Hello! Welcome to my set review of Wilds of Eldraine, where I will pick cards from each colour and discuss my five favourite cards from them. Yes, there will be and artifact and lands review as well as a multicoloured review.
Given that the set also comes out with a set of preconstructed Commander decks, I’ll also be covering my favourite new cards from there in another article. The set booster and Jumpstart exclusive cards from this set will be in their respective colour reviews
Without further ado, here are my favourite White cards!
Let’s be real right off the bat. This card was called White Craterhoof in play testing and it is supposed to be the white version of Craterhoof Behemoth. It comes down, buffs your board by the amount of creatures you control and gives them a keyword ability. The casting cost swaps green for white and haste becomes flying. You get one more point on power and toughness to trade for the fact that the Cavalry cannot attack when it enters the battlefield.
This is a huge finisher in decks that either need another Craterhoof or finally get access to one. I’m talking about that Esper Knight deck or maybe your blue white Bird deck or how about even Spirit deck! I have a Thalisse, Reverent Medium deck ready to put this to work!
I love when Wizards of the Coast gets silly with their designs. Flavourfully, this is incredible. Functionally, remains to be seen – but I absolutely love it.
Being able to get a Treasure on upkeep can be great on its own, but being able to send that Treasure to an opponent, curry favour with them, and draw a card out of the whole deal sounds fun. Group Hug decks, here’s a fun lil guy for you!
Maybe you want to give away Treasures, then play a Collector Ouphe or Karn, the Great Creator – oh, you’re mean!
Zirda, the Dawnwaker decks is where I think this will shine most. There are so many ways to make Treasures. Spreading them around for cards isn’t so bad. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a big draw back, but it’s fun design space.
I really like this card, especially if you can get a second lore counter on it right away. The real beef of this card is in chapters 2 and 3.
We have seen cards recently that can do some pretty crazy stuff. Anikthea, Hand of Erebos for example can make copies of enchantment creatures borne of exiled enchantments. Myrkul, Lord of Bones can do the same but with creatures turned enchantments. There’s a Bant legend in the set booster exclusives of this set that’d be fond of this card, I’m sure. (We’ll get to him!)
Personally, I am foaming at the mouth to get this in my Esper/Azorius clones deck (Tymna is the only black card). The deck uses many ways to make token copies of stuff and this will slot right in with that strategy. Mondrak, Glory Dominus players, I see you!
This card is really a test of your playgroup or meta. Stroke of Midnight is being called a better Generous Gift by some and a worse Generous Gift by others. I’m calling it just fine! I picked it as one of my top cards because of the discussion around it, not because I think it’s a great card for me, personally.
I am one of those who think this is worse than Generous Gift. The reason is that I run Generous Gift because it can hit lands too. There are a lot of powerful, problematic lands in my meta and sometimes you’ve got to turn those into Elephant tokens. You can’t do that with Stroke of Midnight.
However, if your playgroup doesn’t have those kinds of lands or you’re okay with someone working their way up their Maze’s End deck, then Stroke of Midnight might be the better card for you. A 1/1 is smaller than a 3/3 and the spell costs the same!
“But Mike, why not run both?” Great question! You should probably run both unless you’re in colours that can support better removal. If I’m in white/black for example, I’m looking at Generous Gift before this. Evaluate your playgroup or just slot this in or out or whatever. It’s a game! Have your fun with it!
I was originally going to pick the Virtue over this but I kept looking at that smile and thought, “why not!”
Spellbook Vendor is a fun card for enchantment decks that want to maximize their enchantment output. Got extra combat steps? Hey, look even more for you! At combat, you buff a creature with an aura. Boom, that’s a Constellation trigger. That’s a Kodama of the East Tree trigger. Is there already a Role token attached to that creature? Sacrifice that before putting the new one on – now your Femeref Enchantress says you draw a card and your Martyr’s Bond forces your opponents to sacrifice an enchantment. Not to mention new commanders from this set will want a copy of this!
There are lots of reasons to include this and I think she’s rad. Try her out, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Honorable Mentions
- Archon of the Wild Rose – There’s a huge Aura theme to Wilds of Eldraine and this is a top end to turn enchanted creatures you control into flying 4/4s instead of what I hope are creatures with lesser power and toughness. For four mana, you can surprise a whole board.
- Break the Spell – This is a weird one! If you destroy an opponent’s nontoken enchantment, no card. If you destroy your own enchantment, draw a card. If you destroy an opponent’s enchantment but it’s also a token, draw a card. I love this weirdo, but don’t see many applications for it, just fun to talk about!
- Cheeky House-Mouse – Savannah Lions has come a really long way.
- Eerie Interference – This is the kind of Fog that still gets your damage through. You and your creatures are safe from damage by creatures. No that doesn’t save them from Blasphemous Act, but it does from Pestilence Demon. And when you attack unfavourably, you come out on top. Leave yourself open for a swing – nope, not today!
- Expel the Interlopers – A flexible board wipe for creatures. Five mana is a lot, but if you have a varying amount of power you want to work with or you want to name 1 in your Walls deck, go nuts.
- Knight of Doves – Another reason Spellbook Vendor is great. Enchantments “dying” is getting a little bit of support!
- The Princess Takes Flight – Lots of ways to sacrifice enchantments coming this set and this means a Saga can be protection for a few turns or permanent exile removal. Blink with Aminatou and never give their stuff back.
- Regal Bunnicorn – This Rabbit Unicorn is going to be massive and it’s just two mana, that seems insane. I don’t know what else to say besides this is the perfect card to wear Equipment or Auras.
- Solitary Sanctuary – A little more support for a legend we haven’t seen yet (Hylda) and of course Rhoda, Geist Avenger/Timin, Youthful Geist decks.
- A Tale for the Ages – Tempered Steel for enchanted creatures!
- Virtue of Loyalty – This is fine but expensive. I think the Virtue cycle is pretty good but for just five mana, you can have Cathars’ Crusade which, yes, is a nightmare to track, but is objectively better in a deck that can make a bunch of creatures enter. Otherwise, this is sort of monowhite Brokers Ascendancy.
- Werefox Bodyguard – A flash speed Banisher Priest with a way out. Save your own stuff or get rid of an opponent’s. The choice is yours!
- Lady of Laughter – A 4/5 flying creature for five is already solid, but if you can celebrate, you get an extra card at your end step? It’s not amazing, but it’s still pretty good!
That does it for white, check back in soon for blue!
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