The Tale of Tamiyo – Duskmourn
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.38
Casual: 4.00
Limited: 3.00
Multiplayer: 3.38
Commander [EDH]: 3.75
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
There are so many cards in recent sets that put things in your graveyard or care about your graveyard, that it feels like Wizards of the Coast is leaning into the community’s old joke about the graveyard being a second hand. With The Tale of Tamiyo, you’re basically going to be hoping to set up your graveyard by the time it’s finished, which will be a lot more reliable if it’s not the only card in your deck that does so. But as I said, that’s perhaps easier than it’s ever been, and it’s also notable that you can choose every card of the right types if you wish to and can pay the mana for them. That, of course, gets much more dangerous in bigger formats, although the speed of those settings means that waiting three turns becomes much more of a cost. In multiplayer settings, you’re also going to become a major target – few non-threatening sentences begin with phrases like “I have four rituals in my graveyard” – so plan accordingly.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 4
Limited: 3
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
The set’s sole Saga, and a plot point in that cultists are attempting to use Tamiyo’s memory for Great Evil, Tale of Tamiyo is an interesting sort of set up and payoff spell. It starts loading up your graveyard, but allows you to then cast the spells you mill. Before you get too excited, keep in mind that you must cast what you exile as the fourth chapter resolves and paying the mana costs in the process. This means that it’s a good way to get a second shot off of spells, but you do need to make sure you can capitalize then and there, since it fires after you begin your main please.
Tale of Tamiyo feels potent, but fiddly. It has a strong payoff if you can set up for it, but the issue is getting there. I do like that it copies Tamiyo spells (more flavor than a main use of the card, but still), and I could see this being part of a massive turn, but you need to play carefully to make the limitations not limiting. The card draw can also be helpful in a pinch if it procs, but relying on it without outside assistance seems to be asking to be disappointed.
Constructed: 3.75
Casual: 4
Limited: 3
Multiplayer: 3.25
Commander [EDH]: 4
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