Valentin, a highlander staple from Turku, starts off a multi-part article series of midrange staple cards in European Highlander. In this fourth part, he will go through blue.
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Colorless
Part 3: White
Part 4: Blue
The color that is most loved to be hated. The reason to play blue are counters and filtering, while the biggest weakness is when an opponent manages to resolve something. Terminology-wise, I would say that blue tempo decks have a lot in common with midrange, so I will group them here together. For ease of navigation I will arbitrarily split the color into 4 categories: Draw, Counters, Threats, Utility.
Draw
Cantrips and card advantage cards alongside filtering. Generally speaking I would always make room for the top ones, while the weaker ones are for decks that are either 1-2 colors or care about instants/sorceries.
Small tangent regarding cantrips – I have seen and tried decks that play all the decent cantrips (from Brainstorm down to Serum Visions) and have noticed that oftentimes it is more consistent to play a bit less (cutting stuff weaker than Consider) and instead fill those slots with strong threats or universal answers. The reason for this is that the format is relatively fast and players do not have that much time to spend on cards that do not affect the board. There is also the fact that the more cards you cycle through, the higher the odds of hitting multiple lands in a row, which means rather than improving your hand, cantrips make you flood. Though, I admit, this is more of a subjective viewpoint based on my experiences, so I would be interested in hearing what other people say on this topic.
Brainstorm (A+)
Draw 3 + fetch. As broken as it is in legacy, so never leave your home without it.
Ponder (A+)
Dig down and hope that the second land is somewhere in the top 3 cards. Not sure what can be said about the game’s best cantrip.
Portent (A)
Make the opponent’s life miserable. Isn’t this why we gathered here today? The delayed draw is offset by modality on the card as it can sometimes win you the game by knowing the opponent’s topdecks and locking them out. The default mode is slightly inferior Ponder and the more I play with the card the more I want to put it above Ponder.
Preordain (A+)
Only slightly worse than Ponder, but still top tier cantrip as it can dig 3 cards deep.
Lorien Revealed (A+)
While not a cantrip, the utility of cycling for a land on instant speed and drawing 3 for 5 makes it an all-star. It’s also nice to cycle for surveil lands or Mystic Sanctuary at times.
Dig Through Time (A)
There was a time when the games were decided by who drew their Dig and who didn’t… And that time is still going on. The general power level has risen, but it only means that Dig Through Time can now find more broken stuff for the cheap price of 2 blue and your soul.
Gitaxian Probe (A)
This provides just so much utility that I wouldn’t be cutting this.
Consider (A-)
The fact that it fills the grave is a big upside and this is the last of what I would consider the best cantrips. I would always make room for every cantrip above this. The Consider itself is strong, but can sometimes be cut for something more relevant.
Gush (B)
This is a more tempo oriented card than a midrange one, but the distinction is blurry. Oftentimes you get stuck on 3-4 lands (due to land count and the fact that you would rather have a spell than 5th land), so Gushing doesn’t even take you back by that much. Having 2 Islands is now easier thanks to surveil lands and Harbinger of the Seas (+ Mystic Sanctuary). However, the alternative cost is still a real one and casting it for 5 is bad value. Basically needs a deck with a very low count of 3-cost cards (six ±2) and 1 (max 2) cards that cost 4.
Thought Scour (B)
This is more of an utility card, but it is a cantrip. Because there are only 2 such effects in highlander, it cannot fill the grave as consistently as in other formats, so generally speaking something else is better played in the same slot. That being said, this card does have an additional mode where you can counter an opponent’s Enlightened Tutor, Worldly Tutor or other topdeck manipulation. It also has nice synergies with Memory Leak, Subtlety and other effects that throw stuff to the top of the deck. For all of these reasons the card is a decent inclusion into decks that can find room for it.
Opt (B)
Even though it digs only one card, the fact that it is instant speed is very important. Generally I would prefer to have a card with cycling for 1 blue over this, as those give more value (prime candidates are Censor and Hieroglyphic Illumination), but there is simplicity in Opt and when digging for something, the scry one is more important than alternate mode.
Sleight of Hand (B+)
Sorcery speed, dig 2. Decent effect, but as with all weak cantrips, you would usually rather be doing something that affects the board than simply digging. Especially in 3+ colored decks there are enough strong cards that there is not as much need in digging for the correct card as in 1-2 color decks. The biggest upside is that this does not actually draw you cards so sidesteps a lot of hate cards such as Hullbreacher and Faerie Mastermind.
Serum Visions (B+)
I have a bit of bias against this card in that it draws before scrying, which means that if you cantrip to find something now, you won’t get it immediately. This is not an issue on the first turn and in many other situations, which is why this alongside Sleight of Hand is often played to smooth the draws and fill the grave. That being said, after MH3, the format got faster and there isn’t as much time to durdle around, so it is better to play more strong cards rather than spend time searching for the few strong cards that you have. With Mystical Tutor in the format I like this card a lot more as you are able to draw the tutored card and still scry afterwards and scrying is quite nice when paired with miracle effects that you want to add into the deck to synergize with the tutor.
Chart a Course (C)
2 cards for 2 mana is okay value, especially since midrange decks tend to have a creature that can attack and enable the full mode. Generally, the power creep has pushed the card away, but discard synergies (for example in blue-black deck with reanimate effects) or lack of playables (monoblue decks) keep this card on the radar.
