All in all, Edge of Eternities looks like a pretty tame set for most Constructed formats. While it might not be the most powerful set this year, there are a handful of powerful designs that could have a major impact. From Standard to Vintage, there’s definitely the potential for some Edge of Eternities cards to be big players.
As we inch closer to Prerelease weekend and Standard rotation, there’s no better time to go over our picks for the best Constructed cards in the set. Of note, we will not be including reprints in our rankings. So, while Shocklands and Annul should make a splash in Standard, we wanted to specifically highlight new cards. Here are the top eight MTG best Edge of Eternities Constructed cards.
8 | Frenzied Baloth
When this card was spoiled, it garnered a lot of attention for its massive text box. A 3/2 for two mana that can’t be countered, can attack right away, and makes your other creatures unable to be countered sounds like a great deal.
That being said, there are a couple of concerns surrounding this card that may make it difficult for it to find a home. First, costing two green mana means that Standard decks outside of mono-green will have a hard time playing this on curve. Second, even in a mono-green aggro shell, Frenzied Baloth is still vulnerable to cheap removal like Burst Lightning.
On top of all of that, currently, the top-performing mono-green decks in Standard and Pioneer likely wouldn’t have much interest in this effect. It doesn’t synergize with the Standard Landfall theme, and Pioneer mono-green Devotion isn’t overly assertive.
The card is undeniably strong and showcases just how much power creep has played a role in recent years, so it earns a slot on the list. Just don’t be surprised if it doesn’t emerge as the Constructed all-star you may have hoped for.
7 | Pinnacle Starcage
Pinnacle Starcage is a rather simple evolution of Temporary Lockdown, which saw a significant amount of Standard play. With Temporary Lockdown rotating out of Standard, this new card could make a big splash in its place.
The reason Pinnacle Starcage isn’t higher on the list is that, unlike Temporary Lockdown, it doesn’t hit enchantments. On top of this, it can be hit by Abrade, so now Mono-Red has an answer to this potentially devastating effect. Nonetheless, it’s hard to imagine this effect not being useful.
Notably, there are times when not hitting enchantments is a bonus. Control decks are free to play out copies of Authority of the Consuls and High Noon without having their mini-sweeper mess with them.
Perhaps this will make Pinnacle Starcage worth playing in Pioneer mono-white token decks that currently don’t utilize Temporary Lockdown. You even get an eight-mana win condition out of the deal, which is pretty cool.
6 | Seam Rip
While Pinnacle Starcage is a throwback to Temporary Lockdown, Seam Rip is a throwback to Portable Hole. Portable Hole remains a Pioneer staple, and having this style of card in Standard again is a big deal.
As an enchantment, Seam Rip is another card that doesn’t get swept up by Pinnacle Starcage, so control decks are safe to run both with no troubles. Meanwhile, assertive white decks can maximize this as a sideboard card versus mono-red.
This even answers Agatha’s Soul Cauldron for the low price of one mana! It’s hard to go wrong with such an efficient and versatile answer.
5 | Hymn of the Faller
Hymn of the Faller is a very powerful card so long as you can enable Void, which is surprisingly easy to do. Unlike with Revolt, you can’t just sacrifice a Fetchland to turn on your card draw spell. Instead, you need a nonland permanent to leave the battlefield.
Between sacrifice, bounce, blink, and removal effects, Void isn’t difficult to trigger when you want to. In Modern, Mishra’s Bauble even lets you trigger Void for free! If you manage this, Hymn of the Faller lets you Surveil 1 and draw two cards for two mana, which is an excellent rate.
Night’s Whisper is already a good card, and Hymn of the Faller is strictly better once Void is enabled. We’re excited to see this card in action.
4 | Temporal Intervention
In a similar vein, Temporal Intervention goes from a mediocre common to an incredible discard spell once you turn on Void. Thoughtseize is a premier disruptive element in many formats, and Temporal Intervention can give you the same effect with no life loss involved. Whether you’re cracking Map tokens or casting one-mana kill spells, it’s not hard to reduce Temporal Intervention’s casting cost.
Obviously, Thoughtseize is a more reliable option in formats where it’s legal, especially since you can play Thoughtseize turn one with no issue. In Standard and Pauper, however, having access to a discard spell that can take both creature and noncreature spells from the opponent’s hand, unlike Duress, is fantastic.
Many of the best combo decks in Pauper are centered around creatures. Temporal Intervention gives black decks a much better shot at beating Balustrade Spy, for instance. Getting to strip control opponents of top-end bombs like Shiko, Paragon of the Way in Standard isn’t too shabby, either. We expect these Void cards to play out quite well.
3 | Pinnacle Emissary
Right now, Pinnacle Emissary is a flashy rare that doesn’t have a definitive home in Constructed at the moment. Despite this, Pinnacle Emissary is definitely deserving of a spot on this list due to its immense potential.
A three-drop artifact that can be cast for just one mana has immense potential. It triggers Simulacrum Synthesizer on the cheap. It can be sacrificed to Repurposing Bay to tutor up a four-drop artifact without the need to invest a bunch of mana.
Following up Pinnacle Emissary by casting a bunch of artifacts and flooding the board with Drones also has some appeal, especially in formats where Mox Opal is legal. There’s a lot you can do to abuse this card. While it could end up being a bust, we feel it deserves recognition for its potential.
2 | Cryogen Relic
Cryogen Relic isn’t an overly exciting design, but boy, is it a strong one. Ichor Wellspring is already a Pauper staple, and Cryogen Relic is a stronger version for blue decks.
Just like Ichor Wellspring, Cryogen Relic rewards you with two cards for sacrificing it to Fanatical Offering. Where things get interesting, though, is when you factor in blink and bounce effects. Returning this with Glint Hawk will draw you another card, since Cryogen Relic draws you a card whenever it leaves the battlefield for any reason.
This means it could serve as a great addition to Nurturing Pixie decks in Standard, too. This card’s versatility has some players believing it will end up on the Pauper banlist in short order. This honestly wouldn’t be too shocking, hence why Cryogen Relic is so high on this list.
1 | Tezzeret, Cruel Captain
Much like Pinnacle Emissary, our number one card isn’t the easiest to slot into any deck. However, with enough artifact support, Tezzeret may be one of the best cards in your deck.
What separates this Planeswalker from the rest of Edge of Eternities is its potential in Eternal formats like Vintage. Casting Tezzeret is trivial in a format ruled by Moxen and Ancient Tomb. From here, you can immediately use Tezzeret’s -3 ability to tutor for Black Lotus and friends, which is fantastic.
As if this wasn’t enough, static ability then synergizes with all of your Moxen, Mana Crypt, and other broken artifacts you have at your disposal. The 0 ability even lets you take infinite turns alongside Time Vault, and simply untapping Grim Monolith for huge bursts of mana every turn is very strong.
Outside of Vintage, Tezzeret may still see play in a deck with lots of cheap artifacts and artifact creatures. The -3 ability won’t be as strong in a Standard environment, but the 0 ability can still be useful, as can racing to the ultimate ability, which can single-handedly win you the game.
It’s hard to disregard such an efficient Planeswalker. Subsequently, Tezzeret is our top pick for the best constructed card in Edge of Eternities.
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