Wilds of Eldraine (WOE) Limited Set Review: White

Hey everyone! I hope you’re ready to get wild in the crazy world of Eldraine. Things have changed since the last time we visited with a serious lack of Elk related humor. Instead, we are focusing on WotC’s strange takes on classic fairy tales. That means that it is filled with puns and dad jokes galore so it’s clearly designed to go along with my writing style.

On top of that I get to pronounce WOE exactly like Joey Lawerence every time. Granted most of you are thinking “What is this old man blathering about, someone get him his meds.” I can assure you it was a thing back in the day with Avatar of Woe  

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 until they let me out of the content creation dungeon. With all that, you’ll be well prepared to crush some dreams.

For those of you wondering if I missed some cards, the adventures that require different colors for each part are in the multicolor section. The Enchanting Tales bonus sheet will have its own article as well.

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. (Tovolar's Huntmaster, The Meathook Massacre, Starnheim Unleashed)
• 4.5: Incredible bomb that still gives your opponent a slim chance. (Adeline, Resplendent Cathar, Alrund's Epiphany, Grand Master of Flowers)
• 4.0: Great rare or the absolute best uncommons and removal. (Froghemoth, Morbid Opportunist, Skullport Merchant)
• 3.5: Great role filler or removal that you never cut. (Magic Missile, Cathartic Pyre, Battle Cry Goblin)
• 3.0: Good playable that I’m basically never cutting. (Usher of the Fallen, Search Party Captain, Dragon Turtle)
• 2.5: Decent playable and the bar I hope nearly every card in my deck to reach. (Mourning Patrol, Steadfast Paladin, Goblin Morningstar)
• 2.0: Mediocre filler that normally is your 20-23rd card(s). (Contact Other Plane, Mindleech Ghoul, Timberland Guide)
• 1.5: Replaceable, overall bad filler. Could also be decent sideboard cards. (Secrets of the Key, Spiked Pit Trap, Village Rites)
• 1.0: Bad filler. Gets cut most of the time. (Secret Door, Mystic Skull, Funeral Longboat)
• 0.5: Very unhappy to main deck this, but maybe it has fringe sideboard applications. (You See a Guard Approach, Bramble Armor, Compelled Duel)
• 0.0: Unplayable in every possible situation. (Mimic, Change of Fortune, Curse of Shaken Faith)

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A Tale for the Ages

Rating: 3.0/5

This is a build around, but one that can do some serious damage in the right deck. This would be awful in almost any other format, but fills a nice niche here with so many Roles running around to enchant your side with.  

Dropping a double Glorious Anthem will provide plenty of story equity even if your friends won’t quite think it was A Tale for the Ages  

Archon of the Wild Rose

Rating: 4.0/5

Speaking of Roles making auras plentiful…This one isn’t even a build around since a 4/4 flyer for four as a fail case is still an acceptable Magic card.

This does have the potential to come down and just end the game on a swingout with your suddenly angelic crew. Just be careful that it doesn’t die before blockers or your unexpectedly ground bound team may have some serious problems.   

Archon’s Glory

Rating: 2.0/5

One mana tricks tend to overperform as long as they do something besides just adding power and toughness. While it does require a Bargain, both flying and lifelink provide a great way to unexpectedly steal a game.

Armory Mice

Rating: 2.0/5

You’ve heard of three dogs in a trench coat. Now we have three mice in a gauntlet.

It’s not that difficult to trigger Celebration because anything that comes with a role or Hopeful Vigil does it on its own. You’re also preferably double spelling a few turns later so it should frequently be attacking as a 3/3 which is a good deal for two mana.

Unfortunately, it’s not too hot on defense. It is also a vanilla creature in a format filled with built in value. The reason I don’t have it lower is that there is a good chance that this format ends up very aggressive and this fills the two-drop slot well.

Besotted Knight

Rating: 1.5/5

This isn’t quite a guaranteed 2 for 1 because I don’t value a Royal Role token as a full card and you need a creature to put it on. It also gives you the opportunity to get blown out by instant speed removal. If you just play it out on its own, you’re playing a Hill Giant in 2023.  

Break the Spell

Rating: 1.5/5

This is a sideboard card that can function as a cantrip combat trick under the right circumstances. You just need to have things lineup perfectly where you are killing a Role token that lets you win the combat. When that happens, it’s great, if not it’s fairly meh.

Charmed Clothier

Rating: 2.0/5

This is Besotted Knight that has flying and can’t be paid for in installments. You also take away the possibility of getting blown out from trying to play the Adventure. Still five drops are a hefty investment and you can’t put the Role on itself. It’s an acceptable top end if you don’t get anything better.

Cheeky House-Mouse

Rating: 2.0/5

This is a tale of a mouse that had the heart of a lion. Specifically, a Savannah Lions.

While it is templated similarly to a Faerie Guidemother, the Squeak By evasion is usually much worse than Flying while getting one power less.  I also value a 1/1 flyer higher than a vanilla 2/1. It really says something about the power levels of the two Eldraine sets that this is an uncommon while that was a common.

