Lorwyn Eclipsed (ECL) Limited Overview — Blue

Note: This article was translated from Chinese by AI and may contain errors. Read the original Chinese version.

Lorwyn Eclipsed (ECL) will hold its prerelease events on January 16, 2026, and officially launch one week later on January 23, 2026. Want to know more about individual card ratings and advice for Limited? Then check out this series of ECL Limited overviews!

• For the mechanics, see this article: Lorwyn Eclipsed Mechanics Breakdown

Rating Scale

Note: ECL Limited places a high demand on tribal synergy within each color pair. If a creature card has the tribe that is the theme of the color pair (e.g. Merfolk, Goblin, Kithkin, Elemental, Elf, etc.), the rating already reflects its strength within that color pair.

5.0: Unconditional first pick, brings a near-winning advantage
4.5: Unconditional first pick if you’re in the right colors, brings a huge advantage
4.0: First-pick value, extremely synergistic with the color pair’s theme, can be the deciding card for splashing, switching colors, or entering the color pair
3.5: Top uncommons and commons of the set and other cards that are strong enough, synergistic with the color pair’s theme, can be the key card for entering the color pair
3.0: Important cards for the color pair’s theme and other above-average cards, you’ll want them in your final deck
2.5: Average, usually a decent curve filler
2.01.0: Below average, basically leaning toward not playing, can be used as filler when necessary, but not too many
0.50.0: Unplayable, basically don’t play them, playing them only helps you lose

Ratings

Score: 2.5
Comment: A protection spell, and it also has a chance to be used to trade off the opponent’s attacking creature.

Score: 3.0
Comment: It can’t reset the Aura. Also note that you can’t pick it as the target for Blight, because you can’t put counters on it.

Score: 3.5
Comment: A Merfolk that helps clear the way, and when it attacks, being tapped in combat is also more favorable.

Score: 3.5
Comment: With Convoke’s help, even after you’ve spent your mana and filled the board, you can use five creatures to flash-bounce on the opponent’s turn and clear the way. Remember Convoke ignores summoning sickness, because it isn’t producing mana but tapping as an alternative cost.

Score: 4.0
Comment: A good Blight target that lets your creatures keep drawing cards in the midgame and late game.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A creature used as a combat trick. Remember it can also shrink the opponent’s 5/5 or bigger monsters.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A creature with a decent body for playing blue tempo.

Another good partner for Modern’s Splinter Twin

Score: 3.0
Comment: The risk of countering abilities is a bit high, but it’s good for countering the opponent’s sweeper or ultimate on re-activation. The body itself is also decent, so you can just treat it as a flyer.

Score: 2.0
Comment: A somewhat expensive counterspell. It only slightly matches its cost if it can counter two or more targets. Remember it can also be used to counter a trigger you find scary.

Score: 2.0
Comment: An ordinary body, but if you can pump it up, its evasion makes for a strong clock.

Score: 3.0
Comment: With enough tribes, this one has a chance to draw a large number of cards, but it’s a bit hard to use when you’re behind on board.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A powerful Faerie flyer. Flashing it in as a blocker on the opponent’s turn basically can’t be killed.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Casting spells of mana value four or more gives it a nice clock. If you can pair it with the Elementals’ evoke, you can trigger its pump at a low cost.

Score: 4.0
Comment: A quality two-mana creature. Its activated draw and tap-and-stun costs aren’t expensive either, its body grows as the clock goes up, and it’s a card blue should play a full set of regardless of tribe.

Score: 3.5
Comment: A good Aura that gives a creature evasion, and it also draws a card on entering so you don’t lose card advantage.

Score: 3.5
Comment: Turn everything into big monsters and swing all at once, a spell that can win on the spot. Remember it affects all nonland permanents, so things like artifacts or enchantments will also become the permanent you specify, and Auras will fall off and not stay attached.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A flash Aura that turns a creature into a dud. Remember it changes the base stats, so counters already on it still work. For example, a creature with a -1/-1 counter will simply die.

Score: 3.5
Comment: The overlord of four formats reincarnates here. The front side’s [+2] turns a creature into a changeling and the [+1] reduces the opponent’s clock to improve the chance of surviving to flip. The back side can pick up cards or make a 3/3 Elk to hold the board, and if you get to use the ultimate it wins the game. When using it, remember that by design the front side has only plus abilities and the back side has only minus abilities, so if you want to reach the ultimate, you need to add enough loyalty counters while on the front side.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A shapeshifter that costs one more and has Convoke. Remember it can change creatures on the opponent’s battlefield too.

Score: 3.5
Comment: A slightly small body, but the creatures it produces fly, which is still threatening.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Taps two creatures at instant speed. It’s a bit expensive, but tapping and drawing at once is still strong.

Score: 1.0
Comment: An artifact that will stall your tempo in use, but if you can do things like copy Rime Chill or Harmonized Crescendo, you can pull ahead.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A bounce creature with a slightly weak body that can also return itself to earn its enter trigger again.

Score: 2.0
Comment: Since it must return one of your own creatures, it isn’t necessarily good in use.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Drawing two or more cards when it enters is already a good deal.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A Merfolk that spreads wide. Behold only needs you to reveal a Merfolk card from hand or control a Merfolk on the battlefield, so it’s easy to achieve.

Score: 2.5
Comment: A middle-of-the-road blue filler creature.

Score: 1.0
Comment: Too many restrictions in use, not recommended in Limited.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Grants evasion on entering and has a decent body itself, a quality versatile blue creature. Note that it can find not only Islands but any basic land.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A plain, unadorned card-draw creature.

Score: 4.0
Comment: Bouncing the opponent once may make their board collapse, but note that a changeling will stay on the battlefield.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Being able to return a spell makes it relatively flexible in use, though the cost is a bit high.

Score: 4.5
Comment: The front side lets a creature draw a card when it connects, and attacking can trigger it again. The back side protects a creature and grants evasion, but it only triggers on transform, so you can’t just enjoy it all the time. In use, you’ll be flipping it frequently every turn.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A source of Elemental card draw, with a fairly good body on defense.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A sorcery that forcibly clears the way, so you only have to face it at least two turns later.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A very strong card-draw spell in Limited, with a very high chance of being loot three, discard one.

Score: 3.0
Comment: This is also a decent source of card draw: after you fill the board, you can still draw cards when the opponent taps creatures at end of turn.

Score: 3.0
Comment: The chance of meeting its condition in Limited is relatively low, so just treat it as a two-mana flyer.

Score: 3.0
Comment: With -3/-0, basically no creature can trade with it alone when it attacks.

Score: 3.0
Comment: At seven mana and a sorcery, you expect five mana + two creatures to bounce two of the opponent’s threats, roughly the same as making two Merfolk.

Score: 2.0
Comment: A counterspell whose cost reduction comes at a somewhat high price. Just use it as a Cancel.

Conclusion

Blue this time has quite a few cards that can open up a resource gap or win the game in one go, and why do I feel there are a few too many bounce abilities? Might we get bounced until nothing is left on the battlefield?