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Exploring the Wilds of Eldraine Limited: Best Tips & Top Commons by Color
Intro
Wilds of Eldraine has arrived and promises to make a substantial impact on constructed formats , also boasting one of the most intriguing limited formats in recent times. Today, I'll share everything I've learned about the limited format, discussing mechanics, top colors, and tips for succeeding in this format.
Mechanics
Adventures
Adventures are back, just like in the initial Eldraine, and they bring with them an exciting dynamic for the format. Having two cards in one gives you more chances to use cards that, on their own, would be weaker without the other side. Let's take the following cards as an example:
The three cards have similar effects, but the first two were pretty much unplayable in their formats, while the third has potential to fit into certain builds, even with an extra mana cost. The fact that it's a decent 4/4 creature with haste makes it a solid choice at any stage of the game, particularly if you're building a more aggressive deck that benefits from the spell side, managing to deliver a significant amount of damage for this type of deck, as well as its creature side in a potential flood situation.
Food
Just like Adventures, Food tokens are also making a comeback and this isn't exactly great news for lovers of more aggressive decks, but it will certainly please those who prefer more grind-oriented decks. This is due to the 3 life that it provides, which sometimes, can feel like a Time Walk against your opponent (a basic example: they attack with a 3/3 creature, you take the damage, then gain 3 life at the end of the turn, making it feel as if they did nothing during their turn).
Furthermore, Food tokens also synergize with various types of cards in this format, either causing damage or being used as fodder for the next ability to be discussed.
Bargain
This is definitely a unique ability, although it bears some resemblance to kicker effects with sacrifice, such as Final Flourish, but now it's specifically tailored to only allow for the sacrifice of an artifact, an enchantment, or a token - which is indeed a novel concept. The reward for making a sacrifice is typically worth it, since some effects only truly shine when a sacrifice is made. This edition has a lot of cards that create tokens, and it's also heavily oriented towards enchantments, so it won't be too difficult to find something to benefit from this, but it doesn't necessarily mean you have to make a sacrifice for the card to be good. Here are a few examples:
Role Tokens
This, too, is a fresh and quite unique mechanic, to be honest. Even though auras have already been around for quite a while, I believe this is the first time they've been incorporated into a specific ability. There are six types of Role Tokens for the constructed format and one for Commander.
Cursed - The enchanted creature has a base power and toughness of 1/1.
Beast - The enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has trample.
Royal - The enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has ward {1}.
Sorcerer - The enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and "Whenever this creature attacks, scry 1".
Wicked - The enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and "When this Aura is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, each opponent loses 1 life".
Young Hero - The enchanted creature has "Whenever this creature attacks, if its toughness is 3 or less, put a +1/+1 counter on it".
Virtuous (CMD) - The enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each enchantment you control.
Your creature can only have one Role Token at a time, meaning that if it has a token and you want to add another one, the first one will be sacrificed. This edition also includes various cards that interact with this strategy, so we need to be vigilant of all possibilities. Particularly because these tokens are also enchantments, a type of card that carries significant weight in this format.
Celebration
Celebration is a mechanic that rewards decks capable of producing more than one permanent per turn, offering some type of bonus to the creature with this ability. It also synergizes well with cards that generate role tokens, especially if these tokens are creatures, as it allows you to easily attain these bonuses. Some of them are quite rewarding. However, they're typically better suited for aggressive decks, which benefit more from having an army on the field.
Best Commons
Black
Just like in Lord of the Rings, it remains the top color. You have at your disposal numerous removals, commons with a high power level, and "mythic" uncommons, like Faerie Fencing and High Fae Negotiator. It also has the best combination of cards with the second-best color.
Top 5 Best Commons:
Red
Red has superb removal options, even superior to those of the black color, and excellent treasure cards that assist in deck building, especially in Sealed. The power level of some rare cards also makes this color stand out among the rest, primarily citing Song of Totentanz, which has the potential to win games unexpectedly and catch many opponents off guard in the advanced stages of the game.
Top 5 Best Commons:
Green
Green, much like red, pairs well with black, but the power level of its commons is somewhat lacking, and its removals are in the form of fight effects, which are significantly inferior to burn removals. Still, depending largely on its uncommon cards, it could be a more intriguing option. It has a particularly good dual-faced uncommon card, Puny Snack/Gingerbread Hunter, where both sides are quite powerful and fit nicely into any deck.
Top 5 Best Commons:
White
Hopeful Vigil is, without question, a high power level common card that interacts well with bounces and other abilities such as Bargain and Celebrate. However, while it's more of a support color, when compared to common and uncommon cards in green, red or black, it clearly lags a bit behind.
Nonetheless, the synergy factor and if you want a deck with more evasion/fliers, it could be a good color, especially if you're looking to splash.
Top 5 Best Commons:
Blue
I must admit, it took me a while to compile a top five of common cards because, at a glance, the blue cards appear to have a significantly weaker power level compared to their predecessors in this category. However, there are a few good rare and notably playable uncommon cards, which could make them a viable option for support and splash. But in this edition, from my perspective, they fall short when compared to the other colors.
Top 5 Best Commons:
Top Tips for the Format
TIP #1:The right 2-drop
Generally speaking, 2-drop cards aren't as effective, making this an edition where you might occasionally prioritize 3-drop cards. They possess a higher power level and aren't as filler-like as most 2-drops. The game format isn't particularly fast-paced, but be careful not to fall behind. Keep this in mind when constructing your deck.
TIP #2:Removal
Removal cards are always a priority in my opinion, and this edition offers a generous amount in all colors. Therefore, even though some rare cards like The Mother Goose may seem unbeatable, you're likely to have removal for them. Make good use of these removal.
TIP #3:Splash
Certain cards offer support for splashing, especially with treasures and through Crystal Grotto and Evolving Wilds. Analyze your sealed pools carefully to maximize their potential.
TIP #4:Adventures
Even if you don't fully utilize a card with adventure (having the ability to cast both sides), remember that there are enough viable cards in the edition that you can play with just one side (for instance, Imodane’s Recruiter in a BR deck with rat tokens or Spellscorn Coven discarding something significant in the late game.)
TIP #3:Three Bowls
Three Bowls of Porridge is an excellent uncommon card that you should implement in any deck. It's a colorless removal, provides you with extra time or removes a significant blocker, and synergizes well with Bargain cards. Worst case scenario, it can buy you an extra turn with its 3 life.
Final words
When it was first announced, Wilds of Eldraine stirred up some apprehension among players, particularly due to its predecessor, Throne of Eldraine, being an edition with an exceptionally high power level that made some games less enjoyable, primarily because of its absurdly powerful rare and mythic cards. Now, we can breathe a sigh of relief and see that Wizards of the Coast has seemingly learned from their mistake, delivering a well-balanced edition devoid of anything too preposterous, and much more enjoyable.
Until next time!