Duskmourn Limited Guide - Draft, Sealed and Prerelease

After a lot of changes in multiple formats happening in the last few months, it's time for another set and a new Prerelease.

In this article we'll focus on Limited strategy, interactions between mechanics, archetypes, manabases and removals available for Draft and Sealed.

Duskmourn is a plane overtook by a house, so its walls and doors are reshaped, and its inhabitants are a constant threat to the unwise that dare venture in its premises.

So, we have a new set that promises a unique gameplay experience with new mechanics and the return of Delirium.

Let's be extra careful with whatever awaits us on each room, and explore the mechanics that'll keep us alive on our path.

Duskmourn Mechanics

The new mechanics of the set can be studied in this article from our judge Antônio Faillace, in a more detailed explanation.

Duskmourn Archetypes

Azorius Eerie Tempo

In the blue and white combination we'll have an archetype that aims to take advantage of enchantments, especially rooms, making plays that delay the opponent's development while progressing your own.

Therefore, we want cards that take advantage of enchantments on the field and cards that help playing our enchantments.

Inquisitive Glimmer is not only a good on-curve creature, it also reduces enchantment costs and costs to unlock Rooms, speeding up your game.

Gremlin Tamer allows for board increase, providing blockers to control the game on the early turns.

Overlord of the Floodpits and Overlord of the Mistmoors are examples of creatures that balance the archetype, since they are not only enchantments but extremely strong creatures in the game's progression.

Trapped in the Screen is the best removal for the archetype and having ward makes it extra difficult to be removed, potentially causing lots of problems for the opponent - all while triggering Eerie from our creatures.

Ghostly Dancers, Optimistic Scavenger and Entity Tracker are the best options to take advantage of the archetype's mechanics.

Scrabbling Skullcrab is a real option if you happen upon many copies in your pool. With 4 or more, it is possible to consistently win by milling your opponent.

Grand Entryway // Elegant Rotunda is a Room that helps us develop our game, since you need little mana to obtain its effects, and at the same time you are making another enchantment and growing your creatures.

Bottomless Pool // Locker Room and Meat Locker // Drowned Diner are good options to delay your opponent's game and develop yours in the early game, and recycles your hand on the lategame.

Finally, we have Ethereal Armor as an option to close the game by taking advantage of the enchantments on the field.

Best Common Cards

Best Uncommon Cards

Orzhov Reanimator

In the black and white combination we have an archetype focused on bringing creatures from the graveyard to the battlefield.

For this we will need cards like Valgavoth's Faithful, Live or Die, Rite of the Moth or Victor, Valgavoth's Seneschal

Now that we know our reanimation spells, we need ways to fill the graveyard. Overlord of the Balemurk is one way to do this, in addition to being a strong creature once the last time counter is removed, an all-around excellent card for the archetype.

Fanatic of the Harrowing lets us fill our graveyard, attack our opponent's hand and even replace the cards we discarded.

Other way to keep the strategy flowing is with the manifest dread mechanic, like with Unsettling Twins, Innocuous Rat and Killer's Mask

We must also make a point about worthy reanimation targets in our graveyard.

Overlord of the Mistmoors is an excellent option - in addition to being a really significant creature, its ability to create evasive threats makes it very promising.

Doomsday Excruciator, Valgavoth, Terror Eater and Vile Mutilator are the main targets of the archetype, having very impactful effects and strenght on the table, all very game-ending.

Spectral Snatcher and Shepherding Spirits are other options. Although not as strong, the fact that they put themselves in the graveyard while correcting our mana curve is very efficient for the archetype.

Shroudstomper is another excellent option, a constant growing threat on the table, offering card advantage and draining life from the opponent.

Best Common Cards

Best Uncommon Cards

Boros Aggro

In the colors red and white we have an aggro archetype that will care about the number of creatures on the table and with low power, so we'll look for creatures that take advantage of this synergy and are very aggressive.

