MTG Arena Zone’s Limited Tier Lists rank all the cards from the set, to assist with picking cards for your draft deck or building your sealed deck. Full written updates will be recorded in the changelog at the bottom, but Drifter and Raszero regularly makes minor grade changes on the fly as well, so the Tier List will be up to date for as long as Kaldheim is the current set. Make sure to bookmark this page so you can come back to it later!
Legend
- S: Ridiculous bomb: has a huge immediate impact on the game and threatens to dominate it if unanswered. Always 1st pick. (Baneslayer Angel, Emeria’s Call, Sublime Epiphany)
- A: Very powerful card: approaches bomb status, pulls you strongly into its colour. Usually easy 1st pick. (A+: Leyline Tyrant, A: Felidar Retreat, A-: Nullpriest of Oblivion)
- B: Great playable: happy to pick early, pulls you into its colour. After the first few picks, a signal. (B+: Bloodchief’s Thirst, B: Emeria Captain B-: Rabid Bite)
- C+: Good playable that rarely gets cut. On the wheel, can be a signal, especially in multiples. (Gnarlid Colony, Into the Roil, Thundering Sparkmage)
- C: Fine playable, sometimes gets cut. A few in the last picks of a pack can form a signal. (Tajuru Blightblade, Tazeem Raptor, Synchronized Spellcraft)
- C-: Mediocre playable or decent filler, gets cut around half the time. (Nimana Skitter-Sneak, Fissure Wizard, Blood Price)
- D: Medium to bad filler, gets cut a lot. (D+: Resolute Strike, D: Sneaking Guide, D-: Disenchant in most sets)
- F: Mostly to totally unplayable cards. (Roiling Vortex, Forsaken Monument, Negate in most sets)
Notes
- This tier list tries to capture “overall power level”. For more details, check out the mission statement.
- This tier list is primarily intended for Draft, but should still be useful for Sealed, with some adjustments. For more info, check out my General Sealed Strategy Guide!
- Two colour gold cards should be taken lower early on – you won’t be able to play them unless you’re specifically in those colours. The amount lower varies – as a general rule, take them about one grade lower if they’re splashable, or two grades lower if they’re not splashable (so a B-tier card becomes a C+ first pick). C+ is the hard limit for any cards in the B range, since C-level and below cards are very interchangeable, so a B- would still be on the lower end of C+. As always, it’s contextual though!
- Colourless cards should be taken about a grade higher early on, because they can go in any deck.
- Sideboard-only cards are rated as though they would go in the maindeck i.e. they usually receive bad ratings. Make sure to check out the sideboarding guide if you’re playing best-of-three!
White | D | R |
---|---|---|
Wings of the Cosmos | 12 | 12 |
Warhorn Blast | 12 | 12 |
Valor of the Worthy | 10 | 10 |
Valkyrie’s Sword | 7 | 6 |