Mental Note (C)
When you need to fill your grave, this is weak, but can get the job done. A weak card, but has a role.
Hieroglyphic Illumination (C)
2 cards for 4 mana at instant speed is weak, but if the deck has synergies for when you discard cards, then it is still doable.
Mnemonic Sphere (C)
Essentially same as Hieroglyphic Illumination, except you have to tap out for part of the cost, no instant synergies (replaced by artifact synergies) and ability to pay cost in 2 installments.
Ancestral Vision (C)
For many years I have felt that the card is too slow. There are more ways to interact with this now and 4 turns is just so long. Still, 3 cards is a lot and it does have synergies with cards like Dreadhorde Arcanist, so the power level is sufficient.
Jace, the Mind Sculptor (B)
Oh, how the mighty has fallen. Still a fan favorite planeswalker that I see a lot of people putting in their decks. Unfortunately, the format is a bit too fast for him, and he is too easy to kill. To be fair, he is a powerful threat and can still win the games if left unchecked, but there are better things that could be played and there isn’t that much room for 4 cmc cards without alternate casting modes (In my experience no more than 4, and preferably 1-3). A decent option for control decks that want something threatening but do not want to play too many creatures to make the opponent’s creature removal blank.
Gifts Ungiven (C+)
Same reasoning as Jace, 4 mana is just too much, but at least this is instant. What makes it worse is that it does not affect the board immediately. If your midrange deck has some instant-win combo or a very strong synergy, then you would consider this in the deck but again, midrange decks prefer to cast their threats and stuff for cheaper than 4 mana. In slower controlish versions this does give you card advantage and best cards out of your deck (and possible grave synergies), so is worth the slot if there are enough cards to compensate for tempo loss such as plethora of wrath effects.
Hard Evidence (C+)
Cheap roadblock against aggressive decks that replaces itself later on. Has synergies with Urza’s Saga, counterspells as well as cards that care about sorceries. The issue is that the card is not proactive and even though it is a creature, it cannot get you the initiative or attack planeswalkers. It has decent statline and value, so in decks with ways to buff the creature this becomes quite good.
Phantasmal Shieldback (C)
New kid on the block. Not much data on this card as it’s obscure and hard to get, but it has decent stats to protect, get initiative and it replaces itself. It’s a bit bad that the opponent decides when you draw, and there are not many synergies, but the card has a good power level, so it is a worthy candidate for inclusion in the decks.
Narset, Parter of Veils (B-)
Tapping out on t3 for a glorified draw spell is not worth it. On the other hand denying opponent cantrips and comboing off with symmetrical draw effects is a decent plan. I would say it’s not worth the slot if the metagame is not blue-heavy, but if you run Faerie Mastermind and stuff like Long River’s Pull, then it starts being much more interesting.
Impulse (C)
2 mana vs 1 for drawing one card is a big deal and you would rather play something more interesting, but if you really need more card selection, then this is a perfectly viable option.
Brainsurge (B-)
This is a lot of mana, but also gives +1 card and a lot of selection. Good in slower decks that want to play at instant speed. Though it is a bit slow as it doesn’t affect the board, which is why if you want to run this, you want to have some synergies with the deck to get the full value of this (otherwise something more proactive would be better). The most obvious synergies are miracle-cards and reanimation synergies (fetch → surveil land, surveil on stack → Brainsurge → reanimation target to topdeck → grave).
Stock Up (C+)
Not being instant speed hurts a lot, but better than Brainsurge at digging for stuff. Could fit decks that search for specific cards and are ready to do it at sorcery speed, but I would generally suggest running instant speed options for higher versatility.
Winternight Stories (B-)
It is not that hard for midrange decks to have a big creature to harmonize this for 1-2 mana. The base effect is also not over-costed too much, so this is a good way to generate value (especially when combined with other self-mill/discard effects). Being sorcery is notable downside, but the potential one mana flashback makes up for it as long as there are enough enablers in the deck. The biggest question is the enabler count blue has a few very good ones (Abhorrent Oculus, Murktide Regent) and various Lhurgoyfs also fit well, but there needs to be enough creatures with at least 3 power to justify this.
Unending Whisper (C+)
One mana to cantrip for the base part is as cheap as it gets, but not worth it by itself. Think Twice is slow and expensive card and this is not even sorcery. For decks with enough creatures that have 4+ power (4 power means it’s 3 mana to draw 2 split over turns) this is a good value proposition, while for the rest it is more efficient to use something else.
Counters
An important decision point for any blue deck is how many counters to run. Technically “none” is an option, but then the question is why even play the blue color in midrange deck if we aren’t using the biggest selling point of blue? The answer is somewhere between 5 and 20. Usually the 2 biggest reasons to run a lot of counters is either if there is a lack of strong/versatile cards in the colors of the deck or if the metagame is slow with high mana curves, at which point spending 1-2 mana to counter opponent’s is providing tempo (advantage in mana).
