Standard Set Review: Edge of Eternities

Edge of Eternities is coming. Magic: The Gathering's space opera set and the card game's last in-universe expansion of 2025 will be released on August 1st, bringing with it the Standard rotation.

While Wizards of the Coast is already talking about Spider-Man, the Magic community is still preparing for the new features and potential new archetypes and staples that may emerge in the format's new season. In this article, we present our review of the new set.

It's worth noting that, since we're talking about a still-unknown scenario whose potential archetypes are still being studied, this analysis considers the cards' capacities to establish new archetypes, reinforce strategies that remain in Standard, or offer some effect or ability with considerable usefulness this season.

Astelli Reclaimer returns any noncreature permanent from the graveyard to the battlefield. For its Warp cost, it already returns Caretaker's Talent, while for its full mana value, it even brings Elspeth, Storm Slayer back.

Other relevant options also include the new Pinnacle Starcage, which replaces Temporary Lockdown in the new season, and Collector's Cage for Selesnya decks. However, one problem with using it in Caretaker lists is that there are already other creatures capable of taking this slot, and Reclaimer doesn't actively interact with the archetype's game plan.

Sunfall is gone, and Beyond the Quiet is the closest we have in the format, but without creating a token. The "three mana for low costs, four mana to destroy, and five to exile or benefit" design has created a decent balance in the sweeper options in Standard, and it's likely we'll have to live with these exile effects forever.

Cosmogrand Zenith might look like Cori-Steel Cutter, but it seems closer to Monastery Mentor in the current Metagame. Without Recommission, I don't know if Abhorrent Oculus lists will continue to play this line, but it works as a decent complementary threat in Jeskai and/or even Azorius lists if it finds a way to replace Haughty Djinn.

Exalted Sunborn interacts with Caretaker's Talent lists while also functioning as a pseudo-Baneslayer Angel for its cost. It should share slots with Elspeth, Storm Slayer and will likely make Astelli Reclaimer have no place in the archetype.

Playing Hardlight Containment on a Clue, Map, or Lander token in decks with Warden of the Inner Sky seems as effective as Chained to the Rocks was in Theros Standard as spot removal.

Obviously, we wouldn't be able to use the other abilities or enchant the card with Zoetic Glyph often, but we could still tap it for Warden or use it in the permanents account for Regal Bunnicorn.

Lightstall Inquisitor interacts with Nurturing Pixie and other Bounce cards to function as a pseudo-Hopeless Nightmare that also offers an aggressive clock. It shouldn't replace Tinybones Joins Up, but it's a great addition and complementary discard tool to the archetype.

Currently, the "go wide Aggro" that seems to be shaping up in the new Standard season is either Selesnya Cage or Selesnya Counters. In both cases, Lumen-Class Frigate is easy to activate with just a Pawpatch Recruit or similar and already offers the advantage of boosting the power of all your creatures with a permanent that demands a different type of answer outside cards like Abrade.

It can also work with Warden of the Inner Sky and a combination of Novice Inspector and/or Spyglass Siren in Bunnicorn lists.

Temporary Lockdown is finally gone, but Pinnacle Starcage has stepped in to take its place. Not dealing with enchantments seems necessary both to give this type of card more room in the Metagame and to avoid micro-interactions like we saw with Nurturing Pixie and Temporary Lockdown to reuse multiple Hopeless Nightmare and Nowhere to Run with a single card combination.

Speaking of interactions that matter with Pinnacle Starcage, Seam Rip doesn't have the same problem Portable Hole had with its predecessor in Pioneer of being exiled by Temporary Lockdown and returning the permanent it exiled to the battlefield.

Considering the lack of Cut Down or decent one-mana removal to compete with it, it's likely to become the main early-game interaction in Standard in the new season.

We'll have two Universes Beyond sets in a row for the rest of the year, and with them, we'll most likely get several new legendary creatures that may or may not impact the metagame. The Seriema deserves attention in this case due to its potential to search any legend, and if we gain support for this theme in the future, it could become a staple.

