2020 was a rough year, but was the core set for Magic: The Gathering bearing that name any good? Let's open a pack and see what we get! I will add my own commentary for each card in this post, so please comment below if you like this kind of content, disagree with my assessments, have an opinion about drafting packs, etc.
To be fair, the packs are copyrighted 2019, and were released long before January 2020. Let's start with the commons. I got ten, so no foils today.
Goblin Smuggler: 2R for a 2/2 with haste and a neat ability to make another creature unblockable. As a goblin tribal fan, I love this card.
Raise the alarm: 1W for two 1/1 soldier tokens. This is a White Weenie deck staple in my opinion. More bodies is more better, and if you can give your tokens some buffs, even better! Wizards of the Coast has printed a lot of these over the years, so they must agree.
Bone to Ash: At 2UU, this is an expensive counterspell, but at least it replaces itself.
Infuriate: R to give a creature +3/+2? Great damage ramp in a red deck!
Feral Abomination: 5B for a 5/5 with Deathtouch. That detahtouch ability is handier with weak, disposable chaff, though. Meh.
Mammoth Spider: 4G for a 3/5 with reach. Potentially useful against opponents who run flyers, but not spectacular in my opinion.
Soul Salvage: 2B to retrieve creatures from the discard pile. Good for a lot of black deck synergies, perhaps.
Thicket Crasher: 3G for a 4/3 with trample and a tribal trample ability. I have an elemental tribal EDH deck, so this is intriguing to me personally.
Sorcerer of the Fang: 1B for a 1/3 with an expensive ability that could still win a game. Hmm.
Boneclad Necromancer: 3BB for a 3/3, a bonus 2/2, and some graveyard control. Situationally good mid-late game?
Glint-Horn Buccaneer: currently $2.75, so not a bad pull. 1RR for a 2/4 with Haste and an ability that synergizes with discarding cards is nice, especially if paired with some other red cards for draw/discard. I like it, and am tempted to build a deck to take advantage of it.
Evolving Wilds: many have been printed, and these are useful in multicolored decks where you need a way to ensure certain colors are available. It also helps exploit more Landfall abilities if you run such a theme. Not bad.
Ajani's Pridemate: this token shares a name with a proper creature card. I don't know whether I need this token, or what card brings it into play.
Scholar of the Ages: 5UU (7 CMC total) for a 3/3 that returns two cards from the graveyard might be a good late-game option for blue decks. I don't know. It's not a high-priced card as far as I can tell, though.
Disfigure: B to cripple something. May outright kill some threats. Cheap and effective, but nothing special.
Tomebound Lich: 1UB for a 1/3 with Lifelink and Deathtouch plus a draw/discard trigger. Hmm. I like it. Very thematic.
What are your thoughts regarding these cards? Comment below! Happy deckbuilding, fellow Planeswalkers..
