Over drafting this weekend, I was looking over the boosters and realize that I’m seeing the same cards everywhere, just in different colours. This the led to me looking into just how many cycles were there in limited, and how useful they are.
COMMONS
1. Equipments
a. Shield of the Oversoul
b. Steel of the Godhead
c. Runes of the Deus
d. Fists of the Demigod
e. Helm of the Ghastlord
I think the Equipment cycles sells whatever archetypes you’re drafting, a passed equipment usually tells the person next to you that you’re not playing those colours. I think the fear of getting 2-for-1ed has to be overcome to try and gain some advantage by using these. Once you slap it on, your opponents will either try to get rid of it. Or they will ignore it till it knocks at their life total.
Everyone knows that Shield and Steel are good, but I personally think that a Runes is the single most game changing spell in the limited format, especially G/R, where you stall the first 5 turns of the game, lay down the plentiful amounts of fat G/R hybrid creatures like Scuzzback Mauraders or Morselhoarder or even better, Loamdragger Giant. And the next turn, slap on a runes and (usually) swing for the win.
Personally, Runes have saved me more then I imagine, I calculate the math and let my opponent strike me down to my last turn, usually leaving only one creature behind to chump block, I slap down a runes and steal the victory
2. Duos
a. Thistledown Duo
b. Tattermunge Duo
c. Safehold Duo
d. Gravelgill Duo
e. Emberstrike Duo
The correct way to access the duo series is their body size when you have no pumps, this is why I have a dislike for Emberstrike and Gravegill duo, in late game, they are close to being useless because of their small bodies, athough gravegill duo has semi evasion, I still rate the others higher.
3. 3/3 enemy colour evasion for 4s
a. Wanderbrine Rootcutters
b. Sootwalkers
c. Barrenton Cragtreads
d. Mudbrawler Raiders
e. Raven's Run Dragoon
I love this cycle, and it was the hardest not to rate this the second best cycle in limited format, these guys are fat enough , they are a good investment, (3/3 for 2 colourless and 2 coloured hybrid is good enough, with semi evasion? Sweet!)
Solid creatures, and solid drops, never sad to see one of these in my colours in the pack (Or even one of my side colours, ie. Seeing a Mudbrawler Raider and taking it when I’m playing B/R)
4. Enemies colours hates
a. Gloomlance
b. Consign to Dream
c. Inquisitor's Snare
d. Ember Gale
e. Gloomwidow's Feast
I personally love the first two spells on this list, creature removal is sparse in this format, and consign to dream also gives you a chance of nulling your opponent of at least a card, pseudo removal as they have to cast that bomb again, and denying them of an attack phase with it.
Inquisitor’s snare can be terror, which is great! Ember gale is one of those game finishing spells, or tiny pyroclasm if lucky, and Gloomwidow’s feast stops whatever annoying flyers your opponents have
5. Cohorts
a. Ballynock Cohort
b. Briarberry Cohort
c. Mudbrawler Cohort
d. Crabapple Cohort
e. Ashenmoor Cohort
The only reason why the Cohorts cycle is rated so high is pretty much because of Ballynock Cohort, 2/2 first strike for three is great, but 3/3 for three under some small condition that you’re probably going to meet is even better! Considering the 3/3 for 4 cycle is such a nice cycle, Ballynock Cohort pretty much trumps that and other annoying three toughness creatures
Briarberry, is a great two drop, an auto include if you’re playing anything blue, evasion 2/2 for two is not something you get everyday.
The other cohorts are nice creatures, nothing to write home about, and Ashenmoor Cohort sucks… blightsickles
6. Scarecrows
a. Watchwing Scarecrow
b. Wingrattle Scarecrow
c. Blazethorn Scarecrow
d. Thornwatch Scarecrow
e. Rattleblaze Scarecrow
This Cycle isn’t bad, it’s just not good enough, they are all solid bodies for what they do, and they’ll do as creatures in an empty board in a pinch, I only really like Watchwing, as evasion does count for a bit.
7. Allied coloured pumpers
a. Rune-Cervin Rider
b. Foxfire Oak
c. Parapet Watchers
d. Loch Korrigan
e. Blistering Dieflyn
Let me say this now, I’m not a fan of this cycle in limited, sure, some of them can whack people over the head and turn into a Fireball if you really wanted to, but their base size is what screws them up. If you’re playing them as part of a curve, don’t expect that to happen, next turn, you’ll be trying to pump up your guy to stay alive in the combat phase, that you neglect to play a creature and your opponent on their next turn will play thiers. Or you will hold mana back to block with it when your opponent (if they are smart enough ) Will not attack you and instead improves their board position by dropping something else.
8. Allied Consipres
a. Aethertow
b. Traitor's Roar
c. Barkshell Blessing
d. Giantbaiting
e. Memory Sluice
I generally don’t like spells that are not removal or combat tricks, but I can’t stand to watch my Aethertow go any lower then this.
For those that don’t understand, Aethertow is awesome, I explain it in a previous blog why I picked it in pack 1 pick 2.
Traitor’s Roar is okay with barkshell Blessing, which is a combat trick and doubled if you’re blocking, but Giantbaiting doesn’t improve your board position and Memory Sluice.dec does not work since the math gets it to like… 2.5 commons per 3 packs of draft
9. Mono Coloured Conspire
a. Burn Trail
b. Ghastly Discovery
c. Gleeful Sabotage
d. Disturbing Plot
e. Mine Excavation
Everything sucks except for Burn Trail and maybe Ghastly Discovery, I can see Gleeful Sabotage working out off the sb with the amount of enchantments going around. But that’s about it.
10. Allied coloured one drops
a. Oona's Gatewarden
b. Scuzzback Scrapper
c. Zealous Guardian
d. Elvish Hexhunter
e. Manaforge Cinder
Oona’s Gatewarden is good, it does everything Scuzzback Scrapper does except attacking (which you really don’t want to for a 1/1 except for the first or maybe second turn)
Others might see some play, but just some
11. Wisps
a. Niveous Wisps
b. Aphotic Wisps
c. Cerulean Wisps
d. Crimson Wisps
e. Viridescent Wisps
Deck filtering is good, the tap and untap and fear are added plus, the others are also good as well, if you find a late pick in your colours, take it and actually try playing it, they might save you.
12. Initiates
a. Nurturer Initiate
b. Smolder Initiate
c. Intimidator Initiate
d. Drowner Initiate
e. Apothecary Initiate
I’ve actually played a deck with 4 drowner Initiate, He almost beat me, but the point is, these are good one drop with maybe a bomb in the game later on when the Smolder Initiate takes off your 7th life point or something.
I’ll continue this blog later, my hands are killing me
Tags: Shadowmoor Limited Ratings
Related to:
Magic: the Gathering
