Alchemy Rebalancing for August 11, 2022
On Thursday, August 11, the next game update brings several adjustments to cards in Alchemy and Historic, as well as changes to rebalance support for Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate Draft.
Constructed Changes
Cabaretti Revels
Costs RRG (from 1RG)
Decks were too easily able to splash Cabaretti Revels, strengthening decks that were already powerful. We are adjusting the mana cost to increase the color requirements to cast Cabaretti Revels to make it more difficult to splash and increase its deck-building requirement.
Racketeer Boss
Cards now lose ability once cast
Like the combo with Grinning Ignus, Racketeer Boss was still enabling combo decks using Acererak the Archlich and Ominous Traveler. We are removing the ability to repeatedly generate treasure to close out the combos while keeping its strength and functionality in fair decks.
Draft Changes
We are aiming to make underperforming strategies and archetypes stronger in Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate Draft. Most of the changes aim to make blocking and other defensive strategies stronger. We are increasing the toughness of five blue creatures, allowing Young Red Dragon to block, and changing a few other cards like Manticore, Circle of the Land Druid and Eyes of the Beholder to make it easier to defend against aggressive decks.
We are also reducing the efficiency of Steadfast Unicorn, Blessed Hippogriff, and Guildsworn Prowlers. These were some of the strongest commons in Draft that made blocking too difficult. It was too easy to use Steadfast Unicorn's ability and Blessed Hippogriff's adventure while casting other spells in the same turn. Reducing Guildsworn Prowler's power will shift it from a strong attacker to a defensive and synergistic card.
We're also making additional adjustments to ensure blue is a more viable draft color choice. Charmed Sleep was poorly positioned against this format's sacrifice and blink effects, so we redesigned You Come to a River to give the color a more consistent removal spell. This redesign and the defensive buffs to blue creatures should make the color stronger overall, with additional indirect help coming from buffs to Dragon deck archetypes.
Dragonborn Looter
Costs U (from 1U)
Pseudodragon Familiar
Now 2/2 (from 2/1)
Water Weird
Gains "1U: Water Weird gets +1/-1 until end of turn."
Young Blue Dragon
Now 3/4 (from 3/3)
You Come to a River
Redesigned:
You Come to a River
2U
Sorcery
Choose one —
- Fight the Current — The owner of target nonland permanent puts it on the top or bottom of their library.
- Find a Crossing — Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn and can't be blocked this turn.
Kenku Artificer
Now 1/3 (from 1/1)
Vhal, Eager Scholar (and each specialize face)
Now 2/2 (from 2/1); specialize faces now 4/4 (from 4/3)
Alora, Rogue Companion (and each specialize face)
Now 3/3 (from 3/2); specialize faces now 4/4 (from 4/3)
Goggles of Night
Now equip 1 (from equip 2)
Guildsworn Prowler
Now 1/1 (from 2/1)
Manticore
Now 3/1 (from 2/1)
Baleful Beholder
Now 7/5 (from 6/5)
Eyes of the Beholder
Costs 3BB (from 4BB)
Sigil of Mykrul
Costs 1B (from 2B)
Young Red Dragon
Now 3/1 (from 3/2); loses "Young Red Dragon can't block."
Dragonborn Immolator
Activated ability costs 2R (from 1R); ability grants +2/+0 (from +1/+0)
Circle of the Land Druid
Now 2/1 (from 1/1)
Druidic Ritual
Changed "return up to one creature card and up to one land card" to "return up to two creature cards and/or land cards"
Emerald Dragon
Gains ward 2; loses trample
Split the Spoils
Costs 1G (from 2G)
Steadfast Unicorn
Activated ability costs 4W (from 3W)
Blessed Hippogriff
Adventure cost 1W (from W)
Carnelian Orb of Dragonkind
Changed "Add R" to "Add one mana of any color."
Lapis Orb of Dragonkind
Changed "Add U" to "Add one mana of any color."
Jade Orb of Dragonkind
Changed "Add G" to "Add one mana of any color."
Changes to Carnelian Orb of Dragonkind, Lapis Orb of Dragonkind, and Jade Orb of Dragonkind are to help the Dragon decks in Limited. Since the three Dragon archetypes are blue-red, blue-green, and red-green, it'll help the decks play all three colors more consistently.
Lantern of Revealing
Activated ability costs 3, T (from 4, T)
Navigation Orb
Activated ability costs 1, T, sacrifice (from 2, T, sacrifice)