Hello friends! Our Dusk Road set review continues here. Let’s launch right into things. If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out the Fire section of the review. I also dropped a podcast of SirRhino and I talking limited, and you can see the first part of that here. You can see the ratings I’m using below, but from there let’s get into it!

Ranked Ratings:

★★★★★ Format staple

Examples: Sandstorm Titan, Torch, and Wisdom of the Elders

★★★★ Archetype staple, or multi-deck support card

Examples: Waystones, Permafrost, Rally

★★★ Role player or narrow support card

Examples: Rakano Outlaw, Rise to the Challenge, Withering Witch

★★ Long shot or meme-tier

Examples: Knucklebones, Crown of possibilities, Groundbreaker

★ Unplayable

Examples: Idol of Destran, Copperhall Recruit, Daze

Draft Ratings

★★★★★ Bomb or ultra efficient removal

Examples: Twinbrood Sauropod, Annihilate, and Slimespitter Slug

★★★★ Above average

Examples: Feeding Time, Mortar, Archive Curator

★★★ About average

Examples: Striped Araktodon, Hipshot, Highbranch Sentry

★★ Below average, but not embarrassing

Examples: Centaur Outrider, Cabal Slasher, Cirso’s Meddling

★ Unplayable

Examples: Accelerate, Sanguine Sword, Aid of the Hooru

Amber Waystone

Ranked

★★★★ Could easily be the most impactful of the Waystone cycle given the easy with which Time gets to pull the power out of its deck, and the synergy with Lifeforce. Basically a lock to see a ton of ranked play.

Draft

★★ Went on a bit of a rant about this in the last section, avoid picking Waystones in pack 1, but feel free to pick one up if you are deep in playables in pack 4. Not a high impact card, but if you are getting it for free, it should be good enough.

Azurite Prixis

Ranked/Draft

★ I hate this card with a fiery passion. I can’t… like…. what? I don’t know someone fit this into a playable deck and we can talk.

Amaran Shoveler

Ranked

★★★ This card actually does some interesting stuff. Controlling your draw step is an useful too to have, especially in a deck heavy with warp cards. Between the relevant unit type and the little utilities that it offers, I think this card will see play, though not a lot.

Draft

★ This card looks too low impact, and you will never be able to construct a deck with the density of relics and sentinels you need to push this card over the line.

Ancient Bauble

Ranked

★★ It is hard to tell what post-Dusk Road lifeforce might look like, but this card is an OK inclusion there. Hatecleaver style decks also love cheap activators to get things going. Still, this is not an exciting card, and it certainly quite a long shot to have an impact on competitive decks.

Draft

★★ This does enough little things that it can’t be written off entirely. Maybe you get some of the great “relic matters” cards, but only 2 good relics. Maybe you pick up a Katra or Beckoning Lumen in pack 2. Maybe you get 3 Premonition Wisps. Still not powerful, but it will sometimes be right to include it.

Gloaming Wisp

Ranked

★ I will mention this a few times in this review, but I don’t really see any time Nightfall decks being competitive. I have not been able to identify an actually good payoff for the deck, so all the Time Nightfall cards seem kinda… pointless? This is obviously not a great card to start on, but you will see this is roughly where the power level of those cards lands.

Draft

★★ Similar to constructed, I am also not seeing a pay-off for Nightfall Time decks in draft. It is not quite as embarrassing, as it will cycle you through your deck to find your bombs or whatever, but this is worth avoiding if you can help it.

Hesitate

Ranked

★★★ I am probably higher on this card than most, and although I certainly don’t think this card is “good”, it has a chance. To me this is a useful tool in a tempo deck that is just looking to dump its hand and play to the board. Keeping up 1 power to “Time Walk” your opponent’s Harsh Rule is powerful, if narrow. Obviously I don’t think this will be popular as it is very easy to metagame against, but I am giving it the extra star to showcase that it has a chance.

Draft

★ I don’t think you can realistically build your draft deck such that you can reliably take advantage of this effect. Don’t play it.

Lucky Prospector

Ranked

★★★ Once again we have a piece for the low-to-the-ground Explorer deck. Hitting with a 3/3 on turn 2 is powerful, and endurance is a good ability in a world where Permafrost has likely become much more popular. This will never hit Oni Ronin status, but that is obviously not a fair comparison. This could easily be a total flop, but that snazzy hat is worth a shot.

