A new Magic: The Gathering set is here, bringing a torrent of new cards for us to peruse. And with rotation coming out at the same time as Edge of Eternities, what better time to look at Standard, and consider how these cards measure up.
Whether you're seeking to build the best MTG Arena decks or want to know the best MTG cards to keep an eye out for as you're cracking packs, read on to find out the most powerful Standard cards in this MTG set.
Annul
Getting its umpteenth reprint in Edge of Eternities, Annul is always a good sideboard option to have around. With loads of enchantment creatures about thanks to Final Fantasy and Duskmourn, it will be particularly helpful to have a one mana counterspell that can deal with them - or with Izzet Cauldron's cauldrons.
Hemosymbic Mite
Okay, maybe I'm crazy for not putting Frenzied Baloth in this spot but something about this adorable little parasite just sings to me. We've seen how strong red and green one-drops that benefit from pump spells can be, and this fits that definition to a tee. With Harmonize and Station around, I'm convinced there are Gruul shenanigans to pull off with this creature.
Of course, it'd be even better if Monstrous Rage was still in the format, but I still think it has a chance. The card's great in multiples too.
Cosmogrand Zenith
If we weren't losing a bunch of soldier synergy in rotation, this would be a slamdunk. As it is, I still think it's strong enough to make the list. A three drop with a nicely defensive statline, Cosmogrand Zenith has a ton of flexibility. She can spit out tokens for a go wide strategy, or buff up your entire board when you're ready to beat down.
While we don't see it becoming as problematic as Cori-Steel Cutter and meeting the same fate on the MTG banlist, this thing spits out danger constantly, and your opponent will hate seeing it on the field. On four mana you cast this and an Opt, and things are already starting to get scary.
Emissary Escort
Another slightly off-the-wall card, I'm throwing this one in the mix to posit the question: is some kind of affinity deck viable in Standard right now? Mendicant Core and Station Monitor can provide tons of artifact tokens, and we already have some big affinity creatures like Valkyrie Ariel Unit and Memory Guardian to power up this blue two-drop.
Pinnacle Starcage
Alright, now let's be sensible. This white removal spell is a great replacement for the rotating Temporary Lockdown, and will continue its tradition of being a potent defence against pure aggro decks.
Consult the Star Charts
If we didn't already have Stock Up, one of the best card selection spells ever, plus plenty of other good draw effects, I'd say Consult the Star Charts was about to be the most-played card of Standard. It's still a really good and really flexible card draw spell, and later in a match lets you dig even deeper into your deck than Stock Up does.
Ouroboroid
This four-drop is scary! It just sits on the battlefield growing absolutely everything, and if your opponent can't deal with it in a turn or two, they'll have already lost.
The Shock Lands
It feels like a bit of a cop out to end on these, but they will without a doubt be the most important cards in Standard from this set. With Dominaria United and Brothers War's pain lands rotating out, these five lands are going to be very important replacements.
They're just so great, providing two colors, always coming in untapped when you need them, and also having basic land types. That last one is important for the odd fetch spell, but also for other lands like the new verge lands.
Weirdly, Wizards didn't pick enemy or allied colors for this batch, but a mixture of both. We're assuming that it plans to come out with the rest in another upcoming set - perhaps it'll be a selling point for Avatar The Last Airbender?
Are there any top notch cards I missed (I realize red and black didn't get much love in this list)? Come let me know on the Wargamer Discord. And don't miss our great guide to the MTG release schedule.