+2/+2s for 1 mana have been a staple of aggressive decks for years now, and I expect this one to perform that role well. This trick is so aggressively slanted that it would be rare to cast it on defense if you ever had the option, and while I'm not willing to call that training wheels it's certainly close. The Trample text will be oppressive in stalled out boards, but most of the time might mean you sneak in a point or two when you otherwise wouldn't have.
Rating: 2/5
Bluffing will gives this a lot of its overall power, as the vast majority of the enablers for this are cheap and draw cards. While I don't recommend playing like that at your local prerelease, treat this creature like it's unblockable the vast majority of the time and you'll get a lot more mileage out of this. Mental games aside I like this one an awful lot, as triggering it is easy enough to make it feel like a 2 mana 3/2 with first strike.
Rating: 3/5
I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll give this one an awful grade. There are barely any walls in this set; even cards that act like walls aren't walls, and I want my Falter style cards to be cheaper than this or hit everything if they're not replacing themselves. The most aggressive Red decks will certainly want this, but no one else whatsoever will and that just doesn't make me happy to spend a real pick on this one.
Rating: .5/5
Bonecrusher Giant
Just like its nemesis Giant Killer, this is an incredible Adventure spell that works great no matter how you decide to cast it. If you've got nothing else to do and plan to cast Bonecrusher Giant on turn 3, remember to Stomp your opponent on their end step rather than waste it on nothing. I'm very interested in casting this on curve whenever I can, as it outsizes creatures at its cost and pressures the opponent incredibly hard. As an effective 5 mana spell this card is totally busted, you get to kill a creature while leaving a big creature behind.
Rating: 4.5/5
Brimstone Trebuchet
With a deck full of Knights to activate this repeatedly, this gives some incredible reach over the course of a long game. 3 mana is steep here, and as an artifact with 3 toughness it'll be easily dispatched by most opponents. I'm very interested in this in R/B where there are plentiful ways to deal opponents incidental damage, although with Food running around it might be a bit tougher to burn people out than you'd guess.
Rating: 2.5/5
Burning-Yard Trainer
Charging Monstrosaur this certainly isn't, but if you've got a Knight milling about this adds an incredible amount of power to the board the turn it comes down. I'm a bit concerned with how well a 3/3 is going to attack once you've tapped all of your mana on turn 5, but the pay-off is so huge against an unprepared opponent that I'm willing for this to be a bigger Yeva's Forcemage a lot of the time just for those moments where Burning-Yard Trainer looks totally unbeatable.
Rating: 3.5/5
Claim the Firstborn
Alongside cards like Blow Your House Down or Burning-Yard Trainer above, Claim the Firstborn has the potential to create some insane swings if you're able to put in the set-up work. I like this well enough in R/B as there are quite a few ways to sacrifice creatures, so you can turn this into a 1 mana removal spell with upside. Without making any ambitious claims, I expect this to perform well in the most aggressive Red decks, and not to be wanted by most others.
Rating: 1.5/5
For a hard to walk in shoe, this gives Haste and a point of power. Magical high heels ignore reality I suppose. As a card this is relatively low impact, as giving haste to all of your creatures for an effective tax of 1 is really nice, but as we're in Limited world I want this to do just a bit more for my card. This plays too much like Bonesaw for my tastes, and I'm just not ready to accept this into most of my Limited decks.
Rating: 1.5/5
Generating a huge blow-out is the name of the game with this one, as no one's ever playing around this mythic combat trick sight unseen. Once you're attacking with two creatures the price on this is great, and it will either swing combat substantially or deal a billion damage to the opponent. The fact that it continues to stick around permanently is unreasonable, as equipping a docile 0/1 Goat with this for example makes it threatening. While behind Embercleave isn't great, as although it can allow for some insane come from behind wins just like its progenitor Temur Battle Rage, 6 mana is just so much for what's essentially a combat trick. As long as there's lots of creatures in your deck Embercleave will live up to its Legendary mythic status.
Rating: 4/5
Embereth Paladin
Each Adamant card is a bit of a split card, and having both halves be worthwhile is an important part of determining their playability. I'd be happy to have a 5/2 Haste for 4, but at 1RRR that's quite the massive commitment for a creature that so often will trade off with a 2/2. A 4/1 Haste for 3R isn't exciting either, and I don't generally plan on putting cards in my deck with the expectation that my opponent will never have an untapped creature. If I'm mono Red I expect the price on this facilitates combining it with a combat trick or temporary theft card, but at any other time this is just too fragile for the asking price.
