Draw Two

How a game goes

1. Early turns

   Turns 1–3: a 2-drop that cashes in extra draws (Lakeshore Apothecary grows, Master's Councillors mills) or Bilbo, Luckwearer, then a 3-drop that draws as it enters (Patient Instructor, Bilbo Baggins, Burglar) or Great Gilded Boat. From turn 3 on, try to draw a second card on every one of your turns, because each time you do, Apothecary, Bard the Bowman and Councillors trigger. Many of your early creatures have vigilance, so they can attack and still block.

2. Middle turns

   Turns 4–6: Long Lake Nuisance and Celebrate the Mountain-king add a flier or removal plus a recruit. Attack in the air and with unblockable Bilbo, Luckwearer. Keep Magnificent End and Uneasy Partings for the opponent's attack, because both cost less then. End is cheaper against a tapped creature, and attackers are usually tapped. Partings is cheaper against an attacking nontoken creature. Bard the Bowman's counters and lifelink let your small creatures win damage races.

3. Late game

   Turn 7+: you should have more cards than the opponent. Flash back Plunder the Trollshaws (draw two), bring Eagle's Rescue back from the graveyard onto a 1-power creature, sacrifice the Lake-town land to put two +1/+1 counters on a Human, and keep attacking in the air. If the ground is stalled, win with fliers and a wide board of Soldiers pumped by a card that gives all your other creatures +1/+1 (Bard's Company, The Arkenstone).

Second card each turn

The deck is built around one line printed on several cards, "Whenever you draw your second card each turn" (Lakeshore Apothecary, Bard the Bowman, Master's Councillors). On your own turn the card from your draw step is card one, so the first extra card you draw that turn is card two and triggers all of them. It happens once per turn, so a third or fourth draw adds nothing.

Text box

The cheapest extra draw is recruit. You draw a card, then discard a card, and if the discarded card wasn't a land, you also get a 1/1 white Human Soldier token . Because the token is a Human, it lets you cast Bard's Company with flash, and the Lake-town land can put its counters on it. Example: turn 2 Lakeshore Apothecary. On turn 3 you draw for the turn, then cast Patient Instructor. Its recruit is your second card, so Apothecary gets a +1/+1 counter , and if you discard a spell such as Plunder the Trollshaws you also get a Soldier. Other ways to draw on your own turn are Plunder the Trollshaws, Great Gilded Boat when you attack, and chapter I of The Mountain-king's Return. Bilbo Baggins, Burglar draws when it enters, and Bilbo, Luckwearer loots when it hits a player.

On the opponent's turn you count from zero. A single draw (Plunder from your hand, the recruit from Bard's Company cast with flash) is only card one and triggers nothing. Drawing two does. Plunder cast from the graveyard with flashback draws two cards, and the second one triggers.

Key cards

• 

  Patient Instructor

  C common Creature — Human Citizen

  Sets up the plan Core

  Why it works

  A pre-release review rated it 2 out of 10. It is the deck's most important common, because its recruit on turn 3 is the usual way to draw card two early, and the Soldier it can make is a Human for Bard's Company. The cost is hybrid (), so the last mana can be white or blue and either of your colors casts it.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  Cast it in your main phase before combat, so your payoffs trigger before you attack. Lakeshore Apothecary on turn 2 and this on turn 3 is the start the deck wants.

  Patient Instructor just looks bad to me, but I hope I'm valuing the recruit incorrectly somehow, because I do want it to be good.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  59.7% +1.4 vs all decks 33,069 gamessure ±0.5

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  58.3% 55,365 gamessure ±0.4

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Patient Instructor, these do the same job: sets up the plan.

  • 

    Bilbo Baggins, Burglar // Take a Glance C common Legendary Creature — Halfling Rogue // Sorcery — AdventureGood

    Gets you extra cards, wins 59.2% in Draw Two decks (30k games)
  • 

    Long Lake Nuisance C common Creature — BirdGood

    Threat, wins 58.9% in Draw Two decks (32k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Plunder the Trollshaws

  C common Instant

  Gets you extra cards Core

  Why it works

  This 2-mana instant draws one card, and flashback lets you cast it again from your graveyard for 4 mana to draw two, then exiles it. On your turn the single draw is card two, and the flashback's two draws trigger your payoffs on either player's turn. Removal Control (55.8%) and Elf Landfall (54.6%) get much less from it, so take it early only for Draw Two.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  From your hand, cast it in your main phase after the draw step so it counts as card two. Flash it back at the end of the opponent's turn when you have 4 spare mana, and its second card still triggers Bard the Bowman and Apothecary.

