BFZ has 51/251 Eldrazi (20%) and OGW has 41/183 (22%).
12 of the 40 cards spoiled so far are (or specifically refer to) Eldrazi. And there are at least 10 colorless cards (non-artifact, so presumably all Eldrazi) yet to come, and you know they're not done with colored spells that transform into Eldrazi. I'm guessing at least 40, which would put it on par with both BFZ and OGW.
Just sayin'....
With the spoiled Eldrazi Vampire and Eldrazi Werewolves today, we're now looking at a minimum of 36 Eldrazi cards in this set. That's 18% already, folks, and I'm sure we're not done yet! My projection of 40 might have been a bit low, actually.
I like the fact that the Werewolves have the activated ability instead of a triggered one b/c they are mutating instead of going between human and 'wolf forms.
makes then more reliable but less swingy, however I hope we get some normal WW as well. Tovolar im still holding out.
Nope. Your beloved werewolves are all Eldrazi now. And you're gonna LIKE it, too!
- WotC
But yes, Prowler very playable, even if "Eldrazi Werewolf" makes me wanna gag.
Hahaha I want to use this on Grave Titan xD. Make a 6/6 zombie and a 1/1 flier who makes more zombies
It's pretty amazing with any of the Titans. I think Inferno might actually be my favorite: a little 1/1 with evasion that deals 3 damage to the target of your choice whenever it swings in. And brings a 6/6 friend along for the ride.
My favorite target, though? Probably Worldspine Wurm. The 15/15 Zombie is bad enough, but if you even THINK about killing off the 1/1 soul... look out! As others have said, original Emrakul would be awesome as well, and funny too. I can picture a tiny little Emrakul flying around screaming "fear me, mortals!" in a high-pitched voice.
BFZ has 51/251 Eldrazi (20%) and OGW has 41/183 (22%).
12 of the 40 cards spoiled so far are (or specifically refer to) Eldrazi. And there are at least 10 colorless cards (non-artifact, so presumably all Eldrazi) yet to come, and you know they're not done with colored spells that transform into Eldrazi. I'm guessing at least 40, which would put it on par with both BFZ and OGW.
Just sayin'....
No, the people who're fine with an Eldrazi-fied Innistrad would have been equally fine without it. Unfortunately the reverse can't be said for the rest of us.
TL; DR: WotC cashed in on Innistrad, one of their most beloved planes and no doubt a real cash-cow for the company, for no actual upside. They, and by extension us as players, lost something forever and they failed to get any real payment out of it.
That's why the decision is terrible, not because it's not "cosmic horror" enough.
Then why do we have a creature (Grizzled Angler) that flips when you get colorless creatures into your graveyard? The ones that are only colorless on the backside don't count there, so there are going to be at least a few straight-up colorless creatures, or else why print the Angler? That's the most troubling sign yet, in my mind.
And the fishman triggers off colorless creatures in the graveyard. It might not be "filled" with Eldrazi, but this is looking a lot like "Battle for Zendistrad" would have been a more appropriate name....
I like Eldrazi fine, but it's really starting to dilute what was supposed to be a return to one of the best blocks they've ever printed. The original Innistrad block was fantastic...why water it down? Just stick with what made it great in the first place. Sigh....
I haven't seen officially...but I believe that for the prerelease, we'll be able to play the promo version of that color's Intro Pack rares, yes? The Prerelease Pack info indicates there will indeed be a "stamped promo card" in each pack.
Which do you think will be the most powerful to run with at the prerelease? And do any of them affect your choice of color?
Personally, I rank them White, Red, Green, Black, Blue. Kothophed and especially Alhammarret, High Arbiter are just too slow and probably not nearly as impactful in Limited as they should be in constructed. Dwynen could be awesome but is really reliant on getting a good amount of Elves... could be huge, could be just another big critter. Pia and Kiran also require the right cards around them to really take over, and they're the most fragile, but even in the worst case, three creatures (including two fliers) on Turn Four is certainly impactful. To me, though, I think Hixus has the best chance to be a consistently good draw at any point in the game. 4/4 with flash is good enough for the cost, and the ability to get rid of multiple creatures and then swing in with that 4/4 dude your next turn is never going to be a bad play unless you're already hopelessly behind.
