It's time once again for another Pauper set review! Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate is a massive set filled with tons of great commons. There's so much to talk about, I'm going to be splitting my review into two articles once again. Many of the cards in this set thankfully don't feel quite so broken the way cards in the first Commander Legends release did, but there's still tons of great roleplayers and tools across the board. As such I'm going to talk about most of the cards short of the ones that require commanders and a couple oddball cards beyond that. There's tons to talk about, though, so let's dive straight in!

Before diving into the set proper, I wanted to touch on a single mechanic: the initiative. This mechanic is basically akin to an all-new version of the monarch mechanic, and as such it's got some players worried. Monarch has become a monstrous card advantage engine in many decks, so it's natural that something like this would concern players. Initiative is very different from the monarch, though, in that it ventures into a dungeon with a myriad of different effects. Some are good, some are less good, and others still require you to have the right cards to work well.

For example, if you have no creatures, you can't get the +1/+1 counters on the left side. If you don't go that route, however, you can't dome the opponent for five. There's a lot of strategy and you only go further into the undercity once per turn without any other additional venture abilities. This could make venturing better, or it could just end up being fine. It could even be far more busted than it would appear at first glance here. Right now, with each of these cards, I think they have to prove themselves, as most of these abilities aren't quite the same level as getting a card every turn like the monarch provides.

Like monarch cards, though, some of these will prove to be better than others. Goliath Paladin fills a similar role in size to Palace Sentinels and Aarakocra Sneak has a sizeable toughness that keeps it in the game longer than most creatures. Stirring Bard is one of the more interesting creatures, being a stable blocker and being able to buff your other creatures in the process. Trailblazer's Torch likely isn't that great at four mana, but colorless initiative isn't something to easily write off. The worst of the bunch are Avenging Hunter, Underdark Explorer, and Vicious Battlerager, which are largely just underwhelming attackers that come down too late and do too little beyond the initiative.

Of all the cards in the set, these will be the most interesting to see play out, and I'm sure many players will be keeping a very close eye on them in the coming months.

Astral Confrontation

An unconditional exile at four mana is solid for Pauper, but the problem is that removal is generally so much better in the format that you won't want this outside of fringe opportunities. White already uses the much better Journey to Nowhere and once you add other colors, you get access to the likes of Lightning Bolt, Galvanic Blast, Cast Down, and so on. The likelihood of this seeing play is extremely low, but does have at least some slim potential that someone will want to try it out in extremely low quantities.

Bane's Invoker

Invokers are back! These creatures have shown up quite a bit throughout Magic's lifespan and always do the same general thing. Each has a generally solid body for its mana cost with an ability costing eight mana for an effect. Some of these effects are bigger than others, but many have seen play over the years in Pauper. Specifically, Valakut Invoker and Wildheart Invoker have both seen play as finishers over the years. Bane's Invoker kicks off another of these cycles in Battle for Baldur's Gate and it's a solid one. Buffing two creatures and granting them evasion, but is it solid enough for Pauper? Sadly, no, it isn't. The decks that have that mana probably have better ways to spend it and flying as evasion doesn't always get you that far in a format built around cheap fliers.

Blessed Hippogriff

Adventures make their return with Battle for Baldur's Gate as well! Last seen in Throne of Eldraine, we never got that many powerful variations of these effects at common. In this set, however, there's a number of fairly decent ones. Blessed Hippogriff is very much one of these choices. The spell side grants you indestructibility at instant speed, which is helpful in a lot of scenarios but is particularly solid for the likes of Mono-White Heroic. The fact that you end up with a solid cost body that grants your attackers additional evasion is honestly just gravy. This is an excellent tool for the format's aggressive White lists.

Flaming First Officer

Ninth Bridge Initiate already exists and rarely - though occasionally - sees any play. That being a whole mana less already likely knocks this card out of contention, however it's possible that with more of this kind of effect that we'll see a deck crop up around the archetype. If it doesn't make the cut in your typical format, however, there's always a possibility that deck shows up in Historic Pauper - a format that shows up rarely on MTG Arena - if this makes it into Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate.

