in Limited.  It is just so clunky and mostly doesn’t have a way to impact the board directly.  Only one mode can do that, and it can only go after a noncreature permanent.  Note, by the way, that that permanent CAN be a land, so that will matter sometimes to blank an opposing draw.  I think one of the better things to do with this in Limited is probably choose the life gain and tutor option.  It is still really slow, but by gaining life you will probably untap and get to play the best creature in your deck on the subsequent turn.  I still have a hard time giving this anything more than a C, though.

Regrowth (Mystical Archive)  - D+

I’m not normally a fan of this card.  Two mana to return one card from your graveyard is just card selection, it isn’t card advantage.  It does get better if you have bombs and other powerful stuff going on, but for the most part?  This just doesn’t do enough to be worth a card.  You’d rather have something that gets you two more specific card types back from your graveyard in most cases.  I’m giving this a D+.

Snakeskin Veil (Mystical Archive) - C

This is an alright combat trick that gives your creature a permanent boost, while also being useful against removal.  Like all tricks, it is situational, but it does enough that I think it is pretty solid.  I’m giving it a C.

Verdant the Storm - D+

While ramping and fixing are nice in Limited, most of the time big expensive ramp spells like this aren’t so good.  You do get four lands out of the deal which is pretty awesome, and two of them even come into play! But you also just spent a ton of mana without an immediate impact on the board of any kind!  And, the alternate cost here generally won’t be worth it, since giving your opponent a land seems pretty painful to me.  I think you’ll run this in some ramp decks -- probably splashing it in UR is the best option actually -- but I think you just won’t play it most of the time.  I’m giving it a D+.

Weather the Storm - C

So like, on its own, Weather the Storm wouldn’t normally be worth playing in Limited.  However, this set has two things going on that make it something worth thinking about at least.  First, the BG deck has lots of life gain payoffs, so any card that gains life will be more worthwhile.  Second, the Magecraft mechanic triggers for every COPY of a spell, so if you can get the storm going here, you’ll be able to trigger Magecraft that many times too!  And, unlike the other storms cards in the Archive, this one is cheap, and getting a storm count going on it isn’t a pipe-dream, especially because it is an Instant! You can use your opponents spells to help you trigger this more, and then definitely makes it more flexible.  Now -- with all that out of the way, this still won’t be a GOOD card in most Limited decks, but in most formts it would be a F, and I think in this one I would value it at a C.

Multi-Colored:

Aether Helix - C

I really want to like this card, since I love bounce spells and getting stuff back from my graveyard, but I just don’t think this is especially good.  Bouncing a permanent does not give you a card’s worth of value, and it may not even give you much tempo would you pay 5 for it.  And yeah getting a permanent back is good and all, but this is basically just a 5 mana bounce a permanent, draw a card.  And its a Sorcery.  That’s just not that great!  I’m not saying it is bad, just that it doesn’t have the power I kind of expected from a UG uncommon.  This is just a C.

Augmenter Pugilist - B

Both sides of this have their place.  The Pugilist side is far less situational since it is just an efficient creature -- and one that gets really scary in the late game, but sometimes you’ll want to cast the Echoing Equation side of things -- you pretty much only do that when you can swing for lethal though, and it will sometimes enable that.  I think this is a B.

Biomathemtician - B-

A three-mana 2/2 that makes a 1/1 is generally pretty good in Limited, and this comes with significant upside between the +1/+1 counter and the additional value you can get from having other fractals.  This seems like a card in the lower range of first pickable, and a really strong Common.  I’m giving it a B-.

Blade Historian - B

It will be challenging to cast this in anything but a RW deck, but if you can it is a pretty good creature.  It is a ⅔ with double strike when it attacks, and making your whole board gain double strike on the attack is great, especially because it will mean most of the time the turn it comes down it will immediately make a difference on the board, improving attacks or allowing attacks that weren’t even a good idea before.  This is strong, and worth first picking.  I’m giving it a B.

Body of Research - B

This card has a pretty cool design, but I don’t think it will be that special in Limited.  Mostly, it just gives you a huge vanilla creature, and the spell isn’t easy to cast either.  Now, you know, a 22/22 can only die to so many things, so I’m not saying its bad, just that it isn’t really a bomb either.  In fact, I think it is probably only a B.

Closing Statement - B+

This is a very strong Uncommon. A 5 mana Instant that kills a thing and puts a counter on one of your creatures is probably already about a B.  It improves your board while subtracting from your opponents, and in some situations you may even get a 2-for-1 here, if the +1/+1 counter gets put on a creature you have who can now win combat.  Then, you add the fact that if you use this in the end step it only costs THREE, and we’re tlaking about some serious power.  This might be the best Uncommon in the set.  I’m giving it a B+.

Creative Outburst - B-

This seems really good.  It is expensive, but because it lets you discard it to make a treasure early, part of that downside is mitigated against.  Casting this will feel really good, as doing 5 damage to something and drawing a card chosen from among five is a really good deal.  UR is all about big spells like this, so it fits right in, while also supporting the archetype’s ability to cast those spells since it can make treasure.  I’m giving this a B-.

Culmination of Studies - D

This has a really neat design, and it is one that it is a bit challenging to get a handle on without playing with it. So, UR is all about having a bunch of mana, so  pumping significant mana into X will be easier than it might first seem. So the lands give you treasure, and that will make it easier for you to cast the spells you draw for Blue cards you hit.  Hitting Red cards damages the opponent, and sometimes this will just be able to close them out.  If you’re a straight up UR deck, virtually every card in your deck will give you one of these effects.  But the question becomes, how much mana do you need to spend to feel like this is working out for you?  If you pay 6 total mana and exile 4 cards, there’s a good chance you’ll get a treasure, draw a card, and do 2 to your opponent.  That’s...not very good.  I think the main plan with this is to really have it be a win condition in the late game when you have a ton of mana, but that also means it is pretty terrible in the early game.  Overall, I don’t think I like this a whole lot for Limited.  I’m giving it a D.

