Wilds of Eldraine Takes Over Multiple Formats with These New Cards!

Wilds of Eldraine has a plethora of very powerful cards. Standard, which has been largely dominated by Dimir midrange for quite some time, is seeing some big changes. Just recently, a Naya tokens deck, something we never saw over the last few months, took down a big event on Arena. The additions of Questing Druid Questing Druid Whenever you cast a spell that's white, blue, black, or red, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. and Virtue of Loyalty Virtue of Loyalty At the beginning of your end step, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control. Untap those creatures. played a big role in the deck’s success.

As it turns out, Standard is not the only format seeing big upgrades thanks to Wilds of Eldraine. Pioneer, Modern, and Legacy have all been heavily impacted. This is not always the case for a premier set designed with Limited and Standard in mind. It’s cool to see a set so filled with flavor and wonder also make its presence felt in Constructed. Today, we will be going over a handful of cards and how they are impacting formats beyond Standard. Let’s start by taking a look at Pioneer.

Updates to Pioneer

The winner of Saturday’s Magic Online Pioneer Challenge was playing none other than Izzet Phoenix, which is a well-established archetype that has been seeing more and more play as of late. This deck also got a decent boost from the introduction of Sleight of Hand into the format. Sleight of Hand is a cantrip that was printed way back in Portal Second Age roughly 25 years ago but is finally getting reprinted in a Pioneer-legal set. Izzet Phoenix already had access to Opt Opt Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
Draw a card. and Consider Consider Surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put it into your graveyard.)
Draw a card. , but now the deck gets to play a third one-mana cantrip. Not only does the addition of Sleight of Hand improve the deck’s overall consistency, but it helps make the ability to cast three spells in a turn to return Arclight Phoenix Arclight Phoenix Flying, haste
At the beginning of combat on your turn, if you've cast three or more instant and sorcery spells this turn, return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. from the graveyard to play more reliable.

Another archetype to make top eight of the Challenge with new Wilds of Eldraine cards was Boros Heroic. Boros Heroic has seen a lot less play over the last few months, given its weaknesses against removal-heavy decks like Rakdos midrange. However, the deck has a strong matchup against mono-green and other less interactive decks, and it got a nice upgrade in the form of Monstrous Rage Monstrous Rage Target creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Create a Monster Role token attached to it. (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has trample.) . Monstrous Rage provides a decent buff to one of your Creatures as well as Trample, but because part of the buff comes from the Role token created, the Creature maintains +1/+1 and Trample for future turns. At one mana, this is quite strong. The top eight decklist essentially replaced Invigorated Rampage Invigorated Rampage Choose one —
• Target creature gets +4/+0 and gains trample until end of turn.
• Two target creatures each get +2/+0 and gain trample until end of turn. and a couple copies of Homestead Courage Homestead Courage Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. It gains vigilance until end of turn.
Flashback {W} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.) from stock Heroic lists with Monstrous Rage.

Finally, Blossoming Tortoise Blossoming Tortoise Whenever this creature enters or attacks, mill three cards, then return a land card from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
Activated abilities of lands you control cost {1} less to activate.
Land creatures you control get +1/+1. is starting to see some play in mono-green Devotion in the deck’s flex slots. Blossoming Tortoise helps find Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx {T}: Add {C}.
{2}, {T}: Choose a color. Add an amount of mana of that color equal to your devotion to that color. (Your devotion to a color is the number of mana symbols of that color in the mana costs of permanents you control.) , lowers the activation cost of Nykthos, and can act as a repeatable source of ramp if it sticks around. While this is strong, some players are still opting to play Polukranos Reborn Polukranos Reborn Reach
{6}{W/P}: Transform Polukranos Reborn. Activate only as a sorcery. ({W/P} can be paid with either {W} or 2 life.) instead, as Polukranos only costs three mana and is much better against decks like Spirits.

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Modern Upgrades

Beyond Pioneer, two specific Modern decks have been utilizing new Wilds of Eldraine cards rather successfully. First up, we have four-color Omnath, Locus of Creation Omnath, Locus of Creation When Omnath enters, draw a card.
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, you gain 4 life if this is the first time this ability has resolved this turn. If it's the second time, add {R}{G}{W}{U}. If it's the third time, Omnath deals 4 damage to each opponent and each planeswalker you don't control. decks. These decks already played Solitude Solitude Flash
Lifelink
When this creature enters, exile up to one other target creature. That creature's controller gains life equal to its power.
Evoke—Exile a white card from your hand. and Leyline Binding Leyline Binding Flash
Domain — This spell costs {1} less to cast for each basic land type among lands you control.
When this enchantment enters, exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls until this enchantment leaves the battlefield. consistently, so Up the Beanstalk felt like a natural fit. Up the Beanstalk replaces itself by drawing a card when it enters the battlefield. From there, you get to draw more cards each time you cast a spell that costs five or more mana. This includes Evoking Solitude or casting Leyline Binding for one mana, making Up the Beanstalk rather reliable. The powerful Enchantment also works well in multiples, which is a nice bonus. We actually had an inkling that this might happen before the release of Wilds of Eldraine.

