Streets of New Capenna Set Review Notes (Last Update @ 9:15 am ET on 4/14/2022) (Patreon)

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New Capenna Set Review

New Capenna Set Review

White:

1-  Angelic Observer - C+

Most of the tokens in this format are Citizens, especially within White and more broadly within the Cabaretti colors, and there are also a decent number of non-token citizens around.  Getting this to 5 mana seems eminently doable, and while that’s not great, it is certainly passable, and sometimes you’ll cast it for a lot less.  4 mana is probably going to be a pretty common occurrence.  I think that makes this a C+.

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3 - Ballroom Brawler - B-

This seems pretty good. A 5 mana ⅗ isn't great, but it gets lifelink or first strike when it attacks and gives the keyword to another creature, and that's definitely the kind of creature that drastically upgrades your board, at least on offense. I think this is a B-.

4 - Boon of Safety - C-

This seems pretty reasonable. A shield counter will allow your creature to survive a whole lot of stuff, whether its a removal spell or damage in combat.  In combat, your creature will still get to damage the thing that it is blocking or being blocked by, and if its big enough it can just kill it.  It feels like there are enough situations where you can generate some sweet tempo with this that I can definitely see running a copy of it in aggressive White decks.  It is also something that it isn’t that hard to cut – but I think its a C- overall.

5 -  Buy Your Silence - C+

This can deal with any nonland permanent, but its also a pretty clunky sorcery that gives your opponent back a treasure. It definitely falls short of being Premium removal, but I do think the first copy is going to be something you want in most White decks, since it is sort of a catch-all removal spell.  Running more than one probably isn’t great, though.  I’m giving it a C+.

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7 - Celebrity Fencer - C+

This has the potential to get really massive, but I don’t love that it starts out as a 3/2.  You’re going to get really blown out sometimes when you play this and your opponent destroys it for one or two mana.  But in a lot of White decks in this format, especially the Cabaretti, like putting a ton of creature tokens into play, and that will allow the Fencer to do some serious work.  I think she’s a C+.

8 - Citizen’s Crowbar - B-

I always like Equipment that makes a creature for it to equip to automatically.  Basically, this is a two mana 2/2 that leaves behind a reasonable piece of Equipment – or you can give up the Equipment to Disenchant something while you keep the creature token.  Both of those outcomes are quite good for the investment.  I’m giving this a B-.

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10 - Depopulate - B+

A 4 mana Wrath is pretty sweet.  This one does come with a pretty significant downside though – most of the time your opponent will get to draw a card.  You will probablyd raw a card too, but they get to untap with an extra card and rebuild the board before you do.  There will still be plenty of situations where this can really turn things around for you, but I think it falls short of being a bomb since letting your opponent get that card will hurt pretty bad in some situations.  I’m giving it a B+.

11 - Elspeth Resplendent - A+

Unsurprisingly, this card looks really good.  If you already have something in play, Elspeth offers a huge upgrade with her +1, which will get you a +1/+1 counter and a keyword ability counter.  That upgrade is massive!  Giving something vigilance means you can attack and still protect Elspeth which is pretty sweet, and all the other keywords have their place too.  And you probably will often just start there.  However, even on an empty board or one where she isn’t well-protected, she can use her -3 to find something to put on the table with a shield counter.  That counter will really allow that creature to do a good job of protecting her so she can live another day.  You do need to make sure you have a decent number of 3 or less creatures around to really take full advantage of her -3, but most decks will be able to.  Not she can grab any permanent with a mana value of 3 or less, but the shield counter won’t do much on other permanents and other permanents are less likely to protect her.  But uh, yeah.  She’s going to be tough to beat when she comes down, whichever of her initial abilities she uses.  And, on top of that, she can get to the point where she makes an Angel army pretty quickly! Elspeth looks like an A+.

12 - Extraction Specialist  - B-

This is a 3-mana 3/2 Lifelinker with upside, and that’s the kind of thing you pretty much always play.  On turn three you won’t always have something to get back, but you can trade aggressively on turn two and maybe get some value when you cast the Rescuer.  Obviously, the creature can’t attack or block and that’s a bummer, but once the Rescuer goes down – and it probably will – that creature becomes whole again.  It is also nice that if it has any abilities, those still matter when the Rescuer brings it back – even while its in play.  Because this will just be a 3-mana 3/2 lifelinker a good chunk of the time, the Rescuer is probably just a B-.

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15 - Halo Fountain - B+

You shouldn’t really expect to get the third part of this going, especially because you not only need to have 15 creatures – they also all have to be tapped down – and if they are all tapped, it probably means your opponent is dead anyway.  That said, the first two abilities are very doable, and offer some real value.  It is a bit of a bummer that the Fountain is a dud on an empty board, but as long as you have one creature around, you will start making a token on many turns.  You can even attack into a trade, and once the block goes down, untap the creature.  Your creature still dies of course, but you get a 1/1 that can make another 1/1 on the next turn.  This all pairs quite well with the Creaturefall mechanic too.  Drawing cards is even sweeter!  I think this is either a bomb or very close to it, though I do think having to have creatures be tapped for it to do its thing is going to be a bit more challenging than it looks.  You just can’t always tap your creatures!  I’m going to start it at a B+.

16 - Hold for Ransom - C+

This is a Pacifism that your opponent can pay 7 mana to get rid of.  We’ve seen removal auras in the past that let your opponent pay mana to get rid of the Aura, and most of them haven’t been great.  I think this one has enough going on, though, that it looks better than previous cards like that we’ve seen.  For one thing, 7 mana is a ton – so much that your opponent may just never get there.  For another, your opponent also lets you draw a card off of it, and they can only pay for it at Sorcery speed.  Your opponent may finally get rid of it, but they will spend their whole turn doing it most of the time, and then it replaces itself!  Now, like all Aura removal, this is at a bit of a disadvantage in this format because of the presence of the Casualty mechanic and other sacrifice stuff more broadly.  I think in a lot of formats this would be in the lower range of premium, but in this format? I think its just a C+.

17 - Illuminator Virtuoso -C+

A two mana 1/1 with Double Strike is already pretty decent, so adding Connive to the mix is pretty sweet.  Now, actually trigger the Connive on this card isn’t the easiest thing int he world, since your typical deck doesn’t really run that many ways to target its own stuff, but this is obviously a pretty nice payoff for playing some tricks.  I’m giving this a C+.

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20 - Knockout Blow - C+

3-mana to do 4 to an attacker while you gain 2 life is alrighty very playable, so the fact this will cost only a single mana sometimes is a nice upgrade.  It is still situational removal, and that’s going to hurt it some.  This looks like a C+ to me.

21 - Mage's Attendant - B

This is an amazing Uncommon. A 3 mana 3/2 that makes a 1/1 body is already very good, but adding the counter effect to the token is awesome. The multiple bodies will be good with Alliance too. This is likely one of White's best Uncommons. I am giving it a B.

22 - Mysterious Limousine - A-

This seems pretty darn good.  It is a vehicle-based version of the ETB exile effect we see a lot in White, and in some ways I think that actually makes it better!  This is because your opponent will likely have a harder time dealing with it, since it isn’t always a creature.  So, yeah – 5mana to exile something and get a 4/4 vehicle with Crew 2 seems like an excellent deal, and you can even switch up whatever you have exiled with it.  I think this is a bomb.  I’m giving it an A-.

23 - Patch Up - C-

If your deck has a significant number of creatures that cost 3 mana or less, this seems alright.  Especially if you can get multiple bodies back, since that will let you trigger your cards with Alliance.  It is a bit of a dud in the early game a lot of the time, and sometimes you just won’t be able to get it going – and it doesn’t feel like it is even close to a card you always play in White or anything, but it seems alright.  I’m giving it a C-.

24 - Rabble Rousing - B

This looks pretty good, as it can quickly help you go crazy wide, and it will get especially spicy alongside cards with Alliance.  The downside of a card like this is that it does stone nothing if you’re behind, since you need to be attacking to generate value, but Rabble Rousing can upgrade your board enough that you can attack effectively when you just couldn’t before you played it.  Getting the Hideaway card out of this isn’t going to be super easy, but it is certainly doable.  I think this is a B.

25 - Raffine’s Guidance - C-

Auras that can come back from the graveyard always tend to be kind of decent, since your opponent has a hard time ever truly getting rid of them.  However, this one offers a pretty small boost, so it pales in comparison to cards like Gryff’s Boon, which offered Evasion from the graveyard.  Still, with Connive being a thing, discarding this to get a +1/+1 counter and then having the opportunity to slap it on a creature late is pretty decent.  I’m giving this a C-.

26 - Raffine’s Informant - C+

This is a nice White common.  It is either a two mana 2/1 that lets you throw a land away for a fresh card, or a two mana 3/2 that makes you discard a real card, but the card you discard will often be able to give you some sort of value!  Both options are pretty appealing.  I’m giving this a C+.

27 - Refuse to Yield - C-

+2 power for two mana doesn’t make for a great trick, even with a huge toughness boost. We usually get +2/+2 for a single mana, so paying twice that for the toughness boost isn’t the best thing ever.  This is because it doesn’t help actually take down the opposing creature as much.  Your creature has to have higher power on average to win the combat.  Now, the upside is you can use Refuse to Yield to save a creature from damage-based removal, and I think as a whole that makes this a trick you’ll play sometimes, but it will get cut a decent chunk of the time too.  I’m giving it a C-.

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29 - Rumor Gatherer - B-

This is an ugly stats-line.  A 3-mana 2/1 – and one that costs double white – is just really bad.  Scrying any time a creature enters the battlefield is nice upside though, and if you can make enough tokens or double spell with creatures, it will end up netting you a card.  I think this will net you a card often enough that I want to start the format valuing this card pretty highly, bad stats and all.  I’m giving it a B-.

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Blue:

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34 All-Seeing Arbiter - A

This looks great.  At worst, you get a 2 for 1 thanks to the etb ability, and then, once you start attacking the value will really snowball. Both from getting extra cards and weakening opposing creatures. The turn it comes down it may even immediately enable am attack you didn't have before! This is a bomb. I am giving it an A.