In my experience European Highlander is a relatively fast format where the average mana value for the decks is around 2. There is plenty of stuff that costs 3-4 mana that is strong and needs to be countered, but most of the time the counters do not actually provide tempo and rather only help you keep up the tempo you had. In slower metagames the value of counters goes up due to the tempo that they provide. On the other side, when metagame has high number of cheap threats, it is more important to have versatile removal, because it is less restrictive on the timing – removal can be used to kill threats on the turn they are played and on any other subsequent turn where you haven’t yet died to the said threat, but counters can be used only when the threat is being played.
Lately I have been feeling that only the free counters are “mandatory” in blue decks – Force of Will, Force of Negation, Mental Misstep, Subtlety, Daze and honorary “free counter”: Mana Drain. There is no need to have mana untapped for them, which allows you to advance your board/gameplan without the fear of missing the fear of not being able to counter the opponent’s play. There are counters that provide good versatility such as Izzet Charm and Drown in the Loch, but generally it is better to be the one that asks questions than the one that is forced to answer. Especially in 3+ color decks there are just so many cards that provide so much value or versatility that it doesn’t feel worth it to play cards that cost 2 mana mana trade one-for-one in a limited time-frame.
Mental Misstep (A)
Best free counterspell in the format that you would want to play even when not playing blue.
Mana Drain (A+)
The only reason I am not considering this S tier is because double blue is kinda hard to splash. Luckily the card isn’t as broken currently as it was before, since the curves are lower and colored costs are more prevalent… That being said, this is still the best counterspell in the format that wins you the games. There really aren’t any budget alternatives to this.
Daze (A)
Free counter that combo well with surveil lands. I would play this in every blue deck.
Force of Will (A)
One of the hallmark counters for blue. You want to play more blue cards simply to make this work more often.
Force of Negation (A)
A downgraded Force of Will is still very strong and I wouldn’t cut this from any of the blue midrange decks where I have enough blue cards. And If I don’t have enough blues, I would add more.
Spell Snare (A-)
On average the decks in highlander run more than 20% cards with mana value of 2. There is always something relevant to hit and the fact that you can counter the opponent’s turn 2 play on the draw is also very important. On the flipside this is unable to counter more than half of the cards that opponent plays, so there are plenty of cases where you look at opponent resolving a 3-4 mana threat with this in hand and nothing to do about it. Cutting or running this depends on where you want to be on the versatility vs. power spectrum, with Spell Snare pushing you towards the latter.
Spell Pierce (A-)
Wins counter wars and counters a lot of relevant stuff. I kinda feel as if this works as a pair with Spell Snare as if you have room for one, you should have room for another one as well since both are run for similar reasons. Though if choice needs to be made, this is a bit more offensive side in that it is able to protect your stuff better or win counter wars, but not oftentimes will not help you on the draw against opponent’s turn 2 play.
Miscalculation (B+)
A counter with high versatility and one of the better counters in the format. Can be seen even if the deck is light on counters, but generally used when the deck uses all the decent ones.
Lose Focus (A-)
I would consider this to be the next strongest counter after Mana Drain. The Replicate means that it is virtually uncounterable when needed and is also splashable.
Counterspell (B+)
If you are playing counterspells, then you have to play Counterspell…
Subtlety (B+)
It feels weak when you evoke, but it is very strong when you get to hardcast it. It is both a counter and a threat. The fact that it has the free mode when it is absolutely necessary is a very big upside. I feel that any blue 2 color midrange wants to run this and even some of the 3 color decks want to make room for it.
Memory Lapse (B)
Good counter and sometimes a Time Walk. I am not too big of a fan of this card since it doesn’t permanently deal with the threat, but the upsides are very big. Would be surprised when it is not in the 2 colored deck, but could see it being cut from 3 colored decks. It’s always fun to have an option of Thought Scouring an opponent after lapsing.
Force Spike (B)
One mana counter anything when it works and a dead card later in the game. At it’s best it’s in the tempo decks that deny opponent mana (Stifle, Back to Basics, Winter Orb) or do not intend for the game to last long. It is also good when you need to protect your own spells (casting a threat with one mana for Force Spike up is much easier than having 2 for Counterspell). I would generally cut this from midrange decks, but sometimes it just fits well with other cards and the game plan in general.
Mana Leak (B-)
A vanilla 2 mana conditional counter. Not particularly good, but better than the bad ones.
Three Steps Ahead (B-)
Hard counter and good mana sink. And when you need to dig for something it does that for 3 mana. The card is strong and does interesting things (one of which is getting rid of your own The One Ring), but 3 mana is a lot. There are a lot of strong cards in the format that cost 3 mana and a limited number of slots. While it doesn’t feel that much better than the other 3 mana options, the more I play it, the more I like it.
Change the Equation (C+)
The counter that is under the radar. A strong option when you want to start adding more counters to the deck as it counters very many things and works as a less restrictive counterspell most of the time. Still, there are restrictions and I wouldn’t put it into the deck earlier the rest of the B-A rank 2 cmc counters.
Stern Scolding (C+)
One mana counters are good. The downside is that it is restricted only to creatures, which is a bit bad when playing against different combo decks, which is why you put this into the deck only when you feel that you need more answers to creatures, but would cut otherwise.
Censor (C)
I like comparing this to Opt. Both have a mode of drawing the card, but one does scry 1 while the other has alternative mode of countering and discard synergies. The card is not that strong but has good modality so it can work as a compromise when you are thinking of adding a cantrip or a counter to the deck.