  The money shot to discard is Plunder the Trollshaws, which is miles better than either Moment of Glory or Eagle's Rescue.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  60.3% +1.8 vs all decks 31,400 gamessure ±0.5

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  58.5% 50,977 gamessure ±0.4

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Plunder the Trollshaws, these do the same job: gets you extra cards.

  • 

    Thrór's Map U uncommon Legendary ArtifactPlayable

    Wins 57.0% in Draw Two decks (5.3k games)
  • 

    Bilbo Baggins, Burglar // Take a Glance C common Legendary Creature — Halfling Rogue // Sorcery — AdventureGood

    Wins 59.2% in Draw Two decks (30k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Lakeshore Apothecary

  C common Creature — Human Cleric

  Rewards the plan Good

  Why it works

  From turn 3, you draw a second card most turns, and each one puts a +1/+1 counter on this 2-mana 1/2, so by turn 5 it can be a 4/5.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  Turn 2 is its slot, so it starts growing on turn 3. Make each extra draw before combat and it attacks one size bigger.

  I'm not a fan of 2-drops that aren't good enough until you put some work in.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  58.7% +1.7 vs all decks 35,695 gamessure ±0.5

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  57.0% 52,839 gamessure ±0.4

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Lakeshore Apothecary, these do the same job: rewards the plan.

  • 

    Master's Councillors U uncommon Creature — Human AdvisorGood

    Wins 59.6% in Draw Two decks (19k games)
  • 

    Iron Hills Blacksmith U uncommon Creature — Dwarf ArtificerGood

    Early play, wins 58.6% in Draw Two decks (8k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Bard the Bowman

  U uncommon Legendary Creature — Human Archer

  Rewards the plan Good

  Why it works

  This deck's gold uncommon puts a +1/+1 counter on target creature whenever you draw your second card each turn, and that creature gains lifelink until end of turn. Each extra draw grows one creature for good, and the 1/3 body with reach holds off early fliers.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  Time the second draw. One before combat (Patient Instructor, Plunder) puts the counter and lifelink on an attacker, and Plunder's flashback on their turn gives a blocker lifelink. Counters belong on creatures that keep connecting, such as fliers and Bilbo, Luckwearer.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  59.5% +0.7 vs all decks 21,420 gamessure ±0.7

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  58.8% 24,682 gamessure ±0.6

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Bard the Bowman, these do the same job: rewards the plan.

  • 

    Lakeshore Apothecary C common Creature — Human ClericGood

    Wins 58.7% in Draw Two decks (36k games)
  • 

    Master's Councillors U uncommon Creature — Human AdvisorGood

    Wins 59.6% in Draw Two decks (19k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Celebrate the Mountain-king

  U uncommon Enchantment

  Removal Core

  Why it works

  Any nonland permanent an opponent controls is a legal target, Equipment and Sagas included, and it stays exiled until Celebrate leaves the battlefield. The recruit comes in your main phase, usually as your second card of the turn, so the removal also feeds your payoffs.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  Spend it on the biggest threat already on the battlefield instead of waiting for a better one. If they destroy Celebrate (Thorin's Last Stand can hit an enchantment), their card comes back. An exiled token stops existing, so exiling a big Army token is permanent.

  White also has four banger uncommons, one of which is the best in the entire set (Celebrate the Mountain-king).

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  63.8% +1.6 vs all decks 15,515 gamessure ±0.8

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  62.2% 30,687 gamessure ±0.5

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Celebrate the Mountain-king, these do the same job: removal.

  • 

    Stone by Sunlight U uncommon InstantCore

    Wins 61.3% in Draw Two decks (14k games)
  • 

    Enchanted River's Grasp C common Enchantment — AuraGood

    Wins 57.1% in Draw Two decks (24k games)
  • 

    Uneasy Partings C common InstantGood

    Wins 57.8% in Draw Two decks (22k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Stone by Sunlight

  U uncommon Instant

  Removal Core

  Why it works

  One mode destroys a creature with power 4 or greater, the big bodies your small creatures can't block. The other makes a creature an artifact with indestructible until end of turn, which saves Bard's Company or Bard the Bowman from damage or a "destroy" spell.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  Keep 2 mana open on their turn and pick the mode the turn needs. The kill mode can't touch a creature with 3 power or less, so don't hold it for their 2-drop. Indestructible doesn't stop exile, bounce or shrinking (-X/-X), and as an artifact your creature becomes a target for their artifact removal.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  61.3% +1.0 vs all decks 14,343 gamessure ±0.8

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  60.3% 28,322 gamessure ±0.6

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Stone by Sunlight, these do the same job: removal.

