Effect-o-pedia
Ikoria: Land of the Behemoths
Limited formats will generally involve the same common gameplay effects which show up again and again. Use this guide to find out what common effects are in - and not in! - this format.
Board Wipes Bounce Counterspells Discard Disenchant Falter Fog Haste Life Gain Mana Fixing Mana Ramp Mass Pump Ping Mill Mind Control Threaten
Ikoria: Land of the Behemoths Mechanics/Themes
Board Wipes
Effects that can kill all creatures on the battlefield.
Ruinous Ultimatum is the only *true* boardwipe, but it is extremely difficult to cast.
Extinction Event can be a blowout, but the other wipes are extremely situational.
Bounce
Effects that return cards to their owners hand.
Only two bounce cards, and no self-bounce for Mutate shenanigans.
Counterspells
Effects that can counter your spells.
Essence Scatter can be quite powerful, there are a decent number of counterspells to play around.
Discard
Effects that can force you discard cards from your hand.
Two minor discard spells.
Disenchant
Effects that destroy artifacts or enchantments.
A fair number of cycling disenchant effects exist that can make their way into any deck.
Falter
Effects that make it so multiple creatures temporarily cannot block.
No cards in this format have this effect!
Fog
Effects that prevent combat damage for multiple or all creatures.
Only one fog effect, but it is one-sided so watch out!
Haste
Effects that can grant haste to creatures, or creatures that have haste.
Decent number of hastey threats, on top of Mutate giving pseudo-haste to big creatures!
Life Gain
Gaining life!
Cubwarden
Drannith Healer
Light of Hope
Majestic Auricorn
Splendor Mare
Bastion of Remembrance
Boot Nipper
Bushmeat Poacher
Duskfang Mentor
Grimdancer
Insatiable Hemophage
Serrated Scorpion
Unbreakable Bond
Unlikely Aid
Essence Symbiote
Honey Mammoth
Chevill, Bane of Monsters
Death's Oasis
Inspired Ultimatum
Narset of the Ancient Way
Nethroi, Apex of Death
Savai Thundermane
Snapdax, Apex of the Hunt
Zenith Flare
Alert Heedbonder
Lurrus of the Dream-Den
Crystalline Giant
Bloodfell Caves
Blossoming Sands
Dismal Backwater
Jungle Hollow
Rugged Highlands
Scoured Barrens
Swiftwater Cliffs
Thornwood Falls
Tranquil Cove
Wind-Scarred Crag
There is no major lifegain theme, but it is plentiful in the set.
Mana Fixing
Effects that fix for colors.
Farfinder
Fertilid
Humble Naturalist
Migration Path
Jegantha, the Wellspring
Indatha Crystal
Ketria Crystal
Raugrin Crystal
Savai Crystal
Zagoth Crystal
Bloodfell Caves
Blossoming Sands
Dismal Backwater
Evolving Wilds
Indatha Triome
Jungle Hollow
Ketria Triome
Raugrin Triome
Rugged Highlands
Savai Triome
Scoured Barrens
Swiftwater Cliffs
Thornwood Falls
Tranquil Cove
Wind-Scarred Crag
Zagoth Triome
Common dual lands and Evolving Wilds provides a lot of splash potential.
Farfinder is a top common because it both splashes and is an excellent mutate target
Mana Ramp
Effects that ramp mana.
The crystals are usually too slow and clunky for most decks, and surprisingly not a lot of ramp exists, although Fertilid can be a good mutate target.
Mass Pump
Effects that pump all of a player's creatures.
Coordinated Charge with Cycling is something to watch out for, the other mutate cards are somewhat underwhelming.
Ping
Effects that can kill creatures with 1 toughness.
Very little in the way of punishment for 1/1s, but 1/1 tokens are plentiful.
Porcuparrot is often a pinger but can be even more!
Mill
Effects that can mill your opponent's deck.
No cards in this format have this effect!
Mind Control
Effects that steal your permanents, permanently.
No cards in this format have this effect!
Threaten
Effects that steal your creatures temporarily and grant them haste.
A single threaten effect.
Ikoria: Land of the Behemoths Mechanics/Themes
Mechanic: Cycling
All Cycling Cards
Coordinated Charge
Drannith Healer
Flourishing Fox
Imposing Vantasaur
Splendor Mare
Valiant Rescuer
Will of the All-Hunter
Avian Oddity
Boon of the Wish-Giver
Frostveil Ambush
Hampering Snare
Neutralize
Ominous Seas
Reconnaissance Mission
Shark Typhoon
Startling Development
Easy Prey
Memory Leak
Suffocating Fumes
Void Beckoner
Drannith Stinger
Footfall Crater
Go for Blood
Lava Serpent
Raking Claws
Rooting Moloch
Sanctuary Smasher
Shredded Sails
Unpredictable Cyclone
Yidaro, Wandering Monster
Barrier Breach
Greater Sandwurm
Migration Path
Monstrous Step
Titanoth Rex
Wilt
Indatha Crystal
Ketria Crystal
Raugrin Crystal
Savai Crystal
Zagoth Crystal
Indatha Triome
Ketria Triome
Raugrin Triome
Savai Triome
Zagoth Triome
Payoffs
Cycling cards can be discarded at instant speed for their cycling cost to draw a card.
Many cards in IKO trigger additional abilities when you cycle other cards, which avalanches in value for the primarily White-Red cycling deck.
Zenith Flare is an extreme build-around uncommon, and can do massive amounts of damage.
Mechanic: Mutate
All Mutate Cards
Cubwarden
Huntmaster Liger
Majestic Auricorn
Vulpikeet
Archipelagore
Dreamtail Heron
Pouncing Shoreshark
Sea-Dasher Octopus
Cavern Whisperer
Chittering Harvester
Dirge Bat
Insatiable Hemophage
Cloudpiercer
Everquill Phoenix
Porcuparrot
Auspicious Starrix
Gemrazer
Glowstone Recluse
Migratory Greathorn
Boneyard Lurker
Brokkos, Apex of Forever
Illuna, Apex of Wishes
Lore Drakkis
Necropanther
Nethroi, Apex of Death
Parcelbeast
Regal Leosaur
Snapdax, Apex of the Hunt
Trumpeting Gnarr
Vadrok, Apex of Thunder
Payoffs
Creature cards with mutate can be cast on a creature you control on the battlefield to form a single creature. It counts as a creature spell when you cast a Mutate spell for its mutate cost.
All mutate creatures trigger an extra ability every time the creature mutates, so mutate stacks are possible.
Several creatures without mutate trigger abilities when you mutate onto them.
Mechanic: Companion
Companions are normal cards that can go into your deck, but they can also be added as your Companion if you meet certain deck restrictions.
If you Companion one of these creatures, you may pay 3 colorless at sorcery speed any time to add the card to your hand from outside the game.