Illustrated by Anna Podedworna
Toggle Menu
Speed
How quickly most games are decided.
Speed
 
Slow
Average
Fast
 
 
 
Speed
Slower, but sometimes not!
KHM exists at both ends of the spectrum: Hyper-Aggressive and Durdley Control.
Hyper-aggressive decks have an advantage with powerful equipment to overrun opponents.
Repeatable value can be found in durdley snow-based control decks which make use of a lot of extra mana.
Prince/Pauper
Power difference between rares and commons.
Prince/Pauper
 
Pauper
Average
Prince
 
 
 
Prince/Pauper
Prince
KHM is very synergistic, but also has quite a few extremely powerful bombs, making it a Prince format.
Bomb rares can shape entire games and must be answered.
A few 'mythic uncommons' also warp and define the format.
The top commons have a very large power discrepancy with the rest, which adds to the 'Prince'-feel of the set, even if they are still technically commons.
Synergy
Importance of cards working together.
Synergy
 
Unimportant
Average
Important
 
 
 
Synergy
Very important
Despite being somewhat of a Prince format, KHM is still extremely synergistic, and bombs are not required to win games.
The equipment theme can be quite powerful, and Snow is a major mechanic with massive payoffs.
Tribal decks — especially Giants and Elves — can take over games, which makes Changeling a powerful mechanic.
Removal
Effectiveness of the available removal.
Removal
 
Ineffective
Average
Effective
 
 
 
Removal
Above average
For the most part, removal in KHM is effective, especially in Black, Red and Green.
Iron Verdict is at ends with White's aggressive nature, and Ravenform and Bind the Monster both have significant downside.
Balance
Power balance between colors and decks.
Balance
 
Unbalanced
Average
Balanced
 
 
 
Balance
Fairly balanced
Four of the five colors are fairly balanced, with Black being somewhat weaker than Blue, Red and Green.
The lack of versatility in White commons makes it a weaker color. While White can be effective in aggressive decks, it underperforms in any other strategy.
The White-Black double-spell mechanic is difficult to pull off effectively, making the color pair something to avoid. White-Green and Blue-Black are also lacking in synergy.
Lands/Colors
How many lands and colors generally see play.
Land Total
17+ Lands
Color Total
2-6* Colors
KHM is mana-hungry, even with aggressive decks which have equip costs, so 17/18 lands are preferred.
Two-color aggressive decks are plentiful, but the format also supports three-, four- or even five-color control decks combined with snow.
Splashing is quite easy with Shimmerdrift Vale and the snow duals, especially in Green.
Snow is sort of like a 6th color! Payoffs like Icebind Pillar and Narfi, Betrayer King require snow - so try to pick those lands up!
Mana Fixing
Ability to fix for more than two colors.
Mana Fixing
 
Difficult
Average
Easy
 
 
 
Mana Fixing
Somewhat easy, very important
Green is excellent at fixing, and can be a great base color for Snow strategies.
Fixing is plentiful, but it might be difficult to pick up while battling with other drafters trying to move into greedy 4+ color snow decks.
Fixing for Snow is as important as fixing for an individual color, so even the Snow Basic Lands that appear in packs can be high picks.