  • 

    Magnificent End C common InstantGood

    Wins 57.9% in Draw Two decks (23k games)
  • 

    Uneasy Partings C common InstantGood

    Wins 57.8% in Draw Two decks (22k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Magnificent End

  C common Instant

  Removal Good

  Why it works

  Five damage kills almost any creature in the set, and against a tapped one the spell costs only 2. On their turn that fits beside the mana you already hold for Plunder and Stone by Sunlight, and 4 open mana covers both.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  Kill an attacker after attackers are declared. On your own turn it costs the full 5 unless their creature is tapped, and Gaze in Wonder can tap it. A vigilance attacker stays untapped and gets no discount.

  Two mana for 5 damage is a very good rate, even if it only targets a tapped creature.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  57.9% +1.1 vs all decks 23,446 gamessure ±0.6

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  56.8% 46,144 gamessure ±0.5

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Magnificent End, these do the same job: removal.

  • 

    Uneasy Partings C common InstantGood

    Wins 57.8% in Draw Two decks (22k games)
  • 

    Stone by Sunlight U uncommon InstantCore

    Wins 61.3% in Draw Two decks (14k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Uneasy Partings

  C common Instant

  Removal Good

  Why it works

  The owner chooses the top or bottom of their library and usually picks the top, so the spell costs them their next draw and the mana to cast the creature again. Against a token it is full removal, because a token put into a library stops existing.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  Aim it at an attacker they spent a lot on, best of all one carrying an Aura or Equipment. They lose the Aura, and the Equipment has to be equipped again. Against a token you pay the full 4.

  Its removal spells (Uneasy Partings, Enchanted River's Grasp) aren't too bad, but it tends to play best when another color is providing cheap, reliable removal.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  57.8% +1.6 vs all decks 22,082 gamessure ±0.7

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  56.2% 38,308 gamessure ±0.5

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Uneasy Partings, these do the same job: removal.

  • 

    Enchanted River's Grasp C common Enchantment — AuraGood

    Wins 57.1% in Draw Two decks (24k games)
  • 

    Magnificent End C common InstantGood

    Wins 57.9% in Draw Two decks (23k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Bilbo Baggins, Burglar // Take a Glance

  C common Legendary Creature — Halfling Rogue // Sorcery — Adventure

  Gets you extra cards Good

  Why it works

  A 3-drop that draws a card as it enters is card advantage at common, and Take a Glance, its 1-mana Adventure, scries 2. A second copy still draws as it enters, even though you keep only one of the two.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  With 4 mana, cast Take a Glance and then Bilbo the same turn, so you scry 2 and draw the card you kept on top. Bilbo alone is the turn-3 play.

  You basically always want to cast both halves of this on the same turn unless you're really desperate.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  59.2% +1.7 vs all decks 30,172 gamessure ±0.6

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  57.5% 51,284 gamessure ±0.4

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Bilbo Baggins, Burglar, these do the same job: gets you extra cards.

  • 

    Patient Instructor C common Creature — Human CitizenCore

    Sets up the plan, wins 59.7% in Draw Two decks (33k games)
  • 

    Thrór's Map U uncommon Legendary ArtifactPlayable

    Wins 57.0% in Draw Two decks (5.3k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Long Lake Nuisance

  C common Creature — Bird

  Threat Good

  Why it works

  Four mana buys a 3/1 flier, a recruit and often a 1/1 Soldier. The weak point is its 1 toughness, which any 1/1 flier or damage spell can punish.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  Attack whenever the air is clear, and keep it out of ground blocks. Bard the Bowman's +1/+1 counters cover its 1 toughness.

  One toughness makes this creature so vulnerable to removal and other 1/1 fliers that it just won't be good enough a lot of the time.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  58.9% +1.2 vs all decks 32,246 gamessure ±0.5

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  57.7% 49,140 gamessure ±0.4

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Long Lake Nuisance, these do the same job: threat.

