Intro
The ratings are based on how much play the card sees and whether it is played in meta decks. This rating system is inspired by Clutch's set review rating system.
1- Sees zero play
2- Rarely played in a niche deck
3- Moderately played in a niche deck or rarely played in a meta deck
4- Staple in a meta deck
5- Run in multiple meta decks
Orfeo in Wanderlands
Orfeo in Wanderlands
3 Mana 1/1 Guild
Deadly. Hidden for 1 turn.
After your opponent plays a creature attack it.
Afterlife: Shuffle this creature into your deck.
Orfeo in Wanderlands is a unique card. He shares a lot with his Trials of the Gods version, such as being a 1/1 with deadly and hidden for 1 turn. However, Holiday Orfeo costs 3 mana and waits to attack the first creature your opponent plays. This makes him one of the rare cards in GU that interacts on your opponent's turn.
Orfeo has several good uses. He is proactive removal that can trade with a threat or delay it for one turn; he can attack hidden creatures, which is a problem for deception; and he shuffles back into the deck, preventing fatigue.
While all of that sounds great, he is highly situational. Many decks have an easy way to deal with Orfeo through armor, protected, or AOE. Even if they don't have an answer, he is usually going to trade with your opponent's weakest creature in hand.
Aggro decks don't typically want removal, and control decks have better options for removal, such as Blade Borrower, Hunting Trap, and Umber Arrow, as well as options for fatigue with Jason or Flip god power. Orfeo could see some experimentation in control or midrange deception.
1/5
Merry Kadmos
Merry Kadmos
5 Mana 3/4 Olympian
Frontline
Roar: Pick one -
- Pull a creature from the board to the top of its controller's deck, or
- Give +2/+2 to the Chosen One.
Merry Kadmos is a bit small for his cost as a 5 mana 3/4, but his spin effect (putting a creature on top of its controller's deck) is powerful. It removes a threat from the field, which is especially useful for Light decks that have limited removal options, and uses up your opponent's next draw. You can even spin back your own creature to reuse a roar if you're extra greedy. While his body 3/4 isn't bad, he doesn't work with 2-strength buff cards like Asterius or Protective Benediction. The Chosen One buff is decent, giving a moderate buff to a random creature you might not draw, but it can be useful when you need to play Kadmos without needing to spin your own creature.
Finding room for Merry Kadmos can be challenging as 5 mana is crowded with cards like Blade of Whiteplain, Canonize, Radiant Embalmer, and now Merry Kadmos vying for a spot. Kadmos will see play in aggro and control light decks.
5/5
Sleigh Master Valka
Sleigh Master Valka
5 Mana 6/5 Viking
Overkill
Roar: If you have fewer than two cards in hand, gain blitz.
Sleigh Master Valka is an aggressive-statted card, with 6/5 Overkill for 5 mana. Overkill is good at clearing small creatures or going face. The conditional blitz, which triggers if you have 1 or fewer cards in hand after playing Valka, can be easy to meet in a hyper-aggressive deck. The Viking tag is nice for dedicated Viking decks.
Getting Valka to gain blitz is easy when you're top-decking. However, getting blitz reliably at 5 mana needs a very low mana curve deck. You start with 3 cards in the opener and draw 1 every turn. At 5 mana, you have drawn 5 cards naturally and 8 total. For Valka to gain blitz you will have to play at least 6 cards using around 11-14 mana (all of your mana from turns 1-4 including pips), so your deck needs around an average mana cost of around 2 to reliably have blitz on turn 5. The condition is easier to meet going second, as you have 3 pips to use, making Valka better as a catch-up card.
Valka has tough competition with other 5 drops such as Orcish Elite, Redfume Serum, and Blade of Whiteplain, which offer a 2-for-1 trade, a big buff, or removal and draw. Archangel Bruiser can act as removal like Valka as a 4m 5/2 Blitz with conditional overkill on roar when you're frenzied. While a 5 mana 6/5 Overkill is not bad as a big body, a lot of Valka's power is in the blitz and making a favorable trade with overkill, so it is important to trigger her roar. The roar is only reliably achievable in aggro, as control or midrange decks rarely 1 or fewer cards in hand.
Overall, Sleigh Master Valka is a decent card in aggro war decks. It's another top-end option and is likely to see play in Viking Aggro War.
3/5
Reinkeeper Selena
Reinkeeper Selena
6 Mana 3/3 Amazon
After this creature attacks, summon a base copy of a random friendly Wild creature with mana cost 3 or less.