Greatsword of Tyr

Greatsword of Tyr was one of the two cards that I had the pleasure of previewing right here on CoolStuffInc.com and I think most of what I said there is just as true here. Basically, I think this is a card that will end up being potentially playable in White Weenies as it comes down cheaply and powers up your creatures while allowing you to get blockers through. I saw some comments comparing this unfavorably to Bonesplitter and I don't necessarily think that that's an appropriate comparison. One gives just buffs while the other gives a smaller(-ish) buff but also taps down opposing creatures. It's kind of apples to oranges in that they both have somewhat different roles to play.

I wouldn't really expect to see this anywhere else, though. Bogles and Heroic both have better ways to set up evasion and don't really get buffs from equipping a creature the way you would most other spells. In Heroic's case, you don't get a trigger from equipping, and Bogles cares about enchantments and not artifacts. Most other White decks are more go-wide and don't care about this sort of effect, so as is, it's looking like it's just White Weenies or bust for this card.

Guardian Naga

This is another adventure card that looks really sweet. Most games you're likely to just be playing it for the instant side and not the creature. After all, you need to get to seven mana in a color not exactly known for getting that much mana on the board at one time. Still, it's a good option for more controlling decks looking to both exile artifacts - a very real need right now with Affinity as prevalent as it is - while also providing a solid finisher on the backside. To that end, I think it's a card that will be playable and have a home, though the applications will be somewhat narrow.

Guiding Bolt

There's long been comparable cards to this that have already been legal in the format. I don't think tacking scry 2 onto this is better than scry 1 and hitting more creatures of Skywhaler's Shot. Similarly, I'd value the opportunity to cycle over getting the scry with the effect that Radiant's Judgment provides. Neither of those see play except for possibly once in a Blue moon, so this card is very much an easy pass.

Icewind Stalwart

Hey look, an Ordinary Pony that's black bordered! It might cost a little more and lacks the card-merging aspect, but it's still a solid creature that also flickers other creatures. I suppose a more familiar, non-common comparison would be something like Restoration Angel in this case. Either way, this is another card I talked about in my preview article last Monday where I basically said this is a great option for Flicker decks more than anything. That remains true, as it provides a flicker effect while basically acting as an extra Mnemonic Wall or similar when utilizing Ghostly Flicker. This works by flickering the Wall and Stalwart with Ghostly Flicker, providing one Wall trigger, and then you get a second Wall trigger from the Stalwart flicker. This allows you to get back multiple spells.

Obviously, you can do this with more than just Mnemonic Wall as well. It's great to flicker your usual targets like Stonehorn Dignitary and Mulldrifter too. You can even use it in more traditional White-focused decks for things like flickering Thraben Inspector, Search Party Captain, and Spirited Companion. The mana cost and the lack of flash (which I have to imagine this card had at some point in its development because otherwise it's a bit of a flavor fail) make it a tougher sell, but I still think it has a home.

Martial Impetus

And here we reach our first Impetus card. Each of the cards in this cycle - which includes a couple of downshifts, like this one - are meant for multiplayer and it definitely shows. The idea with them is that you can put them on an opponent's creature and basically make your opponents fight one another, thereby breaking up board stalls.

In the context of Pauper, this doesn't really exist, and as such goading an opponent's creature will just get it to attack you instead. Yes, it works this way, as they only attack opponents if able, which they aren't here. Since there's no other opponents to attack, the creatures just come at you instead. Not exactly the kind of thing you want to do in a Constructed format. If you suit up your own creature, however, you can turn it into a continual attacker with additional buffs as well. Here it pumps up your own board regularly, granting a repeated anthem - a rarity in Pauper. That said, it still costs three mana and requires constant attacking, which isn't ideal. So, it may have a place in go-wide weenies strategies, but probably won't make the cut.