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36 - Brokers Veteran - C

This has medium stats, but giving a shield counter to one of your creatures is some nice upside to have on a two drop.  The times when you don’t have a creature in play to put the counter on will be rough – and that can happen early, but this seems like a solid playable.  I’m giving it a C.

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38 - Cut Your Losses - F

6 mana for a mill effect like this is basically never good in Limited, except in very specific formats, and adding the Casualty upside doesn't make it that much better. Mill is just not a consistent strategy in most Limited decks, and paying six for something that has no real effect on the board is a good way to lose. This is an F.

39 - Disdainful Stroke - D // C+

This is mostly a sideboard card to bring in against an opponent with many expensive spells. Most of the time,   it doesn’t have enough targets.  If this format turns out to lean pretty hard on spells with a mana value of 4 or greater that could change, but for now I think I want to say this is probably a D if you play it in your main deck, and a C+ out of the sideboard.

40 - Echo Inspector - C+

This looks like a quality common.  A 4-mana ⅔ Flyer that looted on ETB would be pretty alright to begin with, but Connive is looting with some pretty legit upside.  You either get a 4-mana ¾ and discard a nonland, or its a ⅔ that gives you that loot. Either outcome is nice.  I think this is a C+.

41 - Errant, Street Artist - C

The main use for this in the format is to copy something you already copied with Casualty. That somes pretty real upside in the format, but still narrow enough that I don't think this is anything special most of the time. Paying the mana for the Casualty spell and then for the ability just won't always be doable. And this does very little when you can't use the ability. A one mana 0/3 is definitely a thing, but will be outclassed before long. This is a C.

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44 - Faerie Vandal - C+

This is a reprint, and a pretty nice one. You only need one counter on it to feel like you are getting there, and that's very doable. I am giving it a C+.

45 - Hypnotic Grifter - C

This seems like a nice manasink that can load your graveyard and potentially grow the Grifter.  It definitely won’t be doing a whole lot early, but in the late game this is the kind of effect that can really help you get there.  Still, it does take awhile to get going, so I think its probably just a C.

46 - Ledger Shredder - B

This looks quite good.  A two mana ⅓ Flyer is usually kind of passable, and this comes with the pretty big Connive upside.  Whether you just end up looting with this and discarding a land or discarding a nonland to give it a counter, you’re ending up with a pretty good deal.  It won’t trigger all of the time of course, but because it checks to see if both players have cast a second spell, it does increase the chances of you getting Connive going with it.  This will give you great card selection and be a super efficient creature most of the time.  I’m giving it a B.

47 - A Little Chat - C+

The base level of this card would probably be a D+ or a C-.  It doesn’t do much, but it gives you some okay card selection.  However, I think the Casualty upside here is pretty big, because once this turn into a 4 mana card that draws you two of the top four cards of your library, we’re talking about something pretty powerful! And you can sacrifice almost any creature to get that copy.  You won’t always be able to do that of course, but the sort of acceptable baseline and the big upside makes this a card that I don’t think you’ll cut from most Blue decks.  I’m giving it a C+.

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49 - Make Disappear - D+

Without Casualty, this kind of counter spell isn't great, since your opponent is likely to have the spare mana the longer the game goes on. With casualty…I still don't think it is great, but obviously it will allow you to counter more spells more often. I don't plan on starting the format by playing this. I am giving it a D+.

50 - Obscura Specialist - C

This is a Wind Drake with some solid upside – life link is no joke on an evasive creature, and can really alter races!  I think this seems like a solid playable.  I’m giving it a C.

51 - An Offer You Can’t Refuse - F

I think I WILL be refusing this offer. This mostly seems like it was printed for constructed.  Most Limited decks don’t have enough non-creature spells for this sort of thing to be good, and giving them treasure seems like way too much downside on an already narrow counterspell, even if it is efficient.  It is probably a sideboard card at best.  I’m giving it an F.

52 - Out of the Way - B-

Even without the Green discount, Out of the Way would be a pretty solid card.  4 to bounce a nonland permanent and draw a card is a card we’ve seen several times and its always nice.  It might be a bit harder to get a tempo advantage when paying 4 for a bounce, but the fact it replaces itself makes up for that, and the times where this only costs two it will feel completely absurd.  And the good news is that lots of opponents will have Green permanents in a set that is so focused on three color shards.  I’m giving this a B-.

53 - Psionic Snoop - C-

This isn’t especially good.  It is either a 3-mana ¼ that you discard a nonland card to, or a 3-mana 0/3 that lets you throw a land away for - hopefully - a real card.  Neither of those things are bad, but it is far from impressive.  If you can flash it in to kill an X/1 it will feel a lot better, and that will happen sometimes, but there will be enough times where it is just a glorified blocker that I’m not super interested in this.  I’m giving this a C-.

54 - Psychic Pickpocket - B

This looks really good.  You know I always love creatures who bounce a creature or other permanent when they ETB – it just feels great to add to your board while setting your opponent back at the same time.  I think even without connive this would probably be at least a C, and I think the connive upside here is pretty huge.  You either loot your way into a card you want, or discard something to make this a 4/3 – and a lot of the things that you can discard in the format give you graveyard value.  I think this is a B, and one of Blue’s best Uncommons – if not THE best.

55 - Public Enemy - F

This doesn’t look very good to me.  The idea is that you put this on your creature and force your opponent to attack you.  Sometimes that will actually do something, but it won’t do anything real far too often.  If your opponent already wants to attack it doesn’t really matter, and if they don’t have something you can actually kill in combat it is also useless.  It does eventually replace itself, but there’s just too much that can go wrong with this card.  I think its just an F.

56 - Reservoir Kraken - B+

This reminds me a lot of Clackbridge Troll from Eldraine, which was a pretty good card.  There are some big differences, and some of them are good – like the fact that you don’t give your opponent a bunch of tokens to make it easier for them to shut down your creature.  Some of them are bad, because your opponent tapping a creature is generally less costly than sacrificing one.  But either way, you play a big monster than gives you value no mater what your opponent does, and you really put them under a lot of pressure – either with a huge 6/6 or a bunch of unbblockable Fish tokens.  I do think it falls short of being a bomb, since your opponent can definitely find a way to endure when you play this, but I think its pretty darn good.  I’m giving it a B+.

57 - Rooftop Nuisance - C+

We usually see this effect as an Instant, and being a Sorcery instead is definitely a downgrade.  If it is an instant, you get to stop two rounds of attacks and blocks when you cast it.  As a Sorcery, you only stop one attack – though you still make your opponent unable to block with that creature for two turns, which is usually the best part about this card anyway.  So, adding a very cheap Casualty option to the card is pretty appealing – locking down two creatures and drawing two cards for only three mana is pretty great, even if you lose a token.  This is going to end up closing out a lot of games in this format.  I’m giving it a C+.

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59 - Security Bypass - D+

This seems kind of okay.  Unblockable + the ability to Connive every time you hit the opponent is a decent boost for the cost.  Connive isn’t quite worth a card after you do it once, though, and that means if your opponent can deal with whatever you put this on before you do it a second time, you’re ending up way behind.  So, in the end, this feels like an Aura that won’t quite do enough to be worth the risk.  Even if you’re discarding things for value, I’m skeptical.  I’m giving it a D+.

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61 - Sleep with the Fishes - C+

This is basically a 4-mana unblockable 1/1 that freezes down an opposing creature.  That’s pretty sweet, since you’re adding a relevant body to the board while you cast a removal spell.  Now, with the “Casualty” mechanic around, this type of card does get worse since your opponent is going to be perfectly happy sacrificing things sometimes.  I think if this format didn’t have a big sacrifice theme, this would probably be premium – but in this format, it is sadly probably just a C+.

62 - Slip Out the Back - D

This doesn’t seem great to me.  Sure, it can save your creature and it gets a permanent buff, but good effects like this can actually allow you to take down the creature that you’re blocking.  That’s part of what made Tamiyo’s Safekeeping so good – it had an effect that was good against removal, but it could also make your creature win combat when it would have been a trade.  And…you can’t do that with Phasing.  Basically, this can only save your creature and buff it – and that’s not really worth a card.  It is just too narrow.  I think this is a D.

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64 - Wingshield Agent - C+

So, you can attack with this once without worrying that it will die, and that goes pretty well with its ability to give another creature Flying.  You also just put your opponent in a really ugly spot if they are in a situation where the best they can do is trade with the Agent.  All that said, the best versions of this effect we’ve seen before are on evasive creatures, and while a Shield counter can emulate that a bit, I don’t think this is quite as good as say – a Flyer who gives something else Flying.  Still seems perfectly solid, but its probably a C+.

65 - Wiretapping - C+

I really want this to be good, because I love Enchantments that draw me an extra card each turn, and that’s what this gives you!  You shouldn’t really expect to get the Hideaway part going in Limited, as getting to 9 cards isn’t something that happens a whole lot, but just the draw part of the card is pretty good.  If the format isn’t slow, though, tapping out for this on turn 5 might result in you getting beat down.  I think I’m going to start this at a C+ – that’s what I think it would get in most formats.  If the format is slower, its grade will go up.

66 - Witness Protection - D+

I have a hard time ever getting behind this type of removal.  The big problem is that you aren’t entirely dealing with the creature you put it on! It can still attack and block, and +1/+1 counters are a problem too.  So basically, you don’t end up with a full card’s worth of value, so this is the kind of removal you should only run out of desperation – even at one mana.  I’m giving this a D+.

