#set picks

Taste of Death

Grade: C+

Home: Most Black Decks as Board wipe

Range: Average

Scaling to EDH really makes it worthwhile - sure, WOTC stuck it into the Brawl deck, but if this is what we get, I’ll take that every day.

Going three creatures goes deep - unless I’m running tokens or a wide board, I may only have a single creature I feel like losing. The fact that this doesn’t care about targeting at all, and gets around every conventional form of protection makes it even more amazing.

A trio of food offers some nice life, or artifacts, or Food synergy. Makes a nice gift to stabilize with.

Witch’s Vengeance

Grade: C-

Home: -X Removal Usage?

Range: Narrow

I debated having this on the honorable mentions list, as it’s more niche than it could be.

Hitting one creature types makes it attractive against tribal decks - unless they’re packing lords (like Elves or Merfolk) or are too big to be affected (Angels, Dragons, Giants). 

I feel it better hits vocation style, like aiming for Advisors, Druids, or Clerics, and view this as -X removal, killing one target, and getting additional kills by happenstance. 

Blacklance Paragon - I view this as a Black kill spell with limitations - like Doom Blade, a conditional piece of removal, hitting attacking creatures that can be blocked by Black creatures and aren’t indestructible. 

Order of Midnight - I like playing Gravedigger in a lot of decks. Splitting the effect from the creature is an interesting choice - I lose out on ETB abuse for an easier to use piecemeal creature.

The Cauldron of Eternity - The replacement effect of messing with your graveyard is a deal breaker for me - what’s the point in doing a GY deck if you’re not restocking it? 

Chitterling Witch - It scales, but it’s a weak scaling. Removal is okay, but I think Phyrexian Plaguelord is a better go-to.

Realm Cloaked Giant

Grade: B

Home: Board Wipe Indestructible, Giant Tribal

Range: Average

Giant tribal doesn’t get much love.

If you’re playing a big tribe like Giants, board wipes hurt a lot. So being able to slam down some sweepers that’s one sided feels pretty dope. While multiple copies are synergistic in Standard, we’ll have to settle for not killing our own dudes.

For the board wipes deck, it’s a sub-par board wipe, but offering a big body offsets that.

The Circle of Loyalty

Grade: B+

Home: Token Deck, Knight Tribal

Range: Narrow

This has it all. Legendary Synergy, token production, Tribal Buff, and Tribal discount. Being as cheap as WW is pretty great.

I’m a sucker for big flashy spells, and this is phenomenally fun to look at. A big buff, tons of Knight creation, all of it makes a Legendary Knight deck a serious subtheme option. Even as a 6 or 4 drop it’s very attractive. Sure, it’s a priority target for Shatter’ing things, but what big artifact isn’t? EDH lets you bring out the big toys - embrace it and make an army of knights.

Honorable Mentions

Archon of Absolution - It’s no Windborn Muse, but it’s another annoying defensive card.

Charming Prince - None of these modes are overwhelmingly interesting, but they’re nice, especially the slow blink.

Deafening Silence - there’s some serious utility as an Anti-Combo Control card, as well as players who wanna force others to play battlecruiser magic

Happily Ever After - every alt win con is inherently interesting, and the hoops to jump through here make it very fair. A great name for a fun card.

Hushbringer - Yet another control loving card, this will probably replace Hushwing Gryff in a lot of my decks.

Mace of the Valiant - Better in a token deck. Given the iffy time I had playing it in MTG Arena’s Brawl pre-con, I think the hoops to jump through as too much.

Silverwing Squadron - Scaling is always appreciated in EDH. While I’ve never likes “P/T equal to number of creatures you control” the Flying and Vigilance work well together, and dropping, say, three Knight tokens a swing, goes a long way to fixing that.

Worthy Knight - The low CMC knight enabler that makes plenty of “squires” for a knight army.

Youthful Knight - Honorable mention for giving me flashbacks to the XBOX game Magic BattleGrounds. YOUTHFUL KNIGHT YOUTHFUL KNIGHT

See you soon campers with more Eldraine.

