Thursday means red day. That's right it's time to see what Dominaria has to offer in red: Power, flavour and goblins.
Strap yourself in and get ready to take a tour throw the fire, brimstone, passion and recklessness that embodies red, so lets dive in.
Bloodstone Goblin
I love this guy in limited: it’s cheap, aggressive and showcases a returning mechanic nicely. You’re never going to say no to a two mana 2/2 so Bloodstone Goblin gets a pass there straight away, even if you aren’t playing mana kicker cards he’s still good. As it happens though, there will be a lot of cards with kicker in Dominaria so triggering Bloodstone Goblin won’t be too hard, and if any of them are instant speed you’re looking at a sweet combat trick along with your 2/2.
Champion Of The Flame
I think I would’ve liked this guy is he only had one more power and/or toughness. I don’t think that would be too powerful as bears nowadays are pushed quite a bit. Champion Of The Flame needs a little help with auras and such but at least comes with his own keyword, Trample. Quite a good keyword to have when the Champion starts to get big from all those auras. This is a fine limited two drop and in multiples work fine as long as you have enough auras to fuel them.
Chandra, Bold Pyromancer
This is one of the planeswalker deck planeswalkers, you can tell because
of the familiar name, high mana cost and relatively simple abilities.
Simple doesn’t mean bad however, as this Chandra shows: extra mana and
direct damage is a great start, her second ability allows you to point
some damage at creatures or planeswalker and her last ability could very
well win you the game on the spot. Sure she costs six and won’t be
seeing play until the last the game but Chandra, Bold Pyromancer still
hits every point a planeswalker needs to: splashy, can defend itself and
must be dealt with before it gets out of hand.
This is the now obligatory “tutor” spell that appears in the planeswalker decks, this one to find Chandra, Bold Pyromancer, and frankly it’s not good. A five mana burn spell at sorcery speed is a big investment at the mid point of the game which should produce a decent effect and just hitting a player or planeswalker isn’t big enough. Maybe if Chandra’s Fury was an instant it would feel like less of an awkward card to cast but it would then become a half decent burn spell/tutor which could then have an impact on constructed.
Fervent Strike
A great utility combat trick, Fervent Strike is cheap and good for many situations.
Fiery Intervention
A five mana five point removal spell or a five mana Shatter? Sure, I would play it if I really needed removal but I don’t think I like Fiery Intervention. Brilliant in limited though.
Fight With Fire
This three mana removal spell is almost always playable thanks to its easy splashability and high output, you’re going to get a creature with this pretty much every time. The kicker is high but if you can pay that amount of mana you’re very late into the gamer you’ve ramped a lot of mana, either way you probably should be winning already. I think this fits into limited, as much as I’d want to see it in constructed I think it’s a little slow, it can’t hit Glorybringer before it’s brought the glory and it will almost never hit Bristling Hydra if your opponent is smart.
Fire Elemental
Standard limited creature, you’re probably always going to play Fire Elemental as it’s a powerful, on the curve creature.
Firefist Adept
This is your top end creature in limited for your tribal wizards deck, it doubles up as a creature and removal and can be easy to splash. The stats aren’t that impressive but a five mana 3/3 that deals with an opposing creature will do.
The First Eruption
At first glance this three mana enchantment looked quite good to me: not that mana intensive, provides an immediate effect. Upon reflection however I don’t think there is much in terms of constructed playability with The First Eruption as it can be quite slow. So, for three mana you get to ping each creature for one, keep in mind this does include your creatures so be careful with that. The second counter on The First Eruption allows you to jump from four to six mana which can be quite useful for dropping a big creature or planeswalker or just throwing a lot of burn at your opponent’s face. The First Eruption’s last counter gives you the opportunity for a Sweltering Suns just for sacrificing a mountain. This last effect was the one that disappointed me a little, the card knows you’re going to have at least one mountain in play thanks to The First Eruptions mana cost. Because of this the card lends itself to being splashed easily and therefore may result in sacrificing your only mountain. Of course ideally you will have more than one in your deck let alone in play so that shouldn’t be too much of an issue but overall The First Eruption to me is a little underwhelming: it focuses on creatures and thus doesn’t put that much pressure on your opponent. I can see my opponent dropping this against me and it not doing too much as I could just play around it for a couple of turns to stop myself from getting two for oned. In limited The First Eruption is fine, it’s nothing special but it could put a spanner in the works if dropped early and then can give you a nice mana boost to get to your high end cards quicker. I don’t think it’s going to be seeing constructed play anytime soon but there are some fun things you can do with the extra mana The First Eruption gives you.
The Flame Of Keld
This could be what a red deck in constructed could want to give itself a bit of longevity. It can come down early, or for cheap at least, it does have an immediate effect but in lieu of the Madness mechanic discarding your hand will be just that. Straight after that discard though you get to draw back up to three cards, The Flame Of Keld takes away with one hand and gives with the other. Red decks would love this part because it lets them get back into the game in the blink of an eye, refueling their burn or fast creatures. The last counter makes all of your burn spells better: a Lightning Strike hits something for five at just two mana, a one mana Shock turns into a four damage instant that can deal with most things. At just two mana I think The Flame Of Keld provides you with good effects with a low buy in cost, as I said a red aggressive deck would love this but I can maybe see it being run in a deck that wants to abuse its graveyard or get extra card draw, although the last ability would probably be useless. In limited this ones a bit tricky, it’s not bad but it’s definitely not good. If you get lucky and find yourself in heavy red than I could see a shout for it but I probably wouldn’t risk it.
Frenzied Rage
Frenzied Rage is a brilliant aura for those go-big decks, It offers a nice power boost with evasion and for two mana. It works well in limited for all those “auras matters” creatures but I wouldn’t go more than two depending on what else I had access too.
Ghitu Chronicler
I’m not really convinced by Ghitu Chronicler, it seems like a decent early game blocker or a severely overcosted form of buyback for a removal spell or something. In limited it’s ok if you have a nice variety of utility and removal spells but for six mana I think I want to be doing something better. Obviously in constructed Ghitu Chronicler isn’t good, it’s probably closest to fighting Torrential Gearhulk and that’s a fight the robot is never going to lose.
