Panda's Card Tier List - Updated for 1.3 Patch

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Updated for the 1.3 Patch - Major changes in balance: disable supports nerfed, Gideon 1 nerfed, Harbinger nerfed (hallelujah), bounce nerfed (needed, but a bit harsh). Nissa buffs. Angel tomb worthless. Knight of the White Orchid nerfed, now pretty bad. The tier list for Jace, Gideon, and Nissa were completely overhauled due to the changes and more experience with Nissa. Liliana had a few things move, and Chandra did as well, but far fewer than the other three.

First things first, a huge thank you to night_day without which I wouldn't have been able to get a complete (or almost complete) list of cards.

Secondly, I'm way too lazy to actually list all the attributes of every card here, so please look at his database site http://www.mtgpq.com/ for detailed descriptions.

I will be ranking the cards thusly:

• S Tier - these cards can win a game by themselves, or can turn a game around, or provide unique benefits
• A Tier - these are cards you can build a deck around, or are universally useful, and are generally first pick in a hand
• B Tier - these cards are good filler, and have uses, but usually aren't great by themselves
• C Tier - these cards will actively make your deck worse

I will be ranking each color individually, because obviously (at least for the moment) you cannot build a mixed color deck. For dual color cards, I will rank them in both color's lists. Each color will also get an overall creature/spell/support ranking.

I will also be (briefly) discussing each planeswalker again. Should multiple planeswalkers be released for each color I will rank them individually as well.

Blue - S/A/S

Planeswalker Listing

Jace - generally the pick for best planeswalker, looking over his cards you'll quickly see why. While his abilities in themselves are not that great, they do end up being situationally useful and very adaptable, making it very difficult to be completely overwhelmed as Jace. His first ability is useful to neuter walls and suicide berserkers, as well as stall to get his game going. His second ability, assuming you have a card open (harder than it sounds) is great for perma bounce and draw. His ultimate I dunno why you would ever use.

Card Listing

S Tier

• Day's Undoing (6)(M) - Almost never useless, this can easily grant you huge mana advantage while getting rid of an empty/dead hand.
• Disciple of the Ring (20)(M) - this creature can solo planeswalkers while providing drain. Whats not to love (besides the initial steep mana cost)?
• Harbringer of the Tides (10)(R) - finally a reasonable body, he is still one of the best bounce cards blue has.
• Jace's Sanctum (9)(R) - the big half of blue's complete mana domination, and always useful. More costly now, but still always worth casting
• Mizzium Meddler (9)(R) - efficient, and devastating effect vs AI.
• Soulblade Djinn (12)(R) - very efficient 6/5 flyer with a great ability. Moved up to S tier as he is a top tier flyer.
• Talent of the Telepath (5)(R) - while it doesn't win games by itself, it triggers your "on spell cast" abilities, AND cannot be inefficient. With this card, you are essentially playing with a deck size of 9, which is a huge bonus.
• Thopter Spy Network (13)(M) - Still an efficient beatstick after 3 rounds, it no longer works with Angel's Tomb.
• Turn to Frog (9)(R) - bounces no longer destroy; this card is relatively much better as a result

A Tier

• Anchor to the Aether (7)(U) - no longer targets own creatures, a bit expensive. However, an ace up your sleeve that will never be dead weight.
• Artificer's Epiphany (2)(C) - Free cantrip and works well with Sphinx's Tutelage. Now that you can discard at will, a fantastic addition to any deck.
• Disperse (4)(C) - Still cheap, but grants the opponent mana. Still useful to get rid of reinforced and token stacks. I would not put more than 2 bounce in my deck. Jace has other priorities now. So choose between this, Anchor, and Harbinger.
• Ringwarden Owl (10)(U) - A very efficient flyer with a great ability.
• Scrapskin Drake (9)(U) - blue's only defender that doesn't suck and flies to boot. Cut opponent creatures down to size with Jace's 1 and have them break upon this card.
• Sigiled Starfish (8)(U) - now passively provides double card draw, great card advantage that never goes to waste. Pretty efficient too.
• Sphinx's Tutelage (6)(U) - the other half of Jace's mana domination. Not quite as good as Jace's Sanctum, but the ability to cycle cards is wonderful.
• Willbreaker (12)(R) - With the lack of on demand creature destruction from bounce, willbreaker becomes more useful, and Jace still has great, cheap spells to use

B Tier

• Alhammarret, High Arbiter (16)(R) - boring fatty with a boring ability (that is useful, nonetheless)
• Bone to Ash (7)(U) - Some would rank this higher, but I've never needed to use it. At best a filler.
• Bounding Krasis (11)(U) - decent filler creature
• Clash of Wills (4)(U) - actually useful, but there are so many better options
• Displacement Wave (14)(R) - situationally useful if you're losing, but try not to be losing
• Jhessian Thief (9)(U) - card draw is not needed, and while she is decently efficient there are better cards
• Possessed Skaab (13)(U) - possibly useful if an S tier creature is killed off. Otherwise, an overly expensive 4/3
• Stratus Walk (3)(C) - decent filler that cantrips well.
• Thunderclap Wyvern (12)(U) - inefficient by itself, but its ability is usually useful, and there are worse fillers.
• Tower Geist (9)(U) - very efficient flyer. Kinda meh ability, but not useless.
• Whirler Rogue (15)(U) - a surprisingly good card, he is only down here because the rest of A tier is better. Really more of an AB tier. imo the best of the B tier fillers.