Roar: Summon two 2/2 Reinbadgers with blitz.
Reinkeeper Selena looks good on paper with a wide range of uses including removal, potential value generation, and board presence. Her 7/7 stats for 6 mana is on-curve, getting a 3/3 with upside and two Vanguard Axewomans. Altogether that is worth around 6 mana (3m+1m+1m+bundling 3 cards together).
However, Selena feels like a Swiss Army Knife, doing a lot of things but nothing particularly well. The Reinbadgers are pretty much a Wild Vanguard Axewoman, a card that doesn't see much play currently. 2 2/2s with blitz at 6 mana is lackluster removal. Selena's 3/3 stats make it unlikely for her to survive to attack and copy a creature. Going wide at 6 mana with no protection is also risky, as she can easily be killed by sweepers like Shaped Blast or even Wolf-Cult Vanguard. A Guild Enforcer can eat Selena and the Reinbadgers and still survive.
Cards with similar stats and removal effects do not see much play. Aether Vanguard is a 4/4 that deals 2+2 damage to enemy creatures, while Frost Giant Deadshot is a 6/6 that deals 3 damage to the strongest enemy creature. Selena has a smaller body, summons 2/2s with blitz for removal instead, and the copy effect is unlikely to go off on a 3/3.
I don't see any current meta Nature decks that want to run Selena. Aggro decks don't want a reactive 6 mana card. They have Sudden Bloom as a top-end option to close out games if they want to go up to 6 mana. Control decks want more board clear at 6 mana, such as Enchanted Vines or The Hunt instead of two 2/2s with blitz.
Reinkeeper Selena could fit into a Midrange nature deck, as she has a range of abilities, including removal and potential value generation that could be useful there. However, Midrange nature decks are not currently seeing much play, and it is uncertain whether Selena would be able to fit into such a deck even if it were more popular.
1/5
Snowshaper Pallas
Snowshaper Pallas
6 Mana 3/3 Mystic
Roar and Ability: Transform a creature into a 0/1 Snow Statue with "Can't attack".
Snowshaper Pallas is a decent removal option on legs. They have the potential to be a 2-for-1, transforming an opponent's creature and forcing them to remove Pallas. However, it is a greedier version of Ratify, costing 6 mana and requiring removal or else you'll transform another creature.
Ratify is sometimes played in Control Magic decks in slow metas with a lot of big creatures. The snow statue clogs up the opponent's board, but it doesn't matter as it will die when the board is wiped. Pallas comes out two turns later than Ratify, and its 6 mana cost is hard to use effectively with Magebolt to pop ward beforehand. It is vulnerable to most removal, which your opponent is likely to have in hand since there aren't many other targets.
Overall, I believe Pallas will see occasional play in Control Magic decks as a greedier version of Ratify in slow, control-heavy metas.
2/5
Frost Queen Neferu
Frost Queen Neferu
4 Mana 4/4 Anubian
Each turn, after the first time your opponent draws a card, plays a card, uses their god power, and attacks with their relic, their god takes 2 damage.
Frost Queen Neferu is a powerful burn card. She will do 2 damage guaranteed from your opponent drawing a card, and likely another 2 damage from them playing a card to deal with her. Even playing her to deal 2 damage and have your opponent trade-in isn't bad. Burn is effective if you have a critical mass of it to kill your opponent, otherwise, if you don't have enough burn, you'll run out of cards and will fall behind on board. Neferu can deal burn damage on your turn by forcing your opponent to draw cards with cards like Burrowing Scarab or Vrock.
Neferu fits well in Heirloom Death decks, as an Anubian that deals burn damage. Heirloom already has plenty of burn from cards like Priestess of Takhat, Raving Necromancer, and Skull Scepter. Zombies could also use Neferu as an aggressive 4 drop, although the slot is competitive with Decaying Rhino and Undead Chimera both having Nether tags.
4/5
Conclusion
The Holiday Champions have a range of power levels, from no play to seeing play in many decks. They have unique designs and can fit well into different playstyles and decks. Players should think carefully about how they will use these cards before adding them to their collection.
I love Reinkeeper Selena, I wish I have that card now...
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I think we'll see "Snowshaper Pallas" with "ward" so he can turn more creatures into snowflakes. I like "Orfeo in Wanderlands" for its ability to return to the deck, it looks like a pro version of "Felid Assassin".👍👍👍
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