15, Sep, 23

One Wilds of Eldraine Card is a Major Player in Multiple Formats

Wilds of Eldraine cards have been available for over a week on Magic Online, and we are continuing to see them have a major impact on various formats. Standard has seen an enormous shake-up, as the power of cards like Bramble Familiar have completely changed the metagame that was dominated by Sheoldred, the Apocalypse for so long. Role-players like Sleight of Hand and Monstrous Rage have helped strengthen a handful of Pioneer archetypes. Meanwhile, Agatha’s Soul Cauldron and Beseech the Mirror have elevated combo archetypes in Modern and Legacy, respectively.

It’s no secret that there are a lot of Wilds of Eldraine cards that are strong. However, one card in particular did rise above our expectations. As an Adventure card, neither the Creature nor the Instant are absurdly powerful on their own. When combined, though, the card generates a lot of value, and has a ton of flexibility. This card is none other than Questing Druid, and this card appears to be a house in all four formats mentioned above. Let’s take a closer look and see exactly where this card shines in each format.

Standard Synergy

Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival

There’s still plenty of room for innovation within the Standard format. After all, Wilds of Eldraine cards haven’t been out for long. Still, Questing Druid is starting to make its presence felt rather quickly. One of the first places this card began to see play is in a unique shell built around Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival. Questing Druid has a perfect home in this deck. The archetype is almost entirely Boros-based, allowing Questing Druid to grow very large very fast.

The Adventure portion of Questing Druid plays an even bigger role here, though, working in conjunction with Reckless Impulse and Wrenn’s Resolve as a source of card advantage that specifically exiles the top two cards of your library. This makes it easy to make a bunch of Thopters off of Pia Nalaar. The fact that Questing Druid acts as both a threat on its own and a way to generate card advantage that synergizes with the rest of the deck is incredible.

Beyond Naya tokens, Questing Druid has also popped up in some Golgari-based midrange decks. Both Questing Druid and Mosswood Dreadknight are capable of helping you play a long, grindy game when necessary. Additionally, because they are both two-drop threats, they can simply be cast on curve against opposing multi-color Bramble Familiar decks that can go way over the top. In this sense, Questing Druid is incredibly flexible, which makes it stronger than it looks.

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Pioneer Versatility

Atarka's Command

Regarding flexibility, that’s the role Questing Druid plays in Pioneer Gruul aggro decks. This deck that is built around efficient Creatures and Atarka’s Command is well-known for the hyperaggressive starts that can be produced. The problem is that the deck has historically lacked staying power. Outside of burn spells, Gruul aggro didn’t have much of an ability to win in the mid to late game. This is because, in order to play the deck effectively and maximize Atarka’s Command and Reckless Bushwhacker, you had to keep your curve low and full of Creatures.

Questing Druid helps this deck quite a bit on both axes. If you have a fast draw and are simply looking to curve out, playing Questing Druid on turn two is totally fine. Given how many cheap red cards this deck plays, you can often get a couple counters on Questing Druid the turn after and make a solid attack.

Of course, not every game is going to play out this way. If you are playing against a deck with lots of removal, such as Rakdos Midrange, being able to cast the Adventure portion of Questing Druid first can help you play a game of attrition. All Questing Druid’s Adventure asks is for you to play cheap cards to maximize your ability to play both of them on your turn. Gruul aggro certainly checks this box.

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Modern Longevity

Expressive Iteration

Another deck that checks this box is Prowess in Modern. Prowess is also a deck that is capable of fast starts. This deck plays 12 one-drops and is looking to establish a board presence early. Each of these Creatures benefits a lot from you casting cheap spells, of which this deck has plenty. Cards like Mishra’s Bauble and Mutagenic Growth can even be played for free, which work perfectly with both of the Prowess one-drops as well as Dragon’s Rage Channeler.

Because the cards in this deck are quite efficient, this deck gets access to Expressive Iteration, one of the best card advantage spells in Modern. Sometimes this deck will even play Underworld Breach to help in games that go long.

This is where Questing Druid comes in. While the Adventure side of Questing Druid is no Expressive Iteration, it does provide the deck with some additional card advantage. From there, you can cast Questing Druid from exile at any point to add another threat to the table, and it grows fast in a deck like this.

Notably, the Adventure only lets you play cards until your next end step. Sometimes it will be best to cast this spell on the opponent’s turn to give you the best opportunity to play both of the exiled cards on your turn. This means you may deal less damage on your turn with your Prowess threats. This is still well worth it in attrition-based matchups, and even lets you hold up mana to cast Counterspells or removal at Instant speed if necessary. Questing Druid is such a powerful card, that it’s even showing up in Legacy too!

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Raw Power in Legacy

Delver of Secrets

Much like how some Prowess players are splashing for Questing Druid in Modern, some Legacy Delver of Secrets players are doing the same thing. Legacy Delver decks are all about efficiency, playing cheap threats and backing them up with Daze and Wasteland. With Expressive Iteration banned in the format, Questing Druid can help fill in the gap.

While exiling Counterspells like Daze and Force of Will is not ideal, this deck can actually use Brainstorm to manipulate the top of the deck to maximize Questing Druid’s Adventure. Getting to put cards like Mishra’s Bauble on top of your deck to make Questing Druid’s Adventure as reliable as possible is a nice option to have.

Questing Druid naturally has built-in card advantage as an Adventure card, allowing you to play both parts of the card and reap the rewards. The fact that both the threat side and the card advantage side are efficient makes Questing Druid extremely strong in decks with lots of other cheap spells. Questing Druid is seeing play from Standard down to Legacy, showing just how impactful it is, and this is only the beginning.

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