Decisive Denial - B-

This is pretty good.  Fight cards are always nice in Limited, and while the best ones give some sort of stats boost, this one makes up for not doing that by being a modal card.  So, if the Fight part on this works as removal for you, you’ll probably use it, but if a situation comes upw here you can counter your opponents thing before that, you probably choose the counter option.  Neither option here is amazing, but having a choice between them is very nice.  I think this is in the lower range of first pickable.  I’m giving it a B-.

Double Major - C+

This is cheap enough that I think I can get behind playing it all the time in UG decks.  Sure, copying yoru 2/2 with it won’t feel amazing, but it is perfectly fine, and if you can copy your 4 drop with it you’ll be in pretty good shape in terms of what you get in return for your mana.  UG is a ramp color pair too, so having the extra mana to do this is reasonably likely.  Overall, I still dont think this it is amazing -- after all, you need to pair it with something else for it to even do anything.  But I think it is a C+

Dramatic Finale - B

So, even if you have 0 other creature tokens, this makes it so that when you have a nontoken creature die, you get a 3/2 flyer.  That’s already a pretty good deal, as it will allow youtube both attack and trade aggressively, since getting a 3/2 flyer is pretty much equivalent to a whole card.  Sometimes things don’t line up well for you to use something like this, but the additional token upside makes it pretty darn good.  I’m giving this a B.

Electrolyze (Mystical Archive)  - B

I have loved this card when we’ve seen it in the past.  It has 3-for-1 potential, provided your opponent has two X/1s, and that is pretty awesome.  Most of the time, you’ll have to be content with just a 2-for-1, but I’m on board for that too.  Sometimes it won’t be able to kill stuff if the opponent has big creatures, but in Limited it is likely to have something it can kill in most cases. It can also go to your opponents’ face if that’s what you need!  I think you can first pick this.  I’m giving it a B.

Elemental Evoker - B

Like all these Hybrid cards, this’ll be hard to play if you aren’t straight up UR, but if that’s where you are, it is pretty sweet.  It has good stats to begin with, and then it has a really complicated Magecraft trigger that basically makes it so if a creature you target leaves teh battlefield one way or another, you get a 4/4 Elemental.  It can target itself with this, and note also that you can cast an instant to make this trigger happen, in response to a removal spell or other things.  This is a very scary threat of activation type card, and you can also just use it up front and then attack with the thing when your opponent has to block the creature, at which point you’re getting a 2-for-1.  It is a little bit situational, but because it can target itself, not insanely so.  I think you can first pick this pretty happily.  I’m giving it a B.

Elemental Masterpiece - C

Late, this gives you two 4/4 bodies pretty efficiently. And, like a lot of expensive UR spells in this set, it can actually make you treasure early too, giving you both fixing and ramp.  These designs make all of these expensive spells significantly better.   This is a C.

Elemental Summoning - D+ → C+

This is yet another lesson that you wouldn’t really ever want in your main deck, as a 5-mana 4/4 just isn’t good these days, but being able to draw this when you “Learn” sounds pretty good!  So, you should value this a little higher thanks to being a Lesson.  It is a D+ in your main deck, and a c+ if you Wish for it.

Eureka Monument - C

This ramps you a little bit while drawing you cards which is fine.  A lot of the time the ability to put lands into play from your hand aren’t that good in Limited because there comes a point where you just don’t have lands to put down, but this does something else, and also kind of makes it more likely you have a land to put into play to take advantage.  This is a C.

Extus, Oriq Overlord - B+

The Extus side here is very strong.  A 4-mana 2/4 with double strike is a playable card already, and his Magecraft ability makes all of your instants and sorceries get you back a creature from the graveyard, which is some pretty serious upside.   Meanwhile, Awaken the Blood Avatar also isn’t too shabby.  Obviously casting it for 8 isn’t so good, but if you can even sacrifice one creature and cast it for 6, I think it will feel pretty nice.  You get a 3/6 with a powerful attack trigger and make your opponent sacrifice a creature.  Now, if it was just Awaken the Blood Avatar, this would probably be a C or C+.  Awakening the Blood Avatar just takes too much set up to be more than that.  BUT, by putting it on the other side of a powerful creature like Extus, it just ends up being additional upside.  I thinkt his is a B+.

Expression Rehearsal - B-

This has a really neat design.  Basically, you draw one card from your top three, and you exile another that you can cast until the end of your turn.  So this is sort of a two mana Divination, albeit one that is very time sensitive.  Note, by the way, that it does let you play lands from exile, so you can even cast this on like turn three, exile a land in your top 3 and put something else in your hand, and then play that land right away.  Because you get to choose, there really is a reasonable chance you will get 2 cards out of it, even early.  It is a Sorcery and a little clunky, but this is close enough to two cards for two mana tha tI think I’m down for first picking it sometimes.  I’m giving it a B-.

Flamescroll Celebrant - C+

Most of the time, you probably just want to play this as a two-man 2/1, as it has a nice ability that punishes opposing activated abilities, and it can pump its own power, which makes it so it can trade for lots of stuff, or threaten to hit pretty hard on some board states.  The spell side, though, might be something you use from time to time, in really specific situations.  Like, if you are in such a position that you know shutting down your opponents’ abilities to play spells for a turn will win you the game.  Thing is, that’s not always easy to know, but basically if they are in top deck mode and dead on board anyway, firing this off on their upkeep is some nice insurance.  It is nice you can play this in any Red deck and have it be good, and in RW decks you get the full flexibility.  Taken together, I think this is probably a C+.

Fractal SUmmoning - D // C

Another Lesson that will be nice to get when you “Learn.”  It is going to be inefficient, but its a card, and one that adds to the board, so I’m on board with having one of these to wish for.  I think it is a D as a main deck card, and a C as a card to grab when you Learn.

Fracture -

How good this is will really be dependent on how manya artifacts and Enchantments this set ultimately has.  I’m going to hold off on rating it for now.

Galazeth Prismari - B+

Prismari is all about casting big spells, and Galazeth definitely makes that clear! A 4-mana ¾ with Flying that gives you a Treasure is already a really nice card, it has good stats and helps you fix and ramp.  Adding the additional upside that all of your Artifacts -- including other treasures -- can now tamp for mana of any color to cast spells, and you’re looking at something pretty nice! I do think he falls short of “bomb” status, he just won’t take over the game the way a bomb does, but he’s close.  I’m giving him a B+.