Ghitu Journeymage
This is more like it, a proper cheap aggressive limited creature. Just one other wizard is enough to get all you can out of Ghitu Journeymage, a shock on legs and those legs aren’t too shabby in combat either. Great limited creature.
Ghitu Lavarunner
Another aggressive creature through and through here with Ghitu Lavarunner except this one could actually see constructed play. It may not be the best way to start a game but using your first turn to Shock your opponent followed up by another Shock and Ghitu Lavarunner is 6 damage on turn two. It’s not to bad on defence either when it’s a one mana 2/2 as it can trade up well. Modern burn could want Ghitu Lavarunner, that may just be a pipe dream with all of the one drops they run though. It will feel good to get your opponent in limited by playing the second instant or sorcery in combat as a surprise and making combat math more awkward.
Goblin Barrage
Goblin Barrage is another good limited removal spell, with its damage being on par with its mana cost though I could see only running one of these. I also would have liked to see this as an instant, although I guess four mana to hit a creature and your opponent for four may be a little good, so I understand the restriction but you will have a bad feeling looking at this in your hand and debating whether to tap out on your turn and possibly losing, wishing you could wait until they declare attackers.
Goblin Chainwhirler
This is a committed mana cost but if you can meet it on turn three Goblin Chainwhirler will dominate combat in limited. The effect isn’t nothing either as in limited there is a higher chance of facing down a bunch of X/1’s and Chainwhirler makes light work of them. Because of the triple red mana requirement I don’t think Goblin Chainwhirler will see constructed play, although there is a lot of goblins around that could make a Mono red goblins deck viable, we’ll have to wait and see.
Goblin Warchief
This goblin in particular is enough to see the resurgence of constructed goblins. A turn three Warchief could open the doors to rush your opponent with cheap aggressive goblins that can all attack straight away, even without abusing its reduction of other goblin’s mana costs it’s still a three mana 2/2 with haste which is perfectly fine in limited. In multiples Warchiefs can produce an overwhelming effect and don’t carry many diminishing returns, it’s an obvious four-of in constructed and I think we’re going to see a lot of the little red men running around thanks to this guy.
Haphazard Bombardment
Still trying to get my head around this one, it’s expensive and has a lot of text but turns out is actually quite slow removal. For six mana you get to put “Aim” counters on four things you don’t control, then at the end of each of your turns you get to randomly destroy one of them. That’s the short version of the card and I’m a little disappointed with it. I want it to be some sort of weird and wonderful combo piece or super tricksy and abusable card, you can get extra mileage when you play the second Haphazard Bombardment as the first one will stop triggering when you get to the last permanent and then the second adds in another four permanents. The worst part is, and I didn’t think I’d hear myself say this, is that it’s a bit to random and holds to much variance, I love coin flip cards and randomly determined outcomes but this is a bit much for too little.
Jaya Ballard
Back in Time Spiral there was a creature called Jaya Ballard and I absolutely loved Jaya Ballard. She was a Swiss Army knife of abilities all of them functional and powerful, she was great and gave you so many options. Jaya has returned in her planeswalker form for Dominaria and it’s here to rival her creature iteration for sure. The mana cost here is solidly in the mid-game thanks to the triple red, it causes such a devotion to a colour that it could be hard to play Jaya Ballard in a deck running more that one or two colours. Onto Jaya’s abilities, and it’s the typical set up with three but instead of being the run of the mill +, -, ultimate, Jaya comes with two + abilities and something that could be referred to as a kind-of ultimate. Jaya Ballard is an instant and sorcery kind of girl and all of her abilities attribute to that fact. Adding triple red to help cast instants and sorceries will give you a massive boost, multiple spells a turn unmatched is a lot of pressure to put on your opponent most of which won’t be able to keep up. Jaya’s second ability let’s you filter out any dud spells you may have clogged up in your hand, also note that it says “up to three cards”, this doesn’t mean you always need to discard three. Jaya’s ultimate gives you an emblem opening up many more resources to work with, your graveyard being fueled both by the spells cast with the extra mana from the first ability and any discard with the second. It’s only eight loyalty so with a starting five and ticking up one whichever ability you choose it’s only going to be a few turns before you can secure the emblem. I think a deck like red blue control could benefit from Jaya Ballard but the colour commitment may be taxing, it could be a point to only play one as you have access to something like Chandra on turn four and Torrential Gearhulk from turn six. Obviously, Jaya is a bomb in limited, she gives your opponent something else to worry about while helping power out any instants and sorceries or filtering through your deck. The advantage a planeswalker can give you is almost always insane and as noncreature spell centric as Jaya is she’s still good enough to run.
Jaya’s Immolating Inferno
Jaya Ballard and her Immolating Inferno are a great pairing: Jaya Ballard enables Jaya’s Immolating Inferno, can help power it out and maybe more in the long run. This reminds me a little of good old Fireball: X cost for X damage with the option of paying an additional mana to add a target and split the damage. Jaya’s Immolating Inferno forgoes extra mana for more targets and instead let you hit up to three targets for an equal amount of X damage each, because of this I can see it making an appearance in constructed controlling decks as a way to keep your opponent’s board in check. Again, this is nuts in limited, you’re probably going to have a legendary creature or, if you’re lucky a, planeswalker and Jaya’s Immolating Inferno can easily close out a game.
Karplusan Hound
Karplusan Hound looks like an actual threat, sure it’s in the
planeswalker deck but I don’t think it’s going to be restricted to that
fact. The thing to note about Karplusan Hound is that it doesn’t specify
which Chandra you need to control just that you need to control one,
and Chandra, Torch Of Defiance is seeing a lot of play right now.
Karplusan Hound doesn’t have an immediate impact on the game but if your
opponent allows you to untap and attack with it you get to Shock
anything. That’s right, I said anything, Karplusan Hound also doesn’t
restrict your potential targets either. So you can take out a possible
blocker, hit a planeswalker for two even before combat damage or at the
very least hit your opponent for five overall. I would’ve loved to see
this guy in limited but it wouldn’t have made sense seeing as there
isn’t a Chandra planeswalker, I think Karplusan Hound is worth keeping
and eye on for constructed though.
