Bruvac the Grandiloquent – Jumpstart MTG Review

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

With the keywording of the term “mill”, we’ve abandoned all pretense that Magic is played in English (or pretty much any human language). On a more serious note, mill (as in targeted at running out the opponent’s library) was already a popular casual deck before it had a lord, and Bruvac encourages the style that acts like a combo. With the right support, he strengthens it against the faster decks and control elements that it sometimes struggles with. I wouldn’t expect too much from him in competitive play, and some Commander tables have a surprising number of decks which use their graveyard as a second hand, but he’s sure to be popular at kitchen tables for a long time to come.

Constructed: 2/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
Commander: 3/5

As a notice concerning constructed play, cards introduced in Jumpstart are going to be legal only in Eternal formats, Vintage and Legacy. My scores for Constructed will reflect that.

The popularity of mill as a mechanic is as eternal as the strategy itself, and Bruvac the Grandiloquent is for the people who want to make their mill more efficient. The card pairs absurdly well with things like Grindstone and Sphinx’s Tutelage, since the wording on them allows them to keep firing if two out of the would-be four cards share a color. Bruvac is predictably powerful if you have the means to protect him and keep the mill going, but always be wary that you’re enabling an opponent more than you might otherwise be; the graveyard can be just as powerful a hiding place for cards as a hand can be.

Constructed: 1.75 (way too slow, does nothing on its own, and mill is notorious for backfiring spectacularly in deep formats)
Casual: 4
Limited: 4 (a lot stronger with a thinner deck to tear through)
Multiplayer: 3.25
Commander: 3.75 (powerful if you build carefully, but always be wary of who you’re enabling; also a bit risky as the Commander, since the graveyard-removal cards tend to not be in blue)