Unlike the original game, the energy cards are not in the deck, as players are given an energy area that they can generate one energy from during each turn
That shift led directly to the illustration rares, special art rares, and hyper rares that define collecting today
Faerie Vandal can grow into a massive flier as we draw extra cards each turn, while Evangel of Synthesis is usually a menacing 3/3 attacker for two that also triggers all of our "draw a second card" creatures when we play it, making it a decent threat and a solid support card
Except for Cohort
Given how easily blue-black Zombie decks recur their creatures, Cleaver Skaab can more than double your value in just a couple turns, and all for an amount of mana the average Commander player can find behind their couch cushions
LEARN TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE FLARE Whether you see it as a welcome tool for budget players to punch up in Standard, a brutish and uninteresting ladder bully, or a lethal countermeasure for a bloated metagame, the RWx cycling decks are firmly established in Ikoria Standard