Foreword:
The cards will be ordered into rarity and sub-ordered into colour. Rating from 0-10.
Nods will be given to suitable previous cards were necessary, if you don't the cards I'm talking about you should or I'll tell you what it is.
Occasional pop culture references will pop up where I can be bothered.
Thought I'd kick off the review with White (first on the colour pie and all that...)
Armory Guard
Avenging Arrow
He's going to hit you before he gets destroyed.
Justice is sorcery speed.
4 - Relevant both late and early game, if only briefly. Allows you to both stall out the aggro decks and punch through the high-end big creature decks.
Concordia Pegasus
Ethereal Armor
A little too ethereal...
2 - Basically always +1/+1, if it isn't then you are most probably losing, as the vast majority of the enchantments in this set are sub-par (exempting Martial Law which won't show up often and doesn't really fit in with this kind of card). This also has all the typical downsides of auras, dies to bounce and in response removal/bounce target. Card advantage is king in limited, the person who can play the most cards wins, therefore the person who has to use the least cards to favourably deal with a scenario wins.
Eyes in the Skies
The skies have eyes.
6 - At minimum it is a Midnight Haunting for 1 extra colorless mana, at best it gets you an 8/8 vigilance. In the right deck this card does a lot of work. If not, it gives blockers and allows you to trade profitably in combat.
Keening Apparition
White bear with an upside.
4 - Grizzly Bears is an exceptable card to play, this one has an upside. Effective against being targeting by Trostani's Judgement and Dramatic Rescue, as long as you have a target. Once, I killed my own Martial Law in order to stop my opponent from populating his 8/8 vigilance Elemental and crushing me into a pulp.
Knightly Valor
4 - Makes tokens which can be populated and pumps a dude. Vigilance wins races. Doesn't suffer from all of the standard aura downsides, just the in response removal/bounce. 5 mana is a lot though...
Rootborn Defenses
3 - Sometimes this will be a blowout and those are the times people will remember because people often forget the times they had an empty board and this card sat dead in their hand as they lost. However, if you are a solid Selesnya/x deck, this can be used on either offense or defense. At unlike most combat tricks, this is much more likely to get you card advantage as there are 2 different ways in which that could happen.
Selesnya Sentry
3- So in M12 limited, Warpath Ghoul was fairly playable. This format is a lot slower and whilst you should probably be using/be able to use the regenerate ability, it is still makes the card card that much better.
Seller of Songbirds
4 - The token making 3 drop is back! Sizable downgrade from Blade Splicer, but I guess this provides targets for populate.
Sunspire Griffin
5 - Evasion, hooray. Staple in any white deck, great card. It flies, beats and blocks, doing the last two fairly well.
Swift Justice
5 - If such a thing as a premier combat trick exists this is it. Throwing life gain and first strike can lead to some blowouts and will enable you to win races.
Trained Caracal
0.5 - This sucks and should only ever be played as a sideboard card if your opponent has a ridiculous number of Rakdos Cacklers (so virtually never).
Trostani's Judgment
6 - A catch-all removal spell, nothing that this can't get rid of. The exile means that Scavenge is turned off. The populate tends to have some targets once 6 mana has been reached.
Arrest
7 - Cheap, splashable, a basic catch-all stopped, countered only by enchantment removal. Bonkers against guildmages.
Azorius Justiciar
6 - Good in either aggro decks or control decks, good as a high end finisher in an aggro deck to get the last points of damage through and good in control to stabilise and hold off attacks.
Bazaar Krovod
2.5 - A 2/5 for 5 isn't great, but I supposed he gives your best other creature vigilance and a toughness boost.
Fencing Ace
4.5 - A little better than a 2/1 for 2 as it doesn't trade with X/1s, sticking equipment, Auras and combat tricks make it a lot better.
Phantom General
2.5 - A 2/3 for 4 isn't terrible and it gets better with every token creator you have and subsequently marginally better with every populate card you have.
Security Blockade
Stop! Don't play me.
2.5 - A 2/2 for 3 isn't great and the land ability would leave you behind on mana if you were to continually use it. The ability can only prevent damage to you anyway so if you are being hit multiple times you are probably losing anyway.
Soul Tithe
1.5 - In the early game, this is normally an upkeep edict. However, it's use diminishes as the game continues and your opponent is happier to pay for the cost. When this is bad, it is terrible and variance is not often good in a card.
Sphere of Safety
0 - In limited, this effect is absolutely terrible, never ever run this. It is overcosted and the effect is not worth at all, you'd be better off playing a 5 mana 0/5. If you choose to build around this you'll be wasting your time as not many of the enchantments are good in the set.
Martial Law
6.5 - Lock down their best dude completely every turn, nutty. Pre-board the majority of decks have nearly no answers to this. Post-board, there are a few more but even so...
Getting detained by Bruce Lee, not something you want...
Palisade Giant
7 - You get to pick the best option, block, kill and don't trade with almost any X/2. If not soak up the damage. At the worst, it gains you 7 life. At best, it keeps you alive forever and you never die.
Precinct Captain
6.5 - If this comes down on turns 2 or 3, it will just dominate. The card is nuts.
Rest in Peace
0.5 - Sideboard card only against all-in scavenge decks.
Angel of Serenity
8.5 - The only downside to this card is getting to 7 mana, if you get to play this you should just straight up win. If they should somehow kill it you get you best creatures back. Bonkers.
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