Flusterstorm

Grade: A-

Home: Any deck going into multiplayer

Range: Very Wide

EDH faces far more Instants and Sorceries that can be game ending out nowhere, or board wipes to interrupt your lovely board state, or a pumped up Fireball about to kill your weakest opponent - and put you on the chopping block. 

Optimally you can make this cost more than your opponent has available to deal with. Usually this will be a minimum of (2), but can be higher from other players interacting - some may help you if they know you have a Flusterstorm, or you can play cheap spells first.

It can whiff (it always seems to whiff for me) as it can’t deal with creatures, planeswalkers, enchantments, artifacts, so there’s plenty of scenarios where it fails you, or your opponent has extra mana up to deal with your tax, but (U) is a fair cost for an occasional ace in your sleeve.

Fact or Fiction

Grade: C+

Home: Any Blue Deck

Range: Very Wide

Usually a draw 2-3 at instant speed for 4 is fine. I’ve even done 4-1 splits when I know something is an opponent’s combo piece.

And even if they get put in the graveyard, so what? That’s basically your second hand in EDH.

Force of Negation

Grade: B+

Home: Blue Counterspells, Combo Decks

Range: Narrow

While it doesn’t replace Force of Will due to the limited card types, having a second free counterspell is never a wrong choice. Exiling the counterspell is occasionnaly useful, but doesn’t really make the card. Being at Cancel cost makes it okay to hard cast as well as a backup use case.

Future Sight

Grade: C

Home: Spellslinger Deck, Any Blue Deck

Range: Very Wide

Always a nice toy for EDH decks that want to cast a lot. And I mean a lot of spells. Functionally at least an extra card in hand, it lets you really play out of your library well. And if you can remove all your lands and make your spells free...well, you’ve already broken the game, and this just makes it smoother.

Marit Lage’s Slumber

Grade: C+

Home: Snow Decks

Range: Narrow

Solid usage in a Scapeshift deck that can cheat out extra basic snow lands, as well as a deck that recur the enchantment and utilize Mirror Gallery effects to pump out Marit Lage tokens.

Honestly, if your opponents can’t deal with one big token, they didn’t bring the right removal.

Mirrodin Besieged 

Grade: B

Home: Artifact Decks, Cheerio Artifacts

Range: Narrow

An artifact synergy spell is nice, and not having a clause that limits it to once a turn helps a lot. Then you can blink it and choose Phyrexian and have an alt win con ready to go.

In an artifact deck that can really spit out cheap artifacts (and some back from the graveyard that you’re stocking), it makes a great alternate win-con alongside Mechanized Construction.

Rebuild

Grade: C-

Home: Cheap Mana Rocks, ?

Range: Sideboard

Nice removal against artifact heavy decks, good at recycling mana rocks, good for dodging mass artifact removal against you.

Probably has some wicked combo I’m not capable of thinking up.

All that on top of the option to cycle it out makes it a solid choice to have in your collection, if not in any particular deck.

Tribute Mage

Grade: C+

Home: Any Artifact deck needing 2 CMC tutoring

Range: Very Wide

Two mana is the right size for Signets, which every multicolor deck can utilize, as well as fun equipment like Illusionist’s Bracers and Nim Deathmantle. Fun 2 CMC artifacts include Baleful Strix, Ethersworn Canonist, and the Mana Myr cycle.

A solid swiss army knife to have.

Urza, Lord High Artificer 

Grade: A

Home: Artifacts, Combo Decks

Range: Wide

The high synergy with artifacts, ability to combo out a ton of mana, and being able to dump that out into your library, Urza is a butt-kicking card.

Decent target for blinking a Karn-made token.

His second ability feels like something like Opposition-level power - just tapping artifacts (equipment and creatures doing double duty) instantly, and color fixing to Blue if you need. It’s not game breaking, but certainly is powerful.

With shuffling, it’s a lot harder to cheese this ability - assuming you haven’t exiled all but 1 card of your library, a la Doomsday.

