Now that we know the set's mechanics, I'm ready to start speculating on what the Ten Pairs draft themes will be, and maybe suggest how the presumed Ten Gold Uncommons highlight the themes.
WU Vehicles
Last time, RW was the Vehicle pair of choice, but since this time RW likely goes to the Sun Empire and its Dinosaurs, Vehicles will be looking for a new pair. What better pair than WU? Most likely the Legion of Dusk and Brazen Coalition each have Vehicles matter cards representing sea-savvy navigators and shipmakers (someone had to build their ships, right?).
UB Artifacts Matter
We've seen Pirates in blue, black and red, so it only stands to reason that UB will have a Pirate-heavy theme.
UPDATE: As indicated by Deadeye Plunderer, Artifacts Matter will be the UB theme, aided by the abundance of Treasure tokens available to Pirates.
BR Pirate Aggro
We know Raid is coming back as a mechanic aligned with Pirates, and it was last seen as part of the RWB Mardu Horde. It makes perfect sense to have a BR uncommon Pirate with Raid.
UPDATE: Dire Fleet Captain doesn't have Raid, but does a fine job as an enabler.
RG Enraged Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs are in Ixalan, and they are associated with the Enrage mechanic which triggers when they're dealt damage, so it's logical that a RG uncommon Dinosaur will have an Enrage ability.
UPDATE: Raging Swordtooth enables Enraged with a field-wide ping ETB ability.
GW Toughness Matters
Dinosaurs are appearing in red, green, and white, so it makes sense that RW and GW will have Dinosaur-friendly themes as well. This one may be a Human Warrior with a Dinosaur tribal effect, to reflect how the Sun Empire tames Dinosaurs.
UPDATE: Militant Dinosaur is indeed a Dinosaur, with a toughness matters theme.
WB Vampire Tokens
Vampires appear in white and black, and their main theme is life manipulation.
UPDATE: Invite the Party creates Vampire tokens with lifelink. An elegant way to capture multiple WB themes at once.
URPirate Treasure Raid UR is part of the Pirates' color trio, so it would make sense to represent them here as well. Treasure tokens are artifacts, therefore blue is interested, and they can be sacrificed for one-shot mana, therefore feeling red. Much like Improvise in AER, UR may likely be an artifact-focused ramp duo here.
UPDATE: Turns out the UR archetype is Raid as exemplified by Marauding Looter. So, I basically got the Pirate themes mixed up.
BG Explore
While I expect Explore will appear in a variety of colors, the fact it's capable of self-milling makes me think BG is the best fit for its central pair, seeing as the other green pairs all have probable alternative themes. That said, the GU Merfolk have a theme of growing with +1/+1 counters, so I expect we'll see some blue explore cards as well.
RW Aggro
Dinosaurs are in RGW and they're aggressive, so it's only natural that RW will have some kind of aggro theme, this time most likely involving Dinosaurs.
GU Merfolk +1/+1 counters
Merfolk appear in green and blue and have a theme of growing with +1/+1 counters.
UPDATE: Shapers of Nature both puts +1/+1 counters on creatures and allows you to remove +1/+1 counters from creatures you control to draw cards.
What I'm getting here is that Dinosaurs and Pirates each cover three of the color pairs, leaving four to be represented by Merfolk, Vampires, and the Explore and Vehicle themes. I even drew up a color chart which I've attached to this topic.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
UB Pirates
We've seen Pirates in blue, black and red, so it only stands to reason that UB will have a Pirate-heavy theme.
Looks like the Uncommon has been spoiled (http://www.journaldugeek.com/2017/08/29/magic-ixalan-carte-exclu/) and it gives it a synergy with the Treasury tokens, so some sort of Artifacts matter theme is being put into Dimir. Also synergistic with the Black alternate win condition from Revel in Riches.
That may mess up your theory on Pirate Treasure for UR. Although you also have Red Pirates with Treasure matters themes.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Well, it's interesting, no doubt. We have two 3-color tribes (UBR Pirates and WGR Dinosaurs) and two 2-color tribes (WB Vampires and UG Merfolk).