C Tier

• Aspring Aeronaut (10)(C) - way too costly
• Calculated Dismissal (7)(C) - pointless, pretty much worse than Bone to Ash
• Claustrophobia (9)(C) - expensive and 1 shield, a terrible investment unless you DESPERATELY need to get one creature off you for one turn.
• Deep-Sea Terror (9)(U) - lol
• Dreadwaters (16)(M) - yes this mythic isn't useful because. 1, you'll be matching all the blue and 2, it costs too much and 3, you have better options for denial
• Faerie Miscreant (6)(C) - pointless ability and costs too much
• Hydrolash (10)(U) - possibly B tier, but I've never thought to myself "I should use this card"
• Maritime Guard (8)(C) - nope
• Negate (3)(C) - why?
• Nivix Barrier (8)(C) - nope
• Psychic Rebuttal (6)(C) - pointless
• Reclusive Artificer (11)(U) - B tier if you desperately need DD, but you have far better options. Very inefficient.
• Screeching Skaab (1)(C) - has possible uses, but really the issue is it takes up a card slot and you have far better options.
• Send to Sleep (5)(U) - 90% of the time this card will do absolutely nothing!
• Separatist Voidmage (10)(C) - its a bounce. no longer powerful. Too costly for a 2/2 body and grants too much mana to opponent. Bounce is still usable, but your other choices are far better than this, and you will never need 4 bounce.
• Skaab Goliath (13)(M) - what a disappointment. Possibly useful if you have one of those thopter cards...but mostly just not worth the effort. Your only berserker, however
• Watercourser (7)(C) - another useless defender

White - S/B/A

Planeswalker Listing

Gideon - while most planeswalkers are strong because of their decks, Gideon's deck is strong because of him. And boy is he strong. My vote for the planeswalker that has the most impact on their decks, his abilities turn any of his creatures into board clearing monsters. His first ability is his best and most abusable, a +1/+1 vigilance that makes any of creature an instant threat. It is now much more expensive manawise, and I highly recommend not leveling it past rank 2. His second ability is not much more relatively efficient than his first. It is always more efficient as long as you have at least 2 creatures out. Now the "backbone" of Gideon's kit, whereas 1 is only used once to apply vigilance (if that). Note: - Gideon's ability means you always want as many efficient creatures out as possible, regardless of their Tier ranking. Always try to fill out your creature slots.

Card Listing

S Tier

• Archangel of Tithes (18)(M) - Efficient 7/9 flyer, that together with Gideon's abilities make her an unstoppable beat stick that rewards you when enemies break themselves upon your creatures. If you have this card, you don't need a jailer.
• Consul's Lieutenant (12)(U) - how is this card good you ask? Well, a first striker, and the cheapest white has, means he is amazingly good with Gideon's abilities.
• Enshrouding Mist (5)(C) - Prevent Damage in this case means, prevent destruction, prevent bounce, prevent anything. Stack this with Gideon's ability and watch the entire enemy board suicide themselves against you. Mana for mana, its tempo swing can't be beat.
• Knightly Valor (9)(U) - hey, +2/+2 vigilance is extremely efficient. Better now that Gideon's on demand vigilance is more expensive. A must have support in any deck.
• Kytheon's Irregulars (14)(R) - extremely efficient beatstick.
• Relic Seeker (12)(R) - win some, then win some more, forever. Pretty much made for Gideon's ability. Slightly less sturdy now, but still an extremely efficient card that combined with Enshrouding Mist is unstoppable.
• Vryn Wingmare (12)(R) - This is an extremely efficient 6/5 flyer. Gideon's main issue is lack of efficient flyer defenders.

A Tier

• Anointer of Champions (11)(U) - another good filler, it is an efficient 5/5. What it grants is a +1/+1 every turn, which means it gives your creatures 1 hp buffer every turn. Great way to add longevity.
• War Oracle (11)(U) - fantastic card, efficient, and life leech.

B Tier

• Ampryn Tactician (10)(U) - not a bad filler
• Aven Battle Priest (11)(U) - somewhat efficient flyer, with helps keep your health up between matches
• Blessed Spirits (13)(U) - another decent filler, it permanently gains stats when you use supports.
• Citadel Castellan (16)(U) - not bad if you can get renown off, but is too costly
• Enlightened Ascetic (4)(C) - Useful thanks to Gideon. You don't want this to be your first card out, but it is great as your second card to regain the life you lost.
• Healing Hands (6)(U) - not a bad effect, and cantrips.
• Heavy Infantry (10)(U) - decent filler
• Iroas's Champion (19)(U) - Yes she's a double striker, but extremely expensive one. Also berserker wastes time killing creatures that vigilance can take care of.
• Knight of the Pilgrim's Road (6)(C) - boring somewhat efficient creature, but anything is useful with Gideon's ability.
• Knight of the White Orchid (16)(R) - now only a 4/4, he is a bit too expensive for his body. You don't need first strike if you have Enshrouding Mist and/or more efficient creatures.
• Mighty Leap (6)(C) - almost an A rank, this is very good to get you renowned creatures, or as a buffer for your vigilance creatures. Also allows your creatures to block flyers for a round. Very useful vs Jace, Gideon, and Chandra.
• Murder Investigation (5)(C) - A rank if paired with Knightly Valor against certain matchups, this card ensures you have a neverending wall of pain. However, in most matches, you are better off playing your other cards.
• Patron of the Valiant (14)(U) - efficient if you consider its ability, when you have 2 other creatures out. A flyer to boot
• Stalwart Aven (10)(C) - actually not bad if you get renowned. Efficient, and works great with Gideon's ability. Use this if you lack better flyers.
• Suppression Bonds (6)(R) - white's Claustrophobia, but with only 1 shield now it is very risky to use. I'd pass for less impactful, but longer lasting supports.
• Thunderclap Wyvern (12)(U) - decent, actually a bit better for Gideon than Jace, because of Gideon's ability, to block flyers

