It’s never too early to talk spoilers! While we’ve been enjoying Zendikar Rising for the last few months, Kaldheim’s release is on the horizon.
Showdown of the Skalds is quite the interesting Boros card. The power of this card lies in its first chapter, essentially drawing you four cards for four mana. This is comparable to Escape to the Wilds, which is currently on the ban list (thanks to Omnath and Uro). Escape remains banned most likely to hinder green strategies, so I don’t think you’ll find Showdown of the Skalds in a ramp deck. However, there are some cards that synergize with this saga nicely…
You guessed it! Everyone’s favorite sky noodle. Mardu Yorion, while not a major contender in the current Standard format, can definitely utilize this new saga. Your initial Showdown of the Skalds can even find your Yorion, giving you access to a powerful turn five. I can imagine this deck curving out with a Glass Casket or Mazemind Tome into Omen of the Sun, Elspeth’s Nightamre or Treachorous Blessing, and finally topping off into Showdown into Yorion. You can also play cards like Flicker of Fate as an essential “draw four” or to reset your Yorion. While chapters two and three aren’t as impactful, you can still take advantage by buffing your Yorion or Skyclave Apparition. Taking inspiration from Gavin Bennet’s Kaldheim qualifier Top 8 list, I can imagine a Mardu Yorion deck in Kaldheim looking something like this:
Showdown of the Skalds may not end up being as broken as Escape to the Wilds was in the height of Omnath Standard, but it’s definitely abusable with Yorion. This was only our first real spoiler outside of the other pathways, so who knows what other presents we’ll be getting in this new Stanard format. From what we’ve seen of the last few sets it’s almost a given we’ll be seeing some incredibly powerful cards from Kaldheim. Until then…