Pegasus Guardian

This is a one-time, one target flicker that can also grant you a decent flier which creates a swarm of tokens in the right deck later on in the game. The problem is, the adventure side doesn't do a whole ton on its own. It's why you don't see cards like Cloudshift get played. What's more, the creature side is expensive and not that big, and requires additional support to pay off the token generation. What you're left with is a card that seems somewhat interesting on its face, but in practice isn't going to be as good as it looks. Stick to the existing flicker cards that already dominate in the format.

Recruitment Drive

Now here's a card that I think is really interesting. Variance is never an ideal thing you want in Magic and is certainly something you want to minimize, but this doesn't look too terrible. If you basically think of this as a Master's Call (for non-artifact creatures) that half the time makes 2/2s or better, it's not the worst deal in the world. It does have to compare against the myriad of other token effects that exist in the format, most of which don't see much play, and that means this probably won't either. If the right token support comes along, though, I could see a world where this shows up a bit.

Roving Harper

When we just got Spirited Companion and Inspiring Overseer, I find it really hard to justify a card like this. It's bigger than Companion, but costs more, and doesn't really do anything. I'd rather just play some of the others if I wanted the card draw. That having been said, though, more card draw options in White are always welcome and having a wealth of these effects could lead to a deck utilizing them all in one place. Both Companion and Overseer already see play in White Weenies, so I guess there's always a chance. But that's really going to be it as far as possibilities for this card go, I think. Maybe Pestilence as an outside chance due to the multiple toughness points, but I'm not entirely holding my breath.

Scouting Hawk

I saw a little bit of hype for this as a cheap ramp in White on an evasive creature. We've had similar effects before, though, most notably on Kor Cartographer. While I think that card has seen play in the past, it sure hasn't for several years now. This effect doesn't even guarantee you the land drop either, and I wouldn't bet on it getting you there against several matchups as Pauper is well known for its notoriously low land counts. This one feels like it's a pretty easy skip for me.

Steadfast Unicorn

If Sea Gate Banneret doesn't see play, this probably won't either. They're basically the same cards (in the context of Pauper anyways) except this one you can only activate it on your turn and its activation cost is cheaper. Even though it's cheaper, it's almost certainly still too costly to warrant playing, especially since you'll likely only get to activate it once a turn.

Your Temple Is Under Attack

Board wipes are getting stronger and stronger in Pauper, so having another outlet for indestructible with some flexibility is nice. The flip side, however, is a bit rougher. Getting to draw cards yourself in a pinch is great, but the fact is that your opponent is also drawing two cards. If they were drawing just one card while you got two, this would be better, but that's just too much going to your opponent to be passibly good. This overall just feels like a pass to me, especially when Rootborn Defenses is right there.

You're Confronted by Robbers

Tapping down multiple creatures to go in for a big swing or swarming the board is some really big game - especially at instant speed. There's a ton of flexibility on this card that makes me think it can be extremely good in the right list. Four mana is a lot - especially for Pauper standards - but I feel like it can find a home somewhere.

Blur

Remember what I said about one-time flickers not being that great? Yeah, that's kind of how I feel with this. At three mana, I'd rather just play Ghostly Flicker or even Displace because of the higher value you're likely to get from flickering multiple creatures. Still, stapling a guaranteed cantrip here isn't the worst, and can be an easy way to go off with one target. I could see this in small doses in something like Familiars where the cost can get lowered as a way to just get a repeat card draw going with only one Mnemonic Wall or Archaeomancer on the board.

Draconic Lore

Instant speed draw threes don't really exist in Pauper, and this having a mode to decrease its cost is huge. The catch, though, is that there aren't many dragons in the format. This set brought in a ton, though, and it's clear that Wizards is willing to print more at common. As such, I could see this maybe not quite making it now due to the prohibitively high cost, but if we get some playable dragons or the right deck comes around utilizing the few good dragons in this set, it could be a big card.

