Hey everyone! Josh here with Wizardden.com to give you my two cents on the prerelease that is coming up this weekend. Before I burst I have to say I am really excited about this sets release. That being said I am also terrified as I have become accustomed to the awesome limited format that has been Fate Reforged and Khans of Tarkir.
Overall, I feel as though Wizards of the Coast did a great job giving Dragons of Tarkir a similar play style to Khans of Tarkir which really brings the time travel story to life. If you look closely you can tell there are cards that are essentially the same as what we had in Khans of Tarkir such as Center Soul and Feat of Resistance or Throttle and it's big brother Flatten. The adjustments that were made to these cards has raised my curiosity as to what this could mean for limited play. Could it be that the need for removal increases greatly due to the powerful dragons? Or could it be they wanted things to simply feel more powerful now that the dragons are in charge? My personal opinion is a little bit of both while leaning more towards the first question. I believe the dragons are very powerful limited cards and as they claimed, there are a ton of dragons. This means you will have a dragon, but don't get too excited because your opponent will most likely have one or two as well. This means removal is a very needed part of a deck in order to function properly and get to a stage in the game where you can gain control of the board.
I'd like to bring you three colors displaying what I believe are the best commons and uncommons. I'll show what are my top 5 uncommons and top 8 commons. This isn't a draft pick order but it is a compilation of the cards I would be very happy to see in my deck Friday at midnight.
I'll start with the White Uncommons:
1: Strongarm Monk
I really like this guy. I know what your're thinking, "he needs another card to be good..." I get it. Really, I do. But think about this for a second. Mid combat on your turn, you've attacked with this guy and two morphs, your opponent casts (insert removal spell here) on your Strongarm. You respond with anything from a counterspell, a removal spell, a pump spell or any of the really good instants found in Dragons of Tarkir or Fate Reforged and I promise you are going to have a really good time. Another potential number one that in my mind doesn't make my top 5 is Dromoka Captain. This card has a very powerful effect allowing you to bolster 1 whenever he attacks. Using this effect you are able to grow your creature into a 2/2 creature with first strike. While this is a good effect it is very easy for your opponent to thwart this plan by playing any of the 3/3's running around or playing any of the plentiful removal that is in the format. I will most likely be proven wrong but I will only be casting this guy as my 22nd or 23rd card in my deck.
2: Scale Blessing
This card requires you to be in a specific deck that wants to be megamorphing or bolstering often but it is a true house in that deck. This card can create very large blowouts and at it's worst it's still a slightly worse dragonscale boon. I think this will be similar to War Flare or Rush of Battle in that it will close out games given the right scenario.
3: Echoes of the Kin Tree
The first thing that comes to my mind when I look at this card is Mastery of the Unseen. I know it won't take over a game in a way as vicious as the Mastery can but over time this enchantment will create a ton of advantage it will be very hard for your opponent to defeat. If you can get the game to go long and they do not have an answer to this card you will easily grow your board above the stall and come out on top.
4: Great Teachers Decree
Did I say that Scale Blessing was like Rush of Battle? I meant this thing is. Oh, and you can cast this twice for the same cost as one of those Rush of Battle that maybe gained you 4-8 life...
5: Silkwrap
While it is "situational" removal it will clear out a morph from the board and slow the hyper-aggressive decks. (that I assure you will exist in at least the draft half of limited)
Top 8 White Commons
1: Pacifism
It's back and still really good. It is efficient pseudo-removal that requires a narrow card type to remove it. That being said I believe we will be seeing a lot more Return to the Earth in the coming months. From the powerful enchantments like Pacifism to the powerful flying dragons, Return to the Earth will do the job.
2: Lightwalker
While not overwhelmingly powerful, this card is a very cheap creature that has an easily attainable upside. Evasion is a very powerful upside that makes this 2/1 for two my second favorite common at this point in time.
3: Center Soul
I like this card just as much as I liked Feat of Resistance. You can save a guy from a removal spell then get him through one flight of creatures on your opponents next turn. A pretty solid card and one I'm happy to play if I am in white.
4: Dromoka Dunecaster
I am a huge fan of tap effects in limited. I would have rated him higher if he could stop those pesky fliers. Still the ability to tap down a big guy to get to the late game is a really powerful effect that will usually draw out some form of answer from your opponent which is pretty good for a one drop.
5: Artful Maneuver
Being able to pump on defense then offense is nothing to laugh at. This is only two mana for what can essentially be +4/+4 for two which is a very strong card in limited.
