It has almost been 20 years since the original Lorwyn release, and I can still remember playing that prerelease! Crazy how time flies when you’re playing Magic! There’s some fun new mechanics, as well as a return to some well-supported Typal (Tribal) archetypes. Let’s jump right on in!
5.0: Disgustingly powerful and basically unbeatable. Either answer it the turn it comes down or just pack up your cards. (Gruff Triplets, Virtue of Persistence, The Eternal Wanderer)
4.5: Incredible bomb that still gives your opponent a slim chance. (Virtue of Loyalty, Imodane's Recruiter, Realm-Scorcher Hellkite)
4.0: Great rare or the absolute best uncommons and removal. (Faunsbane Troll, Gumdrop Poisoner, Talion’s Messenger)
3.5: Great role filler or removal that you never cut. (Candy Grapple, Hearth Elemental, Torch the Tower)
3.0: Good playable that I’m basically never cutting. (Shrouded Shepherd, Spellscorn Coven, Sharae of Numbing Depths)
2.5: Decent playable and the bar I hope nearly every card in my deck to reach. (Evolving Wilds, Archon's Glory, Flick a Coin)
2.0: Mediocre filler that normally is your 20-23rd card(s). (Mintstrosity, Ice Out, Grabby Giant)
1.5: Replaceable, overall bad filler. Could also be decent sideboard cards. (Titanic Growth, Scarecrow Guide, Territorial Witchstalker)
1.0: Bad filler. Gets cut most of the time. (Dark Tutelage, Kindled Heroism, Impact Tremors)
0.5: Very unhappy to main deck this, but maybe it has fringe sideboard applications. Cards that “could” be situationally decent, but bad in most situations. (Smothering Tithe, Rhystic Study, Mana Flare)
0.0: Unplayable in every possible situation. They rarely print cards this bad these days. (Hew the Entwood, One with Nothing)
Deepchannel Duelist
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
Hard to go wrong here, an efficient “Lord” effect, with a decent passive ability. Azorius utilizes this better than some of the other typal synergies.
Deepway Navigator
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
For the amount of words on this card, it doesn’t doo all that much. Don’t get me wrong, you still want this in your deck, but it’s not terribly exciting.
Eclipsed Merrow
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
This is among one of the best of the “find a friend” cycle.
Merrow Skyswimmer
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This is a bread and butter merfolk for Azorius. It provides multiple bodies for further convoking as well.
Sygg’s Command
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
When you cast this, it will likely involve “draw a card” + 1 other option, making it incredibly versatile and efficient.
Deceit
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
This is a big boy version of Recoil. Assuming you are Dimir, you can bounce the target and remove it from their hand. If your deck can only do one of the two options, this is more like a 2.5-3.0. You will rarely want to evoke this, but it is an option.
Dream Harvest
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This is pretty unreliable for a 7 drop, but if you’re a gambling man (live a little), you can get some value off of this.
Mischievous Sneakling
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
On its own, this is very vanilla. It does help enable Typal synergies, as well as help vivid cards.
Voracious Tome-Skimmer
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
Assuming you can trigger this (which is easy enough), this provides some sick value.
Boggart Cursecrafter
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
A 2 drop 2/3 deathtouch is a pretty sick 2 drop. It also enables the Rakdos/Goblin plan of going wide/blight/direct damage.
Chaos Spewer
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
With no other creatures in play, this will be 3 for a 3/2, or 5 for a 5/4, sometimes it can get rid of a token in play and be a 3 mana 5/4.
Eclipsed Boggart
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
Good ole fashioned clean card advantage.
Grub’s Command
Rating: 4.0 // 5.0
Another sweet addition to the Command cycle. Most often it will be “choose 1 of 3” and destroy a creature.
Shadow Urchin
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
I’m not huge on this card, as it can’t really attack that well. It’s passive ability is decent enough to put in most decks.
Gangly Stompling
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is fine filler if you need the 3 drop.
Noggle Robber
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
Nothing too crazy here, but “free” treasures is always nice.
Raiding Schemes
Rating: 0.0 // 5.0
This is just far too difficult to make work for my taste.
Vibrance
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
This is a big enough sized creature for the added ETB bonuses. I could see evoking this, or putting in a deck that isn’t Gruul, especially for the red half.
