Hopefully you tuned in for Tiago’s first half of our Limited set review last week. Today I’ll be finishing things off with Red, Green, Artifacts, and Lands.
To recap, we used at 1-10 rating system to give loose values to the cards and give you an idea where they fit on the power curve. Some people expressed concerns in the forums of Tiago’s article that the values may have been slightly off because card X was slightly better than card Y. I want to reiterate that these are loose values, and I plan on doing more in-depth strategy guides in the coming weeks so that you know which cards fit into which archetypes and how their values change based on situations. This review is essentially a base valuation of the entire set as well as some ideas as to which cards work well with others and some combinations that might be worth trying out. I hope that things are clearer for the second half, as I think it’s pointless to bicker about slight number differences in the forums. If you have a strong disagreement with how we rated a card I certainly want to hear about that, but please don’t say why is this card a 6 when one that may be slightly better is rated as a 5 because it would take forever to lay the entire set out and completely rate the cards. Making things even tougher is that Tiago and I live worlds apart, and our discussion for these articles was limited to sporadic conversation online.
Boldwyr Heavyweights
2RR
Creature – Giant Warrior (Rare)
Trample
When Boldwyr Heavyweights comes into play, each opponent may search his or her library for a creature card and put it into play. Then each player who searched his or her library this way shuffles it.
8/8
Nick: 2
If you want my honest opinion, this card is going to be almost unplayable in all but the most unusual of circumstances. The problem is that there are too many creatures like Aethersnipe, Shriekmaw, or Sower of Temptation that can completely screw you over if you play this guy. There’s also the chance that they just search out something huge and then kill it (or even worse: bounce it). My simple advice is to completely stay away from this.
While I’m at it I do want to mention that the one time I would sideboard this in would be late in a team draft when we know most of the cards in my opponent’s deck and know that playing this won’t be a liability. This is very rare, so unless you’re sure you should just stay away from it.
Tiago: 3
I wouldn’t want to play this card, but I’m giving it some respect since I can see myself losing to it. If the best body I can find is smaller than it, and I don’t have removal, I’ll need to block it with multiple creatures and expose myself to tricks. It adds too much uncertainty and a very big effect (for one of the sides) with no good chance to recover afterwards.
Boldwyr Intimidator
5RR
Creature – Giant Warrior (Uncommon)
Cowards can’t block Warriors.
R: Target creature becomes a Coward until end of turn.
2R: Target creature becomes a Warrior until end of turn.
5/5
Nick: 6
Some people have told me that you don’t really need this guy if you’re in Giants, and while that may be true he is still a wrecking ball. Every time I’ve played him in that archetype he’s ended the game within two turns (or I was dead anyway). It’s nice to have Stinkdrinker Daredevil to help power him out. Tiago also mentioned that he is excellent in the GR Elf/Warrior archetype, which is a good point.
Tiago: 5
Borderland Behemoth
5RR
Creature – Giant Warrior (Rare)
Trample
Borderland Behemoth gets +4/+4 for each other Giant you control.
4/4
Nick & Tiago: 7
This guy is pretty huge in the Giant archetype and pretty bad everywhere else. Thankfully he has Trample, so he’s something we’ll actually want, unlike Hamletback Goliath.
Brighthearth Banneret
1R
Creature – Elemental Warrior (Common)
Elemental spells and Warrior spells you play cost 1 less to play.
Reinforce 1 – 1R (1R, Discard this card: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature)
1/1
Nick: 7 or 8
I love this card. In my opinion this is the best Banneret for two main reasons. First, Elementals and Warriors are expensive dudes and can really use the extra accelleration. Next, he’s not a dead card in the late game (like Stonybrook Banneret), as you can just use him as a +1/+1 counter.
Tiago: 7
Countryside Crusher
1RR
Creature – Giant Warrior (Rare)
At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal the top card of your library. If it’s a land card, put it into your graveyard and repeat this process.
Whenever a land card is put into your graveyard from anywhere, put a +1/+1 counter on Countryside Crusher.
3/3
Nick & Tiago: 8
We talked about this card for quite a bit online before deciding that it will just win the game too often to not be an 8. Obviously it’s better in Constructed, with sixty cards instead of forty and the fact that you can build around it. It will also suck if this gets a Weight of Conscience or Glimmerdust Nap stuck on it.