Dragonborn Looter

We've gotten a lot of looters like this over the years that cost mana to activate and none have been good. This having the dragon creature type may make it a little better due to possible interactions that can pop up thanks to the creature type (think Foul-Tongue Invocation) but I doubt this will end up seeing that much play because of it.

Goggles of Night

Equippable Ophidian Eye with scry for a cheap cost? Sign me up! This is a really sweet card and definitely one that could easily see some play. It's a card advantage engine in a format (and color) known for evasive threats. What's not to love about that? All that remains to be seen now is if it finds a proper home and where it'll end up if it does.

Kenku Artificer

This... is a dangerous card. This is one of the few cards in this set that I can look at and go, "yeah, this could be problematic." The obvious place to put this is in Affinity - a deck filled with far more noncreature artifacts as opposed to creatures. This just gets better when you combine it with the Modern Horizons 2 bridges, as you can end up making indestructible 3/3 fliers with it. The card does still cost three mana, though, and Affinity lists have gotten fairly tight, so it'll be interesting to see where this card lands in the end. I know that I, for one, am very curious to see how it ends up faring in the end, as it seems like a card that could be stone cold busted or end up a lot more niche than it looks.

Orbs of Dragonkind

Normally I'd try to talk about each card individually for most cycles as they can often do different things - even if they're somewhat similar. As such, you'll see the Impetus cards spread out over both days, same with the Invoker cards, and so on. Here, though, I feel it's easiest to just talk about them all at once, because simply put they aren't that great. They're mana rocks that are too slow and narrow to be realistically relevant and their secondary abilities are all but worthless in Pauper.

Prior to this set, there were only eight common dragons and none were particularly good. This set nearly quadruples that number on its own, but it's likely that few of the dragons will be very relevant and the ones that are you probably won't want to be casting off of these, even with the bonus. If the stars align right and Pauper gets some really good common dragons in the coming years, then there's a chance that these could be worth playing. Generally speaking, however, I wouldn't hold my breath. Leave them to Commander where they belong.

Nimbleclaw Adept

Untapping multiple permanents isn't something we've really ever seen in Pauper like this without the help of Ghostly Flicker or the like. The problem here is that this card doesn't pass the Lightning Bolt test, costs four mana, does nothing when it hits the board, and its ability can only be used once a turn (and on your turn at that). That's a lot of things holding this back and without a way to abuse it, I feel like it's going to be left in the cold.

Oceanus Dragon

I'm not too big on these stats. Six mana is a lot in Pauper, especially for a 3/5 flier. However, it both taps a creature and simultaneously goads it. That can help you get a solid attack in and also force a bad attack from your opponent. Still, that feels like big magical Christmas land energy and ultimately, this thing's going to be forever left in bulk bins where it likely belongs.

Pseudodragon Familiar

A Wind Drake that can give multiple creatures flying is definitely interesting, but paying three mana per creature is a lot. Most decks will only get one activation a turn out of that and on occasion two. What's more, Keen Glidemaster already could do this and was cheaper to play, even though it doesn't have flying itself. The rate isn't great, and the effect has already been in the format for a while. Pass on this card.

Psychic Impetus

The Impetus can be solid if put on your own creatures. You don't exactly want to give your opponents' creatures +2/+2, force them to attack, and give them scry. That said, even while the buffs can be solid, I don't think it's good in Pauper given the sheer number of better auras that already exist.

Sea Hag

This is a solid adventure card at common. Giving multiple creatures of yours unblockable pumps on the front end and then a decent bodied creature that severely downgrades your opponents critters for a turn can be great. The biggest strike against this is that there really isn't a deck that wants it. The whole package is rock solid, though, so even if it won't find a home right now, it can easily

Stunning Strike

With every other set, we get a fresh variant on this kind of effect. This one's cheaper than a lot of the current options, has flash, and the bit regarding legendary status can be ignored since there are no played common legendary creatures. That said, none of these effects get played, and certainly not at 3 mana. This is an easy pass.

