In space, there is no wind, but there’s still a draft. This is true in Magic: The Gathering’s new set, Edge of Eternities. With fresh abilities, mechanics, and a new type of artifact, Edge of Eternities might be the best set of the year.
However, all these new mechanics can feel overwhelming. To help you succeed at your prerelease or draft event, we’ve created a guide. While we can’t ensure you get great packs, this guide will assist you in building the best deck with the cards you have.
Second Spell (White/Blue)
The Azorius (white/blue) archetype encourages casting multiple spells each turn and rewards you for casting the second spell. You can gain creature tokens, +1/+1 counters, and other helpful effects that improve your board.
Station Monitor applies this idea by giving you a 1/1 flying token each time you cast your second spell in a turn. This means you can build an aerial army if you regularly cast low-cost spells. You’ll also be rewarded for casting spells during your opponent’s turn, as the second spell on any turn counts.
If you find casting multiple spells leaves your hand empty, consider spells like Haliya, Guided by Light. These have warp, allowing you to cast them across two turns for a lower cost initially. Use warp spells to double up on spells to gain added value from your permanents.
If you lack cheap spells, green is a good color to splash for ramp effects in the Simic (green/blue) archetype. The extra ramp you can get in green (and also some in red) will help you play more expensive spells in a turn.
Artifact Control (Blue/Black)
Blue is known for control, but black also provides strong creature removal. When combined in a set with an artifact focus, this creates a solid Dimir artifact control deck aimed at disabling or destroying your opponent’s creatures.
Alpharael, Dreaming Acolyte serves as the signpost uncommon. It allows you to draw two cards when it enters the field, but you must then discard two cards or an artifact, hinting at an artifact-heavy deck. It also has deathtouch to help eliminate your opponent’s biggest threats.
Black has several methods to destroy creatures, such as Zero Point Ballad, which also puts a creature into play under your control. Meanwhile, blue can counter spells and return them to your opponent’s hand. Just ensure you have a win condition, as otherwise, you’ll just prolong the game.
Red is an excellent third color because it meshes well with both red and black. Red and blue are made for artifact aggro, which is a fast way to secure victory after taking out your opponent’s creatures. Moreover, red and black concern void mechanics, which look at permanents leaving the battlefield—exactly what black aims to accomplish.
Void (Black/Red)
Red and black excel at removing permanents from the battlefield, both yours and your opponent’s. In Edge of Eternities, these colors utilize the new void mechanic to grant bonuses to your permanents and spells when a permanent leaves the battlefield or was warped earlier in the turn.
Often, the easiest way to remove permanents is to sacrifice them yourself. The signpost uncommon, Interceptor Mechan, lets you return cards from your graveyard to your hand for reuse later. It also grows every time a permanent leaves the battlefield, so look for opportunities to destroy your opponent’s permanents during their turn.
For the sacrifice strategy, seek repeatable ways to create new permanents, like Elegy Acolyte. Being able to generate a creature or token to replace sacrificed ones helps keep your void abilities active without losing board strength.
White is a strong third color, as it offers many ways to create new creature tokens and enhance your existing creatures. Red is also a great choice, providing more options for destroying your opponent’s creatures and artifacts.
Landers And Landfall (Red/Green)
Rampant Growth has been a key land tutor since 1996’s Mirage, and the new predefined artifact tokens, Landers, act like having a Rampant Growth on your battlefield. This defines the Gruul (red/green) archetype: creating Landers to find lands and landfall rewards.
Tannuk, Memorial Ensign is the signpost uncommon, dealing one point of damage to your opponent each time you play a land. It also gives you a card when your second land comes into play during any turn.
Look for various ways to put Landers into play, especially with low-mana spells like Sami’s Curiosity, to ensure you’re utilizing them frequently without hindering your strategy. Also search for related rewards, like Biotech Specialist, which deals damage to your opponent when you sacrifice an artifact, including a Lander.
Frequently sending Landers to the graveyard offers a chance to use black’s void mechanic, allowing you to gain additional benefits from sacrificing your Landers.
+1/+1 Counters (Green/White)
White emphasizes community, while green focuses on growth. Together, they create an archetype centered on enhancing your creatures with +1/+1 counters until they become a powerful force.
The signpost uncommon, Haliya, Ascendant Cadet, adds a +1/+1 counter to a creature when it enters play and each time it attacks. It also allows you to draw a card when one of your creatures with a +1/+1 counter deals combat damage to an opponent, so prioritize those with flying or trample.
