cephille's First Look at Wilds of Eldraine (WOE) Limited: Blue

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

This article uses the grading scale and writing format of the Tales of Middle-earth (LTR) Limited reviews published on Channelfireball (CFB) by the two masters LSV and Reid Duke.

Grading Scale

Retired bombs that made the Limited bomb hall of fame: Pack Rat, Umezawa’s Jitte, The Scarab God.

• 5.0: Chrome Host Seedshark. Breach the Multiverse. Sunfall.
• 4.5: Doomskar Warrior. Archpriest of Shadows. Borborygmos and Fblthp.
• 4.0: Preening Champion. Bloated Processor. Invasion of Amonkhet.
• 3.5: Final Flourish. Ephara’s Dispersal. Stormclaw Rager.
• 3.0: Vanquish the Weak. Eyes of Gitaxias. Zhalfirin Lancer.
• 2.5: Oracle of Tragedy. Ichor Drinker. Marauding Dreadship.
• 2.0: War Historian. Gloomfang Mauler. Order of the Mirror.
• 1.5: Expedition Lookout. Akki Scrapchomper. Infected Defector.
• 1.0: Disturbing Conversion. Tenured Oilcaster. Coming In Hot.
• 0.0: Invasion of Arcavios. One with Nothing.

Blue

Limited rating: 2.0

A two-mana 1/3 that gets +2/+0 until end of turn when you cast an instant or sorcery. Most of the time I don’t want to play cards that only work with support; on the Adventure side it’s a three-mana sorcery that puts an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard on top of your library… I don’t even like paying three mana to get a spell back to hand… With neither half making me eager to play it, I’ll only give this Adventure card a playable score.

Limited rating: 3.5

A big six-mana 4/6 flyer with ward {2} that also scries 2 when it enters. The cost is a bit high, but if you’re short on finishers you can still use it, and a 4/6 flyer has few rivals in Limited.

Limited rating: 4.5

At four mana it is a one-sided shrink at sorcery speed; at six mana it can be cast with flash during combat and is extremely strong, and a successful cast is a catastrophic blow to the opponent. Note that it depends on how many creatures your opponent has: each creature gets a Cursed role, so you can trigger many enters-the-battlefield Aura triggers, and when the opponent’s creatures then die from being shrunk, you also get the Aura-goes-to-the-graveyard effects.

Limited rating: 2.0

The creature side is a plain, unremarkable six-mana 6/5. The Adventure side is a two-mana sorcery that bounces a creature you don’t control with mana value 3 or less. I don’t think it’s very strong: bounce basically wants to be at instant speed, and a two-mana spell that can only hit creatures with mana value 3 or less has poor tempo. I basically don’t want to see it in my deck.

Limited rating: 3.0

Tapper Auras got better in this set: when it goes to the graveyard you can also pay {1} to scry 1 and draw a card. A decent soft removal.

Limited rating: 4.0

A four-mana 2/3 flyer that, while on the battlefield, gives your Adventure spells a copy. Too strong! If you see it in a draft, take it and start grabbing everything with the Adventure theme!

Limited rating: 2.5

A plain three-mana 3/2. You have to bargain it to get the Cursed role, which isn’t necessarily worth it. Base score for now.

Limited rating: 3.5 (sealed)
Limited rating: 3.0 (draft)

Having Disdainful Stroke in a Limited format pushes drafts in a faster direction, but in sealed it is a very good counter that can usually trade for one of the opponent’s good spells.

Limited rating: 4.0

Exiling one or two of the opponent’s creatures slows their tempo. The opponent can recast them, but you still draw a card out of it. Note that this Aura also lets you cast creatures that are on an Adventure from exile and thereby draw cards, or you can target your own creatures with great enters-the-battlefield abilities and make a killing.

Limited rating: 3.5

Looking at four and drawing two for four mana is already pretty good; once bargained, looking at eight and drawing two in a Limited library of under 30 cards is very close to a tutor. A good card worth playing.

