Sagas are in abundance with the release of Kaldheim in Magic: The Gathering—and many of them are having an impact across multiple formats.
Enchantment sagas slot nicely into most Control builds and are difficult to remove once they’re on the battlefield. The release of Kaldheim (KHM) has added a total of 20 sagas, 10 Rare and 10 Uncommon. Standard’s meta is still fresh with room for plenty of builds to take off, but a number of Commander decks are already scooping up multiple sagas.
From death angels to elves getting pumped, here are the five best KHM saga enchantments.
Firja’s Retribution
- CMC: 1(WWB)
- Type: Enchantment—Saga
- Rarity: Rare
- One: Create a 4/4 white Angel Warrior creature token with flying and vigilance.
- Two: Until end of turn, Angels you control gain “(T): Destroy target creature with power less than this creature’s power.”
- Three: Angels you control gain double strike until end of turn.
Angel tribal might not be a thing yet in the Standard format, but Firaja’s Retribution was still able to find a home in Standard via Esper Doom Foretold. The angel saga also slots nicely into a number of Commander decks, like Liesa, Shroud of Dusk, Firja, Judge of Valor, and Kaalia of the Vast. Firja’s Retribution’s ability to pump out a 4/4 angel of death is a solid addition to any BW Control deck in multiple Magic formats.
Showdown of the Skalds
- CMC: 2(RW)
- Type: Enchantment—Saga
- Rarity: Rare
- One: Exile the top four cards of your library. Until the end of your next turn, you may play those cards.
- Two and Three: Whenever you cast a spell this turn, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
Showdown of the Skalds slots into RW Limited builds and may even find a home in Mono-Red Aggro in the Standard format. Slapping +1/+1 counters on cheap creatures during the mid game provides value and being able to cast off the top of the library can help an Aggro build gain advantage in the late game following a board sweep. Showdown of the Skalds has also seen some gameplay in Yorion Piles in Standard, along with a number of Commander builds.
The Raven’s Warning
- CMC: 1(UW)
- Type: Enchantment—Saga
- Rarity: Rare
- One: Create a 1/1 blue Bird creature token with flying. You gain 2 life.
- Two: Whenever one or more creatures you control with flying deal combat damage to a player this turn, look at that player’s hand and draw a card.
- Three: You may put a card you own from outside the game on top of your library.
The Raven’s Warning slots right into Control builds within Standard since it’s able to create tokens, gain life, cantrip, and pull a card from outside the game. Upon the release of KHM, the saga has found a home in Esper Doom Foretold. The Raven’s Warning is also getting played in UW Limited builds, along with Vega, the Watcher, and Kangee, Sky Warden EDH decks.
The Bloodsky Massacre
- CMC: 1(BR)
- Type: Enchantment—Saga
- Rarity: Rare
- One: Create a 2/3 red Demon Berserker creature token with menace.
- Two: Whenever a Berserker attacks this turn, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.
- Three: Add {R} for each Berserker you control. Until end of turn, you don’t lose this mana as steps and phases end.
The Bloodsky Massacre is a powerful saga within BR Limited and tribal Berserker Standard builds. It’s also a great fit in a Valki, God of Lies Brawl deck. Several Commander builds, such as Kardur, Doomscourge, Rakdos, Lord of Riots, and Chainer, Nightmare Adept, are using The Bloodsky Massacre too. Extra mana never hurts and a Berserker with menace can deal easy damage or clear an opponent’s low-powered blockers.
Harald Unites the Elves
- CMC: 2(BG)
- Type: Enchantment—Saga
- Rarity: Rare
- One: Mill three cards. You may put an Elf or Tyvar card from your graveyard onto the battlefield.
- Two: Put a +1/+1 counter on each Elf you control.
- Three: Whenever an Elf you control attacks this turn, target creature an opponent controls gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
Elven tribal gained a new saga with Harald Unites the Elves. Viable in multiple Magic formats, Harald fuels graveyard shenanigans while pumping elves on the battlefield. The saga is strong in BG elves in Limited, despite not finding a home in Standard at the time of release. Commander decks like Abomination of Llanowar are using Harald, though, and he’s even got his own Brawl build.
All images via WotC, Magic: The Gathering.