Golden Ratio - C+

So, you’ll want this to at least be Divination, and that seems reasonably doable.  However, one thing that kind of stinks there, is that you can cast Divination on an empty board and still draw 2.  That’s not going to happen here.  Still, it also has way more upside than Divination, and will draw you 3+ cards sometimes.  It will be really painful to have this in a hand where it is your only three drop or something like that, but I think in the late game it will be powerful enough to make up for that.  I’m giving it a C+.

Growth Spiral - C+

This is a card that had to be banned out of Standard! But how good was it in Limited last time we saw it?  Well, it was fine.  If you played it early it was pretty good, since it could often help you ramp a bit, but the problem with these “Play more lands” type cards in Limited is that there comes a certain point where you just don’t have more lands to play, and even with a cantrip attached to it, it won’t always be that great.  Now, like all the cantrips in this set, it does get a bit of an upgrade because of Magecraft, and its worst case scenario is that it replaces itself. I don’t really imagine cutting the first couple of these from UG decks.  I’m giving it a C+.

Hafri Ghostforge - A

Well, this is great.  While it may not have any fancy keyword abilities or a super efficient body on its own, it makes up for that with the fact that it will immediately make your board a lot scarier.  This can happen as a result of having in Spirits in play already, but even if you don’t, this suddenly makes trading with your creatures or even blocking small ones in combat kind of a nightmare, since they’ll just come back in buffed up spirit form.  The same is true if you’re the one on defense. It will utterly warp games around it, and help you whether you are ahead or behind, and those are the hallmarks of a bomb.  I’m giving it an A.

Inkling Summoning -  C- // B-

This Lesson is nice because it isn’t a complete disaster if you don’t get any cards with Learn and play it in your main deck.  A three mana 2/1 with Flying is just fine, and this also triggers all the mage craft stuff of course.  I’d say this is a C- in your main deck, and a B- as something to find when you Learn.

Kasmina, Enigma Sage - B

So, obviously enough Kasmina’s static ability won’t come up in Limited basically ever.  There are very few planeswalkers in this set, and they are all Mythic Rare.  But, even without that part coming up, I like Kasmina a fair bit.  She can make creature tokens to protect her, and that’s always a really big plus.  She does have to lower her loyalty to do it, but it isn’t hard to imagine playing her and using her +2 to Scry, and then making a 2/2 or 3/3 to protect her on the next turn, and then continuing to alternate.  She’ll give you a ton of value if you only untap with her in play once.  I mean, even if Kasmina’s death is imminent on your opponent’s next turn, you can just make a 4/4 with her -- in which you case you paid 3 mana for a 4/4 and Scry 2, and I’d do that all day!  Then, obviously, if she is allowed to stick around longer than that, she’ll get wacky. It is kind of funny because her static ability and ultimate both won’t be very good in Limited, but here other two abilities are good enough that I’m going ot value her highly.  I’m giving her a B.

Kianne, Dean of Substance // Imbraham, Dean of Theory - B+

Another dean MDFC where both sides are really good.  Even if all Kianne was was a 3-mana 2/2 with that first ability -- the one that draws you a card if your top card is a land -- that would be like a B-.  Her other ability actually gives you some nice value for not hitting lands, since it means she can churn out bigger Fractal tokens in the later part of the game.  Meanwhile, Imbraham is a 4-mana 3/3 Flyer, an always nice card in Limited, and then he also has an activated ability that can draw you card in the late game.  This is another B+ Dean. Both sides are really good.

Lightning Helix - B

This is always a great removal spell that is super efficient! Killing something and gaining 3 at the same time can be enough to turn a game around, and you can do it for only tow mana! You can also use it to finish off an opponent, which is nice upside.  Basically, this is premium removal that you’ll take highly, even if it is multi-colored.  I’m giving it a B.

Lorehold Apprtentice - B-

This is a pretty weird Magecraft trigger, but it actually seems like it will work pretty well in RW, which has the ability to make Spirit tokens, in addition to just having creatures who have the Spirit type, and if you can suddenly tap all of your spirits to do 1 to your opponent, things could really get out of hand for your opponent in a hurry! Just trigger this twice with like 3 spirits in play is a ton of damage.  I think this is good enough to take with a first pick sometimes.  I’m giving it a B-.

Lorehold Command - B+

I think this is the best of this set’s Command cycle.  This is partly because unlike the other card we’ll see in it, it has four options that will frequently be useful.  I mean, 5-mana for the Lightning Helix effect itself isn’t terrible -- it would be like a C. Then, you add all these other options and you really have something sweet.  I mean, you can really look at this as a 5-mana 3/2 creature with Flash and an ETB ability that Lightning Helixes something.  Once you look it at it that way, it becomes clear that this is very powerful! And it even has two other options that are nice!  Giving up a permanent to draw some cards is sometimes nice in the late game, and obviously the board pump + indestructibility effect will be backbreaking for your opponent too.  I am sort of tempted to give this a straight up bomb grade, but I do think it falls a little short.  I’m giving it a B+.

Lorehold Excavation - C+

This one was my preview card, and I was pretty excited to have it! It seems like a pretty key card for RW decks, as it helps you load your graveyard and then can also use the graveyard as a resource by churning out Spirit tokens.  While it is a little awkward that it doesn’t impact the board immediately most of the time, it does only cost two, and at least it starts doing damage and gaining you life right away.  That part of the card shouldn’t be overlooked, by the way, this will sort of feel like Ill-Gotten Inheritance with more upside.  If you’re in RW, and you are if you’re playing this, this seems like the kind of glue that will keep that deck together.  I’m not sure it quite does enough to pull you into the color pair itself, but if you’re there already, value it highly.  I’m giving it a C+.

Lorehold Pledgemage - B-

I like this a lot.  Players will have a very difficult time ever wanting to block this, since any instant or sorcery suddenly makes things a lot harder thank to First Strike, and that’s especially true if you have a trick! This will just get through a lot for aggressive decks, and that’s kind of what you want your creatures to be doing.  It also has hybrid mana, making it fit in multiple decks pretty easily.  I’m giving it a B-, you can first pick it sometimes.

