#[[ the anticipatio n kills me

[neometalmadness]

WAIT SAME ANON I THINK I TRIED ASKING YOU ABOUT MEGAMAN????? SOMEONE was really into megaman. who was it.

[[ ........................ me who had two megaman blogs at that time:

[theangriestpea]

Kill of the Night

Summary: A dangerous succubus lurks in the Whyte Wyrm, looking for her next meal. Sweet Pea just wants to get laid.

Pairing: Sweet Pea x OC (Lavender Rhodes)

Rating: Mature // Explicit

Word Count: 4.8k+

Warnings: shameless smut, face riding, unprotected sex, daddy kink mention, character death

A/N:Finally! This is for three separate Riverdale events! @sweetwater-recs​ Spooky Season Theme One: Monster Squad; @riverdale-events​ Tricks and Treats of Riverdale Theme Two: Supernatural; and @southsidearchive​ Falloween Theme Two: Supernatural! Whew. It’s quite a season, right? 

Inspo: Kill of the Night by Gin Wigmore

The beauty sitting at the bar closed the compact mirror she had been staring into to double check her disguised appearance, adjusting her purple locks so they were in the perfect position. The other demons called her Lavender due to the color of her hair in which she used whenever she presented herself as human. Her mother would have preferred that she be the traditional blonde as the most succulent souls seemed to have a weakness for fair hair.

However, Lavender found that purple hair was key to attracting a certain type of soul. Ones that had often been crushed by human society. Dark, inky black souls that had tasted the blood of another and had a kind of beautiful aftertaste to them. Those were her favorite to consume.

She flew into town the night before, having tired of her regular hunting grounds in Greendale after she was nearly hexed by a warlock who caught onto her before she could finish the ritual needed to acquire his spirit. Riverdale had this cookie cutter image on the outside, but deep down she knew it was teeming with the darkness she so craved so very much. Especially south of the railroad tracks where the streetlights didn’t burn quite as brightly and the air seemed foggier. There were more places to tuck into and hide.

The teeming underbelly of any small town was where she preferred to search for unfortunate men looking for trouble. In fact, this ramshackle bar she happened upon was perfect. It smelled distinctly of old beer and stale cigarettes. Clouds of dense smoke curled around the patrons in the dim lights.

She didn’t stand out and while that could have been disadvantageous to most of her kind, she found it useful to blend in with her food.

Lavender flicked her manicured hand to move the hair off of her shoulder as she sat up straight on the bar stool. The pink haired girl that was tending the bar slid her the drink she had ordered. Old Fashions were her weakness. It tasted like a begrudged human spirit. 

“You must be new around here.” The short girl said with a dazzling smile. For a moment Lav wondered if she was one of theirs. A demon poised in the bar to prey on humans that were perhaps not so innocent. She sniffed the air discreetly. No, this adorable bar keep was no demon. Though perhaps she was something else…

Her brief statement had Lav chuckling lightly. New? She was centuries old. No place was truly new to her. She hunted here long before the town with pep was even established. She had not been new for quite some time. “You could say that.” She replied coyly. No use in telling the truth.

A tall man with tan skin and fluffy hair sat down next to her. “Hit me, Toni,” he said in a gruff voice as he looked at the bartender. She nodded and grabbed a bottle of beer for him. Lav took a sip of her drink, savoring the flavor as she glanced at the newcomer out of the corner of her eye.

He noticed the head of purple hair sitting next to him, eyes quickly raking over her almost bare thighs as her leather skirt had ridden up when she sat down. It left very little to the imagination, just as Lav had wanted. A glint of light caught his eyes and he saw an amethyst belly button ring dangling from her exposed navel.

A look passed over his face, she looked like she was from the Southside, sure. But he’d never seen her. Not that it mattered much to him. He just got finished with a shitty job and had just been looking for a drink, but getting laid wouldn’t hurt. He noticed the drink in front of her and how it wasn’t some fruity cocktail that most girls drank. He briefly wondered if she had any other piercings he could possibly run his tongue over as she squealed in delight.

The image seemed so clear in his head. Had he been in the right state of mine he would have found it weird to be fantasizing so vividly over someone he hadn’t even spoken to. Of course he had no shortage of imagination when it came to women, but his train of thought had escalated very quickly.

Maybe it had just been a while. Josie had been out of town recently on gigs. She was normally his go to when he didn’t feel like seducing a stranger. Sometimes he didn’t have the energy for a one night stand. However, he had quickly decided that tonight would not be a night for just him and his hand. This gothic beauty was definitely going home with him. 

“Never seen you here before.” The biker said coolly, turning his body on the stool to face her after he took a sip of his beer. Lav watched him, playing dumb to the way he was looking at her. The feverish look that was developing in his eye that made them glint in the smoky atmosphere.