I might swap Dwynen with the Nalaars depending on how many more Elves are revealed. There's already some really good ones at common... it's close. But I think white, red, and green outclass black and blue big time in sealed, and probably limited in general.
2-3 Chief of the Scale goes a long way. And Obelisk of Urd has actually been a GREAT one-of for me. It's amazing how often I am able to play it turn 4 or even 3, and I very rarely lose once it hits the board. I run a second in my sideboard for heavy burn and/or Blights/Drowns. It makes a much, much bigger and more useful impact than I ever imagined. So many 1-drops with Warriors to bring the cost of Obelisk down!
I look a lot at commons and uncommons, but at least for Sealed (AKA prerelease), I seriously consider the rares as well.
As awesome as the black promo is, look at the rest of black's rares:
Cruel Sadist - Perhaps the best you can hope for, but awfully slow.
Ob Nixilis, Unshackled - Certainly playable, but that first ability is never going to be relevant, and the second isn't all that great with black's lighter-than-normal removal suite.
In Garruk's Wake - Fantastic finisher in the late game, but slooooooooow. If aggro is a thing in this format (and it looks likely), you'll be dead long before you can cast this.
Necromancer's Stockpile - I don't think discarding creatures is something you're going to want to do too often in Limited.
Stain the Mind - Considering the only cards they're likely to have multiple copies of are filler anyway, this will at best be an occasional method to get rid of their bomb before it hits. But even in that role, it's most likely only something you bring in from Game 2 on, and it's a hit-or-miss race to draw it before they get to play said bomb. Ick.
Waste Not - Waste not your time unless you luck into a couple of Mind Rots, because there's not much discard in M15.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (included since it seems to count as one of black's rares) - Not playable in Limited. It just isn't.
I guess I may as well go through the rest while I'm at it....
Genesis Hydra - Late game bomb, no question, and can even be a good middle-game card if your deck is chock full of creatures.
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard - Could work...certainly a much better shot in Sealed than Draft. Playable.
Kalonian Twingrove - Going to try hard to go mono green with this as my rare. Much more predictable in Sealed than in Draft, but easy to build around in either.
Life's Legacy - Good break-glass-in-case-of-emergency card. Probably the weakest of green's rares, but not a weak card.
BLUE:
Polymorphist’s Jest - Blowout! Swing in with your army and eliminate any creature foolish enough to block. All for only 3 CMC. What's not to love?
Stormtide Leviathan - The very definition of game-ending bomb. Expensive for sure, but if you untap with him in play, it's practically game over.
Ætherspouts - Potential game ender. Seriously. Zap their army and then swing with yours. Wary players won't be caught napping though, especially in Game 2.
Chasm Skulker - Lots of good card draw in M15 (seriously, Divination AND Jace’s Ingenuity?), but even without any extra help, this is certainly playable.
Master of Predicaments - Certainly playable for stats alone, and the ability, while a bit random, can be very powerful.
Jalira, Master Polymorphist - Again, creatures are usually at somewhat of a premium in Limited, so you don't want to be saccing them too often. Decent if you can get some blue (or white) token generators around her, but even then you could end up with that filler common creature as a replacement and feel gyped. Not the rare I'd want to pull.
Chief Engineer - Eeeeeehhhh. Only a couple artifacts that really need the help. His 1/3 stats for only 2 CMC make him playable, but his ability will leave the majority of players wanting much, much more for their build-around rare.
RED:
Burning Anger - Fall of the Hammer may have been my favorite Limited card in Theros block. Yes, this is a rare vs a common, and much more expensive, but the effect is just fantastic. I'd be quite happy to pull this.
Goblin Rabblemaster - Not bad, not bad. Gives you persistent tokens, which can result in all sorts of fun, and gets in for some good damage if sprung at the right time. He's playable.
Hoarding Dragon - Yeah, he's playable too. The stats alone demand it. But I don't think his artifact ability is going to matter most games.
Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient - Not a bad card, but very few artifacts that he can work with in M15, and most are uncommon or rare. Again, playable based more on cost-to-stats ratio than his ability, but much less so than Hoarding Dragon.