Black:

67 - Angel of Anguish - B

This looks pretty good.  It has great stats for a 5 mana Flyer, and its ability can enable you to drastically alter a race. It can also load your graveyard for value.  Now, obviously there is a big downside here:  You can get milled out if your opponent can damage you enough, and by the time you play it doing about 10 damage to you might be enough to take you down.  However, what I like here is that you have control over how long the Angel is in play – if you start to get worried you’re going to get milled out, just trade it for something.  If you aren’t worried about it, you can just attack your opponent with it and kill them within a few turns.  I don’t quite thing its a bomb, because the ability is definitely not all upside, and the most exciting thing about the card is probably just its stats.  I think this is good, but not especially close to being a bomb.  I’m giving it a B.

68 - Body Launderer - B+

This looks quite good.  Obviously a 4-mana 3/3 with deathtouch can trade for anything, and that’s especially nice because it will also usually reanimate a small creature from your graveyard when it dies.  The Connive upside here is pretty real too, as the bigger it gets, the easier it will be to reanimate something, and obviously you can discard the thing you want to reanimate when you DO connive.  I’m giving this a B+.

69 - Cemetery Tampering - F // B

So, you really have to be all in on a graveyard deck to make this worth it.  You can’t just be playing this to eventually get the free spell, since it will take you awhile to get there, and you aren’t even guaranteed to hit something that really saves you tha tmuch mana, since you paid 3 in the first place for a card that does nothing but mill you!  The good news, is there is enough graveyard stuff going on in this format that this will be worth it in some decks, and be a pretty insane enabler that is well worth the card, even before you get to cast the Hidden Away card.  Still, I think this requires a build around grade, because it will be an F in a lot of Black decks.  But in a deck with graveyard synergy to go along with it, its probably a B.

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72 - Cut of the Profits - C+

This is pretty clunky, buy copying it will obviously make it feel a lot more efficient.  Sacrificing something with three or more power is a big cost though, and tapping a bunch of lands at sorcery speed to draw a bunch of cards and lose a bunch of life could be a real liability if this set is even remotely fast.  I’m giving it a C+.

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74 - Deal Gone Bad - C+

This isn’t the most efficient removal spell, but at least its an Instant, and it comes with some extra value with the mill effect.  The way this format is looking, you probably want to mill yourself more often than your opponent since you can get a lot of value going in that direction.  This isn’t premium removal, but it seems like a nice Common.  I’m giving it a C+.

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76 - Dig Up the Body - C-

This is a pretty clunky version of this effect – three mana to get one thing back is not especially good, even with the mill thrown in.  Basically, for this to feel like its worth it, you’ll need to be doubling the spell, and that’s easy enough since it only needs one power, but I still think this is the kind of card you’re really only going to want one of in Black decks.  You really don’t want this showing up in your opening hand, you want it late. I’m giving it a C-.

77 - Dusk Mangler - B

This is a pretty neat design, and it reminds me of Daemogoth Woe-Eater from Strixhaven, and that’s pretty good company to keep!  The body you get isn’t nearly as efficient, but this really delivers a gut-punch to the opponent when it comes down.  You might have to do something extra to cast it, but your opponent has to do all of those things when you cast it.  Note, by the way that the extra cost is part of casting it, so if you reanimate it or flicker it, your opponent gets punished by the ETB trigger again and you don’t have to do anything!  The additional cost being flexible is great too, as you can find a way to cast it in most situations.  I think this is a B.

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80 - Girder Grunts - C

Neither mode with this is great, but both are fine.  A 5-mana 4/4 that leaves behind a 2/2 can definitely generate a 2-for-1, and if you Blitz this you no tonly get to draw a card when it dies, you also add to the board.  Seems pretty solid! I’m giving this a C.

81-  Graveyard Shift - C+

I am not normally super into 5 mana reanimation spells in Limited. It is just too hard to actually get a full five mana of value out of your graveyard on a consistent basis. However, this format looks like it might have what this kind of card needs. The Connive mechanic means you can discard things to reanimate pretty easily, so I think this might be one of those formats where this is a nice card. I am giving it a C+.

82 - Grisly Sigil - B-

This has a really neat design for a card with casualty. Basically, without Casualty this can kill an X/1, and with Casualty it can kill an X/4, and that is a pretty amazing deal for the mana! It also works well with devil's, where even without Casualty this can take something down.

83 - Illicit Disposal - D

This is an interesting take on a tutor.  Most tutors, especially those that cost FIVE mana are pretty terrible in Limited.  You have to play this thing on your turn and not add to the board at all in most cases, and even if you have something awesome to search up, you severely decrease your chances of winning as soon as you choose to do that. Basically, you end up breaking even on cards and not doing so well on mana when you cast this.  Now, once you throw Casualty into the mix, you’re paying 5 to draw TWO of the best cards in your deck, and that’s certainly better.  But the Casualty here is a little steep at 3, and you’re still spending a lot of mana and just spinning your wheels until your next turn.  I’m tempted to just give this an F, but I think if you can do Casualty often enough with it, its probably a D or D+.

84 - Incriminate - C

Black often has cards that let the opponent make a decision about something, and they pretty much always underperform, since there are too many situations where your opponent can minimize the damage.  However, I think this might make your opponent make a narrow enough decision that it will be decent.  Sure, you’ll have situations where your opponent hasl ike a 1/1 and some bomb creature and it isn’t going to feel too good in those scenarios – and I’m certainly not saying this is premium removal ro anything – but I do think there will be enough board states where this kills something you want dead for two mana.  Don’t go into it thinking it is Doom Blade, and I think you’ll feel okay about what you’re getting.   I’m giving it a C.

85 - Join the Maestros - C

This seems like a solid Common. Without Casualty it is pretty ugly, but if you have some decent fodder to sacrifice, getting two 4/3 bodies is pretty good for the cost

86 - Maestros Initiate - C

This doesn't have the best stats, but trading with it and then using the ability from the graveyard seems nice, and it also seems like a card that works nicely with Connive or Casualty thanks to the graveyard value. I am giving it a C.

87 -

88 - Murder - B

Murder at Common! As usual, it is premium removal you always want.  It can’t be splashed, which is a bit of a bummer, but it is still worth a high pick.  I’m giving it a B.

89 - Night Clubber - B-

This is good.  It is a lot like Plague Mare, and that card played pretty well.  Giving -1/-1 to all of your opponents creatures often opens the door to much more effective attacks for you, and it will just outright kill a creature or two pretty often.  Having Blitz in the mix is nice, because you’ll feel like you’re getting a card worth of value out of this a lot anyway, so getting the effect going, being able to attack with the Clubber, and then also getting a card back is going to feel pretty good.  I think you can take this pretty highly.  I’m giving it a B-.

90 - Raffine’s Silencer - C+

This can often be a 3-mana 2/2 that gives -2/-2 to something when it dies, and that’s the kind of thing that can generate a 2-for-1. Even if it is only a 1/1 that loots once you’re getting a decent deal.  It gets a lot better if you have other ways to pump it, but even on its own you end up with a decent  card.  I’m giving it a C+.

91 -  Revel Ruiner - C

This seems solid.  A 4-mana 4/2 with Menace is a decent enough card, and this can be that if you want it to be most of the time.  The alternative of this helping you throw away an unwanted land for a fresh card, and giving you a 3/1 menace seems solid too.  I’m giving this a C.

92 - Rogue’s Gallery - C+

I think most Black decks in the format will have enough creatures of different colors to be interested in the first copy of this.  Getting two things back with it is solid, and if you can get 3+ it will be downright insane! The format has plenty of graveyard action to enable it to.  I think I like valuing the first copy of this at a C+, though you don’t really want more than that first copy.

93 - Sanguine Spy  - B

A three mana ⅔ with Menace and Lifelink is already about a C+, as you’re getting a lot for your investment.  And you’re getting even more than that out of this, since it can give up creatures to let you Surveil 1, and the once you have enough going on in the graveyard, it can start drawing you cards.  Getting 5 cards with different mana values in the graveyard is far from automatic, but it is impossible to pull off either.  I think this is a B.

94 - Shadow of Mortality - C

Looks like they gave Modern and Legacy Death’s Shadow decks a new tool! This isn’t great for Limited, though.  You won’t be able to cast this until your life gets to about 10, and at that point it is going to be a vanilla 5-mana 7/7.  That’s obviously a good rate, but when you take into account the fact that this was stuck in your hand for a really long time, it doesn’t look nearly as good.  Basically, in the mid to late game it will feel efficient, and earlier than that it is going to feel pretty miserable.  I think its probably just a C.

95 - Shakedown Heavy - B-

I think this is actually fine.   If you know me, you know I usually hate this sort of Black card that gives the opponent options, because they can always choose what concerns them the least and that often minimizes the impact of a card.  And..that’s kind of true here.  If your opponent can afford to take 6 or can effectively take it down in combat that’s what they’ll do, and if they can’t, they’ll just give you the card.  In games that are close this will be pretty nasty since it will feel like “pick your poison,” but it won’t always be in that situation.  Still, both outcomes are pretty decent.  What really sells me on this, though, is that it can still block really effectively, and that means that in the part of the game where it can’t really do what you want it to, it can hang back as an oversized blocker, before joining in the offense later.  So, yeah – this is definitely a weird card – but I think I’m going to give it a B- to start the format.

96 - Tavern Swindler - C-

This is a reprint, and not an especially good one.  Last time we saw it there was a significant life gain theme, but that’s not really the case here, so gaining life with this isn’t that great.  There are a few cards in the format that check for life loss and life gain, and this could do some work in such a deck, but a lot of the time this is just a Bear.  I’m giving it a C-.

97 -

98 - Vampiric Scribe - C+

This obviously has the potential to get absolutely massive, but it has some pretty awful starting stats that will allow your opponent to pay 1 to 2 mana to kill your five drop, and that’s always pretty rough.  What’s more is, losing life on your turn won’t be super easy – so you’re mostly going to be leaning on the life gain angle, which will happen, but it also isn’t a massive theme in this format.  I think this is a C+.

99 - Whack - B-

Without a White target, this is not a great removal spell.  A sorcery for 4 that gives -4/-4 just isn’t a great rate.  It is definitely fine, though. And it gets a massive upgrade against a White creature – as obviously a single Black mana to give -4/-4 to something is crazy!  Because this set will have so many three color decks, you can definitely expect to see White targets reasonably often.  Basically, if it was always one mana for -4/-4 it would be a B+, and if it was always 4 mana for -4/-4 it would probably be a C+ – I think that makes it fair to give this a B-.

