Innistrad: Midnight Hunt is ushering in a long-awaited rotation to Standard, but the Limited format is also shaping up to be a complex puzzle that increases the difficulty level after a relatively simple summer set.
The fall set is centered around traditional color pairs with several new and returning mechanics that are centered around various tribal synergies. Humans, Vampires, Zombies, and Werewolves are the primary tribes represented in Midnight Hunt.
Midnight Hunt is scheduled to release on Magic Online and Magic Arena on Sept. 16 with a full worldwide tabletop release on Sept. 24.
Red is an excellent complementary color for the G/R Werewolves, U/R spells, and R/W Humans aggro. There is a critical mass of direct damage, aggressive Creatures, and ways to take advantage of day and night in Red.
Keep an eye out for Red when Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Crimson Vow are drafted together as a part of the Double Feature event coming next year.
Here are the best Red Common and Uncommon cards in Midnight Hunt for Limited.
Brimstone Vandal
Brimstone Vandal is a solid Creature that’s hard to block and interacts with Red’s life loss theme and the set’s Daybound and Nightbound mechanic. Red and Black are centered around additional effects that trigger if an opponent loses life that turn. Brimstone Vandal deals one damage when day turns into night or night turns into day. Even if your deck doesn’t focus on Daybound and Nightbound, the state of the game will naturally change.
Whether you’re running Black or Green as a second color, Brimstone Vandal will generally be a playable card.
Burn the Accursed
Removal is important in Limited. Burn the Accursed is an expensive spell at five mana, but it is an Instant, hits your opponent or two damage, and exiles a Creature when it kills it. This card is worth playing to deal with an opponent’s bomb Creature or threat that can return from the graveyard.
Moonrager’s Slash
This might be the best Red Common in the set. If it is day then Moonrager’s Slash is a fine three damage Instant for three mana. It’s not great, but certainly not bad. If it is night, this card becomes Lightning Bolt. One mana to deal three damage to any target is premium removal and in a set focused on Daybound and Nightbound, it should be not a significant amount of the time. Play this card.
Cathartic Pyre
Cathartic Pyre is a versatile piece of removal. The card deals three damage to a Creature or Planeswalker which is useful at any stage of the game. The second ability sets Cathartic Pyre to be a playable card in Limited. Being able to discard two cards, in a set with Flashback, and draw that many cards is valuable. This is a removal spell that is never dead in hand. Any Red deck will likely run one of these if they can pick it up.
Famished Foragers
Red four-drops are hit-or-miss in Limited. They are typically aggressive Creatures that get stumped by go-wide decks with chump blockers. Famished Foragers looks like it’s a hit. This four-mana Vampire comes with a standard 4/3 body with two strong abilities. If an opponent loses life the turn you cast it, you generate three Red mana. This enables a big double-spell turn and effectively makes Famished Foragers a one-mana 4/3.
If you have nothing to cast with that extra three mana, Famished Foragers’ second ability lets you spend that mana to rummage. It won’t be worth it to have 3 of these in your Limited deck, but one should make the cut every time.
Purifying Dragon
This evasive threat must be dealt with, but with three toughness it doesn’t dodge most of the damage-based removal in Midnight Hunt. This card demands an answer or it will end the game quickly, however. The attack trigger is fine. It won’t kill many Creatures but it could force trades in combat by knocking a three-toughness Creature down to two.
Purifying Dragon does get rid of Decayed Zombie tokens well by dealing two damage to them.
Lunar Frenzy
Lunar Frenzy is an excellent combat trick with the potential to be a win condition. As a combat trick, this helps you win combat with a substantial power boost for the cost and giving your Creature First Strike. As a finisher, Lunar Frenzy’s ability to give a Creature Trample is an effective way to get through that last bit of damage. This card is great at any stage of the game and is worth playing.