Starfield Shepherd has some important targets in Standard: Optimistic Scavenger, Pawpatch Recruit, Nurturing Pixie, Spiteful Hexmage, and Cecil, Dark Knight are some that deserve considering with the new card, especially since we can bounce it with Pixie or put the Spiteful Hexmage Rune on it since we'll exile Shepherd at the end of the turn.

Sunstar Chaplain has a decent body, is mechanically similar to Luminarch Aspirant, and works perfectly in a go-wide Aggro deck to bolster your creatures while also benefiting from the +1/+1 counter themes to take blockers out of the way.

Sunstar Expansionist also has a decent body on its own, but it feels a bit too conditional to work as an enabler in Bunnicorn/Warden of the Inner Sky decks, and it doesn't help if we fail to find the turn's land. It's worth trying, but don't expect much.

Annul arrived a bit late, as it would have been one of the ideal answers against Cori-Steel Cutter, but it will still be a decent option against Caretaker's Talent, vehicles, Pinnacle Starcage, and any potential Spacecraft that finds its way into competitive Standard.

Consult the Star Charts will likely be one of the best cards for Standard. It will generally outperform Dreams of Laguna or Deduce as the game progresses.

This spell starts as a more expensive Sleight of Hand, but it works at instant speed and grows in potential with each land its controller plays, to the point where it rivals Impulse and Memory Deluge and eventually surpasses both in effectiveness and cost.

Consult won't replace Stock Up, nor does it serve that role in the new Standard: it complements the card selection package, especially in blue Control lists, but also in potential Midrange/Big Mana variants that want to dig deep for answers or threats. Definitely a must-have staple.

Cryogen Relic is an interesting target for effects like Repurposing Bay if a relevant archetype with this card emerges in the future. Having an ETB and LTB effect can be useful with Nurturing Pixie and Fear of Isolation as well, serving as a source of cheap card advantage in Dimir Bounce lists.

Desculpting Blast is a tempo play for two mana if used on an attacking creature, and the token it creates can be used to enable Kaito, Bane of Nightmares's Ninjutsu. If the Metagame gets too aggressive, it can complement Floodpits Drowner and Faebloom Trick in the board interaction that also puts pressure on the battlefield.

A second-turn draw effect that becomes a late-game threat has potential in fair blue decks. Quantum Riddler competes with too many other decks in the four- and five-mana slots to, at first glance, become a staple, but it deserves an honorable mention for its potential to replenish its owner's hand in attrition games.

Scour for Scrap can find Repurposing Bay and the card you need to sacrifice with it, or two distinct artifacts to interact with the board and/or the mana pool proposed by the archetype. It doesn't seem like an instant staple, but it's worth some testing.

There are some cases where a Starwinder can offer so much card advantage with its Warp cost that our opponent won't get back into the game. It can function as complementary copies of Enduring Curiosity, especially now that Sheoldred, the Apocalypse is no longer around to punish these draw effects.

Like Lumen-Class Frigate, Synthesizer Labship is easy to enable with cheap creatures, and having the potential to turn artifact tokens into 2/2 creatures with Flying definitely makes it a potential option for Bunnicorn and Warden of the Inner Sky decks.

Besides dealing with Warp, Unravel also punishes cards like Ride's End, the Overlords cycle, and any other spells with alternative costs and/or reduced mana value that emerge in the format over the next few years.

It's definitely a staple for blue Control decks in the future, at least as long as decks like Naya Yuna are potential contenders in the Metagame.

Bloodletter of Aclazotz and Alpharael, Stonechosen essentially have the same combo as the Ixalan demon with Unstoppable Slasher, except that Alpharael requires a card to have left play this turn and doesn't need to deal combat damage.

Combined with the built-in protection and the potential outside the combo to be an effective threat, it could complement Orzhov Slasher while finding a home in other Black Midrange variants in Standard, although its 3/3 body for five mana isn't exciting in terms of pressuring the opponent in topdeck wars if we don't manage to trigger Void easily.

Archenemy's Charm's cost is restrictive, but Standard's mana base allows for paying with some consistency if your deck has access to both Fast Lands and Shock Lands or benefits from Surveil Lands. Currently, the best combinations for it seem to be Dimir with Watery Grave and Undercity Sewers, Golgari with Blooming Marsh and Restless Cottage, or Orzhov with Concealed Courtyard and Godless Shrine.