C Tier

• Akroan Jailer (5)(C) - only until end of turn is the problem. B tier if used with Swift Reckoning
• Auramancer (10)(C) - only useful if you rely on supports...which you shouldn't as white
• Blood-Cursed Knight (17)(U) - too much mana, and there are far more efficient creatures to use Gideon with
• Celestial Flare (6)(U) - not a bad card actually, but too situational
• Charging Griffin (7)(C) - this card is bad
• Cleric of the Forward Order (7)(C) - nope
• Gideon's Phalanx (21)(U) - fairly efficient for an 8/8, but simply takes too long. With gideon you want to dominate early and keep stacking, not throw out a whallop of a creature.
• Grasp of the Hieromancer (8)(C) - only gives one +1/+1, not stacking. A bit expensive, and simply isn't necessary in your deck.
• Hallowed Moonlight (12)(R) - too niche
• Hixus, Prison Warden (18)(M) - It only has 1 shield, making it destruction fodder. Too expensive and not necessary with Gideon's wall of creatures.
• Kytheon's Tactics (11)(C) - not needed, too expensive
• Sentinel of the Eternal Watch (17)(R) - simply not efficient enough. Her ability is kinda useless as well.
• Sigil of the Empty Throne (14)(R) - not actually useful, as your supports aren't that good
• Starfield of Nyx (20)(M) - I simply cannot imagine a time when I would be excited to have this card in my hand. A win more card, this is too expensive to get out, and only useful if you're already dominating.
• Swift Reckoning (6)(U) - great with Suppression Bonds. C tier without. White simply doesn't need that much removal.
• Topan Freeblade (9)(C) - too expensive sadly
• Totem-Guide Hartebeest (11)(U) - too expensive, could be B tier if you really need creatures, with Gideon's ability
• Tragic Arrogance (24)(M) - this card is useless
• Valor in Akros (20)(U) - TWENTY MANA? UNTIL END OF TURN? WHAT?
• Yoked Ox (9)(C) - expensive and useless

Green - S/A/A

Planeswalker Listing

Nissa - hmm, to be honest I don't have much experience with her. Her first ability once upgraded becomes fairly useful mana ramping. Thats all I've got folks.

Quote from EDHDad -

Nissa got the most benefit from the recent update. Her first ability will ramp and draw a card, but previously your hand might have been clogged and you'd miss the card draw. Now, you can discard before activating the ability.

Her main ramp spell, Nissa's Pilgrimage, was given a buff. It now converts 2 gems to green and has extra toughness. So, it will often cascade you into at least +5 mana and +1 loyalty at the start of every turn.

Situational removal, such as Aerial Volley, have gotten better, because you can pitch it if there are no targets.

...

Nissa is weak to flyers, so her key creatures are mid-range creatures with reach. This includes Dwynen's Elite, Skysnare Spider, and Dwyen, Gilt-Leaf Daen.

Card Listing

S Tier

• Animist's Awakenning (10)(R) - new card introduced with the patch, this creates massive cascades for you. Almost never a bad idea to cast. Use with other green triggers to completely clear the entire board of mana and fill every card in your hand.
• Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen (14)(R) - hard to activate ability, but it is a reach creature that is efficient with good stats
• Herald of the Pantheon (7)(R) - extremely efficient 4/4 with a good ability. Needs good supports to make use of it. See the Colorless section for support ideas.
• Nissa's Pilgrimage (3)(C) - Always useful, necessary in every Nissa deck. Buffed to insane mana generation with the patch, this card will pay for itself usually in 1 turn.
• Outland Colossus (15)(R) - One of the best creatures in the game, it is a whopping 12/12 if it can get through.
• Skysnare Spider (12)(R) - efficient and useful, one of Nissa's only ways of dealing with flyers.
• Undercity Troll (13)(U) - fantastic creature that is very hard to kill

A Tier

• Conclave Naturalists (11)(U) - decently efficient, and blows up supports.
• Dwynen's Elite (13)(U) - decent efficiency with reach
• Honored Hierarch (6)(R) - if you can get a defender in first slot to take the hits for him, he will give you so much mana
• Mantle of Webs (9)(C) - inefficient, but is a permanent buff. Good for high toughness creatures, and one of the better ways for Nissa to gain some creature control.
• Rhox Maulers (11)(U) - great uncommon, if it can survive after taking down a creature, it'll be a 6/6 for 11. Berserker is a bit annoying at times.
• Somberwald Alpha (11)(U) - very efficient anti Gideon and anti defender card, it helps your cards trade efficiently and outright kill other cards.
• The Great Aurora (15)(M) - fantastic board clear, now actually castable. Like other wraths in MtG, use it right before you drop your big stuff for extreme tempo swing. Does not hit hexproof (namely Gaea's fatty and Graveblade)

B Tier

• Bounding Krasis (11)(U) - just like for blue, this is a decent filler creature
• Citadel Castellan (16)(U) - about as useful as it was for white, this card is a decent defender for you, and not too expensive if you get the renown off.
• Gaea's Revenge (23)(M) - hits hard and has haste. However it is very expensive. Untouchable by the opponent, but vulnerable to first strike defenders. A tier if you need bigger creatures.
• Joraga Invocation (14)(R) - Nissa already brings the pump, and you don't have spell slots. However, can be useful if you've already got the creatures and want to win quicker.
• Leaf Gilder (5)(C) - by the grace of being slightly efficient, this is an -ok- creature.
• Llanowar Empath (7)(C) - another decent creature that is effectively a 2/2 for 4
• Managorger Hydra (8)(R) - it is here simply because it is somewhat efficient. In MtG, "spell" is any nonland card played. In here, it is a tiny subset of a creature dominated game. So...ugh. It could be much better. Note the trample if you want to use some of your +X/+X's on him.
• Nissa's Revelation (19)(M) - I mean...eh...the problem with this card is that it is expensive, and doesn't really...change the game. So this is B/C tier.
• Orchard Spirit (6)(C) - anything is better than that caterpillar
• Reclaim (3)(U) - pretty much the only reason to use elf tokens or that caterpillar. But you wouldn't want to bog your deck down with them anyway.
• Shaman of the Pack (10)(U) - efficient.
• Sylvan Messenger (10)(U) - efficient.
• Titanic Growth (6)(U) - great to help berserkers and defenders stay alive while pumping them. Hard to justify it with limited spell slots however.
• Vastwood Gorger (11)(U) - not terrible, but strictly worse than the one blue has
• Wild Instincts (8)(C) - expensive, but a way to have your big beefy creatures take out an opponent's annoying one.
• Woodland Bellower (20)(M) - powerful, but ability that is unlikely to be useful.
• Zendikar Incarnate (20)(M) - a big beefy creature that sadly doesn't really interact with the opponent's board. Costly.

