Wizards of the Coast included just under 20 Magic: The Gathering reprints in The Brothers’ War Standard-legal set, with four having potential within Standard Constructed and Limited formats.
Reprints showing up in MTG Standard-legal sets are expected, with The Brothers’ War containing a total of 18, including Pain lands. The number of reprints in the BRO set was about equal to the number in Dominaria United (DMU) but more than Streets of New Capenna (SNC).
Several of The Brothers’ War reprints are MTG cards that show up often in Standard sets, like Evolving Wilds and Giant Growth. Each set typically has a fight or bite card reprinted in Green, with Epic Confrontation from Dragons of Tarkir taking that slot in BRO. And the reprinted cycle of Pain lands that started in DMU was completed, first printed in Ice Age and Apocalypse.
Here are the four best MTG reprints in The Brothers’ War for Standard and Limited, not including Pain lands.
Obstinate Baloth
Obstinate Baloth last made an appearance in an MTG set with the release of Iconic Masters in 2017 and was originally printed in Magic 2011. The beast is a solid mid-to-late-pack pick in BRO Draft, providing four life upon entering the battlefield. And Obstinate Baloth will likely end up in some Standard Constructed sideboards due to cards like Liliana of the Veil, Ob Nixilis, the Adversary, and Juni, the Midnight Sky still seeing a good amount of gameplay.
Blast Zone
The Rare land Blast Zone saw a good amount of gameplay in Standard Constructed when it was first printed in War of the Spark (WAR). Control decks have no problem using two mana to place a charge counter on Blast Zone. And within BRO, it will be even easier thanks to an abundance of Powerstones.
Fauna Shaman
Fauna Shaman made an appearance last in Ultimate Masters and was first printed in Magic 2011. The elf is a solid two-drop in both Standard and Limited in that it can fetch any creature card from your library by discarding a creature card, paying one Green mana, and tapping Fauna Shaman. The color Green is full of graveyard shenanigans across multiple Magic formats, making Fauna Shaman a card to keep an eye on.
Monastery Swiftspear
First printed in the Khans of Tarkir set and recently reprinted in Double Masters 2022, Monastery Swiftspear will have an impact on Izzet Standard Constructed decks and is a potentially powerful Uncommon within the BRO Limited format. One-drops with Haste in the color Red have a history of succeeding within the Standard format, especially ones that can scale in power each turn.
Diabolic Intent
First printed in Zendikar and later reprinted in Double Masters 2022, Diabolic Intent slots right into BR, WG, and BG decks that have Sacrifice and graveyard synergies. The Rare Sorcery allows players to search for any card in their library and put that card into their hand. This is a very powerful effect within the BRO Limited and Standard formats and it will likely see gameplay in other Magic formats as well.
All images via WotC.
Update Nov. 9 12:30pm CT: Added Diabolic Intent as one of the best MTG reprint cards for BRO Limited and Standard formats.
Published: Nov 9, 2022 12:30 pm