White
Angel of Invention
I can’t help but feel like, at this
cost and at mythic rare, this is a bit nerfed. Maybe it plays better than I
realize, or maybe it’s just particularly bomb-y within the block itself, but
overall this just seems like it should have
been a base 2/2 or even 2/3. I don’t imagine TOO many White decks getting super
excited about this, but Angels tend to get popularity bumps due to their
creature type, and it IS an Anthem on a stick. Has a nice mix of keywords too.
It’ll definitely see some play, but I think it’s likely to be mediocre in most
cases.
Cataclysmic Gearhulk
Seems good. Would be better if it
hit lands, but then it’d also be a lot meaner and less fun (for the average EDH
group anyway). I’m sure it’ll get played, quite a bit, even. But I still prefer
Tragic Arrogance because with that spell, YOU get to choose what everyone
keeps, which is just awesome. Why am I not running that in anything? Anyway,
Gearhulk is good. Oh, and it’s also an Artifact so expect to see it in Esper-flavored
Artifact decks for sure.
Authority of the Consuls
I’m not sure how many decks would
play this over Blind Obedience, but if you’re one of those people who feels
cheaty about playing Extort cards in non-Orzhov decks, then here’s your answer.
Actually I do have at least one deck that I know will happily play both this
AND Blind Obedience – Karlov. More lifegain triggers are always what Uncle Karl
likes to see.
In general, I tend to like these
sorts of effects – I’ve gotten good mileage out of both Urabrask and Blind
Obedience in many decks already, and while I like both of those options more
than Authority in a vacuum, this will definitely have a place in the format.
Fumigate
As much as I dislike the trend of
making sweepers cost 5 (or more) these days, this is one actually feels worth
five mana. Sometimes the lifegain will be trivial; it’s just your only out to
one or two really scary threats. Sometimes you’ll rip this against a Rhys the
Redeemed deck and laugh as you ask for more dice for your life total. It’s a
bit meta-dependant but if you’re in the market for a good budget alternative to
Wrath and Damnation this is a pretty darn good option.
Aerial Responder
I mainly mention this little guy
for two reasons. First, he seems like a fine pick for decks built around the
new Odric (aka Keyword Salad). This dwarf comes with fairly decent stats for
the cost, and while all three of his keywords are pretty common, it’s pretty
unusual to find all three together in one cost-efficient package (although it
does share these same keywords with Angel of Invention… weird!). The other
reason is he also might be good in mono-White or Boros “Equipment Tribal”
decks. Personally, I tend to prioritize Double Strike as my most-desired
keyword ability, to get double-value out of my Swords of Stuff and Junk (and
increase damage output), but this dude certainly looks formidable holding a
Sword of Fire and Ice, don’t you think?
Also, I can’t help but think of him
as a white Vampire Nighthawk. True, Deathtouch is a big part of what makes the
vampire so good in EDH, as he is often capable of holding off several attacks
throughout the course of the early game, and then later tends to trade for
something larger when your opponents get desperate enough to attack into it. So
this card probably isn’t quite as good, but the similarities are there all the
same.
Consulate Surveillance
Eh, it’s a pillow-fort card. Not a
great one… But if you have other means of generating energy reliably and in
quantity, then this gets a lot more appealing. But for now, at least, I’m not
sure White is the best color to be in if you’re on the Energy plan. We’ll see what Aether Revolt brings, but for
now at least, I’m sticking to Ghostly Prison and it’s more generic-but-reliable
kin.
Refurbish
A Zombify for artifacts would have
been a big deal to me back in the day. But these days it just feels too narrow.
I don’t even play Zombify in heavy graveyard decks, so I can’t get enthusiastic
about this in heavy artifact decks. That said, I imagine the more casual
Sharuum players will find it appealing, and if you’re in mono-White but have a
high concentration of artifacts, this might also appeal to you. I can certainly
see it being used to get back a Caged Sun or an Umezawa’s Jitte that got blown
up.
Skywhaler’s Shot
Wow, nice. It’s been a long time
since they printed a White removal spell that I didn’t immediately write off
due to the presence of Swords and Path. This still isn’t as good as either of
them, but it is arguably better than Radiant’s Judgement which is definitely
playable. It lowers the minimum power by 1 making it that much more versatile,
and it replaces cycling with Scry 1. But, unlike with Cycling, you don’t have
to choose between casting the spell for its effect and drawing a card, you just
cast this and get the effect and the Scry.
Overall this doesn’t even come
close to competing with Swords/Path but if you own more White decks than you do
copies of Path (a situation I find myself in presently), this is probably one
of the better options you could consider instead. I very much like this, even
if I’m still only running it when I can’t find any spare Path to Exiles…
Blue
Metallurgic Summons
Wait, so is this supposed to go
into Artifact decks, or Spells decks? Both? I seems absurdly powerful, so I am
sure it goes somewhere. Pretty sure I’m going to be seeing this in Mizzix, at
the very least, and likely plenty of other places as well. I might even play it in
Teferi, as it seems pretty good there. This is just a really good card, so it should
be easy to find a slot for it somewhere. I’m just a bit sad because it’d be
perfect for my Jori En artifact deck, except the majority of my spells are
permanents. I don’t think I have nearly enough instants and sorceries in that
deck. Anyway, Blue mythic enchantments tend to be nuts, this is no exception.
