Edge of Eternities Limited Guide - Draft, Sealed, and Prerelease!

Hey everyone, how are you?

After the hugely popular Final Fantasy set, it's time to see Standard rotate with the arrival of Edge of Eternities, the new set that starts to be played on July 25th.

In this article, we'll talk about everything we need to know about the Set's Limited play, focusing on the prerelease event. We'll check the mechanics, archetypes, mana fixing and removal - all you need to know to do well at the tournament!

Edge of Eternities introduces new mechanics, and also some returning ones, like Landfall.

Let's start by looking at some of the set's mechanics. If you'd like to dive a little deeper on it, we have an excellent article by our judge, {https://mtg.cardsrealm.com/en-us/articles/edge-of-eternities-the-new-sets-mechanics-explained}(so be sure to check it out).

Mechanics

Void

Void is a mechanic very similar to Revolt, looking for non-land permanents leaving the battlefield or spells being cast with Warp.

Warp

Warp is a mechanic that allows you to cast a permanent for an alternative cost, exiling the card in the end step, and being able to cast it from exile later.

Station

Station is an ability on permanents, that are active based on the amount of charge counters. Counters are added at sorcery speed, by tapping a creature; the number of counters placed will be equal to the tapped creature's power.

Landfall

We have the return of Landfall (a recurring theme on recent sets), a very significant strategy in Limited, since land availability is key to develop the gameplan.

Now that we mentioned the mechanics, let's explore each of the set's Limited archetypes.

Azorius Second Spell

In white and blue, we have an archetype that cares about when you cast your second spell each turn.

Cards like Station Monitor and Cosmogrand Zenith are fundamental to the archetype, growing your board. Uthros Psionicist acts as an engine, providing cost reduction that speeds up our plays.

Another interesting piece for the archetype is Sunstar Lightsmith, to guarantee extra draws.

In general, we want cards with Warp and low-cost spells. Cards with Warp are key, since they guarantee two spells in different turns with one card.

Knight Luminary is an excellent option to keep your board wide. Rayblade Trooper is another good option, strengthening the board and leaving you a token on the field if the creature is removed.

Codecracker Hound is a way to gain card advantage. Brightspear Zealot is a very interesting aggressive option, allowing for good attacks while developing the archetype.

Illvoi Infiltrator is an evasive threat, guaranteeing some draws and being a potential finisher in the late game if we use equipments or combat tricks.

Cerebral Download is an interesting way to draw more cards. Despite its high cost, being an instant spell gives us the option of only playing it when no other action is needed.

Focus Fire and Hardlight Containment are good removal options due to their low cost.

Lumen-Class Frigate allows us to increase the power of our creatures, being especially synergistic with Station Monitor, which creates tokens with flying. Furthermore, its low cost helps us play two spells in a turn.

Reroute Systems is very versatile since we have key creatures in our setup, so we need a way to protect them. It can also be used as removal when necessary. Illvoi Light Jammer is another way to protect our creatures.

Best Commons

Best Uncommons

Orzhov Creatures

In black and white, we have an archetype focused on overpopulating our board. We want cards that create more than one permanent, that care about the number of permanents on the battlefield, or that increase the board's power.

Knight Luminary and Honored Knight-Captain are options to increasing the number of creatures on the battlefield, pairing well with Exosuit Savior to take advantage of enter-the-battlefield (ETB) effects.

Luxknight Breacher can easily enter the battlefield with 3 or 4 counters, making it a potential finisher for the archetype.

Susurian Voidborn is a way to guarantee more damage from creatures that died this turn, and can be combined with Timeline Culler to deliver more attacks while draining life from the opponent.

Dual-Sun Adepts is a way to use excess mana to boost your attacks.

Dubious Delicacy is an excellent removal tool that can be used as a combat trick or as direct damage. Decode Transmissions not only redraws cards but also allows you to deal direct damage if Void is active.

Elegy Acolyte provides card draw and tokens in the end step, if the void requirements are met. Syr Vondam, the Lucent provides a power boost, giving deathtouch to other creatures, and allowing for a good attack against large creatures.

Vote Out is an excellent removal in the archetype, allowing summoning sick creatures to be used to pay its cost, thus removing a blocker and keeping pressure on the opponent.

Best Commons

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Boros Station

In white and red, we have an archetype that seeks to activate the Stations of our permanents. To do this, we'll need cards that have bonuses when creatures are tapped.