Fire Juggler
2R
Creature – Goblin Shaman (Common)
Whenever Fire Juggler becomes blocked, clash with an opponent. If you win, Fire Juggler deals 4 damage to each creature blocking it.
2/2
Nick: 5
While this guy is better than I initially thought, it’s still kind of filler. It will never seem that great when you have it in play, but it is also very annoying to block as you can just get screwed by the Clash ability. Maybe it’s even good enough for a 6 in the right deck, but the point is that it’s playable and not amazing.
Tiago: 6
While I wouldn’t want to play with this card, trying to block it is very annoying. I wouldn’t be bold enough to suicidally attack this into a 3/3 hoping to get lucky in the clash, but this can attack into opposing 2/2s and 2/1s, where the clash acts as a bonus if you win, but if you lose it you aren’t hurt as both players just traded creatures.
Hostile Realm
2R
Enchantment – Aura (Common)
Enchant land.
Enchanted land has “T: Target creature can’t block this turn.”
Nick & Tiago: 5
This is awesome in an aggressive deck and pretty bad otherwise. If you have to consider whether or not you should play this, then the answer is probably no. This is another nice piece of the puzzle for GR Warriors.
Kindled Fury
R
Instant (Common)
Target creature get +1/+0 and gains first strike until end of turn.
Nick & Tiago: 6
A nice trick for the aggresive deck, and also very cheap.
Lightning Crafter
3R
Creature – Goblin Shaman (Rare)
Champion a Goblin or Shaman (When this comes into play, sacrifice it unless you remove another Goblin or Shaman you control from the game. When this leaves play, that card returns to play.)
T: Lightning Crafter deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
3/3
Nick & Tiago: 8
This guy is pretty self-explanatory, and clearly a bomb in a deck that can support him.
Lunk Errant
5R
Creature – Giant Warrior (Common)
Whenever Lunk Errant attacks alone, it gets +1/+1 and gains trample until end of turn.
4/4
Nick & Tiago: 6
This is no Axegrinder but it’s slightly easier to cast and still comes down on turn 4 after a turn 3 Stinkdrinker. Having duplicates is always a good thing, as with Whirlpool Whelm and Disperse.
Mudbutton Clanger
R
Creature – Goblin Warrior (Common)
Kinship – At the beginning of your upkeep, you may look at the top card of your library. If it shares a creature type with Mudbutton Clanger, you may reveal it. If you do, Mudbutton Clanger gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
1/1
Nick & Tiago: 2
Toilet paper anyone? Seriously, why would you ever play this?
Pyroclast Consul
3RR
Creature – Elemental Shaman (Uncommon)
Kinship – At the beginning of your upkeep, you may look at the top card of your library. If it shares a creature type with Pyroclast Consul, you may reveal it. If you do, Pyroclast Consul deals 2 damage to each creature.
3/3
Nick & Tiago: 8
Pyroclasm that you can choose whether or not you want to use and possibly get multiple uses out of it is pretty sick. The only thing I have against this guy is that he tends to kill most of your men if you’re in an aggressive Elemental build. Then again, you don’t have to ‘Clasm so he’s still very good.
Rage Forger
2R
Creature – Elemental Shaman (Uncommon)
When Rage Forger comes into play, put a +1/+1 counter on each other Shaman creature you control.
Whenever a creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it attacks, you may have that creature deal 1 damage to target player.
2/2
Nick & Tiago: 7
I love all of the new lords, and this one is no exception. It’s nice that he doesn’t have to be out first either, and can be used like Meadowboon to power up your guys and kill your opponent very quickly. This could easily be a 9 in the right deck.
Release the Ants
1R
Instant (Uncommon)
Release the Ants deals 1 damage to target creature or player. Clash with an opponent. If you win, return Release the Ants to its owner’s hand.
Nick & Tiago: 6
Despite what you may have read in the forums of Tiago’s half of the review, this is not Pyromatics. It’s still a pretty decent card and you may end up getting multiple uses of it, but I certainly wouldn’t count on it.
Rivals’ Duel
3R
Sorcery (Uncommon)
Choose two target creatures that share no creature types. Each of those creatures deals damage equal to its power to the other.