A Mono Black version also benefits greatly from the card, and I can even imagine a lower-curve Aggro deck using it alongside Cecil, Dark Knight and the new Sunset Saboteur.

Between its ability to offer card advantage, a decent body with Lifelink, and its interaction with removal and sacrifice effects, Elegy Acolyte could be a good fit in midrange lists that don't have access to Enduring Curiosity and don't want the Bloodletter of Aclazotz combo.

For Golgari, it competes with Jenova, Ancient Calamity in the Demon Wall version, but it seems like a good addition to the other variants.

Embrace Oblivion is an excellent enabler for Void, and the ability to sacrifice artifact tokens can be worth it in some lists. Furthermore, it's a one-mana removal that deals with creatures unconditionally, and there are several cards that generate tokens and/or value when creatures die to make it work.

Faller's Faithful can be used both as post-combat removal and to sacrifice one of your creatures to draw two cards while leaving a 3/1 body on the board. It has potential, but the mana cost might hinder it's playability when compared to Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER.

I don't know if a Night's Whisper on steroids still has potential in a Magic where everything seems to have added value. Without the Void cost, a Dreams of Laguna in black could be decent, but decks that would run it already have better options like Mosswood Dreadknight.

Sothera, the Supervoid is basically a Grave Pact that doesn't stay on the board forever but offers you a creature instead. It might have a place in some lists, especially in attrition mirrors, but paying four mana to "do nothing" is still risky.

If there's a Black Aggro in the format, Sunset Saboteur will likely find a home with it. Its body is very strong on an empty board, it protects itself from removal, and if we can interact with the opponent, the +1/+1 counters it places are irrelevant.

Additionally, we can include cards like Embrace Oblivion in the same list to sacrifice it when it's no longer needed, paving the way for other creatures to finish the game.

Temporal Intervention is a conditional Thoughtseize that's great when we enable Void and terrible if we draw it without any board interaction and/or means of destroying or sacrificing permanents. It has potential, but Duress and Intimidation Tactics should remain the main one-mana-hand disruptions in the new Metagame.

With a decent cost, an aggressive body, and a return-to-the-battlefield capability similar to what we saw with Tenacious Underdog, Timeline Culler looks like a great Void enabler that works with aggressive black decks. The mana cost is a bit restrictive, and the lack of an ETB/LTB doesn't make it the best option, but it's on par with Mosswood Dreadknight in terms of "annoying to deal with threat."

Without Cut Down, Tragic Trajectory seems like the best option for interacting with the opponent's board in the early turns without giving up a card's mid- and late-game potential, unlike Stab, which loses effectiveness as the game goes on, even against Aggro.

Umbral Collar Zealot offers a free sacrifice outlet that can be used repeatedly and without restrictions in the same turn, helping cards like Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER or Vengeful Bloodwitch, in addition to being at the ideal mana value and having the right ability to interact with Raise the Past.

Black needed a cheap sweeper last season, and Zero Point Ballad fills that role now, with the potential to grow to handle every creature on the board. It should become a sideboard staple or even maindeck material, depending on how relevant Caretaker's Talent and go-wide/Aggro decks are in the format.

Some Domain Ramp lists have used Doppelgang for the mirror match, where copying your opponent's cards or even your own generates an immeasurable advantage at the board. Devastating Onslaught only copies your creatures but is incredibly lethal alongside Overlords or any other card with an ETB trigger or attack.

For , we already have enough to deal lethal damage with Overlord of the Boilerbilges or create a powerful board position with Overlord of the Mistmoors, and even Midrange decks can benefit from this card if we have a bomb or an Unholy Annex token on the battlefield.

If Spacecrafts find a place in the Metagame, Invasive Maneuvers becomes an extremely effective removal for dealing with creatures, but it will compete with Obliterating Bolt due to its flexibility in also responding to Planeswalkers.

Nova Hellkite can enter on turn three, attacking for a 4/5 with Flying while dealing with an opponent's Llanowar Elves or Pawpatch Recruit, and return two turns later with the same impact on the board. It can work both in red Aggro decks as a curve-topper and in more aggressive Midrange lists, in addition to being a dragon that interacts with Caustic Exhale, one of the possibly best removals in the new format.

