Legion Lieutenant being off-color isn't really a problem as we have a multitude of tribal lands (Cavern, U.Territory) now,
and together with Aether Vial you don't even need to splash White in your BR Vampire shell. Skymarcher Aspirant is another decent white vampire 1-drop which has tradinionally been one of the weaker parts of the tribe's curve.
Some more cards tha I think can be playable in Modern are:
#Thrashing Brontodon - decent Qasali Pridemage alternative for non-white decks with a better body than Reclamation Sage.
#Slaughter the Strong - potentially playable removal for control or creature-lite decks like Combo or hatebears/tokens with small creatures.
#Vona's Hunger - in decks that can get to 10x permanents quickly this can be a huge swing with the city's blessing, isn't a horrible card without it as a 3-mana Diabolic Edict. Golden Demise also seems interesting if it can be one-sided in a deck like "WB Tokens" or any deck with Lingering Souls.
#Tetzimoc, Primal Death - an interesting option for black midrange/control decks which offers removal unlike Grave Titan which offers board presence.
#Azor, the Lawbringer - a potential UW finisher (like a bigger Dragonlord Ojutai) though probably too slow and not as powerful as Elspeth, Sun's Champion.
1: Merfolk Mistbinder, Jungleborn Pioneer: Yes I'm cheating by putting these merfolk as the joint best cards but both look great for the deck. Mistbinder will probably help cement merfolk as being a top tier deck like humans, and Junglegorn pioneer is great against fair decks since the token is hexproof. Plus Pioneer works super well after any of your 12 Merfolk lords. Expect to see a lot more fish in modern.
2: Warkite Marauder: This card was tailor made for Modern Humans because it's disruption is exactly what humans already want to be doing. Being able to attack on the ground and shrink a Tasigur, the Golden Fang, artifact creature with Arcbound Ravager, Tarmogoyf, Gurmag Angler, Reality Smasher, or Thought-Knot Seer to name a few relevant cards. I expect to see this in the sideboard of human decks at the very least. At the most, this creature might make into tempo strategies.
3: Blood Sun: Another one of the most hyped cards in the set for modern. It turns off the downside of: bounce lands, citp lands and shock lands. Specifically for Tron it turns off Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin. Imho if this sees play it's in Tron to shut off decks that annoy tron and it may see play in a different build of Amulet of Vigor decks that replaces the unique lands for other cards. Looks very promising.
4: Dire Fleet Daredevil: This is probably one of the most hyped cards of the set. I'm not 100 percent sold on the card but it looks really good out of the sideboard. Being able to play against Snapcaster Mage decks for red looks pretty reasonable. I'm not sold on this becoming the next best thing because it's dead mainboard but it looks nice.
Ravenous Chupacabra: This seems really good out of the sideboard is midrange decks. Murder attacked to a Grizzly Bears seems like a nice way for midrange decks.
Jadelight Ranger: This card can do some pretty strong things for a deck with collected company since those decks often have issues with drawing mana dorks in the late game. This also looks good in Saheeli Rai Evolution decks. I have a feeling on this card but I'm not 100 percent on it.
Induced Amnesia: This seems like a combo piece that is waiting to be broken in half. They normally don't experiment with memory jar effects. It's a build around me card that also wants to be ran with stuff like Hatching Plans and Demonic Pact with stuff that break enchantments like Perilous Research, crack the earth, Angelic Purge. This pile of cards is starting to become a deck but it probably needs more.
Thrashing Brontodon: Beefy creature with a naturalize slapped onto it. It looks pretty good for those Mono Green Stompy decks, it's a chord target and hits off of Collected Company. Potentially Maindeckable hate.
For those who are still on Nahiri, anyone have any lists? (and I know that the geist build/traditional is performing better right now but I want to play nahiri)
Yeap, same for me, but I can't seem to end up with a list I feel confident with.
I just started playing Jeskai Nahiri and I really like how the deck plays.
For those who are still on Nahiri, anyone have any lists? (and I know that the geist build/traditional is performing better right now but I want to play nahiri)
Has anyone tried Hostage Taker in a UB deck. I've just finished a UB control deck and feel like it'd be pretty good as a flexible 1 of in the SB as UB is notoriously poor at interacting with artifacts (I'd be playing 1 EE, and 1 Hostage Taker).
I like it out of the board when people board out their removal I'm really salty that this card ballooned up in price because I literally forgot to preorder it
I don't see any deck that would want Jace, it just makes a bad token and dies to anything (like a spirit token) being at 1-loyalty.
It is probably one of the worst 3-mana PW's ever printed.
How is it comparable to a spirit token? If your opponent uses a bolt or push on the token then you are already winning. No 3 mana planeswalker can make a token that has power/toughness higher than 0. The only playable modern card that messes with jace/the token is electrolyze. You sound like the people who were calling liliana last hope/grim flayer/collected brutality garbage cards.
D90Dennis14 means that after Jace, Cunning Castaway ETB, then makes a (2/2) token, he's at 1 loyalty and weak enough to get pegged off by a 1/1 Spirit token (with Flying to get past Jace CC's grounded token). D90Dennis14 doesn't think the token is worth much, possibly to the point of being easily ignored for evaluation purposes.
With that being said, at least Jace CC is a 3-cmc Walker who can protect himself. That's significantly more than situational peeps like Jace Beleren can claim.
Also, Equinox2793, I don't get your claim that "No 3 mana planeswalker can make a token that has power/toughness higher than 0". Do you mean that no 3-mana walker can make a token that has toughness higher than 3 (and therefore dodge Bolt) with only its starting loyalty and without targeting a creature (a la Saheeli Rai)? Or do you mean that no other Modern-legal 3-mana walker can make a token that has power higher than 0 with only its starting loyalty and without targeting a creature?
My point is that there is no 3 mana planeswaker that makes 2/2 tokens for three mana. Saheeli requires another creature to do so.
I don't see any deck that would want Jace, it just makes a bad token and dies to anything (like a spirit token) being at 1-loyalty.
It is probably one of the worst 3-mana PW's ever printed.
How is it comparable to a spirit token? If your opponent uses a bolt or push on the token then you are already winning. No 3 mana planeswalker can make a token that has power/toughness higher than 0. The only playable modern card that messes with jace/the token is electrolyze. You sound like the people who were calling liliana last hope/grim flayer/collected brutality garbage cards.
1: Opt: The obvious number one for the set. This card won't be as good as many think that it is but I suspect that this card becoming legal means that delver of secrets may return to modern. Slam dunk in UW(x) decks.