Sword Coast Serpent

Now here's a really good adventure spell. The adventure side Unsummons - a solid tempo play - and you can get a giant finisher if the game goes long. I definitely misread the creature face's ability as the typical serpent "can't attack unless..." text (you're definitely imagining if you saw that text in this review previously). As is, though, it's not hard in the slightest to make this an unblockable house and makes for a great control endgame card. I wouldn't call this a slam dunk playable, but it sure looks like a damn fine one to me.

Tymora's Invoker

Invokers don't do a lot as is, but drawing two cards for eight mana is hardly anything. This is arguably a bit better than Vivien's Grizzly in that it can allow you to play your noncreature spells as well, making this a potential option for decks that sometimes like that card (Elves and Wonderwalls, primarily). Those decks make this work because they can produce such absurd amounts of mana that the cost to use the ability is pretty much negligible. Still, while it may show up in those lists, that's pretty much it. This card is just going to be bad everywhere else.

Winter Eladrin

Man-O'-War is not the card it used to be nowadays - unless you're playing Limited that is. In Pauper, though, it hasn't been good in a long time. This does have the faerie creature type, however, which may make this a card that gets tried in the usual Faeries lists. If it does, I'd expect it to show up a bit more in the Mono-Blue lists compared to the others which would rather kill creatures as opposed to bouncing them. The biggest strikes against this card is it costs three mana - a problem for a deck that likes casting 1- and 2-drops - and the lack of flash. Not that this card could have flash at three mana, I think, but still. This card will ultimately live or die by whether it makes it in that deck, and if it doesn't show up there, then I doubt it'll find a real home in Pauper.

Young Blue Dragon

This adventure feels a lot more meh to me. A more expensive halfway Preordain on the front end is not that great, and an expensive french vanilla card on the back end simply doesn't excite me. Adventure cards benefit from the flexibility of both sides, which does hold me back from saying this is unplayable trash, but realistically this probably isn't going to see play in such an eternal format like this.

Armor of Shadows

This card is in a weird spot. It's a cheaper form of Rush of Vitality minus the lifelink part, and that is a card that has seen play in the past. However, the lifelink aspect is part of what makes Rush of Vitality so good. It's certainly possible this shows up here and there as a way to keep your creatures alive, but it just seems so mediocre I'm not sure it'll end up making the cut.

Arms of Hadar

This is a really expensive sorcery speed wrath. However, it's one of the only ones - if not the only one period - where the wrath is one-sided. That alone makes me think this card has a shot. It's certainly more niche, and decks that utilize wipes already have ways to benefit their board post-wipe, so I'm not sure how good this actually ends up. The unique potential is very much there, though, and I have to imagine this is a card that will show up here and there.

Atrocious Experiment

This is another Read the Bones variant but instead of scrying two, you mill two. I think I'd rather have the scry, but there's enough decks that can make good use of the milling thanks to delve and Reanimator strategies that I could see this making a cut. Those are the only circumstances, though, and with the current state of card draw in the format, I doubt it'll end up largely making the cut.

Chain Devil

We've seen Fleshbag Marauder cards come and go (heck, even that card got downshifted in the last Commander Legends). This one is unique in that your opponents can't sacrifice tokens. That's a big help against decks like Bogles in that the normal edict protection provided by cards like Cartouche of Solidarity and Khalni Garden basically do nothing against this. Most of the Fleshbag Marauder variants haven't proved very good in the format, so I doubt this will either, but that niche sort of application make me feel like this one in particular will have at least a little more potential.

Ghastly Death Tyrant

Everything about this card screams that it's too expensive to be even remotely playable and is almost never going to be good. Giving your creatures all deathtouch is largely going to be irrelevant by the time you're playing this, and the enchantment hate is very niche. There's maybe a world where this sees some sideboard play in Reanimator strategies, but I just don't see it overall.

