Theros Beyond Death Limited Set Review – Red

Drifter: A

This saga is very weird to evaluate for Limited, but everything it does is very good and I suspect it will demand Enchantment removal. The second and third ability synergise incredibly well, and will be an absolute blowout if it doesn’t get removed by then. The first ability helps a lot in surviving until then, you can set it up so the creature you steal dies also, and it’s great with the bunch of common and cheap sacrifice effects in Black, ensuring you get a lot of value even if the saga itself is removed. This is a fantastic splash in Golgari, and probably good enough to splash in any green/x combination.

Drifter: B

It’s a shame the Satyrs can’t block, but other than that Anax is fantastic. He will often have 4 power himself, ensuring you get two Satyrs when he dies and he’s great with any other 4/x creatures. He’s especially good in Gruul and Rakdos – Gruul because there are more 4/xs, and Rakdos because it makes best use of the Satyrs in sacrificing them, and can sacrifice Anax if he gets some nasty opposing Enchantment put on him also.

Drifter: C+

The obvious home for this card is in Izzet, where it’s nuts, but Red has 5 instants and flash cards of its own at common to choose from, most of good quality. If you are in Izzet already, you should take this card at B-, as it will practically always demand removal and you’ll be able to protect it well.

Drifter: D

Aspect of Manticore is very expensive for what it does. If it granted first strike permanently, the card would be quite strong but as is it’s going to be pretty easy to play around and the payoff isn’t great. Even in Blue, I don’t think this will be really what you’re looking for. I consider this a high D, since some aggressive decks will be okay to have it especially in White where it triggers the heroic mechanic, but it’s still not great. Be careful not to run into this card yourself if they have 3 mana open in Red!

Drifter: C+

This is strong with the Omen cycle, an exceptionally good playable in Rakdos, with tokens, or if you have recursive auras like Sentinel's Eyes, but you should have a clear plan for getting +1/+1 counters on this card – it’s not a great playable in every deck certainly. I still think taking it quite highly is reasonable, however.

Drifter: B

This card is about the best 2 drop you can get. It can attack into x/4s, it threatens to 2 for 1 very easily with small creatures, it’s fine sacrifice fodder, and it remains relevant in the late game.

Drifter: C

This card is expensive and understatted enough that many decks won’t want it, and that there are better 6 drops like Blight-Breath Catoblepas you can get in Rakdos, its natural home. That being said, the ability is very powerful and upgrading even the 2 drops you have lying around is strong.

Drifter: B

There are enough instants and flash cards at Common in just Red to make the Manticore a solid card in most decks. The ability to ping things down for free is really strong against a lot of decks, and there are plenty of solid targets for it in the format. Remember that you can also block with a creature, ping the attacker, and trade up. This coupled with the fact that it’s busted in Izzet, and triggers 4 power synergy means that the Manticore is really solid.

Drifter: D

This card is really bad in the average deck, and you should only consider playing it in decks with a lot of heroic triggers in Boros, or decks that really want the repeatable source of Enchantment/Enchantment sacrifice synergy. If you don’t know your deck is one of these, you’re better off avoiding this card.

Drifter: B

This is good and efficient removal, and it’s nice that it can also hit players.

Drifter: C+

This card is strong if you have a good number of tokens, enter the battlefield enchantments like Omens, and recursive enchantments with low escape costs. It’s also great against enchantment removal, allowing you to still make use of your locked down creatures and if you happen to have 3 mana up in Izzet for example, you can use it in response to hard removal. All in all, this is going to be a solid card in most decks and I would take it pretty highly. You do need to have a plan for playing this card wherein you’re not sacrificing a real card to it, but that should be easy enough.

Drifter: D

Reach on a creature that can’t block a lot of the time is not very relevant. The power of 4/4s for 4 is in their ability to block. This card only belongs in aggressive decks or those that want extra 4 power synergy. I considered high D or low C, but the downside is bad enough that I prefer this for now.

Drifter: C+

This is mostly a Gruul card and it’s very strong there, but I would play it in any deck where I had at least five or six 4+ power creatures and it is entirely dependent on that. There are plenty at Common, and if you can get just one trigger you’re doing well and with two triggers, it’s a complete blowout. You should take this card even higher if you’re already in Green and looking for your second colour.

Drifter: D

There are some Boros decks where this card will be fine, but the base rate is dismal. 3 mana 3/2 is a statline that trades for most 2 drops, and the ability, while okay if you can go wide, is not incredibly exciting in most decks. I would consider this a high D though.

