Murders at Karlov Manor (MKM) Limited Set Review: Multicolor Part 2

Hey everyone! It’s time to slap on my detective hat and solve some cases in Magic: The Cluening. We all know that it was really Urza with the Candelabra of Tawnos in the Library of Alexandria. Wait, you’re telling me it wasn’t? Uh oh, I’ll leave all of that to Scooby and the gang then. While they are solving some mysteries, I’ll be reviewing the full set of Murders at Karlov Manor.

Per usual, I’ll be grading the entire set for the purpose of limited as well as writing about a million other articles about it. With all that, you’ll be well prepared to crush some serious dreams.

Here’s the usual grading scale:

• 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)

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Insidious Roots

Rating: 2.0/5

It’s not too difficult to slip a two mana do nothing into your curve and this can do some crazy things if your deck is really dedicated to it. You do need to build around it though because getting one trigger is definitely not worth a card.

Izoni, Center of the Web

Rating: 5.0/5

This would still be a bomb if it only triggered when it entered the battlefield because 9/8 worth of stats across three bodies that all have menace is nuts for six mana. Somehow you also get to trigger it again every time you attack. You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts!

I am very hesitant to hand out 5.0s and I usually give a 0.5 hit to multicolored cards, but this is just stupid. I’m splashing this in anything and even if they have removal I still have two solid creatures out of it.

Outside of your opponent playing a sweeper, there probably aren’t going to be many situations where you are going to want to sacrifice four tokens. It is any token so you’re not limited to the sweet menace and reach beaters that this provides.

Judith, Carnage Connoisseur

Rating: 4.0/5

Obviously, you’ll need to adjust this based on the number of instant and sorcery spells in your deck. In a lot of situations, you will want to wait until you can get at least one trigger the same turn you cast this. That might be asking a bit, but a 2/2 that domes them for two when it dies is a lot of value to give up.

Giving your burn spells deathtouch and lifelink is a great way to turn a Shock into a Doom Blade. Basically this card can take over any game that it’s not dealt with.

Kaya, Spirits’ Justice

Rating: 4.5/5

There sure are a lot of words on this to say that it’s going to pop out a bunch of 1/1 flyers with the backup of being able to exile one of their creatures by exiling one of yours.

It can do a lot of other cool things such as incidental graveyard hate and making your tokens into copies of things you exile from your side. That’s a lot of options on a cheap Planeswalker.

Kellan, Inquisitive Prodigy

Rating: 4.0/5

You start off with a pseudo–Growth Spiral into a good rate on a 3/4 flyer with vigilance. You can even pop off artifacts when it attacks while being able to cash yours in for a new card. All of that packed onto one piece of cardboard seems like a great deal to me.

Kraul Whipcracker

Rating: 3.5/5

The floor of a 3/2 reach for two is a pretty decent card on its own. The ceiling of it Ravenous Chupacabraing a creature token or even a clue is pretty insane. I really hope they add a whip sound effect when you play this.

Kylox’s Voltstrider

Rating: 3.0/5

Vehicles need to do something really silly for me to actively want them because they have such a low floor when you’re playing an attrition game or just don’t have anything to crew them. A 4/4 for three mana isn’t quite up to snuff for that with a crew cost of two.

Getting to crew it by collecting evidence and casting those spells does bring it up to par though. It is important to note that you still have to pay for that spell though.

Kylox, Visionary Inventor

Rating: 1.5/5

This comes off as goofy more than actually good. It costs seven mana and requires sacrificing creatures to dig for spells without any guarantee that you will hit any. It means you want a bunch of busted spells still in your deck with a lot of power worth of creatures in play that for some reason you aren’t attacking with.

Without using that ability, a 4/4 menace haste for, yet again, seven fricking mana is a card straight out of 2003.

Lazav, Wearer of Faces

Rating: 3.5/5

Early in the game this can be pretty insane as long as you have a way to get creatures in the yard to investigate. Later on, you need to exile something ridiculous to make sure that it can still attack unimpeded.

You’re not doing too bad even if you just get to trade it and make one clue.

Leyline of the Guildpact

Rating: 0.5/5

Seriously, no. Don’t even start on the “if it’s in my opening hand and…”

Lightning Helix

Rating: 3.5/5

This is one of those cards where the incidental life gain ends up mattering a lot more than people think. From surviving an all-in attack to winning a race, it can do a lot.