6: Herald of Dromoka
The Herald wants you to be in the warriors deck which loses some of it's potency without Chief of the Edge. A 2/2 with Vigilance for two mana is still a fine card and one I am happy to play.
7: Aven Tactician
I think this guy is perfectly costed for his effect. In the right situation you can have a 3/4 flier for five mana which is about the right cost for a decent limited card. Even when he is a 2/3 he still provides some form of an advantage for your board. I would definitely play him if I were in white.
8: Enduring Victory
While this is a removal spell with upside I am still not a fan of this card in multiples. If it simply destroyed a creature and didn't require it to be involved in combat it would be my number one common on this list but it's too conditional and can often be easy to play around.
Overall I think white is a fairly strong color. I will say up front I believe there are much stronger colors in the set.
One of those colors is not blue, however. Blue has some strong effects but all are awkward in their position. I'll start with the uncommons.
1: Youthful Scholar
While you are required to have him die, you get a creature that can get in for a few points of damage or hold down the fort very well. Exploit is also a mechanic that blue and black have access to that give you some insane value when it comes time to sacrifice a creature.
2: Silumgar Sorcerer
Counter spells aren't often played in limited as it's very narrow that you gain advantage from them. Dragons is definitely changing that as you can have a 2/1 flier that flashes for three mana, already a good card, and you can opt to sacrifice oooohhhhhhh I don't know a Youthful Scholar to counter their big nasty dragon or whatever and draw two. That, my friends, is value town.
3: Silumgar Spell-Eater
Remember me saying exploit was good with counter spells?? Like, literally, five lines ago? same thing applies with megamorph apparently. This isn't the Mana Leak I hoped would be in the set but it is a pretty good effect.
4: Skywise Teachings
I really like the power of the enchantments at uncommon. While this costs four to play if your opponent can't answer it or kill you in very quick fashion, you are going to take over the game in a big way. Fate Reforged brought some really good non-creature spells into limited and Dragons of Tarkir is no slouch in that regard. It is quite possible you end up playing 8-9 non-creature spells in the deck making the teachers in the sky really wake up.
5: Void Squall
I really wish this spell cost one more mana to be an instant. Being a sorcery it is a bit rough but after giving it some thought you can gain huge advantage off of this. If your opponent has to replay their guy the next turn and again the turn after that, bouncing two guys for five mana doesn't seem that bad.
On to my top eight blue commons
1: Zephyr Scribe
I am a huge fan of looting in limited. You always find what you need, pull ahead and win, or worst case your guy eats a removal spell for you. Zephyr Scribe does all of that really and potentially several times a turn. Being able to loot in combat to find a removal or pump spell then loot again is very strong. He is only a 2/1 though. Honestly, he may not be the strongest of the blue commons but I ranked him at the one spot simply because if I am in blue I want this card no matter what whereas some of the more powerful blue commons which want to be in a specific type of deck.
2: Ojutai's Breath
This could easily be the number one blue common. Tapping creatures is quite strong. Doing it twice for two mana is even more powerful however. Limited games get to a point of parity very often. Eventually someone will play a creature that is big enough to swing and close out a game. Now you can frost tap whatever giant beast your opponent plays and get a pesky blocker as you untap. Will of the Naga is a very strong card however there are occasionally situations where you get half value from it in that you can only tap one creature as that is all your opponent has. well now you can frost tap that creature on your main phase to get through and threaten to do it again if your opponent plays another dude on their turn. The fact that it is aggressively costed at three mana makes this situation very relevant.
3: Elusive Spellfist
This guy does want to you be in a specific deck but he is quite powerful. He is great on offense or defense as he can get a pump off any non-creature spell you might play. If you are on offense this guy makes sure you are doing it right as he will be attacking without being blocked as long as you have some form of non-creature spell which both Fate Reforged and Dragons of Tarkir have an abundance of. On defense, he is comparable to Jeskai Student which as a fine limited card.
4: Palace Familiar
This guy fly's which is generally going to get some form of removal out of your opponents hand. When they do, you'll get to replace him which makes him a solid two drop.
5: Gurmag Drowner
This card is very similar to Sultai Soothsayer. He does require you to Exploit a creature to get the effect but worst case you can sacrifice him to himself in a pinch. Card selection is very strong and digging 4 cards deep means you are seeing 10% of your deck in one shot. A very good common
6: Anticipate
See my above comments about card selection. Doing it at instant speed is very strong. You can easily get an effect off of something like Elusive Spellfist or better yet Strongarm Monk.
