Did you all enjoy the white cards from Core 2019? Well, even if you didn't today is the turn of the blue cards! Get ready for efficient flyer, countermagic and a couple of top end bomb creatures. So let's jump right in and get started.
Aether Tunnel
This cheap aura could be the key to you taking a game. If you can protect the creature Aether Tunnel is enchanting you can establish an almost inevitable clock. Multiples wouldn’t be a good idea unless you really have to fill a spot in limited.
Anticipate
Premium card selection. It’s very hard to argue why you wouldn’t play Anticipate as it lets you dig nicely to your bombs and utility cards. In limited multiples are a bit of a trap as they are almost useless past the first but as I said you can’t find better card selection right now.
Aven Wind Mage
This creature will do work for you in limited. Aven Wind Mage is cheap, easy to splash and comes with evasion, so even without its ability it’s worth playing. With the pseudo-Prowess ability though Aven Wind Mage can easily become an absolute house. Use this ability correctly and all of your instant and sorceries come with added value, multiple Aven Wind Mages and combat can easily be a trap for your opponent not know when they should attack and block or not.
Aviation Pioneer
I love this guy. Aviation Pioneer is a great utility creature to have in limited, 2 power for three mana isn’t the best stat but over two bodies makes it so much more enticing. The thopter produced also comes with evasion in the form of flying, which can really help in combat, and don’t discount the fact that it’s an artifact as Pia Nalaar has shown can be utilised. Lots of this guy in limited please.
Bone to Ash
Over costed Essence Scatter that replaces itself. Too costly for constructed, even with the card draw aspect, and as far as limited goes, personally I don’t like counterspells in such a varied format especially narrow counterspells like Bone to Ash. The main reason for this is that I feel I could play almost anything else that’s remotely proactive and get a better result.
Cancel
This counterspell however I could see myself playing solely because it’s not as narrow. Cancel is straightforward although it is a little bit of a colour commitment.
Departed Deckhand
This will be a player in limited for sure. I get that Departed Deckhand is fragile with the “Phantasmal Image” drawback and all but the rest of this two mana 2/2 is pretty sweet. Departed Deckhand comes with evasion allowing it to apply pressure but as a great topper it can grant the same evasion to any other creature you like for just four mana. This means that you can start pushing your biggest creature through in times of a ground stall.
Disperse
Disperse is a great utility spell that helps deal nicely with any threat, at least temporarily. The best use for a spell like Disperse is in a tempo style deck, setting up your offence for the following turn and then Dispersing your opponent’s best blocker can be devastating if timed right. In blue this can end up being your only “removal” spell so I don’t mind multiples in limited and Disperse has even found its way into constructed in the past so that’s not out of the question.
Divination
Typical draw spell, three mana for two cards. It’s great in limited but a bit over costed for constructed in my opinion, multiples in limited can come with diminishing returns as well when they end up clogging up your hand or one drawing into the other. Easily splashable though.
Djinn of Wishes
I have good memories of Djinn of Wishes in limited, using the ability and revealing Darksteel Colossus. All of a sudden that game got a lot easier, weird. Djinn is a limited bomb, a five mana 4/4 flyer is always good enough but the “wish” ability is where it’s at. If you can stack the top of your deck then the value is absolutely insane, even in lieu of deck stacking though four mana for a free card is ridiculously good. Djinn of Wishes gives you another resource to utilise and the best part is you can pick and choose when you want to use it, it is only three shots so you have to pick your moments and even then you could hit a land almost making it feel like a brick. Slam dunk in limited no matter what the outcome of the top of you deck is.
Dwindle
Dwindle is a slow limited removal spell, unless the enchanted creature has a static or activated ability the chances of your opponent blocking with it are high. It’s cheap and easy to splash and even if it doesn’t force a block from your opponent it will hold off any potential large attacker.
Essence Scatter
Narrow, creature centric counterspell. Played in constructed mainly for its cheapness but as I’ve said before I don’t like counterspell in limited, maybe in your sideboard but not the main deck. Love the art though.
Exclusion Mage
Frilled Sea Serpent
Big, top end, limited blue creature. There are better things in the world but if needs must.
Gearsmith Prodigy
This one drop creature really only matters in the early game and only if you have an artifact. Artifacts aren’t hard to come by so making Gearsmith Prodigy a 2/2 probably won’t be hard but I wouldn’t be happy if this was among my best early drop creatures in limited.