Jwari Disruption (C-)
This was a decent option before MH3, but nowadays there are better MDCF cards that I would rather use than this.
Archmage’s Charm (C)
High modality, but the mana value of 3 and triple blue are a tough sell. Casting this reliably usually means that you are very susceptible to nonbasic hate, which I am not a fan of. There is also the fact that there are stronger and less restrictive 3-drops, which is why I feel that this just isn’t strong enough nowadays.
Remand (B)
So, here is a bit of an unpopular opinion: Remand is overrated. I have a personal distaste for this card in the current highlander meta. The upside of time walk and replacing itself is a pretty big one, but the downside is that it doesn’t get rid of the threat and if the opponent is playing aggressive or midrange deck, then you could be even losing the tempo by playing this card as most threats cost 1 or 2. Still, despite my distaste, there is no denying the card is strong and I can’t really call anybody wrong for running it.
Cryptic Command (C+)
Plus is purely for nostalgia value. Same as other 4 mana cards that used to be bombs, this just doesn’t pull its weight anymore. It can do powerful stuff, especially with Mystic Sanctuary, but then there will be many more games where you look at the opponent as he casts a bomb and you don’t have enough mana to cast this. The main reason to play this is when you play all-in control deck and want strong versatile cards that can help you out in any situation.
Mirrorshell Crab (C)
A fun card that can impersonate Disallow pretty well and also be reanimated later or played for full cost if the game drags on. All the modes are weak and with more power creep it is unlikely that this will ever be good, but it is still worth mentioning the card purely for the amount of versatility that the card has.
Flusterstorm (C)
It’s good when you want to protect your threats or combo. It is also a nice card against combo. The issue is that for midrange decks this doesn’t have enough versatility and the cost doesn’t make up for all the games where it is a dead card.
Stubborn Denial (C)
When you want to play only the 1 mana value counters, this could make the cut, but more often than not, you would want to play something better.
Mystic Confluence (C)
5 mana is a lot more than. Again, the effect is strong and it could make sense to play this as a top end to gain the advantage, but currently there is a decent number of cards that are okay early game and give a big advantage as a mana sink, so I would rather pick from among those.
Logic Knot (C+)
There are a lot of things that eat your grave and this is not among the good ones. However, sometimes you just want to play more 2cmc counters in the deck and you begrudgingly put this in.
Misdirection (C)
All the arguments for Flusterstorm apply here. If you need to win by resolving and protecting a key card, then this is decent, but in midrange you rather just let it go and cast the next threat.
Condescend (C)
Scry is an upside, but it is weak both at the beginning and in the late game. This is fine if you want to run all the playable counters, but for midrange you would rather play something more efficient and impactful.
Prohibit (C)
You won’t get ahead on tempo with this card and utility is low. I would rather play some of the new 2cmc conditional counters rather than this.
Aether Spike (C-)
When there are more good payoffs for energy I could consider it, but as it stands, the only relevant synergy is Galvanic Discharge and Chthonian Nightmare, but I would rather suggest playing a counter that is strong by itself.
Minor Misstep (C-)
Unlike Mental Misstep, this never lets you get ahead on mana and it doesn’t allow you to counter an opponent’s t1 play if the opponent starts. The card is just too inflexible.
Ice Out (C)
Sacking own The One Ring and working as a 2cmc counter sometime. An okay option, but I would rather avoid it.
Flare of Denial (C-)
Cancel is actively bad in this format and there are very few good blue creatures. None of which you would want to sacrifice normally. The only place I could see this making sense is monoblue with a lot of cheap threats, but otherwise you have to accept that you will be casting this for 3 mana most of the time.
Counterbalance (C)
Horribly inconsistent, though surveil lands and Brainsurge help. There is also the fact that most spells are in range of 1-3, so if it stays in play for a few turns, then it is not that big of a stretch to get card advantage and a few counters off of this. It’s not the most consistent thing in the world, but I wouldn’t be that surprised if I saw this somewhere in top8 of a big tourney.
Phantom Interference (C)
Seems good on paper, but 2 mana pay 2 by itself is not strong enough as there are plenty of different upgrades. This particular upgrade is so over-costed that when the creature mode becomes relevant, the counter mode becomes irrelevant and 4 mana 2/2 flash is just not where you want to be in the format.
Threats
Due to the fact that when playing blue, the deck has a notable amount of counters, you tend to want to play either stuff that is cheap (0-1 mana) or stuff for which you do not have to tap out for. Though it does depend on the deck as some sorcery speed threats are just too good to pass up.
Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student (A+)
This is a bomb and you can win the game by simply resolving this. What more do you want from 1 drop?
Murktide Regent (A)
There is a lot of stuff that eats up the grave both in your deck and your opponent’s grave hate. The double blue is also not always easy if you want to keep counter mana up. Still, the card wins the games by itself, so there is nothing I can do about raking it this way.
Stormchaser’s Talent (A)
I feel like this is a bit under the radar because of how new it is, but the card is very strong. A blue one drop that can get removal/cantrip back later and can work as late-game mana sink. Oftentimes otter hits for 2-3 damage, which makes it a notable threat by itself as well.