  • 

    Patient Instructor C common Creature — Human CitizenCore

    Sets up the plan, wins 59.7% in Draw Two decks (33k games)
  • 

    Esgaroth Garrison C common Creature — Human SoldierPlayable

    Wins 57.4% in Draw Two decks (12k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Master's Councillors

  U uncommon Creature — Human Advisor

  Rewards the plan Good

  Why it works

  A target player mills three whenever you draw your second card each turn, and this deck does that most turns. Once graveyards fill up it attacks for 3 or 5 instead of 1, since it gets +2/+0 for each graveyard with seven or more cards.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  Point the mill at the opponent. Their graveyard reaches seven sooner, and a deck that draws as much as yours can run out of cards in a long game if it mills itself. Recruit discards fill your own graveyard anyway. Its 3 toughness holds off most early attackers.

  One thing you might not notice immediately is that this can be a 5/3 with vigilance, because it counts each graveyard.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  59.6% +1.5 vs all decks 18,855 gamessure ±0.7

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  58.1% 28,347 gamessure ±0.6

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Master's Councillors, these do the same job: rewards the plan.

  • 

    Lakeshore Apothecary C common Creature — Human ClericGood

    Wins 58.7% in Draw Two decks (36k games)
  • 

    Iron Hills Blacksmith U uncommon Creature — Dwarf ArtificerGood

    Early play, wins 58.6% in Draw Two decks (8k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Bilbo, Luckwearer // Burglar's Plot

  U uncommon Legendary Creature — Halfling Rogue // Sorcery — Adventure

  Sets up the plan Core

  Why it works

  Nothing can block it, and each time it deals combat damage to a player you draw a card and discard a card (a loot). Every hit is an extra draw after your draw step, so from turn 3 it triggers your second-card payoffs each turn it connects. Burglar's Plot, the 5-mana Adventure, swaps one of your nonland permanents for one of theirs that shares a card type, such as your 1/1 Soldier for their best creature.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  Get it down on turn 2 and attack every turn after that. The loot comes with combat damage, so a counter from Bard the Bowman lands after the damage and helps in later fights. Against a bomb, cast Burglar's Plot first and the 1/1 afterwards.

  It's even better in base blue decks though, since a turn-2 looter is incredible for setting up Lakeshore Apothecary and Bard the Bowman.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  62.5% +2.2 vs all decks 17,384 gamessure ±0.7

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  60.3% 29,559 gamessure ±0.6

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Bilbo, Luckwearer, these do the same job: sets up the plan.

  • 

    Master's Councillors U uncommon Creature — Human AdvisorGood

    Rewards the plan, wins 59.6% in Draw Two decks (19k games)
  • 

    Lakeshore Apothecary C common Creature — Human ClericGood

    Rewards the plan, wins 58.7% in Draw Two decks (36k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  The Mountain-king's Return

  U uncommon Enchantment — Saga

  Gets you extra cards Core

  Why it works

  Discard a 3-drop to chapter I's recruit and you get the Soldier now and the creature back next turn, since chapter II returns a creature card with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. Chapter III adds a +1/+1 counter to up to one creature.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  Chapter I happens as the Saga enters, so cast it after your draw step and its recruit is card two. Patient Instructor and Bilbo Baggins, Burglar are the discards to aim for, because each one's enter ability gives you card two again when chapter II brings it back. With no good discard, chapter II can still return a creature that died in combat.

  The fact that you can use the recruit ability from the first chapter to discard the creature you want to reanimate with the second makes this a very neat little design.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  62.4% +1.3 vs all decks 16,352 gamessure ±0.7

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  61.1% 29,924 gamessure ±0.6

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see The Mountain-king's Return, these do the same job: gets you extra cards.

  • 

    Patient Instructor C common Creature — Human CitizenCore

    Sets up the plan, wins 59.7% in Draw Two decks (33k games)
  • 

    Bilbo Baggins, Burglar // Take a Glance C common Legendary Creature — Halfling Rogue // Sorcery — AdventureGood

    Wins 59.2% in Draw Two decks (30k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Eagle's Rescue

  U uncommon Enchantment — Aura

  Threat Good

  Why it works

  A deck full of 1-power creatures gets an Aura that keeps coming back. For 4 mana it gives +2/+2 and flying, and for the same 4 mana, as a sorcery, it returns from your graveyard attached to a creature you control with power 1 or less. Soldier tokens, a fresh Lakeshore Apothecary, Bard the Bowman, Bilbo, Luckwearer and Iron Hills Blacksmith all qualify.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  Put it on a creature that will keep attacking, and when that creature dies, bring the Aura back later. Watch the power check. An Apothecary with one counter has power 2 and can no longer take it from the graveyard.

