Guilds of Ravnica Set Review - Red

We’re over the hump and speeding down the hill quickly. Today we get a look at all of the red cards from Guilds of Ravnica, loads of Boros and Izzet cards to paw through along with a bunch of other great stuff. So without further ado, let’s begin...

Core 2019 Set Review - Red

Are you a bit down on this heat? Well maybe this article isn't for you as things are about to get a whole lot hotter. It's time for all of the red cards from Core 2019! Go grab a nice cold drink, sit back, relax and lets dive right in.

Rivals Of Ixalan’s Set Review-Red

Pirates, Dinosaurs and just plain old humans. Today we’re going to take a look through all of the red cards in Rivals Of Ixalan, featuring the previous mentioned types. So get ready and let’s get started.

 

Ixalan Set Review - Red

Hey guys, welcome back to Ixalan Set Review week and take a gander at all of these red cards. Maybe some cards will get your creative deckbuilding juices flowing so without any delay...

Hour Of Devastation Set Review - Red

Abrade

Getting the red cards off to a good start, Abrade is a great modal card for constructed sideboards. It's cheap, instant speed, deals with artifacts quite nicely and doubles up as creature removal. In limited Abrade is going to be incredibly useful, giving you options for whatever you need at the time and like I said, it's going to be invaluable in constructed as it can free up some room for other cards, rather than playing cards that deal with creatures and cards that deal with artifacts, Abrade lets you cut down on your card choice by giving you two in one.

Blue Of Blades

Not a big fan of Blur Of Blades, it feels like it wanted to be a removal spell and a burn spell but got a bit lost in between. Yes you might get a creature with Blur Of Blades and get to Shock your opponent as well, but I feel like it doesn't give you enough. There are better spells than Blur Of Blades for the same cost, if you really need a small time removal spell then this will do, but I'm sure you'll find a reason to cut it in limited.

Burning-Fist Minotaur

I think Burning-Fist Minotaur is going to be a limited all-star. A two mana First Striking 2/1 is pretty good for combat and when it can get a lot bigger in exchange for a card, and two mana, it could easily go toe to toe with almost any creature and thanks to the First Strike probably come out on top. The early game is the perfect place for Burning-Fist Minotaur as it will be difficult to get around without a combat trick or removal spell and in multiples they will make it almost impossible for your opponent to attack.

Chandra's Defeat

Another of the Defeat cycle that could see constructed play as it gets to hit both the Chandras that see play and, maybe most importantly, Glory Bringer. Like with most of the other Defeats it will probably sit in the sideboards, but being able to bring it in and take down any of the aforementioned cards above just for one mana will be a real thing. If you do hit a Chandra planeswalker then the discard and draw could be a thing as you get to filter out a card to possibly find something a bit more useful, almost like a free Cycle, but I think after managing to get rid of a very powerful planeswalker, it could just be gravy which is to say it's not the main reason for playing it.

Chaos Maw

 A massive bomb in limited that will more than likely win you the game. Getting to seven mana isn't the easiest thing but in limited there aren't many speed bumps like counterspells or many removal spells. Once you have gotten to seven mana to cast Chaos Maw there is a decent chance that dealing three to each other creature will leave you in a commanding position of the battlefield. Obviously Chaos Maw is nuts in limited but probably a bit too expensive for constructed even with the immediate impact it has.

Crash Through

 Crash Through is a great card for the more aggressive decks in limited; it's cheap, it replaces itself and can force through some damage. It's nothing massively special but it's probably good enough to play.

Defiant Khenra

 A two mana 2/2. Nothing more, nothing less. You're going to play it in limited but it will definitely be on the list for cuts when you get there.

Earthshaking Khenra

 Earthshaking Khenra is a good example for a creature to replace Defiant Khenra with. A two mana 2/1 with Haste and an ability is almost a strict upgrade to just a two mana 2/2, and when it's ability stops creatures from blocking it's hard to argue with playing. Also note that the ability doesn't stop the target creature from blocking just the Khenra, it stops it blocking all together as long as it has equal to or less power than Earthshaking Khenra. It gets so much better when you Eternalise it as, at the point, it turns from stopping two power or less to four power or less which will probably cover a lot of your opponent's creatures. This guy can do a lot of work in limited, maybe letting your guys get by a particularly difficulty blocker, and as far as constructed goes, I could see it being played in some sort of red midrange deck with a lot of value creatures that hit hard early.