Usher of the Fallen | 6 | 7 |
Story Seeker | 9 | 9 |
Starnheim Unleashed | 1 | 1 |
Starnheim Courser | 8 | 9 |
Stalwart Valkyrie | 8 | 9 |
Spectral Steel | 9 | 9 |
Sigrid, God-Favored | 5 | 5 |
Shepherd of the Cosmos | 7 | 8 |
Search for Glory | 13 | 14 |
Runeforge Champion | 7 | 8 |
Rune of Sustenance | 7 | 9 |
Righteous Valkyrie | 5 | 5 |
Revitalize | 14 | 14 |
Resplendent Marshal | 4 | 5 |
Reidane, God of the Worthy | 4 | 5 |
Rally the Ranks | 7 | 6 |
Master Skald | 9 | 10 |
Kaya’s Onslaught | 10 | 10 |
Iron Verdict | 7 | 6 |
Invoke the Divine | 14 | 14 |
Halvar, God of Battle | 2 | 2 |
Goldmaw Champion | 8 | 8 |
Gods’ Hall Guardian | 11 | 10 |
Glorious Protector | 4 | 4 |
Giant Ox | 12 | 12 |
Doomskar Oracle | 9 | 9 |
Doomskar | 2 | 2 |
Divine Gambit | 10 | 11 |
Codespell Cleric | 11 | 12 |
Clarion Spirit | 5 | 6 |
Bound in Gold | 6 | 5 |
Beskir Shieldmate | 9 | 9 |
Battlefield Raptor | 10 | 13 |
Battershield Warrior | 9 | 9 |
Axgard Braggart | 8 | 8 |
Multicolored | D | R |
---|---|---|
Maja, Bretagard Protector | 4 | 4 |
Koma, Cosmos Serpent | 1 | 1 |
Koll, the Forgemaster | 7 | 7 |
King Narfi's Betrayal | 8 | 9 |
Kaya the Inexorable | 1 | 1 |
Kardur's Vicious Return | 7 | 6 |
Kardur, Doomscourge | 5 | 5 |
Invasion of the Giants | 11 | 9 |
Immersturm Predator | 2 | 3 |
Harald Unites the Elves | 7 | 8 |
Harald, King of Skemfar | 7 | 8 |
Forging the Tyrite Sword | 13 | 13 |
Firja's Retribution | 3 | 3 |
Firja, Judge of Valor | 5 | 5 |
Fall of the Impostor | 6 | 5 |
The Bloodsky Massacre | 6 | 6 |
Binding the Old Gods | 4 | 4 |
The Bears of Littjara | 4 | 4 |
Battle of Frost and Fire | 3 | 3 |
Battle for Bretagard | 7 | 7 |
Ascent of the Worthy | 11 | 11 |
Arni Slays the Troll | 6 | 5 |
Aegar, the Freezing Flame | 7 | 7 |
Moritte of the Frost | 6 | 5 |
Narfi, Betrayer King | 4 | 4 |
Niko Aris | 3 | 3 |
Niko Defies Destiny | 12 | 11 |
The Raven's Warning | 9 | 7 |
Sarulf, Realm Eater | 5 | 5 |
Showdown of the Skalds | 4 | 5 |
Svella, Ice Shaper | 5 | 5 |
The Three Seasons | 9 | 12 |
The Trickster-God's Heist | 4 | 6 |
Vega, the Watcher | 6 | 5 |
Waking the Trolls | 9 | 6 |
Blue | D | R |
---|---|---|
Undersea Invader | 12 | 12 |
Strategic Planning | 12 | 12 |
Saw It Coming | 10 | 9 |
Rune of Flight | 8 | 8 |
Run Ashore | 8 | 9 |
Reflections of Littjara | 10 | 9 |
Ravenform | 13 | 11 |
Pilfering Hawk | 11 | 8 |
Orvar, the All-Form | 7 | 8 |
Mystic Reflection | 11 | 10 |
Mistwalker | 7 | 8 |
Mists of Littjara | 10 | 8 |
Littjara Kinseekers | 9 | 9 |
Karfell Harbinger | 9 | 9 |
Inga Rune-Eyes | 8 | 8 |
Icebreaker Kraken | 12 | 12 |
Icebind Pillar | 5 | 5 |
Graven Lore | 6 | 5 |
Glimpse the Cosmos | 7 | 8 |
Giant's Amulet | 7 | 5 |
Frostpyre Arcanist | 8 | 7 |
Frostpeak Yeti | 10 | 10 |
Frost Augur | 7 | 7 |
Draugr Thought-Thief | 10 | 9 |
Disdainful Stroke | 11 | 10 |
Depart the Realm | 10 | 9 |
