Throne of Eldraine Limited Review: Red

[@NizzahonMagic]

Somehow I managed to leave Torbran, Thane of Red Fell off of the video. Poor guy. Here is what I would have said about him/the grade he would get. Like most of this cycle, Torbran is really good. Even on his own, he is effectively a 4-mana 4/4, since he increases his own damage. But the fact he can make every little Red source you have do two additional damage is pretty huge. That can immediately have an impact on the board state. Now, granted, your deck probably needs to be red or mostly red, but his ability is strong enough that I'm willing to take a risk on him. Removal spells do more damage, creatures do more damage, and in the meantime you have a 4-mana 4/4? I'll take it. I think you can first pick him in some weaker packs. I'm giving him a B-.

[@A.V.E.R.Y.S]

Can't wait to make an EDH deck around him

[@cleftboywonder]

I've been trying my best to patiently wait for this!!! Thanks aton!

[@Unholychaos987]

Easy include in mono red constructed. Finally a viable mono red burn EDH commander

[@stephenlofton5403]

I think power level wise he’s a B or B+ but man that triple cost is rough. Do you think in mono red he gets a grade bump a la packs 2-3? I mean he’s basically a better warhorn on a 4/4 body that sticks on the board and affects spells.

[@alp627]

@@Unholychaos987 Purph isn't viable burn? Just make crap tons of tokens and you will burn everyone out really fast, I promise

[@dac314]

Just watched the previous episodes, put down my phone, came back, and now see Red is here. Excellent.

[@Anthony-qu7qd]

Irencrag pyromancer has been eating up those food tokens dayum

[@FollowGrubby]

Very good diction and pacing, excellent videos, thank you Nizzahon!

[@WontonTV]

I think you underrated Merchant of the Vale a bit. It helps prevent late-game flood, and if you have "draw second" effects or Fires of Invention it actually becomes nuts

[@NizzahonMagic]

Yeah tbh: I thought he tapped to rummage, so he is definitely better

[@wingedparagon4448]

Pulled Embercleave and the Red/White Mythic enchantment. Got the 2/1 lifelink, paid 5 on the attack to equip. 3/2, double strike, lifelink, trample. Opponent scooped not too long after.

[@ultimateo621]

22:35 Rimrock Knight is definitely not a D+ I just don’t understand that grade at all, I’m not saying it’s insane, just that it looks like a very clear C.

[@stephenlofton5403]

hsiF A um how? Can you quantify this statement ? The adventure is an F level card and a 1R 3/1 that can’t block is like a D. Even in very aggressive decks +2/+0 is just so low impact. I guess it’s a Knight for critical mass but even in super aggro c seems too generous no blocking is huge

[@ultimateo621]

Stephen Lofton the reason the adventure would be an F is because you get two for oned, but with this card you aren’t getting two for oned, so it’s really 1 mana: Target Creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Draw a card. Or 2 mana: 3/1 can’t block

[@maxwellbalkema5388]

My prerelease deck have no extra way to draw cards and fires of invention was still super broken. I was able to cast yorvan, Tobran, and feasting troll king for free. The enchantment also lets your get ahead on tempo. As you can play two creatures a turn. You also have lots of mana available for cracking foods and activating abilities.

[@michaelwright7156]

I think you’re wrong on embercleave it seems like the definition of a bomb. Making basically any 3+ drop a must remove/block becomes absurd really quickly, and it becomes a game of can they kill you before that card singlehandedly wins the game. I think this might actually be the biggest bomb in the entire set

[@NizzahonMagic]

I could be wrong, but I will be shocked if it is the biggest bomb in the set. I don't see how it can outdo cards that don't need you to have a board presence to be powerful. It is an A- max.

[@williamcarr1770]

@@NizzahonMagic About that... lol

[@NizzahonMagic]

@@williamcarr1770 Lol indeed.

[@williamcarr1770]

@@NizzahonMagic Hah, wasnt really expecting a reply, the comment just made me chuckle. To be fair, you corrected yourself on Embercleave in your "What I got wrong" video -- but you didnt correct the B for bonecrusher giant!

[@NizzahonMagic]

@@williamcarr1770 Yeah...that one's really bad too.

[@phallen_1]

I want to try and draft the combo of Claim the Firstborn and Witch's Oven. Stealing my opponent's creatures and turning them into pies sounds delicious.

[@stephenlofton5403]

EBHsswvZUM it also combos with Cauldron Familiar the black one drop that drains etb.