On top of that, it’s still a Lightning Strike which you would happily play anyway.

Meddling Youths

Rating: 2.5/5

I am all for any card that is a Scooby Doo reference and this is covered with them. From the flavor text to the name to the red head unmasking the guy, we’re a talking dog away from a lawsuit.

As for the card itself, it’s fine. It’s a beefy haster if you want one. While I am never going to say no to extra cards, I feel like the attack with three or more creatures ability should be more offensive. (I am aware the clue is another Scooby Doo reference)

Niv-Mizzet, Guildpact

Rating: 1.5/5

I’m running this if I am full on five color shenanigans, but this reads a lot more impressive than it will end up playing. Unless your deck is stacked with uncommons and rares, how many permanents of exactly two colors are you really going to have? If you already have all those busted cards out, do you really need to dog pile on them with this?

Even the hexproof is a lie since it is still vulnerable to single colored removal (which is most of the removal in the set). It’s a very difficult to cast 6/6 flyer. That might win some games, but its not worth building around.

No More Lies

Rating: 2.5/5

I can’t possibly express how much better Mana Leak is than Quench. This is difficult to cast and sort of shines a giant bat signal up that you’re sitting on this. I’m still happy to play it though.

Officious Interrogation

Rating: 3.0/5

Unless you’re playing some kind of weird draft variant, you’re never going to have to worry about that first line of text. It’s just there for commander players.

Two mana at instant speed to Investigate twice is fine and that should usually be the floor for this. If your opponent isn’t playing creature, then you’re probably fine with that too. I would guess that on average, it will end up being around 3 to 3.5. The upside of getting more than five is very real to break open any board stall (if those still happen these days).

Private Eye

Rating: 3.5/5

Yep, It’s a Magic card, all right.

There are a lot of detectives in these colors and a Glorious Anthem walking around on a Centaur Courser is a bargain. The unblockable can be very relevant by letting Fblthp’s cousin still get in there without worrying about trading in combat.

Push // Pull

Rating: 3.0/5

While being sorcery speed for the Push portion is kind of a drawback, its still a cheap form of removal when you’re on the backfoot. Pull, on the other hand, is a way to finish the game by dropping two hasty monsters in. Having the option to be good on offense or defense makes this a solid card.

Rakdos, Patron of Chaos

Rating: 4.5/5

You should usually be able to get some value out of this unless they are holding up a Murder. It’s a must deal with creature because they are going to either lose to the card advantage or the massive trampling flyer.

Rakish Scoundrel

Rating: 2.5/5

Six mana is just too much to hold up as a trick to counter a removal, but it is a nice option to have to flip this in combat. The deathtouch and indestructible combo means that it is going to win pretty much any combat while sticking around for more action.

Playing it face up to get the indestructible at sorcery speed is far less valuable, but a decent way to push damage.

Relive the Past

Rating: 2.0/5

I was really disappointed while reading this until I hit the 5/5 part of the text. That brought it from unplayable garbage to potentially good in the right deck.

To get full value, you are probably going to have to use some Surveil to get a land into your graveyard unless you have Scene of the Crime (which also happens to be an artifact) or Escape Tunnel. You also need to get an artifact and an enchantment in there somehow.

There’s a big problem though. You need to have all those in your graveyard in a set where you want to be collecting evidence and that has some graveyard hate in it. You could very well finally hit the point you can cast this and not have anything to get back.

Repulsive Mutation

Rating: 3.5/5

There is the issue that you can’t play this if you don’t have a creature in play. They could also remove your creature in response to this (they would still have to pay equal to the biggest creature you have left because not all targets were removed).

It can also be a two mana Counterspell or make one creature massive while countering a key spell. I’ll take the upside over the down on this one.

Riftburst Hellion

Rating: 1.5/5

This has keyword chonky. That’s about all it has going for it. These are not the days of Khans of Tarkir where Woolly Loxodon was actually a good card. This is just filler.

Rune-Brand Juggler

Rating: 3.0/5

This guy can suspect himself when he comes into play and later get to sacrifice himself to give a creature -5/-5. He can also do it with any of your other usual suspects.

Who doesn’t want the mental image of this guy flinging a poor Frantic Scapegoat at some large critter? Me, that’s who.  

Sanguine Savior

Rating: 2.0/5

Imagine telling a time traveler that a two power lifelink flyer for three mana was going to be mid. It still is solid in a race and the possibility of giving one of your chonkers lifelink can be a huge swing later on. What you see if what you get.