Goblin Kaboomist - If you can find a way to boost his toughness, he's fantastic. Without? I'd play him, but have a pit in my stomach the whole time, which I suppose is the point!
Crucible of Fire - Requires mostly other rares to be useful. Yes, it combos with the red promo, but even then it's just a "win more" card. Not really what you want to get in Limited.
Aggressive Mining - Probably the last rare I'd want to pull; especially in Sealed, I would feel completely robbed. Why must red always be bogged down with a random, useless rare like this?!
WHITE:
Spirit Bonds - So I hear having more creatures in Limited is a good thing. I also hear having lots of flying creatures is powerful in Limited as well. I'd be ecstatic to have this as my rare pull.
Avacyn, Guardian Angel - Yes, please! Helps you shrug off the few removal spells likely to come your way, and a flying 5/4 with vigilance for 5 CMC is promo-worthy. I'd be delighted to get her.
Preeminent Captain - First strike is really scarce in M15, so that alone makes him a great creature. The fact that many of white's creatures are Soldiers and can be dropped for free is just gravy.
Spectra Ward - A tad expensive, but practically game-winning in a couple turns. Very, very little that can stop a creature enchanted with this.
Return to the Ranks - With relatively light removal in M15 Limited, this won't be nearly as impacted as in Constructed play, but it certainly still has a place. Definately playable.
Mass Calcify - Two turns faster than In Garruk's Wake, and can potentially hit your own creatures if you're not going mono white. That makes it better in Sealed--where I'd say it's perhaps even worth mainboarding--than Draft.
Hushwing Gryff - Has uses, but much less powerful in Limited than in Constructed. Also directly conflicts with the white promo and a lot of other white cards...more than any other color except green, actually. So while a flash flying creature is always nice, this could also inadvertently shut down some of your own cards. Ick.
So, while other have debated the power of commons, uncommons, and the promos in the set, based on the non-promo rares alone, I think white and green are far above the rest. There are no rares that I would consider unusable in Limited.
Red is next, though there's a couple rares (Crucible of Fire and especially Aggressive Mining) I'd be unhappy with and probably couldn't even use.
Next is blue, which also has some lackluster or downright unusable rares, but blowout potential with the others.
Black brings up the distant rear. Outside of Cruel Sadist and Ob Nixilis, I can't see victory in Limited on the backs of any of their rares.\
Conversely, I think black has the best promo by a mile, then white, red, green, and the terribad blue Mercurial Pretender. With all that in mind (plus the fact that I think the color has above-average commons and uncommons), I think white is the best choice for prerelease. (And I'll just pray for no Hushwing Gryff, who's playable but certainly the weakest rare.) Best chance for consistently good cards and a good build-around rare in addition to the promo. If I can't get white, I think green is a close second.
I look a lot at commons and uncommons, but at least for Sealed (AKA prerelease), I seriously consider the rares as well.
As awesome as the black promo is, look at the rest of black's rares:
Cruel Sadist - Perhaps the best you can hope for, but awfully slow.
Ob Nixilis, Unshackled - Certainly playable, but that first ability is never going to be relevant, and the second isn't all that great with black's lighter-than-normal removal suite.
In Garruk's Wake - Fantastic finisher in the late game, but slooooooooow. If aggro is a thing in this format (and it looks likely), you'll be dead long before you can cast this.
Necromancer's Stockpile - I don't think discarding creatures is something you're going to want to do too often in Limited.
Stain the Mind - Considering the only cards they're likely to have multiple copies of are filler anyway, this will at best be an occasional method to get rid of their bomb before it hits. But even in that role, it's most likely only something you bring in from Game 2 on, and it's a hit-or-miss race to draw it before they get to play said bomb. Ick.
Waste Not - Waste not your time unless you luck into a couple of Mind Rots, because there's not much discard in M15.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (included since it seems to count as one of black's rares) - Not playable in Limited. It just isn't.
I guess I may as well go through the rest while I'm at it....
Genesis Hydra - Late game bomb, no question, and can even be a good middle-game card if your deck is chock full of creatures.