2: Chart a Course: This card has flown under the radar in terms of what this card does. While may will look at this card as a divination for 2 mana when you raid, I see this as an interesting catalog variant that reminds me a lot of a blue version of tormented voice. I suspect that decks like Esper Goryos and/or other reanimator strategies may want this. Worth noting that this and strategic planning are now modern lega. I expect this card to surprise people.
3: Field of Ruin: Other than Opt, this is one of the most talked about cards for modern play. This card looks very good in my opinion specifically in death and taxes variants, hatebears and in UW control. Being able to pay 2 mana and Wasteland someone with leonin arbiter sounds really good. Being able to get it back with Ramunap Excavator seems relativity powerful. Being able to kill an opponents pesky manland/sol land and get an island to have mana for your turn 4-5 cryptic command sounds reasonable for UW control to want a few copies. I expect this to find a home somewhere.
4: Sorcerous Spyglass: This card seems like a slam dunk sideboard card since it gives many decks the ability to peek without the cantrip at their opponents hand while pithing needleing them. This effect gets a lot better when you factor how many card that pithing needle can hit. Cards such as fetchlands, artifacts that hit affinity/E-tron, planeswalkers, manlands, ghost quarter/tec edge/field of ruins, to name a few cards. I expect this card to inhibit many people's sideboards and potentially mainboards.
5: Search for azcanta: One of my favorite cards that have been revealed this far. This card seems very interesting in reviving the old Grixis Control decks that used to exist until Death Shadow decks started creeping up. Similar to Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, this card takes awhile to ramp up. But for only 2 mana, this card asks for nothing else until it flips into a mana source. I want to try this card things like Cryptic Serpant/Bedlam Reveler since they seem to work well with it since they don't tax the graveyard. This one may not make it but the potential is there.
Honorable mentions:
-Settle the Wreckage: Powerful card that could push UW(x) flash decks there. Many decks do not run many basics and this card really punishes them. It's worth noting that Aven Mindcensor is really good with this card. (and field of ruin)
-Carnage Tyrant: Nice card for Titan-shift decks to tutor up to help in midrange matchups.
-Jace, Cunning Castaway: Fits in nicely in tempo/midrange decks like UB Faeries. The powerlevel really depends on how powerful a 3 mana planeswalker that poops out a 2/2 the turn it comes out really is.
-Legion's Landing: Seems like a natural fit for BW tokens and allows them to lower their curve. It may not get there powerlevel wise,
3
Chart a Course (combo decks, not aggro decks)
Kopala, Warden of Waves (it's a 4 in Merfolk, but Merfolk is like a 2.5 in the meta)
Carnage Tyrant (SB for Valakut decks)
2
Ashes of the Abhorrent
Tocatli Honor Guard
Dive Down (beats spot removal and Anger)
Deathgorge Scavenger
Old-Growth Dryads
Growing Rites of Itlimoc
Sentinel Totem (worse than Relic/Spellbomb)
Sorcerous Spyglass (worse than Needle)
Field of Ruin
Unclaimed Territory
1
The rest
Reprints: Spell Pierce, Duress, checklands
This set is pretty lackluster. The first thought that went through my mind after reading the full spoiler was "wait, is this a small set? Why are there so few playable cards?"
This set has a bunch of cards that were quite literally created by the following process:
1) Take a random, existing card.
2) Bump its mana cost up by 1 or 2.
3) Make it create Treasure tokens equal to (or less than!) the mana increase.
The end result is an unexciting spell that you cast 1 turn late. It's like if Serra Avenger was a 2/2 without flying and vigilance. Eww.
Fact or Fiction section
UG Merfolk is a thing now - Fiction, adding green strains your mana too much. Lords cost double blue and Mutavault doesn't provide colored mana. The epitome of this mana screwery is a hand containing Cavern of Souls, Mutavault, Kumena's Speaker and a lord.
Dinosaurs is a thing now - Fiction, despite a Dinosaur Ancient Stirrings and two cost reducers . The payoff isn't there.
Opt is better than 1) Serum Visions, 2) Sleight of Hand - 1) Fiction, 2) Fiction (but only because of trichotomy). SV is the best; it digs deeper than the other two as long as you have an extra draw to make. I consider Opt to be approximately equal to Sleight of Hand, so that would technically be a "fiction" for 2). I don't think you can slam all 3 in a deck that isn't pure combo like Storm though - for one, people weren't already slamming 4 SV and 4 Sleight in their decks.
I think it could replace Spoils of the Vault in Ad Nauseam; Spoils is kinda like a high-variance cantrip that can range from tutoring the exact card that you need for just 1 mana, to killing yourself by life loss/exiling wincons. Opt is more consistent.
Format is card name, followed by number of decks found on mtgtop8. Disclaimer: mtgtop8 data includes MTGO League data, which is picked in a non-random manner by WotC.
Oketra's Last Mercy 3
Overwhelming Splendor 0
Solemnity 5
Steward of Solidarity 0
Sunscourge Champion 0
Countervailing Winds 0
Fraying Sanity 0
Kefnet's Last Word 1
Nimble Obstructionist 7
Riddleform 0
Strategic Planning 2
Striped Riverwinder 1
Supreme Will 12
Tragic Lesson 0
Ammit Eternal 0
Bontu's Last Reckoning 6
Doomfall 0
Dreamstealer 0
Liliana's Defeat 6
Lurching Rotbeast 0
Razaketh's Rite 0
Abrade 7
Crash Through 0
Firebrand Archer 0
Hazoret's Undying Fury 0
Hour of Devastation 2
Wildfire Eternal 0 Hour of Promise 31
Life Goes On 2
Pride Sovereign 0 Ramunap Excavator 22
Rhonas's Last Stand 0
Uncage the Menagerie 0
Bloodwater Entity 0
Samut, the Tested 0 Claim//Fame 20
Leave//Chance 1
Driven//Despair 9
God-Pharaoh's Gift 1
Hollow One 3
Hashep Oasis 0
Hostile Desert 1
Ifnir Deadlands 1
Ipnu Rivulet 0
Ramunap Ruins 0
Scavenger Grounds 11
Shefet Dunes 2
Confirmed: every block with gods is underpowered. Only 3 cards broke the 20-deck threshold, and one of those cards is Claim//Fame, which turned out to be much worse than the pre-release hype. The last recorded Claim//Fame deck on mtgtop8 dates back to 17/8, almost a month ago. Lesson learnt: don't pay 1 mana just to reanimate a 2 mana creature.