Drifter: C

Heroes of the Revel goes well in any aggressive deck that doesn’t already have too many 5 drops, and badly in any other deck. The Satyr is only good upside if you are able to attack with it, and that will usually mean your opponent is on the backfoot – not blocking is a huge downside.

Drifter: F

This card is a combination of a bad buff for your creatures, and a really bad way to get blockers out of the way. Any creature you put this on is going to be a major threat that you likely won’t be able to deal with that easily so that mode is a huge desperation play. If you buff your own creatures with it, you open yourself up to being 2 for 1ed by removal and take a bunch of damage if you are. I think this card is too situational even for aggressive decks, too much has to go right for it to do anything.

Drifter: C

The Oracle is a pretty solid 2 drop – firebreathing means it threatens to trade up and will be able to do some free damage, and it stays semi-relevant in the late game. The ability to turn off Escapes is some nice upside.

Drifter: C+

This is an efficient trick, and synergises well with the heroic cards Red and White have and the “cast your first spell on your opponent’s turn” mechanic Blue has. As with all tricks, it’s better in aggro decks but it’ll be a fine playable in any deck.

Drifter: B

4 damage for 4 mana is a solid rate, and this has upside on top. It’s great with flicker effects, enchantment recursion and Heliod's Pilgrim, and the small boost to your creature is nice.

Drifter: D

There aren’t enough artifacts in the set for this to be more than a medium sideboard card. 2/2 haste for 3 is a really bad rate, and you shouldn’t be looking to play this unless you’re desperate.

Drifter: D

This is a really bad use of 5 mana – a 7/3 will generally just trade down for a 3 drop. It’s nice that it triggers your Enchantment synergies, but I still wouldn’t be happy to play this.

Drifter: C+

Omen of the Forge is a really high C+ – it’s an efficient rate, especially great in Izzet but good in any deck and the scry is nice upside in the late game. There aren’t a lot of ways other than Shimmerwing Chimera and Flicker of Fate to bounce/flicker enchantments, but it is great with the few there are.

Drifter: C+

This is a really solid 2 drop for any non-aggressive deck. It prevents flood in the late game, it triggers your Enchantment synergies, and it has a fine defensive statline. This is pretty low as C+s go, however.

Drifter: A

The Ox’s Escape cost is very expensive, but the base rate is incredible and will often just draw you three cards and if you don’t have many other Escape cards, the Escape will be great in the late game too and is easier to enable in Rakdos. It’s not as great in Izzet, where you’re more likely to have cards in hand. The Ox is a high A and if you have it, you want to value other Escape cards a bit lower (as with any powerful Escape that’s costly in terms of exiled cards).

Drifter: S

This a great 3 drop, it’ll keep coming back bigger for a very reasonable cost and it gives you a solid mana sink which will kill them very quickly. You can’t really ask much more from your bomb rares.

Drifter: D

This is a very conditional D because the Portent is bad in most decks. If you have loads of cheap sacrifice outlets though, that is a very real combo and that’s a theme of the set – Blood Aspirant, Skophos Warleader and Final Flare (but that last one requires you to have 7 mana) are the main ways to do this in red but it’s much more likely to happen in Rakdos. There, you have access to Lampad of Death's Vigil, Slaughter-Priest of Mogis, Soulreaper of Mogis and Dreamshaper Shaman as well. Again, don’t play this without those – it’s too situational to be worth maining in aggro decks but you can board it in if you’re against a deck with just a few beefy creatures.

Drifter: A

Purphoros relies on his body a lot more than the other Gods – his abilities aren’t actually that exciting unless you can kill them or get sacrifice value – you don’t want to just Sneak Attack in stuff randomly, since you’re losing cards each time. Thankfully, his body is enormous and unkillable and 5 Devotion isn’t that hard to reach in Limited, but unlike other Gods, I wouldn’t be looking to splash Purphoros in nonred decks and since Red is best suited to being a support colour, there will be decks that can’t reach five devotion very easily.

Drifter: A

This is efficient at every point in the curve – from 2 mana 2 damage to 3 mana 4 damage to 4 mana 6 damage. It’s easy hard removal and has another mode that you won’t use much, but can be nice if you can kill them with it.

Drifter: D

I haven’t been too impressed with Red’s Escapes at common and uncommon. This would be a solid card if the Satyrs could block but only belongs in go-wide aggro decks (mostly in Boros) as it stands. This is a low D, and I considered F on it but it does have a weak niche.

