Guilds of Ravnica Set Review - Blue

Are you all amped up from all of the white cards from Guilds of Ravnica?! Well get ready for some more coming at you hard and fast with all of the blue cards. There are some great cards that will get the deckbuilding mind racing so why don't you scroll down and read about them then. Go on, do it.

Core 2019 Set Review - Blue

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.

Dominaria Set Review - Blue

 Dominaria still has a lot too offer. Today is our look through all of the blue cards, well see some all stars, bombs and maybe a few limited only meh cards. Time to dive in.

Rivals Of Ixalan Set Review-Blue

It’s Tuesday which means its blue day. Today I’m going to take a look at all of the blue cards in Rivals Of Ixalan. So let’s jump right in.

Ixalan set review - Blue

Today I'm going to be looking though all the blue cards from Ixalan. The Pirates, Merfolk and all the other weird and wonderful happenings, so let's get started.

Hour Of Devastation Set Review - Blue

Aerial Guide

Here we have Wind Drake 2.0, a 2/2 flyer for three, but Aerial Guide has a little more to offer. This is the three drop you want in you more aggressive blue deck in limited, it allows one of your creatures to get over any blockers that may be clogging up the ground quite nicely. It's easy to splash as well so you won't be complaining about colour commitments.

Aven Reedstalker

Aven Reedstalker is a creature/combat trick. You can use it to surprise your opponent by having a flash flying 2/3 blocker out of nowhere, or maybe just drop it at the end of their turn to have a creature with evasion to start attacking with. Another flash bird for the bird tribal deck.

Champion Of Wits

Three mana for a 2/1 is not a good trade off, even if it allows you to filter two cards. What Champion Of Wits does give you though is more value and card advantage on the back end when you Eternalise it. Now the Eternalise cost is seven mana which may be a bit unrealistic in limited and difficult in constructed, but being able to draw four cards and discard two from your hand can be pretty powerful. As I said though, I think the cost for all of this is a lot and most of the time filtering two cards will probably just be a byproduct of having this 2/1 creature.

Countervailing Winds

Usually three mana counter spells that give you opponent the opportunity to pay a cost to negate the counter are a bit to slow for play outside limited. Countervailing Winds however is a little different; it's not asking for them to pay two or three, but one mana for each card in your graveyard, so with all these Cycling cards, it shouldn't be hard to get it to paying four or five mana. With that being the case I do think Countervailing Winds will see constructed play, and with a bonus of having Cycling for two mana just in case you have two in you hand and need that extra card to make it harder to pay for.

Cunning Survivor

Cunning Survivor blocks well and is just out of range of a lot of the removal in both Amonkhet and Hour Of Devastation, meaning it's probably going to be around for a while. Slap a Cartouche on this guy and cycle a card and suddenly you could have a three power unblockable creature attacking each turn, which in blue is pretty good. You could get a lot of mileage out of Cunning Survivor in limited with all the Cycling cards about and even if you don't have many, it's a cheap good blocker that could get a couple of points through.

Eternal of Harsh Truths

Who likes value? Remember Ophidian, when you'd attack and your opponent would call your bluff and you had to make the decision between that one damage or a card? Introducing a strict upgrade to Ophidian. Eternal of Harsh Truths costs the same, has the same stats but doesn't make you choose between damage and cards, you get both. Oh and if he does become blocked that suddenly it shoots your opponent for two thanks to its Afflict mechanic, it's win win either way, and it's great at blocking as well. In limited you are going to be so happy to see Eternal of Harsh Truths in your pool, it's one of those creatures that you should always play even if you're just splashing for it.

