Magic: The Gathering Core Set 2019

After a couple years of experimentation with two blocks per year, each composed of two sets of cards, Wizards of the Coast is returning to their previous release schedule of annual core sets and blocks of 3 sets that share a story and theme.

I bought a pack of cards and thought I would show off the contents and offer some commentary with my arbitrary and subjective opinions.

A lot of these common-rarity cards have been printed in previous sets. Daybreak Chaplain offers potential as a defensive blocker with lifelink that isn't saddled with the Defender keyword, and Smelt is useful for artifact removal. Druid of the Cowl isn't the best mana dork in the game, but it isn't bad either. The rest may also have some utility depending on your deck needs and local meta.

Brawl-Bash Ogre would be great for the warrior tribal deck I have in mind to eventually build. Ghirapur Guide is much more difficult for me to see in use, but I am open to comments if I have underestimated its utility. Lightning Mare has potential in a red aggro deck, especially if the opponent(s) splash blue into their decks. Dragon's Hoard is a must-have for a dragon tribal deck, or even one with enough dragons to trigger a couple gold counters, but even without that, it is a decent mana rock as well.

All told, this pack was not a winner in the sense of letting me pull high-value cards. However, I have a stash of more older packs that I may open and share here eventually...