The Mythic Championship is upon us, and we’ll be getting our first real look at competitive Standard since Throne of Eldraine was released. With Eldraine came many powerful new cards and synergies, from Planeswalkers to Food tokens. Let’s count down the Throne of Eldraine cards that will make the biggest splash at Mythic Championship V.
10. Fabled Passage
A strict upgrade over Evolving Wilds, Fabled Passage was exactly the answer that Standard was looking for with the rotation of the “check” lands. It enables early mana fixing when needed in slower two- or three-color strategies, which typically play few one-mana spells. In the mid-to-late-game, Fabled Passage essentially becomes a free fetchland for your basic lands.
9. Fae of Wishes
Cards that grant access to the sideboard during a game open up a wide variety of possibilities. While these cards come with a very specific set of limitations – restricting the amount of actual sideboard slots available to devote those slots to the “wish board” – they allow you to find the right answer in just about any situation. The fact that Fae of Wishes also comes with a 1/4 body that you can return to your hand is just icing on the sideboard… err, cake.
8. Gilded Goose
With Llanowar Elves finally bidding Standard adieu, a bold new hero (or rather… a goose) is rising up to take its place. When Gilded Goose was spoiled, it didn’t look half as impressive as the Elf it was intended to replace, but in practice, this Goose has been worth its weight in gold. Not only does it pair well with other food generators, but its ability to make food itself can help you outpace more aggressive strategies. Being able to fill both of these two unique roles means that, at Mythic Championship V, the Goose will definitely be on the loose.
7. Beanstalk Giant
Ramp strategies often suffer from either drawing too many enablers and no finishers, or too many finishers and not enough mana sources. Beanstalk Giant is uniquely positioned to alleviate that problem by providing both ramp and a huge reward for getting to seven mana. In three-, four-, or five-color decks, this friendly giant also provides the basics you need to keep casting the spells in your hand while you work toward seven mana (and beyond). Plus, this Giant pairs well with our next card…
6. Realm-Cloaked Giant
A five-mana board wipe that gives you a vigilant 7/7 two turns later? It sounds too good to be true. And even better, Cast Off doesn’t hit giants, so cards like Beanstalk Giant (and, heck, even any Realm-Cloaked Giants that are already on the battlefield) can turn this card from a board wipe into a Plague Wind.
5. Questing Beast
The frontrunner for most pushed card in the set, Questing Beast seems to have it all. Vigilance, deathtouch, and haste?! Everyone expected this four-mana 4/4 to have a downside, but it only gets better as you keep reading its abilities. Can’t be blocked by creatures with power two or less (nice try, Zombie tokens!), damage can’t be prevented, and it deals damage to Planeswalkers when it hits players? It’s everything a midrange player could ever want wrapped up in a three-headed ribbon. If you’re playing green creature-based strategies, you’ll want this card somewhere in your 75. But don’t forget, this quest, and creature, is a legendary one!
4. Kenrith, the Returned King
While you won’t find him in Throne of Eldraine Draft Boosters, this set’s buy-a-box promo is primed to be another Nexus of Fate: a popular card for Standard (and Commander!) that can be difficult to find. With all of his abilities, Kenrith looks like he would be best suited for a five-color deck. However, access to just a few of those abilities can help swing grindy games (such as Bant Golos mirrors) in a player’s favor.
3. Fires of Invention
On its face, Fires of Invention doesn’t look particularly powerful. It restricts the amount of mana you can spend to the number of lands you have in play, and to add insult to injury, it only lets you cast two spells a turn, and only on your turn. However, we’ve already seen this card open up plenty of possibilities in Standard, especially when you combine it with Fae of Wishes. If you can cast both Golos, Tireless Pilgrim and Kenrith, the Returned King on turn five, you’ll be far ahead of your opponents who can only cast one card per turn.
2. Once Upon a Time
Hailed as Standard’s Ancient Stirrings, Once Upon a Time is quickly becoming a necessity in any creature-heavy strategy. The key here is to wait to cast this card until just before you cast your first spell of the game – that way, you can use your opponents’ early plays (and your first few draws) to make an informed decision. The fact that you can choose between creatures AND lands means that Once Upon a Time can help enable greedier deckbuilding, and give you more consistent early turns (though swinging too far toward one of these options might hinder the other).
1. Oko, Thief of Crowns
This thief has easily stolen the top spot on our list, and with it, a hold on the Standard metagame. Like fellow three-mana Planeswalker Teferi, Time Raveler, Oko’s impact on Standard has been fast and far-reaching. Being able to tick up to six loyalty the turn he comes down means that he frequently poses a problem for aggro decks. And between his +2 and +1 abilities, Oko can create 3/3 elks every other turn, which can provide inevitability and pressure decks playing board wipes. Oko also protects himself by turning opposing threats into easily manageable 3/3s, and he allows you to trade your measly food token for Hydroid Krasis.
It’s important to recognize that a lot of these cards are green, or white or blue. In fact, Fires of Invention was the only red card to make our list. Not surprisingly, green decks (and Golos decks, in particular) will make up the majority of the metagame at Mythic Championship V, and the other decks will have to find ways to get underneath them. With so many creature-centric strategies, we anticipate that the deck that goes over the top of the others the best will come out… well, on top.
A Spike at heart, Chantelle spends her free time prepping for tournaments, working toward the ever-elusive Mythic Championship, and championing other competitive ladies. She’s a combo aficionado and seasoned aggro deck player, and Standard and Modern are her preferred formats. Growing and improving as a player, both technically and in her mental game, are of the utmost importance to her.