Rating: 1.5/5
A much more powerful citizen of Embereth, Mr. Shieldbreaker is exactly what I'm looking for on my Red 2 drop. There are so many artifacts running around that I'm looking to maindeck a Shatter relatively often, but having a 2/1 for 2 attached really seals the deal. Getting the whole package is real nice, as a Manic Vandal that can be played in installments or that doesn't have to kill your own Artifact gives your opponents the business in Throne of Eldraine. You'll have to put this one back in the sideboard once in a while as it's not good enough vs. decks with no targets, but I expect Embereth Shieldbreaker to perform as one of the best uncommons in the set.
Rating: 4/5
Ferocity of the Wilds
Street Riot will always have a soft spot in my heart as it qualified me for my first (and only) Pro Tour, so I'm going to have a tendency to overrate cards like this. As this is a whole 2 mana cheaper with what amounts to a small easy to mitigate restriction, Ferocity of the Wilds looks like a fantastic card for any aggressive Red deck. I'm not happy with this effect unless I have a high creature count, but pumping power globally and granting Trample is definitely worth 3 mana.
Rating: 2.5/5
World Champion Javier Dominguez's Fervent Champion is quite the aggressive 1 drop, and you'll be rewarded massively for equipping this with anything as free is for me. Embercleave is certainly the dream but Limited doesn't often revolve around combining specific mythics and rares together, so we'll have to settle for something like Giant's Skewer from Black instead. In the absence of equipment there's not enough going on here, as despite the Knight pumping text this doesn't have the stats to attack into much of anything past the 2nd turn of the game.
Rating: 2/5
Fires of Invention
Ignoring colored mana costs is the effect I dream about, and Fires does that while allowing you to potentially cheat on mana massively. While reliability is a huge issue here as this is an awful late game draw, the power is here as this can come down "for free" on turn 4 if you've got another 4 mana spell, and threatens to end the game the following turn if you can manage to jam a few expensive cards at once. The build around cost here is pretty high as you'll want to play a Red deck with a relatively high curve that also has a bunch of tough to cast powerful cards, and as people will have Disenchants in their main decks this time around that might be too much to make this one good enough.
Rating: 3/5
The classic Limited combo card, Fling returns after a few sets off. Righteousness is the premier combo this time around, as it's very easy to deal 10 damage to the opponent for just 3 mana, or to kill the opponents best two attackers in a game where that play isn't meaningful. Against removal heavy decks this will also shine, as you'll be able to kill largely whatever you want for 2 mana, although whenever you're sacrificing a real creature to kill something this card won't be worth the cost. Fling won't get high marks as it's so bad in multiples, but the first Fling is good in most Red decks, and as such look to always pick up a copy.
Rating: 2/5
Dismissing cards like this is pretty easy, as I really want to try to cast a bunch of spells after this with 7 mana and that's explicitly not allowed. The combo with Sundering Stroke is incredible, but a combo based on two rares isn't one I'm looking to change my evaluations for.
Rating: .5/5
With a resilient body and an powerful triggered ability, Irencrag Pyromancer is a huge reward for drawing your second card of a turn as getting the first Lightning Bolt is amazing and subsequent ones are unfair. If your opponent lacks creatures in play you can just point the triggers upstairs, and it doesn't take many increments of 3 damage to kill someone.
Rating: 4/5
Despite the Knight text I expect this to be a solid removal spell in any Red deck. Most of the Mardu shard creatures are Knights and Green creatures are huge in general, leaving this to only slack off in Blue decks. Just like Prey Upon there's some inherent risk associated with this, and as there's so much Instant speed removal this time around you'll have to play this one conservatively. Commonly you'll want to use this on whatever you can safely, to get a big attack in with the +2/+1 bonus.
Rating: 2.5/5
Mad Ratter
This is largely a U/R card, as Draw Two isn't the easiest to enable without Blue cards. As an U/R card this an incredibly frightening one, as this threatens to overrun the battlefield with Rats in just a few turns. A 1/2 is incredibly fragile, but if you can hold off until turn 5 to combine this with Haggle or Opt you can guarantee a nice return for you 4 mana invested. Mad Ratter works incredibly well with Ferocity of the Wilds, but won't need a whole lot of help to take over the game.