Keldon Overseer
Keldon Overseer is an aggressive, if fragile, limited creature with a powerful late game Kicker. Three power for three mana is on curve and will serve you will most probably trading in combat early on, unfortunately more than likely to a cheaper, less useful creature. Unblocked Keldon Overseer could rack up the damage but the option to block and trade is just so tempting, not to mention easy. If you can get late enough into the game then for seven mana Keldon Overseer can make combat even more awkward by stealing a creature from your opponent. Seven mana is a lot to drop all in one go and this effect is really only useful when you have the momentum, when it’s good it’s great and when it’s bad it’s terrible. Overseer is fine for limited but I would like to be doing something a bit more exciting on turn seven, if needs be it’s there.
Keldon Raider
Four mana for four power is good for a limited red creature and the fact that Keldon Raider comes with a “rummage” effect can only sweeten the deal. Rummaging is especially useful in limited when you’re a bit further into the late game and have started finding dead cards or amassed lands in your hand. Keldon Raider can hopefully trade those dead cards up and help you find useful ones. Apart from that, Keldon Raider is a brilliant creature in combat, if cast on curve it could trade up quite easily and if left unopposed then taking chunks of damage away from your opponent each attack is a decent clock.
Keldon Warcaller
This bear with upside is going to be interesting in Dominaria’s limited format in conjunction with all the Saga enchantments. Keldon Warcaller comes down early and is always going to be adequate as a creature, the real fun begins over the next couple of turns. Say you cast Keldon Warcaller on turn two, History Of Benalia on turn three and attack with Keldon Warcaller making two Knights. On turn four the third counter is placed on History Of Benalia and you now get to attack with three creatures for a total of ten power. Being able to skip a Saga essentially a turn ahead gives you a better cost to effect ratio; you may have paid three mana for effects spread over three turns, now you’ve increased the power of that Saga by a third. This is all in theory and only time will tell just how powerful both the Sagas and Keldon Warcaller can be, as I said earlier though it’s still perfectly serviceable as a two mana 2/2.
Pyromaniac Pilgrim
The last of the Chandra planeswalker deck cards, Pyromantic Pilgrim is a
fine aggressive creature. It’s on curve, three damage for three mana,
and it can attack straight away, though it is very fragile with one
toughness. There isn’t much to say about Pyromantic Pilgrim beyond that
but as I said it’s only in the planeswalker deck, so we won’t be seeing
it in limited and I don’t think there’s any constructed application.
Orcish Vandal
Unless you have a fair few artifacts Orcish Vandal isn’t worth it. A two mana 1/1 is poor in any colour and won’t do much in combat, the only saving grace is Orcish Vandals Shock ability at the cost of an artifact (and tapping the Orc of course). With this ability theoretically Orcish Vandal could trade up with a 3 toughness creature, it’s also possible that with enough artifacts Orcish Vandal may provide you with a small clock or even those last points of damage. I don’t like the idea of this two mana 1/1 in limited unless I’ve opponent’s around the number of 10 playable artifacts and even then, as I said, he is very fragile and will probably die quite quickly.
Radiant Lightning
If I were to describe Radiant Lightning in one word it would probably be overcosted. Four mana for three damage is a little high, you’ll pay that in limited because you don’t always have much of a choice, but in a vacuum there is a lot better for much cheaper. The eagle eyed of you will have noticed that there is additional text after the initial “deal three damage to target player”, pinging each creature for one could get a couple of creatures in limited but for the most part I think it’s negligible. I can see Radiant Lightning being used more as an overcosted Lightning Bolt than a way to clear the path of potential blockers but as I said: every now and again you may get a couple of creatures in limited, and that’s about as good as it gets.
Rampaging Cyclops
What looks like an aggressive creature initially, as a four mana 4/4, can quickly turn into a pretty average blocker. The ironic part about that though is when Rampaging Cyclops becomes an average blocker is when it’s attacking and becoming blocked. I don’t like Rampaging Cyclops, it’s on curve but in red that’s not when you want to see, if it goes unblocked or blocked by one creature then it’s great but it’s such a temptation and rather easy to double block Rampaging Cyclops at which point you’re probably going to lose you 2/4. If you have to then it’s fine but look for better things first.
Run Amok
I love this card, obviously it would’ve been better if it could target any creature rather than just an attacking one but that’s red’s deal in the colour pie. Two mana for +3/+3 and Trample is a great boost in combat and it could get you over for the last few points, at worst it can help you trade with a bigger creature. In a super aggressive constructed deck I could see Run Amok as a one or two-of used to seal out a game. In limited is brilliant as limited tends to be a faster, more aggressive format so running multiples isn’t that bad.
Seismic Shift
I’m not a fan of land destruction, it can make a game really unfun for players and usually isn’t the most efficient or effects on a card. For four mana Seismic Shift hits a land and as something a little extra allows you to stop a couple of creatures from blocking that turn. The secondary effect on Seismic Shift is probably the reason for playing in limited as it gives you a good bypass for a big attack that turn. I wouldn’t go more than one unless I either really needed another card or my opponent had a specific land that I needed to deal with and even than I wouldn’t be happy when I see two inevitably end up in my hand.
Shivan Fire
A one mana bad Shock. Not that bad but it would’ve been nice as just Shock, although then Shock would be out of the job. Shivan Fire plays really well in a creature heavy metagame and especially shines when you can pay the Kicker. Five mana is getting into the mid to late game but for four damage the potential for removal increases. I prefer Shivan Fire in limited mainly because of the creatures only thing but I can see it breaking into constructed of the meta gets very creature based.
