Locations
Friday is here and in a few hours we'll all be playing in our weekend prerelease events. Today I will be looking at the Green and Land cards in Theros: Beyond Death. At this point I think you guys know the drill, so let's just get it started.
And be sure to check out the other entries:
White | Blue | Black and Gold | Red and Artifacts
Rating - Explanation
1- This card is not making it into any of my Limited decks.
2- Not good, but a necessity for filling your curve and smoothing out your draws.
3- Value cards you are happy filling your deck with.
4- Cards to get excited about and premium removal.
5- Reserved for cards that will win the game if left unanswered.
Green
Arasta of the Endless Web - 4.5
Spiders may be scary, but that's not going to stop me from falling in love with this one. There do seem to be a fair amount of fliers in the set and that will make this card much better. Even if your opponent manages to remove it, you still get a bonus token that helps you stay on the board and gain an advantage.
The Binding of the Titans - 1.5
Disappointed that this Saga does almost nothing of value for 2 turns. Overall, I am not willing to put this in most of my decks unless I am sure to find a 10/10 target for chapter three.
Chainweb Aracnir - 3.5
Low mana cost and fine stats. Then after all of that, it comes back even better to help you close out the game. The Escape cost is very reasonable for what you get.
Destiny Spinner - 4
With the number of enchantments in the format it is hard to believe this card is an uncommon. This card kind of does it all. It is a two-mana 2/3 with no downsides, it bricks 1-3 spells in every Blue deck, and it adds massive power to the board late game. The only reason this card is not 4.5+ is because the amount of time it takes to implement the value.
Dryad of the Ilysian Grove - 3.5
Excited to use this card to ramp into the larger side of Green. It also counts as a source of fixing for a splash color, but I don't add much value for that because I doubt I will be splashing often. It's also an enchantment because why not!
This card seems great. For three mana you get a lot of value over three turns. It will be easy to run away with a game after casting this on three. The only thing I am not sure about is the fourth chapter. A gold token can add one mana of any color? Even though the card really didn't need any more value it seems like a bit of a let down for the fourth chapter.
Gift of Strength - 2
Like most pump spells in Limited you will typically find room for one or two of these. It is a solid combat trick.
Hydra's Growth - 3
The rating on this card is probably a bit higher than it should be. The removal in the format is strong and this will most likely get 2-for-1ed. I like this card at a three because of how quickly it can close out games if unanswered.
Hyrax Tower Scout - 2.5
Well-rounded filler. The stats are what I would expect to see for the mana cost. Some small upside can be found with the untap ability as well.
Ilysian Caryatid - 3.5
Great ramp and fixer. In all honesty I would have run this card without the "power 4 or greater" clause. Adding one mana to go from Llanowar Elves to adding any color seemed fair enough already.
Inspire Awe - 1.5
I don't think this will be playable in a typical deck, but I cannot wait to build around it and demolish someone with it. 10/10 Jank happiness.
Klothys's Design - 1
The average deck isn't going to be able to support this card. If you have some ramp and you are Mono-Green you could potentially fit this in.
Loathsome Chimera - 2.5
Happy enough to run this card if I have cards with the "power 4 or greater" clause, but without them this is going to be curve filler. The format seems low to the ground and this will be easy to kill. I would much rather spend my exile removal on something with more board presence.
Mantle of the Wolf - 4.5
This card will require an answer fast. Even if an opponent manages to find one, they will still have to deal with a fair amount of board presence. The fact that the card does not require the death of the creature to trigger the bonus is a really big deal. They cannot bounce or exile the creature to avoid the trigger.
Moss Viper - 2.5
Small snake doing small snake things. Happy to have this in all of my Green decks.
Mystic Repeal - 3
100% want these in the sideboard, but it shouldn't be hard to find room for them in the main deck. With so many enchantments in the format, it won't take long to find a good target, and it's an instant. Removing an aura seems like a great thing to do mid-combat!
Nessian Boar - 4
I am on the fence about how strong this card actually is. Using this card as a way to push through lethal might be a better plan than trying to attack each turn forcing blocks. Getting double blocked and killed seems like poor value when opponents are replacing their cards. Set it up so your other creatures are lethal, then attack to force your opponent's whole board to block this. Shouldn't be hard to do in Green.
Reading this card makes me really sad. I know I am going to lose to this 2-drop a lot more than is reasonable. I don't want to die to a 2-drop...
Nessian Wanderer - 3.5
The stats are fine for the mana cost but the real value of this card is getting you free lands. This card will ensure that you are casting your big creatures on curve and pressuring the board. Happy to have this in every Green deck.
