Pioneer Set Review: Edge of Eternities

Edge of Eternities is right around the corner. Magic: The Gathering's space opera set and the card game's last in-universe set of 2025 will be released on August 1st, bringing with it both the Standard rotation and some important new features for other formats.

With the previews over, we begin our review season for the new set for Magic's main competitive formats, and in this article, we present the best cards in the set for Pioneer.

Cosmogrand Zenith screams "Humans" in every line of text, but I have a hard time imagining the current version of the archetype getting the most out of this card in the coming weeks.

It's closer to Monastery Mentor or even Cori-Steel Cutter, which are best used in archetypes with cantrips and cheap interaction. Mentor is probably a better option in the white three-drop slot for archetypes interested in it, but Zenith has its own advantages.

Boros Heroic has been absent from the format since the ban on Amalia Benavides Aguirre, but it still occasionally shows up in leagues and ranked matches. Dual Sun-Technique interacts well with most creatures in the list, offering a way to close out games and/or further pressure the opponent while replenishing itself in the owner's hand.

Its mana cost should limit its place, but it's worth mentioning.

Exalted Sunborn does a bit of everything Mono White Caretaker needs: it doubles the board's tokens, poses a threat on its own, especially against aggro, has evasion, and demands an immediate answer to prevent a snowball.

It competes with Elspeth, Storm Slayer for maindeck slots, but there may be room for both in Standard and Pioneer.

Despite not being an angel, Haliya, Guided by Light is a source of consistent card advantage for the Selesnya Angels that we can find with Collected Company or Kayla's Reconstruction. It may deserve sideboard slots.

A Defiant Strike which trades instant speed for a permanent power boost, could be worth a few slots in Pioneer's Heroic lists. The only times it seems like a worse card are if we want to manipulate the opponent's blocking math or if we need to use our cantrips on the opponent's creatures to find another threat.

Despite its creature type, Lightstall Inquisitor competes against mana dorks in Selesnya Angels / Selesnya Company, and both are archetypes that want to cast cards that cheat on mana costs rather than play it.

It may appear in some sideboards, but doesn't seem like a staple for Pioneer.

Portable Hole is a staple, and depending on your list, having extra copies of it is exactly what you need to deal with Red Aggro or other archetypes with cheap permanents. or if an enchantment version with the same effect may be more beneficial for your interactions, such as in lists with Calix, Guided by Fate and/or Optimistic Scavenger.

Seam Rip also dodges from Pinnacle Starcage, and both cards together may create a more effective combination of cheap answers than Temporary Lockdown and Portable Hole due to their "nonbo".

There aren't many decks that want this kind of effect these days, but Starfield Shepherd is an extremely flexible card for securing the next turn's land drop or a cheap threat to play on the board. Currently, its best targets are relatively conditional, but power creep or potential future combos could make it an excellent creature tutor in the future.

Stock Up hasn't become as much of a staple in Pioneer as it has in other formats due to the presence of Dig Through Time and Treasure Cruise, but Consult the Star Charts seems like an undeniable replacement for Omen of the Sea or even Dig Through Time in Azorius/Dimir Control lists, as it quickly scales to outperform them or even Impulse as the game goes on.

Honorable mention.

Desculpting Blast is a tremendous Tempo play for two mana, being virtually a 1/1 with Flying that returns a creature to the opponent's hand. This token can then enable the Ninjutsu of cards like Kaito, Bane of Nightmares or Moon-Circuit Hacker in Dimir Ninjas, and while it doesn't offer any added value, having already delayed the opponent's turn and removed an attacking creature from the path is an excellent tempo play on its own.

Emissary Escort seems like the kind of card that might find a spot alongside Metalwork Colossus as a complementary threat that will win games if it's not blocked and/or if we keep the board empty. It deserves some testing, especially since it also interacts so well with Leyline Axe.

I want to say good things about Illvoi Galeblade and its potential in Dimir Ninjas, but Faerie Miscreant and Mockingbird are already great one-drops for the archetype, and it's hard to defend a 1/1 with Flying which is worse than Spectral Sailor in the format. Better to try it out in Pauper, I guess.

Starfield Vocalist seems like the cheapest Panharmonicon effect Pioneer has ever had, at least with its Warp ability, so it deserves a mention for potential ETB interactions we could have with it in the future.

Synthesizer Labship is easy to activate with any combination of common one-drops in Ensoul Artifact decks, and the moment it gains two counters, we'll always have a 2/2 with Flying on the board threatening the opponent, which can be stacked every turn to pressure the opponent.

It shouldn't take the deck to Tier 1, but it's a good addition at a decent cost that interacts with all the mechanics of a well-known archetype.