[@gillablecam]

Side note: honestly wondering why Fervent Champion was drawn to be the shortest man on the longest horse

[@pjrappa]

It is also Kim Kardashian's horse apparently

[@TheKauzdoctor]

Cards like Opt or Merchant of the vale are great for enabeling your draw two effects. I think you are undervaluing them a bit.

[@NizzahonMagic]

I am considering those things in my grades. I even mentioned it with the merchant!

[@stephenlofton5403]

TheKauzdoctor opt is good and will be the best it’s ever been BUT the thing to remember is in order to enable “draw 2” effects you either have to cast it on your turn or along with something else on opponents. The rummage effect is also very overpriced in any other set this would cost 1R or R or be attached to a 1/1 and be free. These honestly probably just needed a build around grade of C+ same for almost all of these archetype buildrounds.

[@TheKauzdoctor]

@@NizzahonMagic Oh yeah sorry somehow missed that

[@acedemon3434]

I think weasel back rider deserves a little higher maybe d+/c- as it supports 2 relavant creature types. The ability like you stated is meh but it does allow for good blocks when you have little to no cards in hand and need a Mana sink

[@RasmusVJS]

Knight and non-Human?

[@acedemon3434]

@@RasmusVJS yeah

[@chrishohl6141]

Fervent Champion gets a lot better in conjunction with Giant's Skewer, which is common at least. If you already have some Skewers (and plan on playing them), and see a Fervent pop up, I'd think about picking it higher then C. Curving them together gives you a attacking 3/2 first strike on t2 that creates food tokens whenever it deals damage to creatures (and also gives +1/+0 to another attacking knight). Particularly good if you are going for Skewers, as you are probably going for a R/B or Jund sacrifice sub-theme theme.

[@raynmanshorts9275]

There is actually a large "non-human" theme in this set, and I think that you can build around the cards that benefit non-humans in much the same way that you'd build an elemental deck in M20, just without quite the extreme payoffs like Lavakin Brawler and Risen Reef.

[@matteopriotto5131]

They're both Temur mechanics also

[@theinscrutablebaldness2597]

The possibility of mono colour in this set really interests me, but my gut instinct from everything you've said here is that mono Red just won't get there very often.

[@darthwithit417]

32:00 Good analysis, but I think you may be overlooking the fact that he is riding a weasel. lol

[@stephenlofton5403]

So red is basically going to live or die based on how good Knights and/or draw 2 are.

[@acedemon3434]

Yes

[@crovax1375]

I think that Stormfist Crusader is going to be a key card in supporting the draw two theme that's in this set

[@acedemon3434]

@@crovax1375 it really is its a really nice card for the theme requires splashing tho since most of the cards are u/r

[@captainkarnage9874]

Just a reminder to everyone Damage Can't Be Prevented actually turns of part of the "Protection from" keyword

[@altromonte15]

also important to remember: "protection from" also protects from being targeted. That means you cannot use Stomp on a creature with protection: red, but it allows you to kill that creature through combat. Protection also protects from being blocked tho, so don't use it when the enemy is attacking, it doesn't allow you to block with a red creature.

[@spiritconsumer]

The problem i have with Burning-Yard Trainer is that its already 5 cost and gives another creature trample AND haste. The giving of trample is fine, but the fact it gives haste means you had to have casted ANOTHER creature that same turn to take full effect. I doubt you'll have enough mana later on to cast 2 creatures like that, AND as soon as you hit enough mana for this single guy you'd want to cast him....which means on turn 5. IDK i just am not 'feeling' that card as much as i should be i guess.

[@NizzahonMagic]

Yeah the Haste won't matter much, but 5 mana to add 5 trample damage that can attack right away is pretty good. I'm only one draft and one sealed in so far, but I had a pretty sweet RW Knight deck where the Trainer was pretty nice. I don't think he is great either though, obviously.

[@OneOfDisease]

I think SKullknocker Orge will be a great target for tricks, your opponent might be very willing to let him in to draw a card and if you can pump him after no blocks are declared that will feel really good.

[@NizzahonMagic]

Does not seem worth it.

[@CommanderGinyu]

To me bonecrusher is s straight up A. You’re forgetting two things: 1. it’s perfectly on curve. Removing a creature on two eot and casting a 4/3 with upside on 3 is great on its own and you’re spending only one card. 2. your opponent is pressured with very few resources and very early on. Problem with some adventures is that either spell or creature are underwhelming but with this one both are very good.

[@NizzahonMagic]

The thing to remember is it wont always be on curve, though. You are describing the ideal situation. You will get it later with regularity, it will still be good, but certainly not an A on a complex board.