Maelstrom Muse - B-

It is pretty nice that this can decrease the cost of your spells by 2 mana, even on its own - - and that’s in addition to actually have nice stats for the cost.  You won’t always be able to take advantage of that mana reduction, but UR is all about big spells, so it will probably come up more than you might think at first.  I’m giving this a B-.

Make Your Mark - D

So, the boost you get here isn’t going to be enough to make your creature win combat most of the time, but the idea is that you just trade your creature and get a 3/2 out of the deal.  That’s...not super great.  Your creature basically has to already be capable of winning combat for this to be worth it, if it isn’t, you’re just getting the 3/2 and your opponent holds on to whatever creature, and that’s not normally going to be a great deal, even for one mana.  I think this is a D.

Magma Opus - B+

This has a really nice design.  It is obviously hugely powerful if you play it late, but at 8 mana a card like this can be a liability in some games, just stuck in your hand forever.  Well, if that’s how things are going, you can always cash it in for some Treasure, and oftentimes if you get it early, that will just be the right thing to do.  Making sure to have a way to get it back later will really make that sweet, but either way this card has the flexibility to provide mana and fixing early, and then in the late game it has an effect that will win a significant number of games.  I have to say that, for eight mana, it isn’t actually quite as powerful as you might expect, but it probably ahd to be balanced a little bit since it wasn’t useles sin the early game like most hugely powerful expensive spells.  I kind of want to give this a bomb grade, but I think it does fall al ittle short, even with a UR deck being really into expensive spells.

Manifestation Sage - C+

So, this guy is pretty underwhelming compared to the rest of this cycle.  As long as you are getting a 2/2 out of it, you are doing alright, but it isn’t like that’s amazing or anything.  And sure, there will be times where what he makes is larger, and then you’ll feel pretty good -- but there will also be times where you draw this in top deck mode and get no token at all!  I don’t think he’s terrible, but I think it will be harder to make a big token with him than you might think.  I’m giving him a C+.

Needlespine Drake - C

This can attack in the air early, and then stay back to trade with anything late.  Like most cheap deathtouch creatures, this is pretty solid. I’m giving it a C.

Ogre Battleseer - D+

I don’t love this.  It has mediocre stats, even with Haste, and while tapping to Scry is good, I don’t think it does enough to overcome this card’s inefficiency.  I just don’t imagine your deck will have room for this most of the time.  I’m giving it a D+.

Owlin Shieldmage - C

Making the opponent pay 3 life to target this means that you’re likely to get some value out of this one way or another, and that seems fine to me.  I’m giving this a C.

Pest Summoning - C- / C+

So, this is a lesson that I think you don’t feel terrible about playing in your main deck, especially because pays you off for gaining life in this set.  It is like a C- if you put it in your main deck.  Now, if you have cards with “Learn” it will probably be better, as it gives you a card that doe something useful on just about every board state, while some of the other lessons are more situational.  Basically, I think this is a C- if you play it in your main deck, and a C+ as a card to get when you Learn.

Plargg, Dean of Chaos // Augusta, Dean of Order - B+

Both sides of this look pretty great to me.  The Plargg side can rummage, which is a pretty nice effect to have in Limited, it really helps you improve your card quality.  Just a two-mana 2/2 with that effect would be a solid playable -- but Plargg has another ability that is pretty nice too, and a great late-game mana sink! Sure, you end up paying 5 mana for a card that’s cheaper than that, but that’s perfectly fine.  Once you’re in top deck mode you’ll be happy to have that ability around.  I think Plargg would be a B if that’s all this card was.  Then, Augusta has a nice pump effect that really makes sure that all the creatures on your board are getting some kind of bonus -- PLUS, he grants them all the ability to tap or untap, basically letting you choose which stats boost you’d like to have on the creature, while also giving your guys pseudo-vigilance.  I think Augusta would be a B on his own too.  Altogether, I think this card being flexible and having two powerful options is enough to push the collective card up to a B+.

Practical Research - B-

This is pretty close to being Rain of Revelation, and that was a pretty great draw spell.  Sometimes you won’t want to discard the instant or sorcery, especially if you ended up with a couple lands you don’t need, but you still end up seeing a lot of cards for a reasonable cost, and -- importantly, at instant speed.  I think you can take this with a first pick in some weaker packs.

Prismari Apprentice - B-

Becoming unblockable any time a spell is cast isn’t too shabby, and would make for a solid card already -- but the fact it gains +1/+1 counters when you cast big spells really makes this into a nice signpost uncommon for UR, and one I think you’ll first pick in some weaker packs.  I’m giving it a B-.

Prismari Command - B-

This seems pretty nice.  Most often, you’re probably going to do 2 damage to something and loot twice, and that’s a card I would always play.  The other two abilities are more narrow -- you won’t always want Treasure and your opponent won’t always have an Artifact, but that’s the beauty of modal spells! You have a solid choice when those narrow effects don’t line up well, but when they do, this will feel even better! I’m giving this a B-.

Prismari Pledgemage - C

We have seen a lot of creatures like this over the last few years.  A two mana 3/3 with Defender that can gain the ability to attack one way or another.  The initial body is actually pretty good at helping you block on the ground, and once you can get it to attack it will feel pretty good.  Now, you do have to find a way to trigger Magecraft most turns for this to really be at its best, and that won’t always be easy.  This seems decent to me.  I’m giving it a C.

Putrefy - B

This is a very good removal spell that can kill two types of permanents at Instant speed and efficiently.  Not much more to say there, other than that you should take this pretty highly! I’m giving it a B.

Quandrix Apprentice - B-

This kind of effect is always nice, especially in the early game when you really need to hit your land drops.  Either way, this will draw you a card most of the time when you play a spell, and even if it is always a land, that is a pretty big bonus to add to all of your spells.  I think you can first pick this in some weaker packs, I’m giving it a B-.

