Not sure, they haven't felt slow here. My cube sits between powered and unpowered, so maybe the lack of Moxen helps the Recruiters - the fastest you'll get hit by Tinker/Natural Order is turn 3, so maybe a turn 3 Tutor can still play well where it might not if you're worried about Tinker and Channel on turn 1 or 2.
Clocknapper might also be affecting my ranking of the Recruiters more than I'm giving it credit. The existence of that card does change a few card's rankings. Both recruiters being able to fetch Kiki-Jiki, Pestermite, and Clocknapper might play better than in cubes that run Deceiver Exarch since Recruiter of the Guard can't fetch Exarch. Clocknapper also opens the Recruiter -> Soulherder -> Clocknapper combo line, so finding homes in Kiki combo and Blink combo might also help the Recruiters.
But even outside the combos, I like the Recruiters in toolbox style decks. Tutoring for Solitude, Skyclave Apparition, Loran, Palace Jailer - those all can have a big effect on the game. Recruiter also provides a body for Opposition and Skullclamp, or can crew a Smuggler's Copter, so the 1/1 body isn't completely useless, either.
As far as the totem pole of 1-cmc cantrips goes, this is pretty low. I'm currently not running Peek and am generally not a fan of slow cantrips unless they're free (baubles) or are part of other effects (Arcane Denial). Generally I like a lot of the 2-cmc cantrips a lot more than this too.
Aahhh I completely forgot about Peek. That would definitely make it in over Clairvoyance. I might add Peek for a little variety though and see how valuable the information is.
Peek's been playing fine enough here. If I were to trim from 47 blue cards down to 45, it'd be one of the cuts, but it makes maindecks often enough. I wrote more thoughts about it a while back here. I do try to not think of Peek and cards like Opt together, since I feel Peek is serving a different role than the card-filtering cantrips, though there is some overlap like triggering Ledger Shredder. That said, I'm worried Peek might drop in value a lot for me once I add LTR cards; Orcish Bowmasters in response sounds rough. Preordain and Ponder are strong enough to justify in spite of Bowmasters, Peek maybe not. But, testing is needed first.
Might not be top 3, but honorable mention to Soulherder. Card played very well in the latest MTGO cube, and is an all-star in my cube, though it gains value in my cube by comboing with Clocknapper. Still even without silver bordered cards, blinking cards like Solitude, Venser, Shaper Savant, and Recruiter of the Guard every turn is very good.
LSV has made a good point recently that the value of Fractured Identity has gone down a bit. I think it's still a top-2 Azorius card along with Teferi, Time Raveler, but Fractured Identity's value in the cube overall does seem a bit weaker. The mana value of threats has lowered substantially in the past 2 years. With cards like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Laelia, the Blade Reforged, and all the 3-mana Planeswalkers being the new top threats of the format - compared to 2017 when Fractured Identity was first released, and top threats were 4-mana Planeswalkers not named Minsc and Boo and 6-drops like Consecrated Sphinx - 5 mana can feel too slow now.
Yeah, I thought these were like the other MYB playtest cards, just without art. Didn't know they were actual playtest stickers. That's a bit disappointing. I am hoping for more printed playtest cards like Lazier Goblin since those have been cool includes for my cube.
Isamaru and YoshimaruW
Legendary Creature - Dog
Whenever another legendary creature or creature with mana value one enters teh battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on Isamaru and Yoshimaru.
2/2
This card looks ridiculous. Base rate 2/2 for W is good. Played turn 1, then followed up with 2 one-drops on turn 2, it attacks for 4. Also strong when followed by Kari Zev, Skyship Raider since the Ragavan tokens will trigger this each turn. Also just followed by Thalia on turn 2 and attacking for 3 is also very good.
Guildmark2
Artifact
Pledge (Join a two-colored guild if you haven't already this game)
T: Add one mana of one of your guild's colors
A talisman that doesn't damage you. One of the strongest 2mv manarock options, if not the strongest. Nice option for anyone that includes Mystery Booster Playtest cards.
Surely "gandalf" is also owned by Middle-earth enterprises? I guess I don't see what the difference is between using Hobbit and using Gandalf when it comes to reprtints.
I suspect there were 2 designs philosophies that cards from this set could fit in. Cards like Gandalf and Frodo were designed with the idea that they're only going to appear in LotR sets - Gandalf won't show up in Wilds of Eldraine or whatever. The other design for cards like Reprieve and Delighted Halfling were designed to be generic enough that they could fit in future sets, which is why they went with "Reprieve" and "Delighted Halfling" instead of something like "Gandalf's Reprieve" and "Delighted Hobbit" - those names would be more flavorful, but would limit how/if the cards could show up in reprints.
[img]In a hand with no 3-mana play, you can curve 1-drop, 2-drop, into this on turn 3 to dig for up to 2 creatures mana value 2 or less.
You're only digging 2 deep though, which in a deck with 15 1- and 2-drop creatures you're only 60% to hit at least 1.
I think this is pretty bad even in WW and unplayable everywhere else. It's a horrendous post-wrath play, and yeah, it's a cool topdeck or play when I have 4 creatures in play but why aren't I just smashing my opponent in that situation?