Alpharael, Stonechosen has a combo with Bloodletter of Aclazotz similar to Unstoppable Slasher, except that a nonland permanent must leave the battlefield the turn it attacks—relatively easy in a black deck—and requires two extra turns, but with a major protection ability.

Being a 3/3 for five mana isn't that great considering it's on reach of cards like Fiery Impulse and Torch the Tower, but it also bypasses Fatal Push, so we'll likely see it in some lists in the next few weeks.

Archenemy's Charm can be seen as a mini-Gix's Command that functions as efficient removal for three mana, while its other abilities work against aggro, control, and midrange.

It's worth considering whether Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is enough to include the new spell in Mono Black Midrange/Mono Black Demons while still maintaining access to Mutavault. Perhaps even Rakdos Midrange could fit a copy or two, but the deckbuilding tradeoffs can be an issue for variants that aren't suited to playing with Invoke Despair.

Sunset Saboteur has an aggressive body and protects itself by taking away an opponent's resurce. It requires a very fast clock or a list full of removals to compensate for its drawback, but it may deserve some testing in lists with Cecil, Dark Knight and Dark Confidant combined with cheap interactions.

Al Bhed Salvagers is seeing some play in Pioneer today in Golgari Food lists, and Susurian Voidborn has a similar effect by trading an extra point of toughness for a cheap alternative cost.

Being able to play it for only one mana means establishing better setups for a combo-kill or for multiple micro-interactions in the same turn with Cauldron Familiar and Witch's Oven, so it could find a home in the format's Sacrifice lists.

Timeline Culler is a difficult to deal with aggressive two-drop in black and also an excellent enabler for Void, which are important for the next two cards in the review.

Temporal Intervention can function as extra copies of Thoughtseize with a combination of Witch's Oven and Cauldron Familiar, or with Warp abilities like Timeline Culler and/or cheap interactions like Fatal Push and Torch the Tower.

Due to its conditional cost, it doesn't seem like any list will run it instead of Duress as a complementary discard to Thoughtseize, but with the current Metagame where Mono Red Lynx is the best deck in the format, it's possible that Temporal Manipulation could even earn some slots instead of its predecessor on specific lists.

Like Temporal Intervention, Tragic Trajectory can deal with virtually any creature with the right concessions, reminiscent of Tragic Slip, which doesn't exist in Pioneer. It shouldn't replace Fatal Push, but might be worth trying out a few copies.

It seems that Wizards of the Coast has come to the conclusion that go-wide aggro can't exist in Pioneer, and/or they've become too concerned about the kind of impact that decks like Boros Convoke or Abzan Amalia have had on the format.

Zero Point Ballad is one of the most powerful sweepers black has received in Pioneer, and while it doesn't seem well-positioned in the current Metagame for caring about toughness instead of mana value—which matters in an environment with Unholy Annex—it could become a potential sideboard staple for any black midrange and/or Dimir Control.

Copying an Unholy Annex token twice with Devastating Onslaught will probably be enough to win games, and there are a dozen other possibilities this card enables with large creatures and/or with ETB effects.

Interestingly, I imagine this card being a useful payoff for Gruul Ramp, Eldrazi, or even lists with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx if we add a splash of to the list and copy cards like Cavalier of Thorns, Reality Smasher, among others.

Like Tragic Trajectory, there are plenty of ways to turn Plasma Bolt into Chain Lightning during your turn and with your own cards, but its scope is so limited when it comes to dealing with creatures that it would require many concessions to properly run it in the right decks, like Burn or Prowess, so my expectations for this card seem low.

Tannuk, Steadfast Second's ability can be used alongside Ureni, the Song Unending, Dragonlord Atarka, Portal to Phyrexia, Cityscape Leveler, Progenitus, Skitterbeam Battalion, and several other red creatures and artifacts to cheat on mana costs.

It has the potential to enable new archetypes and is a good reason to consider other routes we can take with red archetypes in Pioneer, but needing a turn to untap and start paying Warp costs might be a bit much for the current Metagame.

Terminal Velocity is the closest thing to Through the Breach in Pioneer so far. It interacts primarily with Worldspine Wurm, where it attacks for 15 with Trample and Haste, deals 11 damage to the board when it leaves the battlefield, and we can set up triggers to first clear the board and then put the 5/5 tokens into play.

It wasn't a card we paid much attention to in previews, but now it seems like an enabler for a new archetype in Pioneer and one worth exploring. since it guarantees a two-card combo that wins the game in up to two turns.

This card also has a lock combo with Bearer of the Heavens, but there aren't enough indestructible permanents to build a deck around this interaction.

Frenzied Baloth doesn't seem to have a predefined slot in Pioneer currently. Its main function at this point is to protect creature-based combos, which currently boil down to Greasefang, Okiba Boss or Ygra, Eater of All.