Hour of Promise is the most played HOU card by # of records on mtgtop8, but it's not quite a staple in Titanshift yet. Its adoption rate in that deck is 38.75%, and none of the Titanshift players who T32ed GP Birmingham played it (although GP Sao Paulo had more Hour devotees).
RIP HOU, may you have more value than DGM in 5 years' time.
Dinosaurs are definitely not a thing. Being they are in naya colors, and represent a kind of stompy or "agressive midrange" area, its basically Zoo's field, and there is nothing here that makes Dinos better than zoo. No cheap threats (nacatl is a 3/3) no good mana ramp (Noble is the best aggressive mana ramp) and the cost reducers are great, they dont synergize well and wont be swinging for more than a point of damage or so.
The dinos would need to be absurd at 2-4 mana next set to make that work. As it is, dino fans just need to hope that theres a dino goyf or nacatl or something in the next set that bumps the playability of zoo or naya midrange.
As far as HOU Playability. Yeah, I thought claim might be good... but as I kept thinking about it, the only place that really is great is where you have the option of tutoring the card, thus making it a tool box spell. If the aftermath was reversed, or just different where the reanimate is the aftermath side, it would be a thousand times better. that way you can mill the effect while milling the toolbox to use from. Less work, more pay off, less raw power, more utility. But alas.
Driven doesnt have numbers behind it, but it is a 1 of in dredge now, and is played. Dredge isnt all that great right now, but its a very good 1 of, and in dredge it shows up in the yard more often than not. Its on par with stuff like rally, scourge devil and haunted dead.
-Opt: The most anticipated card from the set thus far and for good reason. Opt gives a really nice boost to control decks that really wanted this kind of card. Decks like Jeskai Flash, UW Control, Jeskai Control, Esper Control get really nice boosts from this card being reprinted in modern frame. I'm interested to see how delver looks now that it has this card as a potential cantrip. I'm also interested in seeming now much better blue decks in general get from this card existing.
-Sorcerous Spyglass: I feel like I may be overrating this card but I really like what this card is doing. If you are on the play and you play spyglass, you can look at their hand and if they have a fetchland in their hand you just get to stone rain them by naming the fetchland. If they have two of the same fetchland then it's a double stone rain. Since it's a pithing needle effect, it's pretty good against basically every deck. I see this as a definite sideboard card for the future. IMHO it's one of the best modern card from this set so far.
-Unclaimed Territory: This is a niche card but I see it slotting into 5 color human mana bases really nicely
-Legion's Landing: This card looks like it slots into BW tokens really well. Legion's landing: helps them against aggressive strats like affinity, nicely lowers the curve of the blooted mana curve, is ok in multiples due to the token anthems in the deck, taps for white which helps them cast cards like spectral procession which is hard to do, becomes a mana rock for a deck that has tons of great mana sinks, makes tokens every turn, etc. It seems like a tailor made home even if it's fringe.
-Chart a Course: We have never seen a draw 2 discard 1 effect at 1U before. The closest that we get is see beyond and that doesn't dump a card in the graveyard. This card seems very good to say the least. I could honestly see a world where this is just used to discard a card since there are graveyard centric decks that would love to get a card in the yard. Stuff like Esper Reanimator/gifts seems like they could use this to a really good effect. I haven't even talked about the fact that there are tempo decks that can make this card consistently be a 1Udivination. This card is doing a lot of powerful things and I suspect that people will sleep on this card until they see what it's made of.
-Carnage Tyrant: Slots right into scapeshift decks's sideboard. They were playing Gaea's Revenge before and this looks like a nice upgrade. Easy to tutor it with summoner's pact.
-Kopala, Warden of Waves: Seems like a slamdunk for merfolk players that want a Kira, Great Glass-Spinner esque effect but do not want to play kira in the maindeck. I see this splitting some kind of numbers with kira in the sideboard. Seems like a nice 2 of for fish players. It's nice that walking ballista can't machine gun down their armies now.
Has a mid/low chance of seeing play in modern
-Search for Azcanta: While it's a do nothing enchantment when it hits the field, having the ability to flip with threshold (not hard to do in modern), nearly scry 1 every upkeep, granting U for turn 4 cryptic or hold up the land portion of this card seem good. Plus this card already has good synergy with good cards in modern such as the delve creatures, k-command, snapcaster, thought scour, faithless looting, liliana, collective brutality, lingering souls, just to name a few. The potential is definitely here for this card.
-Field of Ruin: Another Ghost quarter/tectonic edge variant. It's hard to compete with these land destruction lands but Field of Ruin's ability to net a basic land for you is important for decks that looking to play cryptic command. Also just tapping this for mana for a super ghetto fetchland is also not a bad idea. If this is good enough, expect UW/UW(r) decks to play this.
-Rigging Runner: This slots into 8 whack relatively well since they could trigger this ability at ease and take the most advantage of it with Burning-Tree Emissary. It depends on how much they trigger the ability for it to have a home there.
-Jace, Cunning Castaway: Many people have called this card bad and left it at that. I see the potental for this card to see play in modern. Having a three drop planeswalker poop out a 2/2 is really good. The plus ability is not the greatest but I honestly believe that most of the time you are in to get a 2/2 creature then ride the loot waves until you find another jace. The only card that really hurts the new jace is electrolyze (it can kill the token and jace) and that's not seeing much play these days. It has a very low chance of being good enough in tempo decks but I will try it anyhow.
-Settle the Wreckage: Wrath of god meets Path to exile. Obviously this card seems great with aven mindcensor/shadow of doubt. The question that I have for this card is "will this card be good enough without needing a players can't search libraries effect out." Or is it too detrimental? Since many modern decks don't play many basics I want to say that it's playable but I'm hesitant to say 100 percent.
-Hostage Taker: It is very unheard of for UB to ever get the ability to ever interact with artifacts outside of just bouncing them back to the opponent's hand. Having the ability to exile artifacts/creatures seems really good. This card is pretty slow for dealing with affinity but if it's good enough, being able to exile a threat then cast it the next turn seems good since most of modern's threats are on the cheap end.(worth noting that if you steal a delve creature, you can delve to cast it). If this gets there it makes a nice addition to the sideboard.
-Siren Stormtamer: Seems like a nice card for Saheeli Rai if it's good enough since it can protect felidar guardian. It reminds me of a ghetto spellskite. The problem is that you have to hold up mana to get the ability off which can be really annoying. It has promise since it can attack but holding mana may prove to be too annoying.
