The 17 Best Cards in Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate Ranked

Last updated on December 29, 2023

Displacer Kitten | Illustration by Campbell White

Welcome planeswalkers! Today it’s time to take a look at the newly developed-for-digital Alchemy set, Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate. I want to highlight some of the best cards that are in the set. I’ll be discussing the strengths of the cards, if they’re really good, and if they be incorporated into your Alchemy and Historic decks.

We’re all just trying to find the OP cards and hidden gems that we can build new decks around, or that can take our existing decks to another level whenever a new set is released. All of the rankings below are of course my opinion. The great part of the MTG community is we can have these discussions and learn from each other.

I hope that I can give you a good idea of some of the best cards to consider from Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate. Ready? Let’s dive right in!

#17. Lae'zel, Githyanki Warrior

A lot of the specialize creatures have great options for interactions in the game. Lae'zel, Githyanki Warrior is no different, but when this card enters the ‘field it also gains the ability to blink when your opponent targets it with spells or abilities.

This is a huge benefit to basically keep Lae’zel safe from targeting spells and abilities your opponent may have. I can see this fitting into a lot of the midrange- and control-style white decks depending on your build strategy. My personal favorite is the Lae'zel, Illithid Thrall form in an Alchemy Azorius () control deck.

#16. Signature Spells

Being able to cast a free spell every turn is an Izzet () and storm deck’s dream scenario. Signature Spells is an enchantment on par with Arcane Bombardment for the noncreature enthusiasts. The text unfortunately uses the new seek mechanic instead of fetching. This means that Arena automatically scrolls through your deck to find the two spells.

Signature Spells is a great addition to the Historic and Alchemy decks that use plenty of 3-mana instants or sorceries like Angelfire Ignition, Bedevil, Deafening Clarion, and Kolaghan's Command.

#15. Gale, Conduit of the Arcane

I’d be happy to have a 4-mana creature that lets me get an instant or sorcery back from the graveyard. Gale, Conduit of the Arcane also has the specialize ability to benefit all your instants and sorceries.

This card can fit into a lot of noncreature Alchemy and Historic decks including Dimir () midrange, Azorius control, Simic () ramp, and Izzet storm.

#14. Lukamina, Moon Druid

Lukamina, Moon Druid has plenty of specialized forms that can help you depending on what you need. But the best thing about this card is that if it’s specialized and it dies, it returns to the battlefield unspecialized and in its original form. This is a great way to navigate non-exile removal and board wipes. You do have to discard a card to specialize, but lands can count as the color you need when discarding.

I like Lukamina’s mono-green specialized form to pair with Historic cards like Stonecoil Serpent, and its Gruul form to pair with Alchemy cards like Tovolar, Dire Overlord.

#13. Chaos Balor

I love a card that has a lot of options for interactions. You have to pick two of the three options when Chaos Balor attacks or dies, and each choice has to target different players. These can help you set up your board and hand presence exactly how you need. A fantastic card for creating interactions to disrupt your opponent’s strategy while developing your own.

This is a great card for the Historic Rakdos () or demons/devils fans. There are plenty of good demons and devils in the Alchemy rotation to pair with Chaos Balor. Cards like Tiefling Outcasts and Ob Nixilis, the Adversary also pair well with this card.

#12. Basilisk Collar

Basilisk Collar has been a staple for some of the artifact and equipment builds for a long time now. This card helps you create deadly blockers and gain life for a cheap equip cost. It’s also a lovely addition to the eternal, Historic, and Modern formats.

#11. The Hourglass Coven

The Hourglass Coven Is a nice card to round out the end of a Dimir control deck’s curve. You can draft two spells from its spellbook, which are all warlock creatures that have some sort of “at the beginning of your upkeep” ability. The drafted warlock creatures have abilities from opponents losing life to creating creature tokens to opponents milling cards and even scrying.

The Hourglass Coven is a great late-game card. Especially if you have any bounce abilities to pair it with like Thassa, Deep-Dwelling.

#10. Monster Manual

I’ve always been a fan of the adventure cards and think they should be included in as many decks as possible. Monster Manual is a fitting card for the D&D-inspired set that’s sure to be a big creature staple in Historic and Alchemy.

You can play any creature in your hand for two mana if this isn’t removed quickly. Getting a Titan of Industry or Ancient Brass Dragon on turn 5 is a huge all-around game advantage. The adventure spell also offers some advantages in reanimator decks.

#9. Prosper, Tome-Bound

Prosper, Tome-Bound is another Rakdos card that helps you with drawing and mana fixing. It gets you an extra card at the end of your turn along with a Treasure if you play a card from exile.