Gray Slaad

This seems great for a Tortured Existence style of deck. With that kind of deck, you actively want to mill yourself and it's not hard to turn on the creature side's buff once you've filled up your bin a bit. This is the kind of thing that can lead to a more aggressive variant of that sort of deck and I'd love to see it. I think this is a card with niche potential but when it shows up, it's going to be a house.

Guildsworn Prowler

This card is fantastic. It's a highly aggressive creature, which is great on its own, but it's guaranteed to take out anything that blocks it and when it does you draw a card in the trade. Even if you do the blocking and don't draw the card, you still get the advantage of taking out a powerful creature, which can lead to very standoffish board states. This is definitely a card that's worth keeping your eyes on.

Hezrou

A very narrow board wipe and a sizable creature with a potent ability on the backend, this is likely to not see too much play on the basis of it being a little too narrow in its approach on the front end. The actual creature is pretty good once you get it there, but the problem is the value earlier on with the adventure side simply isn't there to justify running it in the first place.

Mold Folk

This is another sacrifice engine for artifacts and creatures in Black that generates counters. Unless I'm forgetting a card, this is closest to Malevolent Noble from Throne of Eldraine but has smaller starting stats. The trade-off, though, is that you get access to lifelink and a much cheaper ability, allowing you to get this creature big and fast while also causing massive life point swings thanks to the lifelink. Sacrifice decks have long been tier two or three decks, and this is definitely some more fuel for that sort of strategy.

Myrkul's Edict

In multiplayer formats, this edict rules. In Pauper, it's basically just a Cruel Edict 95% of the time and that's just not going to cut it in this format when there's already so many other great edicts that exist.

Myrkul's Invoker

This invoker is pretty dang sweet. Eight mana to give some pumps is a lot, but to power up your whole board and give it extra evasion with menace can end games on the spot with even just a single activation. It's a big investment, but boy can it pay off bigtime. Right now, I can't think of a shell that wants this, but in the right environment, this can be a serious winner.

Nefarious Imp

A very boring flying attacker that can scry when you lose a card. It's...not very good. There's just not enough value to warrant it and you'll be looking for much better things to do at three mana than slotting this into your deck.

Parasitic Impetus

I'm mostly mentioning this card strictly because I've covered all of the Impetus cards thus far. Unfortunately, though, compared to all the others in the cycle this one simply isn't remotely good in a 1v1 setting. I wouldn't say the others are necessarily spectacular, but at least they can benefit from being put on your own creature. This one, however, doesn't drain the defending opponent, but instead will make you lose two life and then gain two life - a net zero change at the end.

Stirge

Stirge isn't that great, but it's a small cheap aggressive flier that can be later sacrificed for a card draw when its dinky attacks stop being relevant to the game. I think this is probably better than it looks as it's likely to get some points of damage away while still replacing itself later on and potentially chump blocking a larger creature and soaking up some damage in the process. Not a bad deal for such a small one mana investment! Definitely can see aggressive Black lists running this in low quantities.

Summon Undead

We've seen quite a few reanimation spells crop up in Pauper over the last couple years. This is basically Rise Again but with the added bonus of milling cards as well. Rise Again never really saw any play and I doubt adding mill here will get it to make the cut, but maybe that added bonus will end up helping. There is an additional plus to the card not targeting a creature which gets around corner cases like Faerie Macabre but that's probably not enough to make it very playable.

Zhentarim Bandit

The stats on this aren't great, but what is great is getting repeated treasures with every attack on an aggressive body. Might be a good option in some of the Black Aggro decks that have cropped up over time or it might need to wait for a new shell to come around. Either way, I think getting tons of treasures early on has the potential to be a big deal and I could see this showing up in the near future.

And that marks the end of part one of my Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate Pauper review! There's tons of great cards and I can't wait to see what of these sees some play. I'll be back on Friday with part two, talking about the Red, Green, Multicolored, and Colorless cards this set has to offer. Until then, though, what cards are you most excited to play with when the set drops?

Paige Smith

Twitter: @TheMaverickGal

Twitch: twitch.tv/themaverickgirl

YouTube: TheMaverickGal