Fate Reforged Limited Set Review
With the prerelease coming up next weekend, here's my personal review of Fate Reforged. I'm using the same scale as LSV, and I'm likewise only interested in Limited as that's what I play. Once the rest of his set reviews are up I think I'll follow up with my most over/underrated cards to see where my evaluations are off.
| Cards | Total | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Ugin, the Spirit Dragon | 4.5 | Total Bomb |
| Abzan Advantage | 0.5 | Bolster 1 is not completely irrelevant, but seems like it's not worth a card |
| Abzan Runemark | 0.5 | Here comes a 2 for 1. |
| Abzan Skycaptain | 1.5 | Evasive flyer not bad, but 2/2 for 4 seems behind the curve and blanked by Kirin |
| Arashin Cleric | 1.5 | Blocks morphs all day, weak later in the game |
| Aven Skirmisher | 1.5 | 1/1 Flyer seems like a good target for bolster |
| Channel Harm | 2 | Situational, expensive instant speed removal is still instant speed removal. |
| Citadel siege | 2.5 | Fuels abzan, but doesn't affect the board for an entire turn, and needs creatures |
| Daghatar the Adamant | 4 | Not as good as High-sentinals, but still trixy |
| Dragon Bell Monk | 1.5 | Wish this was a bear... not as good as a windscout or a morph. |
| Dragonscale General | 4 | Eats morphs, and makes you're board terrifying provided you can attack or outlast. |
| Elite Scaleguard | 3.5 | If you have not creatures, it's a 4/5... if you have creatures it buffs something else and taps down blockers so you can start attacking. |
| Great-horn Krushok | 1.5 | Not as good as scaleguard or War Behemoth |
| Honor's Reward | 1.5 | Instant speed bolster seems situational as a combat trick. |
| Jeskai Barricade | 2.5 | Situational but provides defensive speed and blocks morphs all day. |
| Lightform | 3 | 2/2 with flying and lifelink for 3... I'm in, though a little hard to cast. |
| Lotus Eye Mystics | 3 | Gravedigger with prowess |
| Mardu Woe-Reaper | 3.5 | Lays the beats starting on turn one, and makes racing difficult |
| Mastey of the Unseen | 2.5 | Allows you to generate an army of 2/2s at instant speed. Empty the Pits in installments |
| Monastery Mentory | 4 | Totally busto... a prowess dude who makes dudes you have prowess. Goblinslide on a stick |
| Pressure Point | 2.5 | Decent prowess fodder |
| Rally the Ancestors | 1 | Reanimate a bunch of dudes... to block? Very situational |
| Sage's Reverie | 1 | Seem's like this should have been in Theros... even with the X-forms it seems like mostly it gives +1/+1 and cantrips |
| Sandblast | 2 | Bad Killshot? |
| Sandsteppe Outcast | 2.5 | Evasive hordechief... seems decent. |
| Sould Summons | 3 | A bear with random upside that trigger's prowess. Sure |
| Soulfire Grand Master | 3 | A bear with crazy situational upside. Sure (So a bear is a little weak for a mythic... but that doesn't mean I won't first pick it just to get the chance to play with it) |
| Valoruous Stance | 3.5 | Smite the mosterous, but cheaper... with the option to save a dude instead. Sure. |
| Wandering Champion | 3.5 | Oresco's swiftclaw that maybe loots sometimes |
| Wardscale Dragon | 4 | Evasive flyer that shutsdown your opponts combat tricks... yes please |
| Aven Sureyor | 2.5 | Icedad that's harder to cast and not at instant speed |
| Cloudform | 3 | 2/2 with flying and hexproof for 3, still in |
| Enhanced Awareness | 3 | Jace's injenuity, but easier to cast |
| Fascination | 1.5 | Sphinx's Revelation-ish. Seems hard to abuse in draft |
