When the Enchanting Tales sheet from Wilds of Eldraine was first revealed, there was some major buzz. Everyone was excited and talking about the usual suspects: Rhystic Study, Smothering Tithe, Doubling Season, Parallel Lives. They’re all great cards, but their infamy has essentially overshadowed and smothered (pun intended) the other remaining 59 cards on the sheet. Just because you didn’t pull your iconic fav doesn’t mean you didn’t strike gold. As we settle into our brief lull between sets, why not take a look at some of the underappreciated gems within this enchanting sheet?
Aggravated Assault
When I think of Aggravated Assault, I think of classic, old-school Magic. Low casting cost, high ability cost, and an insane amount of face punchies. Not to mention the fact that this enchantment is a combo piece –pairing well with things like Savage Ventmaw, Old Gnawbone, and Sword of Feast and Famine. It is an elite and iconic enchantment. When I saw it previewed, I was almost certain it would be the talk of the town… but it wasn’t. When looking at this card’s previous printings, the prices match the value, but in Wilds of Eldraine, it is at a major low. Whether this is due to art, border treatment, quantity of reprints, or Mercury being in retrograde matters not. This reprint deserves some excitement and recognition. I see this as a great opportunity to snag such an iconic spell for a low price.
Dark Tutelage
Full disclosure: I had never heard of Dark Tutelage until I pulled one in my Wilds of Eldarine Set booster. I thought nothing much of it. In fact, I saw an uncommon rarity and chucked it aside. “No value”, I thought. But I was wrong. This is the first printing of Dark Tutelage since Magic 2011. Infrequent printings alone should make this a hot button card, but sadly, like most of the cards on this list, not much was said. My opinion of this spell changed when I played against my friend’s Rowan, Scion of War deck. This spell is a powerhouse in that deck – adding to Rowan’s massive cost reduction. One tactful scry with this out and suddenly you’re staring down the barrel of an X=12 Torment of Hailfire. Sure, the rarity isn’t exactly red hot, but the plays you get off this certainly will be.
Shared Animosity
I remember when this card was first previewed, opinions were divisive. Some thought this was going to be a powerhouse of a card while others thought it would be a dud due to the four green pips in its mana cost. Me? I didn’t care, because at the time, I hated green and everything it stood for. Thankfully, I went through something young people like to call “change”. Anyway, after a while, I got into green and learned that this indeed was an insane card. Sure it may be one of the newer enchantments on the list, but I think that speaks to the level of power it holds. It wins me games in my Zopandrel deck, but then again, Zopandral is just Unnatural Growth in creature form. The pips are also super easy to achieve in green because, well, it’s green. You can sneeze in that color and practically win a game. And who doesn’t love game winning cards?
Utopia Sprawl
Remember when this was a five dollar card? Well, now it’s a whopping 39 cents. The stonks in the Enchanting Tales sheet are unbelievable. I used to run Utopia Sprawl in my Secret Lair deck and it was absolutely fantastic at adding the exact color I needed to tutor with Sisay. The fact that I pulled dozens of these is so exciting. Sure, that is probably why the price of this new printing is so low, but a once five dollar card is still valuable, even if it looks different. It’s a huge bummer to see it tossed to the side as though it wasn’t a powerful little piece of ramp, but when you’re paired against the titans of the card type, it can be hard to keep up.
Enchanting, Isn’t It?
Out of 63 the Enchanting Tales cards, maybe 4-5 of them are talked about. The rest are considered chaff you leave behind at your LGS, and I find that to be so incredibly unfair. Just because it isn’t a mythic doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your time. There is tons of reprint value in this sheet that goes far beyond Rhystic Study and Bitterblossom. When it comes to this sheet of cards, I feel as though the folks at Wizards of the Coast (WotC) really knocked it out of the park. The next time you crack a pack of Wilds of Eldraine, make sure to give pause and thought to the enchantment you pull at the back of the pack. It just might be your next favorite spell. Happy enchanting, deckbuilders!