Nick & Tiago: 7
I have yet to see anyone kill two guys with this card, and Tiago seconded this when I asked him about it, but the potential is certainly there. It’s tough with everything being tribal and Changelings everywhere but this is still a strong removal spell and worth one of your early picks.
Roar of the Crowd
3R
Sorcery (Common)
Choose a creature type. Roar of the Crowd deals damage to target creature or player equal to the number of permanents of that type you control.
Nick: 5
Tiago seemed to like this one a little more than me. It’s just hard to make good, consistent use out of this for more than two damage, and while it will shine in a deck that can produce tokens or as a good splash card for Merfolk, it’s just not that exciting in general.
Tiago: 6
While I don’t think this to be a strong card it is still situational removal, though it might be hard to kill big creatures. It has the option to deal the final points of damage, just like a Tarfire to the face. Overall, it’s a passable card to have, but not that good unless in some specific tribal situations.
Seething Pathblazer
2R
Creature – Elemental Warrior (Common)
Sacrifice an Elemental: Seething Pathblazer gets +2/+0 and gains first strike until end of turn.
2/2
Nick: 5
My roommate had a deck with three of these and two Spitebellows and it was pretty good. In general this is another aggressive Red dude and I think it actually might be a 6 or 7 in that type of build. In general it doesn’t fit into most decks and will just be an Ogre so keep an eye out for it if you can consistently activate it.
Tiago: 5
It might be rated higher, I just don’t feel attracted to nor happy to play with random aggro vanilla creatures.
Sensation Gorger
1RR
Creature – Goblin Shaman (Rare)
Kinship – At the beginning of your upkeep, you may look at the top card of your library. If it shares a creature type with Sensation Gorger you may reveal it. If you do, each player discards his or her hand and draws four cards.
2/2
Nick: 7 in Goblins
I’ve had this twice in Goblins, and it’s been sick both times. You tend to run out of steam in that archetype unless you’ve drafted a few Pilferers, and this guy is a way to reload and possibly even screw your opponent over. The best thing here is that if you’re ahead on board and activating will allow you both to draw extra cards, you don’t have to use it. Just like the Pyroclast Consul, this guy is excellent in his designated archetype.
Tiago: 6
Shard Volley
R
Instant (Common)
As an additional cost to play Shard Volley, sacrifice a land.
Shard Volley deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
Nick & Tiago: 7
This is best in the later turns of the game when you can play a guy and also kill something and really apply the pressure to your opponent. Whatever the case, it’s a cheap removal spell and should be picked accordingly.
Shared Animosity
2R
Enchantment (Rare)
Whenever a creature you control attacks, it gets +1/+0 until the end of turn for each other attacking creature that shares a creature type with it.
Nick & Tiago: 3
This seems like a card I will end up playing at some point, but it’s not going to be good very often. If it’s something you want you should know it at that point in the draft, and you don’t have to go out of your way to make sure it ends up in your pile as nobody else will want it.
Spitebellows
5R
Creature – Elemental (Uncommon)
When Spitebellows leaves play, it deals 6 damage to target creature.
Evoke 1RR (You may play this spell for its evoke cost. If you do, it’s sacrificed when it comes into play.)
6/1
Nick & Tiago: 8
This is certainly no Firemaw Kavu, but it’s a good removal spell for the cost and can sometimes come down as a guy in the late game. You do have to be very careful, as this can easily backfire and end up killing one of your own men. My advice is to Evoke or proceed with caution.
Stingmoggie
3R
Creature – Elemental (Common)
Stingmoggie comes into play with two +1/+1 counters on it.
3R, Remove a +1/+1 counter from Stingmoggie: Destroy target artifact or land.
0/0
Nick & Tiago: 3
For some unknown reason Mike Patnik loved this card at the prerelease. This is okay as a sideboard answer to Artifacts, or possibly in a deck with multiple Smokebraiders where you can actually kill two lands before turn 11.
Stomping Slabs
2R
Sorcery (Uncommon)
Reveal the top seven cards of your library, then put those cards on the bottom of your library in any order. If a card named Stomping Slabs was revealed this way, Stomping Slabs deals 7 damage to target creature or player.
Nick & Tiago: 1
Even if you had three or four of these they wouldn’t be playable, so don’t get any ideas.