Ghostform
Ghostform allows you to finish off a game nicely. For two mana you give two of your creatures the best evasion they could have which would need multiple removal spells to answer. It can help in the mid game to keep the tempo on but despite what I’ve said about Ghostform I don’t like playing it in limited, it feels like I could play any other card in its place and be happier.
Horizon Scholar
Love it. Horizon Scholar is a great late game bomb that helps further by allowing you to fix your draws for the next couple of turns. You probably only want one in limited because it’s quite top heavy on your curve but it is easy to splash so the mana commitments aren’t all bad.
Metamorphic Alteration
I think Metamorphic Alteration is on track to become one of the big players in constructed. It’s cheap and gives you so many avenues to go down depending on what your opponent has in play. Metamorphic Alteration does require you to have a creature but decks can be designed to handle that, this aura will sit in your sideboard waiting for that perfect time when you can turn your cheap, nothing early game creature into your opponent’s huge late game bomb and set about crushing them with it.
Mirror Image
Brilliant versatile limited creature. Mirror Image can either be yours or your opponent’s best creature, it allows you keep some board position but does require another target.
Mistcaller
This one mana 1/1 lets you apply pressure early, Mistcaller can come down early so it gets under counter magic and any use a removal spell would be a waste so Mistcaller fills a sweet spot as an early drop utility creature that’s hard to legitimately deal with. Keep in mind that Mistcaller doesn’t effect Embalm and Eternalise as they both put a token of the exiled creature into play. I don’t know how effective this is in limited or standard but one place this does fit into is modern merfolk.
Mystic Archeologist
This fragile two drop is great for those stalemates in limited. If you can protect Mystic Archeologist until the mid game the card advantage alone can bury your opponent. The key word here is “protect”, because of the 1 toughness you are going to have to work to keep this guy around but on the plus side Mystic Archeologist does have 2 power so it can put some work in in the offensive combat portion as well.
Omenspeaker
Omenspeaker is a fantastic utility creature that has even seen constructed play in days gone by. It blocks well and fixes your draws, what more could you want? Play it all the time in limited and I’m sure we’ll see it’s return in standard soon.
Omniscience
Win more much? Omniscience is costly but effective, it lets you play free spells for god’s sake. If you manage to drop this and don’t win I want to know why.
One with the Machine
I love cards that let you draw more cards and as One with the Machine goes, it’s manageable in the sense that you can pretty much dictate how many cards it will draw you. That’s not to say it’s good though, for four mana you would traditionally be expecting to draw two to three cards so this feels more like a late game spell. You can however get a lot more out of One with the Machines than you probably should with a six or seven mana artifact, essentially becoming four mana draw a new hand. Unless there is a specific deck designed to get the most out of artifacts One with the Machine won’t make it out of limited, and that’s still quite narrow depending on your pool.
Patient Rebuilding
How do you beat control decks? You land a long term threat that they can’t removal, correct. Patient Rebuilding could act as that additional planeswalker type threat for the control mirror or silver bullet in midrange sideboards, it acts as an extra avenue of attack and possible card draw rolled into one. Bomb rare in limited by the way.
Psychic Corrosion
Another mill centric card, Psychic Corrosion is guaranteed to trigger at least once thanks to your draw step. If you can increase that draw capacity by one or two cards or even have multiple Psychic Corrosion’s in play then things start to get really awkward for your opponent. In limited it only takes a couple of decent amount of cards draw to put a huge dent in your opponent’s deck.
Sai, Master Thopterist
If you’re looking to build an artifact centric deck in standard then Sai is your man. This three mana 1/4 could hold off attackers decently but also allows you to generate such a large board advantage which can also result in lots of card advantage. Just casting a Heart of Kiran gives you a thopter and if you can produce another then you can draw a card whenever you want for just two mana. I think there is a lot to explore with Sai, Master Thopterist in constructed but this is a limited bomb that’s easy to splash and could win you a lot of games.
Salvager of Secrets
This is such a limited centric card, a five mana 2/2 is really bad especially when it contains double colour in its costs. Salvager of Secrets is almost like an overcosted, underwhelming Torrential Gearhulk, just with the Flash and immediate value. One in limited but nothing beyond that.
Scholar of Stars
Scholar of Stars is a good value creature for limited. It’s easy to splash and replaces itself, it does require an artifact but they aren’t hard to come by. The body isn’t insignificant either, scholar of Stars will more often than not trade with some and if not it can pose a decent threat when unblocked.
Sift
Sift is very basic card draw, it costs four and draws you three cards but it’s more like two after you’ve discarded one. I like one copy in limited but that’s it, unless you can abuse your graveyard in any way and want to fuel by filling your graveyard.