Arabella, Abandoned Doll is an excellent way to increase accumulated damage, potentially stealing games.

Enduring Innocence makes our resources endless, always feeding back the creatures we cast.

Enchantment creatures are a good option, since we have access to Ethereal Armor, which can out of nowhere completely change the opponent's damage count.

Furthermore, cards with the Eerie mechanic can be used to strengthen the archetype, enhancing our board.

Lionheart Glimmer can be an excellent way to increase damage, being a good option to close out the game.

Overlord of the Mistmoors provides 2 creatures with evasion, also being in itself a considerable future threat.

Another option for the archetype are creatures with the Survival ability. As we intend to keep putting pressure on the opponent, being able to have creatures that reward you for surviving combat can be decisive in the late stages of the game.

Acrobatic Cheerleader and Reluctant Role Model are good options within this strategy.

Fear of Missing Out, if you can activate Delirium early, will provide decisive extra attacks to finish the game.

Toby, Beastie Befriender combined with other ways of creating tokens, mainly Midnight Mayhem, allows evasive threats that make it difficult for opponents to clear the board.

Best Common Cards

Best Uncommon Cards

Selesnya Survival

In the colors white and green we have an archetype focused on Survival (the mechanic), with the goal to make our creatures begin our second main phase tapped, thus generating new effects.

A good way is using creatures that tap others, or using vehicles.

Hedge Shredder, Enduring Vitality, Coordinated Clobbering, Unidentified Hovership and The Wandering Rescuer are some of the options for us to tap creatures without depending on combat.

Veteran Survivor, Acrobatic Cheerleader, Reluctant Role Model and Shrewd Storyteller are very aggressive options and can provide a lot of damage in the early game.

Savior of the Small allows us to bring early-game creatures from the graveyard back to hand, increasing our available resources.

Rip, Spawn Hunter helps us find more creatures to continue development of our game.

House Cartographer allows us to find land drops, preventing us from running out of land to progress.

Baseball Bat is very useful to remove possible blockers and maintain pressure.

Monstrous Emergence is an excellent removal, and the damage it deals can be based on a creature in our hand, if we want so. This way we avoid one of the biggest problems with green removals.

Kona, Rescue Beastie allows us to create a strategy focused on larger creatures, such as Slavering Branchsnapper, Overlord of the Mistmoors or Shepherding Spirits.

Best Common Cards

Best Uncommon Cards

Dimir Eerie Control

In blue and black we have an archetype that will take advantage of enchantment synergies to hold back more aggressive opponents and develop our game.

Therefore, we will want specific removals, such as Murder, Winter’s Intervention, Withering Torment and Nowhere to Run.

Let’s Play a Game can be a very effective removal against token-making aggro decks, thus being a good sideboard option.

Fear of Infinity is a way to have life gain at the beginning of the game, making aggro decks have trouble continuing with their strategies.

Creatures with a good body and abilities such as lifelink and deathtouch are also important ways to control the game.

Kaito, Bane of Nightmares is a strong card in a vacuum: with a good package of removals, and some creatures, it can win the game by itself, stopping the opponent's best creature and getting card advantage, or even just growing itself.

Abhorrent Oculus, even though it depends on a full graveyard, is capable of filling the opposite graveyard, requiring an almost immediate response from the opponent to avoid generating value.

Enduring Curiosity is a way for us to replenish our hand, guaranteeing more resources to control the opponent. For this type of archetype, it is important to have ways to acquire card advantage.

Overlord of the Floodpits is another very good creature for the archetype, dealing evasion damage and drawing cards.

Twist Reality is a good counterspell option, as its versatility allows us to increase the number of creatures, or protect our key cards at the late game.

Best Common Cards

Best Uncommon Cards

Izzet Rooms

In the blue and red colors we have an archetype that will care about rooms on the field and unlocking them.