Fervent Paincaster

Aggressive pingers, like Fervent Paincaster, are fantastic in limited as that give you the choice of attacking, in this case for three damage, or just tapping for one damage. Fervent Paincaster is slightly different as it does give you the choice of shooting your opponent or a creature for one damage, but if you do want to target a creature you have to Exert the Paincaster. It does come down early so if you did want to shoot a creature you might be able to kill it straight away, but later on in the game it's probably going to be used to finish a creature off after combat or a burn spell. Other than that it attacks well and, even though it's pretty fragile, being able to sit back and ping your opponent for one each turn does add up.

Firebrand Archer

 This creature is probably most a kin to Lightning Weaver, but where Lightning Weaver was good at blocking and could deal with a creature or two, Firebrand Archer is pretty fragile and the ability sends the damage to your opponent, but it does trigger off any non creature spell you play not just instants or sorceries. Firebrand Archer is common so you will see it a lot more in limited than you would have seen Lightning Weaver, and it costs one less as well so it comes down cheaper. In the right deck it could be very powerful and in multiples could make light work of your opponents life total.

Frontline Devastator

 Afflict cards in Hour Of Devastation seem to be pretty pushed all round. A long with being able to shoot your opponent for damage, two in this case, just for being blocked, a lot of them come with decent stats. A four mana 3/3 is good enough to play with or without the Afflict 2 but it doesn't just stop with the Afflict. Being able to pay two mana to give Frontline Devastator a power boost will be very helpful in those times you're facing down bigger creatures or maybe just need to extra couple of points to finish your opponent off. All of this makes it a good aggressive creature for those red limited decks that like having a mana sink in their decks.

Gilded Ceradon

 Speaking of aggressive creatures, Gilded Ceradon is one that sits nicely on the top end of the curve. Just for having a Desert in play or in your graveyard, which as we've established probably won't be too hard, Gilded Ceradon allows you to keep an opposing creature from blocking indefinitely meaning you could get round that annoying Deathtouch creature that otherwise would eat one of your attackers. It may be on the more expensive side, especially for traditional red decks in limited, but if you get to attack with it, you're going to be very happy.

Granitic Titan

 Pretty standard creature in Granitic Titan, six mana 5/4 with Menace and Cycling. It's difficult to block when it does land and if you don't need it in the early game, you can Cycle it to find something more appropriate for the situation. Obviously only for limited but I could see this turning up in Living End decks in modern.

Hazoret's Undying Fury

 The fourth card in the "Last" cycle of cards, don't worry just because it doesn't have Last in the name it does definitely stop your lands from untapping for a turn, and it's probably the most promising. Six mana is a lot but this is the one that you don't mind playing on turn six and essentially missing your turn seven, mainly because it would be close to your top end but also because of the value it gives you. The potential to give you four nonland cards for free is nothing to scoff at and if you do hit all four you're going to be slightly more alright that you don't get a turn seven. This is a massive bomb in limited thanks mostly to the value and it could see some constructed play but I think it could a little slow and eggs all in one basket kind of play.

 Hour Of Devastation

 Wrath effects nowadays need to cost a little more than they used to. Typically four was the price point but it turns out that's a little too good especially for control decks. The red Promise goes one more mana up in cost but the power is definitely above five mana; it's virtually a Wrath Of God as most creatures won't survive five damage but for the added one mana, it hits planeswalker as well, granted that could include your planeswalkers but with that knowledge you can play around your own card in the same way you would with Wrath Of God, not running out all your creatures to destroy them yourself. Limited bomb all the way and I think will see constructed play.

