Hi, everyone, and welcome back to Daily Arena!

Magic Core Set 2019 releases to Magic Arena this week, and will be available for draft. To help people prepare, I thought I’d supply some links to good resources for players new to the format, as well as some information condensed from some of those resources.

First, SEV8 has a good article discussing this format’s two-color draft archetypes:

The Limited Archetypes of Core 2019

Frank Karsten has An Early Pick Order List for Core Set 2019. This pick order is an amalgamation of scores from various sources linked to below.

Another thing to check out might be The Draftaholics Anonymous rankings for Pack 1 Pick 1 choices for Core Set 2019.

As well as The LR Community Review, with ranking based on hundreds of user-submitted Limited grades for every card in the set.

Limited Resources is a great resource for limited players in general. Their Magic 2019 Set Review: Commons and Uncommons and Magic 2019 Set Review: Rare and Mythic Rare contain in-depth card-by-card reviews and discussion from Marshall Sutcliffe and Ben Seck.

Luis Scott-Vargas has a series of limited set reviews for each set, and these are an indispensable resource for card evaluation. I will provide links to the relevant reviews here, then add aggregated versions of some of the most salient information below.

Core Set 2019 Limited Set Review: White

Core Set 2019 Limited Set Review: Blue

Core Set 2019 Limited Set Review: Black

Core Set 2019 Limited Set Review: Red

Core Set 2019 Limited Set Review: Green

Core Set 2019 Limited Set Review: Gold, Artifacts, and Lands

Here are some highlights/takeaways from the resources linked above:

Top White Commons

Luminous Bonds

Pegasus Courser

Star-Crowned Stag

Angel of the Dawn

Gallant Cavalry

Top Blue Commons

Salvager of Secrets

Aven Wind Mage

Essence Scatter

Aviation Pioneer

Divination

Top Black Commons

Lich’s Caress

Strangling Spores

Skymarch Bloodletter

Skeleton Archer

Macabre Waltz

Top Red Commons

Electrify

Shock

Sparktongue Dragon

Havoc Devils

Act of Treason *

Top Green Commons

Druid of the Cowl

Rabid Bite

Giant Spider

Elvish Rejuvenator

Centaur Courser // Rhox Oracle // Colossal Dreadmaw

All Cards Sorted into Tiers, By Color

Note: Very situational cards show up twice with a red asterisk * .

Some notes on situational cards (marked by red asterisks * above) from LSV…



Aethershield Artificer

“By virtue of being a 3/3 for 4, you can’t go too wrong with this. I’d play it if I had any artifact creatures at all, and once you get to 3+ it becomes one of the better cards in your deck.” – LSV



Ajani’s Pridemate

“There’s enough incidental life gain in the set that I think this is baseline just a good playable. In a deck with recurring life gain, it becomes a reliable big threat, which is a lot for just 2 mana.” – LSV



Ajani’s Welcome

“Ajani’s Welcome is anything but that, but in a heavy life gain deck it can be a source of constant triggers for your payoffs. This is a card I predict gets overplayed, and I can already feel it wearing out its welcome from here.” – LSV



Inspired Charge

“When this is good, it’s great, but most decks will leave it on the sidelines. Aggressive decks with 17+ creatures want this effect, and basically nobody else does.” – LSV



Make a Stand

“This is effectively Inspired Charge, but it trades a point of power for infinite toughness. That’s not as good a deal as it sounds, given the goal of these cards, but either one of these will usually do the trick.” – LSV



Militia Bugler

“Much like Augur of Bolas, this will give you a lot of information about the bottom of your library. It seems easy enough to get 8+ targets into your deck, as power 2 or less is simpler than cost 2 or less, and at that point this is a fine deal.” – LSV



Valiant Knight

“By itself, this is a substantial threat. Once you add in 3+ other Knights, it becomes extremely powerful, and worth building around. +1/+1 and double strike is a lot of damage, and remember that the double strike ability applies to Valiant Knight as well.” – LSV



Bone To Ash

“I’m going to start at 1.5 for this because it is a 4 mana situational counterspell. Leaving this up on turns 4-6 and having the opponent tap out for a noncreature spell can lose you the game on the spot, and if the format is fast, you often won’t have the luxury of leaving it up to begin with. That said, it’s powerful in a slow format or in slow matchups, and it definitely will have a place. I’m cool on this to start, but I have my eye on it—Bone to Ash could easily end up being a solid main deck card. I also like the card in Sealed, so you should main deck it there.” – LSV



One with the Machine

“Most decks will be none with the machine, but a deck with 5+ artifacts that cost 3 or more might be in the market. It is highly unlikely you’ll end up there, so don’t take this unless you already have all the artifacts you need.” – LSV



Psychic Corrosion

“The mill deck doesn’t look very strong in M19, and it doesn’t take a psychic to predict that half-milling the opponent is useless. Don’t play this unless you have a ton of support, and I’m not sure where that support would come from.” – LSV