Cooped Up

Rating: 3.0/5

It is a strictly better Pacifism so it should play well in an aggressive format. Unless you put it on an artifact or token creature, they can’t Bargain it away so this is usually going to just be cheap removal.

Cursed Courtier

Rating: 2.5/5

If you don’t have a way to easily dispose of the Cursed Role then you shouldn’t be playing this. If you have plenty of ways to Bargain it away or replace it with a new Role then this is a great deal for a life linker.

Discerning Financier

Rating: 3.0/5

This is significantly better on the draw where you are either going to be making multiple treasures off of it or playing against someone who is choked on mana. It even has a nice end game feature to pawn those treasures off on your opponent for extra cards.

Dutiful Griffin

Rating: 2.5/5

While an Air Elemental isn’t something to write home about these days, it’s still a large flyer that can dutifully recur itself. Sacrificing two enchantments is a very real cost even if it is a couple of Role tokens, but it’s a decent option to have when you need it.  

Eerie Interference

Rating: 2.0/5

We have all made jokes about Fog effects in limited. Seriously I can’t tell you the amount of times Twitch Chat says “What if they have Fog?!?”. Followed by them never having it because it’s a bad card that usually just delays the inevitable.

This one could actually be good on offence or defense by turning some trades into a one-sided affair. Definitely a card that is important to keep in mind before sending in the team.

Expel the Interlopers

Rating: 4.0/5

A Wrath of God with potential for extra value is always a good limited card at the right price. Five mana is around the perfect cost since they aren’t printing the OG version these days.

While it will be nice to keep a couple of smaller creatures around when wiping their board, you don’t want to be intentionally train wrecking your draft to force them. You do want to keep it in mind during the game though by doing something like trading one of your bigger creatures for a couple of their smaller ones. You can set it up pretty well if you’re the only one who knows its coming.

Frostbridge Guard

Rating: 2.5/5

The tap ability is pretty pricy, but not atrocious considering that it is attached to a bear. Solid way to start off the game that stays relevant in the late game.

Gallant Pie-Wielder

Rating: 2.5/5

This wielder of pies must be a distant relative of mine since I’m well known to be a destroyer of pies. Seriously don’t leave a Pumpkin pie unattended around me if you intended to get a piece.

Oh yeah, magical card stuff. This is a cheap creature with potential Double Strike which can go crazy with pump effects such as Archon’s Glory.

Glass Casket

Rating: 3.0/5

It’s sorcery speed, conditional removal that can be removed later. It exiles so it avoids the downside of them still having access to the abilities that aura removal would have. If this was a color with good removal, I’d be much lower on it. Since it’s white, it’ll be a pretty decent card.

Hopeful Vigil

Rating: 2.5/5

This is a bear with a lot of upside. In this case it gives you an additional game piece that you can Bargain away with a free scry two thrown into the deal. It even triggers the “two permanents entered the battlefield this turn” cards all on its own.

Kellan’s Lightblades

Rating: 2.0/5

I’m typically pretty low on spells that deal a few damage to attacking or blocking creatures. They can’t hit something that’s just sitting there using an ability or deal with bigger threats. The bargain ability to upgrade a meager amount of damage to a straight up destroy is what makes me think this will be decent.

Knight of Doves

Rating: 2.5/5

I want to love this card because of how good most of the “Make a 1/1 bird token” cards have been. It’s a lot harder to trigger this than “cast an instant or sorcery” or even “have a bunch of walls”. It does trigger off of Role Tokens since they technically still go to the graveyard, but how often do you think you are going to be losing an enchantment. It’ll still be good, but not in the same tier as previous incarnations.

Moment of Valor

Rating: 2.0/5

At two mana this would be a great card along the lines of Valorous Stance, but at three mana it is significantly more awkward to fit into your curve. You do get an extra power and an untap on the trick so it’s still playable.

Moonshaker Cavalry

Rating: 3.5/5

It costs eight mana, but it most likely wins you the game if it resolves. You do need to have a decent size board as well, but you know this is in your deck when making plays so that shouldn’t be too big of a problem.

It doesn’t have haste like Craterhoof Behemoth though, so don’t forget about that when doing your lethal math.

Plunge into Winter

Rating: 1.5/5

It’s a white Hithlain Knots which means that it is mostly going to be filler. At least with that one, you were trying to get a pile of instants and sorceries in your graveyard.

Protective Parents

Rating: 2.0/5

I prefer to avoid playing 3/2s for three since they tend to trade down. Getting another game piece when this one dies makes it worth it, just be careful that you have something worth putting it on because the Young Hero Role doesn’t do anything if the target already has four toughness.

Regal Bunnicorn

Rating: 3.5/5

This bunny goes from adorable to the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog with a swiftness. Counting all of your nonland permanents means that playing something with a Role attached is +2+2 to this bad bunny. It’s going to play really well in most situations where you don’t have an empty board.

Return Triumphant

Rating: 2.0/5

There is a surprisingly small number of creatures that this can target that have a useful ETB effect. Most likely because there is a lot of value tied up in adventure cards instead. In some cases, you might even prefer to have a +1+1 counter over the Young Hero Role token. Still, it is two game pieces out of one card for two mana so it will have its place.   