Torrential Gearhulk
Folks, I’m torn between loving and
hating this. I mean, all of the Gearhulks are good, no question. I’m almost
certain I’m just being overly picky here but the fact that this doesn’t say “or
Sorcery” just really bothers me. I’m absolutely going to run this in Teferi,
where I am certain to have plenty of valid targets for this, but in decks that
aren’t loaded with Instants, how likely is this to do anything? Maybe it’s just
because I’m lucky enough to have Snapcasters to play with, I dunno. I get the
feeling I’m selling this one a bit short, but at the same time, I do think this
is really strong – it’s just a bit more narrow than I’d like.
Aethersquall Ancient
Mainly notable for being one of the
few Energy cards that is self-sustaining. Also, it’s a Leviathan – a sea
monster – with Flying! WTF? I really want to give this a try, just not sure
where. Likely to be one of the MVPs of any Energy-themed decks that come out of
this block, but also seems decent in a vacuum. I like it. It’s jank, but I like
it.
Insidious Will
Though I am generally not a fan of
countermagic in EDH, I’m not above playing Cryptic Command or Mystic Confluence
where appropriate. My personal rule is, no more than one counterspell per deck,
and it should also do other things besides just counter spells. Well, this card
fits that bill and I like it! Reminds me just a bit of Wild Ricochet which is a
card I dearly love. This isn’t quite as swingy, but a bit more flexible and utilitarian.
Not necessarily a bad thing, though, as it is also far less likely to be dead
in hand than Wild Ricochet sometimes is. Definitely an EDH-worthy counterspell.
Saheeli’s Artistry
I really, really wish this was Red
so I could play it in Feldon, but at least Jori En will be happy to have it.
This card exists in that kind of uncomfortable area between Phyrexan Metamorph
and Rite of Replication. It’s pretty versatile and good value for its cost, but
it has neither the cheap versatility of Metamorph nor the over-the-top
swingyness of a kicked Rite. It’s a middle of the road option, but in EDH you
rarely want middle of the road. You usually want the best effect for the
cheapest cost, or the bombiest effect possible at any cost. That said, I have
recently found that to not ALWAYS be the case… I very rarely consider Mindstone
to be worth running, and I have been consistently disappointed with Dreamstone
Hedron after many attempts to play it. But the middle of the road option for
those cards is Hedron Archive and I have been extremely impressed with that
card. Dreamstone is too expensive, while Mindstone is too low-impact, but
Hedron Archive is just right. So maybe this hits that sweet spot? But it’s
competing with a lot of really good cards, not just Rite and Metamorph, though
those are its biggest obstacles.
Paradoxical Outcome
I honestly have no clue where this
card might be useful, but I’m convinced it’s got to have a home somewhere.
Glint-Nest Crane
So this is basically a cheaper
Faerie Mechanist, but loses a point of power, is not an artifact creature, but
in exchange gets to look at one more card and has one more toughness. However
some of these differences are more impactful than others. The difference
between a 1/3 and a 2/2 is negligible, often downright irrelevant, in EDH. Cost
is a bit more meaningful, but the difference between 2 and 4 is not that wide a
gulf for the average EDH deck. No, the most significant difference, I think is
the difference between being an artifact creature and being a regular creature.
In my experience, the sort of decks that want Faerie Mechanist can get multiple
uses out of the Mechanist precisely because it is an artifact itself. If it
were not an Artifact it would be much more like to be a one-and-done kind of
card, and at 4 mana that almost certainly wouldn’t be worthwhile. So if we
assume the average deck that would want this effect would pay 4 for an effect
it could abuse and re-use it, but wouldn’t pay 4 for a one-shot effect with
little chance of reuse, would those decks be willing to pay 2 instead for the
one-shot, no-abuse effect? Maybe? What if that effect was slightly improved by
digging one card deeper? Compelling, but I still think the answer is “maybe”. It’s
already very tricky to balance your Artifact decks between things that care
about artifacts but are not themselves artifacts and things that are artifacts.
Too many of the former and your deck falls apart.
Shrewd Negotiation
I’m more of a Bribery/Treachery
kind of player. If you have something I want, I’m not going to barter for it,
I’m just gonna take it. So I was initially not impressed or interested by this
card. But after consideration, I have decided it’s at least worth a shout out.
It’s uncommon, so budget-friendly, unlike my boi Treachery. It also has more
political implications. Usually you are going to want to just take the best
thing on the table and give away something inconsequential like a Signet or
Thopter token or whatever, but you can also use it politically – donate a mana
rock to a player who needs it more, taking something useful but not super
threatening to that player.
The fact that you have to have an
artifact to give away, and it needs to be something you’re willing to give
away, makes this awfully narrow, but in the right deck it could be good.
Dramatic Reversal
One of the few commons I just had
to mention, this seems like a fun, yet potentially breakable, card. As it
doesn’t untap your lands, it’s no Turnabout, but I still think it’s likely to
show up an part of some kind of combo, somewhere. Non-combo uses, it could just
untap a bunch of mana rocks, or turn your tapped army into surprise blockers.
It also fits nicely onto Isochron Scepter, by the way… yeah, seems like someone
ought to be able to come up with some clever uses for this thing. Pretty neat
for a common.
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