Shadows Over Innistrad Remastered not only returns a fan favorite horror-themed set toMagicbut provides an interesting new twist on Arena drafts in order to try and keep the format from becoming stale.
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Due to the speed with which players can run through drafts on Magic Arena, it’s often the case that people tire of a format rather quickly. Shadows seeks to remedy this problem with a rotating pool of cards. Introductions aside, let’s take a look at some tips to success in Shadows.
7An Evolving Limited Format
Every week, 24 cards will rotate out of the format and be replaced with 24 different ones. While this might not seem like a very large number in comparison to the total number of cards in the draft pool, it makes a huge difference.
This is especially true due to the rotating cards being some very powerful picks including Spider Spawning, Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Travel Preparations, Fiery Temper, and more. It’s a good idea to take a look at the cards currently in the format before drafting as it will give you a better picture of what kinds of decks are best supported that week.
6Rares Are Everywhere
Some of the previously mentioned cards in the rotating pool are in every pack opened, and occasionally, these rotating cards will be of rare or mythic rare quality. As a result, there are a lot of rares floating around in this format.
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This means that the power level of decks will generally be higher as players have access to a larger quantity of strong cards. Nonetheless, don’t fall into the trap of forcing a color or deck just because you open a great rare.
5It’s All About Synergy
Speaking of avoiding the rare drafting trap, this format is very synergy heavy. If your deck doesn’t have a clear game plan by the end of the draft, chances are it’s not going to take you very far.
Some of the best synergies in the set include madness, delirium, and creature types. Creature types specifically are very important in this set as there are many cards that go from unplayable to very good based on whether you have enough of a certain creature type (around 10 cards).
4Watch Out For Signpost Enchantments
Strangely enough, there are a lot of verystrong enchantmentsin this set that you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for during the draft. Picking up one of these enchantments as your fourth or fifth pick is usually a good sign that the color is open.
These enchantments include Bound by Moonsilver, Call the Bloodline, Crawling Sensation, and Ongoing Investigation. As you can see, each enchantment leans itself towards a certain strategy which provides you with additional information as to the kind of deck you should be aiming to build.
3Removal Matters More Than Usual
As previously mentioned, there are a lot of rares in this set. As you might expect, many of these rares are creatures. As a result,removalis even more important in Shadows than in most draft environments.
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The power level of some of the creatures in this set is so high that they threaten to win the game on their own if not answered quickly. Cards like this include Tireless Tracker, Mindwrack Demon, Sin Prodder, and many more.
It’s worth noting that Removal should always be valued highly in Draft, but this is doubly true for the Shadows format.
2Avoid Playing Red White
Unfortunately, not every color combination in draft formats is a winner. As far as Shadows is concerned, the big loser here is Boros (Red/White).
While these two colors have the highest number of super low-to-the-ground threats, they don’t pack enough of a punch to push through the creatures and value that other colors present.
One-drops are notoriously not very good in draft, and Boros suffers from having too many creatures in the one-drop category. While you would be tempted to think that one-drop cards like Village Messenger and Thraben Inspector are good enough to make it work, trust us when we tell you that they don’t.
1Green White Humans Is Great
Despite Boros being terrible, Selesnya (Green/White) Humans is actually one of the best and most readily available decks in the format. There areHumans everywhereas common rarity cards in this set, and many of them are stocked with extra value.
Additionally, the uncommon Humans like x and x are so good that in a deck filled with enough Humans, they almost feel like they are as powerful as Rares.
It should also be noted that any Green White Human drafter should try and get their hands on a copy of True-Faith Censer. This common rarity equipment will turn every creature you play into a sizable threat while also making it difficult for your opponent to race thanks to vigilance.
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