Fraying Sanity

A couple of intricacies with this card, lets work our way down. "At the beginning of each end step..." it triggers at both theirs and your end steps effectively doubling the effect. "...enchant player puts the top X cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard where X is the number of cards put into his or her graveyard from anywhere this turn." Anywhere. That means creatures dying in combat, auras falling off creatures, oh and just playing cards from their hand. For three mana I think Fraying Sanity could be a fairly powerful card and in multiples it becomes silly, almost stopping your opponent from playing the game all together in fear of milking them self out. Another use for Fraying Sanity could be enchanting yourself with it. It sounds ridiculous but it could get you closer to those Embalm or Eternalise creatures in your deck for you to start bringing back, but obviously most players will want to enchant their opponents to reduce the amount of cards in their library. All in all, I think it's a great card in limited as it restricts your opponents options a little and because they are more likely to deck themselves a lot quicker. I would love to try this in constructed, especially in multiples as it could just get really stupid really quickly just for them playing magic.

Hour Of Eternity

I'm not such a fan of this card, it feels like a very "win more" or maybe even a "last ditch effort" card. Going on the scale it has, for five mana, and exiling a creature from your graveyard, you get a 4/4, not awful right? But there are probably better things. The pay off for Hour Of Eternity doesn't really come until you hit seven or even nine mana and at that point you've opened yourself up massively by tapping out, or almost tapping out at least, oh and you need multiple creatures to fuel it at that cost. You might play this in limited if you have a lot of creatures and need a late game plan but like I said, there's better.

Imaginary Threats

A bit of a weird one this. You not only allow but force your opponent to alpha strike, ideally when you're in a good position to be able to deal with all if not the majority of their creatures. It does come with the inability of their creatures to untap which is the real reason you would play this as if you can bait them into attacking with all their creatures without playing Imaginary Threats, then it turns into an instant speed Sleep. I'm very interested to see how good this is in both limited and maybe even constructed as the power level seems to be pushed slightly and at worst you can just Cycle it away for something better.

Jace's Defeat

Next up in the cycle of Defeats is Jace. Jace's Defeat is still narrow, only able to counter blue spells, but it's much less narrow that Gideon's Defeat for the sole reason that if you get into a counter war, most counter spells are blue making Jace's Defeat almost compatible to straight up Counterspell in that context. Obviously that's a bit of a hyperbole but there will be some cases where it is relevant. Most of the Defeats won't be limited playable all that much and sideboard at best in constructed.

Kefnet's Last Word

Control Magic effect are great, couple it with the new cycle of "lasts" for the gods of Amonkhet, each having a powerful effect but stopping your lands from untapping in your next untap step, and it becomes less powerful but arguably more balanced. Unlike Control Magic, other than it being a spell and not an aura, Kefnet's Last Word allows you to gain control of a creature, an artifact or an enchantment widening the variety and pushing the power level a bit. I'm still on the fence about this cycle of cards, the effects are great but not being able to untap your lands for a turn can set you behind a fair bit, I guess only time, and play, will tell but either way you almost always play this in limited as being able to use your bomb to steal their bomb is just a game winning combination most of the time.

Nimble Obstructionist

I love both sides of this card; on the front end it's an aggressive flying Flash creature for three mana which could fit nicely into a bird tribal deck along side Aven Mindcensor, and on the other side it's a decent stifle plus card draw for three mana. It's easy to splash so I'm sure you'll be seeing this a lot in both limited and constructed, probably more modern than standard but I'm sure it will have a place there too. I feel that most of the time in limited you will just use Nimble Obstructionist as a Flash 3/1 and that's fine, it can put some good pressure on or be a combat trick. I'm very interested to see what becomes of this one.

Ominous Sphinx

Who likes five mana 4/4 flyers? You would play this all day long if that's all it was, the fact that it comes with an ability just turns up the value on Ominous Sphinx quite a bit. Not only will it stand up to most creatures in limited, it can also benefit any other creatures you have by being able to make opposing creatures smaller just for Cycling cards. Almost like Archfiend Of Ifnir, Ominous Sphinx is that top end that you want I hit to wreck your opponent with, unlike Archfiend Of Ifnir the effect isn't permanent, it also doesn't Cycle, but Ominous Sphinx is uncommon so you'll be seeing it a lot more. You won't see it outside of limited however as it's pretty slow for an effect that has no staying power.