POSSIBLE

Choking Tethers - I really like the utility of opening up one player to get pounded on by the rest of the table, and Cycling makes sure it’s never dead

Cunning Evasion - Feels like a Blue Reconnaissance, which I occasionally like for fun shenanigans

Everdream - Tacking on a cantrip for 2U feels weird, but when you’re doing a ton of 1 CMC Instants, it might be worth it

Faerie Seer - Small fliers can find some play, ETB is fine, creature types are relevant 

Iceberg Cantrix - Might have some Snow fun Scapeshift style, but I’m including it for the memes

Man O’ War - A workhorse even in EDH. Not spectacular, but fun for Blinking decks, or the padding out the fist version of a deck shell

Mist-Syndicate Naga - Not sure how good it’ll be unless it’s constantly swapping out for Ninjas, but it has some potential. Extra bodies is always good, but 3/1 doesn’t impress me much

Moonblade Shinobi - Decent Ninja, and adds a Flying Illusion that makes follow up attacks with Ninjutsu work

Phantom Ninja - An unblockable creature with a relevant creature type. Nominal usage in the gimmicky Ninja deck

Rain of Revelation - Instant speed triple draw and beats Sift now, makes for a decent Blue card for slower decks that want to play on other players turns

Oneirophage - In draw heavy decks, an evasive creature that can have explosive growth makes it much better than your average big dumb flyer

Scour All Possibilities - Sorcery really hurts this, but doing it twice helps. Digging three deep can be interesting.

Scuttling Sliver - Weak for a Sliver IMO, as tapping rarely seems to be relevant, as you’re always kinda snowballing anyway, and Untapping for tricks and extra abilities doesn’t seem to compare to flooding the field with bodies.

Smoke Shroud - More fun for Ninja Tribal - evasion, cheap recursion of an aura and a buff

Spell Snuff - Strictly better Cancel, so decent

Watcher for Tomorrow - Draw this slow feels week, but okay for a 2 drop

NAY

Blizzard Strix - Weak ETB with a condition on meh stats

Chillerpillar - Too much of a hoop to jump through for too little rewards

Exclude - It’s fine, but limitations on

Eyekite - Weak best case scenario

Phantasmal Form - Trick not worth a slot or cost

Pondering Mage - Expensive for a 3/4 with Ponder

Prohibit - Two weak cases for EDH, and paying more without a hard counter, this is trash

Scour All Possibilities  - Weak double draw is disappointing

Stream of Thought - Unless it’s part of an infinite mana combo, not worth it. Even then, there are better options.

String of Disappearances - Cute call back, but not for EDH.

Twisted Reflection - Tricks bad for EDH

Windcaller Aven - Even with cycling, it’s meh

Winter’s Rest - Meh removal with conditions

That’s all for now campers!

Serra the Benevolent 

Grade: A

Home: Angel Tribal, Flyers, Any White Deck

Range: Wide

My absolute fave of White. It can make a Serra Angel the second it comes down, or when Doubling Season hits with it, it can get it’s Worship Emblem.

She draws removal like a champ, hence the good protection the Angel provides.

Sisay, Weatherlight Captain

Grade: B

Home: Legendaries 

Range: All over the place

It can tutor any sort of Legendary permanent - artifacts, creatures, planeswalkers - all good stuff. Sisay has a max size of 7/7, which is pretty good for a 3 drop.

Vesperlark

Grade: B

Home: Blink Decks, Rez Decks

Range: Narrow

The Lesser Reveillark, getting back one creature with power 1 or less, which is still surprisingly good. Much easier to get into play on turn 1 that the Rev and then abuse.

Pulling the new Deep Forest Hermit and flickering Vesperlark or the hermit it the tip of the iceberg when it comes to shenanigans. 

Winds of Abandon

Grade: B-

Home: Any White Deck

Range: Wide

What’s better than a Board Wipe? A one-sided board wipe!

A good removal effect for 2 mana Sorc, the Overloaded version dodges any type of protection, and getting “compensated” with a basic land is harsh - especially when multicolored decks might not even run many Basic lands, so they can fail to find, making it even more one-sided.

