Hey! Josh here with WizardDen.com's Team Rogue Tech bringing you the Red expansion of our Prerelease Primer. Let's dive in!
For anyone who has read my previous primers I'll be changing up the way I evaluate cards and shortening the number of cards I'll discuss in depth to what I see to be the top three commons and uncommons, along with a few honorable mentions and a list of the cards that I give a rating of 3 or greater for their rarity, which I will also now be listing with the card (this number is relative to the power of the set with 5 being the highest rating)
Before we jump into the Red Uncommons I want to be up front in saying you probably can't go wrong with your color selection this weekend as all of the colors appear to have a very flat power level, by which I mean they are all very comparable in their strengths and weaknesses. I think this is great for a sealed format. Looking at Dragons Fate sealed Red was the best color by a significant margin which made it punishing when playing the format if you were forced into the weaker colors like Blue or White. You have some really high payoffs in any color when playing Origins and I think it will make this prerelease a very fun event. Without further adieu, let's dive in to the Red Uncommons.
Red, for the past year (and probably longer) has been an exciting color to play in limited. I think this time around will be the same and I will definitely be playing it for at least one event this weekend.
Red Uncommons
#1 Ravaging Blaze: 4-4.5
This card is crazy good. It's an instant speed removal spell with the ability to dome your opponent as well. I really like versatile cards. I also enjoy the ability to just kill my opponent during their end step. While we won't be getting Cone of Flame in the last core set this is certainly a card I am happy to call the best red uncommon.
#2 Acolyte of the Inferno: 3.5
This creature has a very potent, yet, unassuming ability. There will be a multitude of 1-2 toughness creatures being played and being and to remove them gives this creatures pseudo first strike which is a very good keyword ability in limited.
#3 Seismic Elemental: 3.5
The Elemental creatures are back in Origins. Seismic Elemental is a pretty cool card in that it can be a finisher on two fronts: dealing a large amount of damage in one shot and being a beefy creature on the ground, should the game continue from his crash onto the battlefield. My only issue with it is that the creature doesn't have haste. Should we be guaranteeing a 4/4 coming in with the alpha on turn 5 this would be a ludicrous card.
Honorable Mentions
Skyraker Giant: 3.5
Reach is a pretty relevant ability which is most commonly seen in Green. To see it come up in red is a breath of fresh air and a welcomed one at that. This is also a 4/3 for 4 which are good stats, even when looking at good cards like Summit Prowler (not great but you always play it if you are red).
Goblin Glory Chaser: 3.5
I am generally not a fan of aggressive strategies in limited, especially sealed. Goblin Glory Chaser has a lot of depth for a one drop, however. I like that Menace is a thing and that this creature has the ability. Being able to turn a one drop into a 2/2 with upside has to make this a good card, even if it is a one drop.
The 3's
Red has some very high quality uncommons and it doesn't stop there. Let's jump into the commons where there is a long list of great cards.
Red Commons
#1 Chandra's Fury: 4
This is a great card that will give you the ability to close out a game or put a dent in your opponents life total while blowing out combat. Occasionally, this card will even allow you to pick off one to two creatures while getting the four points in on your opponent. This is a very solid card that I will be happy to play in any red deck.
#2 Fiery Impulse: 3.5-4
Shock's are pretty cool in limited. Bolt's are even cooler though. Fiery Impulse does a great job at enabling other Spell Mastery cards as well which makes this a top common and one I'll be happy to have 2-3 of in my pool this weekend.
#3 Akroan Sergeant: 3.5
I mentioned earlier that I really like First Strike as a limited mechanic. This is an undercost 3/3 with first strike almost 100% of the time. Your opponent will not want to give you profitable blocks so renown will go off a large percent of the time as long as the sergeant is played on turn two.
Honorable Mentions
Firefiend Elemental: 3.5
It will require minimal work but this is generally going to be a 3/2 with haste that instantly becomes a 4/3 for the remainder of its existence. A 4/3 for four mana that doesn't have a prohibitive mana cost like Summit Prowler is a welcomed addition to Red's Origin arsenal.
Infectious Bloodlust: 3.5
This is another card that gets better in draft in my opinion. There are several cards in this set that reward you for having multiples of them and drafts allow you to have a little more control of this than you would playing sealed. Nevertheless, this card is pretty awesome in that if you happen to open a few of these you are able to essentially chain large, hasty creatures which is quite potent in limited.
Titan's Strength: 3.5
Back on the block Titan's Strength is back to pump it up. A 3/1 boost is pretty real as a combat trick. While it doesn't draw you a card the ability to smooth out your next draw is very nice on this one cost combat trick.
The Other Goodies
Boggart Brute 3-3.5
Prickleboar 3-3.5
Overall, Red is an exciting color with a lot of powerful additions to your deck in all rarities. While I mention you can't go wrong picking any color earlier, you can definitely do right by looking to play red this weekend.
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