With the full previewing of The Brothers’ War, we now know the set’s signpost uncommons. I feel like the multicolor signpost uncommons have been a staple of the past 24 sets, though I haven’t been exactly counting.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term “signpost,” it’s a post with a sign on it; like “123 Layman Ave.” But in the context of Magic, it typically outlines a color pair’s gameplan or synergies, especially in Limited formats such as Draft. Let’s all put on our Glasses of Urza and take a closer look.
Azorius
Azorius looks pretty clear-cut here… or maybe I should say clean-cut (because they’re Soldiers).
*pause for laughter*
Soldiers aren’t anything new to white’s color pie, but it looks like the blue Soldiers can fly! How tempo-oriented the archetype will be remains to be seen, as we haven’t seen a lot of tempo cards like Frost Breath that blue normally adds. We do have the Thopter squad with both Thopter Architect and Thopter Mechanic, and if they can’t figure out how to make those things fly, Dominaria may be doomed after all. Azorius will likely be a creature-based flying deck, benefiting from artifact and Soldier synergies, and holding down the ground with things like Prison Sentence and Machine Over Matter. There is also Take Flight, which would ignite Curiosity in even the simplest of two-legged prototypes, but remember to use protection via Loran’s Escape!
Dimir
Here I thought Urza and Mishra would be an Improbable Alliance. But instead of the typical Izzet draw theme, we turn to the dark side… Dimir (dun dun dun). At face value, a card like Evangel of Synthesis is very strong, as a 2/3 for two is already a good Limited card, but this thing loots to boot, scoots, and shoots!
The payoffs for Dimir look pretty awesome so far (as if you need a payoff for drawing extra cards). It’s likely this will end up as the late-game monster archetype that will bury opponents in card advantage. The part most people miss when building this deck is to cover their bases so that they can actually get to the late-game. Cards like Coastal Bulwark, Fallaji Archaeologist, or an eighteenth land should be serious considerations if you want to play the late-game!
Rakdos
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what Rakdos wants to do. Well, actually, strike that from the record. Rakdos has some commitment issues, and it’s not interested in putting a label on things. It’s not you, it’s Rakdos.
Rakdos has a lot of great things going for it; besides long walks on the beach, it’s likely to have multiple versions of the deck with pockets of synergy, likely enabling some cool sacrifice or artifact/Powerstone builds. But the most consistent line between the two colors is with unearth and graveyard synergies. Disciples of Gix seems like a powerhouse, potentially putting three unearth creatures in your graveyard. Cards like Mishra, Excavation Prodigy also seem very solid here, making sure you don’t draw dead late-game, in addition to sculpting your graveyard for cards like Dredging Claw, Gixian Skullflayer, or Overwhelming Remorse.
Rakdos is also home to my favorite throwback creatures, both in flavor and power. Scrapwork Rager and Mishra’s Juggernaut, good to see you two!
Gruul
These are the Engineers with the right toolbox for the job. What a powerhouse of a card we’ve got here! If the Engineers had one of the three abilities, the card would be solid on its own, but the choice between the three? Chef’s kiss.
As is tradition, Gruul looks to have some beefy creatures, but it also has a cool Powerstone subtheme. There are lots of great Powerstone payoffs, like Argothian Sprite, but it also enables updating your drivers for prototypes like Rust Goliath or Blitz Automaton. I wouldn’t put Gruul as the Powerstone guild, which is likely more reserved for Simic. But red has some great artifact synergies, and though Halloween may be over, Penregon Strongbull with a bunch of Powerstones is a very scary Minotaur.
Selesnya
I really like the flavor and artwork of Yotian Dissident providing a scrapyard lobotomy to the Servo’s preschool teacher, free of charge! Selesnya looks to be capitalizing on artifact triggers, as well as adding some Soldiers to the mix from green. There’s likely to be a Bant Soldiers build that will be powerful. Just putting that out there now.
Warlord’s Elite will be a strong card here, and Sarinth Steelseeker is giving me some chills right in my Quandrix Apprentice. There are some solid cards that put multiple artifacts onto the battlefield at once, and the intentional wording of the triggers is something to consider. Watch out for a 7/3 Perimeter Patrol, Levitation via Thopter Architect, or surveilling/drawing four with Sarinth Steelseeker when you cast Mass Production.
Well, that wraps up the first five guilds! The format is starting to take shape, and I love finding the new synergies and potential strategies. Let’s break down the other guilds in the next one, deal? Deal.
Lose and learn, learn and win.
