It’s prerelease day! Murders at Karlov Manor is now available for MTG players new and old to try for the first time! With big prizes on the line, getting a head start on identifying prerelease powerhouses can help you net some extra packs.
While there are some very obvious Limited nightmares, and we’ll be sure to highlight them, there are also a few cards that may go under the radar. Here’s some cards we recommend looking out for in your Prerelease pools!
Incinerator of the Guilty
Incinerator of the Guilty is perhaps one of the most obvious Limited bombs that one can open in their Murders at Karlov Manor prerelease kits. It also happens to be one of the most expensive cards in the set at the time of writing this.
A Flying, Trampling 6/6 is already enough to win a game of Limited. Should Incinerator of the Guilty be allowed to connect with a player, however, as long as you have some Collect Evidence fodder in your grave, Incinerator of the Guilty will completely incinerate their board. One-sided board wipes are absolutely devastating in any MTG format, and even with some extra steps, Limited is no different. If you end up destroying even a few things on your opponent’s side of the board, Incinerator of the Guilty is game-ending.
Insidious Roots
Insidious Roots may be a less obvious Murders at Karlov Manor prerelease powerhouse, but as long as you have enough resources to trigger this card consistently, Insidious Roots is one of the deadliest cards in the entire set.
This enchantment provides an absolutely absurd amount of value whenever a creature card leaves your grave. Insidious Roots creates a Plant token each time this happens, and can even grow any Plant you control. This alone grants Insidious Roots the opportunity to grow a Plant army all on its own.
Even if you can’t maximize Insidious Roots, the Plant tokens it creates double as mana dorks. Even if your gameplan isn’t to win with a Plant army, Insidious Roots can help you cast your game-ending spells.
Finally, this is just an uncommon. Imagine what having two of these in play could do! As long as you have enough ways to remove creatures from your graveyard, Insidious Roots can potentially provide more value than you could imagine.
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Cryptic Coat
If Murders at Karlov Manor has a sleeper, this might be it. Cryptic Coat isn’t too powerful on its own, essentially equaling an unblockable 3/2 with Ward 2 with all things considered. This is already a rather valuable creature, but what really makes Cryptic Coat powerful is that its reusable.
Being able to bounce the Coat back to hand and replay it is really powerful in a Limited environment. Even though Limited games in general are much quicker now than they have been historically, Cryptic Coat’s ability to continually Cloak cards from the top of your deck is very powerful. In the case that these Cloaked cards are creatures, you can even flip them for a burst of damage!
Cryptic Coat is a card worth splashing for, even if it looks unassuming at first glance.
Krenko, Baron of Tin Street
A telltale sign of a Limited bomb is a card that can win the game on its own when left uncontested. Krenko, Baron of Tin Street may possess abilities that look too narrow to abuse in a Limited environment, but when one remembers that Investigate triggers are literally everywhere, Krenko starts to look a lot better.
Whether you’re drawing some cards by cracking Clues, or using Krenko’s activated ability, there are plenty artifacts that will hit your grave in the Murders at Karlov Manor prerelease. Note that tokens do hit the grave temporarily before disappearing, so they will trigger Krenko’s ability. This allows you to pay a red mana and create a Goblin.
Combine this Goblin-making with Krenko’s activated ability, and you can easily make a Hasty army that takes the game over. Because of how Krenko’s abilities stack, you should also have the opportunity to create a Goblin token in response to Krenko’s own ability, if you so choose.
Alquist Proft, Master Sleuth
Going back to incredibly obvious Limited bombs, Alquist Proft is definitely worth going out of your way to play. This three mana bomb offers a slightly above-rate creature on the surface, but his real power is found in his activated ability. Alquist Proft literally turns your Clue into a Sphinx’s Revelation – a card that took over Standard when it was legal. Proft even Investigates on entry, immediately giving you a Clue to transform into a Revelation.
At worst, Alquist Proft is a solid creature that eats some removal and replaces itself. At best, Proft draws a ton of cards and stabilizes your life total.
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Etrata, Deadly Fugitive
For three mana, Etrata is a powerhouse. Between Deathtouch and her triggered ability, Etrata puts opponents in a difficult position. Damaging opponents allows you to pull ahead by Cloaking their cards. If Etrata is blocked, Deathtouch will kill anything that gets in her way.
Etrata does fall to removal evenly, and can struggle to break through boards that involve creatures that can threaten to kill her, but if Etrata comes down early and is not dealt with, she will run away with the game.
Vannifar, Evolved Enigma
Vannifar continues our theme of ‘cards that win the game on their own if not dealt with quickly.’ Like many of the other cards on this list, Vannifar, Evolved Enigma creates an army on her own if given enough time. Cloaking cards from your hand may seem mediocre on first glance, but it’s a great way to repurpose lands as a stronger resource or set up surprise scenarios. If 2/2s with Ward 2 aren’t enough to contend, Vannifar can buff those creatures up instead.
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Aurelia’s Vindicator
We highlighted Aurelia’s Vindicator as an absolute nightmare in Limited when it was spoiled during the first day of Murders at Karlov Manor spoiler season. Aurelia’s Vindicator remains one of, if not, the strongest card in the entire Limited format.
At minimum, Aurelia’s Vindicator is a valuable body that makes racing incredibly difficult for your opponent. Flying and Lifelink have traditionally been a deadly combination in Limited, and Ward 2 just makes removing it even more of a chore.
At best, Aurelia’s Vindicator turns into a temporary boardwipe that can also recur value from your grave. The more mana you have, the bigger of an impact flipping the Vindicator will have.
Having the option to be Disguised makes splashing Aurelia’s Vindicator almost free. Even if you can’t cast it, you can still have it become a 2/2 with Ward 2. Aurelia’s Vindicator should probably make its way into your deck regardless of what colors you’re in.
A quick reminder to players braving their Murders at Karlov Manor prerelease at local game stores across the world: there are some unplayable cards that you will find in your kit. Considering that they share a set symbol with your other cards, it can be rather difficult to identify them. You can read more about that here.
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