Nexus Wardens - 2
Gaining 2 life doesn't seem particularly strong for a constellation trigger, but the stats are fine for the mana cost. Fine filler.
Nylea, Keen-Eyed - 5
I like that this god can actually help you turn it into a creature. Gods like Erebos, Bleak-Hearted actually have abilities that make it harder to turn on! Nylea can give you card advantage and become a big beater much easier than any of the others.
Nylea's Forerunner - 2.5
A simple enchantment creature that will make your big idiots more valuable - Nyxborn Colossus. The toughness is a little light, so I wouldn't expect this card to put in a lot of work himself. Try to pair this with cards like Captivating Unicorn.
Nylea's Huntmaster - 2.5
Fine stats for the cost, and there is always the chance you get to kill someone with its enter the battlefield effect. Might have more value in decks with fliers.
Very disappointed to see that the Green intervention is so unplayable after how amazing all the others were. Not looking forward to opening this as my rare and foil rare at the next Grand Prix.
Nyx Herald - 3.5
Good base stats and it can make combat a bit tricky for your opponent if you are aggressive enough. Lots of synergy to be found with enchantment creatures.
Nyxbloom Ancient - 1
If you like overpaying for your 5/5s this is the card for you! If you have enough mana to cast this you don't really need its ability. I would stay away from this card.
Nyxborn Colossus - 2
Top end filler. I think this will work well if you have Setessan Training to give it trample. He is also an enchantment, so any synergies will make this a reasonable addition to your deck.
Omen of the Hunt - 3
This is one of the few cards that actually lets you put the land into play. Another thing to notice is that it is actually fixing; some of the cards in this set only allow you to find a basic of the same color you already used to cast it - The Birth of Meletis.
Solid body that will be able to kill almost any creature not in Green. Definitely happy to play this card.
Plummet - 1
Make sure to pick these up for your sideboard, but I don't see a reason to ever start a match with this in your deck.
Relentless Pursuit - 2.5
The real value in this card is that it fuels the graveyard. Maybe it can find big bombs if they are in the deck, but it will always get its value back and help you recast escape cards.
Renata, Called to the Hunt - 4.5
This card is great! I doubt it will be able to attack much, but adding a counter to other things is going to add up really fast.
Return to Nature - 3
Easy to find a spot for this card in Theros. Even in Best of One in Arena I would try to find a place for this card, if for no other reason than to find something to hit.
I think someone copy/pasted incorrectly. How did the editors not see that it had the words "counter" and "draw" on it. Someone should be fired. Excited to chain enchantments in the late game with this card.
Bad stats for the cost. Ideally this card will not be in my starting 40, but I can see it being great out of the board against an aggressive Rakdos deck.
Low stats for two mana. If you are triggering constellation consistently enough it might be worth it, but I don't like that it does not add any lasting value. I would rather not play this if it's not needed for my curve.
Setessan Training - 2.5
The fact that this card replaces itself makes it worth running. Ideally you will wait until you have something big in play, but if you don't, feel free to cycle it to trigger constellation.
Two-mana 2/2s are fine filler stats. Some upside if you are running cards that need fuel in the graveyard, but there is no value in its ability on its own.
Voracious Typhon - 3.5
Solid body for the cost and it adds a lot of card advantage by coming back. I would expect to cast this more than once for its escape cost but I doubt we will need to.
I like a fight card with a little bonus. If they remove the creature afterwards, this card will already have gotten its value. Keep in mind they can kill your creature in response, so make sure to pick your spot carefully.
Wolfwillow Haven - 3.5
The ability to ramp early game while not being a dead draw late is really interesting. Being able to create a body once the mana is no longer needed means there is no downside to running it. Glad to have this in Big Green.
Top 5 Green Commons
Land
Field of Ruin - 1
The lands in this set are not powerful enough to want to play something like Field of Ruin in Limited. I think the only relevant target would be Labyrinth of Skophos, but even then it is probably not worth sideboarding in.
Labyrinth of Skophos - 3.5
Using this land with big creatures or creatures with trample will be a lot of fun. This will allow you to stop double blocks, or even remove a block on a trample creature and still do damage to the opponent.
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Temple of Abandon / Temple of Deceit / Temple of Enlightenment / Temple of Malice / Temple of Plenty - 3
If you are in these colors why wouldn't you run them? If I am not overly worried about my mana on turns 4 and 5 I will probably play one of these for just the one color to get the free scry. It's minor, but could be helpful.
Unknown Shores - 1.5
I would only run this card if I didn't have too many double color casting cost cards, and had a really important splash card.
That's it! Now we can stop looking at these cards and go play them. Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts. Until next time!
MTG Nerd Girl
Twitter: @MTGNerdGirl
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