Proven Combatant

Not much to say for this one. A one mana 1/1 with Eternalise for 6. You may not play it on turn one all the time, but the times you do will feel so far away from being able to Eternalise it that you may even forget it's there. Even when you do Eternalise it, hopefully on then six for maximum value, a six mana 4/4 with no other abilities may feel a bit weak at that point. Despite all that I've just said about it, Proven Combatant does give you some extra value that a traditional one mana 1/1 won't making it the one to pick if it comes down to it, obviously only limited though.

Riddleform

I was a big fan of Halcyon Glaze back in Ravnica, a threat that wasn't easy to block as it had evasion and not the easiest to remove as it was an enchantment until you played a creature spell. Riddleform works slightly differently, to start with it comes down a turn earlier and is only a 3/3 instead of a 4/4, the flying remains but this time the flying creature is a Sphinx not an Illusion. Probably the biggest difference is that Riddleform triggers when you play noncreature spells, making it a little better for slower decks with more spells than creatures. The kicker here, and something that Halcyon Glaze didn't have, is the ability to Scry 1 for three mana. You may only get to look at one card but that's still really powerful as it's a permanent effect and not just a one off, so you can spend any left over mana to sculpt the top card of your deck for whatever the situation calls for. Riddleform will be a limited all star and I would love to try this out in constructed.

Seer Of The Last Tomorrow

The ever present "mill creature" in a set, the good thing is at least this one blocks well. For three mana, having a 1/4 isn't awful especially when it has an ability. One mana to mill for three is good enough but there is a theme of Cycling or Discarding cards in Amonkhet and Hour Of Devastating which is why Seer Of The Last Tomorrow makes you discard, it also gives you a chance to ditch those Embalm or Eternalise creatures for later use in limited.

Sinuous Striker

Sinuous Striker is an interesting card to me; three mana 2/2 with an ability that could allow it to trade up, sounds pretty normal. But when you add in that it has Eternalise suddenly it's ability becomes even more relevant because it's able to get itself into the graveyard rather than having I rely on your opponent blocking it. Also add into the mix that it's Eternalise cost of five mana, pretty aggressively costed, additionally makes you discard a card which could let you throw another Eternalise creature into the bin for later use starts turning an average 2/2 for three into a pretty good enabler, oh and it becomes a 4/4 which makes its ability even better. Sinuous Striker will do a lot of work in limited and maybe, just maybe will makes it's way into constructed.

Spellweaver Eternal

Spellweaver Eternal is a fairly flimsy creature at first glance, with it only having one toughness, but in a deck with a lot of noncreature spells to trigger the Prowess it could turn into a difficult creature to deal with. Add into that the Afflict 2 and it makes it even harder to block than the Prowess would have. The good thing about Spellweaver Eternal is that you can attack with a 2/1 making your opponent think it could be an easy block, and as soon as they do block you can drop a couple of instants to take the Eternal out of range of death by combat damage and your opponent also takes two for their troubles. I'm sure you're going to be happy with this guy in limited and in multiples they can really ruin combat math.

Strategic Planning

Not entirely sure I like this card, I feel that blue shouldn't be doing this. Sifting through cards on top of your library is blue but taking one of those and throwing the others away as opposed to putting them on the bottom of your library feels inherently green. Other than flavour issues, this card is fine, I would still prefer Anticipate if only just for the instant-ness of it but I'm sure there will be a constructed application for Strategic Planning. In limited it's good, allows you to get through your deck quicker and find Embalm and Eternalise creatures.

Striped Riverwinder

Obviously a great top end in limited, albeit a tiny bit expensive but the Hexproof gives it a pass. The bit I'm more interesting in is the constructed application for this in the modern deck Living End as it's another addition for the deck that Cycles for one mana and when it does land is very hard to deal with. I'm sure it will see it's way into Living End in the months to come but until then you're just going to have to be happy to play this seven mana 5/5 in limited.

