Now that the dust has settled somewhat from last week’s breakneck spoiler season, we can begin to consider the long-term implications of Lorwyn Eclipsed. As with most new MTG sets, there’s a ton of clear potential here for both Standard and Commander. More interestingly, however, there are also a number of new Lorwyn Eclipsed cards that have a real shot at seeing use in various older MTG formats.
Moonshadow
One look at Moonshadow is all it takes to appreciate its absurd potential. A one-mana 7/7 with Menace is obviously ridiculous, and the attached condition, putting multiple permanents into your graveyard, is fairly trivial for many black decks in older formats.
In Modern, the card seems like an ideal fit for the Golgari Sacrifice decks that have been putting up solid results recently. This strategy is all about feeding fodder creatures to Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER and Warren Soultrader for value. Paired with the usual Modern Fetchlands, this makes it easy to build Moonshadow into a serious threat. This gives the list another, more aggressive angle of attack and helps it fend off the likes of Boros Energy more effectively early on.
In the hallowed halls of Legacy, Moonshadow actually looks even more enticing. Dimir Tempo is one of the best decks in the format right now, and it already runs Nethergoyf, which is very similar to Moonshadow. While community discussion on the card is ongoing, many seem to think the new challenger will come out on top in the end.
Not only can Moonshadow scale up higher than Nethergoyf, but it can do so faster, too, and packs evasion to boot. While it lacks Nethergoyf’s recursion, it’s much better at pushing for quick wins while your tempo tools keep your opponent at bay.
Wistfulness
While all five of the new Lorwyn Evoke Elementals look excellent, Wistfulness definitely has the most potential in older formats. This is chiefly down to its applications in Living End, one of Modern’s most consistently playable strategies.
Much like Street Wraith or Waker of Waves, Wistfulness is a chunky body that you can get into your graveyard before turn three, just in time for Living End to bring it back. You can do this by using either of the card’s powerful Evoke abilities.
With the double blue ability, you can dig for a Shardless Agent or Ardent Plea to guarantee a turn three Living End, while also loading your graveyard at the same time. Assuming you dumped a Landcycler like Generous Ent on turn one, this can set you up to revive three big bodies on turn three, which is backbreaking.
Wistfulness’s double green Evoke ability is no slouch, either. Exiling an artifact or enchantment lets you get a pesky Vexing Bauble out of the way before you pop off, which is huge for the deck. It’s also useful in more general situations, too, to deal with Goblin Bombardment from Boros Energy or Ruby Medallion from Ruby Storm.
This flexibility ensures that Wistfulness is never dead early. On top of that, the raw stats that you get here are better than those on most Living End creatures, which makes it a shoo-in to replace some of the deck’s weaker cyclers like Striped Riverwinder.
Rhys, The Evermore
In addition to its ample combo potential, Rhys, the Evermore looks like an excellent new piece for a couple of Modern decks. Chief among these are the various Blink decks in the format right now.
In decks like these, Rhys essentially functions as another version of Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd, letting you get extra value out of Solitude and Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury. Flash Rhys in with the Evoke or enters triggers of these creatures on the stack, and you can grant them Persist first, ensuring they spring right back. While you can’t set up Rhys in advance as you can with Phelia, this is actually an upside in some scenarios, especially with Solitude.
Outside of Blink decks, Rhys has real potential in Boros Energy, too. The Phlage synergy remains here, of course, but you also get access to Goblin Bombardment, which is incredible with Rhys. The ability to cash your creatures in on demand makes Persist a much more serious threat, since you don’t have to rely on your opponent’s blocks to trigger it. You can use Rhys to recycle the likes of Seasoned Pyromancer or Witch Enchanter for value, or even just as protection, keeping your Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer safe from removal. Either way, it seems like a solid addition to what is by far Modern’s most solid deck.
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