Sami, Ship's Engineer is an important piece, since we can create creatures while activating Station. We'll also need Spacecrafts, preferably early-game ones, to accelerate our plan.

Wedgelight Rammer creates a body that can activate Station right away. Lumen-Class Frigate has a very easy-to-achieve first ability, boosting our board and making it easier to place future charge counters.

The Seriema allows you to tutor a threat, making it easy to place the counters needed to activate it's creature mode. Warmaker Gunship can be used as removal, having a balanced activation cost and being another useful option for the archetype.

Galvanizing Sawship can break the opponent's game in half, as it only needs three counters to become a creature, and with haste, it has a good chance of dealing damage.

Drill too Deep has a good chance of surprising opponents by placing charge counters, in addition to being able to destroy an opponents' spacecraft.

Frontline War-Rager can take advantage of the counter-gaining mechanic, increasing the number of counters it can place on spacecrafts.

One way to close out games in style is with Dawnsire, Sunstar Dreadnought. Get it to 10 counters and finish by placing the last 10 with Systems Override, allowing you to attack for 20 and remove potential blockers.

Sami, Wildcat Captain, despite its high cost, allows you to play spells with a cost reduction based on the artifacts you control, making it a good option to build your deck around.

Best Commons

Best Uncommons

Selesnya +1/+1 Counter

In white and green, we have a very straightforward archetype, focusing on play creatures, power up them, and attack.

So, our backbone will be creatures that place +1/+1 counters + pieces that interact with counters, or, if possible, cards that do both.

Haliya, Ascendant Cadet is the main example: it provides card draw, places counters when it enters and when it attacks. It's a flagship for the archetype.

Loading Zone is another interesting piece for the archetype, doubling the counters that would be placed, and also useful with charge counters on Spacecrafts or Planets.

Terrasymbiosis is another very useful permanent, providing a significant card advantage mechanic. Other creatures that can power up your entire board, such as Drix Fatemaker or Meltstrider Eulogist, are also interesting pieces.

Cards with Warp that place counters are also good, since we can use them twice. Rayblade Trooper and Broodguard Elite are some examples.

Seedship Agrarian is an option to accelerate mana and gain counters in the process.

Dual-Sun Technique is a combat trick that can end games, especially when combined with Drix Fatemaker to disrupt the opponent's blocks.

Best Commons

Best Uncommons

Dimir Artifact Control

In blue and black, we have an archetype focused on board control, generating advantage through artifacts.

We look for cards that care about artifacts, as well as artifacts that have multiple effects.

Cryogen Relic, besides providing card advantage, gives us time by putting a stun counter on an opponent's creature. Dubious Delicacy is another interesting piece.

Steelswarm Operator is a good way to develop your mana, allowing us to play artifacts ahead of the curve, and Mechan Assembler can be a good ramp option, allowing us to develop the board by adding more artifacts with its ability.

Virus Beetle is a good way to attack the opponent's hand, providing a body to chump block, and also upping your artifact count.

Monoist Circuit-Feeder has potential to be a game-definer, dealing significant damage and removing blockers.

Fell Gravship is an interesting option to return key creatures, and has lifelink and flying after Station requirements are met.

Emissary Escort is an interesting piece, it becomes much more aggressive as the game progresses, but also serves as protection in the early game, very useful when combined with Atomic Microsizer. However, we should be aware of it's fragility due to the low toughness, so play it only when you know the opponent lacks resources to answer it.

Dauntless Scrapbot serves many purposes, dealing with the opponent's graveyard and creating an artifact that allows you to search for land, making it a good mana fixing option.

Mm'menon, the Right Hand, in addition to increasing our resources, increases available mana to play creatures exiled with Warp, such as Mechanozoa.

Starfield Vocalist is a good option for boosting the ETBs of our artifacts.

Another important aspect is the removal, and Gravkill is probably the main removal in black, making it a much-needed addition to the archetype.

Embrace Oblivion allows you to use redundant artifacts to answer your opponent's problematic creatures, and its low mana cost brings great tempo value. Tragic Trajectory is another interesting removal, especially when Void is active.

The key to the archetype is balance between removal and the setup pieces.

Best Commons

Best Uncommons

Izzet Artifact Aggro

Unlike the previous archetype, blue and red have a more aggressive game plan, while also using artifacts to increase damage.

Mm'menon, Uthros Exile is a real engine for the archetype, increasing the power of our creatures. Plasma Bolt is a very good removal, especially when Void is enabled.

Kavaron Harrier is a very aggressive card, allowing for high-damage on turn 2, in addition to activating Void at the end of combat with its ability.

