The big question in Standard remains the same: How can Mirrodin Besieged affect the format and the metagame? Today, I'm continuing the search for answers to this question by taking a look at every card in MB and giving it a grade for Standard play.

White

Accorder Paladin – The difference between 1 and 2 toughness isn't a huge deal in Standard at the moment. Cards like Pyroclasm, Burst Lightning, and Disfigure are being used, but not many things that just punish 1 toughness. As a result, this card is kind of like an improved version of Goblin Wardriver, another card already seeing Standard play. It hits for more and it's easier to cast. Three power for 2 mana is okay, but this card is only worth using if you're going to abuse the Battle Cry with a creature swarm. A

Ardent Recruit – Any time you have a one-drop that can reasonably be a 3/3, it's constructed-playable. It has potential in both Quest White Weenie and Tempered Steel decks. The Recruit is especially good with Master's Call and cards like Memnite. A-

Banishment Decree – It's really flexible and it's an instant, but 5 mana is just too much for a reactive, one-for-one card in Standard. I could see it making the cut in some draft decks, but not in constructed. D-

Choking Fumes – Very situational, it's at best a sideboard card if small swarm decks get really popular. It's a mediocre combat trick in limited. D+

Divine Offering – Another possible sideboard card. Naturalize and Solemn Offering are usually better because of their versatility. If the environment becomes mostly about artifacts and almost no enchantments, which it may, this reprint will get an upgrade. C+

Frantic Salvage – At the moment, this isn't really playable, but it's the type of card that combo decks like. Perhaps if someone comes up with an artifact deck with some combination of Ichor Wellspring, Ratchet Bomb, and Throne of Geth, it will become usable. The main problem is that it's slow; it's 4 mana and awful until you get a selection of artifacts into your graveyard. C-

Gore Vassal – Yes it's versatile, but it's still terrible. It doesn't help that it can do many things if it's bad at all of them. 2/1 for 3 isn't good. -1/-1 for 3 is lame. You get the picture. D

Hero of Bladehold – Has potential as a top-of-the-curve creature for a swarm deck or as a featured creature in a control deck. One of the best ways to measure how good a creature is in constructed is to compare the damage it deals to its casting cost. In this case, even if it's your only creature when you start your attack, it essentially hits for 7, which is pretty good for 4 mana. The fact that it can continue to multiply only makes it more exciting. B+

Kemba's Legion – To play a seven-drop in constructed, it needs to be a complete game-breaker. Fail. F

Leonin Relic-Warder – 2/2 for 2 is okay, but unless you know its ability will be relevant, it's not good enough. Could see some run as a sideboard card. C+

Leonin Skyhunter – A 2/2 flyer for 2 is good. Could see play in Quest WW, but the double White probably makes it not good enough for Boros. B

Loxodon Partisan – A bad version of Hero of Bladehold, it will get some play in limited, but not constructed. D-

Master's Call – A fantastic card for a Tempered Steel deck and not bad for getting Metalcraft either. Generally good for any deck that wants both lots of creatures and lots of artifacts. Two 1/1s is not a lot of power, but if your deck can exploit the two-for-one aspect, it's a good card. A-

Mirran Crusader – This is already a solid card in Standard. It made an appearance in multiple decks at Pro Tour: Paris—Blue/White control and Boros. Not only is it a three-drop that can hit for 4, but with equipment, it can do huge chunks of damage. In addition, protection from Black and Green is extremely relevant in Standard right now. Decks like Blue/Black control, Poison, and Vampires suffer from the protection from Black. Decks like Elves and various Ramp decks find the protection from Green annoying. The main weakness is that it has 2 toughness for 3 mana. A

Phyrexian Rebirth – The problem with this card in constructed is that it compares poorly with Day of Judgment. Sure, it can sometimes give you a big threat, but there are rarely huge numbers of creatures in play in constructed when you get to 6 mana. Second, you usually need to clear the board of multiple creatures well before you get to 6 mana. On the other hand, this card is a bomb in limited. The cool thing about it in constructed is that it allows you to play with a creature swarm and a Wrath effect in the same deck, and you can play out your creatures. C+