Shady Informant

Rating: 1.5/5

This feels like one of those cards that is going to be played way more often than it should these days. Getting to possibly kill two things with it = Good. Paying five mana for a 4/2 = Not so much.

Soul Search

Rating: 2.5/5

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that you get to take a card that costs one or less. They could have Torch the Witness, Shock, or Case of the Gorgon's Kiss amongst other things. This is great if you get to take a relevant card and get a 1/1 flyer.

It’s also really solid if you just get to take their best card. Top decking it when they are empty handed is a pretty bad fail case though.

Sumala Sentry

Rating: 2.5/5

I guess we’re going all in on the disguise plan. That is a very slow road to be taking, but this does grow both itself and the flipped-up card which can add up over time. It also slips into your curve nicely at two mana before the masquerade party starts.

Teysa, Opulent Oligarch

Rating: 4.0/5

You get to start the clue parade once you can sneak a creature through. Then it’s a long-drawn-out process of you drawing cards and making 1/1 flyers. While it is only once per turn, you can make two creatures per cycle by doing one on your opponents turn as well.

Tin Street Gossip

Rating: 2.5/5

I do love double ramping on one card, but there is a big difference between doing that to jump from three to six than from four to seven. Vigilance ensures that you can still use that mana without having to choose between that and bringing the noise.

Tolsimir, Midnight’s Light

Rating: 4.5/5

The casting cost is a little rough, but that just means you’re not splashing the white portion of this. You’re getting 8/7 worth of stats for five mana with some trample and lifelink involved. You can also force your opponent into blocking the wolf so they can’t leave back a single creature and are more vulnerable to combat tricks.

Treacherous Greed

Rating: 3.0/5

This is an odd one because there are going to be times that it is absolutely back breaking. There are also times that you’re never going to get to cast it. I think the stats are going to be skewed on this because people will put it into decks that it doesn’t really belong in.

It will be fine in a go wide deck even if sacrificing a creature feels counterproductive. Getting a token through shouldn’t be too hard and three cards plus a drain for three is a huge push towards the finish line.

Trostani, Three Whispers

Rating: 4.0/5

You’re already looking at great stats for the cost and then you get to hand out deathtouch, double strike, and vigilance like its Halloween candy. I’m sure everyone knows how fun it is to play against deathtouch and first strike, well now anything can have it.

Undercover Crocodelf

Rating: 1.5/5

I never expected to type the word Crocodelf, but here we are. Fine curve topper, nothing special.

Urgent Necropsy

Rating: 3.5/5

Most of the time this is going to just be a removal spell, but the upside is insane. Clues are pretty much a free hit since they cost zero and getting a case before they have a chance to solve it is great. Hell, you might even get to pick off Kaya in the next episode of “When Mythics Collide!”.

Vannifar, Evolved Enigma

Rating: 4.0/5

You basically get three free mana at the beginning of combat on the turn you play this making this a great deal. It also lets you turn extra lands into 2/2s before eventually starting to grow them all out of control.

Warleader’s Call

Rating: 4.0/5

Glorious Anthem is always a good card. Impact Tremors is not, but has its moments. What if you just got both without having to pay extra? Sound good to you? I thought so.

Wispdrinker Vampire

Rating: 3.0/5

There are a ton of creatures with power two or less so the drains will add up over the course of a game. Being able to give them all (including this) deathtouch and lifelink is the suspiciously bloodlike gravy on top.

Worldsoul’s Rage

Rating: 2.5/5

There might be some times where you get back an Escape Tunnel with this, but most of the time it is just an X spell that requires two colored mana. Its nice to have the option to go face, but paying five mana for three damage isn’t where I want to be these days.

Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods

Rating: 4.0/5

Let me get this straight, you attack with your face down creatures and they can let it through to let you draw a card. They can also choose to kill it and it comes back in and flips face up (it starts face down so that you get the flip abilities). Sounds like a lose/lose proposition for them. Your other creatures even get haste, what a bargain.

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Wrap Up

Almost all of the multicolor cards are very good if you can fit them into your deck. There are only a few stinkers running around and most of them are even situationally good. I can already see that I will be splashing a lot of busted cards in the future.

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back tomorrow for my limited review of Special Guests and The List part one for Murders at Karlov Manor. Until then, stay classy people!

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.

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