Limited rating: 2.5

I was wondering, for the same two mana, whether it’s more practical to tap a creature, put three stun counters on it, and scry 2, or whether an Aura like Bitter Chill that keeps the creature from untapping is stronger. After thinking it over, I concluded the Aura is stronger, so this card loses 0.5 points.

Limited rating: 3.0 (low chance of triggering chapter III)
Limited rating: 4.0 (high chance of triggering chapter III)

Two mana to shrink a target creature to 1/1 is already a playable card, and the later chapters keep generating value; if chapter III can be reliably achieved, it deserves a higher score. This card also has good synergy with Adventure spells.

Limited rating: 3.0

I still don’t really want to play a seven-mana draw spell, and a four-mana 3/3 body is ordinary; only in blue-green are there enough spells costing five or more to proactively stun the opponent’s creatures.

Limited rating: 4.5

Cast as an Adventure, it’s a two-mana instant that puts an attacking creature of the opponent’s on top or on the bottom of its owner’s library; the creature side is a six-mana 6/6 with flash and ward {1}. Sadly, if you flash it in on the opponent’s turn it enters tapped, otherwise it could make a beautiful block and then swing back.

Limited rating: 2.0

It’s just a Cancel; don’t think about bargaining it, as it’s not worth it in the vast majority of cases.

Limited rating: 4.0

A three-mana 2/3 with vigilance that, when it attacks, can also pay {1}{U} to tap a creature, and whenever you tap a creature it gets +2/+1 and becomes a 4/4 to beat down. In white-blue there’s even a chance to tap two creatures in one turn and become a 6/5, and with both of them tapped those 6 points of damage should basically go straight to the opponent’s face. That feels great. For a three-mana creature in Limited, I’d give it a very high score given its value.

Limited rating: 4.0

A creature that can grow very large, but doesn’t skulk seem to conflict a bit with the growing part? During your upkeep you can also remove a +1/+1 counter to shrink it and draw a card. Is that flexibility? It’s definitely powerful, but it’s a bit hard to understand why it was designed this way. Is the idea to play a big one first, then have it get smaller as it keeps attacking and refilling your hand, and once it’s small enough it basically can’t be blocked, so you slowly clock the opponent?

Limited rating: 3.0

Some people may find it too slow, but I think drawing three cards and making a 1/1 Faerie that can only block flyers is fine in blue-green or blue-black, and five mana also fits the need for big five-mana spells in blue-green. Blue-red spells tend to be cheaper, and I’m not sure whether draw three for five would stall the tempo too much; as for white-blue, it already draws plenty by itself, so I’d only want this five-mana draw three if I’m also playing cards like Galvanic Giant.

Limited rating: 2.5

I don’t like sorcery-speed bounce, which is bad against haste creatures; four mana to return a nonland permanent and draw a card, and bargaining it reduces the cost. It probably performs better in a tempo-oriented blue-red approach. Also note that the faster the draft environment, the worse this card performs: the opponent may have cast two creatures by turn four while you’re tapped out bouncing one and drawing a card…

Limited rating: 2.0

A two-mana 0/4 body can block most creatures, but blocking alone won’t win the game. Sacrificing it at sorcery speed earns extra value, but if I have a choice I probably wouldn’t want to play it; or perhaps it’s actually stronger in slower, late-game-focused strategies like blue-green. After all, blocking early and then eating it in the mid to late game to draw a card and improve your creatures should be a decent investment.

Limited rating: 2.5

A four-mana instant that lets the owner of the target creature choose to put it on top or on the bottom of their library. Over the years, as card after card got outclassed, THS’s Griptide has held onto its throne, and being limited to the top of the library is still somewhat stronger. When I play blue I’d still want to include one, and you can also bounce an opponent’s powerful creature back and shuffle it away while they’re searching their library.