I have two main thoughts when I read this card. It pairs well with adventure cards like Bonecrusher Giant and Murderous Rider. Prosper is also good for builds with a lot of instants because you get the exiled card on your end step.

This is legal in the eternal formats, Historic, and Alchemy. From what I’ve noticed so far it gets more play in singleton formats like Commander and Historic Brawl.

#8. Ancient Brass Dragon

All of the ancient dragons in Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate are bomb cards. All of them have an ability that’s related to the number rolled from a d20 whenever they do combat damage. When Ancient Brass Dragon does combat damage, you can return any number of creatures from your graveyard equal to the dice roll.

Black builds often have a ton of removal and now you have a chance to take some of your opponent’s creatures for yourself! This is a powerful card with a commander like Scion of the Ur-Dragon, or cards like Dragonlord's Servant and Dragonspeaker Shaman in Historic to help cast it quickly.

#7. Ancient Copper Dragon

Ancient Copper Dragon is a perfect fit into the mold of what players want in a dragon deck. You can start to take the game over if you can make a lot of Treasures.

This card fits right in with Izzet, Boros (), and Jeskai () dragons. It looks like Goldspan Dragon and Velomachus Lorehold have a new card to accelerate with.

#6. Oyaminartok, Polar Werebear

Oyaminartok, Polar Werebear is going to be a very fun card to play, and I can imagine it in a lot of different styles of decks. You get to draft a spell from this card’s spellbook whenever you sacrifice a Food token. The spells you can draft are what drew me to this card, things like Nezahal, Primal Tide, Voracious Greatshark, and Nadir Kraken.

Oyaminartok has plenty of things that make it strong for your Historic or Alchemy decks. It has hexproof to protect itself, a way to make Food, and ways to get you more cards. It fits into mono-green stompy for both Historic and Alchemy. It can also fit into a Simic counters deck with its spellbook.

#5. Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes

Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes card screams Gruul () smash. You get a 1/1 Boo token when it enters the battlefield that you can continue to pump and eventually sac to draw and do damage to any target.

Minsc & Boo has a regular print legal in the eternal formats and an Alchemy rebalance that’s legal in Alchemy and Historic. The rebalanced version costs five mana instead of four. This card fits into Gruul midrange and aggro decks alongside cards like Gruul Spellbreaker, Questing Beast, and Embercleave.

#4. Raphael, Fiendish Savior

Raphael, Fiendish Savior is the demon and devil build dream card. It gives you pump and lifelink for your tribal creatures along with more creature tokens that do damage when they die.

Raphael pairs well with demon cards like Blade of the Oni, tiefling cards like Karlach, Raging Tiefling, and planeswalkers like Zariel, Archduke of Avernus. There’s so much to love about this card for the Rakdos, aristocrat, and demon deckbuilders out there.

#3. Displacer Kitten

What’s not to love about this little kitten? For four mana you now turn all your noncreature spells into bounce effects.

Displacer Kitten is a bomb card for all the mono-blue and blue guilds lovers out there. The bounce effects from playing noncreature spells with it can protect your creatures and increase the number of ETB triggers you get from each card. It’s also a fantastic card that pairs well with Historic Azorius cards like Thought Monitor, Dimir Commander decks alongside cards like Possessed Skaab, and Esper Alchemy builds with cards like Diviner of Fates.

#2. Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm

I don’t think anyone is saying that dragons are lacking and need more firepower. Well, dragon tribal lovers have received another bomb addition with Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm.

Not only is this card great at making tokens of strong dragon cards, but the tokens it makes are never legendary. Miirym makes for a great dragon commander, or just a nice addition to your next Historic or Modern Temur () dragon build.

#1. Champions of Tyr

Is anyone else tired of the Orzhov () angels in Alchemy or Historic? Well, I have bad news: those decks are about the get stronger.

Champions of Tyr is a great addition to the Historic and Alchemy angels or white aggro builds. This card gives you a chance to load up your next creature with the counters you need, and a possibility to do it another time with double team. This card is going to be an absolute headache in Historic and Alchemy for the foreseeable future.

Wrap Up

Ancient Copper Dragon | Illustration by Antonio Jose Manzanedo

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to hop on MTG Arena and start drafting and constructing! There’s always excitement that comes with new cards and new possibilities. I hope that the list above gives you some insight and ideas on the powerful cards and combos from Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate. The new packs are waiting to be opened, and these bomb cards are waiting to be crafted.

I hope that you enjoyed my opinion on the greatest cards from Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate. Do you disagree with any of my rankings? Think something is missing, or did I feature a card that doesn’t deserve it? Let me know in the comments below or over in the Draftsim Discord.

Keep exploring and trying new things in this wonderful game!