Despite its sorcery speed, Plasma Bolt is an excellent complement to Burst Lightning in most Red Aggro decks since we already naturally expect the opponent to deal with our creatures, and having our own copy of Chain Lightning is a great way to have both more reach against the opponent and another interaction for creatures with three toughness.

Not interacting with the board definitely makes Ruinous Rampage worse than Brotherhood's End, but it's the best sweeper against artifacts we have in the format now, and exiling it could make a difference in the future.

There don't seem to be enough artifact interactions to make Rust Harvester worth slots alongside Agatha's Soul Cauldron, especially when Vivi Ornitier and Draconautics Engineer already offer a more effective archetype with this theme.

Terminal Velocity can complement Smuggler's Surprise as a way to cheat on mana costs. Unfortunately, we don't have Worldspine Wurm or any other card with an absurd effect that benefits from attacking once and then sacrificing it, so Progenitus, Ureni, the Song Unending, or any other threat with an absurd mana cost are our best options at the moment.

Warmaker Gunship is another target for Repurposing Bay that interacts with the battlefield. It might be worth some testing.

Mono Green Aggro, especially with Landfall, seems to be another potential contender for the new season, and Edge Rover offers both an aggressive body for the early game and, if it dies, a way to trigger another Tifa Lockhart, Mossborn Hydra, or Bristly Bill, Spine Sower that turn.

On the other hand, Frenzied Baloth doesn't interact with Landfall, but it does so much for its mana cost and has such a decent body that it deserves some testing in this version, or even in other Mono Green Aggro variants that may emerge, perhaps forgoing the explosive potential of Tifa and Mossborn Hydra for other creatures that are more consistent in exerting permanent pressure on the board.

+1/+1 counters have been a recurring theme in several sets over the past year and have become the main theme on Mono Green Landfall, and Selesnya Counters is one of the archetypes we can consider in Standard now. In this case, perhaps Loading Zone will find some space in lists due to the flexibility of being cast by for one turn.

We don't have Blizzard Brawl for green decks this season, so we need to evaluate the best card we can use to deal with the opponent's board, and Meltstrider's Resolve seems like a decent option.

While it doesn't increase the creature's power, the increased toughness means it's more likely to survive the fight, and the ability it gains is very punishing if played alongside creatures with Trample.

If Ouroboroid stays in play for a turn and your board has enough creatures, it becomes a cheaper Virtue of Loyalty. Add cards like Snakeskin Veil for protection and even Overprotect, and you can easily turn your board into an unbeatable army. One of the set's potential sleepers.

A Naturalize that can guarantee a Ramp is a decent sideboard option. Deserves an honorable mention.

Terrasymbiosis offers card advantage when interacting with a dozen cards in the format. It seems like a great accompaniment to Pawpatch Recruit for Midrange and Control matchups in green decks, and may find a place in other lists in the future.

Cosmogoyf is a bit of a wild card. If Up the Beanstalk still existed to serve as a shell for Golgari Mill, I'd say it's a decent option for games where opponents are prone to run some graveyard hate. At the same time, I'd like to believe it has room alongside Abhorrent Oculus to create a Sultai Tempo, but no one in their right mind is thinking about playing Oculus fairly these days, and Sultai is too greedy a color combination to attempt a mana-efficient list right now.

It may have potential, but I don't see it being good in Standard right now, not with the level of potential I see for it in Pioneer and Modern.

Potential staple.

I've mentioned several times that Selesnya Counters can be a contender in the current Metagame, and the main reason involves Dyadrine, Synthesis Amalgam, a creature that grows with the mana we use, turns the +1/+1 counters on your creatures into card advantage and more bodies on the board, interacts with Collector's Cage because its power and toughness are flexible, and also has Trample to pressure your opponent late-game.

Honorable mention. Mutinous Massacre is the kind of card that suddenly wins games in Midrange/Ramp mirrors. The mana cost seems very restrictive, but we don't know how the combination might behave post-rotation.

