Making a set review has been something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now, combining both my enjoyment of Magic and my love of complaining about magic.
Expect near incomprehensible rambling, bad takes, hot takes, luke warm takes and extremely specific complaints. You have been warned.
A guide on how I am rating this set can be found on my review for White here: https://stalkbugmtg.wordpress.com/2021/01/20/kaldheim-set-review-white/
Limited-D
This is a decent way to keep pushing through damage with aggressive strategies, and the additional text means that it isn’t terrible when behind.
Standard-E
Design-D
With that name I would have liked something a bit more spidery than just giving reach.
Limited-B
Big creature with lots of words, that draws you a card if the opponent just kills it straight away.
Standard-D
For the most part this is just a vanilla creature, which sometimes draws a card.
Design-D
Big dumb green mythic with lots of words.
Limited-C
This gets better the more snow lands you have, but caps out at 4. If this didn’t draw you a card then it wouldn’t be that great, as it is it’s pretty good.
Standard-C
This could end up being a really good top end for a mono green deck by essentially saying draw 4 sometimes, but it has a lot of competition.
Design-D
This card is pretty much only playable if you are playing a snow land manabase, which I don’t care for cause snow sucks.
Limited-C
This ranges from pretty bad if you don’t have the three snow permanents, to really strong if you do.
Standard-D
This is again something that could be amazing in a mono-green deck, but you’ll need to have creatures to actually fight against.
Design-E
This card is either very good or very bad, which is lame design, and I don’t much like one sided fight effects. Not very fun.
Limited-C
While the body isn’t that impressive, giving a +1/+1 counter to each creature you play after this is huge.
Standard-E
The upside here just isn’t that great.
Design-D
Snow sucks.
Limited-D
This will usually have a target, but that target won’t always be the scariest thing on board.
Standard-E
Design-D
I do like that this combines several effects that would usually take up a slot in the set each, but this is a reprint straight out of the previous set, which is lame.
Limited-D
Unless you have some elf synergies, this is mostly filler. Good filler though.
Standard-E
Design-C
I do like creatures that create tokens on entry, and the flavour works here.
Limited-D
This will mostly be a curve filler than enables any equipment synergies you have.
Standard-E
Design-A
This is probably my favourite of all these equipments that create a token on entry, and it’s mosty due to it being a classic idea.
Limited-C
This is a really good reason to keep an eye out for any elves you can play, and a real threat late game.
Standard-D
If there is any elf deck that shows up, I imagine this’ll be an auto-include, but I don’t see an elf deck being good.
Design-E
Shouldn’t this be worded differently? Wouldn’t this effect usually be worded “The first time another elf enters” and not “this ability triggers once each turn”? I don’t like it.
Limited-C
This is a mana dork that fixes for colours and buffs your other legendaries. Don’t value it highly.
Standard-D
The double green in the cost makes this less useful as fixing, and being three mana isn’t so great for ramp.
Design-C
I would have like it if a few more legendaries had similar effects that buffed other legendaries in the set.
I will be rating the other side with the multicoloured cards.
Limited-B
This is a 4/4 body, which leaves behind two 2/2s, and can make more tokens. I feel like it’s pretty consistenly good, but I could be overvaluing this.
Standard-D
This puts a lot of stuff on the table, even if none of it is that exciting.
Design-C
A chariot that also comes with it’s drivers is a really cool idea, but I don’t get the token copying bit.
Limited-C
Ignore the bit about poison counters. This still deals regular combat damage, which makes is fine.
Standard-D
There is an annoying deathtouch tribal deck this could go in, but I don’t expect much.
Design-D
I personally find deathtouch more annoying than fun, and I don’t care for alternate win conditions much either.
Limited-E
I don’t think you want to be playing this.
Standard-E
Design-D
They keep changing these effects between adding an extra mana or giving the land the ability to tap for two mana, and I think I prefer the second of those.
Limited-C
This trades up in two different ways which are both useful.
Standard-E
Design-B
This is like a weird reverse Giant Spider, Which they could have done something cooler with but I’m all good with this.
Limited-D
These are good numbers, but not much else.
Standard-E
Design-D
Art is misleading. The elf is not the focus. Otherwise super vanilla 5/5.
Limited-D
This is a 2 mana 2/2 with some upside.
Standard-E
Design-C
This effect at 2 mana is a card design I’ve never liked, so it’s nice to see a slight upgrade to it.
Limited-D
This boast is a lot better than it may seem, but the creature isn’t.
Standard-E
Design-D
This is a cool take on Borderland Ranger, but boast is bad.
Limited-C
This both attacks and blocks fantastically. Make sure you play snow lands.
Standard-D
This ability is really good, but the creature is sub par. I wouldn’t be completely surprised if I saw this in a sideboard.
Design-E
I feel like this card will create a lot of board stall and annoying board states.
Limited-D
Mostly this will scry 1 each turn, which isn’t bad, but isn’t great either.
Standard-D
I could see something weird coming about with this card in it, but it feels pretty weak to me.
Limited-C
“cast a permanent spell” is weird wording, but the card is kinda fun and I like that it always does something.
Limited-E
This is a bad mana dork, you should probably never play this.
Standard-E
E for Elves
Design-F
This does enough things to mislead less experienced players into playing it, and I tend to really dislike those effects.