On the Maybe List

Ephemerate - Double blink is pretty decent at instant.

Face of Divinity - Cheap abilities especially as you stack on Auras onto your Voltron creatures

First Sliver’s Chosen - Maybe if you want one big creature attacking, but I think Slivers like attacking more in a swarm.

Imposter of the Sixth Pride - Tribal options may be this card’s salvation

King of the Pride - Solid Cat Lord

Lancer Sliver - Decent 

Martyr’s Soul - I think a 5/4 for 3 mana is interesting, but possibly not right for EDH. The mana rocks and Convoke can help, but I’m not sure yet

Recruit the Worthy - White’s worse Sprout Swarm for 1 less

Reprobation - Nice alternate to Pacifism

Rhox Veteran - Battle Cry and targeted tap down are a potent mix, letting you whale on a target

Segovian Angel - Ah, finally the White Angel one drop the tribe’s needed forever. Nominally interesting, but probably out of the league of being competitive 

Splicer’s Skill - Not sure how well Splice works outside of the Arcane family, so this is probably worth checking out for cheap casting Jeskai decks maybe

Valiant Changeling - Possibly nice as a WW 3/3 Double Strike

Wing Shards - You can usually kill 2-3 things if you do it well, which is more than you need to kill Unblockable Souped up Voltron creatures with Protection from X

Not for EDH

Answered Prayers - Might be cute for the LG or Opal decks, but I feel it’s underpowered

Astral Drift - While it’s had it’s time in the sun in cycling decks, it’s not for EDH

Battle Screech - More for pauper than EDH

Dismantling Blow - Disenchant and Divination at this cost? No way!

Enduring Sliver - Slow, slow, slow. A decent bear, but I feel slivers can do better, even for a card slot

Gilded Light - Cycling is fine, but self protection could be found better with True Believer 

Irregular Cohort - Does fair work, but unless you can really abuse the Changeling or ETB, not really worth it. Even when you can, there are other options.

Knight of Old Benalia - Decent ETB, but not enough

Settle Beyond Reality - I wanna remove something at Instant speed, for much less mana

Shelter - Other options make for better card slots

Soul-Strike Technique - Weak aura with replacement is disappointing.

Stirring Address - Hey, Overload in White! Still trash combat trick though

Trustworthy Scout - Functionally a bear with an ability that doesn’t work in EDH

Wall of One Thousand Cuts - I hate paying for mediocre things to be less mediocre

Zhalfirin Decoy - Tapping and weird antics does not make for good EDH creatures.

Stay tuned for Blue and more campers!

Gideon Backblade

Grade: C

Home:

Range:

Almost impossible to kill on your turn, and also hard to deal with on other turns, Blackblade is a solid, and cheap, addition to any combat heavy deck, or the every meme-worthy Gideon tribal.

Making a creature Indestructible, like your commander, to end of turn is a great +1, and permanent removal is a nice Ult for a 3 CMC walker.

God-Eternal Oketra

Grade: A

Home: Weenie Deck

Range: Wide

I find it kind of unfair to the original Oketra that this, at W more, is a massive upgrade over the original. Less vulnerable to exile effects, better tokens, no drawbacks.

Spam X or 0 or 1 cost minions to get cheap 4/4 Tokens, which are pretty impressive, even for EDH. Really goes well with any deck, as it’s hard to get rid of for good, and it’s a great resurrection target.

Grateful Apparition

Grade: C

Home: SuperFriends Deck, Proliferate Deck, Counter Deck, Infect

Range: Custom Niche

A nice color shift on Thrummingbird which works well in any deck where the bird fits. Not much to say, just a nice small creature.

Ignite the Beacon

Grade: C-

Home: Superfriends, Legendary Deck

Range: Narrow

White just gets the best superfriends deck toys. 

Outside of the superfriends deck, if you have ‘walkers that function as combo pieces, win-cons, or removal, it may be worthwhile to run this in a deck with 4+ PWs.

Grab this while it’s a penny rare.