“I’m,” She paused. What had the little girl just asked her before? Oh yes, “new in town. Thought I’d get a drink.” She answered simply, her hand no longer obstructing her face. He saw the thin black septum piercing with pointed ends instead of the usual balls. She also had an amethyst stud philtrum piercing as well as two adjoining black snake bite hoops. So he had been right, she did have more piercings. Color him allured.

Sweet Pea eyed the metal. He couldn’t see her ears as it was obstructed by her straight, lavender hair. “Why did you come to a shithole like Riverdale?” He asked, trying not to sound too curious. He did his best to keep his tone callous. Lav saw straight through him. Poor thing had bitten straight down onto her hook.

She smirked at him, expression dripping with charm. “I��m looking for some souls to devour.” He mistook her seriousness as a dark joke. Certainly she wasn’t being truthful. It was just some act that girls like her like to put on. Alternative chicks were so strange.

“Good thing I don’t have one then.” He replied without much thought, almost as if he’d said the line before. Lav looked at him with her piercing hazel eyes. She looked inside of him, seeing the black aura around his heart. A serpentine green shape streaking through it. Her mouth was watering at the sight. It was in perfect condition. Aged with pain and strife. How beautiful, she thought briefly.

Her eyes flicked back up to meet his brown orbs, “is that so? Well, then I guess you’re not in any danger.” Her voice was deceptively light. He was in grave danger, but he was too cocky to see it. Too human to detect the danger poised before him. Mortals were so adorably naïve.

Lav took another sip of her Old Fashioned, the metal on her lower lip clinking against the glass. She crossed her shapely legs, the movement catching Sweet Pea’s lustful gaze as the skirt lifted even higher. Arousal curled in his stomach like a snake waking from slumber.

“I have some souls back at my place.” Sweet Pea said, not really thinking before speaking. The stupid line just came out of him and he immediately wanted to smack himself for it. Usually he was smoother than this, letting his prey drink more before offering to take her home. The girl laughed lightly and he wondered if she saw his sudden insecurity.

And of course, she did. She had this effect on men. Made them trip over their own tongues just to get into her pants. It was always amusing. She turned to him, eyes roving over his body rather crudely. Her mouth watered again, so much that she had to swallow. Sweet Pea watched the muscles move in her throat and he wondered if that’s what she’d look like drinking his cum.

“Do you?” She asked, the question sounding more innocent than it truly was. “I’m just so…hungry.”

A cocky smirk spread across Sweet Pea’s mouth, eyes beaming with pride in the success of his admittedly cheesy pick up line. He took out his wallet and paid for both of their drinks, hoping it would reel her in even more. “Then let’s get you something to eat.”

The double entendre was not lost on her. She could feed by simply sucking his dick dry if she wanted to, but that wasn’t her preferred method of feeding. Plus she hadn’t ridden a human in so long that she craved a throbbing cock inside of her as she worked her magic laden hips.

Lav slid off the barstool, flashing her black lace panties at Sweet Pea as her legs uncrossed so she could stand. His teeth sunk into his lower lip at the sight, his arousal jumping even more. This had to have been the easiest lay of his life. Maybe today was his day after all.

Sweet Pea drained his beer bottle before standing up next to her, amused by how much taller he was. He always did like short girls, and she couldn’t be much taller than five feet, though the stiletto heels did somewhat disguise her petite size.

“Hope you don’t mind riding on the back of my bike.” He said, knowing most chicks that hung out in places like this had an affinity for motorcycles. The dangerous element of riding on them only turned them on more. Not that he really thought she needed to be any more convinced to come back to his trailer.

A smirk curled on her red painted lips, “only if it’s not a bitch bike.” She replied with a seductive wink that was the proverbial nail in his coffin. She walked in front of him, hips moving back and forth in a way that made her ass look downright delicious. His internal excitement grew as his pants started to feel the tiniest bit tighter.

He led her outside and walked over to a black Harley in the corner of the lot. A pleased look cross the demon’s face as she looked over the machine. It was quite beautiful and the way he threw his leg over the side to straddle it was enough to make her drip with anticipation. This was going to be a great ride, she thought to herself as a devilish smile spread across her mouth.

The bike purred the life when Pea turned the key. He revved it before looking at her, eyes begging her to get on. The desperation fed into her tarnished soul and she felt exhilarated by the fact that soon she’d be feasting on him. Her empty stomach turned almost painfully. It had been so long since she had a good meal.

Lav got behind him, her arms wrapping around his waist as she pressed her body tight up against his back. He could feel every curve of her and he fought back a shiver of excitement. His teeth sunk into his lower lip as her hands dared to trail down towards the button of his dark jeans.

Sweet Pea revved the engine again before starting off towards his trailer. The woman behind him clutched his shirt with one hand while the other grabbed onto the top edge of his jeans. His jeans which were becoming even tighter with arousal due to how close she was. He held his breath as he felt his button release and zipper slide down.