C Tier

• Aerial Volley (5)(C) - possibly B if you are fighting flyers, but 1, its too niche and 2, most flyers have more than 3 toughness, making this card pointless.
• Caustic Caterpillar (3)(C) - plz no
• Elemental Bond (5)(U) - kind of a waste of 5 mana. Possibly B rank if you are able to cycle through your cards quickly
• Elvish Visionary (5)(C) - expensive, and likes to set up combos for the opponent
• Evolutionary Leap (21)(M) - for 21 mana I could've reinforced my creature manually. HOWEVER! I haven't used this card. If it is able to be activated consistently, go ahead and we can make it A or S.
• Gather the Pack (6)(U) - unlikely to need creatures, waste of spell slot
• Hitchclaw Recluse (11)(C) - too expensive
• Might of the Masses (6)(C) - probably the worst of your green buff spells.
• Pharika's Disciple (12)(C) - essentially a 2 damage DD spell for 12 whole mana, it is too weak and its renown is too useless for the mana cost.
• Timberpack Wolf (8)(C) - too expensive
• Valeron Wardens (7)(C) - lol
• Vine Snare (6)(U) - not useful.
• Yeva's Forcemage (10)(C) - expensive...
• Zendikar's Roil (9)(R) - Possibly good, but with green's green tile generation and random matches, this will likely not live long

Red - A/S/C

Planeswalker Listing

Chandra - Chandra's second ability is by far her best one, and her first ability is useful to bleed off excess commander mana. Her last ability is extremely inefficient and should only be used to close out a game and/or if you forgot to bleed off excess mana with her first ability. Getting her second ability to rank 2 for 3 damage DD is a fantastic way to establish board control.

Card Listing

S Tier

• Abbot of Keral Keep (15)(R) - extremely efficient, and sets up chains when he comes into play.
• Avaricious Dragon (18)(M) - efficient and massive, with a great ability
• Embermaw Hellion (16)(R) - efficient, and its ability is killer
• Exquisite Firecraft (6)(R) - 6 damage for 6 mana? The most efficient DD in the game.
• Volcanic Rambler (8)(U) - ridiculous efficiency and cascade potential
• Zendikar Incarnate (20)(M) - big ol beat stick

A Tier

• Act of Treason (4)(U) - a good filler spell that can swing for a lot of damage.
• Demolish (3)(U) - very cheap support destruction.
• Fiery Conclusion (1)(U) - a surprisingly good card, esp given how efficient your creatures are. Combo with Act of Treason to destroy 2 cards for 5 mana.
• Infectious Bloodlust (6)(U) - not a bad spell, the haste is almost always going to go to waste unless you save it up, but +2/+1 is not bad
• Iroas's Champion (19)(U) - this is ranked so highly for red, because they want to clear creatures, and save burn for important fatties. Think of her as a persistent DD spell rather than a creature.
• Mage-Ring Bully (10)(U) - fairly efficient, with a good effect
• Pia and Kiran Nalaar (17)(R) - extremely efficient, but a bit expensive. Ability is kinda meh.
• Prickleboar (11)(U) - a 5/3 first striker when blocked is fantastic! Don't let this be your first creature though, or it might get chumped by a berserker
• Ravaging Blaze (6)(R) - strictly better than Lightning Javelin, but worse than Exquisite Firecraft. Still, a ton of creatures have 4 toughness so this gets the job done.
• Scab-Clan Berserker (19)(R) - efficient with haste, but tends to get bogged down berserking instead of hitting the opponent
• Titan's Strength (4)(C) - very efficient boost to let your berserker take down one last big thing, or to have Iroas swing for +6 damage.

B Tier

• Acolyte of the Inferno (6)(C) - very efficient, only reason he is not A is because red is more about spells.
• Blazing Hellhound (10)(U) - not bad actually.
• Boggart Brute (11)(U) - efficient, with an ability that may or may not work lol.
• Call of the Full Moon (13)(U) - this card beefs your first creature immensely, and allows them to clear the board for your other creatures. But it is a support...and fairly costly. May also tie up a creature that you didn't want. Rely on your burn instead.
• Dragon Fodder (6)(C) - somewhat efficient 2/2
• Enthralling Victor (8)(U) - very efficient 4/3, A rank if you're going the Call of the full moon route
• Firefiend Elemental (8)(C) - slightly too expensive to be considered A tier, but a very good filler card.
• Ghirapur Aether Grid (6)(C) - not bad if you need consistent DD, but you typically have better (and faster) options.
• Magmatic Insight (5)(U) - decent filler spell that nets you cards.
• Molten Vortex (21)(M) - actually usable now, this still costs way too much mana, and red has much better ways to pump out the damage. For instance, I would always pick 2 volcanic ramblers, or 3.5 exquisite firecrafts over this.
• Lightning Javelin (6)(C) - your bread and butter spell. Inefficient, but used until you get the better DD spells.
• Seismic Elemental (10)(U) - kinda pointless ability, but fairly efficient
• Smash to Smithereens (3)(C) - similar to Demolish
• Subterranean Scout (4)(C) - a usable goblin
• Thopter Engineer (9)(U) - pretty efficient, but kinda lackluster

C Tier

• Akroan Sergeant (9)(C) - he is a first striker...but simply too weak. He also doesn't have berserk or defender, which is why he is kind of useless for red.
• Bellows Lizard (7)(C) - no. It takes way too long to pump, and he dies to a 1/1 defender.
• Chandra's Fury (11)(U) - kind of a waste of 11 mana.
• Chandra's Ignition (19)(M) - if you find yourself constantly facing a huge crowd of opponents creatures, you should rethink your deck.
• Cobblebrute (8)(C) - okay if you think of it as a 3 damage nuke, but it is inefficient even then.
• Fiery Impulse (4)(C) - just strictly worse than any other DD spell, and you need your spell slots to count
• Flameshadow Conjuring (15)(R) - on paper it is great, but I dont' really know how to rank this as I can't think of a situation where I would want to use 15 mana on this
• Ghirapur Gearcrafter (9)(C) - expensive.
• Goblin Glory Chaser (3)(C) - inefficient
• Goblin Piledriver (10)(U) - I haven't used this card, but goblins are too rare and too expensive to make use of this like you would in a real goblin deck.
• Reclusive Artificer (11)(R) - you are never going to have 3 supports.
• Skyraker Giant (11)(U) - too expensive and you don't need defenders as red - you use berserkers and DD

Black - A/S/A

Planeswalker Listing

Liliana - Hmm, Liliana stays true to MtG in that black is all about choice and sacrifice - and you'd need a decent understanding of which cards are threats and how to use her to be effective. Timing her discard is key to success, as well as choosing your mana gain carefully. Her 1st ability is expensive but has the potential to completely lock down a deck, esp one that relies on heavy mana creatures. Her 2nd ability is a board clear at higher levels, given that you can actually match the activation tiles. Her starting deck is simply godawful, and you need a healthy supply of rares and mythics for her to shine.