Quandrix Command - B-

I like this Command quite a bit.  Like most of these, it has two options you’ll choose more than the others in Limited, while the other two options are just some nice additional upside.  Here, I think you’ll choose the bounce option and the +1/+1 counter option most of the time. Those two things together can really make things go awry for you opponent -- all of the sudden you’ve bounced their best attacker or blocker, AND you’ve pumped one of your creatures so it can win combat -- that’s pretty nice!  Then, sometimes you’ll also get to counter and bounce, if your opponent plays the right permanent type for you to counter it.  The shuffle effect will probably go unused when you draft this, but I guess it could occasionally be useful. I think you can first pick this command.  I’m giving it a B-.

Quandrix Cultivator - B-

This is some pretty nice ramp, and it comes on a fairly reasonable body.  Casting this is going to feel pretty good on turn 4, and unlike some other ramp creatures, it brings decent stats when you play it in the late game.  I’m giving this a B-.

Quandrix Pledgemage - C+

We see this type of card a lot, though lately it has mostly been Red.   Either way, this kind of creature tends to grow rapidly in a deck with a decent number of spells.  It is certainly vulnerable at first, but if your opponent doesn’t take it down when they can, it can get quite impressive. +1/+1 counter synergies are nice too.  I’m giving this a C+.

Quinotrious, Field Historian - B-

This guy is a great payoff for the RW deck.  Now, one thing that’s kind of a bummer is that he doesn’t give you any value all on his own, but if you’re doing the stuff that RW wants you to do in this format, he is going to be a crazy good value engine.  I do think the fact that he doesn’t have self-contained power all on his own holds him back some, but I still imagine I’ll be taking him early and often.  I’m giving him a B-.

Radiant Scrollwielder - B

This requires some set up -- namely that you should have a good number of instants and sorceries, and especially ones that do damage because of the lifelink part!  But luckily having lots of those card types won’t be supe hard in this format, which has an inordinate number of them.  If you can get this to rebuy one spell it will feel really good, and once you get the second you have a bona fide engine on your hands!  While this is probably a bit of a build around, I think you’ll be able to do enough with it in most decks that it is just going to be really good for RW and you should take it highly.  I’m giving it a B.

Reconstruct History - C+

This has a cool design.  The thing we have to ask ourselves is, how many things do we need to get back with this for it to be worth playing?  I think if you are getting two things back you’re doing alright, and if you are doing 3 or more you are doing quite well.  RW does a reasonable job of loading the graveyard in this format, and I think being able to do 3 cards will be very doable, and 3+ is obtainable.   Your deck will need to have a mix of card types to maximize this, but the good news is that I think your deck will end up with a reasonable mix pretty naturally.  In RW, I think this is probably the kind of card you basically always want one of in RW decks, it will give you some nice late game.  Having more than one is a bit of a risk, though, because you really don’t want it early.  Still, I think the first copy looks pretty good.  I’m giving it a C+.

Relic Sloth - C

This isn’t THAT far from being Serra Angel, right? I mean Menace is basically flying.  Okay, I’m exaggerating a little bit here, but kind of to make a point.  This is a pretty good vanilla creature, and while it costs 5, I imagine it makes the cut a lot of the time.  Seems like a C to me!

Returned Pastcaller - B

This seems really good to me.  RW in this set is about the graveyard, strange as that may seem, so this will generally have no problem returning something.  It does only have two toughness so it dies to a lot, but because you returned something that still means you’re getting a 2-for-1, and if your opponent can’t deal with it, this hits pretty darn hard in the air.  I’m giving this a B.

Rip Apart - B

This is premium removal.  Two mana for three damage would already be there, but adding the nice modal effect to deal with problem permanents makes it even better.  This gives you a not mediocre way to run hate for those permanents in your deck, and that’s awesome.  I’m giving this a B.

Rise of Extus - C+

This is expensive and clunky, but it also isn’t too far from being a card that has “draw a card,” added to it.  Now granted, most of the cards you can get with the Learn part aren’t exactly going to be worldbeaters, but they are still cards, and adding that effect to a removal spell seems pretty nice.  Exiling an instant or sorcery doesn’t hurt either.   Because “Learn” is new thing, it is a little difficult figuring out how to rate some of these, but I do think this falls short of being premium removal just because it is so expensive and Sorcery speed, but I think it seems pretty nice overall.  I’m giving it a C+. If I’m wrong here, my guess is that it is closer to “Draw a card” than I expected, and it is probably a B-.

Rootha, Mercurial Artist - C

I don’t love this.  It is nice that it helps you copy spells repeatedly, but it is pretty clunky at doing it. You pay a total of 5 mana every time to copy a spell -- and sure, you pay it in installments, so just having 2 mana around to copy a spell is all you need to do on that turn, but you can’t really overlook the mana investment this constantly requires.  It does have kind of okay stats for blocking until it gets something to copy, but right now I don’t think this is anything more than solid.  I’m giving it a C.

Rowan, Scholar of Sparks // Will, Scholar of Frost - A-

This is a cool double-faced planeswalker!  Both have a nice static ability and loyalty abilities, but  I definitely think that the Will, Scholar of Forst side will be better in Limited.  His +1 helps protect him from your opponent’s best creature, you can his -3 right away to draw cards, and his ultimate can turn your lands into 4/4 creatures, which can be pretty great.  Rowan is a lot cheaper, but also far more fragile.  Her +1 loyalty ability will just do 1 damage to an opponent most of the time,  and she has no way to protect herself or draw you cards, really.  He ultimate kind of helps you draw cards I guess, in the sense you copy a spell, but I just don’t see her coming down on turn three and getting to do her thing real often.  Will is definitely more powerful, and I think with that side alone, he’d probably be an A-, and I think that’s the grade I’m going to go with here for the whole card.

Silverquill Silencer - C

Most of the time it is going to be hard to name something with this that your opponent has, at least int he early going of the format.  Over time, it does become easier to take advantage of a card like this, as once people start figuring out the format, there’s a consensus over what cards one should and shouldn’t paly, which makes it easier to name a common or something your opponent very likely has.  This is already a thing in the early going, but it is a little harder to make work.  Now, if it turns out getting info about your opponents’ hand is easier than I’m guessing, then this will be a lot better, but as it is, it will probably just be a two mana 3/2 like 90% of the time, and only do that other thing 10% of the time.  When it does that other thing, it will feel pretty good, though.  Still, I’m starting this at a C.

