10 Card Interactions That Will Help You Get the Most Out of Your Baldur’s Gate Limited Pools

Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate limited is a format that is more about raw individual card quality than building intricate synergy decks. That said, there are always pockets of synergies that will give you an edge over the rest of the field.

Below, I’ll be highlighting some powerful card interactions that exist at lower rarities. Many of these cards can be found at later picks and leveraging them correctly can be the difference between another mediocre draft deck and a fine-tuned winning machine.

Skanos, Dragon Vassal + Thrakkus the Butcher

Though Gruul is not a particularly powerful archetype in HBG, this two-card combo of uncommons is one of the premier reasons to go in on it. Attacking with both of these creatures together will make short work of most opponents, as you can order the triggers to boost Thrakkus to a 14 power trampler while also making an 8/4 Skannos.

On top of that, if you specialize Skannos into red, they’ll each get first strike making them virtually impossible to block profitably. This is a perfect one-two punch to follow up a turn 3 Undercellar Myconid play and will leave your opponent wondering how your deck is even fair.

Flaming Fist Duskguard + Value 3 Drops

White in HBG has an impressive suite of quality 2 drops, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be trying to get that extra ounce of value from them. Following Flaming Fist Duskguard with the correct 3 mana play can result in opening sequences that are both fast and set you ahead on card advantage.

Cards like Priest of Ancient Lore, Pilgrim's Eye, Giant fire Beetles, and Nefarious Imp really benefit from an extra point of power and will help you beat down while drowning your opponent in cards at the same time.

Blessed Hippogriff + Cards that Need to Attack

Blessed Hippogriff is a card that doesn’t need help being good, but you can take it to the next level by pairing it with the right cards. Cards Like Soulknife Spy and Iron Golem are threatening, but need a little extra help to realize their potential. Blessed Hippogriff is the card for the job.

When you attack with cards like Spy or Golem, your opponent is forced to trade or fall behind, this allows you to blow them out with the adventure half of Hippogriff. Then, you can follow up with the creature side and start connecting in the air.

Liara of the Flaming Fist + You’re Confronted by Robbers

Liara of the Flaming Fist is another card that doesn’t need help to be good, but it can be truly awesome when combined with You're Confronted by Robbers. Because the soldier tokens all have the same name, Liara will turn them all into 2/2’s on each combat step. If your opponent doesn’t have removal for Liara, it will be almost impossible for them to break through your board the turn you deploy this combo. There are a few other token generators in the format but You're Confronted by Robbers is by far the easiest way to abuse this synergy.

Earth-Cult Elemental + Mana Acceleration

Anyone who played AFR will remember Earth-Cult Elemental as an unexciting but serviceable top end card. In the right deck, however, Earth-Cult Elemental gains some new luster in HBG. This is a card that is exponentially more devastating the earlier you play it because your opponent will be less likely to have expendable permanents in play. With the plethora of ramp options in both green and black, it is easy to get this guy into play on turn 5, or even turn 4 with a little luck. 

Undercellar Myconid is one of the best ways to accelerate into this because it spots you a 1/1 to sacrifice if you don’t roll well on Earth-Cult Elemental’s ETB ability. Shambling Ghast + Deadly Dispute is another great way to ramp into this guy because not only does it get you to 6 mana on turn 4, but it also digs you to your 4th land if you need it, while also giving you your cards back.

In a pinch, you can use Reckless Barbarian to cast a turn 4 Earth-Cult Elemental, but this will set you back on cards if you roll poorly so only do it if you’re confident you can float the potential loss of value.

Two-Handed Axe + Sword Coast Serpent

Izzet in HBG is perhaps the worst archetype we’ve seen in any recent draft format, but that doesn’t mean you should absolutely never draft it. This is another 2-card combo of uncommons that has the potential to immediately shut the door on your opponent. Once you untap with the Sword Coast Serpent, you can cast the adventure on Two-Handed Axe which will trigger Sword Coast Serpent’s ability, turning it into a 6/6 unblockable double-striker.

If this isn’t enough to kill your opponent, casting the axe and equipping it will boost the damage to 24 and is conveniently the same amount of mana as Serpent, meaning if you can cast one you should be able to cast the other!

Poison the Blade + Value 1/1s

Green in this format is challenged with one of its classic issues, lacking interaction. Outside of Band Together, you don’t get much. Poison the Blade is a great way to make up for this. When used with the right cards, it can 2 for 1 your opponents while removing their best attackers. Cards like Undercellar Myconid, Pilgrim's Eye, and even Circle of the Land Druid get much better when paired with a well-timed Poison the Blade.

Lozhan, Dragons’ Legacy + Jade Orb of Dragonkind

Lozhan, Dragons' Legacy is a card that will dominate the game if you ever get to untap with it. The problem with Lozhan is that if you play it normally, you will never get to untap with it unless you were very likely to win anyways. The work around for this is to cast Lozhan with Jade Orb of Dragonkind. Not only can you potentially ramp to it on turn 4, but your opponent will almost never be able to get around the hexproof before you get a turn with Lozhan in play. This combo is exclusive to Temur dragons, but where else would you want Lozhan anyways?

Oji, the Exquisite Blade + Double Team

Something many players have not caught on to yet is that Oji, the Exquisite Blade is a secret Boros card. Not only are double teamers like Soldiers of the Watch and Genasi Rabble-Rouser one of the most efficient ways to put extra cheap spells in your hand and fuel your Oji triggers, but if you can also pair those with cheap instants like Dragon's Fire or the adventure on Blessed Hippogriff, you can blink your double team creature in response to the trigger, get your copy, and also keep double team on the original creature.

Minthara of the Absolute + Creatures that Create Treasures

Minthara of the Absolute is a powerful card in Orzhov but the truth is she shines in almost any build with the right black cards. With the presence of Kalain, Reclusive Painter, she may even be more powerful in Rakdos decks. Cards like Kalain, Shambling Ghast, and Skullport Merchant allow you to create a permanent that you can easily sacrifice to increase her intensity while also functioning as a creature to receive her devastating board pump ability.

Conclusion

These 10 synergistic combinations are sure to place your opponents in a tough spot whenever you can line them up. Many of these include cards that are not the highest picks in draft, so a great way to up the power level of your limited decks is to recognize when you have one part of a synergy and can pick up the other. Synergy is the perfect way to pick up diamonds in the rough with your lower draft picks because you are likely to be the only player at the table interested in that Poison the Blade or Soulknife Spy.

These synergies can also serve as pulls into a color pair if you are unsure of what your colors should be in a draft. Lastly, sweet 2 card combos like Sword Coast Serpent and Two-Handed Axe make for great screenshot moments and drafting decks that pull them off can be the highlight of any format!

If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up on Twitch at pdoggmtg.