Darkstar Augur – Bloomburrow
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 4.25
Casual: 4.75
Limited: 4.13
Multiplayer: 3.88
Commander [EDH]: 4.13
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
It’s been a little while since we got a card that so closely mimicked Dark Confidant’s game text, and that’s always a very exciting event. One extra mana in the cost (for the base creature at least) does make a difference in faster formats, but the ability is surely going to tempt a lot of players in formats where the other version isn’t available. The Augur also having higher toughness modifies the calculation a little – there are slightly fewer things that can kill it compared to Dark Confidant, and that will also be enticing for some players even if it’s still not quite fast enough to be the hedge against Orcish Bowmasters in Modern.
It’s also easy to get jaded and undervalue flying, but it wins games in every format. And while getting the token copy can theoretically kill you twice as fast, it’s usually much more threatening to the opponent instead. So much so, in fact, that I can’t help but wonder if the card was designed to feel “safer” than the original Dark Confidant in more than one way. That is kind of a funny thought: surely by now everybody’s read the flavor text about greatness at any cost, right?
Constructed: 4.5
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
keee keee
woop woop woop woop woop
Darkstar Augur’s rules text looks familiar to anyone who’s been playing for a bit; it’s Dark Confidant’s pseudo-card draw ability. The twist here is that, while it’s pricier, it has a much better body and a nifty little trick late game in being able to make a second one. Four mana to draw two extra cards each turn is excellent, even if it’s not without its costs and downside, and it spreads the engine out across two bodies. That it costs three (or four) mana does make me a bit sanguine about its chances, though it has enough going for it that I think this will be a solid workhorse in Standard, serving both as a swooping threat and a way to push an advantage. Whether or not it shows up in Pioneer and Modern is another question, though I do think the ability to make two bodies for four mana to mitigate the downsides of your card draw getting Bolted in the latter helps.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 5
Limited: 4.25 (decks aren’t optimized, so you might be playing with fire, but Bats do lean heavily into lifelink)
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
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