Siege-Gang Commander
The dance commander is back! This five mana goblin has almost legendary status in the world of magic, not literally of course but you get what I mean. Five mana for a 2/2 may seem underpowered and you’d be right but Siege-Gang Commander does come into play with three of his friends which then essentially makes it a five mana 5/5 split over four bodies. As creatures go, that’s pretty good and you’d play it as is. Siege-Gang Commander’s ability puts it completely over the top in terms of limited, first you get four goblins creating an immense board position but you can also start sacrificing goblins for two mana and start picking off creatures or even throwing them at your opponent. Note that Siege-Gang Commander allows you to sacrifice any goblin, including itself if you need to in the end, so what you have here is a small army for five mana with a machine gun attached and with Goblin Warchief also available in the format goblins could start becoming a viable thing in constructed. It’s a limited bomb all-star and constructed will love Siege-Gang Commander in a tribal environment or just as a utility creature.
Skirk Prospector
With Dominaria featuring Goblin Warchief and Siege-Gang Commander and Ixalan giving us a decent chunk of goblins, there’s a possibly a goblin deck could show up in standard. Even better than that though, this is the first time Goblin Warchief and Skirk Prospector will get to see Modern playability and the range of goblins in Modern will produce some food for thought when you drop the Warchief and Prospector into the mix. In limited Skirk Prospector probably isn’t that good, it’ll more often than not just be a one mana 1/1 unless you happen to pick up a fair few goblins. If you do Skirk Prospector could help smooth your mana if found in the early game or just be fodder in combat or as that one extra mana.
Skizzik
This is an old one, all the way from Invasion 18 years ago. Back then Skizzik was almost the pinnacle of aggressive creatures and came with a cheap kicker cost to keep it around. You could drop Skizzik on turn four and hit for five, it’s not bad but there isn’t really a long term plan at that point. You could wait a turn and drop it on five - provided it was safe to attack - to then keep your 5/3 trampler to stack the next turn and the turn after that. There isn’t much to Skizzik but the lack of variance does breed some tactical gameplay: when to cast it without kicker, when to cast it with kicker, do you attack straight away or do you cast it to block? It’s obviously nuts in limited, if you’re opponent gets off to a slow start then Skizzik will run away with the game, but in constructed it has Hazoret to fight with at four mana and Glorybringer at five and I don’t think it’s winning either of those fights.
Squee, The Immortal
The irritating goblin that is Squee has returned. I have only recently stopped having nightmares of playing a constant game of magic against an opponent with Solitary Confinement and Squee, Goblin Nabob lock. Luckily that won’t be an issue this time around, thanks to nothing like Solitary Confinement existing, it also wouldn’t work with the new Squee as it doesn’t let you return it to your hand for free. The exchange for this is that you can cast Squee, The Immortal from your graveyard or exile, so instead of gaining the extra card in hand you get an extra creature on the board. A three mana 2/1 is fine the first time round and though you have to pay three mana every time to being Squee back I feel the power increases with each casting. Squee, The Immortal is going to make things awkward for your opponent especially if they forget about him, he’s just going to keep coming back so if you can survive long enough into the game then this 2/1 could go all the way. It’s fine in limited and I think there is some mileage in constructed with cards like Hazoret to discard Squee and then play him post combat as a blocker. Keep your eye on this one.
Two-Headed Giant
A four mana 4/4 is always going to be good enough to play, it blocks well and attacks even better. I love coin flipping so having to do two doubles the fun for me, I know it’s going to annoy some players but it’s the fun of the game and keeps it tense. There’s no downside, either you don’t get punished if both coins come up different and both effects are really powerful. You could get lucky and get Double Strike a couple of times in a row, forcing your opponent to block or have to deal with a three turn clock. Two-Headed Giant is nuts in limited and may get some constructed play, it’s not a bad creature and offers some real power to a midrange deck.
Valduk, Keeper Of The Flame
If you ignore all of the text on Valduk it’s a decent aggressive creature, three mana for a 3/2 is fine, you won’t be jumping for joy but it won’t make you want to kill yourself either. Now let’s take a look at Valduk with all the text: it’s very aura and equipment focused and has a narrow feel because of that. You really want to get a load of 3/1 tokens out of Valduk and that means putting all of your eggs in one basket which, as any Magic player has been taught over the years, is a terrible idea. Valduk is going to have a huge target on its back thanks to the ability so you’re probably not going to get more than one or two 3/1’s out of it each turn, and that’s not a bad thing as you don’t want to push your luck when you have multiple attackers every turn. Valduk is great in limited with just its base stats, couple it with a few auras and you have a game winning creature. There’s potential in constructed but as I said you don’t want to be putting so much effort into one card for it to be met with a removal spell, be careful.
Verix Bladewing
Verix is good, it’s as easy as that. A limited bomb that can just read “win the game” a lot of the time and has potential to become a constructed all star in the same way Broodmate Dragon was. As a four mana 4/4 flyer Verix is nicely on curve and a powerful threat, where it starts becoming as powerful as Broodmate Dragon is thanks to its Kicker cost giving you an additional 4/4 flyer. Verix does cost one more than Broodmate Dragon if you want the token but it is a lot easier to cast, thanks to the lack of green or black in its mana cost. Having the option to run out Verix on turn four rather than having to wait until turn six could be the edge that this dragon needs to really break into constructed though it is fighting for the four drop a lot with Rekindling Phoenix.
Warcry Phoenix
Speaking of Phoenixes, here is a sub par one. Warcry Phoenix looks like it has a lot of potential power but put into practice I don’t think it’s going to flow well. Four mana for a 2/2 Flying Haste isn’t good, but phoenixes always come with a rebirthing ability and Warcry Phoenix isn’t any different. You’re probably looking to play Warcry Phoenix in an aggressive deck to both utilise it’s Haste and it’s rebirthing ability, to do that second you will have to be attacking with at least three creatures each time and that’s not even mentioning paying actual mana in addition. If Warcry Phoenix was three mana to cast I could see it having an impact in constructed but as things stand its fighting with Chandra, Torch Of Defiance, Rekindling Phoenix and now the new Verix Bladewing. As for limited, it’s going to do some work as sealed in particularly tends to be more combat focused and aggressive creatures fair quite well.