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard - Could work...certainly a much better shot in Sealed than Draft. Playable.
Kalonian Twingrove - Going to try hard to go mono green with this as my rare. Much more predictable in Sealed than in Draft, but easy to build around in either.
Life's Legacy - Good break-glass-in-case-of-emergency card. Probably the weakest of green's rares, but not a weak card.
BLUE:
Polymorphist’s Jest - Blowout! Swing in with your army and eliminate any creature foolish enough to block. All for only 3 CMC. What's not to love?
Stormtide Leviathan - The very definition of game-ending bomb. Expensive for sure, but if you untap with him in play, it's practically game over.
Ætherspouts - Potential game ender. Seriously. Zap their army and then swing with yours. Wary players won't be caught napping though, especially in Game 2.
Chasm Skulker - Lots of good card draw in M15 (seriously, Divination AND Jace’s Ingenuity?), but even without any extra help, this is certainly playable.
Master of Predicaments - Certainly playable for stats alone, and the ability, while a bit random, can be very powerful.
Jalira, Master Polymorphist - Again, creatures are usually at somewhat of a premium in Limited, so you don't want to be saccing them too often. Decent if you can get some blue (or white) token generators around her, but even then you could end up with that filler common creature as a replacement and feel gyped. Not the rare I'd want to pull.
Chief Engineer - Eeeeeehhhh. Only a couple artifacts that really need the help. His 1/3 stats for only 2 CMC make him playable, but his ability will leave the majority of players wanting much, much more for their build-around rare.
RED:
Burning Anger - Fall of the Hammer may have been my favorite Limited card in Theros block. Yes, this is a rare vs a common, and much more expensive, but the effect is just fantastic. I'd be quite happy to pull this.
Goblin Rabblemaster - Not bad, not bad. Gives you persistent tokens, which can result in all sorts of fun, and gets in for some good damage if sprung at the right time. He's playable.
Hoarding Dragon - Yeah, he's playable too. The stats alone demand it. But I don't think his artifact ability is going to matter most games.
Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient - Not a bad card, but very few artifacts that he can work with in M15, and most are uncommon or rare. Again, playable based more on cost-to-stats ratio than his ability, but much less so than Hoarding Dragon.
Goblin Kaboomist - If you can find a way to boost his toughness, he's fantastic. Without? I'd play him, but have a pit in my stomach the whole time, which I suppose is the point!
Crucible of Fire - Requires mostly other rares to be useful. Yes, it combos with the red promo, but even then it's just a "win more" card. Not really what you want to get in Limited.
Aggressive Mining - Probably the last rare I'd want to pull; especially in Sealed, I would feel completely robbed. Why must red always be bogged down with a random, useless rare like this?!
WHITE:
Spirit Bonds - So I hear having more creatures in Limited is a good thing. I also hear having lots of flying creatures is powerful in Limited as well. I'd be ecstatic to have this as my rare pull.
Avacyn, Guardian Angel - Yes, please! Helps you shrug off the few removal spells likely to come your way, and a flying 5/4 with vigilance for 5 CMC is promo-worthy. I'd be delighted to get her.
Preeminent Captain - First strike is really scarce in M15, so that alone makes him a great creature. The fact that many of white's creatures are Soldiers and can be dropped for free is just gravy.
Spectra Ward - A tad expensive, but practically game-winning in a couple turns. Very, very little that can stop a creature enchanted with this.
Return to the Ranks - With relatively light removal in M15 Limited, this won't be nearly as impacted as in Constructed play, but it certainly still has a place. Definately playable.
Mass Calcify - Two turns faster than In Garruk's Wake, and can potentially hit your own creatures if you're not going mono white. That makes it better in Sealed--where I'd say it's perhaps even worth mainboarding--than Draft.
Hushwing Gryff - Has uses, but much less powerful in Limited than in Constructed. Also directly conflicts with the white promo and a lot of other white cards...more than any other color except green, actually. So while a flash flying creature is always nice, this could also inadvertently shut down some of your own cards. Ick.