Snapcaster Mage (A)
It’s Snapcaster, what more can I say?
Brazen Borrower (A)
A decent answer to anything and a good threat. A staple in nearly every blue deck.
Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel (A-)
The card seems unassuming at first, but the combination of abilities makes it a very potent threat. If it is allowed to connect 4 times, it provides card advantage and huge mana advantage, evasion means it most likely will connect and flash means you aren’t tapping out on your own turn. I might have a positive bias for this card as I had such a good experience with it in 3 colored decks, which is why I would always play it in 2 colors and heavily consider it for anything 3 colors.
Faerie Mastermind (B)
For some time after it got printed, this card felt like an auto-include, but the more I played with it, the more it felt like a glorified Ambush Viper. One of the reasons for that is the local meta that had enough non-blue decks. Another reason is that even against blue, it is surprisingly easy to play around. This does have fun combos with some gift cards from Bloomburrow and other symmetrical draw cards. However, I have found that if meta is not lopsided to blue, then I would rather play something stronger.
Ledger Shredder (A-)
Hard to kill, evasion and card selection. It does everything except have a flash, which is something I have found to be important for blue 2 mana threats. You don’t want to tap out turn 2 or turn 3 and after that it is not as strong. Every time I look at the deck and think what to cut, I look at the Shredder and think “It doesn’t have a flash, I don’t want to tap out… But it’s so strong and versatile, I just can’t cut it.”
Abhorrent Oculus (A-)
A very strong threat that wins you the games by itself and fills your grave for synergies. The only issue is that the card needs you to have a lot of stuff in grave, which is very difficult turn 3 and especially if an opponent plays one of the many strong grave hate cards available in the format. I have found myself losing multiple games with this in hand and no ability to cast it until it is too late, but there were also many games that were finished simply due to resolving this. You need to run at least some stuff that fills your grave easily (cheap/free spells, loot effects, etc.) for this to be efficient, which is why I wouldn’t play it in every deck.
Tishana’s Tidebinder (B+)
This on the other hand does have flash but isn’t as powerful. However, the versatility makes up for it. The real issue is that this is a 3-drop and that is the point where the power plays are concentrated in European highlander (4-drops are stronger, but you can’t run that many of them). The fact that this has flash is what makes it a premium pick for blue decks, but if your version of midrange often taps out on your turns, then there are other three drops that you would likely want to run.
Overlord of the Floodpits (C+)
Good versatility and nice synergies. I tend to cut this because both modes are slightly under-powered and the 3-drop slot is usually overstuffed. I usually want something stronger or flashier in this slot. The games I had this, it always felt decent but not broken.
Cryptic Coat (B)
True-Name Nemesis 2.0. It is easier to deal with, but works as a mana sink and requires 2 cards to be answered. It isn’t as good of a defensive option, but it also avoids the weakness to edict/wrath effects. This is also easier to cast. On a general level, I would run this in the midrange over the TNN.
True-Name Nemesis (B)
A threat that is very hard to deal with. Gets you the initiative and kills the planeswalkers as well as works as a fast clock. The card is strong, but tapping out on turn 3 is a dangerous proposition, which is why I prefer something with flash or higher impact on the board. Still, the card is very strong and can easily run away with the game. A notable point is that UR (=the best deck in the format) has close to no ways of dealing with a resolved True-Name Nemesis, which makes it a good anti-UR card.
Eddymurk Crab (C)
There are restrictions on this card (playing a lot of instants/sorceries and not eating too much of your grave) but tapping opponent’s attackers/blockers as well as being a flash creature is very strong. Despite all this, there is stronger stuff you could be doing in the format which is why you run it only in decks that focus on casting instants/sorceries.
Horned Loch-Whale (C-)
Six mana is a lot, but it comes up often enough. The real issue is that the removal mode is so restrictive that I rarely can kill stuff when I want to.
Vendilion Clique (C+)
It was a staple, but simply a 3/1 flash flier with that effect is not strong enough anymore. The card filtering isn’t worth the investment. There are Karakas shenanigans that you can pull with this card, but you would rather play something more efficient in midrange. To be fair, if you are going for a full draw-go style deck, then this could fit, but for midrange you want something stronger.
Shark Typhoon (C)
Flashy uncounterable threat that cantrips. A decent card, but the only time it is a good threat is in late game when you have 6+ mana. On the other hand the card is most often cycled in early turns when the shark is not that strong. I would rather play something that is decent early and has slightly overcosted abilities for mana sinking, rather than the other way around (which is why I like Stormchaser’s Talent).
Delver of Secrets (C+)
If you believe in your luck, then this is a good aggressive creature, but even then it doesn’t have any value-centric abilities that would make it good for midrange. Sometimes you have to play this when you want to apply pressure, but I would generally look for something better.
Pteramander (C)
It’s a bit too hard to activate most of the time. An okay threat, but there are better options even when playing 2-color decks, so I haven’t missed him much.
Mockingbird (B-)
I admit that I haven’t tested it enough. I have heard good things about the card, but when playing midrange, you want your threats to be threatening on an empty board. This on the other hand is no better than you or your opponent have. Still, copying Pyrogoyf or another bomb is pretty good value, so I’m interested in hearing people’s opinions on this.
