Kaldheim has been one of the most exciting sets for me in quite a while, and I’m excited to dig into this set’s Top 10s for Oathbreaker. To be more specific, I’ll be doing a Top 10 article for cards of each color, as well as one for multicolor cards. The last pair of Top 10s for this set will be one covering the colorless/land/theme booster exclusive cards and one covering all the new cards from the Commander precons (plus my overall Top 10 cards from Kaldheim, of course). 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.
In regards to Kaldheim, I’d also like to reiterate one important factor at the beginning of each of these articles: no, foretell does not work the way you want it to with Signature Spells. Your Signature Spell can only exist either 1) in the command zone, or 2) on the stack. It cannot go to exile—or anywhere else—for any reason, meaning you can not foretell a Signature Spell.
With all that out of the way, let’s keep things moving with my Top 10 Red cards from Kaldheim!
#10: Dual Strike
At first glance, one could simply view Dual Strike as a worse Fork; however, this new instant does have one upside going for it that Fork does not have, that one upside being its foretell cost. Only having to pay one mana on the turn you actually want to use this spell is a very real benefit, and if nothing else, there are plenty of Signature Spells one could potentially double-up on this way—Sarkhan’s Triumph, Domri’s Ambush and Repeated Reverberation are just a few fun possibilities I can think of off the top of my head. I don’t think there are many Oathbreaker decks looking for this specific card, but if you’re looking to widen the variety of foretell cards in your decks, you can certainly do worse than Dual Strike.
#9: Birgi, God of Storytelling / Harnfel, Horn of Bounty
Okay, I have something I have to get off my chest—I am terrible at evaluating “storm” cards; not just actual storm cards, but any part of that type of combo engine. I mention this fact because, at first glance, Birgi’s front half seems made specially for storm-like combo decks. Although her triggered ability could hypothetically be used in just about any deck as a source of ramp, I suspect players will more often use the effect in an attempt to go off and kill the rest of the table. The back half of this card, while both interesting and playable, isn’t quite as eye-catching to me—in the context of Oathbreaker, at least. To be completely honest, I’m really not sure how big of an impact Birgi will have on Oathbreaker, but the sheer potential of her ramp ability can’t be ignored.
#8: Arni Brokenbrow
Now here’s a simple and straightforward card I can actually wrap my head around! At base value, a three-mana 3/3 with haste is a pretty solid rate for a red creature. Arni’s boast ability is also pretty reasonably-costed at only one generic mana, though it does require having at least one other large creature on-board. In some ways, this card reminds me a lot of Syr Faren, the Hengehammer, with the key difference being that Arni’s ability doesn’t actually shift his toughness. On top of this fact, Arni’s effectiveness on offense can easily become hampered by his lack of evasion. There are still plenty of aggressive/stompy decks in Oathbreaker capable of putting this guy to good use, and I plan on trying him out in a few of my own lists. (Also, top notch flavor text.)
#7: Tundra Fumarole
I see we’ve finally reached the “obligatory removal spell” part of the Top 10 list. In all seriousness, this snow sorcery is a pretty solid new piece of spot removal. Three mana for four damage to a creature or planeswalker isn’t anything to write home about, but fortunately enough, the card doesn’t end there. Netting one colorless mana for each snow mana used in casting Tundra Fumarole will make this spell almost as good as free in the right deck. Even if you’re only making one or two colorless mana off this spell, that still covers a good chunk of the card’s mana-cost for you. The fact the mana doesn’t disappear between phases right away either is also pretty handy. Tundra Fumarole didn’t earn a higher spot on this list simply because it’s still fairly limited in what it can outright kill, but I suspect it’ll prove to be another fine tool in red’s arsenal of removal.
#6: Reckless Crew
Friends, I would like to introduce y’all to my personal favorite new Signature Spell option out of Kaldheim (and yes, that is my way of hinting that you can expect to see an article about this card in the nearish future). Reckless Crew really hits that perfect balance of power and fun that I love to see in a card, and I think this sort of spell is very well-suited for Oathbreaker. Even as an inclusion in the 58 rather than a Signature Spell, this spicy sorcery is an excellent card for an equipment/vehicles deck to keep in hand in case of a board wipe. I’d say one should aim to consistently be able to create at least two tokens off of this card if one wants to run it, but there are several decks that won’t have much trouble in this regard. Even outside of dedicated equipment/vehicles decks, there are plenty of playable equipment and vehicles in Oathbreaker already; Grafted Wargear, Heart of Kiran, Smuggler’s Copter, Shadowspear, and Sword of Sinew and Steel are just a handful of examples I can think of off the top of my head. I still think the actual range of lists that can afford to run Reckless Crew will ultimately be a bit limited, but that won’t stop me from trying it out whenever I think I can justify it. (Also, once again, excellent flavor text, and artwork too!)