Imminent Doom

 I'm not sure where this card should be but I'm sure I like it. First off it's fairly cheap so it can come down early. Secondly it's hard to deal with as enchantment removal doesn't get played as much as other removal spells. Thirdly, its removal as you can target creatures. Lastly, it's an additional problem for your opponent to take into consideration. Obviously you would love to curve out with this card but even if you don't it's still a problem as it could tick up any minute and they are fantastic in multiple especially when you use the second to trigger the first when it's on three counters. A deck like blue red control might love this card but I'm sure it could spawn its own archetype, it's playable in limited but you do need to gear your deck more towards it than you would a normal aggro deck.

Inferno Jet

 This is just Lava Axe. It costs one more mana but does one more damage and it comes with Cycling. It is expensive but it's great in limited as it is more than a quarter of their starting life total, and if you can't get to six you can just trade it in and see what you get.
 

 Khenra Scrapper

 Even just as a three mana 2/3 with Menace Khenra Scrapper is very playable. Being able to Exert it, turning it into a 4/2 with Menace, means it will start taking sizeable chunks out of your opponents life total. Obviously the Exert does mean you only get to attack with it every other turn but it doesn't stop Khenra Scrapper being a good aggressive creature for limited.

Kindled Fury

 Kindled Fury is a good red combat trick for limited that will hopefully take care of an opposing creature while leaving yours to fight another day, and it's cheap so it can be hard to play around.

Magmaroth

 Aggression is Magmaroth's middle name, well I guess it would be it's last name strictly speaking. Dropping this guy on turn three means that your opponent is going to have to find an answer as it is way above curve and being able to keep it at a 5/5 will be hard to deal with in general. You will always play this in limited as it's big, easy to splash and hits hard.

Manticore Eternal

 A five mana 5/4 is good no matter which way you look at it. The fact that Manticore Eternal still deals damage even when it gets blocked makes it a hard creature to play around, either you take five or your take three and probably lose a guy in the process. Yes it does have to attack each turn if able but in all honesty what would you be doing with it anyway?

Neheb, The Eternal

 Obviously a limited bomb being a five mana 4/6 that's hard to block thanks to the Afflict 3, and any life lost from your opponents gives you extra red mana in your post combat main phase just adding to the value of Neheb. Keep in mind it does say opponents, plural, so it looks like Neheb will be really good for commander play as well. As far as constructed is concerned, it could see play but I think it's a bit expensive and doesn't have the most immediate impact on the game.

Open Fire

 Through the years, red instant burn spells dealing three damage have gone through a lot of iterations. Most of them can only hit creatures or players but not both, though there have been some very good exceptions; Lightning Bolt and Lightning Helix to name a couple. Open Fire gets to join those very good red instant burn spells, for three mana, which is probably the right mana cost, it gets to hits a creature or player for three damage. It's a no brainier in limited and I think it could see constructed play, mainly because it's a fairly versatile spell that could deal with planeswalkers easily. It's probably not a four Of in constructed as it is a tiny bit expensive, I think because of how spoiled we've been in the past, but one or two of seems fine.

Puncturing Blow

 Another fantastic removal spell for limited, Puncturing Blow pretty much says "Exile target creature." as a lot of medium size creatures in limited have four toughness and there are a lot of the higher costed creatures at around the four/five toughness mark. It's at it's best when it hits a creature with Embalm or Eternalise because it stops your opponent getting full value out of that creature. You will always play this when you're in red and it could even tempt you to splash it.

Sand Strangler

 Welcome back Flametongue Kavu! I may be a bit ahead of myself as it's a 3/3 instead of a 4/2 and it only deals three damage as opposed to four, but it costs the same and sometimes having three toughness does make the difference, it can't get Magma Sprayed for example. Now to have Sand Strangler deal the three damage you need to have a Desert either in play or in your graveyard, but between Amonkhet and Hour Of Devastation I'm sure you'll have plenty, almost ensuring it will.