Sunflare Shaman
1R
Creature – Elemental Shaman (Common)
1R, T: Sunflare Shaman deals X damage to target creature or player and X damage to itself, where X is the number of Elemental cards in your graveyard.
2/1
Nick & Tiago: 7 in aggro Elementals
I think this card is probably closer to a 6 and not very good in normal decks. We decided to rate it based on the heavy-Red Elemental builds, since you won’t want it anywhere else.
Taurean Mauler
2R
Creature – Shapeshifter (Rare)
Changeling (This card is every creature type at all times)
Whenever an opponent plays a spell, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Taurean Mauler.
The power of a waterfall. The fury of an avalanche. The intellect of a gale-force wind.
2/2
Nick & Tiago: 8
Do I really have to explain this one? It’s a Changeling Forgotten Ancient as far as Limited is concerned. What’s that, you say? It can’t spread the counters around? See if that matters if they play it on turn 3 and you can’t kill it.
Titan’s Revenge
XRR
Sorcery (Rare)
Titan’s Revenge deals X damage to target creature or player. Clash with an opponent. If you win, return Titan’s Revenge to its owner’s hand.
Nick: 10
Tiago’s point here was that the only card in the block he’d rate as a 10 is Profane Command. While it’s a moot point, I strongly disagree as this is a Fireball in Limited and it has the potential to come back, which is totally unnecessary.
Tiago: 9
A nine. Ten doesn’t really matter, as you’ll see this card and, if you can cast it, you’ll pick it over anything else in the pack.
Vengeful Firebrand
3R
Creature – Elemental Warrior (Rare)
Vengeful Firebrand has haste as long as a Warrior card is in your graveyard.
R: Vengeful Firebrand gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
5/2
Nick & Tiago: 7
If you have the deck to give this Haste then it can kill someone completely out of nowhere. If you don’t have a lot of Warriors it will still be fine, but unspectacular.
War-Spike Changeling
3R
Creature – Shapeshifter (Common)
Changeling
R: War-Spike Changeling gains first strike until end of turn.
3/3
Nick & Tiago: 7 or 8
We couldn’t settle on a rating here because this guy is always excellent when in play. I think he’s probably an 8 but it doesn’t really matter too much. The point is pick him highly in any archetype and he will be exceptional.
Ambassador Oak
3G
Creature – Treefolk Warrior (Common)
When Ambassador Oak comes into play, put a 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature token into play.
3/3
Nick & Tiago: 8
This card is far better than a 4/4 for four mana, and it also creates two Warriors if you happen to be in that deck. I’m not sure what else to say except that this is good for both offensive and defensive measures.
Bosk Banneret
1G
Creature – Treefolk Shaman (Common)
Treefolk spells and Shaman spells you play cost 1 less to play.
1/3
Nick & Tiago: 6
Treefolk are more expensive than other tribes and there are a decent number of Shamans around too. This guy is also a good blocker, though that doesn’t add much if you’re in Treefolk since basically nothing is getting through on the ground anyway.
Bramblewood Paragon
1G
Creature – Elf Warrior (Uncommon)
Each other Warrior creature you control comes into play with an additional +1/+1 counter on it.
Each creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it has trample.
2/2
Nick & Tiago: 8
I think this is easily a 9 if you have double digit Warriors (which isn’t too hard to come by since Elf tokens count). The Trample ability isn’t too too relevant but can help, and it’s nice that this guy is a bear.
Chameleon Colossus
2GG
Creature – Shapeshifter (Rare)
Changeling (This card is every creature type at all times)
Protection from Black
2GG: Chameleon Colossus gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is equal to its power.
4/4
Nick & Tiago: 9
This is another card I think is a 10, but I’ll stay conservative on my rating and reserve 10 for Fireball effects. Seriously though, if this comes down on turn 4, what exactly are you going to do about it besides chump block until you die? It gets even sillier in the late game, and I don’t even want to describe what happened when I saw someone win the clash on Fistful of Force and then activate the ability.
Cream of the Crop
1G
Enchantment (Rare)
Whenever a creature comes into play under your control, you may look at the top X cards of your library, where X is that creature’s power. If you do, put one of those cards on top of your library and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
Nick: 4
Tiago told me he likes this card, but personally I consider it to be garbage. Even in a deck full of large men, what exactly are you digging for? I could be wrong but I can’t see myself playing this anytime in the near future.