Its biggest advantage is being a useful target for Chord of Calling and similar effects, which could be relevant if we see another combo deck similar to Abzan Amalia in the future. Even then, it will likely share a slot with Voice of Victory.

Mono Green Landfall has been performing well in Standard, and it's possible this deck will eventually find a place in Pioneer. While there are already plenty of cards that double their own power, the possibility of including a 4/4 that can become a 16/16 with any Fetch Land could offer another powerful win condition and one that can be more easily enabled in a format with eight mana dorks.

Along with Cauldron Familiar, Biotech Specialist turns sacrificed Food tokens into a Shock, and also interacts with Deadly Dispute or Bloodtithe Harvester. It could be worth some testing in Jund Food.

I don't know if Cosmogoyf has the same potential in Pioneer that I see in Modern or even Legacy due to the lack of cards like Psychic Frog and the low propensity for Abhorrent Oculus in the format, but Sultai Tempo lists with Treasure Cruise are a good starting point to get the most out of this card, perhaps combined with other cheap threats in this color combination like Cecil, Dark Knight.

Another option for it is alongside Soulflayer or even as a complementary threat in Abzan Greasefang lists, where we expect the opponent to include cards like Rest in Peace to permanently lock down the combo.

There's plenty of support for a +1/+1 counter list in , and Dyadrine, Synthesis Amalgam now offers an excellent payoff for this strategy when used alongside Hardened Scales and creatures like Experiment One or even Scavenging Ooze, turning the extra counters on these cards into more draws and bodies on the board.

Although there were many attempts, Scales never performed well in Pioneer, so I have doubts about how far Dyadrine and other cards that interact with this mechanic in the set can go in the format, but it's a good time to revisit it.

Infinite Guideline Station seems like a decent one-of in Bring to Light lists, which naturally runs many multicolored creatures. Since most of them have high power and the artifact itself already puts tokens on the board, turning it into a creature doesn't require much effort, and having a constant source of card advantage every combat in an archetype that already functions as a value pile makes it worthy of some testing.

The new Tezzeret is... interesting. Its main function in Pioneer will likely involve its second ability to search for artifacts with a mana value of one or less, including cards like Pithing Needle, Soul-Guide Lantern, Haywire Mite, or combo tools like Colossus Hammer, ensuring even more consistency for the archetype, but with problems fitting into the list due to sharing slots with other tutors that are also creatures to attach the hammer.

It doesn't seem to work as well as in other non-rotating formats, but it has enough mechanical similarities to Urza's Saga that it should warrant some testing in archetypes that already run a decent amount of artifacts on their list.

It's a good thing Karn, the Great Creator was banned from Pioneer, or The Dominion Bracelet would be the equivalent of a Mindslaver lock in the format. Without it, it doesn't seem like the new equipment has much room to affect the Metagame outside a few very specific situations.

With the right interactions and board, it's possible to reach a point where it becomes impossible for an opponent to deal 10 damage in a single turn, where The Endstone becomes a locki piece and a constant source of card advantage.

Due to its high mana value, it shouldn't see much play at the moment, especially since Aggro decks in the current Metagame can easily deal 10 or more damage with a combination of Heartfire Hero and Monstrous Rage and/or with Sunspine Lynx.

Slivers still need more support in Pioneer, and Thrumming Hivepool should motivate some lists with cards like Galerider Sliver and Predatory Sliver, along with some copy effects like Mockingbird to add consistency and lower the mana costs of playing the new artifact.

Other relevant cards available in the format include Diffusion Sliver for protection, Striking Sliver for First Strike, and Syphon Sliver for Lifelink, as well as Sliver Hivelord for Indestructible. Combined with some Changelings like Masked Vandal and lands like Cavern of Souls and Sliver Hive, it's worth considering how far we can go with this archetype.

I have trouble imagining that any of the Planets could see play in Pioneer, which may be attributed to my general skepticism about the potential of Station' being worth the effort of losing one or more turns of combat damage.

The only one that seems mechanically viable for the format today is Susur Secundi, Void Altar, whose activated ability interacts well with both black midrange and Sacrifice decks and offers a major recurring card advantage, while its life cost can be easily offset with Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.

Evendo, Waking Haven may find space in lists like Elves—which aren't competitively viable today—but it seems to do less for the archetype than cards like Three Tree City or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, and entering tapped doesn't help in that regard.

Secluded Starforge may gain more space in the future if artifact-based archetypes gain enough support or if we happen to have colorless ramp sources similar to the Urza's Lands in the future, especially if those involve artifacts as well.

That's all for today!

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

Thanks for reading!