Last week, we took a look at the pack from Shadows Over Innistrad. This week, it's a double feature as we crack not one, but two packs from Eldritch Moon! The second set from the block adds more to the themes discussed last week, and I will continue to include links to Gatherer so you can see the details for each card in this review.
A brief note on abbreviations:
CMC = Converted Mana Cost, the total generic and colored mana required to cast a spell card.
R = Red
G = Green
W = White
B = Black
U = blUe
Let's get Lovecraftian!
Up first: the common-rarity cards from pack #1.
Strange Augmentation costs B to enchant a creature for +1/+1, which is not a bad deal in general, but if there are four or more card types in your graveyard (discard pile), the creature gains an additional +2/+2, or +3/+3 in total. That is a phenomenal deal for making something stronger and tougher.
Backwoods Survivalists is a 3/4 for CMC 4 (3G), which is below average, but like the card above, it has the Delirium ability that can give it +1/+1 and Trample, which spikes its value considerably.
Grapple with the Past adds a lot of value to a deck in this set, because it lets you build your graveyard for those tasty Delirium effects and pull a creature card from the graveyard to your hand. Not too bad!
Thraben Foulbloods yet again has a Delirium trigger making this card valuable in a deck that doesn't mind a well-stocked graveyard. This time, the 2B 3/2 gains +1/+1 and Menace, meaning it can only be blocked by two or more creatures.
Primal Druid is getting set aside for some EDH decks I am rebuilding right now. 1G for a 0/3 is good defense in the early game, and when it dies, you get to search your library for, and play, a free basic land of any color. This card is made of win!
Field Creeper goes straight back to the horror elements in this set with a creepy scarecrow. Artifact creatures are an oddity that doesn't fit every deck, but they have a place when you plan to take advantage of colorless cards or special artifact interactions.
Steadfast Cathar has an odd variation on the theme of balanced CMC. It costs 2 (1W) for a 2/1, but when it attacks, it becomes a 2/3. If you play aggressively, it is above average.
Spontaneous Mutation again draws on growing power with a growing graveyard. If you enchant an opponent's creature, it loses its attack strength in direct proportion to the number of cards in your graveyard, potentially de-fanging a dragon or hobbling a giant.
Only eight commons, so let's move on to the Uncommons and Rare! maybe we have another foil?
Nope. no foil. Instead, we have a bonus double-sided rare. We'll get to that momentarily.
Graf Harvest is perfect for a Zombie Tribal deck, because it makes your horde of undead minions harder to block. And it only costs one black mana to cast! And as an extra bonus, you can pay 3B to turn any creature in your graveyard into a zombie token. It's a bit expensive, but very thematic.
Scour the Laboratory needs its Delirium trigger to be a good value, but by the time you can pay its CMC 6 mana cost, it might only be CMC 4... or at least you can choose to discard enough to trigger other Delirium effects in your deck to get that ball rolling.
Hamlet Captain is thoroughly average at CMC 2 (1G) for a 2/2, except he triggers a +1/+1 bonus for all other human creatures who attack or block with him. In a deck that focuses on human creatures for your army, he is spectacular. In a non-singleton format, where up to four can be in a deck, playing two means they each boost the other once, and every other human twice.
Selfless Spirit is a great rare draw. This card is priced around $10 online right now, and for good reason. CMC 2 (1W) for a 2/1 with Flying is decent, but the ability to sacrifice it and make every other creature you control indestructible is incredibly good in games where mass destruction can ruin a plan.
Grizzled Angler is our double-sided card for the pack. It's not bad in this set. Mill 2, and then if there is a colorless creature like the above Field Creeper in your graveyard, transform him into a 4/5 that can force an opponent to attack with everything. See a picture of the reverse sides of all cards at the end of the post!
Bruna, the Fading Light is our bonus card. It's only around $3 online right now, but the mechanics look decent. One of the first EDH decks I built used Bruna, Light of Alabaster from the first Innistrad set, and she makes a reappearance here. Unfortunately, it appears Bad Things happen in the story that accompanies this set. Her sister Gisela is on another new card, and the pair can meld into a single 9/10 Eldrazi Angel with flying, vigilance, first strike, and lifelink if both are on the field. Gisela, the Broken Blade is objectively a better card on its own, and costs around $25 online right now. I don't have that, alas.
