Emerald Cards: Frontier and Explorers

Emerald is the color of the Frontier and Explorers: aviators, frontier scouts and the people who mapped a continent. Its cards include Amelia Earhart, Theodore Roosevelt, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, Sacagawea, Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, alongside tall-tale heroes like Sally Ann Thunder and Paul Bunyan. Its Leader is Amelia Earhart.

How Emerald plays

Emerald is built around Explore. A character with Explore can only be blocked by characters that also have Explore, so an Emerald deck can send its attackers straight at the enemy Leader while the rival's blockers watch. Sacagawea gives your other Adventurers Explore, Out West gives them +1/+1 and Explore, and Up a River gives every Explore character +1/+0.

Emerald also pairs cards that belong together. William Clark gets +2/+2 and Explore while you control Lewis, Sally Ann Thunder grows while you control Davy Crockett, and Davy Crockett gains Explore while Sally Ann is on your side. Corps of Discovery searches your deck for another Adventurer, so these pairs come together more often than you might expect.

The Frontier archetype

The Collection groups Emerald's plan under Frontier: Adventurers, Pilots and cards that mention Explore. Earhart's Leader ability gives all of your Adventurers and Pilots Explore, which turns almost every Emerald character into an evasive attacker.

Ramp and recovery

Emerald has ways to get ahead on crystals, such as Boomtown and Louisiana Purchase, and ways to rebuild Life, such as Squanto and Jamestown. Big late plays like The Rough Riders give your whole field Swift for one decisive turn.