Rust Harvester is excellent to connect early damage, and then close it out with burn to the face. Oreplate Pangolin is very interesting in the archetype, allowing for a rapid scaling.

Pinnacle Emissary is a very synergistic card, and its warp only enhances the strategy, allowing it to take advantage of some low-cost artifacts to expand the board.

Memorial Team Leader allows increased damage for a game plan focused on wide boards, and Warp guarantees mana for other spells on the same turn, potentially closing out the game this way.

Tezzeret, Cruel Captain has great synergy with the archetype, increasing the board's power and increasing its Loyalty counters, allowing us to use the ultimate after a few turns. Furthermore, it can provide more charge for Spacecrafts, growing artifact creatures and untapping them to place more counters.

Nanoform Sentinel is excellent for this type of plan, being able to add many counters the turn itenters the field.

Dawnsire, Sunstar Dreadnought is a very strong option within the archetype, where with the right setup it's possible to activate all of its Station abilities the following turn.

Systems Override gives you charge counters out of nowhere, allowing you to overburden your opponent's defenses, or even take control of their Spacecrafts. Drill Too Deep is another way to accelerate Station counters, and can be done at instant speed.

Best Commons

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Simic Ramp

In blue and green, we have a strategy focused on ramp and big creatures, and focus on cards that create Lander Tokens.

Edge Rover is an excellent starting option, being very efficient in buying time to setup while also creating Lander Tokens. Galactic Wayfarer, Dauntless Scrapbot, and Biomechan Engineer are good ways to create more Lander tokens to use with Larval Scoutlander, significantly advancing the available mana.

Eumidian Terrabotanist is a good blocker, and also gains life with its landfall ability, buying us time to develop our game.

Starfield Vocalist enhances the ramp strategy that is tied to ETB, especially landfalls. Eusocial Engineering can take advantage of the ramp strategy by making tokens while giving you more land drops.

Harmonious Grovestrider and Glacier Godmaw are good ramp options.

Starwinder is a way to replenish your resources and can also be a finisher.

Mouth of the Storm is an excellent option, significantly reducing opponents' attack and providing a very good body.

Best Commons

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Rakdos Void

In black and red, the archetype will focus on Sacrifice and Warp as Void enablers to enhance our permanents.

Interceptor Mechan is the type of permanent we need: it returns an artifact or creature from the graveyard, replenishes our resources, and increases its power when Void is active.

Embrace Oblivion is an excellent removal within the archetype.

Elegy Acolyte allows us to keep the engines running by creating a creature when we activate Void.

Fell Gravship is important to recover resources spent on sacrifices. Gravpack Monoist and Timeline Culler are options to sacrifice, allowing us to reuse resources, and Virus Beetle can also be a sacrifice outlet, since its main job is to attack the opponent's hand.

Susurian Voidborn is excellent in this archetype, connecting damage to opponents and gaining life. Umbral Collar Zealot is a guaranteed sacrifice mechanic without relying on any other effects.

Swarm Culler gives card advantage through sacrifices when it attacks. Full Bore is an interesting combat trick that allows creatures summoned with Warp to attack on the same turn.

Melded Moxite is a good option in the archetype: in addition to cycling the hand, it allows you to activate the sacrifice mechanic itself. Memorial Vault is another way to generate resources while developing the sacrifice mechanic.

Weapons Manufacturing allows us a more artifact-centric plan, providing us artifacts we want to sacrifice anyway to deal damage. It's a particularly strong card within the archetype.

Slagdrill Scrapper allows for continuous card draw, being another important piece to the archetype.

Rust Harvester has the potential to finish games, since we'll have a graveyard filled with resources, allowing us to accumulate damage while we search for more cards to continue developing the game.

Systems Override is like a removal in the archetype, stealing the opponent's permanent (artifact or creature) and then sacrificing it. Voidforged Titan allows us to cycle cards and activate the sacrifice mechanic.

Alpharael, Stonechosen is a very aggressive option, cutting the opponent's life in half and allowing us to close the game with some burn, such as Decode Transmissions or Plasma Bolt.

Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist is another way to gain resources and maintain the sacrifice plan.

Best Commons

Best Uncommons

Golgari Graveyard

In black and green, we have an archetype that cares about the graveyard. We want spells that mill our deck and spells that return permanents from the graveyard to the field or hand.