Drifter: C

The Maze Warden is reasonable with an okay 3/4 for 4 statline and a strong pseudo-Firebreathing ability. It’s very difficult not to block this, as it can threaten as much as 6 damage and it’s really strong against 2/4s which can’t block or attack into it.

Labyrinth of Skophos is a rare (and not a really high pick one), and if you have it then you should take this card higher but you won’t often enough to affect the grade.

Drifter: C

5/5 Menace is a strong rate and as long as you’re not sacrificing real cards to this, you’re doing great (see my Final Flare comment for more info). 5 mana 4/5 isn’t that bad a body either; I consider this a fairly high C.

Drifter: C

This is another card that’s mostly good in Gruul, but that I would play in any deck if I had 6+ creatures with 4 or more power. It’s worth noting it’s also a 3/4 on blocks – it says each combat, not “each of your combats”. C+ if you’re already Green, bad if you don’t have 4+ power creatures.

Drifter: C+

This set is full of common auras, but red’s are really bad except Iroas’s Blessing. If you have a couple of that card or auras with good Enter the Battlefield effects in your other colours, then this is nuts, but it’s not very exciting without those and Iroas’s Blessings won’t be going late. 3/2 haste for 3 is an okay body, but not very impressive. Overall, this is a decent pick early on but not that exciting.

Drifter: A

Storm’s Wrath is great in every deck, but especially good if you aren’t aggro/have creatures with more than 4 toughness. Gruul is the ideal place for this.

Drifter: A

Tectonic Giant’s second ability is busted, and the card resists removal really well. The main problem with it is you won’t always have a clean attack, but assuming you have tricks or removal to get it through, it’s insane.

Drifter: C

Thrill is great in Izzet, with the “when you cast your first spell on your opponent’s turn” cards in red, and if you have several Escape cards. Still, the base case isn’t fantastic and it will just be okay in most decks; it’s card filtering rather than card advantage. I consider this a very high C in general, but would take it at C+ if any of those factors apply. Remember if you have a couple of Thrills, you should consider running an extra land.

Drifter: C+

This Saga wants you to be ahead and beating down, but is pretty good if you are – it adds up to a lot of damage over the course of the three turns, and makes your tokens into real threats. At the end of that, you get to fight something, and hopefully by then you’ll have a good creature to fight with but do remember that your opponent will know when that’s coming and might well be prepared! With fliers or just big creatures, this can add up to a lot of damage. I don’t think Red’s aggro tools are amazing in this set, and the go-wide mechanic strikes me as not that well supported, but I’ve still given Triumph of Anax a low C+.

Drifter: C

While it’s sweet to consider the wacky things you can do with Underworld Breach, I fear the stars have to align way too much for it to do anything really busted. That being said, you can use it as a weird Regrowth where you have to cast the spell immediately in the late game, and if you have enough good cards in your deck then the Breach may well improve it or if your deck is on the cheap side, you might get two or three cheap spells. Breach works especially well in Rakdos, where it’s easier to load up your graveyard. The dream is really if you can get two cards at any point. I might be overrating this by giving it a very low C; the fact that your deck already has to be good for it to be good is a ding against it, but it is sweet and I really want to try it!

Drifter: F

This is a sideboard only card and not that exciting of one, don’t play it in your main deck.

Drifter: D

This is a high D – I’m not overly happy with this card. I don’t think Red has great aggressive tools in this set, and I don’t think Boros will be great because both White and Red want to be support colours. It is good that you can recur this in the late game, but it has to be costing your opponent something for you to be accomplishing anything, and it often won’t do that. If you’re looking aggressive already, take this card at high C and be happy to play it.

Drifter: D

This is another weak aggro-only/sideboard card. It’s potentially playable in some decks and in some matchups, but I won’t be that happy to play it even in aggro. Good aggro decks don’t need to rely on really situational cards like this and I would rather just have an okay creature or trick in them. It’s easy to focus on the games in which this saves you, but there’ll be plenty of times where it rots in your hand or it just speeds up their demise a bit. This is another good sideboard card against x/1s, but just killing one with this isn’t good enough – you need to have seen 3 or 4.

Drifter

Red looks to be a strong support colour this format, since its cards aren’t that individually powerful but have great synergy with the green, black and blue mechanics. I think Boros will be pretty weak, as the power level and the support for the go-wide strategy/for aggro in general don’t strike me as fantastic, but any of the other three colours will be happy to have red as their counterpart. Red’s aggro cards are weak and seem like a trap. The best approach will be to be in one of the stronger main colours and then lean on Red for added removal and synergistic cards.