It always digs 6. If you have 10 mana value 2 or less, that's 84.5% to hit 1, 47.4% to hit 2. With 15, it's 95.4% to hit 1, 74.6% to hit 2.
I think this looks interesting for low-to-the-ground Wx Creature decks. In a hand with no 3-mana play, you can curve 1-drop, 2-drop, into this on turn 3 to dig for up to 2 creatures mana value 2 or less. Or if you have an alternate 3-mana play, you can save this and give the option to find creatures with higher mana values when you need to refill.
Blightsteel was cut from my 360 on my ONE update (replaced for Atraxa, Grand Unifier). For tinker targets, I find Sundering Titan is best since even if answered, destroying some lands can still leave you in a winning position. Destroying lands can also make the opponent's answer uncastable by either mana-screwing or color-screwing them. Blightsteel's fine, but there are a lot more answers floating around now: Solitude, Baleful Mastery, Brazen Borrower.
Elspeth Knight-Errant > Gideon, Ally of Zendikar > The Wandering Emperor. I could see playing The Wandering Emperor over Gideon though to diversify a bit since Elspeth and Gideon are extremely similar.
Gideon Jura if you have room for a 5 mana card in White. Gideon Jura is a pretty strong option for control and midrange. Gideon of the Trials is an okay card that can fit in aggro, control or midrange, but is never really great in any of them.
Clocknapper might also be affecting my ranking of the Recruiters more than I'm giving it credit. The existence of that card does change a few card's rankings. Both recruiters being able to fetch Kiki-Jiki, Pestermite, and Clocknapper might play better than in cubes that run Deceiver Exarch since Recruiter of the Guard can't fetch Exarch. Clocknapper also opens the Recruiter -> Soulherder -> Clocknapper combo line, so finding homes in Kiki combo and Blink combo might also help the Recruiters.
But even outside the combos, I like the Recruiters in toolbox style decks. Tutoring for Solitude, Skyclave Apparition, Loran, Palace Jailer - those all can have a big effect on the game. Recruiter also provides a body for Opposition and Skullclamp, or can crew a Smuggler's Copter, so the 1/1 body isn't completely useless, either.
Peek's been playing fine enough here. If I were to trim from 47 blue cards down to 45, it'd be one of the cuts, but it makes maindecks often enough. I wrote more thoughts about it a while back here. I do try to not think of Peek and cards like Opt together, since I feel Peek is serving a different role than the card-filtering cantrips, though there is some overlap like triggering Ledger Shredder. That said, I'm worried Peek might drop in value a lot for me once I add LTR cards; Orcish Bowmasters in response sounds rough. Preordain and Ponder are strong enough to justify in spite of Bowmasters, Peek maybe not. But, testing is needed first.
LSV has made a good point recently that the value of Fractured Identity has gone down a bit. I think it's still a top-2 Azorius card along with Teferi, Time Raveler, but Fractured Identity's value in the cube overall does seem a bit weaker. The mana value of threats has lowered substantially in the past 2 years. With cards like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Laelia, the Blade Reforged, and all the 3-mana Planeswalkers being the new top threats of the format - compared to 2017 when Fractured Identity was first released, and top threats were 4-mana Planeswalkers not named Minsc and Boo and 6-drops like Consecrated Sphinx - 5 mana can feel too slow now.
Reprieve
Orcish Bowmasters
Delighted Halfling
This card looks ridiculous. Base rate 2/2 for W is good. Played turn 1, then followed up with 2 one-drops on turn 2, it attacks for 4. Also strong when followed by Kari Zev, Skyship Raider since the Ragavan tokens will trigger this each turn. Also just followed by Thalia on turn 2 and attacking for 3 is also very good.
A talisman that doesn't damage you. One of the strongest 2mv manarock options, if not the strongest. Nice option for anyone that includes Mystery Booster Playtest cards.
I suspect there were 2 designs philosophies that cards from this set could fit in. Cards like Gandalf and Frodo were designed with the idea that they're only going to appear in LotR sets - Gandalf won't show up in Wilds of Eldraine or whatever. The other design for cards like Reprieve and Delighted Halfling were designed to be generic enough that they could fit in future sets, which is why they went with "Reprieve" and "Delighted Halfling" instead of something like "Gandalf's Reprieve" and "Delighted Hobbit" - those names would be more flavorful, but would limit how/if the cards could show up in reprints.
It always digs 6. If you have 10 mana value 2 or less, that's 84.5% to hit 1, 47.4% to hit 2. With 15, it's 95.4% to hit 1, 74.6% to hit 2.
Knight-Errant of Eos
I think this looks interesting for low-to-the-ground Wx Creature decks. In a hand with no 3-mana play, you can curve 1-drop, 2-drop, into this on turn 3 to dig for up to 2 creatures mana value 2 or less. Or if you have an alternate 3-mana play, you can save this and give the option to find creatures with higher mana values when you need to refill.
Repeal > Vortex
I agree with this.
Gideon Jura if you have room for a 5 mana card in White. Gideon Jura is a pretty strong option for control and midrange. Gideon of the Trials is an okay card that can fit in aggro, control or midrange, but is never really great in any of them.