Sai, Master Thopterist

“The floor on Sai is pretty high, and not just because he knows how to make flying machines. A 1/4 for 3 isn’t a blank, and if you get even one Thopter off this, you’ve come out ahead. You may not utilize the sacrifice part very often, but I’d play Sai even if I had only a few other artifacts.” – LSV



Scholar of Stars

“Don’t play this without artifacts, but treat it like an all-star if you have five or more (especially ones that stick around, like Equipment). This is a solid reward for being in an artifact deck, and something you should be able to pick up late if you’re interested.” – LSV



Skilled Animator

“Given that this is a 1/3 base, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t end up with a ton of targets. When it does hit, you’ll run away with the game quickly, and this is a solid payoff for having a couple of cheap artifacts in your deck.” – LSV



Sleep

“I’m giving this a split rating because Sleep is a consistently overvalued card, and I want the rating to reflect how it is not a bomb unless your deck is aggressive. This is a fine early pick and a real beating if your deck wants to attack, which some blue decks certainly will. But it’s quite poor in a controlling deck, and plenty of blue decks would rather just have a Sift or Divination instead. Don’t assume that this is always a bomb because sometimes it won’t be what your deck is looking for.” – LSV



Supreme Phantom

“A 1/3 flyer for 2 is a fine deal, so it only takes a few other Spirits before this becomes sweet. This isn’t a first-pick card I’d build a deck around–it’s more of a nice addition to a deck with lots of spirit.” – LSV



Blood Divination

“Without support, this is quite bad. Divination isn’t Divination is you have to sacrifice a creature, even with an extra card attached. Once you’re in the sacrifice deck (usually red-black, but potentially white-black or blue-black with enough tokens), this becomes a lot more interesting. It’s still on the low end of payoffs, so don’t prioritize it.” – LSV



Liliana, Untouched by Death

“I was all ready to give Liliana a high grade, but then I read her. If your deck isn’t full of Zombies, she does nothing. None of her abilities work without Zombies, and that’s not something you can rely on in this format. If you end up with 5+ Zombies in your deck, she will be solid, but this isn’t a planeswalker you should rejoice about opening.” – LSV



Nightmare’s Thirst

“Worst case, this is a deal 1 gain 1, which is a decent sideboard option against X/1s. In a deck built to maximize this, it can kill real creatures for just 1 mana, which can be a nightmare to play against. Once you have 3+ source of life gain, this becomes a good addition to your deck.” – LSV



Ravenous Harpy

“In the dedicated sacrifice deck, this is a great finisher. Outside of that, its appetite is not worth satiating, as what you pay is not worth what you get. This starts a little small and takes a lot of food before it becomes great.” – LSV



Act of Treason

“This is one of the more interesting cards in the set. By itself, it’s not great. It’s a narrow card for hyper-aggressive decks, but generally wrong to run. It doesn’t do much unless you’re really pressuring their life total, and isn’t worth a card in most circumstances. Where it gets good is when you’re in the sacrifice deck, usually red-black, and have 3+ ways to sacrifice whatever you steal. Once you have that, this becomes extremely threatening, as it’s Terminate plus deal damage to your opponent, and you even get the benefit of any death triggers their creature may have. I wouldn’t take this early, but it’s the most important payoff in the sacrifice deck, so once you’re deep into that this becomes a very high pick.” – LSV



Dragon Egg

“This is a goose egg in an aggressive deck, playable but mediocre in a defensive one, and an all-star in the sacrifice-themed deck. Eating this for value gives you a very good flyer and whatever you got from sacrificing it, which is a great deal for 3 mana. One of the main strengths of the sacrifice deck is that you get a lot of value from cards other people don’t want, and Dragon Egg is a great example of that.” – LSV



Guttersnipe

“Once you’ve got 9+ spells in your deck, Guttersnipe is a legit threat. It’s not an early pick, but I bet blue-red spells decks wouldn’t mind using this as a decent finisher.” – LSV



Sarkhan’s Unsealing

“You need a lot of high-power creatures for this to be playable, and the main risk is that you end up with a deck with too high a curve. Onnake Ogre is your best friend in that case, and the reward from Sarkhan’s Unsealing is high enough to justify it. I like this as an early draft-around, and think it’ll lead to some sweet (and good) decks.” – LSV



Thud

“At a base level, this isn’t very good. 2-for-1’ing yourself to kill a creature isn’t a good deal, and finishing the opponent with this is largely ambitious. Where it gets really good is when you have multiple copies of Act of Treason, at which point you’ve got a two card combo that makes an impact. It’s still a 2-for-2, but they spent more mana on their side, and you turned late picks into premiere removal spells. This does combo kill with Inferno Hellion, so keep that in mind.” – LSV



Trumpet Blast

“Normal decks definitely don’t want this, and it isn’t insane unless you’re on the mono-tokens plan. If you want this, you’ll get it–having a Blast is easy to do in this format.” – LSV



Blanchwood Armor

“Blanchwood Armor is a funny card–if it’s great, your deck probably isn’t, because mono-green is unlikely to be a very supported archetype. You really need this to give +3/+3 or greater in order for it to be playable, and +5/+5 or more before it starts feeling unfair. That makes it medium in most decks, though when it’s good, it will be very good.” – LSV