-Old-Growth Dryads: Similar to Settle the Wreckage, we haven't had many cards that gives your opponents lands before in modern this aggressively costed. A 3/3 is no joke in terms of power and if they don't have the removal for this card it can quickly win the game paid with goblin guide or wild nacatl. This one may surprise people.
This card has not shot of seeing play in modern
-Growing Rites of Itlimoc: One of the flashiest cards of the entire set since they don't try to makeGaea's Cradle often. The issue that I see with this card is that it: doesn't dig deep enough for 3 mana, requires a heavy access of creatures to get the benefit, and how impactful is the flip when you are that ahead anyhow? I want this to work in decks like modern elves but I'm not seeing it.
-Arguel's Bloodfast: One of my favorite designs of the set is sadly lacking for modern play. In a format with cards like Dark Confidant and phyrexian arena, there is very little reason to run a cheap version of Greed.
-Kinjalli's Sunwing: A Thalia, Heretic Cathar effect with tapping creatures down but this one doens't tap nonbasics down. Instead it trade that for evasion and swapped power and toughness. I don't really see this one getting there since new thalia only sees fringe play.
-Tocatli Honor Guard: This torpor orb on a stick has been seen before in Hushwing Gryff with flash and it didn't do anything. This one doesn't have flash or evasion which makes it even harder for me to believe that this gets there. Worth noting that the jank torpor orb deck has 12 orb effects now.
-Arguel's bloodfast: As much as I love this card's design, it has no chance of seeing play in modern. It does nothing when it ETBs, it asks you to sink 2 mana to draw a card, and the payoff is low when it flips. And no, death shadow decks would rather play painful truths than play this.
-Deadeye Tracker: See Sentinel Totem's issues with seeing modern play. You can clearly tell that this card has been heavily nerfed to avoid a deathrite shaman 2.0 from happening.
-Vanquisher's Banner: Initially I was excited about this card for elves but the more I think about it, the most I see this card having its work cut out for it. Elves have to get to 5 mana, cast this for it's glorious anthem effect then they need more creatures in order to get the glimpse of nature effect. That seems like a winmore scenario almost everytime.
-Deeproot Champion: As much as I love miracle grow creatures, they just haven't panned out in modern because we lack good enough protection spells/they are horrid top decks. I fell for the myth realized trap once and I'm not falling for it this time. The Quirion Dryad effect isn't good enough these days sadly.
-Ripjaw Raptor: A dino for a great rate but that rate is outclassed at 1-2 mana.
-Rowdy Crew: Not as bad as many believe this to be since it does put two cards in your graveyard. The issue is that this would have to go in a deck that doesn't care about discarding random pieces. Sadly it doesn't say discard three cards so hollow one decks do not quite get there with this card.
-Ruin Raider: One of the better Bob effects in awhile. Still not good enough here.
-Ranging Raptors: Really cool build around me card that asks a lot to ramp you in a format where ramp is easy to do.
-Opt: The most anticipated card from the set thus far and for good reason. Opt gives a really nice boost to control decks that really wanted this kind of card. Decks like Jeskai Flash, UW Control, Jeskai Control, Esper Control get really nice boosts from this card being reprinted in modern frame. I'm interested to see how delver looks now that it has this card as a potential cantrip. I'm also interested in seeming now much better blue decks in general get from this card existing.
-Sorcerous Spyglass: I feel like I may be overrating this card but I really like what this card is doing. If you are on the play and you play spyglass, you can look at their hand and if they have a fetchland in their hand you just get to stone rain them by naming the fetchland. If they have two of the same fetchland then it's a double stone rain. Since it's a pithing needle effect, it's pretty good against basically every deck. I see this as a definite sideboard card for the future. IMHO it's one of the best modern card from this set so far.
-Growing Rites of Itlimoc: One of the flashiest cards of the entire set. The ability to get the Gaea's Cradle effect on this card will hinge on whether or not it's playable. Clearly, it looks like it fits in elves either in the maindeck or the sideboard. The question to ask is: how hard is it to get/keep four creatures on the field? I think it's easier than most think which is why I think this will see play as a 1-2 of in the main.
-Unclaimed Territory: This is a niche card but I see it slotting into 5 color human mana bases really nicely.
-Chart a Course: We have never seen a draw 2 discard 1 effect at 1U before. The closest that we get is see beyond and that doesn't dump a card in the graveyard. This card seems very good to say the least. I could honestly see a world where this is just used to discard a card since there are graveyard centric decks that would love to get a card in the yard. Stuff like Esper Reanimator/gifts seems like they could use this to a really good effect. I haven't even talked about the fact that there are tempo decks that can make this card consistently be a 1Udivination. This card is doing a lot of powerful things and I suspect that people will sleep on this card until they see what it's made of.
-Carnage Tyrant: Slots right into scapeshift decks's sideboard. They were playing Gaea's Revenge before and this looks like a nice upgrade. Easy to tutor it with summoner's pact.
-Kopala, Warden of Waves: Seems like a slamdunk for merfolk players that want a Kira, Great Glass-Spinner esque effect but do not want to play kira in the maindeck. I see this splitting some kind of numbers with kira in the sideboard. Seems like a nice 2 of for fish players. It's nice that walking ballista can't machine gun down their armies now.
Has a low chance of seeing play in modern
-Jace, Cunning Castaway: Many people have called this card bad and left it at that. I see the potental for this card to see play in modern. Having a three drop planeswalker poop out a 2/2 is really good. The plus ability is not the greatest but I honestly believe that most of the time you are in to get a 2/2 creature then ride the loot waves until you find another jace. The only card that really hurts the new jace is electrolyze (it can kill the token and jace) and that's not seeing much play these days. It has a very low chance of being good enough in tempo decks but I will try it anyhow.
-Settle the Wreckage: Wrath of god meets Path to exile. Obviously this card seems great with aven mindcensor/shadow of doubt. The question that I have for this card is "will this card be good enough without needing a players can't search libraries effect out." Or is it too detrimental? Since many modern decks don't play many basics I want to say that it's playable but I'm hesitant to say 100 percent.
-Hostage Taker: It is very unheard of for UB to ever get the ability to ever interact with artifacts outside of just bouncing them back to the opponent's hand. Having the ability to exile artifacts/creatures seems really good. This card is pretty slow for dealing with affinity but if it's good enough, being able to exile a threat then cast it the next turn seems good since most of modern's threats are on the cheap end.(worth noting that if you steal a delve creature, you can delve to cast it). If this gets there it makes a nice addition to the sideboard.