He tried to concentrate on the road while a slender hand slipped into his pants. His lip was nearly bleeding now from his teeth digging into the soft flesh so tightly. His cock twitched at the feather light touch, growing harder and throbbing for release.Over the sound of wind whipping past his ears, he heard a faint giggle come from her throat.

He desperately sped up, racing home to try and get his release faster. God he just wanted to be inside of her right now, filling her up and stretching her out. The thought sent a shiver of anticipation up his spine. Lav felt this and smirked to herself.

She ran her index finger along his shaft playfully, earning a grunt from the driver. Her thumb ran over his tip and guessing by the damp fabric of his boxers, he was already leaking pre-cum. This effect that she had on men was so satisfying to her. Watching them fall into her trap time and time again. Her expertise in seduction and murder was hand in hand.

Thank God that Sunnyside wasn’t far from the Whyte Wyrm. That was Sweet Pea’s only saving grace from crashing his bike. He kicked out the kickstand and parked in his dirt driveway. Lav let out another giggle, this one more audible than the one before. She slid off the bike, adjusting her skirt momentarily after she did so.

Sweet Pea tried to take a deep breath to calm himself down but it wasn’t very effective. The demon’s hands clutched the open edges of his jacket where the zipper was and pulled him closer to her. “How about those souls now?” She asked playfully, looking up at him with beautifully lustful eyes.

He couldn’t resist. Not that anyone could really resist her. Not a demon of her magnitude and strength. His head dipped down so that his lips crashed upon hers. Lav drank him in, his saliva tasting like the cheap beer he had downed at the bar. Her grip on his jacket tightened as she pulled down on it to bring him closer.

His hands made their way to her hips to pull her closer to him. Of course he was discreetly aware that his fly was down and his pants were liable to fall off at any moment, however he couldn’t care less.

One large hand moved from her sides and roved across her plump ass, squeezing it hard enough to leave bruised fingerprints. So he wanted to play rough? She could do that.

The kiss was sloppy, wet. His tongue fumbled along her lips and she opened them, giving silent permission for it to enter her mouth. Her own tongue met his, battling it out for space and dominance. Eventually he was pushed back and it was her tongue in his mouth. Sweet Pea wasn’t sure how this had happened, it just did. For once in his life he lost a battle of wills against a girl.

Lav pulled away from him slightly, still looking up at him with those same large hazel eyes, “let’s go before you lose your pants.” She said playfully with a malicious glint in her eye that his mistook as harmless. She was many things but harmless was not one of them.

Sweet Pea released his grip on her and turned enough to lead her into his trailer. He made sure his pants stayed up as he unlocked the door and pushed it open. He looked over his shoulder at her, noticing that her eyes seemed almost black in the darkness. Not just her irises, her entire eyeballs looked void of all color. He blinked and they were normal again. He thought nothing of it, a trick of the light. He was seeing things.

Inside the trailer was basic. A dirty American flag hung on the wall above a beat up couch. It wasn’t impressive and Lav knew then that no one was around to miss him if his life were suddenly snuffed out. Though, to be fair, it wouldn’t have bothered her if there was. She’s taken the souls of many family men in her time. Men that were looking for a good time and not willing to keep it in their pants. Those types of soul also had their own type of flavor. Like amaretto almost. Sweet and light, but satisfying nonetheless.

She broke out of her reverie when she noticed that Sweet Pea was trying to gauge her reaction. Her pink tongue moved across the metal on her lips slowly and deliberately. Suddenly her eyes were connected with his again, hungry and devoid of any kind of regret for being brought here. That was exactly what he wanted to see.

Pea put an arm around her waist and led her to his bedroom, “I keep my best souls in here.” He whispered to her darkly, thinking he’d sound edgy instead of like a dork. A devilish smile curled on her face as she stepped into the small room. It was dark but plain, much like the living room.

Suddenly he kissed her again, this time a little more forceful and eager. He wasn’t hesitant anymore. Lav’s hand found its way into his pants again. She gripped him firmly through his boxers, thumb rubbing along his shaft slowly. He groaned into their harsh kiss. He sucked on her lower lip and tasted the metal of her piercings. He ran his tongue across them like she just had in the living room a few minutes before.

She moaned softly to edge him along. It was quite an enjoyable kiss if she did say so herself. Most of the time they were nothing to write home about, but this one. This one had fire and passion and a spark of something else…longing? Yes, that was in. Longing for someone to become one with. Longing to not be alone. It tasted light salt, bitter and gritty but flavorful in its own way.

He shifted his position to back her towards his double bed. She obliged him by laying down, however as soon as he was on top she flipped them over. She pulled out of the kiss and smirked down at him, “sorry, baby, I’m doing all the riding tonight.” She said in a low voice that was laced this nothing less than the upmost desire to fuck him senseless. Well, fuck him lifeless was more like it.