Thorned Moloch

 There are some cards in Magic that almost teach you how to play, Thorned Moloch is one of them. First of all, a three mana 2/2 is good, add Prowess and it becomes great. When a creature has an ability like this, gaining First Strike when it attacks, yeah it's fine on the defense but what it's saying is "Attack with me!", and the First Strike is really relevant especially if you can pump it by playing non creature spells. You play this in limited almost all the time but obviously no place for it in constructed.

Wildfire Eternal

 Wildfire Eternal looks like an awesome and quite powerful card, unfortunately I'm not sure it's as good as it looks. Obviously a bomb in limited, mainly because of the high Afflict number, but a lot of the time you can just let it go unblocked, hit for one damage calling their bluff and probably get away with it. In constructed it is a slightly different story as you can gear your deck more towards playing unfair, high costed spells for free, but removal spells are more widely played in constructed so Wildfire Eternal probably won't last long. Some potential and I would love to see it work out but I think it's a long shot.

Zealot Of The God-Pharoah

 This is a super aggressive creature for red decks in limited, it's on the curve and can deal direct damage. If left unblocked, on turn five Zealot Of The God-Pharaoh has the potential to hit for six damage and it gets better. When you get to the late game and have drawn a lot of land it doesn't even need to attack, yes ten mana is a lot but it will probably happen, if only once, and then you can start hitting your opponent for four at the end of their turn. You should always play this in limited and maybe even try to splash it.

That's the end of our look trough the red cards of Hour Of Devastation, stay tuned to Game Changers for all the green cards.

Amonkhet Red

Ahn-crop Crasher

A very aggressive creature to start off red. Ahn-crop Crasher is the creature you want in limited when you've hit both your one and two drops and are on the attack and nothing else. I could see Ahn-crop Crasher making its way into constructed but it would be in some sort of all-in red deck, that being said there are better three drops in standard like Depala or Pia Nalaar.

Battlefield Scavenger

More bears with upside here with rummage jackal. This isn't a creature you Exert whenever it can attack, this is a little different from, say, Ahn-crop Crasher's Exert ability being used to force damage through. You Exert Battlefield Scavenger when you're either looking for a specific card or you want to trigger any effects by discarding a card. Other than that you always play battlefield Scavenger in limited as it's just a two mana 2/2 and that's always good.

Blazing Volley

It's smaller Pyroclasm but even better because it doesn't hurt your creatures. Blazing Volley will do more work in limited than it will in constructed but I could see making it as there will be point when it becomes destroy more than one creature in the early game and that's worth it. However, it may be eclipsed by another card we'll look at later.

Bloodlust Inciter

A great one drop for those super aggro decks in limited. If you hit this turn one and stay in curve with your creatures, playing one per turn, you can stay one step ahead of your opponent because you get to attack with something from turn two onward.

Bloodrage Brawler

The perfect creature for turn two after your turn one Bloodlust Inciter. Yes you're losing a card but getting a four power creature that will be dealing with most opposing creatures for the next couple of turns. Bloodrage Brawler will be very powerful in limited and as big as it is, it could make it into constructed in a very aggressive red deck.

Brute Strength

A good, aggressive combat trick for those times when you need to push the last point of damage through. Other than that, there isn't much more to say about Brute Strength, you're going to play it in limited every time.

By Force

By Force is a card that exist to reign in any artifacts that proved to be too good from Kaladesh. In Amonkhet limited it will probably act as a two mana destroy target artifact which is ok, but the lack of instant speed play-ability does weaken this card a bit. I don't think By Force will see play in constructed as you don't often have a situation where you have to deal with multiple artifacts at once, in which case release the gremlins hasn't gone anywhere.

Cartouche Of Zeal

The red Cartouche is another card in Amonkhet that lends itself nicely to an aggressive type of deck. For only one additional mana on top of however much the creatures you've cast costs, you can give it haste and +1/+1 and on top of that reduce your opponents blocking options. Even if you don't play it on a freshly cast creature, you still gain the power/toughness boost and stopping a creature from blocking, and if you have Trials to return than its value just grows.