Draft

★★ I am a bit more skeptical for this gentleman in draft. Yeah, there are going to be some decks that get 3 or 4 Prospectors, and just beat down, but that is really hard to pull off consistently. Also, you don’t want things like Cryptic Etchings in your average aggro deck right? Probably playable in some decks, but I don’t think this is an exciting pay-off.

Talir’s Intervention

Ranked

★★ This one is really a long shot. The last mode is clearly the best by a good deal, and 1 is really cheap, but it is worth a card? Probably not? I am just thinking about all the applications where you really want to silence a blocker or a unit with a powerful attack ability. Still, the other modes are there, and I guess replaying Heart of the Vault is not a horrible fail case? I am clearly not high on this, but there are probably some decks where you are happy playing 1.

Draft

★★★ This is a situational card that I think you can usually get enough use out of the first copy. Grounding flyers mid combat can obviously be a blow out, and using this as a pseudo protect for your big sentinels is certainly decent. Wild diminishing returns on low impact cards like this, but the first 1 is fine.

Twilight Hunt

Ranked

★★★ Killer effects have been exceptionally popular over course of Eternal, starting with Predator’s Instinct and continuing with Xenan Initiation. I could guess that Twilight Hunt is able to keep with the tradition, though it will probably only see play in decks that care about Nightfall or Dinosaurs. As I have suggested already, I don’t see Night Time decks being important, right now, but Dinos are common enough that Twilight Hunt will see some play over Xenan Initiation.

Draft

★★★★ I would say this is above average, but not by a lot. Nightfall is not particularly relevant, but Predator’s Instinct sees draft play even with no bonus text, and this is almost strictly better in the average time deck. Time decks will still not want too many killer effects, but this is potentially the best one.

Accelerated Impact

Ranked

★ Doesn’t even crack jank tier in my opinion. I’m sure there is a very cute “But Attack” deck out there, but it so far to inconsistent to work. Anyone out there who wants to put in the effort – be my guest! I know some have already been trying of course.

Draft

★ Read above.

Ask for Directions

Ranked

★★ I made a bit of a stink about this card when it was first spoiled, going off about how you only need a couple pieces to come together and this will suddenly be powerful. Well, it doesn’t look like we got those pieces. The second star is because there looks to be an outline of a self mill Explorers deck that will need a lot of work. That deck is certainly a long shot, but I am willing to spar a star for that possibility.

Draft

★ I cannot imagine a realistic draft deck that would rather play this over a 2/3 for 3 with no text.

Cryptic Etchings

Ranked

★★ Though I have a weakness for low impact durdly relics, I will restrain myself here. It feels like there are better options if you are looking for a late game value engine, like Moondial or something. Maybe some of the “relics matter” decks are just looking to load up on cheap relics, so I suppose this fits that particular bill, but that seems pretty unexciting.

Draft

★★★★ I may very well be bias, but I think this card is a lynchpin of the Sentinels/Explorers deck in draft. Obviously a lot of those ask you for relics, and this is a cheap one that is totally respectable. Even if you get yourself into a more controlling Time deck, I feel like this will dig you to your bombs or power depending on the situation. The 2 activation is just cheap enough that you will be able to use it a lot. It should be noted of course that this has steep diminishing returns, so although you should try and make sure you get the first one, the second should usually be avoided.

Disjunction

Ranked

★★★★ This card has just an incredible range of applications. It counters decks that rely on, relic weapons, weapons, relics, curses, or cursed relics. I know it is kinda silly to list out all of these, but you will see almost every deck is playing at least one of these. Things have been edging closer and closer to the point where ruin could be maindeckable on ladder, and Disjunction clearly scratches that itch. This is totally aside from the draw mode, which has oodles of applications! Regrow relic weapons? What about an Azindel’s Gift that was binned earlier in the game? What about Wanted Posters? There are just so many options! It will be hard for Disjunction to every be a 4-of staple, since it is the quintessential support card, but it is an exceptional example of that.

