Core Set 2021 is upon us and it is AMAZING. This set has brought some of my absolute favorite magic cards back into standard and, as a cherry on top, the limited format is a blast to play.
It is faster than I usually like, some would say that it’s actually extremely fast, but there are good interactive spells as well as having some cards that can end the game quickly. You do not want to try to durdle around forever in this format; you want to either be playing creatures or killing creatures with removal spells.
That being said I’ve found this set to be a blast to draft since there are really strong Common slots that make great additions to just about every deck that they are in. Each color has some good options with some being straight up first picks that can lead to a great finish in the draft.
So let’s get to it! Here are my picks for the best commons in Coreset 2021 Draft.
5) Grasp of Darkness
Grasp of Darkness is just a banger of a card. 2 mana removal that has the potential to kill 5 or 6 mana cards allows you to gain board and mana advantage at the same time. This card can act as a combat trick in a pinch, turning combat around in your favor. Since it is rather relevant for this Draft format, if you are not familiar with the rules of magic, giving a creature -X/-X kills a creature with Indestructible since it sets Toughness to 0 or lower and does not apply damage. This card just does so much for 2 mana that it’s hard to pass up. It’s only deflecting factor is that it costs double Black, making it harder to cast in certain situations. With that being said, there is some argument to not taking this Pick 1 Pack 1 as it leads you into drafting black a little harder than some other removal spells and, generally, you want to stay open to switching colors if you have to.
4) Finishing Blow
Finishing blow is the 5 costed unconditional removal spell for black this time around and it even has a small twist; It can kill Planewalkers too. This card is simply almost always a first pick with some rares and mythics coming out ahead of it, at least in my opinion, such as Massacre Wurm or Elder Gargaroth.
3) Swift Response
This format is faster than it might appear at first glance and you don’t have time to durdle around forever.
Swift Response has proven to be an amazing addition to any deck it is in and a card that I pick rather highly. Since it is instant speed, you can kill the creature that you are wanting to kill as soon as it is tapped, barring it having vigilance. Since the format is fast, having a 2 mana removal spell that can kill creatures before that deal you damage goes a long way in staying alive and being able to close out the game. I would take this card over a lot of cards in the format except bomb mythics and rares as well as cheaper removal such as Shock.
2) Scorching Dragonfire
As said before this is a two mana removal spell that kills a lot of the early play in the format, letting you either race your opponent, kill an important creature, or just stay alive to play your big cards to win the game. There are a fair amount of graveyard synergies in the format so the fact that this exiles a creature that would die can be really important as well as the fact that it can hit Planeswalkers. Make a note that the card is worded in a way that it replaces going to the graveyard IF that creature would go to the graveyard meaning it does not kill Indestructible creatures as they do not go to the graveyard when they take lethal damage. I’m still very happy to have this card in my deck and there are still plenty of cards that you will enjoy having this as an answer to.
1) Shock
Yep, all the cards on this list are removal spells. Shock is at the top entirely based on the meta of the draft format. Since the format is fast and there are a ton of X/1s and X/2s running around, this is a one mana answer to the pressure that your opponent is trying to put on you and almost always trades well on mana. Shock can hit any target so you can finish off a Planeswalker with it or simply just deal the last 2 points of damage to your opponent that you need to pick up the win. I take this first pick and I take it everytime I see it unless I’m already dedicated to 2 colors and don’t think I have the ability to splash. If the format starts to slow down, I can see a world where this isn’t such a high pick, but for now, this is my pick for the best common in the format.
Wrap Up
As you can see there is a ton of great removal in the format that is all common so you can almost always be able to pick up one or more of them. Because of that, I am not convinced that this format will stay as fast as it is atm. I believe that control decks and midrange can exist and do well, however, it does depend on getting enough removal as well as other cards that allow you to stay alive and having something to end the game quickly. Being open and reading the draft will give you the most win percentage over the long run, so do try to force an aggressive deck if you are seeing the tools that can help you fight Aggro instead. I feel like I have said so much about this format already and that’s just with the commons! Stay tuned as next time I’ll be covering Uncommons, Rares, and Mythics as well as doing a look back at the format whether or not my thoughts are as correct as I think they are. Stay safe and happy drafting!
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