The Duskmourn: House of Horror spoiler season has finally come to a close, and there’s a boatload of extremely powerful new cards to look forward to. From unique Rooms to omnipotent Overlords, this set has a lot going on. There’s no doubt in my mind that a bunch of Duskmourn cards will see Constructed play in a variety of formats.
With so many powerhouses to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow down what the absolute best cards are that Duskmourn has to offer. Well, that is our mission for today. We believe that every card in our rankings below has a great shot of making a major impact in at least one format. Of course, it’s still very early, so this list is speculative. As more data becomes available, make sure to check back as we update our rankings.
Notably, we will not be including reprints in our list of best Duskmourn cards. While there’s a good chance Ethereal Armor and Pyroclasm see Standard play, we decided to omit them, since we already have a good feel for how these cards play out based on their presence in other formats. We will also be focusing solely on cards from the main set.
With that out of the way, here are the best MTG cards in Duskmourn: House of Horror.
#8 | Enduring Cycle
- Mana Value: 1WW
- Rarity: Rare
- Stats: 2/1
- MTG Set: Duskmourn
- Card Text: Lifelink. Whenever one or more other creatures you control with power 2 or less enter, draw a card. This ability triggers only once each turn.
When Enduring Innocence dies, if it was a creature, return it to the battlefield under its owner’s control. It’s an enchantment. (It’s not a creature.)
Kicking things off, we have the cycle of rare Glimmer creatures that return to the battlefield as enchantments when they die. We chose to group these cards together, along with a couple of other cycles on this list, as there isn’t one particular standout in the group. Instead, the majority of the Enduring creatures look quite strong.
Enduring Innocence, for example, is very efficient for the effect it provides. We’ve seen Tocasia’s Welcome pop up in Standard and Pioneer. Enduring Innocence may be a bit narrower but having the card advantage engine come on a creature is a nice boost, especially for decks built around Collected Company and such.
Enduring Curiosity is another strong source of value. Your opponents will feel pressured to kill it, but even if they do, you still get a potent enchantment out of the deal. Enduring Courage is a bit on the slow side for aggro decks, but the bonus it provides to your future creatures is incredibly scary. All these cards seemed poised to make a run in Standard at least, so we felt they deserved a spot on this list.
#7 | Overlord Cycle
- Mana Value: 3BB
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 5/5
- Card Text: Impending 5—1B (If you cast this spell for its impending cost, it enters with five time counters and isn’t a creature until the last is removed. At the beginning of your end step, remove a time counter from it.)
Whenever Overlord of the Balemurk enters or attacks, mill four cards, then you may return a non-Avatar creature card or a planeswalker card from your graveyard to your hand.
Once again, at number seven, we have a powerful cycle of cards. Every one of the Overlords offers a great deal of flexibility. You can either play them cheaper for their Impending cost and wait a few turns to start attacking or play them for their full cost and get the entire package right away. In either case, each Overlord is guaranteed to generate some value when it enters.
Overlord of the Balemurk doesn’t necessarily have the most exciting enters-the-battlefield trigger, but it also only costs five mana straight up. Plus, if the opponent doesn’t kill it right away, you can start running away with the game.
Overlord of the Mistmoors and Overlord of the Boilerbilges require a bit more mana up front, but their triggered abilities immediately impact the board. Both cards seem like excellent finishers for midrange strategies. Meanwhile, Overlord of the Hauntwoods doesn’t have the same devastating long-term effect, but it fits perfectly into the Domain archetype in Standard. It’s a solid three-mana ramp card that instantly fixes your colors and enables your Domain payoffs like Leyline Binding. What more could you want?
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#6 | Sheltered by Ghosts
- Mana Value: 1W
- Rarity: Uncommon
- MTG Sets: Duskmourn
- Card Text: Enchant creature you control
When Sheltered by Ghosts enters, exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls until Sheltered by Ghosts leaves the battlefield.
Enchanted creature gets +1/+0 and has lifelink and ward {2}.
Coming in at number six, we have Sheltered by Ghosts. Don’t let this card’s rarity fool you. The effect it provides is absolutely game-breaking. As an aura, giving your creature +1/+0, Lifelink, and Ward 2 for two mana is a decent deal. With other elite auras like Ethereal Armor making their way to Standard, Sheltered by Ghosts should have great support.
But the fun doesn’t stop there. Sheltered by Ghosts acts as a cheaper Oblivion Ring at the same time! The obvious downside with Sheltered by Ghosts is that if the opponent kills the creature it’s enchanting, you get blown out. However, you already get some protection from the Ward 2 bonus, and cards like Shardmage’s Rescue can keep the pressure on and negate opposing removal spells. Sheltered by Ghosts is excellent, and it’s a bit surprising to see it at only uncommon.
#5 | Abhorrent Oculus
- Mana Value: 2U
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 5/5
- MTG Sets: Duskmourn
- Card Text: As an additional cost to cast this spell, exile six cards from your graveyard.
Flying.
At the beginning of each opponent’s upkeep, Manifest Dread. (Look at the top two cards of your library. Put one onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature and the other into your graveyard. Turn it face up any time for its mana cost if it’s a creature card.)
