Thrumming Hivepool – Edge of Eternities
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2025
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.00
Casual: 4.50
Limited: 2.83
Multiplayer: 3.50
Commander [EDH]: 3.75
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
History doesn’t repeat, but it does rhyme – this card’s flavor text reminds me a lot of the Onslaught block’s quotes from Riptide Laboratory researchers and their increasingly desperate tone as the slivers escaped from their control. And since it took the Rathi Overlay to stop the Stronghold’s original slivers, and the Riptide slivers survived the events of the Time Spiral block, it’s not at all surprising that they found a way to establish themselves on the Edge. In gameplay terms, though, slivers have almost never been a kindred for constructed, aside from some success for Counter-Sliver in the late 90s and early 2000s, and an amusing Wild Pair combo deck in Time Spiral block constructed. This card doesn’t seem likely to be the exception to that, as a six-mana artifact in an era of games that develop very rapidly (even in Standard). But it’s worth noting that it generates tokens without any additional investment, like an expensive Bitterblossom – tokens with some good combat keywords. I wouldn’t entirely rule out some of the slower decks finding a role for it, though it’ll really shine in casual settings. Sliver decks are already capable of generating inevitability with the right card choices, and this card can only help with that.
Constructed: 3 (maybe optimistic, but if you have a way to get it in play, it can demand an answer)
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 3 (see Constructed)
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
Thrumming Hivepool is emblematic of Slivers in many ways: it’s not useless on its own, but it shines with the right friends. And, as it turns out, Slivers are a tribe that loves to go all-in on the theme, granting quite the buff to an extant board while making more of one. Double strike and haste make even the lowly 1/1 Slivers this produces dangerous if left unchecked, and making two each turn is certainly scary. The main attraction here is affinity for Slivers, which…if you’ve ever seen affinity in action should be a red flag. Colorless cards with affinity are rare anymore, and while Slivers are a bit of a fragile tribe as a result of their mana base being a mess, this can come down as early as turn three or four, and it’s off to the races.
That said…Slivers may be a fan favorite, but I don’t think this gives them the legs(?) they need to measure up in Legacy, Modern, and other formats…much less Standard, where this is (unless I missed one) the sole card pertaining to Slivers in the format. That said, this is certainly intriguing, and while I wouldn’t count on it in Constructed, the Sliver player in your Commander group is going to be very happy with this.
Constructed: 3 (while it does make tokens each turn, Slivers have not really popped off in Constructed in ages, and I doubt this is what rejuvenates Legacy/Modern Slivers)
Casual: 5
Limited: 3 (it is, if nothing else, able to make two 1/1 bodies with haste and double strike, and that can add up if unchecked)
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
Thijs
One of the main antagonists of the Star Trek franchise is/are The Borg. They’re a race of cyborgs and they’re part of a hive mind, called The Collective. On their own they’re not very impressive, but connected to The Collective they are a formidable foe. One of my favorite characters of all time is Seven of Nine, a former Borg member.
Slivers have always reminded me of The Borg. On their own they’re usually tiny creatures, but their oracle texts tell you the hidden power of the collective. It says either ‘all Slivers’ or ‘Slivers you control’ and that makes them one of the most popular tribes in the game.
Apparently Slivers are also part of the vast region that is the Edge of Eternities, hence the Thrumming Hivepool. A 6 mana artifact is not an easy summon, but once it’s there it can quickly buff your Sliver army to dangerous proportions. As a bonus you add two Sliver minions every turn this artifact stays in play.
I like the addition to this set (just like the return of Kavu!) but I’m afraid Slivers are just a little too clunky of a tribe to make a lasting impact nowadays. Board wipes are rampant and there are no mana dorks among these shard-like creatures.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 4 (Slivers at the kitchen table? Yes please!)
Limited: 2,5
Multiplayer: 3
Commander [EDH]: 3
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