While Reality Fracture’s spoiler season starts next week, Wizards of the Coast has not been shy about teasing the set. Thanks to the set’s story chapters going up this week, players are getting a few Reality Fracture spoilers ahead of time. Generally, these spoilers, like the one from yesterday, are a bit middling, but Solitary Cell could see some real play.
MTG Solitary Cell
Offering a decently flexible piece of removal with a card selection engine attached, Solitary Cell can be quite a powerful card in the right deck. If you can make use of both modes, this is strictly better than existing Oblivion Ring effects like Glass Casket. Unfortunately, the Boros color identity is a real drawback, but there are still a few MTG decks that make natural homes for this card.
In Standard, Boros Dwarves, in particular, seems like the perfect home for Solitary Cell. Thanks to the deck’s aggressive gameplan, Solitary Cell’s cheap mana value is at a premium here, getting rid of early blockers. All of the creatures in this archetype are legendary, too, allowing Solitary Cell’s second ability to increase the deck’s consistency considerably. Boros Dragons, another deck with a high legend count, also seems like a fantastic home for this card.
Because of Standard’s current meta, Solitary Cell’s flexibility can be surprisingly strong, too. On top of removing key creatures like Marauding Mako, Solitary Cell also hits Tablet of Discovery and Earthbender’s Ascension, giving it more value in game one. This could make the card a consideration for decks like Jeskai Synthesizer, which seems to be making a small comeback.
Beyond Standard, Solitary Cell could have a shot in Modern, but this seems far less likely. While niche, Jeskai Ascendancy combo decks seem like the best home for Solitary Cell due to some strong synergies. On top of this deck having tons of legends, Solitary Cell can be picked up by Emry, Lurker of the Loch in the graveyard, and can help turn on Mox Opal. Even then, however, this card might be too expensive at two mana.
Throw in some Legend Typal Commander decks like Djeru and Hazoret or Dihada, Binder of Wills, and Solitary Cell has a strong chance of finding a home somewhere. At the rate that Universes Beyond sets are releasing legendary cards, this could become even better in the future.
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