10 Best Historic Cards From Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

The release of Magic: the Gathering‘s newest set Innistrad: Midnight Hunt is upon us. This week on Thursday, we’ll be able to play with the set on Magic Arena, and there’s some really good ones here. Here’s our pick for the 10 Best cards for Historic from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt.

Honorable Mention

Our honorable mention goes to Curse of Silence Curse of Silence Enchant player
As this Aura enters, choose a card name.
Spells with the chosen name enchanted player casts cost {2} more to cast.
Whenever enchanted player casts a spell with the chosen name, you may sacrifice this Aura. If you do, draw a card. . This 1 mana “tax” style enchantment is one that I can see impacting a couple different decks. Mono White Death and Taxes would honestly love to have this card, as it’s a way to help tax our opponent’s answers to our creatures into oblivion. Combine this with Thalia, Guardian of Thraben Thalia, Guardian of Thraben First strike
Noncreature spells cost {1} more to cast. and Elite Spellbinder Elite Spellbinder Flying
When this creature enters, look at target opponent's hand. You may exile a nonland card from it. For as long as that card remains exiled, its owner may play it. A spell cast this way costs {2} more to cast. and your opponent is paying upwards of 9 mana for a Wrath of God Wrath of God Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated. . It also gives us some draw potential as an added benefit.

10. Fateful Absence

Keeping in line with the white cards, we have [tooltip]Fateful Absence[/tooltips] coming in at #10. This card is a wonderful addition to Declaration in Stone Declaration in Stone Exile target creature and all other creatures its controller controls with the same name as that creature. That player investigates for each nontoken creature exiled this way. in white’s removal suite. This has some upside over Declaration as well, since it’s an instant, and can hit planeswalkers. If the Indomitable Creativity Indomitable Creativity Destroy X target artifacts and/or creatures. For each permanent destroyed this way, its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until an artifact or creature card is revealed and exiles that card. Those players put the exiled cards onto the battlefield, then shuffle. deck doesn’t see a banning, having a diversity of removal options against Serra’s Emissary Serra’s Emissary Flying
As this creature enters, choose a card type.
You and creatures you control have protection from the chosen card type. is also very nice to have.

9. Memory Deluge

Dig Through Time Dig Through Time Delve (Each card you exile from your graveyard while casting this spell pays for {1}.)
Look at the top seven cards of your library. Put two of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order. is an incredibly strong draw spell in older formats. While the front half of Memory Deluge Memory Deluge Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the amount of mana spent to cast this spell. Put two of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Flashback {5}{U}{U} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.) isn’t quite that, the flashback is definitely a spiritual successor. This is a great draw spell option for Azorius Control.

8. Pithing Needle

Our first reprint of the set, Pithing Needle Pithing Needle As this artifact enters, choose a card name.
Activated abilities of sources with the chosen name can't be activated unless they're mana abilities. makes its way into Standard once again. While we do have a substitute in the format for this card in Sorcerer’s Spyglass that doesn’t see play, Pithing Needle being 1 mana is definitely relevant.

7. Consider

More powerful blue spells, Consider Consider Surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put it into your graveyard.)
Draw a card. is a great, cheap draw spell. This finds a home in the various Izzet Phoenix Decks, and Grixis Dragon’s Rage Channeler Dragon’s Rage Channeler Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card into your graveyard.)
Delirium — As long as there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard, this creature gets +2/+2, has flying, and attacks each combat if able. decks. The way that the meta is shaping up, this card is going to see a lot of play in the coming weeks

6. Infernal Grasp

Competing for the best 2 mana black removal spell in the format, we have Infernal Grasp Infernal Grasp Destroy target creature. You lose 2 life. . Why is so good? It’s unconditional creature removal at 2 mana. This card is going to find a home in decks that don’t care as much about their own life total, or can negate the life loss. This may include mono black Zombies, or Jund Sacrifice.

5. Arlinn, the Pack’s Hope / Arlinn, the Moon’s Fury

Next up we have Alinn, The Pack’s Hope. This new transforming planeswalker is a really great addition to the format. Gruul aggro is already a great deck in the format, and this slots right in. When it transforms, it becomes a powerful threat. This also a great addition to the Bard Class Bard Class (Gain the next level as a sorcery to add its ability.)
Legendary creatures you control enter with an additional +1/+1 counter on them.
{R}{G}: Level 2
Legendary spells you cast cost {R}{G} less to cast. This effect reduces only the amount of colored mana you pay.
{3}{R}{G}: Level 3
Whenever you cast a legendary spell, exile the top two cards of your library. You may play them this turn. deck. If we set up with this, and transform it, subsequent ones will enter on the Moon’s Fury side. This can allow us to generate more mana with her +2 ability to help keep the storm train going.

