MTGO
ARENA
PAPER
Best Pioneer and Standard Cards from Wilds of Eldraine
Back to Eldraine
Following The Lord of the Rings' substantial impact on the eternal formats, it's now Wilds of Eldraine's turn to make its grand entrance, with some cards already generating significant buzz.
Today, I'm going to discuss a few of these standout cards which have the potential to shake up both Standard and Pioneer , along with the decks they could be most effective in!
Pioneer Top Cards
Beseech the Mirror
One of the cards that really turned heads in the spoiler was Beseech the Mirror. It received a lot of attention particularly with regards to eternal formats, where we have more scope to exploit outrageous plays, like sacrificing a Mox/zero-cost artifact to fetch a key card, acting somewhat like a Tinker. However, I see potential for both Standard and Pioneer, but I’ll focus on Pioneer because the range of tutorable options is broader. One of the 4-mana cards that comes to mind that you could definitely fetch is Karn, the Great Creator and.
Also being black make it fits well into Monoblack, which has made an appearance in the format at some point, attempting something similar to what its “older brother” Monoblack Coffers does in Modern, with Cabal Stronghold taking the role of Cabal Coffers.
Maybe the cost is a bit prohibitive, but without a doubt, it's a powerful card and I would bet on it showing up in a build very soon. Also worth noting that it can fetch Sheoldred, one of the most powerful creatures in the format.
Card Kingdom 
TcgPlayer 
Card Hoarder Regal Bunnicorn
This seemingly harmless little bunny has the potential to become a towering threat on the board, especially when incorporated into a deck that can readily produce non-land permanents. The most obvious home for it would be in the Boros Convoke , where it could fit like a glove. The deck is somewhat lacking in impactful two drops, but when combined with cards like Thraben Inspector and Voldaren Epicure, we can have a 3/3 on the board by the second turn. Although it doesn't offer any form of evasion, it can pose a threat in just a few turns. Furthermore, its white color is highly significant for creatures with convoke, like Knight-Errant of Eos and Venerated Loxodon. It's also a great backup plan when the deck doesn't have explosive convoke turns, since even with minor creatures, it can still stand as one of the biggest threats on the board. Boros has been a bit underwhelming lately, but this little bunny could be the key card to make the deck shine again.
Blossoming Tortoise
MonoGreen Devotion is one of the top decks in the Pioneer format, and it seems to have just been bolstered by a new card. Despite its relatively fragile body, the card's effects are quite beneficial for the deck. It shares a similar effect with Cavalier of Thorns, but it can bring back a land even if it wasn't milled that turn. Moreover, it triggers its ability when it attacks, reducing the activation cost for Nykthos and amplifying the power of the Lair of the Hydra, while also lowering its activation cost. It seems like it offers a lot of effects for the deck at a reasonably low mana cost and considering that the deck has some quite variable slots, I can see one or possibly several copies of this turtle making the list.
Questing Druid/Seek the Beast
Boros Pia is a legitimate deck in today's metagame. Even though it already has a decent amount of "exile spells," the druid card has an aspect of an instant spell, which can be significantly crucial, especially if we want to keep our mana open for any reason. The creature side being green will rarely be cast, but remember, the deck includes Jegantha, so at least one potential exists.
Toadstool Admirer
A common card that many overlooked, but I believe it has a unique place in Pioneer. Ward proved to be a powerful mechanic and this is the first time we've seen ward 2 on a one-mana creature, making it unlikely to be removed before the third turn.
It fits exceptionally well into GW Auras.
It fits exceptionally well into GW Auras, a deck that lacks strong one-mana creatures. Technically, this deck now has two "bogles" at this curve, which could be the missing piece needed for the deck to truly shine, thereby improving consistency in curved openings. In my opinion, it's one of the sleepers of the edition and, whether you like it or not, the deck performed very well at one of the recent Pro Tours, so it deserves respect.
Standard Top Cards
Scalding Viper/Steam Clean
It's not exactly an Eidolon of the Great Revel, but it does a decent job for the format. Monored could use a few more two-drops and, even with Cut Down, removal isn't entirely free. If you have the chance to splash, the adventure side isn't too bad, but I don't think it's all that significant. The lack of evasion is a bit of a hindrance, and even with Kumano, it still doesn't dodge Cut Down, but it could be a sleeper for the archetype.
Talion’s Messenger
UB Midrange is one of the top decks in the format, and I can envision it evolving into a sort of UB Fairies variant with Sheoldred, as Faerie Mastermind is one of the deck's key cards. It may even be a better drop3 than Graveyard Trespasser, and with a few more fairies in the lineup, we could develop a highly synergistic fairy tribal deck. It's a solid option for ground-locked matches, and it interacts well with Sheoldred herself. Sure, it's susceptible to Cut Down, which may cause it to enter and not do much, but I believe it's an option worth keeping an eye on for the future.
Horned Loch-Whale
In the past, this card would have been a shining star in control mirrors, providing a significant threat that's enacted at instant speed and isn't easy to remove, given its ward 2 feature forcing the opponent to expend at least 4 mana to tackle it, thereby enabling us to deploy a more potent threat on the rebound. However, the power level of cards has experienced a significant surge, particularly in this format where we have Hullbreacher Horror available for just one more mana, even though it's not frequently played. This extra mana can sometimes make the difference between a card that sees play and one that doesn't. Nevertheless, the card's adventure aspect makes it more intriguing- control decks adore cards that allow them to dictate the tempo of the game, and having a potent creature that can be deployed in the late game might just make the card playable.
Decadent Dragon
Rakdos has been on a downtrend since the ban of Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, practically eliminating reasons to play with red. However, this dragon could be an intriguing addition to the archetype, despite its lack of haste. Its adventure aspect is akin to Siphon Insight, but without the ability to play with any type of mana, which is a significant downside. On the flip side, being an adventure creature, it's versatile and could be a solid option for the archetype to return to play. A 4/4 that generates a treasure every turn could be both intriguing and risky if it stays on the board for too long, and yet it could also act as a removal magnet, making room for other cards to shine (Sheoldred, I'm looking at you).
The End
Sheoldred is quite a troublesome card in the format and this removal could be a definitive answer to dealing with the praetor, including its copies. It could serve well as a mirror breaker, even to handle other cards and their duplicates, like The Wandering Emperor and Atraxa, Grand Unifier. For the cost of 4 mana, it has an acceptable power level for the format and I believe it's a solid choice for the sideboard.
Final Words
It seems Wizards has taken the lessons from the first Eldraine on board, and has balanced this edition out quite well with cards that are strong but not overwhelmingly so. With solid options for both formats, Eldraine Wilds could potentially be impactful for some decks, but in a much more balanced way compared to its predecessor.
Until next time!