Drix Fatemaker is an excellent addition to your deck, as you can warp it in to give one creature a +1/+1 counter, then cast it to provide a counter to another creature. Also, keep an eye on Sunstar Chaplain, which can grant +1/+1 counters to your tapped creatures, including mana producers.
Red is a solid choice for a third color, adding a few more aggressive creatures and a Spacecraft focus. Each +1/+1 counter on a creature makes it easier to station your Spacecraft, giving you an advantage.
Go Wide (White/Black)
White is one of the best colors for making token creatures and for boosting them. Black adds a more aggressive playstyle, providing extra methods to summon creatures and clear blockers.
Syr Vondam, the Lucent, does a great job of boosting your entire board by giving all your creatures +1/+0 and deathtouch when he attacks. Your opponent will have to choose between blocking or letting the attack go through.
Look for other ways to put creatures on the board, like how Gravpack Monoist replaces itself when it dies. If your opponent plays low-cost permanents, Pinnacle Starcage can work well as a board wipe that creates a Robot army a few turns later.
Green is a fantastic color to splash in, offering options for +1/+1 counters and some recursion for the deck. Both of these factors make your deck a much larger threat, and green also provides additional ramp and mana-fixing options.
Artifact Aggro (Blue/Red)
In a rare twist away from spellslinger archetypes, the Izzet (red/blue) limited archetype in Edge of Eternities focuses on agressive artifact use.
Mm’menon, Uthros Exile is an ideal signpost uncommon that simply adds a +1/+1 counter to a creature of your choice each time you put an artifact into play. This includes artifact tokens, so be sure to include triggers that generate them through normal gameplay. This can make several of your creatures significantly stronger.
Many cards in this archetype, like Selfcraft Mechan, focus on sacrificing artifacts. Include some artifacts you don’t mind losing. Alternatively, aim to draft a Weapons Manufacturing enchantment to create Munition tokens that deal damage when sacrificed.
Green and black are both viable options for a third color. Green adds extra artifact choices with Landers, while black enhances the artifact control aspect. Both can slow your deck early on but lead to a dominating endgame presence.
Graveyard (Black/Green)
Golgari (black/green) decks often focus on the graveyard, aiming to fill it and later bring key cards back. Edge of Eternities is no different as it aims to place important cards into your graveyard for later use.
Seedship Broodtender is a great example. It allows you to mill as it enters play and can be sacrificed to reanimate a creature or Spacecraft. It costs five mana but offers a way to cheat in more expensive creatures and bypass colored mana requirements.
Icetill Explorer is crucial in this deck as it helps ramp by allowing you to play an extra land each turn, lets you play lands from your graveyard, and mills you a bit to fill your graveyard with lands or other cards.
Red is an excellent third color, especially leaning into warp and void mechanics instead of the Lander mechanics. Sacrificing permanents is a smart method to fill your graveyard, and red and black are well-suited to take advantage of activity off the battlefield.
Space Stations (Red/White)
Boros (red/white) decks often emphasize aggression, blending white’s order with red’s boldness. In Edge of Eternities, this results in Spacecraft, vessels used to move armies between worlds and engage in cosmic struggles.
To successfully station your Spacecraft, you need to tap creatures. This archetype values playing Spacecraft, then using creatures to station them while ensuring the Spacecraft remains active long enough to make an impact. Sami, Ship’s Engineer can help by creating Robot tokens if you have other tapped creatures, allowing for quicker stationing of Spacecraft.
Drill Too Deep is a key common to draft, as it places five charge counters on your Spacecraft instantly for only two mana. It’s also hard to find a better fit than Lumen-Class Frigate, which boosts your creatures and simplifies finishing up the stationing later.
Green and black can be great colors to splash for either +1/+1 counters or extra creatures and tokens to make stationing your Spacecraft easier. However, your third color might depend on the strongest Spacecraft you draft.
Ramp (Green/Blue)
Archetypes in Simic (green/blue) colors often pursue unconventional themes, but in this set, it’s purely ramp. This archetype usually starts slow, building a land base, then transitions to dominate in the late game.
Some of the most common ramp methods in Edge of Eternities utilize Landers, which are artifacts that can be sacrificed for two mana to search your deck for any basic land. Biomechan Engineer, the signpost uncommon, generates a Lander upon entry and can draw cards and create 2/2 Robots late-game for a hefty eight mana.
Since Landers can fetch any basic land, this archetype is more adaptable than others. Cards like Fungal Colossus reward you for having different named lands. If you draft a variety, consider adding one of each basic land.
While the ramp focus offers flexibility, red is the best color to splash, thanks to its many Lander-making cards and landfall triggers you’ll often encounter.
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