Sweet Pea didn’t mind the girl doing the work for once. He was tired after all from working all day. Seeing this gothic beauty on top of him was nothing short of a perfect picture. She peeled off her crop top as well as the fishnet top that was underneath. Her pale breasts were bare in front of him and he could not resist the urge to reach up and run a thumb over the barbell that ran through one of her nipples.

“You enjoy pain?” He asked without much thought behind the question. Certainly all of these body modifications hurt. He could now see the industrial in one ear and line of piercings going up the other. Her body was littered with metal and glittering purple jewels. It was beautiful, arousing, and for a moment he found himself wanting to know more about her.

But did she enjoy pain? No, not really. These piercings didn’t hurt because she conjured them up when she made her human form. She enjoyed the display, the rise she got out of men when they saw her genital piercings. She was wild and untamable and somehow they portrayed that better than anything else could.

No, she didn’t enjoy feeling pain. But she did enjoy giving it. Ever the sadist in taking lives from orgasming men. Never fully satisfied until her hands and teeth are covered in someone else’s blood. The smile on her lips was cruel and cold. Almost as bitter as his longing. “If the moment calls for it.” She said vaguely in an attempt to answer his question.

He hummed back a nonverbal response as he continued to play with her nipples in awe. He pulled on one to test the waters. A thrill of pleasure ran up her spine causing her whole body to shudder. Sweet Pea smirked as if finding a secret button he wasn’t supposed to know about.

He pulled on the other one and elicited the same reaction. Lav let out a small moan as her eyes slid shut. Her hips moved against his, her clothed core rubbing against his hard penis. He couldn’t help but moan back at her, feeling tingles of excitement flow through him. She could feel him throbbing against her.

Lav dipped down low to give him a chaste kiss on the lips before smirking, “there’s something else I want to ride first.” She said in a sweet tone that almost sounded diabetic. Sweet Pea gave her a curious look.

“And that is?” He asked with growing interest. As much as he wanted to be inside her right now, there was nothing wrong with a little foreplay. Hell, he might even enjoy whatever suggestion she had. In fact, he had a sneaking suspicion that he would.

She lifted up off of him, standing briefly to unzip her skirt and slide it down. He watched, noticing the tiny G-string she was wearing as well as the multitude of tattoos that ran across various parts of her body. All of them in a language he did not recognize. There were a few symbols as well, one he did recognize was the Satanic Cross on her hip bone.

“Your face.” She said in an innocent tone that didn’t match her face or her body. “But you have to take your clothes off first. Don’t you want to take your clothes off, daddy?”

He shuddered at the way she said the pet name. It languished out of her mouth slowly and deliberately. Without much thought on who was calling the shots, he quickly sat up and discarded his shirt and jacket. He kicked off his boots in order to take off his pants.

Suddenly he felt extremely self-conscious with her standing there staring at him so intensely. Lav let out something that sounded like a purr as she got down on her knees and kneeled between her legs. “You’re not shy now, papi, are you?” There was laughter hidden somewhere in her voice making Sweet Pea flush red with embarrassment.

Lav hooked her fingers on the elastic waistband of his boxers and pulled them off forcefully. His cock bounced to life as soon as it was free, standing beautifully to attention. She ran her tongue along the thick vein that decorated the side of his shaft.

Sweet Pea tilted his head back as he moaned, wanting nothing more than to feel the back of her throat. She stood up and pushed him back. His eyes snapped to her and he knew exactly what she wanted from him. She took off her thong before crawling on top of him, making sure to touch him the least amount possible just to torture him.

The succubus was straddling his face then, her core over his mouth. There was another glint of light and he saw the tiny barbell on her clitoral hood, looking identical to her belly button ring only smaller. That was a first.

He couldn’t resist the urge to run his hands over her thighs. One dared to venture to her clit and fiddle with the piercing. This evoked a moan even louder than the one he heard when he played with her nipples.

His thumb stayed there, rubbing in small circles as his tongue ran along her slit. Her breath hitched in her throat and she moved her hips against him to silently urge him to do more than just tease her.

Sweet Pea’s tongue dove into her moist core. It swirled around and thrusted in and out in rhythm with her moving hips. His thumb didn’t stop either. He wondered briefly if the piercing made her more sensitive. He increased his pace slowly, teasing her by circling her entrance a few times. When he did this she let out a delectable whine that he drank in thirstily.

Lav had to hold onto the headboard to keep steady as her orgasm began to build. Her fingers turned white as she tried to control herself so that she didn’t smother her prey before she could devour him. Her back arched, head back and eyes closed as her hips rocked feverishly.

He increased his pace one last time, tongue diving in as deep as it could possibly go. A cry of ecstasy escaped her as she hit her peak, her hips jerked as a shudder wracked her entire body. She stayed in the same position for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief. Sweet Pea tenderly lapped up the excess juices that had spilled out of her.

