Edge of Eternities is chock full of exciting and over-the-top designs. Cards like The Dominion Bracelet and Thrumming Hivepool highlight a really cool set that has a lot to offer.
While it’s natural for players to gravitate towards the juicy mythics of the set, Edge of Eternities also features some powerful low rarity cards that showcase power creep on full display. Today, we’re going to highlight a handful of uncommons that are extremely pushed. These cards have a chance to crush in the Limited environment, and may be good enough to see Constructed play, too.
Meltstrider’s Resolve
Kicking things off, we have an elite upgrade to Prey Upon. Prey Upon is a classic fight spell. Over the years, we’ve seen a multitude of fight spell variations, and Meltstrider’s Resolve is one of the best. Not only do you get a toughness boost that makes it easier for your creature to fight down opposing threats with similar stats, but you also make your monster difficult to block down on following turns.
It wasn’t long ago that Warbriar Blessing was a solid inclusion in an auras shell in Pioneer that you could tutor for with Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice when you played any two-drop aura. The card has since become obsolete thanks to the existence of Sheltered by Ghosts.
However, the fact that Meltstrider’s Resolve costs one mana makes a big difference. Now, playing any one-mana aura like Ethereal Armor after landing Light-Paws will enable you to essentially grab a removal spell from your deck! Having your creature deal damage via fighting even combos with Lifelink granted by Sheltered by Ghosts or Staggering Insight. While this could make an impact in Pioneer, it has a much greater chance of doing something in Historic, where Auras is one of the leading strategies.
Meanwhile, in Standard, there’s a chance Meltstrider’s Resolve will be strong enough as a removal spell option for mono-green Landfall. After all, Tail Swipe is rotating with the release of Edge of Eternities. Even if Meltstrider’s Resolve isn’t overly flashy, there’s a lot to like for draft and beyond.
Codecracker Hound
Next up, we have Codecracker Hound. This good boy looks poised to be a top pick in Edge of Eternities draft and really showcases power creep on display.
In Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Sibsig Appraiser was the best blue common by a pretty big margin. According to 17lands.com, a site that tracks MTG Arena user data, Sibsig Appraiser had a higher win rate when maindecked than every other mono-blue common or uncommon in the set. Furthermore, only two mono-blue rares or mythics stood above the elite Zombie Advisor.
Codecracker Hound may be an uncommon, not a common, but it’s a strictly better version of an already potent design. Being able to cast Codecracker Hound via its Warp cost in a grindy game is the perfect way to pull ahead on resources.
While it’s unlikely that this Dog will beat out powerhouses like Stock Up for Constructed slots, it at least should be a premium draft choice and worth consideration in Commander blink decks. Brago, King Eternal could use a best friend, and Codecracker Hound is here to oblige.
Gigastorm Titan
Gigastorm Titan is another uncommon that has a lot of Limited appeal. Unlike Codecracker Hound, this card is strong due solely to its efficiency. A two-mana 4/4 is no joke, even if it comes without any major upside.
You do have to work a bit to cast this card for two mana. Fortunately, in a set full of Warp cards, this shouldn’t be difficult at all.
It’s possible Gigastorm Titan could make a splash in Constructed as well, albeit unlikely. Izzet Vivi decks have plenty of cheap spells at their disposal. A vanilla 4/4 isn’t super exciting, but it dodges most damage-based removal spells, easily enables Harmonize from Winternight Stories, and is beefy enough to net you a lot of mana alongside Agatha’s Soul Cauldron if you can get Vivi Ornitier into your graveyard.
In Legacy, having a threat that dodges Lightning Bolt and Fatal Push and can be cast for two mana following Mishra’s Bauble is pretty cool. Expecting this card to see Eternal play is a stretch, I just wouldn’t count anything out quite yet.
Faller’s Faithful
Faller’s Faithful is a sweet card that builds upon a common Limited theme. Many past sets have featured cards that are capable of finishing off an opposing creature that was dealt damage. This is a cool concept, but these cards have almost always fallen short of expectations.
This new card addresses this problem with its flexibility. You can still kill an opposing creature that wasn’t dealt damage. They just get to draw two cards. Alternatively, you can target one of your own small creatures and draw two cards yourself.
This is where Faller’s Faithful becomes intriguing. Pair this with any piece of sacrifice fodder or an Indestructible creature and you get a 3/1 that draws two cards for the low price of three mana. Sounds good to me!
It’s hard to imagine Faller’s Faithful ever beating out Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER for a slot in an Aristocrats deck in Standard, so it’s hard to get too excited about this effect. Nonetheless, this style of design is sweet and different from previous iterations, and should serve as something to build on in the future.
Atomic Microsizer
Last but not least, we have Atomic Microsizer. Atomic Microsizer is an equipment that can shrink any creature of your choice when it attacks. There’s a lot of play to this card, since the creature you target also becomes unblockable.
Alongside any creature with a strong triggered ability when it connects in combat, Atomic Microsizer is a cheap way to grant evasion. Putting this on Unstoppable Slasher, or in a Commander setting, Master of Cruelties, is decent. Digging deeper, you can equip this to Jumbo Cactuar, make it unblockable when it attacks, and you’ll still get the +9999/+0 bonus!
Otherwise, shrinking opposing creatures can make it so your big bombs can attack unscathed, and your opponent is either forced to chump block or take a bunch of damage. In conjunction with cards that give -1/-1 counters, Atomic Microsizer may be able to kill another creature outright. There really is a ton of play to this card.
Overall, none of these cards jump off the page when you read them. Still, they’re stronger than they may appear at first, and go to show just how much the design team continues to push the envelope with every new set release.
Stick with us here at mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage!