Draft

★★★ We talk about this more on the podcast, but I am inclined to start 1 of these in draft decks for the time being. Sentinels, Gunslingers, and Unseen all care about their respective attachment types, and that gives you a lot of options. The Draw mode is also likely to come up often enough that you are fine with this even in the Yeti, Dinos, and Grenadins match ups.

Nocturnal Creeper

Ranked

★★ As I have said, I don’t get what Night Time decks are supposed to look like. This is probably an inclusion there if that is a deck – hence the second star – but I just don’t see it.

Draft

★★★ Seems like one of the best Time commons, and although Night is not a particularly interesting theme in Time, I don’t think it needs to be for this card to be good enough. The second attack on this card means that you are actually putting on pressure unlike if you are playing Direfang Spider.

Trail Maker

Ranked

★★★★ Card will certainly make the cut in the big Sentinel decks, as well as some Evelina decks, but I am not as hyped on this card as some other people are. Don’t get me wrong, the card is pretty good, but it really isn’t that much better than Initiate of Sands in most decks. That is obviously still high praise given the pedigree of Initiate, which is why Trailmaker is getting 4 stars.

Draft

★★★ There are some people that are pumped for this card in draft, but I am much less interested than most. Yeah, it is fine, but Initiate of Sands was not amazing in draft before. This is probably better than Initiate in draft since it helps with the limited fixing, and presents a body that is actually relevant, rather than merely a chump blocker, but this card is also very delicate. Obviously being an Explorer matters, but don’t go overboard with that.

Baying Serasaur

Ranked

★★ I have actually heard some light rumblings about this card in ranked, which I have not yet been able to make sense of. Once again I will repeat that Nightfall on Time cards has not yet gelled for me, but this clearly has the “joke” that you get a 4/4 your first turn you can attack with it. Given other cards we will see, I don’t expect that to matter enough to play this over a generically good card, but I will give him a shot when I have a chance.

Draft

★★★ This is a pretty classic 3 star card for me. Feeds your tribal themes, helps fill out your curve, and has a reasonable ceiling. Still, this blocks like garbage, so I am not able to even consider this as a 4 star card. Solid, but unexciting.

Dig Site

Ranked

★ Ok… this card… is a….. bounce spell? It is really just 3TT Teleport at slow speed? I supposed there is some nonsense you can enact with a card like this, but I am not seeing it. I guess the Explorer aggro deck can curve into this followed by a 7/7 on turn 4 to buff their team? I am really not seeing it.

Draft

★★ This is a bounce spell so it is hard to call this truly unplayable, but I expect it will largely play the function of “Oh crap I have no removal in my Combrei deck”, or as just a bench warmer.

Lastlight Infusion

Ranked

★ Unlock Potential does not see play, and this is probably worse, given that Night Time doesn’t look interesting to me.

Draft

★★ Unlock was probably about a 3 star card, and this is probably worse than that. I guess it is fine in some decks if you do have some night synergies, but this should usually be avoided.

Ranked

★★★ If there is a Night Time Deck, I supposed this would be a part of it. We will see way down the line the Xenan Uncommon that is very interesting to me, and this probably fits into the same deck. There is a lot of work yet to be done there, but it feels like there is a little something going on.

Draft

★★★ Fine, but unexciting. This is basically a Combrei Healer in a lot of spots, and that card was playable in draft, but not exactly a powerhouse. Just because it is a Rare doesn’t mean it has too be great.

Moondial

Ranked

★★★ This is certainly a long shot, but I think Moondial is interesting. The sketch I have in my mind involves going really big with Mask, and having this act as a power sink. The fact that you are limited to once per turn really stinks, but it is certainly better than nothing.

Draft

★★★ This might even be better suited to the 4 star range, but I will keep things under control. There is obviously a minor dis-synergy between Nightfall giving both players cards, while the objective of the card is to generate card advantage, but that is really not a big deal. Likely a good addition to the average time deck, but is clearly in competition with things like Cryptic Etchings. I could end up being wrong and Moondial is the better card, but for now I will just stick with the cheaper option. This is likely deck dependant as well.

Premonition Wisp

Ranked

★ I do not think this is the kind of card lifeforce decks are looking for. The body is fragile, and while the payoff is nice, I don’t think it is worth the risk for ranked.