Each color is represented twice in this area. So let's see what 'falls out':
WU: This has a LOT of permutations. In fact, this combination has all four tribes in it and the ONLY color combination with all four tribes in it. (My bad: also GB) That would imply that it either focuses on having multiple tribes or isn't tribal at all. Focusing on Vehicles is a likely way to do this. Arcane Adaptation may show this trend.
UB: This is the non-attacking Pirate combination (likely). Focusing on Treasure seems to be the key here, as noted.
BR: Yeah, the very wide Pirate attacking angle.
RG: Think this is Stompy Dinosaur. We have seen White Enrage cards, I believe.
GW: Toughness Matters is likely.
WB: Vampire Tribal. I think tokens show up because Tokens are a WB thing traditionally. But as these are the only colors of Vampires, the theme is obvious.
WR: This is more likely to be Enrage or more generally 'don't mess with me'. It is more likely the more 'defensive' of WR and GR.
UG: Merfolk Tribal. Similar to Vampire Tribal.
UR: This is VERY tricky... Should work with Pirates, but it's not nearly as clear as the ally pairs. Absent the UB Treasure Maker and the Black alt-win condition, I would have sworn this would care about Treasure... my only guess would be the 'Jack Sparrow' type of Pirates. Freedom, exploration (place for them to fit here), and the like... this contrasts with the bloodthirsty (BR) and greedy (UB) pirates...
GB: Okay, this also has all four tribes in it. This is the traditional home of 'toughness matters'... or it might focus on Vraska and her workings. So, yes, Exploration seems like a possible theme... but GB feels odd for that.
WU: Until we see something strongly suggesting otherwise, I'm inclined to guess Fliers here UB: Treasure control with some Pirate tribal BR: Pirate aggro (more go-wide than UR?) RG: Dinosaur midrange with Enrage GW: Ramp Dinos with high-toughness creatures to keep you alive in the meantime WB: Vampire tribal with lifegain-matters UR: Pirate aggro (more about attacking with at least one creature than attacking with a lot?) BG: Explore-matters and/or graveyard-matters (the two have some synergy) RW: Dinosaur aggro (much more low-to-the-ground than RG or GW) GU: Merfolk tribal with +1/+1 counters-matter
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The true measure of all heroes is not what they achieve, but who they inspire." —Triumph of Gerrard
No need to overcomplicate things. Each of the four tribes reward you for playing more of them, thus they are easy themes to follow.
We're all aware of what the factions are, but the limited archetypes will be a different story. This set has decent mana fixing between treasure tokens and explore, but tricolor isn't pushed anywhere near the level of Alara or even KTK. Notice the lack of tricolored cards at any rarity less than mythic. So while it will be possible to play tricolor in limited if you really want to, oftentimes you will probably find yourself playing only two of the three dinosaur or pirate colors at a time. We will also presumably get WU and BG uncommons, so playing limited archetypes outside of tribal will be possible.
No need to overcomplicate things. Each of the four tribes reward you for playing more of them, thus they are easy themes to follow.
We're all aware of what the factions are, but the limited archetypes will be a different story. This set has decent mana fixing between treasure tokens and explore, but tricolor isn't pushed anywhere near the level of Alara or even KTK. Notice the lack of tricolored cards at any rarity less than mythic. So while it will be possible to play tricolor in limited if you really want to, oftentimes you will probably find yourself playing only two of the three dinosaur or pirate colors at a time. We will also presumably get WU and BG uncommons, so playing limited archetypes outside of tribal will be possible.
