Nahiri, the Harbinger (12/29)

Overall rank: 2

My rank: 1

Nahiri was one of the "sleeper" cards of Shadows Over Innistrad; while other cards seemed flashier and more impressive at first, Nahiri quietly made a name for herself as being absurdly powerful.

The reason Nahiri is so good is that she ticks quickly towards her potent ultimate, but she also gives a lot of utility beyond it. Exiling an enchantment or troublesome permanent gives her a lot of value in decks not geared around her ultimate (and it's effective removal in colors that sometimes have trouble getting it). Her +2 synergizes well with madness, and it also gives the two worst card-advantage colors some form of card advantage they can make use of.

Nahiri's ultimate is her main draw, and it's game-ending. Fishing out Emrakul, Ulamog, or another fatty to swing into your opponent, regardless of format, is a play that shortens games. It goes off at -8, two turns after she resolves, and a resolved Nahiri is a ticking time bomb as she moves closer to ending the game on the spot.

She's surprisingly powerful in many formats, and she's versatile beyond that. For that reason, I picked her as my top new card of 2016.

Constructed: 5

Casual: 4.5

Limited: 4.5

Multiplayer: 4

Commander: 4