Warlord’s Fury
It’s not a combat trick but it will make blocking very awkward for your opponent. At worst it cantrips (draws a card). Limited only.
Wizard’s Lightning
A three mana Lightning Bolt is still a Lightning Bolt. Wizard’s Lightning is going to be brilliant in limited just as a good spell and will have a good chance to become actual Lightning Bolt if you have any wizards to reduce its cost. The first thing that came to mind when I saw Wizards Lightning was Snapcaster Mage as playing the two mana flash creature automatically turns on Wizard’s Lightning by being a wizard. With Dominaria looking like it’s going to have a fair few wizards running around Wizard’s Lightning in limited is fine, it’s either a super efficient removal/burn spell at one mana or a decent removal/burn spell at three mana. There could be a place in constructed for Wizard’s Lightning but the deck would probably have to be very tribal inspired to get maximum effect which could be slightly more difficult than in limited, as far as just a three mana deal three is though there are better things like Abrade and Lightning Strike.
I love this guy in limited: it’s cheap, aggressive and showcases a returning mechanic nicely. You’re never going to say no to a two mana 2/2 so Bloodstone Goblin gets a pass there straight away, even if you aren’t playing mana kicker cards he’s still good. As it happens though, there will be a lot of cards with kicker in Dominaria so triggering Bloodstone Goblin won’t be too hard, and if any of them are instant speed you’re looking at a sweet combat trick along with your 2/2.
Champion Of The Flame
I think I would’ve liked this guy is he only had one more power and/or toughness. I don’t think that would be too powerful as bears nowadays are pushed quite a bit. Champion Of The Flame needs a little help with auras and such but at least comes with his own keyword, Trample. Quite a good keyword to have when the Champion starts to get big from all those auras. This is a fine limited two drop and in multiples work fine as long as you have enough auras to fuel them.
Chandra, Bold Pyromancer
Chandra’s Outburst
This is the now obligatory “tutor” spell that appears in the planeswalker decks, this one to find Chandra, Bold Pyromancer, and frankly it’s not good. A five mana burn spell at sorcery speed is a big investment at the mid point of the game which should produce a decent effect and just hitting a player or planeswalker isn’t big enough. Maybe if Chandra’s Fury was an instant it would feel like less of an awkward card to cast but it would then become a half decent burn spell/tutor which could then have an impact on constructed.
Fervent Strike
A great utility combat trick, Fervent Strike is cheap and good for many situations.
Fiery Intervention
A five mana five point removal spell or a five mana Shatter? Sure, I would play it if I really needed removal but I don’t think I like Fiery Intervention. Brilliant in limited though.
Fight With Fire
This three mana removal spell is almost always playable thanks to its easy splashability and high output, you’re going to get a creature with this pretty much every time. The kicker is high but if you can pay that amount of mana you’re very late into the gamer you’ve ramped a lot of mana, either way you probably should be winning already. I think this fits into limited, as much as I’d want to see it in constructed I think it’s a little slow, it can’t hit Glorybringer before it’s brought the glory and it will almost never hit Bristling Hydra if your opponent is smart.
Fire Elemental
Standard limited creature, you’re probably always going to play Fire Elemental as it’s a powerful, on the curve creature.
Firefist Adept
This is your top end creature in limited for your tribal wizards deck, it doubles up as a creature and removal and can be easy to splash. The stats aren’t that impressive but a five mana 3/3 that deals with an opposing creature will do.
The First Eruption
At first glance this three mana enchantment looked quite good to me: not that mana intensive, provides an immediate effect. Upon reflection however I don’t think there is much in terms of constructed playability with The First Eruption as it can be quite slow. So, for three mana you get to ping each creature for one, keep in mind this does include your creatures so be careful with that. The second counter on The First Eruption allows you to jump from four to six mana which can be quite useful for dropping a big creature or planeswalker or just throwing a lot of burn at your opponent’s face. The First Eruption’s last counter gives you the opportunity for a Sweltering Suns just for sacrificing a mountain. This last effect was the one that disappointed me a little, the card knows you’re going to have at least one mountain in play thanks to The First Eruptions mana cost. Because of this the card lends itself to being splashed easily and therefore may result in sacrificing your only mountain. Of course ideally you will have more than one in your deck let alone in play so that shouldn’t be too much of an issue but overall The First Eruption to me is a little underwhelming: it focuses on creatures and thus doesn’t put that much pressure on your opponent. I can see my opponent dropping this against me and it not doing too much as I could just play around it for a couple of turns to stop myself from getting two for oned. In limited The First Eruption is fine, it’s nothing special but it could put a spanner in the works if dropped early and then can give you a nice mana boost to get to your high end cards quicker. I don’t think it’s going to be seeing constructed play anytime soon but there are some fun things you can do with the extra mana The First Eruption gives you.
The Flame Of Keld
This could be what a red deck in constructed could want to give itself a bit of longevity. It can come down early, or for cheap at least, it does have an immediate effect but in lieu of the Madness mechanic discarding your hand will be just that. Straight after that discard though you get to draw back up to three cards, The Flame Of Keld takes away with one hand and gives with the other. Red decks would love this part because it lets them get back into the game in the blink of an eye, refueling their burn or fast creatures. The last counter makes all of your burn spells better: a Lightning Strike hits something for five at just two mana, a one mana Shock turns into a four damage instant that can deal with most things. At just two mana I think The Flame Of Keld provides you with good effects with a low buy in cost, as I said a red aggressive deck would love this but I can maybe see it being run in a deck that wants to abuse its graveyard or get extra card draw, although the last ability would probably be useless. In limited this ones a bit tricky, it’s not bad but it’s definitely not good. If you get lucky and find yourself in heavy red than I could see a shout for it but I probably wouldn’t risk it.
Frenzied Rage
Frenzied Rage is a brilliant aura for those go-big decks, It offers a nice power boost with evasion and for two mana. It works well in limited for all those “auras matters” creatures but I wouldn’t go more than two depending on what else I had access too.