Tiago: 6
The top of your deck is like the 8th card in your hand, especially in this block. With the Clash mechanic it’s almost an independent zone. This allows you to have a little control over what’s in there, and it provides you card selection for the rest of the game. In practice, I think that should mean you won’t mana flood that often in the late game, in a similar way that a hidden gem rare in Ravnica – Mindmoil – did. Of course, you can still be unlucky and hit a land pocket, but in that way you were going to lose the late game anyway. Sometimes you’ll need to put a good spell on top, so the chain of “Cream of the Crop” is temporarly over.
Deglamer
1G
Instant (Common)
Choose target artifact or enchantment. Its owner shuffles it into his or her library.
Sideboard option. We didn’t even rate this because you are never maindecking it, and it’s not even that good at what it does.
“Oh look! I topdecked my Bitterblossom again.”
Earthbrawn
1G
Instant (Common)
Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Reinforce 1 – 1G (1G, Discard this card: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.)
Nick & Tiago: 8
As some people have already said, the Reinforce on this probably gets used more on average than actually casting it. This is because a lot of the creatures are the same size. It doesn’t hurt to have the +3/+3 there to finish someone off during an alpha-strike.
Elvish Warrior
GG
Creature – Elf Warrior (Common)
2/3
Nick & Tiago: 6
I wonder if Ken Krouner would want to do another Dilemma article involving this guy and another Green common that I think is better (which is most of them)? This guy is fine, and fits nicely in the Elf tribe.
Everbark Shaman
4G
Creature – Treefolk Shaman (Common)
T, Remove a Treefolk card in your graveyard from the game: Search your library for up to two Forest cards and put them into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.
3/5
Nick: 5
I have yet to have a good experience with this guy. It’s not like he really adds anything to the Treefolk archetype, since he can’t block fliers and is just another big, dumb, ground man. Woohoo, I can search out two more Forests when I’m already at five mana. Big deal. Take other Green commons over this, and only play it if you really need something in that slot.
Tiago: 6
Fertilid
2G
Creature – Elemental (Common)
Fertilid comes into play with two +1/+1 counters on it.
1G, Remove a +1/+1 counter from Fertilid: Target player searches his or her library for a basic land card and puts it into play tapped. Then that player shuffles his or her library.
0/0
Nick & Tiago: 5
I liked this guy when I saw him on the spoiler, but after playing more with him I’m not so excited anymore. He’s really cumbersome to use, and you are just getting more lands while they are building their board. He definitely helps with splashes and accellerating to bigger men, but you shouldn’t really jump out of your seat when you get one 7th pick.
Game-Trail Changeling
3GG
Creature – Shapeshifter (Common)
Changeling
Trample
4/4
Nick & Tiago: 8
Huge? Check.
Changeling? Check.
Protection from Black? Damnit.
At least he has Trample for consolation, right? Not everyone can be a Chameleon Collosus guys. Nevertheless, this guy is common and a real house in this format.
Gilt-Leaf Archdruid
3GG
Creature – Elf Druid (Rare)
Whenever you play a Druid spell, you may draw a card.
Tap seven untapped Druids you control: Gain control of all lands target player controls.
3/3
Nick: 6
Tiago told me about some deck he recently had with double digit Druids which seems like an unlikely occurrence to me. This guy is fine, but you’re never activating the second ability under normal circumstances, and you should be happy if you draw a card off a Changeling.
Tiago: 7
Knowing the cards you have in your pile at the point you see him should help you decide if he’s any use to you. For example, multiple Leaf Gliders and Changelings make him a fine guy. I was amazed at how many Druids I had in one particular draft. I rate it a little higher than Nick because if your opponent plays it you never know how much he can abuse it. It may be just a Snidd, which is most likely… or it may be a ridiculous card advantage engine.
Greatbow Doyen
4G
Creature – Elf Archer (Rare)
Other Archer creatures you control get +1/+1.
Whenever an Archer creature you control deals damage to a creature, that Archer deals that much damage to that creature’s controller.
2/4
Nick & Tiago: 6
Another Changeling lord that is a passable body for the cost. Why doesn’t this have Reach? Seriously, the point of Archers is that they shoot things out of the air, right? Get with it, Wizards… if this had Reach it would be excellent.