Considering that most of the cards have yet to be spoiled, it is quite to early to claim that there is no tricolored cards at any level besides mythic. Drafting tricolor (Naya or Grixis) will be quite easy from what we've seen so far, even if there are not many three color cards, there seems to be considerable amounts of mana fixing between the aforementioned treasure tokens and the explore mechanic (that all three factions have access to). In addition, you need to remember that Ixalan only has two tricolor factions (Dinosaurs and Pirates respectively), with the remaining factions being two colored. And each of those four factions will have cards that reward you for playing other cards of the same faction, regardless of color. I would be shocked if we do not get some colorfixing at common, besides the tribal mana rock, and I would not be surprised in the least if we get a reprint of Evolving Wilds and/or Unknown Shores at common. Indeed, I fully expect a cycle of two-color lands at each rarity. WotC haven't fubar'ed the mana production in a multicolor/faction based set since Invasion block, and I doubt they are going to do so now.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
It's about time for the reserved list to die, for the sake of Vintage and Legacy (And Commander).
No need to overcomplicate things. Each of the four tribes reward you for playing more of them, thus they are easy themes to follow.
We're all aware of what the factions are, but the limited archetypes will be a different story. This set has decent mana fixing between treasure tokens and explore, but tricolor isn't pushed anywhere near the level of Alara or even KTK. Notice the lack of tricolored cards at any rarity less than mythic. So while it will be possible to play tricolor in limited if you really want to, oftentimes you will probably find yourself playing only two of the three dinosaur or pirate colors at a time. We will also presumably get WU and BG uncommons, so playing limited archetypes outside of tribal will be possible.
Considering that most of the cards have yet to be spoiled, it is quite to early to claim that there is no tricolored cards at any level besides mythic.
Seriously? We've seen the entire rare sheet. What are the odds of uncommon tricolored cards when there aren't even rares?
Drafting tricolor (Naya or Grixis) will be quite easy from what we've seen so far, even if there are not many three color cards,
Like I said, they took measures to make tricolor possible in limited. But that doesn't make it a tricolor set. And that certainly doesn't mean that UBR, RGW, GU, and WB are the only draftable archetypes.
there seems to be considerable amounts of mana fixing between the aforementioned treasure tokens and the explore mechanic (that all three factions have access to).
*four
In addition, you need to remember that Ixalan only has two tricolor factions (Dinosaurs and Pirates respectively), with the remaining factions being two colored. And each of those four factions will have cards that reward you for playing other cards of the same faction, regardless of color. I would be shocked if we do not get some colorfixing at common, besides the tribal mana rock, and I would not be surprised in the least if we get a reprint of Evolving Wilds and/or Unknown Shores at common.
We see Evolving Wilds or Unknown Shores variants in the vast majority of large sets, including those that are clearly not multicolored sets. So while you're probably not wrong, it doesn't exactly prove anything.
Indeed, I fully expect a cycle of two-color lands at each rarity.
Lmao, then your expectations are completely wrong. If we get four basic lands per color, the number crunch only allows two more lands (back sides of DFCs excluded, of course). Even if we only get three of each basic that still only leaves room for one cycle outside the checklands, probably uncommon and sure as hell not common.
WotC haven't fubar'ed the mana production in a multicolor/faction based set since Invasion block and I doubt they are going to do so now.
This isn't a multicolored set. That's what I've been trying to tell you.
No need to overcomplicate things. Each of the four tribes reward you for playing more of them, thus they are easy themes to follow.
We're all aware of what the factions are, but the limited archetypes will be a different story. This set has decent mana fixing between treasure tokens and explore, but tricolor isn't pushed anywhere near the level of Alara or even KTK. Notice the lack of tricolored cards at any rarity less than mythic. So while it will be possible to play tricolor in limited if you really want to, oftentimes you will probably find yourself playing only two of the three dinosaur or pirate colors at a time. We will also presumably get WU and BG uncommons, so playing limited archetypes outside of tribal will be possible.
Considering that most of the cards have yet to be spoiled, it is quite to early to claim that there is no tricolored cards at any level besides mythic.
Seriously? We've seen the entire rare sheet. What are the odds of uncommon tricolored cards when there aren't even rares?
Drafting tricolor (Naya or Grixis) will be quite easy from what we've seen so far, even if there are not many three color cards,
Like I said, they took measures to make tricolor possible in limited. But that doesn't make it a tricolor set. And that certainly doesn't mean that UBR, RGW, GU, and WB are the only draftable archetypes.
there seems to be considerable amounts of mana fixing between the aforementioned treasure tokens and the explore mechanic (that all three factions have access to).