Aiming to take advantage of rooms that only have some effect when unlocked, we have Intruding Soulrager which converts rooms into damage and card draw, replacing a room that would no longer have an impact on the table.

Roaring Furnace // Steaming Sauna is a good early removal, generating card advantage when the blue side is unlocked.

Smoky Lounge // Misty Salon speeds up our game, producing mana and creating threats, and if we manage to explore the available rooms well, we will net considerable value.

Ghostly Keybearer is a key piece for the archetype, its ability to unlock rooms makes us save mana, generating positive value for all other rooms. Combined with Central Elevator // Promising Stairs we are able to speed up the process of winning the game by unlocking the rooms.

Creatures with Eerie will also be significant in the archetype. Entity Tracker is an excellent way to keep drawing cards as we make rooms.

Infernal Phantom and Rampaging Soulrager are aggressive options within the archetype, and can generate a lot of pressure on the opponent.

Glassworks // Shattered Yard is a way to win the game through direct damage, as well as removal. It could be interesting to have a few copies of it in the deck and use a more control-focused line.

Still in this control strategy, we have Pyroclasm being important to deal with opponents' low-cost creatures.

Overlord of the Boilerbilges can be both a removal and direct damage, being a threat to end games where the opponent has low health, so opponents should always take it into account.

Best Common Cards

Best Uncommon Cards

Simic Manifest Dread

In the colors blue and green we'll have an archetype that synergizes with the Manifest Dread mechanic.

Paranormal Analyst is the card with the greatest potential of the archetype, meaning that whenever we use the mechanic, it becomes a form of card advantage, providing fuel to continue developing the game.

Oblivious Bookworm guarantees card selection, but as the game gets going it becomes fuel, guaranteeing one card per turn.

Abhorrent Oculus, on the other hand, becomes stronger when we feed the graveyard, heavily impacting the game as soon as it hits the field.

Hauntwoods Shrieker, in addition to feeding the archetype while it attacks, allows us to turn hidden creatures face-up for just 2 mana, bypassing the creature's mana cost.

Valgavoth’s Onslaught works very well in the lategame, finding the strongest creatures in the deck and increasing our side of the field, breaking standstills.

Threats Around Every Corner is a way to increase land availability and fix the missing mana color. Within the archetype, it allows us to reduce the deck's lands, increasing the efficiency of draws in the lategame.

Best Common Cards

Best Uncommon Cards

Rakdos Sacrifice

In black and red we have the classic Sacrifice. Here we'll look for creatures that benefit from sacrifices and permanents that trigger when they leave the field.

Sawblade Skinripper is a way to keep pressure on the opponent, having the ability to sacrifice while increasing its power, with evasion, and causing damage to creatures or the opponent.

Disturbing Mirth turns on the synergies, replenishes our hand and is also a permanent that does something when sacrificed, generating a body on the battlefield (that can also be sacrificed). This card presents enormous potential within the archetype, allowing it to keep its plan going.

Undead Sprinter and Unstoppable Slasher are good options to sacrifice, as they have the ability to return to the battlefield. When combined with Defiled Crypt // Cadaver Lab we are able to refuel and continue developing our plan.

Razorkin Hordecaller is yet another fuel option for the archetype, providing tokens for sacrifice.

Final Vengeance and Betrayer's Bargain are excellent removal options within the archetype.

Ripchain Razorkin is a way to get around land floods and maintain deck synergy.

And to wrap it up, we have Chainsaw which, after a few turns of sacrifice triggers, can become a real threat, turning any token into a considerable threat that must be blocked.

Best Common Cards

Best Uncommon Cards

Golgari Delirium Midrange

In green and black we will have an archetype that leans more on the midrange, using specific removals to control the initial momentum and develop from the mid to late game. This way, we can take advantage of the effects of Delirium, with a more robust graveyard.

Lands that sacrifice themselves and creatures that have more than one type are very efficient for this archetype, helping accelerate the mechanic.

