Multicolored
Blazing Hellhound
This card is probably the worst of the two color cycle. Paying a mana and sacrificing a creature to ping for one? That’s not a great ability, and a 4/3 for four isn’t exactly something to write home about either.
Score: 6.5
Blood Cursed Knight
This card is really solid if you have an Enchantment theme. A 4/3 with Lifelink is a really solid creature, especially at three mana. Ultimately, this card’s biggest issue is that a 3/2 vanilla for three isn’t all that good, so the knight actually ends up being very swingy.
Score: 7.5
Bounding Krasis
While the defensive applications of this card are the ones that come to mind first, it actually has offensive application as well. A 3/3 for three with both Flash and a massive ETB ability is a card that actually gets quite close to being a first pick.
Score: 8.2
Citadel Castellan
If you can connect once with the Castellan, you’re good to go. If you can’t, you’re probably not unhappy, but there’s no reason to get too excited about it.
Score: 7.0
Iroas’s Champion
Iroas’s Champion continues the trend of 2/2’s with Double Strike for three mana being pretty great. Even without any other upside, the Champion is a solid card to have around.
Score: 7.5
Possessed Skaab
A 3/2 plus Rebuy for five mana? That seems pretty decent to me. The 3/2 body obviously isn’t exciting, but returning a relevant card to your hand definitely is. Possessed Skaab is a card worth having even if you’re not going for graveyard synergies.
Score: 7.8
Reclusive Artificer
If you’re in the Artifact deck, this is almost a bomb. It comes in, clears a path, and gets in for two, all as soon as it hits the board. Of course, if you’re lacking Artifacts, it’s going to be kind of problematic to have this card, but in the right deck, it’s just stellar.
Score: 7.9
Shaman of the Pack
Are you in the Elves deck? Great, you’ll love this guy. Are you in any other deck? This card probably isn’t for you. It’s pretty much that simple.
Score: 7.5
Thunderlcap Wyvern
This card is the perfect flier. It pumps all of your other fliers, and it can hit your opponent completely out of the blue. This guy is GREAT, and in contention for the best multicolored card in the set.
Score: 8.2
Zendikar Incarnate
When this guy comes down, he’s likely a 4/4 for four, which is right on curve. However, he’ll just keep getting bigger with each land you play, which makes him a much more potent threat for the Red/Green stompy deck.
Score: 8.0
Artifacts
Mythic Rares
Alhammaret’s Archive
Oh look, it’s a flashy do nothing Artifact!
Score: 3.0
Pyromancer’s Goggles
Oh look, it’s another flashy do nothing Artifact!
Score: 3.0
Rares
Hangarback Walker
This is the bomb of the artifact deck. It can come down mid-sized and grow, or come down huge and still grow. As soon as it gets removed, that’s fine too, because you’ve got a swarm of Thopter tokens replacing it. This is playable in any of the format’s deck archetpyes, and you shouldn’t hesitate to pick it up if you get the chance.
Score: 9.0
Helm of the Gods
Even though it only costs two mana to play and equip, it’s still hard to know how playable this card is. Sure, you’ll generate some value from it if you’re in the Enchantment deck. Otherwise, there may be some random synergies, but it just won’t be all that good.
Score: 6.5
Mage Ring Responder
Despite his massive drawback, this guy is a bomb. If he gets to attack, he’s either going to take out two of your opponent’s creatures, or take out one and hit for seven. Either scenario is actually pretty great, and more than justifies the seven mana you’ll need to pump into him if you want to continue using him. He also can just sit back and block, if that’s what you need him to do.
Score: 8.5
Orbs of Wandering
This card is designed for Constructed, and you’ll likely never want to play it in any Limited format.
Score: 4.0
Sword of the Animist
Four mana for +1/+1 is pretty bad, and unless you have cards like Zendikar’s Roil or Nissa, searching up lands doesn’t do much to justify that cost.
Score: 5.0
Uncommons
Angel’s Tomb
It’s hard to evaluate Angel’s Tomb. Depending on the deck you’re playing, it could be a do nothing Artifact or a consistent flying threat. I would tend to say that late game this card will do nothing, but if you can hit it early you’ll have a 3/3 flier for at least a few turns. Still, this card’s not great.
Score: 6.5
Brawler’s Plate
Seven mana. That’s what it will cost you to give a creature +2/+2 and Trample and opening yourself up for a massive blowout. If that seems worth it to you, by all means, be my guest. But I really hope you’re sane enough to see why it’s a problem.
Score: 4.0
Chief of the Foundry
This guy puts in serious work in the Artifact deck. It adds so much power to the board when you have tons of Thopters buzzing around that it may very well be the key to making that deck run.
Score: 8.0
Gold Forged Sentinel
A six mana 4/4 flier isn’t efficiently costed, but some decks will want it simply because their colors don’t have access to mana great fliers. If you’re in a deck like that, this card will be useful, otherwise, try to avoid it.
Score: 6.0
Jayemdae Tome
This is the epitome of inefficient costing.
Score: 2.0
Prism Spring
Why would run this card, I have no idea. Marginal life gain is super mediocre, so this card is also super mediocre.
Score: 3.0
Meteorite
This is fine color fixing (and maybe even removal), but don’t be tricked into thinking that it’s acceleration, or that you should be picking this card highly.
Score: 6.0
Ramroller
Even as a 4/3, Ramroller’s not great. Attacking every turn will eventually lead to its death, especially if you can’t back it up with removal.
Score: 6.0
Ruined Servitor
2/2’s for two are fine, especially ones that draw you a card. Ones that draw your opponent a card? That gets into murky waters. Ruined Servitor looks fine, and in most cases, you’ll probably be fine playing it. Unfortunately, there are times when it just doesn’t cut it.
Score: 6.1
Sigil of Valor
This card basically gives all of your creatures Exalted, but that’s not a keyword in this set, so we get complicated rules text instead. Yay. All in all, this card’s actually not too bad. Three mana to cats and equip is probably fine, though it may sometimes be useless. Still, at most points in the game this is going to turn any of your creatures into a potent threat,
Score: 7.0
Throwing Knife
The flavor of Throwing Knife is great, and the function isn’t half bad either. It both pumps a creature and can act eventually act as removal. Still, four mana to cats and equip is a bit steep for what you;re getting here.
Score: 6.5
War Horn
This card has minute impact throughout the game. To make a long story short: don’t play it if you have the option.
Score: 5.0
Commons
Alchemist’s Vial
Two mana to draw a card isn’t unreasonable, and paying an additional mana to prevent an attack or a block is a hard effect to criticize. While this isn’t the best Artifact, at least it actually does something. This is exactly what you would expect of the 23rd or 24th card you’re adding to your deck.
Score: 6.8
Guardians of Meletis
If you want to make attacking on the ground useless for your opponent, this card does that. It has very situation and deck-specific applications, but most of the time you probably want to avoid playing it.
Score: 6.0
Guardian Automaton
Eh. That’s exactly what I think of this card. You get some value off of it, no matter what happens, but that value is life gain, which probably isn’t doing much to help your cause in a Limited game.
Score: 5.0
Bonded Construct
What’s the point of playing a 2/1 for one that can’t attack until turn three? Hint: There isn’t one.
Score: 5.0
Veteran’s Sidearm
Three mana for +1/+1. I’ll say that again: three mana for +1/+1. Are you f*&$ing kidding me?!?!
Score: 3.0
