MtG: 15 Best Theros Beyond Death Cards for Limited

At the dawn of the new set, getting prepared for Limited events in Magic: The Gathering can be nerve-wracking. Theros Beyond Death, the latest MtG expansion consisting of 254 new cards, not only brings back some cool tricks from the original Theros set, but also introduces a cool new Escape mechanic.

As expected, the new Theros set is full of enchantments, auras, and enchantment-creatures that will dictate a certain type of deck-building. That is also why the enchantment-based Constellation mechanic will play such a big role in upcoming Draft and Sealed tournaments.

If you want to know which cards to look out for in your next Limited pools, then here are 15 best MtG cards from Theros Beyond Death.

Ilysian Caryatid

Ilysian Caryatid is undoubtedly the best green common in the set for Limited formats. It will be used for some heavy ramping in both the early- and late-game. 

Sure, this card could have a bit more toughness, but mana dorks have never really stood out as the most protected cards in the game. If you can use Ilysian Caryatid to play at least one big card earlier than intended, then it's done its job.

Thirst for Meaning

Thirst for Meaning has a similar effect that Thirst for Knowledge does, which had artifacts instead of enchantments as an alternative discard cost. But since Theros Beyond Death is all about enchantments, it means that this spell will be just as big in Limited as Thirst for Knowledge once was.

Also, Thirst for Meaning is a common card, which makes it a card with a high appearance rate. You will definitely find many copies of it in your Draft and Sealed pools, so expect to draw a lot of cards in blue this season.

Voracious Typhon

Solid 4/4 beaters have regularly appeared in MtG for the last couple of years. Voracious Typhon has Escape, which is a new mechanic that allows you to bring this creature back from the graveyard onto the battlefield.

Despite the fact that it comes back with three +1/+1 counters, Voracious Typhon will be really hard to bring back more than once or twice during a game. But if you can survive all those removals and still keep your positions with Voracious Typhon, victory isn't far away. 

Daybreak Chimera

Devotion is one of the returning keywords in Theros Beyond Death that encourages people to play more cards of the same color. Well, in the case of Limited, that wouldn't be too hard.

This makes Daybreak Chimera an incredibly strong card in the format. You will be able to potentially play a 3/3 creature with Flying for only 2 white mana.

That won't likely happen on turn two, but you can still have it pretty early in the match-up and gain great advantage.

Blight-Breath Catoblepas

Blight-Breath Catoblepas is a removal spell on a stick that, by default, kills creatures with 2 points of toughness, which isn't bad. But if you can get this spell to remove something bigger with the help of other black permanents, then you're in good shape.

Again, it all depends on your devotion to black color, which will require you to have some black cards on board. But since Blight-Breath Catoblepas costs 6 mana, you most likely will have something in play by turn six. So this one should be on your radar for sure.

Mischievous Chimera

This flying creature is a solid 2/2 for 2 mana with a very interesting ability. It's basically a pinger with a Scry mechanic, which activates right after you ping your opponent.

It's important to note that the Scry part only triggers during an opponent's turn. Otherwise, it would have been listed separately.

If you have a large number of non-creature spells or creatures with Flash, which isn't hard to get in blue and red colors, then you can use Mischievous Chimera really well.

Staggering Insight

Usually, blue-white decks in Limited already have enough evasive cards to play with. But Staggering Insight is so good that you will never miss an opportunity to stick it to some cheap flyer and draw as many cards as you can.

Of course, you could also use it to heal using Lifelink on some bigger creatures, but that's not the main part of the Aura.

In any case, Staggering Insight is by far the best uncommon enchantment in Theros Beyond Death, and it will be amazing in Limited.

Anax, Hardened in the Forge

On its own Anax stands as a 2/3 creature with an ability that's really tough to beat. Anax's tokens will be of great help anytime your other creatures die, and if you manage to play Gallia, a new Satyr lord, alongside those tokens, then there is no way for your opponent to win.

Of course, that kind of perfect scenario will not come often, but even in solo mode, Anax is a pretty good beater that will live up to its status of Demigod.

Eutropia the Twice-Favored

If you find Eutropia in your Draft or Sealed pools, then be sure to pick up as many enchantments as you can find, even the seemingly bad ones. The Eutropia's Constellation effect is so strong that it should let you to build your entire deck around her.

If everything goes as planned, you can quickly defeat your opponents as those +1/+1 counters will keep stacking up, especially if you have some big creature onboard.

Acolyte of Affliction

It may not be evident at first glance, but Acolyte of Affliction is similar to Gravedigger, a staple Limited card. In this case, though, Affliction has a slight upgrade: 3 points of toughness instead of 2.

Of course, there is a chance that you can miss on a permanent card, if your graveyard is empty. But in case you're putting two lands in your graveyard from the top of your library, then it thins out your deck, which is actually good, especially if you're already flooding out.

Renata, Called to the Hunt

Similar to other Demigods with Devotion, Renata will be most efficient in a heavy green deck. Though you can combine her with other colors, as her second ability ignores any color characteristics.

You could have her in a heavy red deck alongside Anax and just let her put those +1/+1 counters on his tokens. This could become a big problem very quickly for any opponent, so don't look past her even if green isn't your main color.

Gray Merchant of Asphodel

Gray Merchant of Asphodel is undoubtedly the strongest uncommon black card in Limited. You can't really draft more than one or two during a Draft because of its rarity, but if you focus on getting a lot of black spells, then this card can easily become your best finisher.

Obviously, it is recommended to go mono-black if you're building around Gray Merchant. Otherwise, it may not be as effective as it could be. 

Nadir Kraken

When this thing comes down on turn three, you know your opponent needs to remove it. Otherwise, it will keep growing each draw step and make more 1/1 tokens.

The longer it takes your opponents to deal with Nadir Kraken, the fewer chances they will have to deal with it. Eventually, it will do so much damage that there is nothing left for your opponent to do.

Be sure to make Nadir Kraken your first pick in Draft. and look out for more draw spells along the way.

Nightmare Shepherd

While Nadir Kraken creates tokens for each card draw, Nightmare Shepherd creates tokens for each dead creature you control. That requires a different approach to deck building, but you can simply rely on a fact that it's a 4/4 creature with Flying for four mana.

This would also be a terrific addition to a mono-black Devotion deck in Limited, as it has two black mana in its CMC. So there are plenty of ways you can use Nightmare Shepherd, and all of them actually look very good.

Dream Trawler

Here is the strongest rare card from Theros Beyond Death in Limited. It has several very important abilities for this format:

• Flying for evasion
• Lifelink for life gain
• Repeatable card draw
• Built-in Hexproof mechanic

Now imagine what a nightmare it is to deal with this card in Limited. Basically, it's impossible. Nothing can really put it down except another large flyer that can block it during the attack step.

Dream Trawler is the main proof why blue and white will be the dominant colors in this season's Limited games.

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In addition to this list of the best Theros Beyond Death cards for Limited, be sure to check out our other MtG guides here. And be sure to check out the 15 best Theros Beyond Death cards for Standard.