I am starting the year 2020 with some serious blog updating. With the current high volume of Theros Beyond Death spoilers from various websites and sources, I will try my best to cover each card analysis basing on personal experiences of the game and metagame perception for Standard.

Today’s blog post features two Theros Beyond Death card previews and we start with the Devourer of Memory.

The creature looks decent for a 2/1 for two mana, but the self-mill gameplan looks toward the late game with more mana access for the ability activation. Curving from a turn two Devourer into some self-mill spells and Surveil can be an amazing 3/2 damage clock.

This can see fit in a plain build of a Dimir Tempo-Surveil deck with a few Escape cards for added value. Cards like Discovery/Disperal for curving your gas and a top-end creature like Doom Whisperer can be a great finisher and also triggers the Devourer.

Next up is the Red creature Storm Herald.

The ETB trigger is quite complicated and situational. First, you need those Aura cards in the graveyard but how do you drop them there aside from self-milling? Draw and discard effects can be your option here which you might add spells with those abilities (i.e. Thrill of Possibility) but then the proper card distribution would then be your issue.

Given that Theros Beyond Death will have other cheap Red Auras other than Escape Velocity or maybe Auras of other colors that can also be hard-casted when your build is like Boros, Gruul or Rakdos, this card will see play in the Standard format. I guess we have wait again for the complete spoiler to be released. Otherwise, he will just be another Hasty 3-drop that won’t impact much in your gameplay.

That is about it for these two Theros Beyond Death card previews. Again, Happy New Year all. 😀