Once she could no longer feel his tongue against her, only the heavy puffs of breath coming from his lips, she moved so she was straddling his waist. She reached down and grabbed his shaft so she could rub his tip along her folds. Sweet Pea groaned, wanting nothing more than to be inside of her.

He reached over towards his nightstand where a box of Magnums lay open with a few gold foiled wrappers spilling out. “There’s no need for that.” She said in a cooing voice. “I’m infertile.”

This was perhaps the most perfect one night stand in his lifetime. Maybe if she was lucky he’d make her a regular. Josie was gone too much to satisfy him anyway. Plus he was enjoying the way this stranger teased him mercilessly. Of course, he almost crashed his bike but it was still so exciting.

Lav positioned his tip at her entrance and slid down onto him. Both of them moaned in delighted unison. Finally, finally, some satisfaction for the both of them. God it felt so good going in raw. She was tight and wet and…cool? It almost felt like she had used some kind of lubricant to make the inside of her give off a cooling sensation. He hadn’t felt it when he was eating her out though. How the hell did she do that?

What Sweet Pea didn’t know would be the demise of him. Succubi were naturally colder on the inside. Most demons were. It felt so amazingly unique that he didn’t know how he was going to describe this to Fangs next time he saw him. But there won't be a next time.

His rough hands grabbed her hips and moved them. Lav chuckled at how impatient he was before starting to rock her hips against him. He continued to hold onto her tightly, thumb rubbing over the Satanic cross on her right hip bone and the strange symbol on her left. Fuck, he was going to need multiple rounds of this tonight. He wanted this sensation to last forever.

She rode him hard, never letting up her frantic but precise pace. Sweet Pea thrust up into her with great force, hitting her cervix multiple times and causing her to whimper with pleasure every time he did. It was his goal to hit it with every thrust just to hear that heavenly sound.

For a brief moment Lavender’s hunger grew so uncontrollable that she almost started ripping into him. She put his hands on his broad chest to steady herself, long nails lightly piercing his skin causing him to smirk up at her. If only she knew what these nails could really do. He’d be finding out soon enough.

The wet sounds of their slick skin slamming together echoed in the small room. Moans and grunts reverberated off of the thin walls. She was so loud, practically screaming “Oh fuck! Oh Daddy! Fuck me harder! Just like that!” Or anything similar really. She seemed downright creative with her word combos. Sweet Pea loved it. Josie never got this loud or this wild. She was fine with missionary most of the time which was okay with him but god it got so boring. He’d definitely be getting her number later.

Or so he innocently thought.

Lav came first, much harder this time than when she was on his face. Her muscles squeezed him so tightly that he himself orgasmed inside of her. He looked at the face she was making, the high was written all over it. But something was strange he quickly noticed, when she opened her closed eyes they were black as coal just as they had been before. Her walls were still clamped down on him, holding him firmly in place.

Sweet Pea tried to move away but she was holding him down with incredible strength. Her long nails grew into long claws that suck into his chest and soon he was screaming in pain instead of pleasure. Blood spilled from him in gushes and Christ it even felt like something was coming out of his dick.

It was his soul. She was working it out of him with peristalsis. Like swallowing cold lemonade on a hot summer day. It wasn’t just his semen filling her up it was his deliciously dark life force. The last thing Sweet Pea ever saw was her cruel smile, full of sharp pointed teeth. 

[housebeleren]

Core Set 2020 Limited - Bomb Rares

Last but certainly not least, it’s time for the Rares & Mythics of Core 2020. Obviously, there are plenty of bombs to be had, so I’ll go through those first and then review everything. Here’s hoping to open some amazing bombs at Prerelease!

White

I mean, could there be any doubt? Ajani is for sure a bomb, and he threatens to take over the game very quickly. He can make two blockers in a row, and those blockers can get huge really fast and become real threats. Mostly you’ll toggle between the first two modes, but if & when you get to 35 file, you can just end it all with his ultimate. If he had removal in one of his first modes, he’d be unstoppable. As is, he’s still a beast and will dominate games. 4.5/5

First things first. All the Cavaliers are bonkers in Limited. Their stats are aggressive for their cost, and they basically always provide some form of card advantage. In this case, 4/6 Vigilance will play both both offense and defense well, and it takes out their biggest threat when it enters. Sure, the 3/3 they get out of the deal isn’t irrelevant, but most of the time by turn 5, it’ll be a significant downgrade. The death trigger on this one isn’t particularly great in Limited, but sometimes you’ll get an Artifact Creature or a Vial of Dragonfire back with it. Even if you don’t, however, the card is still great. 4.0/5

For three mana, you get 2/2 of Flying across 2 bodies, which would be playable by itself in a set with both a go-wide theme & a fliers theme. But the fact that one of them can exile any threat as the game goes on makes this a card I would take early and always run. 3.5/5