Colossal Majesty

“Colossal Majesty strikes me as a bit win-more, but I’d still run it with six or seven creatures that fit the bill. Like with Sarkhan’s Unsealing, Onakke Ogre will be your friend, and there are a couple of other midrange creatures that are colossal enough to trigger this.” – LSV



Druid of Horns

“Unplayable without Auras and unexciting with, this isn’t a card I’m looking to put in my deck. I don’t want to build around it, and don’t like the path it leads you down. I guess the joke is that Talons of Wildwood is a low-risk way of making beasts, but I don’t really want to play Talons.” – LSV



Gift of Paradise

“In a deck that wants this, it’s one of the best cards. It fixes your colors, ramps you, and gives you a little life to play with. In a 2 color deck with a low to medium curve, it’s not great, but more green decks will fall into the first camp. This ended up being awesome in Amonkhet/Hour Limited, and there are enough ramp payoffs that this will perform in this format, too.” – LSV



Gigantosaurus

“Unless you’re mono-green, don’t play this. Seriously, just don’t. You need 14+ Forests for it to pull its (considerable) weight, and even then it’s not a bomb. This is no Tempest Djinn, and is a gigantic pain to get to work properly.” – LSV



Vivien’s Invocation

“In a dedicated ramp deck with a lot of solid creatures, this is a decent finisher. There’s a natural tension between this and expensive creatures, as you can’t just run 10 cards that cost 5+ mana, but if you have 4-6 good hits and 6-8 decent ones, this will be worth 7 mana.” – LSV



Brawl-Bash Ogre

“This is a great sacrifice outlet for Act of Treason, as it doesn’t cost any mana to use and attacks quite well without a ton of support. It’s always playable if you’re black-red, and can really headline a sacrifice deck once you provide the necessary fodder. This is a build-around I wouldn’t mind starting with, as the rewards are there.” – LSV



Enigma Drake

“The low end of the rating on this is a bit of a mirage because the people who want this are going to snap it up early enough that you aren’t likely to see it super late. When you have 7+ spells, this is playable, and at 10+ it’s just absurd. This was one of my favorite cards to build around in Amonkhet, and U/R Spells is a strong archetype in M19 as well.” – LSV



Satyr Enchanter

“Building your deck around this might be an enchanting proposition, but it doesn’t seem all that likely to happen. Filling your deck full of Auras isn’t where you want to be, and you aren’t picking up enough Luminous Bonds to satisfy the Satyr by itself. It is cute with Talons of Wildwood, but unless you pick up two Satyrs, I wouldn’t go all-in on that strategy.” – LSV



Chaos Wand

“The rating here is basically nonsense because the range on this is so wide. Overall, I’d always main deck this in Sealed and tend to sideboard it in Draft, which makes it a 1.5 in Draft and a 3.5 in Sealed, but it is pretty wild. I crushed my first Sealed with it because everyone always plays 3+ pieces of removal in Sealed, but in Draft you could run up against a deck with all pump spells or whatever. I like this card, but would prefer to side it in against removal decks in Draft rather than main deck it.” – LSV



Diamond Mare

“I’d sideboard this in against aggro, but otherwise would bet on a different horse (any of them). It just doesn’t impact the board very much, and gaining a couple of life isn’t very exciting. The exception is in the life gain deck, where this provides a lot of triggers, but you’ll know if you’re in that deck.” – LSV



Fountain of Renewal

“In a normal deck, this isn’t worth a card (even though it eventually replaces itself). In artifact decks or life gain decks, it’s a fine way to get your synergies going.” – LSV



Gearsmith Guardian

“This is pretty cute–it’s an artifact creature that cares about blue cards, proving that the relationship goes both ways. This is a good reward for being in blue, and is a marginal playable outside of that.” – LSV



Meteor Golem

“In a normal deck, this is a tad too expensive. In a dedicated ramp/control deck, this is an awesome finisher. I love when there are powerful cards that only some decks can use, and give them bonus points for being 7-mana Golems (I have a soft spot for those).” – LSV



Millstone

“I like this in a few spots: as a finisher in Sealed, as a sideboard card against control, and as an atifact/finisher in a controlling artifact-matters deck. Don’t put this in a normal deck, and try and find better finishers for your Draft control decks. Milling them only helps them unless you kill them (since there are various graveyard synergies) and this doesn’t combine with very many other cards when it comes to finishing the game. It’s also not super fast, so you aren’t racing with this.” – LSV

Hopefully this will be helpful to someone who is drafting this format and needs some sage wisdom from the pros. It was definitely helpful to me to put it together.

As always, feel free to send any questions, comments and criticisms to me here, on Reddit, on Twitter at @DailyArena or on Facebook via the @DailyArenaMTG page.

Joseph Eddy is a Father, Husband, Son, Brother, Software Developer, and Gamer. Magic is his favorite hobby, and he’s looking forward to seeing you all on Arena. He streams Magic Arena on a weekly basis (or more), but currently is unable to keep to a set schedule.