Adding mana fixers within the Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Limited format provides an opportunity to splash powerful gold Magic: The Gathering cards and removal.
Scheduled to launch digitally on Sept. 16 with a pre-release event taking place on Sept. 17, Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (MID) contains a total of 10 two-color archetypes. Running additional colors can add key cards to these existing builds that provide an advantage over opponents.
There are over 10 mana-fixing options in MID with seven standing out as the best splashers to play in Sealed or to pick in Draft.
Evolving Wilds
Printed in over 30 Magic sets over the years, Evolving Wilds is one of the best mana-fixing options within the MID set. With a Common rarity, the land is easy to find in Draft pools and allows a player to search their library for a specific color basic land. The basic land goes directly onto the battlefield, as opposed to the player’s hand, and is tapped.
An advantage to Evolving Wilds is that only one copy of an alternate color land is needed to provide the mana fixing needed for three-color builds and it enters directly onto the battlefield.
Path to the Festival
The color Green typically contains MTG cards that can support ramp and color splashing strategies. Path to the Festival is the best MID card in Green for both, costing three mana to cast with a rarity of Common.
Upon casting, a player can search their library for a basic land and put it into the battlefield tapped, similar to Evolving Wilds. If the player has three or more basic land types on the battlefield, they can Scry for one, setting up card advantage on their next turn.
The Celestus
The Celestus is a three-drop mana rock with a rarity of Rare that has multiple abilities. Players can tap the legendary Artifact to provide one mana of any color for that turn, providing mana fixing and ramp opportunities each turn. The Celestus also synergizes with the MID mechanic Daybound/Nightbound.
Upon entering the battlefield, The Celestus starts the day and night cycle if it’s neither. For three mana and tapping, its controller can change whether it’s day or night. When changes from day to night or night to day occur, the controller of The Celestus gains one life point and may draw a card. Should a card be drawn, that player must discard a card.
Rootcoil Creeper
Mana fixers come on creatures too, like the Uncommon Rootcoil Creeper. The plant horror provides two forms of ramp and splashing options. Rootcoil can tap to add one color of any mana, or two colors if casting a spell from your graveyard.
Rootcoil Creeper synergizes with what the GU archetype is doing with graveyard shenanigans. It also provides the opportunity to add multiple color MID cards to a build. The plant horror has an added bonus as well that allows its controller to pay GU to exile Rootcoil Creeper from the graveyard to return a card with the mechanic Flashback to their hand.
Mystic Skull
Mystic Skull is another mana rock that costs two to cast. Its controller can pay one mana and tap it to add mana of any color. Typically an Artifact like this gets passed over, but Mystic Skull has another ability that provides late-game value.
At a cost of five mana and tapping Mystic Skull, its controller can transform the Artifact into Mystic Monstrosity. All lands when Mystic Monstrosity is on the battlefield can tap for any color and the construct is a 5/6.
Dawnhart Rejuvenator
Dawnhart Rejuvenator is a four-drop creature in the color Green with 2/4 stats. The human warlock can tap to add mana of any color and gains its controller three life points upon entering the battlefield. Its defensive stat of four provides midgame value while being able to produce another color when necessary. Dawnhart Rejuvenator has a rarity of Common, so picking it up in MID Draft shouldn’t be a problem.
Jack-o’-Lantern
Providing a twist to typical mana rocks, Jack-o’-Lantern provides graveyard hate, card advantage, and mana fixing. At the cost of one mana and sacrificing the Artifact, it exiles a card from any graveyard and draws its controller a card. That player can then pay one mana to exile Jack-o’-Lantern, adding one mana of any color that turn.
All images via WotC, Magic: The Gathering.