Loxodon Lifechanter won’t always gain you life on ETB, but sometimes it will, and if you have enough good blockers, there’s a chance it could gain you a bunch. Once you start swinging with it is when it gets interesting, though. It’ll basically always threaten lethal, and if you can afford to send it out, this will eat a blocker every turn until you win. 3.5/5

Sephara is not easy to get out, but once she hits the field, she owns everything. She protects all your other fliers, and lives through all but the most unconditional removal. If she gets into combat, she’ll lead to massive life swings and can take out just about anything else in the set. Yes, Murder is at Common in this set, but I’m still positive on Sephara unless the set proves faster than expected. 4.0/5

Yanling is fantastic for Limited. She comes down early and can keep most normal threats at bay while ticking up loyalty very quickly. Once you have enough, you’ll usually cash her in to make 4/4 fliers rather than try to build up to her ultimate, but even that is enough to take over the game without too much trouble. Her only issue is she’s not the best topdeck, since she can’t dig you out of a hole like some higher CMC Planeswalkers can. 4.0

Agent of Treachery is expensive, but can flip the tables all in one go by stealing your opponent’s biggest bomb. It’s better than normal removal, since they’ll need to then spend their own removal to undo it. In Bolas’s Clutches was one of the defining cards of Dominaria Limited, and this is only one mana more than that, with more upside, since even if they kill the Agent, they don’t get their permanent back. If the format is significantly faster than expected, this could be less playable, but I expect a lot of the time it’ll be good. 3.5/5

In many ways, I suspect this will be the best of the Cavaliers for Limited. A 5/5 flier for 5 will always be amazing, but having Brainstorm on ETB pushes this over the top. This will own the battlefield once it comes down, kills your opponent very quickly, and even if they remove it, will always leave you up at least a card. Scry 2 is relevant in Limited, so once removed, this works out to close to a 3 for 1 in value. 4.5/5

The rate on the base stats is good enough to make this a solid pick, but it also taps down their biggest threat while staying open to attack and block as normal is just fantastic. This is always a good play, and a strong first pick as well. 4.0/5

Black

Cavalier of Knight is likely to always be excellent. Even if you don’t have a creature to sacrifice, 4/5 Lifelink leads to some incredible swings. But most of the time, you’ll have some fodder to exchange your worst creature for their best. And when this dies, you can get that creature back! This is the whole package, and I expect a lot of groans when it comes down. 4.5/5

This guy is phenomenal. Every Swamp you drop either draws you a card or snipes down a little guy. This is a heavy incentive to play mostly Black, and definitely not worth it if you’re just splashing the color. But in a deck with at least 8 or 9 Black sources, you should be able to get a few activations off. 3.5/5

I like this guy a lot. He comes down early, but stays relevant late. Even if you draw him after turn 4, you can pump him up to a 4/5 easily, and he only grows from there. It also provides disincentive to attack you for more than small amount at a time, since he grows on your life loss as well as your opponent’s. Good all around. 4.0/5

You don’t need me to tell you this is a bomb. 6 mana gets you a nigh-unbeatable Planeswalker. She can snipe individual threats down, clear the board of little creatures, and if you’re ahead, put a rapidly accelerating clock on your opponent. Getting to 6 mana isn’t too difficult, and once you get there, there’s basically no card you’d rather see. 5.0/5

The Cavaliers are all great. This one is a beast, and if you have any junk in your hand, you can try to pitch it for something better. The best play is to make 5 the top of your curve (or close to it), so you can pitch any excess lands to it and draw into more gas. That way, his death trigger won’t be useless too, since it’s going to be hard to get Lands in your graveyard in Limited otherwise. 4.0/5

He’s expensive, and there’s always the risk that he’ll get Murdered before you can attack, but if you do, your opponent might as well just fold because he’ll wipe out everything in his path. If he doesn’t have to clear out blockers, he hits for 11 each swing, and that ends the game real quick. 4.0/5

Green

The final Cavalier is a monster that can block anything. Ramping after this point isn’t super useful, but at least you’ll usually hits. Once it dies, you get your best card from your graveyard back, and that’s often going to be better than something random from your deck. It’s not quite as game-changing as the others, but it’s still a massive threat that can take over quickly. 4.0/5

Gargos is nuts. For only 6 mana, you get an 8/7 monster who can play offense and defense equally well. The Hyrda text is unlikely to come up, but the last ability is fire. If they try to remove it, it’ll take something else out with it, so this is almost always going to be a 2-for-1. It’s big game, and if they don’t deal with it, it’ll take over for you. 4.0/5

Man, the Green hits just keep on coming. I’d play a 4/4 with Flash for 4 mana without any of the other text, and it would still be one of the best cards in my deck. Add on that this set has a fair number of Wolves at Common & Uncommon, and this becomes even better. Add on that it can pump out its own Wolf tokens every time you don’t have a play on your own turn, and it gets even better. Don’t pass up making plays on curve just for the token, however. Play normally, and they’ll eventually just happen. 4.0/5

