And just like that, Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Limited is a memory.
It feels like that set just started, but I’m not complaining. The first few weeks of a new Limited format are my favorite, so getting something fresh and novel couldn’t come any sooner. Today’s article will try to shed light on the new take on the disturb mechanic in Innistrad: Crimson Vow. This mechanic existed in Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, but there’s a bit of a rework to it in the upcoming set.
In the previous set, disturb creatures came back as creatures with flying. They performed very well, as evasion is a very powerful ability in Limited. Some even say flying is the best evergreen mechanic in Limited, although I personally think lifelink is better. Luckily, disturb in Innistrad: Crimson Vow can provide both lifelink and flying! Rather than coming back as a flyer, the creature can come back as an Aura, often providing something reminiscent of what was on the original card, such as flying in the case of Lantern Bearer.
Now, Auras are an often-hated card type when it comes to Limited. Many are afraid of a two-for-one, and hence avoid the card type. Not me though. I’ve been championing slamming augmentations on my creatures for quite a while, and I’m stoked for this new take on disturb, particularly because there’s no longer such a card-disadvantageous risk. If I’m casting the disturb side of my card, that implies I have already extracted my value from my card.
While you may have been brainwashed to see an Aura and think “bad because card disadvantage,” now is the time to free yourself from said brainwashing. Disturb won’t yield card disadvantage even if the creature you enchant gets removed. I can even imagine casting a removal spell on my own copy of Twinblade Geist in order to enchant a bigger creature and swing for lethal due to double strike.
The real question is, “What effect does a density of Auras at common that don’t come with the normal risk of card disadvantage have on a format?”
All I can do at this stage is speculate, but it mostly boils down to speed. Auras are only as useful as your battlefield presence. This favors aggressively leaning strategies, especially because Auras provide a form of reach, which implies that lower life totals may not be safe if it’s easier to push through the last points of damage. The main difference between this and the previous version of disturb is that it’s very difficult to use Auras defensively, whereas playing flying blockers won many games in Innistrad: Midnight Hunt.
However, most of the disturb cards we have seen so far only grant abilities, not power and toughness. While this means that Twinblade Geist and Lantern Bearer are great forms of reach for assertive decks, they don’t pack the same punch One with the Wind did in Ixalan Limited. Discerning whether abilities or extra power and toughness are worth more is non-trivial, quite context-dependent, and likely will be the key to properly building decks based around this new take on the mechanic, as there are ways to use it to add more power to the battlefield.
Drogskol Infantry is a great two-drop, and I expect it to be quite underrated at the beginning of the format. A 2/2 for two and no other upside is not a card you’re happy to put in your deck very often. Further, four mana for a +2/+2 Aura is laughably bad on rate. However, slam those two things together and you get a card I’m excited about. If my two-drop can trade with a creature, and then later on augment a creature in order to trade up or provide favorable attacks, sign me up! It’s not going to be the best common or anything, but it’ll be better than many people initially expect.
In fact, it could be pretty fun to augment other creatures with disturb. Turn Twinblade Geist into a 3/3 with double strike with Drogskol Infantry, which is a formidable threat. Then, if the opponent answers it, bring the Geist back from the grave to have another double-striking threat. It could be a disturbingly endless chain of Auras, and one that’s quite difficult to beat.
Overall, this new take on disturbed brings exciting new flair to Auras in Limited and, if I had to guess, may have a noticeable impact on the overall pace of the Draft format, leading to more assertive strategies on average.