100 -

Red:

101 - Arcane Bombardment - F

This seems like it asks way too much of you to be worth it in Limited. First, you have to spend 6 mana on no effect the turn you play it - then you have to have instant and sorceries in your hand AND graveyard for it to do it's thing. I mean, it definitely has the potential to take over a game, but I think it is too slow and there are too many hoops to jump through. I am giving it an F.

102 - Big Score - C

This is an easier-to-cast Unexpected Windfall.  While that card has been great in constructed, it wasn’t that great in Limited.  It isn’t a bad card to have around though, as it helps you find some fresh cards while also providing you with some ramping and fixing, and the extra treasure it gives you might even enable you to cast something!  But it doesn’t really do anything to immediately impact the game, and that makes it a card that you can cut sometimes.  I’m giving it a C.

103 - Call in a Professional  - B

3 mana to do 3 to any target at Instant speed is usually premium removal, and this has some rela upside in the format, since it will allow you to ignore those pesky shield counters.  I think this is a B.

104 -

105 - Devilish Valet - C+

This card is pretty mediocre, even with a single Alliance trigger.  That first one will usually just make it a 3-mana ⅔ with Trample and Haste, and probably not on the turn you cast it, and that isn’t a great deal.  However, if you can trigger Alliance 2+ times, like by creating tokens, this Devil can become a real problem for your opponent.  He also gets better if you are already increasing his power.  Seems like a solid card you probably never cut from creature-heavy Red decks, but it isn’t anything special.  I’m giving it a C+.

106 -

107 - Glittering Stockpile - C-

This goes well in the RG treasure deck.  It helps you ramp your mana, and slowly builds up stash counters which you can eventually cash in for a ton of mana – and can even fix for you.  It is still a 3 mana Artifact that has no immediate impact on the board, though, and that’s the kind of card that can be a real liability in most formats.  That downside does seem worth it, but only if you have outlets for all the mana this can give you.  Most three mana mana rocks that tap for a single mana just aren’t especially good in Limited, but I think the extra upside here at least makes it playable.  I’m giving it a C-.

108 -

109 -  Hoard Hauler - C

A 4-mana 5/5 Trampling vehicle with Crew 3 is kind of okay, but certainly nothing special.  Sometimes you may also get some treasure, but it isn’t going to do that with regularity.  This is just a C.

110 - Involuntary Employment - D // C+

This looks really well positioned in this format.  Usually, Threaten effects aren’t something you’re that into, because they only have a temporary effect on the board that your opponent can often just ignore. They basically only do something if they let you do lethal the turn you cast it.  However, in formats where there is a sacrifice theme, Threaten effects get a big upgrade, and that’s certainly the case here.  The Maestros have a Sacrifice mechanic as their thing, and Black-Red in particular is very into sacrificing stuff.  Once you have that going on, you can steal a thing, attack your opponent with it, and then sacrifice it for value, and that can be utterly backbreaking.  This does cost 4 upfront, which is a bit steep – but it gives you a treasure back, which should help you do whatever you need to to sacrifice the creature that you steal.  So yeah, this is definitely a build around – it is a D in your typical Red deck, but its probably at least a C+ in Cabaretti and Black-Red, and I wouldn’t be super surprised to see it overperform here.  The fact they put this effect at Uncommon kind of tells me they knew it would be a little too good at Common, where we often see this type of card.

111 -

112 - Jaxis, the Troublemaker - B+

This looks really good to me.  Even without Blitz, coming with the ability to make a Blitzish version of one of your creatures in play is pretty darn good, because it means you can send in a hasty copy of your best creature that will also draw you a card when it dies, and that means you get back the card you discarded.  And its going to die, because it has the same clause that Blitz creatures do.  She herself also has Blitz, which sometimes will allow her to come down and finish off an opponent out of nowhere, or make a copy of something right away, but I actually think just straight-up casting her is the way to get the most value out of her.  She’s a bit fragile, but it seems like she will be able to take over games.  I’m giving her a B+.

113 - Light ‘Em Up - C+

Two mana to do 2 at Sorcery speed isn’t great most of the time, but its sort of passable, so having the Casualty upside of doubling the spell is pretty sweet.  That means you can take down X/4s with it sometimes, or even better – kill two creatures! I think it falls short of premium since its default mode isn’t amazing and setting up Casualty won’t always be easy.  I’m giving it a C+.

114 - Mayhem Patrol - C

This looks like a solid Common.  On its own, it is basically a two mana 2/2 with Menace, but the fact it can lend that power boost to other creatures is pretty nice, and the Blitz upside is fine too. It won’t generally be too long before it can’t attack any more, so just Blitzing it when you draw it in that situation is nice. I’m giving it a C.

115 - Plasma Jockey - C+

This reminds me a lot of Goblin Heelcutter or Clamor Shaman, both of which were great cards in aggressive decks in their respective formats.  It probably isn’t quite as good as either of them, but it will have a similar impact.  You will Blitz this on a turn where it really makes an immediate impact, but its nice you can also just cast it normally if you’re more interested in adding permanently to the board – like if you’re not the beat down when you play it.  This looks like a quality Common.  I’m giving it a C+

116 - Professional Face-Breaker - A-

This looks really good. A 3 mana 3/2 with menace is usually a good rate, so all the treasure upside this brings to the table is very nice. It is an efficient creature than can ramp, fix for you, and effectively draw you cards. This feels almost like a Red Tireless Tracker. I am giving this an A-.

117 - Pugnacious Pugilist - C+

Either way you play this, it looks like it is going to be pretty decent.  If you Blitz it, you get a permanent Devil token in addition to sending a 4/4 at your opponents face, and then you of course get to draw a card when the Pugilist goes away.  Just casting it is nice too sometimes, even if a 5-mana 4/4 feels pretty clunky these days.  You still have a sizable creature who spits out tokens.  Like all Blitz cards, this pairs pretty well with sacrifice payoffs.  I’m giving this a C+.

118 - Pyrehammer Arsonist - D // B-

This is definitely a buildaround.  If you can get it going, it can do some pretty absurd stuff – and it works well with two mechanics that are in guilds that have Red in them – both Maestros and Riveteers.  Both of their mechanics involve sacrificing things, but even with that in mind, it seems like your typical deck probably won’t be able to consistently get the Arsonist going.  There’s enough sacrifice that it isn’t a straight up F in your typical deck, but it is probably just a D.  It has a ceiling at B- though.  Even if you are only using the ability to do one damage at a time, that’s not a bad effect.  And if you are able to do 2+ with it, it will feel pretty insane.

119 -

120 - Riviteers Initiate - C

Like most of this cycle, this is solid.  It has okay base stats, and it can gain a useful keyword! Deathtouch does mean it can trade with anything, and that’s nice.  I’m giving this a C.

121 - Riveteer Collector - B-

This looks pretty darn good.  A two mana 3/1 is probably a D+ these days, but this comes with some very nice upside.  It is easy enough to get a decent trade with your 3/1, and that will feel pretty good when you get a Treasure when it dies.  The Blitz option is also really appealing, since you pay 3 mana, get a 3/1 that dies at the end of the turn, get a treasure, and draw a card when that creature dies.  So yeah, both sides of this seem like a quality card, and I think the options are enough for this to be a B-.

122 - Rob the Archives - C

This will be nice late, but only being able to play the cards on your turn is kind of brutal. And you are very likely to wiff. That said, really late this DOES give you 4 cards to play with which will often just pull you to the win. I feel like Red decks will be pretty interested in the first copy, but more than that is asking for trouble since it is so mediocre early. I think this is a C+

123 - Sizzling Soloist - C+

The bad stats here are going to bite you sometimes, since it can die to really cheap removal despite costing 4 mana, but hey – at least you’re trading 1-for-1, and the Alliance effect this has is a pretty big deal.  Stopping a creature from blocking tends to drastically alter a turn, although your opponent will know this is coming, so it isn’t quite as impressive as versions of it that come out of nowhere.  But still, your opponent has to alter their game plan once you play something like this, because they just may be unable to block!  If you get alliance twice with it, not only are two things not blocking, but you can also force an attack – which will mean that thing won’t be blocking ont he next turn either!  I think this is a C+

124 -

125 - Strangle - B

This is a strictly worse Lightning Bolt – since it is a Sorcery and can’t hit players – but it is still incredible value for only a single Red mana, and its certainly premium removal.  You’ll trade up with this a ton.  Hard to imagine Red has a better Common in the set, even with shield counters around.  I’m giving it a B..

126 -

127 - Torch Breath - B

This is great.  Even without the Blue upside, it would be an excellent removal spell.  Sure, it is never super efficient, but it can scale as the game goes on, and being an Instant speed version of this is a pretty big deal too, because you can end up getting a 2-for-1 in some situations.  Once you add in the anti-Blue upside, you definitely have a premium removal spell.  It is good against non-Blue decks, and crazy good against Blue ones.  I think this is a B.

128 - Unlucky Witness - C

This is pretty close to having a "draw a card" trigger when it dies, though in the very early game you won't always be able to take advantage. It feels like the main purpose for this card is to be sacrificed to Casualty effects, and that's going to be nice, but this is probably just a C.

129 - Urabrask, Heretic Praetor - A

So, Urabrask effectively draws you an extra card every turn, while downgrading your opponents draw on their turn.  Forcing them to play the card that is revealed now or never is going to be pretty nice sometimes, and it will definitely force them to make some painful decisions.  It is actually a really cool design for Red to get this type of effect as a way to downgrade an opponents draw.  Anyway, Urabrask is definitely a bomb – he also brings decent stats to go with the exile card draw effects.  I’m giving him an A.