-Siren Stormtamer: Seems like a nice card for Saheeli Rai if it's good enough since it can protect felidar guardian. It reminds me of a ghetto spellskite. The problem is that you have to hold up mana to get the ability off which can be really annoying. It has promise since it can attack but holding mana may prove to be too annoying.
-Old-Growth Dryads: Similar to Settle the Wreckage, we haven't had many cards that gives your opponents lands before in modern this aggressively costed. A 3/3 is no joke in terms of power and if they don't have the removal for this card it can quickly win the game paid with goblin guide or wild nacatl. This one may surprise people.
-Kinjalli's Sunwing: A Thalia, Heretic Cathar effect with tapping creatures down but this one doens't tap nonbasics down. Instead it trade that for evasion and swapped power and toughness. I don't really see this one getting there since new thalia only sees fringe play.
-Tocatli Honor Guard: This torpor orb on a stick has been seen before in Hushwing Gryff with flash and it didn't do anything. This one doesn't have flash or evasion which makes it even harder for me to believe that this gets there. Worth noting that the jank torpor orb deck has 12 orb effects now.
-Arguel's bloodfast: As much as I love this card's design, it has no chance of seeing play in modern. It does nothing when it ETBs, it asks you to sink 2 mana to draw a card, and the payoff is low when it flips. And no, death shadow decks would rather play painful truths than play this.
-Deadeye Tracker: See Sentinel Totem's issues with seeing modern play. You can clearly tell that this card has been heavily nerfed to avoid a deathrite shaman 2.0 from happening.
-Vanquisher's Banner: Initially I was excited about this card for elves but the more I think about it, the most I see this card having its work cut out for it. Elves have to get to 5 mana, cast this for it's glorious anthem effect then they need more creatures in order to get the glimpse of nature effect. That seems like a winmore scenario almost everytime.
-Deeproot Champion: As much as I love miracle grow creatures, they just haven't panned out in modern because we lack good enough protection spells/they are horrid top decks. I fell for the myth realized trap once and I'm not falling for it this time. The Quirion Dryad effect isn't good enough these days sadly.
-Ripjaw Raptor: A dino for a great rate but that rate is outclassed at 1-2 mana.
-Rowdy Crew: Not as bad as many believe this to be since it does put two cards in your graveyard. The issue is that this would have to go in a deck that doesn't care about discarding random pieces. Sadly it doesn't say discard three cards so hollow one decks do not quite get there with this card.
-Ranging Raptors: Really cool build around me card that asks a lot to ramp you in a format where ramp is easy to do.
What swords will people play the most in modern if Stoneforge gets unbanned? Will the general equipment-package be one batterskull and two swords or one batterskull and one sword?
What makes you think Stoneforge Mystic will be unbanned? Ever since I started playing this game, every unban announcement is preceded by Stoneforge speculation. And every time, the announcement passes without being it being unbanned.
Modern is in a good place right now, other than control being a tad nerfed - and I think Wizards likes it that way.
There are THREE Masters sets expected (2 having been announced) in the next year. It is hard to see them rocking the boat with a Stoneforge unban until they see how the reprints and Ixalan change things. I'd expect a Mind Sculptor unban first, honestly.
At this point, I think Stoneforge Mystic is a pipedream. Would be a boost for Cheeri0s decks, maybe too much, which has to be taken into consideration as well.
They just buffed control/midrange with the planeswalker rule change
Nocturnus gives vampires reach that other tribes don't have. Why play that vampire list over any of the other tiered tribes?
Skymarcher Aspirant won't see play in vampires. Vampire Nocturnus is ran as a 4 of in vampire decks and the 2/1 isn't black...
1: Merfolk Mistbinder, Jungleborn Pioneer: Yes I'm cheating by putting these merfolk as the joint best cards but both look great for the deck. Mistbinder will probably help cement merfolk as being a top tier deck like humans, and Junglegorn pioneer is great against fair decks since the token is hexproof. Plus Pioneer works super well after any of your 12 Merfolk lords. Expect to see a lot more fish in modern.
2: Warkite Marauder: This card was tailor made for Modern Humans because it's disruption is exactly what humans already want to be doing. Being able to attack on the ground and shrink a Tasigur, the Golden Fang, artifact creature with Arcbound Ravager, Tarmogoyf, Gurmag Angler, Reality Smasher, or Thought-Knot Seer to name a few relevant cards. I expect to see this in the sideboard of human decks at the very least. At the most, this creature might make into tempo strategies.
3: Blood Sun: Another one of the most hyped cards in the set for modern. It turns off the downside of: bounce lands, citp lands and shock lands. Specifically for Tron it turns off Ghost Quarter and Field of Ruin. Imho if this sees play it's in Tron to shut off decks that annoy tron and it may see play in a different build of Amulet of Vigor decks that replaces the unique lands for other cards. Looks very promising.
4: Dire Fleet Daredevil: This is probably one of the most hyped cards of the set. I'm not 100 percent sold on the card but it looks really good out of the sideboard. Being able to play against Snapcaster Mage decks for red looks pretty reasonable. I'm not sold on this becoming the next best thing because it's dead mainboard but it looks nice.
5: Legion Lieutenant: Already has a deck home in Modern Vampires AND it works with Vampire Nocturnus. This card will do wonders with helping Vampires. Here is a build that Saffron made. (I know that it's saffron but this looks like a decent start for the deck. https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/instant-deck-tech-rb-vampires-modern).
Honorable Mentions that may not get there:
Journey to Eternity: Obviously this looks interesting with Sakura-Tribe Elder, but this also looks good with Fulminator mage, Greater Gargadon, Wild Cantor Garza Assassin, Teysa, Orzhov Scion, Insolent Neonate, Liliana, Heretical Healer, Falkenrath Aristocrat, Glen Elendra Archmage, varolz, the Scar-Striped, viscera seer, cartel aristocrat, Yahenni, Undying Partisan, etc. This looks like an interesting build around me card but there doesn't look like there is enough. My gut would be that this wants to be in a more midrangy deck versus an aristocrat deck. I'll be brewing up with this card since I'm a fan of this card in case you couldn't tell.
Ravenous Chupacabra: This seems really good out of the sideboard is midrange decks. Murder attacked to a Grizzly Bears seems like a nice way for midrange decks.
