Limited Power Rankings – Battle for Zendikar Week Zero

One of the biggest problems that I deal with in limited Magic is that the community is very inefficient at spreading generalized limited information. We usually have a few key people on the limited scene that are dispensing information, but they tend to do so only sporadically and almost never comprehensively. It’s hard to find consistent places where players will post their evolving thoughts on limited formats in succinct and easily grokkable packages of information. When someone does sit down and explain their thoughts, it is usually in a long form article that only comes out at the beginning of the format, and sometimes in the middle, though hardly ever at the end.

I realized that something I really wanted was for players to start putting up their limited power rankings; to give a brief overview of where they think colors/archetypes/cards are at in the format. Something that is easily to look at in a glance, but that can provide good discussion points for the community. I also wanted something that would happen on a regular basis to show how player’s thoughts about limited were evolving.

Whenever I want something, and I don’t see it being made, I usually just tell myself to start doing it, and so here we are. I’m going to try to put up weekly limited power rankings for whatever we have as the current draft format. Please leave comments to discuss what you think about the format. These will just be my current thoughts and feelings on the format, so they are guaranteed not to be highly curated. Instead, they merely offer a glimpse into where I’m currently at in the format.

Hopefully this is useful. Hopefully it gives people some enjoyment. Hopefully I can consistently put this up, but it doesn’t seem to be an incredibly difficult process.

I’m going to split this up into two categories: Colors and Archetypes, and Cards. For Colors and Archetypes, I’ll talk about individual colors, and then the 10 two color archetypes. For cards, I’ll list the top 10 Rares/Mythics, the top 10 Uncommons, the top 10 Commons, and the top 3 commons in each color. This format will almost certainly change as I better figure out how I want to address this from week to week.

Battle for Zendikar – Week Zero Power Rankings

Colors and Archetypes

Colors

1. Red
2. Blue
3. Green
4. Black
5. White

Archetypes

1. Izzet – UR Devoid
2. Simic – UG Eldrazi Ramp
3. Rakdos – RB Devoid
4. Dimir – UB Ingest
5. Boros – RW Aggro Allies
6. Gruul – RG Landfall
7. Azorius- WU Awaken
8. Orzhov – WB Vampires
9. Golgari – BG Eldrazi Sacrifice
10. Selesnya – WG Midrange Allies

Cards

Rares and Mythics

1. Ob Nixilis Reignited
2. Quarantine Field
3. Greenwarden of Murasa
4. Ruinous Path
5. Rolling Thunder*
6. Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
7. Omnath, Locus of Rage
8. Guardian of Tazeem
9. Munda, Ambush Leader
10. Drana, Liberator of Malakir

Honorable Mention – From Beyond

*I’m aware that Rolling Thunder is an uncommon. I think that it is better than the vast majority of the rares, but you get an honorable mention to make up for including an uncommon on that list.

Uncommons

1. Rolling Thunder
2. Coastal Discovery
3. Turn Against
4. Stasis Snare
5. Roil Spout
6. Grip of Desolation
7. Deathless Behemoth
8. Vile Aggregate
9. Void Attendant
10. Catacomb Sifter

Commons

1. Clutch of Currents
2. Touch of the Void
3. Complete Disregard
4. Eldrazi Skyspawner
5. Sheer Drop
6. Stonefury
7. Gideon’s Reproach
8. Kozilek’s Sentinel
9. Snapping Gnarlid
10. Lifespring Druid