Throne of Eldraine Myth-Direction

I’m back! And I bring with me a brand new Myth-Direction where I’ll be taking a look at all the Mythic Rare cards from Throne of Eldraine to determine how accurate their Mythic Rare status is.


Before we get into it let me first say that I will be looking at the Brawl exclusive Mythic Rares but not ones from the Planeswalker decks. The reason for this is two fold: 1) The Planeswalker deck Mythic Rares are fairly by the numbers as they are predominantly used to teach newer players how Planeswalkers work, therefor making them pretty uneventful to talk about. 2) The Mythic Rares exclusive to the Brawl decks are brand new and I feel are worth talking about as they could legitimately impact Standard.
So, let’s jump right in...

Alela, Artful Provocateur

I played the Alela Brawl deck a lot on Arena when it was released and I think it was by far the most powerful and most fun to play. As far as Standard goes, I think Alela could play well with powerful Artifacts and Enchantments like Glass Casket and Prison Realm. There’s a load of other bits and pieces you can play her with, one that I like is Leyline of Anticipation to help power out your Artifacts and Enchantments at instant speed and get maximum value. I do have a slight problem with the Brawl generals in the sense that their power level is quite rigid: they have to sit in a powerful seat in terms of a singleton format where you always have access to them (provided you had the mana), but they’re so theme heavy due to the Brawl implementation that they may be slightly too narrow for Standard. Ultimately, I’m judging them on a card by card basis and I think Alela’s power level, flavour and overall card design hits the Mythic Rare level.

Brazen Borrower



This is one of my picks for the best card in the set. Brazen Borrower is value covered in value sauce, you’re never unhappy casting either side and the Adventure side comes with the added bonus that you’ll be casting a 3/1 flyer sometime very soon. This ones an easy one for me, the power level is way up there and the amount of play Brazen Borrow will see makes it a no brainier for Mythic Rare.

Chulane, Teller of Tales



Chulane definitely has a career in Commander as well as Brawl, he has a very powerful effect that gets better with a multiplayer format as it gives you more time to set up and arguably less chance of seeing removal spells. Chulane probably isn’t longed for the Standard world however as five mana is a lot for no immediate impact on a game and he’ll probably see the business end of a Murder fairly quickly. As a card though Chulane is great: card advantage, mana advantage and you can rinse and repeat. Chulane just about scrapes into the Mythic level for me thanks to his effect, although an effect is only as powerful as how you use it.

Embercleave



I don’t really understand this card, why on earth does it have Flash? Besides the speediness of Embercleave it’s a slam dunk Mythic: the flavour of the card is just about in point and the power level is crazy good, plus the play that this six mana Artifact could see has a very high ceiling.

Garruk, Cursed Huntsman



I like what they tried to do with Garruk - making him the huntsman of this universe. There’s been a few liberties taken however, like how the huntsman didn’t walk around befriending wolves (though supposedly the power he gained from them dying worked in a similar way). Garruk’s power level here is off the charts including a very helpful removal spell with card advantage upside. Garruk, Cursed Huntsman is a certain Mythic Rare and is bound to see a tonne of play, long may he and his trusty suicide wolves reign.

Harmonious Archon



This is a game winning creature in limited but not so much for constructed. Harmonious Archon looks incredibly powerful on the surface but as you read deeper into its ability suddenly it starts to look a bit more flimsy. The effect doesn’t only see your creatures but your opponent’s creatures as well, therefor you could easily be turning their creatures into better value 3/3s with no input on their part whatsoever. This means that any cheap flyers can become actual threats or, more likely, good blockers for Harmonious Archon. Immediately, Harmonious Archon gets sandbagged and can’t really attack, leaving you with two 3/3s sure but then what if your opponent deals with Harmonious Archon? You’re then left with measly 1/1s. I think Harmonious Archon could have been pushed more especially in terms of its power and toughness and because of that I feel that the power level has been let down a bit. Harmonious Archon just misses out on the Mythic Rare scale for me solely because this effect doesn’t feel Mythic and I could easily see it on a Rare.