Spectacle Mage - C+

This is a Wind Drake with some nice upside for UR, which as we’ve seen is a color pair that likes big spells.  This seems like a key common for that deck.  I’m giving it a C+.

Spiteful Band - C+

4-mana 2/2s with Deathtouch normally arent the most exicting thing int he world.  They can trade fo ranything, but doing that at 4 mana isn’t exactly exciting.  I like that they compensated for that here by letting the Band put it +1/+1 counters on other stuff when it dies.  This also means that it is a good place to put counters, since it will do something with them when it dies, unlike most creatures.  I think this seems like a solid enough card.  I’m giving it a C+.

Shadrix Silverquill - B+

This is a good card, albeit a kind of weird one.  A 5-mana ⅖ with Flying and Double Strike is already a B -- those are just great stats on an evasive creature!  Then, he gives you a powerful effect every combat...though he also gives your opponent a pretty powerful one too.  Now, you are the one who gets to decide which one they get and which one you get, and you can always pick the option that most benefits you and the one that least benefits them, but no matter what you’re giving them, they’re going to be getting something reasonably nice.  Most of the time, I would imagine if you’re wide enough you’ll give yourself the counters and let them draw a card, for example.  Giving them the Flyer seems particularly bad since it gives them a free way to block Shadrix -- but sometimes giving them counters will be fine too, because sometimes those aren’t a big help.  Now, I do think the fact that your opponent will be getting some serious value out of Shadrix keeps it from being a straight up bomb, even if what you get is basically always going to be better.  But its close.  I’m giving Shadrix a B+.

Shaile, Dean of Radiance // Embrose, Dean of Shadow - B+

Like all the Deans, both sides are pretty good.  Shaile’s ability to put counters on new creatures is really good, especially because with Flying and Vigilance, Shaile can get an attack in before using the ability.  Meanwhile, Emrbose is a little bit weirder of a card, but he has a lot to offer!  He can make your creatures bigger with his first ability, though you’ll normally want to make sure it can survive the two damage -- so in other words, has at least two toughness before the counter.  He’ll also be able to pick off opposing X/1s with that ability, which is nice additional flexibility.  Then, the +1/+1 counter payoff he has is nice, as drawing a card any time one of your creatures with a counter dies is nice -- and it might even give you a reason to use his ability on one of your X/1s, since it will basically amount to sacrificing and drawing a card.  But yeah, this is another cas where I think both sides are in the high B range on their own, and together they are a B+.

Silverquill Apprentice - C

So this seems pretty underwhelming to me.  Sure, getting a bonus when you play spells is great but...like, +1/+0 just seems like such a spell bonus.  It will matter to be sure, but it just isn’t enough for me to really get excited about.  I think this is just a C.

Silverquill Command - B-

This seems like another pretty good Command.  Using the Edict effect to get rid of an opposing creature, and reanimating your own creature is pretty nice.  Sometimes the +3/+3 and Flying effect will help you win the game out of nowhere, and the fact it can also draw you a card is pretty nice too! I think Edict + Draw will be the most common thing you do with this, and that means This will give you a 2-for-1 often enough that I think I’m in on it, especially with the additional upside the other options give you.  I’m giving this a B-.

Spirit Summoning - D // C

RW has some spirit synergies, but you still wouldn’t really want to play this in your main deck, it is just too inefficient and in most cases a 3-mana 3/2 token is going to have more downsides than a 3-mana 3/2 that’s an actual card.  But, it will be nice to grab if you have some Learn in your deck.  Basically, it is a D in your main deck, and a C if you have some Learn going on.

Square Up - D

This kind of card never really comes through.  You can sort of treat it like a trick, but it is just too situational to even be reliable in that capacity.  I’m giving it a D.

Stonebound Mentor - C

This starts with solid stats, and then it has an ability that will fit nicely in RW decks.  As we’ve seen, RW has ways to exile cards from the graveyard for value as well as ways to return cards from the graveyard to your hand or the battlefield.  Those will all trigger the Scry here, which will be some nice incidental value.  This is solid.  I’m giving it a C.

Tamazir Quandrix - A-

A 5-mana 4/4 with Flample is already a good deal -- and then Quandrix has two pretty nice abilities!  His ETB ability doubles counters, and sometimes that will just be incredible -- other times you’ll get like one counter, but because the baseline here is so reasonable, that’s perfectly fine!  Then, when Quandrix attacks he will generally upgrade your whole board.  This pays you off a bit for putting counters on Quandrix himself, since the bigger he is, the more formidable that is.  This Elder Dragon is a bomb.  I’m giving it an A-.

Teach by Example - D

I know this format is all about spells and stuff, but I have a hard time thinking a card like this will be worthwhile. You have to have it line up the right way for it to do something.  And sure, using it on a draw spell or something will feel pretty sweet, as will copying some of the huge wacky spells in UR, but it still seems like the set up is too much.  This kind of spell isn’t good in most Limited formats, and I don’ think it will be here either.  I’m giving it a D.

Thrilling Discovery - D

I really want this to be good, because I am probably the most excited about Lorehold in this set -- but I just don’t think it will be.  Frequently you won’t be interested in using this card because of the card quality, and then by the later part of the game when you might be willing to pitch two cards for three new ones, you just won’t always have the cards in hand to do it.  I get that it helps you load the graveyard for various Lorehold synergies, but there just seem to be way better ways to do that.  I think this is a D.

Torrent Sculptor // Flamethrower Sonata - B-

Neither side of this is really overwhelmingly powerful, but they both have their uses.  Sometimes you’ll be able to make the Sculptor into a pretty scary creature, especially because Ward will make it harder to kill -- but I think counting on more than a couple of +1/+1 counters will be a mistake most of the time.  Meanwhile, the Sonata side rummages and can turn most cards you discard into a removal spell, and that’s something I can get behind -- though of course, sometimes you won’t be able to do anything meaningful with it, and that will be rough.  I think both sides of this are basically a C+, and I think the flexibility offered by being a MDFC does enough for this to be in the lower range of first pickable.  I’m giving it a B-.