| Frost Walker | 3 | Lay the beats |
| Jeskai Infiltrator | 3.5 | Evasive and creates an infinite number of dudes... and eats morphs |
| Jeskai Runemark | 0.5 | Still looking for a 2-for-1 |
| Jeskai Sage | 1 | Cantrips... but needs prowess to even trade for a bear (looks just like monastery swiftspear) |
| Lotus Path Djinn | 3 | Like a windscout that can block |
| Marang River Prowler | 2.5 | Puts a clock on the game... which is good as long as you're winning the race |
| Mindscour Dragon | 3.5 | Not as good as Wardscale Dragon... the milling is irrelevant unless they're sultai, at which point you might actually be helping them |
| Mistfire Adept | 3.5 | Hillgiant with prowess that might fly. It's not Riverwheel Arielists... but it comes out two turns earlier and eats morphs. |
| Monastery Siege | 4 | Loot every turn... I don't think you need to hear more |
| Neutralizing Blast | 2.5 | like distainful stroke but.... |
| Rakshasa's Distain | 1.5 | Like mana-leak... but situational and more expensive |
| Reality Shift | 4 | Turns bombs into bears... efficientish removal |
| Refocus | 2.5 | Like presurepoint, but |
| Renowned weaponsmith | 1.5 | Ramps out Dragonthrone... |
| Rite of Undoing | 3.5 | Expensive peel from reality? |
| Sage-Eye Avengers | 4.5 | Pick apart your opponent's board while beating them down... yes please. |
| Shifting Loyalties | 3.5 | Control Magic |
| Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest | 3.5 | Turns every creature you control into dragonstyle twins |
| Sultai Skullkeeeper | 2.5 | Wetland sambar that fuels delve |
| Supplant Form | 3.5 | Control Magic |
| Temporal Tresspass | 1 | Not for Draft |
| Torrent Elemental | 4.5 | Unkillable evasive flyer that makes it impossible for your opponent to defend |
| Whisk Away | 2.5 | Blue killshot |
| Will of the Naga | 3 | Super Cripling Chill |
| Write into Being | 3.5 | Make a bear |
| Alesha's Vanguard | 2.5 | Hillgiant with dash. |
| Ancestra Vengance | 1 | Seems much worse than debilitating injury |
| Archfiend of Depravity | 4.5 | If it goes unanswered, it seems like it can just win you the game. |
| Battle Brawler | 3.5 | Great bear |
| Brutal Hordechief | 4 | Allows you to break through... but kind of depends on the creatures you have down. |
| Crux of Fate | 3.5 | Black wrath |
| Dark Deal | 1 | Here comes some card disadvantage. |
| Diplomacy of the Wastes | 3.5 | Not as good as thoughtsieze since it's competing with morphs |
| Douse in Gloom | 2 | Drain a creature |
| Fearsome Awakening | 1.5 | Reanimation seems a much bigger deal in cube... though there might be sultai synergy |
| Ghastly Conscription | 2 | Seems situtational... and very expensive... but easier to play than empty the pits |
| Grave Strength | 0.5 | Seems like this card is going to average +1/+1... doesn't seem worth a card |
| Gurmag Angler | 2.5 | Slightly easier to cast than shambles |
| Hooded Assasin | 3 | Finish off a creature or eat morphs all day... |
| Mardu Shadowspear | 1 | Seems irrelevant after turn 2 |
| Mardu Strike Leader | 3 | Seems inline with the Hordechief... though it doesn't eat morphs, but could create tons of dudes |
| Merciless Executioner | 2 | Worst case, it's a sorcery speed edict. |
| Noxious Dragon | 4 | Pick apart your opponents board while slaming them in the face. |
| Orc Sureshot | 3 | Turn every creature into flametonge kavu |
| Palace siege | 4 | Start racing your opponent with no other cards in play |