130 - Widespread Thievery - D // B-

So, the RG deck in this format is all about treasure, and that means it will be capable of running a lot of multicolored cards – so this will slot really well into that deck.  That deck is happy to get a bunch of treasure, will play a lot of multicolored cards, and can more easily produce the necessary mana to get the HIdeaway card.  Most decks in the format will have a decent number of multicolored cards too – but this does feel like it needs a build around, as just getting a few treasure really won’t be enough to make this worthwhile, you need to be getting a lot and/or producing the mana you need to get the free card hidden away.  I think this is probably a D in your typical Limited deck, and a B- in a Red-Green-based deck.

131 - Witty Roastmaster - C

This has passable stats and a solid if unexciting ability.  It can definitely chip in for a decent chunk of damage over the course of the game, especially if you’re making tokens! I’m giving it a C.

Green -

132 -

133 - Attended Socialite - C

This looks like a fine, if unexciting,  two drop for creature-heavy Green decks. It will often attack as a 3/2, which isn’t the biggest upgrade ever since most two drops can still trade with it.  I’m giving it a C.

134 - Burglar’s Halo Stash - D // B

This can generate an absurd amount of mana in a hurry – but the question becomes, do you really need that much mana by the time you can play this? My guess is that for most decks – probably not.  The fact it won’t do anything the turn you play it in most cases is a pretty big liability too.  If you have enough treasure synergies and are interested in splashing some stuff or just playing a lot of colors, this could be a powerhouse, but that situation won’t come up often enough for this to work in any deck.  I think this needs a build around grade. It is probably a D in your typical deck, and a B in one that gets there on treasure synergy and has lots of mana sinks.

135 -

136 -

137 - Cabaretti Initiate - C-

If you can put counters on this, it can get interesting – and you certainly have access to some of those in this format.  But overall, this is probably the worst of this cycle.  A one mana ½ just gets outclassed way too quickly, and giving a creature that size double strike isn’t exactly a big deal.  You’ll play it of course in aggressive decks, but I can see it getting cut a good chunk of the time too.  I think this is a C-.

138 - Caladia Strongarm - C+

This looks like a pretty nice Common.  Cast the normal way, it gives you a 5-mana ⅘ – which isn’t great, but that’s the fail case of the card.  It can do a lot more than that!  You can of course put the counters on another creature, and that can add some significant additional damage to the board immediately.  And if adding as much damage to the board as quickly as possible is your thing, you can Blitz this, which lets you ad ⅘ worth of stats to the board for only 4 mana, and then you get to draw a card to replace it! You’ll often be able to get close to a card of value out of it when you do Blitz it, so that’s not a bad deal, especially because it makes sure to leave something on the board even once it sacrifices itself.  I think this is a C+.

139 -

140 -

141 - Cleanup Crew - B-

I always love modal cards, and this is a sweet one!  You’ll always be able to get something pretty nice out of it.  At worst, you get a Honey Mammoth-type creature – in other words, a 6-mana 6/6 that gains you 4 life, and that kind of creature is usually great top-curve in many decks, allowing them to stabilize.  But then it comes with options that let it Naturalize something or hate on the graveyard.  You’ll get the most value if you have an Enchantment or Artifact to blow up, but the fail case of Honey Mammoth is a great floor, and there’s a nice ceiling here.  I think you can first pick this in some weaker packs.  I’m giving it a B-.

142 - Courier’s Briefcase - C+

Two mana for a 1/1 and a Treasure is a pretty good deal, and this set should have enough fixing that you manage to produce 5 colors on occasion, in which case this will feel really good.  I’m giving this a C+.

143 - Elegant Entourage - B-

A 5-mana 5/5 tends to be pretty solid, even these days where creatures seem to keep getting better.  Then, this has a pretty nice alliance trigger, as +1/+1 and Trample is going to be enough to really improve your attacks on a given turn.  IT is a bit of a bummer that the Entourage can’t pump itself, but it still feels like this will create problems for your opponent most of the time when you trigger Alliance.  I think this is a B-.

144 - Evolving Door - D

This is pretty interesting, but my feeling is that it probably isn’t very good in Limited.  You have to sacrifice a creature and then also have the mana to play whatever you search up, and that’s doable, but you’re basically giving something up on the board and paying one extra mana for some creature in your deck.  There will also be times where the color of your creatures just doesn’t line up the right way to get you what you want.  Though, sacrificing a mono-colored creature to get a two-colored creature or a two-colored creature to get a three-colored one seems like it will happen pretty often.  But yeah, unless you have plenty of sacrifice fodder, I’m not a big believer in this.  I’m going to start it at a D.

145 - Fight Rigging - B+

An Enchantment that gives you a counter every turn is already a pretty good card, and the hideaway upside here isn't completely inaccessible either. I am giving this a B+.

146 -

147 - Freelance Thug - C

This will often get a boost when it attacks or block, but it has some pretty bad base-stats and it doesn’t have any evasion or anything else.  It will get huge sometimes, but  there will certainly be times where you play this and it just doesn’t get enough of a boost to be relevant.  I think this is probably just a C.

148 - Gala Greeters - B+

This is really good.  If you play this on turn two it is going to accumulate value in a hurry!  All three options it gives you can be good in the right situation, and the modality there is great – especially because if you play something that makes tokens you can get more than one effect!  This is the sort of two drop that can really spell doom for your opponent if they don’t deal with it.  I’m giving it a B+.

149 -

150 -

151 - Jewel Thief - B-

This is an excellent Common.  A 3-mana 3/3 with Vigilance and Trample is probably close to a C+, and adding treasure to the mix is a pretty big deal – not only does it ramp and fix for you – there is also treasure synergy throughout the set.  This is a Common you can first pick sometimes.  I’m giving it a B-.

152 - Luxurious Libation - C

This looks like a solid trick. The bonus it gives you will never be the most efficient, but the fact it scales is nice, and getting a token is some nice added value, especially if you have some Alliance going on. It is still a trick, and has all the risks they always have - situational, risky, and so forth - but I think the first copy of this seems decent. I am giving it a C.

153 -

154 -

155 - Rhox Pummeler - C

The shield counter is pretty nice on a creature with high power and trample, as it really can put your opponent in a bind when it comes to blocking it.  For some of these shield creatures, you can just throw one of your tokens in front of it to get the shield to go away – and you can still do that here, but you’re probably taking 5 in the process! This seems like a decent top curve.  I’m giving it a C.

156 -

157 - Social Climber - C

This has passable stats and a decent Alliance trigger.  Gaining a bit of life here and there can add up sometimes, and that’s especially true with the tokens you’ll be making in Cabaretti! I’m giving this a C.

158 - Take to the Streets - C

This looks like a solid payoff for going wide, especially because there are so many Citizens around. Now, it is still super situational – it basically does nothing until you’ve gone wide enough – but I imagine you are going to want the first copy of this in the Citizen decks in the format.  I’m giving it a C.

159 -

160 - Topiary Stomper - C+

So, this is a 3-mana rampant growth effect that adds to the board…sort of.  Because it can’t attack and block until you get that 7th land, there will be times where this really just feels like you cast a three mana rampant growth – Sorcery and all.  Even with the Stomper’s help, you aren’t guaranteed to hit 7 lands in a timely manner, and that’s pretty rough. Still, it is pretty nice fixing and ramp because it can eventually be a relevant body.  I think this is a C+.

161 - Venom Connoiseur - C+

This will have death touch pretty often, though not usually on your opponent’s turn, which is a bit of a bummer.  Giving the whole board death touch isn’t out of the question either, since you can make two bodies with one card with several different cards in the format.  I think this is a C+.

162 - Vivien on the Hunt - A

This Vivien looks great.  She can protect herself by using her -1 to generate large tokens, and her +2 and +1 abilities both give you some pretty nice effects.  The +2 can help you Birthing Pod creatures in play to replace them with something better, and her +1 will often draw you a couple of cards.  So yeah, she protect herself and draws you cards, and those are the kinds of things you want your planeswalkers to do.  She’s a bomb.  I’m giving her an A.

163 -

164 - Workshop Warchief - A

Say hello to the new Thragtusk that is just..mostly better than Thragtusk, which is kind of nuts!  This more than gives you your mana’s worth, whether you cast it normally or Blitz it.  Casting it normally is probably better most of the time, since it is such a pain to block or attack into for your opponent, since they know you’re going to get a sizable creature token when the Warchief dies. Blitzing it can generate some even more absurd advantage though, which is why they put it at one mana higher. You get 3 life, a 4/4, and a 5/3 trampler Ball Lightning that draws you a card when it dies.  Yeah, this is definitely a bomb. Just too much value! I’m giving it an A.

165 -

Multicolored:

166 - Aven Heartstabber - B

This looks pretty good.  Its no Baleful Strix, but  a two mana 1/1 flyer that loads your graveyard and gives you a card when it dies is pretty nice.  And, if you get the requisite number of mana values in your graveyard, it becomes a pretty imposing aerial attacker that can trade with anything thanks to Death Touch!  I’m giving this a B.

167 - Black Market Tycoon - B+

This looks really good to me.  It is basically a two mana 2/2 mana dork – and in some ways its better, since most mana dorks can’t add mana of any color!  Sure, you don’t want to have a bunch of treasures lying around or this could get painful, but luckily you are in complete control of whether or not you have treasure in the first place.  I think this is a B+.  It is great ramping and fixing, and synergizes with some of the treasure stuff going on in the set.

168 - Body Dropper - B-

This is a pretty nice payoff for Sacrificing stuff, which is going to be very doable in Black-Red in this format as a result of both Alliance and Blitz, and it of course comes with its own way to sacrifice things and gain Menace.  This seems like it could become a real problem for your opponent in many Black-Red decks!  I think this is a B-.

169 - Brazen Upstart - B

This looks really good.  It is going to be a 3-mana 4/2 with Vigilance that draws you a card most of the time, and that’s going to be a pretty easy 2-for-1.  It will be hard to miss a creature in that top 5 - especially in Cabaretti -  but it will happen sometimes.  Even when that goes down, you get a solid creature.  I’m giving this a B.