Heritage Druid
G
Creature – Elf Druid (Uncommon)
Tap three untapped Elves you control: Add GGG to your mana pool.
1/1
Nick: 2
Even if I was screwing around I couldn’t see myself playing this card. It just doesnt do anything! Then again, Tiago says it’s better than I’m giving it credit for, so who knows?
Tiago: 4
It’s not that hard to rate this higher than a 2, which is completely unplayable. I would be sad if I was running this card, and even when I had double digits Druids with the Gilt-Leaf Archdruid I wasn’t playing him. But I’ve seen some guys playing with him at our local draft store, so it’s a little better than your typical one mana 1/1, since it has a small ability and a relevant creature type.
Hunting Triad
3G
Tribal Sorcery – Elf (Uncommon)
Put three 1/1 green Elf Warrior creature tokens into play.
Reinforce 3 – (3G, Discard this card: put three +1/+1 counters on target creature.)
Nick: 9
Either side of this card is absolutely ridiculous. What about the old Gilt-Leaf Ambush, Hunting Triad, Elvish Promenade curve? Reinforce 3 is so sick that it can often win the game instantly if they don’t have a Banishing effect or Oblivion Ring. This card is just WOW.
Tiago: 8
While I’m unsure about giving it a 9, I would pick it over all the other Green cards to which I gave an 8.
Leaf-Crowned Elder
2GG
Creature – Treefolk Shaman (Rare)
Kinship – At the beginning of your upkeep, you may look at the top card of your library. If it shares a creature type with Leaf-Crowned Elder, you may reveal it. If you do, you may play that card without paying its mana cost.
3/5
Nick & Tiago: 8
Very strong, for obvious reasons. This is something the Treefolk player can hope to get 3rd or 4th, since the archetype seems to be underdrafted in general. Then again… if someone has Runed Stalactite they can just take this anyway and pray to combine powers and play any Tribal spell off the top for free.
Luminescent Rain
2G
Instant (Common)
Choose a creature type. You gain 2 life for each permanent you control of that type.
Nick & Tiago: 1
I’m a fan of lifegain like Feudkiller’s Verdict or Judge of Currents… but seriously, no.
Just don’t.
Lys Alana Bowmaster
2G
Creature – Elf Archer (Common)
Reach
Whenever you play an Elf spell, you may have Lys Alana Bowmaster deal 2 damage to target creature with flying.
2/2
Nick: 8
I talked about this card in my Elves and Kithkin updates article a few weeks back. I love this card, and it fills a huge hole in the Elf archetype.
Tiago: 7
Against a deck with no fliers, it’s just another vanilla creature, but as Nick pointed out to me, there aren’t many color combinations without them.
Orchard Warden
4GG
Creature – Treefolk Shaman (Uncommon)
Whenever another Treefolk creature comes into play under your control, you may gain life equal to that creature’s toughness.
4/6
Nick & Tiago: 7 in Treefolk, 5 otherwise
Self explanatory. This is lifegain I can get behind, and it becomes very difficult to lose when you cast this guy and start dumping Treefolk out as they all have big butts. All you need is some Bosk Bannerets to accellerate this bad boy out a couple turns early.
Reach of Branches
4G
Tribal Instant – Treefolk (Rare)
Put a 2/5 green Treefolk Shaman creature token into play under your control.
Whenever a Forest comes into play under your control, you may return Reach of Branches from your graveyard to your hand.
Nick & Tiago: 8
The fact that this just comes back when you play a land is just silly. One of my friends had this with Thorntooth Witch at the prerelease. Go ahead and try beating that combo. The best part is that this is good in any deck with Forests.
Recross the Paths
2G
Sorcery (Uncommon)
Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a land card. Put that card into play and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order. Clash with an opponent. If you win, return Recross the Paths into its owner’s hand
Nick & Tiago: 5
Meh. The best part of Rampant Growth is the ability to search out precisely which land you need, and also splash a card by only running one basic land of its type. This doesn’t help either of those things, so I’d rather not play it. If your deck is full of expensive guys and you don’t have color concerns, I guess it’s still fine.
Reins of the Vinesteed
3G
Enchantment – Aura (Common)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2.