Draft

★★★ This varies pretty wildly depending on how easily you deck can trigger the pseudo-lifeforce ability. I think you need about half a dozen ways, but I know some feel that is being harsh. Pack 1 it is pretty safe to speculate on it and see if you can build around it, but by pack 4 you should know if this card is playable.

Ageless Sentinel

Ranked

★ Sandstorm Titan in the form Ilyak intended.

Draft

★★★ This is very clearly a workhorse card. Helps with setting up bonds, triggers your Sentinel Ally stuff, and is a respectable body by itself. Obviously this is not setting the world on fire in any capacity, but is an essential “glue” card for making Sentinel decks work.

Seasoned Spelunker

Ranked

★★★ This has very real constructed applications if the Explorer Aggro deck is a thing. This should essentially be a 4/4 of 3 there, which is obviously great, and it triggers all sort of other synergies too. This also could be a role player in big Sentinel decks too. I’m not sure, but if Explorer is a tribe that matters in any capacity, he is worth trying out.

Draft

★★★★ This is a very real pull to the Explorer/Sentinel deck. Gives you a 3/3 body, that upgrades to a 4/4, and ramps you. This is everything you could realistically want out of an Uncommon.

Serene Excavator

Ranked

★There are 3/3 flyers for 3 that see little play.

Draft

★★ SirRhino and I had a pretty long discussion on the podcast on this one. My stance was this card is just too low impact even when it does get the right synergies, while he was saying flying looks good enough, that it is worth playing some that might be a little dorky. He has not convinced me, so Excavator is stuck at low 2 star status for me.

Fantastic Revelation

Ranked

★★ I am starting this one at meme tier because I can’t figure out the deck yet. This could easily end up doing something bananas, so don’t be afraid to experiment, but I need to see proof before I move it out of the jank-leagues.

Draft

★ It is very hard for me to imagine a realistic draft deck that would ever want to have access to this kind of effect.

Gear Master

Ranked

★★ Before the event I would have given this 1 star, but she certainly impressed me there, which has gone so far as to earn her a second star. I know this is probably closer to a 0 since Torch is still a card, but I think she is worth giving a shot.

Draft

★★★ If you draw 2 cards off of this you are really happy, and that doesn’t seem so hard to do. Clearly a build around, but it is not exactly a cost to fill your deck with a bunch of Sentinels. Still, this is never going to be a card you are happy to open pack 1, but it certainly worth considering for some decks.

Hissing Spiketail

Ranked

★ Lifeforce dinos with 4/2s for 4? Hard pass.

Draft

★★ This probably edges just barely into the 3 star range in some decks, but the base case is bad enough that I am willing to dismiss a card like this. It attacks and blocks so it can only be so bad, leaving it at 2 stars, but it is going to be picked last its fair share.

Insistent Automaton

Ranked

★★ So you bounce your Temple Scribe to turn this into a 4T 4/5 draw a card (kinda)? Or maybe bounce your Heart of the Vault? Take something out from under a curse? none of these sound great, but the stat line of 4/5 for 4T is good enough that I a not going to count him totally out yet.

Draft

★★★★Card is great. The text is pretty close to a wash in terms of overall quality, since sometimes you will be forced to bounce a unit you would rather block with, but other times you will get to reuse a summon effect. The base of Sentinel 4/5 for 4 is all good enough to edge this into the 2 star range. Not a bomb, but certainly very solid inclusion in every time deck.

Lost in the Mist

Ranked

★ This is way to slow and clunky. I could upgrade this card in like 3 different ways and I still don’t think it is good enough.

Draft

★★ Really bad interaction, but sometimes that is what you need. There are not a lot of interactive spells in Time, and this gives you that. Still, you would rather play Teleport over this, and it is usually not too hard to get something like that if you really want it, but sometimes you do what you gotta do.

Lumen Reclaimer

Ranked

★★★★ I need to spend like a week with this card. There is a LOT going on here, and I really want to explore all of it. Until then I think this card has potential to be great, even outside of jank decks. We will need to see of course, but I am soooo curious.

Draft

★★★ I think you need to view this as a Stripped Araktodon for draft. Striped Araktodons are classic 3 star cards. The other text is neat, but I don’t think that will matter in the average game.