170 - Brokers Ascendancy - B+

This triggering at your end step is really nice, because it means you get a benefit from it before your opponent utnaps, and that may have made it so your opponent can’t kill your creature anymore.  Obviously, you do need something of a board state to get this going, but even just two creatures in play creates a major problem for the opponent, and anything more than that is an emergency.  It does cost all three Bant colors, and even in a format with great fixing, it isn’t exactly trivial to get there.  Still, its a great card.  I’m giving it a B+.

171 - Brokers Charm - B

The first mode on this is a nice removal spell, even if it is a little bit situational – and also a little dangerous if you try to use it when your opponent has mana up.  Its also nice that this lets you have a real card in your deck that can also hate on Enchantments, or even be an instant speed divination.  This is a B.

172 - Cabaretti Ascendancy - B+

At worst, you get to Scry the top card of your library every turn, and you’ll draw a decent chunk of the time. Cabaretti is really into the Alliance mechanic, and this can help you draw more creatures to get your triggers going.  This will build a lot of card advantage.  I’m giving it a B+.

173 - Cabaretti Charm - B,

This might be the least exciting of the Charms in this set, but its pretty good.  It is a little worse than the others because all three of its modes are kind of situational, and there isn’t really one that is going to feel good as the fall back plan.  However, situations where one of those modes are useful will come up often enough that I still like it.  If you can kill your opponent or a planeswalker with the first mode, obviously you choose that.  +1/+1 and trample to the whole board will be nice if you’re going wide, and sometimes it can basically function as a removal spell.  And, paying three mana for two 1/1 tokens is also fine. The Cabaretti are into going wide, and it is nice that this can enable that and pay you off for that. I’m giving this a B.

174 - Celestial Regulator - B-

If you’ve followed my content, you know I love this card.  It is an early candidate for my favorite Common in the set, in fact!  I always love Frost Lynx type creatures because of the amazing tempo they generate by freezing something down while you add to the board.  Now, freezing something down takes a little bit of setup with the Regulator, but if yo’ure in Blue White you’ll have access to lots of +1/+1 and Shield counters, so I think this will do its thing a big chunk of the time – and on top of that it has efficient flying stats.  I’m giving this a B-.

175 - Ceremonial Groundbreaker - C+

The GW color pair in this format is Citizen tribal, and this card pushes you pretty hard in that direction. +2/+1 and Trample are a decent boost, and enough of one to make many creatures into a threat, but paying 3 to equip this is not ideal.  Equipping it to a citizen is a great deal though.  Some of them are 1/1 tokens of course, but there are many of nontoken citizens in GW too that you’ll be able to equip this to very efficiently.  I’m giving this a C+.

176 - Civil Servant - C+

This has above rate stats, and it looks like there are enough Citizens in this set to make those stats even more impressive for a fairly low cost.  This isn’t really the Citizen payoff you’re hoping for, but it does seem like a pretty nice Common for that deck.  I’m giving it a C+.

177 - Cormela, Glamour Thief - B-

She looks pretty good. She can ramp you into bigger spells, and she is a good card to sacrifice for Casualty, since she will get you a spell back. I am giving her a B-.

178 - Corpse Appraiser - B

This looks really good, since it will very frequently be a 3-mana 3/3 that casta Anticipate, and that’s not just a 2-for-1 it is also really good card selection.  There will be times that you don’t have something to exile from a yard, but most of the time it won’t be a big ask, and sometimes you might even hate on something in the opposing graveyard! I’m giving it a B.

179 - Corpse Explosion - C

This is a a sweeper that really gives you a ton of control over how much damage it does.  Of course, to unlock full flexibility, you’re going to need to have a well-stocked graveyard.  That seems pretty doable in Black-Red, but still, there’s some real set up, and sometimes you just won’t have what you need to make this do what you want.  Then again, sometimes you’ll be able to use this and keep some of your stuff alive while sweeping the opponent.  So yeah, this has a wide range of outcomes – some of them are going to be awful, some will be great.  That probably jus tmakes it a C.

180 - Crew Leader - C

This is going to be pretty scary the turn it comes down, as the combination of Haste, indestructibility, and 4 power means there won’t always be a good way to stop this.  That said, there are a lot of tokens in the format that can just chump this, and there will be plenty of times where just taking 4 isn’t going to hurt your opponent that much.  It does stick around as a 4/2 – and that’s nice – but I’m not super impressed with this.  If you play it on turn three it will feel pretty good, but the more developed your opponents board is, the less impressive it becomes.  You’ll play it when you’re all three of these colors of course, but it definitely isn’t the kind of thing that really pulls you in that direction.  I’m giving it a C.

181 - Darling of the Masses - B-

The GW color pair is very much into CItizens. There’s a lot of Citizens in this set, including tokens, so the Darling will impact the board right away pretty often.  The fact she generates more tokens when she attacks is great too, though as a 2/4 she won’t always be capable of giving you those tokens.  I’m giving this a B-.

182 - Disciplined Duelist - B

A 3-mana 2/1 with Double Strike and a shield counter sounds like a pretty darn good deal.  Double STrike pairs particularly well with the Shield, because it means the Duelist can keep itself from getting hit at all in combat against smaller creatures, so it will hold on to the shield.  Meanwhile, it is capable of taking down 4 toughness creatures and surviving to tell the tale, since it will just lose the shield counter.  It will get spicier if you can increase its stats of course, like most double strikers.  I think this is a B.

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184 - Evelyn, the Covetous - A

This looks really good.  A ⅖ with Flash is actually pretty reasonable at ambushing things, but the real value of course comes from the cards it puts Collection counters on.  Even on its own, it pretty much draws you two cards, and because of Flash, you can put this down at the end of your opponents turn, untap, and make use of those cards before your opponent can do something about it in most cases.  Then, the additional Vampire upside is huge, and the hybrid mana situation also means you can play this in a whole lot of decks.  I think this is a bomb.  I’m giving it an A.

185 - Exotic Pets - B

This looks pretty good to me.  Even without the effect that gives the Pets counters, this would be like a C – two unblockable 1/1s for three mana – on an instant – is perfectly fine.  Then, you add the counter upside and this looks like it could be pretty amazing.  Obviously with this in UW, we’re talking about +1/+1 counters the most often because of Connive, and those are just going to be around.  Getting shield counters on them isn’t out of the question either! I think this is a very nice Uncommon.  I’m giving it a B.

186 - Falco Spara, Pactweaver - A

A 4-mana 3/3 with Flying, Trample, and a shield counter is already great, so adding the ability to cast cards from the top of your library is good, and will often be well worth the shield counter – or other type of counter.  Keep in mind it doesn’t care what kind of counter it is, so it even works with Connive and stuff like that!  There will be plenty of counters to go around, so I think this is a bomb.  It is a very efficient flyer that draws you cards, hard to go wrong there!

187 - Fatal Grudge - C

This is pretty neat, as it can potentially force an opponent to sacrifice any permanent type.  Most frequently, it will be a symmetrical edict effect that you come out ahead of because you get to draw a card.  The problem is, this format is loaded up with ways to make creature tokens and creatures who really want to be sacrificed or in the graveyard.  And, I guess that’s a positive too, because you can sacrifice one of those things, but your opponent is equally likely to have them, minimizing the impact of this card.  The flexibility to deal with other permanent types definitely matters, but I think that overall – this is just a solid playable in the context of this format.  I’m giving it a C.

188 - Fleetfoot Dancer - B

This is reminiscent of Mantis Rider, and that’s a pretty good comparison! Obviously this comes with good stats and keywords, with the only real downside being the mana, which won’t always come easy on turn 4.  But hey, this kind of creature is good all game long.  I think this is a B.

189 - Forge Boss - C+

You are going to be sacrificing enough creatures in BR for this to chip in for at least 2 damage most games, and sometimes it will get way more out of hand than that.  It has passable stats too.  I’m giving it a C+.

190 - Glamorous Outlaw - C

Like the rest of this cycle, exiling this gives you some fixing that isn’t great, but because you can also just cast it the normal way and get passable value – or you can play it from exile in the later game.  I think this is a C.

191 - Hostile Takeover - B-

Well, this is a weird card.  Basically, it lets you kill most creatures for 5 mana, while maybe also buffing one of your creatures up to a 4/4. Of course, it gets damaged, so it won’t be the best attacker all the time. You can also use it to shrink some other creature of your opponents if they have something huge, but that won’t come up as much.   The downside here is that it doesn’t get rid of things like shield or +1/+1 counters, but I still think most of the time this will feel like a 5 mana removal spell with upside.  It is definitely a clunky sorcery, but I think it looks pretty nice.  I’m giving it a B-.

192 - Incandescent Aria - C

Doing 3 damage to everything for three tends to be a pretty good rate, but the whole nontoken thing here is interesting.  Because this is a Cabaretti card, you are more likely to have tokens than your opponent, but not blowing up tokens does mean that this doesn’t kill a bunch of the small things that you do want to kill in this format.  So, not only can this not kill things with 4 toughness or greater, it can’t kill tokens, and that is definitely something that limits it.  It is still more likely to go in your favor if you’re the Cabaretti player, but this type of card is going to be really hit or miss.  I think I’ll give it a C.

193 -  Jetmir, Nexus of Revels -  B+

You’ll usually be able to get the first mode going on this going the turn you play this, and that’s pretty good!  The Cabaretti are definitely about going wide, so getting the second mode will happen sometimes, but the third mode is less often.  There will of course be times where Jetmir is just a 4-mana 5/4 too, but the potential to pump your whole board, and it being relatively easy to get the first part going makes this a great card.  I’m giving it a B+.

194 - Jetmir’s Fixer - C+

This is a two mana 2/2 with some very nice upside.  Even if it didn’t have the Treasure bonus, being able to pump this creature’s stats for a single red and a single green would be a pretty nice card.  Obviously though, Red-Green is very into Treasure in this format, so you’re going to be able to trigger the bonus if you want to.  I think this is a C+.