When enchanted creature is put into a graveyard, you may return Reins of the Vinesteed from your graveyard to play attached to a creature that shares a creature type with that creature.
Nick & Tiago: 4
An Aura had better be good for all of the risk it entails. This one simply isn’t good enough to be worth it.
Rhys the Exiled
2G
Legendary Creature – Elf Warrior (Rare)
Whenever Rhys the Exiled attacks, you gain 1 life for each Elf you control.
B, Sacrifice an Elf: Regenerate Rhys the Exiled.
Once a famed hunter and packmaster, now a renegade seeking his own path.
3/2
Nick & Tiago: 8 in Elves, 6 elsewhere
This guy is like Troll Ascetic in Elves, except that he gains life too. In other decks he’s just a man, so he’s still playable and may be able to regenerate off a few cards, which is nice.
Scapeshift
2GG
Sorcery (Rare)
Sacrifice any number of lands. Search your library for that many land cards, put them into play tapped, then shuffle your library.
Nick & Tiago: 4
This doesn’t do enough for the cost. I realize you can Mana Severance yourself with it, but unless you have two Horde of Notions and not enough fixers I can’t really see playing with this.
Unstoppable Ash
3G
Creature – Treefolk Warrior (Rare)
Trample
Champion a Treefolk or Warrior (When this comes into play, sacrifice it unless you remove another Treefolk or Warrior from the game. When this leaves play, that card returns to play.)
Whenever a creature you control becomes blocked, it gets +0/+5 until end of turn.
5/5
Nick & Tiago: 8
This may also be a 9. The fact that any creature gets the bonus is pretty sick, and this card is also very playable in Elves since you can Champion a Warrior. This guy is such a bomb, and far better than Boggart Mob which is a similar card in a different tribe.
Walker of the Grove
6GG
Creature – Elemental (Uncommon)
When Walker of the Grove leaves play, put a 4/4 green Elemental creature token into play.
Evoke 4G
7/7
Nick & Tiago: 7
The flexibility of five-drop or eight-drop or both is nice here. It sucks when the token gets bounced, but that’s life.
Winnower Patrol
2G
Creature – Elf Warrior (Common)
Kinship – At the beginning of your upkeep, you may look at the top card of your library. If it shares a creature type with Winnower Patrol, you may reveal it. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on Winnower Patrol.
3/2
Nick: 7
I would take this or Walker of the Grove depending on curve issues. I’d always take Ambassador Oak, Earthbrawn, or Game-Trail Changeling over this. Tiago seems to rate them all similar, but agrees with my statements above. I still really don’t consider this an 8, as it’s not a bomb. It’s merely a good creature with an ability that sometimes goes nuts and sometimes does nothing.
Tiago: 8
I think there are many good commons in Morningtide Green. In an Elves theme deck this would be a seven, since it doesn’t add anything to the theme other than a curve creature, but in the aggro Warriors deck the fact that he has the correcr tribal status makes him fine, though still below Ambassador Oak or Earthbrawn.
Wolf-Skull Shaman
1G
Creature – Elf Shaman (Uncommon)
Kinship – At the beginning of your upkeep, you may look at the top card of your library. If it shares a creature type with Wolf-Skull Shaman, you may reveal it. If you do, put a 2/2 green Wolf creature token into play.
2/2
Nick & Tiago: 8
You’ll know by pack 3 exactly how good this is for you. Usually it will either be amazing or unplayable, so the pick will be simple. When it’s good, it’s really good.
Cloak and Dagger
2
Tribal Artifact – Rogue Equipment (Uncommon)
Equipped creature gets +2/+0 and has shroud.
Whenever a Rogue creature comes into play, you may attach Cloak and Dagger to it.
Equip 3
Nick & Tiago: 6 in Rogue, 4 otherwise
This card is pretty bad if you have to pay to attach it, so I’d suggest avoiding that situation. If you’re Rogues, it’s pretty amazing.
Tiago: I wouldn’t call it pretty amazing, but adding extra power to evasive creatures seems good.
Diviner’s Wand
3
Tribal Artifact – Wizard Equipment (Uncommon)
Equipped creature has “Whenever you draw a card, this creature gets +1/+1 and gains flying until end of turn” and “4: Draw a card.”