Floodpits Drowner (C)
Flash creature that stuns and can work as a removal. The versatility is there for the card to be good, but lack of evasion and low power level mean that you wouldn’t want this anywhere in 3 colored decks and even when running 1-2 colors, this isn’t that strong.
Sailor’s Bane (B-)
Counting cards in exile makes this quite strong and troublesome to deal with. It’s also a nice combo for Demonic Consultation, where you can get it reliably on turn 2 if you aren’t scared of 6.5% chance to lose the game… The downside is that it usually comes after turn 4 and has no evasion, so can be chumped, which is why it is a decent option for decks where it can fit, but I usually can’t find enough room for this.
Tolarian Terror (C+)
Body is good, but getting it out requires commitment into instants and sorceries, which is not ideal, because you have to play less creatures and other threats that you would want to play in midrange.
Cryptic Serpent (C-)
All the downsides of Sailor’s Bane and Tolarian Terror without the upsides, but still an option if the deck has fitting synergies and needs a big beatstick. Though that is usually not a midrange deck anymore.
Hall of Storm Giants (B-)
Doesn’t cost much to put it into the deck, but makes mana base more susceptible to nonbasic hate. There are also a notable number of games where it comes into play tapped. I feel that using it to attack doesn’t come up often enough to justify the inclusion, which is why I tend to cut it, but it is definitely a strong option to consider in 2 colored decks where you want more threats.
Mercurial Spelldancer (C)
On the surface it looks to be a decent 2 cmc threat that provides card advantage, but in practice it requires you to play stuff before it can be useful and then play more stuff for it to be useful. It’s good when it gets rolling, but getting there is more difficult than it needs to be, which is why I would advise against running this.
Striped Riverwinder (C)
A cantrip that can be a threat later on. Considering how rarely you would usually have the mana to cast this, it’s not worth the slot, but if the deck can cheat creatures out (Show and Tell, reanimate effects…) or has multiple ways to get explosive mana, then this becomes a valid option.
Aboleth Spawn (C)
It’s an instant speed creature for 3 mana with an interesting set of abilities. I dislike it because it relies on the opponent to be good, but in a metagame filled with midranges and other creature-heavy decks I see this generating a lot of value.
Spyglass Siren (C-)
Statline is weak enough that this could be considered only when artifact synergies are relevant or when your deck has heroic triggers.
Mausoleum Wanderer; Judge’s Familiar; Cursecatcher (C-)
A tempo one drop. Not enough synergies in European Highlander, but sometimes you want a card that can attack and counter something.
Hope-Ender Coatl (C)
After turn 3 it’s quite easy for the opponent to have that one mana to pay for this, but when applying constant pressure it is more reasonable to expect this to work. Feels a bit too weak by itself, but alongside cards like Winter Orb and Winter Moon this makes some sense.
Curie, Emergent Intelligence (C-)
The base mode is a bit weak in the current format due to how hard it is to connect, but when you have something to eat for the second ability… Well, hitting once could just win the game, so it does work as a build-around.
Svyelun of Sea and Sky (C)
Doesn’t do anything the turn it comes into play and the abilities other than the draw ability come up rarely enough that they are largely irrelevant for midrange decks. Statline makes this kinda hard to deal with, so it can work as a threat when the deck is in need of a sturdy 3 drop. The card is strong, but the biggest reason for cutting it is that there is plethora of 3-cost cards that are more efficient or do not require you to tap 3 mana on sorcery speed, so would suggest running this only when there are enough merfolk synergies in the deck or tapping out is not a big issue and the deck is already running all the better 3-drops.
Enduring Curiosity (C)
While 4 mana is always a lot, having flash makes this much more versatile than most other 4 drops. The effect is surprisingly strong and hard to deal with, though it does require running a lot of creatures in the deck.
Sphinx of Forgotten Lore (C+)
Flashy creatures that generate value each turn are always interesting. The stats are okay-ish and 4 mana is a bit much, so not for every deck, but definitely a good consideration for 1-2 colored decks. Also a notable threat for any slower deck that do not want to tap out on their own turn.
Taigam, Master Opportunist (C+)
A solid 2 drop. Casting 2 spells is not hard, which makes Ledger Shredder very strong, but waiting for 4 turns to get value is a bit too long. Still, this is a cheap creature that generates value, so worth consideration for decks that like casting multiple spells in a turn as often as possible (which should be most midranges).
Utility
Harbinger of the Seas (A)
Good non-basic hate that doesn’t affect you as much. Reason to play 2 colors and playable even in 3-color decks with well built manabases (though better if one of the colors is green).
Back To Basics (A)
Reason to play 2 colors and a way to punish greedy manabases.
Mystic Sanctuary (A-)
The requirement can be a bit tough as to get, but the ability to fetch this and bounce with Daze/Gush makes it a top tier land. The downside is that it makes your mana base more susceptible to non-basic hate which is why I tend to avoid this.
Otawara, Soaring City (A)
Very strong utility for a low opportunity cost. Would usually run it in any blue deck.
Stifle (B+)
Sometimes it wins the games, sometimes it does nothing. As time goes by, this gets better. Though it is a bit weak when the metagame is full of 2 colored decks and when opponents play around it. Sometimes it is enough to scare an opponent into playing around Stifle so that you don’t have to spend a slot for it. It is more of a tempo card than midrange, but still a strong option to consider.