Kenrith, the Returned King



Kenrith is the Buy-a-Box promo. Traditionally the Buy-a-Box promos have been very powerful bordering on broken - see Nexus of Fate - and this is mainly because they won’t see limited play where they would almost certainly win the game on the spot. Kenrith has been taken a different way: instead of giving players and Standard all star Mythic Rare this one looks more towards Commander players. That’s not to say Kenrith isn’t good or even hitting that Mythic Rare level as I feel it is, the sheer amount of abilities seals that for me. I would love Kenrith to see Standard play just to showcase how powerful this card can be, though it’s a huge investment with no immediate impact.

Korvold, Fae-Cursed King



Korvold has a lot of potential in formats like Brawl and Commander, this ability can easily get out of hand especially when you couple it with a load of permanents that want to hit the graveyard. Korvold won’t see Standard play just because it’s going to see a removal spell very quickly, not before you sacrifice a permanent though. Standard play aside, Korvold is a very powerful card and in multiplayer formats where it can gain traction will take over games. Mythic Rare level hit.

Oko, Thief of Crowns



At first it seemed like Oko was just a bit of a meh Planeswalker. Sure, he’s cheap but the effects didn’t look powerful enough and it didn’t even seem like he would give you much of a board presence. That’s all a load of rubbish! Oko is insanely powerful: to start with he can functionally start at six loyalty which is too much to deal with early on and beyond that he just nullifies any big utility creatures your opponent can play. As the games get grindier Oko can start churning out 3/3s and help apply pressure, the versatility on this three mana Planeswalker is almost baffling and the power level will be recognised very soon. Definite Mythic.

Outlaws' Merriment



I’m not sure how I feel about a random outcome on Mythic Rare, mainly because it makes the power level a bit more subjective and therefor harder to evaluate. Any of the creatures Outlaws' Merriment gives you are useful at pretty much any point even if it’s just for blocking which does just give you a steady stream of creatures and when you’re opponent is off to a slow start this four mana Enchantment could easily overwhelm them. I’m honestly not sure if this should be a Mythic Rare or not: it’s got the power level just about but the feel of the card just seems off. I’m going to say no for now.

Questing Beast



Keyword soup is the best way to define Questing Beast as it has so much versatility it’s bonkers. Always a threat, always a sturdy blocker and chomps down Planeswalkers with ease. Obviously a Mythic Rare purely on it’s a power level.

Rankle, Master of Pranks



This card is so much fun to play with, the power level is absurd and, again, versatility is a very key word. Rankle can do almost anything you want and doesn’t even ask for much, just that you connect. This ensures a fast clock and veritable hand disruption, removal or card draw. The flavour is also in point with Rankle, Master of Pranks taking up the role of Rumpelstiltskin, a legendary trickster and swindler. Slam dunk Mythic Rare.

Realm-Cloaked Giant



Realm-Cloaked Giant is a great way to showcase the new Adventure mechanic that Throne of Eldrain brings to Standard. Having a spell attached to a creature is always a plus, usually in the past this has been conveyed by mechanics like Evoke by attaching a spell to a creature as an enter the battlefield trigger. Adventure works slightly different and in some ways works like an upgrade to a trigger just being put on a creature. Realm-Cloaked Giant is a Wrath effect with a creature to come in the near future, both sides of this card are big and splashy and the Wrath side - Cast off - even plays into the theme by destroying all non-giant creatures. Getting a seven mana 7/7 with Vigilance on the back end is nothing to scoff at and in limited is easily a game winning creature. As far as Standard is concerned, you’re getting a versatile Wrath and top end creature split, functionally giving your two cards for the price of one. The power level isn’t the highest but Realm-Cloaked Giant is a premium showcase card for the Adventure mechanic, I feel that it just about hits the Mythic Rare level.

Robber of the Rich



I love this card, the moment Robber of the Rich was spoiled I started deckbuilding incessantly to try and maximise the card stealing effect this two mana 2/2 gives you. Unfortunately, even though Robber of the Rich does give you such an effect, unless you can guarantee playing it in the early game and maybe protecting it a little Robber is really easy to block or remove with little lost in doing so which already lessens this red rogues power level. Though the effect does give the cards exiled with a Robber of the Rich the “attack with a rogue this turn” clause so at least you’re not restricted too much. This could entice you to start building a rogue theme deck to get more use out of Robber of the Rich, unfortunately there aren’t too many good rogues in Standard right now. As a card Robber of the Rich is fine, the mana cost to power/toughness ratio is good and the Haste is just gravy, although the ability is a little narrow and you probably won’t end up casting most of the cards you get to exile. I think Robber would have been fine at just Rare as it doesn’t feel like it has the impact of a Mythic Rare. The Robin Hood flavour is on point though.

Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale



Syr Gwyn is the last of the Brawl Commanders we’ll be looking at today. As far as a Commander goes, Syr Gwyn is great: she gives you great themes in Knights and Equipment, great colours, a good card advantage effect attached and has a big body. As I stated with the other Brawl Commanders, they have to be Mythic Rare to showcase them for the new preconstructed Brawl decks but just on Syr Gwyn’s stats I think she does hit the Mythic Rare level quite nicely. A key part of a Mythic Rare, at least for me, is a card that provokes you to want to build around it and that’s exactly what Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale does. A Mythic Rare all in her own right.

The Cauldron of Eternity



The next of the Artifacts in this list, The Cauldron of Eternity feels a little more fair than Embercleave does. For a start, as much of a beating as this twelve mana Artifact is in limited, it’s slower and paces itself better than Embercleave. Getting down to the nitty gritty of the card, I love the flavour - being this universes version of the Holy Grail - and the effect is insane. Rebuying your creatures is a very powerful ability when it’s only a one time use so just imagine how powerful getting it every turn is. It’s slow, only being able to be activated in your turn, but it’s necessarily slow as to not break any formats. A Mythic Rare for sure.

The Circle of Loyalty



The white Artifact in this cycle is The Circle of Loyalty. This six mana Artifact is probably the weakest of the cycle partly because of the knight theme nature of the card. Obviously in limited The Circle of Loyalty is busted but in Standard the ceiling isn’t to high for this Knight making anthem effect. It narrows your creature choices to Knights to get the most out of it, which is the first downfall, and then it asks for a sub theme of Legendary spells, plus beyond that you can only use The Circle of Loyalty to make one Knight at a time. The power level is up there but in a much narrower way than any of the others in this cycle. If it wasn’t part of this cycle I genuinely believe this would’ve been a Rare.

The Great Henge



This is my favourite of the Artifact cycle, The Great Henge is all value, all the time and it even turns all your none value creatures into value creatures. I love the flavour and the power level is immense, what’s more is The Great Henge is a card that breeds creativity thanks to its versatility and obviously power level. Mythic Rare through and through.

The Magic Mirror



The Magic Mirror is an interesting card, it’s one that makes you want to try and abuse drawing your entire deck, in conjunction with Jace, Wielder of Mysteries for example. The power level is modest but everyone knows drawing tonnes of cards is insanely powerful and again, like with The Great Henge, The Magic Mirror is a card that gets the creative deckbuilding juices flowing. On the surface I think The Magic Mirror looks innocuous but I assure you there’s a lot you could do with this splashy nine mana Artifact. Based on he possibilities, this just about sneaks into Mythic Rare for me.

The Royal Scions



Lastly, the poster children of Throne of Eldraine - well, at least one of them - The Royal Scions. First of all, the flavour is great: linking the Kenrith siblings to this Arthurian fairytale land as descendants of the ruler and also having Rowan as a Red Riding Hood type character. Secondly, I do like having cheaper Planeswalkers in Standard. Where I think The Royal Scions stumbles a bit is when they have to inevitably be compared to Oko, the other three mana Planeswalker from Throne of Eldraine, and lets be honest, the power level isn’t comparable. If the format was a little slower or less bomb dependant then maybe The Royal Scions could be a little more effective, as it stands though a lot of decks can get going very quickly and that doesn’t leave enough room to set up The Royal Scions. The other side of this coin is that the three abilities this three mana Planeswalker has are very all over the place which doesn’t allow for as much focus when using it in deckbuilding, for me I think this one misses out on the Mythic Rare level.

That’s been a look through all the Mythic Rares from Throne of Eldraine, maybe you guys have some different opinions. If so leave them in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @gcgamingtank.
Happy gaming guys!