Supreme Will

Mana Leak was a great card and now we have it back, albeit with an additional mana attached, but with that additional mana comes and additional mode to this new Mana Leak. Supreme Will gives you a slightly worse Mana Leak attached to a slightly better Anticipate, balancing the whole thing out quite nicely. It may not seem like much but being able to see one card deeper than Anticipate with Supreme Will's second half is powerful as it widens your choice by that little bit increasing the chances to find the answer you need or just giving you another option in the late game when you don't need the Mana Leak half anymore. It's almost like Supreme Will has super Cycling and I'm sure both halves will see a lot of play in both limited and constructed for the months to come.

Swarm Intelligence

This card looks like a lot of fun, getting to Twincast every instant or sorcery you play for no additional costs I've heard this card most compared to Eye Of The Storm, though were Eye let you keep them stored away only triggering when you played another instant or sorcery spell, Swarm Intelligence gives you the benefits upfront. As much as I like doubling my spells, at seven mana this is a causal card that won't see competitive constructed play and shouldn't see limited play, you'd probably do better just playing a land as your deck is not going to be suited to abuse this card.

Tragic Lesson

When I first saw this card I honestly thought it was a bit meh, three mana to draw two cards and put yourself a mana behind. After some thought I have come to actually quite like it. I give you a situation; your opening hand had three lands and a Tragic Lesson, the other three cards aren't important really, on your forth turn you draw you card and you miss the land drop, now what you can do is main phase Tragic Lesson to dig for lands, if you find one that's great and you discard a card, if not then you return a land and play that land again. Yes, you are a mana, and essentially a turn, behind but you did just draw two cards for two mana which is still quite good. Add into the mix that there are a few lands with enter the battlefield triggers like Aether Hub or Sunscorched Desert that you can get extra mileage out of with Tragic Lesson. All in all though, instant speed Divination is pretty good and will be played a lot in limited as it's easily splashable and I'm sure we'll see it in constructed soon.

Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign

Unesh is a bomb in limited. It's a 4/4 flyer for six that could get you some great card advantage out of it. It also makes all your other Sphinxes cheaper maybe making room for a sphinx tribal deck at some point, but the first thing I thought when I saw the cheaper Sphinx part is playing a second Unesh and getting the trigger again. Now yes, giving your opponent  choices if usually a bad thing, but back in the day we had a card called Fact Or Fiction and almost everyone was notoriously bad at splitting the cards that were revealed from it, so there will be times when you opponent, or you if played against you, find a situation where there isn't a good split and Unesh's controller gets a jackpot of cards. I could see it sneaking into constructed as it is a creature with a decent card advantage ability attached but it will obviously be a beating in limited all the time.

Unquenchable Thirst

There have been many cards with this effect through the years; Ice Over, Dehydration and Encrust, and for two mana, keeping a creature tapped is a pretty good trade off. The problem with the cards above is that they don't tap the enchant creature, just stop it from untapping. If you control a desert, or have one in your graveyard, Unquenchable Thirst does give you the added bonus of tapping the enchanted creature making it slightly more efficient than most of the previous iterations. You'll play this in limited, even if you don't have many or any deserts, as it's pretty much removal for the blue decks.

Unsummon

It's back, the premium blue removal spell, well temporary removal spell. You're always going to play Unsummon as it's cheap and you can almost guarantee to hit a creature in every game you play. It's even seen it's way into constructed so it could be making a comeback.

Vizier Of The Anointed

More card advantage, this time with a cheaper creature and fewer decisions. When a card gives you the option to tutor through your library it usually goes into your hand, but in keeping with the theme of Amonkhet and Hour Of Devastation Vizier Of The Anointed allows you to find an Embalm or Eternalise creature and put it straight into your graveyard ready for whenever you need it. It may not seem it but this ability is a lot of value for two reasons, first it gives you a creature to return later on and, thanks to Vizier's second ability, bets you a card, secondly it thins your deck increasing the chances of finding your bombs or the answers you may need. One card fewer may not seem like much but when you think about it every card adds up and soon your deck might be five or six cards fewer than when you started, after your opening hand and draw steps of course so the chance increases each turn and this accelerates it. A limited all star and will do a lot of work while also blocking really well.