Rating: 3.5/5
Merchant of the Vale
Haggle is one of hell of an Adventure to go on, as it's a great enabler for the Draw Two mechanic and also helps smooth out your draws nicely in a pinch. While Merchant of the Vale's ability is expensive, the ability to activate it repeatedly while still kicking your opponent in the head at the same time is really powerful, and as such I'm very surprised this is a common. Combined with a certain Food generating cow I have faith this Merchant will generate less than fair interactions with its looting.
Rating: 3/5
Non-Human Knights get to benefit from every tribe bonus in the set, so I expect Ogre Errant to find its way into a lot of Red aggressive decks just off the type line. 3/4s for 4 are fine but won't raise any eyebrows. Granting menace is a worthy bonus and 3/4s don't get blocked super easily so you might get a few shots at the trigger here. Red decks are never hurting for piles of mediocre 4 mana cards, although Ogre Errant will look the part often enough.
Rating: 2/5
Opportunistic Dragon
Deactivating an Artifact or Creature just like a Banisher Priest is amazing upside, especially on our incredibly efficient Flying fiery friend. A 4/3 flier for 4 is insane stats already, and I expect this to find something it can kill on the vast majority of boards. As one of the best rares in the set
there's not a whole lot to complain about here, Opportunistic Dragon is going to easily take over most games it can survive in. As you gain control of the permanent, this works great with any sacrifice effect as well.
Rating 4.5/5
On its face this card is just inefficient with no obvious upside, and it's going to play an awful lot like Grey Ogre. Combat tricks are super powerful combined with this one, as are equipment, but without a bunch of those I'm not looking to put Raging Redcap in my deck unless I'm desperate.
Rating: 1.5/5
Redcap Melee
Rating: 2.5/5
As long as blocking doesn't matter to you much and you can keep playing creatures, this is effectively a 4/3 Trample for 3, sick stats for this Goblin Warrior. Alongside ways of making tokens, maybe Rats for instance this is powerful as well, so for a 3 mana 3/2 there's enough going on here that I'm happy to jam a bunch of these in my Red decks. This does get major diminishing returns in multiples as you'll run out of creatures to tap, but your opponent is heavily incentivized to trade off or die in a few turns.
Rating: 3/5
Rimrock Knight
Training Wheels seem very prevalent in this set, as you should rarely be trying to block with your 3/1s. The combat trick bonus here is nice as it can facilitate some trade-ups as well as acting as bad Lava Spike, but with how poorly this body scales into the game it's just a nice last place prize when you draw this on turn 6. Keep this out of controlling decks entirely because it can't block; Rimrock Knight is most at home in decks that mindlessly turn their creatures to the right every turn.
Rating: 2.5/5
Emptying your hand quickly will make Robber of the Rich have real teeth, although as a 2/2 I expect this to just trade off with some other 2/2 inevitably without generating a whole lot of value. Having Reach is real adorable as red lacks fliers in general, but relying on seeing a mythic so that you can block fliers is unrealistic. Red also contains 0 other Rogues , so once this bites the dust you're never casting your opponent's cards.
Rating: 3/5
While Red doesn't often have a huge abundance of Flying or Reach creatures, in Throne of Eldraine there's 0 outside of rare and mythic. Expect Scorching Dragonfire to help protect you against annoying airborne creatures, and the vast majority of creatures in the set to boot. The biggest problem with Scorching Dragonfire is that it's going to get poached by everyone at the table for splashes, meaning that even if Red is open you won't see too many of these.
Rating: 3.5/5
Searing Barrage
Cards like Searing Barrage have a real tendency to be overrated, as 5 mana for 5 damage is slow enough that it's never going to generate a mana advantage, and that's most of the point of removal spells in Limited. Adamant is really powerful here, as with the prevalence of Food tokens opponents will often have a lot more than 20 life points to grind through. Mono Red decks wouldn't normally want something this expensive, but being akin to Searing Blaze really sells it there. For an Adamant card I like this one, just don't get tricked into playing a bunch of these, it's far too inefficient.
Rating: 2.5/5
Don't be bashful about speculating on these early, as it doesn't take a doc to figure out how powerful these are in multiples. You'll feel grumpy when you only draw one as it's pretty sleepy by itself, but I'd be happy to try to draft the full seven. Seven Dwarves is nothing to give a sneezy at, and you'll make your opponent look quite dopey when you're beating them over the head with 4/4s for 2.