So, while other have debated the power of commons, uncommons, and the promos in the set, based on the non-promo rares alone, I think white and green are far above the rest. There are no rares that I would consider unusable in Limited.
Red is next, though there's a couple rares (Crucible of Fire and especially Aggressive Mining) I'd be unhappy with and probably couldn't even use.
Next is blue, which also has some lackluster or downright unusable rares, but blowout potential with the others.
Black brings up the distant rear. Outside of Cruel Sadist and Ob Nixilis, I can't see victory in Limited on the backs of any of their rares.\
Conversely, I think black has the best promo by a mile, then white, red, green, and the terribad blue Mercurial Pretender. With all that in mind (plus the fact that I think the color has above-average commons and uncommons), I think white is the best choice for prerelease. Best chance for consistently good cards and a good build-around rare in addition to the promo. If I can't get white, I think green is a close second.
But enough on that, for now. These are both very solid reprints.
With the spoiled Eldrazi Vampire and Eldrazi Werewolves today, we're now looking at a minimum of 36 Eldrazi cards in this set. That's 18% already, folks, and I'm sure we're not done yet! My projection of 40 might have been a bit low, actually.
Again, just sayin'....
Nope. Your beloved werewolves are all Eldrazi now. And you're gonna LIKE it, too!
- WotC
But yes, Prowler very playable, even if "Eldrazi Werewolf" makes me wanna gag.
It's pretty amazing with any of the Titans. I think Inferno might actually be my favorite: a little 1/1 with evasion that deals 3 damage to the target of your choice whenever it swings in.
My favorite target, though? Probably Worldspine Wurm. The 15/15 Zombie is bad enough, but if you even THINK about killing off the 1/1 soul... look out! As others have said, original Emrakul would be awesome as well, and funny too. I can picture a tiny little Emrakul flying around screaming "fear me, mortals!" in a high-pitched voice.
12 of the 40 cards spoiled so far are (or specifically refer to) Eldrazi. And there are at least 10 colorless cards (non-artifact, so presumably all Eldrazi) yet to come, and you know they're not done with colored spells that transform into Eldrazi. I'm guessing at least 40, which would put it on par with both BFZ and OGW.
Just sayin'....
Hear, here.
I like Eldrazi fine, but it's really starting to dilute what was supposed to be a return to one of the best blocks they've ever printed. The original Innistrad block was fantastic...why water it down? Just stick with what made it great in the first place. Sigh....
1.) Have Kytheon, Hero of Akros in play.
2.) Play Gideon, Ally of Zendikar and use his ultimate right away to give all creatures--including Kytheon--a boost.
3.) Swing with Kytheon and two other creatures, transform Kytheon (back?) into Gideon.
Not a great series of plays, but makes me chuckle.
So that would mean we have:
White: Hixus, Prison Warden
Blue: Alhammarret, High Arbiter
Black: Kothophed, Soul Hoarder
Red: Pia and Kiran Nalaar
Green: Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen
Which do you think will be the most powerful to run with at the prerelease? And do any of them affect your choice of color?
Personally, I rank them White, Red, Green, Black, Blue. Kothophed and especially Alhammarret, High Arbiter are just too slow and probably not nearly as impactful in Limited as they should be in constructed. Dwynen could be awesome but is really reliant on getting a good amount of Elves... could be huge, could be just another big critter. Pia and Kiran also require the right cards around them to really take over, and they're the most fragile, but even in the worst case, three creatures (including two fliers) on Turn Four is certainly impactful. To me, though, I think Hixus has the best chance to be a consistently good draw at any point in the game. 4/4 with flash is good enough for the cost, and the ability to get rid of multiple creatures and then swing in with that 4/4 dude your next turn is never going to be a bad play unless you're already hopelessly behind.
I might swap Dwynen with the Nalaars depending on how many more Elves are revealed. There's already some really good ones at common... it's close. But I think white, red, and green outclass black and blue big time in sealed, and probably limited in general.
Thoughts?
Awesome with Bloodsoaked Champ, as others have said, but really sweet with Strike Leader tokens too.
As awesome as the black promo is, look at the rest of black's rares:
Cruel Sadist - Perhaps the best you can hope for, but awfully slow.