Card Listing

S Tier

• Dark Petition (9)(R) - would be S tier if it was "returned to battlefield". Hey look at that, it says returned to battlefield now! Hidden bonus: cards you discarded with Liliana's 1 can also be returned. Discard a fatty and get him out with only 9 mana spent. Must have in every black deck.
• Demonic Pact (21)(M) - given that it is not destroyed, this card can literally win the game if it is the only card you play. This card is very risky against Nissa and Chandra now, so use with caution.
• Despoiler of Souls (12)(R) - Big and efficient, and doesn't die. Have a low cost card in your first slot (and don't cast it) to ensure regeneration.
• Fetid Imp (12)(R) - throw Consecrated by Blood on here and enjoy board control
• Kothophed, Soul Hoarder (14)(R) - his ability is bad, but he is a 6/6 flyer for 14, so he gets away with it.
• Priest of the Blood Rite (15)(R) - 11/11 for 15...this card is amazing. His drawback is painful now however.
• Unholy Hunger (8)(R) - finally some creature destruction!

A Tier

• Consecrated by Blood (15)(U) - makes your berserkers and defenders far more resilient and formidable. Only A tier if this is your strategy - move to C tier if not. It is very expensive.
• Erebos's Titan (20)(M) - big and efficient, but a bit costly.
• Fleshbag Marauder (10)(U) - efficient by himself, and also an on demand creature destruction
• Gnarlroot Trapper (5)(C) - grants deathtouch to a defender of yours, plus is great sac fodder for Fleshbag.
• Graveblade Marauder (15)(R) - would be better without berserker, but he is immune to spell damage and is great for punching planeswalkers. Good to use right before you cast some board wipes.
• Languish (12)(R) - much better than Eyeblight Massacre, this is a true board wipe.
• Malakir Cullblade (9)(U) - A/B tier, depending on how often you kill your opponent's creatures. Bear in mind he is fairly squishy off the bat. Another good target for Consecrated by Blood, to let him survive your board wipes.
• Revenant (15)(U) - expensive, until you realize it is a 7/8 for 15. Vulnerable to board wipes though, so B/C tier if you're into that.

B Tier

• Blazing Hellhound (10)(U) - similar in use to Chandra's deck, you'll use him to clear the way. Not quite as useful as you won't reliably be clearing red.
• Blightcaster (6)(U) - A tier if you know how to save your supports, and if you have many of them.
• Catacomb Slug (12)(U) - its a bit more efficient now, and a decent buffer to keep you alive while you prepare your pump.
• Deadbridge Shaman (8)(C) - Consider it a lightning bolt.
• Eyeblight Massacre (9)(U) - decent board wipe, but -2/-2 is not enough unless you save it along with combat damage and/or other cards.
• Gilt-Leaf Winnower (16)(U) - okay for defense, but simply costs too much for more than just filler.
• Infernal Scarring (6)(C) - not useless
• Infinite Obliteration (12)(M) - B/C tier, depends on whether this fits your strategy.
• Necromantic Summons (6)(U) - A tier if used to, say, bring back a berserker that finally ate it against a weenie.
• Shaman of the Pack (10)(U) - somewhat efficient
• Touch of Moonglove (4)(C) - mostly useful to trade against big fatties. C tier if you can't reliably get a berserker/defender
• Undead Servant (12)(C) - inefficient, but its here because you can chump a zombie for Fleshbag
• Weight of the Underworld (8)(U) - inefficient, but still a possible way to remove a threat

C Tier

• Blood-Cursed Knight (17)(U) - simply too expensive. Move up to B tier if used with Consecrated by Blood.
• Cruel Revival (8)(U) - requires a nonzombie target, AND a dead zombie (non token). Too difficult to use.
• Dark Dabbling (11)(U) - simply not worth the mana. Cast Consecrated by Blood instead.
• Eyeblight Assassin (10)(C) - HARD COUNTER TO CAUSTIC CATERPILLAR
• Nantuko Husk (10)(C) - too expensive
• Possessed Skaab (13)(U) - expensive, and unneeded due to black's other ways of bringing back the dead
• Rabid Bloodsucker (10)(C) - a flier, but too expensive. Really needs lifelink or something.
• Read the Bones (4)(C) - this isn't mtg. B tier if you're really afraid of having a dead starting hand, or you like to use Liliana's first ability a lot.
• Reave Soul (3)(C) - B tier if you only play against Nissa's that spam caterpillar.
• Returned Centaur (13)(U) - too expensive.
• Shadows of the Past (14)(R) - why?
• Shambling Ghoul (6)(C) - way too expensive. If you really, really need a target for Cruel Revival or Fleshbag though...
• Tainted Remedy (15)(R) - i'm not a fan of this, traps are too random. It is also 15 mana wow.
• Thornbow Archer (9)(C) - this card is pointless
• Tormented Thoughts (6)(U) - your creatures are really expensive, and there are far better ways of forcing discards

Colorless - B/B/S

Planeswalker Listing

Maybe they'll add Karn...

Colorless cards are mostly decent filler, with a few very decent supports that you can actually build a strategy around.

Card Listing

S Tier

• Helm of the Gods (7)(R) - first strike is fantastic. C tier if you don't have a support focused deck. But if you do, enjoy your victory.