*four
In addition, you need to remember that Ixalan only has two tricolor factions (Dinosaurs and Pirates respectively), with the remaining factions being two colored. And each of those four factions will have cards that reward you for playing other cards of the same faction, regardless of color. I would be shocked if we do not get some colorfixing at common, besides the tribal mana rock, and I would not be surprised in the least if we get a reprint of Evolving Wilds and/or Unknown Shores at common.
We see Evolving Wilds or Unknown Shores variants in the vast majority of large sets, including those that are clearly not multicolored sets. So while you're probably not wrong, it doesn't exactly prove anything.
Indeed, I fully expect a cycle of two-color lands at each rarity.
Lmao, then your expectations are completely wrong. If we get four basic lands per color, the number crunch only allows two more lands (back sides of DFCs excluded, of course). Even if we only get three of each basic that still only leaves room for one cycle outside the checklands, probably uncommon and sure as hell not common.
WotC haven't fubar'ed the mana production in a multicolor/faction based set since Invasion block and I doubt they are going to do so now.
This isn't a multicolored set. That's what I've been trying to tell you.
Once you have tri and dual color based factions, you have a multicolor set. Currently this includes five rare dual lands, an uncommon tribal land that can tap in any color (that can be used for the tribe only) and an artifact (that does the same). We have still to see all the uncommons and commons. We will likely get more manafixing at these rarities.
Edit: Well, would you look at that, we just got a really good uncommon green mana fixer in the form of Drover of the Mighty
draft archetypes are designed nowadays for every color pair, regardless of the sets' themes. because they don't want to neglect any fans of a given color pair, and more archetypes will provide more variation and breadth during drafts. hence, 10 draft archetypes that cover every color pair is a given. that is the purpose of this topic, to figure out these 10.
the four major tribes in Ixalan are part of its theme, but that doesn't mean these are the only archetypes they designed for drafting. moreover, broad themes can be divided further into its bi-color constituents for drafting purposes with different subthemes apropos to the color pairs.
Also important to note that just because some tribes span three colors, don't mean that every card in those tribes would work great together in three-color decks. That would be infeasible, unwise, and shallow.
All-color mana fixers don't imply focus in tri-color. Every set has a minimum of support for multicolor. We can only infer that treasure tokens and explore may help tri-color decks indirectly, especially in absence of tri-colored lands or artifacts.
we've seen two mana fixer cards, and both for tribal only. that tells us the focus is not on accommodating multi-coloredness outside of tribal allegiance. that is, you shouldn't force drafting tri-colors that don't belong in a tribe in Ixalan. you can still make decks for tri-colored tribes (dinos, pirates) as long as you also play the designated tribal mana fixers. fortunately, splashing for third color may be viable thanks to treasure tokens; however you must draft treasure cards in order to get to accommodate the third color.
nevertheless, forcing all dino and pirate drafters into tri-color would be a huge mistake because tri-color would not have enough support in this set to accommodate all those drafters. By splitting the tri-color tribes into bi-color pairs would put them on even terms with the bi-color tribes, and provide additional, deeper options for drafters. instead of one type of dino or pirate deck (forcing tri-color), now players have three or four options when drafting those tribes.
Evidently, there aren't much room for tri-color cards in Ixalan. there are only 20 multicolor cards in the set (according to the number crunch). Ten gold cards are reserved at uncommon to guide each bi-color drafting archetype. The rest are tribal legends, tribal thematic, and miscellaneous (e.g. planeswalkers). We already know two tri-color cards at mythic, but there doesn't seem much, if any, room for more tri-color cards. At most we see four tri-color cards; but realistically the two tri-color cards at mythic will be the only ones in the set. Either way, that's not enough to demand colorfixing for tri-color decks.
Furthermore, as there are only 20 multicolor cards, that does not require many dual lands in the set. In terms of multicoloredness, this is between Theros/BFZ and Kaladesh/Amonkhet. i.e. below average multicoloredness.