Ob Nixilis, Unshackled - Certainly playable, but that first ability is never going to be relevant, and the second isn't all that great with black's lighter-than-normal removal suite.
In Garruk's Wake - Fantastic finisher in the late game, but slooooooooow. If aggro is a thing in this format (and it looks likely), you'll be dead long before you can cast this.
Necromancer's Stockpile - I don't think discarding creatures is something you're going to want to do too often in Limited.
Stain the Mind - Considering the only cards they're likely to have multiple copies of are filler anyway, this will at best be an occasional method to get rid of their bomb before it hits. But even in that role, it's most likely only something you bring in from Game 2 on, and it's a hit-or-miss race to draw it before they get to play said bomb. Ick.
Waste Not - Waste not your time unless you luck into a couple of Mind Rots, because there's not much discard in M15.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (included since it seems to count as one of black's rares) - Not playable in Limited. It just isn't.
I guess I may as well go through the rest while I'm at it....
GREEN:
Chord of Calling - Oh yes please!
Hornet Nest/Hornet Queen - I'll gladly take either and not look back.
Genesis Hydra - Late game bomb, no question, and can even be a good middle-game card if your deck is chock full of creatures.
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard - Could work...certainly a much better shot in Sealed than Draft. Playable.
Kalonian Twingrove - Going to try hard to go mono green with this as my rare. Much more predictable in Sealed than in Draft, but easy to build around in either.
Life's Legacy - Good break-glass-in-case-of-emergency card. Probably the weakest of green's rares, but not a weak card.
BLUE:
Polymorphist’s Jest - Blowout! Swing in with your army and eliminate any creature foolish enough to block. All for only 3 CMC. What's not to love?
Stormtide Leviathan - The very definition of game-ending bomb. Expensive for sure, but if you untap with him in play, it's practically game over.
Ætherspouts - Potential game ender. Seriously. Zap their army and then swing with yours. Wary players won't be caught napping though, especially in Game 2.
Chasm Skulker - Lots of good card draw in M15 (seriously, Divination AND Jace’s Ingenuity?), but even without any extra help, this is certainly playable.
Master of Predicaments - Certainly playable for stats alone, and the ability, while a bit random, can be very powerful.
Jalira, Master Polymorphist - Again, creatures are usually at somewhat of a premium in Limited, so you don't want to be saccing them too often. Decent if you can get some blue (or white) token generators around her, but even then you could end up with that filler common creature as a replacement and feel gyped. Not the rare I'd want to pull.
Chief Engineer - Eeeeeehhhh. Only a couple artifacts that really need the help. His 1/3 stats for only 2 CMC make him playable, but his ability will leave the majority of players wanting much, much more for their build-around rare.
RED:
Burning Anger - Fall of the Hammer may have been my favorite Limited card in Theros block. Yes, this is a rare vs a common, and much more expensive, but the effect is just fantastic. I'd be quite happy to pull this.
Goblin Rabblemaster - Not bad, not bad. Gives you persistent tokens, which can result in all sorts of fun, and gets in for some good damage if sprung at the right time. He's playable.
Hoarding Dragon - Yeah, he's playable too. The stats alone demand it. But I don't think his artifact ability is going to matter most games.
Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient - Not a bad card, but very few artifacts that he can work with in M15, and most are uncommon or rare. Again, playable based more on cost-to-stats ratio than his ability, but much less so than Hoarding Dragon.
Goblin Kaboomist - If you can find a way to boost his toughness, he's fantastic. Without? I'd play him, but have a pit in my stomach the whole time, which I suppose is the point!
Crucible of Fire - Requires mostly other rares to be useful. Yes, it combos with the red promo, but even then it's just a "win more" card. Not really what you want to get in Limited.
Aggressive Mining - Probably the last rare I'd want to pull; especially in Sealed, I would feel completely robbed. Why must red always be bogged down with a random, useless rare like this?!
WHITE:
Spirit Bonds - So I hear having more creatures in Limited is a good thing. I also hear having lots of flying creatures is powerful in Limited as well. I'd be ecstatic to have this as my rare pull.
