It took them a crazy long time, but we finally
got an update on Natural Order. Yes, that is
basically what this card is, despite the
restrictions on converted mana cost. It takes a
little more effort, and you can't just jam a
Regal Force in any deck that also has Llanowar
Elves and expect it to work; but part-green
decks have enough choice at every part of the
mana curve that you can make this a devastating
play on basically any turn. A diverse mana curve
that makes it more effective also enhances your
ability to beat your opponent down when you
don't have the Evolution in hand. And the
easiest part to miss is that it doesn't specify
color - I expect a lot of people are going to be
scouring every pair of recent creatures whose
mana cost differs by exactly two.
Here's the other chase rare of the set. Eldritch
Evolution bears a semblance to two other
infamous green tutor cards, Birthing Pod and
Natural Order. This isn't quite the same beast:
it doesn't care about color like Natural Order,
it gets you further up on the chain (and is more
flexible) than Birthing Pod, and it's
less abuse-inclined than either of them.
This doesn't mean Eldritch Evolution is bad;
it's very powerful in theory and maybe in
practice. You can take your two-drop and turn it
into a turn-three Siege Rhino (or something
similarly potent), or you can use it to turn
three-drops into Thragtusk or the like. Getting
two points up on the chain makes it incredibly
abusable, and there is possibly some deck that
is waiting to use this to do absolutely insane
things.
I'm unsure of if Evolution will get there, but
definitely keep your eye out for it. It's less
abusive than Spell Queller, but it can enable
some really back-breaking sequences.