  Then, when your opponent does kill it, you can keep bringing it back to buff your small creatures, almost as though it were a powerful equipment still on the battlefield.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  58.5% +1.9 vs all decks 10,335 gamessure ±0.9

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  56.6% 14,793 gamessure ±0.8

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Eagle's Rescue, these do the same job: threat.

  • 

    Long Lake Nuisance C common Creature — BirdGood

    Wins 58.9% in Draw Two decks (32k games)
  • 

    Lake-town C common LandPlayable

    Gets you the color you need, wins 57.5% in Draw Two decks (24k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Bard's Company

  R rare Creature — Human Citizen

  Rewards the plan Core

  Why it works

  Your Soldier tokens and most of your creatures are Humans, so you can nearly always cast it with flash. Every other creature you control gets +1/+1, and it recruits as it enters and again each time it attacks. Take it over any common or uncommon.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  The strongest moment is the opponent's combat, after attackers are declared and before blocks, when every blocker gets +1/+1 and you recruit. If combat offers nothing, flash it in at their end step and attack on your turn for a second recruit before blocks. Removal in mid-combat takes the +1/+1 away, so against open mana make only blocks that work without the bonus.

  Be careful of getting your Bard's Company removed in the middle of combat (or of your WU opponent having it).

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  65.5% +1.4 vs all decks 8,732 gamessure ±1.0

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  64.1% 11,705 gamessure ±0.9

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Bard's Company, these do the same job: rewards the plan.

  • 

    The Arkenstone // Seek the Heart M mythic Legendary Artifact // Sorcery — AdventureCore

    Finisher, wins 64.4% in Draw Two decks (1.3k games, unsure)
  • 

    An Unexpected Party // At the Door R rare Enchantment // Sorcery — AdventureCore

    Finisher, wins 66.6% in Draw Two decks (4.2k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

• 

  Great Gilded Boat

  R rare Artifact — Vehicle

  Gets you extra cards Core

  Why it works

  Attacking with anything recruits, even while the Boat stays home. That recruit happens as you attack, before blockers, so on a turn with no other extra draw it is your second card and Bard the Bowman's counter lands in time for the fight.

  How to play it and the numbers

  How to play it

  Attack every turn you safely can, even with one creature such as Bilbo, Luckwearer or a flier. Crew 2 (tap creatures with total power 2 or more) only when the Boat has a good attack of its own, because the crew can't block afterwards. Once you fall behind and can't attack, it does nothing, so it is strongest cast on turn 3, before blockers pile up.

  Try to attack as much as possible if you see this card.

  Win rates

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in Draw Two decks

  63.3% +1.7 vs all decks 6,471 gamessure ±1.2

  Win rate when drawn (GIH WR) in all decks

  61.6% 11,603 gamessure ±0.9

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  Replacements

  If you don't see Great Gilded Boat, these do the same job: gets you extra cards.

  • 

    Bilbo, Luckwearer // Burglar's Plot U uncommon Legendary Creature — Halfling Rogue // Sorcery — AdventureCore

    Sets up the plan, wins 62.5% in Draw Two decks (17k games)
  • 

    Thrór's Map U uncommon Legendary ArtifactPlayable

    Wins 57.0% in Draw Two decks (5.3k games)

  Win rates from 17Lands.

  I know it

How to tell it's open

Common mistakes

• Drawing on the wrong turn. Payoffs trigger on your second card of a turn, and on the opponent's turn you start counting from zero. Plunder the Trollshaws cast from your hand at their end step is only your first card on their turn and triggers nothing. Cast it in your own main phase after your draw step instead. Hold it for their turn only when you want the mana open anyway (Settle the Wreckage, Stone by Sunlight).

• Too many draw spells, too few creatures. Drawing does nothing without bodies to grow and attack with. Aim for 15 or more creatures. Soldier tokens from recruit are a bonus and don't count toward that number. In pack 3, take the creature over Confusticate and Bebother or Sound the Trumpets.

