There has been a lot of talk, recently, about tricks and treats. I don’t fully understand a lot of it, but as I get older I’m learning you don’t have to understand whatever is in the current zeitgeist to be able to exploit it for content. So, with that said, as tricks and treats seem to be so hot right now here are the top 5 tricks and treats in Magic at the moment. May the algorithm smile upon my content!

5. Might of the Old Ways

At face value, Might of the Old Ways is horrifically overpriced. Two mana for +2/+2 is not a rate anyone should be happy to pay, particularly in green when we’re used to cards like Giant Growth. In a coven deck, however, Might of the Old Ways goes from being terrible to terrific. If you have coven and can win a combat with this card, you will be a long way ahead. 

4. Stolen Vitality

I was very underwhelmed by Stolen Vitality to begin with, and while I still don’t think it’s a world-beater, this card has so much blowout potential when wielded correctly. Using it to aggressively push damage through blockers (or win combat, which is rare given it only gives +1 toughness) is great, but on defense it can just help you eat creatures for very little investment. Pair it with Festival Crasher for maximum impact!

3. Flare of Faith

Flare of Faith is the definition of a middling combat trick. You’re never excited to put this in your deck, but you can usually get good value out of it when you do. Considering the quality of removal in this set, being able to make a key Human indestructible in response to a Defenestrate or the like is huge, and it will often help your big creatures get out of range of Burn the Accursed. It’s not exciting, but Flare of Faith often gets the job done. 

2. Blessed Defiance

One-mana combat tricks are always worth a second look, and this one ended up being rock-solid. While it very rarely actually helps you win combat, Blessed Defiance will buffer your life total, help your early plays stay relevant as they trade up and leave behind an evasive 1/1 after the dust has settled. Not bad for one mana – but my favorite way to use it is to counter opposing Foul Plays.

1. Startle

Startle lived up to its name by startling a lot of us with just how good it ended up being in this draft format. It’s not difficult to engineer a situation where you can eat their creature with the -2/-0, and then on top of that you get a card and a disposable 2/2. At worst, it cycles away as a semi-Revitalize, which isn’t awful – Startle might just be the best trick in the set. 

5. Dragonlord’s Servant

Perhaps it’s a bit of a stretch for us to call an enormous plate of meat a “treat”, but if you’re a centuries-old dragonlord, it seems perfectly appropriate. Delicious! As the flavor text indicates, you can even eat the goblin for dessert, which is always a nice bonus.

4. Hot Soup

As the weather gets colder in the northern hemisphere, I know many people across that half of the world will be snuggling up under blankets, keeping themselves warm and cozy. And what better way to do it than with a nice bowl – or cauldron, even – of hot soup? The goblin who’s serving it doesn’t seem to have much restaurant experience, however.

3. Oashra Cultivator

That bowl of produce does look exceptionally succulent. What have we got here… an apple, an, er, slightly larger apple, and – is that a lotus? It is! After some research, I have learnt that people do indeed eat lotuses. I had no idea. Canonically, is that how planeswalkers get mana out of a Black Lotus? By eating it?

2. Gingerbrute

Not everyone likes it when their food fights back, but if you’re in the mood for a challenge before snacktime, I’ve got good news. Gingerbrute is ready to rumble and avenge his much tinier brethren, all lost to our gluttonous ways. At least it’s a workout to burn off some calories before you get stuck into a full-size gingerbread man!

1. Utopia Tree

Finally, the perfect fruit has been found – fruit that tastes like buffalo chicken with blue cheese sauce. I’ve got to find this tree, man. I just have got to. I’d never eat anything else. Fruit is good for you, right? Fruit that tasted like fried chicken would be game over for me. I’d never need anything else.