As I did after Theros Beyond Death released, I’m making an Oathbreaker Top 10 series for Ikoria. To be more specific, I’ll be doing a Top 10 article for cards of each color, as well as one for multicolor cards. I’ll also be doing a separate Top 10 article covering cards from the Commander 2020 preconstructed decks. My Top 10s are based on 1) how strong I think a card will be in Oathbreaker, and 2) how many different types of Oathbreaker decks I expect the card to see play in. While I do try to be as objective as I can, these are ultimately just my own thoughts/opinions.
Since I’ll be going over the multicolor cards of the set for this article, I also want to briefly mention for those that may not be aware: The new “companion” mechanic from Ikoria does not work in Oathbreaker. None of the companions are banned, but officially speaking, the companion mechanic itself does not function in Oathbreaker. For more information behind this decision, you can read the official rules announcement here.
This Top 10 article is also going to be the first time I’ve ever included an “Honorable Mentions” section, because I had that much trouble narrowing down a Top 10 multicolor cards for this set. With all that out of the way, let’s continue with my Top 10 Multicolor cards from Ikoria for Oathbreaker!
Honorable Mentions:
The first six of these cards are all honorable mentions for essentially the same reason: wedge-color-combination deckbuilding options in Oathbreaker are pretty limited at the moment, and while I think each of these cards have the potential to be powerful in the format, they’re ultimately not going to go into very many decks. I am particularly excited to see how people build around these new three-color Signature Spell options, but I still won’t put them in my Top 10.
The last four of these cards all are two-color creatures that could potentially do some pretty busted things when they hit the field, for their own reasons. Proud Wildbonder could easily help take one or more opponents out of a game if you have the right board set up, and Kaheera, the Orphanguard is a very strong addition to certain tribal strategies, cat tribal in particular. Fiend Artisan is a nice sacrifice-tutor with some combo potential, but green/black decks have had access to similar effects for a while. Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy also has combo potential that is hampered by the fact you can only play one copy of them, but they’ll be a strong addition to many ramp decks. Now, on to the real Top 10!
#10: Alert Heedbonder
Alert Heedbonder may not be a super flashy card, but I think it still has a shot of seeing play in a few different Oathbreaker archetypes. Vigilance is arguably the strongest keyword in Oathbreaker, and Alert Heedbonder gives you even more of a reason to play a high number of vigilant creatures or ways to make your creatures vigilant. “Vigilance tribal” is a bit of a new archetype introduced in Ikoria, and Alert Heedbonder is one of the best “payoffs” in the set for that strategy for Oathbreaker. The four toughness on this creature also means it may have some potential in “toughness matters” decks alongside Oathbreakers like Huatli, the Sun’s Heart. Alert Heedbonder is a fair and solid creature all around, I’m sure I’ll have fun finding room for it in various Oathbreaker decks.
#9: Rielle, the Everwise
I wasn’t too excited the first time I read Rielle, the Everwise, but upon further reflection, I’m pretty excited to brew around with this card. There are a lot of cards that pair well with Rielle; Faithless Looting, Cathartic Reunion, Collective Defiance, and Windfall, just to name a handful. Looting and Wheel effects are normally an efficient way of churning through your deck, but Rielle makes those types of cards much, much more potent. It also won’t take long to turn Rielle into a real threat in combat when played in a deck running an abundance of spells. I, for one, am especially excited to try out Rielle in a Dack Fayden Oathbreaker list, and I look forward to seeing how others try to take advantage of her busted abilities.
#8: Quartzwood Crasher
Quartzwood Crasher is exactly what I would expect out of a Dinosaur Beast: it’s big, it’s unsubtle, and it’s ready to smash your face in. Five mana is a pretty sweet spot for this card’s mana-cost, making it cheap enough to be at the top-end of many aggressive decks, but also big enough to be a nice midway payoff for a big-ramp strategy. This card obviously gets better when you have other tramplers on board, but Quartzwood Crasher’s triggered ability will be strong even when it’s your only trampler in play. Since its X/X tokens also have trample, this card has the potential to snowball out of control; that is, if your opponent doesn’t die from your big monsters before that can happen. Green/red stompy decks weren’t lacking in threats before, but I think Quartzwood Crasher will make a fine new option for such strategies in Oathbreaker.
#7: Zilortha, Strength Incarnate
Speaking of giant gruul monsters, Zilortha, Strength Incarnate presents an interesting new angle for stompy strategies. The static ability on Zilortha is kind of an inverse of the static ability on Huatli, the Sun’s Heart. It will be difficult to build around Zilortha in Oathbreaker since you can only run one copy of them and there aren’t any other cards that can fill her particular role. That being said, there are certainly existing decks that are already built in a way that will benefit from having Zilortha in play. Domri, Anarch of Bolas is one Oathbreaker that I expect will be particularly popular to pair with Zilortha, but I have no doubt our new Godzilla will see more widespread play than that.