[@n0obz27]

I wouldn't say A, maybe B to A-, but A is a ridiculously high grade, and... Yeah. At this point I've learned not to argue with Nizzahon, bc he knows more than me about limited, and is usually right.

[@ryanoswald8013]

What happens if you draw it late in a board stall? It kills a small creature and then the body may not even be relevant. That doesn't sound like a bomb.

[@animalheadskullx3362]

Oh man I been waiting all day on green, my first and favorite color. Super excited for it. Gg

[@irou95]

I think merchant of the vale is straight up bomb in the draw deck you filter out your bad draws and when you get to 6 mana you can do it on your opponents turn too but you need the bolt rare or the bitterblossom to be good

[@NizzahonMagic]

You and I have very different definitions of "bomb"

[@irou95]

@@NizzahonMagic it wins the game in 2-4 turns once it hits the field and it must be removed

[@NizzahonMagic]

It really doesn't, though. Not unless you have several payoffs in play for drawing 2. There aren't so many that it will always do that. Also, to be able to do it on your opponent's turn, you're going to need more than the Merchant, since it only draws you one card.

[@irou95]

@@NizzahonMagic merchant draws 2 if you have 6 mana

[@NizzahonMagic]

@@irou95 Good point - still nowhere near a bomb!

[@stepniak18]

I think that many non-human knight commons are deliberately under-powered because being a non-human knight in this set is enough of upside.

[@DinobotTM2]

I think Fires of Invention is begging for a deck with several artifacts/enchantments/creatures with expensive activated abilities. It's where i see it being the most useful.

[@WontonTV]

Fires of Invention + Merchant of the Vale is bonkers

[@TheeBuddylee]

Please recap by grade at the end, you're the best

[@urtarsmusicreviews8775]

Something that everyone has failed to notice is that with the opportunistic dragon, if you steal a human, you can fling the human.

[@NizzahonMagic]

Yep. You can Joust with it too, etc.,

[@Hanzelimpaired]

Hey Nizza, I wonder what do you think about Syr Carah's line "you may play that card THIS TURN." It's dfferent from Light Up The Stage effect. Unless you exile an instant she basically only works on her own if you tap her during your turn which then makes her 3/3 body useless. Is it nonetheless the best uncommon in the set to you?

[@NizzahonMagic]

Yes, it is still the best uncommon.

[@AhNoWiC]

Claim the firstborn is gonna be relevant in standard. Red black sacrifice decks are gonna love that shit.

[@henryr5905]

thanks so much for this video it is so useful

[@NizzahonMagic]

Glad to hear it!

[@rjphilla]

I think bonecrusher will be crushing all over limited! Awesome videos.

[@Valiguss]

Collected company 7 dwarves for the win

[@ShadowLynx777]

He gave something an A- , highest grade I've seen for Eldraine so far

[@NizzahonMagic]

Then you must not be watching all the videos.

[@ShadowLynx777]

@@NizzahonMagic Had the other 3 playing in the background at work XD sorry.

[@zonko]

Righteousness and Fling sounds disgusting

[@nickbalmes6640]

Skullknocker Ogre forces the opponent to RANDOMLY discard a card. I think that merits a bit of a higher grade :)

[@NizzahonMagic]

Nope.

[@SoggyWaffles.]

The point is they still control what cards they keep in hand

[@jakeapplegate6642]

Raymond Nico Balmes if it wasn’t random it would be completely unplayable.

[@faerie7dragon]

Ogre Knight!

[@nickbalmes6640]

a bit earlier than usual but I'm not complaining :)

[@tryzydrate]

I think redcap raiders will end up as a C+ or a B-

[@Matt-dc8lp]

Red seems weak

[@cspeeds96]

wooooo

[@ZeroFate643]

Barge In can't be used on blocks and can't be used to save a creature from removal. That's a lot of use cases down the drain, leaving you with a trick that only gives +2/+2 on attacks. All those restrictions along with the comparatively small buff sounds like a D.

[@NizzahonMagic]

I addressed everything you said in my grade.

[@ZeroFate643]

@@NizzahonMagic You gave it a C though.

[@NizzahonMagic]

@@ZeroFate643 Yep, and I explained why. Tricks are used 90% of the time when you are attacking, so i dont think it is enough of a downside, especially when Trample is in the mix

[@ddd09ish1]

Fat feel when Cinderella is red

[@ultimateo621]

Adventures draw a card.

[@Xan1011]

Where did you hear this? I can't find anything about that in the Oracle or any rule that says that?

[@Jonqen]

No

[@ares106]

goblins can't be knights

[@CatKebab]

you give everything a "c" rating

[@MineRoyale.]

It's almost like almost everything is average.