Dowsing into Limited: Shards of Alara - Green

Hello! I have been entrusted in giving some of my limited opinions. Through daily drafting I have rated some cards in the new set. Shards of Alara is certainly very exciting set to draft but can also be potentially misleading and hard when it comes to the colors because it has embraced a multicolored theme.

The shards can be misleading as it gives you a picture of how strong a shard can be with available cards. But don’t be fooled, going into 3 colors or more can be a hassle if you don’t get enough mana fixers, hence a great deal of importance is emphasized into picking obelisks, panorama lands and the tap lands. Another important tip is never push yourself into a shard, drafting allows you options so pick cards that could help your deck and not just because it fits into a certain shard. Lastly, do have fun in making your picks, its the best way to enjoy a new set.

I will start this week’s rating of the cards with Green, and I will follow this criteria in rating the cards:

*****- A bomb! A build around card or game changing cards. 1^st to 2^nd pick

****- Very usable. Can help you win games. 2^nd to 3^rd pick

***-Good. Can sometimes fill in for holes or going into SB. 4^th to 7^th pick

**-Mediocre. Situationally usable. Might only find space in your SB. 7^th to 9^th

*-Crap. Hard to fit into decks with very limited or no applications. Basic lands in the boosters should go here. 9^th to last pick

Algae Gharial-**** A very good limited card. Even better if you can go with tokens and the devour theme. Shroud is certainly hard to deal with.

Behemoth’s Herald-* Not much needed. But can fill your one drop spot for a bluff. Can waste your opponents removal if they are led to believe that you have a Godsire in your deck. Look out for the other heralds instead.

Cavern Thoctar-*** big, pumpable and can give you a good body in late game.

Court Archers-*** 3 mana for a 1/3 is not that exciting but having reach and exalted makes it better. Its a mid-pack pick if you’re going for exalted guys.

Cylian Elf-** You get your investments’ worth. A suitable 2 drop filler.

Druid of the Anima-*** Mana fixing is essential in this set of multicolored cards.

Drumhunter-*** This one will be a good draw machine if it’s in the right deck. He can ramp your big guys and draw you some cards if you get a 5 powered body in play.

Elvish Visionary-*** Card advantage is good!

Feral Hydra-***** He is surely a bomb! Can get insanely big in limited games!

Gift of the Gargantuan-**** Don’t hesitate to pick this late as this can be very useful, and generates good card advantage.

Godtoucher-* If it has 5 power its possible that it has good toughness. It has very limited applications.

Jungle Weaver-**** A very good card to pick. It has reach and cycling making it more flexible, and having 6 toughness means he can stop big guys, even a Shaarum the Hegemon.

Keeper of Progenitus-** Not very good but can help if you’re going the fattie route.

Lush Growth-*** Fixing early can make your chances to cast those 3 color spells better.

Manaplasm-** A good card but could be very susceptible to removal. Can get big in a pinch but will certainly attract attention. You can also gamble on this card if you have already picked a good amount of removal.

Mighty Emergence-* Poor applications and is over kill in some situations. More cards are deserving to be given in its slot.

Mosstodon-**** Granting trample to your other creatures is a great advantage. It can get into the red zone and inflict substantial damage.

Mycoloth-***** Another bomb. With some token generators like Dragon Fodder and Necrogenesis, this one could go huge, even setting up your other devour creatures.

Naturalize-**** Destroying an executioners capsule or even just an obelisk is great, not to mention there’s a whole shard of artifact creatures. It is a great sideboard inclusion.

Naya Battlemage-*** Tapping down a creature can be considered a semi evasion while the pump ability can also give you a better clock on the opponent’s life.

Ooze garden-*** This can go crazy in activating your other “goes into graveyard from play” creatures like hissing iguanar, Algae Gharial, Rockslide Elemental and Death Greeter.

Resounding Roar-**** This can possibly be a game winner as the cycling cost is not impossible in limited!

Rhox Charger-**** Very strong in limited. The 3/3 body is already good but exalted always makes creatures better.

Sacellum Godspeaker-** Not that good as it only adds G. but can also be a good ramp into your fatties.

Savage Hunger-** Makes your fatties trample and can be a filter because of cycling.

Skullmulcher-*** An average devour creature. but can shine in tandem with tokens and the right deck.

Soul’s Might-* Poor, very expensive and looks to only be better when used on fatties, which at that point may look overkill.

Spearbreaker Behemoth-***** He is surely a bomb, hard to deal with as there is little you can do with indestructible, and being able to share it is another bonus.

Topan Ascetic-*** A good filler if you have many small creatures (tokens).

Wild Nactl-**** A good one drop and can virtually give you a good lead with the right lands.