Back to Basics: A Guide for Core Set 2020 Draft and Sealed

On Tuesday, July 2nd, Core Set 2020 will release on Magic Arena, with paper pre-releases following on Friday, July 5th. Core sets are traditionally simpler Magic expansions, with lower complexity and fewer mechanics (in fact, M20 only has evergreen mechanics plus Protection). And yet, I find myself oddly excited to crack some sealed pools and sit down at some drafts. Why? Because much of Wizard’s design work for M20 focused on making sure it was fun for Limited. Let’s take a look at how.

Wedge Theory

Older core sets favored a simplistic draft strategy: pick the best cards in one or two colors, and you were done. M19 encouraged people to draft one of ten two-color themes, but these themes had little overlap with each other. That meant you might settle on your color pair early in a draft, only to be left in the lurch if support for that theme disappeared from later packs.

M20 fixes this issue by focusing on five themes that center around an allied color pair - but which also have minor support in the shared enemy color. This three-color combination is called a wedge, and it allows for some clever design. For example, the Blue/White theme is Fliers, and its shared enemy color is Red; the Green/Red theme is Elementals, and its shared enemy color is Blue. Blue and Red are present in both wedges, and lo and behold, M20 has a Blue/Red uncommon which is a flying Elemental - acceptable for your RUG Elementals or UWR Fliers!

Now you can try and stay within an allied color pair, and build an extremely consistent, thematic deck. Alternatively you can branch out to a third color that makes your deck less consistent, but which shores up its inherent weaknesses. The set even has a set of all 10 common dual lands and Evolving Wilds. Choices like this make drafts more strategic, decks more coherent, and games a lot more fun!

Here’s a deeper dive into each theme.

Blue/White (Red): Fliers

Blue/White evasive strategies have long been good in any Limited format, and M20 kicks this theme up a notch with a plethora of “flying matters” cards. Playing this archetype is straightforward: make sure you can kill or stall any ground threats, and fly over to victory!

  

The bonuses for having an army of fliers goes beyond the creatures, though. Divination was a high pick in M19, and Winged Words is a strict upgrade over that card. Aerial Assault showcases another interesting bonus for playing fliers, one stapled onto a removal spell that’s playable no matter what.

This color pair has minor support in Red. Cards such as Lightning Stormkin and Skyknight Vanguard provide increased aggression to a traditionally slow strategy. Red also has a multitude of dragons - high cost, high impact threats that are ideal splashes for the late game. And of course, Red has some wonderful burn spells that are perfect for picking off threats or exploding your opponent’s life total.

Green/Red (Blue): Elementals

Green/Red is the preferred color combination for people that like to smack their opponents’ in the face with big, beefy creatures. In M20 these creatures take the form of Elementals, who do more than hit hard; they synergize with other Elementals to hit really hard. So if you miss the tribal themes of Ixalan, here’s your chance to draft a tribe once more!

  

Overgrowth Elemental and Lavakin Brawler are great examples of Elemental synergy. While each is playable on its own, they are both backbreaking in a deck stuffed with other Elementals.

 

This color pair has minor support in Blue. Cards like Risen Reef showcase Blue’s card advantage; cards like Lightning Stormkin showcase Blue’s evasion. Adding Blue to your Green/Red deck will give it access to a whole new axis on which to fight!

Green/White (Black): Go Wide

Green/White decks believe that more is better. Their opponents may disagree - up until the point where they die to a flood of 1/1s. Go-wide decks like to flood the board with creatures, supporting their smaller bodies with combat tricks that allow them to take down bigger enemies - or to simply finish off the opponent.

  

Raise the Alarm is a good example of an unassuming go-wide card that is nevertheless a key part of this archetype. Combine that with a card like Overcome, and the game will often just end on the spot.

  

This color pair has minor support in Black. Black provides more sources of value if your primary plan fails: Moldervine Reclamation allows you to attack freely without the risk of going down cards if your creatures die, while Corpse Knight provides an alternate route of victory if your ground attack stalls out.