Syr Vondam, Sunstar Exemplar's body and abilities are quite decent for its cost, and it's a complementary two-drop for legend-based decks. It can transform Serah Farron the next turn, making it a 4/4 with Vigilance and Menace that, if destroyed, will take an opponent's permanent with it.

It has potential and can be useful for Raise the Past since it interacts with Amalia Benavides Aguirre.

A 7/5 that puts a permanent into play for the Warp cost or if it's destroyed can generate plenty of value, but at the same time, Anticausal Vestige doesn't do much on its own, nor does it offer any evasion that makes it relevant and mandatory for most lists.

It's hard to evaluate Tezzeret, Cruel Captain in Standard today.

We have enough artifacts for the first ability, some specific cards where the second ability matters (Ghost Vacuum, Soul-Guide Lantern, Lost Jitte, Basilisk Collar, Dusk Rose Reliquary, The Enigma Jewel), but the format currently lacks an archetype that can get the most out of it and/or that interacts enough with artifacts outside Repurposing Bay to use its abilities consistently, especially considering that it doesn't interact with Simulacrum Synthesizer.

Ghost Vacuum will continue to be the ideal graveyard hate in sideboards, but Dauntless Scrapbot may emerge in some lists as a target for Repurposing Bay or even because the Metagame has reached a point where having a graveyard hate in the maindeck that does something more is necessary.

With enough interactions and time, there are some games where opponents won't be able to deal ten or more damage in a single turn, making The Endstone a card that can virtually win the game if it stays on the battlefield after a certain point. Serving as a constant source of card advantage on lands and spells is just the icing on the cake.

Extinguisher Battleship seems like a great curve-topper for Repurposing Bay: it deals with a troublesome permanent, clears the board of smaller creatures, and if we have enough artifacts and Simulacrum Synthesizer, the token it creates can station it for a 10/10 with Flying and Trample to end the game.

Nutrient Block will bring headaches with Zoetic Glyph and similar effects that transforms it into a creature, while also having other uses besides being an artifact with Indestructible.

There are a total of zero Slivers in Standard right now, if we don't count the creatures with Changeling, which are all pretty useless.

However, Lorwyn Eclipsed should bring more creatures with this ability, and even if it doesn't, Thrumming Hivepool puts two 1/1 creatures with Haste and Double Strike onto the battlefield per turn, which can easily stack up and punish the opponent for failing to deal with the artifact or end the game.

In some ways, this card reminds me of Assemble the Legion, which saw a lot of play during the Return to Ravnica season for similar reasons.

Despite the skepticism surrounding Station, there are some Planets that can see as much play as other utility lands in Standard.

In order of exclusion, Evendo, Waking Haven and Uthros, Titanic Godcore don't do anything that decks capable of putting twelve or more counters on them wouldn't already do naturally and/or need.

An artifact-based list won't have enough creatures to easily feed Uthros, and once you have Simulacrum Synthesizer, you probably don't need the extra mana, while Evendo, Waking Haven requires a board position that, honestly, will already win the game before you need a Gaea's Cradle.

Then there are three with some potential. Adagia, Windswept Bastion interacts with a key card type, and we can use tokens in Caretaker's Talent decks or go-wide Aggro lists to activate its abilities; the copies of which it creates can easily accumulate on the board each turn.

Susur Secundi, Void Altar is probably the best of these since it offers a constant source of card advantage at a low cost. Combined with any higher-power creature, we can easily overwhelm our opponent in value, and since the sacrifice is part of the activation cost, it's not even possible to use removal to deal with our creature in response.

Kavaron, Memorial World seems counterintuitive to what red decks try to do, regardless of their nature. Sacrificing lands to create tokens can be useful in some circumstances, but the Haste-granting effects lose its meaning if we have to tap creatures until we reach twelve counters.

I can imagine Secluded Starforge being played in many decks simply for the ability to create multiple 2/2s as the game goes on. The ability to increase a creature's power with your artifacts is an important bonus in the right lists, but its primary function is similar to Fountainport or Mirrex.

Shock Lands will be staples. Get a set of each and enjoy another three years using some of the best lands ever released in Magic: The Gathering.

That's all for today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for reading!