| Qarsi High Priest | 0.5 | Upgrade tokens into morphs? Doesn't really seem worth a card |
| Reach of Shadows | 3 | Instant speed removal |
| Sibsig Host | 1 | Rotting mastodon v2 |
| Sibsig Muckdraggers | 1 | Rotting mastodon with delve |
| Soul Flayer | 4 | |
| Sultai Emissary | 3 | Cantrip bear |
| Sulati Runemark | 1 | looking for a 2-for-1 |
| Tasigur, the Golden Fang | 3 | Hooting mandrils with gravedigging |
| Tasigur's Cruelty | 1.5 | Not as good as rakshasa's secret |
| Typhoid Rats | 2 | Beter than a hateblade |
| Alesha, Who Smiles at Death | 3.5 | Hordechief that keeps bringing back skullhunters. |
| Arcbond | 3.5 | Situational red wrath |
| Bathe in Dragonfire | 3 | |
| Bloodfir Enforcers | 3 | Hill giants that situtationally lay the beats |
| Break through the line | 2 | Do-nothing enchantment |
| Collateral Damage | 3 | 1-for-2 lightning bolt... but playable in mardu tokens |
| Defiant Ogre | 1.5 | Seems weak for a six drop |
| Dragon Rage | 1 | Trumpet blast with tricks |
| Fierce Invocation | 3 | Make a 4/4, trigger prowess |
| Flamecrush Rider | 3 | |
| Flamewake Pheonix | 4 | |
| Fiendly Fire | 2.5 | Bring low seems better |
| Goblin Heelcutter | 3 | Hill giant that helps your team get through |
| Gore Swine | 3 | Alpine Grizzly except red |
| Humble Defector | 2.5 | A bear that draws cards? |
| Hungering Yeti | 3 | Could straight eat a dude while representing a morph |
| Lighting Shrieker | 3.5 | Lava axe dragon |
| Mardu Runemark | 1 | Still don't like it |
| Mardu Scout | 1.5 | Orescos swiftclaw that's hard to cast |
| Mob rule | 3 | The best Act of Treason ever |
| Outpost siege | 4 | This is very close to "Draw a Card every turn" |
| Pyrotechnics | 3 | |
| Rageform | 2 | 2/2 with double strike does't seem to as good as 2/2 with flying |
| Shaman of the Great Hunt | 4 | Triger's ferocious, buffs your team, draws cards |
| Shockmaw Dragon | 4 | Burn away your opponent's team while smashing them in the face |
| Smoldering Effreet | 2.5 | A bear |
| Temur Battle Rage | 3 | Surprise, you're dead |
| Vaultbreaker | 3 | Alpine grizzly that loots |
| Wild Slash | 3.5 | Shock |
| Abzan Beastmaster | 4 | Pretty close to "Draw a card every turn" |
| Abzan Kin-Guard | 3.5 | Hill giant with lifelink |
| Ainok Guide | 2.5 | It's a bear |
| Ambush Krotiq | 1.5 | |
| Arashin War Beast | 2.5 | Make tons of dudes |
| Archer's of Qarsi | 2.5 | Trades with dragons |
| Battlefront Krushok | 2.5 | Lord of charging rhino |
| Cached Defenses | 2.5 | +3/+3 seems worth a card |
| Destructor Dragon | 3.5 | Practically guarenteed 2-for-1 that smashes your opponent in the face |
| Feral Krushok | 1.5 | Big dorky dude |
| Formless Nurturing | 2 | Make a 3/3 and trigger prowess |
| Frontier Mastodon | 2.5 | Not as good as alpine grizzly |
| Frontier Siege | 4 | How does a ritual every main phase sound? |
| Fruit of the First Tree | 1 | Seems difficult to actually trigger. After all, high-toughness creatures are exactly the ones most likey to survive. |
| Hunt the Weak | 3 | The +1/+1 counter is more relevant than usual, plus it's a fight card. |
| Map the Wastes | 0.5 | Seems like you'd almost always rather cast a morph. |
| Return to Earth | 2 | Kills dragons... seems more relevant than it might otherwise be. |
| Ruthles instincts | 2.5 | Awaken the bear, or kill a creature. |
| Sandsteppe Mastodon | 3.5 | If you have no other creatures it's a 10/10. If you have other creatures it turns them into a respectable threat. Plus, it eats dragons. |