Ghitu Chronicler
I’m not really convinced by Ghitu Chronicler, it seems like a decent early game blocker or a severely overcosted form of buyback for a removal spell or something. In limited it’s ok if you have a nice variety of utility and removal spells but for six mana I think I want to be doing something better. Obviously in constructed Ghitu Chronicler isn’t good, it’s probably closest to fighting Torrential Gearhulk and that’s a fight the robot is never going to lose.
Ghitu Journeymage
This is more like it, a proper cheap aggressive limited creature. Just one other wizard is enough to get all you can out of Ghitu Journeymage, a shock on legs and those legs aren’t too shabby in combat either. Great limited creature.
Ghitu Lavarunner
Another aggressive creature through and through here with Ghitu Lavarunner except this one could actually see constructed play. It may not be the best way to start a game but using your first turn to Shock your opponent followed up by another Shock and Ghitu Lavarunner is 6 damage on turn two. It’s not to bad on defence either when it’s a one mana 2/2 as it can trade up well. Modern burn could want Ghitu Lavarunner, that may just be a pipe dream with all of the one drops they run though. It will feel good to get your opponent in limited by playing the second instant or sorcery in combat as a surprise and making combat math more awkward.
Goblin Barrage
Goblin Barrage is another good limited removal spell, with its damage being on par with its mana cost though I could see only running one of these. I also would have liked to see this as an instant, although I guess four mana to hit a creature and your opponent for four may be a little good, so I understand the restriction but you will have a bad feeling looking at this in your hand and debating whether to tap out on your turn and possibly losing, wishing you could wait until they declare attackers.
Goblin Chainwhirler
This is a committed mana cost but if you can meet it on turn three Goblin Chainwhirler will dominate combat in limited. The effect isn’t nothing either as in limited there is a higher chance of facing down a bunch of X/1’s and Chainwhirler makes light work of them. Because of the triple red mana requirement I don’t think Goblin Chainwhirler will see constructed play, although there is a lot of goblins around that could make a Mono red goblins deck viable, we’ll have to wait and see.
Goblin Warchief
This goblin in particular is enough to see the resurgence of constructed goblins. A turn three Warchief could open the doors to rush your opponent with cheap aggressive goblins that can all attack straight away, even without abusing its reduction of other goblin’s mana costs it’s still a three mana 2/2 with haste which is perfectly fine in limited. In multiples Warchiefs can produce an overwhelming effect and don’t carry many diminishing returns, it’s an obvious four-of in constructed and I think we’re going to see a lot of the little red men running around thanks to this guy.
Haphazard Bombardment
Still trying to get my head around this one, it’s expensive and has a lot of text but turns out is actually quite slow removal. For six mana you get to put “Aim” counters on four things you don’t control, then at the end of each of your turns you get to randomly destroy one of them. That’s the short version of the card and I’m a little disappointed with it. I want it to be some sort of weird and wonderful combo piece or super tricksy and abusable card, you can get extra mileage when you play the second Haphazard Bombardment as the first one will stop triggering when you get to the last permanent and then the second adds in another four permanents. The worst part is, and I didn’t think I’d hear myself say this, is that it’s a bit to random and holds to much variance, I love coin flip cards and randomly determined outcomes but this is a bit much for too little.
Jaya Ballard
Back in Time Spiral there was a creature called Jaya Ballard and I absolutely loved Jaya Ballard. She was a Swiss Army knife of abilities all of them functional and powerful, she was great and gave you so many options. Jaya has returned in her planeswalker form for Dominaria and it’s here to rival her creature iteration for sure. The mana cost here is solidly in the mid-game thanks to the triple red, it causes such a devotion to a colour that it could be hard to play Jaya Ballard in a deck running more that one or two colours. Onto Jaya’s abilities, and it’s the typical set up with three but instead of being the run of the mill +, -, ultimate, Jaya comes with two + abilities and something that could be referred to as a kind-of ultimate. Jaya Ballard is an instant and sorcery kind of girl and all of her abilities attribute to that fact. Adding triple red to help cast instants and sorceries will give you a massive boost, multiple spells a turn unmatched is a lot of pressure to put on your opponent most of which won’t be able to keep up. Jaya’s second ability let’s you filter out any dud spells you may have clogged up in your hand, also note that it says “up to three cards”, this doesn’t mean you always need to discard three. Jaya’s ultimate gives you an emblem opening up many more resources to work with, your graveyard being fueled both by the spells cast with the extra mana from the first ability and any discard with the second. It’s only eight loyalty so with a starting five and ticking up one whichever ability you choose it’s only going to be a few turns before you can secure the emblem. I think a deck like red blue control could benefit from Jaya Ballard but the colour commitment may be taxing, it could be a point to only play one as you have access to something like Chandra on turn four and Torrential Gearhulk from turn six. Obviously, Jaya is a bomb in limited, she gives your opponent something else to worry about while helping power out any instants and sorceries or filtering through your deck. The advantage a planeswalker can give you is almost always insane and as noncreature spell centric as Jaya is she’s still good enough to run.
Jaya’s Immolating Inferno
Jaya Ballard and her Immolating Inferno are a great pairing: Jaya Ballard enables Jaya’s Immolating Inferno, can help power it out and maybe more in the long run. This reminds me a little of good old Fireball: X cost for X damage with the option of paying an additional mana to add a target and split the damage. Jaya’s Immolating Inferno forgoes extra mana for more targets and instead let you hit up to three targets for an equal amount of X damage each, because of this I can see it making an appearance in constructed controlling decks as a way to keep your opponent’s board in check. Again, this is nuts in limited, you’re probably going to have a legendary creature or, if you’re lucky a, planeswalker and Jaya’s Immolating Inferno can easily close out a game.
Karplusan Hound
Keldon Overseer
Keldon Overseer is an aggressive, if fragile, limited creature with a powerful late game Kicker. Three power for three mana is on curve and will serve you will most probably trading in combat early on, unfortunately more than likely to a cheaper, less useful creature. Unblocked Keldon Overseer could rack up the damage but the option to block and trade is just so tempting, not to mention easy. If you can get late enough into the game then for seven mana Keldon Overseer can make combat even more awkward by stealing a creature from your opponent. Seven mana is a lot to drop all in one go and this effect is really only useful when you have the momentum, when it’s good it’s great and when it’s bad it’s terrible. Overseer is fine for limited but I would like to be doing something a bit more exciting on turn seven, if needs be it’s there.