Sink Into Stupor // Soporific Springs (A)
You are playing blue? Then this is most likely in your deck simply for all the versatility it provides.
Hullbreacher (B+)
Purely a metagame choice. When everybody plays blue, this is incredibly strong, but when half the meta are non-blue midrange or aggro decks, then you wish this was something better.
Into the Flood Maw (B)
A new bounce spell that can hit all the important stuff when needed (planeswalkers and Oath of Druids). When playing 3+ colors there are usually better tools for removing the problematic permanent, but as far as bounce spells go, this is one of the best that are available
Fading Hope; Vapor Snag (B-)
A necessary evil if you want to run more bounce spells, but I would avoid these simply for the fact that they produce card disadvantage, which goes against the main plan of midrange decks.
Bottomless Pool // Locker Room (C)
Sorcery speed, which means it cannot bounce Dark Depths token, but has an additional mana sink option. Overall a bit weak, but not to the extent that it is unplayable.
Set Adrift (C)
Sorcery speed and eats up your grave, but at least it is not a card disadvantage. Still, I feel like this has been powercrept over as even in monoblue this feels weak.
In Too Deep (C)
Not very midrangey, but if a removal spell is needed, then this is one of the better ones in blue.
Piracy Charm (C)
Good modality for when you are playing one or 2 colors.
Fall From Favor (C-)
Bad removal, but good way to get monarch. I’m not a fan and feel like it wouldn’t fit midrange decks, but it is one of the cheapest ways to get monarch so worth considering for decks that have enough creatures (to get monarch back) and need more ways to generate card advantage.
Trinket Mage (C)
We keep getting good 0-1 cmc artifacts so I wouldn’t be surprised if this would see play again at some point. Threats in 3 mana slot are capable of doing some really disgusting stuff, so getting a 2/2 with a silver bullet doesn’t sound fast enough, but I would be glad to be proven wrong as I would love to tutor Currency Converter or Ghost Vacuum with this. There is also the option of fetching Shuko for Nadu combo.
Moonsnare Prototype (C)
Manaramp for blue as well as over-costed removal option. Not strong by itself, but if there is an artifact sub-theme in the deck, then this becomes a worthy consideration. Nothing feels as good as tapping Winter Orb for mana with this. What I like is that it doesn’t force you to go all-in on artifacts to make this decent in the deck.
Urza, Lord High Artificer (C+)
Unlike Moonsnare Prototype, this requires the deck to be a bit more dedicated to artifacts, but if it is, then it is a strong option to run alongside Thoughtcast and Kappa Cannoneer.
The Reality Chip (C-)
Target for Stoneforge Mystic and an okayish blocker, but costs too much and needs another creature in play to actually do something relevant.
Occult Epiphany (C)
This is more of a reanimator card, but a perfectly valid option for when you go for reanimator midrange.
Disrupt (C-)
A bit too restrictive for midrange, but could work as a nice surprise to get value.
Repeal; Into the Roil, Blink of an Eye (C-)
In recent years we got enough good 1cmc bounce spells, so that there is no room for these.
Intuition (C+)
Spending 3 mana to not affect the board is not very midrangey, but if the deck has enough stuff to be used from grave (Sevinne’s Reclamation and Uro come to mind first), the it is a viable play, but playing something more proactive is usually better.
Psionic Blast (C)
Sometimes you want to surprise your opponent with a burn spell… But then you realize that you are playing midrange and 4 damage for 3 mana is just too weak. Still, monoblue and UG are a bit short in the department of burn, so you have to do what you need to do.
Silundi Vision // Silundi Isle (C-)
With new MDFC lands, there is just no room for these.
Nimble Obstructionist (C-)
Budget version of Tishana’s Tidebinder. Not strong enough for midrange, but would feel wrong not to mention it.
Phantasmal Image (C-)
Haven’t seen this in a long time and for a good reason. You usually want to play cards that are strong by themselves with low requirements for being good. Still, this was a staple when it could legend out opponent’s legends, but we had 12 years of power creep, so a niche playable at best. Though I would play Mockingbird before putting this.
Search for Azcanta // Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin (C+)
Tapping out is bad, but it does fix your topdecks and give you a land with good instant-speed manasink ability. Also one of those cards that was power crept over.
Tale’s End (C)
Good modality, but because of Karakas, there aren’t as many legends in the format, which makes the counter mode a bit weak. I could see myself running this sometimes, but at this point in time not in midrange decks.
Thieving Skydiver (C-)
If there are a lot of artifacts in the metagame, this becomes a strong option, but in the current state of the meta it is not worth the slot.
Memory Deluge (C)
A 4 mana instant that does not affect the board is not that suited for midrange. The main use case is for slower and grinder decks that want to get card advantage at instant speed.
Dress Down (B-)
Personally not a fan of the card, but it does solve a lot of niche uses, most notable of which are constructs from Urza’s Saga, protection from True-Name Nemesis, indestructible from Marit Lage and ETBs from elementals. I have heard people having success with this, so this is a good option to remember.