Avacyn, Guardian Angel - Yes, please! Helps you shrug off the few removal spells likely to come your way, and a flying 5/4 with vigilance for 5 CMC is promo-worthy. I'd be delighted to get her.
Preeminent Captain - First strike is really scarce in M15, so that alone makes him a great creature. The fact that many of white's creatures are Soldiers and can be dropped for free is just gravy.
Spectra Ward - A tad expensive, but practically game-winning in a couple turns. Very, very little that can stop a creature enchanted with this.
Return to the Ranks - With relatively light removal in M15 Limited, this won't be nearly as impacted as in Constructed play, but it certainly still has a place. Definately playable.
Mass Calcify - Two turns faster than In Garruk's Wake, and can potentially hit your own creatures if you're not going mono white. That makes it better in Sealed--where I'd say it's perhaps even worth mainboarding--than Draft.
Hushwing Gryff - Has uses, but much less powerful in Limited than in Constructed. Also directly conflicts with the white promo and a lot of other white cards...more than any other color except green, actually. So while a flash flying creature is always nice, this could also inadvertently shut down some of your own cards. Ick.
So, while other have debated the power of commons, uncommons, and the promos in the set, based on the non-promo rares alone, I think white and green are far above the rest. There are no rares that I would consider unusable in Limited.
Red is next, though there's a couple rares (Crucible of Fire and especially Aggressive Mining) I'd be unhappy with and probably couldn't even use.
Next is blue, which also has some lackluster or downright unusable rares, but blowout potential with the others.
Black brings up the distant rear. Outside of Cruel Sadist and Ob Nixilis, I can't see victory in Limited on the backs of any of their rares.\
Conversely, I think black has the best promo by a mile, then white, red, green, and the terribad blue Mercurial Pretender. With all that in mind (plus the fact that I think the color has above-average commons and uncommons), I think white is the best choice for prerelease. (And I'll just pray for no Hushwing Gryff, who's playable but certainly the weakest rare.) Best chance for consistently good cards and a good build-around rare in addition to the promo. If I can't get white, I think green is a close second.
Just my two bits....
As awesome as the black promo is, look at the rest of black's rares:
Cruel Sadist - Perhaps the best you can hope for, but awfully slow.
Ob Nixilis, Unshackled - Certainly playable, but that first ability is never going to be relevant, and the second isn't all that great with black's lighter-than-normal removal suite.
In Garruk's Wake - Fantastic finisher in the late game, but slooooooooow. If aggro is a thing in this format (and it looks likely), you'll be dead long before you can cast this.
Necromancer's Stockpile - I don't think discarding creatures is something you're going to want to do too often in Limited.
Stain the Mind - Considering the only cards they're likely to have multiple copies of are filler anyway, this will at best be an occasional method to get rid of their bomb before it hits. But even in that role, it's most likely only something you bring in from Game 2 on, and it's a hit-or-miss race to draw it before they get to play said bomb. Ick.
Waste Not - Waste not your time unless you luck into a couple of Mind Rots, because there's not much discard in M15.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (included since it seems to count as one of black's rares) - Not playable in Limited. It just isn't.
I guess I may as well go through the rest while I'm at it....
GREEN:
Chord of Calling - Oh yes please!
Hornet Nest/Hornet Queen - I'll gladly take either and not look back.
Genesis Hydra - Late game bomb, no question, and can even be a good middle-game card if your deck is chock full of creatures.
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard - Could work...certainly a much better shot in Sealed than Draft. Playable.
Kalonian Twingrove - Going to try hard to go mono green with this as my rare. Much more predictable in Sealed than in Draft, but easy to build around in either.
Life's Legacy - Good break-glass-in-case-of-emergency card. Probably the weakest of green's rares, but not a weak card.
BLUE:
Polymorphist’s Jest - Blowout! Swing in with your army and eliminate any creature foolish enough to block. All for only 3 CMC. What's not to love?
Stormtide Leviathan - The very definition of game-ending bomb. Expensive for sure, but if you untap with him in play, it's practically game over.
Ætherspouts - Potential game ender. Seriously. Zap their army and then swing with yours. Wary players won't be caught napping though, especially in Game 2.