A Tier

• Alhammarret's Archive (12)(M) - with exile now, card draw is fantastic, and the life gain is very good with orbs of warding and many other sources.
• Brawler's Plate (8)(U) - A tier if you want berserkers. C tier if you don't.
• Orbs of Warding (14)(R) - HARD COUNTER TO CAUSTIC CATERPILLAR. And, unsurprisingly, many early Nissa decks. Sadly I have not found this to work with Alhammarret's Archive.
• Sigil of Valor (9)(U) - now a better Sword of the Animist if you're smart with playing your creatures, it can make your one creature very powerful for a very efficient cost.
• Sword of the Animist (7)(R) - this is an universally useful support that is cheap, has 2 charges, and almost always gives you more cascades, paying for itself in maybe 2 turns.
• Rogue's Passage (12)(R) - if you know what you're doing, esp against a Gideon deck. C tier otherwise.

B Tier

• Alchemist's Vial (6)(C) - a serviceable spell who's main purpose is to provide you with a breathing turn for your defenders/berserkers
• Battlefield Forge (8)(C) - these dual land supports can cause good cascades. Choose the one with your allied colors, not primary color
• Bonded Construct (3)(C) - surprisingly efficient, and very good for starter decks as a filler.
• Caves of Koilos (8)(C) - these dual land supports can cause good cascades. Choose the one with your allied colors, not primary color
• Chief of the Foundry (11)(U) - inefficient, but a serviceable filler.
• Foundry of the Consuls (11)(U) - decent spell filler. A tier with a thopter deck and Angel's Tomb.
• Gold-Forged Sentinel (11)(U) - a serviceable flyer
• Llanowar Wastes (8)(C) - these dual land supports can cause good cascades. Choose the one with your allied colors, not primary color
• Meteorite (8)(U) - even though it takes 8 turns to pay for itself, hey, at least it is a nuke. Only source of DD for many nonred decks.
• Pyromancer's Goggles (25)(M) - Actually usable now, the truth is still that it simply costs too much to get out. By the time you do, you've either already dominated the board so this is win more, or you're losing by a wide margin.
• Ramroller (12)(U) - a serviceable filler.
• Shivan Reef (8)(C) - these dual land supports can cause good cascades. Choose the one with your allied colors, not primary color
• Throwing Knife (6)(U) - useful filler support.
• Yavimaya Coast (8)(C) - these dual land supports can cause good cascades. Choose the one with your allied colors, not primary color

C Tier

• Angel's Tomb (12)(U) - a huge disappointment for Johnny's everywhere, this card no longer triggers off of tokens, making it almost entirely pointless except in some sort of weird niche reinforcement deck.
• Evolving Wilds (3)(C) - kind of a pointless card with a maximum return of 2 mana.
• Guardian Automation (10)(C) - expensive
• Guardians of Meletis (10)(C) - expensive
• Hangarback Walker (25)(M) - while this card CAN win you the game, it simply takes too much mana to ever see much use. Now that there is no more Angel's Tomb combo this card is pointless.
• Jayemdae Tome (8)(U) - tempted to move this up to S tier because it always makes my day when the AI for some reason casts 2 of these before any creatures.
• Mage-Ring Network (14)(U) - it takes 7 turns just to pay off your investment. SEVEN TURNS! You could've won the game but instead you decided to cast this card ._.
• Mage-Ring Responder (15)(R) - lol
• Prism Ring (6)(C) - one whole life guys!
• Runed Servitor (6)(C) - pointless vanilla card.
• Veteran's Sidearm (6)(C) - outclassed by other support
• War Horn (14)(U) - 14 mana plz no

EDIT: apparently this post has hit character cap, its crashing chrome.

Unknown

Don't necessarily agree with everything but appreciate the description, some of the cards I didn't even know existed.

Unknown

You can find the list of cards on night_day's site, which is a great resource.

What things do you not agree with?

RubiconX

Excellent list Panda. I look forward to it being expanded.

Meto5000

Thanks for doing this. I have some thoughts on the green section since it's what I played for the first 200 or so games.

Joraga Invocation (14)(R)
Current tier: S
Proposed tier: B
Reason: For 12 planeswalker mana Nissa already gives +3/+3 to +5/+5. For 14 mana, I'd rather just cast another 4/4 beater and have 3-4 mana leftover to cast something else.

Rhox Maulers (11)(U)
Current tier: S
Proposed tier: A
Reason: A very good card but berserker is overrated and interferes with it becoming renown.


Woodland Bellower (20(M)
Current tier: S
Proposed tier: A/B
Reason: This card is 20 mana for an 8/7 creature that accelerates another creature by 6. Or, you could cast 2 [Herald of the Pantheon] for 14 and accelarate all supports in hand by 6. For this much mana this card would either need to have trample/defender/hexproof/SOMETHING to make it close to S tier.

Herald of the Pantheon (7)(R)
Current tier: A
Proposed tier: S
Reason: 7 mana 4/4 that accelerates all supports in your hand by 3. This card is ****, especially when you have supports like Sword of the Animus or Brawler's Plate in your deck.

Gaea's Revenge (23)(M)
Current tier: A
Proposed tier: B
Reason: Way too much mana to be able to cast reliably

Skysnare Spider (12)(M)
Current tier: A
Proposed tier: SS
Reason: This creature is the only reason I bother to play my green deck. 6/6 for 12 is already efficient and reach + Nissa's ability to pump is the only reliable way to eat your opponents creatures.

Titanic Growth (6)(U)
Current tier: A
Proposed tier: B
Reason: This card is decent to have in your deck but since it requires you to not only have a creature but one that either has defender or berserker. Otherwise you're just throwing away a card for 6 mana.

Mantle of Webs (9)(C)
Current tier: B
Proposed tier: A
Reason: Nissa is prone to fliers and this is one of the best ways to deal with them. Nissa doesn't really have the ability to gain life so she needs to make sure she has creatures that can protect her. This card also makes a 2/2 creature able to trade with a 4/4 creature.

Might of the Masses (6)(C)
Current tier: B
Proposed tier: C
Reason: Better off collecting planeswalker mana than ever casting this card.

Meto5000

And...for my next 150 or so games I've been playing white so here's my review of that.

