The release of Core Set 2021 brings a host of reprint and new cards to the Magic: The Gathering Limited format, but not all of them are worth picking up in a draft.
Green is a solid color to play in M21 Limited, providing staple abilities like ramp and mana fixing, in addition to +1/1 counter synergies and big creatures as finishers. The strongest colors to play with Green in M21 Draft or Sealed are likely Red and Blue. Going Green and Black is also a possibility, but it’s not quite as strong as the other two.
M21 Commons
There are a number of solid Green Common cards to choose from. From ramp with Llanowar Visionary to simple combat tricks with Titanic Growth, here are the best M21 Commons.
Llanowar Visionary
A combination of Elvish Visionary and Llanowar Elves, Llanowar Visionary is a great first pick. It’s a three-drop 2/2 who provides card draw when entering the battlefield and can be tapped for additional Green mana. It synergizes well with UG builds and provides necessary ramp to drop those big creatures a turn early.
Colossal Dreadmaw
Colossal Dreadmaw is a reprint and a solid one at that. It’s not necessarily a first pick, but will work as a solid finisher. Six for 6/6 is decent and Trample is like icing on the cake. Expect Colossal Dreadmaw to get targeted with removal, as it will end a match quickly.
Setessan Training
Auras are typically weak cards to play in Limited but Setessan Training might be worth picking up. It draws a card upon entering the battlefield which synergizes well with UG decks. Setessan Training also pumps a creature’s power level up one, synergizing with GR builds, and provides Trample. And it only has a cost of two mana, so it’s not an overwhelming loss if the creature gets removed.Â
Drowsing Tyrannodon
Drowsing Tyrannodon is a two-drop 3/3 Defender who provides decent defense in the early game while becoming a threat mid and late game. Green and Red decks have decent synergy with the dinosaur but don’t overestimate the number of creatures you’ll have on the battlefield with a power of four or greater.
Gnarled Sage
Gnarled Sage has solid synergy with UG builds and Reach with power and defense of four. It’s hardly a first-pick and will likely cost more than its worth outside of a UG deck. But as a 4/6 with Reach in a set with a number of Flyers, Gnarled Sage just might be worth picking up.
Titanic Growth
Titanic Growth is a simple combat trick reprint that has always performed well in Limited. It drops at Instant speed and pumps a creature by +4/+4. Titanic Growth is exceptionally strong on creatures with Trample, of which there are several to choose from in M21.
M21 Uncommons
Much like the Commons, there are number of solid Uncommon cards to choose from too. From reprints like Thrashing Brontodon to Warden of the Woods, here are the best Uncommons in the M21 set.
Warden of the Woods
Of all the Commons and Uncommons in M21, Warden of the Woods is a bomb. Opponents will fear to remove it and its attack power is enough to easily finish off a match. And as an added bonus, it has Vigilance and a beefy defense of seven with an attack power of five.
Thrashing Brontodon
Thrashing Brontodon has always been a solid pick due to it being a three-drop with 3/4 stats. And being able to remove an Artifact or Enchantment by tapping just one mana is simply an added bonus worth having around, without having to add a card from the sideboard.
Wildwood Scourge
Counters are a thing in M21 within Green and Wildwood Scourge might be a card most players will sleep on. It has a downside of being removed after spending a majority of your mana to cast it, but its synergy with counters may be worth the risk, if timed correctly.
Birlfist Oak
A four-drop 2/3 is a decent creature pick. But Burlfist Oak stands out due to it being able to pump at Instant speed via normal card draw and cantrip abilities. It synergizes nicely with UG decks and has the potential to disrupt the board state nicely.
Garruk’s Uprising
Garruk’s Uprising is a solid pick when playing RG builds that have a number of creatures with a power of four or greater. It has great potential but it can also end up being a dead card in hand. Providing all other creatures with Trample and being able to draw a card when controlling a creature with power of four or greater upon entering the battlefield makes it worth it, though, in the right deck.
Fungal Rebirth
Fungal Rebirth is a solid Instant that, when played correctly, can benefit your board state. Having a cost of three mana is a slight downside, but the bonus of getting your creature back from the graveyard and two Saproling tokens can make it worth it.Â
Cultivate
Mana fixing is always nice in Limited and Cultivate provides that for M21 decks running two or more colors. The Sorcery spell also works well with a third color getting splashed into a deck. Cultivate is deck specific but well worth picking up under those specific conditions.