Parhelion II

Grade: D+

Home: Angel Tokens, Vehicles

Range: Narrow

I’m a little prejudiced thanks to my love of angels, and this card is such Battlecruiser MTG, it deserved a mention. 

You crew it with an Angel (traditionally 4 power), it has angel abilities, it makes two angels a swing, it can play defense, it dodges some Sorcery speed removal. 

It’s also 8 mana, and without some Haste, it takes forever to take off - and you need value fast. It’s more for casual, big-spell magic, but I really love how big it is, and how big it gets.

Prison Realm

Grade: C

Home: Anywhere where O Ring works

Range: Very Wide

We lose some of the versatility of Oblivion Ring, but creatures and planeswalkers make up 90% of what we want to remove anyway. Tacking a Scry 1 is like half a card draw, so nice for white heavy decks.

Ravnica at War

Grade: D+

Home: MonoColor Board wipes

Range: Narrow

I view this as “kill most commanders/legendaries” than anything else. Most commanders are multicolor, and a lot of great creatures are too, so if you want to gamble or play casually, this has some merit. Exiling is also a nice touch, especially for indestructible creatures that often feature in commander.

Otherwise, it whiffs too often for my taste - it’s inability to be an actual board wipe hurts.

Tomik, Distinguished Advokist

Grade: A

Home: Land Tech, Hatebears

Range: Very Narrow

Solid body, and he’s amazing at what he does, but it’s very narrow. Unless Gitrog, Titania, and Omnath are trampling through your meta, leave it in the binder.

The D section - Just Meh

Ajani’s Pridmate - fine card for the lifegain deck, but only that

Bonds of Discipline - 5 Mana is a lot, but hitting every opponent is nice, especially if you want everyone to hit the player that just passed turn to you.

Defiant Strike - Solid combat trick for the Feather deck

Gideon’s Sacrifice - I know there’s some fun here with a tapped Boros Reckoner and blocking stuff, or other interesting damage plays. 

Law-Rune Enforcer - Decent, but limitations plus small body (and not scaling well to EDH) prevents this from being useful

Martyr for the Cause - Might find a home in a Proliferate deck, but it’s just a bear with upside.

Single Combat - feels better than Divine Reckoning, as it uses sacrifice over destroy, but I hate giving other players reasonable choices.

Sunblade Angel - A ton of fun abilities - that fails to pass the Lightning Bolt test.

Teyo - Planeswalkers will always have niche usage, especially with all the existing superfriends and proliferate support, but Teyo is so purely defensive, I find it hard to recommend him

The Wanderer - Nice abilities, but it’s a narrow use case, and limitations on removal hurt it.

Everything else is an F, and here’s why:

Battlefield Promotion - I always rate Combat tricks low - they don’t scale well to EDH. This does a lot of things, but winning one battle in EDH doesn’t justify this card

Bulwark Giant - I love giant GF, but she doesn’t make the cut. Giant tribal is pretty bad, so this doesn’t have much support.

Charmed Stray - Bad in Limited, bad here

Divine Arrow - Limited level removal, leave it in the bulk bin

Enforcer Griffin - Griffin tribal is nonexistent, vanilla flyer that could be replace by a Serra Angel or Baneslayer

Gideon’s Triumph - F- for the creepy art, and for the weak functionality 

Ironclad Krovod - Trash vanilla

Loxodon Sergeant - Vanilla with ETB

Makeshift Battalion - Battalion was a fun ability, but it didn’t work well for EDH in the past (small number of cards, required to rely on board, very aggressive in Multiplayer), and this isn’t special

Pouncing Lynx - Trash Vanilla

Rally of Wings - Trashy combat trick

Rising Populace - Cute, but not impressive.

Teyo’s Lightshield - A 1/4 is not useful.

Topple the Statue - Cute. Pathetic, but cute.

Trusted Pegasus - Tribal pegasus just isn’t there yet.

Wanderer’s Strike - Exile and proliferate are nice on paper, but Sorcery speed at 5 CMC doesn’t fly