Keldon Raider
Four mana for four power is good for a limited red creature and the fact that Keldon Raider comes with a “rummage” effect can only sweeten the deal. Rummaging is especially useful in limited when you’re a bit further into the late game and have started finding dead cards or amassed lands in your hand. Keldon Raider can hopefully trade those dead cards up and help you find useful ones. Apart from that, Keldon Raider is a brilliant creature in combat, if cast on curve it could trade up quite easily and if left unopposed then taking chunks of damage away from your opponent each attack is a decent clock.
Keldon Warcaller
This bear with upside is going to be interesting in Dominaria’s limited format in conjunction with all the Saga enchantments. Keldon Warcaller comes down early and is always going to be adequate as a creature, the real fun begins over the next couple of turns. Say you cast Keldon Warcaller on turn two, History Of Benalia on turn three and attack with Keldon Warcaller making two Knights. On turn four the third counter is placed on History Of Benalia and you now get to attack with three creatures for a total of ten power. Being able to skip a Saga essentially a turn ahead gives you a better cost to effect ratio; you may have paid three mana for effects spread over three turns, now you’ve increased the power of that Saga by a third. This is all in theory and only time will tell just how powerful both the Sagas and Keldon Warcaller can be, as I said earlier though it’s still perfectly serviceable as a two mana 2/2.
Pyromaniac Pilgrim
Orcish Vandal
Unless you have a fair few artifacts Orcish Vandal isn’t worth it. A two mana 1/1 is poor in any colour and won’t do much in combat, the only saving grace is Orcish Vandals Shock ability at the cost of an artifact (and tapping the Orc of course). With this ability theoretically Orcish Vandal could trade up with a 3 toughness creature, it’s also possible that with enough artifacts Orcish Vandal may provide you with a small clock or even those last points of damage. I don’t like the idea of this two mana 1/1 in limited unless I’ve opponent’s around the number of 10 playable artifacts and even then, as I said, he is very fragile and will probably die quite quickly.
Radiant Lightning
If I were to describe Radiant Lightning in one word it would probably be overcosted. Four mana for three damage is a little high, you’ll pay that in limited because you don’t always have much of a choice, but in a vacuum there is a lot better for much cheaper. The eagle eyed of you will have noticed that there is additional text after the initial “deal three damage to target player”, pinging each creature for one could get a couple of creatures in limited but for the most part I think it’s negligible. I can see Radiant Lightning being used more as an overcosted Lightning Bolt than a way to clear the path of potential blockers but as I said: every now and again you may get a couple of creatures in limited, and that’s about as good as it gets.
Rampaging Cyclops
What looks like an aggressive creature initially, as a four mana 4/4, can quickly turn into a pretty average blocker. The ironic part about that though is when Rampaging Cyclops becomes an average blocker is when it’s attacking and becoming blocked. I don’t like Rampaging Cyclops, it’s on curve but in red that’s not when you want to see, if it goes unblocked or blocked by one creature then it’s great but it’s such a temptation and rather easy to double block Rampaging Cyclops at which point you’re probably going to lose you 2/4. If you have to then it’s fine but look for better things first.
Run Amok
I love this card, obviously it would’ve been better if it could target any creature rather than just an attacking one but that’s red’s deal in the colour pie. Two mana for +3/+3 and Trample is a great boost in combat and it could get you over for the last few points, at worst it can help you trade with a bigger creature. In a super aggressive constructed deck I could see Run Amok as a one or two-of used to seal out a game. In limited is brilliant as limited tends to be a faster, more aggressive format so running multiples isn’t that bad.
Seismic Shift
I’m not a fan of land destruction, it can make a game really unfun for players and usually isn’t the most efficient or effects on a card. For four mana Seismic Shift hits a land and as something a little extra allows you to stop a couple of creatures from blocking that turn. The secondary effect on Seismic Shift is probably the reason for playing in limited as it gives you a good bypass for a big attack that turn. I wouldn’t go more than one unless I either really needed another card or my opponent had a specific land that I needed to deal with and even than I wouldn’t be happy when I see two inevitably end up in my hand.
Shivan Fire
A one mana bad Shock. Not that bad but it would’ve been nice as just Shock, although then Shock would be out of the job. Shivan Fire plays really well in a creature heavy metagame and especially shines when you can pay the Kicker. Five mana is getting into the mid to late game but for four damage the potential for removal increases. I prefer Shivan Fire in limited mainly because of the creatures only thing but I can see it breaking into constructed of the meta gets very creature based.
Siege-Gang Commander
The dance commander is back! This five mana goblin has almost legendary status in the world of magic, not literally of course but you get what I mean. Five mana for a 2/2 may seem underpowered and you’d be right but Siege-Gang Commander does come into play with three of his friends which then essentially makes it a five mana 5/5 split over four bodies. As creatures go, that’s pretty good and you’d play it as is. Siege-Gang Commander’s ability puts it completely over the top in terms of limited, first you get four goblins creating an immense board position but you can also start sacrificing goblins for two mana and start picking off creatures or even throwing them at your opponent. Note that Siege-Gang Commander allows you to sacrifice any goblin, including itself if you need to in the end, so what you have here is a small army for five mana with a machine gun attached and with Goblin Warchief also available in the format goblins could start becoming a viable thing in constructed. It’s a limited bomb all-star and constructed will love Siege-Gang Commander in a tribal environment or just as a utility creature.
Skirk Prospector
With Dominaria featuring Goblin Warchief and Siege-Gang Commander and Ixalan giving us a decent chunk of goblins, there’s a possibly a goblin deck could show up in standard. Even better than that though, this is the first time Goblin Warchief and Skirk Prospector will get to see Modern playability and the range of goblins in Modern will produce some food for thought when you drop the Warchief and Prospector into the mix. In limited Skirk Prospector probably isn’t that good, it’ll more often than not just be a one mana 1/1 unless you happen to pick up a fair few goblins. If you do Skirk Prospector could help smooth your mana if found in the early game or just be fodder in combat or as that one extra mana.