195 - Jinnie Fay, Jetmir’s Second - B

There are enough ways to make tokens in the Riveteers that this is going to be pretty nice, and either of these options is definitely going to be an upgrade, since most of the tokens in this set are just vanilla 1/1s.  The haste option seems particularly spicy, since it can add a ton of damage out of nowhere, but sometimes you’ll want the 3/1s too.  Since the base-line here is a 3-mana 3/3 and it is a Riveteers card, I don’t really think this needs a build around.  It just seems like it will do what its supposed to in most version of that deck.  I’m giving it a B.

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197 -  Lord Xander, the Collector - B-

This..doesn’t seem amazing.  Typically his ETB ability will make your opponent discard a single card by the time you play him.  And…that’s nice, but not absolutely incredible for what you’re paying.  His attack trigger can also put your opponent in real danger of getting milled out, but it will still take quite awhile, and if he attacks enough to mill them out, they are probably dead from damage anyway! His death trigger is the most exciting one, as it will actually impact the board unlike the first two, but it is also in some ways the hardest to get.  So yeah, he does a lot, but he’s pretty clunky mana-wise, and while the effects are pretty powerful, I don’t think they are nearly as powerful as they look.  He’s still pretty nice, and you’ll play him in every “Maestro” deck, but he’s just a B-.

198 -  Maestros Ascendancy - D // B+

This takes some significant set up.  You need instants and sorceries in your graveyard and creatures who are worth sacrificing, and while both of things will happen fairly organically with the Maestros, it still feels like a lot of set up that will require a deck with just the right mix of cards to make this work consistently.    Even in a Maestros deck, I have a feeling this is a build around.  I think it is probably a D+ in your typical Maestro deck, and probably a B+ in a deck that gets there.

199 - Maestros Charm - B

Modality is great, and the three options you have here are all pretty nice.  In Limited, you’ll most frequently choose to do 5 damage to something, and that’s a pretty great deal for three mana!  Being able to Lightning Helix your opponent is nice when it gives you lethal, and being able to go 5 deep in your library while loading up your graveyard will sometimes be the right choice.  This is premium removal with big upside.  I’m giving it a B.

200 - Maestros Diabolist - B

A 3-mana ¼ with Deathtouch and Haste is already a pretty great deal, and there are enough Devils around that you can expect to get a token out of this a decent chunk of the time.  Those tokens are especially good to sacrifice to Casualty effects on Maestros cards!

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203 - Metropolis Angel - B-

This looks pretty good.  Its fragile, but it seems like it will be drawing you cards pretty often in both of the families it overlaps into it, thanks to Obscuara’s Connive and the Brokers’ Shield counters.  It also hits pretty hard if the air is clear! I think this is a B-.

204 - Mr. Orfeo, the Boulder - B-

This looks pretty nice.  What I like the most is that the turn you play it it will often already have some impact, as it will make one of your creatures into a much more formidable attacker.  It can of course pump its own power too, so when it attacks its a 4/4, but you’re usually hoping for something spicier than that.  It also pairs well with Blitz, as your opponent often won’t want to block a Blitzed creature, since you’ll be getting a card anyway when it dies and the creature isn’t sticking around for good, but Mr. Orfeo complicates that, since the creatures will be hitting harder.  I think you can take this pretty early.  I’m giving it a B-.

205 - Nimble Larcenist - C+

This is a bit disappointing.  A 3-mana 2/1 Flyer that costs three different colors isn’t great, and its ETB ability won’t always hit something.  It probably will in the early game, but after that sometimes you’ll just be getting information.  And while information isn’t bad, it isn’t really a return on your investment either.  I think this is just a C+.

206 - Ob Nixilis, the Adversary - A

This looks like a very good 3 mana walker.  He can protect himself with Devil tokens, which always wreak havoc in Limited, and while his +1 isn’t incredible, it does pressure your opponent or pick apart their hand.  And there are enough demons and devils in the set that gaining life isn’t out of the question either.  His ultimate isn’t going to be super easy to get to, but if you can it might finish off your opponent or draw you a ton of cards! Adding Casualty to the mix is particularly spicy, because getting a copy of this planeswalker is pretty awesome, even if it starts only a single loyalty.  Your opponent will have a heck of a time taking down both of them!  I think this is a bomb.  I’m giving it an A.

207 - Obscura Ascendancy - F

This doesn’t look very good for Limited.  You have to get this into play, and then start casting spells with the exact right mana value to get it going – in other words, you have to cast a one mana spell, then a two mana one, and so on to actually get the tokens.  Now, if you just get two tokens out of it that’s probably alright, but I think even doing that is going to be a bit challenging in a non-constructed deck. This is a neat design, but it doesn’t feel like one that is intended to be playable in Limited.  This feels like an F.

208 - Obscura Charm - B

This is another very nice charm.  You’ll most frequently choose the removal option, but if you happen to have the mana up for this at the right time the fact it can be a counterspell is pretty nice too, especially because you can leave the mana up and choose any of these three effects, so you won’t ever get burned if your opponent plays around it.  The reanimation effect is fairly restrictive, but this set has enough multicolored cards that it will work reasonably often.  I think this is a B.

209 - Obscura Interceptor - B+

This looks pretty great.  You can flash it in to bounce a spell back to your opponents hand, while also getting a Connive trigger that will make it a 4/2 with lifelink in some cases.  It isn’t quite a 2-for-1 situation, since you are only gaining tempo and not a whole card, but this is going to feel pretty good when you cast it.  I’m giving it a B+.

210 - Ognis, the Dragon’s Lash - B-

At worst, this is a 4-mana 3/3 with Haste that makes a Treasure when it attacks, but there is also plenty of other Haste in the format thanks to the Blitz mechanic, and this is a pretty nice payoff for Blitzing, as it helps make sure you get even more value left after your creature gets sacrificed.  I’m giving it a B-.

211 - Park Heights Pegasus - B

A two mana 2/1 with Flying and Trample is something you always play, and this has pretty real upside, since you’ll be able to draw a card off of it reasonably often in a format with tons of ways to make creature tokens.  I think this is a B.

212 - Queza, Augur of Agonies - B

This looks pretty good!  It has some subpar stats, but it will also drain your opponent a life every single turn at a minimum.  That sort of effect can really allow you to stabilize against aggressive opponents, as it helps you stay just out of reach of their lethal damage and things eventually start to snowball.  This is especially true when you couple this with Connive and other draw effects.  I’m giving this a B.

213 - Raffine, Scheming Seer - A-

A 3-mana ¼ with Ward 1 is a decent starting point, and this has a pretty powerful effect.  I’d be pretty happy if all it did was loot, but the Connive mechanic lets you loot and gives you the option of cashing in nonlands you might have for immediate value in the form of +1/+1 counters.  And if you’re attacking with enough stuff, you could end up with a lot of counters – and even just one seems pretty nice.  Playing this on turn three is going to be pretty tough to beat, though keep in mind even in a format with good mana like this one, doing that consistently isn’t always going to be doable.  It does have a pretty big impact all game long too, though if you’re in a situation wher eyou can’t attack it will be a bit of a bummer.  I’m giving this an A-.

214 - Rakish Revelers - C+

A 5-mana 5/3 that makes a 1/1 is something I would already sign up for, so the fact that it can fix your mana earlier in the game is some upside on a card that’s already quite playable.  I’m giving this a C+.

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216 - Riveteers Ascendancy - D+ // B+

This has the potential to be downright absurd.  The Blitz and Casualty mechanics provide you the ways to sacrifice things that are necessary to trigger this, and there are other ways to sacrifice your creatures too!  I do think this probably needs a buildaround grade, because you can’t really play it in anything but a deck with 7+ ways to sacrifice creatures.  If you play it in a deck with less than that, you are going to find this does nothing too often.  I do think that looks very doable, though. Just getting something back the first time you sacrifice a creature on each turn is a big deal, as it really takes away the downside of sacrificing in the first place, and sometimes may even let you cheat something big into play.  But yeah, this is probably like a d+ in your typical Riveteers deck, but I think it has a ceiling around a B+.

217 -  Riveteers Charm - B

You’re mostly going to want to choose the first mode on this one – and that’s fine, because its pretty good! Most of the time your opponent’s best creature will be the one that they are forced to sacrifice, and its great that if you’re in a situation where that mode doesn’t do enough, you can choose the second mode.  Casting this at the end of your opponents turn in the later game will often basically just draw you three cards.  In the earlier game that mode isn’t great, though.   Exiling graveyards not as big of a deal, but its upside on a card with two pretty nice modes. I’m giving this a B.

218 - Rocco, Cabaretti Caretaker - B

This is a neat design.  The main idea here is that you get to trigger Alliance twice when you cast Rocco, but being able to search up some stuff is pretty sweet.  I mean, if you pay 4 and get a 3/1 and a 1/1, you’re doing pretty well, and things pretty much scale from there.  Paying almost anything for X is going to feel good, though make sure you have something to search up.  You won’t always at one, for example.  The rest of the mana values are probably going to be easier to make work.  I’m giving this a B.

219 - Scheming Accomplice - C+

This has some pretty incredible upside – not only doing the Pithing Needle thing to a permanent but also stealing its activated abilities.  Problem is, in Limited, there will be many instances where that part of the card is just irrelevant.  There just isn’t always something around worth naming, and you don’t have enough knowledge of the opposing deck most of the time to name something relevant.  Its still a two mana ⅔ with upside, and there will be times where it feels incredible – but other times it will just feel Vanilla.  I think this is a C+.

220 - Security Rhox - B-

This looks pretty good.  A 4 mana 5/4 is already above rate, and there are enough treasures in the set that you can power it out for 2. You shouldn't expect to do it early, but playing this and a three drop on turn 5 sounds pretty good. I am giving this a B-.

