Following the MTG set’s debut livestream earlier this week, Murders at Karlov Manor spoilers have been coming thick and fast. Already, we’ve seen a plethora of awesome bombs that are sure to see multi-format play. As usual, these have arrived alongside oodles of new and exciting Commander cards to begin brewing with.
While we’ve already seen more than enough to be excited about in just two days, Wizards hasn’t stopped there. With more spoilers being revealed daily, Murders at Karlov Manor just keeps getting better and better for MTG players. Between insane draw engines, potentially format-warping staples, and a powerful new tutor, there’s no end to this set’s delights.
Fifteen Cards for Fifteen Mana
Out of all the spoilers that MTG players have seen recently, few have been as weird as The Pride of Hull Clade. Costing a staggering eleven mana, this unique Crocodile Elk Tutrle is undeniably an oddity. At the same time, however, this card might actually be rather powerful, especially with niche Commander decks.
Beyond being an absolute tank of an MTG card, The Pride of Hull Clade can be surprisingly cheap. This is thanks to their casting cost being reduced by the total toughness of all creatures you control. In theory, this could make them surprisingly cheap to cast, especially in a Defender-based deck.
With just a few Walls in play, The Pride of Hull Clade could easily be cast for just three or four mana. Considering their monumental stat line, this makes them a surprisingly affordable defensive powerhouse. As good as this defense would be on its own, The Pride of Hull Clade can also become quite a major threat.
By paying an additional four mana, can turn into a Defender-less 3/15 which, if it hits, draws you fifteen cards. No matter what kind of a deck you’re playing, this effect is obviously insanely strong, all on its own. For better or worse, however, it is still a bit of a meme, since blocking this non-Beast is fairly trivial.
Thanks to their immense toughness, The Pride of Hull Clade obviously has an innate synergy with High Alert. Unfortunately, the only card with this effect in Standard right now is Ancient Lumberknot which isn’t ideal. As fun as it would be to have a massive Defender deck, ultimately, this card’s main home is Commander. Thankfully, Arcades, the Strategist is the perfect Commander for exactly that.
White Weenie Gets Major Upgrades
In both Standard and Pioneer, White Weenie is a bit of an unusual archetype. Typically thriving in times of flux, this deck can be the meta’s best one week, and struggling the next. For better or worse, once Murders at Karlov Manor releases, it seems the former will be true again.
To amp up this inconsistent archetype, over the past few days, three new sure-to-be staples have been spoiled. Each directly synergizes with the archetype, this deck could become surprisingly dominant. A key piece in this is Delney, Streetwise Lookout.
Boasting multiformat potential, Delney is essentially Panharmonicon 2.0, which has many players seriously excited. We’re so excited ourselves, in fact, that we’ve written an entire article about dear ol’ Delney! As good as Delney is, they’re not the only trick that white players will get to enjoy soon.
Allowing you to play two drops from the top of your library, Assemble the Players has obvious potential. Both in White Weenie and Standard’s new Bant Toxic deck, Assemble the Players could become the go-to draw engine. Admittedly, the “once per turn” clause does rain on this parade a little, however, Assemble the Players is nonetheless strong.
To add another two drop into the mix, Murders at Karlov Manor also includes Unyielding Gatekeeper. Able to exile an opponent’s threat or bounce one of your own creatures, this removal option is definitely powerful. Unfortunately, to get this removal ability, there is a catch of playing Unyielding Gatekeeper Disguised first.
Thankfully, since Disguise only costs three, this cost is hardly insurmountable, even if it does delay playing them. As a related benefit, Unyielding Gatekeeper can be Disguised off the top of your library with Assemble the Players. Interestingly, this works for every Disguise and Morph card.
A Terrific New Tutor
Last, but by no means least, for this spoiler roundup, green is getting a brand-new tutor; Analyze the Pollen. Costing just one mana to cast, this spell could theoretically be one of the best tutors in all of MTG. Unfortunately, however, there is a rather major catch with getting the full creature tutoring effect; Collect Evidence 8.
Requiring you to exile cards with a total mana value of eight or more from your graveyard, this cost is hardly insignificant. That being said, however, big stompy green decks should have no trouble paying this cost in the mid-game and beyond. In Commander, thanks to games going so long, Analyze the Pollen may well become a firm fan favorite.
If you’re not paying the Collect Evidence cost, obviously Analyze the Pollen is significantly worse. That being said, however, the ability to find a basic land for just one mana isn’t inherently useless. Sure, it’s not going to win you the game like tutoring Craterhoof Behemoth, but it’s still at least useful!
This Is Just the Beginning
Ultimately, while there are plenty of interesting cards that have already been spoiled, there’s still a lot more to see. With Murders at Karlov Manor’s spoiler season running until January 26th, it’s far from over yet. From the sounds of Mark Rosewater’s teaser, we’ve only scratched the surface so far.
If you want to keep up to date with all the best cards that get revealed, keep watching this space. Every single day we’ll be covering the latest and greatest MTG spoilers, combos, and details that get announced.
Read More: Ravnica Remastered Reprints Cause Staggering MTG Price Crash!