As mentioned by others, there aren't enough room for second cycle of dual lands. Evidently, their method to support multicolored tribes (this time around) is with land and artifact using Cavern of Souls tech: choose a tribe and get any color for that tribe only. With two of such cards in the set, that should be enough if you decide to go heavy into tribal deckbuilding. The drawback of these cards is they don't help for noncreature spells. Consequently, in limited, you can attempt tri-color dino or pirate deck, but it won't be easy.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
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Last time, RW was the Vehicle pair of choice, but since this time RW likely goes to the Sun Empire and its Dinosaurs, Vehicles will be looking for a new pair. What better pair than WU? Most likely the Legion of Dusk and Brazen Coalition each have Vehicles matter cards representing sea-savvy navigators and shipmakers (someone had to build their ships, right?).
UB Artifacts Matter
We've seen Pirates in blue, black and red, so it only stands to reason that UB will have a Pirate-heavy theme.
UPDATE: As indicated by Deadeye Plunderer, Artifacts Matter will be the UB theme, aided by the abundance of Treasure tokens available to Pirates.
BR Pirate Aggro
We know Raid is coming back as a mechanic aligned with Pirates, and it was last seen as part of the RWB Mardu Horde. It makes perfect sense to have a BR uncommon Pirate with Raid.
UPDATE: Dire Fleet Captain doesn't have Raid, but does a fine job as an enabler.
RG Enraged Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs are in Ixalan, and they are associated with the Enrage mechanic which triggers when they're dealt damage, so it's logical that a RG uncommon Dinosaur will have an Enrage ability.
UPDATE: Raging Swordtooth enables Enraged with a field-wide ping ETB ability.
GW Toughness Matters
Dinosaurs are appearing in red, green, and white, so it makes sense that RW and GW will have Dinosaur-friendly themes as well. This one may be a Human Warrior with a Dinosaur tribal effect, to reflect how the Sun Empire tames Dinosaurs.
UPDATE: Militant Dinosaur is indeed a Dinosaur, with a toughness matters theme.
WB Vampire Tokens
Vampires appear in white and black, and their main theme is life manipulation.
UPDATE: Invite the Party creates Vampire tokens with lifelink. An elegant way to capture multiple WB themes at once.
UR
Pirate TreasureRaidUR is part of the Pirates' color trio, so it would make sense to represent them here as well. Treasure tokens are artifacts, therefore blue is interested, and they can be sacrificed for one-shot mana, therefore feeling red. Much like Improvise in AER, UR may likely be an artifact-focused ramp duo here.UPDATE: Turns out the UR archetype is Raid as exemplified by Marauding Looter. So, I basically got the Pirate themes mixed up.
BG Explore
While I expect Explore will appear in a variety of colors, the fact it's capable of self-milling makes me think BG is the best fit for its central pair, seeing as the other green pairs all have probable alternative themes. That said, the GU Merfolk have a theme of growing with +1/+1 counters, so I expect we'll see some blue explore cards as well.
RW Aggro
Dinosaurs are in RGW and they're aggressive, so it's only natural that RW will have some kind of aggro theme, this time most likely involving Dinosaurs.
GU Merfolk +1/+1 counters
Merfolk appear in green and blue and have a theme of growing with +1/+1 counters.
UPDATE: Shapers of Nature both puts +1/+1 counters on creatures and allows you to remove +1/+1 counters from creatures you control to draw cards.
What I'm getting here is that Dinosaurs and Pirates each cover three of the color pairs, leaving four to be represented by Merfolk, Vampires, and the Explore and Vehicle themes. I even drew up a color chart which I've attached to this topic.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Looks like the Uncommon has been spoiled (http://www.journaldugeek.com/2017/08/29/magic-ixalan-carte-exclu/) and it gives it a synergy with the Treasury tokens, so some sort of Artifacts matter theme is being put into Dimir. Also synergistic with the Black alternate win condition from Revel in Riches.
That may mess up your theory on Pirate Treasure for UR. Although you also have Red Pirates with Treasure matters themes.