And that's the end of our look at all the blue cards from Hour Of Devastation, tomorrow we'll be looking through all the black cards so stay tuned to Game Changers for more coming up.

Amonkhet Blue

Ancient Crab

Nothing special here, a three mana 1/5. Great for blocking, not great for attacking.

Angler Drake

A very powerful top end curve card. It has a good body, evasion and temporary removal. If you're in blue you always play this in limited.

As Foretold

As Foretold is like Aether vile for spells. I love this card because it gets me thinking of decks to abuse it in, but unfortunately I think this is going to be residing on the casual tables. It's ok in limited as it does effectively give you creatures flash and bare in mind that it's once per turn, not each of your turns so you can get two spells at the same cost over yours and your opponents turn.

Aven Initiate

Another fantastic Embalm creature; powerful, evasion and sit nicely on the curve to begin with. The Embalm cost is high but even just as a four mana 3/2 flyer, its good enough. Again, if you're playing blue, you play this guy.

Cancel

We've seen Cancel a lot before. It's the standard counter spell and will see play in both limited and constructed.

Cartouche Of Knowledge

It replaces itself and gives a creature of your choice evasion. It's good and always playable in limited but as always, auras are a lot worse in constructed as they are always a two for one in your opponents favour. Saying that, this is one that comes close to constructed playable just because it replaces itself.

Censor

Force spike 2.0 and it could be constructed playable. Yes it does allow them to pay one mana to counter the counter effect but, at the point that might be an issue, you can just Cycle it. Good in the early game and replaces itself in the late game. Counter spells tend to be pretty meh in limited but the Cycling probably puts it into playable there.

Compelling Argument

Targeted milling effects, to some players, always target your opponent. It makes sense, if they run out of cards before you do, you win. However, in Amonkhet, there are a lot of creatures with Embalm. Compelling argument can open up a lot of opportunities later on in the game all coming from your graveyard. Yes it might hit lands and spells but that's a risk you can calculate depending on how many Embalm creatures you're playing. Worst case scenario, it Cycles.

Cryptic Serpent

A seven mana 6/5 that becomes cheaper the more instant and sorcery cards you're playing. It sits high on the curve but if you end up playing a heavy instants and sorceries deck then you could see it a lot earlier than turn seven. Play one in limited, maybe two depending on how high your spell count is.

Curator Of Mysteries

This card is just great all over. Four mana, 4/4, flying and at worst it Cycles. Most of the time, you'll play this as the value creature it is, but there will be some rare times in limited where you can really abuse the Scry ability. Those times make the game really easy as you get to sculpt the top of your deck. Always in limited and I could see an argument for constructed.

Decision Paralysis

A good limited combat trick and a good way to keep the early opposing creatures at bay. In Amonkhet it's also a good way of preventing Exert triggers.

Drake Haven

Drake Haven is another great card to abuse Cycling with. If you end up with a lot of Cycling cards and Drake Haven, you become the draw go deck that can eventually start making two or more drakes a turn. I would love to see this in constructed but it might be a bit of a commitment to Cycling.

Essence Scatter

Essence scatter's back and it's just as good as it has been before. It's the standard creature counter spell that will see play and will be good.

Floodwaters

Floodwaters is good at clearing the path for the opportunity of a finishing attack. Failing that, it can Cycle in the early game for a new card. Limited applications most probably, maybe a one of in a control deck in constructed.

Galestrike

This is such a good combat trick. You can pick off whichever attacker you like and you get a card for your troubles. This is the blue removal for limited and depending how creature heavy the constructed format is, it may be making an appearance.

Glyph Keeper

A massive limited bomb here. Very big and difficult to deal with and even if it does get dealt with, you can embalm it later on in the game. Always in limited, I would like to see it in constructed but it may be asking a bit much.

Hekma Sentinels

Hekma Sentinels can become your aggressive creature in blue if you can find enough Cycling. Multiples of these on the board at the same time could prove to be game winning.