Drag to the Roots is an excellent removal here, having its cost reduced with delirium activated.

Patchwork Beastie is a very aggressive option, its upkeep ability helps us achieve Delirium earlier and improves all other cards of the archetype along with it.

The Swarmweaver is another very strong option, putting 3 creatures on the field and growing your insects and spiders (also granting deathtouch to them).

Another creature with excellent potential is Omnivorous Flytrap, distributing counters to two creatures, strengthening your side of the field.

Osseous Sticktwister puts your opponent in a lose-lose choice between resources or life points, and if we can increase its power, we can force the opponent to lose even more, improving our game state.

Let’s Play a Game increases significantly in value within the archetype, making it possible to activate all options at the same time with Delirium activated. It's a good option for controlling the opponent's hand, removing small threats and recovering some life.

As for the rest, we'll want a removal package, like Murder or Withering Torment, and use strong creatures in the second phase of the game.

Balustrade Wurm is an excellent option, evading counters and being able to return if removed.

Overlord of the Balemurk is a good option for the deck, accelerating Delirium with its alternative cost, and when it becomes a creature, it presents a body that is very difficult to remove.

Best Common Cards

Best Uncommon Cards

Gruul Delirium Stompy

In red and green we have an archetype that uses Delirium, but aims to put pressure on the opponent's life points, using many high drops.

Unlike the Golgari game plan, in Gruul we'll first establish a board, and then take advantage of Delirium.

Patchwork Beastie, Fear of Missing Out and Wildfire Wickerfolk will be the best early game options.

On the later turns, we'll want to use Omnivorous Flytrap, Balustrade Wurm and Wickerfolk Thresher.

To achieve Delirium, Terramorphic Expanse is an excellent option: it corrects the mana and feeds the graveyard at the same time.

Grab the Prize is another way to put what we need in the graveyard to activate Delirium and keep resources in our hand.

Creatures with a second type are very welcome, such as Clockwork Percussionist or Fear of Being Hunted, helping us reach Delirium.

Another more aggressive option is Attack-in-the-Box which can connect 6 damage and feed the graveyard with 2 types.

Peer Past the Veil is perfect for recovering resources that we spent at the beginning of the game.

Beastie Beatdown is a good removal, strengthening your creature - but it must be used carefully, since it is a potential 2-for-1 to your opponent.

Tyvar, the Pummeler is an aggressive option, which, although it has no synergy with the archetype, gives us the possibility of making our entire table stronger and finish the game.

Best Common Cards

Best Uncommon Cards

Mana fixing

Lands

In the set we have a cycle of duals that enter untapped and generate a second color if we control a specific basic type of land, and Valgavoth’s Lair which is an enchantment land. It is important for decks with Eerie, and we can choose the color we need when it enters.

Within the common rarity, we have dual lands that enter untapped if one player has 13 or less life, and we have the option of Terramorphic Expanse to search for basic lands, making it very easy to find the needed colors in the format.

Artifacts

Keys to the House is an alternate way to adjust your mana. Although not very efficient, it guarantees our land drops.

Haunted Screen provides us with mana of any type, in addition to ramping us up, and can become a strong creature in the future.

Creatures

All forms of mana fixing are in the green. Overgrown Zealot and Twitching Doll are the available "mana dorks", with the other options being through green ramps, such as Overlord of the Hauntwoods and Wickerfolk Thresher.

In addition to them, there is a cycle of creatures with landcycling for each type of basic land.

Best Removals

Removals are very relevant for Limited, and here we will talk about the main ones for each color.

Colorless

There's the advantage of having flash, allowing it to be done in instant speed. It's low cost to cast, but the damage-dealing is a little expensive, and it is an easily accessible removal for any color. It is acceptable when you don't have better options.

White

White has a good variety of removals.

Exorcise has freat versatility, and in a format with several enchantments and enchantment creatures, it has a higher value than other formats.

