Locations
Today I want to talk about a creature type that doesn't get a ton of love in Magic: Warlocks! As far as I could tell, there are no Warlock lords, and there are only 141 Warlocks in the game in total, which is a pretty low number when you compare it to something like elves, of which there are 614 (I thought there would be more, lol).
In fact, a search for oracle text says that only three cards reference the Warlock creature type! Another interesting fact is that the first Warlock ever printed was in Magic Core Set 2010, then there wasn't another Warlock printed until Throne of Eldraine in 2019! 139 of the 141 Warlocks were all printed in 2020 or later!
Few Warlocks as there are, I looked through the list of them, and picked out some of my favorites, which is what we're going to go over today. Some are old and some are new, but I think they're all pretty cool.
Let's begin!
Aloe Alchemist
Aloe Alchemist is a newer gent, but aren't they all? He's seen and is seeing quite a bit of play in Pioneer right now, in some of the more aggressive decks. While he's a pretty good deal as a 3/2 trampler for 2 mana, the real benefit is when you plot him, which basically treats him like a free pump spell. The Alchemist has some great synergies alongside creatures like Heartfire Hero and Burning-Tree Emissary.
While I'm not sure if the Alchemist will end up as one of the all-time best Warlocks when history looks back on it, I am sure that this little plant with a cowboy hat is doing solid work right now, and that counts for something. Specifically, it counts for three extra damage and trample.
Abyssal Harvester
I've spoken about this guy before, and I still think it's a great Warlock. There were even a couple copies present in a recent Rakdos Pioneer list, and that just makes me happy. If Dauthi Voidwalker was a Warlock, I'd include it here, but it isn't, so we get the Harvester instead.
I don't know. This guy still just feels very strong. I just want to kill an opponent's Griselbrand or Atraxa, Grand Unifier, then get a free nightmare copy. Do people know you don't even have to sacrifice the Harvester to use this ability?! Just feels like it should be seeing a bit more play, but what do I know?
Archpriest of Shadows
I saw this card appear in one Pioneer deck last year... well, in 2023... and I thought it was awesome. I don't think it's really made any waves since then, but the backup mechanic is pretty interesting. It's basically like saying "This creature has haste as long as you have another creature in play."
Having a 2/2 in play, for example, that suddenly becomes a 3/3 with deathtouch, that can reanimate a creature when it deals combat damage is a pretty cool ability. At worst, you're at least killing something if they can't deal with the creature, and either way, the Archpriest is still on the board to do it again herself on the next turn.
Eris, Roar of the Storm
Eris is another cool card that I found after it was played in a few Legacy decks. While it didn't become a Legacy staple, this is a 4/4 with flying and prowess that makes 4/4 Elemental Dragons and should be pretty easily castable at a great discount. Tossing a Force of Will, Force of Negation, Daze, and Brainstorm in the graveyard, you then have a two-mana 4/4! Regardless of whether or not Eris becomes a staple in any Constructed formats, it still feels like a great card to consider for Cubes.
Hopeful Initiate
Ironically, White is the second most common color for Warlocks on this list. Hopeful Initiate is a great aggro card, which feels weird for a Warlock, but being able to destroy an artifact or enchantment seems like a pretty common Warlock ability, which makes sense. Add on training so the Initiate gets larger, along with being a 1/2 to begin with, and we have an absolute banger of a deal for 1 mana.
Priest of Fell Rites
The Priest is a cool Modern Horizons 2 card that I feel like didn't hit its stride until a bit after it was released. While it saw marginal play in 2021 and 2022, the majority of its play seems to be in 2023 and 2024.
The Priest is basically an updated Unburial Rites, in that it acts as a reanimate spell that you can cast twice if you're in both Black and White, with both pros and cons. On the one hand you can attack in the meantime while waiting to reanimate. On the other hand, this can be killed before you're able to reanimate something, assuming you didn't unearth it, giving it haste.
Sedgemoor Witch
The Witch is just a cool, well-rounded creature. It's a 3/2 for three, it has menace, it has ward, and it makes tokens with very little effort. I actually love cards that cost less than 4 mana and have some form of evasion to help you ninjutsu a Fallen Shinobi.
Sedgemoor Witch is also an infinite combo with cards like Chain of Smog (or specifically Chain of Smog), where you can infinitely target yourself and make infinite Pest tokens.
Witch Enchanter
Another very recent addition, With Enchanter is not just a Warlock, but also a land! Is there anything Warlocks can't do? This is a pretty basic ability that four-mana cards like Absolver Thrull have been presenting for years, but the fact that you can just slot the Enchanter into your deck as a land for free (a potentially untapped land, no less!) while also giving you a "free" way to get rid of both artifacts and enchantments is chef's kiss.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll catch ya next time!
Frank Lepore