Cyclone Summoner | 5 | 4 |
Cosmos Charger | 6 | 6 |
Cosima, God of the Voyage | 5 | 5 |
Brinebarrow Intruder | 11 | 12 |
Bind the Monster | 8 | 7 |
Berg Strider | 7 | 7 |
Behold the Multiverse | 8 | 6 |
Avalanche Caller | 4 | 4 |
Augury Raven | 7 | 8 |
Ascendant Spirit | 13 | 12 |
Annul | 14 | 14 |
Alrund's Epiphany | 5 | 5 |
Alrund, God of the Cosmos | 5 | 3 |
Artifacts | D | R |
---|---|---|
Weathered Runestone | 14 | 14 |
Scorn Effigy | 11 | 9 |
Runed Crown | 7 | 7 |
Replicating Ring | 7 | 8 |
Raven Wings | 10 | 10 |
Raiders' Karve | 10 | 10 |
Pyre of Heroes | 13 | 13 |
Maskwood Nexus | 7 | 6 |
Goldvein Pick | 9 | 10 |
Funeral Longboat | 13 | 11 |
Cosmos Elixir | 9 | 7 |
Colossal Plow | 13 | 12 |
Bloodline Pretender | 8 | 8 |
Black | D | R |
---|---|---|
Withercrown | 9 | 8 |
Weigh Down | 10 | 7 |
Village Rites | 10 | 10 |
Vengeful Reaper | 7 | 7 |
Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire | 5 | 5 |
Valki, God of Lies | 2 | 2 |
Tergrid's Shadow | 9 | 9 |
Tergrid, God of Fright | 4 | 3 |
Skull Raid | 9 | 8 |
Skemfar Shadowsage | 8 | 7 |
Skemfar Avenger | 5 | 7 |
Rune of Mortality | 8 | 9 |
Rise of the Dread Marn | 8 | 6 |
Return Upon the Tide | 12 | 12 |
Raise the Draugr | 9 | 8 |
Priest of the Haunted Edge | 9 | 8 |
Poison the Cup | 4 | 4 |
Koma's Faithful | 9 | 9 |
Karfell Kennel-Master | 10 | 9 |
Jarl of the Forsaken | 8 | 8 |
Infernal Pet | 10 | 9 |
Haunting Voyage | 6 | 7 |
Hailstorm Valkyrie | 9 | 9 |
Grim Draugr | 10 | 9 |
Feed the Serpent | 5 | 5 |
Eradicator Valkyrie | 3 | 3 |
Elderfang Disciple | 8 | 8 |
Egon, God of Death | 7 | 9 |
Duskwielder | 14 | 14 |
Dream Devourer | 7 | 7 |
Dread Rider | 10 | 9 |
Draugr's Helm | 7 | 6 |
Draugr Recruiter | 10 | 9 |
Draugr Necromancer | 3 | 3 |
Dogged Pursuit | 11 | 9 |
Demonic Gifts | 11 | 12 |
Deathknell Berserker | 9 | 9 |
Crippling Fear | 4 | 4 |
Burning-Rune Demon | 3 | 4 |
Bloodsky Berserker | 7 | 6 |
Blood on the Snow | 2 | 2 |
Lands | D | R |
---|---|---|
Great Hall of Starnheim | 6 | 6 |
Gnottvold Slumbermound | 7 | 7 |
Glacial Floodplain | 8 | 8 |
Gates of Istfell | 7 | 7 |
Faceless Haven | 9 | 9 |
Bretagard Stronghold | 6 | 7 |
Axgard Armory | 8 | 8 |
Arctic Treeline | 8 | 8 |
Alpine Meadow | 7 | 7 |
Highland Forest | 8 | 8 |
Ice Tunnel | 8 | 8 |
Immersturm Skullcairn | 8 | 10 |
Littjara Mirrorlake | 7 | 7 |
Port of Karfell | 6 | 6 |
Rimewood Falls | 7 | 7 |
Shimmerdrift Vale | 7 | 7 |
Skemfar Elderhall | 8 | 7 |
Snowfield Sinkhole | 8 | 8 |
Sulfurous Mire | 8 | 8 |
Surtland Frostpyre | 8 | 8 |
Tyrite Sanctum | 9 | 8 |
Volatile Fjord | 8 | 8 |
Woodland Chasm | 8 | 8 |
The World Tree | 8 | 8 |
Snow-Covered Plains | 11 | 11 |
Snow-Covered Island | 8 | 8 |
Snow-Covered Swamp | 9 | 9 |
Snow-Covered Mountain | 10 | 10 |
Snow-Covered Forest | 8 | 8 |
Red | D | R |
---|---|---|
Vault Robber | 11 | 11 |
Tuskeri Firewalker | 8 | 8 |