• Discarding the wrong card to recruit. Only a nonland discard makes the 1/1 Soldier, so early on discard a spell you can still use from the graveyard: Plunder the Trollshaws (flashback) or Eagle's Rescue (it returns itself). Discard a land once you have enough lands to cast everything in your hand, and accept that you get no token.

• Ignoring the legend rule. Bard the Bowman, The Queen of Dale, Fíli the Pathfinder, Bilbo, Luckwearer and many other cards here are legendary. Two with the same name can't stay on the battlefield, so a second copy is worth much less than a different good card. The three Bilbos have different names and can all be out together: Bilbo, Luckwearer; Bilbo, Thief in the Night; and Bilbo Baggins, Burglar.

• Taking the clunky fliers because the deck likes flying. Ravenhill Flock, Eagle of the Great Shelf and The Lord of the Eagles all have low win rates here. The flying cards that do well also draw (Long Lake Nuisance) or come back from the graveyard (Eagle's Rescue).

Better or worse in this deck

• 

  Celebrate the Mountain-king U uncommon Enchantment

  core: 63.8%, take it over any common in the pack

  Celebrate the Mountain-king is the best uncommon in the set. When it enters, it exiles a nonland permanent of theirs until the enchantment leaves the battlefield, and it recruits (you draw a card, then discard a card, and a nonland discard also makes a 1/1 Soldier token). The exile is the same in every deck. The recruit draw comes on your own turn, after your draw step, so in Draw Two it is the second card that Lakeshore Apothecary, Master's Councillors and Bard the Bowman reward. Draw Two scores 63.8% with it, and Dwarves & Equipment 60.8%.

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  The Eagles Are Coming! R rare Instant

  good: 62.2%, cast it in response to removal to save the creature and get a Bird as well

  The Eagles Are Coming! returns a creature you own to your hand, and at the beginning of the next upkeep you get a 4/4 flying Bird for it. Draw Two's recruit creatures recruit again when you recast them, and Bilbo Baggins, Burglar draws another card, so this rare scores 62.2% there. Dwarves & Equipment (57.9%) loses more on the bounce, because the returned creature drops its Equipment and you pay the equip cost again.

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  Esgaroth Garrison C common Creature — Human Soldier

  playable: 57.4%, usually a 4/5 or 5/5 the turn it lands

  Esgaroth Garrison's power equals the number of creatures you control, and its own recruit can add one more. Draw Two goes wide with Soldier tokens and scores 57.4%. Dwarves & Equipment drops to 54.3%, and our read is that it keeps its curve low and spends its mana equipping two or three creatures instead of going wide.

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  Fíli the Pathfinder R rare Legendary Creature — Dwarf Scout

  core: 64.8%, a first pick even with no Dwarves around it

  Fíli the Pathfinder makes a 2/2 Dwarf token when it enters and again whenever another nontoken Dwarf of yours enters. Once you control three or more artifacts, legendaries or Sagas, you have an enduring story for the rest of the game, and from then on Fíli gives your creatures +1/+1. In Dwarves & Equipment the Dwarves add the tokens, and the Equipment and legendaries build the story, so it scores 68.6% there. Draw Two (64.8%) mostly gets two bodies for 4 mana, and that still makes it one of the best rares in the set.

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  Moment of Glory C common Sorcery

  trap: 55.0%, below average even here, so draft it only as something to discard

  Moment of Glory has one of the widest gaps in the set. From your hand, the 1-mana sorcery puts a +1/+1 counter on one creature you control. Flashback lets you cast it from your graveyard later for 5 mana, and then every creature you control gets a counter. Draw Two discards it to recruit, which makes a Soldier, and flashes it back later (55.0%). Dwarves & Equipment has few ways to put it in the graveyard and needs its mana for equipping (46.6%).

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  Settle the Wreckage R rare Instant

  good: 61.1%, wait for the attack with the most creatures in it

  Settle the Wreckage exiles every attacking creature the target player controls, and that player may search for as many basic lands, which enter tapped. It works only when you are the one being attacked. Draw Two holds 4 mana open on the opponent's turn anyway and gets 61.1% from it. Dwarves & Equipment (56.9%) does the attacking and spends its mana on its own turn.