Seedship Broodtender checks all the boxes: self-mill, and sacrifices itself to reanimate a creature. Icetill Explorer enables ramp, allows us to play lands from the graveyard, and has a mill landfall, helping our setup. This is undoubtedly a fundamental piece for the archetype, opening up several gameplans.

Scrounge for Eternity is a good way to reanimate an impactful creature, such as Harmonious Grovestrider, Germinating Wurm, Alpharael, Stonechosen, or Voidforged Titan.

Fell Gravship is quite interesting, helping with mill and bringing permanents back into the game. Pull Through the Weft is another relevant card, increasing land availability and recovering resources.

Otherwise, our archetype will behave like a midrange, utilizing removal in the early game until we can setup our game plan.

In parallel, there's also a ramp subtheme within the archetype, allowing us to move toward larger creatures, such as Famished Worldsire, which provides 3 counters for each sacrificed land, and Glacier Godmaw, which has a landfall that allows us to power up all our creatures.

In any case, for a more midrange ramp plan, the strategy is somewhat similar to Simic's, and to Dimir's removal plan.

Best Commons

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Gruul Landfall

In red and green, we have an archetype that cares about land drops, but unlike Simic, in this combination we look for more aggressive creatures.

We want creatures with Landfall that boost damage, expand the board, or create Landers to help us play more lands.

Biotech Specialist brings interaction to Lander Tokens, with some artifact sacrifice in the archetype, but in this case focused on ramp.

Tannuk, Memorial Ensign takes advantage of the ramp, dealing damage with the first land drop and drawing cards with the second. Seedship Agrarian is another good option, creating the token and increasing its power as we play lands.

Remnant Elemental, Icecave Crasher, and Mightform Harmonizer are some aggressive options in order to setup good attacks.

Eumidian Terrabotanist is a way to gain some life and keep the pressure without worrying about counterattacks, giving us advantage in a damage race.

Orbital Plunge becomes a good removal in the archetype, removing the opponent's creature while creating a token.

Kav Landseeker is another ramp option.

Memorial Team Leader is a very strong card for aggressive strategies, boosting damage.

Best Commons

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Removals are always a pivotal point in Limited, so let's see the main option on each color.

Colorless

This set's removals are very expensive, which makes them unplayable in most cases.

Dawnsire, Sunstar Dreadnought is the best to think of as a removal; the others require enormous setup to be effective.

White

Among the white removal, Seam Rip is perhaps the one most likely to appear in constructed formats, as is Pinnacle Starcage.

In Limited, these are ineffective cards for the format, since the key creatures tend to be larger.

Reroute Systems is a versatile removal and can be used as protection if necessary.

Banishing Light is tried-and-true efficient removal, nothing new to add.

Blue

In blue, we only have two ways to deal with opponents' creatures. Other options involve counterspells and tempo plays, such as stun or bounce.

Cryoshatter becomes an interesting way to deal with certain creatures, since tapping an opponent's creature or taking any damage will destroy it. It's a new kind of removal for blue.

Black

Among black cards, the most relevant removal is Archenemy's Charm: its versatility is crucial for long, grind out games.

Depressurize is a very good removal, dealing with creatures with 3 power or less—that is, dealing with 76% of the format.

Vote Out is a highlight for its capacity to be cast without mana by using convoke.

Tragic Trajectory with Void active deals with all creatures in the set. Without Void, it only deals with 42.45% of the set.

Red

In red, Plasma Bolt stands out because it's a three-damage removal for one mana, dealing with 66.19% of the creatures in the set, which is excellent value. It can also be used as burn in the late game.

Orbital Plunge also stands out because it can deal with 97.84% of the creatures in the set and has a 94.96% chance of creating a token.

The main way to fix mana in the set are the Lander tokens, which also provide ramp. Therefore, we have a few cards in each color that create these tokens.

Artifacts

All-Fates Scroll functions as a mana rock, since you can use it right away after you play it.

The token dropped by Dauntless Scrapbot allows us to ramp and fix our mana.

Lands

We have allied Shock Lands, and Command Bridge which makes any color, and nothing besides these.

The new mechanics bring a very different gameplay from what we're used to, especially when it comes to Spacecrafts. The limited availability of mana fixing doesn't allow for much creativity, but I believe that with two lands that generate any color, it's easy to create a splash for a third color.

Which of these Archetypes seems most interesting to you?

For me, the most interesting one is Izzet, since it seems versatile, makes good use of the card pool, and has plenty of interactions to work with.

If you have any questions, or any feedback, let me know in the comments below!

See you in the next article!