Jadelight Ranger: This card can do some pretty strong things for a deck with collected company since those decks often have issues with drawing mana dorks in the late game. This also looks good in Saheeli Rai Evolution decks. I have a feeling on this card but I'm not 100 percent on it.
Induced Amnesia: This seems like a combo piece that is waiting to be broken in half. They normally don't experiment with memory jar effects. It's a build around me card that also wants to be ran with stuff like Hatching Plans and Demonic Pact with stuff that break enchantments like Perilous Research, crack the earth, Angelic Purge. This pile of cards is starting to become a deck but it probably needs more.
Thrashing Brontodon: Beefy creature with a naturalize slapped onto it. It looks pretty good for those Mono Green Stompy decks, it's a chord target and hits off of Collected Company. Potentially Maindeckable hate.
Silent Gravestone: A card that protects dredge and Living End against random graveyard hate.
I just started playing Jeskai Nahiri and I really like how the deck plays.
I like it out of the board when people board out their removal I'm really salty that this card ballooned up in price because I literally forgot to preorder it
My point is that there is no 3 mana planeswaker that makes 2/2 tokens for three mana. Saheeli requires another creature to do so.
How is it comparable to a spirit token? If your opponent uses a bolt or push on the token then you are already winning. No 3 mana planeswalker can make a token that has power/toughness higher than 0. The only playable modern card that messes with jace/the token is electrolyze. You sound like the people who were calling liliana last hope/grim flayer/collected brutality garbage cards.
1: Opt: The obvious number one for the set. This card won't be as good as many think that it is but I suspect that this card becoming legal means that delver of secrets may return to modern. Slam dunk in UW(x) decks.
2: Chart a Course: This card has flown under the radar in terms of what this card does. While may will look at this card as a divination for 2 mana when you raid, I see this as an interesting catalog variant that reminds me a lot of a blue version of tormented voice. I suspect that decks like Esper Goryos and/or other reanimator strategies may want this. Worth noting that this and strategic planning are now modern lega. I expect this card to surprise people.
3: Field of Ruin: Other than Opt, this is one of the most talked about cards for modern play. This card looks very good in my opinion specifically in death and taxes variants, hatebears and in UW control. Being able to pay 2 mana and Wasteland someone with leonin arbiter sounds really good. Being able to get it back with Ramunap Excavator seems relativity powerful. Being able to kill an opponents pesky manland/sol land and get an island to have mana for your turn 4-5 cryptic command sounds reasonable for UW control to want a few copies. I expect this to find a home somewhere.
4: Sorcerous Spyglass: This card seems like a slam dunk sideboard card since it gives many decks the ability to peek without the cantrip at their opponents hand while pithing needleing them. This effect gets a lot better when you factor how many card that pithing needle can hit. Cards such as fetchlands, artifacts that hit affinity/E-tron, planeswalkers, manlands, ghost quarter/tec edge/field of ruins, to name a few cards. I expect this card to inhibit many people's sideboards and potentially mainboards.
5: Search for azcanta: One of my favorite cards that have been revealed this far. This card seems very interesting in reviving the old Grixis Control decks that used to exist until Death Shadow decks started creeping up. Similar to Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, this card takes awhile to ramp up. But for only 2 mana, this card asks for nothing else until it flips into a mana source. I want to try this card things like Cryptic Serpant/Bedlam Reveler since they seem to work well with it since they don't tax the graveyard. This one may not make it but the potential is there.
Honorable mentions:
-Settle the Wreckage: Powerful card that could push UW(x) flash decks there. Many decks do not run many basics and this card really punishes them. It's worth noting that Aven Mindcensor is really good with this card. (and field of ruin)
-Carnage Tyrant: Nice card for Titan-shift decks to tutor up to help in midrange matchups.
-Jace, Cunning Castaway: Fits in nicely in tempo/midrange decks like UB Faeries. The powerlevel really depends on how powerful a 3 mana planeswalker that poops out a 2/2 the turn it comes out really is.
-Legion's Landing: Seems like a natural fit for BW tokens and allows them to lower their curve. It may not get there powerlevel wise,
Regisaur Alpha does a cute thragtusk impression
I think this will see modern play
-Opt: The most anticipated card from the set thus far and for good reason. Opt gives a really nice boost to control decks that really wanted this kind of card. Decks like Jeskai Flash, UW Control, Jeskai Control, Esper Control get really nice boosts from this card being reprinted in modern frame. I'm interested to see how delver looks now that it has this card as a potential cantrip. I'm also interested in seeming now much better blue decks in general get from this card existing.
-Sorcerous Spyglass: I feel like I may be overrating this card but I really like what this card is doing. If you are on the play and you play spyglass, you can look at their hand and if they have a fetchland in their hand you just get to stone rain them by naming the fetchland. If they have two of the same fetchland then it's a double stone rain. Since it's a pithing needle effect, it's pretty good against basically every deck. I see this as a definite sideboard card for the future. IMHO it's one of the best modern card from this set so far.
-Unclaimed Territory: This is a niche card but I see it slotting into 5 color human mana bases really nicely
-Legion's Landing: This card looks like it slots into BW tokens really well. Legion's landing: helps them against aggressive strats like affinity, nicely lowers the curve of the blooted mana curve, is ok in multiples due to the token anthems in the deck, taps for white which helps them cast cards like spectral procession which is hard to do, becomes a mana rock for a deck that has tons of great mana sinks, makes tokens every turn, etc. It seems like a tailor made home even if it's fringe.
-Chart a Course: We have never seen a draw 2 discard 1 effect at 1U before. The closest that we get is see beyond and that doesn't dump a card in the graveyard. This card seems very good to say the least. I could honestly see a world where this is just used to discard a card since there are graveyard centric decks that would love to get a card in the yard. Stuff like Esper Reanimator/gifts seems like they could use this to a really good effect. I haven't even talked about the fact that there are tempo decks that can make this card consistently be a 1U divination. This card is doing a lot of powerful things and I suspect that people will sleep on this card until they see what it's made of.
-Carnage Tyrant: Slots right into scapeshift decks's sideboard. They were playing Gaea's Revenge before and this looks like a nice upgrade. Easy to tutor it with summoner's pact.
-Kopala, Warden of Waves: Seems like a slamdunk for merfolk players that want a Kira, Great Glass-Spinner esque effect but do not want to play kira in the maindeck. I see this splitting some kind of numbers with kira in the sideboard. Seems like a nice 2 of for fish players. It's nice that walking ballista can't machine gun down their armies now.