Rating: 3/5
Skullknocker Ogre
Opponents will often gasp at the prospect of being hit by this, as discarding cards at random is one of the worst feelings in Magic. I expect this trigger to be relatively neutral in general, and to hurt as often as it helps. As I place no value whatsoever in the trigger, this is a 4/3 for 4 that's not a Knight but at least fits the non-Human bill. It's fine curve filler and nothing more, and I expect very few skulls to be knocked by this Ogre.
Rating: 2/5
Slaying Fire
This is much less appealing than Scorching Dragonfire unless you're specifically mono Red, as the ability to go up top here isn't better than 1 mana off and the exile clause. In mono Red specifically this card is incredible, as it either kills virtually anything or destroys target opponent. I expect lots of these to be poached for splashing, but this is quite the pull into a Red heavy strategy.
Rating: 3/5
Sundering Stroke
As mentioned previously this has a nice combo with Irencrag Feat, but aside from that this is incredibly expensive. With the card selection available with Haggle and Thrill of Possibility I still like playing this in any Red deck, but Sundering Stroke gets most of its power in controlling decks or decks that can ramp. Don't expect to ever get the virtual kicker cost on this unless you're actually mono Red, but killing two creatures or dealing the last 7 points of damage will generate a massive swing.
Syr Carah, the Bold
I'm not as keen on this as I was on the other Knights in this cycle, as this is both slower and more fragile than the other uncommon Knight Legends. Picking off X/1 creatures is pretty nice, as is the ability to draw an extra card every turn, but I'd really like an extra point of power or toughness here to make it more resilient. I'm expecting to jam Syr Carah into the vast majority of my Red decks, but I'm expecting it to come into play and die before it ever activates.
Rating: 3.5/5
Thrill of Possibility
Tormenting Voice has always been an acceptable card, as it can help you hit lands to play early or find spells to play later on. Thrill of Possibility looks to be much better, as it's the cheapest way to turn on Draw Two in the set and it can be cast at Instant speed as well. Getting this countered is terrible as always, so try to use the Instant speed to mitigate that risk a bit against Blue opponents. Sure, it's not free to put a bunch of these in your deck as they slow you down, but a few will go a long way in terms of increasing your consistency.
Rating: 3/5
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
Of all of the mono colored pay-offs in the set, this is the best by miles. It effectively gives all Red creatures you control +2/+0, makes all of your removal spells substantially better, and is effectively a 4/4 for 4 as well. As this costs 4 mana there's just a bit less pressure on this to be mono Red than other cards in this cycle, meaning that if you decide to splash for a Reave Soul or something you won't get punished too hard. Torbran is one of the best Red cards to open and looks to be one of the best reasons to draft a mono color deck in the entirety of Throne of Eldraine.
Rating: 4.5/5
Weaselback Redcap
Attacking like a 3/1 on turn two isn't so bad, and this is the coveted non-Human Knight typing as well. While I'm not keen on cards like this as they so often trade inefficiently on mana, with multiple ways to grant Trample in Red I can see this acting like a Fireball with suspend. Weaselback Redcap is also incredible with Crystal Slipper, as whenever your opponent doesn't have blockers left back you can kill them out of no where. While I don't want a pile of these in my Red decks, the first copy or two should be major role players in aggressive Red decks.
Rating: 2.5/5
Takeaways
Red reminds me a lot of Black, with generically high card quality and plenty of efficient removal spells. Red's theme here is no different than usual, and while there are certainly some non-aggressive cards the vast majority of Red's tools here are for aggressive decks. The card selection that Red gets this time around is incredibly unusual, as Haggle attached to Merchant of the Vale and Thrill of Possibility will lead to much smoother draws than you'd ever usually have. Red looks very strong, although a touch weaker in general than Black.
Best Common
Scorching Dragonfire
Killing and exiling just about every creature in the set outside of the absolute biggest ones is awesome, and this can even help bring down something huge in desperate times.
Best Uncommon
Embereth Shieldbreaker
Shatter effects are incredibly well positioned in this format as Artifacts are incredibly plentiful compared to normal. While I wouldn't be happy to main deck actual Shatter, I'm incredibly happy to play with one that doubles at a 2/1 for 2, or can be played as Manic Vandal for 1RR.
Best Rare/Mythic
Opportunistic Dragon
As said above, Artifacts are incredibly plentiful this time around so this has tons of upside as an effective Shatter, but effectively killing Humans is great as well as there are plenty of those as well. All of these qualities make for a strong card, except for some reason it's attached to a 4/3 Flying that only costs 4.
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