Vryn Wingmare (12)(R)
Current Tier: S
Proposed Tier: S/A
Reason: This card is good, but the text on it is misleading. It only increases the cost of spells and supports currently in your hand. From the text it would seem to imply that all supports and spells in yours and your opponents hands are increased by 3 until this creature leaves the battlefield. Still a good card though.

Swift Reckoning (6)(U)
Current Tier: A
Proposed Tier: A/B/C depending on deck
Reason: This card is good but it depends on your deck. If you don't have Suppression Bonds or Warden in your deck it loses a ton of value.

Stalwart Aven (10)(C)
Current Tier: B
Proposed Tier: A
Reason: Because it's a flier it's almost always a 3/5 creature. With Gideon's ability this is a terrific and efficient blocker.

Grasp of the Hieromancer (8)(C)
Current Tier: B
Proposed Tier: B/C
Reason: Another card that has an ability that doesn't match up with the card. The card implies that it gives a permanent +1/+1 to a creature every turn but in actuality it only gives +1/+1 until the end of your turn. I have this card in my deck and I will pretty much cast anything else in my hand before I cast this card.

Knightly Valor (9)(U)
Current Tier: B
Proposed Tier: A
Reason: As long as you haven't already cast this, it's equivalent to an efficiently costed 4/4 vigilance creature for 9. It can alternately add a 2/2 blocker and buff another creature +2/+2 and give it vigilance. This card is great.

Gideon's Phalanx (21)(U)
Current Tier: B
Proposed Tier: C
Reason: In a Gideon deck, waiting to cast something that costs 21 mana and have it only be an 8/8 vigilance creature prone to bounce is not something I ever want to do.

Unknown

I agree with most of your stuff regarding Nissa.

I don't play her so I actually don't even know what her abilities do heh. Herald is the most efficient non-renown card (ignoring Thopter and herald of the stupid) so I can see it being very good. I was torn between it being S/A already.

Skysnare spider was originally in S but I put it in A because I thought maybe Nissa had better creatures. Nissa's rankings are odd because the way I originally designed S/A rank is that S rank creatures should win the game by themselves. Halfway through I realized none of Nissa's creatures are really designed with that kind of effect, but that they are usually pretty good anyway, so some things got bumped up rankings while others continued with deflated rankings.

I still think Mantle of Webs is too expensive for what it does, but if you think it should be in A then I still think Growth should be A too. Nissa doesn't have too much in the way of useful spells anyway.

For Gideon its hard to say. I don't think I would value Knightly valor higher than B, but that is because I am spoiled by having all rare creatures for Gideon already.

I put Grasp in B because it -might- be useful. It really is kinda expensive and I can see it doing pretty much nothing. I used it for a bit but dumped it for better supports. I think I'll put it in C though, it is simply too expensive.

I dunno if I would count Stalwart Aven as a A simply because it is still primarily a "filler" creature. It is a very good filler, but frankly Gideon's 1st ability turns any of his creatures into useful ones, and 3/5 for 10 just isn't that efficient. Similarly, Knightly Valor is one of my first picks for filler but doesn't really qualify as useful enough to be A.

I ranked Swift Reckoning as A because while it requires Suppression Bonds, it is unique in creature removal for white and it does its job very cheaply.

Oh I completely ignored Vryn Wingmare's ability. It doesn't mean anything, Gideon is a creature factory and he is S because he is an efficient 6/5 flyer who will just blitz the enemy to death by himself.

Meto5000

pandabear wrote:

I still think Mantle of Webs is too expensive for what it does, but if you think it should be in A then I still think Growth should be A too. Nissa doesn't have too much in the way of useful spells anyway.

Nissa not having many good spells isn't a huge deal since at level 50 she can have a 10 creature deck with no supports or spells if she wanted. Before I pulled Mantle I didn't use any spells in my Nissa deck, although I have found Reclaim to be really good when I'm hunting objectives. The difference between Titanic Growth and Mantle of Webs is that Webs provides something that Nissa and the majority of her cards cannot. While it's definitely an overcosted spell, without reach Nissa takes massive damage from fliers and has no way to fight back. Most of Nissa's "good" creatures already have beefy power/toughness so even if Mantle only gave a creature reach it'd still be a B+ tier spell. I think the only way I don't include Mantle in my deck is if I have both Skysnare and Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen in my deck.

Unknown

Oh hey, I updated the list yesterday and forgot to tell anyone.

All the cards we know of so far should be on it now.

I agreed with most of Meto's assessments.

void

I suppose it's a question of playstyle more than anything but I would still rank Graveblade above Kothophed in Black. If left uncontested Graveblade can cleave through your opponents health total. A 7 durability deathtouch creature takes out practically any unbuffed threat in the game while a 6/6 flyer is just a 6/6 flyer.

Also Reave Soul is a lot more versatile card than you give it credit for, in combination with Blightcaster, Weight of the Underworld or any of the other debuffs Liliana has the 3 attack threshold isn't too difficult to meet and with 3 mana cost you can use it to mitigate some mana drain effects.

Unknown

Reave soul is certainly decent if you use it in that combo, but it is still a pain to set up simply because black isn't that mana efficient.

I haven't really played around too much with graveblade, but my original thought is he still takes combat damage so unless you go the helm route he will be too much killing stuff and less punching the enemy, which black already has enough stuff to kill stuff with (you could touch of moonglove kophted too). The reason he is so high is because he is one of the very few efficient black cards, and flying means he just punches though.

TKC

*sigh* I am playing Jace exclusively, and would really like to get my hands on some of those S and A level cards. My pulls have completely sucked for blue so far, and I really hope they implement some kind of 'trading' scheme for all of the rares of other colours (often multiples) that I have and don't want.

Unknown

TKC wrote:

*sigh* I am playing Jace exclusively, and would really like to get my hands on some of those S and A level cards. My pulls have completely sucked for blue so far, and I really hope they implement some kind of 'trading' scheme for all of the rares of other colours (often multiples) that I have and don't want.

Hmm, you can play blue with just a few cards, he has a fairly good uncommon deck too.