Tundra Fumarole | 8 | 7 |
Tormentor's Helm | 10 | 10 |
Toralf, God of Fury | 4 | 3 |
Tibalt's Trickery | 14 | 14 |
Squash | 8 | 6 |
Smashing Success | 14 | 14 |
Shackles of Treachery | 13 | 13 |
Seize the Spoils | 11 | 12 |
Rune of Speed | 10 | 11 |
Run Amok | 9 | 12 |
Reckless Crew | 14 | 14 |
Quakebringer | 5 | 4 |
Provoke the Trolls | 8 | 7 |
Open the Omenpaths | 14 | 14 |
Magda, Brazen Outlaw | 7 | 6 |
Immersturm Raider | 11 | 11 |
Hagi Mob | 9 | 8 |
Goldspan Dragon | 2 | 2 |
Frost Bite | 7 | 7 |
Frenzied Raider | 7 | 6 |
Fearless Pup | 10 | 11 |
Fearless Liberator | 8 | 7 |
Dwarven Reinforcements | 8 | 8 |
Dwarven Hammer | 7 | 7 |
Dual Strike | 12 | 13 |
Dragonkin Berserker | 4 | 3 |
Doomskar Titan | 6 | 6 |
Demon Bolt | 5 | 5 |
Crush the Weak | 11 | 9 |
Craven Hulk | 9 | 9 |
Cinderheart Giant | 10 | 9 |
Calamity Bearer | 6 | 5 |
Breakneck Berserker | 10 | 9 |
Birgi, God of Storytelling | 4 | 3 |
Basalt Ravager | 6 | 5 |
Axgard Cavalry | 8 | 8 |
Arni Brokenbrow | 7 | 8 |
Green | D | R |
---|---|---|
Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider | 5 | 4 |
Tyvar Kell | 3 | 4 |
Toski, Bearer of Secrets | 7 | 8 |
Struggle for Skemfar | 7 | 6 |
Spirit of the Aldergard | 6 | 6 |
Snakeskin Veil | 9 | 9 |
Sculptor of Winter | 7 | 7 |
Sarulf's Packmate | 6 | 6 |
Rune of Might | 8 | 8 |
Roots of Wisdom | 12 | 12 |
Rootless Yew | 7 | 6 |
Realmwalker | 7 | 6 |
Ravenous Lindwurm | 7 | 8 |
Path to the World Tree | 9 | 10 |
Old-Growth Troll | 5 | 5 |
Masked Vandal | 8 | 8 |
Mammoth Growth | 11 | 9 |
Littjara Glade-Warden | 6 | 5 |
Kolvori, God of Kinship | 8 | 8 |
King Harald's Revenge | 13 | 11 |
Jorn, God of Winter | 6 | 5 |
Jaspera Sentinel | 9 | 11 |
In Search of Greatness | 12 | 12 |
Icehide Troll | 7 | 7 |
Horizon Seeker | 8 | 8 |
Guardian Gladewalker | 10 | 9 |
Grizzled Outrider | 9 | 9 |
Gnottvold Recluse | 9 | 10 |
Glittering Frost | 7 | 7 |
Fynn, the Fangbearer | 8 | 8 |
Esika's Chariot | 3 | 2 |
Esika, God of the Tree | 8 | 7 |
Elvish Warmaster | 4 | 4 |
Elven Bow | 7 | 7 |
Elderleaf Mentor | 9 | 8 |
Broken Wings | 12 | 13 |
Boreal Outrider | 7 | 6 |
Blizzard Brawl | 7 | 6 |
Blessing of Frost | 7 | 8 |
Battle Mammoth | 3 | 2 |
Arachnoform | 12 | 12 |
Drifter
I’ve been enthralled by Limited ever since I began playing in New Phyrexia. With a particular fondness for flashback and cube drafts, I’ve drafted more sets than I can count on every platform through wildly different eras. On Arena I draft infinitely, having profited 30k or so gems from it at this point, and have made top 50 mythic several times. Self-reflection and forming good habits are paramount to Limited improvement, and those themes feature in many of my articles and in each session of the Limited coaching service I provide. Consider booking a session today if you’d like specific feedback tailored to you!
