Rivals of Ixalan Limited Set Review: Part Blue

Get it, cause blue rhymes with two? We're still on the same 0.0 to 5.0 scale. If you missed yesterday's White review, here ya go. Let's get into it.

Rating: 2.0

This card is basically Cancel, and Cancel is about a 50/50 playable that slow decks will usually end up playing. It'll depend on how fast this format looks (with red dinos and white vampires it looks pretty fast), but counterspells are usually not played around very well or often in limited so this is fine to play or side in against slower decks. The Raid will maybe come into play once every 5 games or so to counter a combat trick, which I guess is a nice bonus, but don't hold out for a perfect blowout scenario.

Rating: 2.0/3.0

I'm giving this card a 2 in draft and a 3 in sealed because this card is directly relate to the speed of the format. This card is disgustingly slow, but if you can get into a board jam and can support a merfolk theme (most blue decks will), this card could get you there. That scenario is much more likely to occur in sealed than draft, hence the split rating. The tokens are fine, and the hexproof will come into play with some auras some of the time, but are definitely not worth playing the card on its own. If you have enough merfolk, play the first copy of this.

Rating: 1.5

This kind of effect is completely new and definitely geared toward EDH decks and constructed sideboards, so unfortunately you're usually going to be flashing this in to steal a Treasure token or a 1/1 vampire. That's hardly the blowout you're looking for with this card, but with those two things running around this set, it'll usually have a target, and the body having flash means it could maybe ambush something. The card is fine, but I'd rather have it in my sideboard than mainboard.

Rating: 2.5

Drag Under was a pretty mediocre card in 2nd Innistrad block, and this is strictly better, so it has that going for it. Instant speed is so important on bounce spells that this card becomes great if you can activate it, which should be fairly often. In any deck with 8+ merfolk, this should be auto include since its a good tempo play that should get you closer to more gas.

Rating: 1.5

Curiosity doesn't seem like a very good limited card, and I think this is probably worse in a lot of deck. You can't actually play it until it gives you a favorable swing, so already only the most aggressive decks want it. This is generally not a good thing for blue decks that tend to lean more controlling. There will be games where this will let you run away with the game, but I don't think it's worth it considering the more common games where this card does nothing. However, if your deck is already aggressive, this could be one of the best cards in it.

Rating: 3.0

Now this is a great payoff card for wanting an aggressive/tempo based blue deck. Mist Raven and Separatist Voidmage were great in their respective formats, and in the right deck this is just as good. If you aren't playing a deck that can activate this, it's probably too inconsistent to play, but it doesn't have the same strict requirements to be good that Curious Obsession has, so I'd usually play this in most blue decks.

Rating: 3.0

Instant speed, unconditional bounce is already great and playable in both the pirate based tempo decks and slower control decks. Blue seems like the color least likely to activate ascend, but if you can this card obviously gets even better, denying your opponents a draw in the late game. This is just a good, clean card that you'll never cut.

Rating: 1.0

Even in decks that can consistently have a relevant spell in the yard, this is still not card advantage, and the times this will be stuck in your hand with no good targets will outweigh the times this is great and regrowths a needed removal spell. Don't play this except in the slowest decks.

Rating: 1.5

I think this card is worse than Cancel for the most part, but it being easier to cast is a pretty big upside. That being said, for every time the Treasure is relevant or you only have single blue, there will be a time where you need to counter a removal spell to save the game and this card won't be able to. Cancel may have less upside but is more catch all and consistent. Control decks will probably play this but I don't think Pirates will very often.

Rating: 0.5(?)

Wheel of Fortune is a great limited card, but that will always draw you a full hand. This isn't actually any card advantage and has no added upside unless you can manage to kill your own enchantment, which doesn't seem very likely. I don't think you really want to be targeting your opponent either since they're just as likely to draw good cards than they were to have good cards in hand, and they can kill the enchantment and draw a ton of cards. This card is just strange and I think pretty bad, even though it has awesome flavor. Please do not maindeck Naturalize just to activate this card.

Rating: 3.0

Flyers = good????

This will probably get in for a lot of damage in the early game especially if you're playing an aggressive pirate package, but can still block on the ground unlike something like Welkin Tern. Slow decks will probably not play this since it can't block flyers, but it wouldn't be the worst if they needed a vanilla 2 drop. 

Rating: 1.0

I would not play a 4 mana Howling Mine, and even though this can be better, if you're taking your turn 4 to add nothing to board and give your opponent a card, activating Ascend seems kind of unlikely. Again, blue seems like the color most unlikely to activate Ascend, so the front half of the card has to be decent at least for the Ascend card to be playable, and this doesn't fit the bill.

Rating: 1.5

Evasion is obviously one of the most important factor in Limited games, but at what cost? A 1 mana 1/1 just will not get there, so in Pirate or control decks I would almost never consider this card. It does get pretty interesting in Merfolk decks that will be able to buff this, but I'd still rather have the two drop pseudo-flyer even in those decks.

Rating: 0.5

I'm never a fan of maindecking this, but it is a good sideboard option to bring in against slower decks and maybe maindeckable in sealed. Too often though, you're either countering nothing, or countering some 2 mana spell that doesn't actually get you anywhere, so this card is usually a pass, especially in what's shaping up to be a pretty aggressive format.

Rating: 3.0

This card lacking any evasion and being 7 mana keeps it from being a bomb, but if you don't die the turn you play this it is ridiculously hard to kill. They're going to need a noncreature spell to deal with this, which will draw you a card and probably give you enough to blank the removal spell. It returning tapped is a pretty big downside, but it is still a 7/7 that will close the game out in short order in slower decks. I don't think pirate decks are really in the market for this, but if they lack a top end will probably play this. Merfolk and control decks should want this card.

