We are almost at the end of preview season for Magic: the Gathering‘s newest expansion, Innistrad: Midnight Hunt. Just today we got the 3rd and final planeswalker in the set revealed, and this one may cause some feelings in some people. Let’s look at this bad boy and break down if this “fan favorite” planeswalker is even good.
He’s Ba-aaaaaack!
Welcome back Teferi to Standard! Now I know what you’re thinking. The last few incarnations of multicolored Teferi have been pretty toxic.
Teferi, Time Raveler
Teferi, Time Raveler
Each opponent can cast spells only any time they could cast a sorcery.
+1: Until your next turn, you may cast sorcery spells as though they had flash.
−3: Return up to one target artifact, creature, or enchantment to its owner's hand. Draw a card.
was incredibly oppressive and is a staple across any format he’s legal and
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
+1: Draw a card. At the beginning of the next end step, untap up to two lands.
−3: Put target nonland permanent into its owner's library third from the top.
−8: You get an emblem with "Whenever you draw a card, exile target permanent an opponent controls."
was a staple in Standard, and sees a ton of play in Historic and other formats.
This version doesn’t seem quite as bad though, at least upfront. The plus 1 ability is primarily going to be used defensively to try and hold up some counter spell or removal. I’d imagine that we won’t have many creatures that we’ll be untapping, maybe some artifact. Tapping our opponent’s stuff is only good if we say have a creature that we want to try and force through a blocker, but not really ideal.
His -2 is
Anticipate
Anticipate
Look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
, which is fine. This can help us find some specific cards that help our current situation on the board, and can help filter unwanted lands to the bottom of our deck. Where he becomes a bit of a pain is if he gets to ultimate.
His ultimate ability gives us an emblem that essentially gives us an extra untap and draw step on our opponent’s turns.
His ultimate is
Seedborn Muse
Seedborn Muse
Untap all permanents you control during each other player's untap step.
and a 1 sided
Howling Mine
Howling Mine
At the beginning of each player's draw step, if this artifact is untapped, that player draws an additional card.
in one ability. That’s pretty insane. So how will be looking to use the new Teferi?
Control
A very easy home for this is in some kind of control shell. While it might seem bit ambitious, Jeskai or Esper control has some great tools coming in the set, that can help us to protect Teferi. We could also look at playing some kind of Tempo deck with
Delver of Secrets
Delver of Secrets
At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. You may reveal that card. If an instant or sorcery card is revealed this way, transform this creature.
and some token generators. This planeswalker definitely feels very fair and shouldn’t cause too many issues in the format.
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Combo
With each new planeswalker that is printed, I always think about can we combo with it. One of the common combos in current standard in the
Emergent Ultimatum
Emergent Ultimatum
Search your library for up to three monocolored cards with different names and exile them. An opponent chooses one of those cards. Shuffle that card into your library. You may cast the other cards without paying their mana costs. Exile Emergent Ultimatum.
deck is to get
Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider
Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider
Trample, haste
If you would put one or more counters on a permanent or player, put twice that many of each of those kinds of counters on that permanent or player instead.
If an opponent would put one or more counters on a permanent or player, they put half that many of each of those kinds of counters on that permanent or player instead, rounded down.
and
Professor Onyx
Professor Onyx
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
+1: You lose 1 life. Look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
−3: Each opponent sacrifices a creature with the greatest power among creatures that player controls.
−8: Each opponent may discard a card. If they don't, they lose 3 life. Repeat this process six more times.
or
Valki, God of Lies
Valki, God of Lies
When Valki enters, each opponent reveals their hand. For each opponent, exile a creature card they revealed this way until Valki leaves the battlefield.
{X}: Choose a creature card exiled with Valki with mana value X. Valki becomes a copy of that card.
and ultimate it right away. Well Vorinclex is still in Standard after rotation, and looking at good ol’ Teferi, it looks like we can wombo combo with Vorinclex. I’m not sure what the deck would look like, but the possibility is there.
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I know that seeing another Teferi get printed gives some people mixed feelings, but hopefully Wizards has learned from past cards, and this one won’t be as egregiously toxic for the format. I think it’s a solid, fair planeswalker. What are your thoughts on it? Do you think this Teferi is going to break the format, or is it fine? Let us know in the comments