Multicolored & Colorless

Of all the Wedge Legends, Omnath seems the best for Limited by far. Green is the best color to use as a base for splashing, so you should have no trouble casting him. There are tons of Elementals in these colors, so he should be able to take out something small on ETB. Then, as you drop lands, he or his friends keep getting bigger. He can escalate quickly and become a major threat really fast. I’m sold. 4.0/5

Green is the best color to fix and get something like this out. Lifelink & Deathtouch mean this is going to dominate the board and keep you protected, and you’ll also get double ups on your ETBs, of which there are many in these colors. I suspect Yarok will be great. 4.0/5

With that, let’s take a look at the rest of the set’s Rares & Mythics and see how they stack up.

Bishop of Wings - A 2 mana 1/4 isn’t impressive, but you may have one or two Angels in the deck, as there are three at Common & Uncommon. Assuming that’s the case, I’d call this playable, but not exciting. 2.5

Brought Back - Cute, but somewhat narrow, and your open mana won’t often line up with the best turns to use this. It’s basically a trick. 2.0

Leyline of Sanctity - Pick these up for Modern if you must, but don’t run them in your Limited deck. Just not worth it. 0.5

Planar Cleansing - Sweepers are good, but this is hard to cast and will likely be easy to spot coming. 1.5

Starfield Mystic - Mostly, this is a bear. That said, Pacifism is in this set at Common, and Angelic Gift is also playable. (Please, do NOT play Rule of Law just because you have this.) But it’s mostly a bear. 2.0

Atemsis, All-Seeing - Atemsis is a big beater in the air with a super relevant ability, though her alternate win-con is extremely unlikely in Limited. But looting up a card each time is pretty sweet. 3.5

Drawn From Dreams - Dig Through Time was busted, and this is pretty close (even the names draw parallels). Drawing the best two cards out of your top 7 is worth a lot more than just drawing two, a la Divination. 3.5

Flood of Tears - Mass bounce is powerful, but usually worse in Limited than other formats, since it’s hard to break parity. This card, however, seems like it will be good for two reasons. One, the fact that you can put a permanent down first a lot of the time goes a long way in keeping you ahead. Two, Blue has the best ETB effects in this set, and getting to reuse them can put you way ahead. I’m running this card until proven wrong. 3.5

Leyline of Anticipation - Nope. Still nope. Great art tho. 0.0

Masterful Replication - The vast majority of the time, this card only has one mode, and that’s the first one. And it’s... okay, but kinda weak for so much mana. 2.0

Tale’s End - Sideboard only if your opponent has multiple bomb Rare Legends you need to deal with. 0.5

Embodiment of Agonies - It only takes 2/2 of stats to make this on-curve, and anything above that is fantastic. That makes it hard to run on turn three and work, but it scales into the late game, which is a plus. 3.5

Legion’s End - Most of the time, this is a narrow removal spell that’s efficient, but unlikely to take out more than one card. Occasionally, it will hit something in the opponent’s hand two, at which point you’re way ahead. Also, the info you get by seeing their hand isn’t nothing. I’d consider starting it, but side it out if you don’t see enough targets. 2.5

Leyline of the Void - Like the other Leylines, this does basically nothing. But if you happen to see lots of recursion in your opponent’s deck, I can imagine a scenario where siding this in is... okay. 0.5

Rotting Regisaur - The nightmare here is getting this Pacified. But against Green & Red decks, they may have no way to handle something this big, and getting it down on turn 3 can completely run the game for you. Definitely side it out if the matchup isn’t right. 3.0

Scheming Symmetry - NOPE. Leave this for EDH & non-rotating formats. If you have like... two Cavaliers in your deck, okay maybe. 0.5

Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord - There are a fair number of Vampires in the set, so if you first pick this, you might be able to draft a pretty synergistic deck around it. At which point, it will be the best card in your deck. But this only goes in the Vamipres deck, so don’t think it’s going to be generically good, like the others. 2.5

Vilis, Broker of Blood - I have no idea if 8 mana is possible in this format, but my hunch is that most games will be over by then. In the rare case that you get this out, it should win you the game, but most of the time, I suspect he’ll just rot in your hand. 2.0

Chandra, Acolyte of Flame - Unlike Boss Chandra, this one seems more niche. Her “+1″ (as it were) does literally nothing, so most of the time you’ll just keep using her token maker to chuck some damage at your opponent, and maybe get one use out of her minus. But she can’t protect herself at all, so there are lots of situations where she won’t do much. 2.5

Chandra’s Regulator - Most of the time, the first mode won’t come up at all, but once in a while you’ll get Uncommon Chandra in your deck as well, which will be good. As a looter, this is decent, but the effect is better on a creature most of the time. 2.0