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  Bilbo, Luckwearer // Burglar's Plot U uncommon Legendary Creature — Halfling Rogue // Sorcery — Adventure

  core: 62.5%, the strongest 2-drop in these colors

  Bilbo, Luckwearer is a 2-mana 1/1 that can't be blocked, and each time it deals combat damage to a player you draw a card and discard a card. That draw is your second card of the turn, so in Draw Two (62.5%) a hit also grows Lakeshore Apothecary. Removal Control (56.6%) and Elf Landfall only get a better hand, and it still clears both decks' averages by a wide margin.

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  Bilbo Baggins, Burglar // Take a Glance C common Legendary Creature — Halfling Rogue // Sorcery — Adventure

  good: 59.2%, Take a Glance on turn 1, then Bilbo from exile once you want the card

  Bilbo Baggins, Burglar draws a card when the 3-mana 2/1 enters, and its 1-mana Adventure, Take a Glance, scries 2. Draw Two scores 59.2% with it and Elf Landfall 53.9%. Most of that gap is the gap between the two decks, and Draw Two's creatures that reward a second card add a little on top.

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  Confusticate and Bebother C common Instant

  trap: 55.0%, holding 3 mana means no creature that turn

  Confusticate and Bebother gives you two modes for 3 mana at instant speed: counter a spell unless its controller pays 4, or draw two cards and discard one. Every blue deck scores below its average with it. Draw Two's 55.0% is the highest number but still more than a point under that deck's average, even though the draw mode on the opponent's turn grows Lakeshore Apothecary. Elf Landfall (50.3%) falls furthest, because it spends its mana on a creature every turn and rarely holds up an instant.

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  Elvenking's Harper C common Creature — Elf Bard

  playable: 56.0%, an early body that late in the game gets your biggest ground creature through

  The 2-mana 2/2 Elvenking's Harper has a 5-mana ability that makes a creature unblockable for the turn. It lands close to each deck's average in both Draw Two (56.0%) and Elf Landfall (52.8%).

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  Enchanted River's Grasp C common Enchantment — Aura

  good: 57.1%, locks down the ground blocker that would trade with your fliers

  Enchanted River's Grasp taps the creature it enchants and removes all its counters, which kills an Army token outright. After that the creature loses all abilities and doesn't untap. The 3-mana Aura does the same job in every blue deck and lands a little above each deck's average, from 57.1% in Draw Two down to 53.4% in Elf Landfall.

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  Lakeshore Apothecary C common Creature — Human Cleric

  good: 58.7%, a turn-2 play that next turn's recruit already grows

  Whenever you draw your second card in a turn, Lakeshore Apothecary gets a +1/+1 counter . A Draw Two deck draws that card most turns from turn 3 on, through recruit, Plunder the Trollshaws and Bilbo Baggins, Burglar, so the 2-mana 1/2 with vigilance grows into a real attacker there (58.7%). Elf Landfall and Removal Control seldom draw the extra card, and their numbers (52.4% and 52.7%) sit about at those decks' averages.

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  Long Lake Nuisance C common Creature — Bird

  good: 58.9%, evasion and an extra card in one 4-drop

  Long Lake Nuisance gives you a 3/1 flier for 4 mana and recruits when it enters. In Draw Two (58.9%) the recruit draw also lets Bard the Bowman put a +1/+1 counter on a creature and give it lifelink. Burn and Draw (58.5%) beats its own average by the widest margin, since its blockers hold the ground while the flier attacks. Evasion alone keeps it a couple of points above the Removal Control and Elf Landfall averages.

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  Master's Councillors U uncommon Creature — Human Advisor

  good: 59.6%, mill whichever graveyard is closer to seven cards, and it attacks as a 3/3 or 5/3 sooner

  Master's Councillors makes a player of your choice mill three whenever you draw your second card in a turn, and the 2-mana 1/3 gets +2/+0 for each graveyard with seven or more cards in it. Draw Two triggers it most turns and scores 59.6%. In Elf Landfall (52.8%) it is mostly a 1/3 vigilance blocker.

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  Old Fat Spider Can't See Me U uncommon Enchantment — Saga

  playable: 55.0%, worth a slot only with two or more creatures that reward the draws

  Chapter I of this 3-mana Saga gives one of your creatures hexproof (the opponent's spells and abilities can't target it), and chapter II prevents all damage one creature would deal. Both last only while the Saga stays on the battlefield, and it leaves after chapter IV.

  Chapters

  Those draws come after your draw step, so in Draw Two each one counts as a second card for the creatures that reward it. That lifts it to 55.0%, still below that deck's average. Elf Landfall has nothing that rewards the draws and scores 47.9%, far below its average.