Fear of Abduction its removal effect is a bonus for its high casting cost. It's not one of the most efficient removals, but it's a creature with evasion and good stats.

Sheltered By Ghosts features a very interesting design; although its risky, once it enters, ward 2 becomes a problem to remove the creature it is attached to, making it possible to find protection or other ways to solve the problem.

Seized from Slumber not being a removal that depends exclusively on the creature being tapped greatly increases its value. Although its cost is high, knowing that it won't be a dead card against creatures with Vigilance makes it viable to use in your deck.

Split Up brings the possibility of selecting what to destroy, which makes it excellent, allowing us to take away the opponent's creatures and keep our own.

Trapped in the Screen is the traditional enchantment-removal, its ward 2 is very significant and in a set where we have several interactions with enchantments, its relevance is even greater.

Blue

Get Out is both a creature and enchantment counter, dealing with the biggest threats of the format and even acts as a bounce spell if the threats are already on the field.

Stay Hidden, Stay Silent is the standard blue removal, but the possibility of removing the creature from the field is excellent, allowing us to deal with creatures that have abilities.

Twist Reality is another counterspell that is versatile, and helo develop your board with Manifest Dread.

Black

In black we'll talk about removals that depend on the creatures' toughness or just different removal-designs.

Come Back Wrong is a great removal, especially for creatures with ETB effects or for use with sacrifice effects.

Let’s Play a Game deals with only 15.97% of the set, making it a good option against aggros.

Live or Die has an interesting design, and can be used both as a reanimation spell and as a removal spell. Despite its high cost, its versatility makes it very interesting.

Nowhere to Run deals with 63.8% of the set, having the advantage of ignoring Hexproof.

Sporogenic Infection is an excellent removal for opponents with few creatures, thus forcing you to sacrifice one of them and leaving the other vulnerable to any combat trade.

Winter’s Intervention has a range of 39.58% of the set, making it a very efficient removal against more aggressive opponents due to the lifegain.

Withering Torment provides us with the versatility of dealing with enchantment, being important in a set with many strong enchantments.

Red

In red we have Pyroclasm to hold the aggros, dealing with 39.58% of the set overall.

Chainsaw has an interesting design, increasing its power as creatures die, reaching 63.9% of the set. Same thing with Scorching Dragonfire, but in this case, the creature is exiled - important for creatures that can come back from the graveyard.

Glassworks // Shattered Yard reaches 82.64% of the set, making it a very efficient removal.

Betrayer's Bargain deals with 94% of the set, whether for 4 mana or 2 mana plus some enchantment that's just laying around and already done its job.

Finally, we have the 6 damage from Impossible Inferno which deals with 97.22% of the set, although it is a very expensive removal.

Green

Break Down the Door, with the value of using Manifest Dread, has a lot of potential, in addition to the various enchantments in the set that are important to answer.

Coordinated Clobbering has a low cost and can use two creatures to deal damage, minimizing the possibility of not removing an opponent's creature. Furthermore, it has a good synergy with the Survival mechanic, making it a good removal if used in the right archetype.

Monstrous Emergence brings the possibility of using a creature from your hand to cause damage, completely changing the effectiveness of the removal, since high-cost cards are relevant even when not cast.

Duskmourn presents a series of interesting mechanics, with creatures of different types and archetypes, having good pieces to revive, versatile cards, aggressive strategies, alternative ways of winning, and an Izzet deck that does not rely on instants and sorceries.

In addition to all of this, we have an excellent mana base, allowing the possibility of using a third color.

All archetypes seem to somehow fit into another. I'm really excited to play this pre-release and drafts!

For you, which archetype seemed more interesting?

Among the archetypes, Izzet Rooms caught my attention due to the possibility of winning just by controlling the game and “opening doors”. My favorite was Boros Aggro, and it's what I hope to be able to use in the Pre-release.

I hope you liked the article!

If you have any questions, you can send them in the comments.