#5: Dragonkin Berserker
Ah, what Dragon Whisperer should have been. I remember back when red wasn’t even allowed to have vanilla 2/2s for two mana, and yet here we are. The most obvious home for this mega-bear in Oathbreaker is in dragon tribal lists, but I don’t think the potential ends there. Dragonkin Berserker‘s capability as a mana sink is somewhat limited by the fact that boast abilities can only be activated once per turn; however, I think the sheer strength of this specific ability largely makes up for this restriction. I could easily see this kind of card showing up in certain Gruul stompy shells or Big Red lists, in addition to the aforementioned dragon tribal strategies. I wouldn’t even be too surprised to see Dragonkin Berserker show up in some low-to-the-ground aggressive decks as a bit of backup power for the late-game. Regardless of what exact decks I wind up putting this card in, I look forward to creating many dragon tokens with Dragonkin Berserker in Oathbreaker.
#4: Goldspan Dragon
Now that’s what I call a shiny new mythic rare! Goldspan Dragon is a pretty neat new take on red mana ramp, and it feels both fair and effective. Haste will almost guarantee you’ll be able to net a treasure token on the same turn you resolve the dragon, which will already “pay” for 40% of this creature’s mana-cost by itself. Although one could hypothetically generate extra treasures by targeting the dragon with various pump spells, I see the “becomes the target of a spell” section of that ability as more of an insurance policy against spot removal spells. This type of ramp would be perfectly at home in a dragon tribal list, a big red deck, or really any other kind of ramp strategy running red. While I wouldn’t call it as generically powerful as a card like Glorybringer, I’m sure Goldspan Dragon will prove its worth in any deck that can put its mana ramp to good use.
#3: Tibalt’s Trickery
You know, I never really expected to see red receive counterspells, but if a red counterspell were ever going to exist, a card resembling Tibalt’s Trickery is about what I would expect. Evaluating this card can require a bit of mental gymnastics thanks to all that rules text, but I’ve basically been thinking of it as a Chaos Warp in counterspell-form. There are a few key differences, of course; Tibalt’s Trickery doesn’t shuffle anything into the library, and it can be used to answer instants/sorceries as well permanent spells. The specific wording on this spell also leaves open the possibility of countering your own spell to “cascade” into something ridiculous—a fact that I’m sure will lead to some number of people building wacky combo decks around Tibalt’s Trickery as a Signature Spell. Even still, I fully expect this card to see more play as a chaotic counterspell for decks that normally wouldn’t have access to such an affect. Tibalt’s Trickery is tied with Dream Devourer for my personal favorite card from Kaldheim as a whole, and I’m very excited to get people with this spicy spell. (As a side note, I bet that incredible artwork is going to look fantastic in foil; if you can keep the card from curling, that is.)
#2: Toralf, God of Fury / Toralf’s Hammer
Well, this isn’t quite the same as Super-Duper Death Ray, but I’ll take it! The type of effect stapled to the front half of Toralf is pretty new in MTG as a whole, making its exact power level it a bit tricky to evaluate; however, a card being more damage-efficient can only be a net positive, and Toralf helps make all of your noncombat damage more efficient. Whether you’re throwing your spare damage at another creature, an opposing Oathbreaker or an opponent’s face, this kind of ability is sure to pull its weight in the right deck. A 5/4 trampler for four mana is also a pretty solid rate on its own by red standards. The back half of this card is definitely the less exciting portion for me, but the hammer certainly has its uses. Having an extra bit of reach in an aggressive deck is never a bad idea, and any decks looking to circumvent equip costs will have an even easier time throwing the hammer repeatedly. Overall, I think Toralf is one of the stronger new gods from Kaldheim for Oathbreaker, and I’m pretty excited to pair him with the likes of Domri’s Ambush and Domri, Anarch of Bolas.
#1: Quakebringer
I’m always a fan of seeing a little more lifegain hate in the format, and I must say, Quakebringer is quite the pain train. In a four-player game, this big fella will be dealing a free six damage on each of your turns just for sitting in play—or for sitting in your graveyard while you have another giant in play, though I doubt that will come up too often for most decks. To top it all off, Quakebringer also comes with a foretell cost for a bit of added casting flexibility. Although this card was clearly designed with giant tribal in mind, it’s certainly not limited to that single archetype. I could easily see Quakebringer at the top end of an aggressive deck, a mid-curve threat in a ramp shell, or just as a generic beater in a stompy strategy. I already run Tibalt, Rakish Instigator in a number of Oathbreaker lists solely for his static ability, so I’m sure I’ll find myself brewing plenty of decks with Quakebringer in the near future.
What are your favorite red cards from Kaldheim? Are there any red cards you’re particularly excited to try out in Oathbreaker? Make sure to tell me on Reddit or on Twitter! My goal is to have my Top 10 Green cards from Kaldheim out tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that!
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