Has a mid/low chance of seeing play in modern
-Search for Azcanta: While it's a do nothing enchantment when it hits the field, having the ability to flip with threshold (not hard to do in modern), nearly scry 1 every upkeep, granting U for turn 4 cryptic or hold up the land portion of this card seem good. Plus this card already has good synergy with good cards in modern such as the delve creatures, k-command, snapcaster, thought scour, faithless looting, liliana, collective brutality, lingering souls, just to name a few. The potential is definitely here for this card.
-Field of Ruin: Another Ghost quarter/tectonic edge variant. It's hard to compete with these land destruction lands but Field of Ruin's ability to net a basic land for you is important for decks that looking to play cryptic command. Also just tapping this for mana for a super ghetto fetchland is also not a bad idea. If this is good enough, expect UW/UW(r) decks to play this.
-Rigging Runner: This slots into 8 whack relatively well since they could trigger this ability at ease and take the most advantage of it with Burning-Tree Emissary. It depends on how much they trigger the ability for it to have a home there.
-Jace, Cunning Castaway: Many people have called this card bad and left it at that. I see the potental for this card to see play in modern. Having a three drop planeswalker poop out a 2/2 is really good. The plus ability is not the greatest but I honestly believe that most of the time you are in to get a 2/2 creature then ride the loot waves until you find another jace. The only card that really hurts the new jace is electrolyze (it can kill the token and jace) and that's not seeing much play these days. It has a very low chance of being good enough in tempo decks but I will try it anyhow.
-Settle the Wreckage: Wrath of god meets Path to exile. Obviously this card seems great with aven mindcensor/shadow of doubt. The question that I have for this card is "will this card be good enough without needing a players can't search libraries effect out." Or is it too detrimental? Since many modern decks don't play many basics I want to say that it's playable but I'm hesitant to say 100 percent.
-Hostage Taker: It is very unheard of for UB to ever get the ability to ever interact with artifacts outside of just bouncing them back to the opponent's hand. Having the ability to exile artifacts/creatures seems really good. This card is pretty slow for dealing with affinity but if it's good enough, being able to exile a threat then cast it the next turn seems good since most of modern's threats are on the cheap end.(worth noting that if you steal a delve creature, you can delve to cast it). If this gets there it makes a nice addition to the sideboard.
-Siren Stormtamer: Seems like a nice card for Saheeli Rai if it's good enough since it can protect felidar guardian. It reminds me of a ghetto spellskite. The problem is that you have to hold up mana to get the ability off which can be really annoying. It has promise since it can attack but holding mana may prove to be too annoying.
-Old-Growth Dryads: Similar to Settle the Wreckage, we haven't had many cards that gives your opponents lands before in modern this aggressively costed. A 3/3 is no joke in terms of power and if they don't have the removal for this card it can quickly win the game paid with goblin guide or wild nacatl. This one may surprise people.
This card has not shot of seeing play in modern
-Growing Rites of Itlimoc: One of the flashiest cards of the entire set since they don't try to makeGaea's Cradle often. The issue that I see with this card is that it: doesn't dig deep enough for 3 mana, requires a heavy access of creatures to get the benefit, and how impactful is the flip when you are that ahead anyhow? I want this to work in decks like modern elves but I'm not seeing it.
-Arguel's Bloodfast: One of my favorite designs of the set is sadly lacking for modern play. In a format with cards like Dark Confidant and phyrexian arena, there is very little reason to run a cheap version of Greed.
-Entrancing Melody: This card got a lot of hype when it was leaked until we learned that it's a sorcery. We have Threads of Disloyalty,Bribery,Sower of temptation and Vedalken Shackles as better cards and none of those see much play these days. Being a sorcery kills this spell's shot at seeing play in modern.
-Kinjalli's Sunwing: A Thalia, Heretic Cathar effect with tapping creatures down but this one doens't tap nonbasics down. Instead it trade that for evasion and swapped power and toughness. I don't really see this one getting there since new thalia only sees fringe play.
-Tocatli Honor Guard: This torpor orb on a stick has been seen before in Hushwing Gryff with flash and it didn't do anything. This one doesn't have flash or evasion which makes it even harder for me to believe that this gets there. Worth noting that the jank torpor orb deck has 12 orb effects now.
-Arguel's bloodfast: As much as I love this card's design, it has no chance of seeing play in modern. It does nothing when it ETBs, it asks you to sink 2 mana to draw a card, and the payoff is low when it flips. And no, death shadow decks would rather play painful truths than play this.
-Sentinel Totem: This seems like a good graveyard hate card until you realize that modern has things like relic of progenitus, tormod's crypt, leyline of the void, scavenging ooze, rest in peace, grafdigger's cage, etc. There is many cards that do graveyard hate better than this card does sadly.
-Deadeye Tracker: See Sentinel Totem's issues with seeing modern play. You can clearly tell that this card has been heavily nerfed to avoid a deathrite shaman 2.0 from happening.
-Vanquisher's Banner: Initially I was excited about this card for elves but the more I think about it, the most I see this card having its work cut out for it. Elves have to get to 5 mana, cast this for it's glorious anthem effect then they need more creatures in order to get the glimpse of nature effect. That seems like a winmore scenario almost everytime.
-Deeproot Champion: As much as I love miracle grow creatures, they just haven't panned out in modern because we lack good enough protection spells/they are horrid top decks. I fell for the myth realized trap once and I'm not falling for it this time. The Quirion Dryad effect isn't good enough these days sadly.
-Ripjaw Raptor: A dino for a great rate but that rate is outclassed at 1-2 mana.
-Rowdy Crew: Not as bad as many believe this to be since it does put two cards in your graveyard. The issue is that this would have to go in a deck that doesn't care about discarding random pieces. Sadly it doesn't say discard three cards so hollow one decks do not quite get there with this card.
-Ruin Raider: One of the better Bob effects in awhile. Still not good enough here.
-Ranging Raptors: Really cool build around me card that asks a lot to ramp you in a format where ramp is easy to do.
I think this will see modern play
-Opt: The most anticipated card from the set thus far and for good reason. Opt gives a really nice boost to control decks that really wanted this kind of card. Decks like Jeskai Flash, UW Control, Jeskai Control, Esper Control get really nice boosts from this card being reprinted in modern frame. I'm interested to see how delver looks now that it has this card as a potential cantrip. I'm also interested in seeming now much better blue decks in general get from this card existing.