Combat Celebrant

Combat Celebrant is a very flimsy creature with it only having one toughness, but if left unchecked the Exert ability can have a devastating effect. On top of getting another attack step you can utilize Combat Celebrant's effect that would untap your other creatures and abuse any Exert effects on your other creatures, effectively giving them vigilance while still getting the most out of them. All that said, Combat Celebrant won't see competitive constructed play as it would die to easily.

Consuming Fervor

Consuming Fervor looks like it would be a very aggressive one mana aura but, if you have a blocker big enough to hold off your opponents creatures, it could be used as a very slow removal spell by enchanting your opponents creature and waiting for the -1/-1 counters to build up. That's worse case scenario though and most of the time you will be putting it on your own creature early on and dominating the battlefield.

Deem Worthy

A very splashable removal spell and another effective Cycling card. Five mana to deal seven damage or four mana to deal two damage and a card, Deem Worthy can deal with most creatures quite easily and you'll only Cycle it if you need the card or to use the two damage to finish off a creature. I don't think it will make it into constructed as it does cost a lot and can only target creatures.

Desert Ceredon

The first thing I thought when I saw desert Ceredon was that living end had just gained a great, cheap to Cycle creature. It's nothing special but it is another card that is ok to play in multiples as you can Cycle any early game ones your find and still have a late game creature to keep the pressure up with.

Electrify

Electrify is the red removal spell that you want in limited. Four damage for four mana at instant speed and sits nicely on your curve, on top of that it's easily splashable. You always play this because it's very powerful in limited, constructed on the other hand has more, better options.

Emberhorn Minotaur

Even without it getting a power/toughness boost, Emberhorn Minotaur's Exert ability giving it Menace makes it a formidable creature. Having a five power creature that can only be blocked by two or more creatures can make for a quick clock but at the cost of it not untapping the turn after attacking.


Flameblade Adept

Aggressive one drops in red are pretty standard and most of the time they are quite good; Dragonmaster Outcast, Goblin Guide, Figure Of Destiny, Inventors Apprentice and Monastery Swiftspear to name but a few. I'm not saying Flameblade Adept is on the power level of all or those creatures, but a 1/2 menace for one is above the curve and it just gets better if you can Cycle a card or two each time it attacks or blocks, not to mention putting auras or equipment on it. In limited, it's a slam dunk to play as it will be better than most of the other one drops you open. I could see Flameblade Adept making it in a super aggressive red deck in constructed if it could find a way to abuse it's discard or Cycle ability.

Fling

Trusty fling. It comes and goes every couple of sets and it's always just ok. It's great In those situation where you steal one of your opponents creatures, attack them with it and then Fling it at them for extra damage/makeshift removal spell, but most of the time you're going to be Flinging your own creature to finish off one of their big creatures. The upside to this is that Amonkhet is teeming with Embalm creatures so Fling just adds even more value to those creatures.

Glorious End

I'm not quite sure what to say about this card. It's a Time Stop that makes you lose the game at the beginning of your next end step. I think this is one of those cards that Johnny's love to mess about with, finding the perfect combo to play it in, but I think that's as far as it goes, you won't play it in limited and definitely not in competitive constructed. Glorious End is going to be confined to the kitchen tables in afraid.

Glorybringer

The big red bomb you want and at a reasonable cost of five mana. Ignore its ability for now, a five mana 4/4 with haste is super powerful and will always get played. Now add onto that creature the ability to shoot down a creature when it attacks every other turn and it becomes a juggernaut that isn't easy to block. Obviously the impact Glorybringer is going to make in limited will be immense but this will almost definitely see constructed play as the top end of midrange aggro decks.


Harsh Mentor

I'll keep saying it, bears are so good nowadays. This is the two drop you want for an all in red deck that does as much damage as possible as quickly as possible and maybe even for those midrange decks that want to get value from every creature they play. Unfortunately Harsh Mentor doesn't have much of an immediate impact but it can come down early enough for that to be somewhat negligible, especially when you think that there fetch lands turn into Lightning Bolts to their face and when you have multiples they become bonkers.

