Lorwyn Eclipsed (ECL) Limited Review: Red

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 a week later on January 23, 2026. Want to learn more about how each card rates in Limited, with recommendations? Then check out this series of ECL Limited reviews!

• For an introduction to the mechanics, see this article: Lorwyn Eclipsed Mechanics Explained

Rating Scale

Note: This ECL Limited format places high demands on tribal pairings within color pairs. If a creature card has the color pair’s theme tribe (e.g. Merfolk, Goblin, Kithkin, Elemental, Elf, etc.), its rating already reflects its strength in that color pair.

5.0: An unconditional first pick that brings you close to winning on its own.
4.5: An unconditional first pick if you are in the right colors; brings a huge advantage.
4.0: Worth first-picking. Great synergy with the color pair’s theme, and can be the deciding card for splashing / switching colors or moving into the color pair.
3.5: The set’s top uncommons and commons, plus other cards of sufficient power. Good synergy with the color pair’s theme, and a key card for moving into the color pair.
3.0: An important card for the color pair’s theme, or another above-average card that you want in your final deck.
2.5: Average. Usually a decent curve filler.
2.0 to 1.0: Below average. You generally lean toward leaving it out, and can use it as filler when necessary, but not too many.
0.5 to 0.0: Unplayable. Basically don’t play it; putting it in only helps you lose.

Ratings

Score: 2.5
Comment: A plain draw-and-discard on the front face, and when flipped the back also just produces mana with restrictions. Its power is ordinary, so it gets an average score.

Score: 3.0
Comment: The main set has 11 Giants, and with Changelings the damage is actually quite considerable. The body is also decent.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Once you go wide with Goblins the damage skyrockets, making it one of the key damage sources for Red-Black Goblins.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Its range is already broad enough against White-Green Kithkin and Black-Green Elves, and as a double-burn creature it may even deal two to the head and one to a creature.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Play it on turn three, and on turn four you can make two creatures unable to block, and a 4/5 attacking through is also fierce.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Looking three cards deep is a new breakthrough for cards like this, so it deserves a slightly higher score. Remember you can play a land too.

Score: 3.0
Comment: The body has no edge on offense or defense, but just standing there it’s a big threat, and paired with Kindle the Inner Flame it can get someone killed!

Score: 3.0
Comment: One mana deals four to a creature and solves most problems, and Blight 1 putting one -1/-1 counter is a very low price.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Playing a tribal deck, this should be able to win you the game on its own, and I think even splashing for it is totally fine.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Creatures that give a one-for-one are all pretty good.

Score: 3.0
Comment: The reveal check only looks at whether the burned creature dies; you can even burn a 3/1 for two mana and flip three cards. This kind of damage plus card refilling is very useful in the mid to late game.

Score: 2.5
Comment: As a filler creature the body is a bit small, but dealing two damage really hurts a little.

Score: 2.5
Comment: It’s usable in two-color decks, and dealing two on entering is passable.

Score: 2.5
Comment: Instant-speed five damage is quite good, and it can also trigger Elementals’ abilities for spells with mana value four or more.

Score: 2.5
Comment: A Bear that can also deal damage in the mid to late game.

Score: 2.5
Comment: An Elemental-specific mana dork. Producing two mana is pretty impressive. I recommend playing it in any Elemental deck, while in other themes it’s just a plain Bear.

Score: 3.0
Comment: The body is OK with trample, and it gives you a Treasure back on entering. A quality filler that you play as many of as you have, and it’s an Elemental too.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Red’s one-sided fight and artifact removal. Since it’s a choice of two modes, putting it in the main deck is no problem.

Score: 2.0
Comment: An old friend, Act of Treason. If you steal a Changeling the damage hurts even more, but it’s a bit hard to use in Limited.

Score: 4.0
Comment: A powerful ability that lets a sorcery or instant be used one more time, and the body is no slouch either. Very strong.

Score: 2.0
Comment: You can loot three times yourself and it isn’t tied to sorcery timing, so it’s passable, I guess.

Score: 3.5
Comment: A very strong Bear that makes it more costly for your opponent to remove your creatures.

Score: 2.0
Comment: As a one-mana card-flow it’s just so-so, but when a big monster suddenly enters late and starts beating people up, it can also scare someone.

Score: 3.0
Comment: If the type you choose is Elemental or Changeling and you also have one in hand or on the battlefield, you can spend six mana to copy out two to attack, and maybe take it all in one wave.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Cycling early and a big monster late that still nets you a card. A pretty good filler creature.

Score: 2.0
Comment: An enchantment that can only go to the face is a bit poor, and if your deck can’t reliably put counters, I’d recommend it even less.

Score: 1.0
Comment: If you play it on turn four it’s four mana with haste, and then on the opponent’s turn they have eight mana and all their creatures have haste. However you think about it it’s a bit scary; anyway, I wouldn’t dare play it.

Score: 1.0
Comment: A weakened Sneak Attack. It can only put in creatures with total toughness of five or less, and the range is too small, so I don’t recommend using it.

Score: 2.0
Comment: A common combat trick, but it only adds stats with no other abilities and can only be used for trading, which is also why it gives you a Treasure back.

Score: 2.5
Comment: It can be put out twice by itself, and making Treasures helps you drop late-game big creatures earlier or opens the possibility of branching into other colors. Pretty good.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Has it really evolved to two-mana instant-speed four damage to a creature these days? That’s scary.

Score: 3.0
Comment: A versatile three-mana Changeling that nets you a card even if it dies, so trading with it never feels like a loss.

Score: 4.0
Comment: The X damage is already decided when this is cast and won’t shrink due to the opponent’s responses, and the sweep is one-sided, so it has a high chance of collapsing the board and winning on the spot. Remember that although the amount of Blight is based on your biggest creature, you can stuff those counters onto other single small creatures, and you don’t need to force a big monster to pay the cost.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Even if you aren’t attacking, I activate it three times in a row to produce four mana. What kind of unconditional ramp is this?

Score: 3.0
Comment: Enters as a four-mana 4/3 or a four-mana 2/1 with two 1/1s. A pretty flexible creature.

Score: 4.5
Comment: Excellent body, and the air supremacy of this set. Creatures that block it are crippled if not killed, and red’s burn spells no longer have to worry about failing to kill, since you can switch to putting counters to reduce toughness, which is even better for trading.

Score: 2.5
Comment: A four-mana 2/4 double striker is passable in two-color decks, and once it grows to 3 or more it’s terrifying.

Score: 2.5
Comment: A pretty good three-drop creature, and even if it can’t attack through it can sit on the side and poke the opponent for two.

Score: 3.0
Comment: Burn that filters your cards as you attack, and being able to go to the head is quite good.

Score: 2.5
Comment: The benefit of shrinking its stats is that it can hit people on entering. It may be acceptable in big-creature decks, and at least you can put the first counter on it yourself.

Conclusion

A lot of red cards this time show us that the times are progressing and individual cards keep getting stronger. Whether it is instant-speed four damage to a creature or flipping three cards for three mana, they break past the old boundaries. What impressed me most is the five-mana 6/6 air supremacy, which is truly overbearingly strong.