The other deck that got a strong upgrade is Yawgmoth, Thran Physician Yawgmoth, Thran Physician Protection from Humans
Pay 1 life, Sacrifice another creature: Put a -1/-1 counter on up to one target creature and draw a card.
{B}{B}, Discard a card: Proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.) combo. Yawgmoth, just like four-color Omnath, was a tier one deck already. However, yesterday’s Magic Online Modern Challenge was won by Yawgmoth combo featuring three copies of Agatha’s Soul Cauldron Agatha’s Soul Cauldron You may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to activate abilities of creatures you control.
Creatures you control with +1/+1 counters on them have all activated abilities of all creature cards exiled with Agatha's Soul Cauldron.
{T}: Exile target card from a graveyard. When a creature card is exiled this way, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. . We mentioned in a previous article that Agatha’s Soul Cauldron combos quite nicely with Yawgmoth in the graveyard, as well as two copies of Young Wolf Young Wolf Undying (When this creature dies, if it had no +1/+1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it.) and Zulaport Cutthroat Zulaport Cutthroat Whenever this creature or another creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. . As it turns out, this combo is already making waves in Modern. Even beyond the combo itself, Cauldron is a good value card, distributing +1/+1 counters to your Creatures over time. In conjunction with Grist, the Hunger Tide Grist, the Hunger Tide As long as Grist isn't on the battlefield, it's a 1/1 Insect creature in addition to its other types.
+1: Create a 1/1 black and green Insect creature token, then mill a card. If an Insect card was milled this way, put a loyalty counter on Grist and repeat this process.
−2: You may sacrifice a creature. When you do, destroy target creature or planeswalker.
−5: Each opponent loses life equal to the number of creature cards in your graveyard. milling over Creatures and making Insect tokens, Cauldron plays a bigger role than you might expect.

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Improvements in Legacy

Wilds of Eldraine cards are even making a splash in Eternal formats. Beseech the Mirror was one of the most hyped-up cards from the whole set, and after a couple big Legacy events, it’s easy to see why. The winning decklist from Saturday’s Magic Online Legacy Challenge was a mono-black deck utilizing Helm of Obedience Helm of Obedience {X}, {T}: Target opponent mills a card, then repeats this process until a creature card or X cards have been put into their graveyard this way, whichever comes first. If one or more creature cards were put into that graveyard this way, sacrifice this artifact and put one of them onto the battlefield under your control. X can't be 0. as a combo piece. With Leyline of the Void Leyline of the Void If this card is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
If a card would be put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere, exile it instead. and Helm of Obedience in play, if you activate Helm targeting an opponent, you can simply mill your opponent’s whole library since no cards are entering their graveyard.

Beseech the Mirror helped make this combo a lot more consistent. Rather than having to play four copies of Helm which does very little on its own, this deck plays a playset of Beseech the Mirror and only one copy of Helm, which can be tutored when appropriate. Beseech can also search for other powerful four-drops such as Sheoldred, the Apocalypse Sheoldred, the Apocalypse Deathtouch
Whenever you draw a card, you gain 2 life.
Whenever an opponent draws a card, they lose 2 life. or Karn, the Great Creator Karn, the Great Creator Activated abilities of artifacts your opponents control can't be activated.
+1: Until your next turn, up to one target noncreature artifact becomes an artifact creature with power and toughness each equal to its mana value.
−2: You may reveal an artifact card you own from outside the game or choose a face-up artifact card you own in exile. Put that card into your hand. , depending on the matchup. Finally, if Leyline of the Void is not in play, Beseech the Mirror can find the other half of the combo as well.

Beseech the Mirror was also a focal point of another top eight decklist with a much more all-in combo theme. This deck played Beseech the Mirror in order to search for and cast Gaea’s Will Gaea’s Will Suspend 4—{G}
Until end of turn, you may play lands and cast spells from your graveyard.
If a card would be put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, exile that card instead. . By combining Beseech the Mirror with a cheap Artifact and a couple Ritual effects such as Dark Ritual Dark Ritual Add {B}{B}{B}. , it’s easy to get a very high Storm count and win via Tendrils of Agony Tendrils of Agony Target player loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies.) . This deck even plays a playset of Veil of Summer Veil of Summer Draw a card if an opponent has cast a blue or black spell this turn. Spells you control can't be countered this turn. You and permanents you control gain hexproof from blue and from black until end of turn. (You and they can't be the targets of blue or black spells or abilities your opponents control.) in the maindeck to fight against opposing Counterspells, which showcases this deck’s all-in gameplan.

Finally, we have also seen Questing Druid Questing Druid Whenever you cast a spell that's white, blue, black, or red, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. make a splash in Legacy. Temur Delver of Secrets Delver of Secrets At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. You may reveal that card. If an instant or sorcery card is revealed this way, transform this creature. decks have begun playing this card as a source of card advantage that comes with a two-mana threat attached. Given the deck’s high density of blue and red spells, growing Questing Druid is trivial. With Expressive Iteration Expressive Iteration Look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand, put one of them on the bottom of your library, and exile one of them. You may play the exiled card this turn. banned, having access to some card advantage is also strong. Wilds of Eldraine is making a huge impact rather quickly, and there’s likely a lot more innovation that is yet to come.

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