7: Glint
I really like protection spells. Not only does this protect against removal, it protects your guy in combat by giving him a bigger butt when one is needed.
8: Contradict
I'm probably crazy for this one. But I really like counter magic if it replaces itself. With a ton of dragons running around a five cost counter is actually about 70-75% as good as a removal spell as the only cards your opponent will be casting when you are casting this is their big beefy closer. Aggressive red decks are real in the upcoming limited format though which is why this is so far down the list. It will also pump prowess and the pseudo-prowess guys an effect as well. I would play one but no more than that.
Blue is an interesting color that will fill a solid support role when paired with white or black. I personally would prefer the white version in most scenarios but UB is always a very strong combination of colors as well.
On to what may be my favorite color in the set: Black.
Uncommon
1: Death Wind
A premium removal spell that I must say gave me a headache in rating. The creatures are all at such a high level of power that I feel as though a removal spell that has the ability to take care of anything in the right circumstance is always going to be played. I mentioned that black may be my favorite color in the set and I believe all of the uncommon cards I have listed are insane. I'm not sure if this is number one or not but it certainly is in a tie for that spot if not.
2: Rakshasa Gravecrawler
This guy is insane. A 3/6 for five mana really isn't a terrible card in limited, especially in a grindy black deck. But this guy takes it even further by giving you an opportunity to trade a smaller creature in for two 2/2 zombie tokens, pretty good right? Now what if you are sacrificing Sultai Emissary and are getting three 2/2's out of the deal. That's pretty insane if you ask me.
3: Ultimate Price
I am torn on the power of this card in limited. A lot of the more powerful creatures you will want to kill are multi-colored but there is still a lot of good mono-colored creatures that warrant an answer. Ultimate Price can definitely be that answer.
4: Minister of Pain
This card is going to make combat math a mess. You have the ability to alpha strike with your team and after your opponent generally finds what they think are decent blocks you can finish off their more efficient creatures post combat. You can cast him pre-combat to give your opponent less incentive to block as well. Overall I am a fan but I think he wants to be played in the more aggressive black decks.
5: Foul Tongue Invocation
I really like this card but I feel it will be a little dead sometimes. You can't control what creature you're opponent sacrifices so it will lose value as the game goes on. I think this card will see constructed play in some amount as some form of edict effect has been missing from standard since rotation.
I really like all of the black uncommon cards listed here. Black really may be the best color in Dragons of Tarkir.
My Top 8 Commons
1: Silumgar Butcher
This guy is removal on a stick. As long as you can sacrifice a 2/2 or less or a guy with Pacifism on it you are in pretty good shape. If not you still can get pretty far ahead with guy. I am a really big fan of the Butcher.
2: Vulturous Aven
A 2/3 that has flying for four mana is a decent card (Alabaster Kirin) and while this may not have vigilance, it does have the ability to give you card advantage which is pretty powerful.
3: Flatten
Hello there Throttle's big brother. How ya doin?? I really like the Throttle and Lash of the Whip type cards but this one has a cost of only four mana which is a great change. You can play it as a way to push damage in the aggressive black decks or as good removal in a control deck.
4: Butcher's Glee
This card can be a blowout in a lot of situations. There are a lot of expensive spells in this format which makes me feel as though your opponent will tap out often. If you are already being aggressive and they are stabilizing you can clear their best blocker, save your guy, and gain some life. It may belong further down the list but I think I am a fan of this card.
5: Dutiful Attendant
I really enjoy gravedigger effects. I like the fact this guy is cheaper though it is a little frustrating that he has to die for you to get the effect. Regardless I would be happy to play with this card if I were playing black.
6: Foul-Tongue Shriek
This card is begging to be in an aggressive deck. You will definitely want 17+ creatures in your deck in order to play this as well. But when you do it will be very worth it. You can win a game without ever having to get a creature in a stalled game which is nothing to be overlooked when evaluating how you are going to approach a game when playing against black.
7: Coat with Venom
I really like pump spells, this one is guaranteed to get your target with the deathtouch clause printed on it and in those lucky cases you will be able to save a guy in the process.
8: Reckless Imp
I really like flying creatures, ones that can get in on the fly :) are really good. I think this card will play a big part in the aggressive black decks that I believe will exist.
All of the commons seem to play on the more powerful side of things which makes me very excited to get my hands on some of these this weekend.
That's all for today, I'll bring you red, green, multicolored cards on Friday. I look forward to playing against some of you this weekend!!
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