Brigid’s Command
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
This is one of the weaker of the Command cycle, but it still provides a good amount of flexibility and value.
Eclipsed Kithkin
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
The cheapest of the “find a friend” cycle, and a very solid 2 drop.
Figure of Fable
Rating: 4.0 // 5.0
Not much to say about this. It scales throughout the game, at instant speed, making it very difficult for your oponent to deal with.
Thoughtweft Lieutenant
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
A really nice Kithkin creature, that enables attacks, and can trigger multiple times a turn.
Wary Farmer
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
A solid 3 drop, that will help you to continue surveiling throughout the game.
Abigale, Eloquent First-Year
Rating: 4.0 // 5.0
Giving flying first strike lifelink to basically any creature will definitely warp the game in your favor.
Emptiness
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
This is one of the weaker Elemental Incarnations, with the smaller body and the White half being lackluster. I would play this in either White or Black, but would be much more interested in the Black side.
Prideful Feastling
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
A pretty weak shapeshifter. Very replaceable.
Reaping Willow
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
Tons of value in this card, and works well if you can put more counters on it via Blight.
Ashling’s Command
Rating: 4.0 // 5.0
This is the best of the Command cycle, and the only instant. You will most often copy + draw 2, which is a 3-for-1, but Pyroclasm sometimes makes this an x-for-1.
Eclipsed Flamekin
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
This is likely one of the weakest in the “find a friend” cycle, mostly due to the 1/4 stat line.
Flaring Cinder
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
This is a replaceable 3 drop, but can do some work in certain decks/matchups.
Sanar, Innovative First-Year
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
This is a pretty crazy card-advantage engine, though it does need to survive a turn.
Twinflame Travelers
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
There are a good amount of Elemental triggers to copy, including all of the mythic rare Elemental Incarnations.
Eclipsed Elf
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
One of the better “find a friend” creatures. The stat line allows it to trade well, while netting you a card.
High Perfect Morcant
Rating: 4.0 // 5.0
This is a game-warping card, and it’s not very difficult to start proliferating either.
Lluwen, Imperfect Naturalist
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
The first part of this card is good enough to merit playing it on its own. The second half provides a meaningful late-game plan.
Morcant’s Loyalist
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
Not only a solid “Lord”, it returns another creature when it dies, effectively replacing itself.
Stoic Grove-Guide
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This gets a bit better with more self-mill, but a 2/2 isn’t something I’m going to write home about.
Trystan’s Command
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
A nice aggressive Elf. It will typically only attack once, but can make some big plays.
Bre of Clan Stoutarm
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
This looks a bit better than it plays, and don’t get me wrong – it’s still good. It will likely be your biggest creature when you cast it, so you will be wanting to attack with it until the late game.
Catharsis
Rating: 3.0 // 5.0
A great finisher for Boros. You will likely never evoke this.
Feisty Spikeling
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
You could play this in an aggressive deck, though I would prefer not to play it at all.
Hovel Hurler
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
A decent top-end creature for aggressive builds.
Kirol, Attentive First-Year
Rating: 2.0 // 5.0
Two creatures to copy a triggered ability is a pretty steep cost. This guy is mostly just a 3/3 for 3.
Chitinous Graspling
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
Another bad changeling, but you can play it if you need to.
Glister Bairn
Rating: 1.5 // 5.0
This isn’t unplayable, but it’s in the neighborhood. The 1/4 stat line for 5 mana is pretty rough.
Tam, Mindful First-Year
Rating: 2.5 // 5.0
A cute protective creature, that does work very well with vivid cards.
Wistfulness
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
The incarnation is a good size for the mana cost, so it doesn’t feel bad to play at any point.
Doran, Besieged by Time
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
You really don’t need to build around this, as it’s pretty solid on its own. Whenever this attacks or blocks, it becomes a 5/10, which is very large (if you didn’t know).
Maralen, Fae Ascendant
Rating: 3.5 // 5.0
4/5 flyers are typically problematic in limited, even if you don’t get to cast any free spells (though it’s not too hard to cast 2-3 drops).
I’ll be breaking down Artifacts & Lands next, stay tuned!
Lose and Learn, Learn and Win!
