Sometimes as a content creator, you become known for certain things within the larger community. Over the years, I’ve put together quite a resume full of various memes and dreams when it comes to Limited Magic, including my love for Sailor of Means in Ixalan, meeting companion restrictions whenever possible and drafting Jund Lands in Vintage Cube. And for Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate, I will be the one, quiet voice in the background saying over and over again…
Blue is not bad in HBG
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk
— Ethan Saks (@lordtupperware) July 7, 2022
I mean it, blue really isn’t that bad in HBG! Do I think it’s the worst of the five colors? Absolutely. Do I think it’s a bad idea to draft it if it’s contested or if all you see are commons? Of course. But that’s a far cry from the “don’t touch blue with a 10-foot pole” mantra that most of the Limited community seems to be touting. I believe that having success with blue is part of a balanced HBG Limited diet and I’m here today to tell you exactly how to do it!
A lot of folks are skeptical about drafting blue in HBG, and for good reason! The 17lands.com data on blue and its four color pairs is pretty abysmal, it doesn’t get access to any cheap double team creatures and its commons are (for lack of a better word) clunky! I’m not here to debate any of these facts, but I do believe that there is more to drafting blue than these points might reveal.
It’s true that blue’s commons leave something to be desired, but we’ve had plenty of formats where colors that are weak at common can perform well, thinking specifically about green in Zendikar Rising and red in Streets of New Capenna. Rabid Bite and Mayhem Patrol were never top commons or cards that would pull you into drafting those colors, but were fine support cards if you got the goods at higher rarity. Some of blue’s commons like Young Blue Dragon, Undersimplify and Lizardfolk Librarians are good roleplayers, but most of its commons are cards I’m hoping to never include in my deck (looking right at you, Charmed Sleep).
So if commons aren’t what should be pulling you into blue, what are the cards to look out for at higher rarity?