Uvilda, Dean of Perfection // Nassari, Dean of Expression - B+

This Dean cycle is a pretty cool way to use MDFCs, and both sides of this are pretty appealing, though I think it is pretty clear that Nassari is the stronger one.  Uvilda’s ability to let you pay less for your spells will probably be better than it looks -- just like Suspend often does -- but I still feel like it is a pretty darn slow effect -- but it will reduce the cost of a spell and make it easier to double spell in a few turns.  Nassari, though, definitely the more powerful Dean here.  He gives you access to the top card of your opponent’s library, provided it is a spell, and he lets you cast it with mana of any color! AND he gets bigger when you cast those spells!  If this was just Nassari, I would probably go with a B+ here.  Uvilda being a thing does mean that you have some additional flexibility, but if it was just Uvilda, I’d have a hard time going over a C+.  So, in short, this is a really strong card, one I would take with a first pick most of the time.  I’m giving it a B+.

Valentin / Dean of the Vein // Lisette, Dean of the Root - B+

This is another really great pair  of Deans.  Both sides give you nice baseline creatures with powerful text boxes.  Valentin can come down on turn one and really start the race out in your favor thanks to Menace and lifelink, and then the ability to pay mana to get a 1/1 every time an opposing creature dies is nice upside!  Meanwhile, Lisette requires a little more building around, but she certainly has the more powerful effect -- as granting your whole board +1/+1 counters and trample is going to be impactful on just about any board state -- especially because it includes her!  Each side of this on its own would be a B, and the added flexibility you get because you get to choose the best side for the game state is enough for me to give this a B+.

Vanishing Verse - B

This set has a lot of multicolored stuff, but it still has a bunch of mono-colored too.  This can deal with all of that stuff quite efficiently, and that’s enough for it to be an easy first pick and certainly premium removal.  I’m giving it a B.

Velomachus Lorehold - A

This costs 7, but it does enough at that mana cost to be a bomb anyway.  The keywords are nice, and will enable it to attack the turn it comes down, meaning you’ll probably get the free spell out of it even if your opponent untapped and kills him, and by then the value Velomachus will have given you will be plenty!  And, if they don’t kill him, well -- they just lose.  This is an A.

Venerable Warsinger - B+

This is a cool card.  So, three mana for a 3/3 with Vigilance and Trample is already something you’d always play! Then you factor in the ability to reanimate creatures DIRECTLY TO THE BOARD and you end up with something incredibly strong.  It doesn’t have incredible size, and you won’t always be able to reanimate stuff with it, but I think you’ll be able to often enough that this is something you’ll first pick virtually every time you see it.  I’m giving it a B+.

Willowdusk, Essence Seer - B // A

This starts with solid stats and then comes with quite the powerful ability.  Even just being able to put one counter on something is pretty nice for only one mana, though it being limited to sorcery speed does make it hard to really trigger the loss life side of the card, it does seem like BG has enough life gain to go around that Willowdusk will frequently turn into a pretty serious value engine.  This is a build around for sure, but I think that most BG decks will be able to take advantage of this enough for it to be a B, and if you really got there on lifegain, it is an easy A.

Witherbloom Apprentice - B-

A two mana 2/2 that drains the opponent every time you play or copy an instant or sorcery is a solid deal, especially because BG seems ot be all about life gain here.  I’m giving this a B-.  you can take it with an early pick.

Witherbloom Command - C+

Like the other commands, this can do a bunch of things -- but I think this one may be the worst of the cycle.  It isn’t a bad card, mind you, just not really something I plan on taking super highly.  Three of the options here aren’t something I think will be good very often -- draining the opponent for 2, destroying a non-creature non-land permanents with a CMC of 2 or less, and the mill + return land effect don’t seem that great.  However, tacking any of those on to the -3/-1 effect, which has a reasonably shot at killing something, isn’t too bad.  I mean, if you choose the mill option it is kind of like two mana for -3/-1 and draw a card, and that’s not bad -- but it isn’t that good either.  Blowing up some 2 CMC or less permanent and killing a creature will feel good, but it just won’t line up that way often enough.  You’ll always play this if you’re BG, but I don’t really think you should take it remotely highly.  It is basically just a decent removal spell with some minor upside.  I think that makes it a C+.

Zimone, Qunadrix Prodigy -  B-

So, Zimone’s first ability is the kind that is often overrated in Limited.  Sure, if you have the extra land she will ramp you early, and that’s nice.  Thing is, you tend to run out of extra lands to play in a hurry in Limited, so she is going to do this once, and only if you get her early, really.  Her draw effect is what is more intriguing to me, just being able to pay 4 for a single card is a great mana sink, and in the late game when she starts drawing you two, she’s likely to just win you the game.  She is small and easy to kill, but at two mana that isn’t going to hurt too much.  I’m giving her a B-.

Colorless -

Campus Guide - C-

This has passable stats and it can fix for you, though keep in mind just putting a land on top is substantially worse than putting one in your hand.  Still, if you’re trying to do some splashing this will help you do it.  If you’re not splashing at all, though, it probably isn’t worth playing.  I’m giving it a C-.  That could go up if this is a format that is really into playing several colors, like Kaldheim, but I’m skeptical we’ll see that again so soon.

Codie, Vociferous Codex - C

Well, this is a weird one.  Not being able to cast permanent spells is a pretty big cost, and I’m not really sure Codie’s ability does enough to help that not completely sink you.  Codie’s ability doesn’t help you get permanents, and sure there are lots of spells in this format, including those that make permanents, but chances are good your deck will have more permanent than non-permanent spells.  Codie does give you some pretty weird fixing for all your non-permanent spells, in addition to the free card every turn, but if you are drawing permanent spells that are dead cards, it is all kind of a wash.  I don’t think this is completely unplayable, because I think playing this late in a game where you are at parity or ahead, it might help you get there, but this seems god awful from behind, and hard to make work in most decks.  I’m going to give it a C.