Limited rating: 3.0

A three-mana 2/1 flying Faerie version of Goblin Electromancer, with good synergy in blue decks. Reducing the cost of Adventure spells seems pretty nice too. The only downside is that a 2/1 body may quickly stop getting through, so don’t get greedy and take too many in a draft.

Limited rating: 3.0

A five-mana 3/4 flyer is quite playable, and the Adventure side is a little trick you can use more or less.

Limited rating: 2.5

I wouldn’t really want to use the Adventure side unless my deck is nothing but instants/sorceries and Faeries besides lands; it needs a special deckbuilding approach to reach a weakened Impulse effect, and if you mill your own bomb you’ll want to die. The creature side is a two-mana 1/3 with vigilance and flying; you may get to poke for a point or two early and block with it in the mid to late game, and it gets better if you have Roles or spells that pump it.

Limited rating: 3.0

An instant-speed Opt is flexible to use, but it’s still just Opt. If you want a way to refill your hand, play it.

Limited rating: 2.5

If I spend three mana to untap her as a 3/3 flying blocker and then wait three turns before she can attack, is that a gain or a loss? Or I cast it on turn one and pay {1}{U} on turns two, three, and four to untap her, so she can hit three times but my own tempo is terrible. Something sounds off here, doesn’t it? If I really were to use it, I’d only consider it if I needed a flying blocker.

Limited rating: 1.0

A reprint of Sleight of Hand. Limited shouldn’t be aggressive enough to need this one-mana loot; instead of playing it you’re better off playing some stronger cards.

Limited rating: 2.0

The body is too small; for three mana it’s a flying, one-size-smaller Frost Lynx. Unless I’m playing the white-blue tap approach, I wouldn’t especially want to play it.

Limited rating: 3.0

Without a Faerie on the battlefield it’s just a Quench, which is still pretty good. When you play blue you’ll usually pick up a Faerie or two, and in the mid to late game, with more Faeries on the battlefield, it lets you counter the opponent’s important spells more reliably.

This card is a tribute to Spellstutter Sprite, the iconic card that defined the Lorwyn Faerie tribe, and the other one, Bitterblossom, can also be opened in our Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)!

Limited rating: 3.5

A four-mana 2/4 that also puts a Sorcerer role on another creature whenever you cast an instant or sorcery. A very powerful ability, and with Adventures in this set it isn’t too hard to trigger; creating one or two Roles is already well worth it.

Limited rating: 1.5

A very ordinary creature, and a plan built on big five-mana spells needs solid early blockers, not fragile creatures like this one.

Limited rating: 2.5

A three-mana instant-speed Frost Breath. With the white-blue tap approach in this set it may be a little stronger, but I’ll just give it a playable score for now.

Limited rating: 3.0

A three-mana 1/3 flyer isn’t a great body, but it pays for itself as soon as it connects once. Note that its ability triggers whenever any Faerie attacks, so it doesn’t have to attack itself.

Limited rating: 2.5

A plain three-mana 3/2. You must bargain it to retrieve an instant or sorcery from the graveyard. Being able to bargain it is of course great, but since the effect is less reliable I’ll give it a base score for now.

Limited rating: 3.0

A four-mana 3/4 is a pretty good body for a blue common, and the Adventure side can tap a target creature and attach a Cursed role to it at the same time to weaken it, so there should be quite a few ways to use it.

Limited rating: 4.5 (enough permanent trigger sources)
Limited rating: 0.0 (not enough, or no worthwhile permanent trigger sources to copy)

The Aura side is a permanent version of Panharmonicon, copying every enters-the-battlefield triggered ability. It depends heavily on whether your deck has enough trigger sources; if not, don’t play it. The Adventure side can copy an activated or triggered ability you control at instant speed, with the same pros and cons as the Aura side.

Limited rating: 2.0

A two-mana instant protection spell that can also make a creature a 4/4 and give it flying. A very nice effect, but in Limited it’s still basically just a flexible trick; it may be stronger in constructed.

That’s the Limited analysis for WOE blue this time. I hope everyone finds their own fun in the upcoming sealed and draft events!