Chasm Skulker - Lots of good card draw in M15 (seriously, Divination AND Jace’s Ingenuity?), but even without any extra help, this is certainly playable.
Master of Predicaments - Certainly playable for stats alone, and the ability, while a bit random, can be very powerful.
Jalira, Master Polymorphist - Again, creatures are usually at somewhat of a premium in Limited, so you don't want to be saccing them too often. Decent if you can get some blue (or white) token generators around her, but even then you could end up with that filler common creature as a replacement and feel gyped. Not the rare I'd want to pull.
Chief Engineer - Eeeeeehhhh. Only a couple artifacts that really need the help. His 1/3 stats for only 2 CMC make him playable, but his ability will leave the majority of players wanting much, much more for their build-around rare.
RED:
Burning Anger - Fall of the Hammer may have been my favorite Limited card in Theros block. Yes, this is a rare vs a common, and much more expensive, but the effect is just fantastic. I'd be quite happy to pull this.
Goblin Rabblemaster - Not bad, not bad. Gives you persistent tokens, which can result in all sorts of fun, and gets in for some good damage if sprung at the right time. He's playable.
Hoarding Dragon - Yeah, he's playable too. The stats alone demand it. But I don't think his artifact ability is going to matter most games.
Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient - Not a bad card, but very few artifacts that he can work with in M15, and most are uncommon or rare. Again, playable based more on cost-to-stats ratio than his ability, but much less so than Hoarding Dragon.
Goblin Kaboomist - If you can find a way to boost his toughness, he's fantastic. Without? I'd play him, but have a pit in my stomach the whole time, which I suppose is the point!
Crucible of Fire - Requires mostly other rares to be useful. Yes, it combos with the red promo, but even then it's just a "win more" card. Not really what you want to get in Limited.
Aggressive Mining - Probably the last rare I'd want to pull; especially in Sealed, I would feel completely robbed. Why must red always be bogged down with a random, useless rare like this?!
WHITE:
Spirit Bonds - So I hear having more creatures in Limited is a good thing. I also hear having lots of flying creatures is powerful in Limited as well. I'd be ecstatic to have this as my rare pull.
Avacyn, Guardian Angel - Yes, please! Helps you shrug off the few removal spells likely to come your way, and a flying 5/4 with vigilance for 5 CMC is promo-worthy. I'd be delighted to get her.
Preeminent Captain - First strike is really scarce in M15, so that alone makes him a great creature. The fact that many of white's creatures are Soldiers and can be dropped for free is just gravy.
Spectra Ward - A tad expensive, but practically game-winning in a couple turns. Very, very little that can stop a creature enchanted with this.
Return to the Ranks - With relatively light removal in M15 Limited, this won't be nearly as impacted as in Constructed play, but it certainly still has a place. Definately playable.
Mass Calcify - Two turns faster than In Garruk's Wake, and can potentially hit your own creatures if you're not going mono white. That makes it better in Sealed--where I'd say it's perhaps even worth mainboarding--than Draft.
Hushwing Gryff - Has uses, but much less powerful in Limited than in Constructed. Also directly conflicts with the white promo and a lot of other white cards...more than any other color except green, actually. So while a flash flying creature is always nice, this could also inadvertently shut down some of your own cards. Ick.
So, while other have debated the power of commons, uncommons, and the promos in the set, based on the non-promo rares alone, I think white and green are far above the rest. There are no rares that I would consider unusable in Limited.
Red is next, though there's a couple rares (Crucible of Fire and especially Aggressive Mining) I'd be unhappy with and probably couldn't even use.
Next is blue, which also has some lackluster or downright unusable rares, but blowout potential with the others.
Black brings up the distant rear. Outside of Cruel Sadist and Ob Nixilis, I can't see victory in Limited on the backs of any of their rares.\
Conversely, I think black has the best promo by a mile, then white, red, green, and the terribad blue Mercurial Pretender. With all that in mind (plus the fact that I think the color has above-average commons and uncommons), I think white is the best choice for prerelease. Best chance for consistently good cards and a good build-around rare in addition to the promo. If I can't get white, I think green is a close second.
Just my two bits....