Leyline of the Void – Guildpact
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 4
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 3
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
You might be wondering why we’re still getting Leyline of the Void in new sets after almost two decades, but I’d wager constructed formats are not. (At least, they wouldn’t be if formats could ask questions, as opposed to the people who play them.) Graveyard strategies are always popular, regularly receive a Standard season or two where they’re pushed, and generally get better in the bigger formats as time goes by. You need your solutions to be powerful and generally usable, and there’s almost no card that fits that description better than Leyline of the Void. It prevents the most common uses of the graveyard, and it’s even one-sided in case you are also playing a graveyard deck. And the signature leyline turn 0 ability means that you can’t get any faster or more proactive – it makes a graveyard opponent into the one who has to come up with answers to your questions. I’ve even seen it in decks that don’t have black mana, because it’s just that effective.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 3.5 (perfectly good, but you won’t always need such a powerful counter to your kitchen table group)
Limited: 3
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
Introduced in Guildpact, Leylines have been a rather popular archetype, rewarding players who open a game with them in their hands. They’ve long been popular sideboard weapons, and sometimes they even make mainboards. That said, most outings have seen new Leylines for every color…except black.
Uniquely, Leyline of the Void has been in every batch of Leylines, and black is the only color to have just one unique Leyline. That said, it is a perfect effect for black, one-sided graveyard hate, and being able to start with it in play is an excellent way to disable a lot of graveyard synergies. There are some decks this can disable near-completely on turn zero, and while needing to hard-cast this on turn four can be a bit of a drag, it can still buy you space. It won’t exile what’s already there, but will get rid of what goes there after.
I’d say there’s a salient reason Leyline of the Void keeps coming back: it’s an effect that shines in its role, and it’s not as narrow as a lot of other Leylines. It’s fairly simple, but it’s been doing its job for nearly 20 years, and I suspect it’s going to remain the only black Leyline for a while to come.
Constructed: 4 (a perfect sideboard card)
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 3 (its value depends on the format)
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
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