Ringwarden Owl
Scrapskin Drake
Jessian Thief or Whirler Rogue
Artificer's Epiphany or Tower Geist or Foundry of the Consuls
Sphinx's Tutelage
Claustrophobia
(Jace's Sanctum) or Angel's Tomb
Anchor to the Aether
Disperse or Artificer's Epiphany
Stratus Walk

Is a deck with no rares.

The idea is that all your spells cantrip into more spells, and are dirt cheap. Pump Jessian Thief and Ringwarden owl with them and win the game.

Delay with Disperse and Achor to the Aether.

The alternate with Foundry and Angel's Tomb is to use Whirler Rogue and foundry to pump up a huge stack of Thopters. I don't like this as much because it doesn't seem very blue.

Once you get some rares, you can easily fill out a "themed" spell pump deck with

Jessian Thief
Ringwarden Owl
Soulblade Djinn
Willbreaker
Stratus Walk
Artificer's Epiphany
Talent of the Telepath or Disperse
Anchor to the Aether
Sphinx's Tutelage or Pyromancer's Goggles
Jace's Sanctum or Sword of the Animist

And just keep chaining spells and activating pyromancer's and just pump into the sky while keeping the board clean. That is more luck based though, if you stick to Jace's + Sphinx tried and true mana denial combo you can keep cycling your cards and activating Sphinx. Jace has great mana gain so you can easily do 2 cards a turn, denying a total of 7 mana which is almost impossible for the opponent to overcome.

You don't -have- to do the boring "jace's creatures are better than anything else" mythic filled death deck. That deck has no synergy, more just complete domination, and is boring to think about and play.

Unknown

I have to disagree about the dual mana supports being sited as useless. Nothing else in the game can provide as much benefit to your mana as these do. Make sure to use the ones that make both of your ALLIED COLORS.

If they stick on the board for a few turns they will begin to provide a large and consistent mana advantage as the board becomes packed with your allied matches and free cascades. Letting you cast your game enders, prime your spells and empty your hand to keep drawing cards. Wasting turns on 2 mana matches or 3 planeswalker points too many times is how you lose games.

Jace, and Lili especially with their long term game plans. Gideon with his expensive but amazing creatures, Chandra with access to her main color and allied color instead of double allied.

Unknown

I can try them out again, to see how many chains they make.

The main issue isn't that they can't do their job, its whether it is something you need.

For instance my hand is

Big Creature (10+ mana)
Dual Land (8 mana)
Spell

Well when am I going to cast the dual land? Do I cast it first and then have to delay my creature cast by 2-3 turns?

During that time what if I get another creature?

Should I cast my creature first? If so, by the time I'm done I'll have 2-3 more cards most likely one of which will be another creature. At what point will casting the dual land actively increase my chances of winning?

The main issue with this game is it is mostly about playing one card that will dominate (whether through planeswalker intervention, or additional combo cards). Mana ramp (which is what dual land provides), whether effective or not, simply isn't useful to be cast unless you have nothing else that is useful to be cast.

Does that make sense? I guess it could be "the best of the fillers" if it does lead to many cascades, but it isn't something that I actively want to play.

EDIT: I should clarify, I'm going to play a couple games with these and if they do end up at least not actively making deck worse, I'll put them as B tier.

Unknown

I feel the same as panda on the dual colors. I generally rather be casting stuff that affects the board as oppose to playing those dual supports. I think I will try it out though when I start playing with Gideon.

Unknown

I would drop a land in my opening hand every time no question. Unless your farming something so easy you know you just need to drop a single creature. Even the best creatures get bounced, disabled, outright killed or occasionally out-sized by opponents reinforcements.

If I am playing Gideon and my hand has the two cards I definitely want every game, Knight of the Rose who you can easily ride to victory and your best spell enshrouding mist, and then a dual land that provides green/blue. I would drop the land, fill enshrouding mist, then drop the knight.

Unknown

I finish most games with at most 2 big creatures out, or 3 smaller creatures.

I want to reiterate that based on your reasoning I don't think this is a bad choice (esp for decks with good off colors, like Jace), I just don't think it is optimal.

For example, in your example, instead I could have just played knight right off the bat, at least 2 turns earlier than you.

This not only wipes out the enemy's cards before they have a chance to reinforce, but also prevents the damage it would've done.

What is going to destroy it isn't something you can predict anyway. If you know you're playing Jace for instance, it may be good to not play it first, but that is such a niche scenario and I would play many other things instead, for instance, I would charge up spells or other supports.

I just don't think mana ramp in this game has a noticeable effect.

Meto5000

I think the dual lands card should be rare (like they are in paper MtG) and cost 4-5 mana max. As an alternative effect they could instead grant matches you make in their color +1 mana.

Meto5000

Day's Undoing (6)(M)
Current tier: B
Suggested Tier: A

Been playing with this card a lot...and I just have to say I love it. For a single blue match (~level 25 Jace) you drain your opponents entire mana pool and gain 3 mana on all your cards (albeit on a new set of cards). While I'm not sure how needed this is in PvP, though it's still great, it's beyond amazing for objective hunting. Blue is all about having the right spells at the right time, and this card is terrific in cycling through your deck until you have the perfect hand. It keeps your opponents hand full and blanks all their mana - turning your bounce cards into destroy cards. This is a card I'm happy to play at any time during the game from turn 1 on.

Irgy

I'm a Jace player, just some comments. Some of the thing that you don't like become useful when you consider that your hand almost always fills up, preventing you from using your second ability or drawing more useful cards. For instance, I play Negate over Stratus Walk, because both cards do nothing but Negate has the *advantage* of freeing up a card slot in your hand. Not to mention paying for itself by rubbing your opponent's face in the dirt. Similarly I use the ultimate a lot, because I have no targets for the first ability, no card slot for the second, and the ultimate helps keep the opponent away from doing anything. And finally Screeching Skaab frees a card slot for 4 mana, plus every now and then you live the dream and time it so you only pay 1. This might be a function of me not having a lot of cards (I've yet to buy my first 600-yellow-crystal box even) but I use all of these tier Cs to good effect.