GW Dinosaurs Uncommone has also been spoiled and it looks like toughness matters (http://sarpadianempiresvol-viii.tumblr.com/post/164755279934/sauropods-stomping-on-raptors-damn-straight-this) We've seen Black-Green do that in the past, interesting to see in White-Green.
"I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles
UB Artifacts Matter
BR Pirate Aggro
GW Toughness Matters
WB Vampire Tokens
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Each color is represented twice in this area. So let's see what 'falls out':
WU: This has a LOT of permutations. In fact, this combination has all four tribes in it and the ONLY color combination with all four tribes in it. (My bad: also GB) That would imply that it either focuses on having multiple tribes or isn't tribal at all. Focusing on Vehicles is a likely way to do this. Arcane Adaptation may show this trend.
UB: This is the non-attacking Pirate combination (likely). Focusing on Treasure seems to be the key here, as noted.
BR: Yeah, the very wide Pirate attacking angle.
RG: Think this is Stompy Dinosaur. We have seen White Enrage cards, I believe.
GW: Toughness Matters is likely.
WB: Vampire Tribal. I think tokens show up because Tokens are a WB thing traditionally. But as these are the only colors of Vampires, the theme is obvious.
WR: This is more likely to be Enrage or more generally 'don't mess with me'. It is more likely the more 'defensive' of WR and GR.
UG: Merfolk Tribal. Similar to Vampire Tribal.
UR: This is VERY tricky... Should work with Pirates, but it's not nearly as clear as the ally pairs. Absent the UB Treasure Maker and the Black alt-win condition, I would have sworn this would care about Treasure... my only guess would be the 'Jack Sparrow' type of Pirates. Freedom, exploration (place for them to fit here), and the like... this contrasts with the bloodthirsty (BR) and greedy (UB) pirates...
GB: Okay, this also has all four tribes in it. This is the traditional home of 'toughness matters'... or it might focus on Vraska and her workings. So, yes, Exploration seems like a possible theme... but GB feels odd for that.
UG: Merfolk.
UBR: Pirates.
WB: Vampires.
No need to overcomplicate things. Each of the four tribes reward you for playing more of them, thus they are easy themes to follow.
---
Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
UB: Treasure control with some Pirate tribal
BR: Pirate aggro (more go-wide than UR?)
RG: Dinosaur midrange with Enrage
GW: Ramp Dinos with high-toughness creatures to keep you alive in the meantime
WB: Vampire tribal with lifegain-matters
UR: Pirate aggro (more about attacking with at least one creature than attacking with a lot?)
BG: Explore-matters and/or graveyard-matters (the two have some synergy)
RW: Dinosaur aggro (much more low-to-the-ground than RG or GW)
GU: Merfolk tribal with +1/+1 counters-matter
We're all aware of what the factions are, but the limited archetypes will be a different story. This set has decent mana fixing between treasure tokens and explore, but tricolor isn't pushed anywhere near the level of Alara or even KTK. Notice the lack of tricolored cards at any rarity less than mythic. So while it will be possible to play tricolor in limited if you really want to, oftentimes you will probably find yourself playing only two of the three dinosaur or pirate colors at a time. We will also presumably get WU and BG uncommons, so playing limited archetypes outside of tribal will be possible.
Considering that most of the cards have yet to be spoiled, it is quite to early to claim that there is no tricolored cards at any level besides mythic. Drafting tricolor (Naya or Grixis) will be quite easy from what we've seen so far, even if there are not many three color cards, there seems to be considerable amounts of mana fixing between the aforementioned treasure tokens and the explore mechanic (that all three factions have access to). In addition, you need to remember that Ixalan only has two tricolor factions (Dinosaurs and Pirates respectively), with the remaining factions being two colored. And each of those four factions will have cards that reward you for playing other cards of the same faction, regardless of color. I would be shocked if we do not get some colorfixing at common, besides the tribal mana rock, and I would not be surprised in the least if we get a reprint of Evolving Wilds and/or Unknown Shores at common. Indeed, I fully expect a cycle of two-color lands at each rarity. WotC haven't fubar'ed the mana production in a multicolor/faction based set since Invasion block, and I doubt they are going to do so now.