221 - Shattered Seraph - C

The initial card you get isn’t great – a 7-mana 4/4 Flyer that gains you 3 life would probably be something like a D+.  It is a real body and the life gain is nice, but by that stage of the game the size may not be enough.  And..the other side of the card isn’t great either, as paying 2 mana to fix your mana hurts pretty bad.  However, what saves this card from being awful is the fact that you can still cast it from exile, so eventually you can get both parts of the card going.  Sometimes it won’t be worth doing the exile part of course, but this looks solid overall.  I’m giving it a C.

222 - Snooping Newsie - C

This seems solid. Early it is a decent creature that loads your graveyard, and in the later game it becomes a 3/3 lifelinker, something that has an impact on most boards.  I do think it will be a little challenging to get it going, but the set seems to have enough ways to load the graveyard that it will be doable. I think this is a C.

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224 -

225 - Stimulus Package - B-

This seems pretty nice.  It can ramp and fix for you, and the ability to turn all your tokens into creatures is pretty nice, especially because of the Alliance and Casualty mechanics.  It is definitely a little slow, but you can add to the board right away with it if you want to by giving up those treasures.  Red-Green seems to have a lot of treasure nonsense going on, so I don’t think this needs a buildaround grade.  I’m giving it a B-.

226 - Syndicate Infiltrator - B

This looks pretty good. The base of a 4-mana 3/3 Flyer is perfectly fine, and loading your graveyard enough for this to get the boost is pretty doable by the mid to late game.  I’m giving this a B.

227 - Tainted Indulgence - C+

In the early game, this is two mana to draw two and discard one, and if you do a good job of loading up your graveyard with different mana values, it becomes a two mana draw two.  Like I’ve said about all of these cards that check for five mana values in the graveyard – it will be doable, but not super easy to get them going.  Still, I think the base mode of this card is probably a C, while the draw two mode is like a B or B+.  I think I’ll split the difference and give this a C+.

228 - Toluz, Clever Conductor - B-

This is a neat design.  Like all of these hybrid cards, you can play it in a whole bunch of different decks!  Then, this is a creature that will often be a 3/1 or a 4/2 that nets you a card when it dies, and that is high enough power that your opponent can’t just ignore it completely.  And sure, if its a 3/1 that means you’re getting a land back when it does die, but a card’s a card! The one kind of awkard thing is that lots of Obscura decks will have stuff they want in the graveyard, and this won’t let you do that.  It could be a pretty sweet thing to sacrifice for Casualty in some situations too.  I think overall, this is a B-.

229 - Unleash the Inferno - B+

4 mana to do 7 at instant speed is pretty good, and will allow you to kill almost anything – unless it has a pesky Shield counter.  Its nice that it has the upside of blowing up artifacts or enchantments if you do lethal damage, and that will probably actually come up sometimes, but most of the card’s value just comes from it being a removal spell – and a really good one.  I’m giving it a B+.

230 - Void Rend - B+

This is great removal, since it can deal with anything, and being uncounterable might even come up on occasion! The downside of course is the mana cost, which you won’t always be able to get when you really want to cast this card, but mana is good enough in this format that this still seems really good.  I’m giving it a B+.

231 - Ziatora, the Incinerator - A

This is great.  It is a huge Flyer that can do a ton of damage all on its own, and then it comes with a very strong ability that lets it throw one of your other creatures at anything, while also generating treasure tokens.  This means that most of the time, you’ll at least get to sacrifice something with Ziatora before your opponent has removal.  You won’t always have something to sacrifice, but you will pretty often, and those treasure can really help soften the blow of giving up the creature.  And the ability can kill creatures or finish off an opponent!  I think this is a bomb.  I’m giving it an A.

232 - Ziatora’s Envoy - A-

This is really good.  It has above rate stats and at worst will draw you a card when it damages the opponent.  It can also let you put a land directly into play or – best of all, cast something for free!  An dsure, a 4 toughness creature isn’t often going to survive attacking by the time it comes down, but it doesn’t really need to – it is going to get you a 2-for-1 in most cases.  The fact it has Blitz is nice too, because sometimes you’ll just really want to send this in and get the free card, and your opponents shields are way more likely to be down when you Blitz this in. You end up getting a card from the top in one way or another, getting in for some damage, and drawing a card when the Envoy dies. Obviously if it can attack more than once, you’re just going to win.   I think the whole package here is a bomb.  I’m giving it an A-.

Artifacts:

233 - Arc Spitter - C

This is a pretty interesting piece of Equipment.  My first instinct is that this is probably not very good, since it doesn’t actually augment the stats of the creature you put it on, but this is a card where threat of activation is going to be very real, as it is relatively cheap to take down a blocking creature with the effect.  Now, it does absolutely nothing when you’re on the back foot, and is only good if you’re the beat down, but I think this might be a little better than it looks.  It is cheap to cast, cheap to equip, and its ability is also reasonably costed, so much so that it will make people really think about whether they want to block.  Also, if you combine this with death touch it can be particularly nasty!  I think in aggressive decks this is actually a decent playable.  I’m giving it a C.

234 - Brass Knuckles - D

This is a reall roundabout way to give one of your creatures double strike! You basically pay 4 mana and then 1 to equip the original one as well as the copy.  That’s..not a great rate.  And yeah, it gets better in situations where you can buff the creature, but the Knuckles don’t actually buff the thing at all, so it had better already be a pretty good attacker.  It gets especially ugly in situations where your opponent can deal with one of the copies, and then your creature just loses double strike on the spot – and there isn’t really enough good Equipment around for this to work that often without its copy.  I think this is just a D.

235 - Cement Shoes - C-

They are trying pretty hard to make Enormous Energy Blade-like cards good.  And…that’s pretty tough to do! Obviously, the casting cost and the equip cost are really reasonable for a +3/+3 boost, and at least you can take advantage of it immediately by attacking with the creature you put it on, but the fact that creature gets locked down is rough.  Now, its cheap enough you could move it around so it goes on to a creature that you don’t care about being locked down – like maybe one shut down by an Aura – but that end sup being a lot of mana!  You can also attack with something you know will result in a trade, so you don’t have to worry about moving it.  Basically, this isn’t a bad mana sink to have around in the right situations – and it will definitely make just about any creature into a much better attacker – but the fact that you can’t take advantage of the Equipment on defense is definitely a bummer, as is the downside.  I think this is definitely better than Enormous Energy Blade was, but it still isn’t great.  I’m giving it a C-.

236 - Chrome Cat - D+

This is a 3-mana 3/2 with some tiny upside.  Its probably something that won’t normally make the cut, but it isn’t a disaster to run either.  I’m giving it a D+.

237 - Getaway Car - C

This seems decent, but not much more than that.  While sometimes you’ll be able to get some value out of returning something to your hand, especially in a deck with a lot of the Alliance mechanic in it – there’s also the downside that crewing with this tokens is pretty rough, and you’ll still have lots of cards where you just don’t get a benefit out of it.  And, sure, the upside is an efficient easy-to-crew vehicle, but I think this is probably just a C.

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239 -

240 - Luxior, Glada’s Gift - C+

This is a pretty neat design, but it doesn’t feel like it will be great in Limited.  For one thing, your chances of having a planeswalker are Limited.  For another, you need to have at least a couple of counters on your creature for the equip cost of three to really feel like you’re getting your value back. The good news is there are counters in this format – especially in Brokers and Obscura, and in those decks it will be something you always play.  But I don’t think it will ever be great.  I’m giving this a C+.

241 -

242 -

243 -

244 - Scuttling Buttler - C+

This is definitely a build around, because a 3-mana 4/1 just isn’t worth it in your typical deck.  It is probably a D at best.  However, the upside here is actually kind of nuts, as giving a 4/1 double strike is pretty amazing.  Your deck needs to be able to give this double strike a significant chunk of the time, and the good news is that looks like it can happen in many decks in this format, though it is perhaps the easiest in Green-White or Cabaretti more broadly, because of Citizen tokens which are both colors.  So yeah, this is probably a D in your typical Limited deck, and a C+ in a deck with enough multicolored creatures.

245 - Suspicious Bookcase - C-

This is a reprint, and a pretty uninteresting one! It wasn’t particularly good last time we saw it, but it wasn’t a disaster either.  It has okayish defensive stats and can send things in unblocked late.  You’ll play it in some more controlling decks.  I’m giving it a C-.

246 - Unlicensed Hearse - B+

This is pretty interesting. This format seems like it will have many well-stocked graveyards, and this simultaneously hates ont hem while also becoming absolutely massive as the game goes on, at which point Crew 2 is going to be a very reasonable cost.  Now, the problem is there won’t always be things to exile, even in this format, but it still feels like it is going to be pretty good – kind of like Lion Sash in Kamigawa – or the more famous Scavenging Ooze  – though not quite as good, since it is a Vehicle. The trade off is that it can exile stuff for no mana at all, and it doesn’t care what kind of cards get exiled – it grows either way and that seems pretty sweet.   I think this is probably a B+.  There will be times where it just can’t grow that hold it back, but this is going ot take over a lot of games when it comes down.

Lands:

Common Dual-Land Cycle - C+

These offer good fixing, and being able to pitch them for a whole card in the late game is really nice, as it offers you some flood insurance and gives you somethign to do with all your mana.  Like most duals, this is something you should value as a C+.  It will really help your mana, and that’s more important than normal in a set with a big 3-color focus.

Family-Specific Fetches - C+

This is some more very nice fixing for the format, which isn’t a huge surprise since three colors is what this format is all about.  This is basically a more narrow Evolving Wilds, but one that also gains you a life – and it doesn’t have to tap either, though that isn’t coming up much in Limited.  You definitely will play these in a lot of your decks, as they’ll be nice for mana.  They don’t have the late game upside of the dual land cycle, so I think I would rank them a little lower, but they get the same grade -  a C+.

Tricycle Lands - C+

These all offer really great fixing for a set with three color factions, and adding Cycling to the mix is actually a pretty big deal, because it means if you’re flooding late, this is a land you can just throw away.  The fact they all have three land types also provides for some additional upside.  I’m giving this a C+.