To celebrate the holiday season, Wizards of the Coast has steadily released Magic: The Gathering Theros Beyond Death spoilers. With a limit of one per day, it has kept us all in suspense about what powerful cards could be in the set. New gods or possibly old favorites could be lurking within. However, we have some of the cards spoiled already, so let’s take a look at them!
Klothys, God of Destiny
Klothys is the brand new red/green god. He’s taking Xenagos‘ spot on the pantheon, since the last time we were on Theros Elspeth killed Xenagos with a giant spear to the chest. Like all gods of Theros, Klothys only becomes active when his devotion requirement is met and is indestructible. His static ability is interesting, providing a combination of graveyard hate, ramp, and some extra damage if the game goes long. He could be a powerful card in a red/green stompy creature deck in Standard. Damage or ramp every turn along with a hard-to-deal-with threat is very strong, so expect to see him in Standard and possibly Pioneer.
Gray Merchant of Asphodel
Gray’s back, baby! The (in)famous black zombie that drains for devotion is getting a reprint in Theros Beyond Death. This time, however, Gray Merchant of Asphodel is going to be an uncommon. This card has seen play across multiple formats, including Standard, Pioneer, Modern, and Commander. As long as there are enough cards that lend black devotion, expect Gray Merchant of Asphodel to make it in Standard once more.
The Binding of the Titans
Our first (officially spoiled) saga, The Binding of the Titans does a lot with the graveyard. The first chapter mills cards, the second exiles them from the grave, and the third gets you one back to your hand. If you’re playing a graveyard deck, this could be an excellent value. If not, it seems a bit slow and mediocre. It could possibly find a home in the cat oven decks, but beyond that expect this card not to see much play.
Allure of the Unknown
Allure of the Unknown is weird, to say the least. It lets you draw five but gives your opponent the best card in your top six for free. In Standard, this could be an excellent way to refuel your hand in a Rakdos aggro deck. The card advantage you gain will far outweigh the one card you give them in this case. However, where this card could really shine is in Commander. You can work with an opponent to dig for an answer or make a friend by giving them a powerful spell. There are lots of political potentials, so if you have a red/black EDH deck, I would highly recommend at least trying it out.
Gallia of the Endless Dance
Gallia of the Endless Dance looks to be an excellent aggressive creature in Theros Beyond Death. It has haste, only costs 2 mana, and has an upside when you attack with multiple creatures. This strange rummaging effect synergizes well with Klothys. It fills your grave with cards for his effect, all while adding 2 devotion as well. The odd part of this card is that it is also a Satyr tribal card. Could Satyrs be a legitimate tribe in Standard? We’ll have to wait to find out, but Gallia of the Endless Dance seems like an excellent start. At the very least, expect to see this card tried in a Gruul aggro deck.
Tymaret Calls the Dead
Tymaret Calls the Dead is a black saga that seems to support zombie tribal. The first two chapters have you mill three, then let you exile a card from the grave to make a 2/2 zombie. The last chapter lets you gain 1 life and scry 1 for each zombie you have. With Gray Merchant of Asphodel being reprinted alongside this saga, zombie tribal could possibly be a thing in Standard. There are some good zombies cards from War of the Spark and the Ravnica block sets, such as Liliana, Dreadhorde General. At the very least, it’s an excellent token producer that also fills your graveyard. It reminds me a bit of History of Benalia, which also made 2 tokens, cost 3 mana, then had a payoff for having those tokens. Expect this card to see Standard play and possibly see some action in older formats.
Theros Beyond Death spoilers will continue
What do you think of Magic: The Gathering Theros Beyond Death so far? Are there any cards here you’re excited to build around, or are you waiting for more spoilers first? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check back here for more Theros Beyond Death spoilers!
Published: Dec 30, 2019 08:48 am