Limited-C
Decent body with pseudo vigilance.
Standard-C
There is big potential upside here, but the card isn’t great on its own.
Design-D
Look it’s Jorn Snow. I don’t like snow, it’s soft and wet and gets everywhere.
I will be rating the other side with the multicoloured cards.
Limited-D
These effects are usually not great, but this one is much better than they usually are.
Standard-E
Design-C
I like prey effects like this, and I think that this is a neat take on them.
Limited-D
If you don’t have other Legendaries, this is mostly just an alright blocker.
Standard-D
This just needs too many things to go well to be good.
Design-C
I like legendary tribal, and that this supports itself.
Limited-E
Working only for a specific type is really sub-par. Pillar of Origins was never good.
Standard-D
This will work in some decks, but probably not good decks.
Design-E
Couldn’t it just enter tapped? I’d take that as a downside over this.
Limited-D
This is a pretty good ability, but being sorcery speed only takes a lot away.
Standard-E
Design-D
This just isn’t interesting.
Limited-D
This is worse than a Titanic Growth, which would also not be very good.
Standard-E
Design-C
Literally Titanic Growth + foretell.
Limited-D
I feel like this will almost always be playable, it’s the exile a a creature from your grave that seems more awkward to me.
Standard-E
Again, having a creature in your grave is the real issue here.
Design-D
Are they just using exile as a way to make cards seem better? Why can’t cards just destroy stuff.
Limited-C
Triple green is difficult, and it’s a bit slow to recur. Still playable.
Standard-B
If mono-green is playable, this seems strong enough. Bad against Ugin.
Design-D
I like the flavour, but the added ramp seems weird.
Limited-E
This is not good.
Standard-D
In a deck that can consistently activate the ability, searching for a basic land becomes harder. The ability isn’t that powerful.
Design-C
This is cool, and fun to build around.
Limited-D
Big, doesn’t compare well to actual threats.
Standard-E
Design-D
The generic green 6 mana common. This could have been Colossal Dreadmaw.
Limited-C
This isn’t fantastic, but can draw you some cards.
Standard-C
This plays well in most tribal strategies, but does nothing outside of them.
Design-C
I enjoy future sight effects, but they can get quite annoying.
Limited-C
This is playable without the ability, but really good if you have a creature to find.
Standard-E
Design-D
I don’t get the flavour here, and requiring toughness instead of mana cost seems weird.
Limited-E
This mostly cycles, with some minor other upsides. Gets better the more you care about having cards in your graveyard.
Standard-E
Design-D
This is very wordy.
Limited-D
The fact that this cycles is a useful upside, and it plays better if you are aggressive.
Standard-D
This is good for bogles and aggreesive strategies, but not very strong.
Design-E
Runes.
Limited-C
This is always a 2 for 1, even if not a great one.
Standard-E
Design-C
This will never be disapointing to play.
Limited-D
This is a 2/2 with a sometimes relevant upside, which is always going to be playable.
Standard-D
I wouldn’t be surprised if this sees play somewhere.
Design-D
Those ears bother me greatly.
Limited-E
If this wins you a game, it’s because your other cards are good, not this.
Standard-E
Design-D
This is an upgrade to Rangers Guile, which I like, but I still don’t like combat tricks.
Limited-D
You shouldn’t play this with less than 4 snow lands in your deck.
Standard-E
Design-E
Snow sucks, and only caring about snow makes this suck.
Limited-C
Hunt the weak has always been playable in limited.
Standard-E
Design-C
Generic card + foretell
Limited-C
The indestructability means that this is never bad, and if you are already ahead it’s unlikely that you’ll lose after playing this.
Standard-C
This survives some most wraths, and can draw a bunch of cards on entry.
Design-D
This removes a lot of choices from the player, and rewards being ahead.
Limited-C
At worst this will make a token each turn, at best, not much more.
Standard-D
These abilities are really unimpressive.
Design-D
So I don’t really like planeswalkers, and this isn’t a very good one, but I like that new design space is being explored.
Limited-C
This is Colossal Dreadmaw but with Haste. The counter stuff isn’t super relevant, but will sometimes be pretty good.
Standard-E
This is Colossal Dreadmaw but with Haste.
Design-E
Not only does this feel really out of place thematically, I don’t like that this is just a 6 drop. Makes it feel underwhelming. The ability is also not that impressive.
The following cards are only available in set boosters, and won’t be present in the limited format. I think that this is dumb.
Standard-D
Elves.
Design-D
They really managed to sum up what elves are as a tribe all in one card.
Probably fine in limited.
Standard-E
If this is good, you’re probably already winning.
Design-E
I don’t get why they printed this, as it isn’t going to be in limited. Are these cards just cards that got cut from the main set?
Probably bad in limited.
Standard-E
Design-B
This is a really cool card, so it’s a real shame it isn’t in limited.
Probably would have been fine in limited.
And in order our top 5 cards are;
| Limited | Standard |
| Battle Mammoth | Old Growth Troll |
| Esika’s Chariot | Blessing of Frost |
| Old Growth Troll | Toski, Bearer of Secrets |
| Icehide Troll | Realmwaker |
| Blizzard Brawl | Jorn, God of Winter |
Green seems fine in limited, being better as an aggressive deck than a slower one. Focus on playing out decent threats and keeping ahead on board.
Stalkbug MTG 