| Shamanic Revelation | 2 | Might help break board stalls, but it's miserable if you're behind. You'd probably prefer Treasure Cruise (and if you have lots of 4 power creatures... we'll that's just win more). |
| Sudden Reclamation. | 1.5 | Regrowth that powers delve. Not really better than dutiful return. |
| Temur Runemark | 1 | Still don't see these as particularly playable... |
| Temur Sabertooth | 3 | 4/3 for 4... plus I the bounce ability may allow shenanigans with manifest. |
| Temus War Shaman | 4 | Allowing all of your morphs to fight when they flip up seems really good. |
| Warden of the First Tree | 4.5 | I've heard Figure of Destiny was a good card. |
| Whisperer of the Wilds | 3.5 | Ramps out a turn-4 Sagu Mauler... that seems epic |
| Whisperwood Elemental | 4.5 | Do you like the idea of an army of bears because, I do. |
| Wildcall | 4 | Cast it on turn 2 for a bear... or turn 10 for a 10/10. Combos with Whisperer of the Wilds, and the siege. |
| Winds of Qal Sisma | 1 | It's a fog. |
| Yasova Dragonclaw | 3.5 | How do you like the idea of an Alpine Grizly that keeps taking your oppenents creatures? |
| Atarka, World Render | 4.5 | Swinging for 12 seems good. |
| Cunning Strike | 2.5 | Not as good as Master the Way... and you've only got so many 5 drops. |
| Dromoka, the Eternal | 4 | 5/5 with flying for 5... yes please... the bolster effect is pure gravy. |
| Ethereal Ambush | 1.5 | Two bears for 5 has potential... but 5 is an overloaded slot |
| Grim Contest | 3 | Wierd fight card, but it's cheap, instant and has good Abzan synergy. |
| Harsh Sustenance | 3 | Seems like this will reasonably reliably kill a creature, and sometimes give you reach in a stall. |
| Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury | 4 | 5/5 with flying for 5... yes please... the surprise you're dead potential is just gravey. |
| Ojutai, Soul of Winter | 4.5 | Taps down you opponent's biggest threats, while defending, and smashing them in the face. |
| Silumgar, the Drifting Death | 3.5 | While the -1/-1 ability feels like it has the potential to totally wreck you oppenent's board the lower power make it feel like Silumgar is just less of threat in his own right than the rest of the dragons. |
| War Flare | 3.5 | More versatile than Trumpet Blast and cheaper than Flying Crane Technique |
| Goblin Boom Keg | 3 | Slow, expensive Lightning Bolt |
| Hero's Blade | 3 | More expensive than Ghostfire Blade... but still turns your morphs in to legitimate threats. |
| Hewed Stone Retainers | 1.5 | Colorless Illusionary Angel is cool, but the fact that it's grounded is super relevant. |
| Pilgrim of the Fires | 3.5 | Goes in any deck, diffcult to chump or gang block... and big enough to get through most of the walls. |
| Scroll of the Masters | 3.5 | Slow... but cool Jeskai synergy, especially with manifest bumping the non-creature spell count. |
| Ugin's Construct | 3 | Bellowing Saddlebrute with a different drawback seems okay if you've got tokens. |
| Bloodfell Caves | 3 | Dual lands are still good |
| Blossoming Sands | 3 | Ditto |
| Crucible of the Spirit Dragon | 0.5 | Generates colorless mana which is a risk in a format that's still going to lean 3 colors... plus Ugin isn't even a dragon so you can't ramp into him. |
| Dismal Backwater | 3 | Dual lands are still good |
| Jungle Hollow | 3 | Ditto |
| Rugged Highlands | 3 | Ditto |
| Scoured Barrens | 3 | Ditto |
| Swiftwater Cliffs | 3 | Ditto |
| Thornwood Falls | 3 | Ditto |
| Tranquil Cove | 3 | Ditto |
| Wind-Scarred Crag | 3 | Ditto |