Hieroglyphic Illumination

Four mana for two cards or one mana for one card? Instantly my mind just wants to cycle this all the time as it's more mana efficient, but for those times later on in the game and for just when you have the mana to spare, the extra card won't hurt.

Illusory Wrappings

Most enchantments like this will just prevent the creature from attacking or blocking. Illusory Wrappings actively changes the creature base power and toughness which is essentially the same thing but it does make it easier to destroy with damage. A weird one but I think it could see play in constructed maybe to combat a resolved Eldrazi or other large creature.

Kefnet The Mindful

Kefnet is the blue god and a pretty sweet looking 5/5 for three mana. As a god Kefnet can't attack or block, but his ability, in this case wanting you to have seven or more cards in your hand, can change that very quickly. For four mana you can draw a card and return a land, most probably one you have tapped to pay for Kefnet's ability, to you hand and this means you have already gained two cards to help aid Kefnet. In limited you always play this even if it is just a draw engine, in constructed I could see it in a control deck if you can drop it early enough.

Labyrinth Guardian

Another "illusion" creature meaning, creatures that you have to sacrifice if they become the target of a spell or ability. It is a good body for two mana and the fact that you can embalm it is good but both times the labyrinth guardian will almost certainly instantly die.

Lay Claim

There is usually a control magic in every set nowadays and as the years have gone on the mana requirements have had to be increased with every iteration. Lay Claim is a great one of to have in your limited deck as it can steal your opponents bomb creature, or if you're really lucky planeswalker, and bash their face with it. In this case, as it's a big theme in Amonkhet, Lay Claim also cycles, so if you find yourself stuck on land or thinking that it's a bit win more you can always cash it in. Probably just in limited but in a control deck I could see one in constructed.

Naga Oracle

Need more ways to enable Embalm? Well look no further. Naga Oracle provides you with the ability to pick and choose which cards you want to ditch and then fix your next draws. Even if you aren't playing many embalm creatures, this card can be very useful in limited.

New Perspectives

New Perspectives is one of those cards that looks very powerful and gets your mind thinking about how to get the most out of it, but honestly it's a bulk rare. Three cards is a lot of cards to draw at one time, but for six mana you probably won't be able to use any of them in the same turn. Even if those cards have Cycling, you're not actively doing anything, just drawing more cards that you can't use. Never play this in limited and only in casual constructed.

Open Into Wonder

Open Into Wonder is on the same level as fireball in my mind, you almost always try and splash for it. Obviously in the late game, with enough mana, it becomes the game winning card as it pushes all the damage needed through. It's very effective in the early game though, being able to get some damage through and net you some cards as well to give you some gas for the late game.

Pull From Tomorrow

Remember Sphinxes Revelation? Well this is kind of a fixed version. It's reduced in mana because it's also reduced in colours and you do have to discard a card, but it's still powerful. Instant speed card draw is always very good and only gets better when it has an X on it. It will be worse in limited than it is in constructed only because you don't gear your deck towards such a sudden influx of cards as much, but even that being said it will still be very powerful in limited even if it draws two cards in the early game.

River Serpent

Blue serpents usually have a tie between the inability to attack and the number of islands you control, this one's slightly different. With the Cycling mechanic being prevalent in Amonkhet, River Serpent's inability to attack is tied to the number of cards in your graveyard, namely five. On top of that, it itself has Cycling, so if you end up playing multiples then you can Cycle one early and help with the later serpent. All of this is purely limited speaking as it has no place in constructed.


Sacred Excavation

Sacred Excavation fits nicely in blue decks in limited when you have too many Cycling cards, it allows you to dig through your deck and then reuse them later on. I don't think it's good playing more than one in limited or constructed as they could just start to clog your hand up and even then I would only suggest playing one if you have a hell of a lot of Cycling cards.

Scribe Of The Mindful

A good body on a creature that sits nicely on the three drop slot of the curve. Scribe Of The Mindful is good at attacking and decent at blocking and can also get back one of those instants or sorceries you may have Cycled early on. Even if you aren't playing a lot of instants or sorceries you can justify the body of Scribe Of The Mindful in limited and every now and again being able to use its ability.