Rounding out this pack is a Plains basic land card and an Eldrazi Horror token.
On to pack #2!
Borrowed Grace is an instant with two possible effects. Choose one when you pay the basic CMC 3 (2W), or pay an extra 1W for both effects! This can greatly boost a large army of creatures, so it can be a good value, I suppose.
Otherworldly Outburst costs R to give a creature +1/+0, but if it does, you get that 3/2 Eldrazi Horror token from the last pack to replace it. Best-case scenario: your opponent blocks your attacking creature with something that has only one extra toughness to spare, and would kill your creature. You cause his defender to die and replace your deceased attacker!
Prey Upon is a reprint from previous sets, and it has a lot of value. For G, you pick a fight between one of your creatures and one of an opponent's creatures. usually, you don't get to make that kind of choice, because during the combat phase, the attacker just chooses which creatures attack, and the defender chooses whether and how they block. This card means that before combat happens, you can cause trouble on your own terms.
Borrowed Malevolence is the swampy counterpart to the first card from this pack. It only costs B to inflict +1/+1 or -1/-1, and an additional 2 for both effects.
Wolfkin Bond costs CMC 5 (4G) to enchant a creature with +2/+2, but you also get a 2/2 Wolf token. I'm not sure whether this is such a great deal, though.
Thraben Standard Bearer is an average White Weenie creature at W for a 1/1, but it can generate extra 1/1 human creature tokens, so it could synergise with Hamlet Captain, and the discards could stock the graveyard for Grizzled Angler, so the cost of the ability might not be too bad in the context of this set's mechanics.
Exultant Cultist costs CMC 3 (2U) for a mere 2/2, but you get to draw a card when it dies, so that adds considerable utility in my opinion.
Borrowed Hostility is the third and final of the escalation instants sharing this naming theme, and here it is in this pack! Pay R for either +3/+0 or first strike. Pay an extra 3 for both. Very aggressive.
Cathar's Shield is an Artifact鈥擡quipment card, and I'm not sure whether I've discussed these in depth. This one is a free drop, but you need to pay an extra 3 to equip it to a creature. It grants +0/+3 and Vigilance, making something into a very capable defender that can still attack. Equipment cards can be a fun way to boost weaker creatures into something formidable. If the creature dies, the equipment remains, and can be re-equipped to something else, too.
Uncommons and Rares time now!
Repel the Abominable is a superb tribal instant for decks with Human creatures. It can protect your attackers while still allowing them to deal damage for a mere 1W.
Abundant Maw is a card I find hard to justify using. CMC 8, or 6B if you sacrifice a creature, for a 6/4? Not great. The added effect of costing an opponent 3 live and gaining 3 life yourself doesn't fit my playstyle. What do you think?
Clear Shot is a bit like Prey Upon above, but it's +1/+1 and a free attack without taking damage in return for 2G (CMC3).
Oath of Liliana is our rare, and it is a very low-value rare at that. It needs a very specific deck to add value. Zombies and Planeswalkers isn't a big theme.
[Vildin-Pack Outcast]9https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=414448) is our double-sided card, and it is underwhelming for what I would expect from a Werewolf Horror. The transformation cost is much too high in my humble opinion.
Rounding out this pack is a Human Soldier token and a checklist card. All those double-sided cards don't really work in a deck, so you mark which card this replaces, add it to the library, and set aside the fancy double-sided card to swap in when it is played.
Here's a shot of the reverse side of those double-sided cards. Grisly Anglerfish and Dronepack Kindred are just the flip sides of Grizzled Angler and Vildin-Pack Outcast, respectively, but you can see here how Bruna and Gisela would meld to form the top and bottom halves of a larger creature card.
So, one pack was a big winner, and the other was interesting, but only of moderate value if I seek trades. Do any cards inspire you to plan a new deck? Chime in below!