Whenever a Wizard creature comes into play, you may attach Diviner’s Wand to it.
Equip 3
Nick & Tiago: 6 in Merfolk or Wizards, 5 elsewhere
This one is playable in other places, and in matchups where the board tends to stall out. In that case you can just start using the Jayemdae Tome ability and get ahead while building a big flier every turn along the way. It’s slow, but it has its place in the format.
Door of Destinies
4
Artifact (Rare)
As Door of Destinies comes into play, choose a creature type.
Whenever you play a spell of that type, put a charge counter on Door of Destinies.
Creatures you control of that type get +1/+1 for each charge counter on Door of Destinies.
Nick & Tiago: 8
The more tribally oriented you are, the better this card gets. It’s absolutely sick in Elves and Kithkin, and I can say that from experience.
Obsidian Battle-Axe
3
Tribal Artifact – Warrior Equipment (Uncommon)
Equipped creature gets +2/+1 and has haste.
Whenever a Warrior creature comes into play, you may attach Obsidian Battle-Axe to it.
Equip 3
Nick & Tiago: 8 in Warriors, 6 or 5 elsewhere depending on deck
Haste is huge, especially when it equips for free. In other archetypes this is a more expensive Vulshok Morningstar, which is still pretty good.
Thornbite Staff
2
Tribal Artifact – Shaman Equipment (Uncommon)
Equipped creature has “2, T: This creature deals 1 damage to target creature or player” and “Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from play, untap this creature.”
Whenever a Shaman creature comes into play, you may attach Thornbite Staff to it.
Equip 4
Nick & Tiago: 5
This can again be good in the right deck (or against the right deck), but the fact that it’s hard to move it around and you have to pay two mana every time you shoot makes it difficult to abuse. It’s certainly no Viridian Longbow.
Veteran’s Armaments
2
Tribal Artifact – Soldier Equipment (Uncommon)
Equipped creature has “Whenever this creature attacks or blocks, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each attacking creature.”
Whenever a Soldier creature comes into play, you may attach Veteran’s Armaments to it.
Equip 2
Nick & Tiago: 5-6 in monoKithkin, 3-4 elsewhere
Honestly, I’d only play this in a mono or near mono Kithkin archetype. In other decks it just doesn’t do anything unless you have a zillion Elf tokens. Even then they just chump block the big guy.
Murmuring Bosk
Land – Forest (Rare)
(T: Add G to your mana pool.)
As Murmuring Bosk comes into play, you may reveal a Treefolk card from your hand. If you don’t, Murmuring Bosk comes into play tapped.
T: Add W or B to your mana pool. Murmuring Bosk deals 1 damage to you.
We had no idea how to rate this, as it’s something you’ll either want or not. It helps splashing, but I don’t think giving it a general rating is of much value.
Mutavault
Land (Rare)
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
1: Mutavault becomes a 2/2 creature with all creature types until end of turn. It’s still a land.
Nick & Tiago: 8
This is a free Changeling that doesn’t even take up a slot in your deck. I take this very highly, while Tiago says he hates having colorless mana. My argument is that most decks are straight two color or even heavy one color, and thus can easily afford this.
Primal Beyond
Land (Rare)
As Primal Beyond comes into play, you may reveal an Elemental card from your hand. If you don’t, Primal Beyond comes into play tapped.
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to play Elemental spells or activated abilities of Elementals.
Nick & Tiago: 5
I know I’ll be taking this in my crazy Elemental decks, but that doesn’t make it good in an overall sense.
Rustic Clachan
Land (Rare)
As Rustic Clachan comes into play, you may reveal a Kithkin card from your hand. If you don’t, Rustic Clachan comes into play tapped.
T: Add W to your mana pool.
Reinforce 1 – 1W (1W, Discard this card: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.)
Nick & Tiago: 8
This is what a land should be. It’s mana when you need it and does something in the late game when you’re flooded. I personally think the game should have many more cards like this to decrease the luck factor and involve more decision making. I really like the design on this one.
Tiago: It reminds of Dennying Channel, the card I submitted for the Invitational. I love the concept, and it made me happy seeing this card as it gives me hopes Dennying Channel might get there without many changes.
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That’s all for this week! See you in the forums, and I hope you enjoyed our series!