Thundertrap Trainer; Watcher for Tomorrow; Augur of Bolas (C)
A value 2-drops at sorcery speed. Decent, but not impressive. Thundertrap Trainer is strongest among these by virtue of working as a mana sink, but unless I have some blink subtheme with ephemeral and other similar effects, I wouldn’t run any of these.
Spellseeker (C+)
3 mana is a lot and the card has been powercrept out of the format. It’s still decent in combo decks, but overall it is a bit too inefficient. But if you are playing this, then from my experience the best targets are Balance, Price of Progress, Ephemerate, Damn and Demonic Tutor.
Unable to Scream; Witness Protection (C)
Mono Blue and Blue-Green midrange decks do not have good removal options. This is scraping the bottom of the barrel, but at least it’s something.
Venser, Shaper Savant (C-)
The body is weak and even in the best case scenario you barely get to be tempo-positive with his ability. To play 4cmc cards they either need to have much more modality or value than this.
Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy // Jace, Telepath Unbound (C)
A 2-drop that can flashback stuff later, but needs to survive a turn and for you to have some stuff in the grave. One of the cards that was powercrept out, but still one that could be considered if you are in need of some looting effects.
Ashiok, Dream Render (C)
For decks that can utilize the self mill option on this card, this can become a valid option as the static ability is surprisingly strong and grave hate option adds good versatility. The downside is that it does not affect the board by itself, which is questionable for a 3-drop, so this makes sense only when the deck has a lot of stuff it does from the grave.
Waterlogged Teachings // Inundated Archive (C)
This competes with MDFCs and requires to have instant/flash cards for every situation (mainly to work as a threat). Blue doesn’t have strong flash threats like black does, so it is a bit harder to justify in blue, but the versatility is definitely there to keep it on the short-list of cards to consider for the manabase.
Shadow of Doubt (C)
I never seem to find room for this card, but with all the tutoring and how strong Opposition Agent is, it’s always fun to see this somewhere. Though I don’t think it is capable of making the cut in anything that runs 3+ colors.
Jace, Reawakened (C)
Does not affect the board and cannot be played early enough for this to be relevant. Works as a nice combo with Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor, but both parts of the combo are a bit weak unless there are other synergies for these cards in the deck.
Curious Obsession; Combat Research; Curious Inquiry (C)
There is always the problem of potential card disadvantage with auras. These circumvent the issue by providing you a card the turn they are played. Of course, that is under the assumption that you can hit the opponent. The usual way to make this work is to play multiple one-mana fliers as without them, these cards are too weak.
Curiosity (C-)
There is a combo with Niv-Mizzet, but… In general this could be played when you really want to be aggressive in blue with an excessive number of one drops, but even then this is relatively weak.
Hydroblast; Blue Elemental Blast (C)
Very strong, but very restricted removal. The decks don’t usually run that many looting options, so this could get stuck in your hand for a very long time in bad match-ups. Would not generally run, unless you’re constantly playing against red decks.
Mystical Tutor (B)
Card disadvantage but with a very high versatility. Makes the grinder game plan more viable with easier access to the most efficient answers. Also makes comboing off easier for instant/sorcery based combos. Some notable targets:
- Temporal Mastery is a bit too restrictive by itself outside of archetypes that are focused on taking extra turns. On the other hand, being an option as a target for tutoring makes it much more versatile and scary. Especially with all the cheap threats that gain value each turn they stay in the play, which is basically a definition of what midrange decks want from their threats.
- More consistent access to Price of Progress in blue-red decks makes life harder for 3+ colored decks.
- In blue-white Balance mitigates card disadvantage and punishes creature heavy decks as well as lands-based strategies.
- Searching for Demonic Tutor is not the most efficient approach, but it allows access to any card in the deck. Hymn to Tourach or Mind Twist are also notable targets for how much they can break an opponent’s game plan.
Extract (C)
A weird old-school tech card that I discovered just recently. Nadu, Winged Wisdom, Oath of Druids, Scapeshift, Paradox Engine, Dark Depths, Fastbond, Price of Progress, Field of the Dead, Tendrils of Agony, Yawgmoth’s Will, Doomsday, Jace, Wielder of Mysteries… There are a lot of combo decks in the format. Many of them get most of their power from singular cards that are very hard to deal with. It is oftentimes worth the effort to spend one mana and one card to ensure that the opponent cannot combo off. When you are safe from instant win, it usually is much easier to close up the game with high-value threats that midranges have. The downside is that against other midranges, tempos and aggro decks this card is largely useless. Blue has enough card selection to compensate for it, but it’s not worth the slot if the metagame does not have a significant number of combo decks.
Mistrise Village (B)
2 mana to make stuff uncounterable is a lot and this card is more suited for various combo decks. On the other hand this can come into play untapped very often and produces blue so the opportunity cost is small. Unlike Cavern of Souls, this can make spells uncounterable, which means you will be able to resolve big threats for only 2 more mana without the need to get into counter wars. 4+ colored decks do not have that much space in their manabase for this, but when playing 1-2 (or even 3) colors, it’s not hard to find room for this. To illustrate how scary this card can be it is good to imagine playing 4 colored deck and getting uncounterable Price of Progress to the face.
Bonus
Squelch is a card I have not seen played, but feels like with every new set it is becoming better and better. The option of countering fetches is always enticing and cantripping from random planeswalker activations is also nice.
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