Lorwyn Eclipsed spoilers continue to come out of the woodwork, and with every round of reveals, there are more fun designs we look forward to playing with. Whether you’re a fan of typal strategies or the -1/-1 counter theme, this set has a lot of cool ideas woven in.
Another handful of rares and mythics have been previewed, and one stands out as a very interesting tutor to build around. It has a lot in common with another powerhouse that was so strong that it was banned in Modern for many years.
Celestial Reunion MTG
At first glance, Celestial Reunion looks like it simply has too much going against it to see play. The card looks and reads a lot like Green’s Sun’s Zenith, but the extra cost is steep. Otherwise, paying a bunch of mana to search for a creature to your hand will usually be too slow. Nonetheless, while most archetypes will struggle to behold two creatures of the same type, any typal deck should have no trouble making this work.
Plus, as we’ve seen with Green Sun’s Zenith, the upside of being able to tutor for a cheap creature to put directly into play is very high. Notably, unlike Green Sun’s Zenith, Celestial Reunion can tutor for creatures of any color to put directly into play. This could make it easier to assemble combos with non-green creatures such as Basking Broodscale in Modern Eldrazi.
Where this card looks like it’s poised to make its biggest impact, though, is EDH. Being able to tutor up blue Merfolk in a Hakbal of the Surging Soul deck or black Elves in a High Perfect Morcant strategy is nice. So, even if Celestial Reunion is more of a restrictive build-around, the power is certainly there if you can swing it.
Sapling Nursery
Sapling Nursery is a pretty simple design that should fit into a ton of different ramp or Landfall-themed EDH decks. Even though the card costs a lot of mana at first glance, the Affinity for Forests ability can reduce its cost significantly. This includes nonbasic Forests, so even just sticking Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth should get things set up nicely.
The reward is an enchantment that does a great Rampaging Baloths impression. Of course, as if that weren’t enough, you can always get rid of the enchantment to protect the board you’ve assembled from a board wipe or save your lands from an Armageddon effect. Importantly, Sapling Nursery does have extra utility in a Treefolk typal shell because of this final ability.
Lluwen, Imperfect Naturalist
Continuing the theme of cards that have plenty of EDH appeal, Lluwen, Imperfect Naturalist is an awesome legend both to have in the command zone and in the 99 of a graveyard-focused deck. Its activated ability closely resembles Worm Harvest, and its enters trigger helps fill your graveyard with more lands to get the most out of each activation. Lluwen also does a great job fueling some other land and Mill-themed Commanders like The Necrobloom. Once you get your engine rolling, all you need is a way to make the 1/1s more threatening, such as a Blood Artist effect, and you’re in great shape.
It’s also not out of the question that this card could make a splash in Constructed. As a cheap Mill effect and blocker, Lluwen can provide some value alongside Insidious Roots. Even a single activation can pull you super far ahead, especially alongside Ouroboroid. If you want to go deeper, exiling Lluwen to Agatha’s Soul Cauldron turns all of your creatures into problematic threats that can flood the board with Worms in no time.
There’s also a possibility Lluwen makes a splash in Standard Reanimator just off the power of the legend’s self-Mill trigger. Being able to put a copy of Superior Spider-Man that you Mill over back on top of your library sets the card apart from options like Town Greeter that didn’t make the cut.
Slumbering Walker
While Slumbering Walker may not be as flashy as Lluwen, it is capable of generating a lot of value via its triggered ability. Most white cards that are capable of resurrecting other creatures from your graveyard to play restrict the mana value of what you can return. Instead, Slumbering Walker can actually reanimate creatures of any cost so long as they’re small. With this in mind, Slumbering Walker makes for an incredible option in Doran, the Siege Tower and other toughness-matters EDH decks. Of course, returning elite value engines like Karmic Guide is also doable, making Slumbering Walker an appealing option in blink decks.
In constructed, Slumbering Walker triggering on the same turn it enters play is a big deal. Its big butt also makes it tough for red decks to kill, even before the end step trigger. Perhaps a Selesnya Ouroboroid deck could emerge that makes good use of Slumbering Walker. We’ll just have to wait and see how things play out.
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