Whenever a new Magic: The Gathering set is released, it’s always the rares and mythics that get the most attention. These cards tend to have higher power levels, after all, and therefore more impact on deckbuilding. This isn’t always the case, mind you. As we saw with Stock Up in Aetherdrift, sometimes a humble uncommon can swoop in and steal the show. While it’s early days yet, Starfield Shepherd from Edge of Eternities looks like an MTG card that could do just that.
This card was part of the big Edge of Eternities leaks late last week. It looks like an absolute slam-dunk for white decks in Limited, but beyond that, it also has some applications in serious Magic formats, too. Players have already been discussing the card’s potential in Modern, cEDH, and more. Whether it lives up to this early hype remains to be seen. In any case, it’s nice to see an uncommon get so many people talking during preview season.
Starfield Shepherd MTG
- Mana Value: 3WW
- Type: Creature – Angel
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Card Text: Flying.
When this creature enters, search your library for a basic Plains card or a creature card with mana value 1 or less, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Warp 1W (You may cast this card from your hand for its Warp cost. Exile this creature at the beginning of the next end step, then you may cast it from exile on a later turn.)- Stats: 3/2
Starfield Shepherd is a fantastic showcase for how differently Wizards has handled the new MTG mechanics in Edge of Eternities. Pretty much all of the Station cards we’ve seen so far, including the big shiny mythic lands, look woefully underpowered. The Warp cards, on the other hand, are all very aggressively costed. Timeline Culler is probably the best example so far, but Shepherd is a close second.
Five mana for a 3/2 that tutors a land or a one drop is nothing to write home about. We’ve had better options in pretty much every format for a long time now. Casting Shepherd via Warp is only two mana, however, which is a much better deal. Two mana is the going rate for some of the best tutors in the game, like Demonic Tutor and Diabolic Intent. While Shepherd is nowhere near as flexible as these classics, it can be just as useful in the right decks.
In older Magic: The Gathering formats, one drops are some of the best creatures available. Think Ragavan and Esper Sentinel. Being able to use up your spare mana on an efficient threat is great in grindy games or when you’re applying pressure early on. Shepherd lets you do that, while also offering extra mana via basic Plains in a pinch.
The most exciting part of the card is the further implications of the Warp ability. You’re supposed to exile Shepherd at the end of turn, then recast it later for five mana. If you sacrifice or blink it, however, you can dodge this drawback. Suddenly, a seemingly fair card isn’t quite so fair anymore.
Meant To Be In Modern
Perhaps the most obvious home for Starfield Shepherd, and one that many MTG players have been discussing already, is in Modern Blink decks. These come in both Esper and Orzhov flavors, and revolve around blinking value creatures like Overlord of the Balemurk with Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd or Ephemerate. Starfield Shepherd offers another solid blink target for the deck to enjoy.
Playing Phelia on two, then Shepherd on three is an incredible curve, letting you tutor up two one drops and play one of them immediately. You also get to keep Shepherd around as a very solid 3/2 flier. Neither variant of Blink plays any one drops right now, but Shepherd could easily change that. A few copies of Ocelot Pride or Guide of Souls would help out the deck’s Aggro matchups, while also ensuring Shepherd always had targets to hit.
The other big synergy players have noticed with the card in Modern is Birthing Ritual. Since Ritual’s trigger goes on the stack at the same time as the exile trigger from Warp, you can order them to sacrifice Shepherd first before it exiles itself. This is huge for Ritual decks, as it gives you a way to power out any creature in your deck on turn three.
Right now, the main decks playing Birthing Ritual in Modern are both Combo decks. Both Sam Combo and Yawgmoth run the card, and both, handily enough, also run a ton of vital one-drops that are well worth tutoring up. Both decks rely on the likes of Carrion Feeder and Cauldron Familiar to pop off, so those are great targets to start with. Sam Combo already plays white, so Shepherd could easily slot in there. Yawgmoth would need to splash, but it could be worth it for the extra combo consistency Shepherd offers.
A Sneaky cEDH Superstar
Beyond Modern, a lot of MTG players are also excited about Starfield Shepherd in the illustrious world of cEDH. Tutors always get much more mileage in singleton formats, so cEDH decks tend to play every tutor they can get their hands on. Shepherd is very restrictive, of course, but it’s also one of the very few white tutors that can grab creatures. The others, Ranger-Captain of Eos and Recruiter of the Guard, are staples for a reason.
Shepherd’s range of targets is extremely limited, but it really only needs one to be worth running: Esper Sentinel. This is one of the best white cards in cEDH, serving as a consistent one-mana draw engine on the level of Mystic Remora. Even dropping it on turn three is solid, so Shepherd could see play for that reason alone. Depending on your colors, it can also grab a mana dork like Birds of Paradise, or maybe a Ragavan.
One drops aside, it’s also worth pointing out that Shepherd can grab creatures that cost one or less. This lets you nab zero-mana combo piece creatures, like Walking Ballista. Plenty of cEDH decks have ways to generate infinite mana, and this is a card that lets you convert that into a win. It’s particularly popular in Heliod, Sun-Crowned decks, as it creates an easy infinite loop with the Commander.
Having access to an extra copy of Ballista is great in decks that can use it this way. I expect Shepherd will mainly see use in decks that can use it to tutor both combo pieces and value, but that’s pretty much every cEDH deck, so I’m cautiously optimistic.
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