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4. The Adversary Cycle

At Number 4 on our list is the Adversary Cycle. These powerful creatures all have homes in the format. Intrepid Adversary Intrepid Adversary Lifelink
When this creature enters, you may pay {1}{W} any number of times. When you pay this cost one or more times, put that many valor counters on this creature.
Creatures you control get +1/+1 for each valor counter on this creature. fits right in Mono White Humans. Spectral Adversary Spectral Adversary Flash
Flying
When this creature enters, you may pay {1}{U} any number of times. When you pay this cost one or more times, put that many +1/+1 counters on this creature, then up to that many other target artifacts, creatures, and/or enchantments phase out. fits in the Blink decks. Tainted Adversary Tainted Adversary Deathtouch
When this creature enters, you may pay {2}{B} any number of times. When you pay this cost one or more times, put that many +1/+1 counters on this creature, then create twice that many 2/2 black Zombie creature tokens with decayed. (A creature with decayed can't block. When it attacks, sacrifice it at end of combat.) obviously goes in the new zombies deck. Bloodthirsty Adversary Bloodthirsty Adversary Haste
When this creature enters, you may pay {2}{R} any number of times. When you pay this cost one or more times, put that many +1/+1 counters on this creature, then exile up to that many target instant and/or sorcery cards with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard and copy them. You may cast any number of the copies without paying their mana costs. seems that it’d fit nicely in either Phoenix, or Mono Red Delirium / Burn. Primal Adversary Primal Adversary Trample
When this creature enters, you may pay {1}{G} any number of times. When you pay this cost one or more times, put that many +1/+1 counters on this creature, then up to that many target lands you control become 3/3 Wolf creatures with haste that are still lands. fits into Gruul Aggro as well as Mono Green Aggro. All of these are very powerful in their own way. It’s unfortunate that these are all Mythics, so say good bye to your wild cards.

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3. Champion of the Perished

Top 3 time! Number 3 on the list is Champion of the Perished Champion of the Perished Whenever another Zombie you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. . This is the zombified version of a fan favorite human card Champion of the Parish Champion of the Parish Whenever another Human you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. . This card is so high up on the list because it really is the linchpin of the Zombies deck. This powerful 1 drop will help push early aggression, and this is a must answer threat that can get out of control very quickly.

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2. Slow Land Cycle

Number 2 on our list goes to the “Slow Land” cycle. Yes, we get new lands all the time in various sets, but this cycle has a bigger impact that it may seem. The allied color pairs have been suffering from a playable dual land disparity for quite some time. These lands provide crucial untapped sources for those decks. Yes it’s not perfect since these only come in untapped from Turn 3 on, but it’s definitely better than not having them.

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1. Delver of Secrets

Number 1 on our list is Delver of Secrets Delver of Secrets At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. You may reveal that card. If an instant or sorcery card is revealed this way, transform this creature. . This card is a powerhouse card in eternal formats like Modern and Legacy, and it stands to be a very strong contender for Historic. Since we don’t have access to Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer Whenever Ragavan deals combat damage to a player, create a Treasure token and exile the top card of that player's library. Until end of turn, you may cast that card.
Dash {1}{R} (You may cast this spell for its dash cost. If you do, it gains haste, and it's returned from the battlefield to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.) , Delver provides another important 1 drop creature to many already existing decks in the format. When you combine this with Dragon’s Rage Channeler Dragon’s Rage Channeler Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card into your graveyard.)
Delirium — As long as there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard, this creature gets +2/+2, has flying, and attacks each combat if able. and some cheap spells like Opt Opt Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
Draw a card. , you have the makings of a fast clock.

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That’s it! There’s our top 11 cards for Historic from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt. I know that I will definitely be brewing and building decks with these cards when the set releases on Magic Arena, so stay tuned for deck tech and gameplay content from us! What cards are you excited for in Historic from the set? Let us know in the comments!

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt is the first of two new Innistrad sets coming to Magic: the Gathering. It’s being released in tabletop on September 24th, 2021, and online on September 17th, 2021. Previews start on September 2nd, 2021. Be sure to check out our Preview Gallery to stay up to date with all the new previews. You can also preorder Innistrad: Midnight Hunt product here.