Skilled Animator
I think this guys is great, a three mana 1/3 is just about good enough to play but that’s not why we’re here. For three mana, and controlling an artifact, you suddenly have 6 powers worth of creatures over two bodies, Skilled Animator gives you a free creature that is also a sizeable threat. I think the correct number of artifacts to justify playing Skilled Animator in limited is probably between three and five, depending on available card draw and and artifact tutoring. I do like him in multiples because it’s easier to rid the board of Skilled Animator than it will be the 5/5 creature it produces, so most of the time your opponent may opt for that.
Sleep
Limited. Bomb. Uncommon. I cannot stress how powerful Sleep is, it can by you a turn possibly allowing you to find an answer to whatever is terrorising you or it can win you the game. Multiples of sleep can just make the game unfun, such a powerful effect on a four mana spell almost makes me wonder why it’s not a rare. Always play this, even if you aren’t heavy in blue it’s worth splashing for Sleep.
Snapping Drake
Aggressive flying creature, easy to splash, will do work in limited.
Supreme Phantom
I would like to say that this spirit lord could revolutionize standard with another blue/white flyers-esc spirit deck. Unless there are a lot more spirits to come from Core 2019 and future sets that’s not going to happen, there are only four currently in standard. However, Supreme Phantom is a two mana 1/3 flyer, which gives you some board advantage in the air that will soak up some early game attacks, though unless you have a fair few spirits that ability is going to waste and there is probably something better that couldn’t taken up the spot. Time will tell on the spirits front but in limited this guys is fine, not the best but it will do.
Surge Mare
Next up in the cycle of mares, Surge Mare. This is a commitment for blue in both cost and ability and the green creature clause is a bit odd but I really like Surge Mare. The loot ability really helps that case but the main reason is it’s versatile in combat, one moment it can be a great cheap blocker and the next a decent, if not fragile, offensive creature. Be care with Surge Mare’s activations because you could be walking into a removal spell but that’s the beauty of the horse fish, you can pick and choose.
Switcheroo
Don’t have any large bomby creatures and only small weedy useless ones? Try Switcheroo, turn their threat into your asset. Jokes aside, this five mana sorcery can be very powerful, but then again it can also get clogged up in your hand during the early game and do nothing. Swings and roundabouts really.
Tezzeret, Artifice Master
Tezz is back! It’s been a while since the Tezzinator has seen standard and I for one am hoping he will see a lot of play. Let’s break this down: five mana gets your 5 loyalty, that seems like a fine trade off. +1 to make a thopter is good, there have been better + abilities but this is by no means bad, look at this as the “protecting itself” ability. Tezzeret’s second ability is pure value, he doesn’t lose any loyalty and you draw a card, in some cases that value is doubled with two cards instead of one. I can see Tezzeret, Artifice Master being played on that ability alone though his ultimate is incredibly powerful. For 9 loyalty you are guaranteed one permanent a turn, not just an artifact but any permanent, you can go and find another planeswalker each turn, I can’t even calculate that value. With everything taken into consideration I am sure Tezzeret will find a home in standard and is obviously a bomb rare in limited.
Tolarian Scholar
Your basic three mana 2/3, limited play only.
Totally Lost
Totally Lost is arguably blue’s premier removal spell, the five mana is redeemed a bit in two ways: it’s an instant and it can hit any nonland permanent. Because it’s on the top end of your curve multiples can clog up your hand a bit in limited but it’s easy to splash and can be very effective if timed just right.
Uncomfortable Chill
Great combat trick and it replaces itself, what more do you want?
Wall of Mists
This is for the slower limited decks, the ones that want to get to the late game suffering as little damage as possible. Wall of Mists isn’t going to be a standout creature in any form but sometimes you have to get dirty to win.
Windreader Sphinx
Bomb rare top end limited creature. The value that Windreader Sphinx can generate in its own is enough to overwhelm your opponent, drawing two cards a turn is hard to combat. If you can amass an army of flyers and protect Windreader Sphinx it’s going to be hard losing from that vantage point. As powerful as this effect is it will only reside in limited because this Sphinx is way to costly for constructed.
Blue has come and gone but fear not, tomorrow you have all of the black cards to look forward too. In fact all of this week we have articles coming at you thick and fast, so remember to keep checking back to game changers for more gaming new, updates and set reviews. Check us out on twitter at @gcgamingtank, let us know what you think of the set and what your favourite cards are.
Happy gaming guys!
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