Check out all my articles here or follow me on Twitter for regular updates!
Raszero
Ever since my first draft in New Phyrexia, I’ve been hooked on Limited – there’s no feeling quite like cracking, even virtually, those first packs of a new set to see what deck you can put together. Since then, scarcely a day has passed by in which the game hasn’t been on my mind. Most of my experience has been in paper, where I drafted every set extensively on release, and entered as many competitive events of it as were available, often doing rather well for myself! Online, I’ve scaled the climb to Mythic in Limited and Constructed alike, and earned a fair few trophies over on MTGO. Limited is one of the hardest things to pick up in Magic, given the innumerable deck combinations and the sub-game that is draft itself, but learning it has been the most rewarding experience I’ve had playing the game.
Check out all my articles here or check out my YouTube channel for my latest forays into the realm of content creation.
Limited Set Reviews
This tier list is derived from our in-depth limited set reviews and should be accompanied together along with their explanations for each card.
Splashing
Splashing is when you play cards outside your main colours, and adjust your mana base to account for them – such as playing two red cards in your Blue-Green deck. Should I splash? The two cardinal rules:
- Is my fixing good enough? The better your fixing, the more you can splash – if you can splash two colours relatively freely, then go nuts – this usually means three or four sources for 1-2 cards; four is better if your main sources aren’t that demanding but you can get away with three. If you have as many as 5 or 6 sources, you can even splash earlier game cards i.e. I would not splash Lightning Strike often on three sources but I would on five. If your mana base is better, then the risk is lesser so you can afford to do greedier things (but remember that playing too many taplands has its own costs, especially for more tempo-oriented decks…). You can only really splash cards with a single cost outside your main colours e.g. it’s impossible to splash 3BB in a Simic deck, but you can splash 3BG, because needing two sources of mana at the same time is incredibly hard while splashing – the number of sources you need on average soars from 3-4 to 6-7 (7-8 in Draft, but Sealed is slower so you can incorporate a little more risk).
- Is the card actually worth splashing? Remember that cards you splash likely won’t be played on curve, so they need to be good in the late game and they need to be good enough to incur some risk to your mana base. Is the card you’re splashing significantly better than the card you would be putting in instead? It needs to be, or it needs to fill a hole in your deck i.e. if your Simic deck isn’t good at removing stuff, that makes splashing Secure the Scene, usually just an okay card, a lot more appealing.
Sideboarding
Generally, if you’re playing best-of-three, you should take sideboard cards over D-tier cards, assuming their good case is pretty common and you’re not low on playables. Sideboard cards tend to get worse in multiples, unless the “good case” for them is quite common. You might be surprised at how much can constitute a sideboard card – a 1/3 can be a useful sideboard card against a deck full of 2/1s, for example. Remember that after each game, you can click the top right button to view the board again, and check their graveyard and field for what cards they’ve played.
Drifter has written a whole article on this subject, so for more details or to check out his Limited Spotlight series, click this link!
Changelog
The changelog will be added to when written updates are posted!
- January 28th 2021: First version posted, on the release day of Kaldheim.