#6: Chevill, Bane of Monsters
Chevill, Bane of Monsters comes with a suite of abilities that are all very well-positioned for a format like Oathbreaker. Bounty counters are historically something that’s only been targeted at creatures, but Chevill breaks the mold by also being able to target planeswalkers. In a format where many people are already building decks in ways to interact with opposing planeswalkers, I’m sure Chevill will have no problem getting you some value off of his bounty counter triggers. A 1/3 with deathtouch is also the perfect kind of creature to have on defense, and it will make opponents think twice before swinging at you with a creature that has a bounty counter on it. Chevill, Bane of Monsters isn’t a particularly flashy mythic rare, but I don’t doubt it will accrue its fair share of value in various Oathbreaker decks.
#5: Sprite Dragon
I really like Sprite Dragon, and not just because that alternate art version of it is freaking adorable (though that is definitely a part of it). The design of this card is somewhat reminiscent of Stormchaser Mage, though I’d say Sprite Dragon is a bit of a step up in terms of power level. Regular prowess creatures like Monastery Swiftspear loose their power/toughness boost at the end of each turn, but Sprite Dragon‘s “permanent prowess” ensures that it can remain a real threat for a longer period of time. The fact that it also has flying and haste also means it will easily be able to threaten both opposing Oathbreakers and life totals alike. Obviously it’ll take a bit of work to make this little guy really shine, but Sprite Dragon will be quite the powerhouse when put in the right kind of list. Not every blue/red Oathbreaker list will want to play this card, but it’s definitely a fun new option for spellslinger/prowess archetypes.
#4: Lurrus of the Dream-Den
Out of the entire companion cycle, Lurrus of the Dream-Den is definitely my personal favorite. I love me some good old graveyard value, and Lurrus accrues graveyard value in an interesting way. Their static ability is somewhat reminiscent of Karador, Ghost Chieftain, though it has its own set of restrictions. I could easily see Lurrus’s recursion ability being very useful for a variety of different deck archetypes, such as weenie decks or aristocrat lists. Three mana for a 3/2 with lifelink isn’t a terrible rate either, and incidental lifegain is a surprisingly powerful effect in Oathbreaker. I don’t necessarily think Lurrus will become a staple in any particular Oathbreaker strategy, but they will serve as a nice new source of recursion for many different decks, at the very least.
#3: Keruga, the Macrosage
I am both very excited for and intimidated by this card. Keruga, the Macrosage has the potential to draw a lot of cards when utilized in the right kind of strategy, and there’s one Oathbreaker in particular that comes to mind when I look at this card. With Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner in play, Keruga will be drawing you at least two cards when it enters the battlefield, or potentially even more depending on your exact board state. The only real “downsides” to Keruga are that they don’t have any form of evasion and you do need to have at least one or more other permanents with CMC three or more in order to draw any cards off of its trigger. Having said that, the decks that are looking to play this kind of card will usually have little trouble fulfilling this prerequisite, and I have no doubt that this Dinosaur Hippo will find plenty of homes for itself in Oathbreaker.
#2: Yorion, Sky Nomad
It’s oddly fitting that this card is a bird, because the amount of potential value this card can net you is through the freaking roof. It’s true that Yorion, Sky Nomad will primarily be used in blink strategies, but I could see this card showing up in any deck running a high number of nonland permanents with enter-the-battlefield triggers. For example, the constellation mechanic from Theros works very well in tandem with Yorion, meaning that Yorion could potentially see play in certain enchantment-heavy strategies. At the bare minimum, Yorion’s trigger can also be used to “reset” your Oathbreaker’s loyalty count, if necessary. That’s all on top of the fact that they’re also a 4/5 with flying that will often have no trouble swinging in for some damage at opponents and opposing Oathbreakers. Yorion, Sky Nomad is obviously going to be best friends with Venser, the Sojourner, but I’m also looking forward to seeing how some Oathbreaker players try to brew outside of the box with this card.
#1: Narset of the Ancient Way
How could any other card be #1 on this list? I’m always excited to see new three-color planeswalkers, and Narset of the Ancient Way is especially exciting since she opens up an entire new color-combination for Oathbreaker! What’s even better is that while Narset’s abilities can work especially well in certain archetypes, her abilities also don’t force you in any particular direction. I don’t want to talk too much about Narset’s specific abilities right now since I plan on writing a “New Perspectives” on her in a few weeks. What I will say is that I am super psyched to see all of the different ways players will try to build around this card in a color combination that’s brand new to Oathbreaker!
What are your favorite multicolor cards from Ikoria? Are there any multicolor cards you’re particularly excited to try out in Oathbreaker? Make sure to tell me in the comments or on Twitter! I’ll be back tomorrow with my Top 10 cards from Commander 2020 for Oathbreaker, as well as my overall Top 10 cards from Ikoria/Commander 2020.
About the author: My name is Alex Enders. I am a college student that’s been playing MTG for almost eight years, though I only recently began experimenting with writing content. My personal formats of choice are Oathbreaker, EDH, and draft. My other interests include music, education, and most things nerdy. You can find me on Twitter (@AAAEnders) or email me at aenders2112@gmail.com