Hazoret The Fervent

Meet the red god of Amonkhet, Hazoret. It comes with the god rider can't attack or block unless... In this case unless you have one or fewer cards in hand, but it does give you a sweet ability to get rid of those pesky cards so it can attack. For three mana you can discard a card and Shock each opponent which isn't bad as it stands. Even if you don't get to the point where you can attack with Hazoret, it can still do a lot of damage, plus all the advantage you can get by discarding cards from triggers in Amonkhet, Embalm creatures or just good old Madness cards, I think there is a lot of mileage to get out of Hazoret in both limited and constructed.


Hazoret's Favour

Onto Hazoret's Favour which unfortunately isn't as powerful as the god itself. It has the potential to be good but you have to provide a lot of creatures and one after another sacrifice them after they get the power boost. It does give them haste as well so when you've run out of creatures you can still have a freshly cast creature getting into the red zone. Keep in mind this is a may ability so you don't have to do it every turn but that's where the power of Hazoret's Favour comes in as it keeps up the pressure on your opponent.

Heart-piercer Manticore

Another one or those creatures that, if you take at its base states in this case a four mana 4/3, you would almost always play it anyway. Heart-piercer Manticore comes with the added bonus as doubling as a removal spell, provided you have a creature to sacrifice, but the even crazier thing is that late on in the game you can Embalm it and have another removal spell or even win condition to finish your opponent off with. My last words in this guy will be this: imagine you have one in play and then cast another and then the turn after, Embalm the first one...in my mind that's pretty sick.

Hyena Pack

Speaking of decent base stats, here we have Hyena Pack. It's good. What more can I say, you're going to play it in limited because it's great in combat, hard to attack past and and easy to cast.


Limits Of Solidarity

Effects like this in the past have been underplayed because it's pretty situational, you either use it early to get a blocker out the way and gain an attacker or you wait and wait for your opponents bomb creature that never comes. The fact that limits of solidarity has Cycling makes it infinitely better than any spell that has done this before, not only because of triggers when you Cycle cards but just to get it out of your hand when it becomes useless.

Magma Spray

Magma spray could be one of the most effective removal spells in limited. Maybe not the most powerful, but the exile on it will do a lot more work when you have creatures that return from the graveyard, so in limited it permanently deals with Embalm creature and in constructed it deals nicely with Scrapheap Scrounger and Dread Wanderer.

Manticore Of The Gauntlet

Manticore Of The Gauntlet is a very aggressive creature. Five mana for a 5/4 is very solid, however because of its ability, sometimes it may be a 4/3 which is still nothing to scoff at, especially when it instantly hits your opponent for three damage. It's easily to splash and when you've had a really fast start, this is the creature you want on your top end in limited to finish your opponent off.


Minotaur Sureshot

One of the few answers red has for flyers and, in the late game when you have more mana to sink into it, is pretty strong on the offensive as well. You probably don't want to play too many as they can become quite mana intensive in combat but Minotaur Sureshot will do a lot of work and almost always trade up.

Nef-Crop Entangler

I'm not a big fan of Nef-Crop Entangler, two mana gets you a 2/1which is below the curve but it does has trample. The Exert ability gives it +1/+2 but that just about puts it on the good side of playable for me, and at the point it doesn't untap. I would only play this in limited if I really needed another creature in the two drop slot.

Nimble-Blade Khenra

This is a better two drop red creature that I would play over Nef-crop Entangler all day. It blocks better and you can abuse it's Prowess ability anytime you have instants to play and it still gets to untap next turn.

Pathmaker Initiate

Pathmaker Initiate can help to get in some early damage past annoying little blockers and push the last points through to secure you the game. It's also worth noting that if you have any pump spells or enchantments that give a power toughness boost, you can use Pathmaker Initiate's ability before that creature has power over 2, meaning you can get an unblockable creature that hits for more than two damage. It's always worth having one if you can as it really helps in ground stalls, though it is fragile.