-Sorcerous Spyglass: I feel like I may be overrating this card but I really like what this card is doing. If you are on the play and you play spyglass, you can look at their hand and if they have a fetchland in their hand you just get to stone rain them by naming the fetchland. If they have two of the same fetchland then it's a double stone rain. Since it's a pithing needle effect, it's pretty good against basically every deck. I see this as a definite sideboard card for the future. IMHO it's one of the best modern card from this set so far.
-Growing Rites of Itlimoc: One of the flashiest cards of the entire set. The ability to get the Gaea's Cradle effect on this card will hinge on whether or not it's playable. Clearly, it looks like it fits in elves either in the maindeck or the sideboard. The question to ask is: how hard is it to get/keep four creatures on the field? I think it's easier than most think which is why I think this will see play as a 1-2 of in the main.
-Unclaimed Territory: This is a niche card but I see it slotting into 5 color human mana bases really nicely.
-Chart a Course: We have never seen a draw 2 discard 1 effect at 1U before. The closest that we get is see beyond and that doesn't dump a card in the graveyard. This card seems very good to say the least. I could honestly see a world where this is just used to discard a card since there are graveyard centric decks that would love to get a card in the yard. Stuff like Esper Reanimator/gifts seems like they could use this to a really good effect. I haven't even talked about the fact that there are tempo decks that can make this card consistently be a 1U divination. This card is doing a lot of powerful things and I suspect that people will sleep on this card until they see what it's made of.
-Carnage Tyrant: Slots right into scapeshift decks's sideboard. They were playing Gaea's Revenge before and this looks like a nice upgrade. Easy to tutor it with summoner's pact.
-Kopala, Warden of Waves: Seems like a slamdunk for merfolk players that want a Kira, Great Glass-Spinner esque effect but do not want to play kira in the maindeck. I see this splitting some kind of numbers with kira in the sideboard. Seems like a nice 2 of for fish players. It's nice that walking ballista can't machine gun down their armies now.
Has a low chance of seeing play in modern
-Jace, Cunning Castaway: Many people have called this card bad and left it at that. I see the potental for this card to see play in modern. Having a three drop planeswalker poop out a 2/2 is really good. The plus ability is not the greatest but I honestly believe that most of the time you are in to get a 2/2 creature then ride the loot waves until you find another jace. The only card that really hurts the new jace is electrolyze (it can kill the token and jace) and that's not seeing much play these days. It has a very low chance of being good enough in tempo decks but I will try it anyhow.
-Settle the Wreckage: Wrath of god meets Path to exile. Obviously this card seems great with aven mindcensor/shadow of doubt. The question that I have for this card is "will this card be good enough without needing a players can't search libraries effect out." Or is it too detrimental? Since many modern decks don't play many basics I want to say that it's playable but I'm hesitant to say 100 percent.
-Hostage Taker: It is very unheard of for UB to ever get the ability to ever interact with artifacts outside of just bouncing them back to the opponent's hand. Having the ability to exile artifacts/creatures seems really good. This card is pretty slow for dealing with affinity but if it's good enough, being able to exile a threat then cast it the next turn seems good since most of modern's threats are on the cheap end.(worth noting that if you steal a delve creature, you can delve to cast it). If this gets there it makes a nice addition to the sideboard.
-Siren Stormtamer: Seems like a nice card for Saheeli Rai if it's good enough since it can protect felidar guardian. It reminds me of a ghetto spellskite. The problem is that you have to hold up mana to get the ability off which can be really annoying. It has promise since it can attack but holding mana may prove to be too annoying.
-Old-Growth Dryads: Similar to Settle the Wreckage, we haven't had many cards that gives your opponents lands before in modern this aggressively costed. A 3/3 is no joke in terms of power and if they don't have the removal for this card it can quickly win the game paid with goblin guide or wild nacatl. This one may surprise people.
This card has not shot of seeing play in modern
-Entrancing Melody: This card got a lot of hype when it was leaked until we learned that it's a sorcery. We have Threads of Disloyalty,Bribery,Sower of temptation and Vedalken Shackles as better cards and none of those see much play these days. Being a sorcery kills this spell's shot at seeing play in modern.
-Kinjalli's Sunwing: A Thalia, Heretic Cathar effect with tapping creatures down but this one doens't tap nonbasics down. Instead it trade that for evasion and swapped power and toughness. I don't really see this one getting there since new thalia only sees fringe play.
-Tocatli Honor Guard: This torpor orb on a stick has been seen before in Hushwing Gryff with flash and it didn't do anything. This one doesn't have flash or evasion which makes it even harder for me to believe that this gets there. Worth noting that the jank torpor orb deck has 12 orb effects now.
-Arguel's bloodfast: As much as I love this card's design, it has no chance of seeing play in modern. It does nothing when it ETBs, it asks you to sink 2 mana to draw a card, and the payoff is low when it flips. And no, death shadow decks would rather play painful truths than play this.
-Sentinel Totem: This seems like a good graveyard hate card until you realize that modern has things like relic of progenitus, tormod's crypt, leyline of the void, scavenging ooze, rest in peace, grafdigger's cage, etc. There is many cards that do graveyard hate better than this card does sadly.
-Deadeye Tracker: See Sentinel Totem's issues with seeing modern play. You can clearly tell that this card has been heavily nerfed to avoid a deathrite shaman 2.0 from happening.
-Vanquisher's Banner: Initially I was excited about this card for elves but the more I think about it, the most I see this card having its work cut out for it. Elves have to get to 5 mana, cast this for it's glorious anthem effect then they need more creatures in order to get the glimpse of nature effect. That seems like a winmore scenario almost everytime.
-Deeproot Champion: As much as I love miracle grow creatures, they just haven't panned out in modern because we lack good enough protection spells/they are horrid top decks. I fell for the myth realized trap once and I'm not falling for it this time. The Quirion Dryad effect isn't good enough these days sadly.
-Ripjaw Raptor: A dino for a great rate but that rate is outclassed at 1-2 mana.
-Rowdy Crew: Not as bad as many believe this to be since it does put two cards in your graveyard. The issue is that this would have to go in a deck that doesn't care about discarding random pieces. Sadly it doesn't say discard three cards so hollow one decks do not quite get there with this card.
-Ranging Raptors: Really cool build around me card that asks a lot to ramp you in a format where ramp is easy to do.
They just buffed control/midrange with the planeswalker rule change