5 - The Common - Cystbearer
I love alternate win conditions. I feel that it really adds something to the game to watch out for and strive to create. Infect is our newest toy and it finally brings poison counters into the forefront of game enders. For a measly 2g you can have a 2/3 creature that deals its damage in -1 / -1 counters or poison counters. Otherwise, most other common cards in this set rely on you or your opponent having artifacts out, or just don't hit for hard enough to do any real damage. This one fits that role nicely.
4 - The UnCommon - Necrogen Scudder
There are some really good uncommon cards in this set, and in a constructed format, there's a few real bombs out there, but the one I think takes the cake for limited is the Necrogen Scudder right here. For three mana and three life, you get a 3/3 flyer. That's really hard to say no to in a format where evasion really helps. Only a few cards will be able to stand up to it.
Honorable mention - Skinrender
Four mana for a 3/3 creature and removal is really good. I would not be unhappy pulling one of these.
3 - The Rare -Sunblast Angel
This was a really tough choice. Going through the rares, there's some amazing standalone creatures, spells, and enchantments that could easily turn the tide of battle or let you get a quick win. Of all of them, this is the one that I would want to see played against me the least. Limited is a very aggressive format, and to lose all of my tapped creatures in the blink of an eye and then have to deal with a 4/5 flyer would be enough to make me concede.
2 - The Mythic - Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
Poison is going to be a big deal in this set. Having a 4/4 flying regenerating dragon that can kill somebody by itself within 2 turns of it coming on the board is exactly what your opponent doesn't want to see. With exile being hard to come by in this format and Skithiryx on your side, you'll win more than your fair share of game.
1 - The No Brainer - The Myr
You've really got two solid, viable choices in your pre-release tournaments this weekend. You can try to go the way of Infect and deal as many poison counters as you can, or you can play the set for its artifacts and make as much use from metalcraft as you can. The metalcraft abilities are stupidly powerful, but to get them working, you need three artifacts in play. That's where our friends the Myr come in. They can go into any deck, and trigger these otherwise elusive abilities. Think hard about which way you're going to go, and good luck with your packs this weekend!
