At the time of the announcement (see here), there were mixed feelings among the community, in particular in relation to the impact the decision would have had on the meta and the competitive events
Exdeath, Void Warlock offers a proactive approach by transforming into a large creature, while Cloud of Darkness serves as a removal spell that can go on to attack
If not, are you planning to play at Festival of the Arts anyway?
You can also bring the Queen out quickly with shift, paying 2 ink to play her on top of her 1 cost The Queen Regal Monarch
Celes, Rune Knight Celes is a great Mardu graveyard commander, providing card advantage, an easy way to get cards into your graveyard, and a payoff for returning creatures to the battlefield after you discard them
Starter Decks Starter Decks are often looked down upon in the TCG world, as they typically include cheap cards and the most base-level strategies the game has to offer