Sandspitter

Ranked

★★ This has a little potential to be a disruptive element of a dinos deck, pushing off Harsh Rule by a turn or something, but I really like to avoid Centaur Outriders for my constructed decks. Copying it is cute, but probably not good. Very long shot.

Draft

★★ Similar to the above card, I think you need to compare this to the vanilla version of the card. Outrider is a classic 2 star card, and although it is true this gives you an in on dinosaur synergies, that does not get him out of the 2 star range.

First Watch

Ranked/Draft

★ What on earth is happening with these Time Nightfall cards? This card seems terrible.

Fishing Dinoch

Ranked

★ It is very hard for me to believe that this card is even remotely close to good enough for ladder. 6/6 vanilla for 5 would probably not see play.

Draft

★★★ This is the sort of ally card that you really need to hit. 3/3 for 5 is obviously embarrassing, but 6/6 for 5 is solid. This could easily end up being one of the Common pay offs for being in the dino deck, since you will want these but no one else will.

Frenzied Omnivore

Ranked

★ Don’t see this making it. It does some stuff I guess, but I given that Skycrag Wyvarch has never seen serious play, I do not think this has what it takes.

Draft

★★★★ This card is great. You don’t need to be in dinos, you just need to be in time. Skycrag Wyvarch was solid in draft, and this is a very similar power level on balance. Not quite bomb status, but you should be pretty satisfied with this as your pack 1, pick 1.

Sandbinder Sentinel

Ranked

★ I might look at this if it were a 5/7 that dodged Obliterate and triggered Dawnwalker, but we do not live in that world.

Draft

★★★★ This looks pretty close to a bomb uncommon to me. Great Sentinel synergies, counters flyers that are really important in draft, efficiently stated, and could even help out on some of the “curses matter” stuff, even if there is very little overlap there. Extremely solid, but still not quite in the 5 star camp in my opinion.

Stirring Sand

Ranked

★★★ This could be totally bananas, or total garbage. Getting Novaquake Titan out of the void doesn’t work the way you want, but returning even 2 busty Sentinels seems pretty great. There is a lot of work needed to make a deck like this function, but I think there is real potential that this gets out of the jank leagues.

Draft

★★ This is probably a reluctant playable in strong Sentinel decks, but I expect it is usually right to just play the common Sentinels at 4 or 5 rather then get funky with this. I look forward to the game that I summon 3 Sentinels off this, but we should be realistic about the power level.

Worldbearer Behemoth

Ranked

★★★★★ This card has generally been identified as one of the most powerful and versatile in the set. Though it will take a while to determine which of the Diesel cycle will be the most impactful, but this seems like a solid contender. Probably solid in most Time decks, and especially the midrangy Time decks.

Draft

★★★★★ This would be pretty close to a hard 5 star with no text beyond Overwhelm. Really powerful, and really hard to beat in combat. Not quite unbeatable, but way better than any other card in the pack.

Invoke the Waystones

Ranked

★★ This is certainly meme tier, though it could easily be anywhere between bad and good meme tier. I really hope this is actually busted, but I doubt it.

Draft

★ Seems pretty unplayable. Potentially 6 cost Secret pages is just not acceptable, and even if you somehow get this going, you are going to deck yourself quickly.

Panoptic Guardian

Ranked

★ I honestly can’t imagine a situation where this is truly the best card for any application in ranked.

Draft

★★ Not unplayable, but just outside of that range. 2/6s for 6 are way below the curve, and ambush doesn’t change that. Some decks will still want access to this as a Sentinel, but it is pretty rare that you don’t have a better option.

Timeworn Sentinel

Ranked

★ The low attack means this can’t even fit into some big Sentinel ramp deck. Obviously not the “place” for a card like this though.

Draft

★★★ This really fluctuates depending on your Explorer and bond Sentinel density, but there are a lot of decks that is very happy to play a couple. If you are in the Dino deck this probably isn’t where you want to be, but it works in the right dek.

Tomb Protector

Ranked

★ That text is really not a convincing sell in ranked, and I don’t think you want a big beat stick for 6.

