Eldritch Moon Spoilers: Limited Review for July 7
Welcome to the last day of spoiler discussions for Eldritch Moon! On this final day we get to discuss some new escalate cards, some Human tribal benefits, and the final conclusion to the Eldritch Moon storyline.
I'll be reviewing these cards from the standpoint of how well I expect them to perform in Limited. We can't rate the cards completely accurately without knowing the entire set, but we can evaluate the cards in an "average" limited format. You can find all the latest spoilers on the Eldritch Moon page. Please note that if I haven't yet reviewed a card, it's probably because the official spoiler for it has not been released yet.
Grading scale
A: This card will often be the best card in one's deck. I'd consider splashing it where possible. (Linvala, the Preserver, Tireless Tracker)
B: This card is rarely cut from a deck that can cast it. In draft, it signals that a color or archetype is open. (Baloth Null, Forgotten Creation)
C: Cards like this make up the majority of limited decks. You're neither excited nor embarrassed to have them in your deck. (Akoum Flameseeker, Moorland Drifter)
D: I'm not putting this in my main deck unless I have a specific reason or I'm low on playables. (Dazzling Reflection, Merciless Resolve)
F: This card will have little or no impact on the game if I draw it or is strictly sideboard-material. If I cast this card, please stage an intervention for me. (Hedron Alignment, Harness the Storm)
White
Collective Will
B+
Translation:
Sorcery
Escalate (Tap an untapped creature you control)
Destroy target creature with power 4 or greater
Destroy target enchantment
Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature target player controls
If this had just the Smite the Monstrous option, it would still be a good Limited card. The small additional cost of tapping a creature for lots of free +1/+1 counters is quite strong, and the Disenchant ability may occasionally come up as well. It'd be very difficult to find an Uncommon you'd want to first pick over this card in a draft.
Courageous Outrider
B-
Math time! You need six other Humans to have a 50/50 shot of drawing a Human with this card. Approximately one-third of Shadows over Innistrad creatures are Human. If you take Courageous Outrider early in draft, maximizing your Human count is relatively easy. Even when you fail, you still have a 3/4 for four which is acceptable.
Sigarda's Blessing
D-
Translation:
Enchantment
You may cast Aura and Equipment spells as though they had flash.
Whenever an Equipment enters the battlefield under your control, you may attach it to target creature you control.
While it is possible to get some value from Sigarda's Blessing, there aren't many great Auras or Equipment in Shadows over Innistrad with which to combo it. We'll have to look to Eldritch Moon for better cards in this category, and for now be content with Equestrian Skill and Slayer's Plate.
Blue
Imprisoned in the Moon
B-
Removal is removal even when it's kind of bad. Imprisoned in the Moon gives your opponent a land, is vulnerable to enchantment removal, and can get countered by the opponent bouncing their creature back to hand. But it's still unconditional creature removal and for that it gets an above average grade.
Mausoleum Wanderer
D
Translation:
Creature - Spirit
Flying
Whenever another Spirit enters the battlefield under your control, ~ gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Sacrifice ~: Counter target instant or sorcery spell unless its controller pays X, where X is Mausoleum Wanderer's power.
Despite the very occasional Spirit synergies, this creature is just a Suntail Hawk that prevents your opponent from trapping out for spells. This isn't enough of an upside to make Mausoleum Wanderer high impact, and as such I won't be playing it often.
Black
Olivia's Dragoon
C+
This Common version of Heir of Falkenrath is a fine repeatable discard outlet and has the relevant creature type of Vampire as well. It's not super exciting, but it's perfectly acceptable draft material.
Green
Crop Sigil
C+
This is one of the slowest Divinations I've seen, but it will probably still fit well into slow Green Limited decks. Make sure you classify this as an enabler because it doesn't have nearly high enough impact to be a lone delirium payoff card.
Stunning Regrowth
F
Translation:
Sorcery
Return all land cards from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
By the time you mill yourself enough to make Stunning Regrowth worth casting, it's unlikely you'll need the extra mana from the lands. If this block had landfall effects, that'd be one thing, but without that there aren't enough payoffs for this card in Limited.
Multicolor
Heron's Grace Champion
B+
Without other Humans to support, Heron's Grace Champion is an unexciting but acceptable creature. Luckily for us, Humans are plentiful throughout the block. Once you find those Humans and cast Heron's Grace Champion, buffing two or more creatures and gaining a ton of life on offense or defense should put you far ahead in any damage race.
Conclusion
That's all for this spoiler season! Watch for the full card image gallery tomorrow on Wizards's website, and enjoy your Prerelease Weekend! Reach out to me on Twitter @JakeStilesMTG or in the comments below with your thoughts on the new cards.