Skizzik
This is an old one, all the way from Invasion 18 years ago. Back then Skizzik was almost the pinnacle of aggressive creatures and came with a cheap kicker cost to keep it around. You could drop Skizzik on turn four and hit for five, it’s not bad but there isn’t really a long term plan at that point. You could wait a turn and drop it on five - provided it was safe to attack - to then keep your 5/3 trampler to stack the next turn and the turn after that. There isn’t much to Skizzik but the lack of variance does breed some tactical gameplay: when to cast it without kicker, when to cast it with kicker, do you attack straight away or do you cast it to block? It’s obviously nuts in limited, if you’re opponent gets off to a slow start then Skizzik will run away with the game, but in constructed it has Hazoret to fight with at four mana and Glorybringer at five and I don’t think it’s winning either of those fights.
Squee, The Immortal
The irritating goblin that is Squee has returned. I have only recently stopped having nightmares of playing a constant game of magic against an opponent with Solitary Confinement and Squee, Goblin Nabob lock. Luckily that won’t be an issue this time around, thanks to nothing like Solitary Confinement existing, it also wouldn’t work with the new Squee as it doesn’t let you return it to your hand for free. The exchange for this is that you can cast Squee, The Immortal from your graveyard or exile, so instead of gaining the extra card in hand you get an extra creature on the board. A three mana 2/1 is fine the first time round and though you have to pay three mana every time to being Squee back I feel the power increases with each casting. Squee, The Immortal is going to make things awkward for your opponent especially if they forget about him, he’s just going to keep coming back so if you can survive long enough into the game then this 2/1 could go all the way. It’s fine in limited and I think there is some mileage in constructed with cards like Hazoret to discard Squee and then play him post combat as a blocker. Keep your eye on this one.
Two-Headed Giant
A four mana 4/4 is always going to be good enough to play, it blocks well and attacks even better. I love coin flipping so having to do two doubles the fun for me, I know it’s going to annoy some players but it’s the fun of the game and keeps it tense. There’s no downside, either you don’t get punished if both coins come up different and both effects are really powerful. You could get lucky and get Double Strike a couple of times in a row, forcing your opponent to block or have to deal with a three turn clock. Two-Headed Giant is nuts in limited and may get some constructed play, it’s not a bad creature and offers some real power to a midrange deck.
Valduk, Keeper Of The Flame
If you ignore all of the text on Valduk it’s a decent aggressive creature, three mana for a 3/2 is fine, you won’t be jumping for joy but it won’t make you want to kill yourself either. Now let’s take a look at Valduk with all the text: it’s very aura and equipment focused and has a narrow feel because of that. You really want to get a load of 3/1 tokens out of Valduk and that means putting all of your eggs in one basket which, as any Magic player has been taught over the years, is a terrible idea. Valduk is going to have a huge target on its back thanks to the ability so you’re probably not going to get more than one or two 3/1’s out of it each turn, and that’s not a bad thing as you don’t want to push your luck when you have multiple attackers every turn. Valduk is great in limited with just its base stats, couple it with a few auras and you have a game winning creature. There’s potential in constructed but as I said you don’t want to be putting so much effort into one card for it to be met with a removal spell, be careful.
Verix Bladewing
Verix is good, it’s as easy as that. A limited bomb that can just read “win the game” a lot of the time and has potential to become a constructed all star in the same way Broodmate Dragon was. As a four mana 4/4 flyer Verix is nicely on curve and a powerful threat, where it starts becoming as powerful as Broodmate Dragon is thanks to its Kicker cost giving you an additional 4/4 flyer. Verix does cost one more than Broodmate Dragon if you want the token but it is a lot easier to cast, thanks to the lack of green or black in its mana cost. Having the option to run out Verix on turn four rather than having to wait until turn six could be the edge that this dragon needs to really break into constructed though it is fighting for the four drop a lot with Rekindling Phoenix.
Warcry Phoenix
Speaking of Phoenixes, here is a sub par one. Warcry Phoenix looks like it has a lot of potential power but put into practice I don’t think it’s going to flow well. Four mana for a 2/2 Flying Haste isn’t good, but phoenixes always come with a rebirthing ability and Warcry Phoenix isn’t any different. You’re probably looking to play Warcry Phoenix in an aggressive deck to both utilise it’s Haste and it’s rebirthing ability, to do that second you will have to be attacking with at least three creatures each time and that’s not even mentioning paying actual mana in addition. If Warcry Phoenix was three mana to cast I could see it having an impact in constructed but as things stand its fighting with Chandra, Torch Of Defiance, Rekindling Phoenix and now the new Verix Bladewing. As for limited, it’s going to do some work as sealed in particularly tends to be more combat focused and aggressive creatures fair quite well.
Warlord’s Fury
It’s not a combat trick but it will make blocking very awkward for your opponent. At worst it cantrips (draws a card). Limited only.
Wizard’s Lightning
A three mana Lightning Bolt is still a Lightning Bolt. Wizard’s Lightning is going to be brilliant in limited just as a good spell and will have a good chance to become actual Lightning Bolt if you have any wizards to reduce its cost. The first thing that came to mind when I saw Wizards Lightning was Snapcaster Mage as playing the two mana flash creature automatically turns on Wizard’s Lightning by being a wizard. With Dominaria looking like it’s going to have a fair few wizards running around Wizard’s Lightning in limited is fine, it’s either a super efficient removal/burn spell at one mana or a decent removal/burn spell at three mana. There could be a place in constructed for Wizard’s Lightning but the deck would probably have to be very tribal inspired to get maximum effect which could be slightly more difficult than in limited, as far as just a three mana deal three is though there are better things like Abrade and Lightning Strike.
We've made it through, I hope some of you still have your eyebrows. Red my be done but don't worry as tomorrow we are going to filter through a barrage of green cards.
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