Rating: 0.5

If I understand this card correctly, it seems like a bad combat trick for 3 mana. Don't play this except against control decks that are only removal.

Rating: 2.0

A vanilla 2/3 Merfolk is unexciting but playable in the Merfolk decks or control decks just looking for decent blockers. The card obviously gets much better against dino decks, but if you wouldn't play it when the opponent has no dinos I wouldn't maindeck this.

Rating: 3.5

Card selection is really important in Limited because it lets you filter for your best cards in the mid and late game, and this is a great way to find your best cards. Brainstorming is never bad, and it comes attached to a 2/2 body with a relevant tribe. I'd take this early and always play it, especially if you're in the merfolk deck.

Rating: 2.5

This card was a really important piece in slow blue decks and any 3+ color deck that was looking for mana fixing, and I see no reason it should be different in this set. Another boring but playable and important card in the set. Play it in pirate decks that aren't all in on the aggro plan and control decks.

Rating: 1.5

This is kind of like a permanent combat trick if you're playing a pirate deck, but a lot of the time doesn't seem worth the card slot. You're basically waiting for an opportunity where this can blank a removal spell on a pirate or prevent a trade, since I almost never want to use this on a non-pirate. It seems too situational to reliably be playable, so I'd only consider this as a 23rd card in a pretty dedicated pirate deck. It does have great art and flavor though.

Rating: 2.5

This card looks kind of win more, but I don't think it is in the sense that if you have profitable attacks this will help you close out a game, but you don't need more than one draw to make this playable. If you have evasive Merfolk this could be the best card in your deck, but often this will get you one or two draws over the course of a game, which you should be happy with. Obviously this is bad outside of merfolk decks, but not completely unplayable since it does trigger off itself.

Rating: 2.0

This card might just be unplayable, but Divination is a magic card near and dear to my heart so I'm gonna give it some nostalgia points. It is harder to cast than Divination, but the ascend makes it better in the late game. Slow decks will probably be happy playing this card, but I'd avoid it for the most part in tempo decks.

Rating: 3.0

In any merfolk deck this could well be the best card in your deck. I play merfolk in modern so maybe I'm a little biased but a decently statted two drop with a relevant tribe that replaces itself is ridiculous and some rough math tells me you should play this if your deck has 5+ merfolk in it.

Rating: 3.5

A 4 mana 3/2 flyer is already playable, especially in aggressive decks that can take advantage of the fact this is a pirate. If you curve into this on turn 3 though your opponent needs to answer it or else they will fall irreparably far behind. This card is honestly first pickable since its so low risk and has a pretty big reward.

Rating: 2.5

This card is directly related to how well your deck can activate Ascend. It is kind of a problem since cheap pirates tend to be better in aggressive decks, but aggressive decks are less likely to activate Ascend. I'd play this in most pirate decks and slow blue decks, but don't hesitate to board it out against aggressive decks.

Rating: 1.5

This card is the definition of filler, it has few synergies and serves only as a finisher in decks that desperately need it. This set has a fair amount of flyers in it, and this statline is pretty easy to trade into even if it can't get targeted by removal. I'd avoid this especially considering the likely speed of the format.

Rating: 3.0

This card is much better than Soul of the Rapids and an example of what Ascend cards need to do to be good. It's playable on its first half and becomes excellent if you have Ascend online. This actually leans more towards defensive decks with the statline and Ascend condition, unlike a lot of the other flyers in the set, but is more than playable in basically every blue deck. A 3/4 flyer is going to be very difficult to trade into, which makes this card a house in the late game as well as the midgame.

Rating: 1.5

Even in Merfolk decks, this card just doesn't do much. I'd rather play this in the board to bring in against decks with a lot of X/1s, but I can see playing it in slower blue decks if you're in desperate need of early game playables. I don't think there will be many decks so desperate for Merfolk that they play this, but I could be wrong.

Rating: 2.5

I could see playing this as a big payoff card in slow blue decks with other Ascend cards. Taking extra turns in limited isn't quite as great as it is in other formats, especially in board stall scenarios, but it's obviously never a bad thing. The ability being able to be used at instant speed is also nice because it lets you block with it then activate it end of turn to take two turns with all your mana. I wouldn't jam this into most pirate decks because it's not something you want to play in the early or midgame without the city's blessing, but there are worse cards you can play.

Rating: 4.0

I am in love with this card. A 2 mana 2/1 flying pirate is already good (see Kitesail Corsair), but the attack trigger is better than I think most people realize. Even if you have no other attackers, you can "silence" your opponents only flying blocker, making this card essentially unblockable. But where the card shines is in conjunction with ground creatures to let them get through for damage along with itself. You don't have to build around this card at all since its great in all but the most draw go control decks, and I'd gladly first pick this card.

Rating: 3.5

Good ol' Claustrophobia will be a really important tool for blue decks, being relatively cheap, unconditional creature removal that is playable in aggressive and control decks and will help both their gameplans. Much like the requisite Pacifism effect in every set, this card is unexciting but very good and you should almost never cut it.

Top 5 Blue Commons:

5. Crashing Tide/Sailor of Means (I couldn't decide D:)

4. Spire Winder

3. Deadeye Rig Hauler

2. Kitesail Corsair

1. Waterknot

Blue gets some nice tempo plays and flyers at common in this set, but looks kind of situational to be a main color in a lot of decks. You'll see it being a good support color in the merfolk and pirate decks that could well be more centered on green and black respectively. See ya tomorrow.