Cogwork Archivist - D

I mostly don’t think you’ll play this.  It has mediocre stats and an unexciting ability.  The ability might be a little more useful in the RW deck, which likes it when things leave the graveyard, but mostly using this ability is super underwhelming.  Now, if games in this format go long and you are out of cards and you can legit use this to draw the best card in your graveyard every turn, then it will be better than that -- but it is hard to count on this format being that way.  This is a D.

Environmental Sciences - D+ // C+

Like the other Colorless Lessons, this has a minor effect that won’t always be worth the mana, but because you can grab it when you “Learn,” it doesn’t really matter.  This is actually kind of good at fixing too, especially because it is colorless.  I imagine that sometimes if you really need fixing and you don’t have any “Learn” cards, you  might even mainboard this.  However, if you do have some Learn going on, you would prefer to have it in your sideboard, since if you have 2 cards with Learn it will help your mana MORE, because you will have two cards that can grab it instead of just the one copy.  Overall, I think this is another one that is probably a D+ as far as a main deck card goes, but a C+ in your lessonboard.

Expanded Anatomy - D // C

All of these common colorless Lessons are basically cards you want in your sideboard and not your mainboard.  They’re all kind of bad cards, but they are also basically free if you play a card with Learn. I think if we look at these sort of like we look at a reasonable creature with an inefficient but useful mana sink ability, we’re in the right ballpark.  The cards with “Learn” all already do a thing, and then they also get you one of these mediocre cards, but again -- it is a free card so I’m down with it.  This is a D in your main deck and a C in your side.

Introduction to Annihilation - D // C

Like most lessons, you really don’t want to play this in your main deck.  Exiling any nonland permanent is nice, but being 5 mana and Sorcery and STILL giving your opponent a card back is pretty rough.  Meanwhile, if you keep this in your sideboard, it gets a lot better, because if you play a card with Learn to get it, you are netting a card, and in the end just breaking even with your opponent once you cast this, and the fact it can deal with anything is definitely a big deal!  This is a D in your main deck, a C in your learnboard.

Introduction to Prophecy Mainboard - D, Sideboard - C+

So, this is a “Lesson” card that you will basically always want to leave in your sideboard.  Running it in your deck as a real card isn’t very appealing -- it is clunky and doesn’t do enough for 3 mana -- BUT, when you play a card with Learn, drawing this card will feel pretty nice, since it is additional value.  Then, in the later part of the game, you can cast it and get some nice card selection. Think of it sort of like you would a creature who has an expensive activated ability, but it is an ability that gives you something to do with your mana late.  Basically, I would say this is a D if you have to play it in your deck, and a C in your Lessonboard.

Letter of Acceptance - C-

This gives you reasonable fixing, and once you don’t need that you can cash it in for a card.  We see cards like this a lot, and the decks that need fixing will run them, but it is unlikely anyone else will. I’m givint his a C-.

Mascot Exhibition - B+

Alright so, two of the five main archetypes in this set are ramp decks, and that goes a long way towards making this card better than it looks. You pay a lot of mana here, but you do add significantly to the board too, with a grand totally of 9/7 worth of stats across three bodies.  This gets a further upgrade because its a lesson, and that’s probably where you want it to be for the most part.  You don’t really want to draw this early, even in a ramp deck, and if you have ways to “Learn” to grab it from your sideboard, you don’t have to worry about that happening, so it really mitigates significantly against that downside.  Now, I still don’t think it is a bomb or anything -- but it is pretty darn good.  I’m giving it a B+.

Reflective Golem - D+

This will be nice with fight spells and tricks.  Copying those kinds of things will feel great.  It has mediocre stats and needs the right deck composition, though, so I think its probably a D+.

Strixhaven Stadium - D-

Alternate win condition cards do not have a good track record in Limited.  You just won’t be able to end up in a deck that really effectively utilizes this card.  Plus, it is sort of win more anyway, if you can get the 10 point counters, chances are your opponent is dead anyway.  It is also a mana rock, and that’s a thing I guess? But I don’t think I can go above a D- here.

Team Pennant - C

So, equipping this on a non-token isn’t an awesome rate, but it isn’t entirely terrible either.  Vigilance + Trample is not a bad pair of keywords to gain in addition to the stats boost, and will often  alter your plans and your opponents’.  Putting it on tokens is obviously ideal since then it is a REALLY good deal.  I think this is a C.

Wandering Archaic - B

You probably mostly want to play the creature side of this.  This set has a lot of instants and sorceries, so you’ll find yourself in a situation where you want to copy one your opponent casts a reasonable chunk of the time.  In fact, this being in play sometimes will just make your opponent not cast their spells, which is fine with me!  Explore the Vastlands is a symmetrical effect, so it is sort of like you and your opponent break even on the cards and life, but your opponent will get to untap and have more mana available to use it.  It is nice you can do the Explore the Vastlands thing in situations where you really just need to find a specific card, or really need the 3 life, so it is certainly upside, but this is mostly about WAndering Archaic.  I’m giving it a B.

Lands:

Access Tunnel - C-

This has some decent, if unexciting late game utility.  It isn’t great for your mana, so you probably can’t run it if your mana is already looking a little sketchy.

Archway Commons - C-

This does give you fixing, but at a pretty real cost.  It enters tapped and requires another land to tap for it to come into play, effectively making it cost one mana.  That’s some serious slowness, but you’ll run it if you need the fixing.  I’m giving this a C-.

Campus Lands - C+

These are all good fixing, and then all have a nice late-game mana sink to help improve your draws when you’re flooding out.  You can take these over most medium cards, especially if you are interested in splashing or they are on color for you.  I’m giving them a collective C+.

Dual Lands - C+

These are good fixing, and they’ll help you splash.  Don’t underestimate how nice it is, even in a two-color deck, to have one land that can produce either color, it is really great for your mana base.  You should never be first picking these, but I think you should value them over most medium cards in packs if you’re in one or both of the colors it produces.  That means I’m giving them a collective C+.

Hall of Oracles - B

This is a nice land.  While filtering isn’t incredible, the fact that it fixes your mana for you and can start putting counters on your creatures is pretty great.  Having a land that turns into serious value really makes you feel like you’re up a card over your opponent.  I think you can first pick this land.  I’m giving it a B.