by Sarah Nies
Greeks wrote of a terrible monster, fantastical beasts, and legendary heroes. One of the greatest epics ever told was the tale of Hercules and his 12 labors. Hercules slew the Nemean lion, Stymphalian birds, and the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra. He captured famous beasts such as the Ceryneian Hind, Erymanthian Boar, Cretan Bull, and Cerberus. He had to clean the Augean stables in a single day. He had to gather or steal the Mares of Diomedes, Hippolyta’s girdle, the cattle from Geryon, and Hesperides’ golden apples. After all of his triumphs, Hercules was released from his servitude to the Gods. The tale of Theros Beyond Death isn’t a Herculean story, but Mulligan’s Gaming Pub bets that there are at least 12 cards worthy of being one of his labors.
Read on as we…
- Highlight 12 cards that have jumped out to us from Theros Beyond Death
- Show you a quick video from Wizards of the Coast on mechanics
- Offer you the chance to begin your journey
Our Prophecy
With Theros Beyond Death brimming with an abundance of mythologically inspired great new cards it’s hard to pick just 12 out of the 254 in the set. Mulligan’s Gaming Pub has communed with the divine and we have a prophecy. These are 12 cards that we believe will decide the fate of multiple MTG formats.
- Dryad of Ilysian Grove: What doesn’t this three- drop do? It’s an enchantment creature that allows you to play an extra land and provides all of your mana fixing. We shouldn’t need to explain why that’s good and why it will see play in a variety of ways.
- Gray Merchant of Asphodel: “Gary” is an old friend that, when placed in the right deck, simply wins games. This card’s presence alone will force some variation of Mono-Black Devotion in Standard.
- Nessian Boar: While this 10/6 pig might not be the best card coming in during Theros Beyond Death, we believe any 10/6 flag-bearing hog that draws cards sounds like a solid plan. Whether you swing in for victory, use it to draw cards, or just as an annoyance to your opponent, one way or another, we like you, pig.
- Uro, the Titan of Natures Wrath: In any format, on turn three (turn two if ramped), if you can play a 6/6 creature that gains you life, draws you cards, and helps you ramp? Then you’ve got a solid card.
- Bronzehide Lion: Who’s a good kitty? While not as broken as some of the cards on this list, Bronzehide Lion seems good—especially in a Bant Auras build. He’s a two-drop that could be indestructible. After he’s served his initial purpose he becomes a two-drop enchantment that offers up potential indestructibility to a friend.
- Kunoros, Hounds of Athreos: This three-headed pooch could be the best boi in Theros Beyond Death. With lifelink, menace, and vigilance featured on this three-drop, we want you to focus on the fine print. He puts a wet, drool-covered blanket on the entire escape concept. Shutting down a graveyard down could change what becomes of the new Standard.
- Elspeth, Sun’s Nemesis: On turn four, this Elspeth has three abilities that you can choose that can help you win, repopulate, or survive against whatever may come. She’s a pretty solid planeswalker who has the ability to return with escape after she was proven useful the first time. Scroll down to check out the video on the mechanics of escape from wizards at the end of this article.
- Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger: Kroxa looks like, with the right placement, he’ll move mountains. (See what we did there with the land discard joke?) Anyway, he’s a sacrificial monster that makes your opponent dump their hand and escapes. He seems valid given the right surroundings.
- Thassa, Deep-Dwelling: We like to consider any blink machine that can trigger abilities for fun a good card, especially in blue. She might need a devotion of five, but she provides blinking and tapping abilities that may durdle you to victory. Thassa is a God after all.
- Underworld Breach: With all the removal and four-drop board wipes, this enchantment promises to keep you alive. Making everything escape in order to swing a final destructive blow? That seems like a fantastic card. One way or another, this looks interesting. Perhaps in Boros, mono red, or, really, any color combination featuring red.
- Nyxbloom Ancient: There is no doubt in our minds that this tree elemental is a fantastic ramp monster who will find a home in Standard and EDH. He makes one land equal three!
- Ashiok’s Erasure: What if you used Ashiok’s Erasure to exile another Ashiok’s Erasure? Would that mean you erased an eraser? Alright sorry, but seriously with all the great removal in this set, it’s hard to pick one. This card has the ability of Banishing Light, but as an instant and it allows you to target any spell. Not to mention it will add to Thassa’s devotion to blue.
New Mechanics
Don’t miss this quick video on how the new mechanics of escape work, from Wizards of the Coast.
Begin Your Journey
There are 254 cards in Theros Beyond Death, and we honestly could’ve written about 100 of them. If one card wasn’t mentioned on our 12 most interesting finds, put it in your deck and come prove your mettle at one of our in-store tournaments. Click here to check out our full schedule of events. Remember, there’s no better place in Kingsport, Johnson City or Bristol, TN, to carry out all of your Magic-related activities than Mulligan’s Gaming Pub. For any questions about upcoming dates or stock contact us at mulligansgamingpub@gmail.com or by phone at (423) 406-1580. Visit our store located at 5334 Fort Henry Drive in Kingsport, TN.