---
Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
Seriously? We've seen the entire rare sheet. What are the odds of uncommon tricolored cards when there aren't even rares?
Like I said, they took measures to make tricolor possible in limited. But that doesn't make it a tricolor set. And that certainly doesn't mean that UBR, RGW, GU, and WB are the only draftable archetypes.
*four
We see Evolving Wilds or Unknown Shores variants in the vast majority of large sets, including those that are clearly not multicolored sets. So while you're probably not wrong, it doesn't exactly prove anything.
Lmao, then your expectations are completely wrong. If we get four basic lands per color, the number crunch only allows two more lands (back sides of DFCs excluded, of course). Even if we only get three of each basic that still only leaves room for one cycle outside the checklands, probably uncommon and sure as hell not common.
This isn't a multicolored set. That's what I've been trying to tell you.
Once you have tri and dual color based factions, you have a multicolor set. Currently this includes five rare dual lands, an uncommon tribal land that can tap in any color (that can be used for the tribe only) and an artifact (that does the same). We have still to see all the uncommons and commons. We will likely get more manafixing at these rarities.
Edit: Well, would you look at that, we just got a really good uncommon green mana fixer in the form of Drover of the Mighty
---
Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
the four major tribes in Ixalan are part of its theme, but that doesn't mean these are the only archetypes they designed for drafting. moreover, broad themes can be divided further into its bi-color constituents for drafting purposes with different subthemes apropos to the color pairs.
Also important to note that just because some tribes span three colors, don't mean that every card in those tribes would work great together in three-color decks. That would be infeasible, unwise, and shallow.
All-color mana fixers don't imply focus in tri-color. Every set has a minimum of support for multicolor. We can only infer that treasure tokens and explore may help tri-color decks indirectly, especially in absence of tri-colored lands or artifacts.
we've seen two mana fixer cards, and both for tribal only. that tells us the focus is not on accommodating multi-coloredness outside of tribal allegiance. that is, you shouldn't force drafting tri-colors that don't belong in a tribe in Ixalan. you can still make decks for tri-colored tribes (dinos, pirates) as long as you also play the designated tribal mana fixers. fortunately, splashing for third color may be viable thanks to treasure tokens; however you must draft treasure cards in order to get to accommodate the third color.
nevertheless, forcing all dino and pirate drafters into tri-color would be a huge mistake because tri-color would not have enough support in this set to accommodate all those drafters. By splitting the tri-color tribes into bi-color pairs would put them on even terms with the bi-color tribes, and provide additional, deeper options for drafters. instead of one type of dino or pirate deck (forcing tri-color), now players have three or four options when drafting those tribes.
Evidently, there aren't much room for tri-color cards in Ixalan. there are only 20 multicolor cards in the set (according to the number crunch). Ten gold cards are reserved at uncommon to guide each bi-color drafting archetype. The rest are tribal legends, tribal thematic, and miscellaneous (e.g. planeswalkers). We already know two tri-color cards at mythic, but there doesn't seem much, if any, room for more tri-color cards. At most we see four tri-color cards; but realistically the two tri-color cards at mythic will be the only ones in the set. Either way, that's not enough to demand colorfixing for tri-color decks.
Furthermore, as there are only 20 multicolor cards, that does not require many dual lands in the set. In terms of multicoloredness, this is between Theros/BFZ and Kaladesh/Amonkhet. i.e. below average multicoloredness.
As mentioned by others, there aren't enough room for second cycle of dual lands. Evidently, their method to support multicolored tribes (this time around) is with land and artifact using Cavern of Souls tech: choose a tribe and get any color for that tribe only. With two of such cards in the set, that should be enough if you decide to go heavy into tribal deckbuilding. The drawback of these cards is they don't help for noncreature spells. Consequently, in limited, you can attempt tri-color dino or pirate deck, but it won't be easy.
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RG Enrage
UR Raid
GU +1/+1 counters
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.