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  Plunder the Trollshaws C common Instant

  core: 60.3%, keep 4 mana up at the end of their turn for the flashback

  Plunder the Trollshaws draws one card for 2 mana, or two when you flash it back for 4. That makes it the best card to discard to recruit, and the flashback works at instant speed, so on the opponent's turn its second draw triggers Lakeshore Apothecary and Bard the Bowman. Draw Two uses all of it and scores 60.3%. Elf Landfall (54.6%) has few ways to discard it, and its creatures don't care how many cards you draw.

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  Uneasy Partings C common Instant

  good: 57.8%, cast it on an attacker for 3 mana

  Uneasy Partings puts a creature on the top or bottom of its owner's library, and the owner chooses. It costs 4 mana, or 3 if it targets an attacking nontoken creature. The owner usually picks the top and draws the creature again next turn, so you gain a turn and they lose a draw. Burn and Draw (57.9% over 1,734 games) and Draw Two (57.8%) keep mana open on the opponent's turn and catch an attacker at the lower cost. Removal Control and Elf Landfall score near their averages with it. Removal Control has black removal to play first, and Elf Landfall has trouble using the time it buys.

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  Mirkwood Nurturer C common Creature — Elf Ranger

  good: 58.2%, cast with blue to replay Patient Instructor or Long Lake Nuisance and recruit again

  Green or blue mana casts Mirkwood Nurturer (). When the 3/2 enters, it returns up to one other permanent you control to your hand, and if it does, it gets a +1/+1 counter . Draw Two (58.2%) returns a recruit creature, and Removal Control and Ferocious Wolves return a Crude Bent Blade for another sacrifice. In Elf Landfall (52.1%) fewer permanents are worth a second trip, and it lands at about the deck's average.

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  Patient Instructor C common Creature — Human Citizen

  core: 59.7%, one of the two best commons here

  Patient Instructor costs . That last symbol is hybrid mana, paid with white or blue, so every white deck and every blue deck can play the 2/2 vigilance creature, which recruits when it enters. Draw Two gets the most from it (59.7%), because on turn 3 the recruit draw triggers a Lakeshore Apothecary or Master's Councillors cast the turn before. In Dwarves & Equipment (57.1%) the recruit still often makes a 1/1, but nothing there cares about the draw.

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  Thrór's Map U uncommon Legendary Artifact

  playable: 57.0%, triggers Lakeshore Apothecary every turn, for 2 mana each time

  When Thrór's Map enters, it puts a basic land from your library into your hand, and after that and draw a card and discard a card. Removal Control likes the 2-mana legendary artifact most, well above the deck's average, because its long games give the Map time to pay off. In Draw Two (57.0%) it scores about the deck's average, and the attacking decks would rather have a creature for the 2 mana.

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  Elvenking's Halls C common Land

  trap: 58.3% over 1,803 games, but a tapped Island unless you splash green

  Elvenking's Halls, the blue and green dual land, enters tapped and taps for or . Late in the game you can pay 4 mana, tap it and sacrifice it to put two +1/+1 counters on an Elf you control. Elf Landfall plays it as the deck's dual (53.8%), and other decks play it only to splash a third color. Draw Two decks splashing green have done well with it, and Ferocious Wolves decks splashing blue have done badly. Our read is that these numbers measure the splashed cards more than the land.

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  Hobbit Hole C common Land

  playable: 57.7%, fixes early and finds a Bilbo late

  Hobbit Hole makes no mana itself. You tap and sacrifice it to put a basic land onto the battlefield tapped, or later pay and discard it (halflingcycling) to search your library for a Halfling card. Removal Control, Elf Landfall and Draw Two, three of the decks with a Bilbo to find, run furthest ahead of their averages with it. Dwarves & Equipment, with almost no Halflings, falls below its average.

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  Lake-town C common Land

  playable: 57.5%, fixes both colors, and its counters can go on a Soldier token

  The white and blue dual land Lake-town enters tapped and taps for or . Its ability costs 4 mana, a tap and the land itself, and puts two +1/+1 counters on a Human you control. Many creatures in Draw Two and every recruit Soldier are Humans. Other decks play it only to splash white or blue. Dwarves & Equipment wants untapped lands and scores below its average with it. A tapped land costs the slower Removal Control and Elf Landfall decks little, and they score at or above their averages.