Priests of Norn – A solid creature against some aggro decks, but Infect usually wants to be the aggro deck. The combination of 4 toughness for 3 mana and Vigilance is pretty cool with Infect. Without Infect, a 1/4 creature would never make it past blockers and wouldn't discourage most attackers. With Infect, however, you get a 1/4 that is great for both protecting and serving. The biggest problem may be the fact that Infect doesn't seem to be Tier 1 right now. B

Tine Shrike – A 2-power evasion creature would be great for Infect, but a 1-toughness creature for 4 mana that doesn't have a come-into-play effect just isn't worth it in constructed. C-

Victory's Herald – Six mana is a lot to pay for a creature that doesn't do anything the turn you play it, dies to many 2-mana Black instants, and isn't an amazing blocker. Among other things, if you're spending 6 mana on a creature, you should probably be playing a Titan or a Wurmcoil Engine. C-

White Sun's Zenith – This actually seems like it could be a good finisher for a control deck or a deck with explosive mana. In Blue/White control, it could be cool to make instant-speed blockers to protect Jace, the Mind Sculptor, while also reshuffling your deck. B

Blue

Blue Sun's Zenith – Slow, but powerful. Could be a good one- or two-of in a Blue control deck. Great with Psychosis Crawler. In a long control-on-control game, it could even be used to deck your opponent. B

Consecrated Sphinx – Pretty good creature even for 6 mana, but still not as good as a Titan most of the time. It's nice that at 6 mana your opponent may have to wait until his main phase to deal with it, and you'll have drawn a couple cards by then. B-

Corrupted Conscience – It's a good card when you consider its power level versus its mana cost. The problem is that it's not very exciting in constructed unless you're playing Infect with Blue. B

Cryptoplasm – The fact that it has to spend at least a turn as a 2/2 for 3 mana makes it too weak. It's possible it might end up being part of some sort of combo deck, but unlikely. C-

Distant Memories – This card is just worse than Diabolic Tutor, and the Tutor is barely playable in constructed. If you're going to pay on your turn, it should be for Jace. D-

Fuel for the Cause – Proliferate just isn't a good enough bonus to make it worth paying 4 mana for a counter. Perhaps someone will design a base Blue deck that uses lots of things that like Proliferate and change my mind, but I doubt it. C−

Mirran Spy – I have trouble imagining how to abuse this in Standard. The problem is that while it might be nice to untap some cool elf, this dude needs artifacts, not elves. D

Mitotic Manipulation – This is another card that seems hard to use, never mind abuse. Perhaps in a mono-Blue deck with lots of cool permanents where at least you can get more Islands into play. D

Neurok Commando – I like this card. The combination of Shroud and card drawing makes for a three-drop with exciting potential. A control deck with lots of removal and permission should be able to abuse this card. It seems like it would at least be a good sideboard card against decks with few blockers. B+

Oculus – This card compares so poorly with Wall of Omens that I don't see it getting used. Maybe if it was a cooler creature type, like a Merfolk. C−

Quicksilver Geyser – Like Banishment Decree, being 5 mana probably makes it too expensive for constructed, but at least it only requires and deals with two permanents. The fact that you can bounce one of your opponent's things, while bouncing something of yours that you want returned, might allow it to find a spot in a deck. D+

Serum Raker – Even if you build your deck wanting to discard cards, I have trouble imagining a 3/2 for 4 being viable. D−

Spire Serpent – If you're going to spend 5 mana on a creature, it needs to have either Haste, evasion, or a cool ability. D−

Steel Sabotage – If artifact decks become popular enough, it could be a good sideboard card. This is especially true for decks that aren't playing White, Green, or Red, and thus have trouble destroying artifacts. B−

Treasure Mage – This card was played by Patrick Chapin at PT: Paris. I like this card because it's a cheap creature that allows me to play with single copies of expensive cards. I don't like having a deck full of six-drops, but now I can still draw them in a timely fashion even if I'm playing with very few of them. A−

Turn the Tide – A combat trick that's barely playable in limited. F

Vedalken Anatomist – A 1/2 for 3 that doesn't do anything for a whole turn better do something awesome. Fail. F

Vedalken Infuser – See Vedalken Anatomist. F

Vivisection – Not how I would typically want to spend 4 mana at sorcery speed. Usually, I want to affect the board or play Jace. However, I could see it being powerful if you have lots of creatures that you would be fine sacrificing, like Bloodghast or Oculus. C+