Black/Red (White): Aggro

Black/Red just wants to attack and do damage by any means necessary. Creatures may be weak and laughable, right up to the point when the opponent realizes that they’re dead.

  

Audacious Thief is a perfect card for this aggressive archetype, letting you attack without being afraid of going down a card. Goblin Smuggler is another deceptively strong card: an unblockable 2 power creature might not seem like much, but it’s often just enough to get the job done.

This color pair has minor support in White. Corpse Knight gives you a way to kill your opponent outside of combat, and Skyknight Vanguard provides evasion and a steady stream of cannon fodder.

Black/Blue (Green): Enter-the-Battlefield Value and Control

Black/Blue is a difficult color pair to define. A card such as Tomebound Lich has unassuming stats for a three-drop - but then you realize that it gains life and kills anything it blocks and allows one to loot over and over and over again. While this sort of value may seem unassuming at first, it’s difficult to beat in a long game. So what does Black/Blue try to do? Deal with early threats with blockers and removal while grinding out bits and pieces of card advantage until the value accrued is impossible to overcome.

  

Cloudkin Seer is one such value creature: an evasive threat that draws you a card is something to be treasured highly. Combine creatures like that with a card like Blood for Bones, and you’ve created a true value engine, one that abuses your graveyard and “enters the battlefield” triggers alike.

   

This color has minor support in Green. Both Risen Reef and Moldervine Reclamation provide additional value, with the latter ensuring that your weaker creatures will give you something even in death. Green also has a plethora of strong creatures, perfect for closing out a game in a quick and efficient fashion.

Combat Tricks

Most of our early experiences in a new Limited environment often include a getting blown out by a combat trick or removal spell. Maybe 8 weeks into the draft format, players can always sniff out the trick like Skullduggery in Ixalan draft, but not in week one. Between Uncaged Fury, Befuddle and Feral Invocation, 3 untapped mana in combat is scary but these cards will often be on the fringes of playability. Infuriate is the most efficient combat trick and important to keep in mind.  

Removal

The common removal in this set is all situational besides the gold standard of Core Set removal (Murder). Disfigure and Shock are great at one mana to kill small creatures or combine in combat to kill bigger creatures. Ember Hauler plays a similar role to Shock while being a Grizzly Bears.

Unsummon could potentially be good as well but it isn't a real answer if the game bog downs and bouncing their threat doesn't accomplish much. Rabid Bite requires your own creature and can be fizzled by opposing removal. Aerial Assault is a downgraded Assassinate, which is less than exciting and Sleep Paralysis is an overcosted Narcolepsy and doesn't answer creatures with static effects.   

Sweepers 

Nothing makes a game of Limited go from "can't lose" to "can't win" like a board wipe. Wrath of God style cards are always obvious first picks but thankfully the only true board wipe is Planar Cleansing. The ability to get all permanents is much more impactful in constructed, but it will come up as an answer to planeswalkers or enchantments or artifacts. Flame Sweep is the only other thing close to a sweeper in the format, so its definitely one to keep in mind if you're playing one of the various go wide archetypes.  

So… What to Do?

In a sealed pool, try and stick with a wedge, but don’t be afraid to splash for removal or bombs.

In draft, well, there are a lot of interesting options!

• Draft an an allied color pair. Your deck will have consistent mana and a unified strategy. It will also have weaknesses inherent to the color pair.
• Draft an allied color pair and branch out to the enemy color - the wedge. Your deck will have less consistent mana, but still have a unified strategy. It will also have access to cards that expand your deck’s strategic reach and up your power level.
• Draft an enemy color pair. Your deck will have consistent mana, but its strategy will be somewhat fragmented. It will also have weaknesses inherent to the color pair.
• Draft an enemy color pair, and branch out to either of two wedges. Your deck will have less consistent mana, but you’ll be able to stay open and draft the strategy that’s passed to you.

If you do go down a three-color route, keep an eye out for mana fixing. Evolving Wilds is great as always, and every pack has a chance of containing a common dual land.

Good luck!