Rimefur Reindeer

Rating: 1.5/5

This can be a solid way to force through some damage when you play multiple enchantments in a turn. Unfortunately, most of the time Sven is going to either do nothing or tap one creature at sorcery speed. That leaves you with a mostly annoying 3/4 that you invested four mana into. I won’t mind playing it if I have a heavy concentration of Role creators and enchantments.

Savior of the Sleeping

Rating: 2.5/5

I’m typically down on the slowly growing creatures, but it only takes one enchantment hitting the yard to put this above rate. Being able to use bargain to grow this at instant speed is a very real threat while the vigilance makes it difficult to just ignore. It also isn’t limited to triggering once per turn so it can get monstrous in a hurry.

Slumbering Keepguard

Rating: 2.5/5

While he might be slumbering, you shouldn’t be sleeping on this card. The more efficient limited sets get, the more one drops have had a big effect. This can add up the value by throwing in a bunch of scrys before becoming a relevant beater later in the game. It’s important to note that the activated ability isn’t limited to once per turn so it can get massive.  

Solitary Sanctuary

Rating: 1.5/5

Three mana at sorcery speed to tap a creature with one stun counter and a +1+1 counter just isn’t worth it on its own. If you already have some combination of Frostbridge Guard, Icewrought Sentry, and other tapping effects, then it becomes a lot more tolerable as the +1+1 counters start adding up.

Spellbook Vendor

Rating: 3.5/5

This vendor is legit, unlike that guy in the trench coat who assured me those Rolexs were real. Attacking with a vigilant 3/3 that scrys on turn three is a very real threat. They even keep selling Roles to the rest of your team every turn. I’m buying in on this one, hopefully it doesn’t turn out to be a MLM scheme.

Stockpiling Celebrant

Rating: 2.0/5

You really need to be packing some stuff worth returning to want this in your deck. It’s pretty great with Hopeful Vigil or Hopeless Nightmare which lets your stockpile the value.  Of course, there are also plenty of enchantment removal running around which this will dunk all over. You just won’t be celebrating if you get stuck playing this only for its base stats.

Stroke of Midnight

Rating: 3.0/5

Giving your opponent a 1/1 creature is a very real cost so you don’t want to just fire this off at the first thing you see. The versatility to hit any nonland permanent at instant speed is well worth giving them a dork when it nails a high value target.

While it won’t come up often, you can use this to turn one of your own nonland permanents into a 1/1 if necessary.

Side Note: Don’t figure out combat math and kill a blocker thinking you have lethal without accounting for the new 1/1. I’m just saying that this will definitely happen to at least a few people during the first week.

The Princess Takes Flight

Rating: 2.5/5

On it’s own, this is not a card that you want to be playing. It just doesn’t do enough to be worth it.

The trick is combining it with other cards to take advantage of never reaching step three. If it never gets there, then they never get their creature back. The easiest way to do this is to sacrifice it to Bargain so make sure you have plenty of outlets.

You can also bounce it to your hand with Stockpiling Celebrant of Johann's Stopgap to nab another of their creatures. You can even use Break the Spell to take it out while drawing yourself a card. If you’re packing enough ways to leverage it, then it can turn into a premium card.

Three Blind Mice

Rating: 2.5/5

As long as they don’t kill your first little mouse, you should end up with all three of these little guys followed by a group pump. It’s a bit slow, but a decent effect. The cool thing is that it’s any token you can copy, not just the Mice.

The most likely targets are Role tokens you have laying around, but you can also do Treasures, Food, or any other token creatures including Gruff Triplets. A nice curve out is Hopeful Vigil into this so you start making Knights instead.

Tuinvale Guide

Rating: 2.5/5

As long as you can consistently trigger this, it will be very difficult to race. If your deck isn’t double spelling or playing any of the cards that enable this, well I don’t really know what you are doing.

Unassuming Sage

Rating: 2.0/5

Do you prefer a Grizzly Bears or a Hill Giant with slight upside? While it’s rather unassuming, having the option for both makes this worth packing in your deck.  

Virtue of Loyalty

Rating: 4.5/5

This is obviously an insanely busted card that gives you an instant speed two drop early before making your entire team monstrous later. Your creatures even untap so you can use abilities more than once or just for playing defense. I will loyally slam this card every time I open it.

Werefox Bodyguard

Rating: 4.0/5

There aren’t many foxes running around (just this and Ferocious Werefox) so this is a three mana Faceless Butcher at instant speed. The ability to sacrifice it for two life is actually really good against a sweeper effect so they lose the creature underneath it as well.  

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Wrap Up

White, unsurprisingly, has a solid selection of cheap creatures with some decent tricks and questionable removal. It has some great high end rares with Werefox Bodyguard and Expel the Interlopers leading the way. It even has Virtue of Loyalty which will have people complaining about it every time their opponent plays it.  

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back tomorrow for my limited review of the blue cards of Wilds of Eldraine. Until then, stay classy people!

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

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