Abhorrent Oculus has the potential to see significant play in Standard, Pioneer, and Commander alike. Having to exile six cards from your graveyard to play it is absolutely a big cost, but the payoff is huge. In Standard, this card seems like a decent fit for the Azorius Mentor decks that pop up from time to time. That deck is capable of meeting the six-card threshold. Also, if you happen to Mill over Abhorrent Oculus or loot it away, you can use Helping Hand to bypass the card’s additional casting cost and resurrect it.
For Pioneer, this card may make a splash in Izzet Pheonix shells. It does compete with Treasure Cruise, but there are some matchups where the 5/5 body that keeps spitting out 2/2s will be very helpful in stabilizing the board. Then, in a multiplayer format like Commander, you’ll get a ton of value out of the Manifest Dread ability. As such, it’s perfect for a Morph/Manifest deck with Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer at the helm.
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#4 | Screaming Nemesis
- Mana Value: 2R
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 3/3
- MTG Sets: Duskmourn
- Card Text: Haste. Whenever Screaming Nemesis is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to any other target. If a player is dealt damage this way, they can’t gain life for the rest of the game.
Screaming Nemesis was one of the first mythic rares spoiled in Duskmourn, and boy, does it pack a punch. Similar to Rampaging Ferocidon, Screaming Nemesis is particularly strong against life gain strategies. However, Screaming Nemesis is much less vulnerable to removal.
First of all, it has Haste, so there’s a good chance you can connect for three damage before the opponent gets to kill it. If they try to use damage-based removal, they’re in for a bad time, as you get to send that much damage wherever you please.
Finally, if you send that damage directly to the opponent’s face, they can’t gain life for the entire rest of the game! This means that if you’re playing mono-red aggro in Pioneer, you can cast Screaming Nemesis on turn four, target it with your own Play with Fire, then deal two damage to your Selesnya Angels opponent and ruin their day. Now, even if they use Skyclave Apparition to get it off the table, the damage is done (no pun intended). Screaming Nemesis is a heck of a Magic card, and certainly deserves respect.
#3 | The Wandering Rescuer
- Mana Value: 3WW
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 3/4
- MTG Sets: Duskmourn
- Card Text: Flash.
Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for 1 or one mana of that creature’s color.)
Double Strike.
Other tapped creatures you control have hexproof.
The Wandering Resucer is another card that was previewed quite early, and it showcases a lot of promise. Just like Knight-Errant of Eos and Venerated Loxodon, The Wandering Rescuer is a five-mana threat with Convoke. As a 3/4 with Double Strike, this card hits hard. As a Flash threat, you may be able to completely blow out your opponent in combat if they attack on the ground.
Additionally, The Wandering Rescuer can be used to protect your threats from removal. As such, your opponents will have to be very careful about how they time their removal. If you can ever cast this card in response to a kill spell and tap the creature they target to Convoke this out, your opponent’s in a world of trouble. It awaits to be seen how this card stacks up to the other five-drops with Convoke. We’re quite high on it, especially in a Standard setting where Venerated Loxodon isn’t legal.
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#2 | Kona, Rescue Beastie
- Mana Value: 3G
- Rarity: Rare
- Stats: 4/3
- MTG Sets: Duskmourn
- Card Text: Survival – At the beginning of your second main phase, if Kona, Rescue Beastie is tapped, you may put a permanent card from your hand onto the battlefield.
Kona, Rescue Beastie is definitely the card on this list with the highest upside. Getting to cheat something as powerful as Omniscience into play is bonkers. Triggering Survival does take some setup, so perhaps this card won’t prove to be broken in Constructed.
Regardless, if you can pair this card with a vehicle or some other way to immediately tap it, you may be able to put a huge bomb into play the turn it comes down. This alone makes Kona an incredibly threatening Commander card. Only time will tell if Kona lives up to the hype in Standard and beyond, but many players expect this card to be a problem.
#1 | Verge Cycle
- Rarity: Rare
- MTG Sets: Duskmourn
- Card Text: (tap): add (blue). (tap): Add (black). Activate only if you control an Island or a Swamp.
Last but not least, we have the cycle of rare Verge lands. These are some of the best dual lands printed in years. Similar to the “Check lands”, such as Glacial Fortress, the Verge lands allow you to tap for two specific colors, assuming you control a land with one of those two basic land types already. The difference, though, is that you can freely play the Verge lands on turn one and they still tap for one of the two colors.
This is a huge upgrade. In a Standard setting, these should see immediate play. Take a deck like Gruul Prowess, for example. This deck is made up predominantly of red cards, splashing green for some elite support cards like Innkeeper’s Talent. Thornspire Verge is guaranteed to tap for red mana right away. Once you play a mountain, Thornspire Verge will be able to function as a cost-free dual land.
There are a number of decks in Pioneer that should be strong candidates for these lands, too. Azorius control looks like a prime spot for Floodfarm Verge. Unlike Deserted Beach, Floodfarm Verge can help you cast removal spells like Portable Hole as early as turn one.
These lands are simply fantastic. Currently, there are only five Verge lands, so it’ll be interesting to see if the five remaining color combinations receive Verge lands in the near future. For now, though, the ones we have earned the top spot in our rankings of the best MTG Duskmourn cards.
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