Pursue Glory

Red's Overrun-esc ability with added Cycling. It's not quite Overrun as Overrun was sorcery and gave your creatures a better attack bonus and Trample, whereas Pursue Glory is an instant but only gives an attack bonus and only effects your attacking creatures meaning you have to play it as a combat trick. None the less it's still very playable and with the added Cycling I mentioned earlier it just means you can play multiples in limited and get away with it.


Soul-Scar Mage

We've already touched on powerful one drop red creatures and at first glance you might not think Soul-scar Mage fits in with the rest of that group, but let me assure you, it definitely does. It might not have haste or start with more than one power, but being able to turn all of your non combat damage towards opposing creatures into permanent -1/-1 counters will be a nightmare for your opponent especially in combat. Unfortunately I don't think they work in multiples, which would effectively turn every Shock you play targeting an opposing creature into four -1/-1 counters. Expect to see this in an all in red deck as it's a great way of dealing with creatures which traditionally in those types of decks isn't the top priority.


Sweltering Suns

It's better Pyroclasm for one more mana and has Cycling. I love this card, it's getting close to essentially being Wrath of God in red, yes you will probably lose most of your own creatures when you play it but that just means you had to get out of a tough spot. You ideally should be playing this when you have little to no creatures and that are having an effect on the game in play as a way to cripple your opponents defenses, and at three mana it's easy enough to rebuild after casting it. You play this in limited all the time and you can get away with playing the full four in constructed as they have cycling so they won't get clogged up in your hand.

Thresher Lizard

You play three mana 3/2s always as they are on curve and will happily trade with something in the early game. The end game of Thresher Lizard is when you start running out of cards in your hand and it becomes a three mana 4/4 which is above the curve and can be hard to deal with. You always play this in limited even if you don't end up making it a 4/4 because there will always be the opportunity for it to happen.


Tormenting Voice

We first saw Tormenting Voice back in Kahns of Tarkir. Back in those days it was nothing more than a Delve enable or just a way to get rid of unwanted cards, whereas in Shadows Over Innistrad it was a good Flashback enabler and way of discarding reanimation targets. In Amonkhet, Tormenting Voice is going to get you some cards with almost no drawback as hopefully the card you are discarding most of the time will have Embalm or maybe Aftermath. With Cathartic Reunion still in standard its difficult to say whether you would rather ditch two cards or one card but it will depend on the build of your deck, expect to see this in constructed maybe in a tier two level deck, as for limited, I would only play one as you don't want to end up in a situation where you cast one and draw into another.


Trial Of Zeal

If you have enough Cartouches to abuse Trial Of Zeal then it can demolish your opponents creatures very quickly. Three mana for three damage is alright, it's no Lightning Bolt, but you couldn't reuse Lightning Bolt over and over again, if you have enough on colour Cartouches, or mana fixing for this off colour ones, Trial of Zeal can easily win you a game; it can deal nicely with creatures like I said, and when you run of out creatures to target you can start shooting it at your opponent, and those three damage shots all add up.


Trueheart Twins

Trueheart Twins is the creature you want when you've opened a lot of Exert creatures and want to play them all. It's easy to splash so you don't have to build your deck around it and attacking with even just two Exert creatures can be enough to overwhelm your opponent and in multiples, these guys are nuts and will surely win you the game the moment you attack and exert them.


Violent Impact

Meh, four mana to destroy an artifact or land is ok, it's kind of what red does. You have better options for destroying artifacts and in limited you probably won't use the destroy a land part of Violent Impact anyway. It would play better in constructed against the man lands, the problem there is that it costs four mana which is too much just to take out one land in constructed. I don't really like Violent Impact, even with Cycling it still feels bad, only play this if you really need to.


Warfire Javelineer

A creature and a removal spell rolled into one, Warfire Javelineer plays nicely for the late game when you've either used or Cycled a lot of your instants and sorcery spells. You really only need about two or three to make this guy viable but the more you have the more likely you can take out their giant bomb creature. Ability aside, it blocks decently and is easily splashable which makes it more playable for those heavy blue decks where you will have more instants and sorceries.

That's all the red cards of Amonkhet, next we'll be looking at the green cards and then onto the multicoloured/split cards, so stay tuned.