Glint-Horn Buccaneer - This seems great. The stats are decent, and Haste is always super nice. The ability to rummage on attack is interesting, and gives this some continued relevance as the game goes on. I’d always run this. 3.0

Leyline of Combustion - Still nope. Worst Leyline is worst. 0.0

Marauding Raptor - This one is interesting. On the one hand, the stats are great for the cost, and it helps you ramp out bigger threats. On the other hand, it completely blanks any X/2s or X/1s in your hand/deck, and that’s a huge drawback. I can see it in something like a R/G midrange deck, where most of your threats are larger Elementals & Dragons or something, but for a lot of decks, it’s more of a liability than it’s worth. 2.0

Repeated Reverberation - This one’s challenging, since there aren’t a ton of cheap spells that you’ll desperately want to copy, but trying to copy a spell that’s greater than CMC 3 or so just won’t happen. If you happen to have a Chandra in your deck, this does get better, but most of the time I’m not sure it’s worth it. 1.5

Thunderkin Awakener - I like this a lot. There are tons of small Elementals that you can get back for value (in particular, Cloudkin Seer comes to mind at Common, but Overgrowth Elemental and Scampering Scorcher are also excellent targets at Uncommon). It’s also the perfect target for pump spells and Auras, so you can get bigger stuff back. Even if you just get one thing back, it’s done some reasonable work. 3.0

Elvish Reclaimer - 1 drops are not usually super good in Limited, but this one has some potential. It can color fix for you, and then can become a real threat once you activate it a few times. Lands aren’t going to get in your graveyard naturally, so it’ll need to feed itself. I’d consider it in 3 color decks as a form of fixing, but a lot of times, though, it just won’t do enough to merit a spot. 1.5

Leyline of Abundance - Ooof, hard pass. A card that most of the time does nothing until you it 12 mana is... not acceptable. 0.0

Shared Summons - Playable if you have like... at least 3 bombs in your deck, and completely unplayable otherwise. 0.5

Shifting Ceratops - The stats are good, and being able to grant it some assorted keywords is a good thing as well. Against Blue, this gains a half point for sure, but it’ll be good in any Green deck. 3.5

Vivien, Arkbow Ranger - Hard to cast, but does a great job of making all your other creatures even better. She also lets you play with your sideboard, which is relevant, and makes it worth picking creatures rather than junk, even once you’ve got your 23. 3.5

Voracious Hydra - Seems good for basically all values of X greater than 2. He can either be huge, or take something out, and that flexability is worth quite a lot. 3.5

Wakeroot Elemental - Most of the time, this is going to be mediocre. In a heavy Green deck, you’ll occasionally get the chance to turn this into a beat machine, but I don’t see it coming up as much as I suspect people will think it will. 2.0

Kaalia, Zenith Seeker - There are some Common Dragons & Angels in this set, so it’s not unfathomable that you’ll get some value out of her ETB. And even if you don’t, her stats are great for the cost. However, these are not the colors for color fixing & getting her out on turn 3, so she’s likely to come out a little later, unless you prioritize the taplands fairly early. 3.0

Kethis, the Hidden Hand - Hard to cast for basically a 3/4 with no abilities the majority of the time? Not so much. 2.0

Kykar, Wind’s Fury - Kykar seems pretty good. It shouldn’t be too hard to get one or two spirits out of the deal, at which point you’re doing great. Even without, the stats are good, and is a little easier to cast than the 3 drops. 3.5

Bag of Holding - Similar to Chandra’s Regulator, this effect would be better on a creature, but it can help you smooth out your draws, so I’d consider giving it a chance. 2.0

Golos, Tireless Pilgrim - Golos is interesting, and the stats are not awful for 5 generic mana. I don’t know what he’s ramping you into, but if you have some 7 drops or higher, he could help there. His activated ability is unlikely to ever come up, or be useful even if it does. 2.5

Grafdigger’s Cage - Plant for constructed. Don’t do it. 0.0

Icon of Ancestry - If you are able to draft a mostly tribal deck, this can be pretty solid. I’d want at least 7 or 8 of the same creature type before I include this, but once I get there, I basically always would. 2.0

Mystic Forge - EDH plant. Hard pass. 0.0

Steel Overseer - This comes down early, and can build itself up to be bigger over time, which makes it a credible threat. If you have other artifact creatures in the deck, it gets better. 2.5

Field of the Dead - It’s unlikely you’ll ever have 7 lands with different names in Limited. I wouldn’t try. 0.5

Lotus Field - This doesn’t do as much in Limited as it does in other formats. But take it for your binder. 1.0

Enemy Temples - Color fixing is good. Scry is relevant. Take these. 2.5

That’s it! All the Core 2020 cards. What’d I get wrong? What cards are you excited to get in your prerelease? I’m excited for this set, which seems to be like a phenomenal core set overall.