Seeker Of Insight

The looting ability (drawing a card then discarding a card) is powerful, so much so that it doesn't appear as much as it used to and when it does, like in this case, it comes with a proviso that you need to meet. Shouldn't be hard though as, in blue in particular, you would tend to have a higher average of non creature spells. Ability aside, Seeker Of Insight is still a good blocker to hold the ground in the early game in limited.

Shimmerscale Drake

Shimmerscale Drake may not be the biggest but with flying it will be difficult to deal with and works very well in multiples because it Cycles. It's a decent sized threat that could prove very effective if your opponent doesn't have many flying creatures.

Slither Blade

This one mana unblockable creature is the perfect place to attach all those Cartouches you'll have. Dropping this on turn one and then attaching all your auras to it could provide you with a game winning creature, the downside is that Slither Blade isn't hard to kill so it could end up that you lose a few cards if you put too many eggs in this basket. Really you shouldn't be playing Slither Blade in limited unless you really have  to and never in constructed.

Tah-Crop Skirmisher

A creature like Tah-crop Skirmisher plays well in whichever limited deck you decide to play. It doesn't demand to much colour mana so you can splash it if needed and you can use it to trade efficiently with an opposing creature and then Embalm it later.

Trial Of Knowledge

You got an immense amount of card advantage from the blue Trial. You get to sculpt your hand with and additional three cards and even though it makes you discard one, in Amonkhet more often than not that's a good thing as you can trigger multiple creatures just with the one discard. Also remember the Cartouche trigger, because that could be invaluable when digging; for eight mana over two turns, and a Cartouche of course, you get to draw six cards which, in limited anyway, is almost more than enough to find your bombs or just dig your way out of a sticky situation. The fact that Trial Of Knowledge costs four will probably be the reason it resides in limited, but if the standard format slows down enough I could see one or two of these making their way into a control deck.

Vizier Of Many Faces

Who needs a limited bomb when you can copy your opponents. I can see the situation now; your opponent plays an Angel Of Sanction to take out a creature of yours and then your Vizier Of Many Faces copying the angel to rid the board of your opponents angel and leaving you with a 3/4 flyer of your own. There are lots of other creatures you're going to copy, some big and splashy like Angle Of Sanctions example and some just because you need a creature, either way Vizier Of Many Faces will do work in limited. As for constructed, back in the day Clone got some play but that was in a time where the legend rule was different and it could effectively be a four mana removal spell, Vizier Of Many Faces isn't quite on that level but the ability to Embalm it and choose a different creature could be powerful in constructed.

Vizier Of Tumbling Sands

Blue's proactive Cycling card, Vizier Of Tumbling Sands, is going to do work for you in limited. It works perfectly with your Exert creatures allowing you to get maximum value or you could use it on a non Exert creature just to give it sudo vigilance. On top of all that it blocks fairly efficiently and is great in multiples as you can Cycle away any early ones you draw turning them into combat tricks and it's easy to splash. I love this card in limited.

Winds Of Rebuke

Blues removal spells have to be on a worse level than blacks or reds because otherwise it would make it more unfair to play against blue decks. Winds Of Rebuke allows you to deal with any non land permanent at instant speed for two mana, almost like boomerang, but it does also make both players mill themselves (put the top x amount of cards from their library into the graveyard) for two. You may think that's a downside but it Amonkhet, as we've already discovered, using cards from your graveyard can be a major advantage. The fact that Winds Of Rebuke says non land permanent and not just creature leads me to think it could find its way into constructed as that's a place where you can build around utilizing cards in your graveyard.

Zenith Seeker

Zenith Seeker is the four drop your want in your limited deck when it goes wider more so than taller. What I mean by wider is that your deck tends to play a lot of smaller creatures than fewer bigger creatures. A nice mix of have weenie creatures and a few Cycles with Zenith Seeker can provide you with difficult creatures to block as you can pick and choose which ones fly and when.

That's brings us to the end of the blue cards, stay tuned because coming up next are the black cards.