Draft

★★★★ This card is certainly good as a big beat stick. Obviously 6/8 no text for 6 is not crazy, since it gets countered by a lot of stuff, but you do force them to cough up an answer or die.

Serasaur Bull

Ranked

★★★ I think this card will see play in a world that midrange dinos is a deck. That is not a lock, but killing attachments is great, and I can imagine this would be incredibly frustrating to play against for some decks.

Draft

★★★★★ This is very close to the 4/5 star line, but given the importance of attachments in the format, and the density of dinos across all 3 sets, I am willing to be bullish on this card.

Talir, Unbound

Ranked

★★★★ This card is sooooo sweet, and it doesn’t seem that hard to get this card active, but 7 is sooo much. 4 star is probably generous, but the ceiling on this is high enough, that I am willing to give it a chance. Probably involves Temporal Distortion, but that is not a guarantee. Really cool card.

Draft

★★★★ 7 card is certainly not free, but I think it is pretty easy to win the game if you can get this into play. I should note that attacking over 2 turns works the same way it does with Bad News where units that block in the first combat do not get to block the second time. That makes winning in a stalled board really easy.

Dinosaur Stampede

Ranked

★★ Feels like like you usually just want a Xenan Obelisk, and I don’t think you will be able to to play that many of the team pump effects. Second star is for meme value in the mono Gruan deck, but 8 is just way too much.

Draft

★ This seems like a bad Pack Hunt, and Pack Hunt was not good.

Intriguing Ancient

Ranked

★ If you are up to bond nonsense in ranked, you need something more impactful than a 4/5 on turn 5.

Draft

★★★ Really big differential in Sentinel versus non-sentinel decks. Above average in the Sentinel deck because she comes down on turn 5 consistently, but outside of that, don’t pick this card. Bond is very sensitive to synergy, so make sure you hit that mark.

Temporal Distortion

Ranked

★★★ I have a lot more faith in this card than most, but it is going to be a while before Temporal Distortion decks get cracked. I need to think about it more, but this is a powerful effect, and I really think it will find a home some day.

Draft

★ This card is probably 8 power do nothing even in a deck that is built around this card. Pick it for the Shiftstone.

Emerging Colossus

Ranked

★★★ There has gotta be a way to break this. Kind of a combo with Bad News, but that is a little janky (not infinite damage, but gives you double attack). I guess Invoke the Waystones is a powerful combo? Very combo-tastic, but this will take some work to figure out.

Draft

★ 9 is soooo much in draft. In a world where you can bond out big cards for cheap I just don’t really want to mess with this. Even triggering the ability is hard since you need 6 drops in your void.

Scourstone Sentinel

Ranked

★★★ This surprisingly has potential. I think the Novaquake decks might actually want this as a stepping stone to bond out the big guy, or even just cheat it out with the 4-cost 7/7. Certainly not a lock to see play, but has a chance.

Draft

★★★★ This is really a build around, but in a Sentinel heavy deck this is really bonkers, and no one else can touch it. I would go pretty deep on this, since it combos with itself in a way. It really doesn’t take long for 7/8 overwhelms to win draft games.

Foraging Sauropod

Ranked

★ Feels like Sentinels are just better if you are into some kind of thing. You are not getting away with anything if you “cheat” this out on turn 6.

Draft

★★★★ Very close to the Scourstone Sentinel in power level. 10 is more than 9, but getting 3/3s is pretty appealing. There are also a lot of 5 or 6 strength dinosaurs to make this pretty dependable to get out. Hard to tell which is better right now, but they are both great.

Novaquake Titan

Ranked

★★★ This card is inherently very narrow, so it is only going to be fitting into one of two decks. If that deck is a thing, then this is clearly an essential part of the deck, so that gives it a special status. Still, this could just not be good enough, since there are a lot of moving parts.

Draft

★ Too expensive, even with bond. Even off a Scourstone Sentinel would only reduce this to 9 cost, and it is probably just better to slam with you idiot then risk having this brick in your hand all game.

That’s the Time cards! Lots of cool stuff there. Be sure to check out the Fire section of the review, the Reddit thread, and the Podcast! Next up is Justice, which will probably be hitting on Friday. See you all soon!

Love,

Neon

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