I am continuing my series evaluating each card for draft with the uncommons. Uncommons will make up a much smaller portion of your deck than commons, but they are still worth discussing.

Amber Monument – This is essentially a split card. It is either a depleted power or a 5/5 Overwhelm for 5. In draft, a 5/5 Overwhelm for 5 is a good card. The downside to a 5 cost card is that sometimes you don’t have 5 power, and with this (and any monument) you can play it as a depleted power if you are short on power. This is a great way to mitigate the issue having too few or too many power and therefore I pick it very highly.

Sand Warrior – The issue this card has is that by the time you have 3 Time influence, a 3/2 is usually not very impactful on the board. While this doesn’t cost any power, it does cost a card. A 3/2 needs to be able to pressure your opponent in the early game in order to be able to worth a card and this fails to do that.

Excavate – Spending a card to put a card on top of deck ends up putting you down a card since you don’t get the card back until the next time you draw a card. I suppose this is a combo with Echo, but I’ve never played this in a draft deck.

Infinite Hourglass – I don’t understand why people play this card. It lets you pressure the opponent without giving up your ability to defend yourself, but Time decks can already do that with cards like Towertop Patrol and Xenan Guardian. It’s kind of like a finisher, except it doesn’t add any stats to the board. It is very good against Primal decks because of all the Stun effects, but in a best of 1 environment, I don’t see that being worth putting a card in your deck.

Slow – On the theme of cards that are not worth a card in your deck, here is another one. Draft games tend to go long, especially for Time decks, so they will usually be able to play whichever card you did this to at some point. Then you are just down a card for a tempo gain that Time decks can’t usually capitalize on.

Friendly Wisp – Time decks usually have plenty of ways to Trigger this. Getting 2 cards and a 1/1 flyer for only 2 power is a very good deal. It is often worth holding in your hand until you can trigger it immediately due to the prevalence of Silence and 1 damage effects.

Temple Scribe – Costing 2 Time influence means that, in draft, you aren’t going to be able to play this on turn 2 all that often. A 1/1 can contribute to a team block or hold of a 2/1, so the body is useful considering that you get the card back. This is a card that will usually make my final deck, but rarely ends up in my pile.

Ageless Mentor – Getting even 1 buff from this makes it a good card and getting 2+ buffs makes it great. It is worth taking and building around. Take as many 4-5 cost flyers as you can find since that is where the buff matters most. In games, it is often right to hang on to this or a 4 cost unit as long as the board is stalled to get the maximum benefit.

Determined Stranger – Without any other Strangers in your deck, this a 3/3 for 3 that trades for their Strangers. Once you have a few Strangers of your own this becomes quite good, although generally not better than removal.

Dune Phantom – This can prevent a 5/5 from hitting you but also doesn’t deter any number of 2/2s from attacking since it doesn’t have any strength. Since it has flying, it can block almost anything, especially infiltrate units. Only the most controlling decks want this, because it naturally will make the game go long.

Scorpion Wasp – This is premium removal. In time based decks, there will often be a board stall. Usually, one player will find one unit big enough to attack which threats to end the stall. Wasp will often kill their largest unit and return the game to a board stall until you can find a threat to turn it around.

Secret Pages – If you take your turn 3 to play this, that is a turn you are not effecting the board and not stopping their Warcry/Infiltrate units from attacking. If you naturally have 4 power as well as this card, you will get to play a 5 drop a turn earlier. At that point, a removal or tempo spell will often end the game on the spot. All of that is ignoring the fact that you often don’t have 4 power naturally or won’t always have something to do with the extra power. Don’t play this card.

Unlock Potential – This card fits exactly into what Time is trying to do. It wants to set up a board stall with its defensive units and then play a big trump card to break through. Turning an army of 2/3s and 1/5s into 3/4s and 2/6s will usually win the game on the spot.

Ancient Lore – Assuming you have enough units to curve out consistently, this is a good way to get card advantage and potentially board advantage in the late game. However, taking turn 4 off to cast this can often set you too far behind to catch up. Keep in mind how much early defense you have when considering running this card.

Healer’s Cloak – When the game turns into a race, there are few cards better than this for swinging the race in your favor. In a board stall, this can push a flyer past their blockers and allow you to break the stall. Just keep in mind that you don’t want to have too many attachments.

Praxis Displacer – This card can answer their weapons/attachments, reset your summon/infiltrate effects or be a tempo play against a stumbling opponent. A versatile card that you should take early.

Elysian Pathfinder – This is a great way to generate card advantage, especially in a deck with plenty of flyers or units with summon abilities. The immediate impact to the board is small, but Time decks usually have plenty of ways to stall the game.

Lumen Defender – This card does it all. It gives you 5 life and prevents anything with less than 5 strength from attacking on the ground. With Predatory’s Instinct, you can use the combination of Killer and Deadly to kill anything.

Twinbrood Sauropod – One of the top uncommons. This is card advantage and efficient bodies that are tough to deal with in one card.

Lumen Shepherd – This is an odd card. The combination of stats is generally worthwhile, but it is a bit defensive as a 1/1 doesn’t attack well, nor does a 4/6 on turn 6.

Pillar of Amar – One of the premium finishers outside of rares. Once this is in play, you basically have no bad draws left in your deck. I look to grab this early and build a control deck around it, knowing that I will have inevitability against most opponents.